Philosophies

They had been so quick to decide. There was no room for reason or perhaps indecision. The incoherent thoughts that rattled around in their empty heads were screaming statements that were undeniably false from my point of view. It was unbelievable that not even Carlisle's place as leader and stern words of compassion could tame my brothers and sister. The rage that was ignited within them was born from the flames of protection and worry concerning their kin. Alice's vision had leaded them down a path that should never be traveled unless you know the way through the dark abyss.

Everything around me became like a still shot out of a movie. It was like the molecules around us moved at a much slower ratio and transformed the transpiring scene into a clip of slow motion. Carlisle and I tried to stop them but there was not even an ounce of leniency nor hesitation in their paces. Their eyes drew shadowy curtains beneath their pupils that had turned pitch black. They all had but one target and that was the ancient one that stood behind me.

This was not good. The memories of Carlisle's tale concerning the age old wars and vampires flashed before my eyes. These vampires were much like royalty. They had seen things that we could not even imagine, and things that we knew nothing about. The things that were known were shrouded by uncertainty and darkness. As the memories flashed before me I could remember one better than any other. Carlisle could not stress enough that if we were dealing with a being that was not supposed to exist anymore that we would be confronted with an instinct that was millennia old. These instincts would be so foreign and unpredictable that vampires in the past most literally tip toed around these ancient ones.

In the millisecond it took me to remember Carlisle's words Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper dashed between us as nothing but perhaps a strong breeze. As I turned to follow their heading I could almost see tears of fear leaking from Carlisle eyes. His face was horror striking as his children flew to what could be their doom. They weren't worried. One against three, and that was all they thought about.

How naïve they were. How could they put numbers above strength; especially Jasper? It was true; numbers did help in battle but a great many times they never won. I felt a shiver run through my entire being that shook my insides furiously like it was trying to warn me. I had no hope for them. I was certain that she was indeed an age old wise one that came from a world that we could never comprehend, and now my brothers and sister were about to stumble into it. While they'd stumble they would fall into a pool of molten lava that would melt their bodies and incinerate them.

The two seconds it took for them to pass between us and my thoughts to become a spiraling mess of fear and panic the slow motion like scene did not affect her.

There were but a few meters between my siblings and the titan that came from the old world. I had caught a glimpse of her face just before Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper blocked my view. Her eyes were closed and there was a dark smirk pulling up on her face. It was like she was waiting, like they weren't moving fast enough for her. Oh my God! What had I done? I had lead my family into this lionesses hunting ground. The seconds passed us so slowly that every fraction of them seemed like hours to me. I had never felt my thoughts washing through me so fast.

She opened her eyes. This was it. Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were in reach. Emmett opened both of his big arms and went for the obvious newborn strategy. He was going to try to encircle her and literally squeeze the venom right out of her. Jasper jumped slightly and straightened his arm and was ready to elbow her. Rosalie pulled back her hand and prepared her claws to dig into her skin. They all spat ferocious growls at her.

When she opened her eyes the dark smirk disappeared and evolved into a straight line of menace. While my brethren seemed to be moving in slow motion her pace was perfectly normal. She lifted her arm and pulled it behind her until she slapped it back forward and…

CRACK!

It sounded like a loud thunder or a malevolent lightning bolt that had just struck the ground before us when she waved her hand from one side to the other. I even maneuvered my hands over my ears because the strike sounded so humongous. Suddenly I saw Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett flying right towards me. I quickly hopped out of the way and felt the pressure in the air when Rosalie flew by me and almost collided into me. It was the same for Emmett and Jasper. Carlisle had fallen to the ground purposely as he watched Emmett glide over and above him.

Then there was another cracking sound but this one was no where near as loud as when she with but one wave of her arm neutralized my siblings. Emmett with his back had crashed into a tree. On contact Emmett released a howl of pain as I watched in horror as cracks appeared all over his face and what looked like a lighting bolt travel up the tree. The large crack reached the branches and leaves that shook violently and broke off the large branches causing them to fall to the ground. The leaves were rustling as their spines broke and began flying and sliding towards Emmett. He sank in the soft soil spot he now sat in and whimpered as his features turned into a mask of sheer pain.

Suddenly I heard the noises of what sounded like a glass shattering explosion behind me. I turned around blindingly and just caught the glimpses of Rosalie smashing into a large boulder. On impact the boulder cracked badly and released clouds of dust and small pebbles. Rosalie cried agonized as also her face cracked. Her face almost resembled the partial face of Laurent and the deep claw marks that ran across it. Rosalie fell over and hit the ground while low whimpers rolled over her lips as well.

