Hallowed Moon - 4/7

[herumtreiber]

Title: Hallowed Moon
Chapter: The legend
Author:  herumtreiber 
Rating:  R
Pairing(s): Edward/Jacob
Other Characters: Alice, Carlisle, Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Billy Black, Embry, Quil, Seth, Aro, Caius, Marcus, Jane, Alec, Demetri.
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~6,100
Summary:  Alice has a strange vision. Edward's feelings about Jacob surface when he observes it. Is Carlisle's interpretation the correct one? Jacob and Edward embark on a journey that will take them to Tuscany, to face the Volturi and their growing feelings for each other as the very fabric of the world crumbles around them.
Disclaimer: All Twilight characters herein are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.


Table of contents


Chapter three: The ancient vampire

Chapter four: The legend

---

I swiped the bowl with a rolled piece of bread. I'd cooked a fine meal, if I said so myself. Pity I didn't pay attention to the rice and it burned. The awful smell pervaded the house. I'd opened all windows for a while but even the breeze wouldn't get rid of the stench.

I wondered what dad was going to say about my future. I'd tried to cajole the information out of him but he insisted we should eat first.

"Jacob, can you fix me a cup of coffee?" Dad rolled the wheelchair towards the couch, turning to look at me.

"Fine, but no sugar."

In the kitchen, I fiddled with the pan and turned on the flame. "Dad, what were you going to say?"

"The coffee first, Jacob."

Grumbling, I shuffled my shoes on the floor. I was edgy. The tensions of the last few days seemed to be mounting. First Bella left, then I hooked up with Edward. And today the strange words of the vampire that turned to stone.

I missed her. Even if Bella did play with my heart, there was an easy friendship between us. I could tell her stuff I wouldn't tell Billy.

On the other hand, Edward was a fresh experience. I was a bit nervous around him. Between the moments when I remembered our fights and wanting to jump his bones I was distracted. There was little time to talk.

As I poured the water on the cup and grabbed the Nescafe, I resolved I would speak more freely with Edward. I would confide in him, make him my best friend. Perhaps the sex would make that easier? Since we'd already done the deed, there was no need to dance around the subject of our lust.

I went to the couch and put the cup of fresh coffee in front of Billy.

He took it gingerly, inhaling deeply as if to forget the burned rice. "Smells nice, son. Different, like the woods after a heavy rain."

I sat down, drumming my fingers against the tattered fabric of the couch. I wished I'd made a cup for myself but I was afraid it would make me even more jumpy.

"I remember way back when, running freely in the woods. I wanted so much to be able to shift and become a powerful wolf." Dad's voice was smooth, with a trace of longing.

Sighing, I noticed dad cradling his cup carefully. It was hard to imagine Billy as a young guy. So much had happened that I was unaware of.

"The moon was always there. Sometimes big as a pregnant wife, other nights slim like a slice of lemon. She reminded me of what I hadn't achieved." My dad grinned lopsidedly. "I felt unfulfilled until I met your mother. Then you were born and when I held you in my arms, I finally gave up the idea that I needed to shift."

Billy smiled at me, taking a sip. He put the cup on the table and leaned towards me.

"The moon has always been there for the Quileutes. She never stays the same. Always shifting, like you, Jacob. Tell me, have you thought about what happens when you change into a wolf?" Billy smiled wistfully at me, waiting for my answer.

"I haven't, dad. At first I was angry I'd become a wolf, that my freedom to do as I wanted had been taken from me. Then I was mooning over Bella and now-"

"You have your vampire to think about." Billy nodded sagely. "I understand, Jacob. Perhaps I should've told you sooner, but I wanted to protect you."

"From what?"

My dad said somberly, "From your future."

Steepling his fingers under his chin, he seemed to be lost in thought until a bird chirping on the back yard startled him. Looking at me, he frowned.

"When you change, Jacob, a part of the world shifts with you." He waved his hands at the old TV. "I'm not one of those scientists with long white coats but I do know that your wolf is quite bigger than you. Where do you think the extra muscle comes from?"

He took the cup and sipped contentedly while he waited for my answer.

I said tentatively, "From the air?"

"No, Jacob. It comes from all around you. The earth, the air, even the light and wind change a bit when a Quileute shifts." He leaned across the table and whispered, "You see? The world changes too, like the moon."

I stood up and started pacing. Dad's words were intriguing but I didn't see what they had to do with my future. "You mean the world is not constant?"

