We're back! Let's get on with it, shall we?

"Vampire," I choked out, feeling the word stick uncomfortably in my throat. I tried to clear it, but, of course, there was nothing physically in my throat to clear, so my efforts were useless. I raised my hand to my neck, allowing my thumb to gently graze my esophagus through my diamond-like (I hadn't actually seen my own neck, but I assumed it had taken on the same texture as my arm, and was therefore diamond-like) skin. No longer distracted by the scents and sights around me, I noticed a dry sort of feeling in my throat that was more unpleasant than anything I had ever felt before, and a burning sensation that was similar to a white-hot branding iron being shoved into my mouth and down my throat. Again, I tried to swallow, but it only seemed to ignite the flames licking my insides, and I looked to Jacob for help.

He'd taken several steps away from me, watching me warily with his arms raised in a defensive sort of way, as though he were afraid I was some sort of threat to him. "Are you okay, Bella?" He asked me, his tone forcibly calm, in direct contrast with the constant shaking that seemed to have taken control of his body.

"It hurts," I whispered pitifully, clutching my throat with one hand and digging my fingers into the soil with the other. The cool dirt calmed me slightly, though it did nothing to assuage the fire in my throat, it reminded me that there was something other than the flames. I dug my fingers deeper.

"She's thirsty," a new, commanding voice said flatly.

I looked up in shock to see a new man – his skin was dark, like Jacob's, and he was dressed in nothing but a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips and emphasized his defined abdominal muscles. Like Jacob, this man was abnormally tall and large, like a body-builder. Each of his muscles was bunched and tense underneath his skin, and he stayed further away than Jacob, eyeing me with distrust, his lips curling slightly in what I could only assume was hatred. But where had he come from? "The burn, it's the the thirst. She needs to feed." He said to Jacob, without taking his dark gaze off of me.

My eyes widened in fear and I looked to Jacob. "I don't want to feed!" I wailed, my emotions getting away from me. "I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The newcomer seemed slightly calmed by my outburst, which seemed odd to me, but he finally took his eyes off of me and looked to Jacob. "Take her. Find her something to eat, and then bring her to the Cullen house. We'll meet you there and discuss this…development." His serious gaze locked with my frightened one again, and he seemed to think for a moment before speaking again. "Take Embry with you. If she gets out of control, you'll need someone less attached."

Someone less attached?

Oh.

Oh.

Jacob stepped forward and offered me a shaking hand, which I hesitantly took.

It was like touching my fingers to a burning stove top (though for the life of me, I didn't know where my brain had come up with the comparison) and I hissed and snatched my hand away immediately, examining it for any scorch marks. I looked up at Jacob cluelessly, and saw him smile somewhat sadly at me, but he made no effort to explain, simply leaving his hand extended to me. I reached out and took it again, hissing when our skin connected, but allowing him to gently pull me to my feet. The wolves that stood behind the newcomer backed away slowly, their lips all pulling into identical snarls.

I took a large step away from them, my eyes widening with fear and going to Jacob for help.

"They won't hurt you," he promised somewhat tensely. "Just keep your distance, and they'll do the same."

I swallowed and nodded jerkily, unable to find any words to defend myself. After all, if I was a vampire (murderer, killer, monster, vampire, vampire, vampire) then they were right to be afraid of me, to be wary.

A grey wolf with black spots stepped forward, coming around to Jacob's side and eyeing me carefully, his lips pulled back distrustfully, but not in the same aggressive, hateful snarl the rest of the pack seemed to wear. His ears were flattened against his skull, his muscles tensed, and he looked to Jacob, who nodded, before looking back to me.

"Bella," Jacob said carefully, "this is Embry."

Naming wolves seemed an odd practice, but I looked carefully at the wolf. "Hi, Embry," I said carefully, and the wolf cocked his head and regarded me carefully.

"Bella," Jacob said, tearing my attention away from the very strange wolf, "I'm going to change now…" he hesitated.

I looked down at his grey sweatpants and then back up to his face, a small smile on my face. "Change?" I repeated.

My smile seemed to spark a change in Jacob, whose eyes focused on my lips for a few extra seconds before he looked back up to my eyes and smiled back, and though it was slightly hesitant, it was real, which made my smile widen in return. For a few moments, we simply smiled at each other, until Embry let out a whuff that sounded distinctly amused.

Jacob shook his head slightly and then went back to his explanation. "I'm going to change…into a wolf. And I need you not to panic."

For a moment, I stared blankly at him. He was going to change. Into a wolf. I looked to Embry, who was watching the exchange with a twinkle of humour is his dark eye that seemed almost too human.

I wanted to argue, or to laugh, or tell him to stop messing with me, but then, if I was a vampire, why shouldn't Jacob turn into a wolf? My world was obviously not as simple as my less-than-accurate memory was supposing it should be.

"You're…a werewolf?" I asked hesitantly, internally begging him to laugh at me.

