Enouement

/kä(l)m/

adjective

1. The bitter-sweetness of arriving at the future, seeing how things turned out, but not being able to tell your past self.

I held my bleeding arm, praying to the gods above. My feet slip outwards on the wet autumn leaves as I round the corner, the cold evening air shocking my throat and lungs as I inhale deeper, faster. With each footfall a jarring pain shoots ankle to knee, ankle to knee. Perhaps jumping from that cliff wasn't so smart. My heart beats frantically, all or nothing. Fail and my whole body will pay the price, run and the damage is limited mostly to my shins and knees. I know this forest better than it does, that leech is just a toddler in uniform, shipped in from the nicer end of town.

The trees passed by me in a blur of green but couldn't care less about my surroundings, I just had to get away. The dappled shade of the woodland trees had seemed so inviting only moments earlier, but now the forest seemed like a death sentence, a coffin sitting overhead a cool grave. My grave.

Suddenly, I stumbled, falling to my knees as a particularly painful feeling burst up my arm.

That vampires venom was spreading.

I could hear her behind me, walking slowly because she knew I was too wounded to get away, too wounded to fight. I forced myself back to my feet, ignoring my injuries. I refused to go down, not here, not now. Images of my coven flashed through my mind and I choked back tears, how had the vampires known to attack on a lunar eclipse? How had they known we would be at our weakest?

None of it mattered now.

I stumbled to a part of the forest and the scents around me drastically changed. I had just stumbled into someone's territory. My senses weren't as good as a vampires but I was fairly sure that the scent was human, or something close to it anyway.

An earth shattering howl tore through the forest like oil dumped into water. I shivered but continued on, no turning back now. The bare branches spiked into the sky - no sign of life to be found anywhere. It was so dark I could barely see where I was going. There were only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howl of the wind. I didn't know what laid in the dark forest, all I knew was that it wasn't going to be a peaceful journey.

For the first time in my life the forest was not my friend, but my enemy.

"You should just give up." a voice called from behind me. I growled back at the vampire walking sedately behind me. Toying with me. "Go to hell." I snarled, still trying to run away from the newborn tailing me.

She was about to respond when the sound of crashing leaves sounded from in front of us. I drew back, alarmed. My breath was swept away when from the shadows came a humongous wolf, it's body hunkered low to the ground.

I watched, my own limbs frozen in place.

Despite its proximity there was no sound, it circled left rather than coming directly to me. On instinct I turned around, there were more, pouring from between the trees, flowing rather than running. Each had their muzzle slightly open revealing yellowed teeth as large as my middle finger. As slowly as I dared I let my hand fall to the handle of my dagger. Sometimes even a pacifist needs to even the odds.

Others followed behind until I was faced off with three or four giant wolves, all snarling. I heard the sound of the vampire hissing behind me and I wanted to cry. This couldn't be happening to me. It was almost flattering that God thought it would take this much to kill me, though.

It didn't take long for the forest to be enveloped in darkness. My rasping breath steamed in the moonlight and my throat was parched from thirst. I heard the quickening thud of wild wolves as they began to approach me. I heard my heart thumping in my head and my legs began to quiver like jelly. I tripped over a tangled mossy root and the earthly ground rushed up to my face as I thudded to the ground. I am going to die… I am going to die. Those words choked my mind as I struggled to stand up.
The pack of wolves slowly made their way up to my limp shaking body.

I shakily brushed a strand of flaming red hair out if my face as I climbed to my feet, disgusted to find my hand covered in blood. I wasn't even sure who the blood belonged to.

I began to back away, as any logical person would do, when something strange happened.

I caught the eye of a russet wolf and I couldn't look away. Its molten eyes seemed to stare into my soul, looking for something I couldn't even begin to comprehend. The wolf observed in the way a dog never could. It had the eyes of an adult, a creature who came as an equal, or a superior, but never your "friend." In the moonlight that fell so casually on the clearing its fur was mostly brown, but my eyesight isn't great in the dark.

It wasn't snarling like the other wolves, it was just...watching.

A hand on my shoulder startled me out of my trance and I felt myself get thrown like a ragdoll. I had almost forgotten about the vampire.

Almost.

The air was swept out of my lungs as my back made contact with a tree. I slid down the tree and hit the forest floor, which I had become well acquainted with in this past hour.

There was a moment of silence like a piece of glass suspended in the air before shattering where no one, no thing, Moved.

Then, suddenly, the russet wolf snarled and launched itself at the vampire.

The rest of its pack seemed thoroughly surprised by its actions, trying to draw it back from its attack. But they went unnoticed as the wolf bit down on the vampires arm, dragging her down as it yanked. A few wolves moved in front of me, putting a barrier in between me and the vampire. Probably so I wouldn't be able to feed it and give it its strength back. The fight began with the vampire practically drop kicking one of the wolves into the forest. It let out a pained snarl as it instantly climbed back to its feet, preparing to fight yet again.

I watched the fight with increased horror as it got more serious. I struggled to my feet ignoring my injuries and the sounds of the fight. I stopped for a moment, letting my eyes wander back over to the russet wolf as she fought the she-devil who'd tried to take my life. I shook my head, forcing myself out of my thoughts.

I turned and ran with a speed I didnt even think was possible in my current state, I felt ashamed for leaving the wolves to the vampire. But I was practically dead weight in my current state. I would be doing them no favors by sticking around. The trees flashed by me in a blur of green, the moon lighting up my path in one last grace of my fight. I could feel the vampires venom working its way from my arm where she had bit me, to my heart. She was a newborn, a fool for biting me before the kill was set and now both of us would pay for it.