Dad didn't answer directly. "Our oldest legend, passed down from father to son since the Alpha Shifter appeared, tells the tale of the First. It is said that he could shift between here and the spiritual world. No one really knows what happened to the original Alpha. One day he simply disappeared, leaving the tribe in disarray."

"So?"

"Don't you see, son?" Billy's voice grew deeper, the longer he explained. "The Blacks are always the Alpha for a reason. Sue Clearwater told me a story her grandmother kept secret until she was dying in the hospital."

Dad spread his arms, encompassing the room. "It is said that one day the world will grow weary and weak. It will be angry with men and will want to wipe them out. The Third Wife-"

I pricked up my ears. Ever since I was a kid I'd wanted to learn more about that. But the elders always shut up when they reached that part and smiled enigmatically at us. It pissed me off something good.

Noticing my eagerness, Billy hastened to continue. "She had a vision before she sacrificed herself for her man. She saw a special Moon. Bright and beautiful hung she in the sky. All was well, it seemed. The moon glowed brightly over our land. Later the Third Wife called it the 'hallowed moon.' So sacred seemed the moment to her."

I felt warm inside, hearing dad's words. I loved listening to the history of our tribe. It gave me something to be proud of. I didn't have Edward's money or looks and Bella proved tricky to win, but I could always rely on the history of our people. Their hard lives, their successes and failures - they were mine too.

I was yanked from that warmth when dad continued. "But in her vision, she saw the moon break up. It glimmered and waned suddenly, pieces flying out of her like broken pottery. Just before the Third Wife's vision ended, she saw the woods around her change. The trees started disappearing. They rippled and then faded. The river stopped running, its water turning bright as diamond, the shards finally flying into the air and vanishing."

Listening to dad's solemn words, I felt as if I was there, watching this unraveling of the world. For a second I thought I'd gotten some of Edward's powers. Shaking my head, I returned to the reality of our living room.

"What happened next?"

"The Third Wife told this story to her beloved niece, the awkward girl who would marry Ephraim's son. When Sue told it to me, I was as worried as you seem to be." Dad gulped the last of the coffee and put the cup back on the table with trembling fingers.

"The Wife saw a big wolf in the middle of the forest. Just before the last of the trees vanished, the wolf shifted. She knew then it wasn't a wolf but one of our tribe. Instead of the wolf, there was a boy. He spread his arms and said words that the Wife couldn't understand. But the last tree didn't fade away; it remained there, just as lonely as the boy. Her vision ended at that moment."

---

oOoOo

As I ran through the woods my head was a mess. The ash trees, the yews and pines, they all seemed to be clamoring for my protection. On top of all I was going through, I was supposed to save the world? It was too much for a shapeshifter, even me.

All I'd wanted was to have a nice girlfriend, find a job and have a family. Then Bella showed up and I yearned for her to be mine. Inside my head, I had tried to deny that I wanted a hard male body to rut against.

Enter Edward. He drove me crazy. Many times I'd been confused because I wanted to hit him, and then kiss his smirk away.

Vampires, shapeshifters. Bella leaving, me and Edward getting together. Now this legend stuff?

Snarling at the copse of trees I was passing through, I wanted to bite the bark of the nearest cedar. Wanted to tear a chunk off of it in frustration. Fortunately the shifting thing explained my bottoming for Edward. At least not everything had to do with saving the world!

When I'd confided my doubts to dad, about being the bottom and possible Alpha, he didn't understand at first. He thought I was talking about kissing!

Shaking my muzzle, I wondered how I got through that conversation. Having had that talk with dad, I knew nothing I would ever say to him could be that hard. When he finally got it, dad waved aside my concerns explaining that it had to do with the nature of a shapeshifter.

It was why he wasn't so worried about my being gay. Shapeshifting included the mind as well as the body. He said it was a mental state. In a true Alpha, all possibilities were open. The Alpha had to grasp the world as it was and as it might be. He or she needed the ability to see things in a different way. To walk to the beat of a different drum, as my poetic dad said.

So he brushed aside my concerns about bottoming without knowing exactly what I was talking about, thank God!

Thinking about sexual positions distracted me from the worrying future. I kept imagining what Edward would feel like if I sunk my cock into that delectable ass. Would it feel hard as rock or soft as Ed's eyelashes? What about his come? I hadn't felt anything different when he fucked me, just sore. Could it be that Edward's body shifted a bit, like mine?

If so, maybe I could use his help to save the world.

