I should probably make it known that this is formatted to be the Anime Gravitation, but with Twilight Characters and Twilight based history. While it's going to look almost identical in story structure for a bit, my own ideas will be thrown in, so don't think it'll be the exact same thing.
"Are you sure you're ready, man? I don't think you realize what the initiation really is. This is the real deal, man. No more chasing bunnies around your backyard." My best friend leaned back on my couch, propping his large bare feet up on the coffee table. He glanced over at me with a serious expression.
I just shrugged it off, I knew what I was doing. At least I thought so anyway. "I'll be fine Embry! Really! Initiation really isn't that hard, you've already explained it to me like ten thousand times."
"Then why aren't you taking it seriously?!" Embry glared at me. "You have to go out there and hunt down a leech. No one's gonna be there to help you. I mean, yeah, I'll be there, but I'm not gonna interfere."
"That's another thing! How are we even going to get a vampire to play along with this? If you guys are doing such a great job hunting them all down, I'm not gonna have one to hunt myself for my test!" I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest as I lifted my feet up onto the coffee table besides Embry's. I stared down at our bare feet, pursing my lips as I notice the difference in size between his feet and my own.
"We have to let one through… It's not something we enjoy doing, but we basically herd it like a sheep. Keeping it contained for you while you get ready to hunt. You have to understand, Seth, this thing can kill you. Leeches aren't something to underestimate." He frowned softly. "Not that we're not designed to fuck them up, but if you slip up, it will kill you. ...And we're not supposed to interfere…"
My eyes widened slightly as I turned to look at him. "Wait a minute… You mean that if I screw up, you're just gonna let it kill me?! You can't be serious Embry!"
Embry stared at the wall across the room as his eyebrows furrowed. I stared at his strong features as he seemed to be lost miles away in his own thoughts. His jaw tightened before turning his head to me. "I'm sorry Seth… That's how this works…"
I whined softly, playing with the hem of my shirt. I couldn't believe it, my pack brothers, people who are supposed to be closer than family, were going to let me die if I failed. I didn't know anyone else in the pack, they were all strangers to me. But not Embry though. Not Embry.
Embry and I were best friends for as long as I could remember. Even though he was two years older than I was, he always hung out with me during lunch at school. He'd walk me home, so no bullies would pick on me. He spent more nights sleeping over my house than he did at his own house.
We were supposed to be friends for life. When he first started to show signs of phasing, I still hadn't yet, so I couldn't know what was happening to him, to my best friend. He left me one day while walking me home. He just took off sprinting and never looked back. All I could do was stare at him as he seemed to be running faster than I thought possible.
The next day, Embry wasn't in school. I sat by myself at lunch. I was picked last in gym class. I was beaten up on my way home from school. I was never very strong or popular, Embry was always there for me for that. Whenever he sat with me during lunch, a whole bunch of people would be there. I felt like I had a lot of friends, but in reality, it was just Embry.
He was gone for a total of three days before I had seen him again. I didn't even recognize him, he seemed to have grown another foot in height and he was already nearly 6 feet tall before that. He towered over me by two feet, my head would barely come up to his chest.
The day that he came back was rough. If I had to guess, I'd say that was the worst day of my life so far. I was on my way home from school when I saw him. He was down the street, standing in the tree line, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. I only knew it was him because he waved at me.
I smiled wider than I ever had before and started to run over to him, I had so many questions to ask. But before I could reach him, two other guys, the same height and amount of nakedness as Embry, came out of the trees, motioning for him to leave. I watched in horror as he looked me in the eyes and turned on his heel, taking off into the woods.
I couldn't believe it, the one person who I ever considered to be my friend, left me.
"Are you still alive in there?" I blinked a few times as Embry's hand waved in front of my face. "You looked like you were completely gone!" He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. "I didn't mean to scare you, Seth. I just want you to take this seriously."
I shook my head, trying to pull myself back to the present as he spoke, I had gotten lost in my memories. "I know Embry, you're right. I need to go practice."
"Do you want me to come with you? Give you some pointers?"
With a huff, I stood up, stretching my arms out above my head. "Nah, you can't help me during initiation, so I can't get used to you telling me how to do it. I have to learn for myself." With that I reached down, grabbing the bottom of my shirt and pulled it off over my head. "Thanks Embry… I'm glad you talked some sense into me."
"That's what I'm here for." He grinned up at me, putting his hands behind his head. "Go get 'em killer. I'll be here when you finally catch that bunny."
I rolled my eyes as I walked out the back door. "Yeah fuck you too!" I could hear him laughing as I closed the door, making my way to the woods behind my house.
Once in safety of the trees, I pushed my shorts down to my ankles and stepped out of them. My mind was racing a mile a minute. I had to think of some way to get ahead. To get an advantage over the vampire I was going to be hunting down. I needed to get angry, but keep a level head at the same time. Use the anger to fuel me and still be able to think on my feet. Rather on my paws.
I exhaled heavily, clenching my teeth as the familiar rush of heat traveled down my spine. It always reminded me of getting goose bumps, except instead of being cold, it felt like your skin was on fire. I felt my body change, it only took an instant. Hands and feet became paws, hair became fur.
I shook out my sandy colored fur, stretching down to the ground. I had only been able to control my phasing for about a week now, but I always loved doing it. The tingling, the gust of air that fills your lungs beyond their capacity as your body expanded, changing, morphing into that of a canid beast.
