I am extra-ultra-super-duper-very-much, sorry that i have let another three months go by without updating. Really, I am, but I won't even bother to offer you an excuses.
A/N: I'm graduating tomorrow! Yay! No more highschool!
Pairings:
Harry/Edward (duh!), Alice/Jasper, Esme/Carlisle, Rosalie/Emmett, Draco/Jacob, Luna/?, Bella/Blaise, Neville/? (I'm allowed to keep some pairing secret)
Disclaimer:
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended
Chapter 8
Bella stood up and stretched, sighing quietly when her bones popped pleasantly. She had been sitting way to long in the same spot, and it wasn't only her body that felt worn. Her mind felt like it was being stretched beyond its limits. Her thoughts buzzed around her head in a jumbo mass as she tried to make since of the information she had been given only ten minutes ago. Everyone had spread out around the house once Harry had returned and he and Esme had retreated to the kitchen to feed Teddy. Luna and Draco had captured the attention of Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, as they strummed a few notes on their instruments. Blaise was conversing with Neville in low tones over near the glass wall. And Alice and Rosalie were cooing over Teddy as the boy happily changed his hair different colors.
Alice looked up questioningly when Bella moved.
"I've got a bonfire to go to. Don't want to keep the wolves waiting," she said in answer to Alice's unspoken question and Alice's nose wrinkled in disgust. Edward looked up from where he had been tinkering with Luna's base, and nodded. He disappeared and when he returned seconds later he had his keys in hand. At that moment Harry walked into the room. He eyed the two for a moment before he spoke.
"Where are you going," he asked as Teddy tottered over to his side and clung to his pants.
"Bonfire in La Push," Bella told him. There was a sudden high-pitched keening kind of sound and everyone's head snapped over toward Draco, who was staring at Bella opened-mouthed. After a couple of seconds, he seemed to realize that everyone was staring at him and a light blushed coated his face.
"Sorry, hand slipped," he muttered, gesturing faintly at Harry's guitar, which he had been attempting to play. He then coughed delicately and asking, in a voice full of nonchalance, "Is that friend of yours going to be there?"
Harry shared a startled look with his fellow magic users which Bella bit down on her lip in an attempt to keep in her laughter.
"Jacob you mean? Yeah he's the one who invited me." Draco nodded absentmindedly, like he really didn't care about the answer and began to fiddle with the strings on Harry's guitar. Bella took pity on him and asked, "Would you guys like to come?"
"Can we," Harry asked curiously.
"Yeah, I guess," Bella said with a shrug. "You should probably tell them about all this magic stuff too. They don't like being left out of the loop."
"We're not allowed to tell Muggles about the Wizarding World. We have laws and that goes against the Statue of Secrecy." Blaise recited immediately as if on reflex.
"Screw the Statue," Harry mumbled at the same time as Bella said, "Well they aren't exactly Muggles." The five wizards stared at her.
"They're not," Draco was the one to ask.
"Well no, they're werewolves." The five simultaneously blinked before Blaise burst out, "Are you bloody crazy!"
"Wait, wait," Draco called over the Italian's voice. He waved his hand a Blaise, signaling that he calm down, before addressing Bella and the vampires. "Do you mean to tell us that they're a pack of werewolves running around in close proximity to a town of Muggles?"
"I'm afraid I don't see what the problem is," Carlisle chimed in. "The wolves aren't attacking anyone or anything like that. We're the only ones they have any animosity to." Now it was the wizards' turn to look confused.
"They're not attacking anyone?" Blaise repeated.
"They're probably all taking the potion," Harry suggested.
"Don't be daft, Potter," Draco sneered in old-fashion. "That potions incredibly hard to create, Professor Snape was one of the few that were able to make it, and all the others charge tons of gallons for just one vial. I doubt a bunch of American werewolves have the gallons to buy enough for an entire pack."
"Well we're just going to have to tag along to figure this out," Luna told them, walking over and scooping Teddy up into her arms.
"Alright then, who's riding with Edward?" Harry asked as they all moved toward the Cullens' garage. No one answered. "Right, me and Bella it is then." He muttered and tried hard not to notice how his heart flipped when Edward grinned.
After squeezing Bella's motorcycle into Edward's trunk, and Harry making a lot of cracks about Bella even attempting to ride a motorcycle, the eight were finally on their way. Harry was just a little surprised to find that Edward drove just as fast as Draco – only condolence was that Edward drove with more expertise.
About halfway to La Push, Edward round the corner and Harry caught sight of Bella's friend, Jacob or something like that, leaning against the side of a red Volkswagen that looked like a patchwork quilt. The large teen had a carefully neutral expression that dissolved into a confused smile when the two cars pulled up.
Edward parked the Volvo thirty yards away and Draco pulled up beside him.
