Phasing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters.

The state of Washington boasts the highest concentration of Native Americans anywhere in the United States. The Olympic Peninsula holding the largest population with Quileutes, Makah and Inuks. What not many people know is that these three tribes along with handfuls of others had banded together in an attempt to hold onto lands that were being taken by the whites. The tribes all have a well-kept secret of being shape shifters or skin walkers depending on who you ask. They are a collection of black bears, hawks, eagles, mountain lions, wolverines, crows, owls and wolves.

The wolves possess the highest numbers between all of the tribes and the reasons behind that are just as varying; depending on who you ask. Some would say it is because they are successful hunters, social animals that can work together without much conflict and because of their teamwork the next generation only continues to grow and multiple. However, the bears or mountain lions will say that it's because the wolves are so weak that they have to rely on quantity as opposed to quality. That only the truly strong within their group will phase thus making the occasion more honorable.

If you know what you're looking for or at, it's really easy to spot one of these shape shifters; they are always tall, broad shouldered, walk with a sense of intimidation or air of danger about them. They are also easily noticed because they will always dress as if the weather is a balmy 98 degrees outside. With such a large collection of tribes in one area sharing the same high body temperature it has been written off as a genetic trait, an evolutionary advantage given to these Native Americans to protect them against the cold, rainy weather of the habitat that they call home.

There are a few outlying towns and cities that have built up in between the tribes by the pale faces. Very few interact with the tribes around them and those that are allowed inside the reservation openly are looked upon with awed envy and fear. Life on these reservations vary so differently from the life within their own towns that the unknown easily frightens them.

The schools are separate on the reservation, boys and girls; do not study next to one another or at least not all of them. There are, in fact, three schools; all girls, all boys and co-ed. The co-ed boasts the smallest attendance rating in La Push and for those outsiders who dare be bold enough, the Indian Bureau of Affairs, to comment on the Quileutes desire to put the smaller and weaker students separate from the more athletic ones. It's rare but after so many years the issue is no longer addressed as these tribes tends to be very self-sufficient.

Three children, a girl and two boys, play on the beach, busily working with their trowels, pails and sifters, building a sandcastle. Each have an assigned task to them and they work, surprisingly, efficiently with one another; no one getting in the others way. One boy of about twelve works on digging the moat for their castle, his hands clawing into the wet sand as if he was a natural born digger. His cheeks smeared with dark gray wet sand contrasting with his deep russet skin, his dark brown eyes occasionally flitting over to the girl on the other side of his moat.

The girl sits her legs spread wide with the beginning of a huge tower in between them. Her long, silky black hair is tied up in a lose braid hanging down to the small of her back. Her small hands work carefully on patting the sand into nice compact mounds; making a slightly loud pounding thud as she beats the sides, her eyes searching for any imperfections. Her sand covered hands dip into a bucket of saltwater before running around the mound sealing any cracks and holes.

The other boy, the youngest between the three, is busy running down to the ocean's edge and collecting buckets full of water to bring them back. His hair is also tied into a loose braid like the girl; his skin a light olive-complexion with light hazel-brown eyes and full lips. With a look at him and the girl it is plain to see that the two are siblings. However, his lips are turned up into a huge smile that only falters when in his excitement to get back to the sandcastle he drops his buckets and stands to watch as the fruits of his labors disappears under the sand. His disappointment doesn't last long as he turns with a smile and chases the retreating waves to only be chased back towards land.

The three friends work all morning on their sandcastle barely sparing a glance at the people walking by.

"And we're done!" The girl says with a sigh as she wipes her brow with the back of her hand; the action only succeeding in putting more sand on her forehead.

"It's looks good, Lee." The older boy says smiling at her. "What do you think Seth?"

"It's the biggest sandcastle I've ever seen." Seth says his eyes wide in wonder and awe at the huge castle before him. It amazes him that the structure before him has come about because of the time and effort put in by him, his sister, Leah, and his friend, Jacob.

The sandcastle easily stands at 3-ft high and is about 4-ft wide with a huge thick moat around it. Four towers connected with a thick wall of sand, tiny niches carved in to act as ramparts and for added fun there are tiny mounds of sand horses and even a dragon. They stand admiring their work and even though they all know that come high tide, their work will be washed away leaving no remnant of their labor, it's still nice to know that together they've accomplished something.

Jacob looks over and smiles at Leah; he loves her small, round nose and her big, almond shaped eyes. To him, she's the most beautiful girl in all the world and ever since he was seven and she was six, he's taken it upon himself to look out for her. To protect her, watch over her and make sure she's always happy. His father has told him that it's his spirit inside of him that has already decided to claim the girl as his mate once he is older and a real spirit warrior. His mother, before she died, said it was 'true love'. Jacob isn't exactly sure what he feels for Leah can be called anything so simple as mate or love but he does know that they'll be together always.

Reaching into his back pocket he pulls out his handkerchief and moves to stand in front of her. He gives her a small smile as her eyes widen before she rolls them, her lips scrunching up in just the corner to make them pucker. He's wanted to kiss her lips for a while now but hasn't worked up the nerve to do it yet.

