Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, faves, and alerts! 3 I feel honored that you guys have taken the time to read my story. :)
Which makes me really sad to inform you, but it may be a while until the next chapter comes out. I basically got hit with a shit storm of bad news, stress, and some chaos the past couple of weeks. I went from working full time to part time, started school full time yesterday, found out my mom has cancer (and won't know the extent of it for another week or so), and other small doses of no sleep and financial problems. It'll be at least another month until the next chapter comes out, maybe longer.
I also apologize for the mix-up with Leah's dad! Someone rightly pointed out that I mistook Leah's dad for Jacob's. (Do'h!) I haven't decided whether to go back and fix those parts of the chapters or just go with it and keep it in the story, but either way I'll deal with that when I make the new chapter. :)
If you have any thoughts or ideas on where I should go with this story, feel free to let me know with a review, comment, or message!
Hope you guys are well. Good night, and enjoy!
Chapter 3
Don't Fall Asleep
Bad things always happened when she went to sleep.
It was when nightmares would creep up on her, and when the monsters would jump out and kill everyone she cared about.
It would be untrue to say that all bad things happened when she was sleeping, though. Things would also happen when she woke up.
She once woke up with blood on her face and hands, or on another occasion awaken from the screaming children next door. Listening as their entrails are torn from their body and blood streams into the air as their parents watch helplessly from across the room-
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes opened to the darkness, and turned to lock eyes with a familiar figure. The woman's injuries were still bandaged and pressed gently against her pillow, so only half of her face was visible. "It looked like you were having a nightmare."
"Sorry if I woke you."
"You didn't, I was already awake."
"What's going on…?" Leah asked groggily from the other side of her.
"Don't worry about it, go back to sleep." Kila whispered, and watched as the woman lay her head back on her pillow. Her soft snores soon filled the room again.
"Thank you again for staying with me tonight."
"No problem. Leah and I are happy to protect you and your awesome penguin earrings." She whispered back, and the girl smiled.
"He's not going away, is he?"
"It doesn't look like it." She answered truthfully.
"What if… what if I go on a few dates with him? You could come with us, and chaperone us."
"If that's what you want." She answered, her blank stare reflecting against the dark eye and mimicking the sadness inside.
"Are… are you a werewolf, like the others?"
"Yes and no. I'm a werewolf, but I'm not like them. I'll explain it to you tomorrow."
"Okay… goodnight."
"'night."
1.
"You like her." Emily stated one evening, waiting until Leah had left to go home. Her dark eye sparkled against the light, watching in amusement as the other girl blushed. They were both sitting on the couch, about to watch the old Wonder Woman TV show, and were now facing each other. Emily jumped into a cross-legged position to face her better. "You like my cousin."
"So what if I do?" She retaliated, unable to stop her heart from racing in embarrassment. Usually she wasn't so awkward about the people she was romantically interested in, but considering the unusual situation, she was at a loss as to how to interpret or even handle it. In her younger years she had heard of reincarnations happening, especially in royalties, but they were so far in between she hadn't put much thought into it.
"She likes you, too." She chirped happily. If Kila had ears at that moment, they would have perked up in interest.
"You think so?"
"I think she was so homophobic when you first moved in because she was afraid to admit it to herself. Not to mention all the changes that have been happening to her. She really, really likes you, and has for a while. You're so gorgeous, I'm not surprised."
"Well, thank you… but the situation is a bit more complicated than you realize." She awkwardly stated, looking down at her fidgeting hands, and then at the paused TV screen. Her laptop was hooked up to it a few feet away, the screen bent far enough down to keep it from being distracted, but lifted just enough to keep it from turning off.
"It always is." She chuckled. "You're a werewolf, she's a werewolf… you like getting laid, she likes getting laid. You both have tons in common." Emily compared, and Kila couldn't help but burst out laughing at her bluntness. "Leah and I are like sisters. I've known that she was gay since she was ten; she only dated guys because she wanted to prove to people she wasn't."
