Authors note: This contains scenes from the bonfire. I did as much as I could in my own words while still going with the original stories from the book but there are direct quotes in here as well. I of course am not SM and do not take credit for those words.

BPOV

It was getting late and Kim was starting to nod off against Jared's chest, his arms around her. The heat of the wolves easily took away the chill from the night air. He had to patrol though so he nudged her awake, said his goodbyes and was soon replaced with Quil and Embry. Embry sat next to Jessica and Quil took Jared's place near Kim.

"The best part is coming." Jake whispered to me.

"What's the best part? You swallowing an entire cow whole?" I joked as he shoved another hotdog down his throat.

Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh. "No. That's the finale." Jake lowered his voice, just barely whispering in my ear. "My dad's about to tell the stories, for most of us, this is the first time hearing them since phasing. The first is the story of the spirit warriors."

It was almost as if Jake's soft whisper was the introduction. The atmosphere changed abruptly around the low-burning fire.

Seth leaned in toward the elders eagerly.

The fire crackled, sending an explosion of sparks glittering up against the night.

Billy cleared his throat, and, with no more introduction than his son's whisper. Began telling the story in his rich, deep voice . The words poured out with precision, an obvious sign that he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a subtle rhythm. Like poetry performed by its author.

"The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning." Billy said. "And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't the magic of shape-shifting, that came later. First, we were spirit warriors."

Billy told of the first Quileutes coming to this area because of the harbor and how they became skilled ship builders and fishermen. He spoke of a larger tribe that wanted the plentiful fish and land for themselves. They hid on their ships to escape. He spoke about Kaheleha, having lost all stories before his, Billy made note that he was not the first spirit warrior.

Leaving the women and children on the ship to watch over their bodies, the first great Spirit Chief and his warriors took their spirits to defend their land. Their bodies were not physical so they used the wind and their voices to terrify the enemies. The animals could also see them and understand the spirits and chose to help them.

The thick-furred sled dogs of the enemy tribe turned against their masters, bats from the cliffs came, and together they won. The survivors called the land a cursed place, and when Billy said it, chills ran down my spine.

The sled dogs returned to nature, the bats to the caves and the Quileute's to their bodies, wives and children.

"The other nearby tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs, made treaties with the Quileutes." Billy's voice was majestic as he told the stories of his people. "They wanted nothing to do with our magic. We lived in peace with them. When an enemy came against us, the spirit warriors would drive them off."

He then spoke of the last great Spirit Chief, Taha Aki. He was a wise and peaceful man, but another man in the tribe wasn't happy with the way their powers were used. His name was Utlapa. As Billy spoke of him, a low hiss ran around the fire.

"Utlapa was one of Chief Taha Aki's strongest spirit warriors – a powerful man, but a grasping man, too."

Billy said that Utlapa greedily wanted to use their magic to expand their lands, enslave the Hohs and the Makahs and build an empire.

When the warriors were their spirit selves, they knew each other's thoughts so Taha Aki knew of Utlapa's feelings and was angry with him. Taha Aki commanded Utlapa to leave Quileute lands and to never use his spirit self again. He had no choice but to leave.

Often Taha Aki would go to the mountains and return to his spirit self to patrol the lands and one day while doing so, Utlapa, hate-filled and vengeful, went to Taha Aki's body to kill him but instead chose to leave his own body and invade the body of the Spirit Chief.

Taha Aki raced back to his body but it was already gone, and Utlapa's body in it's place, his throat slit. Taha Aki was trapped as a spirit.

Utlapa took the place as Chief and for a long time did nothing out of the ordinary, but forbade any warrior from entering the spirit world, claiming he's had a vision of danger. In truth he knew that if anyone went to the spirit world, they would see he was not truly Taha Aki.

Utlapa did things that Taha Aki did not approve of, refusing to work alongside his warriors, taking a young second wife and then a third, though Taha Aki's wife was still alive.

A very large wolf followed Taha Aki's spirit as he moved through the woods, filled with pain from being away from his body for so long. He decided to ask the great wolf to make room for him, to share the wolf body. The wolf agreed.

Taha Aki inside of the wolf's body went to the tribe, but he didn't attack. Eventually the people realised there was a spirit within the wolf and older warrior. A man named Yut disobeyed the chiefs order, taking to the spirit world.

Taha Aki's spirit spoke with Yut while the wolf waited for his spirit to return. Utlapa came to see if the wolf had been defeated by the warriors and saw Yut's body lying lifeless on the ground. The other warriors sutfttrrounding it, protecting it.

"He drew his knife and raced forward to kill Yut before he could return to his body. 'Traitor,' he screamed, and the warriors did not know what to do. The chief had forbidden spirit journeys, and it was the chief's decision how to punish those who disobeyed." Billy spoke with a sorrow in his voice for the man who was just trying to help.

That man was killed by Utlapa before he could tell the other warriors what happened. Enraged, Taha Aki entered the big wolf again, with intentions to kill Utlapa, even if it meant never having his own body back, his family back. When he joined the wolf though, his anger was so great that there was no room in the wolf for everything he felt, his human feelings.

In front of the warriors, the wolf transformed, taking the shape of man, but not of Taha Aki. The man was far more glorious, a "flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's spirit." Billy called it. The warriors recognized the true chief's spirit. With the strength of the wolf, Taha Aki caught Utlapa and crushed his spirit before he could leave the body.

Taha Aki set everything right, giving the young wives back to their families but agreed with Utlapa, that no man should ever again enter the spirit world. It was far too dangerous now that the idea of stealing a life was there.