Gently cupping her chin, he begins to wipe the sand from her face and he feels his heart swell up with pride and joy as Leah doesn't rebuff his attentions. When they were much younger, Leah would push and yell at Jacob telling him that she didn't need him looking out for her; that she could take care of herself. He loved that strong, fiery independence in her but her comments always cut him so deeply that he'd slip into a quiet mood for days. At some point after her 10th birthday she seemed to understand why Jacob always doted on her; it's an unspoken knowledge between the two of them.

He loves her know and she knows it.

Now whether or not she feels the same way he is unclear but he's certain she'll come to the realization much as he did.

"Well, well, well, little Jacob Black tending to a possible cub like some den mother?" A deep, husky voice cuts in ruining Jacob's tender moment with Leah. He looks over with a deep frown on his face recognizing the voice.

Lance.

The boy is only fifteen years old but he's already showing the signs of getting ready to phase; his muscles are defined, hard and move fluidly underneath his red skin. Jacob's eyes widen in angered disbelief when he notices Lance's long hair has been cut short and he's walking around shirtless on the beach while he's wrapped up in layered t-shirts and a hoodie.

He's already phased.

Lance, much like Jacob, is the son of one of the wolf tribe's chief. In a few years, after he's done with his training he'll become the alpha of his pack and chief of the tribe. Instinctively, Jacob moves to put Leah and Seth behind him. The newly phased wolves are always the most dangerous and Lance, along with his crew, constitutes as the most dangerous because they've always been the bullying kind.

"What do you want, Lance?" Jacob asks standing straight and narrowing his eyes at the older boy. Lance is surrounded by his 'pack' consisting of two boys and three girls. It's obvious that the group of six have already paired up as potential mates later on down the road. Each member of the small 'pack' all are wolves and are smirking at him mischievously.

"What? A guy can't enjoy a day on the beach with his friends?" Lance asks with mock hurt dripping from his tongue; his arms spread wide signaling the presence of the area and those around him. "Looks like you're out enjoying the day with your 'girl'." Jacob feels his heart skip a beat as Lance's eyes fall on Leah.

"Whatever just leave us alone." Jacob tries to growl out as he's heard his father and some of the other males do when another wolf is trying their patience.

"Whoa, nice sandcastle," One of the teens comments standing off to the side admiring their hard work.

"Thanks." Seth says proudly, his chest puffing out as he moves to stand on his tiptoes in that moment. Jacob watches nervously as the rest of the teens move over to look at the huge sandcastle. "We've worked on it all morning." Seth explains not feeling the least bit intimidated by the huge boys and girls around him.

The Clearwater wolves are all known for their speed, agility and confidence. It's that heritage that keeps Seth from worrying about the wolves around them and possibly Leah as well.

"Looks like y'all put a lotta work into this thing." One of the girls says smiling down at Seth as he nods his head. The others comment on the castle and begin to have a conversation with Seth as he explains how they did it, who did what and how it fell a couple of times before getting it just right. Jacob feels the hairs on his body stand up as the conversation seems to going along smoothly, too smoothly. His stomach begins to knot, his chest constricts and his hands feel clammy.

Something's not right.

The idea rings in his head and it only quiets down once Leah takes his hand. Looking over at her he can't help but smile back at her when she gives him a wink. She squeezes his hand for assurance before turning back to keep an eye on Seth.

Jacob finds himself breathing a sigh of relief until he notices Lance's eyes looking between Leah and their joined hands. Lance's eyes take note of Leah's long legs, her soft, black hair, sharp and alert eyes and even her laughter. That simple knowledge annoys Jacob more so as Lance lets a small smile slip every time Leah laughs at something Seth has said.

Jacob isn't the only one to notice Lance's attention on the youngest girl in the group. Kira, a girl of sixteen, stands with a deep frown, her muscles tense and her eyes narrowed into thin slits. Kira is tall, the tallest girl out of the bunch, proving that by her height she is of a strong bloodline and will someday birth very strong children who will become warriors. Expectations have been set high that she will mate with an alpha of any pack of her choosing; and she has chosen Lance. Kira doesn't see anything worthwhile in the small, flat-chested and oddly, long-legged girl before them but his continued attention on her only aggravates Kira more.

"So what are you all going to do with the castle?" Kira asks with a dark glint in her eyes.

"Do with it?" Leah asks with a frown. "We're not going to do anything with it. We've built it so people can look at what we've done. It's not a dollhouse." Leah says with a scoff as she rolls her eyes and gives Kira a condescending smile. Leah's attitude causes the others to chuckle as Kira growls at the small girl.

"What's the fun in building something if you're not going to do anything to it?" Kira asks after snarling at the two girls. "This is what you do to sandcastles." Kira says and without warning she kicks one of the towers causing it to fall over and damage a wall.

Leah, Seth and Jacob's eyes all widen in shock as she begins kicking down the rest of the walls. All of their hard work, the hours put into it, the details being crumbled under the feet of a sixteen year old girl. Lance looks on with a bemused expression as the others look on in surprise at Kira's actions.

