Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plot devices are the sole property of the illustrious Stephenie Meyer, whom I can only imitate. This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.
What I'm reading: Today I'm recommending something a little different. A Tale of Mirkwood, by Lizbit, is a Lord of the Rings fanfiction that tells the epic tale of Legolas falling in love with a human. This story spans prior to the War of the Ring, and concludes at the sailing for Valinor. I found this story when I read one of Lizbit's other stories, and, on a whim, started to read it one day when I decided I needed a break from Twilight stories. I was instantly hooked and completely enamoured with Lizbit's telling of Legolas' love. Lizbit stays in canon but brings Middle Earth to life in a away I have never read before. Go read it. You'll love it, I promise. And don't forget to leave review love!
What happened before . . .
I awoke alone, startled from my sleep by a loud wolf's howl. I pushed myself up from the rough branch on which I'd been laying my head. The rain had stopped, but it was very dark. The moon, hidden by thick clouds, shone dimly above the tree tops.
"Brady?" I squinted my eyes and peered out of the little shelter that had protected us from most of the rain. "Brady, where are you?"
I struggled to my feet. My legs had fallen asleep from crouching in one position for so long. Now the pins and needles ran down my legs as I shook them to return the feeling to normal. I staggered forward, lurching out of the shelter.
With the light of the moon, I recognized Brady's back about ten yards in front of me, bowed as he knelt in the soggy grass. He was retching, his whole body convulsing as he heaved.
"Brady! Are you okay?" I started forward.
"No, stay back!" His voice sounded angry under the hoarse whisper.
"What--" I started concerned. "What do you mean? Let me help you!"
"No, just stay there, please. Don't come any closer. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't want to hurt you."
Now I was confused. "Hurt me? You're the one who's hurting. Here, let me get you some water." I turned back to the shelter and fumbled with my bag, searching for another bottle of water. As my fingers closed around the cool container, another howl sounded nearby.
I dropped the bag and turned to look in Brady's direction.
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Chapter Nine
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His head was up and he whipped it around, fearfully searching through the gloom for the animal.
Before I could call out for him to come back to the shelter, his back shuddered and he cried out. I simply sat in silence, transfixed in horror as I watched my brother's body convulse. The violent shaking took over his whole body, till his outline seemed to blur.
Suddenly, with a ripping sound, Brady exploded into a huge ball of brown fur. I bit back a scream.
My brother had just morphed into a huge, horse-sized wolf! All I could do was crouch there, crying silently, half-hidden in our little shelter, hoping the wolf--my brother!--wouldn't turn to notice me.
His gigantic head came up to stare at the cloud-covered sky and he let out a long howl. The sound of it chilled me to the core, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. My breaths came in short gasps. His head leveled back down and he spun around to land in a crouch, growling at me once before darting into the thick forest, disappearing into the darkness.
I covered my mouth with both hands, trying to muffle my sobs. My brother--a werewolf? What did this mean? I'd just been reading the legends last night at the library, and the very next day my own brother turns those stories into reality?
I must be hallucinating. This is all a dream brought on by my obsession with Quileute culture. My report on the Olympic wolf just pushed me over the edge. And now I've gone crazy.
Several more howls sounded, indicating that there were more wolves nearby. I heard a crashing sound in the forest. The bushes visible from the opening of the shelter quivered and shook while a grey muzzle pushed through the leaves till a pair of mocha brown eyes appeared. Those eyes stared at me intelligently for a moment before the wolf pushed its entire body out of the underbrush and leaped to tower above me.
My fright seemed detached from me somehow. I sat in the leaves, looking straight up at the grey wolf in front of me, noting the dark spots along its back. I still shivered from the cold, but the crying had stopped, the tears leaving dried rivers on my cheeks. Now I just stayed still, watching with wide eyes to see what the wolf would do, wondering if this was another shape-shifter, or if it was a real wolf, attracted by the howls, here to devour me for dinner.
I'm going to die out here.
The wolf crept forward till it was a few feet from me. It bowed, bringing its huge head down to lie on the ground near my feet. It softly whined at me while the rest of its body plopped down on the ground. It crawled forward a few inches, wet nose nudging me, almost as if it was checking to make sure I was okay and wouldn't break out into hysterics at any second. Hysterics? Hardly. I felt like I was in shock. Not that I'd ever been in shock before, so I honestly couldn't say I knew from experience what it felt like. But what I was feeling sure seemed like shock. My mouth gaped open and my eyes--my eyes burned because I hadn't blinked for the past several minutes.
Another howl sounded, farther way this time, and was answered by my wolf--yes, I'd started to think of the wolf in front of me as mine. I'd already admitted I was crazy, right? My wolf stood to its feet and howled long and loud. I wanted to clap my hands over my ears to protect my eardrums from the sound, but I couldn't move my arms. I felt sluggish, like I was underwater.
