Author's Note: Okay, for those who want this chapter, here it is. It's quite short, and it's quite drippy... I think, under normal circumstances, this would be far too hurried. But remember, it's supernatural. Maybe it works that way. - have fun with it anyway.

Thanks to all of you who ever read and reviewed this story. Thanks, you kept me going. Maybe I'll be back someday with some other stories, but not this year anymore.

Bonus Chapter: Seth's PoV of Chapter 16 – Settling

"Look what I've found. Look, Seth!", Pili exclaimed, too excited to keep his voice low.

"Scouts are keeping quiet. If you squeal or scream, you'll scare the animals off.", I'd told him. But of course, he wasn't able to. His friend, Keni, was just as excited. I looked over at him and Embry, who were kneeling over something a few yards away. I heard Embry explain how he could distinguish the different footprints of different animals.

I followed Pili to the indentations in the ground that looked like claw prints. Some small forest animal had scratched on the ground.

I suppressed a yawn. Going with the boys grew tiresome after hours and hours of unquenchable energy. Yes, it was interesting, especially in an unknown forest, but by now, my stomach growled and revolted, and I felt a strange pull toward the house that lay a few miles away from here. I needed something to fill my stomach. Soon.

"What is it, Seth?", Pili asked again, more impatient this time.

"Well... what do you guess?", I asked him back.

He looked at it with a highly concentrated frown on his face. "I think... maybe it's a wolf?"

I laughed. "You like wolves, do you?"

He nodded.

"No, I'm afraid it's no wolf. Wolves are much bigger. I suppose it's something smaller."

"Oh. Do you think we'll find a wolf?"

Sure, I can turn into a wolf. Wanna see? "No, I don't think so. I don't even know if there are wolves on Hawaii."

"Pili!", Keni shouted, and gestured toward his friend. Pili bounced off. I stretched and yawned, slowly following the boy over to where he and Embry were.

"Hey Embry, let's go home, I'm hungry."

He looked up, then glanced at his watch. "You're right."

"C'mon, guys, we have to get home. It's almost dinner time.", I said to the boys. Reluctantly, they followed, and we started heading home. I had difficulty to keep slow. My body was hurrying toward the well-deserved dinner.

"Seth?"

"Mh?"

"We gotta bring Keni home.", Embry reminded me.

"Oh. Right." I shook my head. Weird. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I forced myself to turn and follow Embry and the boys down the street, instead of up to the back gate. I'd have to stand my hunger for another five minutes. No thing.

We reached Keni's door and told him good bye, then we walked back home, finally.

The back door wasn't locked, and we heard many voices from the kitchen. I frowned. So many people? Why?

Embry opened the kitchen door and went in. After a moment's hesitation, he greeted. "Hello. I'm sorry for being late. My name is Embry Call."

I came in after Pili and just went down the room to squeeze myself in between two people I didn't know. I needed something in my stomach right this instant. The craving was even stronger now.

I reached for the food, some casserole, and took a big helping of it. Without pausing, I began to stuff it in, without any other thought.

It took me some minutes to realize there was no ease coming from chewing and swallowing, like it usually did when I was dead hungry.

I looked up from my plate and gazed around me. And my eyes were locked in place when they saw her.

I forgot how to breathe, how to close my mouth, who I was, where I was... it didn't matter anymore. I stared at her, and then she stared back. I noticed the deep blush on her cheeks, and her dark lashes trying to cover her eyes as she tried to look away. But while my gaze never even faltered, she kept trying to drop her gaze, but her eyes always came looking back at me.

I felt a light breeze as something flew past me, then another as something more brushed me in passing. But I never looked away from her.

I opened my mouth, but I had also forgotten how to speak. I just kept looking at her. So beautiful... I didn't even know her name, I didn't know her, I'd never seen her before. How could I have, I hadn't even known something of such a beauty did exist.

I'd seen it before, in Sam's thoughts, in Quil's thoughts, in Jacob's thoughts... but this was so much more. I'd heard Jacob's thoughts, how the center of the world had shifted... and he was right, only it was so much more. There was nothing else in the world now. Only her, this beautiful girl whom I felt I knew for forever, while in fact I didn't even know her name. But I needed to know.

