Chapter 15
In the morning, Jacob woke up first with Renesmee in his arms. She was still sound asleep, so Jacob used that time to speak with Sokajili. Moving as gently as possible so as not to wake Renesmee, Jacob left his tent and walked towards Sokajili's while the sun was barely above the horizon. When he was at the leather door, Jacob reached under the door and did his best to untie it from the inside as quietly as possible so as not to wake Sokajili too soon. Jacob eased in so no light would peak through. Then he closed the door securely and chose then to wake Sokajili.
"Uncle," Jacob said just a little too loud. Sokajili jerked and twitched violently at the sound of Jacob's voice.
"What," he said over and over again until he realized it was Jacob. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked, assuming the worst.
"A lot's happened!" Jacob began with a big grin. "I proposed to Renesmee last night and she said yes! Then we had sex with those loud banging lights shooting into the sky releasing different colors." Upon hearing the story, Sokajili's face changed to a grimace.
"You woke me before the sun to tell me you're engaged and you had sex?" he asked rather loudly.
"No, I woke you because I don't want to wait to marry her. When we come to you later for the moon ceremony, I want you to make sure we can marry as soon as possible."
"That's not how that works, boy. I do the ceremony and I'm told when the marriage is meant to start. I don't decide that, the spirits decide that. If you really want to marry her immediately, then you'll have to reason with them. Now get out and let me sleep."
"There has to be something you can do to influence it."
"Why are you so impatient in the first place? She agreed to marry you. She won't likely change her mind so long as you keep doing what made her have the poor judgment to agree to marry you in the first place." Jacob laughed just a bit. Sokajili couldn't be that angry if he had the state of mind to tease him.
"I just want to be married to her. I want to start our life together, have children with her."
"If those children resemble you in any way, you'll regret that decision I promise you," Sokajili groaned irritably. "You can't rush such important matters. They need to come with time. Need I remind you what happened to Taha Aki and his third wife? He too wanted to marry his young bride immediately and ignored the advice of the medicine man. Their marriage resulted in the death of many. You want no such result for your marriage I hope." Jacob lost his smile and held his head down. "As I thought," Sokajili said. "You may be a man in form, Jacob, but in many ways you're still very much a boy; an impatient petulant boy that refuses to allow his old uncle proper sleep."
"I was not saying I would disregard your advice."
"You instead attempted to sway my conclusion to suit your impatience. You've waited this long to marry her, Jacob. You can wait however much longer the spirits say. Now leave me to sleep."
"Don't get too comfortable," Jacob said after a moment before a smile returned to his face. "The moment Renesmee's awake we'll come to your tent for the moon ceremony."
"And you shall be turned away until it pleases me to be awake." Sokajili returned his head to the ground and pulled his knitted blanket back over so he could attempt to sleep again. Jacob just chuckled. He looked towards his uncle's feet and when he was sure he'd found them, Jacob reached over and tickled them just as he would when he was young, forcing Sokajili to get up violently again. Jacob laughed as Sokajili grumbled harshly. "Curse you, boy!" he yelled. "You're not too young for me to throw you over my knee and make an example of you!"
Sokajili attempted to grab for Jacob, but he averted and rolled out of the tent, forcing the door open as he moved and came to his feet outside the tent. He continued to laugh as Sokajili fell to the ground and immediately got back on his knees and attempted to reach for his door to close it.
"You only prove my point!" he yelled before slapping the leather door closed with Jacob's laughter still resounding. Back from patrol for the night, Quil and Embry came over to see Jacob laughing and laughed with him, seeing the last bit of what happened.
"What did you do to the poor old man?" Embry asked.
"I woke him early."
"No wonder," he huffed. "I'd kick you out too. What did you wake him so early for?"
"I wanted to talk to him about last night," Jacob grinned.
"She said yes then?" Quil smiled.
"She did. I hoped I might be able to sway him to ensure we could marry as soon as possible."
"You should know he doesn't control that," Quil rolled his eyes. "There's no reason to be so impatient so just let Sokajili do the moon ceremony and you two get married when you're supposed to."
"You've probably doomed yourself to not marrying for several weeks because of that little stunt," Embry said with a chuckle.
"Don't even joke," Jacob said harshly. "Is it silly that I just want to be married to her?"
"You wanting to get married so soon wouldn't have anything to do with….what was his name?" Embry suggested rather knowingly, though forgetting Renesmee's husband's name. He'd been in the man's mind, so there really was no point in denying that some small part of him did want to marry so soon because of that.
"He's not her husband," Jacob said, rather than speak of the issue. "He certainly won't be once she and I are married."
"I don't know why it still bothers you," Quil said. "It certainly doesn't seem to bother her anymore."
"Maybe," Jacob said with a degree of uncertainty, "but I know how her people think. At least I know what she's expressed to me and shown me. Her people don't seem to take too kindly to a woman living with a man she's not married to. I guess I just want to make an 'Honest Woman' out of her as her people would call it."
"An 'honest woman'," Embry raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know how to explain it." Jacob scratched the back of his heads. "My point is there're a lot of reasons I want to marry Renesmee so soon. More than anything, though, I just want to be married to her."
"Well, see what Sokajili finds," Embry shrugged. "I'd wait until much later before going back to him, though. He seemed really mad at you," he laughed.
"That man can never stay mad at me. We'll be fine." Wishing to sleep, Quil and Embry walked away to their respective tents while Jacob did the same. Renesmee was still asleep when he came back into the tent, snuggled under the covers hiding from the cold with only her face visible. He smiled and crawled under the covers with her. She flinched from the initial surprise of someone crawling next to her, but she soon gravitated towards him and snuggled close to him. She stayed asleep for a little while longer while Jacob held her close, but she eventually opened her eyes ever so slightly before burying her face into his chest.
"Good Morning," Renesmee said.
"Good Morning," he responded and kissed her forehead.
"How late is it?" Renesmee asked after she groaned, realizing she probably overslept given how late she and Jacob had been out the night before.
