Body & Soul - Klaus Mikaelson

Sixteen

I rest my head against the tree, my eyes are closed. I've barely woken up again. I'm stuck in my head, replaying that night, again and again. I can't get it out of my head. I brush another stray tear away as I listen to Elijah's footsteps come closer.

He has been watching over me, Klaus's compulsion not allowing me to travel too far. So while he has been bounding around the woods as a wolf for two days, I've sat here. Reliving my worst days. My body is weak and when I do need to walk, I do it in slow paces, not getting far before needing to rest. My body took too much damage. My damage, my grief, my transformation. And then Klaus's. 

I stare at the large black wolf, holding my stance. I don't have an Alpha, and I don't plan on having one. Especially not Klaus. But he gently sits in front of me, cocking his head and staring. I shake my coat, darting off further away from the house hiding the very much alive doppelganger. 

I can hear his footsteps behind me, which I try to ignore. But he doesn't relent and soon he is trotting beside me. I stop, giving him my best glare as a wolf. And I swear he gave me that same stupid smirk that he tends to use.

Without warning, I take off running. I know my way around these woods. Maybe I'll get lucky and lose him. But I have no such luck. Just as he is bigger, he is faster. He keeps up with me, admiring his new form. And eventually, we're racing each other across the woods to the falls. I stop at the river edge but he races right it, throwing himself into the water.

I sit and watch him. He seems too innocent in this form to be Klaus. He trots through the water, a wolfy smile on his face. He doesn't seem vicious anymore. He seems free and beyond the pain that we just endured. He is careless, still not a thought dedicated to what he just did. 

I listen to branches snap as Elijah appears next to me, his eyes trained on his brother. He shakes his head at his brother's antics and the dark wolf comes sprinting out the water. He waltzes around me as if asking me to move. But I sweep my tail closer to me ignoring his requests. 

But he takes off again and my body is obedient to follow. I curse his compulsion in my head. I follow him around the woods like a second tail, and Elijah follows both of us. Eventually, my Wolf retreats and I wake in the woods as a human. A pile of clothes resting next to me. Glancing around, I'm quick to pull them on.

A second later, Klaus, still a wolf comes running into the clearing. I give him a tight smile, waiting for him to lead me again. But he walks forward, his body brushing around my legs. I try to ignore the flipping in my stomach as I crouch next to him. I shake my head as his fur brushes beneath my fingers. 

"You are despicable," I murmur. 

A low hum comes from his throat as he makes another trip around me, his body still brushing mine. He sits again in front of me. He cocks his head as if waiting for something. I raise my eyebrows, shrugging my shoulders.

"What are you waiting for? Applause?" I ask him. "Congratulations, you killed three people."

His eyes narrow and he takes off again into the woods. I stand, the full weight of last night hitting me again. I sway in the wind, fatigue hitting me. I fall to my knee quickly. A yelp leaving my lips as I sink onto my side. Klaus comes back as a Wolf again, staring at me. But I don't get to see him much longer before I'm consumed with blackness.

When I wake again, Elijah is watching over me. Klaus lays in a ball beside me. I groan, pushing myself into a sitting position. 

"Are you alright?" Elijah asks.

I nod, "Tired. Sore."

Klaus comes trotting at me, now up and moving. His head brushes my hand, and I comply this time. I run my fingers through his fur. He hums softly again, and I shake my head. How can he be so caring like this and a monster as a human?