Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A Shock to the System
Jacob leaned back against Bella's knees and toyed with the hot dog he had spitted on a straightened wire hangar; the flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was somehow still flat, though Bella had lost count of how many hot dogs he had eaten after the tenth. Not to mention the supersized bag of chips or the two-liter bottle of root beer. She would forever be amazed at how much food he managed to consumed now that he had turned wolf.
"Jake, maybe you should quit while you're ahead." She said in amusement.
"I guess." Jacob agreed, letting out another resigned sigh. "I'm so full I'm about to puke."
"You're disgusting." Leah sneered from the other side of the bonfire. She was wrapped comfortably in Sam's arms, but that didn't stop her airing her revulsion at Jacob's gluttony.
"Hush, Lee." Sam warned her, noting the annoyance flickering in Jacob's eyes at her comment.
Sam hadn't consumed as much food as Jacob and the others, not wanting to appear too greedy in front of his girlfriend. He envied Jacob having Bella knowing everything. Well, Leah would soon know everything too. He just hoped she would be as accepting about the whole wolf thing as Bella had been.
"Are you gonna eat that hotdog?" Paul called out to Jacob; his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge meal the werewolves had consumed.
Even though Paul had already eaten as much as Jacob, he could still find room for more. Jacob flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. Bella watched as it sailed through the air, fully expecting it to land hot dog first on the ground, but Paul caught it deftly on the right end.
Hanging out with only extremely dexterous people all the time was beginning to give Bella a complex.
"Thanks, man." Paul said, chomping off the end of the hot dog in delight.
The fire crackled, settling lower and lower toward the ground. Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against the black sky. Bella hadn't noticed the sun set. For the first time, she wondered how late it had gotten. She had lost track of time completely. She began to wonder when the storytelling would begin. Jacob had told her that Billy and the other elders had decided the easiest way to start the complicated talks with the unsuspecting family members, was to introduce them to the old legends, to ease them into the difficult subject.
Bella looked across the bonfire at Charlie. He was deep in conversation with Billy, whose wheelchair was stationed at what seemed the natural head of the circle. Beside him, on a folding lawn chair, looking more brittle than ever, was Quil's ancient grandfather, Old Quil. Sue Clearwater and her husband Harry, sat together on Old Quil's other side. Their son, Seth, sat on the ground, gazing around at the older boys in awe. Tiffany, Embry's mother, sat on the other side of Charlie. She had been very quiet throughout most of the night, only exchanging one or two words with Sue. She looked overwhelmed by the whole thing.
"It's getting late." Bella whispered to Jacob as she settled down in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snugly against his chest. She sighed in bliss as the heat from his body warmed her back, soon spreading right across her skin.
"Dad will start telling the stories soon." Jacob whispered back-though certainly half the group sitting around the bonfire had hearing sensitive enough to hear them anyway. "Quil hasn't heard the stories yet, either. Well, he's heard them, but this is the first time he knows that they are true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention."
Bella glanced across at Charlie again. He looked totally relaxed and at ease. She wondered how long that was going to last once the truth of the situation sank in. She could only hope that once he got over the initial shock, that he would put his anger and judgement aside, and truly listen to his friends explain the reasoning behind why they had kept him in the dark for so long. Bella knew her father wasn't one to hold grudges, surely his long friendship with Billy and Harry would be enough for him to forgive.
Suddenly the atmosphere changed abruptly around the low-burning fire. Paul and Embry sat up straighter. Jared stopped bantering with Quil and fell silent. Sam hushed Leah, who was whispering in his ear in a low voice. She shot him an annoyed look but quickly complied. Seth leaned forward eagerly; his eyes wide as he gazed around at all the serious faces.
Billy cleared his throat, and, with no more introduction, began telling the story in his rich deep voice. The words poured out with precision, as if he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a subtle rhythm. Like poetry performed by its author.
Bella had heard some of these stories before from Jacob, but she still found herself spellbound by the husky tones of Billy's voice. He certainly knew how to work an audience, liked a natural orator, he pulled his listeners in, his skillful way with words firing the imagination, enabling each member present to vividly picture the legends in their minds.
Bella could see that Charlie was as enraptured as the rest. His eyes remained fixed on Billy's face, at the beginning his expression solemn, eventually turning thoughtful, then preoccupied.
The ring of majesty that was in Billy's voice, held an authority that defied description, as he narrated, coming to the most thrilling part, that of Taha Aki.
"The legend goes that one spirit warrior, Utlapa, wanted to use this power to enslave neighboring tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs. Unwilling to use the warriors' powers for such monstrous purposes, his chief, Taha Aki banished him from the tribe. One day, the chief left his body in a hiding place to sweep through the valley in his spirit form, searching the area for anything that may pose a threat to the tribe. Utlapa followed him and possessed his body, then cut his own body's throat to prevent Taha Aki's return. The chief wandered for a while in spirit form, watching the thief do horrible things to his people. One day, the chief's spirit found a large, beautiful wolf in the woods. Though jealous of the wolf's physical form, an idea came to him. He asked the wolf to share his body with him, and the wolf agreed. Rushing back to the village as the wolf, he met a party of warriors, and tried to make himself known by yelping Quileute songs. One of the warriors, an elderly man named Yut, realized that the wolf was under a spirit's control, and, disobeying the usurper Utlapa's orders not to enter the spirit world, left his body to talk to the beast. The false chief, alarmed at Yut entering the spirit world as he feared that his treachery would be revealed, killed the warrior. Taha Aki became enraged, and lunged to kill the man; his emotions were too much for the wolf, and it transformed into a magnificent human, the glorious flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's flawless spirit. The false chief was killed, and things were rapidly set right. Taha Aki sired many children, and found out that his sons, at the age of manhood, could transform into wolves as well."
