Chapter 2.

Sorry! It's been months since I visited this story—life has been hectic. Thanks to those who read and review!

Bella POV

The first thing I was aware of was how hot it was. My thick sweater was damp and clung to my body. Sweat crept across my scalp and slipped down my temples. It spread over my back. With the overwhelming heat cupping my face, it was difficult to breathe.

Then I was aware of the pain. The brace that broke when I gripped the rock so tightly hung uselessly around my throbbing hand. I wondered if I rebroke the knuckle. My arm ached from my elbow downwards where the blood had since dried. My head pounded.

Whatever was beneath me was too hard. I was bent at an awkward angle, in between sitting up and lying down. I couldn't seem to remember how I had gotten here. Jacob had kissed me. Then he left. Riley had hurt Seth. Edward had been dancing with Victoria. I saw his mouth meet her neck and—

Edward.

Where was I? My eyes flew open, shadows and flashes filling the blurry space. I blinked and was met with the glow of flames leaping skywards, painting walls with red. I was tucked against a patch of boulders by an enormous fire in the belly of a massive cave. I swiveled my head, taking a sharp breath at the soreness, and found that the cave was not so deep as to go on unseen, but rather a single room, wide and round. The walls arched high overhead. Perhaps a dozen feet past the fire in front of me, a small entrance yawned, showed its starry teeth, and allowed the moonlight to lick where the light from the flames did not reach. The crackling of the fire resonated so clearly, so loudly, as if the fire were alive, as if it were its own gathering of friends.

My heart thumped fiercely in my chest. I sat up slowly while my bones screeched in protest. Edward? I wanted to call out his name, but my mouth clamped shut. As my eyes adjusted, the cave became stranger. The walls were lined with crevices, each packed with what appeared to be polished crystals and diamonds. They glittered and shone, hinting at numerous shades from under the light cast by the fire. I had never seen so many different jewels in my life and I could have never named them all. I looked up to the wall closest to me and saw, in addition to the former treasures, shimmering shells, pearls, and even metal pieces.

Paintings adorned anyplace the walls were smooth. They were mainly of animals—elk, bears, beavers. Wolves. Above my head to the left, a great black bird was flying with wings outstretched and beak grasping a large orange stone. To the right, across the fire, another huge bird sat on a fearsome looking whale.

I felt a light touch on my neck. Not the cool touch of a marble-like hand. Not the blazing touch of my personal sun, or a wet nose. It was feather light and my head snapped to its source.

I screamed.

Crouched beside me was a huge figure. I first met his onyx eyes, as glittery as the diamonds on the walls. There was no white encircling them—just eerie, curious black eyes. They sat atop a long, pointed nose and sharp cheekbones. His face was richly colored, glowing from the fire the same way Jacob's had during the night at the tribe's council meeting. It was encircled by shadowy feathers that flowed backwards to long, black hair. Feathers also crept down the figure's neck towards his broad shoulders. His chest was bare and well-muscled. The only clothes he wore included a breechcloth and leggings, like the deerskin clothing of the indigenous tribes we had learned about in school. And where there should have been strong arms were instead two great black wings, one of which had touched me and was now slowly being pulled away. These wings far exceeded the size of any bird I had ever seen.

Even after vampires and wolves, I should have guessed at the existence of more supernatural creatures. But I hadn't imagined someone quite like this. I fell mute as I watched him. In the silence, a wild caw-caw-caw laugh erupted from his lips and he said in a gravelly, monotone voice, "Well, you are not very interesting." Then, he hopped up and towered above me. His feet were dark and scaly with talon-like, black toenails. His wings fanned out before they fell to his sides. I flinched backwards against the boulders.

He cocked his head while he observed me. That expressionless voice sounded again. "Little one, how have you captivated so many wolves and cold ones?"

I only stared at him. My heart thumped wildly, wanting to climb up my throat. My breath came out in shallow huffs and I'm sure I looked like a frozen deer. His teeth clacked together, but he did not say anything else, as if waiting for a response.

A long stretch ensued as we regarded each other. I became aware again of my pounding head. Truly, I knew I wasn't creative enough to dream this scene, but I started to rely on the thought.

Eventually, I breathed, "Who are you?" Although barely a whisper, it came out calmer than I expected.

"I'm Báyak."

Most of this chapter was inspired by histories of the Quileute tribe and other stories owned by indigenous peoples in the PNW. Here, I was heavily influenced by tales of the Raven and tales of creation. Hopefully chapters will be longer in the future!