Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.

Rated M for several reasons. Some animals have been hurt in the course of writing this chapter . . . . An' I may have kicked the dog a couple of times too.

Chpt 42 Running

JPOV

My feint has been successful. One of 'em almost managed to get a swipe at me but I ducked back an' dived from the cliff just in time. Learning about my enemy. They are fast, but not that fast, even in their furry form.

This time I head further out into the Juan De Fuca straight before turning west again.

One thing about wolves, doggy paddle just doesn't cut it.

After an hour or so I turn back inland hitting the beach just short of Neah Bay.

Quickly I dart into the trees an' head south east into Olympic National Park, following Bella's pull.

Within minutes I can feel some of the fucker's behind me again.

Ignorin' them I run on, gradually pulling away but not losin' 'em completely. I'm fast for a vampire but not fast enough to outrun 'em apparently an' since I don't want to lead them back to my mate I need to think of somethin' fast.

The further we get from the coast the louder they get, I can hear the two groups now, bayin' like huntin' dogs. The others are comin' at me from the north east forcin' me to turn west towards Forks an' away from Bella who heading south, deeper into the park.

Having changed course a couple of times they have now gained some ground on me an' I need to consider turnin' on the group behind me before the other's catch up. More worryin' the tone of their emotions has changed. Whatever they were doin' before is over, now they just want to kill me an' although I used to that feelin' comin' from them its strangely more chillin'.

This is becomin' more serious. If they intend to kill me then I have to assume they intend to do the same to Bella.

I must act quickly. Automatically I reach up to pull my missin' hat lower over my eyes. Its absence annoys me.

Sure now that I don't want to go to Forks I turn abruptly an' start back towards the closest group. But unlike the wolves I don't waste precious breath hollerin' about how clever an' strong I am, fuckers won't even know I'm comin'.

I have timed my run just right, we all arrive in the meadow I passed earlier at the same time. The four wolves are at a dead run, following each other in line. Perfect.

I plant my foot an' leap. Over the head of the first wolf who is the only one who can see me an' landin' single footed on the back of the second, he goes down with a startled yelp an' a crunch of bone as I push off again, wolves three an' four piling into him. I spin in the air, landing to face the first wolf who has already turned. He leaps for me, slavering jaws wide, an' I drop down reachin' up to grab his balls as he sails over me. Yanking hard I swing him, changin' his trajectory an' releasin' him so that his momentum carries him into three an' four again.

Leavin' the snarlin' confusion an' agonised howlin' behind I sprint out of the meadow. Once again heading towards my mate.

I ain' no veterinarian but I'm pretty sure that's not a recommended method for castratin' a dog. I don't know if the two uninjured wolves will resume the chase, whether or not they do will tell me somethin' about how deadly their intentions are.

From the emotions of the second group it seems like they already know what happened. Interestin' because none of 'em were carryin' cells although a couple of 'em had clothin' strapped to their back legs. Very practical.

The pack mind my mate mentioned, I wonder how effective it is over long distances? Somethin' to think about just in case.

How many more of 'em are there? There were eight after me, my mate said fifteen, does that mean seven are after her or are there still some in La Push. Or, are there more now?

I run on. I absolutely loathe not knowin' what's goin' on.

For about half an hour I can feel my mate comin' towards me, then she turns away abruptly an' starts headin' south again.

At the same time I become aware that the second group have gained ground on me an' the uninjured wolves from the meadow have resumed the chase.

Unfortunately between the second group an' them I am forced to turn away from a direct course to Bella. Instead I am now headin' south parallel to her but a long way west an' further north, with wolves threatenin' to come between us.

Swervin' suddenly I decide to cut across 'em now before that can happen, it will bring them much closer to me but I daren't risk waitin' any longer an' if I use the terrain wisely I may be able to shake 'em again.

The group behind me react to my change of direction almost instantly. Correcting their own course an' emittin' a deep sense of satisfaction. If they are happy then I probably shouldn't be but I've had enough of being herded around like a fuckin' sheep. Every cell in my body is cryin' out to get to my mate an' that's what I'm gonna do.

Now a deep growl is rumblin' in my chest, the games are over.

The wolves following Bella don't realise it, but now somethin' deadly is chasin' them.

BPOV

Roof hoppin' is obviously not a wolf sport, they either can't or won't an' so I open up a quick lead as I hop, skip an' jump to the town limits. Unfortunately heading east while the tug in my chest tells me Jasper is headin' west, I'll need to circle back once I get out into the forest.

They are following me an' I've no idea how fast they'll be able to catch me up once we're away from here so I want to be as far away from them as possible. Shielding my sound is pretty useless here, they can still hear my footfalls on the roof tops but if I can get ahead of them in the forest I can move more carefully an' hopefully lose them since they won't be able to smell or see me.

I reach the last of the close packed buildings an' leap quietly down into the street taking off as fast as my legs will carry me, sticking to the road initially so I can really use my speed. I have no idea if vampires are much faster than wolves, as I've always assumed, or if I'm in for a nasty shock.

It is quite late now so there is little traffic an' I stay on the highway for as long as possible before turning south an' heading down into the National Park.

I can't see, hear or smell the wolves but since the hairs on the back of my neck are prickling I'm going to assume they're behind me an' keep running. I'll head south for an hour an' then try moving northwest to re-join Jasper. I'm much quieter out here in the forest but I'm going slower as a result, maybe that's a mistake? I wish I had a cell, I could call Jasper an' ask him.

The eerie quietness is starting to get to me an' I slow down even more. If I keep going I'm gonna end up in the snow an' I'll need to go at a snail's pace to hide my footprints. Are they even still following me, maybe they just chased me out of town an' I'm wasting my time out here?

