Well She find Him or end up losing everything!

Chapter 1: They arrive

~(~)~ ~(~)~ ~(~)~

'Jared please, just a few minutes. I promise it'll be fun!' I pleaded as we stood just a few miles from the local bonfire. I had sensed the gathering a good six miles out but waited till we got closer to say anything.

'Merana you can't just walk in and ask. It's a tribe, you have to be given permission to even pass through their land.'

'I know that's why I want you to ask!'

'What!' Getting my weepy baby face going, I stared deeply into his eyes. Having enough of my begging, he turned from me and howled into the distance.

Oh how much I love his howl especially when I win a fight with him, for I always get the right kind of shivers running along my spine. Holding onto Jared's hand as he stood with his ear to the air as he waited for the answering howl. Finally receiving it, Jared glanced to me before guiding me to the respondent. Who was amazingly young to our eyes, maybe fourteen but to all others an adolescent of twenty or so. Which was more then enough prove that the tribe was a pack of shape-shifters.

'I wonder what the leader looks like, for this boy is huge.' I thought for Jared to see. Looking to me Jared gave me one of his full teeth smiles, which told me that the leader was no match for him.

"Hi, I'm Jay and this is M'a and we are very sorry for trespassing but we have traveled a long ways and would really like to mingle with others like us." Jared said as he shook hands with the young wolf.

"Well I'm Paul and I would love to have you both among us but it is up to my leader if you can stay." Running a hand through his dark brown shaggy hair actually made him look his age with some immature.

Following the young wolf through the rocky forest terrain was very enjoyable and exciting. The flow of the land and unhindered wild life was a refreshing breath of air that I couldn't help but skip through. Jared now and then had to remind me that I was to act human which meant that I could not be cold to the touch or inhumanly agile but it was hard.

"So what tribe are you two part of? If you don't mind me asking." Paul said peering back. Stepping on the wrong side of a rock I stumbled. Both Paul and Jared moved to catch me but it was Jared who caught my hand. Smiling at me, Jared sent me 'Walk much M'a' as he pulled me up to my feet and into his arms.

Finally feeling warm-blooded and clumsy I smiled back as I looked to Paul "No it's just Jay and I."

"Really!" Paul seemed dumbfounded but truly surprised. "Well what about your home, your land?"

"Well Paul, M'a and I just haven't been able to settle down." Looking to me, he continued. "Things just keep coming up, that we must handle."

"Wow, I don't think I could ever handle such a life, moving all the time, never having time for family…" Paul turned then and continued walking. Waving for us to catch up, Jared snickered as he picked me up and flung me over his shoulder. Which just ticked me off, so kicking my legs and banging on his back I made Paul laugh as he picked up the pace.

In a short about of time I started hearing laughter and smelt the smoke from bonfires, which meant we were close. Pinching Jared's shoulder, he got my hint and placed me on my feet so that I could walk.

"My brothers we have some visitors who would like to join us." Paul announced as he leapt from the woods into the clearing. Grabbing hold of Jared's arm before he could go any further, I pulled myself forward and out before the gathering. "I would like to introduce you all to M'a and… Hey where are you dude?" Looking over my shoulder I watched as Jared exited the woods and stop just to my left. "And that's Jay, a brother."

"Paul what is the meaning of this. You brought strangers to our ancestral bonfire." came a demanding voice from within the group. For some reason I was having trouble pinning down the owner of the voice and picking out the leader.

'So what now? Do I speak or You.' getting my poor lovers hint I took a step forward so that I had everyone's attention. Then taking a breath I began. "Jay and I are the only family each of us have and sometimes we really just want to be part of a community, if only for an hour or so. So when we learned that there was an ancient tribe nearby we just had to stop by. And will we are very sorry for crashing but we really would like to join your party even if for only a short time."

Then feeling that we were being accepted, I was able to spot the leader weaving his way through the group. Thinking he was walking to me I stepped closer to shake his hand but something moved near him and blinded me. In that instant I lost my bearing and all sense of balance. All I knew for sure was that I was sailing through the air.

Then something warm and strong was holding me around the waist and a lot of noise, no laughter erupted around me. 'Hey M'a are you ok' Jared thought.