"JASPER!" I heard Alice's pained scream and turned around quick enough to see Jasper crashing through a thick wooden branch. The branch broke off and then spun like a propeller as it released mists of sawdust. However it seemed that Jasper was waved off the hardest since his fall wasn't complete. After the branch snapped in half he flew a bit further and dug into the ground when his back made contact. It looked like the dirt and bits of grass were trying to flee his sight as the force of the blow pushed him deeper. Much like Rosalie and Emmett's faces Jaspers cracked as well. But not only that I could also hear other spots of his body break that seemed to have been damaged as well.

With but one wave of her hand…they were…defeated. They all lay motionless on the ground and exhaled whispers of pain as they whimpered. Even though they launched a frontal attack she was able to fend them all off with one single blow. I couldn't believe that a vampire could have such a destructive force.

I turned away from my siblings and looked back at her; my face was shaking unbelievably. She had not moved one inch since they catapulted themselves towards her. The only thing different was one of her arms that was raised in the air. It was the source of unimaginable power she had used to dispose of three mature vampires with one single wave. Her eyes were closed again as the rest of her features showed a blank expression.

Suddenly I felt my fingers trembling like never before. I brought them up to my face to see them shaking violently as if electricity had just struck them. I balled my pale hands into fists but couldn't get the shaking under control. My entire being had been literally scared asunder with the event I had just witnessed. I looked back up and returned my golden glance to her. From beneath the long and thin lashes that covered her eyes she slowly showed her iris's again and it was like they were glowing. The opening was nothing but a slit yet I could see the glimmering and radiance that her eyes expelled. It was like some other force had taken over and had given her strength that should not be reckoned with. You could literally feel the power and indescribable might that now flowed from her and penetrated every part of me.

I couldn't get it into my head. Were the ancients truly this strong or was there something else behind this eluding energy? I couldn't believe it, I wouldn't believe it even though I had just witnessed it myself. One… one single wave… but with a simple gesture she had… she had taken down three vampires. Not only that, but these vampires were mature and had fighting skills; especially Jasper. Emmett's strength was absolutely useless to him. It was something he had always prided himself in. He had always been stronger than regular vampires but now… his strength completely failed him and he was whisked off like a small child.

"Edward. Edward? EDWARD!" Carlisle's panicked voice brought me back to the realm of the living. It was like he had to fish me out of the sea of thought I was drowning in. I finally managed to turn my head to look at him but only to see the face of a man who looked like he had just seen a ghost… or worse.

"You go check on Rosalie, NOW." Carlisle didn't wait for my response and rushed down to meet Emmett who was still lying on the ground, twitching. Alice was just a bit further into the forest hovering over Jasper. It seemed that he had been the first to be incapacitated. Through Alice's eyes I could see the largest and most dominant of his wounds. There was a deep and blue like bruise covering his right cheek where her hand must have hit him. He shared this trait with Rosalie and Emmett.

I quickly trailed to the destroyed rock to find Rosalie resting in the rubble. She was motionless and whimpered. I breathed heavily and nervously. I stretched out my arms and slowly and gently wrapped them around her to sit her up. She screeched when I moved her and immediately halted my action. Rosalie's body began to shake uncontrollably when louder cries began slipping over her tongue.

"I'm sorry Rose. Just hang on." I tried to comfort her as best as I could. Rosalie's injuries were severe as well. It seemed that it wasn't just her face but also other parts of her body appeared to be broken or cracked. The strange thing was though that her wounds had not yet begun to heal. The occasional wound a vampire would endure mostly through another vampire is usually gone within seconds. The healing attributes of the venom were remarkable and caused swift recoveries but the wounds that she had inflicted on Rosalie didn't even seem to be healing at all. Now being closer to her I could distinguish more of the damage that was done. Much like Jasper Rosalie had a rather sever crater of a crack on her right cheek that caused more cracks to spread like roots across the rest of her features.

"Rose?" Her eyes slowly opened at the sound of her name. It looked like she even had difficulty with something as simple as opening her golden orbs which were black as the night. The deep purple bruises beneath them were even deeper than I had ever seen them. Basic knowledge of our kind told me that in order for her body to heal she would need the assistance of her venom, of course, but she hadn't fed in days, and according to my ancient friend the healing capacities of the venom depend on the amount of blood in our system. Could this be why her body showed no signs of regeneration? Would she have to feed first or would the venom heal her regardless but at a much slower pace?

