I know, I haven't finished Therapy or Imprint's Song yet, so I shouldn't be starting a new story. Unfortunately, my old computer with all of my files/future chapters crashed a month ago, and I didn't have them backed up. Back your documents up :/ Anyway, this was just a momentary distraction while I wait for someone to transfer my files. So I should finish Therapy soonish. In the meantime, enjoy. I'm super-excited about the end of this one tho. Part Two will be up as soon as it's edited, I promise.

Part One

Hailey was running. She was the last of her type that she knew of, and part of her was aware that it was her fault that none of them were here with her. She had been out on a scouting expedition; she had left Scott in charge of patrolling for a little while so that she could find new potential sites. But she had stayed away too long. It was so easy to be lured away when she was in her other state. There was little need for food or water, and she could go for days without sleep, soaring above the wild, untamed desert. She was too far away when she heard Tim's distressed mental call.

The Mencha people by nature, were not fighters. Their ancestors had, for generations, phased into large, desert owls in order to find the safest living areas. They were nomads, always moving to stay away from danger. And Hailey, as the only child of the chief, had naturally become the leader of the flock when she had phased.

She had flown as fast as she could back to camp, but it was too late. The Cold Ones strike swiftly and mercilessly, and her people had had no chance.

Nearly crazy with grief, she had flown north, following the scent of the Cold Ones, but they had veered far to the west, almost to Colorado, and she had lost their scent in a river. She circled the area, flying in ever-widening spirals, scouring the land for a trace of their scent. She barely slept and she didn't eat or sleep. She forgot how much energy her body burned when she was flying. In desperation, she screamed in her head, calling out for Scott and Tim and Leela and all of her fallen comrades.

She was half-relieved, half-horrified when finally, one day, her body just collapsed from exhaustion. The land was unfamiliar, with dark pine trees standing tall above the earth. As Hailey had flown, she had caught occasional scents of the ocean, so she figured she was in California or Oregon. She thought briefly of phasing back, but knew that she couldn't. Not with her entire tribe massacred. She didn't want to be human, didn't want to think. She just wanted to fly.

She could smell water nearby, fresh water. She hopped forward weakly, flapping her wings.
There was a rustle in the underbrush behind her. Hailey chanced a glance backward and found a huge russet wolf creeping through the brush, his eyes locked on her. He was far larged than anything Hailey had ever heard about, his shoulders brushing the lower branches of trees even as he was crouched in a hunter's stalk. Somehow, Hailey couldn't find it in her to be scared. She was exhausted. If this was what fate had chosen for her as punishment for failing her tribe, then so be it. She turned and faced him head on, meeting his gaze squarely.

Something changed in the wolf's expression, something almost human. It froze, still watching her. Then, abruptly, it turned and walked away from her.

Hailey collapsed onto the forest floor. Her overexhaustion, dehydration, and this fright combined and she could do nothing more than lay there and look at the leaves above her. Leela would have loved it here, she thought absently.

Suddenly, her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps in the underbrush. Good, the wolf was coming back to finish her off, she thought serenely. She could join her family, her tribe, in whatever came after. Maybe they would forgive her.

"What are you doing so far from home, huh?" The voice was human. It jerked Hailey from her musing. She didn't know where she was, but it was definitely far from any form of civilization. A man leaned over her. His face was beautiful, she thought drowsily, even as his brow furrowed as he looked at her. He reached down and lifted her up, cradling her in his huge hands. "You look like you need water. And food," he murmured, but Hailey was already drifting away.

"What do you think, Sal?" Jake asked.

"Malnutrition. Dehydration. Looks like she's exhausted," Sal said, nodding to the unconscious bird on his examining table. "And with good reason, too. This species of owl is native to Arizona and New Mexico. You say you found her up here?" Jake nodded. "She's probably somebody's pet. Maybe you should put some signs up, see if anyone claims her."

Jake's mouth tightened at the thought of giving up this bird, but he didn't say anything. "Does she need medicine or anything? What do I feed her?"

Sal shrugged. "Seeds you have lying around. Bread. Definitely water. Maybe a little meat, but she'll be able to do her own hunting soon. And make sure she stays off that right wing. Looks like she hit it pretty hard at some point. No flying for at least a week or two."

Jake nodded. "Thanks Sal." He gathered up the owl—his imprint—carefully in his hands, both relishing and hating the new responsibility.

