Chapter 1 – Unbelievable

AN – This is a WIP. I give fair warning it may not be finished. I am a solid starter, but terrible at at closing. However, I do have the first 7 chapters mostly written, so that's something. Thanks to all the other ffnet writers who have given my brain such wonderful universes to explore and I hope if you have any interest this gives you something in return.

The whole coven had their doubts about the 'human' situation with the Cullens. After a brief phone conversation between Tanya and Carlisle, they knew that a potential convert to their diet was being sent their direction. The details were sketchy at best. The gist was there had been an altercation between his family and some nomads, one of whom was interested in learning more about their chosen 'vegetarian' lifestyle. Carlisle had informed Tanya his name was Laurent, and due to the recent events, his family was not the best suited for this introduction and retraining.

Tanya had readily agreed to help her friends, but remained suspicious about the whole vibe of the conversation. Carlisle had sounded clipped, and unlike their usual phone chats, this one had barely lasted two minutes. He did not elaborate on what else was happening or talk about how his family was doing or even ask about hers. Tanya suspected something was going on with the Cullens, but had no idea what. Tanya, as the Northwest Territory Ispán, was within her writes to press for information, but these were her friends so she let the minor infraction of failing to report the referenced altercation slide. After passing her thoughts onto her coven in a meeting called right after the call, Eleazar confirmed her thoughts that Laurent being sent to them was likely only part of the whole situation. Eleazar had shook his head, and suggested they wait until Laurent arrives and garner information from him. The Denali clan agreed to wait to act further without more information. Tanya had wanted a clan agreement, as not taking action could result in punishment for them failing to respond to a potential law violation within their territory.

A few days later, an unknown vampire showed up one hundred yards from the Denali lodge and stayed still. The clan was unsure if this was who Carlisle had sent or not, so only Kate and Eleazar went out to do the meet and greet. After stepping out onto the front yard to put some distance between them and the house, they observed the unknown vampire with the dark toned skin, bare feet, ragged clothes, and dreadlocks. He immediately raised his hands once they stepped out of the house, and kept his posture relaxed.

"Good evening. My name is Laurent." The dark skinned man with dreads kept holding up his hands. He only saw two vampires visually, but knew there were five based on scent. "I come in peace. Carlisle told me to find you if I was interested in trying a different way of eating."

Kate snorted a bit. "You do know we eat animals right? You don't appear to have been trying very hard." Kate had noticed Laurent had taken his sweet time getting here, and his eyes were still solid red.

Laurent gritted his teeth and growled a little. He was extremely displeased at this unwelcome greeting. His hands dropped to his sides and curled in preparation of possibly needing to defend himself.

Eleazar shook his head a little in exasperation at Kate's unhelpful hostility. "Welcome sir. I apologize for my coven mate, she gets a little excited sometimes. My name is Eleazar. If you have questions, I will do my best to offer answers." Eleazar spread his hands out wide in a placating gesture and gestured to the front porch chairs. "Would you like to join me?"

"Fine." Kate huffed and zipped over to a seat. She chose the one closest to the lodge entrance and flopped down with a dramatic sigh. No longer looking at Laurent, and choosing instead to read a book instead, Kate's attitude was laissez faire.

Elezar shrugged his shoulders at Laurent, and gestured again as he slowly made his way to one of the other chairs and relaxed into it. Both Kate and Eleazar waited to see of Laurent would join them. Kate sighed dramatically and fidgeted to display her impatience. Eleazar shook his head a bit at her antics and sat still with poise, that Laurent realized could only come from having lived a very long time. Older vampires no longer moved like humans. Laurent thought Kate to be awful young if she could not remain still for even just a few moments.

Laurent relaxed his stance and strolled over to the last open seat. He sat gingerly on the seat, not really comfortable with how this whole introduction was playing out. Laurent had expected something closer to the Cullens, but this coven was less welcoming despite his introduction. Laurent wondered for a moment what sort of introduction if any had been made for him by the head of that other coven. The rude female had not even had the courtesy to introduce herself. He decided that since she appeared to be so young to ignore her as much as he could, and even turned his body away from her to face Eleazar more fully. Laurent believed Elezar to be the elder in the greeting party, and the foolish female was obviously too young to be worth noting. Laurent scoffed a bit as he dismissed Kate before turning his back to her, feeling she was beneath his notice and would pose no threat.

