Information:-

Ponyboy Curtis was only the half-brother of Sodapop and Darrel Curtis. He'd known this his entire life, since he'd visited his other half siblings Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca Black for a few months every year. Ponyboy's mother, Mary, was of the Uley and Atera lines, and Ponyboy's father, Billy, of the Black line. When his mother, Mary, and stepfather, Darrel, die in a car accident, he has to go and live with his father.

A father that Sodapop and Darrel didn't know that Ponyboy had separate from them.

CHAPTER ONE

Ponyboy was furious. He could feel his hands trembling in anger. How dare they do this now? He could feel Sodapop's and Darry's eyes on him in shock. He had never wanted them to find out this way. His mother had never wanted this. She had hoped to not tell them until Ponyboy was eighteen.

But, now that she was dead, along with Darrel, Ponyboy's stepfather, it would've come out sooner or later. Especially since Darry was applying for custody of both him and Sodapop.

"Did you have to put it quite like that?" Ponyboy asked.

The Social Services Lady just smiled at him.

Sodapop narrowed his eyes, glaring at his younger brother. "You knew? You knew, and you never told us?"

They both looked betrayed. This was exactly what Ponyboy had been afraid of. He had never wanted them to find out, not if he could help it. Ponyboy just looked away, not answering. It was answer enough.

The Social Services Lady picked up a folder and looked at it. "So, as it stands, since he is not your full sibling, he must go and live with his father, in La Push, Washington. You can, however, keep custody of Sodapop Curtis, since he is your full sibling."

She turned to face Ponyboy and handed him a mobile phone. "Your father wants to speak to you."

Ponyboy took the phone and nodded, getting up and walking from the room, feeling the eyes of Sodapop and Darry on his back as he left, along with their friends, Steve Randle, Two-Bit Matthews, Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston.

Ponyboy shut the door behind him and dialled the number he knew by heart, hoping that someone was home.

"Hello?"

Ponyboy smiled. "Hey, Jacob, it's me."

"Ponyboy! Oh, god, I'm sorry about your mom. Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Jake, I'll be fine. How's dad?"

"He's not doing too good, Pony. His diabetes is getting worse. He's confined to a wheelchair."

"Rachel and Rebecca are helping you out with everything right?"

Jacob snorts. "Yeah, right. They hang out with their friends every night. They can't be bothered to take care of their disabled father and little brother."

Ponyboy gritted his teeth. Rachel and Rebecca were always outgoing, but this was too far. "I'll talk to them when I get there. Family means everything. They should know that by now."

He had talked to them after their mother had died, saying that it would be a disgrace to let her memory of the good times with her, and about her, drive them from La Push. He had never seen them look so ashamed, since that was exactly what they had been letting happen. The twins were nearing eighteen and getting ready to go away to college, so that they could get degrees to help the tribe out as much as possible.

Ponyboy thought back on his own significance to the tribe. He was the Protector of the Histories and Legends of the Tribe, never letting anyone forget about the dangers to the children, if let out into the world. He knew all the histories without having to be taught them. It was his job to keep the histories and legends of the tribe safe, to keep the people safe, when the other Protectors weren't around. The men who could turn into wolves, to protect the tribe from Cold Ones - Vampires. It was his duty to keep the tribe remembering of everything. It was thanks to him - and the other people like him that were before him, since there was only one at a time - that the tribe knew of the legends, knew that they were true.

It was thanks to him that the tribe was currently safe without the Protectors around.

"Don't be too hard on them ... They're worried about going away to college, Pony. I don't know what to do. They keep changing their minds. Especially considering recent events."

Ponyboy froze at the sound of his younger brothers voice. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

"What's going on, Jacob?" Ponyboy asked. "Has it got anything to do with the wierd feeling I've been getting since September?"

"You're perceptive, so I think it would."

He didn't say anything else, so Ponyboy knew it was bad. "Tell me."

