August 30, 2012

I am very excited to have dived into part two of this story. I hope that you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Please, leave reviews! I've done my best to reply to reviews lately, and I would be happy to do the same for you.

evelyn-shaye

Special thanks to my phenomenal betas, Linnfromia and ChloeCougar. I love the way they work their magic with my writing!

Chapter Twenty-five: Hunt

The morning of our hunt dawned cloudy, exactly the way we liked it. We weren't in any real rush to get started, but since Jacob and I had foregone breakfast in favor of fresh kill, we began our trek to the best woods early, while the mortal world still slept.

With the morning still new, the forest was eerily quiet. My superhuman senses detected a few scurrying squirrels and the fluttering of birds' wings, but no one else could possibly have heard any movement, even without the breeze that normally stirred the trees into a slow dance.

Any human hunter would know better than to attempt a kill today. For us, it was perfect. Our prey would never suspect anything amiss.

My parents halted silently, Momma extending an arm to stop us. Alice and Jasper were quite a few miles away, already in the process of hunting. Since Jasper had reacted dangerously to my scent the previous day, it seemed safer to let the two mates hunt on their own. I slowed with just the slightest gust of air; beside me, Jacob, already in his wolf form, bent lower in anticipation.

"Two bears to the east, by the rocks," Daddy whispered.

"A herd of deer past them," Momma continued.

I sniffed cautiously. "A moose, to the west?"

Daddy redirected his senses. "He's moving toward a larger herd of about six," he confirmed.

My mouth watered just thinking of the abundance of prey. Moose didn't sound particularly appetizing, but if I could get my hands on that bear…

"Nessie and Jacob, make your way to the rocks," Daddy instructed. "Take down the bears before you attack the deer. Bella and I will start with the moose and loop back when we're satiated."

Jacob whined softly next to me; Daddy shook his head. "There are no humans out today," he answered. "You two are completely free to give in to your senses."

That was all the encouragement I needed. Taking a deep breath, I removed from my mind any coherent thought, any tendency of humanity; I reduced my love for my parents and Jacob to a mere alliance and let myself be driven by raw desire, raw need, raw existence. Nessie: weak half-human, transformed into Renesmee: powerful half-vampire.

I caught the scent of bear, lowered into a crouch, and began my silent and barely superhuman advance.

It was too easy to soundlessly weave my way through the trees to the rock formations that had become a landmark on our hunting trips. On my periphery, I was aware of Jacob following me closely enough to protect me if needed but not so close that I felt the need to defend my prey from him. We had established our hunting strategy long ago, once I had gotten over my childish competitive streak. I always attacked first.

Today, though, as I scaled one of the larger rocks conveniently positioned right above the two black bears, I motioned that Jacob should circle around and attack the bear farther from me from behind. Jacob used his front paws to stand up on the rock, and I lowered my hand to his furry neck. We should attack at the same time, catch them off guard, so the other doesn't try to hurt whichever of us attacks first.

Jacob nodded shortly and returned to all fours. He began a slow and cautious advance around another well-placed rock while I climbed to the peak of mine. I leaned over to gauge my best assault; from fifteen feet above the ground, I could dive on top of the closest one, knock it over, and sink my teeth immediately in its neck before it could even take a swipe at me.

Perfect.

I crouched back, prepared to spring, when a strong wind blew from the north, bringing with it the most delicious, non-human scent I had ever encountered….

Without hesitating, I launched myself from the boulder, high over the heads of the two suddenly repulsive-smelling bears. Propelled myself forward from the tips of the other rocks and into the trees, where I leapt from trunk to trunk without getting scratched or losing momentum. Below and behind me, I heard Jake bark with concern and confusion, but I didn't dare turn back for fear of slowing. A heartbeat later, he sounded a warning howl, and I knew instinctively that he was alerting my parents to my shift of prey.

With strength and speed I didn't know I had, I quickened my advance until I was a blur; Jacob's howls and thudding paws diminished behind me as I left him in the dust. I inhaled again, smelled the delicious scent to my right, and changed direction.

There was no way to rationalize my wild pursuit. I knew the scent wasn't human, because I had been trained to resist that smell, but it was the closest creature to human I had ever encountered on a hunt. There was a faint hint of…deer? No, it smelled more like elk. Human blood with an elk overtone; that was what it smelled like. The combination of sensations gave it a very tangy scent which made the venom well in my mouth. This would be a snack that I'd never forget.

I reached a clearing and halted in an instant. There it was—a female elk, just as I suspected. Even in my vampire state, I could appreciate her beauty. Her body was sandpaper brown but her neck and head were a rich black. On her right cheek was a small scar that somehow complemented her features. Around her back left hoof there was some sort of string, white material, and what looked like shells. Was she tied to a tree?

