Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or any of its characters. If I did, I'd have made it a little darker. But damn that SM owns them. :P
A/N: I would have posted this chapter sooner, but my health failed me. I was on bed rest, so you can see why the delay happened.
Now, let me tell you a few things. First, Lake Crescent was known as Lake Everett in those times, so no, I didn't dig another lake around Forks.
Second, please read Jasper's Yorkshire ascent correctly. He doesn't utter the phonetic of 'H,' so wherever H is missing, please do your own additions.
Third, Edward and other Cullens aren't familiar with Quileutes, and there hasn't been any treaty between them so far.
And now, I'd just use one sentence to thank my PTB betas-Bailey and Blakely, for their awesome work. You rock!
"Was he a… a Quileute?"
"Yes."
As if the terrible stench coming from her arm wasn't shouting out at him… Isabella's saviour was a Quileute and probably someone Edward already knew. He would have been able to tell if her mind was open to his scrutiny.
Edward's vampire senses told him to be on alert, but his mind registered no reason to do so. The Quileutes always summoned these reactions in him, like a reflex. It was a strange phenomenon.
Amid the mental chaos, he stared at Isabella in puzzlement. Her heartbeat caught his attention then, its nervous thumping telling him she was afraid.
Fear was one reaction he didn't want to invoke in her.
"Oh, Bella," he sighed, and swept her off her feet, much to her surprise. "You shouldn't be standing when your foot is hurt."
A muffled "Oh" escaped her lips as he carried her into the drawing room. She felt like a feather in his hands. He briefly considered carrying her around the manor everyday, irrespective of any injury. The thought delighted him.
"Let me see it," he said, carefully setting her down on a sofa. Lowering himself on his knees, he picked up her unharmed foot, just to amuse himself with her reaction.
"It's the other one," she responded on cue, "and you're not a doctor; you don't have to…"
"I know how to soothe a sprained ankle," he replied with a grin, lifting her injured foot this time. Isabella watched him with confused eyes, her heartbeat still on the increase.
He heard her utter a sound of protest as he removed her shoe, but it died down as soon as his hand cupped her bare heel.
Lifting the layers of her skirt to her calf, he carefully examined her injury. Her heart stuttered a beat, prompting a smile on his face. He was glad to incite the same physical reactions within her as he used to do earlier. Nothing had changed, and that was good news.
"Hold it." He indicated towards her skirt, and she assisted him by timidly grabbing the bunched up material in her hands.
With both of his hands free, he began rubbing her ankle with the tips of his fingers. He looked up and saw her nervously gnawing at her lower lip. Her innocent enough action provoked some not so innocent reactions in him.
As his hand moved against the smooth sole of her foot, a soft gasp escaped her lips.
"Does it hurt?" he asked as he slowly moved her foot to check the extent of her injury.
"No," she gasped again, "it tickles." And then she turned bright red, as though she had said something highly inappropriate.
Edward didn't have to read her mind to know where this reaction stemmed from.
"Well," Edward said impassively, continuing with his observation of her foot, "besides the tickle, does it hurt when I move it like this?" He put some pressure on her ankle, to see if it could carry out normal movements.
She squirmed uncomfortably and nodded, her teeth digging more forcefully into her lip.
"Hmm, it is sprained," he affirmed, ceasing the forced movements on her foot. He just held it in his hands, revelling in the softness of her skin.
"It feels better this way," she acknowledged, eyeing his hands, "your cold hands… "
He smiled at her, happy to be benefiting her, even though it was because of his unnaturally cold skin. "Does it feel better like this?" he asked, massaging her foot lightly.
"Yes," she sighed and closed her eyes. "Mmmhh… thank you, Edward."
"My pleasure," he replied in a whisper. His name on her lips was even more provoking than her lip biting, especially when uttered in a sigh.
He thought of moving up against her and claiming her lips. She would make those low, husky noises when he would touch her, right there on the sofa…
"Issy, I thought you were—Oh!"
His salacious reverie was broken by Charles's interruption. Edward was surprised that he couldn't hear his approach, owing to his lewd daydream.
Isabella, suddenly self-conscious, fumbled and attempted to remove her foot from Edward's grasp. He didn't let go.
"Hello Charles," he simpered, caressing Isabella's foot as though it were a prized possession. "I'm here to take Bella home."
Charles stared at both of them, wide-eyed and flustered.
"How?" Isabella spoke before Charles could, "I never saw a carriage or heard the horses gallop…"
It was in moments like these when reading her mind became absolutely essential, for she was far too observant.
As for taking a carriage, Edward hadn't even given it a thought. How could he? When Alice told him that Isabella had vanished from her visions, he had unthinkingly made a mad dash towards the Swan residence.
And now he was without an explanation.
"I… well," he tried to prolong the moment, in hope of conjuring up a believable lie.
