Chapter 6

Changes

"So, do I get to know about the wedding plans?" Kyle asked as he put his arm around me and pulled me close. Seth groaned. "Or is this one of those things where you just need to tell me where and when to show up?"

"How much do you really want to know?" I asked. "I mean Mom's working hard to have us married on Valentine's Day, and I can tell you it will be outside unless the weather gets nasty"

"That's a pretty short time-table! I'm so glad we won't have to wait very long." He kissed my cheek "I never even thought about it, but shouldn't we go look at rings sometime soon?"

"Um....you might want to rethink that idea of rings," Seth interrupted, reminding us that we were not alone in the room. "Sam won't wear his ring, and he made everyone in the pack stop wearing jewelry since it was possible to cause damage during a change. Remember Leah, when you had to stop wearing that necklace he gave you....oops, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that!"

"It's okay Seth, Kyle knows all about it, and I'm all over it now. I'm glad you reminded me." A log popped loudly in the fireplace and I heard my stomach growl. "Anyone else hungry?" I asked as I stood to go to the kitchen.

Kyle stood with me, keeping his arm around my waist. "We've been snacking all evening while you and your mom were in here making plans. But I'm sure we could eat a little more if you forced us, I mean she did say it all had to go!"

We all went to the kitchen and by flashlight and candle flame we made sandwiches and ate leftover party food standing around the kitchen table. The pebbly tapping of the sleet hitting the tin roof was almost enough to cover our talking and joking as we ate. I could tell Seth approved of Kyle even though he kept teasing both of us at every opportunity. "You never did say why you want to name yourself after a grizzly bear. Isn't that kind of weird?" Seth barely looked at Kyle while stuffing another handful of chips into his mouth and washing them down with punch.

"Well, I think Leah wants to wait and share the secret at a better time, when more of you are around, but if you don't tell anyone I'll let you in on it early. Can you keep it to yourself?" Kyle spoke to Seth almost like a son and it reminded me of their age difference.

"Well, so long as I don't need to join the pack I can keep a secret. But you know once I change I'm an open book! It's the same with Leah too. But I think we're safe enough now with everyone home keeping warm and dry." I wanted to caution Kyle, but then I thought that my big planned revelation might not happen since Kyle was having so much trouble staying calm around Jacob and Sam.

"Okay Seth, the reason I chose to be named Grizzly Bear is because when I change that's what I like to become!" It was priceless to see Seth struck speechless. His jaw dropped open and he lost the olive he was trying to pop in his mouth. "I change into the grizzly bear when I hunt, but I can also become a fox, or an eagle, an owl, an otter, and of course with Leah around I can't forget the wolf!" He smiled at Seth's disbelief. "Oh, and I can also become the scariest sled dog you've ever seen!"

Kyle looked at me and grinned. "If you think that's impressive, Leah can do it better than I can! I thought it was going to take her a long time to learn, but she is so smart and she can already change into as many animals as I can!"

Seth finally spoke. "Now I know you're lying! Leah changes into a gray wolf; we've all seen her! Why do you want to play that kind of game with me? I'm even giving you my room!" I could tell he wanted to brush off what Kyle was saying as a joke, but part of him was believing it.

Kyle laughed along with Seth. "I think you know I'm telling the truth. I've seen Leah as a wolf often enough to know she's a lovely gray with darker fur down her back. And beautiful golden eyes! She's also a pretty little silver fox when she wants to be, and I've seen her golden eagle. But I can't prove to you that I can change into a grizzly bear, not now anyway. I can change into a fox or a bald eagle pretty safely in the house." Kyle was asking Seth to go along with it. "If I show you, you can't overreact, okay?"

"Yeah, sure....just how gullible do I look to you?" Kyle didn't argue, but I could see Seth was interested when Kyle took off his shirt, shoes and socks and unsnapped his jeans. He pulled a chair to a clear area of the room and I felt the heat when he changed. The huge bald eagle seemed even bigger in the small space, and I watched him hop from the chair seat to the back, grabbing onto it with strong talons and spreading his wings not even their full span before the tips of one brushed against a window. Seth silently came around the table. "Leah, is that Kyle or have I gone crazy?" The bird ducked his head twice in what looked like a nod. "Is it okay to touch it? Will he bite me?"

