The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
Once the two of them were seated again, Old Quil gestured for Billy to begin the meeting. She found her attention and focus being drawn like the rest of the room to Billy's face. Invisible strings pulled her in the direction they wanted her to go.
"Today has been a difficult day for all of us but we must determine how we will address the ramifications and subsequent punishment for those actions by select members."
She sucked in a breath as she realized Billy was talking about her. This was hardly fair, she fumed. It wasn't as though she understood what was happening when it did. All she could remember were the feelings—the anger, the confusion, the hurt.
"It has been a rule since Taha Aki first met his imprint that if another wolf were to harm an imprint that the punishment would be equal. Hurt for hurt, death for death. The right of what the consequences are has been the right of the imprint's wolf."
Her father was the first to protest, "Let me see if I understand this—you're telling us that if Sam decides and whatever he decides to do to Leah would be within his rights? Tit for tat."
"I did not make these rules," Billy intoned. "But these have been tenets in our tribe since our grandfather's grandfather—since the beginning of the pack's era."
"But it's you who can choose whether we follow those archaic rituals. This could be any of us; sitting in the same place as Leah," a quiet voice argued.
The conversation went back and forth but no agreement or compromise was reached. She grew increasingly frustrated and the few times she made an attempt to talk—Old Quil's hand on her shoulder stopped her words. Didn't she have a right to share her thoughts and feelings? This was her mistake.
Just as she was ready to burst, Old Quil spoke up for the first time, "How can we make a decision when we only have half the facts? Sam wasn't there—he only saw it through the pack link. And we've established that not every word or action was noticed. Perhaps, Leah can explain what she experienced and then we can let that be the deciding factor. I, for one, don't agree her actions were done with a malicious intent."
Billy and Sam grumbled but agreed after several tense moments. As their eyes focused on her, she remembered the simple instructions from earlier. She needed to face this head on—telling the story through her eyes. Not once did she think she was going to physically attack her cousin but the emotions—her anger had been too overwhelming.
"I'm not sure where I should begin. All I know is today there was something wrong. I didn't feel right. I heard her footsteps long before it would be considered normal. It—the wolf, I guess, felt…I can't describe it. Only something wasn't right and there was danger or something."
She continued to tell her rambling tale; trying to remember all the details. The things she saw, heard, smelled, and the words spoken between them. All she had wanted was for Emily to leave; her presence strained Leah's already overwhelmed senses. She explained she had felt like that before—it was part of the reason why she avoided both of them. The anger and rage which had bubbled inside; its intensity foreign.
"Her scent it was off—abnormal and it didn't sit well with me. When she tried to walk around me that was when I guessed about the…umm…baby."
She paused as she wondered whether she should ask the question or not. She wasn't a cruel person; regardless of her feelings toward her cousin and ex, she would never wish for them to experience the loss of a child. It seemed cruel and unjust. She felt as her inner self pushed forward and urged her to continue with the tale.
"I just wanted her to go away. That's all but she wouldn't and then she said something to me—it was something she couldn't know. She said Sam knew too. Whatever had been building up; it snapped. Once the blackness and pain receded, I looked down and saw her; I tried to help but I couldn't. There was too much noise and confusion. I couldn't think or process what all this meant. I felt the same sensation from earlier—this other half of me and it pushed forward. Finally, it was quiet but I still realized what I'd done was wrong. It wasn't what I was supposed to do."
"Well, that answers the question of what we must do," Old Quil remarked. The pause before he finished his statement was infinitely long. "Nothing. It was an accident. Emily should never been at the Clearwater house. Not with Seth so close to phasing. As for Leah," he looked pointedly at Billy. "You've known what I've told you since this pack was formed."
Billy scoffed, "I don't know why you persist in this fantasy. Her phase is nothing more than an anomaly."
"Perhaps, that is what your ancestors have always longed to believe but I think the evidence speaks for itself. She has the blood of all three lines—making her the closest match to Taha Aki's original line. The Clearwaters are a direct descendant of his only daughter, Sopiya," Old Quil began.
"Taha Aki didn't have a daughter; only sons," her father interjected in confusion.
"That is what some have wanted the tribe to believe. Sopiya had the ability to transform into a wolf from a young age. The first time she did was when she was too young to walk on her own feet. Her mother, the third wife, came back from settling a dispute between two young boys and found Sopiya was gone. A search of the long house and the surrounding area revealed nothing. It was as if the child disappeared without a trace."
"You expect us to believe she was running around as a wolf," Billy stated incredulously.
"Do cold ones walk amongst us? Do the youths of the tribe possess the ability to phase and take the body of their wolf spirit to protect us? If we believe all the stories and legends of Taha Aki; then why can't we believe this one too?"
"What happened," Leah asked softly.
"The men of the tribe were out fishing as it was nearing the cold season and soon they would be unable to. When Taha Aki arrived back in the village, he was met with his wife's frantic alarm. He and his son Taha Wi transformed into their wolves and began to search; knowing their senses were stronger that way. Almost immediately they were met with the strangest thoughts. No words, simply pictures and colors. It was then that Taha Aki realized what he was seeing belonged to his daughter. Sopiya was found and brought home. It took until she was in her mother's arms for her to transform back into her human form. After that she was never left alone until she was old enough to communicate through the link and her father was sure she safe."
She turned back to look at Old Quil and asked, "So why aren't the stories of her shared like those of Taha Aki and Kalehela?"
"Because she defied her father's wishes and instead selected a mate of her own choosing. She had lived many summers and refused her father's attempts to pick a mate for her. One day while she was running through the woods she came across a young man—a French trader. Jonathan Clairment."
She waited to hear more of the story as it sounded familiar. Bits and pieces of memories—stories her grandfather Peter had told her when she was a young girl. Those of a beautiful maiden who had strength and conviction until like any other. It was said their family name came from the joining of her love's name and her nature. The maiden reacted to change, strife, and conflict in the same way as water did. Her nature didn't allow her to become molded into anyone else's vision of who she should be.
"Clearwater," she mumbled softly; more to herself than anyone else.
"Yes," Old Quil responded in agreement. "Her father was unable to see past his ire at his only daughter and banished her. If she agreed to leave her mate, she would be welcomed back with open arms but she couldn't. She had chosen him and he had done the same. So to start their union on equal footing—they each gave up something. He gave up his family name as she had given up her place in the tribe."
AN: A few tiny notes. Next chap will reveal our MW. The legend here I've made up for my own purposes. Sopiya is a Quileute word which means "she sings a lullaby" while Clairment is a French word for "clear." Hence our maiden's nature was like water, her lover's name could be translated into clear and together it makes Clearwater. And too bad the rest of the council didn't listen to Old Quil (but at least he's a voice of reason). We'll see how they react to his decision in the next chap (well, at least Sam's). Enjoy and please send me some love! :D
FF_8756144_16 12/16/12 1:18AM