"Not at all," he answered. "The sun's barely up."
"Oh," she said. "Where did you go earlier?"
"I went to Sokajili's tent. I wanted to talk to him about a moon ceremony today."
"Don't we just go to his tent, let him know we're engaged and he goes from there? From what he's explained to me, it doesn't sound terribly complicated."
"It's not. I just wanted to see if I could request an early wedding date." Renesmee looked up at Jacob with a rather suspicious look.
"That sounds like a taboo," she said.
"I wouldn't worry about it. To keep the story short, Sokajili told me to be patient and kicked me out of his tent. So long as we get married on the right day, we'll be alright."
"What happens if we don't? Bad luck I assume?"
"Very bad luck," Jacob answered. "We only remember two marriages that went against the moon ceremony: Taha Aki's marriage to his third wife and Chief Suerro's marriage to his first wife, though Suerro's marriage wasn't his doing."
"So they both got married on different days then what the moon ceremony said?"
"Well," Jacob started, scratching his head. "They're both really complicated stories. Remember the story I told you about how we first earned the ability to change into wolves?"
"I do," she nodded.
"Well, consequently that meant that Taha Aki was the first to have immortality. He'd been married to his first wife by then. After that wife passed away, he married another woman that following winter. But then, many winters into their marriage after they'd had many children together, there was a baby born to the tribe. It was the first time any wolf had imprinted. Taha Aki loved her from the moment he saw her. The Third Wife was very young when the second wife died. It's said that the father of the Third Wife highly disapproved of the eventual union and made his disapproval well known. After the father and mother died in an attack on our people, the Third Wife's brother had to take over as the family patriarch and he maintained his father's disapproval. Yet despite that, Taha Aki and The Third Wife fell in love."
"I remember Sokajili mentioned that before a moon ceremony can be performed, the family patriarch has to approve the marriage."
"You and Caevia are the only exception given no patriarch is present for either of you, but yes. The Medicine Man at the time refused to perform a moon ceremony for Taha Aki and The Third Wife until the brother gave his approval, but he never did. Taha Aki demanded a moon ceremony be performed and when it was, no moon cycle came."
"What do you mean?"
"No moon came to the Medicine Man's mind. There was no moon cycle that would ensure their prosperous marriage. No moon cycle means a marriage is doomed, but Taha Aki ignored the Medicine Man and the two married the following night. The brother died the night of the wedding as well. It's believed he's one of the first of our people to suffer death at the hand of a vampire. Taha Aki and his wife lived happily until a vampire was taken down by two of Taha Aki's older sons. One of them died in the fight. That vampire had a mate that came to the tribe in a fury and she murdered many, including Taha Aki's remaining son who still retained his wolf spirit. In his fury over the death of that son, Taha Aki changed into a wolf for the first time since he gave up his spirit and fought the vampire. It's said he would've lost the fight had it not been for his Third Wife's sacrifice. She stabbed herself in the heart to distract the vampire and gave him the opportunity to kill her. As Taha Aki held his dying wife, it's said she looked towards the trees and said her brother's name. Many swear they saw the brother in strange clothes before he seemed to disappear. It's said that because Taha Aki defied the brother's wishes, that brother haunted them and took his revenge from the grave."
"That's such a tragic story," Renesmee said.
"It gets more tragic. After his third wife's death, Taha Aki was in deep sorrow. We usually burn our dead, but Taha Aki insisted she be buried instead. He said that he refused to allow her to be marred further. After the funeral, Taha Aki ran from the village in his wolf form and was never seen or heard from again. After a summer and fall of Taha Aki not coming back, it was decided that his son needed to take over as chief. Taha Aki had two remaining sons after the attack. One was a son from his second wife. The other son was the only son he'd had with his third wife. He'd been named after the Third Wife's brother: Suerro. The elder son was supposed to become the chief. Suerro was far too young to be chief. He was still just a young boy and emotionally, he was still in shock from losing his mother and father within such a short time of each other. He'd seen his mother die before his eyes. He was in no condition to be a ruler. But before the elder son could be made Chief, he passed away from old age. So Suerro was forced to become the Chief."
"Such things have happened a lot in Europe. When King Henry VIII of England died, he only had a nine year old son to become king despite having married six women. But he died very young and Elizabeth was the only one who could rule. She became one of England's most influential queens."
"How'd he marry six women and only have one son?" Jacob asked, a little shocked.
"His first wife was Catherine of Aragon. He divorced Catherine because she wasn't producing him a male heir. England was Catholic at that time, but due to the Pope refusing to grant Henry a divorce, he created the Protestant Church of England, made himself the head of that church, and obtained the divorce he sought. Catherine was banished from the courts. His second wife was Anne Boleyn. She was Queen Elizabeth's mother. Elizabeth is the woman who eventually became queen and she's known as one of the most well known Queens. After Anne Boleyn also failed to produce a male heir, she was executed and Henry was engaged to Jane Seymour the next day. They were married ten days after that. She died in child birth, but she did produce a son: Prince Edward. His fourth wife was Anne of Cleves. They were not married long before they got divorced. They were both very unhappy with each other and Henry wanted another wife. After their divorce, he married his fifth wife: Catherine Howard. But their marriage dissolved because Catherine had an affair with two men during that time. She and both her lovers were executed. His last wife was the wealthy widow Catherine Parr. And I do believe he stayed married to her until he died. Granted that was only four years, but it was longer than most of his other marriages, except his first marriage. They were married longer, I believe, though I don't recall how long they were married."
"I'm really thinking he's the problem," Jacob said after a moment of silence. Renesmee laughed a little.
"He was definitely the problem most of the time. But I interrupted your story."
