"Quiet Everyone! Settle down!" Billy tried to call everyone to order. The building that served as the Elder's Council was jammed pack with bodies. The Elders sat towards the front of the room as usual facing out toward the crowd. To their right was Embry's large pack. To the left was Jacob's pack, the Cullens, and the panthers. Tenia was present as well she sat next to Embry taking notes for the meeting. "This is a very…inclusive meeting," Billy's eyes shot towards the Cullens," and we'll need everyone's cooperation so that it will go as smoothly as possible." The noise in the room decreased significantly. Seth perked up in his seat as the meeting officially began. "Now this meeting has been called by the Council and both alphas. We understand that the treaty has been temporarily revoked so that the Cullens may present whatever information they have that can benefit both packs. Nevertheless the meeting should focus on preparation for the battle that will take place in less than three months am I correct?" Embry and Jacob nodded. Billy continued. "I'm going to ask Embry to take the floor first." Seth heard someone growl but he wasn't sure who it was. When Embry stood up, a few of the younger wolves started to cheer before they were quieted by their older pack mates.
"First, I think we need a recap of how we got to this point." Embry began by quickly reviewing the detail from the first meeting with the panther pack. He periodically stopped to confirm facts with Tre who was standing near the back of the room near the Cullens. Leah was seated at the front next to Jacob. Seth sat a few rows behind them with Tamyra. Embry continued with his update on his pack's training update then moved on to the recent meeting with Clarice. He told the story from his account, leaving out the part about Leah, Tamyra, and Tre having a separate discussion in the woods which no one had heard details about outside the trio. Seth hadn't even heard what happened although he was the one patrolling their area.
"Thank you Embry for that." Sue said. She turned to Jacob. "Jacob, I believe it's your turn." The group of young wolves booed. Seth saw Leah shoot them a glare that silenced them immediately. Jacob stood up.
"So our story is pretty similar. As you learned from Embry, both packs have joined up for training. We are trying to get some semblance of unity back. I'm very proud of our progress but I know that this is a little bigger than a fight with newborns. And we won't be able to talk ourselves out of battle like what happened with the Volturi." Seth noticed Edward tense. "We're dealing with experienced fighters, whose sole goal is to destroy us. We need to be ready. That is why I asked the Cullens to be here today. They won't be fighting but they've offered us help in every other manner. We need skill and knowledge. Let's face it, they're older than all of us, they're packing some wisdom." This elicited a few laughs from the crowd. "Seriously though, if we combine the knowledge of everyone in this room, I assure you we'll be more than ready when those panthers come." Jacob finished his speech. Seth felt himself sit a little taller after listening to his alpha. Embry stood up.
"I agree with Jake," Jacob tried to hide his surprise. "These panthers are banking on us being unprepared and unorganized because we're young. Let's show them up when they come back." There were a few cheers that no one bothered to quiet. Billy raised his hands to settle everyone again although Seth thought he saw a look of pride cross the man's face.
"Alright. Then what do we know about the panthers?" The elders and Embry's pack all looked to Jacob, who in turn, looked to Tre. Tre shot a glance at his sister before pushing himself from the wall he'd been leaning on.
"I know that the beta male will most likely be leading the attack. I've worked under him, I know how he works, and unfortunately he's prone to surprises. He's smart, real smart. He can gather details on his enemy quickly and I can guarantee you that he used the first meeting to scope out as much as he could of this area, its people, not just the pack." There were a few gasps. Old Quil shifted in his seat before he spoke.
"Could you give us an outlook?" Tre glanced in a few directions before answering.
"If we were to fight them today, they'd have the upper hand and would most certainly wipe us out." The bluntness of Tre's statement made the room go silent. Tenia had dropped her pencil staring out nervously in Embry's direction. "Which is why it is very fortunate that Jacob requested the six months of peace time." Seth glanced at Jacob, to see a barely visible smug look. "This isn't a lost cause. We've been focusing on speed, which we still need a great deal of work on, but we need to start moving onto combat. We need strategy and a few tricks of our own. Preparation is key." Tre paused his speech to look up at the elders. "I can't identify what he plans on doing exactly but I'm formulating a plan on how we can startle the panthers with our own surprises." Old Quil raised his index finger before speaking again.
"So we are simply to expect the unexpected?" Old Quil asked, inciting a sense of unease throughout the room. Tre shook his head before answering.
