The trees became a blur as Nick's nails dug into the damp earth, every step coming faster than the one before. Twilight had passed into early night and all around the silver wolf the day creatures were tucking in as the creatures of the night came out to play.
Beneath the steady sounds of his paws he could hear his own massive heart pounding, and within moments his feet and heart had reached a rhythm like music. He could run like this all night. In his mind, as vivid as the images from his own eyes, he could see the damp forest blur past his wolf-brother, who had been tasked with patrolling the western flank. Despite their connection they ran in silence. The easy camaraderie was peaceful.
It was easy with Brady because he was young, quiet, and not yet goo-goo eyed over some girl. It seemed that the same explosion of wolves brought on by the infestation of bloodsuckers in the area the year before had also brought about an explosion of imprinting. Two more wolves had found their mates in the last few months. Sometimes it made Nick bitter. Sometimes he felt nothing but pity for them. Oh, he did not envy them their lack of choice; but he did long for at least a small portion of their certainty. The imprinted wolves knew their future and relished in the present. Nick lived from patrol to work only to get a few hours of sleep and then do it all again.
It wasn't enough. Fortunately, as a wolf Nick's emotions were simpler, muffled. And when human... well, work kept him pretty busy.
It was nearly 5pm and he was still crouched atop George Mason's old refrigerated truck. He was meant to be on patrol in an hour but it looked like it would be another long day. Absently he toyed with the ratchet while giving Sam, the first wolf and oldest until a year ago when Nick joined the pack, an update on his eta. He supposed he didn't mind the overtime. The money came in handy, and he still had hopes of going to a real university someday. His trade school certificates and a reference from Sam had gotten him this job, but he couldn't see himself being a HVAC technician all his life. But for now he could not leave home - both for financial and societal reasons. Until he gave up his wolf he couldn't move away. He couldn't risk bursting into a half-ton furry monster in the middle of Tacoma or Seattle.
Nick did not have the dark looks of his wolf brothers, inheriting his mother's fair complexion. He had outgrown his father however, the wolf-fever giving him three more inches in the year before he first changed. At 6'5" he was by far not the tallest Quileute - La Push boys were monsters.
The only real problem with working late was that it was inevitable that he be alone. This tended to give him time to brood which was never good. Increasingly he had taken to playing his mp3 player too loud in an attempt to blast the moroseness out of his head. It helped. Music always did. That thought was not a happy one either though, making him long for the pre-wolf days when he had played in a band. If only he had never come to La Push!
No, he did not really mean that. He was just tired and a bit angry. Worse, he knew it was a thought he should never admit even to himself because the pack, who shared his thoughts when he was a wolf, did not need that burden. But he did miss normalcy He missed dating and he missed his friends back home. It was a dream of which he knew he needed to let go. This was home. This was his family. And yet it wasn't. Now that his mom was remarried he could not even call her house 'home' anymore. And the pack... well, they were his brothers and sister, and yet his half-blood status and the fact that he had come to La Push as a teenager meant he wasn't ever truly one of their inner circle. It didn't help that he was twenty-three either, older even than Sam Uley, their Alpha. But apparently the month-long infestation of vampires the year before had triggered the mutant gene in his body just like it had in the much much younger boys. Half the pack was not even fifteen now... making him feel like even more of an outsider.
Two hours later he was scarfing down half a dozen ham sandwiches, while kicking his steel toes boots off and thumbing through the mail that was building up. Most of it was trash and easily ignored. He gave cash to the landlord for his part of the bills and other than insurance on the truck he had inherited from his uncle he really didn't have many expenses. Food, of course, and lots of it. Gas and laundry supplies. Dalton gave them old brick-like walkie-talkie cell phones to use during the day. Clothes... The members of the pack went through a lot of clothes in spite of wearing as little as possible.
Feeling tired but knowing that would pass once he was flying through the woods, Nick leaped naked from the small travel trailer he called home and padded into the black forest. In the distance of a heartbeat the tall, broad man disappeared and a silver wolf sprung down the well worn trail.
Peace. Purpose. Power. How had he ever resented this? The broodiness of his human brain melted away and not for the first time he considered taking a wolf-sabbatical. It was not unheard of for one of them to just "go wolf" for a few months. He had been rejecting the idea because he wanted to keep his job since Sam had stuck his neck out to recommend him and he wanted the money saved up to go to school. But it was hard to focus on all that when his muscles stretched and contracted whip-like, propelling him so fast that to a human eye he would be little more than a pale blur in the darkness. All that mattered in that moment was the here and now and the thrill of the run. If he wasn't home in La Push, he was at least at home in his own fur.
The day was perfect - cool but not yet raining. The silver wolf padded down the path with a silence that belied his size. Paws as large as horse hooves choose soft landing places without thought, the only betrayal of his presence the way the forest fell silent at his approach as every creature recognized the dangerous predator among them.
His mission this afternoon was simple. He had been tasked with making the long patrol along the south of the reservation, just north of Forks then down and along the town perimeter. One of the pack made the run twice a week, just in case, scenting for anyone new. So far nothing, not that he was expecting trouble. Since the Cullens had left Forks it had been quiet. Rumors of the massive wolf-pack in the area no doubt did a lot to keep the blood-suckers away and most of the world's vampire population had witnessed their numbers during last year's confrontation with the Volturi.
For the vast majority of this run he was in the shadows of the thick trees and undergrowth, but at a few points the forest cleared so that he could see glimpses of the town. About halfway around he came to one of the few places where he had to cross a road. It was the most exposed part of the trail and the reason why they usually ran it at night. Just ahead was the backside of the only veterinary clinic in Forks, though it was not busy and he could, if he was careful, stay hidden.
He stopped still, peering through a bush, scanning the road and employee parking lot. There were only a few cars and no people. Still he waited a minute longer, waiting for the wind to bring him the scents from below.
He had almost stepped out of the covering trees when the back door swung open and a bulging black trash bag appeared ahead of a petite woman in scrubs. Nick froze low to the ground and contemplated whether it wouldn't be better to make this stretch on two legs instead.
The girl's face was obscured as she walked away from him toward the dumpster but when she turned around after heaving the huge bag up into the great metal can...
Nick's breath stopped. He stared.
It was not a puzzled look. He was not trying to figure anything out. Nor was it a look of wonder, for this sight was more terrible than beautiful. Oh, not the girl. She was lovely beyond any words he might use to describe her later.
Nick stared and knew his life was over as surely as if he has just been swallowed by an abyss. His insides snapped. Little pieces at first falling away followed by the larger picture until even his name no longer felt as if it mattered.
SHE was all that existed. That was all. Her happiness, her safety, her concerns were all that mattered.