Billy watched Jacob slowly coax the bird down from the cabinet until she perched on his arm. "Son, why the sudden interest in injured wildlife?" he asked finally. It had been two days since Jake had brought the birg home, saying only that he had found it in the woods somewhere. Luckily his dad, with the Quileute respect for animals, hadn't questioned him about it until now.

For the first two days, the bird, had barely moved from his desk except for water and food. Luckily, she seemed to be really intelligent, or maybe just house trained, and made use of the cardboard box he made for a bathroom. Today she had seemed to wake up a bit and had fluttered around the house clumsily on her injured wing.

Jake frowned. "She just…seemed like she needed some help."

"She?"

Jake shrugged, carefully keeping his arm still as he fed her a few sunflower seeds. "I took her to see Sal. She was pretty banged up when I found her."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Jake, what's going on?"

Jake deposited the owl lightly onto the back of a chair and gently brushed the back of one wing. "She's special." He sighed heavily. "I think…I think I imprinted on her."

"On an owl?" Billy sounded beyond skeptical. "Does this have anything to do with Bella?"

Hailey didn't even hear the rest of the conversation. Her brain had refused to hear anything beyond the word imprinted. There was a tradition amongst her people of the shapeshifters finding their soulmates through imprinting. It was simply looking at someone that one was fated for and just feeling a huge sense of love and adoration and dedication for them, even if it was a stranger. Hailey's flock mate Eric had imprinted on a completely random girl from a town they had scouted out, and had had a huge problem explaining their relationship to her.

Hailey's mind was spinning as she digested this new information. Firstly, Jake must be a shapeshifter too, then. Hailey knew that in normal communities, people didn't just find their soul mates by looking at them. She looked at Jake and suddenly had a vision of the huge wolf she had seen before passing out a few nights ago. It was him, she was certain. She could see the lupine aspects as he paced wildly in the small kitchen, his voice occasionally lowering to a growl. He was a wolf shapeshifter. And he was her soul mate.

Panicked, she fluttered awkwardly into the living room. Jake, this random wolf shape shifter, imprinted on her. That meant that he was her soulmate, her forever. As soon as she shifted back to human and looked at him, she would imprint on him. That was how it worked. Imprints were two halves of the same soul.

Part of her was thrilled. In her family, imprinting was a cause for a huge celebration and feasting. It was a big deal, and somewhat of a coming-of-age milestone. She was now certain that Jake would be her one, that he was perfect for her, and they would almost certainly be happy together. She couldn't wait to tell her parents-

Then she remembered that she couldn't tell her parents. They were gone. Hailey couldn't be trapped in La Push. She knew if—when—she imprinted on Jake, she would be physically and emotionally unable to leave him. She wouldn't be able to continue her hunt. She couldn't let Jake know that she was also a shapeshifter, and she couldn't look at him as a human, or she would be stuck here. She had to stay hidden, to hide her other form from Jake. He looked at her with devotion already, she could only imagine what it would be like if he knew she were actually human.

Apparently, secrets were secrets for a shorter amount of time in a wolf pack than in a flock of owls. The same night that Jake confessed to imprinting on Hailey, one of his pack mates came out investigate. He was a bit shorter and less mature than Jake, but had an infectious laugh.

"So, Jake," Seth started out uneasily. "Sam said something interesting about that bird you found…" He tried but failed to contain his grin at the situation. "Did you seriously imprint on it?"

"Yeah, hardy har har, I imprinted on a stupid owl. Get it all out," Jacob sneered. "At least this way I know I'm free, which is more than the rest of you can say. This is it, this is my imprint, no more waiting around for her. And, I don't have to be forced to love some chick I don't know. This could actually be the best thing that could happen. I never wanted some soulmate to just pop into my life. Now I just have to care for some bird, I have an awesome new pet, and my life can continue on like normal."

Hailey shifted from foot to foot uneasily at his mention of taking care of her. He thought she'd be his forever. And even though she was planning on leaving him before he knew she was human, it was still a little offensive to be taken so lightly by one's soul mate. Seth noticed and laughed. "Dude, I think she's insulted you called her a pet. So did you name her?" Seth asked.

Jake shrugged. "I've just been calling her Owl."

"Dude, she's your imprint. Can't you call her Fido or something?"