"Not entirely. Clarice, the female beta will be in charge of the rudimentary combat. She organizes the waves of fighters. My sister will be able to go into greater detail on that, as she has worked under her closely. I can assure that we will be more than prepared to fight them hand to hand." There were a few murmurs. The elders had turned to face Tamyra, waiting for her to speak. She shifted in her seat, Seth helped her to her feet then she cleared her throat.
"Clarice has a very strategic way of unleashing the fighters." Tamyra began. She quickly explained the hierarchy of the pack. "The 6th and 5th strain members will be let out first. With their greater numbers, they'll have no problem double or even triple teaming you. This first wave is made up of sprinters, their only job will be to distract you and tire you out by keeping you moving. They're not trained fighters so out of fear they will try to stay away from you. Let's face it, you guys are pretty intimidating." There were a few laughs but everyone soon quieted down to let her continue. " It'll be reminiscent of a game of tug of war with these cats only your patience will be the rope as they can get real annoying really fast. The second wave will be the 4th and 3rd string members. They will fight you when you're distracted. If you find yourself plenty tired from the first wave, you can bet that a second wave member will come to try and take a few jabs at you. You can take them down, they aren't the best fighters and they aren't the peak runners. You'll want to take them down quickly though, because it's the third wave you should be worried about." All movement stilled as Tamyra said this. "The second and first string members are your toughest competition. They are the strongest fighters in the pack and they're the cleverest. They will be watching you the entire time while their comrades are trying to tire you out, so don't become so predictable while fighting. They'll study you and wont hesitate to take you out quickly. Mind you, you'll be surrounded this time by at least 3 or four panthers while trying to ward off a trained fighter. At any time during this, Damien could begin his surprise attacks or any plans he has."
"That sounds like pure chaos." Sue shrieked. Tamyra looked at her.
"It will be." She agreed solemnly.
"Sweet!" Paul breathed excitedly before Sam smacked him upside the head. Paul rubbed it before continuing. "I'm just saying what the younger ones wanted to say. Ever since the vampires died down, I've been waiting to beat some panthers down for a while now." A few snickers indicated that others shared the sentiment. Seth realized that most of the younger wolves had seen little to no battle and were probably itching in anticipation for the one to come. Tamyra decided to speak again before the mass could get anymore distracted.
"Don't mistake chaos for disorganization. They will be organized to a tee. Their goal will be to exhaust and confuse the enemy."
"I have a question." Jared said suddenly standing up. His eyes shifted between Tre and Tamyra. "You said a while back that the panthers only had 30 members. We have about 20 strong ourselves, they won't be able to tag team us as easily." Everyone started chatting at once by Jared's observation, no one bothering to tell him that he hadn't actually posed a question. Tre decided to answer.
"I know that's what I said at the bonfire but in times of war, the pack tends to have a boom. With this long break, I wouldn't be surprised if they've recruited some old members or allies to help. They could easily be reaching a 40 or 50 members pack by now." This caused the volume in the room to increase even more. There were a few panicky voices but Seth couldn't concentrate on what anyone was saying. Billy raised his hands to settle everyone again.
"Calm down everyone, we need to discuss this logically. This is what the meeting is for, so that we will all be on the same page." Seth's eyes wandered. Billy failed to quiet the group and with good reason. Seth found himself a little nervous at the thought that their enemies may have doubled them in size. Jacob stood again.
"We can't forget the meeting with Clarice a few days ago." This caused most people to regain focus. "These 50 enemies could become 50 allies if we simply chop off the high end of the pack." There were a few nods in understanding.
"How do you know you can trust her though?" was Sue's worried question. Jacob looked back at Tre as if asking for help with the conversation. He assured everyone that Clarice could be trusted to keep up her end of the bargain, if they succeeded.
"We could assign a task force, with the sole goal of attacking the leadership set minus Clarice, but that will put strain on the other wolves fighting."
"He's right. Even if we set aside 5 wolves for the special attack that could change the ratio for the hand to hand." Embry elaborated on Tre's statement.
"True, but we should focus on the leaders. We want this battle to be over as quickly as possible so we should sacrifice a few wolves from the main group to fight in the task force." Jared countered."Trying to have everyone fighting as to not over extend anyone results in a long bloody battle, we can learn to fight multiple enemies at once if it'll end in a quick scrap." People began voicing their agreement. Tre raised his hand to gain attention.