God, I was starting to think like a comic book hero! I needed a reality check, fast. Trouble was, Bella was far away.

Goddamn it, I needed her!

I wondered if she was fine. Would she have trouble in Phoenix? What if she stumbled and twisted her ankle or something? At least here she was safe from the worst accidents; she had Edward and me to watch over her.

I stopped near a tall pine. Feeling an itch on my shanks, I scratched my fur against the rough bark, grunting in relief.

Who was I kidding? Bella wasn't safer here. She was in constant mortal danger from the vamps that popped up like vermin, including that funnily dressed guy from the Renaissance or whenever.

Smelling the scent I associated with Edward, my shackles rose. Sure enough, a twig crumbling to my left alerted me to the presence of the leech.

"What guy from the Renaissance? What did you see, Jake?" Edward sauntered towards me; his black boots scraping against the thick loam, his hands stuck in the back pockets of his sinfully tight pants.

I cocked my head, trying to dispel the notions that rushed to my head and groin. 'Turn your back, Edward, I'm going to shift.'

The damned vampire smirked. "Why so modest, mutt? I've seen all your glory and your well-endowed attributes. Speaking of which-"

'We have things to discuss, Cullen! I'm afraid we'll be distracted.' The vamp's sultry voice made me horny! And I had to save the goddamned world!

Frowning, Edward slowly turned, presenting his pert, fuckable ass. "As you wish, Jake. I can see you are worried." God, I swore I could hear his smirk!

I shifted and put on the shorts I'd tied to my ankle. I had difficulty closing the zipper, because the vamp's presence caused my cock to swell.

I sat down on the rich foam, leaning my back against the tree. "You can turn now, Edward."

He sat down beside me, his shoulder touching mine. His silk shirt felt smooth and cool against my skin.

"What about that guy, Jacob?"

"Quil, Embry and I? We were running and met this guy who was dressed like the ancients. He had a weird way of speaking. He fell and-"

"Wait a minute, Jake!" Edward put his cold hand against my thigh, caressing it softly. "You're confusing me. Concentrate on what happened and I'll read it in your thoughts, ok?" He took my hand, rubbing my wrist with his thumb.

For once, I was very glad my lover had this power to read minds. It came in awfully handy right then. I could transmit what had happened and he wouldn't be confused by my choice of words. I frowned, recalling the scene in the forest and concentrating on the man's words and his fluffy clothing.

Edward squeezed my hand painfully. He stopped that when I tried to yank it from him.

"So you met this vampire who claimed to come from the Volturi?" His tone of voice worried me, he was very serious. Turning to look at him, I saw he was worrying his lower lip.

"Do you know him? Was he one of the guys you met when you were there?"

"I haven't met this Fedor. If he comes from the past though, he wouldn't be in Volterra when I asked them to…" Edward's lips twisted in a grimace. "Dispose of me. He would've been thrown out of the present, unless it was an alternate reality."

"What do you mean, another reality?" This was getting out of control. I felt my heart beating faster. First dad told me the vision of the hallowed moon and now Edward comes up with this notion of alternate realities. What next?

Edward laid his head against my shoulder. When he looked up at me I felt his eyelashes fluttering against my chest. It was sensual and it distracted me from my problems. I realized a second later that was probably what my sneaky lover wanted, since he could probably hear my anxious heartbeat.

His breath cold against my nipple, Edward said, "You're right, pup. I can hear your heart. It soothes me. The other day I was talking with Carlisle. It was just after Alice told me she'd had a premonition."

"What about?"

"It was Bella moving from Forks, and…" Edward trailed off. I could feel him frowning.

"What else?"

"It was about you. She saw three versions of you. Like TV ghosts, she said."

"Ghosts?"

"In old TV models you often saw a blurry outline of the actors behind them. Kind of ghosts. This vision was before," Edward motioned towards me and him. "We got together. I talked with Carlisle about it. My father told me about the curious case of the man who walked around the horses."

I snorted in disbelief. Edward was weird. "So what? People walk around them all the time!"

"This was different, Jacob. It happened in Europe about two centuries ago, right during the Napoleonic wars. A British diplomat walked around his carriage in the yard of the Prussian inn he was staying at. He never reached the other side."

I snorted. "Probably he was drunk."

Edward shook his head. "There were witnesses. The circumstances were so strange that it became widely known. Carlisle heard the tale twenty years later, I guess. It even became a science fiction story."