You know what height of idiocy is, Edward? Acting without deliberation, the scolding mental voice of Alice filtered into his head. Tell her that you sent the carriage back to the manor because Alice demanded so… It'll be arriving shortly.
Although her patronizing irritated him, he silently thanked her for her quick thinking.
You're welcome, she replied in the same breath.
"Alice needed it, and she demanded that I send her back to the manor," he replied smoothly. "She'll be sending it back."
Isabella looked confused. "Why? She didn't want to meet me?" she asked in a disappointed tone.
"She wanted to, but at the manor." He smiled sympathetically. "Alice has her own special way of welcoming family home."
Right, brother. And you 'ave your own special way of bamboozling an unsuspecting, non-clairvoyant vampire like me, Jasper's thoughts joined Alice's inside his head, echoing frustration. Get at 'ome quickly, I'm dying to know everything…
Edward felt the need to shake his head at Jasper's morbid curiosity, but he decided to concentrate on Isabella instead, lest she catch him off-guard again.
"Oh, but I haven't been away that long," Isabella mumbled, still looking confused, "for her to welcome me in some special manner."
"For Alice, it is special, and I respect her wishes," Edward shrugged.
Isabella nodded absentmindedly. At the same time, vibrations of an approaching carriage could be heard.
As the carriage came to a stop in front of the Masen mansion, Isabella chanced a surreptitious glance at Edward.
He appeared calm and collected now, unlike an hour ago at her doorstep. She wondered what triggered his surly moods. It may or may not be related to his seizures.
"You miss him," he muttered suddenly, and Isabella barely caught the quickly spoken words.
"Who?"
"Your uncle, who else?"
"He's my only family, of course I miss him."
Edward pursed his lips, clearly not pleased with what she had said. She didn't understand why he seemed so sullen at her answer.
"You don't miss me," he said after a long drawn sigh, his face fixed in a frown. "I am your husband, I'm your family as well, lest you forget."
The hurt in his voice made her cringe inwardly. She didn't know how to respond, and hence, an odd silence prevailed between them inside the carriage.
Alice barged into the carriage right then, shocking Isabella. Edward seemed unaffected by her sudden appearance.
"Bella, my lovely!" she moved forward, and Isabella prepared herself for a hug. Midway, Alice halted, a strange look taking over her happy demeanour.
Isabella watched in recognition as Alice's nostrils flared. It looked disconcertingly similar to Edward's expression when he was at her doorstep an hour ago.
A sudden urge to disembark the carriage gripped Isabella.
"Alice," Edward spoke up then, his voice attaining a subtly threatening tone as he stared coldly at his sister. "Her ankle is sprained."
"Oh?" Alice's mouth opened in shock. It seemed too overt a reaction.
"I'll carry her to her room," Edward stated as he made out of the carriage, literally dragging Alice with him. It seemed like they were whispering to each other, but Isabella couldn't be sure.
She stood up then, putting all her weight on her good foot. Edward pulled her out before she could protest and hoisted her in his arms immediately. Isabella wanted to argue for her foot being fine, but something about Edward's arms enclosed around her changed her mind. She rested her head against his shoulder as he carried her into the mansion, Alice right behind him.
Her right hand drifted towards his chest to hold onto his lapels. She knew he wouldn't drop her, yet still, she wanted to hold him.
The stairs didn't even feel like stairs. It was akin to a cloud carrying her. Edward was swift; he took her to her room without breaking into a sweat. Bella wondered if there'd be a situation where he would indeed fret. It didn't appear so, and that was strange enough.
"No elaborate welcomes, Alice," Edward told his sister as he put Isabella back on her feet, right next to her bed. "She needs to rest her foot."
"I'm fine," Isabella countered rather passionately. Edward's overprotective mannerisms were making her feel like an infant.
Alice smiled at her while Edward fumed.
"Bella, you shouldn't—"
"She's fine if she says she's fine," Alice thwarted Edward's attempt to impose himself again. "And I'm not going to make her dance or anything like it. We're just going to spend some time together… before Jasper and I leave."
Alice's persuasion worked; Edward slumped his shoulders and gave them both a stiff nod. He left the room soon after, courting a reluctant expression.
"Bella, forgive him, he's very…" Alice seemed to struggle to explain Edward's strange mannerisms, so Isabella gave a piece of her mind on the subject.
"Mercurial?" She raised an eyebrow at Alice, pointing towards the door with her chin.
Alice smiled mischievously at her and nodded.
"Overbearing as well."
Alice laughed then, and Isabella's face lit up along with hers.
"We'll talk more about it after you return from your bath," Alice promised as she assisted Isabella towards the bathroom.
Isabella indeed wanted to talk, about several things that she had wondered but never outrightly asked. This seemed like an opportunity more information from Alice, who appeared to be more approachable than Edward.