"So Laurent, what can we help you with today?" Eleazar spoke softly, garnering Laurent's attention.

Laurent made a small palm up sweeping motion, "I came today to find out more about your coven and lifestyle. One of my companions had a rough turn the last couple of days, so that is the reason for my delay. Eating is not my only concern." He grinned with lots of teeth at his own humor.

"Understandable." Eleazar agreed. "Life does often challenge. So what would you like to know?"

"How can you stand it? I tried eating a moose a ways south of here, and it was like drinking muddy water." Laurent made a disgusted face.

Eleazar grimaced in agreement. "Animal type does make a difference. What they eat, how old, health, and other such details are all factors in flavor."

"So some taste better than others? Huh. I suppose that make sense. Some humans taste better than others too. Emotions, age, and health do seem to influence human flavor." Laurent placed his hands on his knees and relaxed a little more in response to Eleazar's non-threatening and sympathetic demeanor.

"I follow my nose. When I am not sure, that is the easiest way. If it smells better Laurent, then it will be better tasting too." Eleazar offered up an easy tip with a minute quirk to his lips.

"Humans smell so good too. I will have to contemplate this for a bit. I am not sure how this will work. Humans smell immensely better than animals."

"Just try out different animals until you find ones that work for you. Would you like some suggestions, and locations that are good to hunt in?"

Laurent nodded. "That would be most helpful. I thank you for your assistance."

Over the next few days, Laurent and Eleazar hung out. Laurent got introduced to everyone and invited into the lodge. Kate and Laurent continued to verbally spar occasionally. Slowly his eyes ebbed towards gold. More importantly to the Denali clan though, was that Laurent was able to flush out the story of what happened when his companions ran into the Cullens.

His companion Victoria lost her mate, James, when he continued to hunt the 'human' belonging to the Cullens. Laurent expressed his confusion, since they all insisted they only ate animals, so why they had a human pet was never understood. Laurent admitted the situation with the Cullens escalated mostly due to James wanting to eat their pet. When asked further, Laurent stated Victoria had claimed to come to terms with this and headed off to Asia. Laurent also assured the Denali clan, that he had not attempted to hunt the Cullen pet. Too much trouble he assured them, plus he understood and respected that pets under their laws belong to someone and are considered property that can be defended without legal repercussions. Laurent knew from experience a few nomads who had been ended for taking from pets that did not belong to them. It turned out James could not resist, and yes the human had smelled good, but not worth dying for, as James did. Laurent and Victoria discovered too late that James had not followed the law or their advice, and were unable to stop James from dying at the hands of the Cullens. Laurent had not actually witnessed the death of James, but Victoria stated had felt it when her maker died. Laurent assured them Victoria had decided to head off to Asia anyway, and he had left her with some other friends of theirs in Bangkok.

The Denalis were careful not to share too much with the nomad, especially since Irina sensed he was not entirely forthcoming with his reasons for being here. None of the Denali clan spoke of powers or abilities or age with any specifics. Everyone except Eleazar worked hard to promote themselves as young vampires with lots of unnecessary human movements. Only Carmen and Eleazar spoke anything other than English. Laurent continued to address Eleazar as if he was the coven leader, and everyone felt the ploy of keeping truths hidden to be successful.

After hanging out for a few days, Laurent stated he wanted to travel and try out other wildlife. Eleazar suggested several hunting grounds all over the world for him. Laurent gave thanks, and took off for parts unknown. The clan waited for a few hours to plan, as Carmen scouted the area to ensure that Laurent had left.

Everyone came together in the lodge to discuss what to do about the 'human pet' situation. The Cullens were obviously in a dangerous situation for such a young coven. No Denali had been able to reach any of the Cullens for a few days now. The communication breakdown had been noticed and traced back until shortly before Laurent had shown up. No one from the Cullen coven could be reached to validate any of the details presented. The Denali clan was a bit worried since this was unusual. Even the email addresses and alternate contact numbers were no longer valid.

"There is more to this than what we have been told. My friend Carlisle has never had a human pet or any interest in having one. I am very worried about my friends. Were they older or living differently this having a human pet would be of no concern, but this does not make any sense. " Eleazar insisted. "Plus I am shocked my friend would forget the consequences of killing another vampire's mate, even over a pet that response will have consequences. We could have the makings of a regional blood bath. Clans have went to war for less in the past. Victoria may be detained at the moment, but for how long?" Eleazar clenched his hands together and gave a small sniff to express both his frustration and dismay.