Kila chuckled, though she couldn't find it in herself to face the scarred woman. "Would you like to know the origin story of the Quileute people?" She asked, suddenly, and her voice lowered. Her gaze remained locked on the screen filled with cartoon stars.
"Are you trying to change the conversation? Cuz you like Leeeah, and you want to kiiiiiss her and do things with heeeeer~" she sang, giddily, and pulled the pillow out from behind her and hugged it.
The faint smell of their breakfast still lingered from the kitchen, bacon grease continued to keep the house smelling like the delicious meat. "Would you like to know?" She repeated, and the other girl stopped singing, her happy demeanor dropping.
"Is it different from how the Quileutes tell it?"
"Yes. The original story is much less… romantic." She replied. "The founders of your tribe wanted to remember a fairytale instead of the truth."
"Wow… yeah, I'd like to hear it."
"I've never told this to anyone, but given your situation, I think you can handle it and should know. Considering your stake in the Quilleute Tribe and potential future with them, it'll help you both understand and make an informed decision for yourself." She paused, sighed, and began. "A long, long time ago, before the existence of shapeshifters, I was traveling through Canada…"
0.
Her howls filled the night sky, and the stars twinkled in delight. The large wolf, seemingly alone in the forest, howled her heart out into the darkness.
The moon was so full that it lit the entire forest, but shadows still loomed ominously from all corners. Bats, bugs, and other wildlife buzzed to life. Cold snow touched the wolf's paws, and gently covered her fur in a powdered mist.
After a moment of quietly taking in the scene before her, standing on a cliff's edge that overlooked beautiful, untouched landscape for miles around, she lay down and rested her face on her paws.
Another howl pierced the air.
Her ears perked up in curiosity.
Another howl, about 2 miles from her current position.
She grunted, but otherwise ignored the other wolf. She was content where she lay, overlooking the serene view, and quietly drifted off to sleep.
Sounds of someone ruffling through her belongings caused her to stir. Human, now, she opened her eyes to look at who, or what, was intruding on her campsite just 20 feet from her spot.
It appeared to be a young girl in her early twenties, wearing layers upon layers of clothing to protect her from the cold. It was a style of clothing native to a tribe she had visited several winters ago.
Slowly, Kila started approaching the unsuspecting woman, disguised by the snow. She was practically buried in it, and the only reason she wasn't freezing to death was her werewolf blood. After a full moon, she had the unusual side effect of being extremely warm.
When she got close enough, she emerged from the snow and grabbed hold of the intruder's wrist. She screamed in surprise, both at being caught and being caught by a naked woman in winter. Her green eyes bulged and she struggled against the grip with no avail. "Let go!"
"Only if you let go of my things." She replied, and was happy when the thief complied.
"How are you not cold?"
"I am a wolf. And if you try to steal my things again, I will devour you." She threatened, and suddenly the other girl froze, but not in fear. A smile suddenly spread across her face.
"You are a wolf? You are the wolf I howled to last night?"
"What do you mean?"
"I am a wolf!" She exclaimed, happily. "I can't believe I found someone like me!"
-.1
They traveled the country together for some time, wandering from town to town and meeting new people.
In those weeks together, Kila unfortunately found out just how blood thirsty the woman was. Going town to town, they had to leave each one quickly after the full moon to avoid persecution. Each month, at least 5 people were killed, and Kila awoke to screams of torturous death more than once.
The victims were almost always male, and sometimes women and children. Ellie, the blood thirsty werewolf, would castrate and mutilate her victims until there was nothing left but a newly blood-coated room. Sometimes Kila wondered if she was the Devil.
"What made you this way?" Kila asked her one evening as they were hiking a particularly steep slope. They were climbing a mountain, essentially, and heading south west towards the coast. Ellie paused, breathing normal, and faced her.
"What made me a wolf?"
"What made you so blood thirsty?" She asked, and heard a giggle escape the estranged woman's lips.
