So...I've just realized how much this is deviating from the actual story-line. I might have to start making original enemies and conflicts. How lovely. In other news, I'm still neglecting my main account. Also, sorry that this story isn't as polished grammatically as my normal content, I hope this chapter represents a change in that.

Why do some people fav but not follow? Is this a thing?

This is in no way intended to be an accurate portrayal of Native culture. I like realism, just not enough to get a degree in human geography and cultures.

Announcement of new feature. Quotes are now being added for dramatic flair and to describe the situation Natalie finds herself it...mainly for dramatics though. Also, no, my vampires DO NOT sparkle. I'll explain the sun and it's affect next chapter. If anyone is wondering why that...feature of Twilight has yet to be addressed.

I did not forget about Victoria, James, and that black vampire. Do not worry. c;

Disclaimer: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I would really appreciate reviews on this one.

"Never enough!

Who I am is not good enough!

Never enough. Who I am!" - Starset, 'Carnivore'

Just A Nomad

It was time to face my fate, be it death or expulsion. I wasn't under the delusion that they would accept me, that was laughable at best. Why would the heads of this 'anti-vampire' ideology even seriously consider taking one in as their own?

The answer is simple, they wouldn't.

However, Sam did a double take as we were about to leave this overly cramped upstairs. About time he noticed my improved physical state.

"Did Swan give you blood?"

"Define 'give'."

His face turned dark and before I knew it he was on me, lifting my much shorter frame up by my dirty and ruined shirt so I could see his furious eyes. Okay, being a smart ass and saying that was not the smartest thing, especially when that could be taken as me forcing her to give me blood.

"Look here, leech, you're Leah's imprint, and you now have a responsibility to her. You can make or break her, and I will not let you break her, so cut the shit and take this seriously."

A sudden anger filled me, one I wasn't sure was my own, and it fueled my response.

"I don't owe you or her anything. Do you think for a second that any of this I wanted? I didn't want to come here, I didn't want to stay, and I sure didn't want to be rejected by my mate. So get off your high-horse, Leah's hurt me more than you'll ever be able to."

Stinging words, but none could be truer. Leah had hurt me, she continued to, and she always will. For him to act like I owed these people something...that was just far too stupid for me to tolerate. I didn't owe them anything, nor did I have some kind of responsibility, it was all just a pile of bull.

He didn't seem to agree.

"I don't care what you want! I care that you're causing Leah pain, and it's your duty as imprintee to fix it."

"I'm not the one rejecting people; Leah has only herself to blame."

"You ungrateful little bast-"

"Sam, drop it. Please."

And now Leah had the audacity to act all hurt and conflicted. Are you kidding me? She made her thoughts perfectly clear no more than an hour ago, and now that I told the truth, the truth that she knew, she suddenly got all clammy?

I loved the woman, but damnit did she ever piss me off with that. Either accept or reject, I was not about to play lost puppy as she juggled her options. For one that was just degrading, and two I didn't want a pity relationship. I wanted one based in reality, not some contrived sense of duty or morality.

I...I just wanted to be legitimately wanted, was that so hard to ask?

At least her little fit had gotten Sam to lay off, Jacob look really conflicted about the whole thing. At least he got it, or at least seemed to. He wasn't the brightest one, if I recall correctly, but an overall good guy. Not that that meant anything, some of the nicest people on the planet are some of the dumbest ones.

I might be being needlessly aggressive in my thoughts, as well as more than a little bitter, but at least I was good at hiding it. I am not liking this new emotional side of me, one that seemed to spawn the moment I got imprinted on.

...

I'm going to have to look into that. If this mating changed brain chemistry then maybe I coul-

"Natalie, time to come outa lala land and get a move on."

So maybe Jacob isn't as nice as Bella made him out to be. That or I'm overly sensitive to banter at the moment. Without acknowledging the shifter teen I moved passed him and followed after Sam and Leah, who had apparently stormed out not more than a second ago.

"So, what ya want in this meeting?"

Conversation? Really? Fine.

"I want to end this charade for the farce it is. I already know what the answer is, you should too."

"Maybe, but, that wasn't what I asked."

Did doggy have a brain? Okay, yea, I'm more than a little miffed right now. It was either this or be eternally depressed. Honestly, this might end up destroying me. I have yet to really accept this whole conundrum, to be ordered permanently away from Leah. It. It might very well kill me emotionally.

