Jacob's Flame

Hello & welcome to a fan fiction based on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. (Who, incidentally, along with her publisher etc, owns all of the rights to Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse) This picks up the moment you flipped past the very last page in Eclipse, so please make sure you read all three books first (I don't want to spoil them for you!!!)Thanks for reading---enjoy!!

Chapter One

Jacob Black

I ran. Time held no meaning for me during my run. I only knew day when the sun was in the sky and night when the stars along with the silvery crescent of the moon twinkled above my head. The ground below me took several different shapes as I ran. When my dark paws landed upon the grass, leaves, logs, water or snow, it made no difference to me. I did not know why I was running. No, that was untrue. I knew I was running to escape the pain that held a tight grip upon my heart. She would never be mine. I shook my head at the thought that kept me going, that kept fueling my fire. It was burning me up and I could not stop it. A low growl escaped my throat and it took me a moment to recognize that it had indeed come from within my own body. I knew I was pushing myself, punishing myself. My once-injured side ached, but still I pushed onward. I had no destination in mind. I just ran.

Finally, I reached a place where I had to stop else fall over in my tracks from exhaustion. I was so far from home, realizing that I must be near the middle of British Columbia by now as fast and long as I had run. Despite being near the tail end of summer, the air was frigid and I could see white plumes as my breath exhaled. I dare not leave my wolf form. If I did, I think I would collapse and never stand up. No, it was my inner fire driving me forward in this form. If I could help it, I would never turn back to the human form again. I could care less about my ancestry and how they used this form to protect their families. I would never have a family like that to protect. No, the one I wanted was unreachable. Unattainable. And it was driving me crazy.

When I woke hours later, the sun was hidden behind cloud cover and I felt hunger for the first time in days. I was actually so hungry I could barely see straight and set about searching for small game that would help ease the pain that had sprung within my gut. After feasting upon a rabbit, meager but would have to do for now, I drank a belly full of water that felt icy going down my throat. It almost hurt—which was good. Any form of pain helped dull the one big pain radiating from within my heart. I knew I could not stay too much longer and would have to return home. I did not want my pack to come looking for me. No, they had bigger things on their mind than one of their members running amok. But how could I return? How could I face their minds again? Sharing my pain with them was cruel. Perhaps I would stay just a few days. Or weeks. Or months. I would have to see.

Pattering along the small stream was pleasant and I let my senses take in the world surrounding me. Birds were silent though, and I was certain that was due to my presence. My kind was not a normal fixture in this area. The wind was sharp, biting, but I barely felt it between having thick fur and a body temperature that would put me officially in the "on fire" classification on a thermometer. The odors were so varied and plentiful; as I took in big whiffs, I found myself grinning. I knew it would look silly to someone not used to seeing a huge wolf smile, but did not care. There were no humans around me for miles and miles. I was in wild and un-traveled country. I took in another tremendous whiff and froze in surprise. A vile stench, sickly sweet in nature, was wafting from ahead of me. It was so strong it nearly made my eyes water. I knew that smell though: it was bloodsucker. Vampire. My enemy.

Slowly I began to creep forward, preparing myself mentally for the possibility that there might be more than one. Two maybe three I could handle, but any more than that and I would be in trouble. Still, it would be a fitting end for me. Ironic, in fact. Baring my teeth mostly from the stench, I edged closer to where the scent was drifting from and located my target. The pale form was huddled in a small bundle at the base of a large tree not too far from the stream, shivering and shaking as if cold from the air surrounding it. It had long brown hair, matted with leaves and twigs, and wore scraps of clothes. I could sense no others, the smell was solitarily coming from this one. Easy picking's—good.

Despite knowing they'd do it to me, I did not want to kill with its back to me, so I began to growl until the leech froze, noticing my presence finally. Slowly it turned to face me, a low snarl sounding from deep within its chest cavity. As my dark eyes locked upon the crimson circlets of its own, something akin to being consumed by a raging fire began to overcome me. I felt myself panting, tongue lolling out, and eyes bulging at the feeling. Whatever this creature was, it was doing something to me. Something bad! I barely had the presence of mind to recognize it was female. She was petite and perhaps pretty had the blackness of the circles under her eyes not given the appearance of one worn and haggard, and her hair wild and unruly. She did not know what to make of me and that gave me the opportunity to turn my shock and surprise around and take the advantage.

But as I stepped closer, something strange came over me. I felt the oddest desire to protect her. To watch over her. To give whatever her heart desired. I felt myself begin to shape back to my human form, which was bad. I fought it, pushing to stay focused. She could not do anything but stare at me with a defiant glare, snarling in abject fear and loathing. I shook my head, trying so hard to get a grip on my feelings and emotions. What was wrong with me? I hadn't felt anything like this since the imprinting of—Oh no! No, no, no, please no! I felt my mouth turn into a grimace, which brought the defenses of the female up even more. I must have looked terrifying—a giant wolf, teeth bared, growling unceasingly. I pushed my muzzle down into my chest, never taking my eyes off of the female and stopped the growling.

