Chapter12: The Council

He walks beside Sam to the council building on the reservation, it wasn't much to look it, more like a small office building than anything else. It was built a few years ago to replace the old one that was falling apart. A sign over the main door read, 'Quileute Tribal Council Building.' It had some decorative designs of the tribe, whales and fish mostly but one large wolf runs there the scene. His posture is tense as they walk up to the building and open the door. He was so angry right now that he felt like shifting and tearing Sam to pieces.

Sam told the pack that he was being called to the council building today for a hearing about Daiane and her staying here. This is exactly what pissed him off, everyone treated Daiane differently from the other imprints. Even the council, if Sam put them up to this, he was going to tear him to shreds and unlike last time he wouldn't stop until one of them was died.

"Paul please calm down," Sam says, turning to him.

"Calm down! Fuck that," he says back, "I'll calm down when all of you stop treating my imprint like shit."

"Paul that's not what this is about," Sam says, grabbing his shoulder when he went to go through the door into the council room.

"Enlighten me," Paul returns, sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"The council is curious too," Sam says. "They just want to meet her and ask a few questions of their own."

"Hasn't she been through enough," Paul asks.

"I think she is strong enough to handle a few questions, Paul. You should have more faith in your imprint," Sam says.

He shrugs Sam's hand off and walks in first. The first thing he hears is Tom Strongblood's laugher as he talks about something involving a blue jay and—oh, fuck he was talking about him. "Paul was only 9 years old as he ran after this bird and ran—smack into a tree. Like head long into it. We thought he had a concussion but he was ok—oh speak of the devil here he is now. Hey Paul." Tom waves to him as he advances on them, taking his spot at Daiane's side and stopping Tom from saying any more embarrassing things about him.

"Hi, Paul," Daiane's says, cheerfully. "Tom was just telling m—"

"Things he shouldn't," Paul says narrowing his eyes. Tom and Daiane laugh out loud at his reaction, he decides to play along and pouts at them both only making them laugh harder. He didn't mind, Daiane laugher was so musical, he didn't care that they were laugh at him. He would play along for now.

Sue Clearwater walks in next going over to talk to Sam, she looks concerned about something. Tom, Daiane and he stay in their little circle talking about the last time they saw each other yesterday at Tom's house. Daiane thanked him again for everything he did and the clothes. She had a small bag with her, handing it to Tom she says, "These are Leah's that you gave me yesterday. I was going to give them to Paul but you could probably take them back with you for Leah." Tom takes the bag saying that he would.

Billy Black rolls in next with James Summers another council member, and by rolls he means rolls. Billy was in a wheel chair thanks to an accident that paralyzed his legs. Billy wheels himself over to them and smiles up at them greeting them in his usual way with a smile and a wave, he was a kind and wise man.

James was a silent man in his 70's. Daiane and James stare a look, and he can feel some tension in the air around them. James owned the coffee shop in Forks were Daiane works. Was he upset that Daiane hide this from him? How could he blame her for keeping a secret like this from him when they had toas well?

The last one to arrive was George Mckey, he was the oldest member of the council and the most unpredictable.

The council pulls same chairs over to sit in a semicircle to discuss issues within the tribe. They motion for Daiane to take a sit too, but she shakes her head choosing the stand in front of the council instead. Sam pushes Paul over with him to the side and orders him to stay, like a dog. Paul just growls at him. And the council meeting starts, George taking notes as secretary.

"It's ok to sit. We don't mind," Sue says kindly.

"Umm, it is customary that outsider to a pack stand for evaluation," Daiane answers, hesitantly, "It just feels weird to sit in front of you when I'm not in the pack."

"Please tell us about yourself," Billy starts, kindly. "We were all surprised last week at the barbeque. You a jaguar, right?"

"Umm, yes," she says. "I'm a Jaguar. I'm a native of South America. Umm Inca decent."

"So, you are our sister from the south," Tom says. "How many Jaguars were in your old pack."

"About 30 at any given time," she answers.

"30 that a large pack," Billy says.

"Not really, we were considered medium to some of the surrounding packs."

"What!? There are more than just yours," Sam asks.

"Umm yes, my grandmother said we all started out as one pack but as a pack get bigger, they natural break apart. A new alpha will emerge at these times to form a new pack and so on," She answers. "She said there may be some unrest in a pack when this happens but she said it would all work out in the end."

"What's the cut off," Billy asks.

"Cut off?"

"Yeah, how large can a pack get," Billy explains.

"I don't know," she answers, unsure. "I think that depends a lot on the alpha and the connection the pack has with each other. If the pack is very close it will stay together but if they spread themselves to thin, so to speak, they will break apart."

