Chapter 15: The Pack

Hoquiam was a small town on the southern end of the Olympic Peninsula. I'd been there before, long ago when no humans had settled it besides a few Indian nations. The whole peninsula saw a lot of rain throughout the year, which was part of the reason I chose it. We could lead more normal lives if we didn't have to hide every time the sun came up. In Hoquiam, the sun had a hard time piercing the cloud cover, and on the occasions when it did, we had the ready excuse of family "hiking" trips. Trails criss-crossed the mountains and forests around Hoquiam; many families living there went hiking too.

Edward enrolled as a freshman, Rosalie and Emmett as sophomores, and I took a surgeon's job at the town hospital. Esme busied herself with renovating and decorating our new house, and volunteering for a few charities, local and in Seattle. Everything seemed fine as we settled into a new charade in Hoquiam. But things took an interesting twist one weekend when we went hunting up north.

The Olympic Peninsula is home to a number of American Indian reservations, but one reservation caught our attention. La Push, the home of the Quileutes. The locals told us that wolves grew big in La Push, as big as horses. The Quileute people, who believe they are descended from wolves, have a tribal law against killing them. But that didn't stop Emmett from wanting to get closer in hopes of running across one of them off Quileute land.

We went hunting one sunny weekend, coming close to the La Push boundaries. I insisted that we stay off their land to hunt. We'd just come across a herd of elk when the smell reached our nostrils. It was distinctly human, but there was something wrong with it. It smelled horrible and I saw the other fours grimaces at it as I wrinkled my own nose.

"Ugh! What's that smell?" Emmett groaned.

"I've never smelled it in all my 296 years," I commented. It smelled almost like a wet dog, but more potent and mixed with a still unknown scent. I definitely did not want to feed off of whatever it was that was giving off that God awful smell.

"Carlisle?" I turned around to where Edward was looking off into the trees.

"What do you hear?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, "Three minds…in one? Is that even possible?"

"Are we possible?" I asked.

All five of us followed Edward's gaze into the trees. At first we could see nothing. But slowly, three large animals broke free of the shadows. We saw their eyes first, too high off the ground. They were wolves, the size of horses, just as the locals had said. There were only three of them, but my family and I still tensed. They could do some serious damage; I had no doubt of that. All three entered the clearing, their teeth bared, and growling. A wave of the stink washed over us and I realized that the wolves were the source of the fowl scent.

"We're not welcome here," Edward said. "They've had dealings with other vampires before, and they weren't goo Carlisle."

At Edward's mention of my name, the center wolf with a silver and black pelt perked its ears up. The two on either side of it still bared their teeth, but all three were silent now.

"Edward?" I asked.

"They recognize your name," Edward replied. He looked sidelong at me. "You've been here before."

"Once very long ago," I admitted. "But they couldn't have been around back then." I had made the trip around 1810, hoping to find other vampires who might have lived off of animals, out in the wilderness where people we scarce. Needless to say I hadn't found any and I had returned east.

"Their ancestors were," Edward explained. He paused, listening. "They're going to talk."

The center wolf receded back into the trees, leaving the remaining two to guard its back. A moment later, a tall, muscular Indian dressed in a pair of cloth pants and nothing else emerged from the trees. He was almost taller then Emmett and looked like he could give my biggest adoptive son a good fight. The Indian's bare skin was a dark, auburn shade and his black hair was cropped short, rather than in the longer style the Quileutes seemed to prefer. He looked young; his face looked only about 20. But he had the body and development of a 27 year old body builder. I couldn't help but chuckle. Both of us were deceptively young.

Edward gave me a puzzled look that only lasted a tenth of a second. His attention was quickly drawn back to the two remaining wolves.

"I am Ephraim Black," the Indian said in a deep voice, slightly accented. "I am chief of the Quileute, people of the wolf. And your kind is not welcome here." Ephraim Black stood tall, taking advantage of his extra height over me. His face was emotionless, carefully set. He seemed to be trying to control his emotions, much like we controlled our thirst.

"I am Carlisle Cullen," I replied. "This is my family. We mean you no harm." Esme joined me on my right, Edward on my left, Rosalie and Emmett just behind our line. Emmett leaned slightly forward, ready to spring. Rosalie held a hand on her husband's arm, holding him steady.

"It is not our safety we are concerned about," Ephraim replied. "It is the duty of my brothers and me to protect all human life from the Cold Ones. I have heard of you before, Carlisle Cullen, from my grandfather. But do not think that reputation will save you."

We were walking a fine line. Ephraim and his pack were obviously not for letting us leave in peace. And I can honestly say my family was of the same mindset. Emmett was braced for a fight and Edward would be right behind him. I had to widen the line.

"Perhaps a truce can be arranged," I suggested. "My family and I are not like others of our kind. We refrain from drinking human blood, feeding instead from animals. We control our thirst and are therefore able to live in proximity with humans. We will not kill humans, or come on your land, and in exchange you will respect our property and not attack any of us without our breaking the agreement first."

Ephraim seemed to think over my offer carefully. He looked to the wolves on either side of him, speaking in his native tongue. The wolves replied in a series of whines and barks that Ephraim seemed to understand. These Quileutes were intriguing. I would have loved a chance to learn about this transformation they undertook, though I'm not sure they would agree to such a request.

"We will talk," Ephraim said finally.

We sat down and mapped out the boundary lines for the treaty and wrote it all down. The treaty took three hours to draw up by which time the sun had sunk below the horizon.

"You will stay off Quileute land," Ephraim read, "and you promise that none of you will bite any human; then we will respect your territory and will not attack you or any of your family."

I nodded. "Agreed then?" I asked.

"Agreed." Ephraim extended his hand. I grasped it, giving him a firm handshake. We sealed the deal and left for home.

"What does this mean now?" Esme asked me as we ran back to our house in Hoquiam.

It meant a lot of things now, but above all, "It means we are going to have to be very careful from now on," I told her. "All of us."

Now the Quileutes show up, including Jacob's great granddaddy! Keep in mind; this is only their first run in. The Cullens are coming back, in a few generations. So stick with me and don't forget to review and tell others!

-Wish