Chapter Twenty Four

A Warrior's Grave Mistake

Nessie

When I awoke the next day most people were still asleep, I did not know what had awoken me other then a sense of forboding. I got up and decided to start cooking breakfast, I went outside and smiled when I saw Bella, she had hung back, not wanting to disturb the others I knew she was feeling shame that a vampire had done this to us. My mother was never one for practicability although I loved her. I smiled and went over to the fire, warming my hands, there was food that the pack had gotten, I saw some ground coffee beans and hoped that it would work alright what I had planned. I found some cans, that would be Claire's idea she had gone on a camping trip and came back excited, I saw the wizard attending the fire.

"Could you tone down the flames, I want to make coffee for those who are going on patrol."

"Coffee?" He asked and I looked at him puzzledly who hadn't heard of coffee.

"An energizing drink." I replied. "We will need to wake up those on the day patrol soon." He nodded and the fire went down to ashes and coals crackling.

"It is easier to do this then the full blaze, I am tired perhaps I could have some of that drink after you are finished." I nodded and started the water boiling, I smiled tinfoil was good, there wasn't nearly enough food to keep the two packs full let alone anyone else, however the packs had both had the foresight to bring plenty of coffee. "If I had seeds I could cause the plants to grow until we could harvest them."

"I'll go into town, they can't kill me and my mother's protection will hold even in forks." I told him. "I'll get people to tell me what they want as well, I have a plastic card that gives out money, do you know what that is?"

"I know I am not of the human world you need not speak to me as a child, but even I have heard of money." He said.

"I am sorry but I just wanted to help." I replied and stirred the pots adding the ground coffee. Soon it was turning rich and dark and I smelled it smiling, it was pretty strong now and I took out a strainer straining the coffee grounds out and the hot coffee into the can. I did the same with the other cans and the warlock smiled, grass weaved tightly together forming things similar to cups, she placed them next to the coffee and the warlock returned the fire to a full blaze, I dipped a cup in and handed it to him. He sipped at it slowly.

"I feel strength returning to my body." He said to me and I smiled at him as he drank.

"I'll go wake the warriors who are to fight during the day." I told him and left going into the tent, it felt odd shaking awake people I didn't know, luckily the single men slept in a clump as did the single women. They all practically leaped to their feet. "Its morning." I said gently. "If you are tired there is an energizing drink, humans call it coffee." They nodded and some grabbed bows or other weapons. They departed soon after and I smiled going back to the tent, some people were shivering in the cold and I realized that I needed to get blankets for them as well as other supplies.

I stepped outside and started to run through the forest, I was almost to the car when I smelled someone approaching me it wasn't my family so I attacked, shredding it and beheading the thing, it wasn't expecting the attack so it was easy. I took the body back and threw it on the fire before running back to the car, I had just killed someone but it was him or my family or the people that I felt close to because they too were different. I drove quickly to Forks stopping at a garden store and buying out the vegitables seeds, I then went to a drug store and bought survival blankets and sleeping bags for those who needed them. I tried to think of what else I might have needed but I couldn't. The town had been invaded by vampires, I saw them everywhere, at least fifty to a hundred of them.

I drove back and slinging the sleeping bag on my back I stuffed it full of the supplies putting others in my hands. I was glad not to see anyone going back until I saw the first warrior. "I was getting supplies." I practically shouted and he nodded, it was a sorcerer and he smiled at me as I ran back to the camp. When I got there everyone was gathered around something. I dropped the supplies and joined them, a young man lay his eyes sightless wide and staring. I saw that his body was shredded but the way he had died was by the blow on the head, his head was practically caved in.

"Victor." A woman was crying and repeating his name over and over. I felt something within me roar with anger, what gave them the right? What gave them the right? I started pacing agutated this young man was dead. I let out a feral scream, it was instinctive but all around me other people started to let their anger and grief out in cries, I was amazed at the power, but I had to check on the children make sure that they stayed in the tent. I went into the tent and saw fear in so many young eyes.

"What is going on you have to tell me, you told me that you would tell me what was happening." Mariah said. "Why did my father order me to stay in here?" I bent forward and put her hand on my forehead showing her the image, she flew twenty feet in the air before going back to earth, seeing the unnatural behavior the young shape shifter transformed.

"It will be alright, we can do this, there are only fifty of them."

"Fifty?" Balzar questioned.

"To our far greater numbers." I told him and he nodded.

"But how many will die before it is alright?" Balzar asked and I couldn't bear to tell him that I didn't know. I had never met the man who had died but he had been a man like the ones I cared for, like the pack, it could have easily have been them.

"I don't know." I replied, these were the same people I had played whist with yesterday and they were having to grow up so fast as I was.

Mama? Who's dead? Of course my daughter had to have that gift.

"Victor." I said gently and saw a child crying.

"My Uncle Victor?" He asked terrified and I carefully held a picture in my mind of the young man whole not a bloody mass upon the ground and had the child touch a hand to my forehead. "Mama wouldn't tell me what was wrong." He was only six years old and I hugged him tightly.