"That's Kyle Seth, as long as he's not angry or stressed out he's as safe as he was a minute ago! You know, just like when you are a wolf you are still you!" The bird watched him with his quick- blinking observant eyes and Seth reached out to touch his head. Just as his fingers got close, Kyle snapped at him with his powerful beak and Seth yelped and jumped back. "Kyle!" I scolded. "Seth, he's just messing with you! He won't bite you, and even if he did you'd heal so fast it wouldn't matter. I'll show you he's Kyle."

I stepped over and picked up his discarded jeans. When I sat in the chair the eagle spread it's wings behind me. Without looking I reached up and pet the bird's head, being careful not to rearrange any feathers. I put my finger against his beak, feeling the sharp point but I didn't get bit. When Kyle hopped onto my shoulder I felt he was careful not to claw me, but it would have been easy to shred my shoulder. "See, it's Kyle; he wouldn't do anything to hurt me." I reached out for Seth's hand and held his arm steady like a perch. When the eagle left my shoulder and landed on Seth's arm I had to hold his hand tight since he was afraid of being attacked. "If he were a wild eagle he would have drawn blood when he landed. He's trying not to hurt you Seth." I let go of his hand and Seth held steady, amazed to have the enormous bird of prey sitting placidly on his arm. "You should see him when he flies, he's breathtaking!" I watched Seth smooth the birds feathers with his other hand and I remembered how it really was Kyle, and that Seth was petting my fiance, not just any bird.

"Does that convince you enough that Kyle was telling you the truth?" I held my arm out and Kyle changed perches, and I transferred him back to the back of the chair. "I'm going to go to the bathroom while he changes back." I set his pants where he'd left them and made my exit. When I came back out Kyle was himself again and fully dressed. "So little brother does that answer your question?"

"I get that Kyle can become something other than a wolf, but what about you? I mean if you can do it, maybe I can do it too!" I grinned. This was almost better than show and tell day at school when you had something really good to take.

"I can show you what I look like as a fox. Will that convince you?" At his nod I backed up. In seconds I was changed, and I had to wiggle out of my useless clothes. I hopped up onto Kyle's lap and licked his face. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and once again Seth had to touch me to see if I was real.

"Leah, is that really you? I can hardly believe it!" I yipped softly and jumped down off of Kyle's lap. I wove through Seth's legs twice and grabbed my clothes in my teeth and headed to my bedroom. When I was changed back and dressed I was anxious to get back to Kyle. I heard him explaining his lesson on changing to Seth. I smiled as I remembered how he'd taught me to study an animal, not to just copy it, but to become the animal. I sat down on Kyles lap as Seth hung on his every word. "Leah, Kyle's been telling me how he thinks I can lean how to do what you both do! Do you really think the whole pack will be able to do this too?"

"I think you can all learn it; I think it's part of what we are. But I also wonder why we have developed an affinity for the wolf; maybe it's the reason we've survived for so long. Not many other predators have a pack mentality; most are solitary or live in pairs. I'd hate to introduce everyone to all the choices and possibilities only to have the packs split up and everyone go off on their own and stop working together as a team." I could see that both Seth and Kyle were thinking about what I'd said.

"Do you think there could be more of us scattered around the world? It would certainly seem possible considering that I'm not a part of your tribe and yet we clearly are alike." Kyle had his arms around me and Seth was watching us from across the table.

"Maybe that would explain where Embry came from!" Seth looked like he was happy to have a reason for Embry's questionable parenthood. It had secretly been believed that with all of our pack being able to trace their lineage back to one of three recent tribal leaders, except for Embry, that one of the fathers had cheated with his mother. I myself would rather think it had been someone else, but there was not an easy way to prove how he'd come by his ability. "Your father never came down this way before he met your mother, did he Kyle?"