Not that I've ever been an overly emotional person until recently, but can you really blame me? It's not every day your mate, whose a complete different species than you, utterly rejects you AND your only friends beat you into a near death state.

"Jacob, it doesn't matter what I want. Me and Leah aren't going to be together. Ever. It's best we both try to move on."

His face screwed up into the most obnoxious image I've ever seen.

"You really think that? Leech, you don't really understand how imprinting works, but it's easy to see she feels for you. You just have to fight."

He didn't get it, he'd been fighting for Bella's affection for so long he probably never would, but I tried to explain anyway. Leah and Sam have yet to be seen, and I'm just trailing behind Jacob as we walked into this wood, so I wasn't too concerned about others hearing.

"I don't want to be some lost puppy begging for affection and attention. Have you no self-respect?"

"If that's how you see relationships, then I really do pity you. Love at first sight theoretically exists, it just takes both for it to fully bloom. Sure, you're in a pretty unique situation, but that doesn't mean you still can't try."

As if I hadn't been?

"Are you really going to say I haven't tried?"

"Uuuuh. Yea, have you even thought for a second how this looks to us? Sure, you have your reasons, but think about it for a minute."

"Think about what? How Leah rejects me due to my very existence? Or how she loathes my personal beliefs?"

"Well, first you hold Bella hostage- Wait! Don't you interrupt me! Which was...understandable. But then you mate with Leah and you, what? What did you do? You apologized and ran away. What does that look like? Hmmm? Looks like rejection at first glance."

That. That made some sense. Too much sense.

Had I really fucked this up just as much as Leah had?

"Then you go and get fucked up by the Cullens. We save you, you and Leah share some thoughts, but not once do either of you try and truly connect. Alright, that's okay too, was a REALLY stressful environment and all. But, then you both go and mess up with that conversation upstairs. Not once did you try and tell her that you love her."

"Why would I need to? And how do you know this?"

"Gimme some credit, you two are more alike than you think. Anyway. Leah only knows that you're heartbroken, not why you feel the way you do. She pry thinks you don't want her as much as she doesn't want you, so she feels better about it."

"Jacob, I think she knows I care. Don't assume to know everything, I may not have outright said it but I heavily implied it."

"Eh. She's got a thick skull, if I'm to be honest I'm kinda rooting for you two. Most of the pack is excluding Paul. But that's because Paul is Paul. Honestly the guy-"

"Black, you ramble like no other. What are you, some school-girl?"

"Spirits, you two are far too similar for comfort. From the bitchy attitude to sassy comments."

"I aim to please."

"Ugh. Let's get this thing over with so we can all move on with our lives. I'm pretty sure they'll uphold the imprint, it would be pretty bad if they didn't. I mean, override the spirits of old? That would be a very big first."

"You realize I'm following you, right? Looks to me like we've been walking in circles."

Jacob looked rather ashamed of himself, and I did not find this to be entertaining.

"Yeaaaaaa. Bout that. Might have done that so we could talk for a bit, might explain why you haven't seen the other two."

"You really are a gossip-girl."

A sigh. "At least you're much less crude when it comes to insults."

"Your vocabulary is surprisingly advanced for someone your age. Is that school here high quality?"

"...I'm going to pretend you didn't just insult my intelligence. No, the schools here suck, we are just fortunate enough to get special teaching outside of school due to our special status."

"You're just trying to show off, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Ihre Sprachkenntnisse nicht beeindrucken."

"...What?"

I just smirked. German was such a fun language to speak in.

"Are we going to go to this meeting, or do you wish for more gossip?"

"Well..."

He ran a hand through his short hair.

"I guess we can start moving in the right direction. Sam and Leah are doing this too, so don't think I'm unique when it comes to this."

I was skeptical of that.

"I somehow doubt Leah and Sam of all people would indulge in such useless things."

"You haven't known them for as long as I have. Trust me, Sam loves him some drama."

"And Leah?"

At this he seemed to clam up, and his eyes darted about nervously. What was he hiding?

"Jacob, are you hiding something?"

"For someone who claims drama to be beneath them, you sure are curious about it."

I glared at his back.

"Unless you have some eye powers, that glare burning into my back won't do anything. We run at a solid 110 degrees."

"There's a difference in seeking out drama and it being given to you. You, dear wolf, mislead me so you could get information on personal matters. I am simply asking what you hide."

"You love being obtuse, don't you?"

"Answer the bloody question you nincompoop."

"Hey now, we are actually getting close, no need to be so hostile."

