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There it was, that damn sign. The battered sign welcoming him back to hell. Being away had felt so good and he was trying to remember what exactly had caused him to return. One day he just got it in his mind that it was time, there was nothing holding him in Idaho anymore. Paul had been away at school for two years. I know, Paul Lahote and school didn't exactly seem to belong in the same sentence, but it was true. He'd gone to a trade school for contracting, and apprenticed with a local contractor who taught him everything he could. The license would be useful on the Rez with all the houses that were falling apart. It had taken some serious finagling by Sam to persuade the elders to let him go, he had to convince them that the leech problem was under control enough that they could handle it without Paul, their best fighter. He had loved every damn second of it. But now school was done, and the little voice in the back of his head was telling him it was time to go home.
Paul's huge black truck rumbled to a stop in front of an all too familiar house. The tiny, scarred form of Emily emerged from the house looking confused but realization quickly dawned and her face split into a huge smile.
"It's about damn time you came home!" she held her arms out for a hug that Paul happily obliged. "Welcome back, we missed you."
"Yeah, like you miss a venereal disease." a deep voice chuckled from the side of the house. Sam stood leaning against the yellow siding, grinning.
"Like you'd know man, weren't you a virgin when you and Em got together?"
"Were you ever a virgin?" Paul let out a bark like laugh and Sam and Emily walked him into the house.
"It really is good to see you again; honestly things have gotten boring around here without you." Emily let out an unladylike snort and set down a plate of chocolate muffins and cookies, Sam gave her a look but Paul didn't seem to notice, he was busy shoving muffin into his mouth.
"So, are you going to put that fancy new education to work with us?" Sam asked through a mouthful of cookie. "We could always use an extra pair of hands, and it pays pretty good, things have turned around here." Paul listened as Sam explained about the costruction jobs the pack was doing around the Rez. It didn't seem to be the same as when he'd left but an actual legitimate business. Paul agreed to join them and lend his new found wisdom, and they spent the next few hours talking about his time away. He spared them the more in depth details however. After a while he decided to head home and after Sam handing over the keys to his house, and Emily a box of cookies, muffins and some sandwiches "Until you get to the grocery store" he loaded back into his truck.
Paul's house was nothing special, at least to most people, but it was his. The only thing his father had ever given him. After learning of Paul's role as protector, Joshua Lahote had returned from wherever the hell he'd been for the majority of Paul's life, wanting to return as if he'd been away on business. Of course neither Paul nor his mother wanted anything to do with him, they didn't need him. Anne, his mother, had her own bakery at that point and Paul was working with the rest of the pack doing construction and repairs around the Rez. It hadn't been as lucrative as it seemed it was now but it was a job. As his only act as a real father, Joshua had given Paul the house he'd used to own. It was slightly run down but after a few weeks of work Paul had managed to make it quite livable. There was a decent kitchen and bathroom, laundry and cable and a loft that served as Paul's bedroom, for him it worked great.
He dropped his duffel bags in the living room deciding he'd worry about the rest tomorrow, and trudged up the stairs. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out. That night his dreams were filled with strange images of the forest, and the sounds of someone gasping for breath and screaming out in pain.
Paul woke early the next morning, the sun wasn't fully up yet and everything was a steely blue grey, and silent. He stretched on his front porch and threw himself into the tree's surrounding his house. Phasing in mid air, he landed and ran through the forest he'd been away from for so long. The dark, slightly damp earth felt great under his paws and the smell of the trees seemed to revive him. A small part of him was wondering why he'd left in the first place. He launched over a stream and pushed himself faster. This was what he lived for, the wind whipping through his fur and the dirt giving so easily under his claws, if he could stay like this forever, he would. Nothing and no one to worry about, living on his own, even catching his own food didn't bother him. But something in the back of his head told him 'no, you must be with your pack, you've been away too long already'. Nearing the Canadian border he decided to turn around and that's when he felt the presence of another wolf.
