Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Vampire Diaries characters. This is a work of fiction. All rights go to them except for the characters that I make. If your younger than 18 years of age, please leave this isn't for your eyes. To the rest please enjoy.
*Note -- Before I begin, let it be known that I've never watched an episode of the Vampire Diaries, but after seeing the books in stores and reading a little about the show, I was inspired. So if things are a little off or wrong, bare with me, I want to make this story interesting.
THE CAT IN MYSTIC FALLS
*Prologue
My name is Antony (Tony) Woods and I'm gay, obviously, but that is probably the only unsurprising thing about me. I'm 23 years old, 6 foot with jet black straight hair, that reaches my mid back, my eyes are a yellow green tone, due to my special gift. I'm 250 lbs, a balance of muscle and flesh. I never wanted to be thin, and because of my gift my weight stopped moving after I hit 250. No matter how much I eat or how much I exercise, the number remains the same. My skin tone is the color of pale mocha, not to sound conceded, but I've caught the looks from both men and woman. My mother was born and raised in the US while my father was born in lower Kenya, she was very pale where he was the color of milk chocolate. I use to joke, she was cream and he was coffee and I was the perfect cup of both.
Now as your probably wondering, what is this gift that I mentioned, well to put it simply I'm a were-feline or were-liger. I also have a small amount of telepathy as a added bonus of two were-feline's breeding together. My mother was a were-tiger and my father was a were-lion. We lived close to the Uganda jungle, so when we changed form we could run and hunt in seclusion.
As far as I know I'm the only one of my kind, we stop aging after 30 years and I can't have children, but because of my sexuality I don't have to worry about reproducing, though I've thought about having children. I'm sure some of you already guessed it, but the reason why I referred to my parents in the past tense is because they were killed a few months ago, by a hunter traveling on safari. I loved them very much and learned a lot from them, like how to control my changing and mind reading. I can only read the minds of people from which I share the same area with. For example if I walk into a bookstore, I can read every mind inside, but not the people who are outside. My father taught me to control the amount of thoughts I let in so I wasn't bombarded with too many at once and I how to select whose thoughts I want to focus on. He also trained me to keep my mind guarded, because there were others in the world that might want to use my thoughts in order to hurt me. My mother taught me how to fight, stalk and hunt, with expert precision. The day they didn't return, I knew that I was never going to see them again. I found their bodies underneath a large amount of brush, it appeared that the hunter had made some half ass attempt to hide the bodies, but with my heightened senses, their scent was very potent. When I found them, I shed a few tears, but not as many as I thought. I buried them together deep in the jungle, in a secluded area surrounded by flowers. I never managed to find the hunter, I caught scents of him in certain patches, but I couldn't get a lock on his exact position.
Weeks went by before I felt somewhat normal again. I went into my parents room and laid on their bed thinking about how much I missed them. I was there for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. I got up feeling like I was dredging through mud. When I opened the door there was a small boy with a letter in his hand. He smiled as he handed it to me and ran off to play with his friends. I smirked, to myself, thinking about how I once was like him, running and smiling. When I observed the envelope I noticed the way my name was written, it was in my mothers writing. This time the tears came in torrents. As I unsealed the paper and pulled out the letter my hands were shaking. It was as if she was right behind me as I read out loud.
My dearest Antony, your father and I wish we could be with you, but unfortunately life had other plans. I wrote this letter with instructions if something were to happen to myself and or your father. We are very proud of you, and all that you have accomplished. We're writing you to explain that you were never meant to live in Africa. We were going to all move to America when you turned 25.
Now since we cant be with you, you'll have to move by yourself. There is a box underneath our bed with money for a plane ticket and your permanent residence visa for the United States. We have a house prepared in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. You have a bank account with more than enough money to keep you comfortable.
Now I want you to know that no matter what happens, your father and I love you more than life, and we wish we could've been there for you. I want you to go to America, and live your life, have fun, and never forget who and what you are. You my son, a rare jewel from my heart and heaven protect anyone who crosses you. With all our love, Mama and Papa.
I couldn't help but cry, but the animal inside me was exhilarated because there were many conversations about America and the possibility of moving there. I went and found the box my mother referred to and opened it to reveal a wallet with cash and a few credit cards. There was my new bank card and tucked inside the middle pouch was a picture of the three of us, smiling, proud and full of joy. I pulled out my passport and a pair of house keys, with a photograph of the house. It was a large plantation house, white, with four large columns in the front. I would be lying if I said it wasn't beautiful.