Jake studied Hailey thoughtfully. "She's definitely not a Fido. Whiteout? Snowflake? Hedwig?" Hailey ruffled her wings angrily at his stupid names. "Henrietta? Hazel?"

"Oreo?" Seth suggested.

Jake paused for a long moment, looking into Hailey's eyes. Even in her bird form, she was completely transfixed. "Hailey," he declared finally.

A warm glow spread through Hailey. How did he know? Was that some weird imprint intuition?

"Do you think you could train her to sit on your shoulder?" Seth asked. "Like a pirate?" Jake actually growled at that, and threw a pillow at Seth. "Dude, just kidding!" Seth laughed.

In the short time that Hailey had spent at the Blacks' house, she had begun to feel a reluctant sense of respect for Jake. While he was a bit immature with his friends, and did some stupid things in front of her, he did think that she was a bird. She was learning more about him, like that he was training to take over as Alpha of his pack when the current leader stepped down. He was involved in his tribe's community, and his friends respected him. He spent a lot of time patrolling or fixing cars, but she had also overheard him telling Quil his plans to start a small repair shop in town. And he took good care of his father, who was in a wheelchair.

Hailey could see herself maybe getting to know him and being happy here, which scared her. She needed to get out of here before she forgot about the vengeance that she needed.

Jake, in return, found himself talking to the bird, which seemed a bit crazy at first, but was becoming a soothing release. He told her about his disappointment when Bella left him, his worries for the tribe and the pack and his father. He told her how worried he was about his sisters moving away and his father being alone. He ranted when Sam pulled rank on him, or when his father started bothering him about his future plans.

When Hailey woke up, she threw her arm across her face to block the incoming sunlight. Her arm. Her human arm.

She bolted upright. How long had she been human for? She was in Jake's room, but he must not have seen her. Or maybe naked girls in his room was so normal that he had shrugged it off, she thought wryly. She could hear his footsteps pattering around in the kitchen.

She tried to shift back to an owl. Her muscles strained, but refused to morph. She had been an owl too long; her body was trying to rebalance itself out.

She couldn't stay here. Every second that she was here was another opportunity for Jake to wander in and find her. Then she would be forced to look in his eyes and she'd be devoted to only him.

The footsteps suddenly came closer to the bedroom door. Hailey, true daughter of the Mencha people, had already evaluated every hiding place in the cramped room. She shoved open the small window and then rolled nimbly underneath the bed, shoving a few boxes between herself and the door.

"Hailey?" Jake asked, sticking his head in the door. "I got some more of those sunflower seeds you like."

Hailey grabbed her stomach to contain the rumbling at the mention of sunflower seeds. They were delicious, and her human side was not as easily fed as her owl form.

"Hailey?" Jake's feet circled the bed. She imagined that he was checking all of the higher ledges in his room. She knew exactly the moment when he noticed the open window from his quiet curse.

Hailey stayed ducked down until he left. Finally, when the coast was clear, she rose slowly and snuck out the door. It felt odd to be back as a human after so long. She had to concentrate to make her arms move normally instead of like wings, and her steps were small and tentative hops at first. How much time had passed since the Cold Ones had attacked her tribe? There was no way to know.

Pushing that thought aside, she scavenged the bottom of the boy's drawers until she found an old shirt and shorts that might fit. Her plan right now was to walk to town, find a store and get some supplies. Then she'd hitchhike south and resume her search for her family's killers.

Setting off on the dirt road towards town, she fended off her lingering worries. "Do you even know where you are? How are you going to track these killers down?" asked the reasonable part of her mind, which sounded remarkably like Tim. "What are you going to do if you find them? You're not a fighter."

Hailey swiped at her eyes, refusing to break down on the road. "Shut up, Tim. You left me alone here. I need to do something."

She heard a lone pickup truck rambling up the road behind her. It slowed next to her, but she ignored it. "Hey, you need a lift?"

Hailey's head snapped up. Seth threw her a grin from the passenger seat.

She couldn't tell if he recognized her or not. Hailey scanned the truck, not recognizing either the large man behind the wheel or the third person in the bed of the truck. They were all wolf shapeshifters, she knew with certainty. If she got too close, they would smell their packmate on her and become suspicious. Or tell him about her, and she couldn't have him knowing about her human self. It was only a matter of time before Jake contacted them and told them about his missing owl. They would start to put two and two together.

