By His Side

Chapter Fifty

The group of wolves, mates and children were trapped, corralled in a three-sided pine tree enclosure. The trunks formed a
triangle around them, each one propped up on the end of the next. After determining that everyone was relatively uninjured,
Jacob began to reconnoiter to find their best escape.

"We can't have the wolves carrying passengers with babies jump the trunks. It's too high, too risky."

"Could we all phase back and form a line and pass them across?"

"Not sure the girls would have the upper body strength needed for that, Embry."

"My children, you can come through this passage."

They all turned to look to where their ancestor's voice had come from. Where one tree trunk was propped on the next, there was
a deep depression in the ground right under the gap under the top tree. Claire squealed her delight at the tunnel and urged Quil
to let her down. He dropped to his belly and she slipped off of his back. Caring little for the muddy surface, she dropped to her hands
and knees and crawled through to the outside jumping to her feet, clapping her hands and giggling.

Each wolf with a passenger dropped to his belly and the imprints dismounted and crawled through the opening that Claire had blazed.
The wolves and panther easily hopped over the trunks and regained their human burdens. As they regrouped and began to move forward
again, a light drizzle began to fall. The ground was already sodden and as more moisture seeped into it, the surface became slippery and
spongy. The animals' big paws were ample enough to take the path across the otherwise risky footing.

With only a couple of miles left in their first circuit, the mood of the travelers lifted and they began to feel more optimistic about their success.

As the second circuit reached the halfway mark, the temperature of the air took a decidedly downward turn. In less than a span of 10 minutes,
the group was slowing down, trudging through blizzard snow conditions. The humans were feeling the cold biting their ears, noses and other
extremities and the fears for the welfare of the children rose accordingly. Jacob picked up his pace as he followed the faster lead of his wife
and her rider. Taha Aki spoke in reassuring tones.

"Come with me to the top of this ridge. Come into this cave."

Jacob and the rest of the Pack were stunned at the speed with which Bella and their ancestor led them out of the blowing whiteout. Jacob
couldn't have been more grateful for the visit he'd received from his grown son in the dream that morning. The wolves with passengers
allowed them to dismount, then phased to human to begin to unpack the gear stowed on their Alpha's back. The mouth of the cave was
partially covered over with one huge tarp while the pop-up tents were erected. Each tent housed 2 or 3 humans with babies, and a wolf
as a space heater. A fire was quickly lit near the mouth of the cave and food and water was distributed. Feeding time for the babies was
supplied with bottles warmed by tucking them between wolf paws. The heating was gentle but speedy. Emily and Rachel agreed that they
would now prefer the wolf method over warm water in a pan on the stove. This new discovery thrilled Bella as well. They now appreciated
their live-in wolf bottle warmers even more.

By the time everyone had finished their meal, the snowstorm had exited as quickly as it had arrived. Jacob, Embry and Paul stood at the
mouth of the cave and looked out at the aftermath of the blizzard. The snow was nearly a foot deep and they groaned at the difficult footing
this would present. As if in answer to their anxiety over the conditions, a roaring came from the trees above the entrance to the cave. The
boys stepped back at the noise and looked up to see what appeared to be a small tornado whipping down the face of the ridge. They quickly
retreated into the cave to gather the others into a tight circle.

The funnel of the tornado slipped down over the mouth of the cave, pushing the tarp inward, yanking it loose from its anchor points. The fire
and all of its fuel was swept outward where it was dumped into a snow bank and doused completely. The cave occupants huddled close together,
covering the imprints and children in their center. The noise was deafening, rivaling the sound from the crashing pine trees.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the tornado vanished. Jacob and Embry slowly lifted their heads and gave a cursory glance over the group.
All seemed to be well. The babies even seemed to still be asleep, drowsing from their warm and satisfying bottles. The Alpha and Beta exchanged
a puzzled look and turned to the mouth of the cave to see sunshine beaming down. They walked out into a sunny day, a balmy breeze and freshly
watered grass and wildflowers. No snow remained. It was as if it had never happened.

Bella's Spirit Wolf and Taha Aki's Spirit had disappeared outside when the tornado had forced the rest of the group back. They reappeared and
encouraged the travelers to join them outside in the lovely afternoon.

"Bells, Taha Aki, is this the kind of thing we can expect for the rest of the day? Are these challenges going to run their course and then disappear
as is they'd never happened, even cleaning up after themselves?"

"These phenomena are merely manifestations of doubts in your hearts. As you survive and overcome each challenge, I hope your faith will be
strengthened. You are the captains of your chosen path and your future. Your will and your resolve dictate your tests and your successes."

