C is for Camp
Camp (n): a group of tents, cabins or huts.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters but who would want to own Bella Swan? Edward can keep her whiny, selfish, manipulative ass. Just sayin'.
He lingers outside the camp just far enough away to not be caught up in the light of the multiple fires that have been lit here and there. Curiosity has gotten the better of him; he had been warned by the others to stay away from the nomads. They are the same old nomads that passes through their lands around the same time every year, traveling with the herds, stopping to fish near the rivers and picking berries. He knows better than to continue on with this same old behavior but old habits die hard and he just has to see her.
He's known of the girl since he was little and saw her collecting berries with her mother and the rest of the women. She wandered off on her on caught up in a game of chase with a passing butterfly. The memory of her carefree laughter makes his stomach flutter, his chest constrict and his mouth dry. She was beautiful, the sun making her tanned skin glow and her black hair shine brighter than any smooth onyx stone he'd ever seen.
During her play she crossed the path of a black bear, a mother with her triplets, and her presence put the bear on alert. He was supposed to have walked away, turned a blind eye, let her be mauled by the bear or worst killed. His kind were to remain hidden and not let anyone know of their existence but the thought of that tanned skin being stained and ripped open frightened him and without a second thought he jumped out of his hiding place. Running up he attacked the mother bear and stood in between her and the girl, refusing to back down and let any harm befall her. The bear soon realized that she'd not win the battle and left him alone after collecting her cubs and moving on. If it was possible he fell harder for her the moment he saw her light brown eyes, the size of walnuts, looking up at him with silent tears streaming down them. She was safe and that was all that mattered to him. Before he could turn and run off, she then did something so surprising, she jumped up and hugged him tightly. She thanked him in all the tongues that she knew all the while her tears rushing from her eyes and soaking his neck, shoulder and chest. She had finally kissed him, on the nose, lightly as her good bye and thanks as her mother and few of the men began calling for her. She ran off then and the only thing that kept him from following after her, showing her that he was a boy just like she was a girl, the men of his tribe called out to him and in a few days she was gone.
But since that day he's made sure to see her at least twice a year. He follows her people, diving in and out of the bushes, trees and shadows hoping to catch a glimpse of her. It warms him to know that even after all these years she still returns to the same spot where he saved her from the bear. She believes him to be a spirit – a wolf spirit – that resides in this part of the forest and leaves him small offerings and trinkets as a thanks for saving her all those years.
His father had ordered him to not appear before the girl ever again which is why he has to be content with seeing her from afar. But nothing brings him a greater sense of peace then listening to her voice as she says her soft prayers to him. Her voice is like a lullaby – calm, soothing and warm. He sits curled up out in the sun not far from her and lets her voice carry on the wind to his ears. He yearns to hear her voice say his name and he wishes to know hers.
Fear and anxiety falls over him as he watches her bathe one day. He sees that her body is fully matured and the thought of some strange male seeing her like this unsettles him. Jealous wells up inside of him as he watches her from afar as the young males greet her or try to coax her to them. He breathes a sigh of relief as she turns them down with a light laugh and shake of her head.
It is the month of his nineteenth birthday and he's now able to go further outside of his territory to patrol. It means following her a bit longer and a lot further than usual. His presence keeps the nomads safe at night as animals do not approach the camp and the few dogs that they have growl and whimper throughout the night afraid to approach him. He worries because they notice – all of them – and backs off from the camp.
He is pulled away as the howl is sent out of a Cold One within their lands. With a longing look back does he take off to go hunt down the Cold One, the creatures that drink the blood of people; if not out of duty but to ensure that she does not fall victim to the monster's thirst.
He and his brothers hunt down the Cold Ones that lie on the outskirts of their territory and even within their allies'. There is a group of them, seven in all, and they manage to kill six with one escaping. They chase the lone Cold One for days but it is hard work as the creature does not seem to tire out, unlike them.
He grows anxious as the Cold One begins to back track heading back towards where he last saw her. Time and time again they are close to making the kill but their prey eludes them, again and again. Success finally comes on a clear, bright and sunny day. The Cold One's sparkling skin gives away his location as he grows careless and allows himself to slip through an opening in the trees. The pack easily captures him but at the cost of a startled herd. The animals upon either seeing some strange objects shine in the distance or maybe they caught the collective smell of death, decay and dried blood – he'll never know – but they start and begin running away.
