Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess.

Run, by Snow Patrol, from the album Final Straw, released in 2003

We stopped some fair distance out of Canada. It was the usual cold (not for us) temperature, and was proceeding to get colder the closer we got. The thick and dense wood with their canopies helped shield us to some degree, but I could tell that Emily and Kim were beginning to get progressively colder.

So, we stopped in a small clearing, with a large enough gap so that we could relax freely, but the trees being able to shelter us enough so the Imprints wouldn't get too wet. I shook out my fur, shaking out any twigs which I had been attacked with while running. Bella, having stopped next to me and panting a bit, stood by my side, and I could feel several twigs being dislodged.

I stood stock still as Emily and Kim slid off their respective wolves' back, and they started to lay down a series of blankets for themselves to lay on. After realising that Bella was done, I shifted around and turned to face her, scanning over her own fur to see if there were any needed to be fished out.

The big black wolf that was Sam was laying down next to Emily, her own hands raking through his own fur. Kim was doing the same for Jared, and the other wolves were doing each other. God, that sounded wrong out of context. The pack mind had dissolved into various rumbles of contentedness, and with Sam, Jared, Bella, and myself projecting our bliss, the whole pack was literally incapable of speaking. And that was when it went downhill. But in a good way.

Quil and Seth, being the playful and cheeky ones of the pack, crouched down and wagged their tail, before setting off in a fast bound around the area. Seth, despite the gangly nature of his wolf, was managing to keep pace with Quil, his ash grey, pale brown splodged fur easily keeping up with Quil's own chocolate. Of course, that meant that Embry was going to join in, because Quil and Embry were literally inseparable.

Sam was just watching amused, being the 'mature' Alpha of the pack, and was just calmly sitting next to Emily, head on paws, tail wagging calmly. It was rare he would join in our games, usually preferring to watch us much like a parent would. I guess he was the oldest. Jared would sometimes join in, but only after Kim had given him plenty of cuddles and kisses and pets. After a few moments of deliberation, Collin and Brady joined in, turning the game from a game of chase to a game of tag.

I was sat next to Bella, who had been very quiet. And while it was well within her normal character trait, I couldn't help but worry. I carefully and gently read the information coming from the bond, because her mind had closed off to the pack once more. Fortunately, her 'shield' as we had decided to call it, didn't effect the bond on either side, so I was grateful for that.

Happiness..the feeling of being overwhelmed..at ease..betrayal..comforted. A series of complex emotions that while I could guess the causes of them, I knew that the best way would be to ask her about it, see if I could help. Whether she would tell me would be another thing entirely.

"How are you feeling?"

I was very pointedly not looking at her eyes, because I didn't want to pressure her. I wanted her to trust me with her emotions, not have her feel forced to tell me. I could see Quil and Seth egging Paul on to join them, trying to break his 'I'm too mature to play' facade. If they couldn't do it (honestly, Seth's innocence and wit was refreshing. That was the only thing that the Leech said that I agreed with), then I was confident nobody could.

Once they had gotten Paul to play, then they would most likely move onto Leah, who was sat, ears pricked, under a tree, and then me and Bella. And while I was happy to play, Bella might not be that comfortable joining in, so I would quite happily sit out with her. Bella let out a huff, before moving closer to me and brushing her head next to mine.

"Just some emotions. I'm working my way through them. Just bare with me."

Then, in an 180 degree turn from what she was just feeling, she nipped me in the flack before loping off, making me think she was part springer spaniel or something, with the way she bounced over the grass with ease. Following her, she began to sprint, weaving through the trees and making sharp turns to try and throw me off course.

Such was the benefits of having a smaller form then me. Losing myself in the chase, I could sense the group from earlier join in, all of us following after her. Perhaps through the thrill of the chase, she could come to terms with her emotions. I hoped so anyway.

Bella was looking at the fallen deer like it had insulted her mother. It was impressive, if we put aside her expression for a moment, how fast she had adapted to hunting. Or, it could be because her wolf took over, one of them. We had checked that the window was blowing away from us, so it couldn't scent us, before I covered the front and Bella covered the back, albeit from a distance.