"I..I..I'm..go-goo-good…Carlisle." Carlisle had run over to assist Emmett who tried to make it appear as if he was okay but I doubted so very much, and my suspicion was proven correct rather quickly. Emmett got up from the ground while I could hear his teeth grinding together to keep the screams from echoing out of his mouth. Carlisle's hands rested on Emmett's back and his stomach. He was trying to give him as much support as he could. As soon as Emmett stood on his own to feet his knees started to buckle and his face turned into a mask of sheer pain. His teeth unlocked and an excruciating cough erupted from his throat while small bits of venom flowed from his mouth. He couldn't hold his stand and crumbled back onto the ground and into the arms of a horribly worried Carlisle.

Jasper was even worse. His head rested in Alice's lap who was worried senseless. He didn't even dare to move but just laid there and breathed in, and out very heavily. It sounded like he had difficulty breathing. Also he coughed much like Emmett and small amounts of blood and venom flew out of his mouth which caused Alice even more distress. She patted his head and tried to whisper soothing words into his ear but they couldn't link with Jasper. He didn't even hear Alice in this instant.

Po-ower….such….pow-er…

Jasper could tell his enemies strength with but one dance, and in this case he didn't even get a chance to touch them even once. It was disturbing to think that an experienced and skilled vampire like Jasper could have been taken care off so easily.

Ed…Edward… She isn't…li-ike..the rest.. of us… I..ha-ave.. never heard…nor experien-ced.. a vampire with…a magnitude..of..st…strength.. like..he-e-hhers…

Even Jaspers thoughts were completely distorted. It seemed like her blow hadn't just injured his physical being. Not like the rest of us? How many millennia does a vampire have to live in order to gain such tremendous strength? I don't even think that Aro or any of his brothers could be capable of this? I wondered what dark place in time she had come from. She had said that the Moriatus or the gargoyle had arrived from planes that were once covered in shadow so who's to say that she didn't come from there either? How old was she? WHO WAS SHE?

"Tsk…tsk…tsk…tsk…" I looked up to see where the strange noises were coming from and saw her slowly taking one step after another towards us. Her head was low and directed at the ground while she shook it and grasped her hips.

"Carlisle…Carlisle…Carlisle…" She slowly raised her eyes and I had expected them to be still glowing with that mysterious crimson aura but they had gone back to normal, and were those dark red rubies again. She shook her head with a taunting and disgusted smirk covering her lips and stared at Carlisle.

"Carlisle…to have bred such disrespectful and… ungrateful children…" I looked to Carlisle. He held Emmett close in his arms and stared right back at her. I could see the anger glistening in his amber iris's like it wanted to flow from his eyes like tears. There was rage within Carlisle. I had never seen him truly angry before but there was something about her that caused fountains of supreme rage to spring from him. Carlisle shook his head and copied her disgusted smirk and returned to observe Emmett and draw circles over his wounds as if wanting to urge his body to start the healing process.

"Monster…" A low whisper escaped over his lips as he continued to caress Emmett's wounds.

"You belligerent fool. How dare you make such a naïve sentiment?" She immediately countered Carlisle's imposition.

"You would not call this monstrous? What you have done to them?"

"I merely took precaution in order to shield myself from the attack of your weak and impudent offspring."

"If you had not graced our lands and taken steps to assure an attack then perhaps all of this could have been avoided." Carlisle's words became more and more angry.

"And what steps might have taken that would lead to such an atrocity?"

"There are a many things you have done to ensure our mistrust in you. You have been wandering on our hunting ground and more to that, you attacked my son. You must be intelligent enough to see that such acts would ignite the fires of doubt within us."

"I only took what I needed. Your pathetic and absolutely meaningless assessments deserve no justice. You know nothing of the evil that now inhabits the grounds on which you hunt your rodents." Her entire face drew a shadow of disgust as she said her last word: "rodents". When she spoke of the evil she must mean the Moriatus. Carlisle didn't know about that just yet. He noticed her reaction as well.

