Paw-Prints
A/N This is the first part of my story. PLease review and tell me what you think! Enjoy!
Paw-Prints
We were going camping, so, of course, it had snowed. The air that slid through my nose was frigid, full of tiny icy particles. The trees were frosted in white ice, glimmering in the weak winter sun.
I could feel Nessie as a patch of warmth upon my back. Her knees locked tightly behind my surging shoulder blades, her fingers twisted into my long ruff.
She reached out, lightly touching my cheek, to share her wonder and enjoyment of this silent, shining world. I huffed a soft agreement, as we continued to race across the snow, leaving a light trail of paw prints behind us.
By the time the tent was set up, black thunderheads had covered the sky again. We abandoned our other plans, the tent, at this stage, looking much more attractive.
The wind picked up as I finished the last scroll. Unsurprisingly even Nessie didn't make faces at her fathers cinnamon scrolls.
I watched as we ate. She didn't know it, yet, but this was not one of our regular trips. I had something I had to tell her. I wondered how she would react to the news.
Her parents, Bella and Edward, thought that Nessie would handle it, but there had still been some concern in their faces as we had left.
I didn't want to loose her, but she had to know the truth. And there was no time better than now.
"Nessie?"
"Yeah Jake?" She unzipped a sleeping bag and slung it around her shoulders, the movement making the stylised silver paw prints swing on their chain.
A lump had formed in my throat. I stared at her while trying, unsuccessfully, to swallow.
Although Nessie had only been born six years previously, she was on par with the other seventeen, eighteen year olds. She was ready for this, and I needed her to know.
"You remember, last year, the big bon-fire? The joint vampire-werewolf one?"
"I think so," a slight frown line appeared between her brows. "That was when Carlisle was writing his paper, wasn't it?'
I nodded and laughed, remembering the good vampire doc, with his tests and pages of notes, consulting the entire group for his paper.
" Yeah. That's the one. We also discussed theories one our werewolf traits."
"All but one," she replied, the frown deepening. "None of you ever mentioned imprinting. I never understood why you didn't discuss..." She trailed off, realising that my eyes and slid from her face and onto the floor.
"Jake?"
" They didn't discuss it because I asked them not to." I wrenched my eyes from the ground, back to her face.
" I knew that if they talked about it, they would end up talking about my imprinting too."
"What?" she gasped, "You never...!"
I held up one finger, requesting silence.
"I didn't want them to talk about it, in front of you. Not before I'd told you myself. At the time you weren't ready to know. I wasn't ready for you to know."
There was no point putting it off any longer. I steadied myself, holding her eyes with my own.
" Nessie, I have imprinted on some one. I imprinted on her six years ago. I haven't told her yet, neither of us have been ready for it." I took a deep breath.
"Renesmee, six years ago I imprinted on you."
Her face froze in shock, eyes staring. I gently reached out and took her hand, placing her long fingers on my cheek. Now I could see the emotions whish tumbled within her.
Surprise first, followed by comprehension as all the puzzle pieces finally came together, a combination of humour and self-disgust at the fact that she had not realised it herself, but lurking under it all; fear.
My stomach clenched. I didn't want Nessie to be afraid, especially not of me. Nothing had to change, not if she didn't want it to.