"But I can't say I know anything about wolves, Sir," she continues.

"How likely is it that your old pack will come here and threat to us," James asks. Paul growls he didn't like that question; it didn't matter to him if they came. If the council said they wouldn't let her stay because the South American packs, he was going to leave with her. He glares at James, but he takes no notice of him, or actively ignores him.

"I can't say that they won't," she says honestly. "But the likely hood that it was be more than the small group for last week is very small. Triago has enough to do with the surrounding pack to send a large force this far north to kill me."

"Are the surrounding pack friendly," Billy asks.

"Some are, some not so much," she says flipping her hand back and forth. "Alphas led the packs. If the alpha is peaceful then the pack is peaceful if they aren't… then there can be trouble. In all honestly, most shifter don't like war and the Alphas that are more aggressive have noticeably smaller pack then peaceful ones. That was one of the reasons I didn't approve of what Triago was doing—binding pack members—I had a feeling that he wasn't as passive as he pretended to be after he start binding members. Ummm, it just felt like a trap."

"So, he could take over the other packs in time," James asks.

"I don't think anytime soon, if ever," she says. "Deron's pack is very large and very loyal to him, to the south of us. And Tara, she is the alpha next to us, some of my grandmother's pack when over to her after she died, so he really doesn't have a lot of free shifters to grow his pack with."

"So, we don't have to worry at the moment," Sue asks.

"I can't say that, sorry," Daiane says.

"Well, I heard you took out a vampire on our land," Tom says energetically, he already knew this. He was to first one they told but the other members may not have heard.

"Yes, please tell us about that," Billy asks.

"That vampire was a young one. I smelled him on my way back to Charlie's house," she explains.

"Why are you living with Charlie," James asks.

"Let her finish the question," Billy silents him with a wave.

"Aaa, well if a young vampire gets near a human settlement, it will go on an uncontrollable killing spree," she continues. She looks a little unsure about what James asked and unwilling to answer, he was going to give James a piece of his mind soon. "I've seen young vampire kill a whole village without their makers. Umm, you could call them, the vampire who originally bit them to turn them into vampires."

"What's the different between a young vampire and an old one?" Billy asks.

"Young vampires are stronger. They still have their own blood inside them, feeding their strength, so they can be harder to kill. You can tell he was young by the way he smelled," she looks over to Sam and him off to the side. "They are red on the inside too, from their blood. Older vampires are white or like a clear crystal color inside. I can't say I know everything about vampire anatomy but I know that much."

"What do you know about the turning process," Sue asks.

"Vampires have venom in their saliva. When a vampire bites a human they drink their blood quickly, a vampire can drain a human in under a minute. The vampire's saliva goes into the human with the bite, the vampire has no control over this. If the vampire doesn't kill the human after feeding, the venom will spread through the human's body using the heart as the mechanism of spreading the venom, after three days the venom has infected all the cells in the body transforming them into a vampire and the heart stops, that signifies the completion of the transformation. It is a very painful process, I'm told."

"You know a lot about vampires," James says.

"You most know everything about your enemy if you wish to defect them," she answers quickly.

What did James mean by his questions? Did he think Daiane was working with the vampires? This pissed him off more and he growls loader, drawing the council's attention. James looks over at him, annoyance in his eyes. What was his problem? Tom touches James's shoulder and whispers in his ear quickly, James whispering back, they look like they don't agree. George watching and listening to the whole interaction.

Then Tom says, "Just so we're clear this is not a trial or anything like that," he looks at James, "We are not going overrule Sam on you staying here."

Sam raises an eyebrow next to him with a look that said 'I told you so.' Paul shoves at him and glares for a moment before turning his eyes back to the council and Daiane.

"Yes, that true, we are curious," Billy says.

"I saw Emily recently," George says, speaking for the first time. "She told me that you were the one who healed her."

"Yes."

"So, you are a healer," Billy asks.

"Yes."

"What makes a healer," Sue asks next.

"Healer are shifter with a certain gift," Daiane answers. "We can move our own natural healing abilities into another. Most packs have a healer of some kind in them, we just natural emerge in a pack. My grandmother was a little disappointed that I wasn't an alpha like her. But my mother was a healer and well some of us are just meant to be healers and some to be alpha, both are important in a pack for different reasons."

"I would think the healers would be the most important," Sue says.

"A pack all fall apart without an alpha," she answers. "And the others keep the pack safe. A pack can survive without a healer."

"Like ours," Tom says.

"This pack doesn't necessarily not have a healer," she says, uncertain.

"What?"

"Ummm, from my understanding of new pack and the emerges of different members within a pack. Quil is the most likely healer in this one," Daiane says running her hand through her hair.

