Chapter 5

"Are you gonna eat that hot dog?" Paul asked Jacob, staring at the last hot dog. My stomach growled at me. This stupid werewolf curse was turning me into more of a pig than a wolf. I had three hot dogs, and snuck a fourth without anyone seeing. I felt really self-conscious, seeing that the most the mortals ate were one or two each. I wanted the last hot dog, but I just turned my head and stared into the fire.

I kept getting confused looks from Bella, but I didn't return the glances. I remembered how pissed Jacob had gotten that first night when I talked trash about Bella so I decided to keep my mouth shut, for now anyways. But man did she reek, it must be her bloodsucker boyfriend's smell. It smelled horrible, too sweet for its own good. I wish she had listened to Paul about keeping the bloodsucker stench downwind.

Only once did I look around the fire. It was a mistake, directly across from me Sam sat with an arm around my cousin Emily. I had stopped speaking to Emily. I understood now, how it was neither of their faults, but I couldn't help being angry. I quickly looked down and kept my eyes on the dancing flames.

I faintly kept track of the conversations around me. Bella was saying something about Jacob swallowing a whole cow. My stomach growled again. Jacob started to tell her about the reason we were here, we had to hear the legends again, now that we knew they were all true. Everyone around me stirred, getting ready. My stupid cousin pulled out a pad and pen as if she was going to take notes. I closed my eyes and waited for it to start.

"The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning," Billy began. "And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood." I remembered listening to this as a little kid, thinking it was just a fairytale. Seth and I thought it was some story my dad made up to get us to fall asleep. I glanced over at him, he was leaning forward, hanging on every word that came from Billy's mouth.

I nearly laughed at my use of words. Fairytale, ha, more like nightmare.

Billy was speaking with his voice of authority, one that ran down from his father and I expected would go to Jacob. But Sam was the alpha, so he was technically our chief. I wondered silently if this bothered Jacob, being second instead of alpha.

"Generations passed. Then came the last great Spirit Chief, Taha Aki. He was known for his wisdom, and for being a man of peace. The people lived well and content in his care."

"But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content."

I found myself hissing at the name, and a couple others from the pack did the same. I knew where this went. You could say that that fool Utlapa was the reason for our curse. He practically forced Taha Aki to go into the body of the wolf.

I listened as Billy wove the tail of how we came to be. Taha Aki went into the body of that "glorious" wolf and now we are forever cursed like this.

"The new man did not look like Taha Aki's body." I glanced up at Sam. He didn't look like Sam anymore, he seemed like a stranger to me. He had an arm around my cousin and she was leaning into him. I looked back down at the fire. "He was far more glorious." I nearly snorted at the word, briefly glancing at my fellow pack members around the circle. They were all leaning foreward, hanging on every word. They didn't look glorious to me. They looked cursed. Sure, they were all taller, more muscular. But they were all the same, they all had the same dark eyes that had haunted my dreams. I wondered to myself how much taller and muscular I would become. I looked at my arms, I could see strands of muscles standing out on my copper skin that had not been there before. I rubbed my arms with my hands, trying to hide them.

"When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves." Tears burned my eyes. 'Manhood.' I wasn't a man, I knew that for a fact. So why had this happened to me. My new strength didn't seem to help at all with holding back tears so a couple trickled down my face.

"So that's why Sam is all black," I heard Quil murmur over the fire. "Black heart, Black fur."

"And your chocolate fur reflects what? How sweet you are?" Sam whispered back.

I pondered on these words. I was grey, what did that mean? The only thing I could think of is grey is sad, gloomy. Perfect.

"Others who did not like the transformation, refused to join the pack of wolf-men. These began to age again, and the tribe discovered that the wolf-men could grow old like anyone else if they gave up their spirit wolves." Sam had told me this the first night. But for a new wolf it was extremely hard not to phase. Maybe I could take some yoga or anger management classes.

As Old Quil started into the story of the third wife I briefly glanced at my little brother. He was tall and lanky, the youngest of the pack. He too had new muscles, he looked strong. Yet he still looked helpless, like the little brother I had let sleep in my bed when there were monsters in his closet. I had protected him from these imaginary monsters. But now, the monsters were real. I knew we were strong, but from all the stories I've heard Vampires are also super strong. I couldn't picture my little brother fighting against one of those soulless leaches. I had to keep him safe.

But if I was mortal again I couldn't stay with the pack. I brought my eyes back to the fire. I knew what I had to do. I had to stay in wolf form, long enough that Seth could get a hang of it, till he was as strong and skilled as the others.