"Ah, yes," Jacob nodded, "back to that. Suerro was maybe alive ten summers when he became chief. It was a very rushed process. His marriage was rushed too. He ended up being married to a woman in the tribe but they never had a moon ceremony at all. They were just married and expected to start having children. They had two daughters together before Suerro met the woman that would be his second wife. She came from the Hou tribe and he'd fallen madly in love with her. He never so much as attempted to keep the affair a secret. One day, Suerro's wife disappeared. To this day, no one knows for sure what happened to her, but we're certain Suerro had something to do with it. After his first wife went missing, he married his second wife and she's the one he had all his sons and other daughters with."
"Did they get a moon ceremony?"
"Yes, they did and they married on the day the moon ceremony dictated. Their marriage was a happy one. Since then, there has never been another marriage in our tribe without a moon ceremony or a blank finding. It's one of the most taboo things one could do in our tribe. It brings terrible luck to the couple and the children it brings."
"Such an important ceremony and you attempted to bribe Sokajili to hurry it along," Renesmee said, though she said it with a smile and a kiss to his chest earning a small laugh from Jacob in return.
"I love you," he eventually said.
"I love you too."
The two didn't leave the tent for another long stretch after that and when they did leave, Jacob led her straight to Sokajili's tent. His door was open, so they let themselves in and saw Sokajili eating some salmon jerky while mixing some things together. Jacob smelled the mixture when they entered and recognized it as the herbs that were thrown into the fire for the moon ceremony. The smell made him smile.
"I see you're ready for us," Jacob teased.
"It's not for your benefit," he grumbled back. "In case this boy didn't tell you, he woke me this morning telling me to influence the moon ceremony so you two could get married immediately."
"He did mention he did that," Renesmee smiled.
"Then when I try to go back to sleep, he tickles my feet and nearly breaks my door rolling out when I tried grabbing him."
"That part wasn't mentioned," Renesmee said, looking at Jacob. He just snickered.
"I think it only fair to warn you that you've agreed to marry a child in man's clothing." Renesmee laughed as Sokajili grumbled. She just smiled at Jacob and he smiled right back. "Being as your father is not here to agree to or deny the marriage, I'm left to ask you if you're sure you wish to marry Jacob."
"I'm sure," Renesmee answered, though she was admittedly a little sad. Sokajili noticed.
"If you're not sure, say so," he said and Jacob's heart went to his stomach at the mere thought that she might have doubts. She'd seemed to have none just moments ago.
"I am sure I want to marry him. It's just traditionally when we have weddings, the father walks his daughter to her future husband on the wedding day and gives her to him. I only wish daddy were here to give me to Jacob."
"Would he have given you to me?" Renesmee thought a moment and eventually shrugged.
"The way things happened, no," she answered in English. "I really think he would've liked you under different circumstances, though."
"Perhaps I'll meet your father one day," he answered.
"I would like that," Renesmee said before looking at Sokajili. "I'm sure that I want to marry Jacob. No doubts in my mind." Jacob smiled at her and Sokajili smiled too.
"Then I'll get started."
He started by lighting a fire. He allowed that flame to reach a reasonable height before instructing Renesmee and Jacob to hold their left hands above the flame for as long as they could and remove them together. They managed to stand 30 seconds before pulling their hands away from the flame and that's when Sokajili threw the herbs and flower mixture into the fire, causing a dark smoke to rise before Sokajili closed his eyes breathing in the smoke. He sat there for several seconds before opening his eyes and looking at them with a smile.
"The spirits have spoken: for happiness and greatest prosperity, you two must marry on the night of the new moon."
"When did he say?"
"It's the cycle of the moon where it goes dark."
"Oh! You mean the New Moon." Renesmee thought a moment. "Last night was a half moon. So we can marry in five days?" Jacob repeated the question to Sokajili in Quileute for confirmation.
"Yes, you two can marry in five days. That will give us time to prepare. The next step, of course, is for you to tell your father so he may announce the marriage formally."
"Is that typical for all marriages?"
"No," Jacob shook his head, "just for ours. Usually when a couple gets engaged and the night is picked, they just announce it to everyone and word spreads that way. For my sisters and me, there's more ceremony to it. My sisters married two of the chief's sons from that tribe we made peace with. That had to be done in a specific way since it was bringing two tribes together. In our case, I'm the future chief and my marriage requires more. With everyone else in the village, their marriage is a simple union. With us, our marriage is a union that'll require the bringing of a chief after I'm no longer in command. I believe you called it an 'heir'?"
"Yes, that's the term we use," Renesmee confirmed. "So our wedding will be more complicated?"
"A little," Jacob nodded. "We'll have that fertility dance performed, but there will also be a performance done by Sokajili and father depicting the story of our first ancestors and how their marriage brought about great prosperity and a thriving tribe and how it will be our responsibility to do the same when the time comes." Renesmee smiled and rested her head on Jacob's shoulder.
"I look forward to it," she finally said.
"Whatever you two are talking about, take it outside," Sokajili harrumphed. Jacob and Renesmee laughed and finally left the tent together. Hand in hand, Jacob led Renesmee with him to his parent's tent. Jacob patted on their door and Sarah answered. The two had been sitting in their bed together eating salmon jerky. She looked at Renesmee's wrist and saw the woven band. With a wide smile, she invited them in.
"You two spoke to Sokajili already I take it?" William asked knowingly, having seen the woven band on Renesmee's wrist as well.
"He said we need to marry under the new moon. So we can marry in five days."
"That gives us time to get food and fit Renesmee into the dress!" Sara said with a smile.
"You always have time to prepare no matter what," William said to Sara with a smile. "We'd better go outside and tell everyone."
Renesmee and Jacob scooted aside so William could step out first. Sara walked out behind him and Renesmee and Jacob came out last. When all four of them were in view of everyone in the tribe, William yelled for everyone to look in their direction. Any noise from people talking went completely quiet as they looked at William as instructed. Sokajili stepped out of his tent upon hearing his brother's voice, prepared to announce with him that he'd performed the ceremony. Before William started talking again, Jacob pulled Renesmee closer to his side grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
"I have an announcement for all of you!" William continued once Sokajili was outside and he had everyone's attention. "I come to you with wonderful news! My son and successor has announced to me that he is to marry! Brother," William looked at Sokajili, "tells us the night they're to marry."
