Stepping Stones

Devour, devour

Suffocate your own empire

Devour, devour

It's your final hour

Devour, devour

Stolen like a foreign soul

Devour, devour

What a way to go

[Lyrics to song: Devour. Artist: Shinedown]

Two days had passed since the confrontation with Rosalie and if any sort of resolution had been accomplished it had been the fact that Rose had stopped interacting or speaking to most of the house-hold, choosing to do most of her conversing with anyone close to Adia via messenger. To say that Edward had grown tired of being that messenger would be an understatement which only added to the tension that seemed to be situated like a hot damp blanket over the premises. As Emmett watched Jasper work with Adia on some basic ground work and fighting skills, he couldn't help but enjoy just being out of the house. Just the crisp forest air and the rustling of the canopy that surrounded the yard on all sides was enough to ease the stress at least for a little while.

"Not bad, not bad," Jasper admitted as he helped Adia up from the ground. "Now let's work on some hand-to-hand combinations."

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want to hurt you by accident." She dusted off her clothes enough that she wasn't covered in dirt and grass even though the knees of her jeans were now no longer denim blue in color but tainted in shades of green and brown.

"I'm sure." Jasper insisted his tone calm. He took up a defensive position, showing her the same position before instructing her further. "You will injure me only if you don't trust me," He adjusted her hands, making sure that she had tight fists and that her positioning would provide protection to her face even though he was only defending at this point. "Let's go, just punching combinations. Speed and power in combinations of good solid punches, that's what I want to see. When you take on newborns, punches will only put distance between you and them, it won't do the kind of damage that will be required to kill them. We will work up to such things for now just punches. Go, fast and hard."

For a few minutes, she was unable to penetrate Jasper's defenses even though she was punching him with all of her newborn strength. "Change it up! Make him guess your next move. Don't telegraph your punches." Emmett coached watching their impromptu sparring match closely from the sidelines.

The next two punches were high as she aimed for Jasper's face and those he could easily defend. She lowered her aim just slightly coming from the right side in an attempt to catch him on the jaw. He easily thwarted her plan turning her punch away. It was the follow-up, an uppercut style punch thrown from underneath that finally broke through his well-honed defensive skills.

There was a heavy groan as the punch made contact, catching him square in the gut. He doubled over slightly and she, without a second thought used the momentum along with a bit of strength to flip him over her arm.

Emmett busted out in laughter as Jasper landed with a muffled thud, back-first on the soft ground. His expression broadened into a congratulatory smile. "Nice job. Lesson 1: Never telegraph your punches. Lesson 2: Always be watching for you never know when your opponent is going to forget to block." He moved and offered his brother a hand, easily pulling him back to his feet.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you…I mean I wasn't trying to…"

"Adia," Jasper put a hand under her chin, pulling her gaze up to meet his. "I'm fine. That was perfect timing. You saw an opening and you took advantage of it, exactly what I wanted you to do." He insisted brushing the grass and dirt from his clothing. "Now, let's move on to kicking combinations. Kicking is going to be a necessity when defending yourself against any attacker, especially newborns as kicking will not only give you space but also do damage to them as well."

"Oh okay," She watched closely as he and Emmett demonstrated what he wanted her to do. "You two are going to injure each other though…I mean…"

Emmett shook his head as the impromptu sparring match came to an end, "Nah, we train like this all the time. That's why he's not concerned about you injuring him. Besides we look forward to a good work-out."

"Oh," Her tone was laced with a bit of shock over-laid with a great deal of hesitance even though they had reassured her that she would not injure anyone with her practice. She glanced over her shoulder as something in the back of her mind kept niggling at her and the feeling that they were being watched grew distracting. Being watched, especially by an unknown entity or a stranger was not something that she was at all comfortable with even though she was far from alone in the yard.

Adia, it's fine but you really need to focus or else you're going to end up getting hurt," Emmett insisted turning to survey their surroundings. "Is something wrong?" He questioned as she seemed to be quite distracted and suddenly wary.

"Uhm…no," She answered still turning to look over her shoulder warily as if she felt as though she was being watched. "Just…well…" Her voice hitched then and her entire body froze as if she'd been dipped in ice-water.

The hand grabbed her shoulder startling her only momentarily before she reacted. She spun toward her attacker taking the arm and jerking him forward slightly before flipping him onto the ground. There came a pained yelp and a soggy pop as he landed with a muffled thud face-first in the grass.