I kissed his tousled bronze hair. "Geek!"

Edward sat up, brushing his black shirt. Then he leaned his head against my lap, smiling up at me. "What do you want me to do with the hours I don't sleep? I have to occupy my mind on something or I'll go crazy."

I caressed his pale cheek, frowning. "This guy disappeared in daylight, I suppose. So what?"

"It all ties in with Alice's premonition. She saw three different outcomes. Carlisle said it reminded him of the story. He thought there were different realms."

After a few seconds he said softly, "Alice's visions often don't come true, you know?"

"Sure, sure. You try to modify the results."

"Carlisle hinted that when we do, we create a different realm." He smiled at me and I drank in the sight of his amber eyes, full with mischief. "He never ceases to surprise me."

He took out his cell phone and caressed it. Looking up at me, he said, "Carlisle treated Professor Stephen Hawking once, when he visited England. You've heard about him?"

I shrugged. "The physics teach mentioned him once."

"Anyway, Carlisle sent him a document with the things that have happened, edited of course."

"Of course." God, Edward was turning out to be such a geek! I swore if he took out a poem book, I'd flung it into the forest.

The vamp scowled at me. "Don't worry, mutt. I have no time for poems right now."

I smirked at him. "Good! So what happened?"

He hefted the phone next to his face. "Hawking sent me a voicemail. I'll play it."

After he swiped his thumb over the small screen, a mechanical voice said, 'Greetings-Mr.-Cullen-I've-prepared-this-message...'

I scrunched up my face in concentration. So Carlisle had met this professor. If that was the case, they sure were well connected. I wondered about the vision the pixie had, and that guy that walked around carriages or whatever. My attention wandered all over the place until Edward poked my ribs.

I listened to the tinny voice coming from his phone. I'd grown more accustomed to the device Hawking used, so I followed the words easily.

'Carlisle's story reminds me of Feynman's sum over histories,' said Prof Hawking. 'A system changing from A to B follows every possible path, every history. It is used effectively to explain interference patterns. Applying it to the macroscopic world would prove trickier, I think. Every 'realm', as Carlisle so quaintly puts it, would remain in their own universe. There could be no communication between realms; to break the boundaries between them would require energy in the order of magnitude that prevailed just after the Big Bang.'

Hawking went on to explain more things but my attention wandered again until Edward lifted the phone to my face. "Listen to this!"

'I'm tired, Mr. Cullen, so I'll stop here. At any rate, my advice would be to grab onto what you hold dear in this universe and fight for it.'

Blushing, I toyed with Edward's hair. Its silky texture tickled my fingers. "So you think the vampire I saw came from another reality?"

"Probably, or maybe from the past. If he did, his leaving could have created a fork on the road, leading to two different outcomes. I'm worried though, the man said that there was a Seer in Aro's court. The woman he mentioned, Ludmilla?" Edward smiled while he pocketed the phone. "She had a vision that Aro didn't believe. From what the vampire said, it involved American Natives. Do you remember he was startled when he recognized he was in this continent? When he saw your wonderful tone of skin."

Edward accompanied his words by rubbing my chest; his fingers toying with my right nipple. My vamp smirked when he felt my cock lengthening.

Growling, I took away his hand and disregarded his pout. "Stop it, Edward! We need to discuss this."

Sighing with a hint of disappointment, he crossed his arms. "Whatever, mutt."

Furrowing his brows, Edward mused aloud, "Why did he turn to stone? I don't get it."

"Neither do I, he just did. And after all I did to save his life!"

"Your packmates are hard to control, I saw." Edward smiled, I couldn't resist myself and I touched his right dimple.

He batted away my hand, sneering when he heard my growl. "Concentrate, remember?"

"Do you think the Volturi are involved in the vision thing?"

Edward's playful mood suddenly deserted him. He frowned fiercely, his amber eyes smoldering. "I don't know, exactly. But they won't take away what is mine to protect and cherish!"

"You mean Bella is in danger?" I snarled unconsciously.

Edward reached his hand to touch my cheek. "Don't worry about Bella, she is perfectly safe. Alice is keeping track of her, hasn't seen anything bad in her visions."

"That's good to hear. With Bella far away, I worry that I won't be there to help her."

Edward shifted his head on my lap. Despite the cold coming from him, it wouldn't cool my hot groin.

"I know you miss her, Jake. I'm here to talk to, you know."

Caressing his cheek, I tried to sound nonchalant. "It's just that there were things only the two of us knew."

