Jacob turned the crinkly page of the ancient journal and read on, his eyes barely noticing the passing words before he joined the mindspace of his grandfather. Ephraim's life was as vivid in Jacob's mind as his own, as though he was there beside him in the same place, but a different time.

June 10, 1898

Quil is a good wolf. He is anxious to please and a fast learner. I am amazed at his control, but he has nothing on Levi's speed. We learned the cold one (or vampire as they call themselves) we burned in Port Angeles was not alone. It is a good thing there are three wolves in our pack.

Levi and I took turns training Quil. He didn't need much help with phasing, but he couldn't run a straight line to save his life. Perhaps it was because he is so jovial, always making jokes and teasing. He loves to jump half way up a tree with his hind legs and change direction every few yards. So much energy.

I had been trying to get to know the tribe better, memorizing what people's favorite foods are and who had a problem with someone else. It all hurt my brain a little. I preferred to just watch from the outside, but I couldn't really protect that way.

I loved showing Quil the shortcut we made through the woods to Port Angeles. Running took a lot less time than canoeing but of course we couldn't bring anything back with us. It was no good for getting supplies.

Today I was showing Quil how to strip and phase at the same time when I smelled it. The day had started off foggy, but the cold fingers of the thick wet air had all left by lunchtime. The air was dry and quiet and we could smell for a mile or more.

"What is that stench?" asked Quil. I motioned with my head for him to get into his wolf form so I could answer his question.

That is the sharp sweetness of a vampire. Two in fact. I let out a quick howl. If there were two, we were going to need Levi's help.

I can handle one on my own, Quil whined.

No, I prefer to stack the odds in our favor.

Oh I know, that is why I never let you deal the cards for 5-Card Draw, Quil joked.

We felt the familiar shimmer in mindspace as Levi joined us. Did we pull you away from anything?

Nah, the judge is allowed to take an hour recess whenever he wants. Where are you guys? It had been a while since Levi had done this and he felt anxious for some ashes. He joined us as we sniffed the air, trying to determine where they were coming from. They seemed to be coming from Port Angeles- on my shortcut trail. When they were a half mile away, we could hear them talking.

"Do you still have the trail?" a melodic female voice asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely," another female voice responded. "And it is getting stronger. They might be nearby."

"How did a dog kill Jeter?"

"I didn't say it was a dog. I said it smelled like a dog. Maybe a wolf?"

"Still, a wolf can't really kill us either. Are you sure? Maybe he just got bored with us and left." The second one seemed unsure of herself.

"No, I know a burnt vampire when I smell it. Someone not only killed him but knew how to dispose of the body too and we are going to find out who. The smell definitely came this way."

They are almost here, I thought. Levi, do you want to handle one on your own or are you rusty?

I am not made of iron, Ephraim. I have not forgotten how to do this.

Alright, then. You stay here, Quil and I will head off to the left and come at them from the other side.

Attacking from the sides was always safer. Harder to get bit if you attacked only from the sides or back.

We ran quickly, but still the cold ones seemed to notice something was up.

"There is something big moving up ahead. Two somethings. I can hear the crashing." The second cold one had good ears.

"Oh yeah, I smell it. Definitely what we have been following. How big do you think they are?" the first one wondered.

"250, 300 pounds easy."

"That's a big dog."

Are you guys in position yet? Levi was getting nervous as the cold ones approached. I could see them with his eyes through the tree trunks.

They both had long curly brown ringlets framing their faces, with their hair pulled up in the back. One was taller by a few inches and was wearing a pink and red dress that looked like a cake I had seen in the bakery in Port Angeles: pink and fluffy down to the ground. The cold one I was approaching wore a fancy blue flowered dress, soft and silky. Odd choices for the forest certainly. Perhaps they thought they could make quick work of whatever "dogs" they thought they were following and return to the fancy life they were used to living.

Their long white gloves and full length dresses left only the space between their elbows and sleeves exposed. The sun streamed in between the trees and for a moment it seemed as though their skin sparkled like the ocean on a sunny day. Blinding. They were beautiful to look at and their clothes made them look like images from a catalog the clothing store owner in Port Angeles was always showing the customers.

Sure, sure. We are ready, Quil answered.

I stepped it up for a quick second to flip myself to their rear. With three of us, it made sense to attack from three sides.

Remember, go for the arms and avoid the teeth. In a different situation, Quil would have laughed at that. Obvious was always funny, I thought. Today he just repeated it to himself.

Go for the arms. Avoid the teeth. Right.

Count of three….two…. one.

We leaped out of our hiding places at the same time, but the cold ones knew we were close and the one in blue turned around to meet me face on. She hissed and caught me midair just as Quil reached her side and yanked her left arm off, ripping her dress into thin lacey strips in the process.

"Lynn, run!" my cold one yelled out, not realizing that her friend had a wolf of her own to deal with. Levi had pushed the other, 'Lynn,' to the ground, had ripped one arm off and was about to rip off the other one.