"Jacob, we can do this. I feel it and I know you and the others can too. Let's get on the trail again."

He grinned at his mate and prepared to phase so the others could repack and reload the gear on his back.

"I get it, Bells. Destiny awaits."

Once the group was reformed, with everyone fed, phased, reloaded and remounted, they left the shelter of the cave and moved along the ridge.
Just before they rounded the far side of the crest, Paul's wolf turned and looked back toward the spot where they had found their protection from
the snow and wind. As Paul and Rachel watched in astonishment and wonder, the mouth of the cave faded out of sight and was replaced by solid
rock, partially coated in soil, moss and other vegetation. Rachel and Paul each felt an involuntary shiver run through their middles. Paul turned
back to continue with the group and replayed what he had seen behind them to the rest of the Pack. Bella and her passenger smiled at one another
in their minds.

Shortly after they had begun the third circuit of their homeland, the sky began to grow dark again. Deep, rolling thunderclouds were forming
overhead, blotting out the sun. The wind picked up and booming claps of thunder shook the ground. The group was quicker to react to this danger.
The imprints dismounted and began to unpack foul weather gear from Jacob's back. Rain ponchos with hoods and boots were passed around. Mere
moments after the protective clothing had been donned and the women and children had remounted their wolves, huge raindrops began to fall.
The deluge grew to biblical proportions rapidly, but the travelers pressed forward. The journey needed to be complete before dark, as the instructions
in the journals had spelled out, requiring the trip be made in one day.

Once again, footing became difficult, but they persisted in their efforts. When their determination reached their hearts, and they were filled with the
faith their ancestor hoped for, the rain stopped. The sun returned and the ground firmed up. Once they realized their hearts had completed the journey,
they realized their physical journey was also at an end. The group stopped and looked at their surroundings. They were at the edge of the forest on
the east end of Second Beach, the spot where they had begun their trek.

Jacob and Bella, along with Taha Aki, circled the Pack and families. Everyone was here. Everyone was safe. Everyone was healthy. The wolves laid
down on the edge of the pebble-strewn beach and the women climbed off and began to unpack the remaining supplies and gear from the pack mule
wolves. When all of the Pack was relieved of their burden and the entire group stood together on the beach, they turned as one to face the Pacific Ocean.

Jacob phased and called out toward the water while the others watched in eager anticipation.

"We have completed the trip Carlisle. We are all here. You and your family may come forward."

The rolling swells seemed to calm somewhat and the surface was broken maybe 20 feet out by five figures moving slowly toward the shore. Carlisle,
Esme, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett walked tentatively, approaching the water's edge with slow, deliberate movements. The Pack and their families,
Bella and Taha Aki watched with confidence borne of their day's accomplished task. As the vampire family rose out of the water, the air around the
group on the beach began to crackle with energy.

When the Cullen family was still knee deep in the calm Pacific waters, they stopped. They each attempted to lift a foot to take the next step. They
could not. The patriarch addressed the Alpha.

"Jacob, it is done. We cannot gain access to the beach. There seems to be a barrier which we can't penetrate."

The reaction was near instantaneous. The Wolf Pack each threw back their heads and howled to the sky. The humans shouted and cheered. The
Spirit Wolf's rider had dismounted and now wrapped his arms around her neck in an affectionate embrace. Even the vampires seemed pleased at
the outcome. Jasper addressed the Alpha as the other Cullens began to back away into the waves.

"We will move around the perimeter of the territory, Jacob. As your Pack members arrive at each checkpoint we can approach so they can witness
the effectiveness of the ritual. Our Denali family members are due to come down next Tuesday to test for protection against intruders other than Cullens."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BHS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bella's Spirit Wolf had bid farewell to the Alpha and the rest of the Pack and their families. They had all thanked Taha Aki and he had pledged his
presence for them. They had both then retreated into the forest and disappeared. The imprints and children were escorted back to their homes by
Quil, Sam and Clive. Maggie had taken to the air to oversee the additional checkpoints that the Cullens would be approaching. Jacob, Embry, Paul,
Leah, Daniel, Collin and Brady split up to the perimeter checkpoints. Seth and Jared carried Will and Jay along behind Bella and Taha Aki. When they
reached the Alpha's home, Taha Aki wished them health and happiness and faded into the dusky twilight. Bella came back to her body and joined
Charlie, Billy and Sue downstairs when the wolves came in the front door with her boys. She and the two wolves embraced each other with the twins
in their circle, enjoying a quiet moment of thankfulness and celebration. Seth and Jared headed outside and phased to guard the cottage until the
checks were completed and their Alpha returned home.

