Sorry, Sorry, folks... I've had a quite busy weekend, graduation and everything... I managed it today after sleeping in... and I hope you like the new chapter. As much as I hope I'll be able to get at least one or two more chapters published this week... but well, enough of my lamentations, enjoy this chapter... and, yes, I've already missed the conversation in the pack mind...glad they're back. :D
Chapter 11 - Again
This was so odd.
Exactly a week ago, I'd made the resolution to quit my wolf, to turn my back on that life.
Two days ago, I'd had another temper failure and lost control.
Today, I was willingly phasing again.
I made sure I was deep enough into the forest that no one could see me anymore. I undressed, putting my clothes in a neat stack and laid them down under a tree. I would detect the place easily by following my own human scent.
Phasing was so easy and familiar, oddly comforting. Like... coming home? No. Not that. But something closer to this term than I was willing to admit.
The shaking intensified and I let the wolf break free, letting it have my mind and soul to indwell the body it provided itself.
Right the moment I was all wolf, I heard cheery voices in my head.
There it goes again..., I hummed in thoughts.
Leah! You're home., Seth cheered.
Yes., I replied with too little aversion to it.
Welcome back., Quil thought. I could see he was running, and enjoying it of course.
Leah, cool to hear from you., Embry chimed in.
Hey, guys.
I couldn't help but smile internally at the earnest delight of all of them to have me rejoin the pack. They were accepting me, and they liked my company. That was so much better than being only less annoying than Paul...
Where's Jacob?, I asked, still trying to hold back the breaking news.
What kind of question is that?, Embry chuckled.
Ah. I see. I rolled my eyes.
Want me to drag him out by my teeth?, he volunteered.
That's not necessary. I'm in howling distance., Seth replied.
Good. Call him.
I could hear Seth's howl through all of their thoughts. Hopefully, Jacob wasn't too absorbed in babysitting to get here.
Hey, even I am here., Quil stated. It's a pack thing... we've been waiting for you.
I growled silently. Seth... I told you not to wait for me.
Seth was smug. See – I was right. Got the right idea to wait. C'mon, Leah, let us hear the whole story. What's going on with these dogs?
Suddenly, all of the guys were all ears.
Couldn't we wait for Jacob?
No., Seth laughed, already picking thoughts from my mind like ripping little pieces from gift wrap paper to peek at the present.
Sethee, are you trying to be annoying?, I called him by his toddler nick name.
No. I'm succeeding.
I laughed. Right.
Finally, we felt Jacob phasing.
Hey, Jacob., I greeted him.
Leah, welcome. He didn't seem surprised at all that I was here. I supposed that was because Seth had told him everything he knew, and not because he suspected me to be weak enough anyway.
Hey, Jake!, the guys echoed at the same time.
Let's hear the story!, Seth pressed again.
Okay...
I sighed at his impatience, then I gave them a slow and detailed rerun of yesterday's meeting.
There was stunned silence as they took it in.
Wow., Embry thought at last. There are shape-shifters on Hawaii.
There are vampires on Hawaii! What're we waiting for?, Quil exclaimed.
Seth was just as eager. Just the way I knew those kids.
Leah, I'm seventeen. I'm not a kid anymore., Seth objected.
You're still as reckless as two years ago, though.
Leah, Seth – stop that. We've got to think about this matter objectively., Jacob reminded us.
We need more information about their numbers and as much knowledge concerning their... abilities. We need to know their extent of strength so we can evaluate if Sam's pack will be necessary. Maybe we'll need twelve more. If there are really more than two bloodsuckers, we should ask for support just to make sure.
I noticed how the term bloodsucker sounded almost too tame in Jacob's thoughts. His leech friends were brainwashing him. I wondered if he could fight others of their kind without feeling regret to kill people... the sarcasm in my thoughts left an acid taste in my mouth. And of course Jacob had heard it, too. Was one week enough to forget how to keep my thoughts hidden?
Leah, I'm still committed to this. Bloodsuckers who are murdering people have to be destroyed and that is my calling. It's just the Cullen's who are different. And... just so you know, I still hate Blondie., he explained himself.
Good to know. Wow. One leech he still hated.
Maybe not even because she's a leech. More because of her personality. Being a leech doesn't help either, but I believe I'd even hate her if she was human., he added.