"I can see that, we are still a fair distance away."

Indeed we were, but my vision could still make out what lie ahead for me. A fire-pit with nothing but ashes lay in the center of a congregation, ceremonial headgear and clothing were being worn by the elders, who sat before the ash filled pit with masks of apathy. The rest of the pack, indeed excluding Leah and Sam, were also there. Paul and another named Jarred, if my memory served correctly. Which it always did.

Many other natives surrounded the elders, and they too were eerily silent. All of them wore traditional clothing, so Jacob, I, Leah, and Sam would be the only ones in modern clothing. Odd, that those three wouldn't be wearing anything ceremonial.

On closer inspection, the other two wolves wore simple shorts and t-shirts.

That was odd indeed.

"Black, why do you and your kin not wear ceremonial clothing for this? Everyone else wears it."

He just shook his head, mumbling words in a native tongue I did not understand. That was the end of our conversation, the rest of our time was spent in a tense or awkward silence. Which it was, I couldn't tell, but it was obvious I'd hit a nerve of some sort.

Why did they not wear the traditional clothing? Was it considered taboo for wolves/shifters to wear such things? If so, why was that? They were seen as gifts from the spirits, so why were they not allowed to participate?

More questions that will never be answered.

The trees thinned, and soon we were in the clearing this congregation was at. Leah and Sam arrived the same time we did, only coming from the opposite direction. We must have walked quite the circle. The people parted and allowed us to pass, the three elders continued to sit in silence. Now that I had a much closer look, i saw that none of them met the stereotype for things like this.

None of the three men were old beyond description or thought, one even looked to be in his thirties. He also looked quite like Jacob, with another elder looking remarkably similar to Leah. Not that she was masculine, but my advanced vision could clearly make out what was shared between the two. Could that be Jacob and Leah's fathers?

My chances of staying might have improved a bit, if Jacob's attitude towards this was to say anything.

"Natalie Albrook."

The third was one I'd never seen before, and one I had no reference to. Just another older Native American male.

"Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

I restrained my want to scoff. I was going to as dignified in my expulsion as possible, show these people just how wrong they were about me and my "monstrous" tendencies. Sitting down opposite of the three leaders, I heard the wolves move and stand behind me, but I did not look back to see why. Likely to restrain me, intolerant lot these people were.

"Today, we are gathered to determine the fate of this Cold One, for the spirits have deemed it necessary to test us this day."

And so began the monologue, the one-sided argument designed to sway those with doubt.

"Our only female wolf, Leah Clearwater, has imprinted on a Cold One. The one before us, to be specific. From what we've gathered from the Cullen's, we also know that Natalie has done the Cold One version of imprinting on Leah. This makes their bond remarkably strong, so strong that even with both parties rejecting it Leah could still feel that her mate was under attack."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, each having their own opinion on the matter. Then Jacob's father spoke, and all was silent again.

"As we all know, the spirits of our ancestors guide those who have been chosen to be wolf. They are the ones who choose their mates. They have deemed it necessary to give Leah to a Cold One. The council has already decided, but it is of my own opinion that the two should be allowed to live in peace."

Then it was Leah's father.

"However, we all know too well that legend and spirit alike have proclaimed how evil and despicable the Cold Ones are; they cannot be trusted, especially not with someone as precious as our protectors. However, due to my status as Leah's father, I cannot make a decision that is in the tribe's best interest. I withdraw myself from the council's voting."

Finally, the last of the three spoke, and everyone was holding their breath.

"I have always been for the tolerance of our neighbors; but that is due to their feeding habits. The one before us has no feelings of regret or guilt for those she has killed. For this sole reason, it can be said that the spirits have finally made a mistake. We cannot allow the one known as Natalie to become a part of this tribe, or allow her to live here. She goes against our reason for being; defend the people from Cold Ones. Since the council is in stalemate, we leave it to the four wolves who can vote to decide."

Behind me, two sets of feet moved forward, and two stayed. A few gasps were uttered, and I heard Jacob growl at Jarred's refusal to support me and Leah. Not that this was a venture Leah was actually invested in, it was more just support of me and me alone.

"With the protectors split, we must now go to the tribe to decide. This has...never happened before, in our long history. Peoples of the tribe, we ask that those in favor of upholding the bond please step forward."