I felt a soundless shimmering in the air, like an electrical charge was whirling around me in the breeze. My wolf's body convulsed once and its fur retracted, revealing a naked Quileute man standing in front of me. I recognized him.
"Embry?" I whispered. I felt a buzzing in my head, but I fought it off.
Embry Call is standing naked in front of me. Embry—naked. Wow. Look at those abs, Anna. Look at that huge--I shook my head slightly, trying to force my eyes back to his face. My thoughts swirled in my mind. Why am I even noticing how good his body looks? I mean, other than the fact that it's practically impossible not to stare, since he's standing naked right in front of me? I don't even like him! He's bad news—a gang member. A drug dealer. I'm dreaming. I'm having a nightmare.
Embry took a small step forward. "Anna, I won't hurt you, I promise. It will be okay."
"I know. I-I trust you." What? Why had I said that?
I realized that I was speaking the truth, even though my mind was screaming at me with incredulity. I really did trust this strange wolf-man. I didn't know why, but I felt a magnetic pull towards him, as if there were an invisible cord between us, tightening, drawing me to him. It confused me. I barely knew him—and what I'd been told about him wasn't good--but I felt like I could safely place my life in his hands, no matter what he was: drug dealer, gang member, or humongous wolf. It sounded so corny, but that's how I felt.
But I didn't like him. No way. Not that it mattered. This is a hallucination brought on by stress. I'm going to snap out of it any second now and I'll be in the forest with Brady, sleeping under the tree branches . . . Shit! Where'd Brady go? He left me!
Embry swiftly pulled a pair of shorts from where they'd been rolled up and tied to his ankle. He unfurled and stepped into them with one smooth, practiced movement, not breaking eye contact with me the whole time.
Then he stepped forward again and held out his arms.
"Come."
With that simple command, the spell that held me frozen broke and I was able to stand to my feet. I stumbled forward and launched myself into Embry's warm arms. He gently held me for a moment and I breathed in his musky pine scent, trying to stop my shivering. Then he swung me up, bridal style, and pulled me close to his bare chest, tucking my head under his chin. Swiftly, he ran through the trees, headed back towards La Push.
I'm being carried through the forest by a gang member. Why am I not freaking out? What if he kills me or something? Oh wait. Come on, Anna. You know he won't do anything like that.
I didn't feel jostled at all in his arms. Even though he ran faster than any human could, his footing was sure and he seemed to glide through the dark forest silently. I heard a few far-off howls and wondered if my brother was out there alone or if another wolf-man had found him. I hoped he was okay.
So the legends are true. Or else I'm crazy. Or maybe both.
Embry covered the distance in what seemed like just a few minutes (though I knew it had to be longer) and before I knew it, he was bypassing my darkened house, turning down an unfamiliar road. No one was out, and all of the houses of La Push were silent and dark. All except one.
Embry swept into the small house without knocking, and strode through the living room, down the hall, and into a bedroom. He gently placed me on the edge of the bed, holding me steady, making sure I could sit with my own strength, before withdrawing his arms. I shivered, suddenly cold, missing his warmth.
"I'll ask Emily to get you some dry clothes, okay? Wait here."
He disappeared and left me to glance around the room. The walls were painted light blue, matching the bedspread, and there was a wooden chest of drawers against the wall, next to a door which I assumed opened to a closet. A little table stood next to the bed I was sitting on, topped with a lamp. A window was open to my back, the white curtains half drawn.
I was interrupted from my inspection by a woman's soft voice at the door.
"Anna? Oh, I'm so glad you're all right! You must be so scared!"
I turned to see a small woman bustling towards me, carrying a set of black sweats. Embry stood in the doorway behind her, his eyes dark with concern and worry.
"Emily?" I remembered her. I recalled our encounter in the grocery store last week. "Is this your house?"
"Yes, dear. Here, let me help you out of those damp clothes. Embry, go to the kitchen and make Anna some hot tea, will you?"
After I changed, Emily took my clothes and made me lie down under the covers on the bed. She sat down next to me, facing me.
"I'm sure you have a thousand questions, but you should rest. You've been through a lot, I'm sure."
"Questions? Yeah, I'll say. What is going on?!" I rubbed my hands to my temples. "Am I going crazy?"
Emily took my hand into one of hers and rubbed my shoulder with the other. "No, dear. You're not crazy. I assume you saw your brother phase?"
"Phase? What's that? I saw my brother explode! He turned into a wolf! I big wolf! And then he ran away into the forest! He left me!" I was starting to hyperventilate but I just couldn't calm myself down. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to slow my breathing. Think happy thoughts. Beaches, rainbow-colored stones, bouquets of sharpened pencils, the smell of a new notebook, Embry's broad shoulders--stop it!
