My Shifter

I was asked a question by a friend and my answer spawned this little one shot. I was asked what power or gift I would want if I could choose. Well, if I were to go with the one I have wanted from childhood, then it would have to be a shifter. Yes, this is a Twilight fanfic and I am playing in SM's sandbox, but this is not the same as the wolves. Enjoy the funny little story and let me know what you think.

Bella looked out her bedroom window, daydreaming and not really seeing the forest that her family had just run off into. They were going hunting and she had decided to stay behind. It had been only three months since her change and she had been working on gaining better control on her bloodlust so she usually hunted alone. She had actually gone just a few days earlier and was still quite full. She knew she would need to hunt soon though as Carlisle had been testing her shield and all of its capabilities. Talk about a quick way to drain your energy. Damn.

In her mind she was replaying the past couple of days and the worry that Edward and Jasper had shown over how hard Carlisle had been working her. They had tried to get him to leave her alone, but she was enjoying herself too much. It was the one gift she was able to work with and her family could see. Carlisle knew how she felt about it so he just ignored his sons when they got into one of their moods. If they got too pushy, she would just use her shield and block them out of the field that she trained in and that pretty much put an end to their interfering. Until the next time that is.

Bella sighed as she remembered throwing Emmett into a tree with her shield earlier in the day. He had flown so far that he smashed into a tree, taking it down with him as he fell to the ground. She had cringed thinking he would be upset, she should have known better, it was Emmett after all. She laughed as she remembered his hoot of laughter as he bounced back to his feet and asked to do that again. He was ever the child at heart and they had become much closer after her change. Now she was more durable and able to help him with his pranks.

Thinking about said pranks, she thought that it was almost time to play one on him. She knew that he would have no way of getting her back if she did this. Bella could picture it clear as day and the grin that spread across her face had her putting her shields up so she could block Alice from seeing her decision. Knowing that Alice could no longer warn the others, she opened her window and stepped out to the ground below. Quickly moving to the edge of the trees, she searched for the scents that would lead her to the most fun. Hopefully, she would be able to get all of her siblings before returning home without getting caught. The longer she could keep this gift a secret the longer she could contain her fun.

Putting up a shield to cover her scent so she couldn't be tracked, she picked up on her siblings' scents and took off after them. She knew they would only run together for a short while before they split off into couples and as she stayed behind, Edward would either hunt alone or tag along with one of the other couples. As strange as things had turned out after her change, she would imagine that he would go with Jasper and Alice as they had become quite close in the past few months. Edward had warned her that it could happen in a family such as theirs, but she was still shocked when their coupling had doubled so to speak. She did have to agree with Edward, it did keep things interesting and the boredom down to a minimum.

Thinking about that, she decided to leave her mates for last. Picking up Emmett's scent, she quickly darted off in his direction. He was the one she really wanted to mess with anyways, especially after he had replaced her shower gel with honey. She would have noticed quicker if she didn't use honey scented shower gel. It took her forever to get that sticky crap off. He knew to be expecting payback, but wouldn't see her coming a mile away. Literally.

Hearing footsteps ahead of her, she slowed down, sensing that Emmett was hunting alone today. Rosalie must not be in the mood for her mate's antics with his dietary requirements, bears or nothing. Bella was along the same lines as Emmett, she just stuck to carnivores as a whole instead of just one species. There really was no point in limiting her choices. She sniffed the air, but couldn't pick up any bears around, which made her plan all the more perfect.

Going far to the right, she ran around Emmett to get ahead of him and found a boulder to perch on. Taking a deep breath, she engaged her secret gift, the one she was happiest to have, and waited for Emmett to blunder into sight. He wouldn't be able to scent her but that was the way it had to be, he wouldn't fall for it if he caught her scent though.

Just then she heard footsteps approaching and she raised her head, waiting. Turning her head in the direction of the footsteps, she saw him standing just behind a tree, sniffing the air and staring at her. She saw the confusion cross his face as he could see her, but couldn't smell her. Taking advantage of his confusion, she rose up on her four legs and climbed down from her perch not taking her eyes off of him. Stopping when she was only ten feet from his hiding place, she chuckled at his continued confusion. Apparently it wasn't every day that Emmett's food decided to take interest in him.

Bella decided then was the time to act, so she reared up on her hind legs and roared at him. She knew he wouldn't be afraid of a roaring bear, but that wasn't the part that was going to get him, that came next.

She pawed at the air and looked him straight in the eyes and growled. "Run!"

Emmett was frozen still in shock. "Umm…shit…the food is talking."

Still on her hind legs, she laughed. "I am no food of yours. Hunt elsewhere."

Emmett turned and ran, yelling that he was losing his mind.

Bella dropped down to all fours and laughed until her sides hurt. She looked forward to hearing Emmett go on and on about his talking food when he made it back to the house. Which she needed to make sure she beat him there to be able to play it off. Although, it's not like he would think it was her anyways. With that thought in mind, she decided to see if she could find her mates before returning home.

Still using her gift, she quickly changed from a bear into a mountain lion and darted off to the east where she normally hunted as well as her mates hoping to find them over by the stream. Moving stealthily, scent still shielded, she slowed down as she heard footsteps ahead of her. Sensing her mates ahead of her, she leapt to the trees so she could hunt them from above. Making sure that she was bigger than a normal mountain lion so it would give Edward pause before he attacked, she jumped to the tree ahead of her and looked down.