"Why do you say that," Sam asks.

"From what Paul and yourself have told me," she starts, "Quil is a legacy, he grandfather was a wolf right?" They nod. "Healers always are late to shift, last bloomers you could say. The fact that he joined the pack late says that it may be because of a developing ability that took more time. And he heard a calling for a child, right?" they nod again. "Healers are more liking to hear the call, umm or Imprint on someone young. They are caretakers, his imprint tells me that he has that caregiver's mentality."

"What about the rest of us," Paul asks.

"Sam is ruled out because he is an alpha. Alphas can't be healers and healers can't be alphas. Only out of absolute necessity, is a healer made alpha of a pack. And we don't make good alpha either, our hearts are just not in it. Some of the early ones to shift are less likely to be healers, so Paul, Jared and Leah are not likely to have the gift, but I suppose they can't be rule out either."

"And Jacob," Billy asks.

"He is the grandson of a previous alpha, right?" Billy nods, proud of the fact. "So, he is not likely to have that trait. And Embry is just too…. Well Embry for it." She laughs.

Sue, Billy and Tom laugh at that, James stays unconvinced and suspicion. George just writes down notes on a clipboard, like he is unaware of what is happening in the meeting. Paul didn't care about being a healer, he didn't think he would be a good one anyways. Let Quil have it. But Daiane was a healer and he respected her for what she was and could do. He would be her protector if anyone tried to hurt her, he was ok with that.

"So Quil is the likely choice," Tom says. "because of everything you just said and he imprinted on a young child. So, what about you; have you imprinted on someone?"

"No, females don't imprint," Daiane answers.

"So, your free to say—marry someone here," Tom says, suggestively.

Daiane eyes widen, dread and uncertainty. Oh God, Tom did you have to say that. Tom was like a second father to him or an uncle. After his father died a year ago, Tom took up the role of father to him. Paul loved the man but sometime he looked to Paul's future a little too much and his future relationship aka his future wife.

Oh God, now that he thought about it, how was he going to ask her? There was no doubt that he would only consider asking Daiane to marry him. She was his imprint and he couldn't think of anyone else to marry or be romantic with. Oh no, how long should he wait? What kind of ring should he get? What if he waited too long? God, what if she said no? He raked his hands through his hair as all those thoughts ran through his head. Good thing Daiane was facing the council and he was behind her. Sam, next to him just smirked at him like he knew everything that was running through his head and love watch him agonize over it.

Then he hears Daiane says, "That is not an unheard-of concept." She gulps and continues, "Sometimes a female shifter is given to an influential human in another pack to— facilitate peace."

"Don't worry about that," Sue says. "We don't want to pressure you that way Daiane. But if someone were to catch your eyes, well—" Sue leans forward and smiles at her. But Sue quickly leans back and nonchalantly asks, "My daughter has been very happy to find another girl shifter. Please tell me something?"

"Anything," she says uncertain. Sue, really! Great segway into your question, now she probably thought Leah wanted to get with her.

"Can female shifter have children," Sue asks, "It has been on my mind at times for the sake of my daughter, Leah. She never talks about it but I think she thinks about it sometimes."

That was something all of them wondered about sometimes. In the tribe's history, Leah was the first female to shift. It shocked them all at the time, and he wasn't proud to say it but they didn't really know what to do with her. The pack had historical been a boy's club and Leah just didn't truly fit in. He never dwelled on the issue of Leah having kids, that was her problem not him, and he didn't think he had any place talking to her about it. But now that he thought about it, would Daiane be baron too? He didn't care if they did or didn't have kids. But would she feel ashamed that she couldn't have children?

"Female shifter can have children," she answers, she looks a little doubtful as she continues, "My mother was a shifter and my grandmother. Ummm, not sure that was in question."

"Oh, right you said that," Sue says, blinking. "Wow, so your shifter gene comes from your maternal line?"

"Yes, it is harder for a female shifter to have children. Are you unaware of the basics of shifter—ummm … reproduction…?" Daiane looked a little unsure how to continue.

"Harder how," Sue asks.

She thinks for a minute looking it the ground and biting her lower lip. He watches that lower lip, liking the way she bites it, he really shouldn't be thinking about that now. But the basics of shifter reproduction made him think of other things—

"Well, we have a harder time carrying a baby to term. If a female shifter phases while pregnant, she will miscarry immediately. The fetus can't handle the chaos that a shifter's body goes through during a shift and will die. Some shifters have the control to have children to term and others don't. My mother could handle it well and had two children while my aunt miscarried—" She looks down as she says, "Many shifters stop trying after to many losses."

