The Hunting Trip

Chapter One

Unfortunate Alliance

RosePOV

Wind lashed savagely against the trees of the forest, making them bend and swivel in directions that would break the neck of a fragile human.

Trust me to think of something like that as I stared out at the suffering forest whilst green leaves clawed at the windows of the Cullen house.

"It's looking pretty bad out there..." I barely noticed Bella's small voice, just like her presence, but I glanced back at the girl with a bright grin on my face.

"Scared?"

Bella tried to look tough on the outside by crossing her arms and sitting back in the chair, but I could see her hand inching towards Edward's as he glared back at me, her immortal enemy.

"Leave her alone," he grumbled. "She'll be fine out there."

I shrugged. "Whatever."

A laugh came from the kitchen as Emmet raised his head out of the pantry. "With you there, Edward, I doubt a single leaf will touch her. You're overprotective, man!"

Bella snuggled against Edward's chest. "I need the protection," she defended. "I am accident prone after all, right Edward?"

A small purr erupted in his throat. "Maybe a little."

She grimaced, not having expected him to agree. I laughed at her disappointment and turned back to watching the trees, imagining the pain a human would go through as they twisted and bent so. How I would love to hear that sound when it came to certain people I knew that happened to be sharing the house with me and my family over the next few weeks. Bella's father had gone out of the town to the borders where they were hunting down a savage family of bears, so Edward had invited her to stay for twenty one pain staking days.

It was only the second, and I was already tired of seeing the girl's face. Despite trying my hardest to get along with her better since my apology, I could not find it in myself to open up to her an inch, so I turned back into the bitch, not that I minded the role though. In fact, I got quiet a few laughs out of it.

Tonight would certainly earn me many more kicks, as we were all leaving into the forest as soon as the weather calmed. It was time to hunt. We were all hungry for nature's succulent blood, and it was time to teach Bella some more tricks of the trade. She was a vampire now, but a young one, and she needed the protection like she did when she was human. Everyone kept an eye out for her as though she were a newborn pup… Everyone except for me.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I wondered about how the night would go with me and Bella having to fight together. The first few hunts were easy as Edward and Alice had been her two main guardians, practically holding her hand all the way. It made me sick to watch. I remember how frustrating it was, and I wanted to scream that she needed to do it herself. I had even talked the matter over with Carlisle, but as usual he brushed over the matter as he always did when it came to Bella. Nothing mattered if it concerned her, not to any of the others.

Esme entered the room, beaming despite the gloomy weather. That was so like her, to be excited about hunting in the middle of the night when it was pouring with rain. Right on cue she announced that we were to be leaving earlier rather than later.

"Are you serious?" Emmet complained from the kitchen as he pointed down at late night snack. "I'm starving, and you know how long it takes to find anything when it's raining!"

"Emmet, I am sure your stomach will survive a few more hours," she said, her grin never failing. "After all, we aren't going to wait on something to fill that always seems empty."

I smiled at her remark. It was true, he was always hungry it seemed. Out of all of us, he ate the most meals other than blood, so most of the monthly food shopping was for him alone.

He grumbled beneath his breath at Esme's response and started to eat as quickly as he could with food dripping from his mouth onto the counter. Table manners were not his thing either, despite the stories of vampires stating that we were noble, clean creatures.

Alice and Jasper ambled into the room, looking as ready as ever in their sweaters and boots. Of course, Alice's choice of clothing was a little more stylish than her beloved Jasper's. He looked as uncomfortable as he always did, standing with his arms dead at his sides and his gaze to the floor. He only looked up to give Carlisle a swift greeting as he appeared as though out of nowhere, feeling the need to use the amazing speed he possessed. I could see why when he lowered a heavy bag to the ground before Bella's feet.

"What's this?" she asked, leaning over to glace into the unzipped bag. She dug her hands in at Carlisle's okay, and pulled out a thick woollen jacket and hunting pants, both pine green.

"For the cold and the wind," he said, stating the obvious. "Seeing as this is the first time you will be in weather as harsh as this, I felt it would be cruel to leave you in anything less insulating."

I scoffed and turned away as Bella pulled on the clothes over her own gratefully, thanking Carlisle for the gesture as sweetly as she could. Again all the attention was drawn to her, just because she was.

I looked over as she left to the main door with all of my eager brothers and Carlisle, leaving only me, Esme, and Alice. They immediately turned to me, but they weren't smiling any longer. Had I made my hatred too clear?

"What have I done?" I asked as innocently as I could muster.

