Playful Antics

Quil, what's it like? I walked a little further, sniffing for any evidence of recent invaders. Our patrol had lasted two hours now, and still no lead on anything new.

Farther back Quil paused, his beady eyes staring at the back of my head, his own head cocked vaguely in confusion. What do you mean?

Imprinting. What does it feel like?

I knew the random question would catch him off guard, and I was right. He froze a few yards behind me; I could hear his joints lock together as he skidded to halt in puzzlement. His thoughts searching for the reasons why I would need to know such an answer. To be honest, I wasn't sure myself . . . but some urge made me ask the question. Quil has already imprinted on Emily's niece, Claire. And Claire is only 3-years-old! How weird was that? The two of them were living proof that imprinting could happen at any time, any place, with anybody. Okay, so I wanted to know just in case it did happen to me. Just in case I needed an explanation. Was that a bad thing? I guess I could only wonder.

Quil's mind was still trying to work out the motive behind the startling question and I coughed back a laugh at this dumbfounded expression.

You okay, Quil? I chuckled.

My voice must have jump-started his brain again because before the question was out of my subconscious, he had sprinted up next to me. I could tell his eyes were sparkling with confusion, but I did not expect his reply. His alarm became anger, his ears flattened against his head and he spoke with a vicious attitude. What's it to ya?

I rolled my eyes. Was everything a secret these days? Why? Is the information . . . confidential? I scoffed, imagining a Mission Impossible scene, making sure he heard the sarcasm in the thought.

This irked him. It's private. You know, privacy? That little concept where a guys thoughts are safe inside his head?

Since when were your thoughts ever safe inside that giant head of yours, Quil?

Before you came.

Ouch. I flinched away from the comment. Apparently I wasn't going to get that answer. Or that fun loving attitude I went searching for. Ah, well, if he was going to play that game…

Well, aren't you just a happy leetle puppy today, Mr. Grouchy Pants? I flashed him a devious smile as I sat back on my haunches.

He growled, his teeth snapped together roughly. Shut up, Leah.

Make me.

My instincts were yelling at me to stop. To get out of the hole I was digging myself in. If Quil did decide to make me shut up, he could do it easily. Piece of cake. How much larger was Quil than me? In wolf form, he stood at least a foot taller, towering over my head. He stared me down, his intense glare burning a hole in my forehead. I did not falter one bit, though. No one intimidated me anymore, and especially not Quil. I gazed up at him, wagging my tail. Wook at me, I thought. I'm Qwil, the leetle puppy! Some one pway fetch wid me!

I let my tongue roll out of my mouth, hanging between my teeth as Quil snarled, crouching into a fighting position.

I said shut up, Leah.

And I said make me, Quil, but since you aren't going to, I suppose I'll continue.

I knew it was wrong to provoke him like this. And I knew I should stop before Sam—I cut that thought off cold, declining the need to let it come to a finish. The whole stinking point of getting over him was to not think about the guy. Oh, great. Just flipping great. With him in mind, my enthusiasm dwindled and my fun became anything but.

I was still aware of Quil's infuriated gaze as I dropped my head in shame. Sorry, if I was being a pain in the neck, Quil. I was just joking around, seriously.

Quil straightened up, sitting back on his haunches as well. He didn't reply but looked around him into the surrounding forest. His thoughts were focused on Claire, worrying if she was hungry, cold, bored, upset. He was more obsessed than any overbearing mother. It was as if he hadn't even heard my apology. Why did this annoy me? No idea, but it did.

Hello? Earth to Quil!

He snapped his head around to face me. What?

Did you hear me?

Yes.

And…?

I want to know why you asked the question in the first place, he said.

Hmph. I had been waiting for this. Everyone expected the worse from me, but I did not understand why it was such a crime to be curious. We all new what had happened, what had taken place, seen it play out thousands of times in his mind. And yet, no one really knew what it felt like unless you had witnessed the sensation for yourself. And since no one was imprinting on me any time soon . . . I was just sincerely interested.

I just wanted to understand… That's all.

But did you ever stop to consider that info could be private?

I hesitated and then sighed, resigning. No. I didn't.

Isn't it obvious, Quil? She's self-absorbed. I gasped, not even realizing that there had been another being listening in on our discussion. I mean, really, Quil. What other reason is there? The new conscious added his two cense again as I rolled my eyes for the millionth time. It seemed like that was all I did lately.

Of course, Quil was only too thrilled with the new addition to the conversation. Seth! My brother! Where are you?

We both could see that he was a few miles away to the south, running to join us. I laughed at my little brother. He was running as fast as his legs could manage, his tongue hanging out of this mouth as he raced to our resting place.

Hey, little brother, you're getting faster, I thought. Maybe soon you'll be able to stand a chance in a race against me.

Ha ha ha, very funny, Leah. I could take you blindfolded. He sucked in a deep breath, pretending to be the macho man he thought he was.

I shook my head, disagreeing. I wish you could see yourself, Seth. It's taking all your concentration not to run into a tree.

Quil laughed when Seth snorted in response, almost tripping and proving my notion correct. I bumped paws with Quil as he chortled; almost rolling on the ground in contagious sweeps of laughter. Oh, sweet victory. Seth growled, tuning us out as well as he could control and slowing to a walk, almost to the little clearing already. I stood to greet him, shaking out my fur as I stood. His steady footsteps were soft on the dry fallen leaves covering the forest floor, his tail sweeping the path of his paw prints as he strut into the small opening. I listened contently to Seth's thoughts about pushing himself harder to beat me in races and I smiled, amused with his light efforts. I met him halfway, nudging his shoulder out of affection and just about knocking him over by accident. He recovered quickly, though, head butting me back. I noted how gently he pushed me, knowing exactly that he was considering the fact he could really hurt me if he tried. Again, my brothers were always worrying about my size compared to theirs. I attempted to not let it bother me, even if my struggles usually failed miserably.

