Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
The wind blew.
"So, here we are," Jacob stopped, and Bella stared at him. He seemed nervous, on edge, if he was a dog, his hackles would be raised and a low growl would be admitting from his mouth.
The wind blew again, sending Bella's hair far out behind her, and bringing with the breeze a tantalizing whisper, a scent of something cold, and fresh, and wonderful. It smelled like she imagined moonlight would smell, like the beautiful shadows it made, tricking the eye to make the dark edges and swirling leaves look like a boy, a beautiful boy.
Jacob still seemed scared, and Bella now felt sorry to have caused him such trouble. Maybe he really did prefer the wood; he was edging away from the cottages and buildings of the town, of civilization.
His voice was shaky, "Get inside, it's dangerous here, at night. All the time, but now especially; get inside." Jacob was starting the scare Bella now; the once-friendly, alarming stranger was shaking.
She was about to offer help, thanks even, when a thought came into her head—Charlie. Bella had to get back to Charlie.
She ran—to Charlie—throwing over her shoulder a shouted thank you. Bella was a little annoyed—Jacob probably thought she was listening to his warnings by running for home. She gave a mental shake of her head, everyone knew the woods was dangerous, she simply chose not to follow those warnings.
Edward watched as the girl ran away, not smelling her anymore as the winds changed, sending his scent straight towards the werewolf.
The lion-turned-man was leaving, turning to soothe the perturbations of his family. The thought of Alice's screeching, reverberating through his mind, caused him to wince.
"Wait."
Edward turned around, annoyed to be caught of guard. If his thoughts had been calmer, he would've heard—smelled—the werewolf coming. Now, the two men—boys—locked eyes, staring each other down. The immortal enemies circled each other, both baring their teeth in a way eerily reminiscent of their animal forms.
Stay away from her.
"A little far out for you, isn't it?" the werewolf asked, echoing his thoughts more subtly than Edward thought possible for a dog.
"I could ask you the same," replied Edward, goading him, following the strain of the conversation.
The werewolf's brows gathered, showing the anger of his ancestors.
"You know that's not true. These lands are all of ours; we at least have kept our part of the bargain."
"And we haven't?"
"Perhaps it is better if a third party is not involved."
Edward knew what the werewolf was saying—it helped that he could hear his thoughts.
"I didn't touch her. You know that if I had wanted to, she would be dead by now." Both gave a small, convulsive shudder at the thought, neither knew why, but the strange boys were angered by the thought.
"Which is why you should stay away from her. We both know that your kind can't control their instincts," the barb from the werewolf angered Edward further, and it didn't help that the dog was right.
"But I controlled them, didn't I?"
"You were staring at her! I know what was going through your mind. You Cold Ones are all alike; tell me you weren't planning on which side of her neck would hold the most blood!"
"I walked away; I controlled my instincts!"
"So you were going to kill her!" the werewolf bellowed, his eyes widening, taking a step backward.
"You were going to kill her," he repeated.
"But I didn't," Edward somehow wanted to convince the werewolf of this. Why, who knows, maybe he was practicing for himself.
He continued, "I didn't, and you know that you aren't totally clean of this either."
"I was protecting her from you, from the forest! She's a human, and it's a good thing I did take her to her home, you followed us!"
"Because I smelled your scent with hers. That is enough cause for alarm as I could ever be."
"That's not true either. Who feeds on humans? Hmm, let me think…you!"
"We haven't in ages, and you could've killed her if you had changed."
"So why were you watching her back there? Why were you following us? I thought you had control of your instincts!" The werewolf's voice was mocking, but Edward heard the desperation in his mind for the answer.
He answered the only thing that he knew to be certain, "I don't know."
The werewolf gave a shaky laugh, "You don't know," another chuckle, "The first thing she asked me when I came was if I was the one watching her. There was a reason you were watching her. I want to know. Stop lying!"
But Edward couldn't hear anything past the dog's remembrance, and he watched with him as his enemy played the memory through his mind. Looking through the werewolf's eyes, Edward saw the girl again, hunched over and crumpled on the forest floor. She raised her tear splattered face, giving him a better look than he had had before. Those beautiful eyes he had first noticed were dark brown, now swimming with tears and showing an irritated red. The face that he saw should've been pale with a yellow tinge was blotchy red as well. It was a small face, plain and very human, but it was extraordinary in its sorrow. The sorrow that was exiting the human in the form of shaking, rattling, snotty sobs spoke of an all consuming sadness that a girl of her age should not have to bear. The face came up, stared at the seer and asked, "Were you the one watching me?"
"What are you doing?" The werewolf's demand was a growl.
Edward shook his head, breathing fresh air as he came out of his plunge into another's mind. His razor eyes focused once more on the scene around him, at the angry werewolf, shooting fire in his face, and at the woods around them, now seeming less bleak than before.
He had no time for the werewolf he realized, as he turned around, jumping into a jog in the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" the shout came from the dog. He started to follow Edward.
As Edward put on a burst of speed that left his enemy far behind him, the werewolf gave a last effort and shouted out, "Stay away from her!"
Edward heard it, and in his own mind he responded, Not likely. First, Edward had to visit his family.