-Trace's POV-

Early morning light was filtering through the trees giving everything a soft orange and pink glow. And the fresh dew was cool on my paws, and it was refreshing from all the running I had been doing all night on patrol. Despite this tranquil moment I grimaced at the thought of another day. It meant going back into town, back to the chaos, back to being human. I loved the freedom being in wolf form brought me. I hated giving that up every morning for my human life that felt like a gilded cage.

As I turned around to head back a light breeze kicked up and with the acute sense of smell that I processed in my wolf form I picked up the smell of the Quillayute River, the tall pine trees, and something metallic…like blood, it was faint but it was defiantly blood. But it wasn't that of an animal; it was the distinct scent of human blood. For once my four legs couldn't get me to where I wanted to be fast enough. I finally reached the shore of the river, sliding through the smoothed pebbles as I came to a abrupt stop. I scanned the beach and at first glance I didn't notice anything, so I trusted my nose instead.

As I got closer to the scent I froze when I finally found the source, before me was a tangled mess of a human. With a closer look I realized that it was a girl, her hair was matted with blood and her clothes and backpack were all dirty. In the stillness I thought that she was dead, I looked around trying to think of what I should do. But suddenly her fingers moved through the pebbles drawing my attention back down to her. My normal calm faded and a sinking feeling consumed me.

I let air completely fill my lungs and called out to my brothers on patrol, in a long desperate howl that seemed to echo off the trees nearby.

'James, I'm a mile east from the river's mouth on the rivers bank. You need to get here now! I found something...someone!' I exclaimed to my best friend and the second in command of the pack.



Within a couple of minutes both James and Erik where there beside me looking down at the girl who was near death, then up at me with questioning eyes.

'I was just about to turn back and head into town when I caught the scent of blood, I found her like this. We need to get her to a hospital, now.' I explained.

James nodded in agreement, 'Let's phase, my truck is parked at the end of River Drive. We'll take her to Forks Community Hospital, it's the closest.' He commanded.

Both Erik and I nodded and quickly did as we were told. I walked over to the crumpled heap of a human, I knelt down and picked her up as gentle as I could. If I thought that the run to James' car seemed to take forever the drive to Forks was almost unbearable. Her life was fading quickly.

The thought of this girl dying in my arms made me shutter, "James the gas pedal is on the right." I snapped.

He turned to me and for a brief second I saw surprise in his eyes but it quickly faded, "I'm going as fast as I can, Tray." He tolerantly stated.

"What do you think happened to her?" I asked looking down at her in my arms, she really looked awful. Her skin was a weird shade of greenish-tan, her lips were cracked from being dry, her dark brown curls stuck together in clumps to her head near her head wound.

"Well considering where you found her and her backpack we can only assume that she's an inexperienced hiker that got lost. With a head wound like that she must have taken a rather big fall." James pointed out.

We pulled up under the ER awning and parked the truck, I quickly opened the door with her in my arms and rushed through the automatic doors.



"Someone help her!" I exclaimed as the secretary seemed to be in shock for a moment at the sight of the girl in my arms. But she snapped out of it and picked up the phone calling for assistance.

Three nurses came through the doors from the ER with a gurney and asked me to lay her down onto it. As gently as I could I placed her onto the gurney and watched as the nurses rushed her through the doors. As the doors slowly shut it sunk in that that could be the last time I ever saw this girl. This girl who's path has crossed mine.

I felt weighted down to the very spot where I stood, I couldn't move. How could a total stranger have this effect on me? Something had began, I wasn't sure what but I knew things were about to change from that moment on.