But...she was tired, and not exactly sure how far away the town was, or where it was.

"Come on, we don't bite. You heading to town?" Seth asked.

She smiled tentatively at him and nodded, vaulting easily into the back.

The man in the back nodded to her, shoving his chin length hair out of his face. "I'm Embry," he said. "That's Quil and Seth in the cab." He stopped as she sat across from him, his eyes studying her borrowed outfit. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

He thinks I slept with Jake last night, Hailey realized in mortification. She had no better explanation for being barefoot in guys' clothes in a strange town though, so she let it slight. Instead, she said simply, "I'm Hailey."

The rest of the short ride was spent in awkward silence. Hailey concentrated on memorizing the lay of the land just in case she needed it. Finally, Quil stopped the truck in a small street in what seemed to be the center of town. There was a diner on the corner, a general store on the left and a hardware store on the right. Past that was a small school and a playground surrounded by a scattering of houses.

"Thanks for the ride!" Hailey called, darting out of the vehicle.

"Wait!" It was Seth again. She turned reluctantly and met his gaze. He stared at her for a minute, confused. "Have we met before?"

Hailey shook her head quickly. "I don't think so. Bye!" She spun and walked away quickly.

"That was bizarre," she heard Quil say with her sharpened hearing.

"What? She seemed nice," Seth replied. Embry laughed.

Hailey rolled her eyes and headed into the store. She had twenty dollars that she'd snuck from Jake's wallet (She felt kind of bad about it, but in comparison to the average imprint she bet twenty bucks was relatively cheap. Lord knew Shana had made Eric pay dearly for his imprint.) She wandered down the aisle. She needed a lot of calories and protein in a small compact form. She grabbed a pack of beef jerky and then paused in front of the almonds. Leela would like cashews better, she thought, picking those up instead. Then she put the nuts down angrily. Leela wasn't here anymore. Hailey turned away, wiping her eyes.

"Can I help you?" asked someone rudely from right behind her. Hailey jumped, wondering how she had gotten so close so quietly. The girl behind her was tall and musclular looking. Another shifter. She wore a red apron that read, "Clearwater General Store."

"No," Hailey snapped. "I'm fine."

"Good," the other shifter said disdainfully, stalking back towards the register. "Hurry it up, we close early on Saturday."

Hailey scowled at her back, taking another beef jerky and then four waterbottles and tossing them on the register.

"That'll be eight fifty," the employee said, blowing a bubble of gum.

The door to the stoor swung open.

"We're closed," the cashier said without looking up.

"Leah, meeting!" Seth called. His normally chipper expression was darkened with worry. He frowned when he saw Hailey.

"Tell him I have plans," Leah said under the range of normal human hearing, handing Hailey her change.

"His imprint's missing, Lee," Seth said seriously at the same volume. "Jake's going crazy."

Hailey edged towards the door, and both wolves continued to ignore her as she fiddled with her bags. She felt a twinge of guilt that Jake had noticed her missing so soon, and that he was actually worried. It was a bit unfair of her to run off before the mystical spirits bounded her to him when he was already attached to her.

"Well you tell him that I don't care about his precious little imprint," Leah said softly but viciously.

Seth sighed. "You need to just forgive Sam and move on. Don't let this ruin your life." Then, like a flash, he was out the door.

Hailey turned slowly and looked at the cashier-Leah. Leah scowled at her. "We're closed now."

Hailey tugged at her lip as she considered the older girl. For some reason, Leah hated the idea of imprinting. As much as she hated to admit it, Hailey needed help if she was going to get out of town soon without seeing Jake. "Can I tell you a secret?" she asked randomly. "Can you keep it? From them?" She nodded to the window, where Seth was climbing back into Quil's truck.

Leah's scowl deepened. "Look, I don't really care about your little secrets-"

"I'm Jake's imprint," Hailey burst out. "I need help getting out of town."

Leah's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Look, it's a long story, and I don't really have time for it now," Hailey said quickly. "But if he finds me, if I look at him, I'll imprint on him. Then I won't have a choice, and I'll be stuck here. I need to leave. Do you have a car?"

Leah frowned deeply before finally nodding. "I can get you to Forks. You'll have to find your way from there," she said finally.

Hailey breathed out deeply. "Thank you."

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