Judging by the fur and the smell (we can smell illness, there's a fun fact), it was healthy. With a smooth pounce and a bite to the chest, with Bella doing something similar from behind, the deer had no chance, falling to the ground with blood stained fur. It was a quick death, because we weren't cruel. There was a niggling at the back of my mind, and upon exploring further I could tell that it wasn't from me. It seemed like Bella was feeling reserved about the matter, and almost...sad.

Striding over to her, I bumped my shoulder into her, as she seemed to snap out of whatever it was before turning to address me. I could feel her shield wrap around me, the feeling of a comfortable blanket wrapping around my own mind, feeling safe and secure. In an unspoken question, I cocked my head towards her, my tail sweeping lowly behind me. Once, it might've been jarring to suddenly grow a tail, well, change body completely, but now it had become second nature. Literally.

"Do we..we eat this?"

I frowned (as much as I could in wolf form anyway), and I couldn't help but look at her in slight confusion. Did she think we killed it for sport? We didn't do that, we would only kill for the intent of eating. Excluding Leeches. Eugh...that put a horrible image of eating a Leech...cold and solid marble, no thank you. Ugh.

Bella seemed amused by my thoughts, although she couldn't quite hide the flinch. Not that I blamed her..I swear to god if I ever see that son of a bitch again, I'm going to tear him limb from limb- me and the rest of the pack anyway. Not that we'd let Collin, Brady, or Seth take part.

"I mean.. we won't cook it?"

I was still confused...until something sprung to mind. And then, like a massive slap to the face (by a werewolf, because if someone else did it, they would end up with a broken hand)- of course she would have reservations- she had only been a wolf a couple of days (hard to realise, I know), so I'm not surprised that she wouldn't want to eat raw meat.

She was probably used to eating cooked meat, because unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that raw meat would upset a humans stomach. It technically still applied to us- in human form anyway. Unwilling to force her into anything- because she had free will dammit!- I carefully tried to explain what we were going to do.

"I'm sure Emily or Kim would cook a portion of it for you. When we are like this, our body becomes like that of a wolf. As such, the raw meat doesn't affect us like it would if we were human."

She looked at the dead deer once more, before sitting on her haunches and looking at me curiously. To show that I wasn't lying, or on a wind up, I moved to the hind leg and very delicately tore off a chunk of meat. Before you called me disgusting, in this form it literally tasted like it did cooked, just less warm and more meaty. If that makes sense.

But still, if I got a choice I still would rather have it cooked- but for sake of practicality I would eat it raw. Bella approached it slowly, before tearing a chunk out of the front flank. Continuing to eat and giving her some semblance of privacy, I could sense the tinge of surprise and the yearning hunger. She took another bite after the first, and we both continued until there were only a few bits left- mainly the skeleton, eyes (ew), heart (eugh), hooves (it's like eating dry wood) lungs (like eating balloons), intestine and kidneys (rubbery, elastic-y, kinda like under cooked spaghetti).

I had of course, being the good imprint I am, warned Bella about the certain pieces she should avoid, and she had taken my advice. After burying the remains so our existence was hidden, and our tracks masked, we trotted back to the clearing, where Emily and Kim were cooking their own meal, their respective wolves having trotted off to eat their own respective meal.

Bella had decided to take some 'girl time', and as such had taken to lying down next to Emily, whose hands were running throughout her fur, untangling various knots. Leah had smirked, before joining the little group, sitting to the left of Kim, lying down with her head on her paws, grey fur neat and tidy.

Bella's shield had adjusted from where it had looped over the entire pack, to just settling around her own mind and Leah's, allowing them to have privacy. Which left the rest of us talking amongst ourselves, with some of the others playing chase. I had taken a seat next to Sam, who's wolf was slightly smaller than my own. It wasn't a noticeable difference unless you were really paying attention, but it wasn't like it had an effect on much.

It was quite ironic, that Bella, with the smallest wolf, was imprint to the largest wolf. It was just something that made me chuckle. Sam, watching over the pack with a wary yet contented gaze, momentarily dragged his eyes away to look at me, as I instinctively turned my head as if asking 'what?'. He flicked his head towards the peaceful looking Bella, before turning back to face me.

"How is she?"