"Whoa, whoa I meant no harm," Paul pleaded his voice pained and worried that she might continue the retaliation. He struggled in an attempt to free himself from her grip, or at least he did until she twisted his arm up behind him, putting pressure on an already dislocated shoulder from the initial encounter. "Okay, okay, no harm intended." He groaned in pain.

"Adia," Jasper called moving and putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let him go, he's harmless." He insisted as she reluctantly released Paul's arm. He turned his attention then to Paul, "Not Bella, Paul, you startled our new family member, this is Adia."

"Obviously," Paul admitted clutching his arm and struggling to his feet. He studied the young lady, his expression one of pained curiosity. "Nice to meet you," He greeted his voice strained.

"Same, uhm…sorry…" Adia managed a smile, obviously unnerved by the entire incident and even more so by the fact that she had injured this stranger who seemed to be a friend of the Cullens.

"Little skittish isn't she?" Paul questioned as Emmett came toward him.

"Just a touch," Emmett admitted, taking Paul by his good shoulder and leading him up to the house. "You should really get that checked, I think she might've dislocated your shoulder."

"No kidding," He managed a strained chuckle as Carlisle came to the door about the time Emmett went to open it. The expression upon his face said that he had seen the incident in the yard from the den window. "Carlisle," He greeted clutching his shoulder, "I mistook her for Bella and well…"

"You should really be more careful about such things Paul," Carlisle scolded his tone amused as he ushered him into the house. "Come, let's get your shoulder taken care of as it's apparent that it's dislocated."

"Who is he?" Adia kept her tone low so as not to draw further attention as she refocused upon Jasper who had been helping her learn to defend herself. "He has a strange scent about him."

"Paul is a ranking member of the Quileute Wolves," Jasper answered figuring that she wouldn't understand and that he'd have to explain further. "It's the reason for the odd scent that you're picking up from him."

"Wolves?" Adia's tone was quizzical if not a bit concerned, "Like werewolves or…"

"Yes but not in the way that you've probably been exposed to before." Jasper answered, "The Quileute Wolves are more akin to a species called Loup Garou, in that the Quileute are more of a shape shifting form as they can change into a wolf at any time unlike the stories you've probably been immersed in that only allow for a change at the full-moon." He smiled, "The Quileute Wolves are harmless, in fact it is Quileute land that we inhabit and as long as we keep to the agreement we have with them, they are happy to have us."

"Oh, but they are friendly then, yes?" Adia questioned still a bit confused about the relationship between the Quileute Pack and her new-found family. "I mean…he wasn't trying to harm me or…"

Jasper chuckled adjusting her fighting stance so that she would be in proper position to continue the kicking drills he had planned for her. "They are friendly and no he wasn't intent on harming you. I think he mistook you for Bella as they are good friends and pick on each other that way most of the time."

She managed a smile, "Well, guess he'll be more cautious next time." She muttered more to herself than aloud even though she knew that Jasper had heard every word. She watched him as he demonstrated what he wanted her to work on.

"We can hope anyway," Emmett admitted with a chuckle as he watched the kicking drills continue. "Put some power behind those kicks," He coached from the side-lines, turning briefly as the veranda door opened and Edward stepped out onto the porch to watch. "Come join us, it'll take the edge off your stress level in fact I'll spar with you if you want. A little exercise never hurt anyone, not even you."

Edward gave a nod, coming into the yard as Emmett moved a few of the bigger fallen branches out of the way and created enough space for he and Edward to spar without being in danger of accidentally knocking into, being in the way of, or injuring Adia and Jasper as they worked on her fighting skills. "Looking good Adia, keep practicing with him and you'll be perfectly able to handle yourself against any of the Volturi, with a couple of exceptions that require a good shield as those two are quite gifted in all the wrong ways."

"Gifted, what do you mean? I don't understand about these Volturi and why it is so important that I be able to defend myself against them." She questioned going through the drill that Jasper had set for her in slow motion so that she could get the feel of it before taking it in real time.

"The Volturi consist of three brothers, Aro, Caius and Marcus. Aro is capable of reading thoughts just by touching your hand. They have an elite guard that make up most of the rest of their coven. Some of that guard are very gifted, mainly two, Alec and Jane. Alec can strip you of your senses and Jane is able to make you believe you are in excruciating pain when you really are in no pain at all. Those two require a shield in order to defend against them. Another, Demetri is able to track your movements just by your aura. It is important that you are capable of defending yourself because you being so talented and unique, they will do anything in their power to recruit you even going so far as to take you against your will and force you to become a part of their coven." Jasper explained, keeping the details brief so that he didn't have to spend several hours trying to wade through the entire history of the coven of the Volturi.

