Chapter Warnings: fight situation, graphic descriptions of violence
If you want, I recommend listening to "We know what you whisper" from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack just when the newborns arrive and the battle begins. I listened to it while writing and I feel it sets the mood quite well!
Next Update: June 1st
The Battle
There it was. Snarling. Feet rapidly rushing through the thicket of the forest. Still far away.
„Here they come." Emmett, his stare uncharacteristically dark, shook his arms out, bracing his stance.
Sascha took a slow, deep breath she knew she didn't need. She stood between Carlisle and Jasper, hands clenched to fists so strong, she'd be breaking her own bones if she still could. „Alice, how much longer?"
„About two minutes." Alice's voice was small, yet fierce.
Sascha nodded to herself and shared a look with Carlisle and Rosalie to her left. This was it. A hand suddenly touched her right fist, only for a moment. Jasper.
„Remember", his gaze was fixed up ahead, voice dark. „Do not hold back. They are out to kill us. You. Just let go."
The army got closer. Sascha could hear their ragged breaths in between snarls and grunts now. The sound of their clothing flapping around them got louder too. So close.
She steadied herself once more, forced her hands to relax and open and nudged Jasper's hand in return. „Whatever it takes."
A tremor shook her when the first few newborns burst through the tree line. And without thinking, she and the others charged forward. Sascha only barely registered her pulling ahead of the others. Her eyes fixed on the people right in front of her, the first line of newborns. With a growl she wasn't aware she was capable of making, she reeled her arm back and punched through the first newborn's face, their body exploding upon impact.
Then, hell broke loose around her. She found herself in a whirlwind of bodies, limbs, and soon wolves too. She dodged the frantic newborns easily, doing her best to not cross eyes with them. Not look into their faces. Suppress the humanity they once had.
Her punches were strong, precise. Having just ripped off someone's arm and head with two quick jabs, she whipped around when she heard a wolf yelp behind her. One of the wolves was snapping at his back furiously, a newborn grabbing at his fur, trying to go for the neck. With a crack snapping through the air, Sascha switched places with the wolf, kicked her knee up and pushed the newborn down at the same time, cracking them apart in the middle. One second, one life.
She shot a quick look at the wolf, glad to see that he was back in the fight. So she sped off to another newborn, who was currently trying to ambush Rosalie from behind. She switched places with the stranger, jumped and twisted in the air to kick them back forcefully. She braced her stance when the newborn charged at her again. They were tall, with a wide back and strong arms. They lunged at Sascha with a snarl, mouth wide with fury and viciousness. She dodged at the last split of a second and tried to bring her own punch in, but her fist soared through air instead. She felt hands grab at her neck from behind, then searing pain as the newborn bit down on her shoulder. Sascha screamed.
Another crack followed as she switched places with her opponent. She jumped up on their back and smashed her elbow down repeatedly, shattering their shoulder, before she grabbed their jaw and twisted their head around forcefully, finally rendering them harmless.
Sascha was just about to dash for another one who was currently advancing on a distracted Alice, when two figures at the tree line caught her attention. One had flaming waves of red hair, the other-
Sascha snarled. „You."
It was Riley. He dashed off without sparring her as much as a glance as he followed after the red-head. Sascha couldn't stop herself as she burst into a sprint, wanting nothing more than to tear him to pieces. Let out her anger at him for what he had done to her. What he had made her do.
„Sascha!"
She heard Jasper's voice, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. She needed to bring Riley down. With her own hands. See to it that he could never do the same to anyone else. It took only seconds, and she reached snowy patches as she got higher.
Suddenly, she heard a wolf's yelp and a grunt. Had that been Alice? Sascha stopped herself abruptly. This was not the plan. She was not needed up here. The others needed her, and she needed them. She could not just leave them.
She turned back immediately, slapping herself in the face for the frenzy she had almost fallen in, and pushed herself faster than she had even ran before, branches practically pulverising as they came in contact with her.
Coming back to the field, Sascha's gaze immediately found Alice's form as Jasper took down one of the two newborns that had tackled her to the ground. Sascha sped forward. A crack snapped through the air as she switched places with the other newborn, then immediately twisted around and punched their head off in one swift motion.
Sascha quickly turned around and helped Alice stand back up. „Are you okay?"
„Yes, thank you."
There was no more time for talk. The danger had not been snuffed out just yet. The three dashed off to their next targets. Sascha quickly moved to help out one of the wolves currently tackling three newborns at once. She ran to jump in a big arch over them, twisting in the air to grab one of the newborns and toss them aside. Her feet coming into contact with the ground again, she snatched the first arm she was able to grab, pulled and ripped it off clean, before she punched them into the grass with such a concentrated force, they crumbled to pieces immediately.