'Alright, who's out there?'
'Oh fuck my life, Paul? What the hell are you doing here?' It was Leah, great. Suddenly the idea of living like a wild animal sounded like a solid plan again.
'I happen to live here Leah, got a problem with that?' he could feel their presence getting closer.
'Actually yeah.' Seth snapped. 'We do. Why the hell are you out here? We're patrolling this morning. Go home.' What the hell was up his ass? Paul had never heard Seth that agitated. Leah yeah of course, but Seth? He had the disposition of a fucking care bear.
'I'm just out for a run; don't get your shit in a twist.' He was coming up on them in a clearing, and slowed down as he passed through the last of the thick heavy trees. Leah's pale grey form was laying rigid on a boulder to his left, glaring down at him. Seth stood tall in the middle but it almost didn't look like him. The last time Paul had seen him, the younger boy had been exactly that in his wolf form. He'd been long and gangly, with paws too big for his body making it all too obvious that he was in the middle of puberty. It seemed now that he had finished. He was smaller than Paul only by an inch or two and in human form he could see it would be the same story. His body seemed to have filled out a lot in just the two years. He, unlike Collin and Brady, had been thought to be done growing…apparently not.
'What the fuck do you want Paul?' Leah snapped, 'Seth told you, we're patrolling this morning.'
'Yeah, you two look like you're working hard today. I thought the leech threat was over, why are you patrolling?' Leah huffed.
'Just because the leeches are gone doesn't mean they can't come back. It's strictly protocol. Now again-'
'Oh cut the bitch shit Leah, I told you I'm out for a run, not trying to squeeze in on your sibling bonding time, Christ!' He turned to make his way out of the clearing, heading back to the Rez when he smelled it, cedar. Normally it wouldn't matter to him, except for the fact that there were no cedar in these woods, he would know. They'd spent half of the year before he'd left going over every inch of it…no cedar.
'What is that?' he asked to no one in particular as he sniffed the air. 'That is definitely not supposed to be here'
'Funny, just like you.' Leah grumbled, but he wasn't listening, he continued to follow the scent until it directed him to a particularly large tree on the edge of the clearing. He looked up just in time to see someone, or something jump from a topmost branch and practically fly out of the clearing. It landed with no sound and began sprinting towards the Rez. There was only one thing that was that light on it's feet and only one thing, apart from the pack that was that fast
'Leech.' Paul growled, and he was off. He barely even noticed Seth and Leah chasing after him, until they started yelling for him to stop.
'Dude you don't know what you're doing!' Seth yelled in his mind, 'You can't do this, stop!'
'What the fuck are you talking about? In case you forgot, this is what we're built for.' he chuckled and he pushed himself further, finally catching up with the creature. It was fast, really fast but it didn't seem to move like the leeches he'd been forced to work with before. It used the trees and land to propel itself further rather than just gliding over everything like the Cullen's did. But none of this seemed to register as he continued to chase, faintly realizing they had crossed the treaty line.
'Oh yeah, you're screwed now leech, big mistake.' It hurtled over a fallen tree, and Leah growled.
'Shit, Paul quit chasing her you jack ass!' he ignored Leah's demand.
'Fuck it, Leah we'll have to take him down.'
'What is wrong with you two? What the fuck is going-' but they both barreled into him just as he had launched himself onto the thing, claws first. There was no satisfying sound of ripping metal, just the feeling of claws through flesh; the intruders and his own. It took both of them, but Leah and Seth managed to hurl him through three trees and an angry looking bush onto the clear side of the tree line.
'Son of a bitch' Paul groaned as he tried to find his feet. But before he could get up there was a sudden blow to his temple, and everything went dark. Voices mingled together, he thought he heard Sam and Seth yelling at each other, then a momentary silence he could feel his body returning to its human form.
"Damnit, now why did you have to hit him?" Sam asked sounding exasperated.
"He ripped my favorite shirt."