A Twilight Fanfiction
Emmett's Story
Please enjoy everyone. I've been a Twilight fan for ten years, but I've never had the courage to write my own fanfiction because I'm really choosy about Twifics lol. This one's entirely canon! I'm excited. Upload schedule will be bi-weekly, and I'm aiming for fifteen chapters.
Chapter 1: The Hunt
Gatlinburg, TN, Year 1935.
Dawn's light gleamed over the towering peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains and beckoned all diurnal creatures to wake. A lonely cottage, which sat on the foot of a bluff, was illuminated by the sunrise.
Stormy blue eyes fluttered open as the dark room was flushed with colors. A broad young man stretched upon his much-too-small-for-him bed and rose from his deep slumber. He ambled to his closet and the floor groaned in protest as he stepped. The groggy boy chose a thick flannel sweater that was appropriate for enduring the cold morning air.
The scent of breakfast cooking had enticed him to emerge from his room. A small middle-aged woman dressed in an old housecoat and slippers was leaning over the stove and stirring porridge. Eggs and turkey bacon sizzled in a steel frying pan.
"Goodmorning Emmett." His mother rasped. The corners of her lips were etched with age as she smiled at him.
"Morning, mom. Thanks a lot." Emmett grinned back at her as she scraped food onto his dish. He was grateful for his mother who always ensured that her children, although fully grown, were taken care of.
The small Irish woman perched beside her hulking son.
"Be careful today. The frost is beginning to stick and we don't need you catching a cold." His mother stared at him with a serious expression.
"Don't worry. Nothing can keep me down."
Emmett promised his fretful birth giver. The tall young man chuckled at his mother and engulfed his breakfast.
Regardless of the weather, Emmett would venture into the forest to supply his family with game. It was integral that he hunted enough to feed all six of his family members. One small animal a trip would not be enough to sustain them for the week.
A tiny female voice whined from another room.
"Why must you be so annoyingly loud? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep." A young girl around the age of fourteen emerged into view. She adorned a brown nightgown and her thin mousy hair tangled messily upon her shoulders.
She plopped into the wooden chair beside her brother.
"Don't talk to your brother like that! You have such a bad mouth. It is not ladylike." Their mother scolded her child, pointing a crooked finger in her daughter's direction.
The aging woman abandoned the kitchen table to arrange another plate.
"Beauty sleep? Hah! Your hair looks like a rat's nest." Emmett whispered to his sister in attempt to poke fun at the hot headed teenager.
The girl kicked his shin underneath the table with her bare foot. Emmett uttered a small laugh. As if that would hurt him!
He raised an eyebrow at his sister. It was a signal that he would surely get revenge at her later.
"I have to get going." Emmett told his family as he rose from the table. He grabbed his shiny rifle off of the stand and slung it over his muscular shoulders.
The aging Irish woman grinned with pride at him. Her eyes crinkled with delight. "Good luck son!"
Emmett's baby sister stuck her tongue out at him in farewell.
He trudged into the woods behind his home jovially.
The forest floor was strewn with fire-colored leaves and dying yellow grass. His leather boots crunched on the morning frost that coated nature's carpet. A soft November breeze ruffled the branches of the almost-bare trees.
Beyond the horizon was an endless row of mountains that were painted in Autumn's colors. The views always drew Emmett in further as the forest was his haven. He enjoyed the fresh air and natural world more than anything else.
First Emmett would check the traps that he had set days ago. He walked further up the path and scanned the underbrush for any sign of metal.
Sure enough, his confine had snared a fat white rabbit. Emmett removed the carcass from the rusted teeth of the trap and re baited the mechanism with hay. He packed the kill into a burlap bag and trekked ahead.
He knew of a meadow nearby in which herds frequently grazed. His goal was to provide his family with a large deer.
The ambitious hunter hiked deeper into the woods.
A clearing in the trees ahead revealed the large meadow he was searching for. The burly man crept closer to the field to scan it for any signs of life. To his pleasure, three average sized does munched on the stems of dead wildflowers.
One of the herd flicked its pointed ears and shifted its weight nervously. Its black eyes flitted around the trees in search of any sign of peril. It continued to feast when it assessed that there was no present danger.
Emmett gingerly stepped forward to ensure that he could shoot with precision. He proceeded to load the barrel of his gun with dexterity.
The anxious deer twitched its nostrils and it gaze was affixed on the surrounding forest. It was a feeble creature that lived in constant fear.
But it had sensed another presence among its herd.
With one careless move, a twig snapped underneath the teeth of Emmet's boot.
The three does ceased feeding and stared widely in his direction. Snorting in warning to one another, the herd bounded away frantically without a trace. Their puffy white tails disappeared into the shadows.
Shaking his head in disappointment, the woodsman leaned against a splayed tree trunk. Emmett cursed at himself for the foolish mistake.
He released a puff of negative air. The McCarty boy did not dwell on things beyond his control. And he also did not accept defeat. Emmett would shoot a few robins on the way back home to ascertain that his family would not go hungry.
Before he continued his hunt, Emmett settled on the ground to rest. The forest was serenely quiet. He laid his gun on a patch of spongy moss and reached into his knapsack. Its contained all the necessities he would need if he were stranded or lost. He pulled out an apple and laid against the rough bark of the split tree.
Rustling sounded from the peak of the trunk. Leaf litter and shards of wood fluttered down around him.
Probably a squirrel. He shrugged and continued to bite into the piece of fruit.
The rustling did not cease and only became louder and louder.
Emmett's head whirled around in shock and his jaw dropped in disbelief. Adrenaline immediately began pumping through his veins.
A black mass popped its gigantic head out of the broken hemlock. Its matted fur stuck out in all directions, and its lips were curled back in a snarl.
The twenty year old swiped his rifle off the ground and pointed it at the massive black bear. It had awakened from its hibernation. The beast's humongous body teetered on the branch. It balanced on its rear claws and readied itself to leap.
Emmett backed away slowly and cocked his gun in the direction of the bear.
When the brute catapulted away from its nest, Emmett shot at it from close range. The bullet grazed the bear's hind leg but did not deter the creature from its pursuit.
With no time to load his rifle, Emmett picked up the closest sharp object he could find. A jagged stone would do the trick. He pelted the rock at the bear's eye with all of his might.
The beast was taken-aback and bellowed in agony, shaking its snout in pain as its face spurted with blood.
He had a chance to sprint away.
The brute lumbered after him immediately and grabbed Emmett's left foot in its jaws. It dragged him back across the ground with incredible force.
The savage animal held Emmett down with its massive front paws. The two-hundred-and-fifty pound bear weighed on Emmett's body and cracked two of his ribs.
Screaming in writhing pain, the McCarty boy pounded on the black bear's underbelly. He fought back and kicked the animal with all the remaining strength he could muster.
Roaring furiously, the beast raked its claws across Emmett's chest. His clothes were stained scarlet red and in tatters. Blood streamed out of his wounds like a gushing waterfall.
Though Emmett was incredibly tough, the huge animal was relentless.
The bear's hot breath fanned in Emmet's face. Its purple lips and horrifying yellow teeth dripped with saliva. Its long tongue lolled around within its jaws. Its wild eyes stared menacingly at the human in its clutches.
It desired to kill him.
Emmett could feel himself losing consciousness and the forest around him became a blur.
His death was imminent.