Suddenly, Sascha was yanked to the ground from behind. „You abandoned me."
Sascha felt her blood run cold. Or whatever the emotional equivalent of it was in her state.
The voice.
She was able to roll away from the fist that smashed down where her face had been a split second before. She quickly scrambled to her feet, ducked stance and hands ready to defend herself. She felt like tearing the earth apart in guilt when she came face to face with-
„Anna."
The girl's face contorted in animalistic rage, eyes blazing in a bright red fury. She growled dangerously and made to lunge at Sascha again. „You left me behind."
Sascha quickly moved to dodge her, going completely into a defence mode without thinking. „Anna, I'm sorry, I-"
She couldn't finish her sentence. Anna went completely ballistic on her. Clawing, scratching, snatching at her like a wild animal.
„Anna, please stop!"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The girl was completely lost to her instincts and rage. Sascha felt completely helpless. She couldn't go against her. Not to kill her, anyway. And that was proving to be her mistake. She started pulling her punches.
Anna had nothing holding her back, she was vicious, a force to be reckoned with. Sascha grunted in pain as Anna managed to sink her teeth into her upper arm for a split second and quickly moved to push her off of herself again.
Suddenly Sascha was grabbed in a headlock from behind by someone bigger than her. She could feel them pressing down on her neck. Could hear the crack of stone. She hissed in pain. And then Anna stood in front of her again.
„We're going to kill you. All of you."
Sascha's terrified, guilt torn look vanished, replaced by some territorial fury instead. And without hesitation, the second the person behind her adjusted their hold to twist off her head, a crack tore through the air, and Sascha watched as Anna's head got torn off instead.
She used the moment of confusion the taller one was in and kicked their knees out under them, causing one shin to fly off immediately, jumped forward and snapped their head off with one clean swipe of her arm.
Do not, ever, threaten my friends.
Sascha lifted a hand to her neck and felt the cracks there quickly healing themselves. Close one.
She wasn't being attacked immediately, causing her suspicion to tighten as she looked around to check the situation. Alice stood several paces away from her, back facing her as she searched the tree lines for hidden newborns.
Suddenly, something touched Sascha's shoulder. She whirled around, snarling and with a fist raised. She relaxed immediately.
It was only Carlisle.
„It's over."
Sascha lowered her arm again and looked around. Emmett was just tossing his last opponent away from him, as were Jasper and Rosalie. They all stood around for a moment, unmoving, taking in the battlefield around them.
Then, as though to erase all proof to their own eyes as soon as possible, they quickly gathered all the fallen bodies while Carlisle started a fire. It felt grounding, sickening and cathartic at the same time to put all remnants of the newborn army into the flames. Sascha tried to tell herself they were putting them to their final rest. Of course it was only a facade to make herself feel better.
„Are you okay?" Alice stood next to Sascha when they were done and gently hugged the taller one around the waist.
„I will be. I hope. You?"
Alice nodded. „Thanks for jumping in there. For coming back."
„I shouldn't have left." Sascha looked at the ground grimly for a moment, shame twisting up her spine.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, firm yet comforting. „You came back, that's what matters." Jasper's voice sounded sincere. No trace of judgement to be found.
Sascha raised her eyes to him and nodded, her lips pressed together firmly. She moved to return Alice's side hug and grabbed Jasper's hand on top of her shoulder. „We did it."
Suddenly, Alice went rigid in Sascha's arm and both the latter and Jasper turned to look at her in worry.
„Alice, what's wrong?" Sascha touched a hand to Alice's cheek as her eyes flitted around erratically.
„The Volturi, they- they'll be here soon."
More bad news.
With a start, Jasper started snarling at something behind her and Alice and Sascha whirled around. Esme, who Sascha only now noticed hadn't taken part in cleaning up the field, came closer to their group, a newborn walking by her. They stood timidly to the side, small and insecure. Despite their non-threatening appearance, Sascha could feel her throat closing up with a growl trying to fight its way out her chest.
Jasper was just about to lunge at them, but Esme quickly positioned herself between her adopted son and the newborn, holding out a hand towards Jasper. „No, wait!"
Carlisle appeared next to them, arm stretched out to grasp Jasper around his shoulders. „She surrendered during the fight."
„That doesn't change anything."
„Jasper, she's a victim. It's not her fault." Esme's voice was pleading. „We can help her."
Sascha's eyes were trained on the newborn. She was so young. She clenched her jaw when her chest felt like it was jolting in pain. Just like Anna. Sascha dared to take a small step closer to the newborn, not wanting to scare her or tick her off. Knowingly, she positioned herself between the newborn and Jasper, still closer to him though. Out of her periphery she could see him rise a little from his crouched position.