The sound of the thundering hooves does not register with him as he and his brother tear into the cold hard flesh of the Cold One. The Cold One's cry of pain must drown out the sound of the screams further down in the meadow. A few of his brothers that have missed out on the kill draw it to his attention that stampeding herd is heading towards some of the nomads – some of the children seem to have been playing there.
Panic immediately consumes as he tears off running along the forest line, his thoughts immediately bringing the girl to his mind. He prays that she's not there, that she's elsewhere; with a man, her mother - just out of the way of danger.
There is a loud yell and he sees a boy fall down trying to hurry up and get out of the way. He is hurt and is holding his ankle but the boy is none of his concern. That is until he sees her running out into the middle of the meadow towards him. He pleads internally that she turns back, gives the boy up for lost and save herself. His brothers scream at him to not do what he is thinking about doing, what they feel his body is about to do of its own volition.
The girl pulls the boy's leg out of a hole and tries to get him back on his feet – to run. She looks back and sees the herd that is blind with fear of the Cold One and knows that it is much too late. His eyes widen as she hugs the boy close to her, shielding his slightly smaller frame with her own. With his heart in his throat he jumps out from the cover of the trees, the shelter that has kept him hidden from their sight and tries to divert the herd away. However, only a few turn away from him while the rest continue running straight for her – his heart.
Flattening his ears against his skull he pushes on, running faster than he's run before, desperation and fear pushing him. She looks up at him, their eyes meeting for a second – recognition – before he growls and bites into the haunches of a moose that dared cross his path. He thanks the spirits as the girl stands up, pulling the boy with her as if understanding his intentions, and he ducks his head low brushing against them both as they grab a hold. The moment he feels two sets of hands take hold does he growl and snarl at the moose nearest to him and clear a path.
His brothers curse him as he runs for the covers of the trees; it's easy to ignore them as his heart leaps at feeling her touch again after so long, knowing that he's saved her again and that he'll be rewarded with another kiss. He stops once he is certain they are far away from the men of her tribe and lowers his belly to the ground to allow the pair to slide off. The moment the weight is gone does he stand up to his full height. He still towers over her and takes in every detail about her. The boy backpedals away from the giant wolf and is holding back a bout of tears as the girl smiles up at him.
He watches closely as she turns around and says something to the boy. The boy looks in between the two, his chest rising quickly as if it'll leap right out of his chest. The boy only calms down once the girl steps away from him and kneels down to look at his leg – it's broken. He sits and watches her as she talks to the boy in her calm, soothing and relaxing voice. He's tuned out his brothers and is focused solely on her and this moment wishing to speak to her, to hold her and become wrapped up in her scent.
Standing up she smiles at him and just as before she captures him up in a tight hug. She again offers up her thanks in all the tongues that she knows. He nudges her lightly when she says her thanks in a language that he understands. His heart lifts as asks him if he's the same wolf from the bear and he nods his head. There's something that shines in her eyes, eyes that are a light brown like hazelnuts that excite him.
The boy expresses his desire to go home – to return to camp. She nods her head in understanding and he suddenly feels anxious as she gives him a sad smile. His heart plummets to the ground upon hearing her say that she must 'return to camp. My brother is hurt'. He knows that when she returns he might not see her again, this close, that he'll be forced back into watching her from afar; watching her return with a mate and then eventually a family.
He shifts from wolf to man, to stand looking at her and she back at him. He smiles as she blushes and looks quickly down at the ground slightly beside her. His brothers are close by watching this whole exchange. He's long felt the bonds that his father had placed upon their interaction lift the moment he ran out into the herd to save her – he's free, free to talk to her, take her hand and smile at her. He does all of those things, gently pulling her closer towards him.
"Hi," He greets, his voice sounding lower, huskier and deeper than he had hoped. It's the first word he's ever spoken to anyone that wasn't already a part of his tribe.
"Hi," She breathes back. He feels his lip twitch up into a smile as his hand moves up and gently cups her face; her cheeks are warm and feel so soft and smooth.
"Name?" He berates himself for asking such a foolish question or at least being unable to form a complete sentence. She does however catch on to his request.
"Leah," She answers smiling at him. "And yours?"
"Jacob." His breathing becomes shallow as she says his name and it's like music to his ears. It's a tune and a melody that he knows he'll never grow tired of and can't bear the thought of never hearing again.
"You're not a spirit, are you?" Leah asks and he chuckles while shaking his head as her small hand hesitantly open and close before resting on his chest.