"Um…" Jacob looked down at his bare feet and then back up to me, watching me carefully, though for what, I wasn't sure. "Yes."

I swallowed. "Wow. Um…okay." I nodded, my head bopping up and down unnaturally fast. "Go ahead. By all means, turn into a wolf. I promise I won't panic."

Jacob nodded, seemingly as uncomfortable as me. "Great. I was wondering if you'd, ah, take my sweatpants…afterward." I stared at him blankly for a moment, and he fidgeted uncomfortably. "It's just that…the change…when I…"

"Change into a wolf," I inserted helpfully, with a small smirk that seemed to ease his nerves slightly.

"Change into a wolf," he agreed with a small smile, "if I do it with clothes on, they kind of get torn to shreds, so it's easier if I'm not wearing anything, and then…you know…change."

"Oh," my eyes widened. "Are you going to…"

His eyes snapped open and he stumbled over his answer, "No! No, no! No, I'm going to go behind…" he swallowed uncomfortably, "I'll go out of sight and change, and then you can carry my pants, so that when we get to where we're going, I can change back, and, you know, not be…" he gestured wildly with his hands, obviously not wanting to say the word.

A small smile grew on my face, and I nodded. He pressed his lips together and nodded, turning and jogging until he was out of sight.

The wolf called Embry sat back on his haunches, watching with a cocked head. His ears were no longer pressed back against his head, and his expression was significantly friendlier than before. "I bet you thought that was pretty funny, huh?" I asked quietly, watching him with a hesitant smile. His tail wagged twice and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, hanging comically out the side of his muzzle. Rather than the intimidating wolf who'd been watching me tensely before, he looked more like a big, friendly, dog, and my smile widened, though I kept in mind what Jacob had said and kept my distance, enjoying the strange sort of comradery with Embry.

I heard Jacob before I saw him, but my eyes still widened when he rejoined us in the small clearing.

He was much larger than Embry, and significantly more bulky. Whereas Embry appeared somewhat narrow and aerodynamic (I could imagine he was very fast), Jacob was heavily muscled, visible even beneath his shaggy, russet-coloured coat, and stood several feet taller than Embry, and even myself. He was by far the largest animal that had ever been this close to me, with the exception of the black wolf that had first appeared. Between his massive jaws hung Jacob's pants, and without thinking, I swiftly moved to take them from him.

My speed must have caught the two wolves off guard, because in an instant, Embry was on his feet, his friendly expression replaced with an angry snarl and his muscles ready to pounce. Jacob watched me carefully, though I could see that he, too, had tensed.

"Sorry," I whispered apologetically, looking down at my feet and wondering how on earth I had moved so quickly. Hesitantly, I put out my hand, palm up and shaking slightly, and allowed Jacob to move forward and drop the cotton pants into my waiting hand. Once I had them, both of us stepped away rather quickly, and I swallowed thickly before folding the pants so that I could easily carry them with one hand.

Jacob and Embry exchanged a glance before Jacob looked back at me and jerked his head toward the forest, the universal sign for follow me. I nodded, and the two wolves took off, not noticing my gaping expression.

How was I supposed to follow them?

With a deep breath and a shake of my shoulders, I began to run.

There was no possible way to describe the feeling of running. I was certain that I had never run at this speed before, because there was no way I could ever forget the feeling that seemed so like flying – my feet seemed to barely graze the ground as I moved, and my hair blew out behind me, tangling perhaps even more than it had already been. The air was cool as it hit my face, and my though brain told me that it should have been painful, like stinging and pressure, but it was undeniably pleasant and cool, like mild breeze. I knew I was moving incredibly fast, but my sensitive eyes took in every branch, every stray leaf, every twig, and I knew there was no danger of crashing into anything, regardless of the impressive speed I was managing. Within seconds I had caught the scent of the wolves, and I was on their tails, following as they lead me away from the other wolves and from any lingering scent of human activity.

Though their takeoff had been sudden and thunderous, the results of their massive, muscled bodies pushing off simultaneously had caused deep vibrations in the ground, their run was nearly silent, and like me, I knew that their paws must be just barely touching the ground as they launched themselves forward at break-neck speeds. Instinctively, I understood that these wolves must be perfect hunting machines; so long as they stayed downwind, no one would hear them running.

After a few minutes of running, the wolves slowed, and I matched their speed, stopping only when they had stopped. I was left feeling exhilarated and breathless, though from excitement rather than from fatigue, and I knew my eyes were bright and shining. With a wide grin on my face, I stepped forward and held Jacob's pants out to him, and I could see amusement in his large, dark eyes when he reached forward and gently took the material into his massive teeth. He turned and jogged off, a distinct pounce in his step. Embry watched me carefully, staying put, and his nose twitched in what I assumed was amusement when he saw the look on my face.

Jacob was back a few moments later, in his human form, sweatpants low on his hips. Though he looked like a man, the wet-dog scent lingered, and I knew it wasn't just because Embry had stayed in his wolf-shape. It seemed that even as a human, Jacob carried the unpleasant smell. "Okay, I'm back." He announced unnecessarily.

