Chapter 2: Snowfall

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

Wincing as he put weight on the ankle, Embry groused, "Sh**! I can barely walk on this."

Jacob stood there with his hands thrown up in the air. "Okay, hunting season is over for today. Quil and I will carry you back to the Jeep."

Embry extended his arms, palms out, to stop him. "No you won't. You two go on to the ridge. Just break me off a tree branch, and I'll hobble back to the car myself. Hand over the keys."

His best friend reached into his backpack, unzipped a small pocket, and placed the keys in Embry's palm. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'll see you back at the cabin."

He leaned against a large pine while Quil broke off a good, sturdy branch for the makeshift crutch. With the branch safely under his arm, Embry pivoted and started heading for the Jeep. He waved over his shoulder. "Later, guys …"

BPOV:

Bella stared at the snowflakes as they softly fell, brushing against the windowpane. It seemed like they were coming down faster. The weatherman said a slight chance of snow flurries, but this looked like it was preparing to turn into a blizzard. Gosh, she hoped they didn't get snowed in; there wasn't that much food in the cabin. Just enough for today. Of course if the guys brought down a deer, there'd be meat for a month, well, maybe not, with the wolves' appetites.

Walking away from the window, she waddled to the chair facing the fireplace. She folded up all the blankets; they were unnecessary since the room was small, and the fire was putting out plenty of heat. She snuggled back into the seat and reached over to the side table. The most recent novel in her collection lay there, and she broke it open and began reading. It was so quiet and relaxing here, not a sound to distract her. The only downside was the constant cramping she felt. Leah called them Braxton Hicks contractions. She'd been having those for weeks, and they'd even kept her awake on and off last night, and accompanied her this whole morning long.

She read a couple of chapters, and her eyes started to droop. What the heck—there was a double bed in the next room, and there was no one here to stop her. Anyway, Jacob was always encouraging her to get enough rest since she was creating another little human being. She put her book down, grabbed a pillow and a blanket and went into the other room, settling on the mattress. It was a bit cooler in the bedroom, just right for sleeping. She drifted off quickly, and slept for about a half an hour when those stupid cramps woke her up … that, and the urge to pee. The little guy was sitting on her bladder, and her trips to the toilet were recently getting more frequent. Oh, the joys of motherhood!

Well, so much for her nap. She threw off the blanket, and got up, trudging to the bathroom. When she was finished, she washed her hands, and flushed the toilet. That's when she noticed the blood swirling in the water. Oh crap, Murphy's Law. This was it … labor day.

Bella took a deep breath. Okay, don't panic. Just pick up the cell and call Jacob. Easy peasy.

Punching in the numbers, she waited patiently for him to pick up. It rang and rang, but no Jacob. Did she enter the right number? She tried a second time, with the same results. Maybe something was blocking the signal? They were in the mountains, after all. She'd wait awhile and try again.

The cabinet in the bathroom had a supply of towels, so she slipped one out, and carried it to the chair, not wanting to get blood on the upholstery. With the terry cloth barrier beneath her, she sat awhile, reading her book.

Another half hour went by. There was still no answer to her call. The good news was this pregnancy was her first, so It wasn't like she'd be delivering their baby in the next few hours. By that time, Jacob, Quil and Embry would be back at the cabin, and they'd all be on their way down the mountain and to the clinic.

Feeling restless, she walked into the kitchen area. The cooler they brought along was sitting on the floor, next to the small table. She reached in, got herself a bottle of water, and sipping it, went back to the bedroom. She was sure to snatch the towel off the chair, and place it under her hips before lying down on the bed. There was no other choice for her but to wait. They had to come home soon.

EPOV:

"Great," Embry grumbled aloud, as he hobbled along toward the SUV. What use is wolf healing if I'm walking on this stupid foot, re-injuring it with every step? He kicked up the snow in frustration with his good foot, sending a cloud of white into the air, and nearly toppling him off balance into a snowdrift. He stopped, and re-positioned the branch under his armpit. Sh**, he was losing out on bagging another deer too. What luck!

A few more yards were covered at a snail's pace, and wouldn't you know it, the snow began coming down heavier, like some joker up in the sky had shaken out the filling from a feather pillow right onto his head. Embry started to laugh. This whole situation was utterly ridiculous. Could things get any worse? He sighed, knowing he still had three more miles to go.

He'd already been at it for over an hour and a half, and the Jeep was just now in sight. He threw the crutch down on the ground as he approached it, and unlocked the door, pulling himself up, using the overhead hold. Guarding his sprained ankle, he gingerly climbed into the driver's seat and keyed the ignition. The engine was cold and it took a couple of tries to rev it up.

There was snow packed around the tires, but he maneuvered the vehicle onto the road without any difficulty. The flakes however were hitting the windshield a mile a minute, making visibility poor. It was going to be a tough slog through all this blinding white.

He turned on the radio, and the sound of the windshield wipers slapping against the glass kept time to the music. His frustration dissipated, and surprisingly, he felt kind of relaxed. Driving slowly through the snow covered mountain road, he was without a care in the world.

Ninety-five minutes later, he pulled up next to the cabin. It looked like a frosted cake, poking up in the middle of a marshmallow-creme meadow. Guess the weatherman had it all wrong. Good thing they left Bella behind. She would've frozen out there in the elements.