"The Cullen's have returned, Ponyboy. They've got two new members, a blonde male and a little female. They're attending highschool, with the two elder ones posing as parents. Charlie was pretty mad at dad when he realized that some of us weren't going down to the hospital since the Cullen Leader started working there."

Ponyboy felt physically ill. Those filthy leeches were back. The Cullen's, of course, were vampires, though they hunted the blood of animals and claimed to be vegetarian. You could never trust a vampire, though. The younger generation would phase and Ponyboy was needed in La Push for when that happened.

He took a deep breath. "We'll talk about when I get there. Is dad preparing a meeting?"

"Yes. The entire tribe wants to know why you didn't see this coming. Everyone's worried. They think that you being away from the tribe lessens your abilities. Dad wants you back as soon as possible, but that may not be for up to a month."

Ponyboy knew that people from the other room were listening in, so he switched to his native language. Quileute.

"What does dad want me to do?" he asked.

"Lay on the charm, or make the Social Worker sympathize with your plight. Say anything, but make sure to get here within two weeks. We need you, Pony."

"Yeah, I know, Jake. See you soon, yeah?"

"Hopefully. See you, big brother. Bye."

"Bye."

He hung up, turned and banged his forehead against the wall. He then proceeded to cuss so thoroughly that he knew everyone in the other room heard him, Darry was likely to wash his mouth out with soap, and it was likely that Dallas Winston blushed.

Ponyboy didn't know how right he was.

x-x-x-x-x

Darry and Sodapop were talking to the Social Services lady about possible shared custody of Ponyboy. She point-blank refused, but said that they could possibly talk to Ponyboy's dad about getting holiday visits or some such things.

She then phoned someone and went into a different room, leaving them to talk. Sodapop just sat back, eyes wide open in shock.

"He's only our half-brother," he murmured, looking up at the ceiling. "Why didn't we know?"

Steve Randle, Sodapop's best friend, sat next to him and looked at him sympathetically. "Put yourself in the kid's shoes. What would you do?"

For the first time in his life, Steve Randle felt that he understood Ponyboy. He now understood why the kid was so different from Sodapop and Darry. Growing up, Ponyboy was always rather even-tempered, except when someone pushed his buttons too hard. That was when he lashed out ... violently.

His mother had never complained, just nursed his cuts, bruises and broken bones. That was another thing about the kid. He never complained about anything that hurt him. He just shrugged it off, saying, "It'll heal." He was one of the toughest guys that Steve knew, even if they didn't quite get along all the time. They were buddies, but they weren't quite friends.

They all lived in a small community of native americans - some of them half native, a quarter native. It seemed that Ponyboy was full native, from what the lady had told them. And the oldest son of a Chief, no less.

Dallas Winston, Two Bit Matthews and Johnny Cade all around the two shell-shocked brothers, hoping to give them some form of comfort, but it was that moment that Ponyboy's voice floated through the door.

"Hey, Jacob, it's me."

Darry leaned forward slightly. "I think that's his younger brother."

"Don't worry about me, Jake, I'll be fine. How's dad?"

A muscle in Sodapop's jaw jumped slightly, showing his anger, but he was otherwise relatively calm. He didn't like how Ponyboy had kept this a secret, but he vowed to himself to let Ponyboy explain why he had kept it a secret.

"Rachel and Rebecca are helping you out with everything right?"

"His older sisters," Darry said.

Dally snorted. "That explains how he always knows to compliment our girlfriends when we don't."

Even Sodapop smiled at that. They had wondered how Ponyboy could be so appealing to the female sex at such a young age. They had been worried, but now that they knew, they weren't as concerned.

Ponyboy sounded angry when he spoke next. "I'll talk to them when I get there. Family means everything. They should know that by now."

Everyone exchanged looks of confusion.

"What's going on, Jacob? Has it got anything to do with the wierd feeling I've been getting since September?"

"He has been acting differently," Two Bit said, looking concerned.

That was true. Ponyboy had been jumpy, not quite himself. He said that he was getting this wierd feeling and had spent hours talking to his mom about it. They'd just shrugged it off.