"Upon the moon ceremony, it has been dictated that for greatest prosperity for the tribe and for happiness in their marriage, they must marry under the shade of the new moon."
"Then in five days hence, there will be a wedding for my son and his lovely bride. Among your usual daily tasks, use this time to assist them in preparing for their wedding. And of course, congratulations to Jacob and Renesmee!"
Cheers and applause rang through the air and it made Renesmee blush. She blushed more when Jacob bent down and gave her a big kiss. It was a brief kiss. Jacob knew Renesmee was not keen on overt public displays, so he resisted kissing her long and hard as he'd wanted to. After their brief kiss, cheers roared louder but Renesmee still managed to hear Caevia laughing a little deep in the crowd.
What proceeded that announcement was a tizzy one might compare to a hive of busy bees. Everyone in the village was working harder than she'd ever seen anyone work on the other weddings she'd seen since coming to the tribe. Since flowers were not available in abundance, she saw the women gathering acorns instead to make the long decorative lanyards for the wedding. She saw people bring pounds and pounds of potatoes into the village, more potatoes than she thought possible for them to eat. She'd already asked Jacob if other tribes were to come to their wedding, but Jacob said no. Evidently, the wedding of a chief's son was a very personal thing strictly between the tribe since it was their prosperity alone that was being looked forward to and celebrated. She was left to assume that the fuss over their wedding in particular was because it was the Chief's son getting married. After the announcement, Renesmee had insisted that she spend the days leading up to the wedding with Sokajili rather than stay with Jacob in his tent.
"Why?" he'd asked rather dejected when Renesmee brought it up shortly after William had announced the wedding. They'd gone straight to his tent following the announcement and he'd had 'celebrating' on his mind.
"You know how your tribe has traditions when pertaining to weddings and how things are done to ensure great prosperity and happiness?" Jacob nodded. "Well, we have our own traditions that are typically followed for good luck. Usually, the bride and groom don't live together or sleep together until after they're married."
"I think that ship has sailed wouldn't you say?" Jacob joked.
"Who taught you that figure of speech?" Renesmee asked as she blushed deeply.
"Caevia taught me that one."
"Either way," Renesmee continued, "it's what we do for weddings. And you can't see me the day before the wedding?"
"Why?" Jacob asked. All these traditions only served to irritate him.
"Because it makes the wedding day special. You're not supposed to see me in my dress until the wedding day either."
"You'll be wearing the same dress anyone wears when it's a winter wedding," Jacob smiled. When Renesmee seemed to give out an exasperated sigh, Jacob scooted over to her and hugged her. "I'm sure Sokajili will let you stay with him for a while." Renesmee finally smiled again.
"Thank you."
Renesmee went to Sokajili that day and explained her situation. She explained how weddings were performed back home and what traditions were followed in order to ensure a happy marriage and prevent bad luck.
"You're welcome to stay with me if you need to," he answered. "I must warn you, that's really all the more I can help you with."
"No, no, I know," Renesmee said, shaking her head. "I'm not asking you to alter the ceremony to fit my culture. I'm just trying to do some of the wedding by my traditions within reason."
"The matter of virginity and not living together is a rather irrelevant matter by now, no? Or have I been misinformed this whole time of the extent of yours and Jacob's intimacies?" Sokajili chuckled and Renesmee blushed heavily.
"I really wish he wouldn't speak so openly about that," she mumbled.
"Do not be so hard on the boy. He's only this open with me and the pack. I can promise you I'm the only one he's too open with by choice."
"Still," she mumbled again. "I know here, you're not so tightly knotted, but such things are supposed to remain private…unless you're my Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie. Then nothing is private."
"I assure you, no one in the tribe thinks less of you for being intimate with Jacob. Such things are a natural part of life. So long as he's not made a mother of you prematurely, that's all that's important."
"Would you have all thought less of me then?"
"In all my years as the Medicine Man, in my experience, the only ones upset is the father of the bride. When a pregnancy occurs, a marriage is highly recommended for the sake of the child."
"Makes sense I suppose," Renesmee answered.
"If the father of the bride is ever upset, it's because he believed another man better for his daughter or he simply doesn't like the groom in question. I've had that happen a fair share of times."
"If I was unmarried and pregnant, father would kill me." Renesmee managed to laugh a little.
"No use worrying over it…right?" Sokajili asked suddenly.
"No, there's no reason to worry. Not to my knowledge anyway."
"Then indeed, there's no reason for worry. Now since you'll be staying with me until the wedding," Sokajili handed Renesmee a mortar and pestle and some herbs, "make yourself useful and help me mix those." Renesmee smiled and did as Sokajili requested, grinding the herbs until she managed to get them into a paste-like consistency.
With the exception of gathering food and stringing acorns together, life in the village went on normally. Word had spread that Renesmee was staying with Sokajili until the time of the wedding and the women were swarming asking her why she'd do such a thing. It wasn't really common for a woman to be living with her fiancé prior to the wedding anyway, but to actively choose not to stay with him struck them as bizarre and even silly.
"Did Jacob upset you?" one woman asked after Renesmee confirmed that she was staying with Sokajili.
"Not at all," Renesmee said. "It's just a tradition my people have that a woman is a virgin when she marries. That means we don't live together before the wedding."
"A little late for that isn't it?" another woman joked and the women sang a chorus of laughter. Renesmee turned a deep red and the woman who'd made the comment patted Renesmee on the back as her laughter died down. "Oh stop blushing; we're just teasing you. You should know by now. There be no secrets here."
