A/N: So this first chapter is a little shorter than I'd prefer but it's more to lay the basis of the story I hope you can all enjoy. Let me know if ya'll want more.
Chris took a deep steadying breath, her hand clenching into the depth of her pockets, grabbing at the loose bits of paper there. Her lips slightly parted sighed out the air again, ignoring the looks she got from those around her. She once again clenched her nails into the flesh of her palm, biting the skin there, indents created from the pressure at which she was creating.
"Eh," She finally spoke to the person across from her, leaning back in the metal chair, tiling the forward-most legs of it back and balancing on the back ones. "It's not my sorta thing."
The female from across the cafe table rolled her deep chocolate eyes at the younger girl, flicking back at a small chunk of deep red hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "Not your 'sorta' thing?" She almost chuckled, just barely catching herself before the laugh had fallen out.
She looked at the girl just out of her teenage years who sat before her, picking up the white teacup before her taking a sip of the cooling liquid before she set it back down on the saucer. Enjoying its soft, diluted noise, as her pinky softened the clink when the two porcelain objects met. Her eyes narrow on the smaller, younger female with shorter jagged brown locks, asymmetrical, framed her pale, peach cheeks; blue eyes glimmered with what the elder female knew was apprehension. Or maybe contempt. Most likely both.
Chris nodded fervently, taking her hands from her hoodie pockets, lurching her chair forward to set down all the legs. She took up in her hands a larger mug, swigging back the hot chocolate she'd ordered, despite the thriving summer months and the heat produced from the sun; just blocked by the large blue umbrella. "I'm not going back there."
"It's a job," The unnamed woman stressed, expression glimmering with amusement at the girl's child-like attitude. "Well, when you have a skill set like yours you can afford to be picky I suppose."
The younger female could feel that similar bubble of anger begin to emerge, something between indignace and her own quick-to-anger attitude fueling the fire. Chris bit back what would have been a scathing remark, biting back the word vomit that threatened to push its way out. "I am not going there, I don't like it over there. Becky."
'Becky's' lips flickered down in a spare second, before her smile, the glimmer of contempt on it returned. Rebecca, as she preferred to be called brushed her long, straight hair behind her ear before taking another sip of tea. "And I heard you'd do anything for money."
Chris sneered slightly, snickering before she adjusted her frame to lean her chin on the palm of her hand, the one hand that hadn't been clenched into a hard fist, and looked out into the busy street, watching cars as they passed. "Almost anything. Going to America is different, it's already too tainted."
The red-haired female almost said something, almost found herself fed up with this whole circumstance but said nothing. It had to be this girl. "My employer is willing to offer five hundred thousand, double when the job is completed."
Rebecca smirked, pulling the tea up to her lips and drinking what was left of her tea, the look on the younger girl's face. One of shock. Surprised at the monetary amount that was offered.
"No shit?" Chris asked in a low mutter, perking her head up, "What exactly do want me to do over there then? And where?" Now much more interested in the job offer. Maybe she could handle it for this much. She could already feel herself working together a plan to avoid certain cities if it was New York no matter how much she'd have to decline.
Rebecca reached into the large, ruby-colored bag that had been set beside her chair on the cobblestone sidewalk. From it she pulled out a large thick manila envelope and slid it across the small cafe table, showing off her manicured hand, the long wine-colored nails that clunked neatly on the thick paper.
Chris pulled the envelope the rest of the way to her, bringing it to the edge of the small table. Fingering the flap with her index finger, not yet looking down or opening it.
"It's a," Rebecca looked up, considering her words carefully. "A wildlife control issue. A small city near Seattle, middle of nowhere. My employer is already aware of your history on the east coast."
Of course, they knew. Somehow, someway these people knew everything. Between the two females, there was a certain air that was created, the apprehension that had been on her face fell off and Chris now felt less annoyed and more invested in what was in the envelope offered her. Their eyes met. "Wildlife?"
The red-haired female smirked, entwining her long fingers together, "Wolves. And..."
The manila envelope was picked up, Chris taking it and pushing it into the black messenger's bag that hung off of her chair. "And?" She asked, taking a drink.
A noise tittered from Rebecca, "Maybe a few of the occtional rat."
"Rats," Chris echoed biting the bottom of her lip, so it was a simple extermination. Probably just a border control issue that was drawing too much public attention. Either way, it wasn't her place to ask about the 'whys' "How fast do you need it done?"
"My boss is in no rush to get this taken care of," Rebecca said as stood up, grabbing the red bag and putting it into the crook of her elbow looking down at the girl, heels clicking. Slowly she pulled a pair of sunglasses from the aforementioned bag, as well as her wallet. Setting down a fifty-pound bill on the table, holding it down with her saucer and cup on top of it. "You have my number, contact me if you have any concerns. A plane ticket is within, as well as money or any travel expenses."
Her figure traveled away as Chris watched, her figure hugged nicely by a red sundress, her alluring body gradually leaving the female's sight.