I prepared to jump, when the creature suddenly whipped its head toward me and stared me straight in the eye. I smiled widely, baring my teeth, and it turned sharply, escaping silently through the trees.

"Oh, no you don't," I growled, picking up my pace once again. It was too easy to catch my prey this time. As soon as I was overhead, I dropped at an angle and knocked her to the ground. But oh, this one was strong! She leaped up from the forest floor immediately and dealt a kick to my arm with more force I had ever experienced or anticipated. She ran again, but I jumped onto her back and caught her neck between my vampire hands. The elk struggled, but she was quickly running out of air and had no means of knocking me off. I leaned toward her throat—

In half a second, I was knocked to the ground by another vampire. Her cold form pinned me down, made it impossible for me to move. I would never be as strong as a full-blooded vampire, no matter how driven by prey. I let out a high-pitched shriek of frustration.

"Stop, Nessie!" my mother's voice commanded.

I was distracted momentarily but soon renewed my struggle with vigor, hissing and snarling at the creature on top of me. "Let me go!" I demanded. "She's mine!"

"No, Nessie." Daddy's quiet voice unnerved me. His face appeared above mine, and I fought the urge to spit venom on him. "This creature has thoughts. You can't attack her."

My intensity to taste her blood was overshadowed temporarily by confusion. "What do you mean, 'she has thoughts'?" I demanded. "All of our prey has thoughts—thoughts of fear right before we kill them!"

"Will you listen to yourself, Nessie?" Jacob yelled, now in his human form. I cringed under Momma's body; Jacob rarely raised his voice at me. "This creature you almost attacked has coherent, intelligent thoughts. And I could understand her in my wolf form."

I paused to consider his words before a slight breeze blew the scent back toward me and I was filled with impossible desire once more. I thrashed under Momma, swallowing convulsively.

"Edward!" a new voice called. I craned my neck to see Alice running through the trees, Jasper and Grandfather at her side.

"Alice," Daddy addressed her. "What did you see?"

"More blind spots than I've ever seen in my life, even with the Volturi confrontation." Alice's eyes were wide. "I was hard-pressed to pinpoint your exact location. What were you chasing?"

Daddy, Momma, and Jacob eyed me, panicked, before a new voice entered the scene.

"You are not welcome here."

My family turned to the sound. Momma stood, pulling me with her but locking my arms behind my back. I sniffed the air cautiously, but all at once, the delectable scent was gone and the burning quelled. I relaxed against my mother.

A slight but confident figure approached us from behind a tree. She was clearly Native American, with long, thick black hair and tan skin. She wore a simple white dress and a necklace of small shells. As I stared at her, I thought something looked familiar. There was a beauty mark on her right cheek and an anklet above her left foot. Or was it simply a thin cord?

Then she met my gaze with her deep brown eyes, and I recognized her.

"You're the elk!" I cried, and then wished I hadn't.

The girl narrowed her eyes at me. "And you tried to take my life, cold one," she responded ominously, taking a small step forward.

My family stepped defensively in between us, with Grandfather positioned at the very front. From their intent stances, I knew that they were all employing their gifts – I felt Momma's shield wrap protectively around me and Jasper's calm stretch to reach all of us.

"It was a mistake, I can assure you," Grandfather stated diplomatically, but there was a hint of desperation in his voice. "Had Renesmee known you were human, she would never have hunted you."

The girl stared at Grandfather for a moment before throwing her head back and laughing. "You're just like the rest of them!" she answered bitterly. "Trying to sneak around, trying to convince us that you might have our best interests at heart… We shape-shifters were better off before you bloodsuckers intervened. I should summon my herd and end your coven right now."

She paused for effect. "However, because I am a fair Hart, I will refrain from launching an attack if you hand over this…Renesmee."

My family reacted instinctively, hissing and crouching low in front of me. In an instant, twenty more shape-shifters appeared behind the girl. They all wore dresses or tunics, even the men—for convenience?

I was so amazed by their appearance that I couldn't feel afraid. Jacob, too, while obviously concerned for my safety, couldn't hide the wonder in his eyes. He stepped forward, revealing himself for the first time. "Not all vampires pose a threat to the race of shape-shifters."

The girl gasped softly and walked forward until she and Jacob were inches apart. She extended her right arm to his cheek, examining him. I felt a twinge of jealousy as I watched her so close to my soul mate. "You are not human," she whispered. "Who are you?"

"I am Jacob Black, Alpha of the Quileute tribe in Forks, Washington," he introduced, his voice filled with pride and authority.

"Alpha," she echoed. "What brings you to North Dakota?"