Renesmee tried to contain her blush, but as the women continued to giggle at her expense, she couldn't help but continue to blush. It wasn't until the day of the wedding that Caevia and Sara finally pulled her aside to get her fitted into the winter dress. They both giggled silently as possible when they watched Renesmee sneak behind tents to Sara's and William's tent trying to avoid Jacob seeing her. Jacob spent most of that day getting the bonfire for his wedding ready. The past few days leading up to the wedding, Renesmee wouldn't let Jacob do things to her that she'd been letting him do before, like hugging her with her sitting on his knee while they ate with the tribe or walking up behind her to kiss her neck unexpectedly. She would tell him, 'After the wedding, Jacob'. It was getting him frustrated and the pack knew all too well. They teased him for his frustration and joked that, on the bright side, the wedding night should prove to be amazing even if only for the simple reason that Renesmee hadn't let him lay a hand on her since he proposed to her. He certainly hoped so.
"You seem so jittery," Sara pointed out while she and Caevia were fitting Renesmee to the winter wedding dress.
"I'm just nervous," Renesmee admitted.
"Whatever is there to be nervous about?" Sara asked.
"It's an exciting day for her," Caevia stepped in. "More exciting than your first wedding most certainly."
"I get it Caevia. You were right all along and I was wrong." Caevia grinned. "You've been waiting to hear that since we left Chicago haven't you?"
"It never hurts to hear it," she said with a laugh.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing important. I was just right to tell her she shouldn't have married Peter."
"And here you were so anxious to get her home," Sara pointed out.
"Exactly: home. That farm wasn't her home. I wanted to get her back to Chicago with family."
"I like to think we've become her family," Sara smiled and finished a seam on Renesmee's left side. "I hope we can meet your family one day. I've known cold ones to be such monsters all my life. It would be interesting to see them as real people."
"I hope so too," Renesmee said.
There was no mirror for her to look in, so all she could tell of her dress was from the chest down and what she'd seen before they started sewing her into it. It was a grayish dress made from fur. She wasn't sure what animal the fur was from, but it was course so she could assume her first guess of rabbit fur was incorrect. Though the coarseness could simply be due to old age. From what she'd been told, this was the first and only winter dress made for the women of the tribe. Sara went to the corner where the small wolf's head rested. It was a white wolf hollowed to allow for someone to wear it. All that remained of the creature was fur and the top rows of canines that had been sewn into the headdress. Again, from what she was told, this was the first and only one made. The tribe claimed this headdress as well as the one Jacob would be wearing were the skins of the first wolves of their tribe. She was told the story was part of their wedding ceremony. When it was finally almost nightfall, that's when Jacob went to Sokajili's tent to put on his headdress and winter wedding attire. His attire wasn't as furry as Renesmee's would be. He was wearing a deer's pelt that was inside out so the fur lining could keep the wearer warm. In truth, he'd be warm no matter what, but it was what was traditionally worn. When the sun was down and the new moon was apparent, Jacob went outside first and helped light the fire, sure not to wear the wolf headdress while he worked. Back inside William's and Sara's tent, Renesmee was dressed and ready for the ceremony but she was still nervous.
"You're still trembling?" Sara pointed out.
"I'm just nervous," Renesmee answered. "I'm happy and I'm nervous."
"I'm happy that you and Jacob are getting married. I want you to know that we embrace you into our family." Renesmee began to tear up after Sara said that. She started rubbing her eyes while Sara patted her on the back. She was about to ask Renesmee what was the matter, but Renesmee hugged her suddenly.
"Thank you, Sara," was all Renesmee said. Sara continued to pat Renesmee's back and hugged her close. Shortly after that, they finally started walking towards the now lit bonfire where Jacob was already waiting.
There was no real official walk down the aisle. Renesmee was just led to the bonfire and sat next to Jacob. She could barely see him at first past the rows of teeth sewn into his wolf headdress but when she could see him, she saw that bright smile she loved to see. Jacob, on the other hand, saw Renesmee perfectly despite the headdress and the abundant curls that framed her face under those wolf fangs. When Renesmee sat down next to him, he was rendered speechless. He had to admit that he never had an image of who would one day be wearing that headdress. He certainly never thought it would be a pale faced woman. But when he saw her, he couldn't picture wanting any other woman looking at him under those teeth. Renesmee, also, never pictured this would end up being the wedding of her dreams. She never thought she'd be wearing a wolf or have a wedding outside at night in front of a giant fire. But she wouldn't have it any other way since it meant she was marrying Jacob.
"You look beautiful," Jacob whispered to her before taking her hand in his. Renesmee smiled back at him and it made his smile broaden.
"I love you," Renesmee whispered as she began to tear up just a little.
"I love you too," he answered back in a whisper, wiping away the small tear that fell before Sokajili bellowed for everyone to give him his attention so he could start the ceremony.
The first part of the ceremony was much the same as the other ceremonies that Renesmee had witnessed since coming to the tribe. What differed was the story that followed immediately after the completion of the ceremony. Sokajili and William both appeared in costumes of fur as Sokajili began to tell the tale of the first of their tribe.
"We remember the story of Q'waeti and how he righted the wrongs of many peoples. But for two wolves, he bestowed something different. He happened upon two wolves, Quiyaketa and Zaquitai that wished to be human. Q'waeti generously granted their wish and Quiyaketa became the first man, Zaquitai the first woman, of our tribe, shedding their fur to be replaced with skin, four legs replaced with two. Q'waeti promised the two would create a new and powerful people with a command over the spirit that no other people had. Grabbing their old furs, they began to travel. It is the skins you wear now," Sokajili indicated towards Jacob and Renesmee. William and Sokajili suddenly threw off the furs revealing they were in their own winter appropriate dress. The two took a moment to dance around the fire before stopping in front of the shoreline, which was very close to them at this time of night. "The two traveled until they happened upon these beaches. It was here that the two decided they would create the people that Q'waeti had promised they would create. It was here that they wore their skins and teeth, becoming man and wife. It was here that Quiyaketa made love to Zaquitai and created the Quileute. It was from them that we gained our power and it is from them that we obtained our legacy. They ruled their people with sternness, kindness of heart, and fruitfulness of loins. So has been the responsibility of all leaders that followed Quiyaketa and Zaquitai. Everyone stand!" Everyone did as Sokajili instructed, including Jacob and Renesmee. "We must all dance in their memory and wish great things onto our future." Sokajili indicated Renesmee and Jacob before drums began to play and the people danced around them. Renesmee thought they might have to, but Jacob stopped her. They were to remain standing in one place and allow the tribe to dance around them in their honor.