Alone at last she leaned back, fingers dancing on the rim of her mug, eyes deep in thought as they began to glaze over. Her messenger bag thumped against the back of her chair and set vibrations into her body. Chris hummed pleasantly, hooking her finger into the handle of the white mug, pulling it to her lips, and swallowed the cooled brown liquid.
"Wolves huh?" Chris murmured dropping the mug unceremoniously onto the wire top cafe table, picking up the strap of her bag, and slinging the bag over her shoulder. She was next to get up, running a hand through her short chestnut locks. Adjusting the sleeves to her dusty rose-colored hoodie, rolling them up to her upper arm as she began to walk away.
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The air, smelt of fresh pine that mingled with the aftermath of fresh rain. Wet fur and wind that whipped through it as the wolf's head prickled upward, listening to the forest and the creatures that lived within. Her silver body, sleek and smaller than the wolf that stood across the clearing glistened with the night's dew of the previous day's rain.
She stood, watching her partner, ears twitching as noises howled around her. She could feel it, the storm to come. The black clouds that began to roll in from the far away horizon, the twinkle of the stars that began to fog over. Her nose sniffed the air, enjoying the crisp scent and the peace of the forest at night.
Across from her, the tawny-colored wolf strode closer, approaching the lone female one would approach a lioness. As if she'd pounce the moment you came before her and into her territory. Despite that and the fragility at which he approached her, the male wolf circled her to come up beside her.
He twitched, mirroring her stance, noticing where her gaze followed. Looking at the bright orb that was their moon.
He came to her then, Jacob the other wolf in a way that wasn't quite unlike telepathy. "Anything new?"
She hated this, the way he could see into her, the way they all could see into her. Mostly she hated the way she could see into all of them. "No." Leah growled back both in tone and as a wolf. Her large silver form took a step closer to the steep rock ledge before her, trying to appreciate the way the wind ruffled through her fur once again.
"Drop it, Leah, cut out the fucking attitude it's getting old." Once again, through telepathy, in a bonded way she couldn't begin to describe Paul another one in her pack came through; wielding just as much venom on his own.
Unbeknownst to him, the lone female bristled, "I don't get why we're out here because a leech had a bad feeling." Leah hissed back, as much as that leeches gift had saved them in the past she wasn't particularly keen on staying out all night on one of her only nights off. Between school, work, and pack duties she wasn't exactly getting the most sleep out of the pack.
"Alice," Sam corrected, his voice loud and strong overwriting everyone else in the collective bond, his Alpha voice as it was called. Leah inwardly cringed at the sound of it. "And if she had a bad feeling about something we'll listen. It saved us more than once."
The pack, the wolf pack had a specific hierarchy Alpha, then Beta, then the rest of them. Leah was a rest of them kinda girl, she wasn't at all interested in Beta, certainly on Alpha, she was hardly interested in being in the pack at all. It was a simple matter of having nowhere else to go, nothing she wanted to do with her life. In fact, she'd rather stay as a simple, mindless wolf, roaming in the wilds. But she knew they'd find her, they always somehow did.
Nevertheless, she didn't argue, knew it was better to just submit. With two Alphas prowling around she knew it was just a matter of time before one of them got a bug up their ass. It was twice the amount any normal pack had, but Jacob hardly belonged to the pack with his relationship with the vampires.
"Not that I'm one to agree with Leah but what are we even looking for out here? Saying something weird is gonna happen isn't a lot to go off of." There was Quil, a much-needed voice of reason.
Outwardly Leah settled on a rock, surveying the vast land before her, paws folded neatly before her. The wind whistled around her and she found herself relaxing even more, sleep slowling crawling up her body.
Sam's sigh was inward and outward, "She just said on the full moon-"
"Fullmoon beware, death with arise. Birds with die and the vultures will feast in the morning." Jacob interrupted, walking farther from where Leah had made her perch. He knew it better than Sam did, he'd been there when Alice had dropped the book she'd been reading, had looked at him in such magnificent horror. He'd committed her words to memory, neglecting to mention the bit with the dead wolves again.
"Fucking witch." Paul hissed.
"Fucking weird." Embry responded.
I'm just so fucking tired. Leah sighed once more, shaking her body upwards, knowing better than falling asleep when both of them were freaking out over an unknown threat.
"So we have to do this every full moon?" Quil asked.
"I think its fun!" Seth, the ever-present voice of optimism replied, her brother and she couldn't even come up with a scathing remark to give him.
Paul did though, "Shut up kid, not all of us should be out here."
"Something is going to happen, something is changing. We need to be careful." With Sam's final word they were all silenced, something ominous in his tone. Ominous enough for Leah to start running, to feel a shudder run up her spine, to feel her hackles raise.
He was right, and she could feel it too. They all could, something was coming, the air, the land, the sea was warning them in a way only wolves could tell. Something was coming and they weren't ready for it.