So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
(This animal, this animal)

~Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace

It wasn't very often that Embry Call was told to make a trip into the small town of Forks by Sam. Embry often went into to town for his own purposes whenever he could manage to scrape up a little spare time, which he would admit very sadly wasn't a lot. But on this particular dreary and rainy Tuesday Embry had woken up from only an hour or two of sleep by a loud knocking on his front door. Because of the pack's reputation, nobody really went out of their way to talk to Embry. People were scared of him because of the rumors they heard. Embry was certain that it was Jared or Paul or Jacob coming to inform him of a new emergency that they would have to fix. Maybe there was a new vampire to hunt, or perhaps a stupid "tourist-y" pale-face managed to get hurt somewhere on the reservation (something that Sam always made sure the pack took care of- when he said they were meant to protect and take care of the reservation, they all knew Sam would do his best to look out for Forks as well). Still, Embry was dead set on ignoring the rough knocks against his door before they hit again, this time even harder. It was a good thing his mother was out of town, thought Embry. Before whoever his visitor was could knock down the front door, Embry wrestled out of bed, still groggy and tired, throwing the one sheet he typically used to the ground wadded up in frustration and annoyance.

He shuffled through the hallway and past the small kitchen. He didn't even bother to call out to say that he was coming. With a small house like his, and his body size, he was certain whoever it was would hear him coming. He closed his eyes only for a moment and brought his hand to his face to try to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. Within that short period of time he managed to step on the tail belonging to the furry white cat who was dubbed Sweet Pea by his mother, who insisted on keeping it around. The cat screeched and stuck out a fuzzy paw, displaying its claws. Embry let out a loud "Hey!" partly out of surprise at the loud noise and partly out of the small stinging sensation that was quickly starting to burn on the side of his calf. He lifted his foot off of the cat's tail and Sweet Pea darted into the hallway and around the corner to the kitchen.

Not thinking once more of the small wound the cat had gifted him (it would disappear within minutes, Embry was sure) he finally managed to open the door. To his slight surprise it was Sam himself. Sam hardly ever came to get anyone. He usually just sent someone else to do that job, being as he had more important things to do (which annoyed Embry greatly, because even though a lot of the time this was true, more than once Sam had left a few trivial tasks up to the others to solve so he could stay at home with Emily). Embry, being ever cool, suppressed his surprise and kept his face clear of any emotion besides fatigue. If it had been anybody else, he would have gladly showed them the intense annoyance and slight rage he felt, but he knew better than to complain or show haughtiness in front of the alpha.

He took in Sam's appearance. Tall and strong as ever, he would always remain the biggest of the group. Somehow, despite the fact that Sam lost just as much, or even more, sleep than the rest of the pack he always managed to look a little bit more awake and aware of his surroundings. On this particular day his hair was perfectly neat as he stood before Embry in only a pair of basketball shorts, a white t-shirt, and some old, raggedy tennis shoes. Embry studied his features and could tell that whatever Sam needed him for mustn't be too important because though he was solemn-looking, he was missing the urgency in his eyes that he always had when something big was about to happen.

Just as Embry was studying him, he was sure he was being studied by Sam. Poor Sam, thought Embry. He knew for a fact he didn't look pretty on this particular morning. After taking in each other's appearance for a moment, Embry finally grew tired of the silence.

"I hate cats," he muttered with the stereotypical sarcasm in his voice. Embry was well aware he had a gift. He was able to use sarcasm and wit without seeming too rude. Most of the time he still managed to come across as quiet and reserved.

"Is that what that was?" questioned Sam, his voice big and deep, and full of authority even when no commands were being given. "I thought you were trying to sing again."

"Ha..." Embry replied, his expression blank. "Haha, so funny." If Quil or Paul of Jared had made that comment, Embry would have hit them upside the head, but Sam being the alpha, he decided not to take his chances. Embry was always being picked on by his brotherhood of misfits for his love of music. He was a gifted guitar player and he wasn't too shabby at singing either. The others often told him he wasn't good but he knew they were only saying that. Truth be told, they actually enjoyed his musical talents. He would often sing at bonfires or the many get-togethers they had.

"I want you to patrol around Forks for an hour or two with Jacob today. You stay as you are and hit the town. Walk around and see if you can find anything suspicious. Jake is going to check around in the surrounding forest."

"Any particular..." Embry began to talk but slowed down to a pause as he opened his mouth wide for an irrepressible yawn. "... Reason?" he finished, his eyes watering slightly.

"It's just a routine check. There's nothing specific you're looking for," Sam informed him. "We can never be too sure of the residents of Forks' safety when…" He trailed off.

Embry nodded, knowing Sam was implying about the Cullens living in Forks. Even the thought of vampires had Embry standing up taller and sneering slightly. He began to step over the threshold into the outside world when Sam laid a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Did I say to stay as you are?" Sam questioned.