As per Edward's wishes, Alice didn't let Isabella do anything even minutely strenuous. Even her dinner was brought to her bedroom.
She gave Isabella company as she ate her food, while having a constant conversation with Jasper and Edward. The three vampires were talking to each other in a hushed manner—too low for any human to hear; Isabella had no inkling about it.
"Why did she vanish from your visions? How did she vanish? Has this happened before or has your power started failing you?" Edward's voice was cutting as he hurled a cluster of questions at Alice.
She grinned at Bella, her jaw slightly clenched in derision. Controlling her reactions was hard, but she couldn't let Isabella see any part of their hostile tête-à-tête.
"When I visited Paris, I was completely flummoxed by the variety in cloth and lace," Alice made small talk with Isabella, who looked sympathetic. "I wanted to collect everything that was unique, especially for your wedding."
If I knew, I'd have told you, you half-wit! she mentally yelled at Edward. This has never happened before. You are the one who absolutely cannot read her mind. You have no right to tell me that my power is slipping…
"Something really horrible could have happened to her, do you… realize that?" Edward's voice, which was rising with every word, lost its vigour as his temper suddenly plummeted, courtesy of Jasper.
"Fashion frightens me," Isabella confessed as she poked a morsel with her fork, oblivious to the argument between Edward and Alice.
You'd be foolish to think that I don't care for Bella, Edward. Alice's dead heart ached over his accusations. I would never choose to ignore her future…
"I honestly don't know half the things you talk about. But I'm thankful to you for my wedding trousseau." Isabella's eyes brimmed with gratitude as she reached for Alice's glove-covered hand. It was a balm to her hurting heart.
"I… am sorry, Alice." Edward let out a frustrated breath as he leaned into his chair beside Jasper, who was busy fiddling with his newly acquired cricket gear.
Alice silently accepted his apology, not letting it affect her façade of cheerfulness in front of Isabella. "Oh, it wasn't all me, Angela was there as well. But it was a pleasure to organise your wedding, Bella, and to see Edward finally getting married."
Isabella's lips pulled up in a faint, yet mysterious smile. "You say it like he's an old man… like he has been waiting for an eternity."
The room fell silent, as Alice tried to gauge the meaning behind her cryptic expression. She knew Isabella had questions in her mind, but she wasn't sure which ones she'd ask.
"That reminds me, how old is he…?" One such question became clear then.
Isabella's query put Edward on tenterhooks.
How old are you, Edward… for pretence's sake? Alice fired at him as soon as Isabella looked at her for an answer.
"Tell her I'm old enough to be her husband," Edward replied coldly, but the very next moment, his tone changed. "I'm twenty-three for her sake."
"Twenty-three," Alice supplied, suppressing her urge to chuckle at her brother's sudden cave-in. He could no longer pretend to be uncaring about others' feelings, especially his wife's. He had to comply.
Isabella's eyes narrowed as she regarded Alice's answer. "He seems to have achieved a lot at a young age."
Alice merely nodded, not providing any further information. I'm not feeling very comfortable with her, Edward, would you like to come over here and answer her queries yourself?
"Not now, I'm trying to think." Edward's response was blunt and confusing.
Alice tried to concentrate on his future to see what he was trying to do, but nothing significant showed. Are you saying that you can't think around Bella? She tried to bait him.
Isabella spoke before Edward could reply. "Alice, you make that face often, a strange expression of extreme focus yet faraway eyes. What is it?"
"That is what you get for being overly friendly with 'umans, Ally, they get all feisty with you," Jasper commented, sounding highly amused. Alice wanted to throw him across the forest.
Edward chuckled at her thoughts. He was to be thrown right after Jasper.
"I don't know what you mean, Bella," Alice shrugged, an attempt to evade Isabella's prying question, "I must make funny faces without knowing it."
That made Isabella chuckle. It was a deceptive response, as though Isabella was trying to humour her. It bothered Alice.
"Alice," Edward called for her attention then, "I was thinking about that obnoxious stink on Bella… when I brought her back."
Oh! Alice's mind recoiled at the memory. At first, I thought it was the sea… but then… I don't know why, that smell made me feel overly cautious, when it was only Bella. It was very strange indeed…
"Speak aloud for my sake," Jasper requested, "I'm the sane one here."
As she recited everything to Jasper, Alice kept an eye on Isabella, who was concentrating on her food for a change. She was suddenly very wary of her.
"When we were in the forest, discussing how Bella thinks he's suffering from seizures, Bella's future suddenly shifted and I lost all my visions containing her. Edward saw it in my head and thus, he flailed over to the Swans'. And I don't know where the current discussion about her scent is leading us, but she smelt really horrible prior to taking a bath."
Jasper fell silent for a few seconds, presumably putting the missing pieces together in his head.