Kyle laughed at the question. "Seth, my father would have been close to seventy years old when your friend's mother got pregnant. You'd be looking for someone closer to my age if you want to track him down; and I can tell you without a doubt I'm not his father! Although I do have two brothers who left the area, and I haven't heard from them in quite a while. I'll have to look into it some day. The sound of the ice hitting the roof slowed down to a light ticking and I got up to clean up the food. Seth went to check the generator and then added more wood to the fireplaces.

Kyle went back to the living room to sit by the fire and I caught Seth coming in the back door with another armful of wood. I tried to keep my voice down as I talked with him. "I need a favor from you." I tried not to look guilty as I helped him stack the wood in place. "If you know Jacob or Sam will be coming by, will you give me a warning?" Seth looked confused and I tried to give a quick explanation. "Remember when Jacob split from the pack and became his own alpha? Well, Kyle has been his own alpha for a lot longer than Sam or Jacob, and he's never been part of a pack. He's never yielded leadership to anyone before and I don't think he intends to start now. Kyle's just not himself when those two are around, and I want a chance to get him out of the way if they are going to be nearby. It's hard to explain because Kyle has claimed me as his, but I'm still connected to Jacob as part of the pack, and to Sam because of our history.

"I've seen Kyle as a grizzly, and I don't believe either Sam or Jacob could stand against him for long. And if their pack leaders were in trouble you know the rest would join in; it would put a whole lot of people I love and care about at risk and I'm going to try to avoid that at all costs."

"So, are you really over Sam? It seems like he's had some part in your life for such a long time it's hard to believe you've finally let go." He wasn't being a bratty little brother, but a concerned friend and I smiled to realize how far we'd come.

"I'm so over Sam it's as if he never mattered in the first place! I had to see the real thing to recognize how wrong I was."

"So, did you imprint on him Leah, it sure looks like it to me." I was laughing before he finished his question.

"No Seth, it didn't happen that way for me....but it did for him! He didn't know what hit him, poor guy! It's scary to have someone so fixated on you. But it's hard to say 'no' to that kind of love and devotion; and it helps that he's such a wonderful man! That's why I want to keep him away from Sam and Jacob; he's not so wonderful when they're around."

"Is that what happened today? You're not a very convincing liar; I'm sure Mom would have noticed it if she wasn't so stressed out. I think she wanted to believe it too, but I've seen him eat and he sure didn't look sick to me!"

"Thanks for not spilling the beans to Mom. What happened while I was gone? You used to be such a brat – now you're behaving like you're growing up." I smiled and ruffled his fuzzy haircut.

"Gee thanks....I think." I noticed also that he'd grown a couple inches while I was away and now he was taller than I was. "You've missed a lot. I've been the pack beta while you were gone. And you also missed my seventeenth birthday last month! Don't worry, I don't expect you to get me anything....I'll accept cash!" He was laughing playfully when Kyle came to see what we were up to.

"I was starting to wonder where you were. Do you need any more help with the firewood?" He slipped his arm around me like a natural reflex. "I think the sleet has stopped falling so maybe the power outages won't be so bad. I need to call my sister and let her know when the wedding is going to be. I can make arrangements to go back and pick them up, but I'll have to see if someone in my flying club will be able to take them home afterward; I'm going to be too preoccupied to worry about taking them back home." He squeezed me and Seth laughed. I was glad the light was too dim for them to see me blush.

"So do you have any other family and friends coming?" Seth asked. "Leah said you were the youngest of seven, are we going to need to find places for everyone to stay?"

"Uh, no. Most of them don't understand why I don't age. I'm sure my sister will let everyone know, but I don't expect them to want to be here. My mom thinks I'm my own son, she came up with that explanation all on her own and I haven't had the heart to tell her any different. I've also lost touch with most of my friends; once I started changing I started to worry that someone would find out by accident, or that I might hurt someone if they made me angry."