"Tell me."

Their eyebrows shot up. That wasn't a request. It was a demand. After that, Ponyboy was quiet for a good minute. When he did speak, he didn't quite sound right. It was almost like he had to force the words out.

"We'll talk about it when I get there. Is dad preparing a meeting?"

Dally sat back, a cigarette between his lips. It sounded as though Ponyboy was talking tribal business. Being the son of a Chief, especially the oldest one, he must be included in a lot of tribal business.

Ponyboy said something in a different language. Something none of them understood.

It was quiet for a minute and then Ponyboy spoke again. "Yeah, I know, Jake. See you soon, yeah?"

Darry grimaced. "How soon?"

"Bye."

They heard the phone shut and a bang, almost like Ponyboy had banged his head against the wall. That was when they heard a series of curse words that made everyone, including Dallas Winston, blush so thoroughly that they would likely be stuck that way for a long time.

"Where the hell did the kid learn to swear like that?" Dally asked, shocked. Ponyboy had never used that language around him, even though he knew that he'd never blab.

The door opened and Ponyboy walked back in. The look on his face was something that none of them had ever seen before. He looked angry, sick, and severely upset at the same time. Ponyboy never let his emotions show on his face so much, so something was really wrong. He sat down with his head in his hands.

"What's wrong, Ponyboy?" Darry asked.

Ponyboy looked up, looking tired. "My dad wants me back with the tribe within two weeks. Some problems have come up that he wants my help with."

"You're thirteen," Two Bit pointed out. "What help can you give him?"

Ponyboy threw Two Bit a dirty look. "I'm higher up in education than the schools down here let me go. Up there, I'm already in my final year of high school. I help him take care of some business, while Jacob finishes school and then he'll start helping, as well."

They nodded, understanding.

Sodapop gritted his teeth. "Why didn't you tell us, Pony?"

Ponyboy closed his eyes and groaned. "Mom didn't want you to know until I was eighteen. We were both worried about how you would react."

He looked at Darry and Soda. "It wasn't an ongoing affair."

"What was it, then?" Darry asked. "She was married when you were conceived, Ponyboy."

Ponyboy leaned back, sighing. "You don't remember that mom and your dad were having problems after Sodapop was born. In between me and Soda, mom had a miscarriage."

Soda and Darry reeled back in shock. "What?"

Ponyboy nodded. "She needed some space after they lost the baby, so she went back to the tribe and stayed with some family. She was always a good friend of the Black Family, so she went round there one night and they all had a bit too much to drink. Billy, my dad, Sarah, my stepmother, and mom ended up in bed together for the one night. Mom left a week later, heading back to your dad and told him everything. They worked things out and decided on counseling. Before they could even start, mom realized that she was pregnant with me. Mom and your dad spoke about it and then mom spoke to my dad and Sarah. At that point, Sarah wasn't pregnant with Jacob and everyone was concerned whether, or not, she would even give him a son; especially since he had two daughters from a few years previously, but no sign of a pregnancy since then. Mom decided against having an abortion, something was actually seriously considering, which is ironic if you think about it. I was born in July and, by that time, Sarah was pregnant with Jacob."

Sodapop and Darry nodded, finally understanding. It was hard to think of their mother having an affair, even a one nighter, but now they understood.

"It sounded like there was a problem," Dally said. "Is everything all right?"

Ponyboy snorted. "It's tribal business, Dal. I'm not allowed to talk about it."

He nodded. "When does your dad want you there?"

"As soon as possible," Ponyboy said. "Two weeks at the most. Like mentioned, there are tribal problems that he needs my help with, along with the other elders."

It was silent for a long time after that. Then, Ponyboy looked at them with a speculative expression. "Do you want to hear a story?"

They all nodded.

"Well," Ponyboy said, sitting up straighter. "Soda and Darry, you two are half Quileute, so it won't really matter. Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from - the Quileutes, I mean?"

"No," Sodapop said. "Mom never really spoke about them."