Getting everything in order took about a month. I sold the house I grew up in to a family of 4, packed all my clothes and belongings and had them shipped to Mystic Falls. When I first arrived onto American soil I was checked of illness, being a were-liger, came with many perks, great hearing, sight, smell, speed and prevented me from catching disease, from the common cold to cancer. If I did happen to get injured or cut in anyway, my body healed the wound in minutes. A limo was arranged to drive me from the Richmond, to Mystic Falls. It took a few hours, but finally as we entered into the small town there was something the made me feel welcomed, but also told me to be on my guard. As the driver pulled into the drive way of the plantation, I couldn't feel a bit of sadness well up inside my heart for my parents not being able to see it. After paying the driver, I got a chance to look around the place, there were a few large trees and a couple flower beds, filled with gardenias and vervain, my mothers favorites. The grounds were well taken care of, thanks to Mr. Irvine the grounds keeper, a gentle man with a good heart. As I stepped into the house I noticed the inside was meticulously cleaned by the house keeper, whom I'd got a chance to meet ten minutes after I'd arrived. Mrs. Reeves, was a very sweet woman, full of compassion and understanding, also full of stories about the town and the people that lived in it.
So now we're up to date.
*() - means mind thoughts.
Chapter 1 -- New Kid in Town
I'd been living in Mystic Falls for two months, getting into the swing of things so to speak. Another thing my parents taught me was how to blend in. My mother taught me the American expressions and slang, so apart from an accent, I could fully meld into the lifestyle.
I managed to get a job in the town library, even though I didn't need it, it gave me time to read about the town. I learned a great deal, I knew there was a reason why my parents chose this spot. Apparently there have been many supernatural occurrences that have happened here. Recently there seemed to be a large amount of rumors about vampires. I remembered watching films about them, but the more I read, the more I realized that there were many legends that held true. It didn't take me long before I finished all the history of the town, good and bad.
The night was pretty much dead, apart from a few people who checked out books, and the mystery man sitting by himself. I began calling him the mystery man because he'd been here the past couple weeks, reading the same book in the back corner. I didn't think anything of it and I respected his privacy by not reading his mind, but tonight I couldn't hold back anymore, my curiosity got the best of me. I went and put a few returns back on the book shelve behind him, making sure I wasn't seen, but close enough to be able to open his mind. I could see through the fog, images of dead bodies and blood, so much blood and fire.
*(Why, why can't I read his mind)
The images still filled my mind, seeing him being shot, being captured and drinking blood. I wanted to see how much I could learn, so I opened his mind as far as I could. Within a few minutes I leaned more than I wanted, more than I needed. A ladies man, a true whore in all truth. A cruel and hateful being, full of rage and anger. His name was Damon, Damon Salvatore and he was a vampire, along with his brother Stefan Salvatore. He was a true hunter of sort, at one time fueled by revenge. I closed his mind and before I completely left his thoughts I heard one more.
*(Look at that, I bet he'd taste real good.)
I turned the corner and caught the glimpse of who he was talking about. A young man was walking out with a stack of books in his arms. As I walked back to the book counter, our eyes finally caught one another. He smiled a slick smile full of self confidence and narcissism and I responded by turning my back to him. It was 11:00pm and I was closing up for the night. He was still sitting in the corner pretending to read, he knew this was the only way I was going to talk to him. As I walked over I could smell the scent of death which was concealed by a cologne. A human wouldn't catch the decay scent, but for me I could and to be honest it was a turn on. I couldn't help it, after all I still am part animal, but he would never know that. With a polite yet cold tone I spoke to him.
"Excuse me sir, the library is closing for the night."
He looked at me, obviously frustrated that he couldn't read my thoughts. Every time he tried I could feel this little twinge in my mind, like a light shock, but he wasn't getting anything. He straitened up and knocked his chair back and proceeded to walk off without picking it up. I rolled my eyes and smirked to myself, I obviously had got to him. As I picked up the chair and went outside to lock the doors, my senses kicked into overdrive. He was hiding down a nearby alley, waiting for me. I walked in the opposite direction, loudly whistling so he would know where I am. I went to an all night cafe, and ordered a cappuccino with a chocolate croissant, it wasn't long before he came in and ordered a black cup of coffee. I had a copy of Dickens', A Tale of Two Cities with me, even though my eyes were in the pages, I could tell he was coming in my direction. He was more ballsy than I thought, because he came right up and sat across from me.
