Chapter 1: Renesmee

"Come on Renesmee, you got to be a little bit faster than that!" Jacob said as she skipped from side to side energetically.

We were in the backyard of my grandparents, Carlisle and Esme, house practicing my fighting style. Or at least we were supposed to be practicing but of course Jacob's wolfy brain turned it into a game of tag. Even so, I smile my endearing smile that I knew would catch him off guard. As soon as he was distracted, I crouched down in my hunting stance - knees bending and fingers curled into claws- and lunged quickly and sharply at him, striking at his muscled chest, before dancing back out of his reach. It was a good thing too because even though he was distracted, his long arms instinctively reached out and barely failed by half an inch to pull me in into what is famously known as the Jacob Bear Hug.

I've heard stories of that hug in a time way back before I was ever thought of and my mom and Jake had an odd far-from-platonic relationship. It was a bit confusing to think of my big goofy wolf ever having a thing for my mom.

I was so lost in thought that it took me a few seconds to realize I was being stalked by another goofy wolf in human form. Having another close call, I instantly dodged to the left as Seth came flying through the spot I had only occupied just an eighth of a second before. Because he thought that he had me, Seth had thrown his entire body weight at me for a football tackle but he realized too late that I moved and so instead, went on to tackle Jacob. They both fell with an audible crack on impact that could probably be heard for miles away.

I stood up straight and smiled as the two fought to untangle themselves all the while throwing insulting words at each other. I heard a familiar and dangerous snicker behind me and spun instantaneously without thinking. Relaxing high up in a tree, sat Leah, swinging one leg down leisurely.

"You're going to get no where with those idiots," she commented.

Though she was in a relaxed position, she was watching us intently as what she categorized as child's play. In truth, I could never get a decent training session with any of my wolf family as they were afraid of the wrath Alpha Jake would bestow on them or my vampire family because they were afraid of what my mom, Bella would do to them.

So the only person I could ever go to to really learn was Leah because she wasn't afraid of Jacob or Bella or the rest of the wolves and vampires. Leah is like a rogue wolf that does and says what she wants. I used to think like everyone else did, that Leah stayed because she needs the pack but the more time I spend with her, the more I am convinced that she stays because the pack needs her. It is one of the many reasons I took to her.

"True," I responded evenly as I gazed up at her. "But give them a little bit of credit. They serve as a great warm up to get me ready for the real challenge."

The boys had finally managed to untangle themselves.

"You know, we are still here," Jacob said.

"Yeah and we got ears and feelings too," Seth added.

We ignored them both. It was full on mentor-to-student time. Leah stared back down at me, making her face seem a bit menacing as she replied.

"They could never get you ready for me,"

"Well since you're convinced that they are wasting my time, why don't you grace me with your presence and teach me something new,"

Leah laughed and kicked her bare feet into the air so she could drop down thirty feet. Bending her knees to absorb the impact, she landed with a soft thud just a few feet away from me. She closed the distance with two easy strides and (though she is only a half a foot taller than me as I have grown into my full adult body) towers over me.

"You've got quite an attitude for a princess," she gently mocked me.

This is another reason why I took to her. When we are training, she isn't afraid to hurt me as she says that is the best way I can learn but she also knows how and when to apply the right amount of force to make sure I understand. A fact that many don't trust her on.

"I'm sure it rubbed off from you,"

"Huh," was all she said and I knew it was time for the real training session.

I skidded back a few feet and crouched in waiting.I didn't have to wait long. instead of lunging like she usually would, Leah started to do somersaults to distract me from her target. Instead of freaking out like I would have before she started teaching me, I stayed calm and steady in my crouch, wanting for the moment that would reveal her intentions.

There! In one of her flips towards me, Leah landed on her left hand as her right leg shot straight into the air with her left leg bent slightly. She intended to make a low attack on my legs with her left on. Now aware of her plan, I made my own. I allowed my anticipating bunched leg muscles roll under my skin as I launched myself into the air and aimed my body like a swimmer's dive to strike at her exposed chest. The strike would have been a good one, the first good one I would have ever been able to land on her, but as soon as I launched my own attack, I immediately seen she body shift. It was too late to shift mine so I braced for the coming impact, bringing my arms and legs to my chest as i sailed through the air.

With a smirk, Leah pushed off from the ground with her hand but instead of somersaulting again, she arched her lower towards me, her right leg making a solid hit to my shoulder, making me flip once in the air then roll three times on the ground. At the end of the third roll, I sprang up and faced my opponent again. My shoulder throbbed only once then smoothed out to it's snow-tented vampiric perfection.

"What was rule number thirteen again?" Leah asked.

As is our routine, she didn't wait for my answer. Instead, she launched another attack, one of a lower caliber as I repeated any rules that I failed to follow through with while being forced to defend myself.

"Don't be fooled," I recited as I blocked a tan-colored fist from catching my collar-bone. "Be ready to change your attack the moment the opponent changes theirs."

At this point, Leah and were matching blow for blow but I still wasn't able to land a solid hit on her. This didn't slip by her either. She increased her attacks by a degree.

"Not good enough," she grunted through her teeth then called out a numbered rule for me to say. "two."

i understood what she was trying to get me to told and I recited it clearly through the atmosphere,

"Defense is one mechanism but it is not the only mechanism,"

At the word mechanism, I pushed more force into my strikes and was rewarded with a solid blow to her left hip which proceeded to throw her entire left side off balance. She didn't bother to hide the pain my vampiric strength gave her (a sort of award system to let me know what I did was good) but rather smiled through it. She didn't stop though her advances though. I did for a fraction of a second but it was enough of a time frame to allow her to deal my a blow to my gut. i doubled over, more from the surprise of the hit than the pain as she sprung away so i could catch my breath. I could feel another rule coming on in that punch.