As she cuddled both of her babies, holding them close to her heart for the first time since they left for the beach with their father, Bella began to
fill in her father, father-in-law and Sue on the surreal aspects of their efforts of the day.

"I hardly know where to begin. One of the first things that happened, Billy you'll like this, we were joined by the Spirit of Taha Aki."

Billy Black's eyes widened in surprise only for moment.

"I started to say I was surprised, but on second thought, I'm not. We should have known from the outset that this ritual would have his blessing.
The writings Seth found were from his ancestors. Nobody would know better than Taha Aki what you were attempting to accomplish and what
kind of guidance you would need from him. I knew this was going to be a great day."

"It has been a great day for all of us. But it certainly wasn't the easiest of days."

"What else happened, Bells? Why was it so tough?"

"Well, the main thing was the bizarre weather, just like Will had warned Jacob about."

"Bizarre weather? What bizarre weather? It's been a beautiful September day, kiddo."

"What? You didn't see the storms that rolled through?"

"No. No storms around La Push today. Why, what did you guys see?"

"I can't believe this. We walked through fog, a rainstorm for the end of days and falling 50-year-old pine trees. We sheltered in a cave from a
snowstorm, no, a blizzard, and then a tornado."

"Cave? What cave? Bella, there aren't any caves within the borders of the territory the Pack outlined."

"There aren't? Are you sure?"

"Positive sweetie. Billy, you don't know of any do you?"

"None. There's plenty down south of Port Angeles, but all of this territory is underpinned with solid bedrock. The closest thing to a cave is some of
the tiny inlets down from First Beach that flood for a while at high tide."

Bella sat silently for several minutes looking down at her sons and thinking. Had today been one massive group hallucination? No. Maybe? Then she
thought, what does it matter?

"Whether what we saw was real or imagined, we all shared the experiences, we were together, we bonded in our efforts and our quest and we were
successful. The Cullens came up out of the water at Second Beach. They couldn't get all the way out of the water. They said it was like a barrier or a
force preventing them from setting foot on the beach."

Billy and Charlie leaned toward one another to shake hands in victory. Sue came to Bella and kissed her cheek.

"Let me have the boys, honey, and I'll get them a bottle and take them upstairs. I'll get them bedded down for you. You should put your feet up and relax."

"No need for that Sue. I've been snoozing all day and now I'm about to jump out of my skin for Jacob to get home. I'll take one and you take the other
and we'll get them fed and bathed together. Thanks again for baby-sitting me while we were all out gallivanting around the countryside. Dad, thank you
and you too, Billy."

"Glad to help, Bells."

"My pleasure, honey."

While Bella and Sue took care of the Alpha pair's pups, the Alpha and six of his Pack moved quickly around the area they'd marked out for the territory
they would claim for protection. This included La Push, the Makah Reservation, the National Forest, the Wildlife Reserve and Forks. Members of the Cullen
family moved with their assigned wolf counterparts to test their access across the imaginary lines. At each point, at each turn, the vampires encountered
an invisible barrier that they could not penetrate. Jasper described it to Paul as feeling like the repelling push when one tries to force two magnets of
similar fields together. Esme and Rosalie said it felt like something was pulling at them from behind, stopping them from moving forward any further.
They met up with all seven of the wolves at the final checkpoint area and moved up into the forest canopy to attempt to cross the border through the
treetops. It couldn't be done.

Jacob and his Pack thanked the Cullens for their help, arranged the time for the Denali coven to assist with a second round of testing, and sprinted for
the clearing behind the Alpha's home. The seven wolves clustered close together in a circle. While they were communing, the other four wolves joined
them. The big, black panther stood off to the edge of the clearing until the russet wolf approached him and escorted him into the group with his adopted
family. They all cast their eyes skyward as the huge red-tailed hawk spread her wings and beat them to guide her to a soft landing next to them.

Bella, Sue, Charlie and Billy walked out onto the Black's back porch, the two women holding bottles to the greedy mouths of the Alpha pups. They stood
soaking up the warm air and basking in the balmy breeze. They watched the Pack press close together, committing the memory of the day to their hearts
and souls. When the wolves, panther and hawk finally stirred and separated, they all scattered for home except Jacob. He phased and strode toward his
home and his girl and his sons. Bella was now alone on the porch, holding Will and Jay close to her body. Jacob climbed the steps and slipped on the shorts
she had brought out and placed on a chair for him. He lifted Will from her arms and nuzzled his face into his son's tummy, shaking his head until the baby
was consumed with giggles. Jacob then held him up in front of his face to look into the baby's eyes.

"Thanks for the heads up buddy."

He clutched the baby to his shoulder and wrapped his arms around his wife and their other son.