Chapter 20 - Mistimed

My dreams were confusing, too fast, flashing before my inner eye so fast I hardly caught up with them. Wolves, dogs, humans – my family, my pack brothers, Sam, Pili, Rebecca, Mano... this dream was not a nightmare, there was no plot to it, no sense, only pictures without any connection. I saw an image of Mano flying by, lingering for a moment, before it was replaced by one of Rebecca, wavering from side to side, but not passing by.

It took a while for me to realize where my dream drifted into reality.

"Lee?"

I grumbled and turned, noticing halfway that something wasn't right. Damn, the ground was hard! Where was I? This wasn't my bed!

I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness, spotting Rebecca's face above me, wondering while half-asleep how often she would still have to find me in some weird places and circumstances when I was supposed to sleep. By now, she should be past worrying, gotten used to my weirdness.

I stretched and lifted my head. "I'm fine, Becky. I was just dead tired and Kaili was too chirpy to sleep..."

Rebecca reached down to stroke my hair.

"I know I'm asking quite much of you...", she said remorsefully.

I sat up and shook my head. "No. That's fine. I can manage it... it just was much to digest, yesterday..."

"Still, I should let you get your sleep. There's enough lying ahead of you right now."

I nodded and yawned. "Then I'll go to my own bed now."

"Sleep well, Lee."

"Thanks, you too."

I shuffled over to my room and was out ere I could think another thought. This time, I slept so deep that I didn't dream.

I woke up late, feeling moderately rested. I took a shower before I went to the kitchen, where Embry was seated at the table with a bowl of cereals. "Morning, Leah."

"Hey Embry. What's up for today?"

He looked up at me. "Um... shouldn't I be asking you, second-in-command?"

I smirked. "Sure. Just checking if you know more than I do."

"I do.", he replied. "We're meeting with the pack in approximately an hour for a patrol to that vampire clearing."

"Oh." I helped myself with breakfast and sat down.

"It's just another informative patrol so we'd know the most possible."

I nodded. "Ok. The whole pack?"

"Well... Seth won't go without Ka Hiwa, even though he'd rather stay behind with her, but he knows he can't desert his pack. Besides, none of them want to be left behind."

"Fine. Well informed as you are, you also know about our research trip yesterday?", he asked.

He shook his head. "Tell me."

"Well, the elder we visited, Kukui, told us a story where the Hawaiian Dog Warriors had to fight against a Cold One, as it seems from the description, only that they were oblivious what exactly it was."

"Wow. How did they win?", Embry asked, his eyes wide open.

I told him all that Kukui had told us and that he had sent us to the Kahuna afterwards, quite ineffectively.

"So he doesn't know how to create that fire weapon... that's a drag.", Embry pouted.

"Don't underestimate the enhanced impenetrable skin. It comes in just as handy as the fire...", I asserted.

"Fire's cooler!", Embry grinned before he became serious again. "Well, if they could get both, they'll have to finish them alone. I don't think we're fireproof, too."

"Right...", I mused. "But obviously, they can't. So we're by ourselves, more or less. I hope the packs will arrive here soon."

I got up and went to rinse the dishes. Embry fetched himself a towel and dried. We worked in silence for a while.

"Where's Rebecca?", I asked him when I realized she wasn't in the house. Pili had to be at school, Mikala rummaged somewhere in the garage, and I heard nothing from Kaili.

"She's shopping groceries for the hordes of people she's hosting."

"Oh."

We met with the others in the forest. Embry, Mikala and I were the first, but we didn't have to wait long. We could hear and scent the others soon, but the most remarkable newcomer was, of course, Seth phasing.

Uh oh. That's the end of sanity., Embry joked.

I rolled my mind's eyes.

So he might be more annoying now than I used to be, ain't he?, I asked with a smile.

You're hardly annoying anymore. Really, Leah., he told me.

I do my best.

