Beat the Drums

By: OurLoveIsForever

Chapter Ten: Aniwahya

Snapping awake, I stared at my ceiling. It wasn't even light outside. I lay there for what felt like forever simply thinking. It was ridiculous, all of this. Shape-shifters, vampires. How had all of this started? It didn't seem to matter much anymore. I was being guarded, though they thought I didn't know it. I was well aware of that fact. They knew I had been listening. The Cold Ones could sense it. They had said something about running patrols more. I felt so useless. At that moment, someone was missing priceless hours of sleep because of me. I was being a annoyance.

I jerked in surprise when my phone began to ring. 'There are stars in the southern sky…' The Eagles crooned and I threw myself toward the other side of the bed, nearly falling off the side to grab the phone from the floor. 'Southward as you—'

"Hello?" I said immediately. It was a choked sound since I was practically hanging upside down. "Hello?" I repeated, sitting up.

There was a moment of silence before an answer came. "Heather?"

"Russ? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"I'm sorry I haven't called y—"

"Not why I'm callin', Heather." His baritone practically whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Russ. What—"

"Don't lie, Heather." He responded before I could ask what was going on. "Your Aunt told your Mom that you've been a little distracted and down. Do you have friends up there?"

"I've got friends up here, Russ. What's goin' on?"

"I'm on my way with John and Matt."

"Say what?" They were coming to Washington? Why? What in the world was he thinking? "Russ, why? I'm perfectly fine." Supernatural things aside. "I've started class, been working at that restaurant and I have a great group of friends." I expanded a bit more. "Russ, there's no need for you to come up here. That's too long of a drive plus bringing John and Matt? I'm fine, Russ."

"You always say you're fine when you're not. I've been your best friend since we started school, Heda. You think I don't know that? You think I don't see a problem when you don't call? You think I don't sense when something's wrong?"

"Russ…"

"Heather, I don't know what's going on up there, but I need to make sure that everything's okay."

"No, Russ, you don't." I responded. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry so much. I'm really sorry I didn't call, but things've been really crazy. Class and work. I didn't want to bother you either. I don't know when your shifts are at the village. Tell John and Matt that I said hey. Tell your Mom and Dad too." I sighed and sunk my head into my pillows. "I love ya, Russ, but please…"

I could hear him push something over in the background. "Heather…"

"I'll call you soon." Before he could say anything else, I hung up.

I didn't return to sleep that night.

If Russ and the boys came up, they would be in danger too. I would do anything to keep them away from Washington. Cold Ones and shape-shifters. Russ would be nowhere around all of this. Not if I had any say about it.

Wednesday came faster than I could've imagined. Every day it was the same thing. Go to school, sit with Garrett at the back of class, wait for Seth and go back to the rez and work. Like clockwork. Three days in a row. And finally there was a night of relative freedom. It was dinner at Emily Uley's house and admittedly, I was more protected there than anywhere else, but that fact I was willing to overlook for Seth's sake.

Seth was ecstatic, thrilled. I was going to this dinner knowing exactly what was going on. That, I think, was enough to make his week. Possibly his entire month.

"You ready to go?"

I jumped.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"No, it's cool. Um, does this look okay?" I stood up and self consciously dusted off the jeans. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be wearing so I settled for jeans and a nice shirt. I watched as Seth looked me up and down and whistled.

"You clean up good." I raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you're beautiful all the time. I mean, you could be wearing pajamas and an old football t-shirt and I would think you're the best thing since sliced bread." He laughed. "In answer to your question: yeah, yeah, you look good."

I blushed, lowering my face.

"Hey, don't feel bad about lookin' good. I look good all the time and I'm perfectly cool with it." He stepped forward and threw an arm around my shoulders. "Let's go make some tails wag, sweetie."

I laughed out loud. I could sit and think all day on the negatives, but when Seth made me laugh that all went away. We laughed the whole way to Emily and Sam's house, chucking jokes around and holding hands the entire time.

"Seth!" There was a shout when we pulled up. Three guys poured out of the door, pushing each other with large smiles on their faces. "Hey, man, get out of the car!"

Seth grinned and looked toward me. "Like family." He reiterated a point he had made before we left the house. He had told me that these people regarded me as a sister and that there was no reason to be anxious. Before he could say anything else, the door opened up and he was gone. I noticed that he was already on the other side of the yard, laughing as the guys chased him.

I climbed out of the car and grinned at Kim. She ran forward, wrapping me in a warm hug. "Good to see you."

"Welcome to the club." She laughed, taking my hand. She tugged me toward the door. "Emily's inside. Rach's on her way. Uh, Gloria's been here for, like, ever. We've got a little bit more to do before dinner's ready. You wanna help?"

"Sure." I nodded, entering the house. I saw four guys sitting at the table, laughing loudly about something or other. I noticed one that I recognized immediately. He stood and came to give me a rather unexpected hug. "Hey, Em." He came to the restaurant more than anyone else, trying to keep me smiling.

"Howdy, Little Lady." He grinned. "Keepin' Seth in line?"

"Best I can." I smiled, patting his shoulder as he sat back down. "Hey there Avery, Corey."

"Hey, Heather." They chorused, throwing down their cards.

I moved toward the kitchen, where Emily was sitting in a chair sat in the corner. She lifted her head and smiled widely. "Heather, welcome!"

"Thanks so much for havin' me." I waved her down when she attempted to stand. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just gonna help. What do y'all need me to do?" I edged past two others, who were laughing at the sink. "Anything?"

"We need help with the potatoes." I nodded, moving toward the stove, where Kim had started boiling water. I was right where I felt at home- in the kitchen.

"Do you know how to make pudding?"

"The girl just got here. Don't work her to the bone." One of the girls said, turning to face me. "I'm Gloria Hughes, Collin's girlfriend and imprint."

I raised my eyebrows, a little shocked at her straightforward attitude. "Heather Swimmer, Seth's girlfriend and imprint."

"Are we all gonna introduce ourselves like that?" The other girl asked, shaking her head. Her curls bounced with the motion. "Do you want my birthday and favorite color too?"

"That might make Christmas a little easier." Emily said with a laugh.

"Trudy. Avery. July third and yellow." The girl laughed, smacking hands with Gloria. "Welcome to the club, Heather. By the end of tonight, you'll have all of our phone numbers and have free reign at any house of your choosing. Not only that, but you also get the first cupcake tonight. Imprint tradition." She laughed lightly and finished washing the lettuce.

"Tell me you guys aren't making salad." A voice said from the other side of the counter.

"We're making salad." Three voices said at once. It was Kim who continued on. "It was Rachel's idea. Have it out with her."

"Can't. I already did." Grabbing an apple, he tossed it into the air. "She went to buy more dressing."

"What did you do? Sabotage?"

"It isn't my fault I accidently hit the bottles on the way out." He shrugged. "And it isn't my fault she bought glass bottles in the first place. Who does that?"

I continued making the mashed potatoes until all that was left for me to do was lean against the counter and talk with the other girls. To be honest, it was the first time I had felt so carefree. We laughed about various things. Jokes and stories about the boys. When the majority of the guys finally came inside, they were all rough and dirty. We laughed at the few defeated faces.

"Where's Paul?" Emily asked as I went to help her stand. She was so big, it was becoming difficult to do that simple task.

"He got pissed because Jake popped his football."

"Yeah, the wuss'll be back in a few after he cools off."

I smiled at their exuberance. "Dinner's ready."

"Look at that! Country bumpkin's gettin' in on feedin' the wolves!" Avery fist pumped in the air. "But can she cook?"

"She works at the restaurant. What do you think?" Embry responded before I could. "She makes the best pie. Don't they have you making the pies now?"

"Just a few." I nodded, helping Kim to set the food up on the counter. "So, how does this work?"

"We get food first." Gloria explained, grabbing a paper plate and handing it to me. "The boys will rip into all of this when they're allowed to. We'll go to the living room when they start getting food. Sometimes things get…a little wild."

I stepped to the other side of the counter and felt arms wrap around my waist. I jumped a little and turned slightly to see Seth grinning widely. So much happiness in his eyes. His mouth was at my ear. "Are you having fun?"

"Lots of fun." I nodded, resting my hands on his. "You?"

"Totally."

"Ladies first, ladies first." Someone called. I squeezed his hands as he reluctantly let go, allowing me to grab a plate and some food. I followed the girls into the living room, settling onto the floor beside Kim. She was telling me the story of how she and Jared had ended up together. She had been in love with him for a long time before he even knew she existed, which seemed so far -fetched with the way they looked at each other. When he imprinted, everything changed.

Gloria began telling me her story after there were a few loudly exchanged words in the kitchen. She seemed to be trying to distract me from the raucous. "I was uncomfortable here at first because, you know, the boys are animals around food." She laughed slightly and leaned forward. "Collin was far less romantic than Jared."

"I resent that!" A voice called from the kitchen.

"What? It's true and you know it!" She retorted, not even bothering to raise her voice. "He was walking with the boys on the beach. I had gone down there to catch my baby brother with his girlfriend. Next thing I know, Collin's head first in the sand."

"You were too beautiful to look away from." Came the voice again, only closer. I turned to find Collin walking around the sofa. "It isn't my fault there was driftwood in the way."

"I thought he was an uncoordinated idiot at first but he won me over."

"Is the game on?"

"Hey, hey. Uh uh. No game tonight. We get the living room. That's what was agreed upon." Emily stated, waving her hand. "You guys want the game, go to someone else's house but leave the food here."

"Food or the game, guys?" A voice called out in the kitchen.

I laughed when a chorus of 'food' came as the answer. "Besides, I got the game on TiVo!" Another chorus of hoots.

"Rachel's here."

Trudy snorted into her corn. "This'll be fun."

"Not fun. Paul will end up throwing a tantrum again." Kim responded, shaking her head. "You know what happened last time. Do you know how long it took me and Jared to fix the wall?"

"Eh, well." was the shrug she received. "They're getting better."

The thought occurred to me that for the past two hours, I hadn't thought of my problems. I hadn't thought of the vampire, of home or school. It hit me then that this was what I had been searching for, what I had been told so many times since I arrived that I was a part of. This was a family and I had been welcomed with open arms. It was even closer than my friends from home because we all shared something more. Us women that sat in that living room had a bond between us that didn't even need to be defined. We were sisters just like those boys were brothers.

Kim's hand rested on my arm. "You okay?"

This time I didn't answer with my back-up phrase of 'I'm fine', I answered with my heart. "I'm okay." My smile broadened. "I'm great."

"Good, cause here comes trouble."

"Trouble? You wound me, K-Bob." Seth smirked, falling onto the couch behind me. I settled in the space between his knees. "It's Jared that's trouble. Do you know what he's scheming now?"

"Shut up, Seth!" Echoed from the kitchen.

I felt Seth lean forward so his face was next to mine. "You're already done eating?"

"More interesting things in here. What are you ladies talking about?"

"Shoes. Fashion. Waxing." Gloria retorted. "Still wanna enter enemy territory?"

He laughed, rubbing his hands together before starting to rub my shoulders. "Sounds exciting. You know, it's not every day I get to hear about waxing! Now, fashion is obviously not my thing and shoes? Give me flip-flops and leave me be!"

"You're too jolly for your own good." Trudy smirked, leaning back.

"He's just happy Heather's here. Like a kid at Christmas." Emily smiled, her hand resting on her stomach. "They're all the same way."

There was a strange moment when everything seemed to go still. I turned my head toward Seth, settling my plate on the coffee table. "Seth?" He was standing the next moment, his arms around my waist, pulling me up. Everything was then thrown into high gear. I was shoved toward Kim and there were shouts.

"Seth? Do you know who it is?"

"No, but I can hear them!"

"Jared?"

"I don't recognize the scent!"

"Collin, Avery. The girls. Take the girls upstairs." I heard a low voice boom. I was being shuffled toward the steps. "Jake!"

"Got the front. Embry, with me! Seth, Quil go north."

"Where's Leah?"

"Not here yet! Sam?"

"Everyone flank the house." Sam's voice echoed as Avery urged me to follow everyone upstairs. "I don't get it!" I saw him run out the door just before I lost sight of the downstairs altogether. Avery continued to corral me backward until I was in a large bedroom at the end of the hall with Kim standing next to me, her hand on my upper arm.

"Collin, what's happening?"

"Paul caught a scent of something in the area. It's not a bloodsucker, but—" I breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't Thomas Powell. I wasn't putting all these people in danger. I thanked God. "They're running a perimeter to figure out what it was."

Then a howl pierced the air and for some reason my knees went weak. Kim caught me and I knitted my brows. What in the world was that? "Collin?"

"That was Seth."

My mind went blank. Before I knew what I was doing, I was out of the door, bolting down the stairs and through the bottom level. I could hear Avery behind me, calling my name, telling me it was dangerous. All of that didn't matter. Something was happening with Seth. I had to know he was okay. I had to know.

I burst out onto the back porch to see three large wolves standing with their backs to me. A large black wolf, a tan and a gray. I didn't know who they were. I felt Avery standing behind me. "Oh shit."

I turned to see what direction he was looking and spun my head toward the left. At the same time, the wolves did the same. What met my eyes was something I didn't expect, something that made me forget to breathe.

He was nearly six feet tall with skin the color of warm caramel. His black hair was shaved on the sides and the long top strip top was pulled back into a ponytail. It was the warrior's hair style, from back home. I saw his eyes look calmly at the giant wolves before he shifted them to me and grinned. "Running with wolves now, Heda?" I stared in complete shock.

I barely noticed the emergence of two large wolves on his right and left. "No way…"

"Way." Russ mouthed, crossing his arms. "You wanna call these guys off?"

I was frozen in place. How was Russ in Washington? I told him not to come! What if the guys hurt him? It was then I found my voice. "He's a friend! He's my friend."

"Heather, those aren't our wolves beside him." Avery whispered.

I saw Russ's chin rise slightly. One of the wolves at his side growled a little, looking straight at me, before starting forward. There was a tan wolf there between in the next second, pawing the ground and growling fiercely. I knew exactly who it was. "Seth!" I redirected my attention toward Russ. "What in the world—"

"The Aniwahya lead in times of war. The sons were always as fierce as the wolves they guarded and who guarded them. It was a story that was passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter." I stared at his serious expression. "In times before our People came to settle in the Smokies, there were two wolves. They were powerful and complete opposites. In efforts to outdo each other, one Wolf became a servant to man: a Dog. The other Wolf, being cunning, became one with man, taking and giving traits one with the other. This was how the first of the Aniwahya clan was born." I remembered the story. Enisi had told us so many times that I lost count. "Using their skills, the Aniwahya were the only ones allowed to kill their brethren the Wolves until one day Kiah, the mighty warrior, was hunting a wolf for his skin. Kiah became one with the Wolf and so our legend began."

I felt my breathing hitch. Russ smirked slightly.

"Heather, I'm sure you remember John and Matt." He gestured to the wolves beside him. His hands rose. "If it makes you guys feel any better, I come in peace."

It was then that I fell to the floor, out cold.

A/N: This has been planned the entire time. I am so excited for the rest of the story (which I have finished writing). I hope you all enjoyed and that you will please leave me some feedback. Until next time!