Solstice
After Breaking Dawn

Chapter 1: Riding Through The Forest

Renesmee Cullen's POV:

I shrieked in pleasure, riding atop my Jacob's shoulders. My momma, daddy, and Jakey were in the clearing a mile or so from my parent's cottage. I heard my momma sigh.

"Jake, please don't drop my daughter, I'm begging you," Momma said to Jake dissaprovingly.

Jake, unphased by my momma's exasperation, laughed and said, "Don't worry, Bella. I think if there was even a chance that I would drop her, and that is barely a possibility, anyway, I would be more mad at myself than you would be at me. Trust me."

Jacob had started to slow down as he and Momma bickered. His speed was not enough. "Faster, Jakey! Run faster!" I ordered.

Jake pushed his legs faster. "Yes, Ma'am."

While Jakey and I were running, I heard my daddy whisper to my mommy, "You know, as annoying as he can be sometimes, it is very entertaining to watch when he's acting as a nanny..."

Momma laughed. "Yes, yes it is."

Pretending like I couldn't hear them, I asked innocently, "What's so funny, Momma?"

My momma smiled and answered, "Nothing, Sweetheart."

My daddy, of course, knew that I knew about their little exchange. And I would defend Jakey any way I could, so I decided to save his pride...for now, anyway. "Alright. Down, Jakey."

Jake, always acting as a gentlemen, said, "As you wish, Ma'am," and set me down.

"Nessie, are you hungry for lunch yet?" my daddy asked me.

"Well, if she isn't, I am. I've been running since I got up this morning." I swear, Jake was always hungry. Ugh. Werewolf appitites.

My daddy rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jacob. We are aware that you are always hungry," then he smiled jokingly at him.

I smiled. "Yes, Daddy. I'm hungry. What's for lunch?"

"Whatever you want," Mommy replied.

Lunch was great. Momma cooked it, and, since she was recently human, she knew how to cook. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I only ate half of my lunch while Jake asked for thirds.

My momma's eyes were wide as she stared at the amount of food on Jake's plate, which he was still devouring. "Holy crap, Jake. I used to have a weeks worth of food in the kitchen..." my momma stated, still in disbelief. You'd think after knowing Jake for years, my mom would be used to the amount of food he consumes.

Jacob replied with his mouth full of food, "Hey, I'm a growing werewolf," he grinned at her.

"How can you still be growing?" my momma exclaimed.

Jake laughed. "It's a wolf thing."

That reminded me. "Jakey! Up, run! Wolf!" I put my palm to his cheek and showed him a couple images of him in his wolf form with me on his back, running through the forest, the jade green trees rushing past us in a blur.

My momma tried to hold back a slight chuckle. "Here comes Nanny Jake."

I sighed. I didn't like it when they teased my Jacob. But hey, the boy couldn't keep his pride forever.

Jacob glared at my momma and stuffed the last of his food in his mouth, swallowed, and said to me, "Alright, kid. I'll be right back." Then he rushed through the front door, into the cover of the trees. Jacob dissapeared, coming back as a huge, russet wolf. The wolf that I loved.

"Yea! Daddy, help me up, please!" I clapped my hands with joy as my daddy lifted me up and set me between Jacob's shoulder blades, which I fit perfectly between.

I felt the rush of joy as Jake started running, his giant paws hitting the forest floor at a steady, even pace. The evergreen trees of the forest rushed past us, leaving the joy I always felt as I rode on Jacob's back in its place.

Even though Jake was running faster than I could run, I still wanted him to go even faster. So, through the wind ringing through our ears, I yelled, "Faster, Jakey! Faster!"

Jacob barked his wolfy laugh and pushed his legs, if possible, even faster. Faster than I have ever gone before. The trees were flying by so fast that even my half-vampire eyes couldn't distinguish tree from tree.

Jake all of the sudden looked distracted, though he still dodged the trees and their branches effortlessly. I put my palm to his face and asked 'Are you having a wolf conversation?'

Jakey barked another laugh and nodded his big wolf head yes. I kept my palm on his face and asked 'Can I listen?'

I may technically be only two years old, but I looked like I was six and I had the brain capacity of a twelve-year-old. In the two years of my life, I've learned to do a lot with my power. Since I was born, I'd had the power to project my thoughts, feelings, and images I think of to other people. I used to do this only by touching the person's face. But, over the last year and a half, Momma and Kate have been working on me to project it to people without touching them. I touched the person's face now just because it has become a habit. Daddy also helped me develop something like a reverse-projection. It was like my daddy's power, only one person at a time. This is what I was asking Jake for permission to do now.

Jake nodded his giant wolf head again, and I focused on reversing my power, and Jacob helped me by opening his mind to me.

Be careful with what you say, I heard Jakey say mentally.

