Esme's Turn.
Esme P.O.V
Together, my family darted through the backyard, and bounded over the silver kissed river. The air blew gently - for us Vampire's - against my face, as my limbs leapt, my hair tangled around me. Carlisle, as graceful as ever touched down beside me, on the other side of the river. Up in front, I saw Rosalie's blonde hair blowing this way and that as we began our journey through the Forest. Jasper and Alice next were next to Rose, Alice looking like she was soaring rather than bounding. I smiled slightly, she always did manage to have that dancer quality. Then there was Emmett, right in the lead, I rolled my eyes smiling wider, a second ago, he was last out the door.
We stormed through the living green puzzle, the mist, the cool air, the mossy grass, all welcomed us. Carlisle and I were not behind anymore, we all flew in a straight line, deeper and deeper into the mouth of the forest, where the ground became slightly uneven, not that it affected a Vampire's run.
The forest was much more alive today, than on other days we'd hunted. Little animals ducked in fear, tree twigs snapped, leaves flew up in a heap as small birds took off.
We came to a stop, each one of us stopping next to the other. Every sound imaginable whispered around us, like a quiet calling. I gazed at my family...and then did a double take and gazed at Renesmee...Edward and Renesmee.
The last time I saw her, she was in Bella's arms, but now she sat over Edward's shoulders... Something in that little scene triggered a feeling...an aching in my heart, if it was still beating.
Renesmee's little milk hands gently sat on either side of his face and her little fingertips were lost in his bronze hair. His arms held her so she wouldn't fall, not that he didn't have the reflexes to catch her. Her big brown eyes looked around in curiosity. It was so genuine, so natural, something a father did with his child. Forget carriers, cradles, let's do it the old fashioned way. I smiled warmly.
As if hearing me, though I knew he could regardless, Edward, my son, smiled up at his porcelain daughter and Renesmee grinned at him, leaning forward into his face.
Suddenly I felt a very overpowering emotion of love for them, but also the unresolved feelings of longing. Feelings I thought I'd surpassed, but the loss of a child, how could anyone surpass that?
I was never going to put my little baby over my shoulders and mirror Edward's image, or the feelings the gesture brought. I was never going to watch him grow up...
"Let's split up," Emmett suggested, his bellowing voice being the voice of authority now. A smile played on his lips. "Make things more interesting."
"Hide and go seek?" Renesmee asked, curiosity flooding her innocent voice.
Rosalie grinned next to Emmett, her full attention on Renesmee...I wondered if Rosalie sometimes felt what I was feeling now, or thought about it.
Emmett gave a throaty laugh at his little niece. "Whatever you say little lady," his grin widened.
"Yeah, Emmett will play hide and seek with you, after we hunt and not in the forest, you think I want her lost?" Bella said first speaking to Renesmee and then turning to Emmett. She spoke like a true, caring and slightly anxious mother. Not that anything would have happened to Renesmee with us Vampires around to protect her, but the forest seemed like a huge wide world for a little child, despite this child being extra special.
Emmett sighed. "Fine, but we're still splitting, you never know who you might scare."
"Clearly not Alice, seeing as she'd see you," Rosalie mocked.
"Or Edward, seeing as he'd hear you," Carlisle continued.
I smiled at Emmett. "Emmett, I doubt you could scare Bella that easily..." I folded my arms across my chest, before giving him a stern look.
Emmett winked at Bella. "We'll have to wait and see."
Without another word of warning, he took off and disappeared into the mist.
"Jealousy will only get you so far," Edward mused before turning to Bella with a smile. "Do me a favour and arm wrestle with him later, might bruise his ego a little more."
We all laughed before going to take off in different directions. It might be fun to do this, considering we all usually hunted at different times anyway, but now, we'd be together inside this huge forest, yet completely separate, like we were in a leafy maze.
"Renesmee..." I heard Edward call softly. I watched him pull her into his arms, her big brown eyes looking up at him intently. He smiled watching her. "Why don't you go with your grandmother," he glanced at me and smiled slightly crooked before turning back to her. "She'll tell you all about the forest and it's creatures," he told her gently before setting her on her feet.
I smiled up at him, and if I could've teared up, I would have. As it was I could barely reply with a thank you. I knew what he was doing...He was giving me, my turn.
Renesmee fluttered over to me and I scooped her up into my arms, as Bella and Edward linked hands and took off like the speed of light. Quickly followed by the others.
Carlisle smiled at me, as my satisfied grin told him that, holding my granddaughter was something I would never get used to.
He kissed my forehead and then Renesmee's. "I think I might go try and scare Emmett."
I smiled before watching him twink off into the distance. I turned to Renesmee and pet her long bronze curls. "Are you ready little one?"
