Hi all! Uber break, I know, but the rest of this is now written! So I will be uploading much more frequently!

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The next morning found Jacob and Leah emerging from the hut already phased, finding a mixed assortment of wolves and people sat around outside in the early morning sun that drizzled over the horizon. Stood communicating with a group of burly Lupines was the largest wolf they had ever seen. A coppery-red with a stripe of grey where it used to be black, the big head turned to watch them. Strung around the neck was a cord with three feathers, and the tall thin woman of Mari became apparent in the great red wolf before them. Jacob and Leah bowed their heads automatically in front of this mass of authority, and felt her smile.

Ready to go? She asked

Yeah Jacob replied. Behind her several wolves assembled, he recognised Anya, who sent a smile his way.

Anya is my daughter, Mari said shortly She will be joining us, along with Toro a sleek black wolf nodded Opher a nod from a shaggy grey wolf who appeared to grin as he panted at them and my successor, Odette. The wolf's beauty was stunning; so cleanly white she could never have passed as a wolf native to this neck of the woods. She nodded to them, holding their eyes with hers. She was already a fairly large wolf, but not nearly as bulky or as muscular as Mari. Jacob cast his eyes around the tribe, more of whom had appeared to send them off. Almost all were in their wolf forms, and amongst them he spotted several distinctive copper coloured lupines that could only be related to Mari. The coppery bulk seemed to be 'talking' to some of the others, and she turned briefly and rubbed her head affectionately against the side of an auburn wolf, dwarfing him. Clearly alpha wolves got bigger as they got older.

Let us run Mari instructed as she turned back, and indicated that Jacob and Leah should walk either side of her as they began out of the settlement and through the territory. Wolves from the tribe had joined them and they started to run; the feeling of power of being amongst these wolves was amazing to Leah and Jacob. They were running paths thousands of feet and trodden before and could almost see the ghost-like shadows of previous wolves join the tribe as they sped through the dense forest. As they crossed the border the other wolves and the shadows of their ancestors fell back, leaving only the small party to run towards Forks, led by red, grey and brown.

When they reached the reservation the group phased in the trees. Paul and Quill had met them at the border and sent word ahead, and Sam and the rest of the pack stood outside Emily's house, for once wearing shirts. Leah and Jacob watched Sam's reaction as Mari stepped out of the trees flanked by Odette and Anya, the other two behind them. They had dressed similarly to the colour of their fur, a practice never adopted by the pack, and Sam held out his hand for Mari to shake.

"Welcome to Forks" he said with a smile "I'm Sam, the alpha."

"Hello" Mari took it, "I am Mari, and I'm so glad it was in my lifetime that our packs got to meet." The human version of Anya matched her mother, revealing a thin woman with rounded shoulders in a red dress. She appeared to be about 20, as was Odette next to her, who was as equally stunning in human form. Leah watched Jacob's eyes carefully and Odette tossed her styled black hair impatiently and was introduced to Sam.

"Odette is my successor, she-"

"Is gorgeous" Paul muttered. She shot him a withering glance and shook Sam's proffered hand .

"I don't mean to be blunt," She did "but why are you the alpha?" Jacob's hand flew up to cover his face, and Sam became hot around the collar as he hitched his smile back in place.

"I was the first to phase. Can I offer you a drink?" Odette raised her eyebrows and appeared peeved, but didn't say anymore as Mari's hand appeared on her arm.

"Thank you, I would love to see Swarhi and Jonty too" Mari said, and at his nod followed Sam in as Anya and the others introduced themselves to the rest of the pack. Leah and Jacob nodded greetings to the pack as they went in too, wanting to see the couple. Emily was in the kitchen, and greeted them both with a hug as Sam put the kettle on.

"How is she?" Leah said as she pulled back from the slightly stiff hug with Emily. Things were a lot better between them, but still needed some work.

"See for yourself" She replied, and nodded to where Jonty lay on the sofa, asleep, his bare feet extending past the end and dangling in midair. Leah frowned and turned back to her cousin.

"What?"

"Leah! Jacob!" The smiling voice of Swarhi emerged as she did from the corridor; she hugged them both at the same time, one under each arm. She smelt vaguely of blood and medical equipment, there was a muggy dusty smell too; she hadn't been outside recently.