"That must be hard," Sue says, sitting back with a thoughtful expression. It must be hard for those women, to feel like it was all their fault that their babies died.

"A strong pack can help though," she says to Sue, concern in her eyes. "My pack protected pregnant females to an extreme level, to make them feel as safe as possible. So, they would never feel the need to shift. As I understand it, female shifters should wait until they are older to start having children, older than most humans would wait, I mean."

They are silent for a minute, waiting for Sue next question but she didn't seem to have any more questions. "We live a long time, Sue," Daiane continues after a minute like she knows where Sue thoughts are going. "Leah doesn't need to rush her control, patient is one of the most important things to learn before having children, that my grandmother always said. My grandmother didn't have any children until her was over 200 years old."

"You said your mother had two children," James asks.

"Yes, I have a sister," Daiane answers, "She is human and is very smart. Chloe is away at university. Human always have more freedom to move and go to school. So, I was very happy that she was able to do that."

"But you left her unprotected," James says. "What if this Triago comes for her."

"Triago, doesn't know about her," she says, but Daiane looks worried and concerned as she says it. "I suppose I will not know if he finds her." Sadness covers her face as she says that last part, her eyes look a bit watery as she looks to the side away from the others, thinking of her family and sister. She was holding herself together well, but he could see she was anxious. "I will not know," he hears her whisper softly.

"What about my earlier question about why you are at Charlie's house," James says uncaring about her current state of worry over her sister. Paul steps forward ready to hit James in the face, Sam puts his hand on his shoulder stopping him. He didn't care that James was a council member, he was targeting his imprints weak spots now. If he asked about what happened with Triago, like he wanted the whole gruesome story of her violation he was going to snap.

"Charlie found me after I made a stupid decision," she answers still not fully over her thoughts.

"Umm, what stupid decision," Sue asks, kinder than James.

"Shifter shouldn't eat raw meat," she says, "I was starving and I stupidly thought to go hurting—like, an animal—My grandmother outlawed hunting animals for shifters. I didn't understand it and well—now I do."

"How so," Billy asks. "Sorry we've never heard this?"

Daiane looks a bit embarrassed as she says, "Shifters are the opposite of vampires. We aren't supposed to drink or eat—well blood. I thought I would take down a deer like a jaguar and well—it's was gross and I felt stupid afterwards. I thought I could just be a jaguar for a few minutes and … eat—like one… But after the first bite it made me so sick that I couldn't move—I couldn't control my shift either—Charlie found me on the edge of the forest, nearly paralyzed from the blood I had. He was kind to me."

"Good to know," Tom says, looking a little green at the idea of eating raw meat.

"This is apparently why all shifters like their meat well done," she says still embarrassed.

"We will keep that in mind," Sue says.

They all look a little queasy at the idea of someone eating a deer like an animal, at least Daiane would have truly looked like an animal at the time.

"So—think we're good for now," Billy says looking around, "If no one has any more questions?"

George looks up and say, "Are there many black jaguars like you?"

Daiane looks at them hesitantly. She swallows and answers, looking away, "No, I'm the only one I know of."

"Why?"

She is silent at this question, for the first time she is unwilling to answer. Why, he wonders as well? What was so special about her being black? She was beautiful and stunning but why wasn't she answering such a simple question?

"What does it matter," Paul says. "Sam's black, it's just a color variation."

George nods but he looks at Daiane with curious eyes at her continued silents. Paul would find out the answer, not that it mattered. The meeting ends and the council member shake her hand and hug her, welcoming her into the pack as best they could and in doing so the tribe. She was a part of them now and he loved seeing her so accepted. Tom asks her to come by his house again for lunch sometime, hopefully with Paul again he adds quickly. Paul smiles at that, leave it to Tom to try and play matchmaker. James, still looks unsure of her as he talks quietly with George, but George doesn't seem to share James's mistrust and shakes Daiane's hand with a smile. Sue asks her to talk to her daughter Leah sometime, and hopes they will become friends. They all leave shortly after the meeting ends.

Daiane walks out with him, Sam leaving with Billy Black, to go to his house for something or other. He wasn't really listening to them as they left.

"That wasn't so bad," Daiane says to him.

"No," Paul says, "they were always going to accept you. You're amazing and they know a good shifter when they see one." He knew he was lying a little but he wanted her to be happy here. He was a little unsure when he got here but it all worked out in the end. Guess he should have listened to Sam in the first place.

"Some packs wouldn't have," she says.

"We wolves are a welcoming sort," he says with a smile, and pulls her in for a hug at that and holds her close. She is tense for a minute, startled by his hug but she warms up to him quickly. She feels good in his arms, this was where she belonged with him, his imprint, his to protect and care for.