Billy looked around the sea of faces, lingering longest on Charlie, who sat beside him, a slight frown marring his features.
"That is how the shapeshifters came to be. The whole pack is made of the descendants of that original wolf."
Billy rested his voice for a while as he let Old Quil take over. The ancient elder cleared his throat, his thin tenor voice rising as he began to relate the tale of the cold ones and the third wife's sacrifice.
Bella sat nestled against Jacob, absorbing the elder's words, finding herself captivated by the story of an ancient Quileute woman, who was the last wife of Taha Aki, and one of the most legendary people in her tribe known for her sacrifice for the tribe. After her son Yaha Uta killed the Cold Man, his mate, the Cold Woman, attacked the village in revenge. Yaha Uta attempted to stop her but was killed, leaving Taha Aki as the only spirit warrior left to defend the tribe. The Third Wife could see that he was losing the fight, and couldn't bear to see her husband die. She took one of her younger sons' knives and stabbed herself through the heart. The scent of her blood distracted the Cold Woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. A number of her sons, who were enraged by her death, phased for the first time into wolves. Once the battle was won, Taha Aki lay in his wolf form by the Third Wife's body for three days, then vanished into the forest and was never seen or heard from again.
"Time passed, and the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small."
Old Quil paused for effect, his rheumy gaze sweeping the group eagerly, before resuming the story. "A bigger coven came, and your own great grandfathers prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave proof to his claim that they were not the same as other blood drinkers. The wolves were outnumbered, there was no real need for the cold ones to offer a treaty when they could have won the fight. Ephraim accepted. They've stayed true to their side, though their presence does tend to draw in others."
Old Quil looked around again, his expression stern. "And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the tribe has ever seen." He paused again, and for one moment his black eyes, all but buried in the wrinkles of his skin folded around them, rested directly on Charlie. "Except of course in Taha Aki's time." He said, then sighed. "And so, the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."
All was silent for a long moment. The living descendants of magic and legend stared at one another across the fire with sadness in their eyes. All but one.
"Burden!" Quil scoffed loudly. "I think its cool! I love being a wolf and crushing the bad guys!"
"For fucks sake, Quil." Jacob groaned in defeat as another silence descended. This one much tenser than the last.
Charlie had stiffened, his face draining of all color as he first darted a glance at Billy, then Harry, before his gaze swept in Bella's direction. Her complexion had gone as white as his. Father and daughter stared at each other across the dying bonfire, no words were exchanged, but the tortured looks were enough. Then Charlie abruptly rose from his seat and stalked off into the encroaching darkness.
"Charlie?" Billy called out to his friend in alarm.
Old Quil was already berating his grandson. "Idiot!" He snapped, cuffing Quil on the back of his head.
"Ow…what was that for?" Quil complained, rubbing his stinging scalp.
"For letting your big moth run away with you again." Old Quil fumed.
Tiffany appeared bemused, having taken in only half if what was said. Embry came up to his mother and gently guided her away from the others, wanting to have the rest of the talk in private.
Sam had also taken Leah away. Unlike Tiffany, Leah had understood perfectly what was going on. She was shocked, but also relieved that some of Sam's bizarre behavior was finally explained. Sue was not so understanding. She glared at her husband, angry that Harry had kept her in the dark about such important matters, and frightened that Seth would be pulled into the mess when he became of age.
Bella was aware of none of this. All she could focus on was Charlie. She made a move to follow him, but Jacob kept her pinned against him, refusing to let her leave. "Let my dad talk to him first."
"But I have to speak to him….to try and explain… he looked so betrayed, Jacob." Bella cried.
"Its not because of you." Jacob reminded her gently. "Its my father and Harry he feels hurt by the most. They are the ones who need to make peace with him." He kissed the top of her head, smoothing her hair back from her wan face. It saddened him that her birthday celebrations had been soured because of this, even though it was what she had wanted, it still didn't make it any easier to deal with.
Bella glanced across to the spot where Charlie had disappeared in despair. Billy was missing from the head of the circle. He must have followed Charlie. She agonized over whether to heed Jacob's advice and stay where she was, or go against it and hasten after her father. Torn, she caught sight of Harry, his complexion gray and chasing after his wife, Sue, who had stalked off into the night.
Seth stared after his parents, looking lost and unsure. Bella's heart immediately went out to him, making her come to a decision. Jacob was right. There was nothing she could for her father right now. It was up to Billy to convince him and make things right. Her turn would come later. Right now, young Seth needed her help.
Jacob had come to the same conclusion. With one brief glance, Bella and Jacob understood each other perfectly, with no words needing to be exchanged.
Standing swiftly, Jacob took hold of Bella's hand and helped her to rise, then the two of them walked over to a distraught Seth, offering their unequivocal support as they comforted him until his parents return.
A/N-thanks for reading!