"She smelled like a wet dog," Edward provided rather impatiently, "I couldn't stand the stench when I first smelled it. And then, when I smelled it on Bella, I nearly—"
"Wait, you mean, you have smelled it on someone else before?" Jasper cut in, his voice filled with strange excitement.
"The Quileutes," Edward supplied. "Some of them are employed as labour in my lumbering business. No human has ever smelt that bad to me. It is an extremely repulsive smell. And it's not only repulsive; it puts me on alert every time I smell it. It sends out a threat of some sort…"
"A threat to a vampire?" Utter surprise coloured Jasper's tone. "I am 'aving a lot of difficulty in digesting that. Maybe it's just to alert us that this food is not worth 'aving."
His jocularity went unappreciated.
Alice pursed her lips as she assimilated the information given by Edward. His observation about the strange scent on Isabella did match with her own. Tell me about their thoughts, Edward…
"They have quite delusional minds."
"'ow come?" Jasper seemed even more intrigued than before.
"The ones that work for me, they have strange thought processes. Often times, their thoughts blur. I see wolves in their mind's eye, unlike any species I have known. They think of themselves as wolves sometimes, which I think relates to their native legends."
"Native legends… hmm," Jasper muttered, "what sort of native legends?"
"That's not vital here, Jasper," Alice interrupted, to veer the conversation back on its focus. "I want to know how Bella got this smell on her." Meanwhile, she tried to think of a way to engage Isabella, for her dinner was almost over. She wasn't very thrilled about answering any more of her badgering questions.
A game of chess seemed like a good choice, for it would also serve as a test to prove that her power still worked on Isabella.
"One of the Quileutes saved her from falling at the beach. And his smell was all over her right arm." Alice could hear the subdued growl in Edward's voice.
It didn't take long for her to see why he was so thoroughly annoyed when he brought Isabella home. "So, you think they're violent…?"
"They are violent. It was a Quileute labourer that raised a ruckus at Lake Everett. And most of them have violent thoughts; at least whenever I am around the lumbering premises."
"And you're worried about Bella because she was saved by one of them? Maybe all of them aren't like that." Alice was attempting to play the devil's advocate.
"Don't you understand, Alice? Bella disappeared from your visions!"
"Yet, nothing happened to her. In fact, a Quileute actually saved her. It could very well be the other way round. Maybe her fall would've been fatal, if not for the quick rescue by that Quileute man."
Edward fell silent, for she had given him plenty of food for thought.
When Isabella finished her food, Alice called for a maidservant to take her platter away. Soon, a chessboard was laid out in front of them. Isabella was keen to play, much to Alice's relief.
"Future is a fickle thing, Edward," Alice tried to plead her case, "it changes with the change in situations. Bella's future became a void because her life was probably in danger. It came back to me when she was saved."
"That's one theory," Jasper mused, while Edward sighed. "A good one at that."
Alice flicked one of Isabella's knights, the one she had positioned to trap her rook. Isabella smiled and shook her head. "You're a wicked player, Alice."
"I have been playing for a long time," Alice replied with a smirk.
"I think your explanation makes sense," Edward finally mumbled, his tone returning to a more pleasant note.
Isabella decided to move her other knight, attempting to target Alice's bishop. Even though Alice knew how to counter that move and the next one as well, she didn't.
"Tell me more about the thoughts of those Quileutes. What do they think about you?" Jasper prompted Edward, who acquiesced.
"They don't like me…" He stood up and began pacing around the grand hall at human pace. "But they don't have a plausible reason for it. They think I smell so sweet it burns their noses. But one them, the calmer one, had observed me closely whenever I was visiting. He kept thinking about my eyes. It was hard to listen to their thoughts on a constant basis, for there were a lot of people present. The chorus of thoughts was maddening."
A few minutes passed in silent contemplation, and then Jasper burst into peels of mirth. "You smell too sweet, Edward! Oh brother!"
Edward grumbled irately, but it had no impact on Jasper. Alice was trying her mightiest to suppress a laugh herself.
"Check mate," Isabella announced as she conquered the black king of Alice, and then proceeded to add, "I don't know… but I feel as though you've let me win."
The laughter from downstairs suddenly died.
Alice chortled at Isabella's quip, feeling disconcerted by her exceptional observatory skills.
"She is sharp," Edward warned, "be very careful."
I know… Alice agreed nervously, her mind suddenly giving her a glimpse of Isabella's next action. Edward stiffened and froze in his place.
Isabella leaned forward and grabbed Alice's hand. Very neatly, she pulled her glove off and clasped her cold hand between hers. Her audacity surprised Alice.
"Are you always so cold?" Isabella asked innocently, but Alice knew better. "You and Edward should carry grate baskets with you… filled to the brim with coal embers."
"She sure asks all the right questions," Jasper muttered sarcastically while Edward chose to remain silent, still frozen in his spot.