After everyone danced, it came time for the fertility dance that was just as Renesmee remembered it. She still had to blush a little when she saw the way the women danced with their young sons strapped to their backs in little baskets. Such attention was drawn to the midriff and groin area as the women danced. They weren't the dances that she'd grown up with as a child. Through each dance done for the two of them, Jacob held Renesmee's hand tightly and lovingly. It was only after the women finished their dance that food was finally served and everyone was encouraged to dance around the fire, Jacob and Renesmee included. Caevia and Embry had danced briefly, but the ever growing bump made a long dance impossible. She danced long enough to go around the fire a few times before she begged Embry to take her to where the food was so she could rest. Jacob and Renesmee's dance was joyous at first. He pulled Renesmee with him around the fire the way he'd done once before, but this time Renesmee was eager and willing to join in the dance. After several minutes of dancing that way, Jacob stopped out of the way of the other people dancing and looked down at Renesmee with a smile.
"Is something the matter?" Renesmee asked. Jacob smiled brighter and leaned down to kiss her.
"I just wanted to look at you again," he said. He put his fingers in her hair without allowing the headdress to fall from her head. Renesmee brought her hands over Jacobs and smiled back at him. "You really do look beautiful. I feel like I haven't seen you in five days."
"You've seen me," Renesmee said innocently.
"But you haven't let me near you," he answered back. "This is the first time you've let me really hug and kiss you."
"My people have traditions too," Renesmee answered with a shrug. "We're married now, so you can hug and kiss me all you want." He'd hugged and kissed her all he wanted previously, more or less, but he decided to drop the matter.
"Then I'll grab some food and we'll go back to my tent," Jacob suggested with a tilted kiss so the wolves wouldn't hit each other.
Hand in hand, Jacob led Renesmee with him where most of the food was gathered. People surrounded the feast grabbing potatoes and venison to their fill. Jacob grabbed one of the baskets of cooked potatoes for himself before the two started walking away towards his tent. Those at the line of food noticed where they were going and began to whistle and tease the couple. They heard people say, "Enjoy your private party," and Renesmee heard one man chuckle, "I'm sure he'll enjoy himself tonight," joking about Renesmee refraining from their usual intimacies. She blushed but tried not to allow it to bother her. It was strange even now for her to hear everyone talk so freely about sex and not treat it as such a private matter. While she still thought sex was a private matter, she was less surprised by their openness now. Renesmee looked over her shoulder at Caevia and Embry, who'd been sitting close to the food since they stopped dancing. Caevia looked up at Renesmee and just winked while rubbing her belly. When they reached the tent, Jacob almost pulled her in, but Renesmee stopped him.
"What?" he asked nervously. He didn't want her to tell him there were other traditions that would prolong the night.
"You have to carry me over the threshold," she answered.
"What?"
"You have to carry me over the threshold. It's another tradition. You carry me into the house we'll be sharing. It's called carrying me over the threshold." Jacob nodded and took a moment to put the basket of potatoes in his tent first. He pushed them to one side and when he had a clear path, Jacob turned to Renesmee and lifted her bridal style into his arms and carried her inside the tent. Renesmee couldn't help but giggle while it was happening, but as silly as it was, she did find it extremely romantic. Even when she heard the people start wooing out loud at them as they entered the tent. Jacob closed the door behind him when they were inside, never bothering to light the fire, and he grabbed the basket of potatoes. It was dark in the tent save for the light that peaked through the hole at the top of the tent. "As soon as I eat something," Jacob started, "we'll have some much deserved alone time."
"Don't eat those too quick," Renesmee said. "You'll give yourself hiccups."
"What are hiccups?" Renesmee couldn't think how to properly explain hiccups. She knew he knew what they were; she just wasn't sure how to put it into words other than calling it what it was. So instead, Renesmee brought her hand to his cheek and showed a member of the tribe hiccupping. "Oh! You mean hiccups," Jacob said with a nod. "The English word is hiccups?"
"Yes," Renesmee nodded.
"Don't worry. I won't give myself the hiccups." Jacob said before shoveling more potatoes into his mouth. She knew why he was so eager, but she chose not to say anything. She figured it might be an opportunity for a good laugh. Jacob finished the last of the potatoes in the basket and took a big gulp of water from the large bucket in the corner. When he was done, he looked at Renesmee and smiled a little wickedly. Renesmee just smiled back. Jacob started to approach her, but when Renesmee was almost in his grasp, he released an audible hiccup.
A moment of silence passed before Jacob said, "Don't say a wo-," another hiccup released before he could finish the word and Renesmee finally laughed. Jacob went back to the bucket that had all the water. He filled a cup with water, held his breath, and chugged.
"You okay now?" Renesmee asked recovering from her laugh. Jacob took a moment to breath, making sure the hiccups were gone. When he was sure, he nodded.
"Yeah, I'm alright now." Jacob moved back to Renesmee, smiling at her as he ran his fingers through Renesmee's hair and pushed the wolf headdress off her head. Renesmee reached behind her and took a hold of the headdress.
"When should we give these back to your parents?"
"We don't," Jacob answered, pulling his own headdress off. "These stay with us until our oldest son gets married." Renesmee looked at Jacob and the two stared at each other a moment.
"For the longest time, I thought me having children was impossible," Renesmee eventually confided.
"Why?"
"I'm forty, yet I still look like a young woman. I assumed any man I could potentially be with I would have to leave before he got suspicious of me."
"Was that the plan with Peter?" Renesmee nodded, her head held down low.
"I had planned I'd find a way to make sure I never got pregnant. Having children with Peter only to run away would've been cruel. I wouldn't have very well been able to leave my children, but taking them away wouldn't have been fair either."
