The Unknown Variable

Part 9

She would find Damon one way or another but finding him and finding out the Original's intentions for him were two different things entirely. Scanning the dark forest, Liberty forced herself to pick out the wolf form of the original amongst the multicolored leaves coloring the forest floor. Her eyes quickly skipped over the broken leaves strewn in her path as she ran through the trees searching for Niklaus.

Anxiety began to thrum through her veins as she kept searching with no sign of the hybrid to be found. A lump formed in her throat at the realization that she may have failed to protect the one person she had been charged with guarding. What had started as a simple assignment, had quickly become more as she and Damon had grown closer.

 Once he had just been an assignment that her coven had given to her out of the blue but, now she couldn't help but consider him one of her best friends.

Relief flooded her as she spied a golden-blonde wolf laying on the forest floor mere feet in front of her. As she approached the wolf who was clearly Niklaus bolted to his feet, spinning toward her, he bared his teeth as he stared her down. "I wouldn't," Liberty whispered as she stood stock still in her place, "Damon would be awfully angry if he found out I died at your...paws. Something tells me you wouldn't want that."

The wolf in front of her paused mid-growl, eyeing her up before with a roll of his eyes taking off in the opposite direction in which she stood. Liberty released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Huffing several curses under her breath, Liberty moved to follow him. Finding Damon and the reason that the Originals wanted him would have to wait until the only Original she could find was able to speak again.

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Damon huffed out a sigh as he stared up at the full moon peaking over the forest's trees. He knew the moon was in perfect position for the ritual and found himself conflicted at the very thought of it. Damon was angry, hurt, and tired of his father and his excuses but, he didn't want his ritual to fail just because of it. 

At the same time, he didn't want Elena to die, no matter what she had done to him. He still cared for her to a certain degree and no matter how angry he was at her and his brother he still found himself hoping for their safety.

Stefan was his younger brother, after all, it was Damon's job to make sure he was safe, right? Just because he had been abandoned by Stefan for a human girl, didn't mean Damon was allowed to abandon him. Was he? Damon found himself questioning his role with Stefan and whether he could even call him family at this point. He was confused beyond anything else as to what to do when it came to the relationships that lay before him.

Closing his eyes, Damon threw his head back against the wall hoping to fall asleep even if only to make time pass till morning when he could find another way to escape from his father. He didn't want to be around the man who had abandoned him, who merely saw him as an obligation to take care of until he got bored again. 

Damon jolted as he felt a feeling of electricity shoot through him. Swallowing thickly he moved carefully before swallowing a cry of pain as he felt pain shoot through his entire body.

Damon hit the ground as pain started coursing through him, heat poured off of him, coating him in a sheen of sweat. He didn't understand why this had to keep happening, first with Elijah and now after his father left him to go do his stupid ritual. A scream tore from his throat as he felt his arm rearrange itself completely splintering in the process. Quick footsteps pounded up the stairs as a scream tore from Damon's lips.

"Damon? Damon, open the door!" Maddox called out as the handle moved minutely while he was trying to get in. Damon smothered a groan as he felt another spike of pain shoot through him. Suddenly, he felt the pain pause for a second as something deep within him seemed to click into place.