"I can't go farther than this," Edward explained to Harry's confused expression. "We have a treaty." Harry nodded – he vaguely remembered Bella saying something about that, although at the time he had thought Bella had been trying to distract him – and he and Bella got out. Harry helped Bella release her bike from the confines of Edward's trunk and she rolled it away as she headed over to her friend.
"See you later I suppose," Harry said to Edward, leaning into the vampire's window with a small smile.
"You won't need a ride back?" Edward asked, just a little bit confused.
"Nah, we have other ways to travel." Edward nodded before rolling up his window and driving away. Harry couldn't help noticing that he looked just a little bit tense as he did so. Harry frowned a little in thought but shrugged it off and headed over to where Bella and her friend was.
"Harry, I'm sure you remember Jake," Bella said as way of introduction.
"I thought it was Jacob," Harry asked confused and a little wary. Jacob was huge, Harry couldn't remember any of the werewolves he'd met ever being this big – then again he'd only met two.
"It is," Jacob answered, "Jacob Black." Harry's frown returned and he internally winced at the last name.
"Black? Any English relations?"
"No," Jacob said slowly before asking, "Do you know someone with the last name Black, cuz your friend asked me the same question when we met."
"My friend," Harry asked, blinking. Jacob motion toward Draco's GT3 40, where Harry could see Draco looking out at them with a bored expression. "Oh, well yeah. Draco's mother's maiden name is Black and I knew someone with the last name Black."
Harry attempted to say all that in a nonchalant tone but some of his hurt must have come through because Jacob rubbed the back of his neck nervously and said, "Oh, I'm sorry." Harry shrugged the apology off.
"Shouldn't we be going now?"
"Right," Jacob mumbled and they all loaded up into the car.
They had to hike through a forest to get to the meeting place, and they did it in a kind of awkward silence. Bella could tell that Jacob wanted to say something but that he wasn't sure what the wizards all knew and so he didn't say anything. Bella on the other hand was worrying if the werewolves would treat her like a traitor.
But none of any of it was necessary. First of all, Embry outted them all as soon as they crossed over onto the cliff side where the bonfire was already burning brighter than the cloud-covered sun.
The first words Embry had spoke to Bella were, "Hey, vampire girl!" Jacob had shot him a murderous glare and everyone else had frozen when they caught sight of the wizards.
Teddy was the one that broke the tension. He clapped loudly and shouted for all to hear, "Wolf! Wolf!"
Harry beamed brightly and turned to Draco with a teasing smile.
"See Draco, I told you his next word wouldn't be your name." Draco scowled and him and huffed in annoyance. Bella couldn't help it, she giggled and Luna joined her.
"Why are they all staring," Blaise drawled after a moment and Bella noticed that the wolves were still looking tense.
"I think they're wondering if they just revealed a big secret," Neville chimed in helpfully.
"But were already know the Cullens are vampires," Blaise said casually, which only served to make the wolves even tenser.
"You already know," Jacob asked and he shot Bella a demanding look. Bella shrugged.
"Well you didn't think I'd invite them if they didn't know, did you?" There was another tense bout of silence before Quil and Embry broke it by waving at Draco and calling out to him.
"Hey Draco."
"Wassup?"
Draco shifted and muttered something that might have been 'Hi' but Bella wasn't completely sure.
"Oh, so this is Draco," Sam asked and all of the wolves moved to crowd around them. Draco looked a little surprised.
"Jacob's mentioned you some," Jared supplied but that just served to make Draco even more surprised. He turned to look at the large teen questioningly to which Jacob just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and shrugged.
"What are you so startled for, Malfoy," Harry questioned with a sly grin. "I thought you just loved attention." The blonde glared heatedly at him and muttered a sharp, "Bugger off Potter," to which Harry beamed.
It was all smooth sailing from there. All of the pack and their family were introduced: Sam and Emily, Paul, Jared and Kim, Old Quil and Quil his grandson, Leah and Seth with their mother Sue, Jacob's dad Billy, and Embry.
Harry quickly came to realize that everyone here was familiar with each other, even Bella who received several teasing comments – mostly from Paul – to keep the vampire stench downwind. It was all easy and simply, until someone asked the question Harry knew had been hanging in the air for a while.
"So . . . what's you guys' story?" Quil was the one to ask as he stuffed an entire hotdog into his mouth. Harry was forcibly reminded of his once good friend Ron, but he quickly shook the memory away in favor of giving Quil a questioning expression. The teen swallowed before speaking again – to which Harry was grateful.
"I mean, the Cullen's don't just go around telling everyone about their secret."
"They didn't have to," Luna spoke up from across the fire from where she had been previously conversing with Paul and Seth – both of whom seemed to be completely captivated by what she was saying. Harry couldn't blame them; Luna away spoke in a way that either captivated a person or made them think she was crazy – and sometimes both.
