Bella felt the soft soil beneath her paws as she bolted through the forest. She was surprised that she wasn't freaking out over the fact that she was - for lack of a better word - an animal. The… family that left her always did say she was good with weird things. She just believed that there was always something more she was meant for. That a plain human life was never meant for her. She was destined for better - for more than the life she has been living.
As she neared the reservation, she heard footsteps ahead of her, the crunching of leaves beneath feet, and she slowed to a stop cautiously. A golden skinned tan man slowly stepped out from behind the trees and made eye contact with her. His eyes were a woodsy brown, surrounded by thick curled dark brown lashes. His deep chocolate brown hair was cut short, and looked like he had cut it himself at home with kitchen shears. He was tall and broad shouldered, and stood in front of me in nothing but a pair of cutoff jean shorts despite the chilly damp weather. What kind of person runs around a forest barefoot and shirtless in the middle of fall in the pacific northwest?
He took a small step towards her and she took a step back. She didn't recognize this man from any of her visits to La Push in the past. Who was he?
The young man sniffed the air and his eyebrows rose in surprise. His eyes took on an amused twinkle.
"Hello, I'm Sam Uley. Can you change back so we can talk?" He spoke low and soothing, his quiet voice carrying in the still air of the greenery surrounding us.
I simply stared at him, and didn't answer. I cocked my head slightly to one side.
He sighed "Alright that's fine. Follow me, I can give you the answers you need." As he turned away from me, the tattoo on his arm caught my attention. It was tribal and beautifully intricate. Something about it seemed extremely familiar to me, but I couldn't quite remember where I'd seen it before.
Slowly, I followed him through the thick underbrush. He was silent for the few minutes it took to reach a small house. Similar to the other homes on the reservation, it was a small single story ranch style home. It had garden beds in the backyard, riddled with weeds and overgrown. The muted red paint was chipped and peeling on the outside, with off white trim that was cracking.
Sam walked up to the back door and opened it, walking inside without a word. She sat down, feeling a little confused as to why she was here, and waited. He came back out with a large white shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. He set them in the grass in front of her and turned his back to me.
"Go ahead and change back, I promise I won't peek." He said with a hint of amusement.
Change back? But how? Bella whined out loud.
"Simply remember how it feels to have a human body. Feel the grass between your toes, how it feels to have hands, to have fingers. How it feels to breathe." He said, still with his back turned.
Bella closed her eyes and concentrated on how it felt to walk out in Charlies backyard, feeling the soil beneath her heels, and the grass between her toes. How it felt to take a hot shower, the feel of water cascading down her back. How it felt to eat, to drink.
Suddenly, she was laying face down in the grass. Naked. Her hands pushed her up from the ground and she smiled in success. She did it! It felt good to be human again… but nowhere near as wonderful it felt to be a wolf. The freedom of the forest was calling to her, but she wanted answers. She needed answers.
She threw on the shirt and shorts - both being way too big for her. The shirt came down to her knees and the shorts had to be cinched super tight, but it was better than being naked.
She cleared her throat and Sam turned around slowly.
Hands on her hips, Bella stared at Sam.
"What the hell is happening to me… and why?"