Tripping
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews! Sorry for the delay in this chapter.
Chapter Fifty Three
There were so many thoughts running through Jacob's mind. All of them questions. Ephraim had been residing in wolf's body, but for how long and why? Jacob had successfully attempted the spirit walk himself, but it had been at a huge cost to his health. He had inhabited wolf's body in an attempt to get to Bella. He hadn't felt Ephraim's presence then. There was no way that the dog would have been able to cope with two powerful souls at the same time. Although wolf was a remarkable animal.
"It was your spirit walk that allowed me to take your place inside wolf when you returned to your own body." Ephraim revealed as he shared Jacob's thoughts.
Confusion rippled through Jacob as he tried to sort through his tangled emotions. "If you have been inside wolf all this time then where is your body. And why would you even need to use wolf at all. Why not approach me directly."
There was a long drawn out sigh from Ephraim. Wolf's whole body shuddered as if he was experiencing some strong emotion. Jacob shared his ancestors deep pain and despair through the mind link. He had never felt anything like it. His spirit trembled under the strain. A mental image formed in his mind. He saw Ephraim as he used to be, a strong, proud, warrior. His black hair was long, flowing to his shoulders. He had the strong muscular build that applied to all the spirit warriors. His russet skin glowed with health and vitality. Behind him Jacob caught a glimpse of Ephraim's pack, Levi Uley and Quil Ateara II. He was awed by their resemblance to his friends, his brothers. Levi was so like Sam with his stern, serious features. Quil's face was more open, friendly. It was astonishing.
"We were only three." Ephraim's husky voice boomed through his head much like the thunder crashing around them. The weather had worsened. It took on an atmospheric quality as the rain lashed down on them, soaking their fur, as they cowered on the sandy beach. "They were not just my friends, we were brothers."
Jacob could feel his energy draining. Ephraim was using his life force to communicate with him. He fought to concentrate as an image began to unfurl in his mind. He saw his ancestor sitting in front of a large fire. Sparks lit up the night sky illuminating his proud face and those of the elders who surrounded him. Jacob could see the old men's mouths moving as they spoke but he couldn't hear them. A black mist began to surround Ephraim, much like the one Jacob had witnessed engulfing wolf earlier.
"You are witnessing my first attempt at a spirit walk." Ephraim revealed. "The elders were against it. They reminded me of what had befallen Taha Aki, but I was young and arrogant. I believed that I was stronger, more superior and that I could rival the greatest spirit warrior of them all."
The image suddenly sputtered out like a candle flame in the wind. It was replaced with darkness. Jacob fought to breathe. He felt like he was suffocating under the weight of Ephraim's memories. There was a pinprick of light. Jacob focused on it. The light brightened to such intensity that it was blinding. He groaned as he shared his ancestor's feelings of euphoria, of a deep abiding devotion and affection. The light dimmed to reveal a young, Quileute female. She was pretty, with long silky black hair falling to her waist. Her thick lashes framed eyes as black as midnight. Behind her walked three children, a boy and two girls. Each child was a mirror image of both Ephraim and the young Quileute girl.
"This was Martha, my beloved imprint, my wife. And these were my children William, Mary and Jane." There was such sadness in Ephraim's tone that Jacob could hardly bear it. He was sharing each and every emotion with his great grandfather. It was stultifying. He was drowning in a dark whirlpool of despair.
The image of Martha and the children faded only to be replaced with others. Ephraim shared snapshots of his life with his family, running with his pack, meetings with the elders. Years were revisited in seconds. Jacob gained a picture of a Quileute warrior who was becoming increasingly arrogant and thought himself invincible.
"Yes, I wanted to be greater than Taha Aki himself. Throughout this time I continued to go on spirit walks even though the elders forbade it. I went off alone. Each time I left my body I was able to journey further and further into the spiritual world. I always came back unharmed, feeling refreshed, revitalised and so much stronger. I thought nothing could harm me. It was this foolish notion that was to prove my downfall."
Lightening crashed around them. Thunder rolled. The cacophony of noise drowned out Ephraim's voice in Jacob's head. His connection with his ancestor was nearly severed. Jacob shuddered under the strain of keeping the connection alive. Ephraim was a strong soul inhabiting a dog's mortal body. Wolf was an exceptional animal but he was no shapeshifter. Wolf whimpered as he buckled.
"Time is running out." Ephraim's voice faded in again.