He yanked on the handle, and opening the door, climbed out. His ankle seemed okay now, even when he walked, bearing weight on it.

Embry stamped his feet on the welcome mat lying on the porch, shaking off the snow that was caked on his boots. Turning the knob, he opened the door a crack and yelled, "Hey, Bella, it's me, Embry, can I come in?"

JPOV:

Quil and Jacob crept stealthily to the ridge overlooking a wide open area. They'd come here often during hunting season, and never left disappointed. The twosome hunkered down, lying in wait. The time ticked on by, when finally, the scent of an elk wafted their way, but the animal hadn't come into view yet. They waited in silence, the scope on both rifles weaving back and forth, searching the area for their prey.

A rustle in the nearby shrubs surrounding the meadow alerted them to the beast. Then the crunch-crunch-crunch of his hooves in the snow crusted earth followed. The tips of two horns peeked out from the brush, and soon its head appeared.

Jacob lowered his rifle for a moment, stunned. "Jeez, will you look at the rack on that thing," he whispered.

"That's gotta be the biggest brute I've ever seen," Quil replied. He let out a low whistle. "You wanna take the shot?"

"You're a better shot than I am. Maybe you should do it."

"I don't think you could miss that big a target."

Putting the scope to his right eye, Jacob took aim, but it was too late. The elk could hear their voices. Sh**, first rule of hunting. Keep your yap shut.

The elk took off, while Quil and Jacob vaulted over the ridge in hot pursuit. The thick banks of snow slowed the animal as well as its pursuers. After a merry chase, they detected sounds of distress. The elk was trapped in a thicket.

Jacob dropped to one knee, and taking careful aim, pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and the animal fell, crushing the tall brush around it, its antlers tangled in the foliage.

"How the hell are we gonna get this huge beast out of here?" Quil asked.

"Get out your hatchet. We'll have to chop down some of this stuff, and haul him out by the antlers."

It just took a few minutes to cut back the brush, and they quickly had the animal onto a level spot. Then they fashioned a travois, and dragging the elk onto the litter, tied him securely.

The two guys took turns towing the creature back to the ridge. As they cleared it, Quil asked, "What time is it, anyway? It's starting to get dark, and I've got a date tonight."

"It's probably around five-thirty or so. I'll check for sure."

He patted his pockets, his face wrinkled in confusion.

Quil executed an eye roll. "Don't tell me … you lost your phone?"

Jacob continued to pull his pockets inside out. "I brought it with me. You saw it."

"Yeah, but I don't see it now."

"Crap! How do I know if Bella's okay."

"Worry, worry, worry … you worry too much. Let's just get a move on."

Jacob lifted the poles again as Quil yelled, "Giddy up!"

At a full trot, Jacob had one goal in mind: to get this elk in the bed of the truck, and to get back to the cabin and his Bella as soon as possible.

Getting out their hunting knives, the men began slicing the legs off; then with a saw, cut through the skull to remove the antlers from the animal so it would take up less space in the truck bed. When that was taken care of, they hopped aboard the vehicle, but after keying the ignition, several times in fact, the damn engine wouldn't turn over.

Jacob was beside himself now. "That's it, I'm phasing and running back to Uncle Omni's right this minute."

"Aren't you afraid of someone stealing your truck? Plus all this meat can be quite a temptation."

"The hell with it. Bella's more important. You coming?"

"Nah, I'll stay awhile and see if I can get this thing going. If it's a no go, then I'll phase and follow you."

The snow-laden trees whizzed by as Jacob raced through the forest, descending down the mountain. His mind was awhirl with the worst-case scenarios. Why did he always think that way? Bella was probably reading a book by the fireplace, or fixing something on the stove for the hungry trio of hunters. In another half hour, he'd be there, and see for himself how foolish he was being.

EPOV:

Bella came to the door. "Hey, Embry, I thought I heard the Jeep outside. I'm so relieved you're here. I hate to tell you this, but I'm in labor. Can you tell Jake to hurry up and come in here? We need to pack it all up, and load everything. This baby is coming."

Uh-oh. Me—why is it always me?

"Embry … Why are you looking at me like that?"

Scratching his forehead, Embry replied, "Um, Jake's not exactly out there yet. He and Quil went on ahead to see about bagging another deer."

Her mouth dropped open.

This couldn't be happening. Embry was here … alone with a woman about to give birth. He'd rather face a firing squad.

"Well, can you hold on a little while longer? I think Jake will be here soon."

As an afterthought, he added, "Have you tried calling him?"

What a dumb question. Of course she did.

"I called him … like four times, and I couldn't get any answer."

Embry walked into the cabin, closing the door behind him. "Let's try again. Sometimes, the mountains kind of interfere with the signal."

He followed her to the side table. Bella handed him the cell, and Embry pushed each button from memory. Nothing. He tried to remain calm, but hell, he did not want to be responsible for delivering his Alpha's baby. He'd helped Uncle Omni with a foal or two, and several calves, but this was a whole different ball game. Why me …why me? his brain screamed silently.

A/N: I have no idea how to hunt, so I asked a guy who is an Apache and who hunts a lot. He gave me the skinny, and looked at me very amused.