Shuffling was done, whispering heard, but from what I can see it was surprisingly orderly for something that had never happened before. The circle around us seemed rather split, with many being unable to bring themselves to discredit their 'spirits' choice, insisting that it was the right one despite how it may appear. Yet, there were many more who saw this mating as a complete mishap, be it a misinterpretation or total mistake, it was not to be upheld.

In the end, it was not the decision of three powerful leaders that condemned me as I had first thought. Rather, it was the tribe that did not approve, would not approve, and refused to shelter someone like me. One who was unapologetic about their views, one who was confident to own what they did, one who stood by their individualism.

One who would not conform to their bullshit.

Jacob's, and even Leah's father looked sober at the decision. With the mystery man in the middle looking rather pleased. I heard Jacob gasp, and Sam seemed to seethe in disappointment or anger. Leah looked on blankly, and I could feel myself start to panic. What were they going to do with me?

"Thank you, people of the tribe, for ending this stalemate."

Looking right at me, the leader of leaders in this cult looked me right in the eye as he delivered my fate.

"You, Natalie Albrook, are hereby sentenced to exile outside of Forks. You are forbidden to see or communicate with Leah, or any of the pack, from this moment onward. You cannot stay here for any longer, and you are not under any protection of ours. If you violate any of these terms, then you are subject to physical harm and eradication. Do you understand and accept this?"

I felt an unusual urge to rave and rage against the decision made. It was very uncharacteristic of me, and just about confirmed my suspicion on brain manipulation or chemical changes due to this mating.

It would explain how the love at first sigh came to be, but not the how or why. From my extensive knowledge of vampire biology, vampire semen is sterile and the menstration cycle is slowed to a snails pace.

Having a period once every 6 months is quite the improvement.

Huh. I felt more myself now more than ever recently. And then it dawned on me.

I was was being banished from Forks for eternity.

I was being forbidden from seeing my mate for as long as she lived.

The Cullens appear to have slandered me, staining relations with these elders forever and killing any chance I had.

I was losing everything. Everything I'd gained here was being ripped away by a specieist tribe of ignorant, illiterate people who thought spirits decided who you mated with.

As the ridiculousness was fully realized, I began to feel a bitter hated begin to build.

"Natalie, I ask again. Do you understand and accept these terms?"

"Come on guys, this ain't right."

"Jacob Black, are you challenging the tribe's decision?"

"Damn ri-"

"Son, don't do this. Not here."

And so another voice was silenced.

"You would rip everything away from me, just because I am a vampire?"

The elder met my challenge with a cool temperament.

"No, not just for your existence do we do this. You kill people, murder them. You don't care that you do. This goes against our very reason for having guardians, and since you won't change, we aren't allowing you to stay. This is a mercy only granted due to your imprintee status. I don't hate your kind for existing, I hate what most Cold Ones do to survive, thrive. We don't like what you do, and since we have the power to, we are exiling you."

I just narrowed my eyes and held my tongue, they obviously didn't care about moral standings or ideologies with this. They didn't like me, so they were kicking me out. How childish.

"I understand, and you won't be seeing me again."

He nodded.

"Good, we thank you for leaving in peace. You have a few hours before we will permit our protectors to do as they are obligated to. May the spirits guide you on your journey."

I just got up and left, not letting any see my eyes, for they might have seen how devastated I was. It felt like with this order my world was going to crumble, down to the finest of powders and never have a hope in hell of ever resurrecting. Just. The simple fact that I couldn't interact with my mate again alone was enough to devastate me.

I felt like crying, and for the first time in hundreds of years my eyes became wet, only for water to never fall. I couldn't even be bothered to wonder why we are incapable of shedding tears. I just bolted out of the territory once I was a few feet away from the very silent people-shifter court.

My clothes dirty and ripped, heart breaking, and self-pity building, I went to my last remaining friend.

Isabella Swan.

Have you ever loved someone enough to die for them? Enough to pledge the rest of eternity away to them? To literally give an arm for?

Have you ever had that someone ripped away from you? Or perhaps realized they didn't feel the same?

The pain. The physical pain of knowing such things was almost enough to make me stumble. Running around the town and arriving at the little home I'm going to inexplicably miss, I listened for signs of life, and found Bella to be alone in her room. Her dad worked himself ragged to provide for the both of them, and save up for college.

Climbing the siding with relative ease, I tapped on the window and waited. The window was opened, and I flew in as Bella stepped back. The teenager took one look at me and seemed to know what was going to happen. Her eyes filled with uncharacteristic rage, and she closed the distance between us as I stood in self-pity.