I was moving about the forest like there's a hurricane inside of me. Moving like my brain is demanding the energetic expenditure of an athlete but won't tell my limbs what to do.

I suddenly froze.

There was a burning through my arm, leading to my chest where the venom was having it's way with my insides. Uncaring of their purpose to keep me alive. I placed a hand on my chest as if it could keep my heart pumping blood through my body, as if my sheer force I could hold myself together, but I couldn't.

And just like that, I was dead.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Leah POV

I ran, feet kissing the land. Perhaps a while ago I would have balked at idea of running so far and fast, now I relish the prospect. These feet were made to travel fast and as the paws of a wolf. I felt whole as I ran, but I couldn't enjoy it as I wanted to. I snarled as the pack bond exposed me to everyone's levels of anger. My anger would come like an impossible build up steam, burning me on the way out, burning the one on the receiving end. As much as I hated the bond the pack shared, this was a moment I was glad to be a part of it.

A vampire had crossed into our territory.

Paul and Embry had been patrolling the border as usual, making their backbreaking rounds along la Push's border to clock out when they sensed something along the border. Embry hadn't hesitated before letting out an earth shattering howl that had all of us running and as soon as we got here, we were angry. It only took a quick second for everyone to identify that the vampire wasn't a member of the cullens 'family' but a rogue. The scent of death clung to the vampire so closely that we didn't even realise she was with someone until we were a couple of feet away.

When the second girl stepped out of the darkness of the trees, I could see what my ears were telling me already. She was limping, the gait that was smooth only this morning was faltering and uneven. Her hair was ragged, loose hair falling over her features that contorted with effort. She was obviously injured, bleeding heavily from multiple wounds all over her body. Her curly red hair was matted with dirt, and had twigs sticking out at odd angles.

She froze as she noticed us, her wide eyes carefully examining each of my pack. I sniffed the air hurriedly but confirmed she wasn't a vampire, which meant we had to get her away from the leech. Now.

I stepped forward, to try and get her away from the vampire. Her head snapped over to me instantly and our eyes met.

Everything seemed to stop as I looked into her emerald eyes. Every interaction, everything I had ever thought important or interesting was no longer a concern. Everything was just her her her.

My breathing still came in wild gasps that I knew were not caused by my frantic running. Her eyes were like a clear lake in a dark forest, if you looked closer at that lake you could see a round shallow crevice filled with completely transparent water. The water didn't tug or ripple in the closed off space, though there was reason enough to. In that already unnaturally beautiful scene were two identical and gigantic green koi fish - trapped in an unbreakable and frighteningly fast chase for each other's long tails, fusing into a seamless circle. The only thing that got through their immortal war was a white light from the moon, a gracious beam to envelop the bodies of the two. How it bounced off their scales making the water turn a paler green.

I felt Jacob screaming at me through the back bond. Asking me what was wrong, why wasn't I moving.

"Dammit!" I felt Paul snarl at Embry and Jacob. "She's imprinted on the girl!"

A wave of emotions hit me through the pack bond, but it was nothing compared to the tsunami of undesirable feelings I had at that moment. I suddenly noticed that the redheaded girl looked scared, was she ok? Every ounce of my being screamed at me to go and cheer her up. To make sure she was ok and wouldn't get hurt further. Those pale green eyes were filled with fear.

She was taking hesitant steps away from us. I would have furrowed my eyebrows if I had any, that wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be running away.

Suddenly, the leech placed a hand on the girl and threw her. I watched as she sailed through the air and hit a tree a couple feet away, she slid down and hit the forest floor with a soft 'oof.'

Rage enveloped me, Anger boiled deep in my system, as hot as lava. It churned within, hungry for destruction, and I knew it's too much for me to handle. I didn't hesitate for a second longer before I jumped at the vampire, sinking my large canines into it's dead skin.

How dare she heart my imprint! My mate! Mine!

"Protect the imprint!" I felt Paul scream through the pack bond, but I ignored him as I fought.

The vampire circled me dangerously, baring its teeth in challenge. I snarled back, every fiber of my being demanding compensation for my imprints pain.

A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout my body as she attacked too quickly to counter. She lunged, trying to catch me off guard as she feigned to my left. She grabbed me by my scruff and threw me. I skidded across the ground, leaving marks in the forest floor as a went. I got back on my feet and snarled at the vampire.

My stomach ached, my back lost tension and my legs began to weaken. "She will not get the better of me," I thought. My tongue was soaked in the taste of blood. I smiled wolfishly, leech blood.

Jaboc suddenly threw himself at the unsuspecting vampire, getting her around the neck.

The vampire thrashed in Jacob's jaws but he valiantly held strong. I heard a sickening crack as the vampires spine broke. Jacob dropped her instantly and began tearing her to peace faster then she could heal herself.

After a matter of minutes the only thing left of the vampire was fragments of flesh littered on the floor. Jacob instantly changed back, unconcerned about his nakedness he turned to the two wolves behind him.

"Quick! Get me something to burn the pieces with!" He snarled at the two functioning pack members. One of the wolves, Embry I suspected, instantly ran off to find something flammable to burn the pieces with. None of us wanted that thing to come back if we could help it.

I instantly changed back and stumbled over to where I had last seen the red-haired girl but when I reached the spot my heart dropped.

She was gone.