She nodded with a knowing smile.
"How about we take a little walk?" I asked enthused, the idea of it pleased me greatly.
"Ok," she replied sweetly before stroking the back of her hand against my cheek like a soft caress. However, this caress came with a picture. Renesmee and I, hand in hand, strolling through the forest.
I smiled putting her down before bending to her level and placing my forehead against hers. "How about this?" I crouched down. "Climb behind me sweetie," I instructed gently.
She climbed up on me and I whipped us up, with her over my shoulders. At that very moment when I stood, the wind wrapped around us and the feeling of her over my shoulders was wonderful. It was exhilarating, her tiny hands wrapped around my neck for support. Her total reliance was on me.
I laughed at the thrill of it. Finally, I felt that reliance and love, and dependence. She was mine, and only mine in this small act.
"Are you ready?" I asked tilting my head up.
"Uh, huh," she replied in her soft yet high shimmering voice, looking down briefly.
The two of us melted into the pool of green. The leaves brushed against our shoulders. I pointed out the many scurrying animals that both Renesmee and I heard with our super-sensitive hearing. I walked with her to the edge of the forest and the view was spectacular. The high mountains bordered the forest, and Renesmee and I were both small silhouettes against the scenery.
"Why is the sky sometimes blue and sometimes gray grandma?" Renesmee asked thoughtfully.
I smiled, such a common question, with a subtle difference. A child was more likely to ask. "Why is the sky blue?", but Renesmee was advanced, and it was easy to forget she was only a little child. "Because the weather changes Nessie, sometimes when it's not so cloudy, the sky is more likely to be blue, but usually it's just grey."
"Do the leaves change colour too?" she asked, making the word 'too' sound like some exotic word.
"Yes, actually, in the Autumn time, the leaves turn golden, or brown, before drifting off the trees themselves, but not so much in the forest..."
"Why do the animals run away?"
"Out of fear."
"Where do they go?"
"In their special hiding places, in the trees, the ground, and if they're birds then the tree tops of the sky," I informed.
And that's how it went. Renesmee and I conversed, with her questioning and me answering, and that's when I realised that Edward had heard Renesmee's thoughts and curiosities before she voiced them and was giving me the chance to answer them, and share this moment with her. Our voices were whispers on the wind, as the clouds crept through the green leaves rustling in the light breeze. I carried Renesmee over my shoulders for a long while. Just basking in the beauty of everything that was beautiful surrounding us...but mostly basking in her. The warmth and the love she brought.
Finally I pulled her down and she took my hand. "Are you ready to hunt with the others?"
She shook her head. "Show me how you hunt," she insisted.
I held her hand secure in mine and smile widely at her. "Ok, let's show them how it's done!" With one small step we were both bolting through the trees at inhuman speed.
The wind blew against our faces in a small caress, our feet pounded in unison, as soft as a gentle tapping. Soon enough, we both smelt a strong, almost fiery warm smell. Lower and lower into the meadows. Antler points just visible as we kept our running light. Three stags.
Together we coiled back before springing forward and using the element of surprise to take down the stags, one by one.
After we had finished draining the stags of their blood, Renesmee - her pink dress had not a spot on it - took my hand in hers.
"Why do the mountain lion smell nicer than the deer?"
"Because the deer are herbivores, they don't eat meat like the mountain lions do," I told swinging my hand back and forth with hers, as we strolled together up to the creek which wasn't far.
The scent of fresh water wasn't very appealing, thirsty or not, but the sound of rippling water was appealing. The water flowed gently down the stream and pebbles sparkled as the water washed over them. I sat Renesmee on my lap and held her close.
She sighed and leaned her head against my chest.
"Out of questions?" I asked her amused.
She nodded.
"I have one for you," I told her.
"What is it?" she asked eagerly, her cheek resting against my face as she turned her head.
I smiled. "Will you take a walk with me again soon. Just the two of us in this endless forest?"
She nodded. "Yes, but Grandma, what is endless?"
"Endless?" I repeated trying to come up with a meaning for it that was simple. Then I found it. "Endless is how much I love you, Renesmee. That is endless because it will never stop, never end...it's endless."
And that was definitely a grandmother's reply to her grandchild.
She smiled. "I love you too. Forever."
And there was the other word. Forever. Both had the same meaning, and in that moment, both were beautiful. I kissed her cheek gently. The fuzzy and warm feelings flooded through me, and as I held Renesmee in my arms, I realised that, it was never going to be easy to forget the loss of a child, but Renesmee reminded me that fate comes in mysterious ways, and the love she brought was like sunshine on a rainy day...She had just given me the most precious gift. Endless love.
Off in the distance, I could make out Edward and Bella's figures emerging through the forest mist.
And just like that, I had, had my turn.