"Wait, there is something that needs to be said so that none of us fall into a false sense of security. Until the moment, Clarice names herself alpha and gives the order to back down, no one can go easy on the panthers or expect them to do the same. Even if Orson is about to breath his last breath and you're about to get attacked, you go for the kill no matter what." Seth blinked rapidly. He saw his mother tense. The thought of killing the panthers suddenly felt very foreign to him. He knew there'd be violence but the thought sickened him that he would be killing some of his imprint's relatives. Even though they both acted as if it didn't bother them, he knew there was a possibility that was what it was, acting. The two were very good at hiding their emotions when need be and to prove loyal to the wolves, the only pack they had, they would be potentially sacrificing their own family, their cousins, their blood. Seth ran a hand through his short hair. He looked around the room, stopping every so often on his brothers; faces… on his sister…. his mother… the Cullens. It suddenly all seemed surreal. He distantly heard Billy's voice again trying to calm everyone but he couldn't pull himself from his thoughts. Fighting with the vampires was one thing. They were exterminating those that lived by killing the innocent. It was black and white to the wolves. Of course there was the gray area known as the Cullens, but the idea was straight forward. This battle, to Seth was black, white and every color in between. They were fighting their own kind just for the sake of fighting. That's what it boils down to anyway. They were fighting because the other pack found them to be a threat. He thought it strangely similar to the relationship between the Cullens and the Volturi.
"Please, everyone, let's return to the task at hand." Old Quil was taking the reigns on the meeting. "It may help if we continue to gather facts and write them down so that we can begin drafting our plans later." Taking Old Quil's lead, two elders that Seth recognized as being fathers to some of the younger wolves, went and retrieved a long piece of blank paper. They placed the paper on a table that had been set up in the middle of the room. Collin and Solomon had been using it as seating but were quickly shooed off. A few writing utensils were produced from one of the elder's pockets and deposited on top of the paper. They backed away and everyone was waiting on who would approach the planning table first.
Leah watched the silent struggle between the two alphas. Everyone was waiting to see who, between Jacob and Embry, would be driving this segment. She looked at Jacob and saw his eyes boring into Embry's almost encouraging him. Embry on the other hand looked almost fearful. He looked to Sam who was not offering any assistance. Leah almost felt sorry for the guy, but she realized this would be his rite of passage into the alpha position. He had to become the leader that everyone looked up to, when it came to the tribe. He barked a lot last night, let's see if he can walk the walk. The seconds felt agonizingly long as the two just continued to struggle with who would be in control. Jacob was giving him a freebie and Embry…just wasn't ready. I could've told them that. Embry wasn't Embry the alpha just yet, he was more like Embry the part Sam part Jacob alpha. Poor kid's probably having an identity crisis. Jacob let out a huff and stood.
"Perhaps we could start with the task force." Jacob said to the room although his eyes were focused on the blank paper. He grabbed a pen and bent over the table. "We'll want a good group for this, people that work well together and can get the job done fast." Jacob's words slowly made the feeling of disappointment evaporate.
"We'll need fighters in that group especially." Leah was surprised when Quil spoke up. "The best probably since alpha's and beta's are usually at the top in that area and that will be the target." Quil finished just as Jared spoke up.
"Yes but we shouldn't put all of our best fighters in one group, it'll upset the balance when the rest of the pack is fighting." There were a few nods of agreements then Leah turned just as her brother stood.
"Then we split up the best fighters, some are in the field and some are in the group." The guys that had spoken made their way closer to the table with Jacob. Leah looked at Embry who still looked ashamed and had not left his seat.
"How about we put our two fastest and our three strongest in the special group?" She heard, surprisingly Paul suggest as he too got up and joined the table. Leah glanced around as the side chatter started again. Tre was whispering something to the Cullens. She turned and saw Sam staring meaningfully at Embry who was being either consoled or encouraged by Tenia. Her mother was speaking animatedly with the other Elders while the planning table was busy writing their ideas down.
"Sam could you come look at this." Paul asked over his shoulder, since it looked as if he and Jacob were arguing about something already. Sam shot a look at Embry before getting up and walking towards the table. "What if we did this…" Paul's voice trailed off as the noise in the room got louder.
