Hashkébaa' : Female Warrior Chapter 1 : Returning to the Roots

The pack settled down for their weekly pack meeting, waiting to be informed of the new patrol schedules. Tensions had been high, lately, due to Jacob taking on his rightful role of Alpha and Sam stepping down. The oldest wolves, Paul and Jared, still remembered the days when there were only three patrolling back to back to protect their tribe. Quill and Embry would follow Jacob till the ends of the earth, while Leah would do anything to get out of Sam's head. Seth, Collin, and Brady, on the other hand wouldn't dare leave their mentor behind.

Now they were all waiting for the two newest members of the pack to make an appearance. These were the two that everyone was wary of. When they walked into a room wolves, instinctually, pulled their mates closer, as if they were trying to shield them from the sheer air of calmed and controlled rage that seemed to seep from the duo's pores. Their names were Julious and Charles. It was a well known fact that Julious was the bastard brother of Sam Uley, but Charles was a mystery of his known. No one knew his last name and therefore no one knew whose bloodline he was a part of. The two would always be seen by themselves, and in the five years since they had joined the pack, they could only be found talking to Seth or Quill.

As Julious and Charles arrived, it was quickly noted by many of the pack that something was off with the pair. Instead of standing off to the side, like they usually do, they joined the rest of the pack around the table and actually acknowledged the other's presence, but their strange behavior was soon forgotten once Jacob, with his ever imposing presence, started to speak.

"For the past couple of weeks we have been picking up strange scents within our borders that we haven't been able to identify. Yesterday, I picked up the end of a conversation between my father and Chief Swan. Apparently there have been reports of animal attacks."

This is when the growls and the mumbling started."SETTLE!" This command was met with immediate silence. It was times like these when the wolves realized why Jake was meant to be alpha.

"The victims were said to be found ripped to shreds and some with no meat left on their bones. With the information given, one might think that Forks might actually have animal attacks that are not related to vampires, but that is not the case. I checked and all of the places where the remains have been found, the strange scent has been there as well. Now, does anyone have any idea what might be killing these people?"

Now this whole time, it was highly noticeable that two wolves were becoming more and more agitated as Jacob went on, so it was no surprise when all eyes turned to Julious and Charles with questioning looks. Then it was just an intense staring game. Leah was the one to break the silence first, her being least wary of the two. "Well are you going to say anything, or are you just going to sit there looking like a bunch of feral idiots?"

Julious ignored Leah's blatant insult and quickly turned his attention back to his Alpha. "Jacob, you must listen to me." The urgency was obvious in his tone. "If you continue to look into this, you and the rest of the pack will end up dead… or worse." Now Jacob was curious.

"Do you know what it is? If you know something, you must tell us."

"There are things better left unsaid, but let's just say, these monsters can put the leeches' wrong doings to shame." At this point Julious and Charles shared a look. "Look, Jake don't worry about it. We'll sort this mess out. We know someone who can easily get rid of these things."

Now Sam was skeptical. "And who might that be." This earned an irritated scoff from Julious. He stared down his

brother. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see. But if I'm being quite honest, it's none of your business." And with that the two hurried out of the small cottage hidden in the woods.

Back inside all the wolves were looking at each other with looks of

confusion. The silent pair were never known to make a scene and the amount of alarm in their eyes was highly concerning. Quill just sat in the corner observing it all. He did not know his cousin that well, but one thing he did know, was that Charles Swan-Ateara was never one to panic. So, this was a time to take the threat seriously and all of the necessary precautions that might come along with it.

Julious was happy with the fact that no one was phased in at the

moment. Both his and Charles' thoughts were not shielded due to the sheer panic that they were both feeling at the fact that their suspicions had been confirmed and all their secrets surrounding their past were soon about to come to light. As they arrived home Charles came to the realization that he and his brother would have to face a girl that they hadn't talked to or seen in five long years. This is when he picked up the phone and dialed a number he never thought he would have to use again.

Isa was in the middle of saying goodbye to the last of the stragglers

who had come to pick up or drop off their cars at her and her brothers' shop. She went through a list in her mind of all of the cars she had to work on before she could head out. She sighed in discontentment when she remembered that she had to close up shop. She wondered why her brothers had to go on a hunting trip in the Amazon and leave her all alone back home in Navajo. As she walked to the back of the shop to work on Mr. Todachine's car, the phone started ringing.

" Seven Boys, One Girl, and a Car. This is Isabella speaking. How may I help you?" Her greeting was met with silence. "Hello? If this is a prank call try the pizza place or something. I am hanging up now." "WAIT!" This voice made her pause. "Charles? Is that you?"

There was another pause."Hey, sis. Miss me?" At that confirmation Isa almost dropped the phone and her constant mask of indifference slipped, but then she remembered herself and the mask was back in place.

"Why hello there," she said cooly. "La Push not doing it for you, ánaaí?" She was furious. She couldn't believe that her twin would have the nerve to call home after all this time, especially after the terms he left on.

"No Is. Look, I'm sorry all right. I should have never said that and I really shouldn't have made Julious pick sides. But, we can talk about that later. There is an emergency back here. It seems that a pack of mutts have taken a liking to the hikers in Forks. Do you think that you could find it in

your heart to forgive us enough to come back here and access and possibly eliminate the situation?"

She paused. "I'll be there in two days time." And with that she hung up the phone, already thinking about the things that she would have to pack and trying to estimate how long she would be staying.

Later that night as Isa boarded her plane, she mentally prepared herself for the thing she swore she would never do.

Going back to her birthplace. To Forks.

Ánaaí : Brother