Battle Chimes

"What the holy hell are you thinking, Jake?" Dirk's mind whirred as he watched from the tree line directly to the left of where Bella and Ness were still imprisoned. Activity within the camp of Ulysses had increased just in the past couple hours but for the most part there had been no further activity involving Bella and Reneseme. 'I don't know what it is you're planning, Jake, but I wish you'd make a move.'

Crashing of underbrush not but a few hundred yards from where he was positioned caught his attention. The brush parted and a pack of newborns, of approximately thirty strong, moved into the clearing. Their ranks held a tighter position than what he had seen with previous packs that had returned from patrol. As their numbers turned to move along in front of the cage, he realized that the one that held the center was not a newborn at all, but Edward Cullen.

From over a hundred yards away, it was apparent that Edward was far from himself. He was barely managing to stand on his own much less walk without aide. He seemed in a heavy daze, either on the verge of unconsciousness or just now recovering from it. The group of newborns were mostly dragging him along and it was obvious that he wasn't fully aware or he would never have allowed himself to be taken captive in the first place.

There was a sighing as if the wind had blown through a grove of trees as the newborns allowed Edward to slump to the ground on a concrete pad that sat at the middle of the pathway. They secured him there, in a kneeling position by looping the chain from the pipe at his throat through a steel post that stood at the pad's center and securing it with a heavy steel clip so that it could not be pulled free. His hands were secured behind his back, the extra chain wrapped around his legs and another steel clip put into place. They pulled his head up forcing him to gaze forward by attaching a length of chain to the one already in his mouth, taking out the slack and securing it to the ring at the top of the post. One of the newborns, the one that had been leading the company ran his hand along Edward's spine, the result of just the touch causing a rash of muscles spasms and an audible groan of discomfort that was loud enough for even Dirk to hear.

"Damn Jake, you've really got this in a mess now," He shook his head as he surveyed the scene before him. His mind churned as he worked through all the viable options in an effort to figure out the best way to circumvent the current situation and at least free Edward if not all three. The problem was that he had no idea what they were intending to do with Edward, or where they might take him if he stayed captive very long.

A voice cut through Dirk's thoughts forcing his focus to it instead of his own thoughts, "DADDY!" He realized then that Nessie must have noticed her father's pain. That was all he needed, a child screaming while he was trying to keep himself hidden. "Shit! Ness just don't draw the attention of Ulysses and his bunch of thugs." He had to take action and he had to do it soon before Reneseme's terror and concern for her father brought worse wrath down upon all of those that were currently at the mercy of Ulysses.

"N-ness…I…b-be c-calm, I'll be f-fi-fine…" Edward's pain was apparent and his mental voice was badly strained and disoriented as he tried to comfort his daughter without drawing the attention of their captors. "Shh, k-eep-p q-quiet-t."

Moonless night had grown to take over the forest as Dirk watched tears of worry and concern radiate from Reneseme. He was no empath but even a completely blind fool could feel the distress pulsing from her like ripples in the center of a stagnate pond. So far she had obeyed whatever order Edward had managed to give her even though it was apparent that she was struggling to do so. The camp of Ulysses had been quiet for a good hour or more and the lack of moonlight had left it relatively overcome with the shadowy darkness of ill-placed torchlight, a fact that Dirk had been waiting for as it gave him good cover to attempt a rescue. He surveyed the tree line that bordered the clearing his mind racing as he wondered where Jake and the others were stationed or if they had even made it into the periphery of the camp itself.

"Wherever you are Jake, I hope you're ready for war." He muttered as he carefully crept through the underbrush until he had put himself in one of the larger shadows that had now claimed the area around the cage and Edward's location. The last thing he needed was to become a prisoner himself and releasing Bella, Ness and Edward was one sure-fire way to do just that. "It's now or never," Keeping to the shadows, he moved in and, with the stealth of only a non-mortal, quietly began releasing Edward's bonds, keeping a wary eye upon the surroundings. He was committed now and he could only hope that somewhere in the tree-line around the camp, Jake and the others were poised—watching and waiting for the opportune moment to provide backup.

