Author's note: This chapter is very pack hive mind centered, so any mental dialogue/thoughts labeled 'S:' are for Sam and 'P:' are for Paul! Also, just a quick side note, this website has been going down a lot lately- a lot of people aren't receiving any notification emails (me included!) so you may want to make sure to check back every once in a while, or you can join one of these Facebook groups: The No Rules Twilight Fanfiction group or if you're a pack girlie the twilightPackFanatfics group, I regularly post in both of these groups when I upload a new chapter! Or you can even find my fics on Ao3 or Wattpad! Anyway, thanks for reading! :)
(Paul)
Get going, Seth! That's an order!
Sam's alpha order sent Seth running ten miles back in the direction of where Sam found my truck- amidst a literal blood bath.
My truck was swerved off of the road and the concrete around it was coated in drying blood and vampire venom- to an outsider it looked like a horrific hit and run. We would need the Sheriff's help on that one.
From there, Sam and I followed the familiar scent trails of the intruder we'd been dealing with for a while, but they led to dead end after dead end.
This guy was good- he knew exactly how to mess with our senses.
We couldn't even pick up a trace of Seth's scent.
That pissed us both off.
This guy had been playing with the holes in our collective vision for months now- we were starting to look like amateurs.
P: No way this prick's getting by with hurting our people!
So Sam and I split up- resolved to scan the entire state with a fine toothed comb if need be.
I continued north while Sam decided to head east.
At first I found nothing. It made no sense- Sam and I had found tufts of Seth's fur in the treeline- he clearly was in a fight, which meant he had to be close by- somewhere.
It's annoying as hell not using your nose.
After a while, I felt like I was just spinning my wheels.
They couldn't just vanish. There had to be a trail.
Resolved I slowed down and focused my attention on my nose and ears.
At first I found nothing unusual. Just your normal gamy forest smells. Foliage, soil, long gone human hikers and wild animals, pines and-
Then I noticed it.
A spot of violet wildflowers, the kind that grows wild all over our land, normally very sweet smelling- and strong. We could smell them a mile away.
Normally.
But these flowers gave off no scent- none.
That was when it clicked.
I stuck my snout into some of the blossoms, breathing deep. Nothing.
P: He's using something to kill our sense of smell.
Follow the void of smell and I'm bound to find him!
Whatever he was using, it was strong enough to affect anything he touched- even for just a moment.
As I began following the nothing trail- the trail of things I knew should have a scent but didn't- I felt Sam's curiosity in my head.
S: Odd, but good thinking, Paul. I'm turning back to join you.
I was vaguely aware of Sam's surroundings as he retraced his steps to follow me.
I didn't want to wait for him so I kept following the weird void trail, figuring he'd catch up eventually.
Seth was just a kid- and we'd seen what the leech had done to older, experienced pack members. Every passing minute was more dangerous for Seth, we had to find him soon.
I continued on, smelling various familiar plants and trees, looking for the ones that had no smell. The sun's position told me it was close to five o'clock.
Then, I heard a distant, erratic heartbeat and bare feet slamming into the dirt.
P: Someone's running in a panic- gotta be Seth!
The sounds were about a mile away, I broke into a run.
I felt Sam's panic as he also picked up the pace, running faster to catch up. Finally, I could see him in the distance.
P: Just a few more feet….
I was about to close the distance when I heard the loud thud as Seth hit the ground.
"Told ya not to run Dog."
"Get-off-me- fat ass!" Seth grunted.
"Can't run on stumps, kid-"
I sank my teeth into his leg, dragging him off of Seth.
It was like biting into a rock- and they always tasted like the smell of roadkill.
As soon as I'd dragged him off, Sam launched himself at the leech, rolling all three of us in the dirt.
Sam alpha ordered Seth out of the way as we all tussled in the dirt.
A swift punch to my snout made me release his leg before I could rip it off, throwing me back a foot.
S: Remember, watch for his damn teeth!
P: I know!
He threw Sam against a tree as I re-snatched his leg, dragging him back to the ground.
P: Sam, rip his damn head off and we won't have to worry about teeth!
I stuffed my paw into hit gut to make him hold still as Sam regrouped and wrapped his teeth around his throat-
When suddenly Sam went flying through the air again.
P: Damn it! What the hell-?
Then I found myself being thrown backwards, my spine hitting the trunk of a large pine.
It dazed me for a moment as a flash of red streaked by.
"Playtime's over, James. We don't have time for mutts today."
I barely got back to my feet as a very slim, red haired woman held a hand out to the intruder.
" ' Took your time." He commented as he stood.
"Whatever- let's go. More important fish to fry."
She turned her bored gaze back to me.
"We'll put down the dogs next time."
S: Can't let them get away!
I finished scrambling to my feet, ignoring the pain that radiated the center of my spine.
P: I'll take the guy then!
S: Fine!
The red head jumped into a tall fir and the intruder followed, leaving us to chase them from the ground.
Which didn't last long with our damn noses rendered useless.
That's the thing that sucks about the dead- they can be silent as the grave when they wanna be.