"I know what you are, Renesmee," Jacob answered. Renesmee looked at him, a little puzzled. "Every one of us knows what you are. You don't have to hide anything from us, especially not me." Jacob took Renesmee's face in both his hands. "You and I can have children and live our lives together for however long that'll be. We'll watch our children grow, then watch our grandchildren grow." Jacob brushed away a tear that fell from Renesmee's eye. Then Jacob embraced her, Renesmee wrapping her arms around Jacob's neck and their noses touched as they looked into each other's eyes. "I'll love you, Renesmee. As long as I live, I'll love you."
"I love you too," Renesmee whimpered back. The two shared a kiss for a moment. Jacob eventually pulled away and kissed the tip of her nose.
"We can have sex now right?" Renesmee laughed a little but eventually nodded.
They kissed again and Jacob pushed her onto her back right away. Jacob did his best not to rush, though it was really hard. They hadn't made love since the night he proposed to her and he'd missed her touch so much. For a time, he just kissed her. Their tongues mingled, they nipped each other's lips and Jacob pulled up the bottom of Renesmee's dress so her legs could cradle his hips. Renesmee reached down and grabbed the bottom of Jacob's shirt. When she started pulling it up, Jacob took his lips away from hers so she could pull his shirt over his head. With the opportunity available, Jacob pulled her dress over her head and put it where his shirt had been thrown.
Jacob kissed Renesmee one more time before turning his attention to her neck. It started at her ear where he licked and nibbled at the lob then he went right below her ear where he licked and kissed. Renesmee, on the other hand, focused on Jacob's shoulder. She mimicked what Jacob did to her, nipping his skin and licking any sensitive spots. But eventually Jacob moved from her lips as he began to kiss down her neck to her collarbone. His hands went to her breasts and tenderly groped them. He used his hands to push her breasts together and rubbed her nipples with his thumbs. Renesmee's own hands went to Jacob's head and she ran her fingers through his hair. Jacob ran his tongue down her chest until he reached her breasts, replacing his thumb over her left breast with his mouth. Renesmee released a breathy moan at the feel of his mouth on her breasts. She pushed her chest upwards ever so slightly, offering herself to him more freely. Jacob swirled his tongue around her nipple and took it into his mouth to suck gently. After showing that respect to her left breast, he kissed his way to her right breast and did the same thing to her right nipple.
Renesmee brushed her hands to Jacob's shoulders and started rubbing them. She squeezed and released his shoulders, massaging them just as Jacob was massaging her breasts. Jacob was groaning from the gentle feel of Renesmee's hands on his shoulders. Jacob continued to touch her breasts as he took his lips from her nipple and started kissing down her midriff. With each kiss, Renesmee shivered and she brought her feet up to start rubbing Jacob's back. She also continued to rub Jacob's shoulders, even when all she could use to massage his shoulders were the tips of her fingers and her nails. Jacob kissed both of her hips, settling on her right hip to continue down her thigh. Upon kissing Renesmee's thighs, Jacob brought his hands to her legs and started to squeeze them. It tickled and made Renesmee giggle.
"What's funny?" Jacob asked, though not bothering to stop kissing her thighs.
"That tickles," she answered. Jacob smiled and continued to squeeze her thighs. The continued touches had Renesmee giggling, though she tried her hardest not to. Jacob placed one more kiss on Renesmee's knee before turning his attention to her left thigh. As he was kissing her thigh, Jacob brought his right hand to her core. He started by rubbing her there with his palm and Renesmee whimpered with eagerness. The more he rubbed her sensitive area, the closer his lips came to the same spot, dusting kisses along her inner thigh.
Just as his lips were coming closer, Jacob slipped two fingers inside Renesmee earning a soft moan from her. When Jacob finally placed his lips over the sensitive nub, those moans became high pitched and she brought her hand back to his head to run her fingers through his hair. Then Jacob started sucking on the sensitive nub and curved his fingers inside her. Renesmee kept moaning as Jacob licked and kissed her clitoris while his fingers remained curved as they gently pushed in and out. Jacob didn't do this for very long. He didn't want this to bring her to her climax. So when Renesmee's gentle touch started to tighten and become harsh, Jacob removed his fingers and his lips from her core. Renesmee looked up at Jacob and released her fingers from his hair as he lifted himself away from her. While Jacob was upright, he reached down and pulled off his pants then tossed them to the side with their other clothes. Renesmee seized the opportunity and reached for Jacob's erection. She pushed herself up with her free while her right hand stroked Jacob gently. He groaned at her touch and took a hold of her face then reached down to kiss her.
Renesmee continued to stroke Jacob's erection while they kissed. Jacob placed a hand on Renesmee's back and started pushing her down to the ground. After a few minutes of the two kissing while Renesmee stroked Jacob's erection, Jacob took a hold of Renesmee's hand and pulled it with him above her head. He brought his lips down to hers and entered her at long last. They both groaned at the feeling. Renesmee took her hands from Jacob's so she could place them on his chest. Jacob went down to his elbows and began to thrust. Renesmee started moaning from the feel of him and Jacob breathed heavily. He increased in speed right away, bringing his lips to her neck to tickle her just enough. Renesmee wrapped her arms around Jacob's shoulders and continued to moan and whimper as Jacob thrust over and over. She paid no mind to her moans and whimpers.
Jacob maneuvered her body until her legs were on his shoulders and started thrusting again just as hard. Renesmee moaned his name and grabbed onto his elbows like a lifeline. With each moan she released, Jacob felt a tightening in his belly and his chest puffed with pride. For a moment, Jacob started to thrust as fast as he could. The feelings and sensations it evoked in her had her sounding like she might cry. Fearing he'd started to hurt her, Jacob slowed considerably and looked down at her. Renesmee opened her eyes when he slowed.
"Are you alright?"