Shouldn't you be up there? Tamyra mentally asked Leah.
I'll go when Embry decides to be a man and get up! Leah didn't like the idea that the man currently guarding LaPush, and his mom was being such a wuss.
"Who's going to do it? You know that won't work." Jared said to Jacob before she heard Seth intervene.
"But what if we put those two together-"
"Wait I thought we were working on the task force still?" Paul asked flustered.
"We are, but we can't have people butting heads or egos for that matter if we put all the peacekeepers in the task force." That was Jacob.
"Paul's not a peacekeeper, put him in the task force." Quil said that and was earned a growl from the man in question.
"Paul's strong, not fast. We already have Jake and Sam covering strength." Jared explained.
"Three strong, two fast remember. Add Paul with Jake and me." Sam corrected. Jared was quick to comply before another voice rose over the room.
"What about Tre and Myra?" Finally Embry decides to speak up. "They know the inner workings of the enemy, and they're fast, put them on the task force for your speed." There was silence when he explained. Leah could almost feel Seth's apprehension.
I'm not sure if Myra should-" he started before Tamyra turned and interrupted already knowing what he was about to say.
"Don't worry about me." She waved Seth off but before he could protest, Embry spoke again.
"You guys are obviously writing off the girls. They're not going to be pregnant at the battle, and they are two of our fastest. Put one in the task force and one on the field." He said, confidence building with each word. He walked towards the table and the volume increased again. Leah's angle of view let her see Jacob's hidden smirk as Embry approached. Sam and Jared moved over to give him room and the discussions continued. Tamyra gave Leah a look that seemed to say, 'Well?' Leah rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of her uncomfortable chair. She groaned and approached the table.
"Em's right guys. Put me and Myra as your speeders." She pinched her brother's arm to stop him from protesting again but it didn't stop someone else.
"No." Most heads whipped around at the sound. "Leave, Myra and Leah in the field. I'll be in the task force." Tre. Leah glared at him as he approached slowly.
"We'll need another fast-"Quil started before Tre cut him off.
"You only need one sprinter. I can handle it. Jake, Sam, Paul, and I should be enough."
"Should is not good enough, we want better odds then three experienced leaders versus our four. Five is better for us." Embry explained. Leah didn't break her glare with Tre.
"I assure you, I'll be enough." She knew that tone, his mannerisms. She wasn't sure if she'd ever noticed it before but she was noticing it now. That over protective jerk!
"What makes you think it'll be safer in the field then it will in the task force?" Leah asked suddenly placing her hands on her hips. Tre tried to feign ignorance but Leah called him out on it. "Don't 'what ?'me! I know you're getting all macho because you're worried about m-us getting hurt!" She said pointing between herself and Tamyra. This news interested everyone especially since Tre didn't deny anything.
"If it was really up to me you wouldn't be fighting at all!" Tre growled back. Leah saw her brother immediately nodding his head in agreement, but she punched him in the arm and he stopped. "It's not just…that. You two will be instrumental when the first wave hits the field. I can do what you two would on the force, that way we're not messing up the balance." So now he's cocky.
"You don't have any grounds to be arrogant."She hissed back feeling her anger rise.
"No, it's not that. I'm saying that I can literally do what you two could and would." Leah scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Everyone was waiting for him to explain. "I'm not sure how but-"
"Perhaps I should explain." A velvety voice flitted across the room. Leah wanted to laugh because a few people gasped having forgotten that the Cullens were at the meeting. Between their silence, and the fact that their smell had long since been saturated with the wolves' it was as if they weren't even there. Edward raised his hand as he stepped forward. Sue nodded her head. "My brother and I" Edward gestured towards the unmoving Jasper, "have been observing Tre for some time now, before and after his disappearance. We discussed it with him and my father at length, what we've noticed and although it took some time we came upon some intriguing news. It would appear that Tre has the ability to absorb information and characteristics." Edward paused. "I spoke with my wife about it and she immediately suggested that it is similar to a vampire gaining a special ability." Of course, Bella still found a way into the meeting without being here. Edward shot her nasty look in response to her thoughts.
"Do you remember how I said I learned all that stuff from Clarice, the healing and the mind blocking?" Tre was questioning Leah directly. She nodded. "I didn't learn it so much as I just absorbed it from her mind." Edward continued talking to the room.