A rustling, like wind blowing through a wheat field came to his ears and he turned his attention briefly to the area of the camp where the most activity had been previously. "Great, just what I didn't fucking need," He growled realizing that a pack of newborns were coming up from the southern edge of camp and heading directly toward his current location with Ulysses in their midst. He moved where Edward could see him, "Keep still, I'll try to turn them off of their current intent with some sort of distraction. I'll be back to free you and your family and if not then let's hope that Jake and the others are in the vicinity or else this isn't going to be a pleasant end for anyone." He thought knowing that if Edward was conscious enough that he would be able to hear him. He slipped back into the heavier shadows, growling at the approaching crowd, his mind racing even as he began planning a course of action that would hopefully provide enough distraction to allow the prisoners to be freed.

"Find the wolven slime and bring it to me alive," Ulysses hissed commanding his bunch forward with the utmost in dictatorial authority. He stopped his forward progress to stand only a few paces from the spot where Edward was now only partially chained. "I want it alive!" His voice seemed to echo along the ground and through the thick underbrush that lined the open clearing that was the camp itself.

Dirk shifted his position, staying mostly in the shadows but putting himself in plain sight of most of the pack of newborns as they filtered in a hunting pattern toward him. "Yeah bring it on twinkle toes," He snarled the stench of newborn vampire tainting the clean forest air with the acrid aroma of rotting flesh. "I'll have breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack and leftovers at midnight…that is if I can get past the stench." It was too late for any sort of distraction as his cover had already been blown. He had no choice. He was already in mid-stride, charging toward the pack of newborns before his mind registered the possible consequences of what was a most irrational move.

"JAKE, NOW WOULD BE GOOD TIMING!" He screamed through the mental link knowing that it might be his final words as he reached the newborns, scattering them as they scurried to separate before his momentum turned them into bowling pins. He landed in their midst, ripping the first of them apart before spinning to start again. The spinning attack was not one he had planned to utilize. The ever-widening circles, as he finished each newborn one-by-one, intentionally led the entire pack away from the center of the camp and the prisoners. He managed to glance back briefly in between battles to see Edward, whom he'd left only partially freed, now starting to finish freeing himself of his bonds and making an effort to get to his family and at least get them out of captivity.

Another mass of newborns, he quickly finished off and began working his way back toward where Edward was making an attempt at freeing Bella and Ness when gouging pain surged up across his shoulder blades and down through his arms. The jolt of hot fire nearly forced him out of his wolven form but as the fire slowly lessened and his blurred gaze cleared once more, he focused in the general direction of Edward. His ears caught the roar of pain and he realized that he was first channeling the agony as Edward took several strikes across his back from Cereneia's whip while also feeling his own pain as blood poured from a large laceration on his shoulder. "Son of a bitch, Edward, you didn't have to share." Now injured, he bulled his way back toward a now angry, half- stunned Edward in an effort to reach him, to prevent his death and rescue Bella and Ness before Ulysses decided to intervene and kill them all.

I looked weak, my eyes they gave it all away

I don't deny it, I still haven't found it

I proudly wear the scars, I've challenged every crutch so far

Please don't blame me

'Cause I'm in over my head

In over my head, …

[Lyrics to Song: In Over My Head. Artist: Furslide]

The howl, a sound that denoted pain and anger all blended together into one, split the air like a knife through butter. Jake turned then to the others, his progress halting as he lifted his nose into the air. The scent of blood that was not of Ulysses' hoards sparked a low snarl followed by a whimper that told them that something was terribly wrong.

"Jake, what is it?" Esme moved up to flank him, putting her hand on his neck as the forward movement through the brush at the tree line came to a halt.

He turned, his snarling growing into anxious barking as he pointed the others in the direction of the sound. "Jake," Theron called as he and Lucien moved to a break in the underbrush to assess the situation that had garnered the sudden concern and attention. "Rushing into a trap is not going to be conducive to our survival or the survival of…"

"Son of a bitch! What the hell is Dirk…?" Embry cursed under his breath as he moved in next to Jake. Of all the members of the pack in Theron's company, so far Embry had been the only one that had not remained in wolven form, transitioning between human male and wolven as necessary to allow for translation of signals between the pack and the Volturi.

"Crazier than shit," Quill admitted as he knelt next to Embry, "If he was trying to be a hero, he's pushing the envelope, in fact he's going to get his loony ass killed."

Embry shrugged, "Well…"

They watched, the entire company, in frozen silence. The crack of a whip and roars of pain filled the night air, the vocalization coming as the strikes opened the flesh on Edward's back. "Carlisle…," Emmett growled shifting his weight, his expression one of first concern and then pure rage at the idea of being unable to help his brother.