Embry nodded impatiently, too tired to even speak. He had literally said that only seconds ago.

"Nevermind. You should fix your bedhead. It's terrible, bro."

He glanced into the mirror in the small square room before the door and his eyes widened. He had only been asleep for an hour, and although the back of his head remained alright (at least passable) the hair that usually fell slightly down on the left side of his forehead was standing almost straight up, giving the appearance of a cartoon character that had just been electrocuted.

When he turned back to face his alpha, Sam already had his back turned and was walking in the direction the forest. Even when he didn't change forms, he usually traveled through there. Sam turned his head to the side slightly and called to Embry:

"And put a shirt on! People talk about us enough already- don't draw too much attention to yourself."

The old grayish silver and off-white 1980's Ford truck bounced along the road to Forks. Embry wondered how often "his baby" had traveled this path before. He had bought the truck from an old neighbor who had his license revoked because he could no longer see well enough to drive. The truck itself was in a pretty bad state when he came to ownership, but he had fixed it by himself mainly, with a little help from Jacob and Quil when he needed it.

If he took his eyes off the road long enough, Embry could see Jacob bounding through the thick forest in his russet wolf form. Embry was actually quite pleased that Sam had ordered Jake to take the forests. Nobody knew this (or at least he assumed nobody knew, but when his whole pack could read each other's mind, there really wasn't any such thing as a secret) but sometimes Embry liked to pretend none of this had ever happened. Whenever he could go into town by himself, even if it was under orders, he could act like what he wanted to be- a normal eighteen year old boy.

A few moments later, Embry could no longer find Jacob running about nearby. He parked his car on the side of Main Street, Forks and opened the door to begin his quest, searching for probably nothing.

The door to his truck shut with a loud bang- maybe too loud. Embry was still getting used to his own strength since phasing. The loud outburst from his truck door did nothing but draw attention. Embry groaned inwardly. The people of Forks were very touchy about the subject of the La Push "gang." And it's not like Embry could even pretend he wasn't a part of Sam's pack. Everybody knew that nobody of that relative size was just a normal La Push resident.

With school still in (La Push High got out a week earlier than Forks High for Thanksgiving break), most of the people walking around town were stay-at-home-moms who were collecting groceries or running errands. Still, they stared, too. Embry could see the obvious distrust in their eyes, and he noticed more than one grab her purse tighter to her as he walked by. Some got excited, Embry noticed. He could hear them now, calling up friends later in the day to gossip about how they had a run in with one of the La Push trouble makers! He glanced down at the clothes he had chosen to wear. Old jeans, and black and gray band t-shirt for a local band in Seattle, and some old, distraught that were a size too small. Perhaps he should have brought a jacket, to at least try to fit in. Washington would get very cold in November. He shrugged to himself. At least he wore jeans and not shorts like he was going to. Still, as he walked among the distrusting people of Forks, he figured he had better at least look like he had motive. He quickly looked down the rows of shops and small businesses that occupied Main Street. Most were little boutiques and photography or dance studios. Pretty useless to Embry, unless he had the sudden urge to become a male model or take up tap dancing.

He'll pass, thank you very much.

The second to last little store on Embry's end and side of the street was a little book shop-slash-coffee house, which sounded just perfect to Embry. Besides his love for music, Embry also found himself the butt of the pack's jokes for being slightly more literate than the rest of them. He liked to read.

There was a ding as Embry pushed the door open. While he had been standing outside the shop before entering, Embry could smell the strong coffee and pastries, but now that he was in the store, his heightened senses were almost overwhelming. Not only could he smell the warm beverages but the ink and the paper, too. He inhaled deeply, thanking his lucky stars that his pack wasn't there to see him marvel in the presence of what was so mediocre to them. The employee at the register smiled to him without looking up from her phone, then walked into the back storage room.

Embry shoved his hand into the right pocket of his old jeans and grabbed for whatever amount of cash he had on him. Maybe he could buy a coffee, or perhaps a paperback book. As he silently cursed, for all he felt was change, he looked to his right, towards the window that overlooked the cloudy street of Forks, Washington.

And it was to his right that the owner of this obviously booming business had decided to place the tables for those who wished to sit and enjoy a coffee or two. And, in fact, to his right, sitting in the corner table farthest against the left side of the window was a girl flipping through the pages of a book with a steaming cup of coffee on her table. This girl had long straight brunette hair that was all one length and it fell down and just barely past the bottom of her hips. It was so thick that some of it even spilled over her shoulders. She was slightly paler than the average person but with his superhuman eyesight Embry could see light brown freckles sprinkled across her slight pixie nose and adorably chubby cheeks. She had small yet full and soft looking lips. Even though she was sitting, he could tell that she was taller than most girls by just an inch or two. She might have been five-foot-seven.