"I am sorry that you seem to be repulsed at our way of life but we choose to live peacefully with humans and not make them our…dinner. I understand that you must come from a place where such a life is practically nonexistent but here in the western hemisphere it is not unheard off. We aren't the only ones that chose such a life style." Carlisle was referring to Tanya's family in Denali. Our cousins also distained from drinking the blood of humans and took the alternate route to absorbing the essence of other animals instead.

Suddenly a dark chuckle began sounding from the ancient one as she clasped her hands together and laughed towards the sky. It seemed as if it was with me it is with Carlisle as well. All we ever said either upset or amused her.

"Such youth. Such modernism. Such gullibility. Ha ha..ha." Carlisle and I exchanged a nervous and disturbed glance between one another. Unlike my brothers and sister Carlisle planned on taking this conversation as slow as he possibly could while watching and thinking over every single word he spoke before he'd even say it. Like I he was convinced that she was in fact a very, very, very old soul.

"Whatever made you believe I was disgusted by your diet?" Not our diet? She was still looking at Carlisle and laughed even more. Apparently there was something more going on here than just the primary discussion over blood. There was something else that caused antipathy for her. Her laughs slowed and nearly died away while a weak smile remained on her face. She shook her head as I saw her eyes traveling over Carlisle's form.

"You are by far one of the most arrogant and unsophisticated vampires I have ever met Carlisle."

Carlisle's eyes grew wide and appalled at her dark words. Just as her dark words slipped over her tongue her eyes grew darker as well. She began to move again and advance towards Carlisle very slowly. The way she walked couldn't even be described as walking but rather as levitating.

"You dare call me a monster when it is you that protects the true monsters of this world. The ones that feed of greed, lust, and power. You would dare protect those that are warmongering."

"Ex-excuse me?" Carlisle's confusion was as good as mine.

"Of course I speak of those that carry the true darkness in the depths of their hearts. Humanity!"

Was she wrong? No. There was liable truth in the words she spoke but it would never change Carlisle's view of the world. Carlisle kept a firm face and could not show weakness, not now.

"See what your dogmatic and insolent ways have already done." She lifted her hands and waved them into my and Rosalie's direction as well as Alice's and Jaspers.

"You have created children that are weak and decadent. They still cower beneath the believe of their own existence and consume the philosophy that you have taught them." What? Carlisle remained motionless and continued to stare at her sternly.

"You fail to see the fact that you are not human and the moronic philosophy of humanity will not do well in our realm. By teaching them the new ways you jeopardize their very existence. Others of our kind will not see your ways lightly."

"Is is so wrong to want to maintain and preserve life?" Carlisle had finally had enough and could no longer hold his tongue.

"You are a vampire. You do not preserve life unless of course lesser animals to you are not life forms."

Carlisle exhaled sharply.

"I could not bear the thought of taking human life. The guilt and sorrow that could follow would tear me up inside." This had been Carlisle's true philosophy for centuries.

"So instead of taking the life of evil creatures that threaten the destruction of our beloved Gaia you would murder those that only take what they need?"

"I agree that humans have much to prove and much to learn…" Carlisle was interrupted.

"IT IS YOU THAT HAS MUCH TO LEARN YOUNG ONE! You dare strut about your life ignoring the very fabric that shapes and forms your existence while entertaining the fools hope that you may gain access to the light. You are a vampire! As I have already divulged to your son, one day you will have no choice but to become what you became. There comes a time in all of our lives when the need and the urge for blood is more powerful than your impudent mind could ever IMAGINE! You must face the very fact that YOU ARE A KILLER!

It matters not if you take the lives of elk, deer, lions, or any other earthbound creatures. By taking their life force you are draining this earth of the creatures it has created and proving the very foundation of our existence. Your arrogance lies not in the diet you choose, nor does it truly glorify your way of life but your subconscious believe that the animals on which you feed are of lesser quality than humans is what really thrives my desire to shred you asunder!"

Carlisle was quite as was his mind. Alice while being at first very watchful over Jasper had focused all of her attention to this very scene, as had I. Her anger came from somewhere deep inside of her. It was Carlisle's way of living side by side with humans and coexisting peacefully with the tyrants that would one day undoubtedly destroy our home that caused this…rage. But…Carlisle never thought that other animals are less important than humans. I mean… true that some of them aren't…well… I don't know.

"Your way of life has existed for countless eons Carlisle. You are not the first to ever choose this path. Once, a very long time ago, I walked the road that you now inhabit. But I saw the error of my way."