"What do you mean they didn't have to tell you," Sam demanded. Now the Wizarding quintet had all of the La Push people's attention – Bella was looking on at them with smug amusement.
"Just that," Luna replied vaguely.
"We looked them up, is what she means," Draco drawled from his place to the right of Jacob on a low ridge of rock – a place he had immediately claimed for himself and had yet to leave. "If you read the signs right, which we were taught to do, you'd know what to find." Everyone just continued to look confused.
"Don't tell me you're all Muggle werewolves," Blaise broke the sudden silence with a slight groan. He missed the tension appearing in all of the wolves at this admission but when he saw their expression he groaned again.
"Just my luck that I end up finding Potter in some backwater town with Muggle vampires and werewolves," the dark Italian sneered, crossing his arms. Harry sent the teen an icy glare.
"I'll have you know that I didn't even choose this place, Zabini!"
"Well this certainly does explain why the reading on this place came up dead," Draco injected if only to keep the two from fighting. "I'm pretty sure if we searched for creatures they'd —"
"Oh, but Dragon, I did do a creature's search," Luna interrupted him serenely. "I wanted to know if any Snaggerpouffs were around here. They tend to migrate to wet places where there's plenty of rain and water." Blaise's mouth opened, no doubt with some kind of scathing remark about the creatures Luna's mind came up with.
"Well then why didn't they show up," Neville asked curiously from across the fire when he was seated between Leah and Embry. Instead of answering, Harry settled for looking thoughtful.
"Can someone please explain what the hell you are all talking about," Jacob's warm voice suddenly cut across them, sounding slightly irritated. Draco cocked a brow at the teen then sent an inquiring look at Harry.
Harry knew what it was. It was a silent plea to give out information.
Harry sighed then nodded his head slightly, sinking down even more from where he was leaning against a piece of rock sticking up out of the ground.
"I'm not sure what you all know – but you seem knowledgeable of vampires and are somewhat magical even for a bunch of Muggles – so there's really no harm in tell you all this. At least, I don't think there is," here the blonde shot his Slytherin friend a questioning glance to which the black male shrugged.
"Sod the Ministry," Harry murmured lowly under his breath.
"Well it doesn't really matter seeing as out fearless leader has given me the say so already." Draco continued in his drawling voice.
"Would you just tell them already Draco before I do," Bella demanded after Draco took a pause for what Harry would assume was dramatic effect.
"We're wizards."
There was a beat of silence as the Quileutes all stared at Draco as if he had grown an extra head. Harry could see the disbelief on their faces, but some, like Jacob and Leah had grudging acceptance.
And really, he couldn't help it – honestly he tried to control it, he really did.
He laughed.
Draco glared at him and huffed in an offended manner.
"Are you serious?" Seth was the one to ask, looking wide-eyed.
"No, I'm Draco. Sirius was that fool's godfather," Draco joked and all the wizards laughed as Seth just looked more confused.
"What?'
"Never mind. Inside joke," Harry explained to the teen. "The point is we aren't taking the mickey."
"He means they're telling the truth," Bella elaborated when the La Push gang continued to look confused.
"You believe them," Embry asked skeptically. Bella arched a brow at the question.
"And you don't," she challenged. "Really I'm not even surprised anymore. If werewolves and vampires are real then why not wizards?" Another silence followed Bella's rhetorical question.
"So . . . you're wizards," Jared asked slowly looking like he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. "Like, with wands and flying brooms and potions and stuff?"
"Well yes," Blaise drawled out. "I'm surprised Muggles have us portrayed so correctly," he then added looking thoughtful and then irritated when Harry burst into more laughed. "What Potter?"
"I-I'm sorry," the Savior wheezed shaking his head and holding onto his stomach. "But . . . but . . ." and then he collapsed into more laughter. Blaise shot him a disgusted look before focusing on Draco.
"Our so called leader is mad." To that Draco simply shrugged.
"Wait, wait," Billy called out over the group, everyone choosing to ignore the giggling teen rolling around on the rock near them. "I'm having a little trouble wrapping my head around this. All of you are wizards?"
"Technically the correct term for a female is a witch, but yes, we are."
"Are all wizards British?" Seth asked curiously.
"Well no, although the largest concentration is in England." Draco answered and Harry allowed him to. He was the most knowledgeable on all things Wizarding. "But there're wizards all over the world. I believe there's a small settlement near here is that Settle place."
"Seattle," Harry automatically corrected, which didn't really do much as Draco simply ignored him.
"How is it that this is the first we are hearing of this," Old Quil asked in a thoughtful manner.