"Those bastards won't get away with this Natalie. I promise you that."

I looked away.

"T-They already have..."

Embracing me, only this time much more confidently, Bella tried her best to comfort me.

"No, they haven't. Trust me, this isn't over."

I truly wanted to believe her, but right now it was getting rather hard to think straight. Clasping my arms around her figure, I took as much care as I could to not crush her and dryly sobbed into her shoulder. Thank the Gods Charlie wasn't home, because I think the neighbors might be able to hear me.

Call me melodramatic if you will, but I think having the ONE person who can make you happy ripped away as they stand in apathy is rather traumatizing. At least for me. You might be emotionally dead, but I have yet to reach that point. At some point we made it to the bed, but the passage of time was lost on me.

"How l-long has it been?"

"Not long, about 15 minutes. How long do you have?"

"To be safe, I think an hour."

I believe Bella might have growled at that.

"I'll get the others to make this right."

"...From what I know, they might have helped."

I could hear her heart rapidly accelerate, and she began to shake.

"They didn't..."

"The elder said they consulted the Cullens. This verdict was given, so I assume they did all they could. If they did anything at all."

Huh. Cuddling with a human isn't nearly as bad as I would have thought. I usually killed those I had relations with, for very obvious reasons.

"Where are you going to go?"

"Well. I'm banished from Forks for eternity, and I can't have any contact with the shifters. Seattle will be my destination for some time to come. I can't. I can't go too much farther due to...due to my connection with Leah."

Moving to get up, I let Bella leave the bed as she rummaged around some of her drawers. I was feeling much better after the small breakdown, not happy or exited. More mellow than anything.

"Well, you can't go in those rags. I stowed some of my bum clothes away when Alice came to 'stylize' my wardrobe. I think they'll meet your standards."

"You can't say she doesn't have good taste."

"Yea...but we both just hate the effort of wearing such things. Honestly I-Here we are!"

Pulling out a generic white short sleeve, the teen looked a bit more thoroughly and found a grey pair of sweats.

Ahhhh. Sweat pants, my not so guilty pleasure. Then she blushed beyond belief, and I had to suppress a chuckle.

"Uhm. I don't think my-errr-my bra will fit you. I have boxers you can take though."

"You weren't kidding when you said bum clothes, were you?"

"Whatever! Take em and change."

"Fine fine."

Flashing up, I stood next to Bella and proceeded to take my clothes off.

"N-Natalie! Not in front of me!"

Stopping myself from unclasping my ruined bra, I looked blankly at the embarrassed Swan for a few seconds.

"Fine. Whatever. Here."

Throwing the clothes at me with a huff, Bella sat down on her bed and faced the opposite direction.

How adorable.

Finishing my task-I simply decided to go with a bra- I looked down at my shoes with a frown. I was going to have to buy a pair once I got to Seattle.

"You can look now, you prude. I'm sure Alice had quite the time with you when it came to this."

Turning around and facing me once again, Bella's blush doubled.

"I'd rather not talk about it. That girl is the queen of sexual innuendos."

I gave a non-committal sound.

"Can't say she isn't sexy in that petite girl way."

And so her face became a tomato; she neglected to comment any further on that matter.

"Hey..."

She calmed herself down, and waited for me to continue.

"Thank you. I know we've already gone over this, but thank you. You've been...you've be quite the pleasure to be around, surprisingly enough."

Swan gave a beaming smile.

"Who said this is goodbye? I'm not a shifter, and Seattle is within driving distance. Don't think I won't try to visit or keep in touch; might even drag my friends here along too. We could all have a good time."

"I'm assuming you meant your human friends?"

"At this point, they might be the only ones I have."

I heard the pain she was trying to hide, and I felt truly sorry for causing all this with my rash actions. Had I just stopped to think for a second more I might have been able to see the problems with my plan on evacuating Bella in the first place. Thus avoiding this shit-storm.

"I'm sorry about this."

He smile began to fade.

"It's not all your fault. You tried to protect me, and in the process my abnormal blood messed everything up. After looking over it, I can see why you did what you did with the shifters. I don't blame you for it."

"You're too good of a person Bella, get some character flaws."

"Har har. Now get moving, I'll call you later to see if everything's gone over smooth enough."

"As you wish, your majesty."

With that, I jumped out of the window and began my sprint away from this hell of a place.

Seattle, here I come.


Again, don't know how I feel about this chapter. I ask you review this one if none of the others.

Till next time.