Disclaimer: The world of Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm rifling through her toy box.
The Burden of Truth
On a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a wolf hunkers low to the ground and creeps toward an old woman. His nervous eyes, in constant motion, betray the patience in his careful movement.
The woman is watching shades of lavender and gray slip into black night. She believes that if she waits long and looks deep, the encroaching darkness will reveal the spirit world and the wisdom of her ancestors. Sometimes she catches a glimpse of forever, but she would prefer the gift of her father's voice.
The brittle grasses breaking beneath weighted feet, demand that the woman acknowledge the animal's stealth. "I smelled you long before I heard you," she tells him.
The wolf whines and loses his caution. He moves without care now, upsetting the vegetation with his tail. The sounds rise over the wind and the surf.
The woman points at the horizon and speaks as the beast drops beside her. "See the comet? It is sweeping the stars out of the northern sky and into the ocean, where their embers fall into the crevices that hold all the secrets of the Earth. There, hidden truths form bubbles of glowing gas and float with Dead Man's Fingers to shore. If you are lucky enough to be standing at the edge of the Pacific and you see their light, you can trade one of the lies you have been telling yourself for a secret. The deal is a great gift, but it is no bargain; unspoken truths are a heavy burden."
The old woman reaches for her companion, curling her fingers over Jacob's hand.
A/N: Dead Man's Fingers is the most invasive alga in the world. http(colon)/www(dot)psp(dot)wa(dot)gov/downloads/ANS/NewANSGuide(dot)pdf
This flash fic was my response to the Twilight LAS Round 1 Challenge 2 entry.