"It's against Wizarding law to inform Muggles, none magical folk, about the Wizarding world." Neville piped in. "And us wizards are sufficient enough in charms and wards to keep the Muggles oblivious."
"Wow," Seth breathed after there was another stretch of silence as they all took the information in.
"That's pretty much what I thought when I first learned about it all," Harry told him with a low chuckle. The young teen titled his head to the side like a puppy dog.
"Wait, so you didn't always know?"
"Nope," Harry said, popping the 'p'. "When a wizard turns eleven they get an invitation to the magical school closest to them. That was when I learned that I was magical."
"Wow," Seth repeated again.
"Well enough of that," Blaise cut in with a wave of his hand. "What I would like to know is, since you are all werewolves how is it that you aren't going on a rampage throughout Forks every full moon? Since you're obviously Muggle I would assume that none of you have the potion."
"Dude, what are you talking about," Quil asked for the group.
"The Muggles," Blaise said airily. "They're not talking about monster killing their young every full moon, so I would assume that you all are finding some kind of control."
"Uh, all that full moon, silver bullet stuff isn't true," Embry told Blaise slowly, as if trying to explain something to a child.
"Uh, yes it is," Harry told them back in the same tone.
"No it's not," Embry shot back, almost childishly.
"Yes it is. Look," Harry then said when it looked like Embry would continued on this strain once more. "Teddy here," he said, waving his hand at the boy who had been sleeping comfortably in Bella's arms for the past hour, "has a werewolf father and I've seen him change on the full moon with my own eyes. I also know for a fact that he cringes away from anything silver."
All the natives stared at Harry in baffled confusion.
"Well that doesn't apply to us," Jacob finally said. "We can change whenever we want or if we get too angry."
"Well then you're not werewolves at all," Luna exclaimed and then laughed. "James, they're shape-shifters! They just happen to have the form of a wolf."
"Well that certainly explains a lot," Blaise muttered lowly and Draco nodded his agreement.
"Well this is a letdown," Quil pouted. "We're not even werewolves."
"Oh trust me, you don't want to be a werewolf," Harry told him gently. "Remus once told me that the transformation is hell and then there's always the wolf hanging around in your consciousness just waiting to gain control and go on a rampage. It's not pretty." And with that Quil conceded.
"Are you gonna eat that hot dog?" Paul asked Jacob his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge meal the shape-shifters had managed to consume in the time span of three hours.
Jacob leaned back against Draco's knees and toyed with the hot dog he had spitted on a straightened wire hanger; the flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was somehow still flat, though Harry had lost count of how many hot dogs he'd eaten after his tenth – not to mention the super-sized bag of chips or the two-liter bottle of root beer.
"I guess," Jacob said slowly. "I'm so full I'm about to puke, but I think I can force it down. I won't enjoy it at all, though." He sighed again with dramatic sadness. Somehow, despite the fact that Paul had eaten at least as much as Jacob, he still glowered at the younger teen, his hands going to ball up into fists at his sides.
"Sheesh." Jacob laughed. "Kidding, Paul. Here." He flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. Harry thought that it was going to land hot-dog-first in the sand, but Paul somehow managed to catch it neatly on the right end without difficulty.
Harry suddenly remembered that these were shifters – shifters that could keep up with the incredibly fast Muggle vampires if what Bella had been telling him could be trusted.
"Thanks, man," Paul said, already over his brief fit of temper – Harry was figuring out that Paul had a lot of fits. Luna hummed and twisted her fingers into his hair and the big shifter relaxed even more.
The fire crackled, settling lower toward the sand. Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against the black sky.
"It's getting late," Bella murmured to Jacob.
"Don't start that yet," Jacob whispered back – though everyone else heard them anyways.
"The best part is coming." Bella shot her best friend a teasing grin.
"What's the best part? You swallowing an entire cow whole?" Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh and Harry noticed Draco shudder at the sound.
"No. That's the finale. We didn't meet just to eat through a week's worth of food. This is technically a council meeting. It's Quil's first time, and he hasn't heard the stories yet. Well, he's heard them, but this will be the first time he knows they're true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention. Kim and Seth and Leah are all first-timers, too. And then there are you and your friends."
"Stories?" Draco asked curiously, although trying not to appear so.
Jacob scooted back so that he was sitting beside him. He put his arm over Draco's shoulder, enticing another one of those shudders and spoke even lower into the blonde's ear.
"The histories we always thought were legends," he said. "The stories of how we came to be. The first is the story of the spirit warriors."
It was almost as if Jacob's soft whisper was the introduction. The atmosphere changed abruptly around the low-burning fire, almost humming like it did when magic was performed. Paul and Embry sat up straighter. Jared nudged Kim – who had been nodding off against his shoulder – and then pulled her gently upright. Emily produced a spiral-bound notebook and a pen, looking exactly like a student set for an important lecture.