Then by chance, she looked up from her book towards Embry himself, and they locked eyes for just a moment.

For only a moment.

The girl averted her gaze as soon as she had made eye contact with Embry and returned to her book, a slight blush creeping across her freckled cheeks at getting caught looking at a handsome stranger.

If Embry thought the rest of her was beautiful, he was completely speechless when it came to her eyes. They were an odd shade of green. Too green to be hazel, to hazel to be green. And just like that, he was rooted to the spot. The light mossy-color of her eyes rushed through his veins, forever imprinted in his mind.

The earth was turning and the very ground beneath his feet was trembling. He could feel his whole universe swirling around as if rearranging itself. He felt a strange emotion he couldn't place swell up inside his chest almost like a balloon. His breathing became shallow and for a moment he forgot everything that he ever knew besides that girl sitting in front of him. His knees began to tremble and he suddenly felt very warm. He had to know her. He wanted so badly to cross over the distance separating the two and enclose her and never let her go, so he could keep her safe from everything. He wanted to know her secrets and he wanted to tell her his. He longed to reach out and touch her hand. Oh, to just touch her hand would bring him such joy, the mere thought of it had him thinking his heart would burst out of his chest.

Only, his heart wasn't his anymore. It belonged to her, the unknown girl reading a book in the window.

Without even realizing what he had done, Embry thought back to the way Sam felt about Emily. Embry liked Emily. She was nice and very pretty, even with her scars. But she was nothing compared to her. Embry himself had read Sam's thoughts as they drifted back to Emily, but what Sam didn't know was that this girl, this very girl, was absolutely perfect. Embry was well-aware of the fact that nobody was perfect, but he knew that she was perfectly imperfect. All of her little flaws and bad personality traits did nothing but make her her so to Embry, her mistakes were perfections with flaws.

Suddenly, Embry felt different. He hadn't quite yet realized what had just happened. He had no idea what to do. Aside from his rapid breathing, he stood absolutely still, hand still in his pocket and fingers still clutching a few loose coins. He stared at the girl as he noticed a faint blush spread across her cheeks, which only made the butterflies in his stomach multiply by the hundreds and flutter ever so faster. Time seemed like it wasn't passing, and he was unaware how much of it had really passed or if the girl was even aware he was still staring.

Quickly it became too much for Embry. What was he supposed to do? Panic filled his mind up and suddenly he felt like he couldn't see or breathe. Some would describe his behavior not unlike a caged wolf.

He began to tremble violently, and couldn't control (and wasn't even really aware of) the unhuman like growls that began to come forth from his mouth. He was lucky the only employee currently on duty was in the back, but he was incredibly unlucky that his actions were drawing the girl's attention back to him. She watched with wide eyes as he continued to shake.

Embry kept telling himself he had to calm down. He couldn't give in. Not here, not now. It was hard. He wasn't thinking straight. Everything became a blur and soon Embry wasn't aware of anything except ominous dread that he could hurt her. Colors started to streak and images began to waver. His already inhuman senses were doubling with ability.

Somewhere amidst his vicious tantrum Embry felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. Embry lost all thought except the one that kept repeating 'Not here, not here, not here." All of the sudden, he could process the voice of his alpha telling him to calm down. It was different. It wasn't right. Sam was whispering in his ear instead of barking out orders at him as per usual. Even in his extremely erratic state he wondered what Sam was doing in Forks, and how he had known where to find him so quickly.

"Embry, calm down," was all he heard. Then he felt himself being pushed outside and across the street.

Still shaking, and still unaware of his surroundings, he listened to one voice.

"Run, Embry," said Sam. "Get to the trees!"

Despite his confusion and fear, instinct told him he had to obey. With his vision blurring by the second, he spotted the trees about twenty yards away on the other side of the street. He stumbled towards it, shaking even more and losing a bit more of himself with each passing second. A car honked as he stumbled into the hood, but he took no heed of it. He was trying his best to run and get out of the public's eye. At least a few feet into the trees was all he needed, he told himself, regaining a bit of his conscience for just a moment.

Somebody screamed profanities at him but he kept going. He made it to the other side of the street and stumbled over the ledge of the sidewalk before continuing on his journey to the forest.

He faintly heard the snap of the branches and the rustle of the bushes as he finally, after what seemed to him like decades, crashed through the barrier to the woods. He stumbled a few more steps forward, tripping over various logs and fauna. With a painful yelp and the sounds of tearing fabric, he gave in to the beast.

Okay, so this was the rewrite of the first chapter. Not much was changed. A little bit (which was really unimportant and oddly placed) was taken out, but it doesn't alter the story at all. I just tweaked it a bit and reworded a few things! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave reviews! Helpful criticism is always welcomed!

.Girl