I opened my eyes to see Emily look over her shoulder at Embry, who had appeared during my outburst. He held a mug of steaming liquid in his large hands. He came closer and, when she stood and moved aside, he took her place on the bed next to me.
"Anna, honey," Emily started, "let me go call your mother and let her know you've been found. Embry will explain everything to you." And then she disappeared down the hall.
I turned my gaze to Embry and took a shuddering breath. "Well? Care to explain your ability to turn into a wolf and why my brother all of sudden can replicate the feat?"
Embry's brow wrinkled. "'Replicate the feat'?"
Yeah, I'll admit, I've read too many Jane Austen novels, and, when I get nervous, I start to use big words and speak like Mr. Darcy. I didn't tell him that, though.
I took another big breath, held it for a moment, and let it all out. "Can I have that tea?" I took it from his hands. "Okay, where to start? How about you begin by telling me how long this wolf business has been going on."
He nodded. "Sure. I've been phasing, uh, turning into a wolf, for a few months now, but Sam, our Alpha, has been a wolf for a couple years."
"And you don't need a full moon to do it?"
He smiled. "No."
"Okay. So you turn into a wolf just like Taha Aki?"
Embry was startled. "You know the legends?"
"Yeah, my dad taught me all about them, and Quileute culture is sort of my hobby."
"Your hobby?" He chuckled. "What are the odds? Huh. That's interesting."
"What?" I demanded.
"Nothing."
I knew it wasn't nothing, but I let it go. Switching to another topic, I asked, "Where's Brady? Is he okay?"
"Sam's out there with him right now. And he has Jake and Jared to help, too. He'll be fine. It may take a few days for him to calm down enough to phase back, though. That's normal."
"Oh," I replied. "He needs to calm down? Can I talk to him? Maybe I can help." I knew my brother better than anyone else, I knew I could help him phase back. He was probably freaking out right now. He hadn't learned the legends as well as I had, preferring instead to play computer games--he probably thought there was something wrong with him.
"No!" Embry shouted, startling me and causing me to jump a little before giving him a reproving glance.
"I mean," he started again, lowering his voice. "It isn't safe. Until he can control himself, he isn't safe for you to be around. Sam will take care of him, don't worry."
"Okaaaay. What about our parents? What do I tell them? Does they know? About Brady, I mean?"
"Yes, your dad knows. His great-grandfather was a Council elder and knew all about the Pack. Sam talked to your father several days ago after noticing the Brady was showing several symptoms. We didn't expect his transformation to happen so soon, though. There aren't any bloodsuckers around. Well, no more than usual--"
He broke off when he noticed my horrified expression. "More bloodsuckers than usual? You mean Cold Ones? Vampires? Here?" My panic started to resurface.
Embry took the mug of tea from my shaking hands and set it on the table by the bed. Then he scooted closer and put an arm around me, pulling me close, warming me. I immediately calmed. It felt so right, so natural, that I couldn't protest, even though my mind screamed at me, Anna! You barely know this guy! And how can his very touch calm you so easily? This isn't a romance novel you're living in.
Once I was breathing normally again, Embry took a deep breath of his own and checked my face, probably to make sure I was still calm. "There's a coven in Forks that we have a treaty with. The treaty was made years and years ago. They don't drink from humans and we don't hunt them. None of us particularly trusts them, but they haven't broken the treaty yet, so our hands are tied. They stay on their land, and we patrol our territory."
I shivered even though Embry's hot arm was still around my shoulders.
"So there are vampires in Forks and no one knows?"
"Well, there is one person in Forks who knows." Embry looked uneasy. "There's this girl, Bella, that's dating one of the bloodsuckers."
I gasped. "What? dating a vampire! I thought you said they weren't dangerous! He'll eat her!"
"Well, they are dangerous but they haven't hurt her, at least not physically. We can't really do anything about it unless they bite her, and nothing like that has happened."
"What do you mean, 'at least not physically'?" My curiosity was morbid, but this seemed straight out of a Dracula-type story.
"Um, well . . . look, don't tell Jake I told you this, okay?"
I scoffed. "Right. Like Jacob Black, pure-blood Quileute and member of the elite Protector gang, revered by all the girls at school, would bother to talk to me." A thought struck me. "He's in the group of guys you hang out with, isn't he? Is he a wolf, too? You said he was out helping Brady, right?"
"Yeah, the whole group is actually the Pack. We're all wolves. Collin is the newest member."
I got it. That was why Collin had been missing from school this past week. He'd been busy turning into a giant wolf and learning to control himself. That was why he started sitting at the gang's table. I began to feel really bad about yelling at him at lunch.
I shook my head. I'd deal with the guilt later. Turning the conversation back to what we'd been talking about, I urged, "So, this Bella girl. She hasn't been bitten yet?"