'I just lost my eyesight and bearing.' I thought. 'What is going on?'

'Well for one you slipped and I caught you just before you fell into one of their fires.' At that I opened my eyes and looked around. The reason for everyone's smile and laughter was because Jared had me dipped over, as if we were dancing. Hitting Jared with my hands I sent him the thought, 'Just sit me on my feet but don't let go.'

Adjusting us so that I was on his side, he laughed and reached his hand out to shake someone's hand. Who was not the boy I had mistaken as the leader. For however it had happened that boy had not taken the role as leader and another was the leader, the one that was now shaking hands with Jared.

"Are you ok M'a"? I nodded to the leader as I slowly extended my hand to him.

"Please forgive us, my name is Emily and this fool here is Sam the lead wolf in this tribe." Turning around I found myself before a surprisingly strikingly warm young woman. I was so stunned by her that as I separated myself from Jared, I tripped. Though I was lucky this time for Emily caught me.

"M'a sometimes just can't stand on her own two feet." Jared spitted out as he tried not to laugh. It was good to see a smile on Jared's face and see him relax. For he hadn't once tried to blend into the surroundings or hide in the shadows since we arrived here.

"Well Jay it looks like M'a is in need of some food and a safe place to relax. So let me be the first to welcome you both to our land." Sam seemed to be just as happy to have us here as Jared was to hear those words come from his mouth. Emily though was busy helping me get steady that when she realized what he had said, she just started hugging me and jumping up and down. I had to take it back, she wasn't strikingly warm she was exquisitely warm.

Which got me thinking about something and before I could even think it over I was offering her my forearm. It was such an old custom that it was foolish to think she knew it or even understood what I was doing. But she did. She instantly locked forearms with me by wrapping her hand around my elbow and placed her elbow in my hand so that I could do the same.

Though we were just performing an ancient custom done between the woman monarchs of the tribe, the mothers, it was exciting. I started feeling something weird along her arm, like bumps, indents in her skin. Blinking my eyes so as to see as others do I understood why her arm felt weird. She was scarred from her face down to her knees and that included her entire right arm and shoulder. Just the fact that she was willing to accept my offer was overwhelming but she was letting me know something. She understood what it meant to love a dangerous person. Looking to Sam though I could see that it pained him for people to notice his handy-work. She on the other hand was not ashamed, she actually wore the scars with pride and acted as if they were triumphs.

So proud to have meet such a wonderful person, I wrapped my other arm around her and pulled her even closer. Emily was so caught up in the moment that she didn't even realize that she was hugging me and started snickering.

Suddenly I felt someone pulling me back and heard "Ok M'a let Sam have his girl back." laughing Emily and I broke apart. But as my hand slid down her arm I quickly assessed the damage and depth of the scars. To be sure that I could help her, I rubbed my thumb on the worst of it just before her palm. Sam's claw must have caught on the wrist bones, leaving behind a bundle of skin there. Being careful to only use a small amount of magic I smoothed out the area.

Looking up I was surprised to see Emily watching me with a smile on her face. I was astonished that she was not mad with me for removing one of her beloved scars. Then again she was maybe thankful that someone could help ease her beloved's pain.

"Now please enjoy yourselves and stay for the telling of our ancestry." Sam vocalized for all of the company to hear. It seemed that outsiders weren't usually welcomed in their parts. And from what Jared told me I would not blame them to be cautious. At that thought I broke from Emily to formally address Sam.

He was taken back by my behavior but showed no sign of that. Instead he just thrust his hand into my harden hand, for I had very simple concentrated on making my hand hard, so as to show my power. I was playing along a very thin line but I did not want to give any false impressions or ideals of what I was not.

Please Review. I need them to function. Please send them. ~~Mary Mab

P.S. I HATE WILL/WELLS... I HATE THEM I HATE THEM... Because of them I'm now going through all my chapters and proof reading and proof reading and proof reading again cause I do not know how to use WILL/WELL... sorry if it seems I am just reposting and reposting but it has come to my knowledge that I need proof read... ;p ;) ;p ~~Mary Mab