Sam twisted just slightly beside her – so that he was facing the same direction as Old Quil, who was on his other side. Leah closed her eyes – not like she was tired, but as if to help her concentration. Seth leaned in toward the four leaders – elders Bella had told Harry – eagerly like a child awaiting a fantastic tale.
The fire crackled, sending another explosion of sparks glittering up against the night.
Billy cleared his throat, and, with no more introduction than his son's whisper, began telling the story in his rich, deep voice. The words poured out with precision, as if he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a subtle rhythm. Like poetry performed by its author.
"The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning," Billy said. "And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting – that came later. First, we were spirit warriors."
Emily's pen sprinted across the sheets of paper as she tried to keep up with him. Luna, taking pity on her, produced a Quick Quotes Quill and poised it over Emily's paper. The woman watched in wide-mouthed wonders as the quill began moving by itself, taking down Billy's words.
"In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbor and became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe was small, and the harbor was rich in fish. There were others who coveted our land, and we were too small to hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to our ships to escape them.
"Kaheleha was not the first spirit warrior, but we do not remember the stories that came before his. We do not remember who was the first to discover this power, or how it had been used before this crisis. Kaheleha was the first great Spirit Chief in our history. In this emergency, Kaheleha used the magic to defend our land.
"He and all his warriors left the ship – not their bodies, but their spirits. Their women watched over the bodies and the waves, and the men took their spirits back to our harbor.
"They could not physically touch the enemy tribe, but they had other ways. The stories tell us that they could blow fierce winds into their enemy's camps; they could make a great screaming in the wind that terrified their foes. The stories also tell us that the animals could see the spirit warriors and understand them; the animals would do their bidding.
"Kaheleha took his spirit army and wreaked havoc on the intruders. This invading tribe had packs of big, thick-furred dogs that they used to pull their sleds in the frozen north. The spirit warriors turned the dogs against their masters and then brought a mighty infestation of bats up from the cliff caverns. They used the screaming wind to aid the dogs in confusing the men. The dogs and bats won. The survivors scattered, calling our harbor a cursed place. The dogs ran wild when the spirit warriors released them. The Quileutes returned to their bodies and their wives, victorious.
"The other nearby tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs, made treaties with the Quileutes. They wanted nothing to do with our magic. We lived in peace with them. When an enemy came against us, the spirit warriors would drive them off.
"Generations passed. Then came the last great Spirit Chief, Taha Aki. He was known for his wisdom, and for being a man of peace. The people lived well and content in his care.
"But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content."
A low hiss ran around the fire. Harry starting from over near Leah and traveling around like a game of telephone until it reached Paul on the opposite side of the circle – the four elders did not participate. Billy ignored the sound and went on with the legend.
"Utlapa was one of Chief Taha Aki's strongest spirit warriors – a powerful man, but a grasping man, too. He thought the people should use their magic to expand their lands, to enslave the Hohs and the Makahs and build an empire.
"Now, when the warriors were their spirit selves, they knew each other's thoughts. Taha Aki saw what Utlapa dreamed, and was angry with Utlapa. Utlapa was commanded to leave the people, and never use his spirit self again. Utlapa was a strong man, but the chief's warriors outnumbered him. He had no choice but to leave. The furious outcast hid in the forest nearby, waiting for a chance to get revenge against the chief.
"Even in times of peace, the Spirit Chief was vigilant in protecting his people. Often, he would go to a sacred, secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body behind and sweep down through the forests and along the coast, making sure no threat approached.
"One day when Taha Aki left to perform this duty, Utlapa followed. At first, Utlapa simply planned to kill the chief, but this plan had its drawbacks. Surely the spirit warriors would seek to destroy him, and they could follow faster than he could escape. As he hid in the rocks and watched the chief prepare to leave his body, another plan occurred to him.
"Taha Aki left his body in the secret place and flew with the winds to keep watch over his people. Utlapa waited until he was sure the chief had traveled some distance with his spirit self.
"Taha Aki knew it the instant that Utlapa had joined him in the spirit world, and he also knew Utlapa's murderous plan. He raced back to his secret place, but even the winds weren't fast enough to save him. When he returned, his body was already gone. Utlapa's body lay abandoned, but Utlapa had not left Taha Aki with an escape – he had cut his own body's throat with Taha Aki's hands.
"Taha Aki followed his body down the mountain. He screamed at Utlapa, but Utlapa ignored him as if he were mere wind.