Alice rolled her eyes as though I should know, but Esme approached and kneeled before me. "Please don't let anything happen to Bella tonight."

I stared at her. "What do you mean?"

She sighed and gave me one of her 'warning stares'. "You know what I mean. You make it quiet obvious that you are not happy with her being here, but when we are out in the wilderness hunting our prey down everything changes because she is no longer amongst complete safety. One little mistake could be the end of her and we need your cooperation."

All I could do was think of how unfair it was that I had to keep an eye out for someone I hated. Alice caught my thoughts and gave an evil grin. "You won't get a chance to ignore her tonight like every other time," she said, a glint in her eye that I rarely saw.

"What do you mean?" I repeated, this time getting frustrated. "What the hell does Carlisle have planned?"

Esme laughed lightly despite the situation. "Why do you always blame him?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, he is the plotter of the family. He comes up with all of the plans that put me through hell, like the little dinner party we had when Bella first came into this house!"

"It's only bad because you let yourself hate her! If you opened up just a little you would see what a wonderful person she is!" Alice burst out.

"You want me to be her friend?" I asked, astounded at the ludicrous idea. "You know that I can't do that, Alice!"

"She is your sister now, and she wants you to accept that." Alice was calming down now as she approached me with an expression of begging. "We all want you to accept it."

"Oh, so that's it," I mumbled. "We all want to be a big happy family, huh?"

Esme sighed in exasperation and threw her hands up in defeat. "I guess it's too much to ask."

Their frustration was getting to me, but I didn't want to show it. I didn't want them to know that inside, I always wanted a family that didn't have to become full of arguments as soon as a human girl made the worst decision of her life and joined us. Especially when the fingers were always pointing at me.

Nevertheless, the battle ended as it always did. Esme and Alice left me behind, walking out of the room without feeling any hope of getting through to me. Sometimes I was glad to see them go so I could be on my own again, but this time felt different. Alice had hinted that something was happening tonight, and if I was right and Carlisle was behind it, it was either going to make me or break me.

I came out to the front door with my hopes of a thrilling hunt well and truly dead. I stared straight at Carlisle as soon as I could see him at the front door. He gave me his usual genuine smile as though nothing was wrong in the world. He was always so calm, keeping his posture perfect. He definitely had something up his sleeve.

The winds had calmed and everything seemed at peace, for the moment. This was just the eye of the storm, so we didn't have that long out in the hunt before the weather would make things a lot worse.

Emmet glanced at his watch. "How long do you want us out there?" he asked, nodding his head towards the trees.

"Two hours, then we meet back here. That should be enough to fill us all up, don't you think?" he asked, looking around to earn nods from everyone.

"So who's my partner?" Alice asked suddenly, eagerly looking towards Jasper.

Carlisle smiled and deliberately tuned his back to me. Esme grasped my arm by the elbow gently to calm me down as I began to wonder what in the hell was going on.

"You, Alice, will be with Edward," he said, giving her a tiny apologetic wink before he moved on. "And our two remaining men will be working together."

Despite being pulled away from Alice, Jasper seemed unemotional. Emmet, to my bitter disappointment, seemed happy with the idea and swung her arm over Jasper's shoulders. "Looks like the real men are working as a team tonight," he teased, directing a sharp stare at Edward.

"You make a lovely couple," Edward countered.

I could barely believe it. "Why are we working in teams? We never work in teams!"

Carlisle turned to me sadly. "I'm sorry, Rosalie, but it is for everyone's own good. I have split up the desired pairs so it's only fair."

"So that means I'm with…" I stared at Bella, though I knew that it was more like an unintentional glare. She hid a whimper and avoided my gaze.

Esme gave a heavy sigh and stood beside her husband. "Try not to kill each other," she said with all sincerity.

"Umm, I think it will be Rosalie killing Bella," Emmet pointed out. "Sorry Edward, Bella, but up against her when she's pissed, I don't think any of us have a real chance."

Edward glared across at Emmet with his teeth bared, and then he turned to me with an even darker expression ripping his features. "Rosalie, don't hurt her. You know how much she means to me." It sounded more like a warning than a plea, but I wasn't afraid of him.

Carlisle gripped my shoulder tightly. "Rose, tonight is serious. She is with you so you can teach her your own techniques and she can learn the ways of tracking. You are an expert at keeping the prey within your line of sight for miles, so please teach her what you know. She has learnt all she can from us."

"Why should I share my expertise with her?" I asked, not caring how selfish or cocky I sounded anymore. I could not believe that they would all plot against me like this, my own family.