Eventually we both stopped, realizing that we'd lost them.
P: These guys gotta be old, they know too much about us.
S: Making us look stupid, too.
P: They havta have a base of operations, We can't follow a moving lack of smell, but we can try to find a stationary one. Bet it's where they had Seth just now. Should go back and see what we can find.
S: Good idea, still couldn't smell Seth even right next to him. Worth looking into.
Can't leave Seth too long, still don't know what they're after. I'll go get him and your truck. See if you can find something useful.
P: Yeah, good plan.
S: We'll be waiting, and I'll be watching through your eyes- just a heads up.
Sam could hop into our heads anytime as our alpha- even on two legs. He hated doing it though- and always gave a heads up when he planned to.
P: 'kay, 'preciate it.
Sam turned and ran towards where my truck had been left. I made my way back to where the fight started then followed Seth's tracks, knowing my nose would be useless here.
It was odd following tracks with no scent. It confused my wolf.
The tracks led half a mile east to a tiny camp nestled deep in the trees.
Not a usual place human's would set up a camp.
Actually, calling it a camp was being polite, it consisted of a small roaring fire, a cold lump of cooked rabbit meat sat in the dirt close to a handmade wooden chest. A large Walmart bag fluttered around in the breeze.
S: Well, that's recent.
P: No shit.
I trotted over to the crackling fire on a hunch and took a deep inhale.
P: A campfire with no smell? I know my nose isn't broken- something weird about it.
S: ' He burning something to mess with us?
P: Has to be.
I turned my attention to the medium sized, homemade box a few feet away.
P: See that, Sam?
S: Uh huh. Give it a look, Scooby.
P: Fuck off, Sam.
I relaxed my mind and willed my wolf to pull back, feeling the familiar shift of my bones as I phased back.
Naked, I stood up.
P: Hope no one happens by.
S: No one around for miles, you'll be fine. I left our clothes with your truck anyway.
P: Alright.
I padded over to the chest and flipped the lid open, then began rummaging through the contents.
I found wads of cash, fake ID's, a very expensive womens blouse- that was an eyesore- and a bag of herbs.
I pulled out the drawstring bag.
P: Can't smell it, Sam.
S: Must be what he's been burning then, we'll take it back to Old Quil- see if he can make something to counteract it.
P: Okay, there's something else, hold on.
I reached further into the chest and pulled out a tiny, palm sized canvas in a zip lock bag. It was a painting of our beach on the reservation during a storm. Ghost kids played in the sand.
I didn't have to pull it out to smell it. I knew who it belonged to.
My wolf raged and demanded to be released- I fought the urge back.
S: Nice painting.
P: It's Bella's.
S: You sure?
P: I've seen her artwork and-
I pulled it out and sniffed it, Bella's scent mixed with the scent of the dry paint.
S: No doubt about it, then.
I felt rage boil deep in my gut- this bastard's after my woman!
S: Calm down, Paul! We'll protect her-
P: How? This guy's a pro and I already have her on suicide watch, Sam-!
S: We'll increase her security then! She'll be okay, Paul!
P: Damn it, Sam-!
S: I'm serious, Paul! You're right, this guy isn't your normal corpse- we need to regroup! Don't forget, we're down two members right now!
I stopped my angry pacing, turned my head.
P: God damn it, you're right.
S: I know I am, look Paul, we're stronger together. As a damn pack, not as one pissed off mate, got it? Bella's safer if we all watch out for her, and we work together to burn this prick. So let's go back and form a battle plan, I know you're dying to check on her.
P: Fuck-! Fine.
I took a deep breath, shut my eyes and willed my temper away. Bella first, rage later. Barely a bit calmer, I chased down the big plastic bag still fluttering about and stuffed the items inside, including the money wads.
P: Might as well.
S: No sense leaving it.
Afterwards I kicked dirt over the fire to put it out then knelt down to allow my wolf to shift.
I picked up the Walmart bag with my teeth and took off running towards my truck.
Seth sat in the cab as Sam casually leaned against the door, having moved my truck from the carnage.
I placed the bag down in front of him and he handed me my clothes in a bundle, I grabbed it with my teeth then trotted behind the truck to quickly phase back and dress. As I did so Sam riffled through the bag.
"You forgot the book bag." Seth spoke up.
Sam raised his head as I walked back around the truck.
"What bag? You didn't see a book bag." Sam asked me.
"That was all that was there."
"No- there was a black book bag- I saw it. It looked like one of those fancy, expensive ones the tourists use on hikes here."
Sam and I exchanged a look.
"So he beat you there."
"But why not take everything? Why leave what he did?" I thought out loud.
"In a hurry?"
"Doubt he's afraid of us, Sam."
"Maybe he didn't bother- because he doesn't need that stuff anymore?" Seth asked.
"Was there anything else missing, Seth?" Sam asked.
"I don't know- don't think so. He had a cell phone though- I overheard a weird conversation."
Sam turned towards me.
"Driver's seat, Paul. Seth, tell us everything you remember."