Hi, Embry, Hi Leah., Seth thought. He was trying, but not in the least succeeding, to conceal his thoughts about Ka Hiwa. We felt his elation to have her run next to him, felt his worries for her safety, the lingering memories of kisses and whatever else they shared, and his impossible love for her. He was bursting with all those feelings, thus it was almost impossible to hide them.

Seth..., Embry and I thought together.

… Sorry. I'm just... so happy, you can't believe it..!

Yeah... fine. Could you keep your head in the game, though?, I asked him.

I'm...trying., he promised, but he broke the promise once he let his eyes wander over to the slender light brown dog next to him, nearly exploding with love and joy and the alert to protect her once there was the slightest danger.

Oh fine. We're on our own now, Embry., I remarked.

Okay..., he sighed.

The whole pack had reached us soon after our conversation with Seth. We headed south-east, Keli'i at the top with Mano and me at his flanks. The meeting place was quite a distance from Hilo, at least, though those disgusting leeches were already hunting in our town.

"Was anyone there to hear what that... Luke told the others?", Mikala asked.

"No.", Mano answered, and Embry and I shook our heads.

"Oh. Damn."

"Let us hope that they are here today.", Keli'i advised.

We ran in silence now, the dogs being in disadvantage now. Or well, at least they had the advantage that they did not need to hear first-hand of Seth's puppy love.

Cool pun, Embry laughed.

Phew. Funny, Leah.

The vampire stink got worse the closer we came. We knew we'd reached the place when it became almost unbearable. Oh well, at least Seth's imprinting was of better taste than Jacob's, whom fate had played a kind of cruel joke. Half-leech lover...ugh. But he didn't seem to mind.

Thanks. I think fate has made the very best choice for me. She's just perfect and beautiful...

Stop it, Seth...

Our attention was attracted to the field now, anyway.

We could see some of the bloodsuckers standing around in a loose half-circle. The lack of tension suggested to us that Luke was missing yet. We sat down quietly in the shade of the underbrush, all of our eyes intent on the scene, trying to understand what was going on. Did they already know what they were going to fight for, whom they would fight against?

A few others trailed in and stepped into the gaps of the half-circle. After a few minutes of motionless waiting, there was a murmur swaying to and fro between them, followed by a hush. The tension increased and they all stared in the same direction. I let my eyes follow theirs and could spot another moving creature between the trees. Two of them.

Two vampires stepped out onto the clearing, and I gasped when I recognized the elder-looking man next to Luke. He was dark-haired with burgundy eyes and a skin like old paper.

I had met him before. He'd stood with the Cullen's against their so-called royalty.

Some kind of aspirant for world domination. What was his name? Stefan? Vladimir? One of those. I don't know why I bothered about the names anyway.

"This is Stefan.", Luke introduced the new member of the party without any advanced greeting.

"I told you we're going to Italy as soon as I've drilled enough battle skills into all of you."

Stefan nodded. "I'm delighted to see all of you.", he told them in a feathery, yet coarse voice. "We're working together to free our world from injust treatment from those who think themselves divine."

Hesitantly, one or two of the younger ones began to cheer, the others chimed in.

"Quiet.", Luke finally snapped. "This is a serious mission, not a football game."

He waited a few seconds with glaring eyes until all of them were hushed again. "We're leaving Hawai'i in two days, across the ocean. Until then, I require you to strain yourselves in training, and that you're feeding regularly. The humans begin to suspect something and we can't delay farther. Just feed here on the Isle, and before they can begin a closer examination, we will be gone.", he commanded. "Take the towns you haven't been feeding in so much yet."

"What about Hilo?", one piped up. Luke's head turned over to the one who had asked.

"Yes. But keep it in the night, there've been enough rumors there."

Next to me, Seth stiffened and let out a snarl.

No, Seth!, I hissed in thoughts.

Luke's head snapped over in our direction.

It was already too late.

Author's Note: Okay... Now there's going to be some action. But I'll be sort of busy next days... so please be patient with me :)

I think I'll conclude with Jacob's words from BD: "Waiting for the Damn Fight to start already" ;)