"I first suspected the anomaly during one of our early interactions. If you remember back to when he was still struggling with his alpha tendencies, we raced. I'd been reading his mind and it was as if he could almost feel my probing."
"When I am mentally attached to someone in anyway I am prone to absorb their characteristics." This statement from Tre stood out to Leah.
"Wait, does that mean you've…you've absorbed from me?"
"Yes. I believe my added strength came from you. Amongst other things…"
"His body has gone through rapid change because it is as if he is doing the wolf change that you all did prior to your first phase." Carlisle explained.
"What other things?" Leah asked Tre.
"I believe…the growling and howling comes from you as well." He said this lower, but a few of the wolves were snickering.
"Does that mean you're turning into a wolf?" Leah asked seriously. She wasn't sure if she'd like the answer.
"No…I'm just acquiring some of your attributes." He explained.
"Does that mean you're turning into a girl?" Paul teased causing another round of chuckling. Tre didn't bother answering him.
"He's acquired some of mine as well. When we raced, the fact that I was probing his mind, actually allowed him to temporarily acquire some of my vampiric traits." Edward elaborated.
"What type of traits, he's not a vam-" Sue asked worriedly.
"No, as we raced I noticed he didn't tire like he should have, his stamina mirrored mine when he should have been breathless. It's strange and interesting. If he were a vampire, he would probably have the ability to steal and copy others' abilities." The news sent everyone into shock. Tre, in a matter of months had gone from some underdog panther alpha to the ultimate weapon. He was a force to be reckoned with. Leah found the news both unnerving and comforting. She was knocked from her thoughts when her brother had the most unexpected response.
He laughed. He doubled over laughing actually, and Leah worried for his sanity.
"Think about it guys," more laughter," the vampires get their abilities from their strongest human trait." He slapped his knee. "Before Tre was an alpha, he was the ultimate conformer. Myra told me." That's when realization hit. Tre is being forced to conform to anyone he is connected to mentally. Leah laughed a little as did a few others although Seth's remained the loudest. "He's being rewarded for being a total pansy." Leah laughed out loud at both her brother's statement and the fact that he was the one to say it. Others burst out laughing at that, even Carlisle. Leah glanced at Tamyra and saw that her mouth was twitching in an attempt to fight off her amusement and maintain her composure. Tre just looked annoyed although he didn't really mind being the butt end of jokes. Or he's just gotten used to it. Jacob recovered from his laughter first and began reigning everyone back in to the planning. A few other wolves and some elders joined the table. Seth called Jasper over, remembering his fighting expertise. She noticed that the planning didn't interest most of the younger wolves except for Brady, Collin, and Solomon. The latter two stood together offering suggestions to the table that were more than not, disregarded. Leah stayed for a while but once the guy's discussion turned more toward a testosterone showdown she backed away. She didn't notice the presence that had followed her.
"Leah."
"Edward," She returned the dry greeting. She turned to look at him.
"It's nice to see them all working together, despite the circumstances." Leah nodded. He didn't say much after that, just remarking on the dynamics of different relationships between people. Who are you, Jasper? He only responded with a chuckle. She watched as Billy rolled toward them.
"Leah my girl, how are you and the baby?" Leah half smiled, then grimaced when the baby kicked really hard. She rubbed her stomach.
"I was fine til the thing decided to wake up." She joked. Billy and Edward smiled a little. Billy turned his attention toward the vampire.
"You know, he could be a very important asset if you're correct about his ability." Billy had needlessly lowered his voice. Someone else recognizes the potential of his power.
"I understand, as does he. He wants to be used in the place where he can be the most beneficial."
"Can he control what he absorbs?" Leah found herself asking.
"No. Not at the moment anyway. His mind seems to be pretty random when it comes to picking up characteristics." Billy nodded in understanding. Leah stared straight ahead. If that power had anything to do with his alpha, she knew it wasn't random. She shook her head.
"That alpha's planning something."
A/N: Such a looong chapter...I prob have carpal tunnel now anyway if this chapter is confusing...lemme know and I'll stop being lazy and actually clean it up :)
oh yes shout out to X5-452 for nominating The DimPrint *woot* for Indie Twific Awards! yeah there are some cool stories on that list I'm gonna read em... eventually ;)
oh yeah a lot of stuff that happened in Bliss and Agony is being referenced, just in case you guys forgot