Chapter 5

Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling. -Henry David Thoreau

Bella gave her husband's hand a quick squeeze, saw that Renesmee was safe in Carmen's arms, and started to rush out the opened door after Tanya. She reconsidered, reached into the fridge, and took one of Renesmee's thermoses out with her. "Just in case."

Bella raced after Tanya, following her scent at first. She almost laughed seeing the fun-loving side of her new cousin that others had spoke of, but she had never had the opportunity to witness.

She caught up quickly with the willowy blonde, still having some of her newborn strength. They paced side by side, the cold air rushing past their ears, and the sun reflecting off the snow in a mirror to the reflections off their skin.

As they flew up a rise, Bella could see a large open expanse before her, a mountain rising in the distance.

"Do you see that small group of trees, about eleven o'clock?" Tanya pointed slightly left from where they stopped.

"Yeah. That's where he is?"

"I was about halfway across the field when I got hit with his power." Tanya focused on the group of trees. "Edward would kill me if I just let you go though. Let's look around a bit, see if we catch any other scents."

Though Bella was relatively certain it was safe, and she wanted to help him, she agreed that it would be the smart thing to do. They quickly made a loop, making sure to stay far enough away to keep from triggering his awareness. Feeling relatively safe, as there were no other scents beyond a few stray rabbits and the Denali clan themselves, Bella began to move forward. Tanya cautiously followed Bella until she was just shy of where the vampire's power made her ill. Bella paused, uncertain of why the blonde stopped until Tanya said, "Been there, and DON'T want to feel that again. I'll wait here until you give the all clear."

Fred could sense someone coming close to his hiding place. He fought the protective instinct to send out a pulse, but he was honestly just happy that someone was willing to try after the first time. He rested his head back against the tree, and waited. It didn't take long before he heard a mellifluous voice calling out. "Fred, Fred, is that you? Are you here? Please don't be alarmed, we're friends."

Fred? What the fuck? the blond vampire thought to himself. How did they know his name? Friends? He didn't have any friends who were alive. He figured he could let them a bit closer, close enough to see them. If he felt in danger, he could really let them have it, and hopefully, they'd leave him be.

"How do you know my name?" he called out cautiously.

"Oh, thank goodness! We had hoped that it was you. Bree asked us to watch for you." The voice was coming through the trees.

"Bree? You know her? Where is she?" he called to the soft-spoken vampire hopefully.

"Can I come closer? I suspect you have a lot of questions." A small statured girl came around a large larch pine. Her wavy brown hair moved loosely in the slight breeze, blowing her scent to him for the first time.

"Wait. You smell...familiar."

The girl smiled. "I'm not surprised. Last you had my scent, I was human. I was the bait and reward for the newborns you were with."

Fred stilled to stone. She looked innocent enough, but she must be dangerous. Why else would they search him out? He closed his eyes, and sent out a pulse. He took a deep breath, still smelling her scent. Baffled, he opened his eyes, to see empathetic eyes gazing back.

"I promise, Fred, I won't hurt you. Like you, I have a power. Other's mental powers don't affect me. It's why I'm the one here. We were afraid none of us could get close enough to speak with you otherwise." She moved slowly closer and squatted down. "Now, before we get to far, I have to ask you something." She looked sadly at him.

He stared back sullenly.

Very quietly, so quietly a human wouldn't have heard her gentle words, "Fred, why aren't you feeding?"

He glared at her, mutinously keeping his mouth closed. He clenched his fists and sent out the largest pulse he was capable of. When she just sat there, looking at him compassionately, he whispered, "I won't kill another human. Ever. I promised."

He could see the venom rising in the soft-spoken woman's oddly colored golden eyes. "Fred, you don't have to." He watched her pull out a silver thermos with caution. She opened the top, and he could smell the blood...but...blood?

She smiled at his confusion. "Our family agrees with you; we don't want to hurt humans. This is animal blood. Grizzly bear, to be specific. Predatory animals taste better than herbivores, but any animal will do." She carefully handed him the stainless steel thermos. He took it warily, sniffing at the contents. He decided that if she'd wanted to do him in, there would be easier ways to accomplish it. He took a sip and moaned as the tortured feeling receded. He could taste the slight bitterness in the back, much like hops in beer. He looked at his petite savior, and guzzled the rest of the thermos.

"It's not enough, I know, but we need to get you fed enough so that you can hunt on your own. We can help you better if you come back with us."

"Us? there are others with you?"

"Only Tanya. She is the one who found you. Her family has a permanent residence a bit to the west of here. There are more friends there. We can help you if you're still too weak."

"You'll answer my questions?" he responded guardedly.

"As well as I am able. And there are others that can answer even more than I can. We will understand if once you get your strength you want to move on, but please let us help you." He looked thoughtfully at her upon hearing the wistful tone in her voice.

"Why are you so determined to help me?" he asked confusedly. The vampires in his world didn't want to help others and were generally very self absorbed.

"Vampires who are interested in our diet are few and far between. It's not the easiest thing to stick to. And Bree..." She looked down at her fingers that tangled themselves in her lap.

"She's gone, isn't she?" he whispered.

"We tried, Fred. She had surrendered. The Cullens had said that they would take responsibility for her. She knew my husband, my mate, is a mind-reader, and told him through her thoughts what the fight was really about. Before the Volturi killed her, she told Edward about you, and asked us to be nice to you. It is the least we can do for her."

Volturi? Cullens? He was more confused than ever.

"I know, it's a lot to take in. I promise we'll go into more detail, but really, the sooner we get more blood into you, the better you'll feel."

He nodded with a small smile. "Okay, but one more question."

Her smile brightened, making him blink slightly at the peaceful nature emanating from her.

"What is your name?" he asked sardonically.

She giggled, the sound echoing in the hollow like fairy bells. "Bella. Bella Cullen." With an even brighter smile, she grasped the thermos in one hand and his hand in the other, pulling him up to his wobbly feet.

"I promise, I'm stronger than I look. Go ahead and lean on me."

He smiled at that thought, knowing she meant more than just her shoulder. And he considered, just perhaps, God did answer some prayers.