Theron shook his head, reading his thoughts only moments before he could bolt from the underbrush. "Wait, rushing into this will only exacerbate what they will do to Edward." He warned before Carlisle could collect his thoughts enough to respond.

Jake snarled low in his throat and chuffed heavily, making his thoughts plain to his pack mates and the others that could understand the wolven language. The pack responded spreading out along the tree-line, each of them with ears pricked and hackles standing in preparation for battle.

The sound of the horde of newborns sucking in the now blood tainted air, nearly unhinged Emmett. He lunged forward, Carlisle's grip barely preventing him from breaking the underbrush as he tried to dart toward the fray. "No," The quiet but firm tone settled Emmett's rage but the calming effect didn't last, for as the last strike of the whip hit its target, the air was overcome by a plaintive, partially muffled scream from the cage.

Bella's bonds rattled and her screams grew into muffled, nearly unintelligible words as she tried to warn those that she loved, mainly Dirk and Edward of the danger that was approaching their position. She struggled futilely to make intelligible sound through thick ball of leather encased cloth that filled her mouth behind the chain.

"Theron, do you plan to let him die?!" Emmett hissed watching as Edward staggered toward the cage, barely fending off the few newborns that had swarmed him as he moved toward his mate and daughter. "That whore is going to kill him!" His fists clenched in restrained rage as he bore witness to the scene beyond.

"No, patience Emmett or lest we will all die at the hand of Ulysses." Theron hissed his tone layered with the odd blunt calm that comes with centuries of experience as first a coven leader and secondly as a commander of armies well-versed in the tactics of battle. "Edward's existence is in no danger." He moved then to where Marcus was positioned with the majority of the Volturi guard. "Take your group, and flank the clearing, take those newborns that are filtering into the clearing out…but do it quietly." He moved again. "Jake, take the pack and move in from the opposite end, closest to where the cages are located. Stealth is of the utmost importance at this point, when everyone is positioned let Embry know and I will give the final signal to move to full engagement."

"Should be careful not to spread forces too thin, my old friend, lest we leave ourselves exposed and vulnerable should there be more newborns than we planned for." Lucien reminded as Jake gave a chuff in agreement with the command.

Aro moved then with Alec, Jane and Caius in tow. He joined the conversation, his expression one of only marginal concern as he waited until he was certain Theron was finished before speaking to those that he had pulled from his own ranks. "Caius, take Jane and Alec and move in along the back of the cages. Jane, you and Alec try and deal with the ranking female, without stirring further wrath from Ulysses. Theron is correct, stealth will be the most important asset we can forge at this point." He studied Lucien, "Your point is a valid one but at this point our aim should be to take the pressure from Edward and the wolven that are currently being overtaken. A full force attack can come in stages which is I think what Theron is attempting to choreograph."

Theron gave a nod, waiting patiently until everyone was in position, or as close to it as was possible with the limited visibility in the thick underbrush surrounding the clearing. He turned then to Carlisle, "No guarantees that this will not turn into a bloodbath or cause losses to your family." There came then a pregnant pause and his gaze shifted briefly to those that now surrounded him before returning to meet Carlisle's. "I will do my best to keep the losses here to a bare minimum." Uncertainty swelled within him as he wasn't certain that the fighting skills they had shown in practice would be enough to sustain them here, especially against a foe as dangerous as Ulysses and his newborn hoards. It wasn't something that had rattled him as a leader of more battles than he cared to even count in his time, but at this moment and in this instance, a part of him wished that he could keep many of those around him from participation in this fight.

"We will take this battle as it comes. As a family, we are aware of the danger here, but those that are captive are worth fighting for." Carlisle reminded moving into position next to Theron and motioning the others that had remained into a positions that would facilitate a proper ambush style concerted front of attack.

Aro moved then, pausing briefly to lean into Theron, his expression needing no explanation, "I will move in alone, to provide a distraction to Ulysses. If this ambush is going to work, you and all that reside in these thickets are going to need time to move forward." It was apparent that this was not what he had planned nor was it something he would normally do but obvious that he was picking up something quite evil about the scenario that none of those around him had caught onto as of yet. "They know," The words came as barely a whisper but they resonated into the core of both Carlisle and Theron.