"What's your name?", I mouthed, hardly more than a whisper.

She looked at me with her beautiful dark eyes for a moment before she replied. "Ka Hiwa."

Ka Hiwa. Ka Hiwa. I smiled, maybe it looked sheepishly, but it was only happy.

"And you?", she asked. I wanted her to speak to me forever. I always wanted to hear that voice.

It took me a while to find my voice again. "Seth."

"Oh.", she said, smiling. And then she reached out across the table, her hand reaching for me hesitantly, finding my palm, touching it lightly.

How could this be so unbearably wonderful, getting still better?

"You are a friend of Leah?", she asked in her melodic voice.

"No.. I'm her brother.", I said, only the notion of her interest in me enabling me to form coherent sentences. How could I keep her using her voice? "Do you... live here?", I asked, realizing afterwards how stupid that question sounded.

She laughed, and I felt so lightheaded I thought I was going to faint. She was even more beautiful when she laughed...

"Yes, I do.", she replied. "I have been born here in Hilo, and I've stayed until now. I love the Island, and I'm proud to protect it."

In my mind, her words spun in circles, rearranging themselves to always new shapes. And still, she was smiling at me.

"Wow.", I breathed.

"You're a tribe protector too, right?", she asked, looking at me so intently I had difficulty to think straight, or to think at all.

"I... yeah. I.. I am.", I stammered. If she hadn't gotten sick of me by now, it was close to a miracle. Well, probably it was a miracle, right next to herself being a miracle.

It seemed like I had developed a sixth sense that kept receiving signals from her, telling me she still was interested in me and this conversation.

There was so much in my head, so much I wanted to know about her. I didn't know what to ask first. I wasn't sure if some of my questions were fit to be asked at this point.

She sat there, smiling at me.

I cleared my throat, before I proposed a walk outside the house.

She rose and went around the table to stand beside me. Before I could realize, I felt her touch on the skin of my palm again, as she hesitantly reached for my hand. I glanced at her in elation, holding her hand in mine while I lost myself in her eyes.

I didn't know how long I had stood and stared when she finally gave me a slight pull. "Let's go outside.", she whispered, and I followed her through the front door, out into the street.

We walked silently, holding hands, hers warm in mine like nothing had ever felt warm to me since I had become a werewolf.

Suddenly, she stopped, and the look in her eyes was so serious, yet so intent that my head was spinning again.

"You... you don't even know me.", she stated, and I was all worried at once. But she didn't make a move away from me, she left her hand in mine like it belonged there. Which was what I wanted more than anything in the world.

"I... don't. Not until now.", I confessed.

"How can you... be like this, then?", she asked, turning her head away shyly, yet always returning to my face.

My words slipped out unthinkingly. "Do you believe in love on first sight?", I asked. Oh, what did she do to me? Was that too far?

I watched as her eyes widened for a moment, feeling my body tense to fall down on my knees to apologize if necessary, but her smile returned instantly.

"Yes.", she said. "I do."

And it felt like she didn't have to ask to know how I felt about that subject.

"Are you... are you... afraid?", I asked silently. "I mean... all of a sudden..."

"No. I'm not. I don't know why..." She smiled.

There had to be some heavenly essence to it, something that made the one who was imprinted upon feel trust in the one she barely knew. Something that made Ka Hiwa trust in me instantly.

I reached out, carefully, touching her, searching in her eyes to see what she was thinking. I only saw warmth in her smile...

Slowly, I pulled her close, and she leaned into my embrace, her arms finding their way around my waist.

And I'd never felt so good before. I held her close, while my mind worked to realize that this was real. That she was there, in my arms, and that she wanted to be there. That where she was would be my place forever, as long as she wanted me... my world was settling, building itself around her in amazing patterns, unbelievable to me.

I felt her stir, turning her head in my direction, smiling. And I was lost in that smile again, moving closer to her while her smile kept enchanting me. She stretched herself up to me, and the world stopped spinning as her lips touched mine.