"STOP IT!" Leah screams as Seth begins to cry.

Jacob watches as Leah runs up and knocks Kira over eliciting a growl. He notices the way Kira's body begins to tremble with anger and he runs up knocking her back even further and pulling Leah away out of danger. Lance growls at the attack against one of his own by a possibly rival alpha and growls stepping up.

"You little bitch!" Kira screams at Leah as she quickly moves around Lance and goes for Leah. Jacob doesn't register every little detail that happens as his mind seems to shut down, his body reacts purely based upon instinct and love. He again moves Leah out of the way and runs towards Kira willing to fight a newly phased wolf to protect the girl he loves. Before he can get to Kira and stop her, he finds himself being pulled back and a tight warmth putting pressure on his neck.

Struggling to get free, his heart races, his body heats up and he watches with fear gripping his heart as Kira still is lunging towards Leah. It's not unheard of for new wolves or cubs, as they are called because of their lack of control, to kill or seriously injure one another or a regular human. Seth moves to stop the attack but is quickly knocked back by one of the boys, his head hitting against a fallen log.

"Seth!" Leah cries out, her attention turned away from the raging teen to her unmoving little brother. Jacob looks over to notice blood pooling by Seth's face.

Leah easily dodges Kira's first punch and tries to out maneuver the girl so that she can get to her brother. The damaged sandcastle is now forgotten for the girl as her only concern is now for her little brother. Jacob watches as Leah easily, skillfully and gracefully dodges each of Kira's punches and kicks; the wolf trait of her bloodline coming out in the fight. Leah has practiced flips and somersaults since she was three and the actions have become natural to her. Jacob sees it in the moment as one of the boys comment on Leah's skills that the fight is occurring so that Lance can rate Leah as a potential mate.

He struggles harder to get free and break up the fight; he doesn't want someone else looking at his Leah like that. He also doesn't want Leah to get hurt and his heart aches knowing that if she is harmed the guilt will stay with him forever.

Leah looks over and notices Seth has remained unmoved and side-stepping another kick, she runs past Kira calling out her brother's name. She never reaches him as she suddenly finds herself being pinned down to the ground. No matter how hard she struggles, Leah finds herself unable to get up and reach her brother. Her vision becomes blurry with tears, her pounding heart rings in her ears, her body suddenly feels hot and tight, and the back of her head hurts as she assumes its Kira pulling on her hair. Her heart stops for a second as the scent of blood reaches her nostrils, she can taste the metal in Seth's blood on her tongue and the realization that her brother is bleeding to death as these bullies do nothing to help him. Her chest heaves, nostrils flare and a deep vibration begins to rumble from deep inside her belly until finally escaping out through her throat. Her bones begin to grow, breaking and resetting as a red haze falls over her vision.

The cacophony of mocking laughter, cheers and pleas die down suddenly as a deep, vicious and vengeful growl seems to surround all present. Kira freezes in her taunting and beating of the smaller girl as she becomes aware of her body rising and falling all on its own. Jumping back she watches in surprise and horror as the small girl's body begins to grow, the clothes on her back ripping apart at the now protruding and pulsing spine, her shoes splitting and the black hair on her head becoming a light, almost white, silvery color.

Letting out a cry of pain and anger, Leah's jaw clenches together as it begins to grow, the mandible breaking and beginning to become elongated into a muzzle. Her clenched fists are forced open as they grow, widening before her light pink fingernails turn into black claws. Her thumbs and big toes shrink back to make up the dew claw of her massive paws. The first transformation always feels as if it takes hours to complete but the entire process is done in a matter of minutes usually but Leah has done it less than 57-seconds.

Opening her eyes, the whites of her eyes and the soft, warm hazel colors have been replaced with a huge black pupil surrounded by the usual wolf gold coloring. Throwing her head back Leah lets out a loud, strong and piercing howl that is, no doubt, being heard all over the reservation. With a deep growl she quickly turns around as her eyes fall solely on Kira, the girl who has been the reason for her little brother's injury.

Human logic escapes Leah at the moment as the only thought that registers is 'kill, hurt, and maul'. The girl, Leah Michelle Clearwater, is gone at the moment as the wolf inside has taken over and is out for blood. Despite the long hair, the female's muscles are clearly visible underneath the long fur as she turns around to face her enemy. Fur bristled, ears laid flat against her skull, tail erect and legs stiff in a sign of intense dominance.

"Holy shit." Someone breathes out and with just that one sound the silver wolf springs forward.

A/N: So I promised that I'd not post another multi-chapter story unless it was complete. And YES! I can proudly say that this story is complete. I'm currently working on chapter 24 to Wake-up Call but my laptop freezing is giving me some guff so it's hard to write a full chapter without finding myself having to re-type everything all over again. So I'm doing it the old fashion way and once I have that completed will be able to type quickly on another laptop or PC.

So this is a Blackwater story with a lot of OCs so I just hope that you all like them or love to hate them. =3