The Wolf - Klaroline

17. The Big Uneasy

Season 1 Episode 17

Notes:

This chapter has not been beta'ed and, as you all know, English is not my first language. I apologize for all the mistakes you will certainly find.

Just want to thank everyone who left me a comment on the last chapter. You guys are amazing and I was so relieved with your response. You have no idea how worried I was about last chapter, freaking out months in advance. lol So thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤

There are more notes at the bottom. Please make sure you read them once you're done with the chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

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Something strange is happening in the Bayou.

The place seems to have come alive since the Crescents broke their curse, the whole pack now returned to their human forms. The squalid, ramshackle camp site, reeking of misery and decay, is but a thing of the past. It is bustling with movement and people, the sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation filling what had once been a haunting silence. It's nothing compared to the chaos of the French Quarter, of course, but the swift transformation from an abandoned encampment to a real, flourishing community is astonishing, indeed.

No wonder the werewolves are so fond of Caroline. It all started with her. But that brings Elijah very little comfort.

Every time he comes around, he is surprised by the arrival of new packs. He knew the Crescents were a distinguished and old clan, going back to the origins of the werewolf species, but he certainly underestimated their hierarchical relevance. Now that they are paving the way back to their former glory, other werewolf packs are flocking over to the Bayou in heaps, desperate to pledge their allegiance. Where vampires would waste no time plotting coups and diving up foul alliances to ensure that the young Crescent leader would never have the chance to reclaim the power his clan lost during the years they spent under Marcel's curse, werewolves, it seems, are delighted to bend the knee to their new alpha. It's in their nature to put the pack before the individuals, respecting hierarchy and traditions. It's hard to believe these people are related to Niklaus, however distantly.

Elijah was prepared to find yet more wolves surrounding the Crescents' cabins today, as that has been the norm lately, but he was definitely not prepared for... This. The Bayou is absolutely crowded, as though every werewolf in the country decided to make a trip down south.

He lingers back for a moment, trying to understand what exactly he's walking into. This many werewolves all gathered around one place makes him restless. For a vampire, even one as old and as himself, this is like walking into a minefield. He may be immortal, but he's not immune to pain. And to think not too long ago there were rumors that werewolves had gone extinct. Whoever spread the information had clearly never been to Louisiana.

Careful not to draw too much attention to himself - difficult, considering he's wearing a nine thousand dollars Italian suit in the middle of a flannel parade - he searches for Caroline and finds her standing right outside her cabin, next to Eve. There's a line in front of her door, the end of which Elijah cannot see. She looks every bit as bothered and uncomfortable by the agglomeration as he feels.

"Is this a bad time?" he asks as he approaches her. He can feel the werewolves glowering at him.

"More like a weird time," Caroline replies, speaking very low and hiding her mouth behind the hem of her mug. "I have no idea who all these people are and why they're standing out here all weird and lurky."