"Taha Aki watched with despair as Utlapa took his place as chief of the Quileutes. For a few weeks, Utlapa did nothing but make sure that everyone believed he was Taha Aki. Then the changes began – Utlapa's first edict was to forbid any warrior to enter the spirit world. He claimed that he'd had a vision of danger, but really he was afraid. He knew that Taha Aki would be waiting for the chance to tell his story. Utlapa was also afraid to enter the spirit world himself, knowing Taha Aki would quickly claim his body. So his dreams of conquest with a spirit warrior army were impossible, and he sought to content himself with ruling over the tribe.
"He became a burden – seeking privileges that Taha Aki had never requested, refusing to work alongside his warriors, taking a young second wife and then a third, though Taha Aki's wife lived on – something unheard of in the tribe. Taha Aki watched in helpless fury.
"Eventually, Taha Aki tried to kill his body to save the tribe from Utlapa's excesses. He brought a fierce wolf down from the mountains, but Utlapa hid behind his warriors. When the wolf killed a young man who was protecting the false chief, Taha Aki felt horrible grief. He ordered the wolf away.
"All the stories tell us that it was no easy thing to be a spirit warrior. It was more frightening than exhilarating to be freed from one's body. This is why they only used their magic in times of need. The chief's solitary journeys to keep watch were a burden and a sacrifice. Being bodiless was disorienting, uncomfortable, horrifying. Taha Aki had been away from his body for so long at this point that he was in agony. He felt he was doomed – never to cross over to the final land where his ancestors waited, stuck in this torturous nothingness forever."
Harry felt for the long gone Taha Aki. How was it to know of a danger to your people and be helpless to stop it? He wouldn't have known how to handle himself.
"The great wolf followed Taha Aki's spirit as he twisted and writhed in agony through the woods. The wolf was very large for its kind, and beautiful. Taha Aki was suddenly jealous of the dumb animal. At least it had a body. At least it had a life. Even life as an animal would be better than this horrible empty consciousness.
"And then Taha Aki had the idea that changed us all. He asked the great wolf to make room for him, to share. The wolf complied. Taka Aki entered the wolf's body with relief and gratitude. It was not his human body, but it was better than the void of the spirit world.
"As one, the man and the wolf returned to the village on the harbor. The people ran in fear, shouting for the warriors to come. The warriors ran to meet the wolf with their spears. Utlapa, of course, stayed safely hidden.
"Taha Aki did not attack his warriors. He retreated slowly from them, speaking with his eyes and trying to yelp the songs of his people. The warriors began to realize that the wolf was no ordinary animal, that there was a spirit influencing it. One older warrior, a man name Yut, decided to disobey the false chief's order and try to communicate with the wolf.
"As soon as Yut crossed to the spirit world, Taha Aki left the wolf – the animal waited tamely for his return – to speak to him. Yut gathered the truth in an instant, and welcomed his true chief home.
"At this time, Utlapa came to see if the wolf had been defeated. When he saw Yut lying lifeless on the ground, surrounded by protective warriors, he realized what was happening. He drew his knife and raced forward to kill Yut before he could return to his body.
Harry heard Bella draw in a strangled gasp.
"'Traitor,' he screamed, and the warriors did not know what to do. The chief had forbidden spirit journeys, and it was the chief's decision how to punish those who disobeyed.
"Yut jumped back into his body, but Utlapa had his knife at his throat and a hand covering his mouth. Taha Aki's body was strong, and Yut was weak with age. Yut could not say even one word to warn the others before Utlapa silenced him forever.
"Taha Aki watched as Yut's spirit slipped away to the final lands that were barred to Taha Aki for all eternity. He felt a great rage, more powerful than anything he'd felt before. He entered the big wolf again, meaning to rip Utlapa's throat out. But, as he joined the wolf, the greatest magic happened.
"Taha Aki's anger was the anger of a man. The love he had for his people and the hatred he had for their oppressor were too vast for the wolf's body, too human. The wolf shuddered, and – before the eyes of the shocked warriors and Utlapa – transformed into a man.
"The new man did not look like Taha Aki's body. He was far more glorious. He was the flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's spirit. The warriors recognized him at once, though, for they had flown with Taha Aki's spirit.
"Utlapa tried to run, but Taha Aki had the strength of the wolf in his new body. He caught the thief and crushed the spirit from him before he could jump out of the stolen body.
"The people rejoiced when they understood what had happened. Taha Aki quickly set everything right, working again with his people and giving the young wives back to their families. The only change he kept in place was the end of the spirit travels. He knew that it was too dangerous now that the idea of stealing a life was there. The spirit warriors were no more.
"From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. The wolves were all different, because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside."
"So that's why Sam is all black," Quil muttered under his breath, grinning. "Black heart, black fur."
The fire threw a volley of sparks into the sky, and they shivered and danced, making shapes that were almost decipherable.
"And your chocolate fur reflects what?" Sam whispered back to Quil. "How sweet you are?"