Seth looked visibly shaken by his explanations. I had already heard most of it before, but it still made me sad for what he'd gone through for so long. "It sounds a little like what Sam went through at first. Except he didn't have to wait so long to find others like him." Seth was trying to empathize with Kyle. "I'm so glad I had someone there to tell me what was happening; I can't imagine going through this alone!" He patted Kyle's shoulder and then yawned.

Kyle smiled, "why don't you go ahead and go to bed and we can talk more tomorrow."

"I'm not tired, I stay up late all the time!" Seth tried to appear energized, but the dark circles under his eyes told a different story. I wondered how much extra work Mom had made him do to get ready for my return.

"Seth, you're not going to miss anything, we're going to bed soon too." I lead the way back through the house.

"I can't go to sleep as long as you two are up; the couch is my bed until you're married. I think Mom wanted me to chaperone you two and keep you in separate rooms." He looked embarrassed and Kyle and I both laughed.

"Get some sleep Seth. We've been chaperoning ourselves since we met. You don't have to worry, my virtue is safe." I tried not to laugh at Kyle's raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but what about my virtue?" Seth looked embarrassed and Kyle went on, "You really need to keep an eye on her! She'll try to sneak into my room and do terrible things to me! Just before we left to come here she attacked and bit me! You don't believe me? Just ask her, she's proud of it!"

"Kyle!" I punched his arm hard, knowing I couldn't damage his rock solid body.

"See, she's meaner than a snake! Now she's hitting me even while you're here watching! I don't know how you survived growing up with such a menace. But I'll make you a deal; I'll take her to her room and I'll stay up all night keeping an eye on her so she can't cause either one of us any harm. I'll even hold her down if that's what it takes to keep us all safe; whaddya say?" He couldn't keep the grin off his face, and I was giggling as Seth rolled his eyes at both of us.

Seth threw up his hands, "Just go to bed you two; separate beds! I'm not worried about you two; I'm worried about Mom. I'd rather face a wolf and a bear than an angry Mom!"

We said our good nights and headed off to bed after blowing out the candles. I kissed Kyle goodnight in the hallway and I reluctantly left him to go sleep alone in my room.

In the morning I woke up alone in my own bed and for just a second I thought that everything about Kyle had been a dream. I even missed his scent as I stretched and crawled from the warm nest of blankets. A small teddy bear fell off the bed and I was jolted by the memory that Sam had given it to me years ago and I'd slept with it up until the day I left home. I heard a light tap on my door just before the most beautiful man I'd ever seen ducked his head as he came through the door frame. "Are you going to sleep the whole day away Tikaani?" He left the door open and sat on the edge of my bed. I all but launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around him and covering his cheeks with kisses.

"I've missed you so much Kyle! I'm so lucky to have you; let's get married!" I climbed onto his lap facing him, wrapped my arms and legs around him, and kissed him enthusiastically.

For several heartbeats he returned my kisses, both of us carried away by our mutual desire. But then he broke away and started trying to dislodge me from his lap. "Are you trying to get me killed? There's a man in the other room with a gun and a badge. And I don't think even he would be able to keep your mom from taking my head off if she caught us like this!" He laughed as I slipped off of his lap.

Chief Swan must be visiting, which still struck me as odd since he'd been one of my dad's best friends, and now he was spending so much time with my mom. Before I left it was one of the things that I'd been mad at the world about. I could link it all back to the Cullen family; how they shouldn't be here, and we wouldn't have become what we were, and Sam wouldn't have left me, and Dad wouldn't have died. But now I could see if that first domino hadn't fallen, I never would have found Kyle; worse, I might be married to Sam. I was starting to realize that I couldn't blame the Cullen's for everything wrong with my life. They weren't the reason Dad had died, in fact they weren't even in the country at the time. I guess I'd started to think like several people in the tribe, that me and Seth turning into wolves had been too much stress for him.

But when I looked around it seemed we were all doing just fine. The younger wolves were proud to be guardians of the tribe. The two packs had sorted out their differences, and even Sam and Emily were finally getting on with their lives. I compared our tribe to what was happening in Kyle's village and it seemed that our changes had united us and kept us from falling into some of the same traps. Our young people weren't running off to find a better life somewhere else. We didn't have a big problem with alcoholism, and our council was still strong in leadership. Sure money was tight, but it was the same in the whole area. Life was simple here, but it was still good.