I slow down again, I could hide in the rocks above the treeline an' wait, see if they are still behind me. Decided I dart around for a few minutes until I find the perfect vantage point, tucking myself into a small crack I give my shields a quick once over an' settle down to watch.

An' hour passes an' it's getting harder and harder to stay still. I can feel Jasper, he's also heading south but keeps turning away from me. Surely they would be around here somewhere if they'd followed me out of Port Angeles?

Frustrated I climb out an' leap up a few rocks to get a better view. Nothing. Satisfied I set off again, at a more cautious pace but heading northwest towards Jasper.

As I run a part of my brain is devoted to mulling over how Jake was able to get through my shield. Has he got some sort of gift? Do wolves even have them, none of them ever mentioned it. I know they can communicate with each other telepathically when they are phased but other than being supernaturally strong an' fast I'm not aware of anything else.

My slow brain realises what's potentially happening at the same time my nose picks up the scent of wolf.

Shit.

If they are also chasing Jasper then they know where he is. Which means that Jake an' his posse know where I'm heading. Ergo, they could be waiting for me.

Shit.

I slam to a stop. Now I can hear them too, moving around about a mile up ahead. Spread out.

If I was sure of my shield I'd have no qualms about blasting through the middle of them but I'm not so instead I edge closer intending to sneak through. Which makes me snort with laughter, remembering how we crept along that wall in Nicaragua behind Demetri. Who, incidentally, is going to be massively pissed when he finds out Jasper an' I have walked blindly into this trap, because that's obviously what this is.

Warily I creep forwards until a lone wolf comes into view, I don't know him, he's gangly an' grey so probably quite young. Which makes me angry, who would risk the lives of kids to get to get to Jasper an' I?

Moving at a human walk I pass by him, head rotating an' eyes on stalks as I keep watch for the others.

Growling to the left brings me to another stop an' despite my shield an' lacking the need, I hold my breath. Another wolf, the size of a horse, who wasn't with Jake in Port Angeles is walking towards me, head swinging slowly from side to side, nostrils opening an' closing as he scents the air.

Yet another appears in front of me.

An' to the left Jake stalks into view. Now I'm trapped, surrounded.

While I'm trying to decide what to do, horse wolf passes so close to me that he brushes my shield. Immediately his hackles go up an' he growls as he leaps away, attracting the attention of the others who pad towards us.

Carefully I peel my shield back so that it's as close to my body as possible.

Shit. Fuck. Bollocks. Tit. Wank.

Yep, the frontiers of my swearing have definitely expanded with my family, fuckin' Europeans, I don't even know what half that shit means.

I daren't move as fear trickles down my spine, even though I can't feel it I can imagine their hot breath on my cold skin as they weave around me. I really need to learn to plan better, this was a very bad idea.

Inevitably another furry body part brushes my shield an' all hell lets loose, the four nearest wolves descending on me in unison. Without knowing if it will work I drop down under their onslaught an' surge back up again flicking up my shield as I rise. It works haphazardly an' two of them hurtle up an' away like they've been shot from a catapult, an' in that brief moment I capture the settings in my head, like a photograph.

The sound of splintering bones an' protesting wood is still in my ears when the first set of jaws close around my arm. With a savage scream I drop all my shields an' rip it away before their grip becomes unbreakable. Whirling I lash out, punching Jake squarely in the snout an' then whipping back to throw the horse sized owner of the jaws viciously to the ground.

I can hear the others coming an' it's time to get away. Spinning I take off only making it a few steps before a massive paw rakes down my back. Gritting my teeth against the flash of pain I push myself harder an' throw my shields back up, Jake's massive paws pounding the hard earth behind me. I can hear it when he launches himself into the air for one final attack an' I duck an' turn automatically.

His jaws close around thin air with a mighty snap, an' he looks around at where the thinks I am with eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Hah. They might pick off a fair few vampires but I'm not sure they've ever met any like Jasper an' I.

Invisibly I flip him the finger before speeding away.

Zigzagging south, towards the snow-capped peaks. With god knows how many wolves hot on my heels an' no idea how to get back to Jasper.

This is ridiculous, I'm a vampire not a rabbit.

They're so close that I drop my shields, they aren't doing any good at the moment since they can track the noise I'm making as I fly through the forest at top speed going through anything it will take too long to go round. I need to conserve my strength for when an opportunity presents itself to give them the slip again. We run on, surely they'll get tired eventually?

Despite the danger a smile forms on my face. I can feel my mate, behind me now an' gaining ground.

Above the treeline an' into the snow I get a much better view of the terrain around me an' coming up is a wide gorge where a river cuts through the peaks. Under any other circumstances I would balk at attempting to jump it but with the wolves right behind me it represents my best chance to put some distance between us, besides if I fall I will survive, the same cannot be said for them.

Speeding up I plant my last step forcefully an' launch myself into the air, arms pin wheeling wildly, probably not the best technique but acrobatics were not something I ever took part in as a human. For a brief moment I think I'm going to make it an' then gravity gets hold of me an' starts tugging me down into the abyss. Desperately I reach forwards just managing to get hold of the ledge at the top of the far wall of the gorge.

The good news is, it seems too far for the wolves to follow me, as I thud indelicately into the rock wall I can hear them skidding to a stop on the edge behind me. The bad news is that this ledge is crumblin' under my fingertips.

In a panic, knowing I won't die an' being terrified of falling are two very different things, I snatch desperately at the grass an' loose rock, trying to get a better grip as a large pale shape whistles through the air over my head.