Using some of our training time to figure out what her shield could do, well, at least to the limits we could test, we knew that we couldn't hear her and she us. Which made it easier to talk about her, without her hearing.

Of course, we hadn't yet found out why she had this ability (apparently the Leech couldn't listen into her mind, although some part of me wished he could so he could feel her pain.) so that was how we knew it hadn't manifested during the change, as some sort of side effect. But apparently she couldn't manipulate it before the phase, so perhaps it adapted? We could theorise all day, but it was something that we would probably never know. And it suited us just fine.

"She's doing okay. It's a lot to get used to, in a short amount of time, but she's strong, I know she will do it."

Watching her with a pleased look in my eyes, I was glad that she talking happily with the other girls, (well, communicating I guess. She can't quite speak right now), and I was glad that she had accepted the others. Despite the clash in personalities between Leah and Bella, they both got on.

It could be because they could both emphasise with the love of their life betraying them (albeit in completely different contexts, and Leah had accepted Emily now), but I was just glad that the both of them got on. Even if there had been original misgivings due to the fact that Bella loved a Leech.

"And with the Leech?"

I sighed, still watching Bella interact with the other girls, her tail sweeping on the ground behind her in a wide arc. The Leech was still a topic I had yet to breach with her, other then when she had opened up to me before the Bonfire. I didn't want to come across as pressuring her, but I also didn't want her to keep it to herself. I certainly knew my opinions about the matter- if he thought I hated him before, well, he should multiply that by a substantial number.

"It's still a subject I haven't brought up yet- so far, during her training, she hasn't visible shown or felt any emotion relating to the destruction of Vampires, and other then something she mentioned to me in confidence, the topic hasn't really come up."

Sam nodded slowly, watching Emily with a glancing eye, before turning his attention back to me. His thoughts were centering around how he would feel if his Imprint had been attacked by a leech. The underlying tone of his thoughts echoed around the way he had felt when he had accidentally attacked Emily, plus the unending, unrelenting, anger towards who had hurt her. Apparently, he would have charged off after them almost immediately, and was congratulation me for my self restraint.

"Understandable. The Leech will never get near her again- she's got new brothers and a sister who would defend her until their last breath."

Various noises of agreements were voiced, everyone seemingly pausing in their activities to join us in our conversation. Such was the perks of the pack mind. Sam flicked his ears, and I couldn't help but scrunch up my nose as a small insect flew around, irritating me. I hated the damn things, even if I could quite easily take them down.

"How is the Imprint going for you both?"

The underlying question was, 'was it still a half imprint'. Which it wasn't- apparently all it needed to become a whole imprint was Bella to become a wolf. Why? We had to add that to the list of things we didn't know, which was growing by the day. In truth, despite the little time we had experienced the Imprint, it had been good.

My wolf was somewhat appeased, no longer wanting to jump Bella's bones every time we were next to one another (which was a lot), I was less anxious about her not accepting me in general, and it let me know what she needed and when she needed it.

We had only experienced the positive side so far, and I was enjoying it. I hoped she was as well. I told Sam as much, and he looked happy for me, a goofy look on his face which was somewhat foreign. Although we had once not gotten along, that was in the past, and we were as close as brothers. I suppose, in a way, we were.

The sky was beginning to set, the ruby red sky blending with the piercing white moon like an artist's canvas. We had all wound down our activities, huddling near one another, as the Imprints (not including Bella), snuggled near their respective wolf, keeping it PG thank God. I definitely didn't need to see that. I was next to Bella, her fur clinging to my own side as she was just staring out into our grassy surroundings, seemingly at peace.

Yet, I could tell that something was bugging her. Without even looking at the bond, I could tell by her body structure, and the fact that her tail was a low, slow, sweep that there was something bugging her. Her shield resettled itself around my mind and hers, and the conversation between the other wolves abruptly cut out, leaving a silence.

"The last time I was in a forest.. a clearing like this.. I was with the Cullens."

The end of her sentence almost had a bite behind it, and the anger she felt was coming through evidently. Whether she was intending to or not, the memory swirled around, just as she remembered it. It wasn't a clear night- the wind howling and the thunder slamming deep down into the ground. She could see the group of them playing what looked like...baseball? That made me chuckle, because it was so surreal. Who knew that Vampires played the good 'ole American past time?