I kissed Kyle and shooed him out of my room so I could change. It was good to have my own clothes again, but they seemed like they belonged to someone else. I remembered wanting so much to look feminine and pretty, especially after I changed and had to run with the guys. My wardrobe seemed to be screaming 'look at me!' and I had to dig to find something I wanted to wear now. I wanted to throw away everything pink and sexy, but I only needed to worry about it for a little while longer. I knew that sometime this week I'd be doing some shopping with Mom and I planned to find some better clothes then. In the mean time I picked out something that was pretty and feminine without being overly revealing. I slipped down the hall to the empty bathroom. I forgot the power was off, and the water in the shower was ice cold. Fortunately I could handle it, but I rushed through and dressed in a hurry.

When I came out Chief Swan was standing in the living room, and Sam was lurking in the doorway. "Leah! I was hoping I'd get to see you while you were home." Charley hugged me warmly and noticed my cold wet hair. "My Alaska must have given you some serious cold resistance if you can take showers without hot water!" He smiled as Kyle came to stand beside me. "I just came by to tell your mother that the power was out over most of the county due to the ice storm. Sam's getting a group of men together to go out to check on the people most at risk, you know the elderly, the handicapped, people with infants, and those who are too remote to be reached easily. Fortunately the weather should warm up in a day or two, but right now it's a mess out there.

"I've been calling some of the ladies who live nearby and we're getting together to make lunches and care packages to send along. I can get rid of some of that extra food from yesterday." Mom was happy to pitch in and help.

Seth popped up and asked, "Can Kyle and I help out? I can show him where people live and I'm sure he knows how to drive on ice after living in Alaska!"

"Seth, we had to be picked up from the airport remember, we're without a car right now." I reminded him.

"What about the truck you borrowed yesterday? That thing's incredible; I'll call the Cullen's and ask if it's okay to use it a little longer, I'm sure they won't mind." He took off to make the call oblivious to the chilly reaction his suggestion had gotten. At the mention of the Cullen name everyone in the room started to get a little irritated. It was only recent that the tribe had come to accept them, but still their name brought to mind differences that were hard for some to deal with. Kyle looked down at me and smiled, "I'd like to help out if I can. I'm sure Seth knows his way around and I can drive through almost anything.

"That's kind of you to offer. We've got all the emergency personnel in town stretched thin trying to clear the roads and get the power back on. I'm sure we could keep you busy if you don't mind being away from your pretty fiance!" Chief Swan smiled at us both.

"She is beautiful, but she knows I'll always come back to her!" He wrapped his arms around me from behind and smiled over my shoulder at Chief Swan and Sam at the same time. His hold was starting to get uncomfortably tight and I was hoping that Sam would leave soon and their paths would be in opposite directions. I could feel him getting warmer by the minute and I was grateful when Seth came bounding back into the room.

"The Cullen's said it was fine to use the truck. And Emmett wants to know when you're going to have that wrestling match? What's that all about? You can't be serious about wrestling him, he's...." His eyes traveled up to Kyle's seven foot height and he chuckled, "....huge!"

"Alright Seth, we need to get started. I've got a list of people you two can go check on." Sam handed Seth a list of names. "Do you know everyone on that list and where they live?" Seth read down the list and nodded. "Then we'll keep in touch with cell phones. If anyone is in immediate trouble let us know so we can get them help."

"I know how to handle trouble. I've worked as a park ranger for years and did search and rescue as well, we'll be fine." Kyle sounded self assured, but I could hear the edge to his voice and I held tight to his arms wrapped around me. About that time Mom came out of the kitchen and handed everyone a large sack.

