Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Twilight Saga. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I only own my own imagination. Please Read and Review.
Lara and Sean Murphy marveled at the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula and were thrilled to see their little daughter enjoying herself. Cody had just turned three and was having a blast chasing butterflies and grasshoppers. Occasionally she would squeal with glee when she found a fuzzy caterpillar. She had no fear of any of the animals that lived in the forests and glades about them. Cody had walked up to a doe early that morning, carrying a dandelion in her hand. The doe had shifted slightly then began to nibble on the weed that the little human held out to her. Even when Cody squealed with glee the doe did not flee. The animals seemed to know that the babe was not a threat.
As the forth of July weekend edged on Lara and Sean decided to hike to a nearby rock face and do a bit of climbing. Cody followed along tied to a bit of nylon cord attached to her wrist by a Minnie mouse wrist watch. As Lara and Sean climbed up the face of the shear rock face Cody saw a hare bound past her and she squealed with glee. She began following the small animal. As she got to the end of her tether, the Velcro on the wrist band slipped allowing the child to have free reign. Cody not understanding why she had been tied, simply followed after the hare.
"Bunny, bunny." Cody stated as she followed the quick movements of the hare. After several minutes Sean looked down and noticed the wrist band lying open on the ground. Panic set in, he called to Lara and they began the slow climb down the rock face. Not wanting to slip in their haste. It took nearly a half hour to climb back down.
As Cody followed the hare, she started to rub her eyes. A pack of wolves watched the humans running about calling the little one. The other half of their pack watched the child. The hare would be a good dinner for the cubs. The beta ran forward and lunged at the hare, killing it instantly. The human child stood watching, then stepped forward, her hand outstretched towards the hare in the wolf's mouth. The wolf took a step back, then another , and another. Until he was in the tree line. The Alpha female stalked forward and sniffed at the tiny human. Then she howled, and was answered by her mate with the other group. Soon the pack converged and the Alpha female trotted to Cody and very gently picked her up in its jaws. Cody squealed and laughed, the lack of fear keeping her safe.
The wolves carry the child to the den and soon she falls to sleep against the soft fur of the Alpha female.
After searching near by, Lara and Sean ran to their camp and took their pick up into the small town of Forks, Washington. They entered the police department and ran to the man behind the desk, Chief Swan greeted them, then took their statement. Within ten minutes he had a search party formed.
The Forks Police, Search and Rescue and the LaPush Search and Rescue were at the base of the of the rock face where the child had last been seen. Quil Ateara stood looking at the tiny bare footprints, his friends Harry Clearwater and Billy Black were also nearby, Billy Black stood waiting for Charlie to arrive with the parents. He figured the child probably would never be found, due to the cougar activity in the area. The toddler was small and helpless, a prime choice for the big cat.
Charlie arrived five minutes later with the parents. Several of the Quileute were on foot, while some were on horse back. The Forks Search and Rescue were on atv's. The towns people that had heard about the lost child were on foot. The Forks police had a small k-9 unit. The search started after everyone was formed into groups of fives and each group was given a walkie talkie. Billy Black, Quil Ateara, Harry Clearwater, and two other Quileutes headed into the Southeastern section. They came across more of the child's foot prints, then noticed several wolf tracks. Wolves in the area had never been know to attack a human, but this was a defenseless child. The wolf tracks seemed to converge on the child then the child's tracks disappeared all together. Just as they had feared she would not be found. The wolf tracks led to a river then disappeared. Billy radioed Charlie and let him know what they had found. The search was soon called off and the parents left the area, weeping for their child they had so loved.
A week later!
"I still can't understand how those two could have just went and climbed that rock and left their child unattended. Something was bound to happen, kids are fast." Billy stated to his friends Charlie Swan and Harry Clearwater.
"I know little Seth keeps us busy constantly." Harry stated as he watched his son and daughter Leah rough and tumble near them in the living room.
"Bella was always a quick kid too. Renee was always running after her." Charlie stated then rubbed his hands over his face. He still missed them. It had been a couple of years since Renee took Bella and left Charlie an abandoned husband. He hadn't been able to take their wedding picture down, even though they had been divorced for nearly eighteen months. His only ray of sunshine was the summers that Bella spent with him.
"You okay, Chief?" Billy asked Charlie, Billy and Harry both felt for Charlie. Renee had always been a handful. Never satisfied to play the good wife. Billy sighed in relief, his woman Sarah was a treasure. Even though sometimes he had not been the best husband. He just wished that she could get to feeling better. Her pregnancy with Jake had been hard, but the new baby was causing her more pain then the others put together. The girls had been no problem, but Sarah was not as young as she had been, he had married an older woman and got razzed for it too. He had been nineteen when he and Sarah had met, she was twenty-six, but they were compatible from the first. They had had some hard times and several fights, but they were now closer then ever. His Jacob was seven and Harry's Seth was four, Leah nine. Charlie's Bella had just turned eight. Charlie couldn't wait to have her for the summer. Although the days he got to keep her were getting shorter every year.
"Yeah, just wish we had found that child." Charlie stated holding a picture of a very cute little girl in a Easter bonnet and flowery dress. The child had big dark blue eyes and light brown hair. The parents had left the picture in hopes of the child being found.
"I know, if they had just put as much time into that child as they did with climbing that rock, she would still be alive." Billy stated gloomily.
"How is Sarah? Is she due soon?" Charlie asked.
"She's not doing to good. The baby is due in ten days and if it doesn't move into the birth canal soon they will take it by cesarean.." Billy answered.
"Well, let me know if she needs anything." Charlie stated and looked at the clock. "Guess I better head back to the station. If you find any trace of the child…"
"We'll call you, but I don't think the poor little thing made it. It's a shame, she had her whole life yet to live." Billy stated as he glanced at the beautiful toddler in the picture.
Charlie left and headed back to Forks, the parents had already went back east. They were heartbroken, but didn't want to stay around if a body was found. They wanted to remember their little Cody as she was before she was taken from them. Billy, Harry and Charlie couldn't understand how they could just leave before they knew for sure. Although the men figured they would never see the sweet child alive again.