Shifting Moon Ch 14 (40-42)

I held my light windbreaker, which I had once considered a heavy jacket when I lived in Phoenix and considered leaving it at home for this hike. The temperature was barely in the mid 40's (Fahrenheit) but even this light jacket felt too hot for me lately. I shook my head and put it on anyway, knowing that Bella would freak out if I went for my hike in just a T-shirt and pants in what she considered weather too cold to be out in no matter the amount of warm clothing.

It had been a week since I had run into Sam in the woods, but I didn't think I would see him or anyone of the tribe today as I planned to stay away from the reservation border. I moved down the stairs and saw Bella in the kitchen.

"What ya got planned for today sis?" I asked as I pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it from the sink.

"I still have that English essay to do and it's due next Friday, so I better get to working on it. Charlie is working the night shift this weekend, so I want to have an easy-to-reheat dinner for him. Thinking of doing Lasagna, doing that by hand will take a good part of my day. If I finish early, I may go look at the library and see what selection of books they have."

"Well if you see Charly before me, remind him to bring out his dirty clothes so I can get the wash done tonight if I get back early enough, or in the morning if I don't. That goes for you as well."

I didn't bother waiting for her reply as I left out the back door and started a light trot through the yard and into the tree line. On reflex, I ran to what I had come to consider my rock and took my bearings. Picking a new direction, I started to walk and let my mind wander.

I was growing slightly frustrated with the advancement of my relationship with Edythe. She was obviously hot as hell and there was no way she didn't know I was interested in starting a relationship with her, but she seemed to be keeping me at a distance for some reason.

I had never been this interested in a girl before, so I had zero knowledge on how to get past this asking-life questions phase that had been going on for nearly 2 weeks. I really liked that she showed interest in me and my likes and dislikes, but she was always kind of vague with a lot of the questions I asked her. She had no problem telling me about her favorite movies or music, but stuff like her favorite candy as a kid, or if she still talks to any childhood friends. Those she tended to evade or give small answers. Her usual response was "It's been so long, I just don't remember." When I ask about her early life, she is always so vague, just seems weird to me.

At that thought, I had to admit that there were a lot of weird things about the Cullen family. Everything from skin color to eye color and their lack of appetite even their insistence on buying food in the cafeteria but never actually eating any. Jasper being very strong for his size was another weird thing. It's not obvious, but he has moved some heavy weight while being off balance that should have at least caused him to struggle if not hurt himself. With my balance or center of gravity under me I could lift some tremendous weight but if I don't have that balance then my strength is reduced significantly.

My thoughts were interrupted by my awareness of a smell blowing towards me from up the trail. I had actually been aware of it for a good 30 feet before it truly registered in my thoughts. It was almost familiar in its sweetness, but it had a burnt overtone to it.

Before I could think too much about it, I noticed a man walking towards me with a backpack on. He was about 5ft 6in in height and robust for his size. But his clothes seemed rather dirty and unkept, he had a puffy jacket with tares here and there and a ball cap on as well. His right hand was tucked into his shoulder strap, and he had his gaze directed towards the ground.

I put on my best disarming smile and said "Hello." As I drifted to the side of the trail, trying to not take up too much room so he could pass me easily.

The guy just stopped just after passing me and sniffed the air, "You smell funny. Almost like you're going bad." He then lifted his head and looked back at me, cocking his head slightly like a curious animal.

I turned to make sure he was addressing me and the first thing I noticed was his eye color. They were a deep red, making the pupil stand out more than any I had ever seen before. His skin tone at first glance was that of an African American, but a closer look showed it was too pale compared to any of the dark-skinned people I had seen before. My confusion must have shown on my face because he chuckled at me.

"I just ate a couple of days ago, so under normal circumstances, I would just pass you by and continue my hunt."

He then gave a deep sigh, and my nose was flooded with the burnt sugar smell even more. For some reason, the hair on my arms stood up and my skin was suddenly covered in goosebumps.

"But you see, your luck is just too terrible. First, you meet me in the woods with no one nearby, and second, you remind me of someone I am still very upset with. His eyes darted to his left arm, and I noticed the sleeve was empty.