"I've packed food for your teams and there's some things for the people on your list; candles, matches, and batteries for the flashlights. Oh, just a minute." She ran off to her bedroom and returned with an armload of handmade blankets. "You can give these to anyone who might need them, or use them yourself if you need to. Just be careful out there everyone!" The look she gave Chief Swan seemed to say 'especially you,' but maybe I was just being sensitive. He squeezed her shoulder and put his hat back on as he went to the door. Sam was following close behind and I was thankful to see him leaving before Kyle lost his cool in more ways than one.

It took a few more minutes for Seth and Kyle to get ready, layering on warm clothes and putting on boots. Kyle's phone was charged, and I knew the truck had a radio for emergencies as well. Before he left he kissed me so long and hard it embarrassed my mom and Seth. "You need to get out there and cool off! And remember to keep yourself under control....those are your only boots remember" I whispered so Mom wouldn't hear me. "And be careful, I love you!"

I watched him drive away and realized this was the first time we'd be apart from each other for more than a couple hours since we'd met. Well, except for when I went off to become a new animal. It didn't take Mom long to organize the nearby ladies into a little work force. They gathered at our house and brought whatever they had. We made soups and sandwiches, and packaged up candles, matches, and batteries. We also made packages for children and babies for those who might need formula and diapers. As the crews came back along the main road we were able to hand out the supplies along with coffee or hot chocolate for the workers.

After a few hours of working There was a knock at the door. Jacob came in cold and breathless. "Leah, is Seth here, we need to get the pack together for a search; Kim's grandmother wandered off, and they haven't got a clue where to find her. She's having memory issues and they didn't have any idea she was missing until this morning. Jared's tried to find her trail, but he lost it at the edge of the woods. Sam's pack is all scattered trying to check up on people and we need help now!

"I'll go with you, but Seth left a while ago with Kyle. We don't have time to wait, let's get going! I hurried to my room to change. I put on something sexy and revealing and kicked off my shoes. We both slipped out the back door and headed for the trees.

"Nice outfit, I bet Kyle hasn't seen you in that!" Jacob pointed at the spaghetti strapped purple backless scrap I had on along with the very short low riding skirt.

"No, and he never will!" I changed into a wolf and the clothes shredded into a fluttering pile of scraps. A russet blur of fur ran past me as Jacob changed and took the lead. It felt strange to have them back in my head as I ran along. He called out to Quil, Embry and Jared that we were on the way and we'd be splitting up to search the woods as a grid. Jared was frantic since Kim was his mate. He was sending thoughts of how upset she was and how it was hurting him to see her pain. We found the house and started from there, With noses to the ground we caught her scent easily, but at the woods the multitude of broken pine boughs had brought down too much debris and covered the trail. From that point we spread out, each of us taking a different section of the woods. The whole time I wandered back and forth in my section of grid I could hear Jared in the background counting the hours the old woman had been missing and fretting over how Kim would handle it if she died. He was desperate not to let her down and yet he was convinced that she'd gone off to die somewhere.

It seemed hopeless to me as I couldn't see even my own footprints let alone those that were hours older. And the scent was just gone. I even sniffed for something dead, but still nothing. "Jacob, let me try something else; we're not getting anywhere like this."

"What do you want to try Leah?" he continued searching barely paying me any attention as he coordinated the others to move to the next grid.

"I'm taking the search to the air." I would have felt a bigger sense of triumph but the circumstances were dire and I wasn't really interested in showing off, I just wanted to find her before it was too late. I concentrated and in seconds I was the eagle. I flew up into the sky and I knew right away that Jacob could see through my eyes and he didn't know what I was doing. I flew back to the place where we'd lost the trail and started there flying in ever widening concentric circles and looking below for anything that was out of place. When I flew over the wolves below me I saw them stop for a second and look up, There were no words, just an ah ha moment. I caught an updraft and I resisted the temptation to follow the air currents, instead widening the circle.

A movement caught my eye and I flew toward it. It wasn't in the woods, but a cleared field to the north of the house. It was a scrap of pink and with my eyes I could see it was a slipper with the pink fur blowing in the breeze. "This way guys; she's not in the woods, she must have doubled back on you! I flew low and circled the slipper until the wolves all came out to catch the new trail. They tore off toward a grouping of old barns and outbuildings with a strong scent. The closest barn was little more than a skeleton framework and they searched it but she wasn't inside.