"It's… " Alice found herself in a difficult situation once again, for she had no truthful reply for Isabella.
She could hear Edward approaching the room.
"You two aren't even related—" The bedroom door burst open, startling Isabella. Edward's dramatic entry into the room was enough to silence her.
"Alice," Edward uttered in a cold, commanding voice, glaring at the bedpost but not at Isabella, "I think you should let her sleep now. She needs her rest."
Alice nodded and then moved to stand beside him. "Goodnight, Bella."
Isabella's face was still frozen in shock. "I… are you leaving?" she blurted, sounding desperate.
"We leave early in the morning," Alice answered with a reassuring smile.
"Very early," Edward added, his face now a mask of impassiveness as he looked at Isabella. "You might as well say your goodbyes here only; I have my doubts that you'll be awake when they leave."
"Oh…" A look of disappointment spread across Isabella's face. "Then… goodbye and a pleasant journey from my side, Alice," she spoke softly whilst attempting to stand up.
Edward helped her and supported her fragile body against his, holding her by her waist.
Alice gave Isabella a quick hug and then moved away, not wanting to give away any more similarities between her and Edward.
"Give my regards to Mr. Whitlock."
"Of course, Bella, take care."
Isabella gave her a light smile as she walked out of the room. The smile was comparable to Mona Lisa's; Alice didn't know what emotions hid behind it.
She didn't stay at the manor for long. With Jasper by her side, she left for Port Angeles in the next hour only.
The Quileute elders and their successors sat in a close huddle, surrounding a dwindling bonfire. It was time to partake and provide knowledge to the next generation, a time to shed the veil of secrecy. Another one had to be initiated…
Jacob, the only son of the Chief, sat in confused silence as one of the elders recited the old legends of their tribe to Embry, the newest member of his wolf pack.
"In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbour and became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe was small, and the harbour was rich in fish. There were others who coveted our land, and we were too small to hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to our ships to escape them.
"Kaheleha, who wasthe first great Spirit Chief in our history, used magic to defend our land. He and all his warriors left the ship — not their bodies, but their spirits. The men took their spirits back to our harbour. They could not physically touch the enemy tribe, but they had other ways. The stories tell us that they could blow fierce winds into their enemy's camps; they could make a great screaming in the wind that terrified their foes. The stories also tell us that the animals could see the spirit warriors and understand them; the animals would do their bidding."
The Council went through the same process with each one of them, for it was absolutely essential.
"Kaheleha took his spirit army and wreaked havoc on the intruders. The survivors scattered, calling our harbour a cursed place. The Quileutes returned to their bodies and their families, victorious."
A look of pride formed on each face sitting in the huddle.
It was the fourth time Jacob was sitting at an initiation ceremony, listening to these tales of bravery and mystic magic.
The narration began again, with tale of Chief Taha Aki, and Jacob became more alert than ever. This was the critical legend in terms of what he wanted to discuss.
"He was known for his wisdom, and for being a man of peace. The people lived well and content in his care… But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content. Utlapa was one of Chief Taha Aki's strongest spirit warriors — a powerful man, but a grasping man, too. He thought the people should use their magic to expand their lands, to enslave other people to build an empire.
"Taha Aki saw what Utlapa dreamed, and thus, commanded him to leave. The furious outcast hid in the forest nearby, waiting for a chance to get revenge against the chief."
Everyone knew of these stories, they were etched inside the mind of every Quileute. Yet now, their true meaning was revealed. They weren't mere stories anymore, they were lessons on how to protect the tribe.
Jacob was collecting all the vital information from a strange encounter inside his head in order to present these facts to the elders. Their wisdom was necessary to assess the situation better.
"In order to keep vigilance, Taha Aki often went to a sacred, secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body behind and sweep down through the forests and along the coast, making sure no threat approached. One day when Taha Aki left to perform this duty, Utlapa followed.
"Utlapa waited until he was sure the chief had traveled some distance with his spirit self, and then moved his spirit into his body. Taha Aki, having seen Utlapa's plan when he joined him in spirit world, raced back to his secret place, but when he returned, his body was already gone. Utlapa's body lay abandoned, but Utlapa had not left Taha Aki with an escape — he had cut his own body's throat with Taha Aki's hands."
The elder reciting the tale, Embry's father, explained in great detail how Taha Aki brought the magic of transformation to their tribe.
A smile formed on Jacob's lips as the elder recited how Chief Taha Aki fused his spirit within a wolf's body to try to communicate with his men. How his love for his people helped him find the strength to show his spirit self in flesh.
"The love he had for his people and the hatred he had for their oppressor were too vast for the wolf's body, too human. The wolf shuddered, and — before the eyes of the shocked warriors and Utlapa — transformed into a man.