"No. The leech she's dating, Edward Cullen is his name, hasn't physically hurt her. He broke her heart last fall, though. The whole coven up and left and were gone for a few months. We all thought they were gone for good, but then they came back, and he got back together with her. Jake doesn't like it because when the bloodsucker left, she fell apart--turned into a ghost of herself. Jake got really close to her and helped her heal. She used to come down here to La Push all the time and hang out with us. But then she ditched Jake for the bloodsucker when he came back this year. Jake's still trying to win her back, but I don't think it's gonna happen."
"Ugh, does she not realize how dangerous vampires are? From the legends I've read, I'd be scared stiff to go near one!"
Embry nodded, still looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, she knows. But she doesn't care. She's in love with him, she says."
I shivered, this time with fear. "Let's talk about something else. I don't want to think about Brady being out there in the forest with vampires so close. Um, what's it like being a werewolf?"
He relaxed and smiled his shy smile that I was beginning to like so much. No, no, no, Anna! You can't like his smile! He's just a source of information, nothing more. He's filling in all the gaps, now that you know the legends are real. That's it.
"Well, it's pretty incredible. The speed, the strength, the super-senses, it's all pretty amazing. And my brothers, the rest of the Pack, we're all so close, it's like having a huge family. The stuff that's not so hot is the Pack mind. I don't know if you read about that or not. We can sorta read one another's minds when we're phased. It's great for when we're coordinating attacks and stuff, but not so great when we're just patrolling. Some of the stuff I've seen in Jared's mind--" He shuddered dramatically, causing me to laugh.
"Is that how you found us, out in the forest?"
"Yeah, when Brady phased, I saw through his mind exactly where you were."
"Wow, that's kinda cool." And it was. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone in my head, seeing what I was thinking, but the Pack mind was a fascinating thing. I wondered if I'd be allowed to ask more questions of the other wolf-men. Something like this was simply too interesting to let go. My passion, the legends, come to life in the people I went to school with! Who would have thought?
"I can hardly believe all this is real. It's like a dream or something. I mean, I love the legends and have always kinda wished they were true, but I never thought I'd find out they really were, and certainly not like this!"
Nope, having my brother morph into a wolf right in front of me is certainly not something I'd ever daydreamed about.
He sighed. "I didn't want you to find out like this. I wish it had been under different circumstances."
"Wait a minute. You mean, you were going to tell me about what you are, even if Brady didn't phase?"
Embry looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah." His voice trailed off.
"Why?"
"Um. Can I tell you later? I-I'm not sure exactly how, exactly what I should say."
He looked so nervous and pitiful that I relented, filing this away to investigate another time. "Sure. Why does everyone--well, all the guys at school--think you are a gang?"
He chuckled. "Well, we are, kind of, though we use the word 'Pack'. Honestly, though, I think it's just some kind of rivalry thing. Most of the parents on the rez love us, and the girls are all ga-ga over us, too."
I felt something inside me twinge a bit when he mentioned the swooning girls. Was that . . . jealousy? What one earth was happening to me? I pushed the feeling away and smiled again.
"I was sure you were all drug dealers, you know. I figured you had a meth lab out in the forest."
Embry grimaced. "Yeah, when you accused us of that yesterday, I was pretty surprised. I guess you know the truth now, though, right?"
I laughed. "Yeah. You probably don't have much time to sell drugs if you're busy protecting the reservation from vampires." I shuddered then. Vampires are real! No. Don't think about it, Anna.
He felt my shudder and hugged me closer to his body. "I'm overloading you with information. You're probably going to explode if I say anything else! You should sleep now." Embry smiled down at me. "Don't worry, Anna. I won't let anything get you. I'll protect you with my life." He looked at me seriously, that intense look making another appearance. It confused me—what did it mean? I couldn't do anything but nod.
How quickly my world had changed! Yesterday the biggest scandal in my life had been Collin changing lunch tables. Today I was fraternizing with wolves and learning about 'friendly vampires' who apparently lived close by in Forks. And Embry--I didn't know what to think about him. I couldn't like him. No. This wolf business was too overwhelming. My emotions were all muddled.
Exhaustion fell suddenly over me like a thick woolen blanket on a hot day. I ignored my inner mind admonishing me to pull away from Embry. I rested my head on his chest and heard a low hum come from deep within him.
I let his heartbeat lull me to sleep. As I drifted off, I thought I heard him whisper, "You'll always be safe with me, Anna."
That is the longest chapter so far. It started out as two chapters, but I'm going to be gone for a week on vacation, so I figured you all would appreciate a little extra to tide you over till I get back. Think you can survive without me for a week? I promise to keep writing while I'm away, though, so I'll update as soon as I return.
Reviews are better than naked werewolves in the moonlight! Okay, that's a total lie. Review anyway.