"Are you ok?" Leah asked

"Of course I'm alright." Swarhi said, brushing it aside, "It takes more than a vamp to take this old thing down." She spotted the alpha besides them and hugged her tightly "Mari!" Jacob and Leah shared a look. Swarhi looked drawn and had deep shadows beneath her eyes, and her hair was dull and greasy where as it had been full and healthy before. A yawn made them turn, and Jonty had woken up and got to his feet, and was now standing next to them rubbing his eyes. His hair was fuzzed from sleep, and he clapped a hand on Leah's shoulder in greeting, before going up to greet Mari with a croaky voice.

"You're looking so...well" Mari said carefully, reviewing them both "You had us so worried. I still don't think you should have left us." Jonty kissed his wife on the cheek as he passed and slid a hand to the small of her back as he stood besides her, still too sleepy to contribute to the conversation.

"Oh Mari, then I wouldn't have met these lovely chaps and brought you all together!" Swarhi replied with a gesture towards Jacob and Leah, indirectly deflecting the question. Mari's eyes found Jacob's and she smiled.

"Indeed. So what happened after you left us?"

"We were picked up by a trio of cold ones," Swarhi said with a grimace "we ran for about two months until we stumbled across this lot and they gave us sanctuary. Their vampire's scent hides us pretty well."

"I didn't smell them on our run here" Concurred Mari "Do you think they've given up?"

"Those three don't give up. I never thought I could hate a creepy little girl so much."

"She hasn't been near us, we'd know." Mari confirmed, and they sat down at the table, Jonty sliding into the seat next to his wife and propping his head up with one hand, his eyes almost closed as he tried to stay awake.

"He hasn't slept since he brought her back" Emily intoned to Leah as she passed "They only came out about an hour before you got here."

"Do you know anything?"

"No." Emily said "They haven't told anyone anything. It's driving Sam nuts. Muni just occasionally asks for water and things."

"Muni?"

"The medics apprentice. Very intelligent girl, going to start her internship at Forks General next year."

"So they're real doctors?"

"Of course we're real doctors." Came a new voice, and they saw the medic and Muni coming into the kitchen. The medic immediately gave Swarhi a condescending glance. "Swarhi-"

"Don't fuss." Swarhi said sharply, and the medic met Jonty's gaze and rolled her eyes, before sitting down at the table with her apprentice. The medic frowned up at her patient and the apprentice sighed, taking one of the proffered teas and drinking it.

Leah nudged Jacob, indicating they should leave and they stepped outside to where the pack was talking with Mari's tribe, and Jacob and Leah managed to slip past without being noticed, except by Embry who gave them a nod.

"Come on" Jacob said quietly, and taking Leah's hand led her into the forest where they phased as it started to rain, giving a much richer scent pallet as they began to run and camber. They could smell some of Mari's wolves and the forest seemed to enjoy having more wolves back amongst its bowers as Leah challenged Jacob to a race. They shot through the trunks of the evergreens and beeches, she easily outstripped him, so he careered round to the right and met her when she turned, launching himself at her and rolling them both into the undergrowth, panting.

Cheat! Accused Leah as she was pinned beneath him

Just inventive Jacob shot back

Are you going to get off me?

Nah. I'm enjoying it, and you are too. She did the wolf equivalent of a raised eyebrow, and with one lurch of her hindquarters he was bucked off and into the bracken. But she was smiling as Jacob got to his feet and she padded up to him, affectionately rubbed her head against his neck as an apology, before bouncing back and running off in the other direction, Jacob hot on her tail.

Rosalie stared at her brother.

"Why won't you consider that they're peaceful Edward?"

"Because Jacob has been looking for a way to get to Bella ever since I married her!"

"Edward-"

"And Alice can't see anything because of all the wolves!"

"It's not that bad" Alice protested from where she sat with Jasper "It's a bit of a relief really-"

"But it compromises the treaty!"

"Edward, listen to yourself!" Esme cut in "You're getting all worked up about the wolves having some friends over."

"But Esme-"

"Give them some time." His 'mother' looked at him with golden eyes "watch them if you must, and decide if they're a threat from what you see, not just what you assume." Carlisle stepped up behind her and nodded.

"I'll go there tomorrow and see if I can find anything out, but I agree with Esme, we will wait, and we will watch."

R&R!