What? So she wasn't that different from us. If I heard right and I'm presuming that I did then she once fed on animals much like we do now. But why did she stop? Why would she choose to witness the horror and the screams that followed from taking the sustenance she needed from humans?

"By drinking the blood of cattle I gave humanity free reign. I took the blood of the most innocent creatures upon this earth. The creatures that care not for inanimate possession or money are not the ones that deserve this fate. Pure beings that care for nothing but love, family, and the joy of everyday life should not be our targets. It is humanity that is our food source. It is true that some are very compassionate and care for the forests, oceans, animals, and the nature of our world but in the grand design of things; I would much rather devour an evil human than a lioness that does nothing but care for her cubs."

The atmosphere in the clearing became silent and not even the whimpers of Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett could be heard anymore. Was she right? All the years Carlisle spent devoting his life to preserve mankind… was it all in vain? Were humans really that evil? It seemed like a dumb question. There are many that were…nice and graceful but in the end..? Would they care for their home? Would they give their energy to preserve these lands and the woods, the rivers…everything? Her words were so extreme that it had even Carlisle questioning his four hundred year old life now. I knew that no matter what anybody would say Carlisle would never take the life of a human but…his mind was chaotic and filled with endless doubt. There were so many images flashing before his eyes of all the darkness he had observed over the past few centuries that were spread by mankind. He had to remember the shivers he had experienced with the wickedness that was released by humans over the years.

I heard a rustling noise that woke me from my thoughts and found its origin in her pocket. She had reached one hand down in her pants pocket and pulled out a small brown squared piece of paper. The paper was trapped between her index and middle finger. I wondered what this would be about. She flicked her hand and the paper exploded into its full length. It was a whole page. She held it up and showed it to us. It's content was strangely familiar.

Some of the oldest mentioned names. These are of legends that are as absurd as some human myths regarding to fairies and other such nonsense.

Apotamkin

Celest

Conterra

Kao-Guojiu

Olokun

Pilirin

Rusalka

Tamula

It's a page out of my book. How did she obtain it? Through Edward's memories she might have found out about its existence though... She was in our house? When? How?

Carlisle's thoughts were accurate. It was the missing page out of the book that he did yet not know about. Why did I even think it was Carlisle who had taken it out? Suddenly the memory of that strange and obscured smell of burned fire entered my thoughts. Once more it was as if my subconscious mind was trying to relay a message to me. She had snipped her fingers and fire appeared out of nowhere. Fire! It was the only element that could dispose of our scents instantaneously. She had taken it… but why? The only reasonable explanation was that there might be some truth to those names. Could those vampires have once existed or better yet, still exist?

She took another step towards Carlisle and was not within reach. She looked down upon him with an infuriated expression. She held the parchment tightly between her fingers and began to speak again.

"If you ever recreate this page in any form or any way I will become your merciful liberator. Some things are not meant to be known!" And with that the page from the vampire index caught fire. Carlisle sighed noticeably as he watched a priceless piece of knowledge fade away to dust. The fire burned between her fingers but she didn't even flinch. It was like the fire was her consort. Her arm dropped back down to her side as the ashes from the page snowed down unto the ground. She gave Carlisle one last crooked grin before turning away and walking to the opposite side of clearing, and towards the shadows of the forest.

Once more, there were more questions than answers. A name, a name, a kingdom for a name. The phrase played itself over and over in my thoughts as I held my broken sister in my arms. Surprisingly though I noticed that her wounds looked much better than before. It looked like her injuries were on the mend. Thank goodness I couldn't bear…

Edward!

My head shot up at the sound of a new voice entering my thoughts. This was not a voice familiar to my mind yet still familiar. The direction the voice had come from was the one in which she was walking in. It couldn't be. I could never hear her thoughts before… Why…

Edward! Do not tell them of the events that you witnessed and information that you gained tonight. It might put them in further risk. If you care for them you will honor my wish and divulge nothing. Leave it to me!

It was her. She was speaking to me or she had opened her mind although I saw no images. How did she do that? She was almost at the edge of the forest when she came to a stop and turned her head over her shoulder to look at me, again. There was a small smile nuzzling its way into her cheeks now.

By the way, call me Bella.

She smiled and turned away again to enter the forest.

"Beyond the stars horizons wait…

Reached out their hands all eight did…

The weeps of willows are our tears…

Forever shall we live… never will we…

…fade.

(Authors Note) – Well that's it for this chapter folks. Hopefully you'll enjoy. Please REVIEW.