Carlisle nudged Theron before he could remind Aro to be careful as he knew that of all those present, Aro was one of the few that needed no reminders. "Let him go, as it seems that he's keying on something we're not, at least not yet." He watched the clearing, studying the patterns as the newborns moved into the space in waves.

"Do you trust him not to…?" Embry didn't get a chance to finish his question as the sound of newborns sucking air, the crackling, like static as they inhaled the scent of blood made for a morbid backdrop that failed to mask the rattling of chains and Aro's voice as it echoed over the glade.

"Shit, he blew his cover," Embry's cursing overpowered only briefly the low growling now coming from the pack as they prepared to enter the battle. "Carlisle, if he betrays our position, I can't guarantee his survival and…" His gaze moved to Theron. "We aren't waiting on a new year here."

He didn't verbally acknowledge Embry's rather snarky insinuation, but rather held up a hand, his gaze shifting to take in the surroundings and all that was taking place. Theron then allowed his eyes to close, pushing out the noise of battle and the distraction of the forest. He located his center, one that he had honed through many decades of being an Elder of his clan. With perfect precision, he allowed one of his own well-hidden and well-tuned gifts to gradually radiate outward in formidable but concentrated waves that pierced the surroundings like an invisible current, ebbing and flowing through the clearing and the forest around it…

Coarse laughter filled the glade and the crack of the whip in sync with newborns sucking the air grew rhythmic as if beating out a death march. "The so-called enforcer, Aro Volturi has shown his yellow-streak and entered my domain." Ulysses' voice boomed through the trees. The sound alone would be enough to intimidate even the mightiest of warriors but it failed to even muster a flinch from Aro as he stood his ground.

"Your over-confidence is proving itself rather irritating," Aro mused, his tone dripping with a depth of sarcasm that was very rarely ever expressed by the Volturi leader. "How is it, may I ask, that you obtained permission to crown yourself rightful 'king' of this domain?" He swept his arms wide to encompass the surrounding forest, almost seeming to ignore the chanting ranks of newborns and the threatening posture of Ulysses as he advanced his own position in an act of hostile engagement.

"I don't need permission to be king," His voice rolled over the space of the clearing like a summer thunder storm rolling in from a distance. He moved then, an aggressive move that was far more than just a warning as he without further verbal initiation, physically engaged Aro. "Kill them!" He ordered, his hoards immediately moving to carry out his commands.

"There can be only one," Aro spun Ulysses into him, forcing him off balance and taking them both to the ground. A war of attrition began, a match of brute strength and forced distraction as Aro tried to keep Ulysses busy enough that his hoards would not be so well organized in battle.

The hordes moved in waves toward the thickets, coming in ever increasing streams of growling, snarling flesh. "Here they come," Jasper muttered taking up his usual defensive, poised to react, crouch. The first wave passed the hiding places of most of the group coming to a stop only when the members of the pack blocked their forward progress. The second wave halted as soon as they were in the shadow of others that were hidden.

"Now!" Theron shouted. In simultaneous motion, everyone sprang to action, closing in and trapping the newborns, using the element of surprise and the sudden confusion as an advantage. Efficient, from many decades of doing battle, reflexes honed to precision, he cleared his own personal space of encroaching newborns within mere minutes, leaving only the bloody carnage and decapitated bodies in his wake. He didn't have to look from his current tussle with a newborn who had made the mistake of taking a swipe at him with a very large, serrated dagger, to know that the pack had rushed the flank, pushing their way toward where Dirk and Edward were now surrounded near the cages.

Howls penetrated the clearing as Jake and the pack pushed forward, destroying the newborns around them with passion and an exhilaration that could be considered as borderline insanity. Reckless abandon in the midst of what the pack considered controlled battle chaos was the order of the moment as they moved in unison through the ranks of newborns. "Jake, to your right!" Leah called through the mental link as a newborn dove at him, taking a swipe at his head.

He turned immediately, snarling viciously as he took hold of the newborn, yanking it with enough force to tear its arm from its torso. Dark red blood spewed into the air like a ruptured fire hydrant as he pitched it into the air and finished it by tearing its head from its body before tossing it to the side. "Thanks Leah, eyes on the left flank, they are making a move toward Bella and Ness." He ordered watching her from the corner of his eye as she dealt death blows to two newborns that tried to ambush her from behind.