"Oh, you wanted to talk to Bella about me?" Edward smirked infuriatingly. I hated that I couldn't conceal much from him!

Trying to distract my telepathic lover, I thought about the conversation I'd had with dad.

The effect was instantaneous. Edward jumped from my lap like a startled frog. Framing my head with his hands, he snarled. "Hallowed moon? What is that?"

"You didn't read it all?"

"I couldn't, your mind kept shifting." Edward kissed me, it wasn't a sensual kiss. Rather he was seeking reassurance, that I was still present and hadn't run away. It had the same tentative quality as the kiss I bestowed on my dad's forehead when I found him asleep on his wheelchair.

He touched his forehead against mine. It felt like the times I'd had a headache and put ice on it to soothe the pain. The scent of my vampire distracted me as Edward growled, "Concentrate, wolf!"

"I'll try, but you are distracting me."

I closed my eyes; anchored to the moment by Edward's coolness surrounding me - the pressure of his body against mine - his scent everywhere. I recalled my father's words. I blushed when I realized that would necessarily include my coming out to dad and talking about my own special Cullen. Shrugging, I remembered the conversation.

The coldness went away. I opened my eyes and watched Edward's frowning face. He'd stood up and now was looking at the distance, at the forest around us. Maybe he was recalling Billy's words about the vision the Third Wife saw. When the brilliant moon broke up and the forest disappeared - and the lonely tree was held in place by that young guy, the shifter.

Edward ruffled his hair. I thought what it would look like, sweaty and plastered against his head as he lay below me and I plowed that tight ass.

The vampire tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "For your information, wolf, I don't sweat. And the other thing, we'll discuss it later. There are much more important matters to consider."

Who was he kidding? I could see the tent forming in his designer jeans. If I couldn't read his mind, Edward's body held no secrets to me. I wanted to explore it, to make it mine. To mark him as my own, as my crazy wolf now demanded.

Edward turned away while I snorted. I directed a sharp thought at him. 'You're fooling no one, Cullen!'

Then I recalled my dad's somber expression, and my playfulness left me like waterdrops sliding down the windshield of my car during the rain.

Taking a deep breath, I asked the question I was afraid I already knew the answer to. "Do you think the shapeshifter the Third Wife saw is me?"

"I don't know, Jacob. Frankly I wish it were someone else." Edward threw his arms in the air. "I'm tired of these fucking visions!"

"You and I, leech! You and I."

The vampire crouched in front of me, idly grabbing a few wildflowers that stood near the tree. "Your father's words are very intriguing, Jacob. He's a very wise man, powerful in knowledge."

I noted he didn't look into my eyes. Instead he shied away, staring at the tall grass. He looked nervous.

I couldn't help myself. I snorted when I reached the only possible conclusion, cracking a smile. "You're afraid of my father!"

Edward growled. "Everyone is afraid of meeting the in-laws, Jacob!"

"Oh, you consider Billy your father-in-law!" I loved it when I riled him up. It was funny and sexy as hell to watch him scowl and glare at me.

The vampire snorted. "You're aware that makes you the wife?"

"No way! Just because I was the bottom doesn't mean that always-"

Edward held up his hand, interrupting me. "We'll discuss it later, Jake. I'll say this, I'm amenable to a change in positions."

"Oh, you wanna get fucked, badly."

Edward snarled; pushing his hand against my chest, he pressed me into the bark. For a moment, I was afraid I'd push my vamp too far. "Later, Jacob Black. We'll indulge your outrageous libido later. I want to talk about the vision!"

"Cool, man! Don't get so defensive." I smiled at him to take away the sting, hoping that he found it irresistible.

Edward shook his head, smiling ruefully. "You're going to drive me crazy, Jake. You're way worse than Bella."

"So what do you think the vision meant?"

Edward shrugged. "I don't know, frankly. I hope to find out more. I'm reading sci-fi stories-"

"Nerd!"

Edward went on, pretending he didn't hear me. For the sake of his unbeating heart, I kept my mouth shut. "Stories that deal with alternate realities, though Hawking has given me food for thought. I think there must be a kernel of truth behind those tales. In physics class the teacher taught about quantum mechanics. You've ever heard of Schrödinger's cat?"

"Sure. Teacher Wilson at the Rez high school had it on the quiz. You put a cat in a box with poison. The venom is released when someone opens the box. When you do, you change the cat's life. Until then, there's no way to know if the cat's dead or alive. So the cat's half alive."