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "Sounds like a group I'd not want to meet in a dark alley." Her tone was one of cool intensity as she worked through the foot work and kicking combinations with Jasper. "They sound really rather scary, like sort of psychotic, padded-room and strait-jacket kind of scary."

"Don't back down," Edward called watching her work, "Don't back up, push forward as you kick. The object is to be on the attack, so force him back as you move forward with your kicking." He instructed as he and Emmett did some basic drills to warm up before they really set their minds to sparring in their usual manner.

"Shield, like a mental shield right?" She questioned pushing Jasper back with her own spur of the moment kicking combination. It was a combination that, if one hadn't known better, they would have thought she'd been fighting for years. A smile peeked from around the half concerned, half uncertain expression as she caught him in the shoulder with an unexpected spinning back fist that she, at the last moment, applied to end of her string of kicks.

"Yes," Jasper answered rolling his eyes in response to the snickering that filled the space between conversations and sparring as Emmett found the fact that Adia had actually scored on Jasper highly amusing. "Of course, there are those who have that gift and are able to project it outward to cover others which has proven very helpful in the past when we've had to deal with the Volturi in battle." He threw a not-so-random punch in Emmett's direction, the placement, had Emmett not been ready for it and able to block it, would have planted hardened knuckles squarely against Emmett's cheek.

"Nice combination, Adia," Edward praised watching briefly as she adjusted her stance and mulled over the information about shields and the Volturi. "Aim a bit higher on the back fist the next time. When you throw punches like that you aim to make them count every time."

"Well I figured since…" She paused in response to the fact that they were all now awaiting in silence, what she was about to say, "This is just sparring I…" She shook her head, seeming a bit intimidated by the odd expressions she was now receiving, and went back to readying her stance.

"The bruise would not have lasted long and it wouldn't have been the first time or the last as far as getting beat up during a sparring match." Jasper insisted giving her a thumbs-up in response to the way she was taking to and handling the lessons. He adjusted his own stance and moved forward, closing the distance between them. "The question now becomes, can you manage to strike me again?" He taunted her, pushing her to use what she had already learned and move to the attack.

"Careful Jasper, she's very liable to kick your ass," Emmett mused watching Adia's expression grow more determined with each passing moment as she waited for the proper time to give Jasper what he was trying to get out of her while utilizing to her advantage the element of surprise.

Edward moved over and adjusted Adia's stance ever-so-slightly before leaning in close and whispering low in her ear. The encounter lasted a mere moment and her expression never let on what was said as she, without warning went on the attack. The surprise was enough to catch Jasper off guard, a feat that was nearly impossible as he was a well-honed and skilled fighter even against the strongest of undead or newborn.

"Push him back, don't let up. Make him work to keep you at bay," Edward coached watching Adia go toward Jasper with a barrage of rapid-fire kicks. "Remember, to use your hands, don't telegraph and make your blows count." He watched her push Jasper back knowing what he had told her but not certain what she would actually do or how this barrage of kicks in combination would end.

"Come on, Adia, come on, you'll need more than this to take on those that might want to take your existence," Jasper chided managing to block the majority of her attack but still failing to keep her totally at bay. His usual over-confidence rose to the surface and he goaded her further even though he had no idea what she might be really capable of now that she was in the midst of a determined and focused attack. "Is this all you got? Really?"

Without warning, her combination of kicks changed, their intensity growing stronger and her punches turning from sparring type taps to full-blown, fast-paced blows that were far from telegraphed but well-produced and well-embedded in the distracting barrage of kicks. "No, not really." She hissed, the response coming from beneath a fully concentrated focus.

"Concentrate Adia, don't let the taunting get to you or you'll make a mistake," Jasper coaxed, his focus drifting for only a split second. In that moment, he stepped to the side. The effort to evade her attack was all for naught. He stepped directly into a high crescent kick that grazed him solidly on the temple. The jolt dropped him to his knees just in time for a well-placed punch to catch him square in the other temple.

"Jasper," Edward and Emmett's voices rang in tandem across the yard as Jasper crumpled, unconscious to the ground.

Adia immediately halted her attack, going to her knees next to Jasper and beginning to try and revive him. "Is he..?" She didn't even want to consider the possibilities as fear crept into her voice and her expression. She hadn't meant to actually injure him with her attack but she had been unable to stop the punch from connecting.