I exhaled heavily as the rush of new sounds filled my ears, birds chirping a mile away, a gopher tunneling deep beneath my paws. I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose, welcoming the plethora of enhanced scents.
It took me a few moments, but then I locked in on the scent of the rabbit. The same rabbit I had been hunting since I phased for the first time. I was a lousy hunter to say the least. I crouched low to the ground, sniffing around to follow the scent of the little furry creature.
There it was, my eyes focused on the tiny, insignificant ball of fur a good half of a mile away. I took slow, tentative steps as if the rabbit could hear me from this far. As I drew nearer the scent got stronger, my oversized mouth began to water. It smelled delicious. I had never been one to eat rabbits as a human, but my wolven side seemed to have different tastes.
My heavy paws quietly tread the soft ground, my nails digging into the soil with each step, ready to bolt after my target should it start to run. But it didn't run, it just stayed in one place. It seemed to be eating. That meant it's attention was anywhere but on the mammoth of a hunter slowly encroaching on it.
Step by step I got closer until I was well within pouncing distance. This was it. I was finally going to get something. I had never gotten this close before. Normally I blew it about a quarter of a mile back. My excitement was hard to contain as I crouched low, tensing my muscles.
With a mighty growl, I leapt through the air, teeth and claws bared as I came down on that poor innocent rabbit. I kept my eyes closed, I didn't want to see this as I let my animal instincts take over. I took a bite and my eyes popped open wide. I had a mouthful of dirt.
My eyes darted around the surrounding area, panicked. I failed. But it wasn't over yet. I saw the tiny rabbit making a run for it. This was my chance. I shook my head violently, trying to get rid of the mouthful of soil before taking off after my prey. I snarled and growled loudly, my claws tearing up the earth as I kept pace.
I leaped again, ready to catch my prize only to have the rabbit dart to the side, taking off in another direction causing me to crash into a tree. I scrambled to my feet and gave chase once more, my vision slowly turning red.
I couldn't keep my cool. I was being humiliated by a rabbit. Snarls and barks filled the air as I chased after this poor rabbit, coming up on it faster than I had expected. My legs carried me too fast for my own good and I couldn't stop. I over shot the rabbit and kept going, desperately clawing at the ground to stop myself, but the force of my full out sprint was hard for me to control. I skidded across the ground, slamming my side into a tree as my body finally came to a stop.
That was pathetic.
I whined softly as an unfamiliar voice filled my head. I looked up from my position on the ground to see the massive silver paws of another wolf. From between his legs, I saw that damned rabbit hopping away. I growled and dug my claws into the ground, pushing myself up to my paws.
Just stay down, you idiot. A heavy blow to my back caused me to collapse at the feet of this large wolf. I tipped my head back, looking up at this stranger, growling defensively. I didn't know who it was, for all I knew, it could have been someone from another pack, or a rogue wolf out to attack poor guys like me.
Who do you think you are? Who are you to call me an idiot?! I growled up at this wolf that nearly doubled my size. I wasn't going to let show that I was scared shitless.
Trust me. I know a pathetic loser when I see one. You couldn't even catch a fucking rabbit? What makes you think you're good enough to be a protector? To protect the people here from leeches and other attackers? You need to give up before you get yourself killed.
The silver wolf turned on the spot, taking off into the trees, leaving me alone with my failure. I watched as he ran off, bounding over fallen logs and even leaping off of trees as he ran. After he was well out of sight, I whined loudly, laying my head down on the soft ground, covering my head with my paws. I was a loser. That guy made me look like I knew nothing at all. Which was true, but I hated that he was so mean about it.
After what felt like hours, I was startled awake by something rubbing my face. I blinked my eyes open to see it was a paw. I groaned and pulled my head back, looking up to see who it belonged to. It was Embry. I take it you didn't catch the bunny…
I whined loudly and barked at him, getting up onto my paws, my body trembling as I relived my failures in my mind. I shook my head from side to side, growing angrier by the minute as I showed Embry everything that happened through our mental link. Who the hell does that guy think he is? Laughing at me, calling me an idiot and a loser! Judging me without even knowing me!
I whimpered softly my rage quickly turning into sadness, the heat fading away from me as my body blurred, changing back into human form. I laid there crying softly at the foot of my best friend, who had also phased back as I felt his large hand rubbing my back.
With a heavy sigh, I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. "Did he have to be so mean…?"
"Seth… That guy was… His name's Paul. He can judge you like that, because… he's the Beta."
"The what?" I looked up at Embry, rubbing my eye with the back of my hand.
He sighed and sat on the ground, pulling me up against his side. "In the pack there's the Alpha. You know that. Jacob is our Alpha. What he says, goes. He can make you do whatever he wants with the Alpha command. But you know all of that already. The Beta of the pack, the guy you met, is second in command. Jacob's right hand. And Paul… He knows what he's talking about. No one in the pack, not even Jacob can hunt as well as he can. Paul has a killer's instinct. So, that's why he judged you so authoritatively."
I stared up at Embry, my mind flashing with the memory of what had occurred. Paul standing over me as he degraded me, calling me pathetic. And then how he ran off, so expertly. "Well he didn't have to be so mean…" I stared off into the distance, my eyes glancing at the places where Paul had leapt and bounded off of. I hadn't seen anyone move like that before. From what I saw, Paul was a large wolf and he moved like he weighed no more than air. "He was… so cool…"