"From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened. He would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. The wolves were all different because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside."

"So that's why Sam is all black," Quil whispered jokingly, grinning. "Black heart, black fur."

I was so involved in the story, it was a shock to come back to the present, to the circle around the dying fire. With another shock, I realized that the circle was made up of Taha Aki's great – to however many degrees – grandchildren.

"And your chocolate fur reflects what?" Sam whispered back to Quil. "How sweet you are?"

Billy ignored their jibes. "Some of the sons became warriors with Taha Aki. And they no longer aged." What? Why is everyone around me staying the same while I get older? It wasn't fair. I wanted Jake to age with me. Grow old with me.

They also learned that the ones who chose to stop transforming into their work began to age again, and would grow old and die like anyone else. That was good, I could have Jake for as long as I live. Hopefully longer than mid-May.

Taha Aki though lived the span of three old men's lives. Marrying 3 times in total after his first wives died. The third wife, a nameless woman, was his imprint. The first imprint. Because of her he gave up his spirit wolf so that he could grow old with her. Well that was sweet of him.

Old Quil Ateara shifted in his chair, straightening his frail shoulders. "That was the story of the spirit warriors. This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice."

Old Quil told about a time when Taha Aki was older, and hadn't changed into the wolf in a long time, some young women from the Makah tribe disappeared and it was assumed that the Quileute's wolves were to blame since they did not trust them. The wolf-men, able to read each other's thoughts knew it wasn't them. Taha Aki had his oldest son, Taha Wi go in search of answers. Five wolves joined him and encountered a sickly sweet scent that burned their noses.

I shifted in my seat, getting closer to Jake. The corner of his mouth twitched with humor as his arm tightened around me.

They followed the scent and came across human blood and knew the smell came from the enemy they were after. Taha Wi sent the younger wolves back to report on what was found. Taha Wi and his two brothers never returned. Another chill went down my spine.

The younger brothers searched but never found them. And Taha Aki mourned for his sons and told the Makah chief what happened. A year later it happened again, and the Makahs asked the wolves to find the enemy. This time only one wolf came back. Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taha Aki's third wife and the youngest in the pack. He carried with him, torn into pieces, a cold stony corpse, that had that sickly sweet smell, so strong even Taha Aki's sons that had never been wolves could smell it. Yaha Uta told what happened and described the creature to them.

Eventually the pieces started to put themselves together so they set fire to the remains, creating a cloud of choking vile smoke. They then separated the ashes into many small bags, spreading them around.

"Taha Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."

Billy pulled out a leather thong from around his neck, hanging from the end was a small bag, blackened with age. A few people gasped. I might have been one of them. Old Quil glanced at Harry as he brought a bottle of water up to his lips.

Harry spoke up next, telling of the cold one's mate seeking revenge.

"Twenty Quileute saw the woman's approach and while she killed most. The blood distracted her and two were left alive. They ran to their chief and Yaha Uta transformed into his spirit wolf to protect the tribe. The rest of his family followed behind him."

"Yaha Uta alone, fought the Cold Woman. When he lost, Taha Aki screamed, shifting into an ancient, white-muzzled wolf. The third wife watched as her son died and feared the loss of her husband as well. She grabbed a knife from the belt off one of the adolescent sons who stood beside her, knowing they too would fall should Taha Aki fail.

"The third wife ran toward the cold woman who ignored her, knowing the knife would cause no harm to her and turned to deliver the death blow to Taha Aki.

"Knowing the only way to help Taha Aki was through distraction, she fell to her knees at the Cold Woman's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart. The blood drinker, distracted by the blood, turned toward the third wife and Taha Aki closed his massive jaw around her neck.

"Having witnessed their mother die, two of their sons leapt forward as Spirit Wolves, despite being far too young for the burden." Harry turned toward Seth, the youngest in the group with tears in his eyes, fearful that something might happen to him in the upcoming battle.

Old Quil took over again, "Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed back to a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch her and then be went into the forest and never returned."

I didn't realise I had been crying until a cool breeze passed over the cliff, chilling the salty tears on my cheek. Hearing the three men tell the stories of how the wolves came to be and the reason for them sent chills down my spine.

Old Quil told us that there was never more than three wolves at a time, which had always been enough for the occasional blood drinker and their mate, if they had one. Many years passed and Taha Aki's descendants stopped becoming wolves when they reached the age of manhood, yet a few would return when a cold one was near.

Eventually a bigger coven came, and I realised that Old Quil was now talking about the Cullens. The great grandfather's of the men and women that had quickly become my friends met with the leader who promised to never harm the Quileutes. His eyes were yellow instead of red which made the tribe consider Carlisle's words. Being outnumbered they knew that there was no reason that a treaty was offered to them, so Ephraim accepted.

"So the sons and daughters of our tribe once again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."

"Burden." Quil scoffed. "I think it's cool." Seth nodded from his place beside Sam.

Billy chuckled, low and long, and the magic seemed to fade into the glowing embers. Suddenly it was just a circle of friends again.

Jake kissed me on the cheek before standing up and walking over to his dad. Charlie greeted him with a clap on the shoulder. I'd completely forgotten he was even here.

The pack members ate hotdogs over the fire and roasted marshmallows, and s'mores. Eventually Jake came back and offered me some food but I wasn't hungry so he happily ate the hotdog instead, and opened up a bag of chips that he and Quil shared.

I leaned into Jake's warmth and once again, his arm wrapped around me, encompassing me in his heat.