„What's your name?"
Her gaze snapped over to her, frightened. She was so on edge, her entire body was shaking. „Bree."
„I got kidnapped by Riley too."
Bree's frightened stance shifted a little as she nodded at Sascha, some fear leaving her eyes as she seemed to understand the connection they shared in a way. Though Bree's fear returned, tenfold, as Sascha heard another, threatening growl come from Jasper.
„If you leave my sight, I will kill you. Understood?"
Bree nodded frantically at him, clinging to Esme's arm as though to hide behind her.
All of them snapped their heads to the tree line when they heard footsteps coming closer. Bella and Edward.
Esme carefully guided Bree several paces away. „There's a human coming. You must control yourself."
Sascha and the others gathered around the fire again and soon after, the couple reached them on the field. Unscathed. Sascha felt her shoulders sag with relief. Only to tense up a moment after when the smell of blood hit her nose. Bella had been wounded.
„How long?" Edward had read Alice's mind about the arrival of the Volturi. He seemed even more stressed than before.
„A few minutes. Maybe ten?"
Sascha immediately moved closer to Bella, seeing dried blood on her lower arm, and reached for it. „You okay?"
Bella nodded, lips pressed together. She still looked shaken up.
Sascha shot an uncertain look over to Bree. She could see the newborn clenching her jaw desperately. Bree grabbed her throat absentmindedly as her nose started twitching more frantically.
„Let me heal that for you, yeah?"
Bella only managed a nod again, and held out her arm a little to Sascha. The latter closed her eyes in concentration, soon feeling the familiar stinging in the crook of her own arm.
„The pack needs to leave", Carlisle looked around worriedly, „The Volturi won't honour a truce with the werewolves."
Suddenly, a stray newborn appeared out of the bushes, stumbling slightly, but eyes wild with bloodlust and rage. The light grey wolf bared its teeth and jumped at it without hesitation.
„Leah don't!", Edward yelled, but it was too late.
It all happened too fast, Sascha had no time to react. By the time she had turned around and dropped Bella's arm, a brown wolf had already tackled the newborn off of Leah. A second later, a sickening crunch reached their ears as the newborn pressed down on the other wolf's torso.
Bella screamed out in terror. „Jacob!"
With a crack, Sascha switched places with Jacob and ducked just in time as the other wolves of the pack snapped their teeth in her and the newborn's direction, ripping them away from her and tearing them to pieces.
Dazed from being almost decapitated, only hearing not feeling her skin merge itself together somewhere on her body, Sascha stumbled back to the Cullens and observed the scene unfolding in front of her.
Jacob had turned into his human form again, Edward and Carlisle kneeling beside him. His mouth agape with a silent scream, his face contorted in agony.
Carlisle carefully took Jacob's arm and felt for the injuries. „The bones on the right half of his body are shattered."
Sascha felt herself whipped around by her shoulder, coming face to face with an upset Alice. „What were you thinking?" Her fingers ghosted over her neck and shoulders, looking for serious injuries.
„I-I don't know. I wasn't."
„Clearly you weren't!"
Sascha didn't know what to say, dumbly opening and closing her mouth. She tried to look at the others for their reaction, but exactly that second they all shifted their gazes back to the hurt pack member, so Sascha turned around again too.
The pack was lifting a wheezing and grunting Jacob on their shoulders, careful to not hurt him further. The pack leader and Carlisle exchanged a nod.
Too much was happening at the same time. Before Sascha could even contemplate that she could help heal Jacob, Alice breathed out a shaken gasp.
„They are coming!"
Jasper quickly grabbed Sascha by her arm and pulled her back behind Esme and Carlisle. She let him. For when her eyes set on the four dark cloaked vampires approaching them, she felt like all air left her body. They were radiating a threatening aura around them. Postures stiff, expressions bland.
Sascha felt a tremor jolt down her spine when she saw how young the two in the middle were. Barely teenagers even. Basically still children. Their red eyes were blazing with some sort of hatred and… thirst for violence. Sascha felt sick just imagining what had made them like this. Or who.
The four Volturi members came to a stop several paces away from them and took off their hoods almost ceremoniously.
When the sole female vampire of their group started talking, Sascha closed her eyes for a moment. Turned at such a young age, probably centuries ago, and made their leader. She had to consciously remind herself that she only looked 13.
„Impressive. I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact."
„We were lucky." Carlisle's voice was carefully guarded in tone.
„I doubt that."
