Gabby's POV

The sun had well and truly set. The moon was high in the black sapphire sky and the stars flickered around it. The trees were dark and gloomy, and the wind chased me as I ran.

Every now and then my head would ache but I pushed it aside. Embry was still begging me to talk to him. Randall, Xavion, Mitchell and Josh were arguing amongst themselves as to where they should start to cross and I was still more than half an hour away from them.

'The water's clear. Just cross. We'll find you when we get there.' Randall was starting to become irate and it just made me all the more angry.

I didn't know why Randall wanted them to cross, that bit I couldn't get at over Embry's persistent begging. But I was becoming increasingly incensed by the fact that I couldn't stop them. I was trying to yell at them, trying so much that my head was aching like I was screaming in my own ears.

My stomach was splattered with forest floor debris that was thrown up by the rapid motion of my feet. I knew that I was catching up. I just had to get within barking distance; as I still couldn't bear to howl.

I wondered exactly what it would take to get my voice back in their heads.


The land sloped down towards the beach, where the waves were lapping at the sand and almost reached the weedy grass line. I paused briefly to take a deep breath before launching myself down the steep slope.

I tried screaming at Randall but it seemed that I was blocked out. I didn't like it.

He'd already convinced the boys to start crossing and it had been agonising to not be able to vocally display my anger as I wanted to. I quickly decided to reprimand Randall and would do so the second I got to him.

Which looked to be soon.

I could see him standing by the water, watching the boys as they approached the shore. His back was to me and it seemed he'd dropped his guard because he hadn't heard my approach as yet. For a split second I worried that I was actually a ghost and that was why I couldn't speak to them and he couldn't hear me.

That fear was abated when one of the vampires turned to me with a horrified look on their face. Half a second later all the vampires were looking and by the time Randall noticed and turned around it was too late.

I sprung from the edge of the grass down to Randall, who stood with the waves lapping his hind feet; aiming a well timed bite at his throat. We rolled into the water, me still snapping at his neck while he tried to push me off him.

I was fuming and Randall, being the cause of my anger, was going to wear it.

'Stupid! Why? You should have left them there. Fucking moron. No wonder you were never Alpha. Are you trying to kill them?' I couldn't control my thoughts as I maintained my attack.

My energy waned quickly, I'd been running flat out for more than half a day with the worst headache ever. The sting of the salt water over the fresh bite was strangely soothing and when combined with my declining energy, I backed off.

Randall looked at me for a long moment. His dark carmine eyes staring deep into mine as if he was reading my thoughts rather than listening to them.

'I'm sorry.' his thoughts were stunned, 'I wanted them over here so we could go back out looking for you. We- we thought...'

'Yeah, yeah. Dead. I gathered that from all the bitching and moaning.'

'How did you..? You really have no idea?' Randall was too numb to think straight. My sudden appearance had more than thrown him, I may as well have belted him in the head with a cricket bat – I wasn't sure why cricket analogies were on my mind.

'If I knew, you'd know.'

'GOB!' Xavion bounded out of the water, shaking out his wet black fur. He leapt from the water like a normal fox after a vole hidden by snow, his feet clearing the water at the apex of his leap although his shoulders barely protruded through the waves when he was standing.

When he reached me he reared up, his tiny paws sliding past my neck so that his chest pressed against my shoulder as he rubbed his slender muzzle against mine. Natural behaviours of our associated predator were hard to suppress in times of great emotion. He whined and chittered as his greeting went on.

Josh and Mitchell had always been more... mature. They sat beside Randall and cried out a set of short melodic howls. I could hear them in my head, as happy to see me as I was to see them.

Xavion rubbed his muzzle against mine, his soft fur mingling with my thick coarse coat and massaging my skin. I pushed my head back towards him and he barked playfully. His body shivered in his excitement and he couldn't calm himself down.

'So what are we going to do?' Mitchell was beaming and it surprised me that they'd have come to miss me in such a short time.

'We thought you were dead. It's a little more than you just spending a day with Paul.' Randall laughed but I could hear the hard undertone, he was offended that I thought they were over reacting.

I ignored his remark, knowing there was nothing that I could say to that, that wouldn't cause an argument, 'We need to get back to La Push.'

'Back to Paul.' Josh sung as he stood up.

I couldn't help but smile as I pushed the comment aside. It was something I could have seen Jillian saying and while the memory of her hurt somewhat, it was also a comforting feeling.

We strode towards the strait as one unit, a mix matched pack of dingoes, a fox and a wolf. I was sure it was a bizarre sight, from the outside looking in, but from the inside it was perfectly normal. It was home.

The vampires waded in after us; the sound of the water splashing against the numerous marble bodies was like waves hitting concrete flood walls. I could smell them, the sweet scent of flesh that should have decayed centuries ago but hadn't, and it made my skin crawl.

'They're just trying to help.' Randall growled, his voice soft but firm.

'They still stink.' I snapped back.

Soon enough the water was too deep to keep walking so the doggy paddle started. It was an inefficient stroke but the only one our canid bodies were capable of.

The water wasn't as cold, or violent, as the first time I had crossed. To my surprise it was warm, and serene. I could have enjoyed this swim if it weren't for the fact that somewhere out there was someone who wanted me dead and right now I was extremely vulnerable.

Xavion stayed close to my right hip, on some strokes his shoulder or elbow would hit me but I didn't mind. It was nice to have him so near to me, after feeling so alone for the last eighteen hours. I hadn't realised how much I missed them until I got back to them.

'When we get back you'll go straight to Paul, right?' Xavion didn't like the sound of me leaving him again, and I wanted to tell him that I'd stay with him all night but the one person who had always been sitting on the periphery of my thoughts was Paul. I didn't want to spend a minute longer than necessary without him.

'It's alright. I understand.' he bubbled in his usual happy Xavion voice, 'It's not like we're going to lose you again. I'll just wait. I'm happy to wait. Just not another six years and eight months. Has it really been that long? I can still remember everyone like I'd just seen them yesterday.

'But you're the shifter of the hour. I think we should have a barbie. You used to love barbies. Uncle E was the best at cooking meat. We should have a barbie.'

'Okay, Xav. We get it.' Josh thought with great exasperation.

'You know what? You're a party pooper, Josh. Every exciting moment you ruin with your boring personality.' Xavion growled.

'Boys... let's just cross this damn Strait. We can argue later?' Randall muttered as he choked on a mouthful of salty water.

'Breath through your nose, Randy.' Josh grumbled.

Xavion laughed as he splashed through the water beside me.

Last time it had taken over an hour to cross, I hoped that this time would be shorter. Once my feet hit dry ground it was up to the rest of them to keep up with me. I loved them but the second that we were all standing on the sandy shore I was heading south.

It felt like months since I'd seen him and every part of me yearned to see him. Wolf form or human, I needed him within my sight. I wanted to touch him, to kiss him and hold him. And I wanted him to touch me.

I pushed that thought aside to concentrate on finishing the swim. It also wasn't an appropriate audience for those sorts of thoughts. When it was just me and Paul, I'd let those thoughts have free rein.

Panic.

Without warning the emotion flooded me. I could see Randall, Josh and Mitchell ahead of me, and they turned back towards me in shock as the emotion hit. I looked back over my right shoulder just in time to see Xavion's nose disappear under the dark surface.