"You also piqued my interest with your smell, it's something I have never smelled in all my 300 years. I have heard of someone who is supposed to smell extra tasty to one of my kind, but never one who smells on the verge of going bad. Are you perhaps sick?"

I keyed in on one particular thing he said, "300 years? Your kind? I don't understand."

"Not that it's important now, but yes, my kind. I am a Vampire."

All I could think is that this guy was fucking with me. "Vampire? Out in the daylight? Are you ok Mr.?"

With his one hand, the guy removed his backpack and let it fall to the side of the trail. "Ahh, you confuse Fiction with reality. Well, in my human life I was a sort of teacher so let the lesson begin. Lesson number one."

Before I knew it, or could react, the man was standing directly in front of me, and he placed his hand on my sternum, almost gently. Then, with seemingly no effort he pushed his hand forward and I felt like I had been hit by Tyler's van again. My feet left the ground and I felt like I flew backward for a very long time before my shoulder hit a tree and I spun around a couple of times before falling face-first into the dirt.

The impact had me short of breath but my training with Jasper taught me the importance of regaining your feet as quickly as possible. So, I struggled to my feet and looked in the direction from which I had been tossed. The man just stood there, seemingly unconcerned that I was on my feet.

"Hmm, quick reactions. I think I will enjoy this quite a bit. I know it's bad form to play with your food, but I just love tearing down guys who try so hard to look strong. All the while not knowing that the weakest of us is still 100 times stronger than the strongest of you." He said all this, while slowly walking towards me.

This time, I was able to make out when he started running toward me, as his hand reached for my chest again with an open palm, I swung my right hand to shove his arm to my side. But my hand stopped on contact with his arm, and I was again blasted back who knows how many feet.

This time around I didn't hit a tree, just started tumbling when I landed on solid ground. However, it took me longer to get up, and I was seeing red. My rage which was so close to the surface these days was burning hotter than ever before. The white flame threatened to take over my mind.

One of the few clear thoughts still in my head was the advice Sam had given me, {If you ever smell a burnt sweet smell Run, and get to the stream that signified the Quileute border.} Something told me though, that if I turned my back on this guy then it was all over. I brought my hands back up and tried to find the center of my balance.

"Lesson number one was about how weak you are. Lesson number two was going to be about how slow you are, but you seem too slow to even think of running. Not that it would do you any good regardless. In a way, I am slightly envious of you. Soon you will see if there is a heaven or hell, something I will never know." While keeping a slow pace, he continued walking towards me with a smile, but then his smile grew frightening in its intensity as he hissed at me. "Class is over."

For years now, I have had a burning anger in my mind. I always likened it to a campfire that fed on my dark thoughts, and my anger. I would feed it and allow the thoughts to fade like smoke in the wind. The few times since my mother died in front of me that I let loose in my anger, it was like giving my whole mind to the fire and letting it control my actions. The memories of what took place when I gave in to my anger were hard to recall, like looking at them through a red haze.

But in the last couple of months, in fact, it's been since I moved to Forks. My internal fire had gotten hotter, but my thoughts didn't cloud or fade. It was like the fire was reaching past my mind and towards my body.

This thing that called itself a Vampire had overwhelmed me in strength and speed with no apparent effort. My chances of running were nonexistent, so all I could do was accept my fate and probably die. But I didn't want to accept that, at least not passively. This heartless world had taken from me my father before I knew him, my mother in the most helpless moment of my life. Now when I was recovering, it tried to take my sister. Finally, when I was catching a glimpse of a future I wanted to work toward, it wanted to kill me. Well, FUCK YOU WORLD!

I was done forcing the anger down, I was done trying to keep it contained. I reached for it and pulled the white-hot torch into myself with all my might. Out of my mind and into my body, in the hopes that it would help me in my fight to stay alive. My bones suddenly felt liquid, like they were mailable. I fell forward onto my hands and knees and suddenly it felt as though my body expand outward.