„It appears we missed an entertaining fight." The boy next to the blonde girl spoke, almost mockingly.
Sascha could feel the beginning of a snarl tug at her. Without anybody able to see, Jasper grabbed her lower arm. She could feel him trying to calm her.
„Yes", the blonde agreed, „It is not often we're rendered unnecessary."
„If you arrived a half hour ago, you would have fulfilled your purpose." Edward clutched Bella to his side while he spoke. Sascha wondered if it was for Bella's protection, or his anchoring.
„Pity", the blonde spat in his direction. Then, as her eyes settled on Bree, a tiny, sick smile spread on her face. „You missed one."
Sascha felt Jasper's presence move a few paces away from her as he most likely stepped closer to Bree. Sascha didn't look. She kept her eyes trained on the Volturi.
Carlisle was quick to explain. „We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender."
The blonde's cold eyes found him for a second. „That wasn't yours to offer." Her focus was back in Bree. „Why did you come?"
Sascha saw the tiniest twitch in her eyes, as though in concentration, then suddenly, Bree started screaming in utter agony and dropped to the ground. Writhing in pain.
„Who created you?"
Horrified, Sascha looked back and forth between the screaming newborn, and the Volturi girl. What?
„You don't need to do that. She'll tell you anything you wanna know", Esme pleaded with a pained voice.
Sascha felt her stomach cave in when she saw the blonde one smile in devilish satisfaction. It was her own doing.
„I know."
Bree stopped screaming and crying then, gasping for air instead, when the torture inflicted upon her ceased. „I- I don't know. Riley wouldn't tell us", Bree tried to explain desperately, pushing herself up on her lower arms. „He said our thoughts weren't safe."
Before being able to stop herself, Sascha felt the words tumble out of her mouth. „It's true."
The blonde Volturi snatched her gaze at her suddenly. As though, up until this moment, she hadn't even seen her. Sascha felt her throat constricting immediately. She wanted to smack her own head. When would she learn to think?
„Her name was Victoria", Edward was quick to interject, pulling the attention to him. „Perhaps you knew her."
„Edward, if the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria, they would've stopped her", Carlisle turned to the blonde one again. „Isn't that right, Jane?"
„Of course", Jane muttered.
It was obvious that all of them knew the truth. They had been letting this go on without control. Putting them all at risk intentionally.
Jane then turned her head to the freakishly tall man standing to her left. „Felix."
The man in question immediately moved forward with a murderous expression shadowing his face. Sascha looked around frantically, not exactly knowing what was happening but definitely registering that whatever it was, it was bad. Unconsciously, she moved herself a little in front of Bree.
„She didn't know what she was doing", Esme quickly said, desperation in her voice. „We'll take responsibility for her."
„Give her a chance." Carlisle gave Jane a subtly imploring look.
To no avail.
„The Volturi don't give second chances", her voice was loud and cold as stone. Her eyes travelled the group, finally settling on Bella. „Keep that in mind. Caius will be interested to know that she's still human."
„The date is set." Albeit shaking, Bella tried to sound strong. Not wanting to let Jane think she was intimidating her.
Jane ignored her, looking at nothing in particular as she addressed her fellow Volturi member again. „Take care of that, Felix. I'd like to go home."
Felix kept walking forward then, easily passing through the Cullens as no one dared to do anything. They couldn't do anything. Sascha stood directly in his path, unable to move out of it. But she didn't have to, as he merely pushed her aside without sparring her as much as a glance. Sascha stumbled a little, releasing a breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe this was happening.
Felix bent down to Bree and yanked her up forcefully, the poor girl whimpering in fear, trying to fight him off.
Jasper had turned his back to the scene, head lowered. Sascha reached forward to grab his hand and felt her throat constrict yet again when she saw his pained expression. He could feel everything that Bree was going through in that moment. It pained Sascha too.
So she kept her eyes trained on his, offering silent support, since there was nothing else she could do, as Bree's desperate screams stopped with a deafening crunch of stone.
End Notes:
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I was toying with the idea of saying Bree for a second there, but I figured it wouldn't contribute to the story in a way that I would want to write it, and I also didn't want to change that part and then not have it be any impact on the story at all. It still annoys me though hahah I have to be honest. Maybe I'll write a little AU of sorts where Bree can be saved.
Let me know if you liked this chapter! I'm curious about your thoughts.
Also, if you read until here - I had a little art burst a few weeks ago, and drew Sascha in her outfit for the wedding in Breaking Dawn Pt 1. Would you like to see it? Let me know.
Alrighty, see you next month~ have a nice day everyone, and take care.
Posted: May 1st
Last Edit: May 1st