"Stay with him," Edward ordered his tone calm and controlled. "I think he'll be fine, but I want to get him conscious so I can further examine him." He darted over to the suburban and retrieved a small bottle of oil from a special travel kit that Carlisle kept in the vehicle at all times. Moments later, he took a knee next to Jasper and shifted him over onto his side before opening the bottle and dropping several small drops of oil beneath his tongue.

She crinkled her nose as the pungent aroma of the oil stung her nostrils. "If that stuff tastes as bad as it smells…" The scent was a combination of strong concentrated garlic and eucalyptus and even in the breeze it was powerful enough to be overwhelming.

"The taste isn't pleasant," Emmett cringed then gave an all-over shudder at the memories of the few times he had been revived by the same oil after being downed in battle. "Leaves a rather nasty after taste." He admitted watching as Jasper's muscles twitched in a random mild spasm that seemed as if he'd been struck with the gift of Jane.

He shuddered again, this time the spasm was a bit stronger and as the oil seeped into the tissues of his oral cavity, its pungency forced him to swallow. It was enough reflex to spark another impulse as he sucked in a heavy breath. Breathing wasn't necessary to sustain existence in the realm of the undead but the act itself was a sign that he would be coming back to his senses shortly.

"Easy," Edward soothed as Jasper's eyes fluttered open and he managed a reluctant shake of his head in response to the infiltration of sunlight into what had been thick liquid blackness. "Wait, get your bearings before you try sitting up."

His still slightly blurred gaze swept those around him and his expression flashed confusion before the cob webs created by unconsciousness lifted enough for his memory to return. His hand went then to his temples as the war drums began playing with intensity inside his skull. After a moment, he allowed his gaze to settle first on Adia briefly and then Emmett, "Don't even say it." He hissed massaging his temples as Edward helped him slowly into a sitting position.

"Say what? That I warned you that you were liable to get your ass kicked? Or refresh your memory and remind you that it actually happened?" Emmett mused, his tone failing to mask his concern for Jasper's well-being. He shook his head, "Even the bravest and mightiest of warriors need a reality check every so often. Along with a lesson in humility and proper focus." He admitted obliging Jasper by not goading him about what had happened even though it was apparent that he was struggling to keep a straight face and avoid the spell of laughter that was boiling beneath the surface of his calm, concern.

Jasper rolled his eyes even though the act made the pounding in his head escalate. He grimaced noticeably as Edward examined the darkening bruises now gracing both temples. "Before you ask, yes I know who I am and where I am. I also remember the basics of what happened, no thanks to Emmett." He shuddered in reaction to the drums of war and the additional gong that was now banging with great enthusiasm within his skull and the nasty after-taste left in his mouth from the oil. The world spun and for the very briefest of moments his vision tunneled before almost immediately returning to a slightly blurred normal.

"Injuring you was so not my intention, I…I mean…really I feel like a creep," The hesitation and tremor in Adia's voice broke the stagnate silence as Edward continued to watch and examine Jasper for any serious injury even though he doubted that the blows to his temples had been really strong enough to cause any long-term side-effects.

"The fact that you know those things tells me that the blows weren't sufficient to result in any long-term injury." Edward assured continuing to monitor Jasper as he remained in a sitting position on the ground. It was apparent, by the way he was very gently massaging his temples that the resulting headache and residual blurriness had not dissipated enough for Edward to feel comfortable allowing him to stand or move around too much.

Jasper paused his continuous massage of his temples and forehead briefly to place a hand against Adia's arm. He very slowly lifted his head and shifted his gaze to her. "Hey, you did nothing wrong, in fact you just proved that you are capable of putting together an attack that would keep you from harm. What happened was my own fault, I'm the one who let my concentration break for the span of a split second and you capitalized upon my blunder. That is exactly what combat is all about is capitalizing on your opponents' mistakes."

Adia forced a half-hearted overly concerned smile, "Still feel horrible for injuring you though. I mean, it was supposed to just be practice." She studied him, knowing without any question that he was still reeling from blows that were meant to be for learning purposes only. "Are you sure you're going to be alright, I mean…your color looks a bit…well…off. Or at least I think so anyway."

"Shit happens darlin', even in practice." Jasper insisted patting her on the arm. "What happened wasn't intentional, I know that and so does everyone else that saw it. So stop beating yourself up over it, it's combat, and injuries happen. No hard feelings required." He managed his usual half-cocked grin, "I'm alright, just need to feed. The sustenance will heal the bruises and quench this headache."

