violet red
PG-13. 11/17/2004.

"'So--so how did things go last night?'
Stefan's mood darkened immediately. 'Not so good.'"
--The Vampire Diaries Volume III: The Fury, p.127

Stefan led Elena deep into the woods. He noted, with a stab of anger, that Damon followed not far behind. Couldn't they ever be alone together?

Stefan could feel the restless, gnawing hunger eating away at Elena. He knew it all too well. A lump rose in his throat at what he and his brother had condemned her to do. The thought of Elena, of all people, who had kissed him as softly as dew--the thought of her living as he did made him physically ill.

If only his brother had never laid his wretched hands upon her....But, no. Stefan would have found a way to ruin it all on his own, wouldn't he? His kind were cruel and selfish by nature. And now Elena had joined their ranks.

Yet, he loved her. And maybe, just maybe, she would forgive him one day for his weakness.

But for now, he must help her hunt; it was his duty.

He scented the musk-smell of deer, and reaching out, even with his faltering Powers, he could sense the placid shapes of individual minds. This way, he told her, and glided silently between two trees.

They reached the clearing where the deer fed, keeping carefully to the bushes. With her moonlit hair Elena stood out like a ghost. Damon was nowhere to be seen, but Stefan could sense him near.

Stefan called with his mind, gently prodding the nearest doe to move closer to where they hid. She looked up from her meal, then made a few halting steps.

What are you doing? Damon asked him, his Power making the words resonate in Stefan's head. Make her do it.

Stefan looked automatically to his left, to Elena, who crouched next to him. She was shaking with need, her face closed and determined.

She doesn't know what to do.

You fool! She needs to learn. I'll teach her if you won't.

Stefan clenched his teeth at this excursion into his territory. What Damon said did make sense, however grating that was to know. If something happened to them, Elena needed to know how to survive on her own. As soon as possible.

Elena, Stefan said. He was going to see if she was yet strong enough to influence the creature, and if not, tell her how to quickly get it restrained. But--and he never knew whether Damon had directed her, or her own hunger drove her to it--she sprang out of the brush before he could continue.

Stefan watched, rather stunned, as she darted across the clearing, bringing down a young strong buck with her own weight and momentum. The sound of them hitting the ground was smothered by the other deer, who quickly scattered.

Elena covered the animal's body with her own, bracing herself on the ground with one hand and holding the deer's head still with the other. She rubbed her cheek down the side of its neck, inhaling, searching for the vein.

When she found it, she bit without hesitation. And then there was nothing to do but wait for her. Damon appeared out of the trees on the other side of the clearing, his gaze fixed solely on Elena.

She drank, and drank, and Stefan let her kill it. She had waited too long to feed, and moreover, she needed to learn how much was too much. This was the only way.

When it was over, Elena pulled away. The moon turned the blood on her mouth an eerie shade of violet red. She touched the animal's still brow with her fingertips, then shuddered. She lowered her head onto the back of the beast, hiding her face with her hands, and wept.

The sound filled the night, and seemed unending. Stefan's eyes met Damon's, across the suddenly vast distance of the clearing, and there was nothing to say.

End.

Notes: The quote used for the summary is from the film The Outlaw Josey Wales.

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