I registered the Vampire saying something but the roaring of my blood blocked out my ability to understand what was said. When my bones felt solid again, I looked at the Vampire and was surprised to see I was still looking down on him. {I thought I fell to my hands and knees, how am I still looking down on a 5ft 6inch person?} I breathed in to say something, but I just kept inhaling, like my lung capacity was endless. When I finally felt like I had taken a full breath, the burnt, sweet smell hit me, and it made me furious.

I let out a roar that was thunderous to my own ears, I even caught the vampire trying to cover his right ear with his hand and shrug his shoulder to the left side of his head in an effort to cover it as well. As the echo of the roar faded, I took a tentative step forward, it was almost awkward. My front leg lifted off the ground and my paw folded for a moment before placing it on the ground in front of me and reflexively I felt my back foot move forward. It was symmetry, it was a natural reflexive balance.

My hearing started to register the Vampire saying "NO" over and over again. He turned and started to move away from me, but it looked rather slow. Especially compared to his earlier barely discernable speed. My impulse was to chase something running from me and I allowed this instinct to take over. I didn't consciously start moving, just let my subconscious take over, and before I could think much I was on the Vampire, pushing him to the ground.

My jaws opened and clamped down on the back of his neck, it felt like no effort was required to close my mouth and when my teeth came together his head popped forward and rolled a few feet from his torso. I tasted no blood in my mouth and took no satisfaction from the kill. It did not taste edible at all, and I was very disappointed in that. I took my disappointment out on his body, ripping his remaining arm off and then his legs. Shaking my head in frustration at the lack of edible material.

Slowly my instinct faded, and my rational mind took over. I looked down at what I had done and felt... Nothing. This thing had every intention of killing me and probably could have instantly, had he taken me seriously when he thought he had the overwhelming advantage. {I guess you should have listened when you were told not to play with your food.}

I learned then that my roar did not just come out when I exhaled, but it started when I breathed in, and I could then intensify the outgoing roar. The sound traveled for miles before it tapered off as I closed my mouth, and then I started moving through the forest.

After running through the forest for a time I decided that I wanted to see what I was now. My paws were white with black stripes and the same color was on the parts of the body I could see, so I had a good idea what I was. But I still wanted to see for myself.

Strangely, I was a little weirded out by how calmly I was taking this whole transformation thing. It's just that... It felt so natural. Like I had found a part of myself that I didn't know was missing. I decided to head for the stream near the Quileute border and find a place that would reflect my image for me.

As I moved, I was thinking about the vampire, and comparing it to the Cullen's. There were just too many similarities for me to brush off. The difference was that they only smelled sweet without the burnt smell and their eyes were not red, but they ranged from a honey brown, gold to a light yellow or black at times. I didn't know what this meant to me right now. Will they smell different now that I have changed?

My thoughts drifted off as I finally found a pool of still water that looked reflective enough to show me what I looked like. I slowly approached and looked down inquisitively. The first thing to stand out was my very pink nose, topped by short white fir and surrounded by long whiskers. Locking eyes with my reflection I noticed that my eyes hadn't changed at all, they were still the pale sky blue, though I was told that sometimes they deepened in color.

My head was a patchwork of white fur with black lines forming random patterns, my neck sported a mane weirdly enough. {What tiger has a mane?} I asked myself. I had no way of judging my height or length other than the fact that I was still looking down on someone who stood at 5ft 6.

Out of nowhere, I felt a voice, {"Thomas? Is that you I feel, or Jared?"}

I looked around in surprise for Sam, I recognized the voice but didn't see him. Then it dawned on me that I didn't so much as hear the voice as feel it in my mind. I reached out and tentatively asked, {"Sam? Is that you? I don't see you, its Thomas."}

{"I don't see you either, weird. The legends say that we should be connected and able to hear all thoughts and even see through each other's eyes if needed. This feels more like talking long distance. Where are you? Are you ok? Do you understand what happened?"}

{"I think I am a few miles upstream of where we last met, I came here to see my reflection and get a look at what I changed into. Wait, did you know this transformation was going to happen to me?"}

{"Yes, I did. But because of tribal law, this cannot be told until the change actually happens. We are in an even more gray area because so far as we know, no one that was not tribal has ever made the change. I am making my way to you now so stay calm and tell me what happened."}

Happy to have someone to talk to even if it was a bit of a stranger, I told him everything from the beginning to end with the vampire and then with my impulse to come here to see what I looked like.