"No," He verbalizes as she looks up at him in awe upon realizing that she can touch him, feel him.
He revels in their moment together, her light and exploratory touches, feel of her hair between his fingers and the smell of their scent mixing together in the light breeze. Leaning down he bumps her forehead with his nose and as she looks up at him does he capture her lips in a kiss. He holds her close as her lips move with his and he knows that she is his, now and forever.
When the kiss ends is he only vaguely aware of her brother's disgusted groans and his own brothers' groans of concern. He asks her to come with him, back to his home and live with him. Her brother lets out a small whine and Jacob leans over to look at the boy with a deep frown. The frown doesn't last long as Leah looks up at him expectantly. Of course, she cannot just leave with him, her brother hurt and her family and tribe not knowing what has become of them.
Holding up one finger he steps back from her and retrieves his clothing from his ankle and covers himself up. His brothers only look on as he easily picks up the boy and follows Leah back to her camp. He is immediately the center of attention once they are few feet from the camp he is the tallest man in the camp and the biggest. Leah's father comes forward and wordlessly Jacob passes the boy over before stepping back to stand next to Leah. There is some relief that he is not feared and is surprised to hear that Leah had been talking about him ever since the day he saved her.
He also finds out that she's the daughter of the chief and he fights to sit still as her grandmother mentions that since she's told the story of the red wolf that saved her, it meant that she was singled out as someone special. She had been chosen by the guardian of that forest and believed that it made her spiritual and that only a very special man could take her as his. Looking down at her, he sees a huge smile upon her face as she takes his huge hand in hers. She's been saved especially for him. Wrapping his arms tightly around her he buries his nose into her long hair and inhales her scent.
Taking her hand into his he walks away from the nomad camp with her. It is only a temporary time away from her family just so that he can take her to his. Her tribe is more than willing to allow her to become his mate and accept their union. Whatever hesitation or fear that Jacob would've held in telling his father of his disobedience is squashed as he knows that he's made the right decision in following his heart. To his surprise, his father and the rest of the Elders also approve of their union claiming to see something within her.
With the union of the two tribes, the nomads continue their seasonal trek with the added protection of the wolves. No matter how many years pass, Jacob and Leah both return to the meadow, the spot where he broke the law and started an unbreakable bond between them. He can't help but smile proudly as Leah tells their children of their first meeting and the first time she fell in love.
It's almost silly to think that everything he has, the mate and family, all started because he was curious about a simple nomad camp. But he'd do it all over again if it meant having Leah to hold, kiss and declare his love to.
A/N: And there was a wave of 'AAWWWWWHHHHHHNNNNN' across the world. I don't know about you guys but I think I either got diabetes or at least a cavity. So up next is Dad. Sorry about the short A/N - didn't mean to worry anyone but it's just that I was posting real late at night and just didn't have the energy to do anymore than edit the story. But life has been a bear but it's been good. Aside from this new department that has begun to royally screw everyone over. Now I've been moved to a 11 -8 shift. So...ugh.
What else has been going on? Well studying for my GRE but that kind of slacked off when I froze up on a math problem and instead grabbed The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. Since then I'm up to fifteen books read for the year and cracked open 11/22/63 by Stephen King just a couple of hours ago. What else...what else? Castleville pwns me. Oh! And so you all don't think that I've been wasting but I have been an outlining fool and finished up most of Decision, had about six chapters for Journey, the second book after Wake-up Call. In fact, had quite a few updates set aside but...my flashdrive got corrupted and I LOST. EVERYTHING! Which had me silently cursing as I read The Catcher In the Rye because I mean this is the second fuckin' time that this has happened. But I've learned my lesson and have now switched to Evernote and good ol' email. Fortunately, I emailed some of the outlines to my WILF girls so it's not a...TOTAL wash...but still. It's very disheartening.
Oh! And take this as forewarning! Not all of these will be sugary sweet because it's going to get REAL angsty soon. But who doesn't love angst? I roll in it! I makes me feel rejuvenated and keeps my skin from getting ashy. So either stay sweet and have ashy elbows and knees OR have some thick globs of angst. It's a no brainer. But I'll be going through what I can find and get back in posting. Waiting is just foolishness - FOOLISHNESS!
But you all know what to do. Click that button and leave me a review because it'll make this new shift more bearable and the sooner I get a lot of the reviews, the sooner I'll post. And since I've been sucking PM I love you all!