It was the mid nineteen thirties. There were new arrivals in town, strangers with a secret to hide. These strangers had done their homework. One of them had lived for hundreds of years. He was cunning, sly, but hid it beneath a charming veneer. What was really a coven he called family. There were four of them, their skin as white as the snow that covered the mountains in winter and their physical beauty unrivalled by any living creature. The head of the family was a skilled physician. His reputation grew quickly. Soon his services were sought far and wide. He made friends with influential people in the local area. Within a short space of time he was building quite a power base that ran from Forks and stretched to Seattle. Anyone who met him was immediately charmed by him. Doctor Carlisle Cullen could do no wrong. He was blessed with good looks, excellent health and a beautiful wife and two adopted children. He was the envy of all.
The wind picked up as Jacob watched Ephraim's story unfurl in his mind. Behind him the waves lashed at the shore, sending white plumes of foam into the air. The rain continued to pour as the storm peaked. Jacob was tiring. Sharing Ephraim's every thought and emotion exhausted him. He knew he wouldn't be able to continue for much longer. His ancestor's mood turned dark as he showed Jacob his first encounter with Carlisle, Edward, Esme and Rosalie Cullen. It was eerie seeing them in period dress. The faces were the same but their mannerisms different as they fitted in with the times. It brought home to Jacob what excellent actors the vampires were.
"I was intrigued by them." Ephraim confessed. "They were so different, more complex than the restless nomads that had gone before. I engaged in talks with them, determined to learn more about them. By the time I met him Carlisle Cullen's reputation had spread to the reservation. He was renowned for his good works and his generous donations to charitable projects. Was I supposed to kill such a civilised creature? They did not feed on human blood. Carlisle was very persuasive. They hunted for their food, just like we did. Were we so different? I negotiated a treaty with them, thinking that I was so wise and had achieved something the great Taha Aki had never been able to do, to find a peaceful resolution with our sworn enemy. The terms were simple, as long as the Cullens didn't bite any humans or cross on to the Quileutes' grounds, we wouldn't attack them or reveal their secret to the palefaces."
A black cloud covered Jacob's fevered mind as despair consumed him. Ephraim's mood shifted. His anger stopped Jacob's heart as his torment washed over him as well as his deep regret. A stream of images flashed through Jacob's mind as years rolled by, years where Ephraim slowly discovered the truth about Carlisle Cullen. Gossip began to surface about the supposedly good doctor's medical practice. Rumours swirled and doubts were expressed. Anyone who dared to speak ill of the good doctor suddenly met with fatal accidents or supposedly moved away. The gossip eventually reached the ears of the pack and Ephraim began to realise he had been fooled. There was blood on Carlisle's hands and soon it belonged to one of his own.
"My daughter Jane came of age." Ephraim cried. "She was stunningly beautiful, but wilful and wild. My Alpha blood ran through her veins. No one suspected that she would phase, there had never been a female wolf before. On her eighteenth birthday she changed without warning. If there had been signs I ignored them because her phasing was supposed to be impossible. Jane was alone when it happened. I was on one of my spiritual walks. I was trying to seek guidance from the spirits on what to do about Carlisle Cullen. I couldn't get to her and Levi and Quil were too far away to help."
Jacob moaned under the weight of Ephraim's grief. He didn't want to see what was coming, but the ancestral Alpha seared the image into his brain. Jane, her fur as white as snow and eyes as black as coal, crossed paths with Carlisle and Edward Cullen who were out hunting. In her half crazed state Jane acted on her instincts and tried to attack her sworn enemy. She was weak, couldn't really fight. It would have been simple for Carlisle and Edward to simply subdue her or at best run away and leave her to calm down alone. But in their anger they killed her; incensed that one of the wolves would dare attack them. It was only in the aftermath when Jane's body returned to its mortal state that they realised what they had done. The treaty was broken. They had killed an innocent girl.
"My rage knew no bounds. I felt Jane's spirit leave her body and fly out of my reach. I saw red. Carlisle Cullen would pay for his crimes. I tried to return to my body, determined to rip the miserable creature to pieces and avenge my daughter's death. But Carlisle was wily and I was a fool. He tracked down my lifeless body. He plunged a knife into my heart so I couldn't return. In turn he gathered together some of his most evil associates and they hunted Levi and Quil, killing them and killing all knowledge of what happened to me, my pack and my precious daughter."
A/N-thanks for reading! I don't want to flood you with too much info. Part two coming soon…