"Like a round of medicine eh?" Adia spoofed, the question more rhetorical than requiring an answer. She was still young in newborn years but she had enough knowledge of the lifestyle of the undead to know that sustenance was extremely important especially when there was any sort of injury or illness, not that either of those two events happened very often.

"That's more or less what it amounts to," The sound of the veranda door opening and closing was enough to halt the conversation before an answer to her question could be provided. Paul, injured arm safely supported in a cloth sling, sat down on the steps, his expression one of non-drowsy, medicated bliss. He leveled a wolfish gaze upon Adia, a cool smile grazing his features. "Not the first time I've been injured and certainly won't be the last. It's merely a simple dislocation and a mild sprain, a day or two I'll be back to normal." He studied her, "We wolves heal rather quickly and well…they don't call Carlisle the best physician around for nothing."

"Glad to know I have yet to kill anyone here," Adia mused her tone speaking volumes about how guilty she was feeling after unintentionally injuring two people in the span of two hours or less. Her gaze shifted then to Paul and the expression on her face said everything without any verbal exchange.

He shook his head, "No hard feelings, it was after all my own fault. I mistook you for Bella." He gingerly adjusted the position of his arm in the sling. "Edward, might I suggest introducing her to Jake and the others before they mistake her for Bella. I'd hate to see the outcome should they all make that error."

"Suggestion noted," Edward agreed helping Jasper to his feet as Emmett moved to continue Adia's combat training. He didn't need to be an empath to feel the hesitation radiating from Adia as she adjusted her stance and stood before Emmett. "Shake it off, Adia, nothing was done out of malice and you certainly didn't intentionally injure anyone. Always expect the unexpected in combat, even when the combat is just for good fun and practice."

She had just settled into the session with Emmett, finally putting what had happened earlier behind her and beginning to focus once more on the lessons in the art of combat when there came commotion at the edge of the yard. The thick underbrush beneath the tree-line that surrounded the clearing lit with the crunching of ground cover and purposeful movement in the shadows. The noise was enough to halt the sparring and put everyone a bit on edge. "Uhm…"

"It's Seth," Paul revealed standing from his place on the porch, his tone one of mixed curiosity and concern. There was only one reason that Seth or any other member of the pack would be in enough of a rush to get to the yard as to make that much of a ruckus in the underbrush. "Something's amiss." He moved down the steps, reaching the yard itself just as Seth came bounding into the clearing. His wolven form created a significant hole in the underbrush as he entered the yard.

"Holy shit, uhm…" Adia took several steps back obviously a bit shocked by the enormous wolf now present before her. She glanced over at Paul. "Wolven, uhm…I…this is what you meant by wolven? Whoa…not what I was expecting." She unconsciously fell into a fighting stance even though he had not entered what would have been her personal space.

Seth didn't acknowledge the odd reaction to his presence other than giving an audible chuff in greeting and a brief sniff of the air around those that now stood in the yard. He moved then to Paul, keeping a respectable distance from Adia so as not to further startle her. It was apparent just by the tone of the conversation and Seth's body language that he had come on business and whatever it was it wasn't exactly good news.

"Easy Adia, he's harmless," Edward assured moving to reassure her and also make sure that Jasper was still recovering from his incident without any latent complications. "Seth is a ranking member of the Quileute Pack as is Paul, whom you've already met."

Even though she didn't acknowledge his words, she had heard them because she visibly relaxed, even if only slightly while continuing to hold her ground. She watched warily as a very intense conversation ensued between Seth and Paul. Her expression was one of mixed confusion as to what the subject matter might be and wonderment at the way the two communicated even though this one called Seth appeared to be a huge timber wolf.

"Edward," Paul motioned to him after several long minutes of discussion between him and Seth. He waited until Edward had drawn close enough so that he didn't have to raise his voice and leaned in close. "There's trouble, do you have any idea why ranking members of the Volturi guard would be within two miles of this place right now?" He paused, "Jake and the others have them stalled but I doubt that will keep them at bay for long."

Edward pushed his hand through his hair and glanced back in the direction of Adia before allowing his gaze to take in Emmett and Jasper. After a few moments of thought he spoke. "So Aro has decided to make a stink about the presence of Adia within our midst."

"Well that could be the answer, if they didn't know about her before." Paul agreed waiting for the reaction and next course of action that he knew, without further question, was coming.

"Technically they didn't, but knowing what we all know about Aro, it's probably been noticed." He turned then to Emmett and Jasper, moving to discuss the situation with them privately before making a final decision. His gaze focused then on Adia. "Adia, go with Paul into the house and stay there. I will explain why later."