They ran on and I flew ahead to the next one. It was a small shed and the wolves scented her inside. I flew down and landed on the roof as Jacob changed and slipped into the shorts he'd had attached to his leg. When he pulled her out she was wearing a nightgown, housecoat, blanket and one slipper. She was frantically slapping at Jacob who'd pulled her from her fairly warm hiding place, buried in a feeding trough under a thick covering of hay. I was trying to figure out how they were going to get her back home since she obviously didn't trust Jacob and the wolves were sending her into a serious panic.

I flew down and landed on the ground and concentrated. I needed to try something else if we were going to get the woman back home without hurting her or scaring her into a heart attack. I imagined four long legs, a strong body, ears that would alert me to danger and a nose that would help me find food and avoid predators. Kyle was wrong, it wasn't so bad to be an herbivore, just a little different. I stood and tested my steps and my skinny legs felt strong. I trotted out from behind the outbuilding and the sight of the wolves sent a shiver through me even though I recognized them and they knew who I was.

I could feel the wind blowing my mane and tail and I looked at the woman who seemed to recognize that I was there to help her. She calmed immediately and came to pat my muzzle in wonder. She looked small from where I stood and I realized that I was bigger than most horses. I knelt down like I'd seen some trained to do. The ice was rough against me but my hair was enough to keep me comfortable. "Jacob, help her onto my back and you climb up behind her. I think most of these old timers know how to ride, and she seems to like horses. Remind her that Kim's mom wants to see her!" I sent my thoughts to him and he easily did what I suggested.

Jacob didn't have to help her, she was eager to climb onto my back. He arranged her blanket to keep her legs warm and he climbed on too. When I stood I felt her legs squeeze my sides and she knotted my mane in her old fingers. Jacob put his arms around her to share his body heat and before she could fight him I started walking. Her memories might be failing her, but she still knew how to ride! When she clicked her tongue I knew it was safe to go faster, and I was able to find a fast trot that was covering the ground quick but safe. I had worried that the ice would be too treacherous for my hooves, but it wasn't a problem even when I had to leap the creek. Through Jacob's eyes I got an image of a large dark brown mustang which turned out to be well suited to the icy ground. I had actually been thinking of a Clydesdale when I changed which made me wonder again about racial memories.

It was almost two miles back to the house she had wandered off from and I was impressed that she had gotten so far without freezing to death. By the time I got her to her front porch she was talking to me and had already given me a name. I knelt down so she could get off easily and she begged me with childlike innocence not to run away before she could give me a treat. Her whole family was gathered around, making sure she was alright and listening to Jacob tell where he'd found her hiding. While they were listening to his rescue story, Jared changed back and Kim gave him his clothes. No one seemed to pay attention to the horse, even when I stood up. The little old woman paid attention to me and she offered me an apple while she patted me. It was delicious and it was gone so fast it left me craving other vegetables and fruits.

The woman's family wanted her inside where it was warm and soon I was forgotten as Jacob said his goodbyes and Jared went inside with Kim. Embry and Quil were both still hiding off in the woods and I trotted along that way myself. Once we were out of sight I heard them thinking 'wonder if she's still the fastest?'

If they were normal wolves I'd have no problem outrunning them, but they were enormous and I wasn't used to galloping. But still I took off as they yipped and gave chase. I heard Jacob weakly warn us against racing but it wasn't an order and I wanted to win. The mustang was built for speed, and I wasn't an ordinary mustang, but a huge one. I knew the woods well, and I tore through the icy landscape with powerful legs and soon left the wolves behind. I was about to turn around to gloat over my victory when without warning a huge tree limb cracked from the weight of the ice and fell directly in my path. Too late to jump it I crashed into it and felt my legs tangle in the smaller branches. I went down hard and felt snapping and tearing in my legs. I screamed at the pain, and I knew it was both mental and physical. All the weight of me fell on top of what was broken and my mind fell into a merciful black pit.