Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Battle at the Blacks
"Dad?"
"Jacob."
A current of confusion swept through the pack mind. Many voices began to babble at once.
"Billy?"
"Impossible!"
"This doesn't make any sense."
"But he's old."
"I can feel him."
"It is him!"
"Fighting the red head."
"Unbelievable."
"And Quil…. where's Quil?"
"QUIET!" Came the thunderous command from the Alpha wolf.
Immediately silence reigned, giving Jacob much needed relief. His wolf body was tireless, but as he left Forks further and further behind, and the familiar sights and scents of La Push, his home territory, drew steadily closer, Jacob's conscience and that of the wolf slowly began to disentwine. By the time he reached the woods leading up to his own house, he was fully himself, and he was able to think again.
The cord in his chest that tied him to Bella had looped straight around his heart, strangling like a steel twine, and each beat just drew it tighter. Soon, he thought, his heart would cleave in two. It took every ounce of his concentration to remain in control, to keep his focus on Billy – his father – fighting for his life against the redheaded vamp.
The redhead was no inexperienced, instinct driven newborn. She was lethal. His father was no longer a young man, suffering with an illness that weakened his immune system, for him to have transformed at all should have been beyond the realms of possibility. But somehow, Billy's wolf gene had been activated during a time of deadly crisis, just like Taha Aki before him.
Looking through his father's eyes, Jacob saw the twisting flame of the redhead's hair, her enraged face a blur of white. The increasingly frequent metallic snaps and tears, the gasps and shocked hissings made it clear that the fight was turning deadly for someone.
But which someone?
Jacob's focus suddenly switched to Quil. Filtering through the chocolate brown wolf's frantic thoughts, he saw the redhead's companion lurching toward Quil, his red eyes brilliant with fury. His hands-mangled, broken hands-curled into talons. His mouth opened, widened, his teeth glistening, as he prepared to rip out Quil's throat.
A sudden kick of adrenaline rocked Jacob to his core as suddenly everything became clear. Both fights were too close. Quil was about to lose his, and Jacob couldn't tell if his father was winning or losing. Desperation surged through him, quickening his pace, forcing him to stretch his limbs to impossible lengths as he rushed to join in the fight.
With the others in hot pursuit, Jacob roared out his rage, his loud howl rose to an earth shattering crescendo, echoed by his pack. Together they filled the still air with their ringing cries. One song, no words, just pure, unadulterated fury.
Bella watched the ensuing fight in horrified fascination. When Billy had suddenly shifted into the ancient, burnished gold wolf, she couldn't believe her eyes. Neither could the redhead. The wolf was old, but this was Billy the tribal chief, and his rage made him strong. For the first few minutes this gave him an advantage.
The redhead was so shocked at the sudden transformation that she fought stupidly. Her face contorted in frustration but she soon recovered herself. She shifted lower into a fighting crouch, a lioness again, and stalked deliberately forward.
The golden wolf shifted, too, as they closed on each other, and it was wolf versus lioness.
In the background Bella heard a pained howl, it drew her attention to Quil. He had received a heavy blow on the muzzle from the blonde boy. In retaliation he leapt forward and crunched off another small piece of the vampire. The blonde boy bellowed and launched a massive backhanded blow that caught Quil full on the side of his head, sending him reeling. The chocolate wolf crashed to the ground, his ears ringing, a low whimper escaping through his teeth.
Bella stared at the fallen wolf in dismay. Quil was in serious trouble now. She tried to think, trying to put her panicked thoughts in some kind of order. There must be something she could do, maybe provide some sort of distraction, just long enough for Quil to recover, and give Billy room to breathe.
The answer came in the form of a sharp piece of jagged rock that Bella spotted on the ground nearby. What was the one thing that a vampire lusted after more than anything else?
Blood, of course!
Bella bent down, her fingers reflexively closing around the long shard. She stood, her hand gripping the stone so tightly that it dug painfully into the flesh of her palm. Looking out at the chaos in front of her she tried to find her resolve.
Was she strong enough? Was she brave enough? How hard would she have to shove the rough stone into her body? Would this buy Billy and Quil enough time to get back into the fight?
In the end they were just pointless questions. It was action that was needed now. Bella took in one, deep, lungful of air, and raked the point of the shard up her arm, yanking back the sleeve of her thick sweater to expose the skin, and then pressed the tip to the crease of her elbow. She steeled herself and sucked in another deep breath.
The redhead was distracted by the sound of her gasp. She glanced up, looking over at Bella with hate-filled eyes.
The tiny distraction was enough. Without having to draw a single drop of blood after all, Jacob and his pack came crashing into the open. In that same short second, the redhead broke away, running for her life. It all happened so quickly that it was over before Bella could follow the sequence of events. She tried to catch up in her head.
The redhead had flown out of her blurred formation as Jacob caught up with her, catching hold of her arm in his strong jaws, he smashed her into a tall spruce about halfway up the tree. The redhead dropped to earth already crouched to spring.
Simultaneously, the other wolves dived in. They caught the unsuspecting blonde vampire by his arm. The silver wolf – Paul – pulled back, and heaved –
The Black's backyard was suddenly filled with the blonde boy's piercing shriek of agony.
At the same time, Quil leapt to his feet, cutting off Bella's view. But she could still see the redhead. And, though she looked oddly deformed- as if she were unable to straighten up completely-she could see the sickly smile flash across her wild face.
She coiled and sprang.
Jacob sprang at the same time and collided with her mid-flight. The impact sounded like an explosion, and it threw her against a tree, and Jacob against another. This one snapped in half under his weight. The redhead landed nimbly on her feet, crouched and ready, but the burnished gold wolf was already in place. Relief swelled in Bella's heart as she saw the ancient wolf coming to his son's aid.
The redhead kicked something aside with a flick of her bare foot-the missile that had crippled her attack. It rolled toward Bella and she realized what it was.
Her stomach lurched.
The fingers were still twitching; grasping at blades of grass, the blonde boy's arm began to drag itself mindlessly across the ground.
The other wolves were circling the blonde boy again, he was trying to retreat, but was trapped in the middle of the furry mass. His face was rigid with pain. He raised his one arm defensively.
The silver wolf rushed him again, the blonde boy was clearly off-balance. Bella saw the silver wolf sink his teeth into the vampire's shoulder and tear, before jumping back again.
With an earsplitting screech the blonde boy lost his other arm.
The silver wolf shook his head, flinging the arm into the woods. The broken, hissing noise that came through his teeth sounded like snickering.
The blonde boy screamed out a tortured plea to the redhead, but she ignored him, too busy focusing on the russet wolf and the ancient wolf with fur like burnished gold, who were stealthily closing in on her.
The silver wolf, followed quickly by his brothers, launched himself at the blonde boy like a wrecking ball. The force carried them into the trees, where the metallic screeching was matched by the blonde boy's screams. Screams that abruptly cut off, while the sounds of rock being ripped to shreds continued.
Though she spared her companion no farewell glance, the redhead seemed to realize she was now on her own. She began to back away from Jacob and Billy, frenzied disappointment bleeding from her crimson eyes. She cast one short, agonized stare of longing in Bella's direction, and then started to retreat further.
Then wheeling quickly, she flew toward the refuge of the forest, like an arrow from a bow.
But Jacob was faster. Outpacing the ancient wolf, he caught the redhead at the edge of the trees, and with one quick snap of his jaws, ripped her head from her body. With the fiery tangled hair no longer connected to the neck, the shivering orange waves fell to the ground, and bounced once before rolling toward the trees.
It was over.
A/N-thanks for reading!