Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Twilight.
Gwendolyn danced out of the way of the hunter with ease, avoiding his sun steel knife. She glanced up at the trees, wondering when Kierra was going to show up. The human gritted his teeth.
"Just die already! We don't want you monsters hunting our livestock!"
She rolled her eyes. Imbecile. So humans are allowed to eat them, but we aren't? Wow, speciesist much?
She didn't stick around to hear the rest of it. Gwendolyn turned and leaped up between the trees, leaving the human hunter in her dust. When she was far enough away from him, she shifted into a jaguar and reached out to her sister.
Kierra! Where are you?!
Sorry, Kierra thought. I got distracted. I was watching those jaguar shifters again.
I thought we agreed to avoid any supernaturals?
They will never recognise me.
Still… Gwendolyn padded between the trees. We don't need any attention. Even if supernaturals are public now… Again, her thoughts drifted to Jane and Alec. She missed them, but even now, two hundred years after the Volturi had ended and a century since vampires had gone public, the immortal children were hated by many. She and Kierra couldn't risk going to see their friends, because there were many vampires who would gladly tear them apart.
They could try, Kierra thought. We're faster than any other vampires.
They're stronger, though, and there are often more of them.
They also can't turn into dragons.
As you so often point out, I cannot breathe fire. Gwendolyn thought this time about the Cullens, who had been working with humans for centuries before vampires revealed themselves. She'd always liked Carlisle, though he hadn't known they existed. While he stayed with the Volturi, she and Kierra had pretended to be vampires in the guard who had the gift of a telepathic link. He'd never suspected anything, but Gwendolyn had often wondered how anyone could be so good. From what she'd seen when she and Kierra were preparing to expose Aro, she liked Esme even more. She would have liked to get to know the entire coven, and Kierra felt the same way.
We have each other, Kierra thought. That should be enough.
It should, Gwendolyn agreed. It is enough. She tried to convince herself that it was true.
Gwendolyn froze when she caught a scent that was familiar to her, and panic began to course through her body. No. No. No. One of them could decimate the small villages in the area. As well, she smelled the familiar tang of the wolfsbane, but she also smelled human blood mingled with the scent, which meant that this was one of the bad ones.
Kierra, she thought frantically. Can you see the moon?
No, I'm in a cave. Why?
Oh— Gwendolyn let out a stream of mental curses in Ancient Irish. She herself was currently underwater, and couldn't see the sky through the murky river water. She propelled herself up, leaping onto the river bank and looking up.
Her heart sank when she saw the full moon shining bright in the clear sky.
Six months later
"Good-bye, Kachiri," Jane called, waving happily at the Amazonian vampire. "Goodbye, Senna and Zafrina! "
Zafrina laughed. "Goodbye, Jane. It is a pity you couldn't stay longer."
"We'll come back to visit—we always do." Jane turned around and skipped back to the Cullens, humming under her breath. Jane was technically the oldest of them, but she was only twelve mentally, as was Alec. The family had been visiting their friends in the Amazon, and now it was time to head back to La Push. They lived there now, after Jacob had changed the terms of the treaty. Jacob was still alive, of course, as were the Clearwater siblings. Seth and Leah had planned to give up their wolves someday, but that was before Seth imprinted…on a vampire. Annabelle was only fifteen physically, but in reality she was fifty years older than Seth. Leah had decided to stay immortal for a while to look after Seth, so now they were still around two hundred years later.
Their family was so big now that they'd split in three: Emmett and Rosalie lived about a mile away from the others with the twins, while Edward and Bella still lived with Renesmee in the house Esme had made for them when they married. Of course, the family never stayed apart for long. On this trip, Bella, Edward and Nessie weren't here—they were actually in Volterra, helping Sulpicia with something.
Alice tipped her head towards the trees, telling them that it was time to go. They said goodbye once more, and then they were running. A little while later, Esme stopped.
"Wait, I just thought of something. I want to find that jaguar they were talking about–the one that they said acted 'more than an animal' but wasn't big enough to be a shifter. Go ahead, I'll catch up very soon, or you could see if there's anything you want to do before we leave." And then she was gone, running into the jungle.
Jane shrugged. "Is there anything you wanted to do?" she asked the others.
"Well…I'm a little curious about those capybara shifters," Carlisle said thoughtfully. Jane nodded and glanced at Alec, smiling mischievously.
"Race you to stop at every village in a hundred-mile radius from here and then hug a caiman!" she shouted, before they were gone.
Esme was growing discouraged. She'd caught the scents of multiple jaguars, but none of them acted any different. Actually, that wasn't true—one of them had been a very startled shapeshifter. Esme sighed as she glanced up at the full moon. It seemed so big, more so than normal. She decided to check a few more times and then head back, remembering what Zafrina had said. 'She is here one moment and gone the next, and even our senses have trouble finding her.'
She felt something approaching behind her, and then she turned around. Two yellow eyes stared into hers, freezing her to the spot. It was huge, as tall as Emmett at least, and covered in grey fur. Its face was vaguely canine, and it walked on two legs, its movement apelike. Its hands were also closer to human than to wolf, except for the vicious claws that topped each of its curved fingers.
Esme was very, very still. I smell wolfsbane—maybe he's just curious. Maybe he'll leave me alone now—he's not feral— Her thoughts were cut off when the thing lunged. Esme leaped backwards, her eyes wide with terror as she turned and bolted. She didn't know where she was going, only that it was away from her attacker. She screamed when another one leaped at her from the trees. What?! I thought they hunted alone!
She heard it then. Heartbeats and footsteps, an entire pack.
Her scream was drowned out as the Children of the Moon raised their heads and howled to the sky.
AN
I'm back! I'm not entirely sure about this chapter...tell me what you think. Also tell me any theories you have.
P.S. ElenaEffe, please, please try to avoid coming up with ideas that are better than my original ones because whenever you do, I feel obligated to rewrite the ENTIRE ENDING which takes forever. You're too good at this. Thanks.