Ouch..., I laughed, and the tension was broken.
Well if she was human, it wouldn't be so much fun, though. I couldn't ever throw heavy items on a human girl.
I wasn't the only one to laugh as he showed us how he was flipping stones at the back of her head whenever she was out of the house and in reaching distance.
He only did it when Renesmee didn't see it, because she didn't want him to hurt her Rose.
Well – that was at least strong enough for him to do it in secret.
It doesn't hurt her. It only annoys her. That is the point!, Jacob chuckled.
Somehow Jacob was exactly the kind of kid Seth was. Or maybe it was because they all were males.
So tell us what are the really important matters in life, oh Fair Lady., he mocked me.
Um... how about a bunch of bloodsuckers on the Big Island?
Yay!, Seth thought. We're wasting time here. Let's go!
What about Mum?, I asked him.
Oh. Uh... maybe I should head back and tell her where I'm going.
You better do. Tell her I love her.
Kay. With that, I sensed him racing already.
Seth., I sighed. It's not like there are only five minutes left.
How do we proceed?, Jacob asked.
I frowned in confusion. Who's the Alpha? I was under the impression you were.
He laughed. Yes, I am. And Alpha Jacob is asking for your advice, beta. You are there. You know it first hand. What would you do?
Oh. So there I was, in the center stage again.
I advised the dogs to run patrol to get to know the enemy. But I wonder if the leeches will attack them even if the dogs don't strike first... I think I will patrol with them., I told him.
Very good., Jacob approved. Need some help already? I could send Seth and maybe Quil over there.
Yes!, Seth thought in delight, while Quil's anticipation was divided – sure, he wanted to come as soon as possible, but he could hardly stand to be away from Claire so long.
And you?, I asked Jacob. Will you be with us? I think I can handle the exploration patrols with Seth and maybe... Embry if he wants. Maybe you both could tear yourselves away from your imprints for a while to join us in a fight?
Sure., Jacob said, obviously contemplating whether he should be offended or admit I was right.
That instant, my ears caught a sound close by in the woods. I could hear the footfall of many paws on the forest floor.
They're on their way to meet me., I told my pack. If you like, leave the radio on and I'll keep you in the loop.
I could almost feel Seth prick his ears at that.
Few seconds later, almost a dozen overgrown dogs ran my direction. I barked to greet them and it dawned upon me that there might be a slight communication problem. The dogs could speak out in a human voice, but probably that didn't work on a long distance. I, on the other hand, was capable of long-distance communication, but for that to be of use, they had to read my mind – which I was despite this inconvenience absolutely grateful they couldn't.
I waited until they reached me. As if on command, all of them sat down in a row beside each other. A little awkwardly, I sat down across from them, and looked at them in expectation what they were about to do.
"Hello Leah."
I startled slightly again when I heard the big black dog speaking out to me.
"I do not want to make you uncomfortable with this situation. It's not easy for us, either."
I recognized the voice of the pack's Alpha as soon as I got used to the odd fact that he was speaking as a dog. I wondered why it was such a stretch to imagine that.
I woofed again.
"Do you want us to patrol now? There are eleven of us. We can part. What would you propose?"
He looked at me like he was waiting for an answer. I tilted my head to the side, hoping he'd find the flaw himself.
"Oh, I am sorry. I suppose... I should suggest something and you might... add yes or no?"
I nodded. It annoyed me to be speechless, but there was no way around it. Maybe I should take my clothes with me next time so I might be able to phase and talk to them.
"What do you think of groups of two each?"
I waved my head from one side to the other. Two seemed a bit dangerous... just in case. But, uh, it was dangerous anyway...
"Three?", Keli'i proposed. I nodded in agreement.
Swiftly, the row of large dogs formed pairings of three, leaving an auburn and a pale brown dog aside. I slowly walked over to the two left ones, trying to convey that I would be running with them. I looked at Keli'i, questioning if this was okay, and he nodded.
"Mano and Makani know the island well. You will run mokai, the northern coastline, the Hilo forest reserve, Manowaialee, Hamakua, Pu'u O Umi et Kohala, to the northern headland. Way back across Ka'ūpūlehu, covering the whole north part of the island. Everything north from the Mauna Loa Reservation."
Even my wolf face must have shown my confusion, and I was glad to hear one of my fellow patrollers answer the Alpha in a sure voice.