"Colorfully put, but you got the gist. The cat could be dead in one reality and alive in the next one." Edward looked to the sky. At that moment the cloud cover parted and a beam of sunlight fell on a patch of grass two feet to his left.

Damn, I wanted the sun to shine on Edward! I'd grown to like it when he sparkled like my own gazillion-carat diamond.

Reading my thoughts, the sneaky vampire smirked and rapidly moved to the illuminated spot. Smiling innocently like a diamond Buddha, he said, "Alice has visions of the future but we can change the outcome. What if what we do changes reality, creating a new one? There'd be two worlds, one in which the vision occurred and the one where we prevented it."

I squirmed against the bark. I recalled one of the pixie's visions, the one that made Bella jump on a plane and fly to Italy. The one where my vamp died. I growled low in my throat at the thought of Edward lying dead in some Italian guys' mausoleum.

Edward went to me, touching my chin with his thumb. Rubbing it across my lips, he murmured, "Don't worry, Jacob. I will always be with you."

I pushed away his hand, suddenly very angry. "Don't make promises you can't keep! I'm not Bella; you don't have to coddle me! I can take a lot of shit, man. I've done it my whole life."

Edward frowned, shaking his head as if he couldn't understand me. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, I tried to smile, realizing I'd been too harsh on the vampire. He was only trying to be nice and didn't deserve my outburst. Frankly I didn't know why I was so moody, more so than usual.

In a serious tone, Edward continued, "I'm worried about what the old vampire said, Jacob, and your father's words. Promise me you'll take care of yourself. Watch very carefully when you patrol. I know I can't forbid you to do it, you wouldn't listen anyway. Just… take care, ok?"

Edward sounded so forlorn. I wanted to reassure him, to say that I would stay with him forever. I was worried that if something happened to me he'd do something stupid, just like he did when he thought Bella had died. But I held my tongue, recalling my own words. I would come off like a hypocrite.

Edward smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to say a word, Jacob. I understand."

---

oOoOo

'That's no excuse, Jake. You have to patrol the Quillayute tonight.' Sam's golden eyes were fixed on me.

'But, Sam! Quil smelled a vampire in Forks.' I growled, crouching down. I wanted to patrol near Charlie Swan's house. If a stray vampire wanted to hurt the Cullens, especially Edward, they would try to kill Bella. She'd told me it was the strategy the leech called James followed.

'It doesn't matter, Jacob. We have a duty to defend our land, first and foremost.' Sam's muzzle twitched, his ears pulling back. Despite his conciliatory words, his stance suggested he was ready to attack me.

'But you might be right. I'll send Seth to Forks.'

'No! The kid will be an easy target for the vampire.' I lowered my head, snarling.

'Who're you calling kid, Jake?' Seth shifted restlessly, his muzzle near the ground. He was trying to sound brave but he was worried, as well he should be. Sam was assigning him a difficult task.

'Stand back, Seth. Let them discuss this.' Leah bit Seth's shoulder in warning. I shot her a grateful look.

'My order stands, Jake. The tribe is our main concern right now.'

'But if the vampire is in Forks, we can attack him there and there'll be no need to spread the pack.' I pleaded with the Alpha, trying to use logic. 'You can send me with Quil and Embry. Jared, Seth, Leah and you cover the flanks of the Rez. If the bloodsucker tries to escape, we'll herd him your way!'

'Your plan is ill-conceived, Jake. WE'LL DO AS I ORDER. Perform your duty.'

I recoiled from Sam's deep growl. I felt uncertainty wash over me. My muscles moved unwillingly, my legs preparing to run in the direction of the Quillayute. Snarling, I realized Sam had used an Alpha order on me!

If we followed Sam's plan, the vampire in Forks would surely kill Seth. Despite his bravery, the kid was still small, and he hadn't fought as many vampires as I had. He needed time to grow into his wolf form. He didn't deserve to be sent alone to fight unknown vampires when the pack was there to fight together, like our totems did. Wolves hunted in packs, a fact our leader seemed to be willfully ignoring, intent on following his own ill-conceived plans.

I chanced to look at Seth. He was still trying to say something but a fierce snarl from Sam shut him up. Leah looked at me with a haunted expression in her dark eyes. Her grey fur bristling, Leah nipped Seth's flanks to keep him from interfering.