Good grief, you two! You're worse than Sam and Emily, and you aren't even getting married! Quil shook his head in awkwardness, laughing quietly to himself as if we missed some kind of inside joke.

Seth surprised tackled him and sent him flying into a tree. Oops, my bad. I tripped.

Why, you little… Quil lunged at Seth, tackling him to the ground and pretending to bite a chunk out of his burly shoulder. They wrestled for a while, maximizing the drama when they pretended to tear the crap out of each other.

I ignored the rough housing puppies as I listened strongly to the sounds of the forest. The birds chirped mildly to one another, their soft lullabies running from branch to branch of the many trees. Other animals scurried for shelter as the light rain gently hit the earth, covering the land in overcast. My ears picked up the slightest of movement from within the trees and my head snapped up at the tiny sound. I immediately wondered if another one of my brothers had decided to join us, maybe making sure we were done with the patrol. I focused my attention to the thoughts jumping around in my subconscious, listening intensely for any sign of another conscious's thoughts. Nothing, not a peep. My subconscious was completely empty of thoughts beside Seth's, Quil's, and mine.

The sound stirred again and this time I turned my whole body in the direction of the movement. I wasn't prepared for the stench that hit me like a bulldozer, like a stampede of rampaging elephants. I lurched back, crinkling my nose as the sweetest, most disgusting smell filled my nostrils. I shook my head and cleared my mind of the ridiculously syrupy smell. Only one word could describe the horrendous unpleasant aroma. Vampire.

Seth and Quil weren't paying any attention to my thoughts at all, their minds only focused on the fake fight. I dove between them, dividing them apart and snapping my teeth in aggravation. Guys, can you please shut it? We have company.

I waited impatiently while they ran through my memory, watching the scene, hearing the scattered movements, and smelling the awful odor. Vampire, their thoughts echoed instantaneously, agreeing with my early conclusion.

Our minds automatically zoned in as the instincts took over our minds and bodies. Quil, call Sam and the others. Seth and I will follow the scent.

He nodded without argument, already raising his snout to the sky. His howl pierced the quiet peace of the forest as Seth and I took off in the direction of the path we would have to follow, the ground flying away beneath our paws. The howl ricocheted off the trees and rocks behind us, disturbing the creatures of the woods, and alerting the pack of the danger only a few miles off the beaten path.

One by one, another conscious poured into the connection the pack was linked with. Their thoughts ran through our heads as Seth and I ran on.

Yes! A fight!

Finally, some action!

What if it's a Cullen?

The Cullen's know better than to trespass on our land without permission. It has to be a rogue!

Kill, kill, kill!

They continued on as such, in dispute about which position movements would make the fight easier for all of us. Most of them were leagues behind Seth and I, some even stayed behind being ordered by Sam to spread out and make sure the bloodsucker didn't get past our defenses.

The scent grew stronger as we got closer to our target. Closing in on our prey with ease. We slowed, avoiding all sound that could give us away as we closed the distance between us. Seth was practically jumping with excitement beside me, his fur standing on end and his ears flattening against his head as the smell reached his own nostrils. We walked a little further and our keen ears picked up the sound of the leech. It was out of our sight range, hidden behind an old tree. The trunk of the ancient tree was approximately two feet in diameter and I inched forward. The wolf's nerves wanted to fight, to attack without pause. I shot Seth a glance and warned him with my thoughts to get behind me and to watch my back.

I peeked around the tree; thankful the parasite's back was turned. I wrinkled my nose as another wave of the fragrance hit me. Yep, definitely a bloodsucker. It was simple to tell the creature was male. His back was strong and straight, though he was standing over a dead deer, wiping the back of his wrist across his mouth. At the base of the deer's neck was a small incision, where the parasite's deadly sharp teeth had penetrated the skin and flesh. I restrained from gagging at the image; the scene was so repulsively wrong in so many ways. The deer's now never-ending expression was one of fear and confusion and I instantly felt compassion for the lost life. Poor creature, its life was extinguished without so much a second thought.

What are you waiting for, Leah? Finish it! Sam's angry snarl vibrated louder and fiercer than any of the other frustrated thoughts pulsating inside my head. His command was final and even miles away, his bright gold eyes locked with mine. They were wide with anger, annoyed with my sympathy for a life that no longer mattered, maybe never did. I didn't want to disappoint him again, not like I always did. I didn't want them to think me weak because of my size. I was capable of killing . . . and I would should them just how wrong their opinions of me were.

I did not look back to see Seth's anxious gaze, I didn't think about the deed, I let the vital killing instincts take over my sense of thought and feeling. Let the mighty beast inside me decide what my next move would be. This is what we did, why we were here. I hated vampires for the sake of humanity, for my family. This killer, this murder, would have his life ended just like he slaughtered his innocent victims. Without all the vile blood drinking, I added as in afterthought.

I did not even second-guess the decision before I was racing, lunging for the creature's throat.

Ohhhhhh, cliffhanger! Muahahahahahahahahahahahhhh chokes and coughs uh, well, anywayyyy…. Review!! Please!! :D