Although I was wondering why they were playing in thunder...and I could practically feel the sensation of freezing coming from Bella. It was a feeling I was unused to, mainly because I hadn't felt it in over a year. When Cruel-Leech swung the bat, which looked to be made out of a heavy duty metal, I realised why they needed the thunder.

A large bang emitted when it made contact, loud, shattering, and deafening. The memory disappeared almost as fast as it came. It was clear that despite what had happened- the Leech beating her within in inches of her life, and the others leaving her to the wolves (funny yet accurate little metaphor)- it was a fond memory. I hoped we could give her many more, and help her overcome the sheer betrayal that she had experienced.

"I'm angry. Like I've said before, I'm furious, but despite that, I look upon the events with a fondness. Is that so wrong?"

I shook my head. I may detest the Leeches, and everything they stand for, but they were there for Bella when I wasn't. Even if they ended up ignoring her, leaving her, assaulting her, and god knows what else. Or the fact that I was probably a safer supernatural creature when compared to the Leeches, anger issues and all. I could appreciate that, but nothing else.

It still made me furious how they had treated her, and I mean blood boiling levels of furious. It was even worse then what I had done, and I'd thrown her away like a piece of shit. I should have done more to let her down gently. At least then I wouldn't have left her alone and susceptible to the scenario she was in..and maybe then she wouldn't have been a wolf.

"JACOB! The two scenarios are completely different! You didn't..."

I could practically feel her emotions slam down on me like a hammer, and the sheer honesty coming from her practically drowned me. She had leaped up, her form tightening , before she barrelled into me, startling me. Despite her smaller form, when you don't expect it, it is fairly easy to knock one over. Her paws were to the side of my neck, and her back legs near mine. Her lip was curling in barely disguised anger, and I had to fight all my instincts to throw her off me.

Looking into her eyes, hardened and blazing, I could tell that her wolf was brimming near the edges, treading the line like someone would water. Sam had turned and had tensed, but was cautiously watching in case I needed an intervention. I could do it myself, but I was too busy being chewed out. Honestly, I was surprised that Bella had acted this way- being out of character for her- but I was also proud. Because it meant she was gaining confidence in this form.

"You had a noble cause behind it! You wanted to protect me, and yes, while it was harsh, you were under pressure at the time. Edw- the Leech suddenly took me into a forest under false pretenses, left me near death, and his family didn't even come see me before they left! You are infinitely better then him!"

The beginning of a rumble was humming in her throat, and I don't think it occurred to her what position she was in. It certainly wasn't doing wonders for my mind. I tried to gently tug on the bond to help loosen the hold her wolf had on her. While our inner wolves were helpful in some instances, I had doubts it was a good time for her to lose it.

Not in a random clearing near Canada. I tucked my tail in and crooned lowly in my throat, all while tugging on the bond and trying to ease it, from where it was tight and tense. She blinked rapidly, almost as if fog had cleared in front of her, and suddenly noticed our close proximity. She practically threw herself back, eyes wide open and entire posture lax. Walking up to her, I rubbed myself up against her in an attempt to calm her down, before nudging her back into a laying down position.

Without words, I simply laid next to her, soothing her with the best way I knew, and she was soon lulled into a deep sleep. I followed suit, and while I knew the conversation was coming, I was contented to lie next to her, snuggled together and next to my one and only. That was all that mattered to me. Issues of Vampires and leeches and instincts was something to be talked about another day.

Author's Note

And this is today's chapter! I am officially enjoying the dwindling days until I have to go back to school, but it could be worse.

I had fun trying to decide what the spelling of centre-ing. See, I'm Scottish, so I tend to write in British English (even if it might be immersion breaking). So where some people spell Center, I spell Centre.

But, my spell checker wouldn't accept centring as a word. It wanted me to spell it centering, which does look better. But then I looked it up and centring is a correct spelling. So?...I have no clue anymore.

That's about it. So...a question before I go. What is something you've always wanted to do but never have done? I'd like to go to a gaming festival, but I'll have to wait until I'm a bit older before I can go. And possibly save up a lot.

I'll see you all next time,

~Cait