"So, what do you want to eat, deer near to the east, elk to the north? And I think I smell a moose to the west. Oh yeah, a big stag." he said, sniffing the air.
"How 'bout a burger at our home?" she said, stopping dead in her tracks.
"My love, you're a wolf now, you need to start thinking like one." He said, turning to face her.
It seemed to a female wolf thing; Leah also didn't like eating like that.
"No really, just try it. If you don't like it, we can go home." He said, sitting down.
She walked up to him and sat down.
"I don't even like my meat a little bloody. How am I going to eat still kicking deer?" she asked.
"Ah, so deer it is." He said, getting up and walking around her.
He put his paw on her side.
"Your fur is really soft." He said his voice a little husky.
She laughed at the comparison.
"You are avoiding my question, I doubt even wolf instinct can make bloody meat look good." She said, turning around to look him in the eye.
He stopped and looked at her.
"You'll be surprised. Besides, I'll help you. I once helped Leah, and she said it wasn't so bad." He said, getting up and walking to the east.
How did he know that was east? She got up and walked after him.
"I don't want to kill anything Jake." She said to him.
"We'll talk when you see that deer running." He smiled at her.
They walked a short distance and then he stopped. She stopped too. He crouched down low and adopted a hunting stance.
"What is it?" she asked, following his lead.
"Deer, fifty paces away, can you smell them?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her. She sniffed the air and a mossy, forestry, fleshy smell flooded her nostrils. She sniffed it all in.
"What is that?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking around.
"Food." He replied as she came and crouched next to him.
She looked through the woods and saw a small herd drinking water at a stream. Mostly young calves and females. She knew in her head she didn't want to kill them, but she was so hungry, and there they were, ready for the picking. Her eyes locked onto a small calf near it mother. It was beginning to wonder off. She felt her mouth pricking with anticipation.
"Set your sights higher." Jacob said to her.
She looked around and saw a young male standing a little separate from her herd, his long sleek muscles gleaming under his russet fur.
"He's way too strong for me." She said to him.
She looked at him and he was smiling.
"Don't short change yourself, you're plenty strong, but I'll take him. Watch me, learn." He said, getting up into true hunting position.
His ears flattened and his tail, that was wagging stopped dead. He crouched slowly forward until he was right on top of them practically. The last stretch he had to leap. Like a spring that had been wound up and suddenly released, he flew through the air, landing squarely on the fleeing stag's back. Cerise heard his back snap under the weight of Jacob. His legs gave way and he collapsed onto the pebble beach. Jake jumped to his head and snapped his neck just to be sure. He stopped and looked up at a shocked Cerise in the bushes. She got up and walked a few stepped out. Her fur glistened like white candy floss catching the light breeze. He hoped that she wasn't so shocked that she would turn around and run like she did once. He wouldn't be able to catch her.
"That… was… AWESOME!" She shouted as she trotted up to him.
He licked the blood from his lips.
"You're not freaked?" he asked.
She looked at the dead and bleeding deer.
"A little, but I'm so hungry." She said, lying next to it.
She looked up at him.
"So, are you gonna help me or not?" she asked, looking at him.
He smiled and lay down next to her.
"Deep in you psychic mind, you have a wolf part. Let that part take over and feed. You don't even have to watch." He said, ripping into the red flesh.
She closed her eyes and felt like she was drifting away.
"That's it, you're doing it, just like that," he muttered words of encouragement.
She opened her psychic eyes and saw the two wolves feeding on the deer like she was watching a National Geographic documentary. She didn't even think of the beautiful white wolf next to the striking brown one as her. After a while of unconscious eating, she woke up to find her face covered in blood. She looked over at the deer and it was completely stripped. Jake lay to her left on his back.
"Ah, I'm stuffed." He said, finding it hard to fit air into his body.
"Flattering, Jake." She joked, getting up and walking over to the river.
She splashed some water up onto her face and tried to wash the blood away. Her face was wet, but at least it was clean. He got up and just jumped into the river, he had obviously enjoyed his meal. He got up and splashed her with water.
"Come on, the others must be awake by now." He said, walking to the south west.
She splashed through the water after him. They walked silently through the forest up to the clearing. She stopped when he phased and began to get dressed. He looked back at her, wondering why she wasn't phasing.
"What?" he asked.
She shook her leg, and he knew what it meant.
"Oh, don't worry. You can walk like that up to the tent, go inside and get dressed. Damn Leah, she should have told you." He said, walking out into the clearing.
She followed him.
"I found her!" he shouted out to everyone.
She watched as everyone, the Cullen's, the tribe, and council, every conceivable person came walking out from behind the tents. She cringed.
"Thank goodness, we thought," Esmé said to Cerise.
She smiled at her.
"Why don't you phase back?" she asked.
"Leah forgot to tell her to take clothes with." Edward said, looking angrily at Leah.
She shrugged and walked off. A sharp smell flooded Cerise's nostrils and she realised it was the Cullen's. It was so sharp, like ammonia. She stopped and turned away from them. She gasped for air but choked. She turned to face them. They stepped back and wondered if their smell had triggered her 'werewolf kills vampire' instinct. The Cullen boys moved to the front to protect the woman. Cerise tried to get around them, but they blocked her at every point. She held her breath and crouched down.
"No, Cerise!" Jake shouted at her.
She jumped up and over them, landing on the other side and running straight into her tent. She phased and the stinging dimmed, but didn't disappear. She hurried and got dressed to explain herself. She came out to a squabbling Edward and Jacob. The werewolves vs. the vampires, again. Amber was stuck somewhere to the back of the werewolves, being held back by Seth.
"Calm down, love, calm down." He whispered into her ear.
They stopped and saw Cerise walking towards them. The Cullen's adopted a protective stance.
"Sorry, the smell, kinda took my breath away." She joked, taking Jakes hand.
She felt him relax. An uneasy silence filled the clearing. Esmé broke the silence with her wind chime laughter.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, Jake just got used to it, but you still need some time." She said, walking past Carlisle and up to Cerise.
"I should have remembered." She said, hugging her.
"That's okay." Cerise held her breath.
She didn't want to seem rude so she hugged her back. The clearing broke out in laughter. She was glad that she made the tense moment disappear like mist.
"You make quite beautiful wolf." Bella said, walking over to join Esmé.
"Thanks." Cerise said to her.
"As you can see, she's fine. You can all go home now. We'll be heading home too." Jake said, looking at her.
"Are you sure, she's feeling a little weird." Jasper asked.
Cerise didn't know what his power was, but she guessed that he could sense feelings.
"Just a little, but nothing I can't handle." She said, looking at Jasper.
"I really want you all to go home. It's not fair to make you stay out here for my sake." She said, sweeping her eyes across the crowd.
"Please, I'm fine. You can all go home." Cerise said again.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Leah said, walking into the woods.
The rest of the pack gave Jake a glance and walked off as well. She guessed they would be back later to take care of the tents. The Cullen's all walked off to their cars as well. Bella glanced back at Cerise. She mouthed words that only someone with Cerise's new hearing could hear.
"Welcome to the family." She said softly.
Not even Edward heard her.
"Thank you." Cerise said back.
She smiled and got into Edward's Volvo. They all drove off and slowly the clearing emptied. Soon, Cerise and Jake were the only ones left. Seth had taken Amber home in his car.
"We better go." Jake said, walking over to his Rabbit and opening the door for her.
She walked past him and got in. He walked over to the driver's side and got in. They drove home.