{"I am almost there; you are taking this surprisingly well Thomas. I went mad for a couple of weeks after my first change."}

{"This just feels so natural, like something that was always supposed to be. Tearing that vampire into 5 different pieces helped me avoid the first-time jitters I guess."}

{"Yeah, my first change was seeing my dad and his new family just outside of Seattle. He ran away from me and my mother when I was very young because he said he couldn't handle the responsibility of a family, and then he went and made a new one. I truly thought I went mad for a while. Took me two weeks to get tired enough to fall asleep and change back."}

{"So, is it strong emotions that cause the change? Because I have had some very strong ones before without going all furry."}

{"So far as we can tell, it is actually the presence of a vampire that starts the change, but it can be enhanced by emotion. With vampires so near the tribe, the changes started again. But because they haven't approached our lands or caused intense emotions in anyone in the tribe, the change is only happening gradually. If we were under attack, the change would be instantaneous. At least that's what the stories say."}

{"You mean the Cullen's, don't you?"}

{"Due to a treaty, we made I cannot say anything about them to you. Almost there."}

I could hear some heavy footsteps getting closer and looked in the direction they were coming from. {"I hear you approaching."}

My eyes picked up a figure of pure black making its way through the trees on all fours, but it looked a bit different from what I expected. A black tiger? Never heard of that before. White is rare enough. His pace slowed down and he slowly broke through the tree line just 15 feet in front of me. Comically we both jumped back once getting a good look at the other and shouted mentally, {"WHAT THE FUCK!"}

My claws dug into the ground ready to move me in any direction, my stance went low, and my tail went to the ground and twitched a few times as I took in the sight before me. A warning growl accompanies every breath I take, my lips curled up showing my teeth slightly.

Before me was a canine that stood nearly as tall as me, black in color from his nose to his tail. He too looked just as surprised as me with what he was looking at. His snout was slightly open, and his lips pulled back from teeth that looked ivory white in contrast to the rest of his body. His ears were laid back and his black eyes were watching me intently, his back legs twitching as they looked for balance.

After a few moments of looking each other over, he is the first to relax his posture and I hear his questioning voice in my head {"Thomas? Is that you?"}

{"Yes. Well, if you're the black dog in front of me. Then I am the Tiger in front of you."} As I answered I slowly loosened my tense muscles and stood at my full height. I could feel my tail waving around behind me, doing its own thing.

{"Don't call me a dog! I am a proud Wolf warrior of the Quileute tribe. Not some domesticated pet."}

I realized he really didn't like my choice of words, {"Sorry, I have never seen a wolf before, the only thing I have seen that looks a bit like you is dogs. Though none near as big as you. How did you choose that shape?"} I was subconsciously moving toward him with my nose out trying to smell him, my curiosity was overpowering. Still, I was also ready to pull back at the first sign of trouble.

The black wolf also extended his nose and was taking large breaths through his nose, trying to take in my smell. Sensing no hostility, I got closer and allowed him to get close as well.

{"You're a Bengal Tiger! And an albino one at that. I have never heard of any shifter other than our Wolf warriors. I don't understand."}

{"Yeah, me either, I just assumed you were a tiger too until I saw you. Not sure what to say, I have no understanding of what is going on. Not since I ran into the Vampire with a Napoleon complex."}

{"The Quileute tribe has always had magic in our blood, going as far back as the first days. We could leave our bodies and act in ways to scare our enemies off when they came for us. But one day through trickery a warrior was locked out of returning to his body and was only able to take form again in the body of a wolf. That is where our transformation ability came from. Well, that is a condensed version of the stories anyway. The elders will have to give you the full story if they decide to share our history with you."}

{"What can you tell me about Vampires?"}

{"I hear Sam mentally sigh. There isn't much I can tell you without breaking the treaty my people agreed to in years past. One of our ancestral chiefs made a treaty that we cannot tell anyone the true nature of the Cullen's."}

I thought for a moment. {"But you didn't tell me. I already know because of the run in with the red eyed vampire."}

{"That will protect the treaty then."} Sam said after thinking it through for a moment. But then another thought hit him. {"Did you burn the Vampire after tearing it apart?"}

{"How would I do that?"} I held up a paw, {"No opposable thumbs. Why do you ask?"}

{"How long ago was your fight?"}

{"Maybe 20 minutes, it's kind of hard to tell time in this form."}

Sam stood up from his seated position, "{Take me there quickly before it's too late."}

{"OK, Follow me. But while we move, how about you tell me about vampires."} I started leading him back the way I came at a quick pace just under running.