Then I heard a fairly familiar voice. Quil. He chuckled a wolf chuckle. You with Nessie?

Yep. You with Claire? Jake answered Quil. Then I remebered the girl that Quil was always around when Jake took me to La Push. She was technically older than me, but I looked a couple years older than her.

Quil smiled a wolfy grin. Yep.

How is she?

Good. A little demanding of speed, but...I can take it. Huh. I wondered how fast they were going. I doubt as fast as Jake and I are. Claire is only human, after all. How much speed could a four-and-a-half year old human girl take?

Jacob agreed with him. Yea, Nessie, too. But it's worth it. I smiled in pleasure, knowing that Jake would do most anything I asked. I knew I was special to him, but I didn't know why. I'd asked him once, and he said that he would tell me when I was older. He did this under my daddy's glare, of course, or else he probably would have told me.

Yea, it is worth it. Claire wants to go to the beach now, so I'll see-or talk-to you later. See ya, Jake. See ya, Nessie. I heard a faint shimmering sound far off in the distance as Quil phased back to human.

"Faster!" I said as I pulled myself out of Jake's head. Jacob barked another of his wolfy laughs.

I continued to ride on his back for another hour or so, but I could tell that he was getting a little worn out, so I asked him to take me back home.

Jacob stopped immidiately, claws digging in the dirt, and ran, a little slower than his full speed, back home.

When we got to the little clearing in front my house, Jacob sank to the ground, a sign for me to get off of his back. I slid down his side. Then he got up and trotted into the cover of the trees and phased to human. I didn't get why he did this, but he wouldn't tell me that either. Once again, mostly because of my daddy, but I didn't get why it was big deal. When I asked this, however, Uncle Emmett burst into laughter, so I figured that it was better that I didn't know.

Once Jakey came out from the trees, he opened the door for me and I stepped into the cottage. Immediatley, I was met by the warm-or rather cold-embraces of my momma and daddy.

I noticed my Aunt Alice sitting on the couch. I smiled at her. Aunt Alice smiled back and then sighed in somewhat relief. "Finally you two are back! Now we can go!" Aunt Alice exclaimed gleefully.

"Really, Alice?" Momma complained.

"Yes, really, Bella." Aunt Alice said, still cheerful.

"Would you like to join us, Jake?" my momma smiled brilliantly at Jakey.

Jacob answered her hesitantly. "Um...do I want to?"

My momma smiled at him again. "Nessie's going..." I was? I had no idea where we were going. But, knowing my aunt Alice's favorite hobby, and figured that shopping was one thing that would cause Aunt Alice to get a negitive reaction from my momma, I figured we were going shopping. Jakey would be thrilled. Ha. Yeah, right. But, if I had to suffer one of Aunt Alice's shopping trips, Jakey would come with us.

"So that would be a no, I wouldn't want to go." Jacob answered her. I gave him my best puppy-dog face, knowing he couldn't resist. He sighed. "Alright."

Aunt Alice smiled, knowing Jakey would have a horrible time, probably. "Alright, Jake, Bella, Nessie, let's go. Jake, bring Ness to the car, please. She can ride in your lap." Aunt Alice dashed out of the door and to the garage with my mommy close behind. Jacob pulled me into his arms and I went willingly. I knew Jakey had more right to be tired than me, but I was really tired. Riding through the woods on a giant wolf takes a lot out of you.

While Jake carried me through the door, I heard my daddy call, "Jake, you might want to put a shirt on."

"Oh yeah." Jacob said. Before Jacob could move to get his shirt, my daddy was holding one in front of him. "Thanks."

"No problem," Daddy smirked at Jacob. "Have fun."

"Gee, thanks," Jakey rolled his eyes.

"Bye bye, Daddy!" I wrapped my arms around Daddy's neck. "I love you!"

Daddy wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back. "I love you, too, Honey. I'll see you when you get back."

My aunt Alice appeared in the doorway. "Come on, we don't have all day!" she yelled impatiently.

"Okay. Where are we going?" Jacob asked. I was really surprised he didn't see this coming.

"I'll tell you in a minute. Go get in the car, Jake."

Jacob carried me out the door and climbed in the backseat, which was barely big enough for him. We were riding in Daddy's silver Volvo. "Okay, you being mysterious and secrative always scares me..." Jacob told Aunt Alice suspiciously.

Alice laughed her trilling laugh and started the car.

"Now tell me where we're going," Jacob demanded.

"Jake, your Alpha voice doesn't work on me."

"Im aware of that! Just tell me!" Jacob yelled.

"Say please..." Aunt Alice told him.

Jacob tried to calm down. "Please tell me where we're going, Alice."

Aunt Alice beamed and said excitedly, "Shopping!"