Ponyboy shrugged. "She had a good reason, I suppose. There are a lot of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood - the ancient Quileutes supposedly tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." Ponyboy smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves - and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them."

"Then there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice turned cold at that, his face darkening.

"What are the cold ones?" Johnny asked, quietly.

Ponyboy chuckled. "There are stories of cold ones almost as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land."

"You're great-grandfather?" Dally said.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. The last Great Chief. The cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf - well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. The more common name for them is werewolves. They only have one enemy, though."

"Through all of our stories, the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this group that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did - they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." His eyes were glazed over, as if he was seeing the events of the story he was telling.

Dally was confused. "But if they weren't dangerous, then why ... why would ... ?"

Ponyboy sat up and looked at Dally. "There's always a lot of risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You would never be able to stop them if they got too hungry to resist."

"Civilized? In what way?" Steve asked.

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were able to somehow prey on animals instead."

"So," Sodapop said, "who are these enemies? Who do you think they are now?"

Ponyboy wasn't surprised by Soda's perception that this story was linked to his talk with his brother. "The Cullen's, a family that have moved to Forks. Supposedly, they are the same ones from my great-grandfather's time."

Even Dally felt a chill run down his spine. Same ones? As in, the exact same ones?

Ponyboy shook his head and took a deep breath. "There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before the Forks settlement had even arrived."

"What are they?" Johnny asked, repeating his earlier question. He knew that Ponyboy had dodged the question. "What are the cold ones, exactly?"

"Blood drinkers," Ponyboy said in a chilling tone, smiling darkly. "They're more commonly known as vampires."

It was silent after that, for a good minute, at least. Two Bit couldn't hold back the shudder that escaped. Ponyboy saw it and laughed, delightedly. "You all have goosebumps."

"You're a good storyteller, Pony," Darry complimented.

Ponyboy nodded, lighting up a cigarette. "Don't tell anyone I told you, okay? The treaty does actually existed. And if you're ever down in Forks and run into Charlie Swan, don't talk to him about it. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there."

They all nodded, understanding. Everyone had a right to their ideas and traditions. It seemed that the Quileute still held onto theirs. And that Ponyboy thoroughly encouraged this. He didn't like the Cullen's, and he hadn't even met them yet to make judgement.

x-x-x-x-x

The Social Services Lady walked back into the room and went through some files, before looking at Ponyboy. "I was talking to some of my co-workers. We believe that we can get you to your father in three weeks. Is that okay?"

"Three weeks?" Ponyboy asked. "Isn't that a little ... late?"

Ponyboy had already explained that his father wanted him there before two weeks were up, so Darry and Soda knew what he was doing.

"It's the soonest that we can do it," the lady said.

Ponyboy sighed. "Well, I ... I suppose that's okay, then. I'll have to call Jacob to tell him that he'll have to struggle along without me for a while."

He sounded so deeply upset that even everyone stared at him.

Who knew the kid could act? Steve thought.

"Struggle?" the lady asked. "What do you mean?"

Ponyboy looked up and there were actual tears in his eyes. "My father has diabetes and is confined to a wheelchair. My younger brother, Jacob, has to take care of him, since my sisters are all geared up to go to college in the summer, making sure they have enough money and the scholarships that they need. Their mother died four years ago in a car accident. Coffin was nailed shut. This is a hard time for all of us. A lot of bad memories are being brought to the surface. I'm actually more worried about my sisters, than myself."

The Social Services lady had her hand over her heart, tears forming in her eyes. "How so?"

Ponyboy just gestured vaguely, playing the upset boy with mastery. "It was a hard time for them when their mother died. It took them a long time to get over it. They wanted nothing more than to leave La Push, until I reminded them that to let the memories they had of her drive them from their home would be disgracing her memory. I'm worried they're going to have a relapse. They were quite close to my mom. She helped them with problems that our dad couldn't. Three weeks ... that's a long time."

Looking at the Social Services lady, Ponyboy saw the determination in her eyes and knew he'd won her over. Cha-ching.

-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter One