Chapter 12: The Journey

BPOV

I stretched yawning the next morning. I looked around through half closed eyes. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't even raining, thank god for that. I set out a few carrots for Alex and worked to make myself some rice. I was hungry. Alex nudged my arm and bugled softly. I rubbed a hand against his head in comfort. "We'll be fine." I assured him. "You're a great friend." I said looking into his eyes for the first time. I gasped shocked. There was something more then animal in his eyes. They were human! "You aren't an animal are you?" I questioned him. He shook his head and bugled again. "You can't shift back." He nodded. What was I supposed to do now? I had to help him. I couldn't keep him as a steed when he was a human. He had a right to be free.

Alex spooked suddenly and I turned to the north to see a wolf in the clearing. I stood quickly and drew my hunting knife. "What are you doing here?" The wolf walked past me to Alex. It began to circle him. As it went faster another wolf bounded from the brush and joined the circle as well, then another, and another. Together they became a blur of fur. The wind picked up and then I understood. The wolves were from a mother forest. They were helping Alex, and they were probably what I'd been hearing for the past few nights.

Alex lifted off the ground and began to change (with clothes on, thank god). The wolves ran off now that the transformation was complete and Alex came slowly back to the earth. "You were a human all along." I muttered.

"Alex, survivor of the orphan holocaust, at your service." He said smirking with a slight bow.

"So I did get your name right." I muttered.

"Yes, you did. So do you want to fill me in on what's going on? I only understood what you said."

"We were running from a coven of vampires that my friends were supposed to get rid of so I could go back. I'm starting to think something happened to them." I informed him. "I'm so worried that someone got hurt."

"So which one was the bronze haired one you looked at like he hung the moon?" He inquired smirking.

"That was Edward." I said blushing.

"You like him." Alex stated more than asked.

"It doesn't matter. He couldn't possibly feel the same."

"You can't know that! You didn't even ask him!" I shrugged.

"Right now it doesn't matter I need to make sure they're all safe. They took me in. They're my family now." Alex nodded in understanding. "What about you?"

"I don't have anybody. I was in the forest after a healing ceremony, but a foster parent search party was there as well. I was running, but they were going to catch me I remember wishing I could go faster then I was an elk. I didn't have time to worry. I was thankful to be able to out run the foster parents. When I realized I couldn't shift back I knew I had to serve the mother tree to have a hope of being able to move between forms. I helped you and now I can do just that. I thought the second I could I would run off and make a life somewhere, but I've learned so much about you in the past few days. You're so caring and kind. I really was worried for you when you went to that home to steal food. I want to help you find this new vampire family of yours. You deserve happiness as much as the next holocaust survivor." I smiled at his speech.

"Thank you Alex." He smiled in return.

"You should call them." I dialed Edward's number as suggested and pressed send.

"Come on Edward. Answer the phone!" I said worriedly. I hung up when it went to voice mail. "He always answers the phone." I said quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Something must have happened." I said worriedly. What was I supposed to do now?

(EPOV) Before the phone call

James stormed down the stairs into our cell. "You son of a bitch! How the fuck did you cover her scent trail?" James snarled. I relaxed slightly. She'd found a way to stay safe, thank god. He bit my shoulder, infuriated.

"Leave him alone!" Alice screamed at him. He stalked over to her.

"I wouldn't push me bitch." She spat in his face, and he backhanded her quickly. Her head snapped to the side loudly. Jasper roared angrily at James. He hurt Alice! I'm going to kill him! He thought angrily. James was about to hit her again when my phone started to ring. Shit! Bella, hang up! Stop calling!!!! He looked at my pocket curiously.

He pulled the phone out of my pocket and smiled in triumph. Why hadn't I destroyed it earlier! "You don't know where she is, do you? You just neglected to mention that she had a cell phone." The phone stopped ringing and I started to worry. What would he do? "This is going to be easier then I thought. How long do you think she'll stay away if she hears that you're hurt?" He inquired.

"Keep her out of this!" I snarled at him. He let me off the wall. I was too weak to fight. I wasn't even healed yet. I was still recovering from last time. He called in a vampire to hold me still as he hit the redial button on my phone. He put it on speaker. Bella answered on the third ring.

"Edward, where are you?" Bella inquired.

"Edward can't come to the phone right now. He's held up." James said laughing.

"Who the hell are you?" She questioned. When had Bella gotten tough?

"Don't you start with me orphan. Can you hear this?" James questioned as he ripped my arm off again. I groaned in pain. I couldn't help it.

"You sick bastard, let him go or…"

"Or what? The only way for you to save him is to come here and get him. Oh, and don't forget the rest of his family: they're here as well. If you don't come here I'll kill Edward."

"Stay away Bella!" I yelled to her. James kneed me in the ribs angrily.

"Don't hurt him! I'll come, just don't hurt him anymore James. I'm coming." How did she know him?

"It's good to know you remember me." James said smirking. "I would hurry. I don't think Edward's going to make it much longer." He shut the phone on Bella and smirked at me.

"I bet she's on her way right now. You should be happy. She'll be joining you soon in the dungeon." He said before he chained me back to the wall. He shoved my arm into the socket roughly before he walked away laughing. I hung my head. I had failed Bella. She would be captured soon.

BPOV (Just after the phone call)

I was furious. James had the Cullens. He'd hurt Edward and probably all the rest. How could someone in good conscious torture someone like Carlisle or Esme? James would pay for this. "What just happened?" Alex inquired.

"The Cullens are captured. I have to go to them. I have to try to save them." I said. I knew there was little hope, but I couldn't leave them there. They'd done so much for me.

"What's the plan?" I gaped at him.

"There really isn't one. I have to do what James asked by showing up, but then I plan on kicking his ass. He really crossed the line this time." Alex nodded.

"I can get you there if you like. Hell, I'll even help you once you're there. I can shift into whatever I want to now."

"Thanks, Alex, but are you sure? It's a few day's journey from here and James isn't a small threat. He's a vampire now and powerful."

"I'm going to help you." He said stubbornly. I shrugged.

"It's your funeral," I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that!" He called back as he helped me break camp. We worked together to get it done quickly. We needed to get to the Cullens. The longer we were away the more likely James was to … But I couldn't think that. Not while I was trying to be brave for them. Thoughts of what he could do or had already done along with the ones about what awaited me needed to be shoved into a corner until after all this was over. If I didn't do that all hope was lost and the Cullens would die. Edward… I thought shivering. That wasn't a pain I would live through. He didn't have to be with me. He just had to live, because if he died I would quickly find a way to follow.

"What should I shift into? I know riding an elk can't be all that comfortable." He said sheepishly.

"Actually I was used to it, but how about a horse this time. Then I have something to hold on to." I suggested. He quickly shifted into a horse. He reared up on his hind legs and pawed at the air excitedly. I would have laughed given almost any other circumstances. "I can't reach." I pointed out. Snorting he lay down slowly and folded his legs beneath him. I jumped on and clamped my legs around him so I wouldn't fall as he stood up again. I wound my fingers through his main and then we were off. He was running through the trees with more speed then a vampire. I leaned forward and urged him forwards.

As Alex ran I tried to busy my mind with the landscape. I helped Alex spy holes and rocks that would trip us up along the way. When the sun sunk low we broke for camp. We couldn't continue through the night in the terrain we would soon be facing. I wasn't even sure if we could make the entire journey with Alex in animal form. It would be risky. Alex was asleep before I'd even returned with an extra load of firewood. He was so tired. He was doing so much to help me. I would always be grateful.

"Time to wake up Alex," I said shaking him. It was already ten and we had to get a move on if we wished to reach our destination within the next three days.

"I'm up." He said standing. He walked over to the fire side to eat his food. I rolled my eyes and went over to join him. When we were done I grabbed everything we could keep and shoved it roughly into the pack. At the same time Alex doused the fire and scattered its remains before wiping our tracks away. Once he shifted into a horse I jumped on his back and once more we were off. I nearly fell asleep at one point and we went the wrong way. I had him wheel to the left and dart the proper direction. I couldn't have us getting lost. We had to reach them!

The night and next day passed in a blur of anxiety. Before night fell I could see the castle come into view. Alex ground to a stop a mere half a mile from the castle just as night fell. I jumped from his back quickly and worked to start a fire before the animals drew near. Just because we were in a mother tree's forest didn't mean the animals wouldn't harm us. They were hungry too, and all things deserve to eat, to survive.

When the fire was blazing I settled down to cook. I pulled out the rest of the beans and the rice along with the bread. "Tonight we feast." I muttered sarcastically. Alex laughed anyway.

"A meal fit for kings." He said before he sat down as well having finished securing a safe perimeter by the ancient rites.

"More of a last supper," I mumbled. I saw him role his eyes in the half light from the fire.

"Don't be so negative. We'll save your family and get out of there." As if it would be that easy.

"It will probably take longer than that, so we won't e eating for a while. It's better to stock up now. Tomorrow we can eat the leftovers." He nodded somberly. We ate silently before we went to sleep. The wind blew up over our perimeter away from the castle so they would have no warning of our coming. Thank the orphans for that. We needed all the help we could get, and their spirits could sense it.

It was a quiet breakfast that morning. The fire was still going strong, so there was no need to move until we were breaking camp for the last time. That's also the reason I didn't notice Alex's limp. "You're hurt." I muttered shocked. He heard and turned to face me.

"I'm fine."

"You're limping. What happened?" I questioned.

"When I can move between forms the running still wears on me. We've had to go so far, so fast. It screwed up my leg." He said annoyed at himself.

"You can't come with me. You're already hurt." I stated quietly.

"I have to! I am not letting you go in there alone. That was always a rule: watch each other's backs!" He said getting louder.

"Quiet! Fine, you can come with me, but you're doing it in a mouse form so I can hide you. We're probably going to need at least on of us that's free to roam the castle." He nodded grudgingly. "I'm going to leave all of this here. I'll bring the candles, but the rest I have to leave here." He nodded. I hid it behind a tree.

"When we get out we're going to need money." He said nodding. I covered the pack with leaves and other debris, but I also sheltered it under a tree so when it rained it would be safe.

"Shift into a mouse so we can get going. I don't want them to know you're with me." He rolled his eyes before he shifted. I picked him up and put him into my pocket quickly. I looked down from the ledge to view the castle below me. I took a deep breath before I began the last half mile descent to where James awaited me, to Edward.