Tanya soothed, "Calm down my friend. I am well aware the information does not add up, and I agree with your assessment. I am very worried about the current status of our friends. I have an approach plan for us already. It will require some discomfort on our part, but I am afraid of what might have already have happened." Tanya stood and paced a bit. "As we can not get the information remotely and therefore assess what is happening, I think it is time we paid them a visit."

Tanya glanced at Irina and Kate. "Here is the plan. As this could be a potentially hostile situation we are wandering into, I want you two to scout and run reconnaissance. Do not announce your presence. In fact do your best to remain hidden until we can assess what the situation is with our friends, and their pet. Human pets have traditionally been bones of contention amongst vampires so perhaps there are others who also wanted our friends' pet for themselves. Also I want a full report on the area, animal counts, human deaths, news reports, rumors of sightings, the current status of the shifter tribe, and all the other details. We need diligence in this matter, even though this may risk some friendship feelings. I must remind you, we will be held accountable first for anything that violates our laws.

I will be reaching out to Sulpicia to notify her we are opening an investigation. This should by us some time, in case communications have already reached her about this potentially hazardous situation. I will also be taking a detour to visit the Whitlocks, they should know what is happening in the Southwest Territory without having to engage Maria.

Carmen and Eleazar will stay here for a while longer in case Laurent returns unexpectedly. They will also reach out to other territory resources to help track down the Cullens. Eleazar will be contacting the Spain liaison, and Carmen I need you to follow up with your South American contacts. Find out if they are in Europe or maybe that island Carlisle bought for Carmen a ways back. Make sure everyone takes a satellite phone and a human kit for yourself. We are not taking any chances. That way we will be able to maintain communications, and blend in much better if needed. Plan to meet up at the cabin near Victoria in one week. Any questions so far?" Tanya looked confidently at her coven.

Directing her attention specifically to Kate and Irina, Tanya requested gently "You will need to part from your mate for a few days, is that acceptable? Please assure me that this plan is alright for you two." Tanya met Irina's eyes as she offered, "Otherwise I can have Eleazar and Carmen go visit the Whitlocks, but I was hoping they would have the freedom to follow up on any leads as a team, while we focus our efforts on our territory."

Irina squeezed her mate's hand briefly before standing and walking right up to Tanya, pulling her into a hug to convey comfort and companionship. "Csillagom, do not trouble yourself so. We will be fine for that short of time. But your suggestion to find the Cullens is a good one. For now let us use your plan. Kate and I will scout out the situation and also check on our holdings we have hidden there. I feel pleased that you would entrust us with such an important part of your strategy." Irina loosed her hold and reached to cup Tanya's cheek. Tanya was slightly taller, but at the moment with body positioning seemed smaller than Irina. Irina whispered intimately, "I will take good care of our mate. I trust you as well. I know we do not separate often, but everything will be fine?" Irina let go slowly, and stepped back to join hands with Kate once again.

Tanya held up her hand, "One more thing before I forget. Emergency conditions apply. Eat when you need to. Do not worry if it is outside the usual diet, just be careful in choosing. We are moving into a more populated area, so you all have permission to act on necessity." Tanya grinned maliciously, "There is nothing wrong with thinning the herd a bit to protect the humans we like, or taking care of other needs. Please be careful to not disturb the balance. Seattle and Port Angeles are nearby hunting grounds to use for those needs not met by animals. We are heading into a potentially hostile situation, a more human filled diet is a necessity to ensure we are at full strength especially as will be separated intermittently. Finally do not hesitate to use the emergency supplies stashed at any of our hideouts. Remember: practical people survive."

Everyone in the coven came together in a huddle at Tanya's wordless gesture with her hands toward herself. The silence was heavy with unspoken emotion for a few moments. They all put their heads together as one. Tanya whispered with an emotionally roughened voice into the small space between all of them, "Akinek vaj van a a fején ne menjen a napra. Be smart. Keep your heads. Be careful." All the Denali coven members hugged each other tighter for a few moments again before emotions were managed into the background.

Everyone nodded silently as hand holds eased, and they dispersed with mere whispers of air. Tanya grabbed her phone and started making some calls, as she moved into her office. Her instincts were screaming caution, so hoped she had done a good enough job at conveying that.