"Yes, Ali'i Keli'i, we will." I looked at him, wondering who he was. In my head, I ran through all the names I'd learned yesterday, matching them to the faces, and, more helpfully, to the voices. I failed, to put it mildly. Yesterday had been quite a lot to consider, I came up blank on the names other than the Chief's.
The auburn dog looked back at me, and from his expression I supposed he'd tried to wink at me.
"My name is Mano. Second-in-Command here. But of course, I will let you lead on this mission."
I smiled a wolfy grin at him the best I could. I don't know the location, so where's the point of leading?, I tried to think very loud, but without too much success. Right, I know what we're after, I'm the great heroine here... but apart from that, I can't even talk to you.
I rolled my eyes, and the two dogs standing close to me looked at me and tried to figure out what I thought. Unsuccessfully. And for the first time ever, I found it annoying not to have others read my mind.
Hey, Leah... you still have me.
The way Seth chimed in was almost too sweet. Normally, I would have growled at him, but this time I couldn't. His thought was too caring, to companionable. It really gave me comfort.
Thanks, Seth. I suppose... it's really an okay thing to have you in my head.
He was proud and elated about this, I could tell. A new comradeship had evolved slowly during our time of running together.
Aside from him, the... wolf channel was quiet. Jacob must have gone back to his... darling half-leech – Sorry, Seth. Half-vampire... - and Quil and Embry were gone, too.
"Leah?" A female voice claimed my attention, coming from the pale brown dog. "My name is Makani, if you remember me."
I nodded and managed to match her with the image of a dark haired, delicate woman, not the white-and-pink dressy one, but one of the other two. I hoped I had the right person in mind.
Keli'i rose to speak again. "We should start right now, there is a large area to cover here. If you come across one of the creatures, do not attack. I wonder if... our howling would draw their attention to us...?" He looked at me. I shrugged, unsure. Maybe they would bother, or maybe not.
The Alpha altered his question for me to answer it properly. "Should we give a signal by baying if we find one – or more?"
I shook my head. It's an investigation patrol. Just what we need to know.
He sighed, obviously as uncomfortable as I was with the communication problem. But we would have to get along now.
"'Ohana a Kama'aina, let us go out to protect our tribe!", he declared, the Alpha's timbre resonating in his voice. The others cheered, and I chimed in with a bold howling, supported by Seth who howled with me from La Push, wishing to be with me now.
Yes, I'd like that, too. You wanted to talk to mum before you...uh, swim over here, didn't you?, I reminded him.
He didn't hide his eagerness and his fear to miss something if he phased. I laughed it off in my thoughts. The earlier you talk to mum, the faster you'll be on your way. Good thing it's the holidays, huh?, I teased.
Yeah. See you, Leah. Don't get going without me!
That's up to your speed, bro.
See you very soon, then. I bet I'll be there by tomorrow evening...
Dream on. You've got to swim an ocean., I stated. I wondered if that was even possible, such a long distance... but then, why not? It was not like we weren't trained for long-distance and endurance.
Okay then. But I'll be soon enough, I hope.
I'll keep you in the loop about what's going on here.
Good. Bye.
I felt him phasing and turned my attention back to the... er... real life. Each group was about ready to go, probably waiting for my command. How strange this was... I used to be second-in-command in my pack, but there was hardly an issue where anyone would be waiting for me to give a command. If anything was going on, Jacob was there, and if not, there was no need for orders anyway. So this was new – and difficult due to our communication challenge.
I walked to stand across from the dog pack, looked into each of their faces for a moment, then I barked as an encouragement and ran over to my patrol companions to begin the reconnaissance mission.
I gestured my two fellows to start running, and a second later, we were running at full speed, nose to the ground to take in the scents. It was the same as I'd done for such a long time in my life, and it was still familiar and natural to me, though this was such a strange and unexpected setting.
I felt the wind brush past me while I ran. This part hadn't changed at all.
Author's Note: I had to do a lot of research again. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, concerning the location. For that, I digged up some stuff on Hawaiian language etc... and I'm using my best friend Google Maps for nailing down the route our weredogs are going to patrol... if interested, check Google Maps, it's fun :)
Anyway, please don't hit me if I'm unrealistic (I wonder if I am being unrealistic about Seth being able to swim over to Hawaii...)