"The new man was the flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's spirit. The warriors recognized him at once, for they had flown with Taha Aki's spirit. Utlapa tried to run, but Taha Aki had the strength of the wolf in his new body. He caught Utlapa and crushed the spirit from him before he could jump out of the stolen body."
Jacob was fond of this particular tale; he could understand the burden of the responsibility to protect his tribe. He could identify with Chief Taha Aki, in more ways than one.
"Taha Aki quickly set everything right. He led the tribe for many, many years. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. The wolves were all different, because they were spirit wolves and reflected the men they were inside."
A few murmurs followed from the members of the pack, all in jest. Paul was teasing Embry about the colour of his fur.
Jacob sighed… wishing he could be carefree at this moment like Paul.
"That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end of the story. . . ."
This was the moment Jacob was waiting for, the point where Chief Taha Aki's tale took a critical turn. He waited with practiced patience for the story to reach its culmination.
"Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, trouble began in the north, with the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had disappeared, and they blamed it on the neighboring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still read each other's thoughts while in their wolf forms, and they knew that none of their number was to blame.
"Taha Aki tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much fear. Taha Aki did not want to have a war on his hands. He charged his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit. Taha Wi led his pack on a search through the mountains, looking for any evidence of the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before — a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain."
Quil's eyes flickered towards Jacob, who knew all too well about a strange, sweet smell that had burnt their noses.
That odd smell incited violent tendencies within him. It was the same with others who worked with him at Lake Everett. Paul had almost phased right in front of everyone once, for he couldn't stand the lingering smell of that man… the pale man. He had only recently joined the pack, and he was volatile.
The story of Chief Taha Aki continued while Jacob tried to assess the situation at hand—the mystery of the pale man.
"They did not know what creature would leave such a scent, but they followed it. They found faint traces of human scent and blood along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for."
Enemy… Jacob still didn't know if he should think of the pale man as one. After all of Paul's violent outbursts, he still forgave him and let him work on his property. Should that be taken into account?
"Taha Wi sent half the pack, the younger ones, back to the harbour to report to Taha Aki. Taha Wi and his two brothers did not return. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He wished to avenge his sons' deaths, but he was old. A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink all through the Makah village. The wolves went on the hunt again.
"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taka Aki's third wife. He brought something with him that had never been seen in all the days of the Quileutes—a strange, cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces. All who were of Taha Aki's blood, even those who had never been wolves, could smell the piercing smell of the dead creature."
It was as though the legend itself was resonating this fact again and again towards Jacob—piercing, vile smell. It should be enough to prove the implication everyone in his pack was putting forth.
Yet, one other fact nagged at him every time he tried to see the pale man as his enemy…
"Yaha Uta described what had happened: he and his brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man but was hard as a granite rock, with the two Makah daughters. One was already dead, white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creature's arms, his mouth at her throat. The creature quickly snapped her neck when they approached. His white lips were covered in her blood, and his eyes glowed red."
Glowing red eyes… That one detail perplexed Jacob. The pale man's eyes didn't have a pint of red in them. His eyes were golden, or perhaps yellowy-orange, but certainly not red.
Could that mean that he wasn't the enemy of their tribe? That was the question Jacob wanted to ask here, at the Council meeting. The emphasis laid on the eyes told him that this information was vital.
"Yaha Uta described the fierce strength and speed of the creature. They had to work together to outmanoeuvre it. They had to reach the very limits of their wolf strength and speed. The creature was hard as stone and cold as ice. They found that only their teeth could damage it. They began to rip small pieces of the creature apart while it fought them."
Jacob hadn't touched his skin, so there was no way to know if the pale man was cold as ice or hard like the description given in the story. Even though his instincts told him that he was, he couldn't fully rely on them. Especially when it meant life or death for that man.
"The creature got its hands on Yaha Uta's brother. Yaha Uta found an opening on the creature's throat, and he lunged. His teeth tore the head off the creature, but the hands continued to mangle his brother. Yaha Uta ripped the creature into unrecognizable chunks, tearing pieces apart in a desperate attempt to save his brother. He was too late, but, in the end, the creature was destroyed. Or so they thought."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Paul shaking. A meaningful look at Quil ensured that he was helped in calming down.
"Yaha Uta laid the reeking remains out to be examined by the elders. One severed hand lay beside a piece of the creature's granite arm. The two pieces touched when the elders poked them with sticks, and the hand reached out towards the arm piece, trying to reassemble itself.
"Horrified, the elders set fire to the remains. A great cloud of choking, vile smoke polluted the air. When there was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many small bags and spread them far and wide — some in the ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."
The elder narrating the story paused and looked at Jacob's father, Chief Howyatel. Chief Howyatel pulled out a leather string from around his neck to show a small bag hanging at its end, blackened with age.