"He will be avenged I destroyed a vampire when I was getting supplies." I told him and the little boy nodded tears running down his face. I smiled at him and saw Zachery out of the corner of my eye playing with a small flame. "Zachery?" I asked him. "Your father said that you needed someone with you." I said and the little boy pointed at the child crouched next to him, this one was about three years old and had three little flames spinning like tops. "I don't think he meant someone that was closer to your age then his." I told him. "Does your Father know that you are using your gifts?" The boy looked frightened and shook his head. "You need to not do this, fire is dangerous when not controled." I said gently and watched as the flames disappeared. "Now who's up for a game of chaise?" I asked and the children started shrieking at once as I chaised them around the room laughing delightedly, their fear forgotten in the next game, the older ones seemed to be only playing for the younger ones and I stopped as I saw someone entered the tent.

"The children need to be quiet, the night warriors are trying to sleep now that he is buried." A man said and I nodded, I gathered the children to me and started to pass a ball around the circle. Taking it down from where it had been put up high.

"You can play as long as you keep quiet." I told them and they nodded playing their game. I had to see Jacob to make sure that he was safe. I went to where people were gathered some were lying down but in another corner more were cooking, I saw Emily talking with another woman. I found Jacob and laid down next to him, his eyes were open and he touched my face gently as if memorizing it and then he clutched me tightly to him. I let him stroking his hair until he relaxed into sleep, his snores soothing me more then anything else could. I thought of how many vampires I had seen and realized that Balzar was right how many would die before this was over.

Nahuel came over and sat next to me. "I wish that I could do more, my gift is so useless."

"It is not useless you know that and so do I, your helping people with your songs, mine is the one that is useless." I told him and snuggled deeper into Jacob, he had survived this night and with luck will survive another. I could see other women waiting trying to do chores for others to arrive. I saw the warlocks and witches planting the seeds and stared as they instantly grew. It was amazing how fast it had happened. They had to be alright, they had to be. I heard Jacob's stomach rumble and I realized that they must not have been able to feed them before they had slept. He must have been so tired to not try to eat before he slept and yet he had waited for me before closing his eyes.

I hugged him close to me breathing in his wonderful smell, feeling Nahuel close to me. The children had one ball between them and my childrens' wolves who they guarded carefully. I had old toys in my room I would get them later on, but right now I wanted to only look at Jacob sleeping. We were becoming a community already and I couldn't bare for anyone else to be hurt although I knew that it had to happen. The six circles surrounding us protecting us and I knew that I would have to help as I could. We needed dwellings and I could get an ax from my home. I had spent enough time for myself, I took Jacob's arms off of me he muttered something in his sleep his arms trying to wrap around me again but I was gone, running. I made my way through the warriors and found the axes, there were several as Emmett sometimes liked to chop wood, I ran back with them in my arms and started to cut down a tree, A elf came up to me.

"What are you doing, your destroying its spirit." The elf said.

"I am sorry but people are freezing, I need the wood and we need something warmer then the tent." I told him, cutting the tree into two pieces. "We need to build shelter." The elf nodded.

"I can see the need for it, but please use the dead wood, it hurts us when one dies." He told me and I nodded.

"Tell me where, as long as it isn't rotted." I replied and he came with me as I cut down trees and made piles of logs. I remembered seeing in Jasper's head how to build a log house and that was what I was going to do, I had played with Jinga often enough as a child and I thought I could do it with help. I dragged the wood back to the camp and a warlock came over seeing the logs.

"You will need supports." He said and we cleared some more ground in the meadow, he used his gift to chop down trees so that they were silent. We propped up two full trees he shoved them deeply into the earth, making a house with four rooms, separated by open spaces. I smiled it was finished with evening coming on and I smiled at the warlock who's name I didn't even know.

"I'm Nessie."

"Valant." He replied smiling, a moment later a company of elves came into the camp carrying ten deer. I smiled and went up to them and laid down a tarp, they put the deer on top of it and together we skinned them and cut it into bite size pieces. I then took large sticks and pushed a bunch of deer meat on them, going over to the fire and semi roasting them over it. I laid them to the side as I finished each one and now I had people helping me although they were obviously unsure of what I was planning to do. I took some of the potatos from the garden and wrapped them in the tinfoil I had bought in town after washing them in the nearby stream. I finished and put them on the coals of the fire watching them cook carefully, already people were stirring or coming over to watch the meat cook, they all seemed so hungry that I didn't take any, I didn't need food unlike the others. I smiled as I handed them the small packages as someone blew the signal for the watches to change.

"Be safe." I told Jake and hugged him tightly, his hair was slightly messy but he gave me a crooked grin.

"I'll be fine Nessie, this was what I was made for." He replied and left with his group of warriors. I loaded up a basket with the meat and walked into the tent giving it to the children. The younger ones didn't seem to know what to do with it but pretty soon everyone was eating. I smiled sitting next to Amelia and Alex.

"Are you thirsty?" I asked both of them and Alex nodded. I put him in my lap and let him bite down on my arm, it hurt but I was taking care of him, I could see the way his eyes seemed to grow drowsy as he sucked at my blood his wolf clutched in his hands. He fell asleep before he finished in mid swallow, I smiled down at him allowing the waves of weariness to wash over me as I held him gently, Amelia came over and leaned against me, I gently put one arm around her and she snuggled into me letting out a sigh. I felt myself drift into oblivion with the children sleeping in my arms.