"He took my body by force, and stole my soul. When I was bitten, I had the chance to take it back. Every man I see has a piece of my soul, and I want it. Sometimes their offspring have pieces of it, and I have to kill them too. I can't let them keep it." She explained. "I need my soul, Kila. I need it to live. I can't let them keep it. It's mine. MINE!" She screamed, causing the older woman to take a step back. "Mine." She whispered, turned, and started walking again.
2.
"Is she where most stories about werewolves originate?"
"She's one of them, but hardly the only one. Werewolves are blood thirsty creatures by nature. More so than even cold ones." She explained, and the other girl nodded.
"Why aren't you blood thirsty, then? Or are you secretly killing people when you go out each week?"
The woman smiled. "I'm very, very old, Emily. I'm one of the first of my kind, and I can't even 'infect' people like other werewolves. I lost my taste for blood long, long ago, but it pops back into my life every so often."
"You can't infect people? Then how did Ellie get turned?"
"I suspect that either myself or another of my breed gave birth to a child, and they were able to turn others. Throughout the centuries, the strain of werewolf has become much more brutal than it used to be. It's the same with vampires."
"Wow." Emily gawked.
"Anyway, I awoke one night to the she-devil stabbing me in the gut. We both transformed into our wolf selves, fought, and after I won, packed up my bags and left. I didn't see her again for another 100 years. And when I did meet her, she had a husband."
-.2
"This is delicious soup. What's the meat? Is it chicken?"
"It's human, silly. We always use the good meat when we have guests over." Elli replied. Kila should have known, but through her surprise she kept eating, nonetheless. Nothing she could do for the poor soul now, and why let good meat go to waste? "We feed off of a tribe nearby. We give them protection against the other vampires in the area in exchange for one human every 6 months."
"Well, this soup is delicious, Ellie. I feel honored. And you are a vampire, Arnold?" The wolf woman asked, sipping at her wine. The man nodded, a gracious smile covering his lips.
"Yes. I was turned about 100 years ago. I came from across the seas."
"Oh? I haven't been off of this land in a long time. What is it like there?"
"More… advanced, than here." He said simply. "I was run out of my town and accused of being possessed, so I jumped into the water and just kept swimming!"
"And I'm glad he did, or else I never would have met this wonderful man." Ellie said sweetly, and pecked him and the cheek.
The door to the log cabin pushed open, and three little children barged into the two story-house. One of the children was covered in blood, a little girl, and the other two boys were laughing and giggling. The young girl walked up to the green-eyed werewolf and looked up at her with watering eyes. Her simple baby-blue dress was excessively torn and barely hanging from her shoulders. She had to keep it up with her hands. "Oh, sweet Lati, what happened? Your dress is ruined!"
"Lati killed someone!" The twin boys chanted, and took their seat in the empty chairs.
"I didn't mean to!" The girl cried. "There was a vampire, and then a human, and, and," By this point she started sobbing, and the mother raised her hand and slapped the child.
"Did you kill one of the Quileutes?"
"No. It was a traveler." One of the boys spoke up. "Lati changed into a wolf and everything. It was so cool!"
3.
"Werewolf vampire babies!?" Emily asked in amazement. "Are they the shapeshifters?!"
"Yes. Normal werewolves can only change once a month because their bodies can't handle anything more than that; however, when you add the strength and durability of a vampire, the werewolf can shapeshift as much as they want because they can handle it."
"So Leah and the others actually have vampire and werewolf blood in them?"
"Yes."
"Wait, so, if Ellie and Arnold are immortal, why aren't they around today? What about their children?"
"I killed Ellie and Arnold, and most of their children lived very long lives."
"You killed them? Because they were killing humans?"
"No." Kila said bluntly. "Quite honestly, I've witnessed so many humans, vampires, and werewolves die I've learned to accept it. I'm not really phased by it anymore, but I've learned out of self interest that it's best to be avoided when unnecessary. I've learned from experience to only get involved if it deals with someone I care about."