It was the same bag that carried their enemy's ashes. It was more than a mere precautionary reminder to Jacob. To him, it was also a tie to their history, a tangible testament to the resilience of their tribe.
"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They did not have long to wait. The creature had a mate, another Cold One, who came to the Quileutes seeking revenge."
The narration continued, telling young Embry how the third wife of Taha Aki sacrificed her life to help him kill the creature.
"The third wife plunged a knife into her own heart. Blood spurted through the third wife's fingers and splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker could not resist the lure of the fresh blood. Instinctively, she turned to the dying woman, for one moment entirely consumed by thirst. Taha Aki's teeth closed around her neck."
Sighs of relief followed. Jacob didn't pay any attention to them, for his mind was preoccupied.
"Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed back to a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch her, and then he went into the forest and never returned."
Jacob could see the devotion of Taha Aki in his own eyes then, as a beautiful face appeared in his head.
"Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time on. Taha Aki's sons guarded the tribe until their sons were old enough to take their places. There were never more than three wolves at a time. It was enough."
When the initiation ceremony was over, Jacob rose to his feet and put forth his most gnawing query.
"There is a man in the area outside the reservation… the members of the pack suspect him to be a Cold One."
The elders' faces grew grim as Jacob explained the similarities between the pale man—Edward Masen—and the Cold Ones contained in their legends.
"But for one thing, he resembles the description given by you," Jacob announced gravely, accompanied by sense of betrayal towards his employer.
"What does not match the description?" Chief Howyatel asked.
"His eyes. He has golden eyes."
The Council fell silent.
The other members of his pack wanted to go ahead and kill the threat, but Jacob's command forbade them to do so until the he'd had a word with the Council. He was the leader of the pack, the soon to be Chief, and no one dared to defy the leader.
"Golden eyes," one of the elders, Embry's father, muttered. "But he fulfils the other criteria."
"In all of the narrations of the legends, one detail has rung loudly to me—the glowing red eyes," Jacob stated with conviction, "but this man doesn't have them. And we don't know if his skin is cold. Yes, he's pale and his smell burns our nose, but that is not enough to prove him guilty of being a Cold One."
"What if he attacks suddenly?" Paul interrupted, his frame shaking furiously again. Quil put a hand on his shoulder and chose to talk on his behalf.
"Our homes are still recovering from the damage caused by the fire, Jacob. A crazy man from outside the reservation destroyed almost our entire heritage. We cannot just watch and wait while another creature comes up here to destroy everything we have rebuilt."
He was right, of course.
"But I cannot let a man suffer the consequences of another man's actions," Jacob tried to explain calmly. "And I must mention that we aren't fighting the pale faces here. Just because Edward Masen is one of them, doesn't mean that we should go after him."
"Your nose must not function very well, Jacob," Paul sneered, "because I cannot even breathe when he's around."
Jacob ignored him.
"We must keep in mind that what we know may not always be the final truth there is," Jacob paused for a moment to let his words be understood the way he meant them. "We know that the glowing red eyes mean it's the enemy. Of golden eyes—we know nothing. It could very mean something different from the red eyes."
"People have different coloured eyes," Embry pointed, looking unsure as to where he stood in this argument.
"But the Cold Ones are known by their red eyes."
"Then what do you suggest that we do?" one of the elders asked.
Jacob's reply was prompt. "We should wait… and keep a watch around the area covering the reservation."
"But the problem is not within the reservation."
"Yet our duty is to protect our people. We can ensure that by running along the boundary to see to it that no foul smelling creature crosses it."
Jacob was winning this argument. He knew it when he saw the elders nodding to what he said.
The members of the pack would have to accept his decision, albeit begrudgingly.
The Masen manor was claustrophobically silent when Isabella woke up. She soon realized that it wasn't early morning, and she had missed the departure of Alice and Jasper.
Edward could have woken her up, but he didn't. Sometimes his domineering ways tested her patience.
She was still annoyed at the way he had interrupted her conversation with Alice last night. He was trying to suppress Alice in some way. It was blatantly obvious. Isabella had seen the look of apprehension on Alice's face whenever she had asked anything about Edward.
One thing was now clear to Isabella—this family had secrets. And she wanted to know about them, since she was a part of this family. She didn't like to stay in the dark.
Angrily, she got up from the bed and hobbled to the bathroom to take a bath. She didn't need one, as she taken a bath last night only, but something about warm water calmed her.
Nevertheless, she was sure Edward would send one of the maidservants to assist her if he got a whiff it. It was better to do everything quietly, lest anyone interrupt her.
Her ankle felt better. The pain was a dull ache, and she could indeed walk around without much difficulty. She didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
When she was through with her bath, she wrapped a luxuriant Turkish towel around herself and made for the dressing room.
Once inside the dressing room, she got a shock. Edward was standing there, glaring at her dressing table, his hand crossed over his chest.