"I don't think so!" She rushed the middle of the moving group of newborns, using teeth and claws to tear a gaping hole in their ranks, one that allowed her to clearly see both girls. Growling threateningly, she spun as the newborns filing into the group gave way, and put herself between their ranks and the cages. The hackles on her back stood and even though she knew she was far outnumbered and more or less trapped between two ranks of newborns, she set her mind and stood her ground. "Might could use a bit of help here."

"Leah, look out!" Lucien finished off the trio of newborns that had tried to separate him from the others. He watched as she was tackled, the force of the newborn's body as he dove from the top of one of the cages, enough to send her to the ground beneath his weight. "Shit!" He cursed snarling in rage as he moved toward her, his jaws beheading a string of newborns even before they could react to his presence much less attempt to defend themselves from his wrath.

By the time he reached her position, he was back in human form. She had been pinned beneath the newborn's weight and it now had leverage enough that it could very easily snap her neck or slit her throat with the dagger that it had poised against her chest. She snarled, growling and snapping at its face in an effort to keep its hands and the weapon at bay. "Asshole, if I get free, you're going to become bloodsucker pate'." Her teeth gnashed and she had already taken several hunks of flesh from the newborn's hands and arms, the wounds not severe enough to even phase or weaken it.

"Hey!" He reached for the nape of the newborn's neck, digging his fingers into the arteries and cinching his grip tight. "Buckle up buttercup, this ride ain't for heathen ass children." He jerked the newborn off of Leah, spinning his half paralyzed body and relishing in the sticky dampness of blood as it oozed from the punctured arteries. "Now, play time is over." With a swift, precise motion he jerked the dagger from the newborn's grip and sank the blade deep into its gut before snapping its neck and pitching the body over his shoulder. "Easy there," He reached down and gently eased her off the ground, aware of the fact that she was clutching her ribcage on the right side and her temper was still sparking like a broken electrical wire.

"Guess what, damn that hurts," She hissed as he guided her over to a clear point near the cages so that he could assess the damage to her ribcage. Even though she had only known him a brief time, she didn't shift away from him as he carefully lifted her shirt and ran his hands down along her ribcage. She tensed, her breath hitching as even the light pressure of his palm against her ribs sent shooting spikes of pain gouging along her side and up through her chest.

"The damage isn't life-threatening but you will need to be careful, one good hit and your severely bruised bones will be fractured bones. As it is now there's likely a couple of fractures in these upper ribs. It's going to hurt like a son of a bitch and as soon as you can find Carlisle in this melee and he's not up to his fangs in newborn bloodbath, I'd have him take a field assessment of your ribcage." Lucien ordered putting himself in a position where he could protect her while also scanning the battlefield and their current position for threats.

The threats loomed large as he scanned their immediate area, noticing the heated battle being fought between Aro and Ulysses and the seemingly overwhelmed Theron as he took on a hoard of newborns that were quite intent on terminating his existence as he worked to try and keep distraction or interference away from Aro. "I don't even see Carlisle," Leah admitted her gaze surveying the battle field with eagle-like precision. "In fact, it's nearly impossible to locate anyone in this unhinged chaos."

"Yeah, no shit," Spinning, his heightened senses picked up the charging trio of newborns even before they had reached the pinnacle of their attack. He cursed as he clothes-lined the first of them, taking the newborn off its feet as he caught the second one in mid-flight and tore its head from its torso. Flinging the body to the side, he lowered his shoulder as the next one came at him. "Really! How dumb are you?" His momentum stopped the newborn dead in its tracks, leaving it stunned for the split second it took him to dismember it. The first newborn rose from where it had fallen and grabbed him at the knees, fangs extended as it tried to incapacitate him.

Terrified screams intermingled with howling of the pack took Lucien's attention for a split second as he wrestled to free himself from the newborn before it could either drag him to the ground or sink it's fangs into the back of his knee. He took hold on the back of its neck, using his grip to pry it loose. It snarled and its body gave a strained quiver and it dug its fingers into his arm as he pulled it from his leg and lifted it into the air. He let off a snarling growl before snapping its neck and pitching it to the side.

"Reneseme!" The sound of frantic calling followed by what sounded like a startled yelp had Leah in motion almost before Lucien could warn against it.

"No! Daddy! Let me go you ugly excuse for a lizard!" She pushed frantically against the grip of the newborn that had taken her from behind—kicking and screaming like a wild banshee in an attempt to get free. "LET…ME…GO!" She flung her elbows backward catching the newborn firmly in the abdomen as the reinforced steel heels of her hiking boots ruptured dark contusions over its shins and knees. Tears streamed from her eyes as she thrashed against its grip.