Billy ignored their jibes. "Some of the sons became warriors with Taha Aki, and they no longer aged. Others, who did not like the transformation, refused to join the pack of wolf-men. These began to age again, and the tribe discovered that the wolf-men could grow old like anyone else if they gave up their spirit wolves. Taha Aki had lived the span of three old men's lives. He had married a third wife after the deaths of the first two, and found in her his true spirit wife. Though he had loved the others, this was something else. He decided to give up his spirit wolf so that he would die when she did.
Harry thought there was something a little strange about that, especially when he saw Jacob and even Leah shift nervously in their seats.
"That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end of the story. . . ."
He looked at Old Quil, who shifted in his chair, straightening his frail shoulders. Billy took a drink from a bottle of water and wiped his forehead.
"That was the story of the spirit warriors," Old Quil began in a thin tenor voice. "This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice.
"Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the north, with the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had disappeared, and they blamed it on the neighboring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still read each other's thoughts while in their wolf forms, just like their ancestors had while in their spirit forms. They knew that none of their number was to blame. Taha Aki tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much fear. Taha Aki did not want to have a war on his hands. He was no longer a warrior to lead his people. He charged his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit before hostilities began.
"Taha Wi led the five other wolves in his pack on a search through the mountains, looking for any evidence of the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before – a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain."
Harry felt a coldness settle in his bones. He could guess at who they found.
"They did not know what creature would leave such a scent, but they followed it," Old Quil continued. His quavering voice did not have the majesty of Billy's, but it had a strange, fierce edge of urgency about it.
"They found faint traces of human scent, and human blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for.
"The journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent half the pack, the younger ones, back to the harbor to report to Taha Aki.
"Taha Wi and his two brothers did not return.
"The younger brothers searched for their elders, but found only silence. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He wished to avenge his sons' death, but he was old. He went to the Makah chief in his mourning clothes and told him everything that had happened. The Makah chief believed his grief, and tensions ended between the tribes.
"A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink all through the Makah village. The wolves went on the hunt again.
"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taka Aki's third wife, and the youngest in the pack. He brought something with him that had never been seen in all the days of the Quileutes – a strange, cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces. All who were of Taha Aki's blood, even those who had never been wolves, could smell the piercing smell of the dead creature. This was the enemy of the Makahs.
"Yaha Uta described what had happened: he and his brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man but was hard as a granite rock, with the two Makah daughters. One girl was already dead, white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creature's arms, his mouth at her throat. She may have been alive when they came upon the hideous scene, but the creature quickly snapped her neck and tossed her lifeless body to the ground when they approached. His white lips were covered in her blood, and his eyes glowed red.
"Yaha Uta described the fierce strength and speed of the creature. One of his brothers quickly became a victim when he underestimated that strength. The creature ripped him apart like a doll. Yaha Uta and his other brother were more wary. They worked together, coming at the creature from the sides, outmaneuvering it. They had to reach the very limits of their wolf strength and speed, something that had never been tested before. The creature was hard as stone and cold as ice. They found that only their teeth could damage it. They began to rip small pieces of the creature apart while it fought them.
"But the creature learned quickly, and soon was matching their maneuvers. It got its hands on Yaha Uta's brother. Yaha Uta found an opening on the creature's throat, and he lunged. His teeth tore the head off the creature, but the hands continued to mangle his brother.
"Yaha Uta ripped the creature into unrecognizable chunks, tearing pieces apart in a desperate attempt to save his brother. He was too late, but, in the end, the creature was destroyed.
"Or so they thought. Yaha Uta laid the reeking remains out to be examined by the elders. One severed hand lay beside a piece of the creature's granite arm. The two pieces touched when the elders poked them with sticks, and the hand reached out towards the arm piece, trying to reassemble itself.
"Horrified, the elders set fire to the remains. A great cloud of choking, vile smoke polluted the air. When there was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many small bags and spread them far and wide – some in the ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."
Old Quil paused and looked at Billy. Billy pulled out a leather thong from around his neck. Hanging from the end was a small bag, blackened with age. A few people gasped.
"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf protector left, young Yaha Uta.
"They did not have long to wait. The creature had a mate, another blood drinker, who came to the Quileutes seeking revenge.
"The stories say that the Cold Woman was the most beautiful thing human eyes had ever seen. She looked like the goddess of the dawn when she entered the village that morning; the sun was shining for once, and it glittered off her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black in her white face. Some fell to their knees to worship her.
"She asked something in a high, piercing voice, in a language no one had ever heard. The people were dumbfounded, not knowing how to answer her. There was none of Taha Aki's blood among the witnesses but one small boy. He clung to his mother and screamed that the smell was hurting his nose. One of the elders, on his way to council, heard the boy and realized what had come among them. He yelled for the people to run. She killed him first.