"Yes, I see that," I said, amused. "What now?" I asked, looking around and then back to Jacob and Embry.

"Hunting." Jacob said simply, and I felt dread in my stomach and my face dropped visibly, because Jacob chuckled. "We'll be nearby to keep an eye on you, don't worry."

"But how do I do it?" I asked quietly, looking at both of them for help. Embry looked away, his ears flat against his skull once more, and Jacob looked extremely uncomfortable, refusing to meet my gaze and shuffling his feet.

"I don't know, Bella, I've never hunted with a vampire," he said, somewhat sharply. "All I can tell you is to maybe trust your instincts. You're not human anymore. Your body will probably know what to do."

I swallowed thickly, looking at them both before letting out a deep sigh.

Hunting. I had to hunt. I had to kill a living, breathing creature.

And drink its blood.

My throat began to burn once more, and I closed my eyes tightly, wondering if there was any way I could ignore the sensation and not kill anything. Though my heart hoped for this, my mind scolded me, telling me that if I didn't hunt now, under Jacob and Embry's supervision, away from humans, I might attack someone. A living, breathing, human being.

With parents.

And grandparents.

Possibly siblings, or children.

"When you're done, come back here and sit down, like you were before, alright?" Jacob said sternly. "That way we'll know it's safe to come near you again and we can sort out what we need to do next."

"Okay," I said, knowing I sounded like a petulant child. Jacob nodded tensely and took off again, presumably to change out of his pants and return to his wolf-state so that he and Embry could track her as she hunted. I looked to Embry, who was watching me through narrowed eyes. He nodded his muzzle towards the forest, obviously telling me to get on with my business, before he took off, leaving me alone, presumably not to distract me with the heavy scent of wet-dog.

I moved away from the spot where their scents lingered that I could pick out any other smell, my heart heavy in my chest as I tried to pick out heartbeats that didn't belong to the two wolves.

I inhaled deeply, taking in the earthy scents of the forest and the sharpness of the greenery. I allowed my mind to calm as much as I could and reached out, searching for the scent of a living creature, or the beat of their heart, trying not to let myself think beyond that (and hoping that not every beast smelled as foul as the wolves). I wrinkled my nose at the stench of a nearby pile of dung, and twitched slightly when a squirrel scurried up a tree.

Suddenly, the sound of grass being torn from its roots combined with the flutter of several heartbeats alerted me to the presence of a new creature. The scent of the blood that ran through their veins called to me, significantly more pleasant than the scent of wet-dog, it still seemed too earthy to really be considered food, but it was blood, and it wasn't human, so it was better than nothing.

I took off at a run, moving towards the herd, and myself downwind of a her of five deer. The antlers told me which were male and which were female, and I zeroed in on the male, marking him as my first target.

My attack was swift – the stag never heard me coming – my fingers found their way to the poor beast's head and I twisted sharply, breaking the creature's neck so that it felt no pain when my teeth latched onto the artery at the base of its neck. My teeth cut through the flesh as though it were nothing – giving way as easily as paper would under a pair of sharp scissors – and I found my mark, the warm liquid bursting from the severed artery into my mouth, hitting my tongue and falling easily down my throat. It assuaged the burn in my throat, putting out the flames that licked and charred and hurt. When there was nothing left in the creature's veins, I let it fall to my feet, backing away with wide eyes. I looked down to see blood covering my shirt, dripping down to my jeans and staining the material. I brought a shaking hand to my lips and pulled it away, seeing the leftover liquid covering my palm.

I was an absolute mess.

"Jacob?" I squeaked plaintively, looking around for any sign of the large wolf.

He emerged from where he'd been hiding, massive and intimidating, and took me in, from my horrified expression to my blood-covered clothes, and let out a huff before trotting down to meet me. He butted my shoulder with his large head and fixed me with an apologetic stare, as if to say you did what you needed to do. I stifled a sob and Jacob let out another huff of air, moving away and digging a hole, which I could only imagine was to a be grave for my kill. Once Jacob had finished digging, I picked up the cold, empty body, and carefully placed it inside, then helped him replace the soil.

I massaged my throat once more and knew that the buck hadn't been sufficient – I would need to hunt more. "I don't think I'm done," I whispered.

Jacob nodded and turned, leaving me alone once more.

The herd of deer were gone, having scattered after my attack on the male, so I cleared my mind once more and gave myself over to my instincts, just as I had to find the herd the first time.

A new beating heart caught my attention, and I was off once more.

How did we enjoy chapter two?

Thank you to TwilightWallflower, charlize-barnes, Matthias L. Stormcrow, jansails, viola1701e, Twisted Musalih, Suzy-chapstick, and 3 guests for leaving kind words!

Please remember to leave a review to tell me what you thought. I'm always open to suggestions, ideas, comments, and criticisms, and love hearing what you guys have to say.

Planning for my next update to be Friday, so stay tuned!