Author's Note: And here it is! The third in my Silence series! This time it's Snare of Darkness, a snare is something that is used to trap an animal during a hunt. ^.~ Can you guess where I'm going with this? Just as a heads up though, this one may or may not be a bit darker. Though hopefully the chapters will be just as long.

Update: The manga for Silence can be found on dA at illusionarymoondotdeviantartdotcom (tell me if the link doesn't work [it's been giving me trouble having it in here]) Check it out if you like! (That is not my account on dA. On deviantart I am calceil. Feel free to try and find me! Shouldn't be that hard...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight but I do own Conan and Xander cause I made them up. No stealing.

Snare of Darkness

One Year Later

Edward

Chapter One

There was a difference in the way the sunset that night, the night before the bloodshed that would soon come. Edward could see it as he stood outside his father's home, gazing up at the sun as it dipped down below the trees. Something bad was coming, something that would change everything. In the pit of Edward's stomach he could just tell, if it wasn't for the two children that were asleep inside, Edward probably would have run back inside, found Alice, and asked her what the hell was going on. But he couldn't do that; they had learned that the slightest noise would wake up Conan and in turn Xander, the little vampire eager to protect his brother from anything that came into the room that he did not recognize. And after what happened a year ago, who could blame him? After all it was Xander who had led Jacob right to Conan when the boy was kidnapped. The feeling Edward had during that time was nothing like what he was feeling right then. The voices that flooded the night air were silent. Something had happened, something bad had happened. The woods knew it and were trying to tell someone, anyone who would listen.

Edward tilted his nose to the sky as the wind brushed past his face, and took a breath. There it was the distinct coppery smell of blood tainted the night air. Something, or someone was hurt out there. "Edward, why don't you come back inside?" He turned at the sound of his lover's voice, and shook his head. Jacob frowned and moved over to Edward, wrapping his arms around the vampire's shoulders, gazing out towards the woods with him. "You smell it to don't you?" Jacob asked, and this time Edward nodded. "And you want to find out what." Jacob stopped short his brow furrowed before pulling away from Edward and leaping forward, the wolf appearing. Get on, Jacob ordered and Edward climbed onto his back. Their kids would be safe with a house full of vampires who never slept awake to guard them. Jacob took off running in the direction of the smell, Edward holding onto him.

The great wolf skidded to a stop in a clearing where the rest of the pack was, letting Edward off before turning back to normal himself. Sam glanced there way before looking back down to the wolf that lay on the ground, pining softly. Edward took one look at the wolf and knew it was Seth, the sweet wolf who the kids loved to play with, or well Conan did. Around Seth's hind leg was a large bear trap that made Edward wince with pain. "We can't get it off, but maybe you can Edward," Sam said, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Edward moved forward and stroked Seth's muzzle softly. "We'll hold him down, it's not going to be pretty."

"It'll be okay Seth," Edward whispered into his ear and went over to his injured leg as the wolves held Seth down on the ground. He gripped the hinges of the painful device and pulled. The metal creaked and groaned in protest, but Edward didn't stop, only when he began to hear Seth's yelps and cries of pain did he ever consider stopping. But he couldn't, if that contraption stayed on much longer, the wound would get infected, but how could something so small bring down something so large as a werewolf? It made no sense, till he smelled the poison. The foul stench of something dead was coming from the wound. Finally, the metal cracked and Seth was free. "He needs to get to a doctor. Carlisle is still awake he can help."

Sam gave a nod and shifted, the others getting Seth onto his back and tying him down. Edward was already gone by the time the wolves started to head for the Cullen residence. As much as he loved riding with Jacob, he was fast this way, and for what was coming Carlisle would need whatever head start he could get. The wind rushed past him as he plowed through the door with a loud bang. He could hear Conan's cry, and Xander's growl, and the footsteps on the stairs as the Cullen's rushed down them. "Edward? What's going on?" Carlisle asked, seeing, and smelling, the blood on him.

"Someone hurt Seth Carlisle, real bad. It was like a bear trap and there was a smell of death about it. They should be here soon," Edward said as Esme and Rosalie came down the stairs holding the twins. Quietly, Edward took the very scared Conan from her, and rocked him gently as Jacob came through the door. "Please Carlisle," Edward asked looking at him. "Please."

With a nod Carlisle vanished upstairs and came back down with his medical bag, heading outside, the rest of them following. They watched as Carlisle knelt down by Seth's leg. "It'd be easier if he switched back to human," Edward heard him mumbled. "Seth honey, think you can do that for me?" The wolf gave a slight nod, but managed to shift back. Edward covered Conan's eyes, Jacob doing the same for Xander. Seth's right foot was barely hanging on, the skin-tinted gray. Carlisle himself winced, and set about working, his skillful hands carefully cleaning and treating the wound, before sewing it up. Seth was too out of it to even react to the pain. When Carlisle was done fixing up the wound, he gently wrapped it with sterilized gauze. "Take him inside and straight through to the back. There's a guest room back there where he can stay," the vampire said as he stood up. Sam nodded and picked up Seth, cradling the boy as he went inside. And Edward saw how Carlisle's eyes lingered after Sam.

"Carlisle?" Esme asked softly. "What could have done that to him? Who would have known that they would have to use that particular plant to bring down a wolf?" The question hung heavy in the air, everyone watching Carlisle waiting for an answer from the vampire.

"A hunter, that's who," Carlisle said packing up his kit again. "Only a hunter would know that there was not only a wolf pack in this area, but how to bring one down. If they killed Seth, they probably would have thought that they would have started a war between our two groups. Little did they know that that would never happen." He turned to Alice. "Can you see anything?"

She shook her head, her black hair going every which way. "Sorry, but nope. I'll let you know as soon as I do see something though," Alice told Carlisle, batting at Jasper's hand who was wiggling his fingers at Xander, the boy looking like he was about to bite. "I pray that I won't though. I don't think I want to know what's going to happen," she admitted, glancing down.

"We won't let them get away with this." They turned and looked to Sam, the wolf standing in the doorway. "We won't, Seth is like our little brother. He is family, no one hurts my family and gets away with it." Edward noticed how his eyes met Carlisle's, what the hell was going on with them? "They picked the wrong pack of wolves and family of vampires to mess with. But I do suggest that for the time being, no one goes out alone and we all stick together. Carlisle is there enough room in your house for our families?"

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, when the twins were born we decided it might be in our best interest to expand. There should be enough rooms. We will welcome you and your families into our home with open arms."

"Thank you." Sam turned to his pack. "Go home, pack what you need and get your family. If they refuse to come, tell them to stay inside, and don't go anywhere alone, or unarmed. We will meet back here in an hour." His gaze darted to Jacob. "You too Black. Your father shouldn't be left alone there."

Jacob nodded and gave Xander to Jasper, the vampire's face lighting up the instant he had the little boy. "I'll be back soon Edward," he said and kissed the top of the vampire's head, smiling at his boys before taking off with the rest of the pack.

"Please be safe," Edward whispered and went inside with the others to await their return. Little did they know, that the following day would be the beginning of hell.

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