"Lisa! What are these? Aaaaaah," the one called Lynn started to scream. I could tell in an instant Levi was taking care of her. I turned my attention back to 'Lisa' who was putting up quite a fight. I did not really like knowing they had names. She held me tight with one arm and threw me against the ground. She turned her attention toward Quil. Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck she threw him one-handed against a tree and I heard the terrifying sound of breaking bones. I launched myself at her again but she could tell I was coming and kicked me hard in the gut. High-heeled shoes hurt. I could feel warm blood stream out of a gash on my furry stomach.

"Sister!" Lisa yelled and lunged toward the pile of red cloth and white body parts. Only the trunk clothed in pink and red remained. "Lynn!"

Her distraction was all that Levi and I needed. I launched myself onto her back and Levi bit at her head. I yanked off her remaining arm and legs while he scratched at her back and head, trying to stop the screaming. I noticed the head belonging to Lynn had gotten detached, too. Their yells really seemed to bother Levi.

Well, yeah. I wish all cold ones were male. Easier to fight men than women. I could see his thoughts of his wife holding their two young sons.

I phased back to avoid his sentimental thoughts and pulled out the package of Flexies. I never left home without them. I quickly made a fire and nodded at Levi to start gathering the pieces. The silk of their dresses sparked and twisted in the flames. I rushed over to Quil. He did not respond to my calls.

You have to get up, I begged in the hollow of my human mind. Please. Open your eyes.

I heard a rustling behind me as Levi regained his human form and got dressed. "We need to carry him back closer to the village. Maybe your father knows how to wake him."

"No," I replied, "I don't think we should wake him. His bones are probably healing right now. I bet he will wake up when that is done. I will stay here with him until he does."

Levi jogged off back to his judging duties and I sat on a fallen trunk near Quil to watch the cold ones go up in smoke. And to do my duty for Quil. The flames soon consumed the silk, skin and bones while thick purple smoke reached the clouds. I watched Quil's chest rise and fall with each breath. The forest was too quiet, each bird and rabbit seemed to freeze with me, waiting to see when Quil would recover. The silence drove me crazy until finally, I stripped down and changed form.

Quil, are you there? I listened hard, hoping for his answer. I saw in his mind a golden eagle flying high above the spruce and hemlock trees. Sometimes he could see the bird and sometimes he was the bird.

Ephraim, look, I can phase into an eagle too. So beautiful up here.

I considered trying to tell him it was a dream. Even though he was not awake, he could hear my thoughts.

No, it can't be a dream. It is too real. Can't you feel the wind? The wet clouds?

Quil. It is a dream. You got hurt by a cold one and now you are on the ground healing. You will wake up again soon.

This was terribly disappointing to him. He decided to ignore me and hoped I would go away. Assured that he was alive at least, I phased back and sat back on the trunk, watching Quil breathe and hoping he would heal soon.

For two days I sat by his side. Levi came out with some food and volunteered to run the edges of our land. He told my Father where I was. He also told Quil's family that the two of us decided to go on a hunting trip. I was free to just sit and watch the wolf form of an eighteen-year-old kid injured while I was in charge. Guilt had been a companion of mine before, but this was different. I thought of all the ways this was literally my fault. The "vampires" as they called themselves had followed my shortcut trail here. They were looking for us because I had killed their friend. Quil was injured because I told him to help us instead of watching us this time. I knew it would get worse if he didn't wake up.

I began to pray in my mind. I prayed to the power that I could not understand but that seemed to control things. I prayed to the Shaker God the preacher and Mr. Smith talked about in school. I prayed to Dokibatt who created the first man out of a wolf. I received only silence back and the steady breathing of the wolf boy at my side.

At the end of the second day, Quil stirred, kicking his leg slightly. Then he opened his eyes.

"Welcome back," I said out loud.

He barked slightly and began to shake and then shift into his human form. He slipped into his pants.

"I had some weird dreams. I was an eagle and a salmon and an elk and then a bear. I thought it was real," Quil said with a shake of his head. "And you were there, always as a wolf and you kept saying, 'you are not an eagle. You are not a salmon.' You were like the tide: always coming back to the same thing."

I smiled. "Good to have you back Quil."

I walked him back to his parents' home. They invited me in and I explained that he had hit his head pretty hard while we were hunting and he should probably take it easy for a few days. He looked betrayed, but knew I could force him to slow down if I had to, so he chose to say nothing. Maggie was staring at me from the moment we stepped in until I turned to go.

"Mother, I am going to walk with Ephraim for a little while," she said as she stood and joined me at the door. Once we were outside and beyond the earshot of her parents, she continued, "You weren't hunting animals were you?" I didn't have to answer. "Did he really hit his head?"

"Yes, and his spine was broken on a tree he was thrown against. He dreamt for two days." Two children ran past us, chasing each other all the way down to the ocean's edge. We had to be vague. Her questions made my guilt worse. "There were two of them," I explained, making excuses for myself.

She stopped my description by putting a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for bringing him home."

I felt calm and forgiven. Maggie turned and I watched her trudge through the sand and beach grass back to her home.