"Hello my name is Damon, you just moved into town a few months ago right?"
This small talk I found impudent and quite absurd. I thought to myself, why do people ask questions to which they already know the answers to, it's a little frustrating. But I was playing a game and I wanted to see if he would play as well.
"Yes, by the way when you drop something, it would be respectful to pick it up."
Referring to the chair, but the way he responded with such severity, stopped the game dead in its tracks.
"Isn't that what your there for?"
This brought my eyes from my page to meet his crystalline blues, which were filled with satisfaction. Again there was that little twinge, still nothing. As I set my book down on the table, still looking into his eyes, I made sure to keep my voice at a low whisper.
"It would be wise for you to not try and read my thoughts."
Judging my his expression, I could see my words struck a nerve.
"You've no idea what you're dealing with."
Right then the waitress came with our drinks. She sat down his cup and then mine, along with my croissant. I took a sip of my drink and as I sat it down, I looked at him and changed my eyes so they shimmered like honey in the light.
"Aww so there is something different about you."
"More than you know."
With this I took a bite of my danish and one last sip of my drink and walked towards the cafe door. The waitress came and handed my the check, looking at me like I was going to stiff her. I looked over at Damon who was still sitting with his back to me.
"Oh my friend there, Damon, is catching the bill. Please tell him I said thank you."
"Oh okay, not a problem sir, have a nice night."
"You too."
I walked out into the cold night, heading towards the house. It was about a 30 minutes walk, and for the most part I was alone. I was a few minutes away before I could hear his footsteps and smell his scent, but he wasn't alone, there was someone else with him. Another male, another vampire. I stopped and turned to see Damon, walking alongside a young man. I quickly dove into his mind and found out that it was his younger brother, Stefan. I remembered seeing him in Damon's mind once, but only a quick glimpse. They walked until there was only a few yards separating us.
"Thank you for the coffee Damon, that was real sweet."
"What the hell are you?"
"Damon, this isn't the way." His younger brother said.
"Yes Damon listen to Stefan, he's right."
At this they both looked at me,
"How do you know my name?", Stefan said.
"I know many things about the two of you. I've just been having some fun with your older brother. He's been spying on me in the library for the past few weeks."
Again the little twinge.
"What did I tell you Damon about trying to read my mind?"
I glared over in his direction, he on the other hand appeared defeated.
*(See Stefan I can't get anything from him, it's strange, it's like a wall preventing me from accessing his thoughts.)
*(Well stop you're going to piss him off.)
"Come now the two of you shouldn't talk about me. It's not nice, but Stefan's right Damon."
"Who cares, what are you going to do, like I said you have no idea what your dealing with."
I couldn't take this childish banter anymore.
"Please any 9th grader with a little initiative and time can find out what the two of you are. Everything is collated and accumulated, everything sticks. Maybe if you spent some time in the history section of the library actually reading, instead of trying to pry your way into my mind you would discover that this town has had more vampire history than your aware of. Now the two of you have a good night."
I turned to walk away, but as I did Damon sped past me and stopped so I would walk right up to him. I stopped just in time,
"What do you want? Leave me alone Damon."
"You're going to tell me what you are or I'm..." At this I cut him off, with my eyes glowing thanks to the night sky.
"You'll what."
"Ooo, kitties got claws."
At that statement I flexed my hand, feeling the cat claws ascend from my finger nails. The hay colored fur ran down my arm, and stopped at my elbow.
"That and more Damon."
I lunged my hand forward and grasped him by the throat, letting my claws dig into his flesh, obviously surprising him. Stefan sped up from behind and put his hand on my arm,
"Please release him."
It wasn't a wining plea, but more of a "I know my brother is an idiot and he deserves everything you do to him" kind of plea. I smiled and nodded my head to Stefan. I could see in his mind that he was an honest man, had some dark times in his past, but true and considerate. I released my hold on Damon and transformed my hand back to it's human state. Stefan spoke, as Damon was coughing.
"Thank you... you already know our names, what is you name if you don't mind me asking."
"Not at all, it's Antony, Antony Woods."