"Ness," Bella busted from the remainder of her bonds and pulled herself to her feet in an effort to reach her daughter before the newborn could sink its rancid fangs into the back of Reneseme's neck. If that venom had nearly taken Jasper's existence within the span of hours, it would likely take Reneseme's within minutes. "Son of a bitch!" Half- stunned and off-balance from being confined, the muscles in her limbs cramping something fierce, she charged toward her daughter. "Put her down you rotten letch!" She screamed, her vision blurring slightly making the newborn's image, as he picked Reneseme up by her hair and held her before him, split into two shivering forms.

Faint; as if the world would spiral out of control and crash down upon her chest, she pushed forward. All she knew was that she had to reach her daughter. Reneseme's existence was far more important than her own. "No, Belles!" Edward's voice ricocheted like a well-aimed shot gun shell across the open space and it took him less than a heartbeat to fend off and then destroy the three newborns that had only moments before nearly overwhelmed him. Injured himself, the flesh of his back torn open by Cereneia's whip strikes, he managed to get his feet beneath him and rush to the aid of his wife.

Reneseme let off a blood-curdling scream, her thrashing growing more intense as she watched her Mom fall to her knees only meters from her. "No! Momma!" She struggled against the grip of the newborn, kicking and flailing in a valiant but futile effort to free herself. "HELP PLEASE!"

Struggling to rise, to reach her daughter before the newborn could take her existence, she didn't resist as Edward pushed forward, his hand reaching down to lift her to her feet. "Hang on Ness!" He called rushing toward the newborn without any thought as to the consequences. All he knew is that his daughter and his wife were in grave danger—a danger that if he could reach them in time, he could likely diffuse.

The cackling of the newborn as he sniffed the nape of Reneseme's neck along with her terrified screaming and the hollering of Bella and Edward was enough to get the attention of others nearby. Newborns once again began sucking the air and heavy hissing pulsed over the clearing.

The entire battle seemed to slow as Edward rushed to try and save his daughter. He could hear others, likely Emmett and Jasper yelling across the clearing at him, warning him of the unseen as he moved toward the newborn. Their voices sounded as if they were yelling from the bottom of a well and even though his ears picked up the sound amid the sucking and hissing of the masses of newborns now in the clearing, the words were garbled and the sound faded as if time had been caught in a time warp inside a black hole.

"Edward!" Jasper hollered over the din, his danger sense ringing like a war gong in the back of his mind as he watched the scenario unfold. Surrounded and entrenched in his own part of the melee, a dozen or more newborns doing their level best to tear his head from his body, he couldn't get free and as he quickly surveyed the area, he realized neither could Emmett or any of the others that would be close enough to give aide. "Shit!" He saw the blur of fur moving like harnessed lightning toward the newborn that now had its fangs poised over the base of Reneseme's skull, "Wait…Don't he's..."

Dirk growled and launched himself at the newborn knowing Bella and Edward wouldn't reach her in time. 'May not see them as anything but bloodsuckers but nobody deserves to die like that, and especially not a child.' He pushed his weight forward through the air, claws and fangs visible as he adjusted his aerial position to provide the most force upon impact.

Without warning, the newborn flung Reneseme toward her parents, her weight toppling Bella to the ground and taking Edward to his knees. Unable to free themselves from their daughter's flailing and terrified form, they could only watch as Dirk slammed into the newborn, his weight barely even phasing it even at full force. There was a brief gnashing of teeth followed by a raspy yelp as the newborn sank a metal stake that had at one point been an integral part of the cage where Bella had been prisoner, through Dirk's chest.

"Dirk!" Edward called watching as the newborn lifted him above its head and slammed him downward at the edge of the concrete pad where it had been standing. "NO!" His voice rang through the clearing, the frantic tone catching the attention of others nearby.

"Oh NO! Jake!" Bella screamed, tears streaming to stain her cheeks as she watched Dirk's body convulse once and blood stain his chest. "Jake! Jake! HELP!"

'Shit! Dirk, damn you, no,' Jake called through the mental link, the response merely static as Dirk's wolven form disappeared and he shakily reached for his chest. 'Don't move! I'll get Carlisle, just don't…' He surveyed the area, scanning in a panic for Carlisle, only to find him moments later surrounded by newborns…