{"All I really have are stories from Tribal lore. Vampires are rare and many years can pass between the need for the power to manifest. Usually, it would be one or two men in the village would turn when the Tribe was under attack and once the Vampire was dealt with, no one else would awaken. With time the Wolf warrior would grow old after not needing to shift. But through these battles, we have learned that Vampire's strength is incredible, and their speed is too fast to follow for a normal person.

Only the teeth of a wolf warrior can penetrate their skin, the best arrows of old would bounce off them like stone. Even in later years, with the advancement of guns, they couldn't be harmed any other way we could find. Once they are torn apart, they must be burned as their body parts try to reattach. Though that is rather slow, so we should make it back in time to the one you killed."}

{"You are saying that even in 5 separate pieces that thing isn't dead? How is that even possible? I tore it's head off."} I decided to pick up my pace once this registered.

Sam didn't say anything at all about my sudden hurry, just kept pace rather easily.

{"I really don't know Thomas, and to be honest, having never seen it, I can't guarantee its truthful. But I have been learning that the stories passed down contain more truth than I expected. There is something you should know, something that just recently turned my world upside down. We wolves have something called imprinting. It works very much like love at first sight, but so much stronger.

I had a girlfriend named Leah that I was truly in love with. We had planned out our life and were just waiting for her to graduate before this... Change happened. Once the Elders learned I had made the change, they filled me in on the rules. You can tell no one about the Wolf warriors that is not an elder or part of your pack, with only one exception. That exception is that you can tell the one you imprint on because if you have truly imprinted, you can hide nothing from them.

In my mind, I had convinced myself that I had imprinted on Leah. But the night I made the decision that I would tell her. She was with her cousin."}

Sam paused there, and I could make out from his tone that the drama was about to go full Soap Opera. Maybe that's why he is unloading this on someone he barely knows, because it's still raw for him and he needs to talk it out.

{"I had seen Emily before, and she never really registered as more than a very close cousin/friend to Leah. But that night, it was not long after you and I met for the first time. That time, when I saw her... My world came undone. Everything that makes me... Me, suddenly had a new purpose. I love my tribe and always wanted the best for it, but now I want that because Emily will be a part of it. I have always taken pride in my strength and abilities, but now they only exist to ensure that Emily is safe. Everything that makes me grow, or strive to improve, is all now done to protect and care for her.

That very night, I had no choice but to break up with Leah. I do still care for her, and I can still see the love that I have for her. But it just doesn't mean anything in comparison to my feelings for Emily. I hate myself for hurting Leah but, I couldn't do anything else. In fact, I was coming back from Emily's house after telling her everything when I felt a strange pressure on my mind, and that turned out to be you."}

{"You went and told Emily... Everything?"}

{"Yes, like I said, I will hide nothing from her. She is my reason now. My reason for everything."}

{"Well, the fact that you are here now, tells me she didn't take it too well. After all, she is family with your ex."}

{"No. She did not take it well. But that's what I would expect of the one that means so much to me. She will have to see just how much I care for her before she forgives me for hurting her cousin. She told me to leave, so I did, for now. I will keep trying."}

I found the idea of imprinting... Off-putting. I like to think that I make my own decisions, but in all reality, I can't say what truly attracts me to Edythe. Not like I looked at her and decided that she would be what I was attracted to. It was the reverse, I saw her and found her attractive. I pushed that out of my head because there were so many questions to ask myself about her.

{"Anything else you know about Vampires? We are almost there, and from what you said, he could be putting himself back together."}

{"Don't let them bite you, their venom is poison to us. Too much can kill you."}