"So they hurt someone you care about?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Lati, her daughter." She answered, her voice turning into a whisper. There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, and Emily started to understand.
"You loved her. Ever since Lati, you can't love anyone like you loved her."
"Leah is her reincarnation."
"Leah? What? How does she tie into this? Aside from her abilities, of cour-"
"She looks exactly like her." She interrupted. " The way she smiles, her smell, her… everything reminds me of her." She croaked, and kept her eyes glued to the frozen TV screen. "Lati's parents traded her location to a bunch of vampires, for something I know not of. Probably jewels, gold, or fancy clothing. Lati was their least favorite child."
"… so, the vampires killed Lati, and you killed her parents?"
"I killed more than that. I slaughtered all of the vampires in the surrounding area, along with a few humans. After that, I lived with Lati's siblings for a while, with the tribe. Ellie's children were much kinder and wise than their parents." She explained, and Emily scooted closer. She put an arm around her warm shoulders.
"Thank you for telling me. I know that must have been difficult." The young woman soothed.
4.
The next day, Emily went to her cousin's home, a casserole in her mitted hands. When she opened the door, she was greeted by an exhausted Sue Clearwater. "Hello, Sue. I brought some food." She said, extending her arms to show the food in her hands.
"Oh, thank you, Emily." She said, and opened the door for her niece. They exchanged a quick hug, and both turned to look when Leah appeared in the hallway. "Leah! Look whose here!"
"I see, mom." She said with a smile, and walked forward to hug her cousin.
Emily still couldn't get over how much Leah had physically changed. She'd gone from the lanky teenager to strong, lean, and beautiful woman that stood before her. Her baby fat had disappeared almost over night, and cheek bones lay high beneath her skin. The woman's hair was cut short, because of her wolf form, and made her appear much older. "Another casserole? Couldn't you have brought us brownies?"
"I did, but then Kila ate all of it. Casserole is one of the few foods that agreed to not devour." She explained, and the tall woman bellowed out a laugh.
"Of course she did. Come on, let's go gossip and hang out in my room. I have something to tell you." Leah said, a smile across her face, and guided the other woman to her room after dropping off the casserole on the kitchen counter. Sue shook her head and put the dish away in the fridge, having to find space between the other 5 dishes.
"What's your news?" Emily asked once they seated themselves on her bed.
The room was very pink and girly. The lamps were fuzzy, the pillows were heart and flower shaped, and posters of Justin Beiber and iCarley covered the walls. "I have a date tonight, and I need you to help me pick out an outfit." She squealed, a chipper smile stretching her face and body bouncing on the bed. Emily tried to smile, but her cousin knew her too well and knew it was fake. "What? Why aren't you excited?"
"Who is the date with?"
"Embry. I know, he's a couple years younger, but I thought 'hey, why not?' and when he asked me out, I said yes. So, he's taking me out to see a movie."
"Embry?" She repeated. "Embry of all people? He's the bugger kid!"
"Have you seen him lately? He's extremely attractive! All muscley and stuff."
"You know who else is muscley?" Emily asked.
"Jacob?"
"Kelsey, you idiot! You should ask Kelsey out!"
"She's a girl, Emily. I like guys."
"Okay, I thought you would figure this out on your own, but I see that I have to spell it out for you." The older woman stated, and shifted her position so that she was facing her cousin more. She put her hand on the wolf girl's hand. "Leah, I've known you since I was 3, and I've known that you were gay since you were 10."
"Emily, I'm not gay. I like men! I like penises."
"No, you don't. Remember in Third grade-"
"We promised never to speak of that again."
"And fourth grade?"
"I was curious, everyone does that."
"And fifth grade?"
"Which time?"
"Exactly."
"But, I like pink. I like girly things!"
"You like girls."
"No. Lesbians are male wannabes that dress up like dudes, and own motorcycles, and-"
"Leah, you know that's not true. And I think that you like Kelsey."