A volcano was about to erupt.
Isabella stood frozen for moment, too shocked to move.
"You didn't need a bath," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Then why, Bella?"
Isabella stared at him for a while, in the grip of anger herself. But then, seeing his perfect features form a child-like petulant expression, an inadvertent giggle escaped her lips.
Edward turned towards her then, his eyes widening and his jaw slack. "Did you just… laugh at me?"
Isabella wanted to explain herself, but suddenly, Edward's mood seemed to shift. His fixated gaze travelled all over her towel-covered body, reminding her of her state of undress beneath it. Heat surged to her face, and she wished to disappear.
Edward's mouth finally closed shut after his eyes had perused her. He made a move towards her, and she stepped back reflexively.
"Bella," he sighed as he took her hand and made her sit on a nearby settee. Of late, she had become a little leery of settees.
"I would have sent someone to assist you, had you told me you wanted a bath," he said softly, looking up at her as he sat down in front of her, the same way he had at Charles's.
"But that's the issue," she replied, looking anywhere else than his face, for his face was distracting. "I didn't want anyone to assist me. I'm all right, the ankle is fine."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Let me see, then." Before Isabella could object, he had her ankle in his grasp.
Edward moved her foot around in his hand, nodding to himself. "It seems better, but it has still not fully recovered."
"I can walk, I don't need help," she stated petulantly, her hands grasping at her towel. He was making her jittery, sitting so close and touching her.
Isabella stared at his glorious hands, knowing full well where they had been only a few days ago. She was aware of the disarming power those long, lean fingers had.
"Bella, I will make sure that you don't put stress on your foot," Edward told her resolutely, raising her injured foot to his face and planting a firm kiss on it.
"I—Mr. Mase—Edward—ugh!" she mumbled, feeling flustered and stunned at his action.
The kiss didn't stop there, his lips dragged across her calf in a long, lazy caress. Isabella's breathing became erratic as her eyes finally met Edward's, the heat in his eyes melting her resolve to defy him.
"Wh-What would you do to ensure th-that?" she stuttered through her now embarrassingly loud breathing.
He kissed her knee then, resting her foot atop shoulder as his hands crept up and down her leg.
"I will distract you…" he answered, a hint of roughness in his honey-dripping voice.
Their eyes never left each other's…
Edward's eyes seemed to glow a deep golden as he moved up and pulled her face towards him.
"Bella," he breathed into her face, sending his sweet, heady scent her way, "please promise me you won't strain your foot. Or else I'll carry you around."
His hand pressed against her knee, his fingers making shapeless patterns on her skin.
"Promise?" Their lips barely touched as he spoke, his forehead resting against hers.
"Hmm," she inhaled deeply, lost into the feel of his proximity.
"Promise me, Bella…" he whispered.
"I …Promise."
And unexpectedly, Edward moved back and stood up, leaving her panting on the settee. Isabella looked up at him in utter surprise, feeling disorientated and at a loss for words.
"Good," he smiled like a Cheshire cat, "now get dressed, will you?"
She looked down at herself, her face flushing as she saw her parted legs. She didn't even remember moving them any which way.
Edward stepped backwards towards the door, a smirk gracing his handsome face. He knew what he had just done to her, and so did she.
Isabella got up from the settee after Edward left, moving to her closet to pick a dress. A pleasurable sensation shot through her as she walked, something she had only felt with Edward. It spread out from between her legs.
Alice had told her about the physical relationship between a man and his wife. Isabella had blushed a lot during that conversation, for she then knew what Edward was doing.
The pain of their first attempt at intimacy still frightened her, but she trusted Alice's word.
The pain would give way to pleasure eventually… Isabella tried to think about such a scenario and blushed some more.
She wanted to feel these sensations; she wanted to feel Edward the way a wife ought to.
As she dressed, Isabella scowled at her reflection in the mirror… because Edward had just left her wanting.
This story has roughly reached the half way mark, I think. I would've been certain if I had the full summary with me, but my comp crash took it away.
I'd like to pimp out my fave sites for Twiverse- www[dot]adifferentforest[dot]com. It's an interactive site, and the ppl there are warm and friendly. Come pay a visit. And there's myvampfiction[dot]com - a blog for everything that's vampire. Very rich in info.
IMP INFO- The voting for the DARKWARD CONTEST is open now, so plz vote for my entry Danse Macabre (Link to voting page is in my profile). The last date is 15th Nov, so Hurry! haha...
I will continue this story in Jan. :)
NOTES-
The fire that Quileutes are talking about is the one that actually had happened in 1889. A person who wanted the property that was a part of the reservation had started the fire, just for revenge.
The legends have been taken from Eclipse.
Yes, I have changed the name of Jacob's father, but not of Jacob, because he was born at the time when the Quileutes had started adopting biblical names.