"There were twenty witnesses to the Cold Woman's approach. Two survived, only because she grew distracted by the blood, and paused to sate her thirst. They ran to Taha Aki, who sat in counsel with the other elders, his sons, and his third wife.
"Yaha Uta transformed into his spirit wolf as soon as he heard the news. He went to destroy the blood drinker alone. Taha Aki, his third wife, his sons, and his elders followed behind him.
"At first they could not find the creature, only the evidence of her attack. Bodies lay broken, a few drained of blood, strewn across the road where she'd appeared. Then they heard the screams and hurried to the harbor.
"A handful of the Quileutes had run to the ships for refuge. She swam after them like a shark, and broke the bow of their boat with her incredible strength. When the ship sank, she caught those trying to swim away and broke them, too.
"She saw the great wolf on the shore, and she forgot the fleeing swimmers. She swam so fast she was a blur and came, dripping and glorious, to stand before Yaha Uta. She pointed at him with one white finger and asked another incomprehensible question. Yaha Uta waited.
"It was a close fight. She was not the warrior her mate had been. But Yaha Uta was alone – there was no one to distract her fury from him.
"When Yaha Uta lost, Taha Aki screamed in defiance. He limped forward and shifted into an ancient, white-muzzled wolf. The wolf was old, but this was Taha Aki the Spirit Man, and his rage made him strong. The fight began again.
"Taha Aki's third wife had just seen her son die before her. Now her husband fought, and she had no hope that he could win. She'd heard every word the witnesses to the slaughter had told the council. She'd heard the story of Yaha Uta's first victory, and knew that his brother's diversion had saved him.
"The third wife grabbed a knife from the belt of one of the sons who stood beside her. They were all young sons, not yet men, and she knew they would die when their father failed.
"The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the dagger raised high. The Cold Woman smiled, barely distracted from her fight with the old wolf. She had no fear of the weak human woman or the knife that would not even scratch her skin, and she was about to deliver the death blow to Taha Aki.
"And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. She fell to her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart."
Harry could see the scene in his mind's eye – a woman with dark hair and eyes, a knife protruding from her chest like Dobby and blood pouring down her front, and a vampire standing near her, exceedingly beautiful and fighting an old giant wolf. The vampire would abandon the fight for the fresh blood, Harry didn't need to hear Old Quil's words to know that. And Harry had to admit that he admired the unnamed woman who sacrificed herself for her family and people.
"Blood spurted through the third wife's fingers and splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker could not resist the lure of the fresh blood leaving the third wife's body. Instinctively, she turned to the dying woman, for one second entirely consumed by thirst.
"Taha Aki's teeth closed around her neck.
"That was not the end of the fight, but Taha Aki was not alone now. Watching their mother die, two young sons felt such rage that they sprang forth as their spirit wolves, though they were not yet men. With their father, they finished the creature.
"Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed back to a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch her, and then he went into the forest and never returned.
"Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time on. Taha Aki's sons guarded the tribe until their sons were old enough to take their places. There were never more than three wolves at a time. It was enough. Occasionally a blood drinker would come through these lands, but they were taken by surprise, not expecting the wolves. Sometimes a wolf would die, but never were they decimated again like that first time. They'd learned how to fight the cold ones, and they passed the knowledge on, wolf mind to wolf mind, spirit to spirit, father to son.
"Time passed, and the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small.
"A bigger coven came, and your own great-grandfathers prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave some proof to his claim that they were not the same as other blood drinkers. The wolves were outnumbered; there was no need for the cold ones to offer a treaty when they could have won the fight. Ephraim accepted. They've stayed true to their side, though their presence does tend to draw in others."
Harry was just a little bit surprised to hear mention of the Cullens, but he subconsciously knew that they would come up. There was no way a group of vampire could live nearby and the Quileutes not know about them.
"And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the tribe has ever seen," Old Quil said, and for one moment his black eyes, all but buried in the wrinkles of skin folded around them, seemed to rest on me. "Except, of course, in Taha Aki's time," he said, and then he sighed. "And so the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."
All was silent for a long moment. The living descendants of magic and legend stared at one another across the fire with sadness in their eyes. All but one.
"Burden," he scoffed in a low voice. "I think it's cool." Quil's full lower lip pouted out a little bit. Across the dying fire, Seth – his eyes wide with adulation for the fraternity of tribal protectors – nodded his agreement.
Billy chuckled, low and long, and the magic seemed to fade into the glowing embers.
Suddenly, it was just a circle of friends again. Jared flicked a small stone at Quil, and everyone laughed when it made him jump. Low conversations murmured around them, teasing and casual.
I was struggling over whether I should put this here. I didn't want to copy so much from Eclipse but there are some things you just can't avoid.
Check out my other two stories if you havn't already!