They could all see the shock and the hurt in my eyes, and to my surprise Alice came to my rescue despite attacking me earlier. She hugged me tightly, seeming not to care that I did not return the favour.

"I'm sorry, big sister," she said, gripping me tighter. "But this is the perfect way for you to learn about her."

"That's right, honey," Emmet added, being upbeat as usual. "Take this opportunity and run with it, and no killing Bella while you're at it… okay?"

It was hard to shake my head at Emmet, and Alice clinging onto me like this only made me feel worse. I shook her off harmlessly, but made my decision.

"Alright. I'll do it… but don't expect us to become best friends or anything."

"I think that would be asking for too much," Carlisle admitted smartly, turning to face the waiting forest. "Well, seems that we are all ready for tonight's hunt. Am I right?"

We all nodded, me and Bella being the least willing to do so. We did not even stand close together as we began to talk towards the trees. The others entered before us, disappearing into the darkness. Alice and Esme glanced back at me as though begging me to be on my best behaviour before they too were lost in the trees.

"Well I guess this is it," Bella said quietly as she rested her feet at the edge of the forest. "You ready?"

I stared at her, tyring to understand why she was bothering to attempt a conversation, then I stepped into the trees, not bothering to make sure she was following.

It was going to be a long and gruelling night.

*****

We stepped through sheet after sheet of leaves. They hung low and slapped us in the face, which was annoying enough without having to deal with water constantly dripping down our backs and the cold biting at every inch of us. However, even all of that didn't stand a chance in the competition with Bella constantly asking me if I could smell anything. I could feel the vein in my neck standing out so far I thought it would burst.

"Umm… Rosalie?"

I answered through clenched teeth. "Yes Isabella?"

"Just call me Bella."

I bit my lip in anger. "Yes Bella?"

"Well, I was just wondering… Umm…"

"Spit it out."

"Well, have you… found anything yet?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and swivelled around so fast she leapt back three metres and fell straight onto her backside.

"Why don't you use your own damn nose?!" I cried. "I don't care if you survive, and I'm not even hungry, so why don't you track down the food yourself if you're as starving as your stomach continually suggests?! Find your own dinner!"

That was what I had wanted to say all night, and it made me feel a lot better. Almost as though I had deflated. Meanwhile, she struggled to get to her feet. She looked so pathetic, almost like a dying animal.

By the time she did manage to remember which end her feet were actually on, she was furious. "Why do you hate me?" she cried out, not even meaning for the words to spill out like that.

I was in shock for a moment, tyring to register the question properly. "Why do I hate you?" I echoed, partly for my own benefit of letting it settle, and then I answered with twice the force she held. "Because you decided all of a sudden that you would make the biggest mistake of your life and barge into our family!"

"It's because I love Edward!" she screamed back, her voice reaching a surprising decibel. "I would do anything for him, so if being a vampire means I can stay by his side, than I'll do it!"

I didn't have a reply for this. After all, I knew how she felt. I would do the same for Emmet, but she could have held onto the life she had as a human, the life I wished for. She made a poor choice when she could have had anyone else.

"I didn't want anyone else!"

I bit my tongue in anger as I remembered that she could read my thoughts, and the lack of privacy hit me like a stone. "Stay the hell out of my head!" I growled.

Bella was startled by my reaction and her hands flew to her head. "Sorry," she muttered. "I-I didn't realise…"

"Well that's certainly not the only thing you seem to have trouble grasping!" I yelled back, not feeling any shame for making this girl feel worse about her lack of control. "You don't seem to understand that your place isn't here, no matter who your love is!"

She got to her feet again, but this time didn't fight back. She stood and took my insults as I fired them at her mercilessly until she grew tired of it and made to walk past me. I gripped her arm tightly as she tried to pass and pulled her close so she could hear my deathly quiet voice.

"Don't mess with me, little vampire, because I'm a thorn that won't be lost anytime soon."

She shuddered and shifted herself away from me, heading off in the opposite direction. I watched as she slipped behind a line of trees and escaped my sight and I wondered if she intended for me to follow. Normally she would have another thing coming and I would leave her to fend for herself like I felt she should, but Edward was in the forest and I could still sense him as he moved deeper. He was no doubt deliberately lagging behind so if Alice sensed that anything unfortunate was to befall their precious Bella, he could come rushing in to be her saviour.

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes he needed a serious wakeup call. Bella wasn't always going to be under his wing to protect, like tonight. A smile spread across my lips as I realised that I was in charge.

Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad experience after all.

*****

"Bella, slow down! I wouldn't want to lose you," I called sarcastically as I lost sight of her. I could sense her thoughts, raging like a torrent as she walked some metres away from me.

I can't believe that she would think our love is so fragile that I would let death pull us apart! She should know how I feel with Emmet... She has no right to say what she says! Who does she think she is anyway?

I wasn't bothered by her thoughts. After all, she had a point about me loving Emmet as much as her, but she had the choice where I hadn't, and she made it. I hadn't had that choice. It had been forced upon me, and I hated everything about what I was apart from the people I was with.

"Bella, seriously, get your ass back over here! I don't want to be blamed for losing you!" She was seriously beginning to grate on my nerves. I could feel Edward was still close, and I wanted to get further away. Where was my privacy these days?

Bella was pushing it. She ran further away from me, putting all of her speed into it. With a growl I took off after her and caught up in a matter of minutes. I pounced like the animal that raged in me and slammed into her back. We tumbled to the ground, rolling through sticks and leaves until I caught the side of a tree and stopped us both.

She lay in a dazed state beneath me, staring up as I pulled myself off of her and checked our surroundings. I could immediately smell something, a scent of blood that was very faint, but it was definitely there. It was leaving, heading north of where we had landed, and I instantly realised that I was getting as hungry as Bella.

"Hmm… I believe you just found our dinner," I said, glancing down at her shaking form. "Ready for the hunt?"

She shifted her form and pushed herself up from the ground a little. "Are you?" she taunted, standing shakily and sniffing the air.

"Don't get smart," I growled, setting off after the beast. She was beside me as we ran, but she lagged behind a little. I grinned, feeling superior as we raced off through the trees after our prey.

We located the animal faster than I had expected and almost rain straight into it. I grasped onto the nearest tree to slow myself, jumped low into another hanging branch, and stretched myself out to peer through the leaves. To my left, Bella was tilting at the edge of a lighter branch, peering down to try and spot the animal.

It was a deer, sniffing at leaves and flicking them up with its snout playfully. My old human heart gave a saddened cry as I realised I was going to kill this frolicking animal, but I was no longer alive and my feelings froze almost instantly.

Our dinner trotted through a small opening in the trees just below us. The ground was coated in leaves, and as I peered closed I realised they had been kicked up by a larger animal. Fear struck me as I thought for a moment that we may be in the territory of the werewolves, but I rethought the boundaries and realised we were far from their land.

So what the hell left prints that big?

My thoughts on the possible predator distracted me from Bella as she overstepped her branch and began to tumble forward. Seeing that she could not stop herself, she turned her fall into a dive and reached out hungrily for the animal. By this point the deer's own instincts had kicked in and it turned its head up to see the wild, crazy girl half falling, half diving, from the trees towards it.

"Bella!" I roared as I took the only opportunity before it slipped away due to her stupidity and launched myself at the deer.

My arms reached out for it, my teeth ready to pierce into its flesh. Its tiny eyes peered up at me seconds after it began tunning in the opposite direction, its playtime in the leaves forgotten. My hands caught it at its back as Bella hit the ground hard behind me with a whimper. The deer buckled beneath me and hit the ground hard, twisting along the dirt. I held it down, digging my feet into the grass as my arms wrapped around its neck. The animal gave a frightened cry as it tried to kick its way out of my grasp. I ground my teeth as I struggled with the dear, but my landing had been off and I hadn't had the time to wound it. It was still full of life as it pushed against me, and before I could sink my teeth into its neck it pushed out of my hands and leapt off into the trees.

"Damn it!" I screamed out, punching a fist into the leaves. "Bella, you idiot!" I turned to find her clutching at her side and wincing as she rolled pitifully onto her back.

"I-I think I'm h-hurt…" she gasped, not even trying to get up to apologise to me for her pathetic attempt at a hunt.

"Serves you right!" I scolded. "What the hell were you thinking up there?"

She gasped out a breath. "I g-got too close t-to the edge…"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously," I muttered, smoothing out my hair and turning my back on her without a second thought. "I'm going ahead. When you deicide to actually get off of your backside, you'll have to hurry to catch up to me because I won't slow down."

I was true to my word, just for her. I raced off without looking back and didn't stop even when after five minutes I could still not sense her thoughts nearby.

Maybe she really was hurt, I thought, feeling worried for the wrath of Edward that I would face. I still did not turn back though, convincing myself that she would find me.

Surely she was not that hopeless.