A/N: This is just a short scene, just getting back into the swing of things after the holidays and so people can re-familiarize themselves with the story.

Bella POV

Within a couple of hours they had reached the werewolf pack, remaining downwind of the group, hidden well within the treetops. It was a desolate area, and Bella wondered how any human could survive in such conditions. Surely this was a hardy and willful people.

They settled in, quietly observing the scene that unfolded below. The women helped the men pack their belongings below, and Bella could almost sense the melancholiness as they piled trinkets and clothes for their loved ones. If Tallulah's vision was correct, Bella imagined that this would be the first time that the wolves would travel for an extended period of time.

She could sympathize, thinking back to Jasper and France. She wondered yet again where he was and wished that he was with her now, the longing to be reunited with her mate becoming stronger and stronger as each minute passed.

Bella realized that he would be looking for her next text soon, and a knot in her stomach formed as she knew she had no method of communicating with him directly, no way of verifying if he was alright, no way of advising that she was okay. Bella prayed that he was safe.

Edward who had perched on a branch next to Bella, drew Bella out of her thoughts as he quickly whipped his head to Felix, speaking quietly in response to an unspoken question. "No, I can't understand what they are saying. Although I have a good grasp on Russian, this is an entirely different dialect. Dimitri, do you understand the dialect? I could perhaps repeat what I am hearing to you?"

They had been able to hear a sentence or two when they carried their voices, but Bella and the rest of them were dependant on what they were looking at in front of them.

Dimitri shook his head. "No, as many Russian dialects as I understand, this is one I have never come across before."

Edward's mouth formed into a tight line. "They only thing that I am able to see are the images floating through their minds as they think certain thoughts. While some of it is open to interpretation, I can tell that they will be travelling far and a lot of their thoughts are on their families. Give me some time."

"We don't have time." Bella hissed.

"We will not leave till we are certain of what their intentions are." Felix reiterated to the frustrated vampire. "And not a moment before."

Edward stared down at the scene below. "I will get the information we need, Bella."

Tallulah frowned. "For an indigenous people without much contact with the outside world, they certainly have more modern conveniences than I would expect."

Tallulah made a valid point. Bella had noticed that the rugged duffle bags they were carrying around were brand new and of high quality. The men then loaded them into three state of the art snowplows, designed specifically to handle the icy terrain they lived in.

"Where did they get the money for this? Someone is clearly funding this little expedition." Dimitri murmured. She could tell that this fact concerned him greatly.

Suddenly, commotion came in from below as the women, children, and men quickly gathered in the center of their tiny community. Voices rang out in chatter before silence fell among them as a lone figure appeared from one of the wooden buildings.

The well dressed figure strode purposefully into the group and faced the wolves beginning to address the small crowd. It was apparent this figure was not one of them based on how they carried themselves and spoke.

Immediately, Bella senses were on full alert as she looked below. That could not be right. The others stiffened as well and she knew they had seen what she had and had come to the same conclusion.

In the middle of the pack, stood a vampire.