Renesmee simply nodded before forcing her legs away from Jacob's chest and back around his hips so she could pull Jacob down to her for a kiss. The kiss was passionate and it encouraged Jacob to continue what he'd been doing before. For a little while longer, they stayed like that, kissing while Jacob moved inside her. But eventually Renesmee decided she wanted some control. So she pushed Jacob onto his back and mounted him. She thought to tease him just a little by rubbing herself against his erection, but not taking him in. He allowed it for a moment, but could not stand it for long. When he tired of the teasing, he waited until she was in the right position before pushing into her again. Renesmee moaned again and fell over onto his chest while he held tightly onto her thighs while he continued to hump her. It was then that Renesmee began to suck on the spot just above Jacob's left collarbone, moving from spot to spot left to right placing small, temporary red spots all over that seemed to be healing just as soon as they were planted. Renesmee bounced her hips up and down in sync with Jacob's movements. He only stopped at times when Renesmee hoisted herself upright so she could be in charge of their pleasure. Since Renesmee was on top, Jacob brought his thumb to her nub and started rubbing it vigorously. Renesmee stayed upright for a little while, but eventually the pleasure was becoming too much and she had to fall on top of Jacob again. This time when she was on his chest, Jacob turned them over again. Jacob did his best to thrust and fondle Renesmee at the same time. The look and sounds of pleasure they produced were simply too titillating for him. The rubbing helped bring Renesmee closer and closer to her climax and the closer she came, the more she whimpered and called out his name in pleasure. Finally, Renesmee felt a crushing pressure in her core as if she'd collapsed and Jacob took his hand away, resting it on the ground so he could keep himself upright through the feel of her walls clamping down on him tightly.
He was still a moment from that pressure, allowing Renesmee to float down. But once Jacob had control again, he began humping her again. Though they weren't as load, Renesmee still moaned and said his name while he moved. It encouraged him to continue getting faster and faster. The faster he went, the better it felt until he felt his own climax crash down on him. He nearly growled at the feeling and brought his head down to Renesmee's neck so he could kiss her. Afterwards, Jacob felt himself getting light headed and extremely tired. With his lids heavy, he kissed Renesmee's ear listening to her breath heavily and whispered, "I love you." As Renesmee started to repeat the sentiment, Jacob could think only to get off her. So he allowed himself to roll onto his back and when he was on their bed, his head rested to the ground, Jacob instantly went to sleep.
At first, Renesmee went wide eyed and looked at Jacob. When she realized he'd fallen asleep, she wasn't initially sure what to think. Yet the longer she looked at him, she realized he was content and she had to laugh a little. She pulled up the covers and rested her head on his chest with a smile on her face. He was still asleep when she woke up the next morning, but by the time she woke up, the sun was already out and she could smell everyone making food. Wanting to surprise Jacob, Renesmee got dressed and stepped outside to grab some food for him. She went to the large group of women and reached for a basket of left over potatoes from the night before.
"What are you doing out here?" one woman asked of Renesmee when she saw her. The other women looked at Renesmee and she noticed all of them snicker and grin at her.
"By the sound of last night," another woman went on, "I'm surprised you can even walk." Everyone laughed and Renesmee was stunned. Caevia, who was sitting among the women eating some salmon jerky, laughed as well.
"Honestly, Embry and I could hear you from our tent."
"Everyone could," the first woman added with a laugh. "Perhaps you were wise not to sleep with him for so long. It seems it had the desired effect." It took a moment for Renesmee to recover but when she did, rather than be embarrassed, she decided she'd play along.
"He actually fell asleep right after," Renesmee admitted and everyone laughed.
"Oh dear," the second woman said. "Did he fall asleep while still inside you? My husband's done that to me a few times and I hate it when he does."
"Actually, he rolled off me before he fell asleep. He was very considerate." All the ladies laughed and Renesmee managed to laugh with them.
"I wish my husband were so generous," a third woman joked. The man that was closest to Renesmee patted her on the shoulder as she laughed.
"We'll make you one of us yet," she said and everyone continued to laugh. Renesmee took the potatoes and the woman continued to tease her while she walked away.
"Don't worry Renesmee," Caevia continued. "If you lose feeling in your legs, that'll come back eventually." Everyone laughed and Renesmee smiled back. It was only when she was no longer looking at them that she allowed her embarrassment to show. When Renesmee got back in their tent, Jacob was still sound asleep. Renesmee smiled at him and put the potatoes to the side for when he woke up. She cuddled up to him under the covers again falling asleep in his warm arms. Before falling asleep again, Renesmee kissed Jacob's chest and sighed contentedly. This, she thought, was the wedding night and morning after that she should've had. She wished this could've been how it happened from the beginning. All that mattered was that it was happening now and she'd never been happier. Renesmee was eventually woken up by the feel of Jacob's lips on her forehead.
"Morning," Jacob said when Renesmee opened her eyes.
"Is it still morning?"
"It's not important," Jacob answered with a shrug.
"I brought you some breakfast nonetheless." Jacob smiled and gave Renesmee a kiss. "The women were teasing me when I went outside to get those potatoes for you."
"Were they?"
"Yeah. They're saying they heard us last night. They said it was a shock I could still walk." Jacob started laughing just as the women had.
"How flattering," he said.
"I told them you fell asleep on me. I made sure they knew you'd rolled off me first, though. They said it was very considerate of you."
Jacob laughed again, "Glad that didn't upset you." Renesmee shook her head before Jacob bent his head down and kissed her. As he kissed her, he reached down to the hem of her dress and started pulling it up. "I don't suppose we could do it again? I promise I won't fall asleep on you this time." Renesmee smiled and nodded.
"If you promise," she answered. They kissed again and as Jacob promised, he didn't fall asleep after they finished. Rather, they cuddled together and read a book in bed while Jacob ate the potatoes Renesmee had brought it. It was three days of truly uninterrupted bliss together. They left to get food and handle other needs, but no one bothered them. It was a romantic honeymoon for the two of them, more than Renesmee imagined.