"One," she called out

I stood straight to shake it off then sunk back into my crouch.

"Once you attack, keep attacking. Don't quit." I recited then lunged.

We went at this for about twenty more minutes, making our way in circles around the house, weaving in and out of trees. We would have keep going but at some point, Mom came out of the house to watch. I could feel her anxious eyes on me, only turning away to glare at Leah when she deemed a hit too hard. I loved her so but this is the exact reason I could never be trained by her. She would stop every five seconds just to ask if I was ok.

Anyway, she called it off when Leah pinned me to the ground. there was a rule that told me how to fight off attackers when pinned but of course mom would let it go a step further. I also heard a few discontented mutters from inside the house. We had better training sessions out in the woods away from , Leah just rolled her eyes, jumped off me and pulled me roughly to my feet.

"Aww, come on mom, it's just an exercise," I complained as I climbed the stairs.

"Just enough for today ok. Grandpa is coming in about an hour and he'll have a heart attack if he sees Leah rolling you in dirt."

Leah looked as if she was was going to retort acidically but she stopped short and turned around facing the woods. A low breeze was blowing from her right so she turned in that direction and lifted her nose into the air. Mom did the same and instantly retreated back through the front door with me in tow. Leah just stretched, walked up the steps and sat legs crisscrossed. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

Like she was in trees before we started training, Leah seemed relaxed but I knew her body was ready to coil at any moment. She had played the sleeping trick on me many times. But I didn't know why she was doing it now. Also, she wasn't the only one on guard. The house, which was once filled with low murmurs of talk as well as Dad playing the piano, is now completely only sound was the slow, rhythmic beat of three strong wolf hearts as well as my bird-like fluttery one.

I pressed my hand to my mother's forearm and replayed the silence throughout the house as I made my confusion known. All she did was pat my hand and look out the glass wall in the direction in which the breeze came. I could her dad silently stand and, using his vampiric speed, come stand on the other side of me. He was wordless as well.

In a matter of minutes, six humans stepped out of the trees. The walked in a straight line and as all of them came into view, I counted two women and four men. They were all sporting hiking gear, caring heavy duty camping gear and engrossed in their own conversation.

"Oh get real," one of the men said. He was the biggest of them all; rolled in muscle all over and had an extremely deep voice that reminded me of rumbling thunder during a hurricane. "There is no way a stinking python could win against a gator!"

"I'm not explaining this watched the documentary. You saw who won," replied another young man. this guy was much smaller compared to to his other male counterparts, his muscle more lean. He had cocoa brown skin with dark hair and light brown eyes.

"I'll have to agree that that documentary was crap. TV isn't the best source to use if you want to win an argument anyway." Commented one of the two women. She also had cocoa brown skin, dark hair and light brown eyes. I got the impression that they were twins since their facial features seemed to match up. Even so, their differences was easily told apart. When he seemed a bit rambunctious she seemed more on the quiet, intelligent side.

"So you think a python could actually beat an alligator?" asked another one of the young men. This guy seemed oddly out of place, as if outdoor activities wasn't his scene. He was handsome with snowy-white skin, light grey eyes that seemed almost white and sandy brown hair that looked as if he had just brushed it a second ago.

"I didn't say that. I said the documentary was crap," the girl replied.

"What about you, ? What do you think?" asked the handsome man to the second girl.

This girl lead the line and looked like a primal leader in every way. She was very quick yet sure and comfortable in her step and her face was set, melded by knowledge, courage, and kindness. She had extremely pale skin that looked odd by itself but paired greatly with her equally extreme auburn hair that flowed down to her waist like a fiery river. Her eyes were a bright green filled with intelligence and a mission ... of not looking directly at the house.

My hand was still on my mother's forehead and I replayed the image the girl turning to look at the guy that addressed her, emphasizing on the fact that she purposely ignored the house existence. Mom only tilted her head the tiniest bit and looked after the girl.

"I think you guys could have picked a better conversation. I'm not so sure I want to hear this the entire trip." she commented nonchalantly as she turned her attention back to the front, again, acting as if this largely structured house was invisible.

"and what would you like to talk about? Politics?" the handsome guy asked.

The way he said politics made it seem as if he was talking about something totally different and by the look of everyone's faces, they understood. The three guys laughed heartily as the girl with the light brown eyes giggled and the other with auburn hair cracked a smile.

By this time, the grouping had walked across the clearing that was our front yard and was disappearing into the woods one by one, carrying their merry banter with them.

As most of them passed through, only one remained. The young man whose voice I have not heard. Instead of stepping into the woods with his friends, he stopped at the edge and turned around. The blonde headed boy was the only one that acknowledge the house but he did much more than that. He not only acknowledge the house but us as well. With his hands deep inside his blue parka, his dark eyes seems to bore right through the glass walls that usually only reflects back your own reflection. Yet, his dark, almost shadowed eyes bore into mine.

"Yo! Mr. Lazypants. Get a move on, will ya!" called the large man's booming voice.

From the sound of it, it seems that the group had walked a few yards out before noticing that one of their people were missing. Upon hearing his friend's voice, the disturbing blonde boy pivoted on his heels and walked into the woods but not before he flashed me a pearly white grin.