Edward had Alice riding on his back as they walked towards the stream. Jasper wasn't visible, but she could sense that he was near. They must have already hunted as they were talking quietly as Edward walked. Bella kept pace with them, jumping quietly from tree to tree. Laughing quietly to herself as she listened to them talk about what they wanted to do when they got back, she decided to move ahead and find a perch in a tree by the stream.

With one last glance at Edward and Alice, she jumped from branch to branch and was almost to the stream when she sensed Jasper. She should have known better than to stalk the Major in any form but her own and she let out a loud growl as she was knocked to the ground. Moving quicker than the Major had expected, Bella slipped out from under him and bounded to the stream. She was about to leap across when she heard Jasper talking.

"Hey, Edward, get over here." Jasper whispered. "I just saw the biggest mountain lion ever. It's all yours if you can get here before it disappears."

"Well damn." Bella muttered, rethinking her shape choice. Quickly, while Jasper was distracted, she changed into a wolf, hoping that would be more of a deterrent. She was about to jump over the stream when she heard a laugh.

"Jasper, think your eyesight is going, old man. That's not a mountain lion, that's a wolf." Edward doubled over laughing. "And it's a scrawny one too."

Jasper huffed after glaring at the wolf. "I swear I knocked a mountain lion out of the tree, I don't know where it went, but I can tell the difference between a wolf and what I saw."

Bella growled at being laughed at. She wasn't scrawny, just petite as a wolf. Taking a step towards Edward, she growled again and adjusted her size a bit. She chuffed at his shocked expression and noted he was no longer laughing.

"Why isn't it running?" Alice piped up from behind Edward.

"Screw that, how is it growing?" Edward asked as he stared at the wolf.

Bella was enjoying this more than sending Emmett running from his hunt. With another growl she crept closer to Edward and adjusted her size some more. She would never forget the look of shocked fear on his face. Turning her gaze on Jasper, she saw the same look on his face. Alice was the only one that didn't appear to be phased one bit. With a growl, she snapped at Edward and the surprise of the attack made him jump and hide behind Jasper.

Bella's laughter bubbled out in a chuffing sound and she walked up to Alice, able to look her in the eyes as she had adjusted her size again. After a few moments, she decided to be nice to Alice as she wasn't acting like a baby. Leaning over she nuzzled Alice's neck and whispered in her ear.

"Want a ride back to the house, pixie?"

Alice gasped and smiled, catching on the nickname that only her mates called her. With a glance at the boys, she leapt up onto the wolf's back and laughed. "See you at the house boys."

Bella took off and laughed at the boys' shouts for Alice to come back. After centuries of living it was amazing to see the acting so mortal. It only took minutes to make it back to the house and Bella stopped at the tree line. Waiting for Alice to jump down, she could sense the unease in the house and could hear Emmett whining about a bear.

Alice stood to the side and watched at the wolf changed back into her mate with an amazed look on her face. "Bella, that's amazing."

Bella looked at her and winked. "I know. Let's go inside before the boys get here."

Alice grabbed her hand and they ran in thru the sliding glass doors. Following the whining, they found Rose and Em in the living room with Esme and Carlisle. Bella sat down in one of the chairs and pulled Alice down in her lap, wrapping her arms around her.

"What's wrong Emmett?" Alice asked.

"Here we go again." Rose sighed as she rubbed Emmett's back.

"Oh my god, Alice, I was hunting and came across this huge black bear. Made my mouth water, but it had no scent. It was…" He paused to take a breath. "It freaked me out. I knew it was there but I couldn't smell it. Then it came at me…"

"It what?" Bella asked from behind Alice, trying to hide her laughter.

"Don't interrupt, Bells." Emmett snapped. "It came at me and reared up like it was going to attack. I have never seen one not run in fear from us. Then it told me it wasn't my food and to run."

"Your food…it talked back to you?" Alice asked around her laughter.

"Are you sure you're ok, Em? I mean, there has to be something wrong if you are imagining your food talking to you." Bella garbled out, fighting tears.

Just then, Jasper and Edward showed up and glared at Alice. "What the hell was that?"

Alice turned innocent eyes to her mate. "What the hell was what, Jazz?"

"Why did you run away from us? On the back of a wolf no less." Jasper snarled.

Bella couldn't contain her laughter, between Emmett's retelling of the bear and then the boys being mad at Alice, she lost it. "Alice…road on…a…wolf?"

Everyone just looked at Bella who buried her face in Alice's back.

Alice snickered. "Yes, apparently today was the day for crazy animals."

Jasper and Edward looked at each and then the family. Soon they too were laughing at Emmett and his talking bear story. Only Alice was able to figure out what actually happened. She leaned back so her mouth was next to Bella's ear and whispered to her.

"So a wolf, mountain lion and a bear. Should have done a tiger instead of the wolf." She laughed as Bella squeezed her around the middle. "I am so going to enjoy this gift of yours. We will have to get Rose next."

Bella and Alice began to plan the next prank as the rest of the family ribbed poor Emmett about his bear. He swore up and down that what he saw was real and no one was going to change his mind. Only the two girls knew that the prankster had just been pranked.

Alright boys and girls, what did you think about it? I found myself chuckling a time or two as I wrote it. I personally think that would be a great gift to have and might give that to a vamp in one of my stories, just for a bit of fun. Who knows? Let me know what you thought, I am always up for reviews