"My imprint," he smiled, indicating me. I waved shyly from my safe position.

She scrunched up her nose. "That monster is your mate?"

"Renesmee is not a monster," Jacob countered. "The fact that she was hunting a bear before she caught your scent should help convince you that she would never threaten a human." He smiled fondly at me, and my heart warmed that he would champion me so strongly in a dangerous situation.

"Hunting…a bear?" Her twenty followers stirred uneasily behind her, confused at this new knowledge.

"These vampires are like none you have ever encountered," Jacob replied.

"So it seems," the girl agreed hesitantly. "That other coven of three has spent the last four years hunting us almost exclusively, though we haven't seen them since the brown-haired girl joined them."

I stiffened. "You mean Braden's coven?"

"You know them?" she asked sharply, her guard up once more.

Jacob frowned. "We've also had negative experiences with that coven. Tamara was Nessie's best friend."

Her eyes lit with understanding. "We have a common enemy."

Grandfather spoke up. "We do not seek out to destroy humans, merely to protect them," he amended.

The leader nodded slowly. "It seems that we have much to discuss. Wesley! Morgan!" Two of her followers appeared in front of her. "Run back to the reservation and gather the Elders. Alert them that I am bringing cold ones with me but that no one must attack them." The two youths inclined their heads in respect and ran to the east with superhuman speed.

The girl opened her hands to us. "And now, please accompany us to meet with my tribe. I assume that you will not mind terribly if my herd forms a guard around you?"

Grandfather smiled. "Please, do however you see fit."

She nodded and motioned for her followers to disperse themselves around us.

"One thing first, though," Jacob said. Everyone turned to him suspiciously, but he was smiling amiably. "You haven't told us your name yet."

The girl smiled warmly. "My name is Elena, Hart of the Arikara tribe."

Jacob's smile widened and he offered his hand. "It is an honor and a privilege to meet a fellow shape-shifter."

Elena shook his hand willingly. "The pleasure is all mine," she smiled. "I had no idea that another race of our kind existed. I had hoped, of course, but there was never any indication…."

"Braden alluded to it," Jacob admitted. "But we thought that, even if it was true, we wouldn't be able to find you."

Elena laughed easily and began leading us after the two messengers. "I wouldn't worry about it. You said earlier that you are Alpha; that means that you transform into a wolf?" Jacob nodded. "My tribe probably would have attacked you. The wolf is our natural enemy, as well."

"Natural enemies don't necessarily have to remain so," Jacob suggested. "You and I are shape-shifters first, and even though our duty is to destroy vampires, my tribe has allied with this coven. The Cullen family."

"True." She paused thoughtfully. "I suppose our relationships affect our choices, our allegiances. What in particular led you to side with these vampires?"

"Renesmee is the greatest reason," Jacob answered, smiling. "Because my life is tied so intricately with hers, we cannot hurt the other, so my tribe and her family are kept safe and well-protected. During the Volturi confrontation five years ago, our alliance became even stronger."

"Who are the Volturi?" Elena queried.

Jacob bit his lip and looked to Grandfather for assistance. "They are in charge of enforcing the law in the vampire world," Grandfather answered. "But they have a certain…vendetta against other supernatural creatures, like Jacob and Nessie."

Elena's eyebrows rose. "Renesmee is a shape-shifter as well?" she questioned.

"No." Momma spoke up for the first time. "Renesmee is my biological daughter, conceived and delivered while I was still human. She is half-vampire, half-human."

Elena's mouth formed an O. "That explains the difference in her scent," she breathed. "I understood Jacob's, but I thought that there was something strange about her smell compared to the rest of you….Speaking of," she changed the subject abruptly. "How large is your coven?"

Grandfather glanced warily at my aunt. Alice searched the future quickly and nodded her assent.

"We number eight vampires, plus Jacob and Nessie," he answered. "My mate and two others have remained at home today."

"Such a large coven in vampire standards," Elena noted.

"Feeding solely on animal blood causes certain changes that allow us to form stronger familial bonds," Grandfather replied.

Elena nodded thoughtfully, and then halted us. "We have reached the official border of our territory," she informed us. "We must await Morgan and Wesley's affirmation from the Elders."

The two Arikara appeared just moments later. "The Elders have gathered," Wesley said. "They're not happy, but they accept your judgment."

"Thank you," Elena answered. The two fell into formation, and we began to walk once more.

A feeling of excitement and anxiety stirred within me. Other shape-shifters existed, and we were about to meet with their Elders! Having Jacob with us gave us a powerful edge, but these elk could see fit to destroy us on their territory just for being vampires. On the other hand, they could want us to end Braden's coven, and would I be able to do that to Tamara?

Elena was right. We had much to discuss.