Standing behind a bush nearby to cover my incoming nudity, I let myself transform into my human form so that I could speak. I did not want her to attack me. If I killed what I had been imprinted with, it would nearly break me. I had to be ultra-careful now. As I felt my skin return to normal, I noticed her eyes grow wide in wonder. She still shook, and I wondered why. I was no longer something to fear, but perhaps the image of my wolf-self was still in her mind.
"I think you should transform back. And quickly, wolf-man. I thirst for you." Her voice was a lot deeper than I would have expected from such a small body and I shook my head before replying back.
"Do not be alarmed. I will not—I can not harm you." I spoke, hoping to stay her attack further. Her body began to shake even harder and she grabbed the trunk of the thick tree tightly. I could see bark being pushed away and wondered why she was struggling so. She was so thirsty she could not control it?

"Don't you understand?" She seethed through clenched teeth. "I thirst for you." I still did not comprehend why my presence was so difficult for her. I wanted to step to her and hold her, pulling the girl to me and soothing her problems and worries, but of course could not.
"My name is Jacob Black. What name do you go by?" I murmured, hoping to get her mind off of the blood flowing under my skin. She shook her matted hair, struggling so hard to resist whatever was driving her forward.
"Go away, Jacob Black! I cannot control it. It is too difficult." She let out a piercing scream, hugging the base of the tree so tightly that if it had been a lesser tree, it would have shredded under her contact.

"Please, girl. It is imperative that you learn to control yourself around me. I cannot leave you. It is inborn inside of me to stay with you now." How would I explain a crazy Indian legend that had come true? That she was going to have to be by my side for forever else I remain half a person? It still had not hit me how difficult this was going to be. She was a stinking, filthy bloodsucker. My enemy. And for some reason, my body had chosen her to imprint with. HER! And what would the pack think? They would have to share this burden with me. Would they destroy her? No, they wouldn't do that to me. It would be cruel and heartless to make me wander the world like that. It would be worse than death. I wanted to hold her so badly that my body shook along with her own. I fought it. I fought it with all I had.

"I did not ask for this, wolf-boy. Why are you tormenting me by staying with me? Do you not understand what I am trying to tell you? I will try and explain it then." Her tone became condescending, as if speaking with a young schoolboy. "I have been bitten by a monster. He would have killed me but was interrupted by another. He left me to die. The other—a woman named Tanya—told me of what I was to become. She told me I had two options: become a killer of men ultimately killing myself from the exposure or push myself away, deep within the wilderness and learn control. I chose to do the latter. So you see, you being here presents a problem for me. I cannot control this easily with you here tempting me. So LEAVE!" She shouted the last bit at me and I cringed. She was a freshly made vampire then. I had had my fill of those recently—I knew she was stronger than me. This would be a problem…

She lay against the tree, whimpering and trembling and my heart went out to her. I knew it was foolish of me, but I could not help myself and stepped towards her. She froze again, but kept her eyes sealed shut as well as her nostrils so that she was not breathing. I could tell it was uncomfortable for her, but did not care to remain apart any longer. Crouching beside her, I placed a hand hesitantly on her arm. I had maneuvered my body in such a way that my lower part was hidden behind the large root between us, offering me somewhat coverage. She popped one eye open and then both, staring at me with unabashed amazement. But I could see that her self-control was slipping. If she attacked me, there was no way to not defend myself. I would not—could not let her hurt me and of course I could not harm her. It would be a lose-lose situation. Keeping my voice low and soothing, I murmured, "You can control yourself. Just think of other things. Think of the tree's touch, of the stream nearby bubbling. Think of something of beauty. Think of a song you have enjoyed. A painting you admired." I had no idea if any of my words made sense to her, but was just trying to help.

She studied me with open curiosity, taking in my shoulder-length black hair, my bronze body, and bare chest. I caught her blush, well if she had been able to blush, it would have colored her alabaster skin nicely. The reaction caused me to grin slightly, still afraid of frightening her. When my hand remained on her icy skin, I decided it felt nice. It was as if ice and flame were meeting in the middle and compromising. I liked the idea. Compromise. And I found that my nose was getting used to her scent. Almost as if the imprinting was handling that part of the unpleasantness. I slowly slid my hand up her arm and put it on her head. I pulled gently on the tangles, freeing the leaves and roots. I rubbed her thick mane as if she were a domesticated pet, soothing her as if she were a child.
In a calm, relaxed voice, she whispered, "My name is Fia."

End of Chapter One