"That's ridiculous! You like Kelsey! You're the one that's dating her!"
"That was to keep Sam away, and you know it. She and I don't have feelings for each other. If we did, we would have done something by now; I mean we live in the same house!"
"No. I like guys, and I want you to leave. I'll get ready on my own."
"Leah-"
"Get out!" She shouted, jumping onto her feet and going to the door.
5.
"Is Leah a valley girl?" Kila asked one evening, munching on Pringles between sentences. Emily and her were sitting on the couch, and had started conversing when the movie "Jaws" ended.
"Um… In some ways. She likes a lot of "girly" things, like Beiber, the color pink, and dressing up (until the breakup, that is). But she also excels at sports, and recently, turning into a wolf." Emily explained, shrugging at the end. "I told her that she was gay, the other day."
"Huh. How did that go?"
"Not well."
"The obsession over sexual orientation has always been an obscurity to me." Kila commented. Another Pringle. "I mean, we are in a day and age where we don't have to fight to survive. We have luxuries like laptops, running water, toilet paper, and almost any style of food at our disposal. Sexual reproduction was a means of continuing the human race, but now that that's not a problem nor priority, people shouldn't be caught up with persecuting each other over meaningless things like a male having sex with another male." The werewolf rambled.
"I completely agree." Emily replied.
"I mean, gays and lesbians have been around since the beginning of time. Race, species, gender- sex is sex."
"Here, here. You should ask Leah out."
"She's not ready yet. And she's very young and vulnerable at this point."
"Teenagers aren't as innocent as they used to be, Kelsey. She's had sex before." Emily told her, and didn't expect the booming laughter erupt from her.
"Teenagers have never been innocent, Emily." A wolfish smile tugged at her lips. "In fact, I theorize that children in America may be more sexually aware, but they are just as immature as their parents were at their age. Your generation may have more knowledge, but your intelligence is the same."
"Pffffft, whatever, old woman."
"And don't you forget it." She said, sticking her tongue out at the younger woman, and went back to the Pringles. "These things are delicious."
"Exactly how old are you?" Emily suddenly asked, sitting back against the arm of the couch and snuggling into the pillow hugged to her chest.
"Is that your question for the day?"
"Yes."
"So old I can't even remember my upbringing. I've written and hidden journals around the world dating back centuries, but thankfully I can't remember all of it. I remember the important things, and snippets over the past thousands of years, but my memory is fuzzy. I'm very thankful for that, actually, otherwise I would have killed myself by now."
"What? Why?"
"I've fought in countless battles, had the most delicious food around the world, had sex with the most beautiful women from every continent, and had adventures you couldn't even imagine. But I've also lost, felt pain, and experienced things no one should. If I remembered everything I experienced, then creating new experiences would become increasingly difficult and make every day a boring hell. Having to compete with myself century after century would eventually lead to my death."
"How far back do you remember?"
"I remember the past century very well, but past that I can only remember snippets. I try to only remember the really, really important events in my life."
1.
A young wolf rolled around restlessly on the grass so that his paws were in the air and back on the ground. His large claws occasionally swiped at the night sky, attempting to catch one of the flies like Mr. Myagi.
He just watched The Karate Kid earlier that evening, and had the new dream of becoming a karate master. I'm thirteen now, so I should be a master by the time I'm eighteen. I just need to wash my uncle's car a few more times... James thought happily, and let his tongue roll out of his mouth as he planned the next few years of his life. Dew and mud began to cake and collect on his long brown fur, but he happily ignored it. It was all he could do at the early hours of the morning, and he still had another two hours until his watch ended.
After another half hour, even Myagi couldn't keep him awake; as his mind drifted, his eyelids lowered and fluttered shut. He breathed loudly, sneezed, and rolled onto his side.
In the shadows, unbeknownst to him, a new enemy crouched and lurked from behind a bush. Large, wide, red eyes watched eagerly, readying his legs to pounce on his easy prey.