The last rays of the twilight made both her and Seth's shadows vanish into the copse near the pond. Would Seth disappear tonight, the victim of a cruel vampire?

I shivered and my fur bristled. Streams of saliva ran down my muzzle as I growled. The rest of the pack backed away, mindful of the coming confrontation, for the moment had arrived at last when I would challenge Sam for the leadership of the pack.

I didn't want that on top of my other troubles. The worries about Bella and my growing feelings for Edward. My sexual orientation was unknown to several members of the pack. What would they do if I won, became the Alpha and they found out they had a gay leader?

I knew I couldn't count on Paul or Jared. They were short-tempered and not particularly inclined towards me. They clearly preferred Sam's leadership.

I didn't want to split the pack over the issue of my sexuality, not when there was a coming storm involving the pixie's visions and the one my father told me.

I'd carefully refrained from thinking about my times with Edward. If a pack member sought to probe my mind, I mentally snarled and bit their legs - my projection of them anyway. The mental analogue seemed to do the trick and they didn't repeat their invasion after the first try.

My forelegs twitched, itching to follow the Alpha's orders. But I resisted, gritting my teeth. I wouldn't do that to Seth, the kid that always looked up to me, the one I roughhoused with. Holding the mental image of Seth's trusting face smiling at me, I glowered.

I was sick and tired of following Sam's stupid orders! Like the one he gave me commanding me not to tell Bella about us. Could've saved us a lot of trouble if I'd told her! I did anyway. I found a loophole then and I'd do it again.

My resolve grew and the world shifted around me. For a moment the trees disappeared, the pack became as translucent as the fog over the woods. Sam's insistent mental command vanished. The ground trembled as I shifted my stance, my muzzle pointing, unerringly, towards Forks.

I felt the pack's presence return with a vengeance. Their odors were sharper. I could sense that Leah took a bath and used the shampoo we teased her about. I saw Sam's fur distinctly. For a second I felt as if I could count each hair. The running water of the Quillayute beckoned far behind the woods, but I had other business tonight.

I took several steps towards Forks, my walk growing steadier as the seconds ticked by.

'JAKE, STOP! I COMMAND YOU.' Sam's order had become meaningless. I shrugged it off as easily as I did Bella's nagging.

I ran towards the town. I heard Seth, Quil and Embry following me. I wouldn't split the pack; they had to follow Sam's orders for now. I'd become a pack of one - myself.

Turning for an instant, I growled. 'DON'T FOLLOW ME TO FORKS.'

It seemed to work because I didn't hear anything but the wind as I ran to the town.

---

oOoOo

I crouched behind the pine trees on the shoulder of Russell Road, two hundred feet from Chief Swan's house. I'd been right; the stench of vampire was heavy in the air.

I felt strong, filled with determination. I'd stop the vampire before he could kill Charlie. I would prevent their use of Bella as bait to lure Edward to them, whoever they were.

I pawed the soft ground, laying in wait for the vampire. I scented him nearby. I was trembling with exertion. Breaking the chain that bound me to Sam's orders, while liberating, had taken its toll.

When I noticed the tree shimmering, I shook my head. Obviously the ordeal was still affecting me.

When I sniffed, I sensed nothing. Neither the vamp's stench nor the flowers I knew were behind it or the smell of gasoline in the town.

The shimmer continued as my vision grew dim. Was I suffering from some unknown effect of leaving the pack?

I tried to run when the blurry outlines of the trees were enveloped in a mist that grew thicker by the second. My sense of smell disappeared completely. I became even more alarmed when I felt a twig break under my paws, for I could hear nothing.

My limbs felt heavy; my forelegs gave way and my belly fell to the ground. Still I felt nothing, didn't sense the grass or the earth I knew was beneath me.

The mist grew darker until it obscured everything. Lifting my muzzle, I tried to find the bright moon above me. Because it was almost full it should've been visible. I saw nothing as my head fell to the ground.

I fought with all my might against the enveloping darkness. It lifted for a moment and I saw a guy. His hair was dark brown and his eyes red. He was beautiful like the other vampires. He was shaking his head and his words, English with a heavy accent, came to me. "Stop struggling, wolf. The Volturi want to dispose of you."

---

Chapter five: The confrontation

Comments

[muoi pham (from livejournal.com)]

...WHY did you STOP, you can't just leave us hanging like this. That red eyed vamp better leave Jake alone and I can't wait until Jake takes his rightful place as Alpha. Sam better watch out. Can't wait for more so update soon.

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

The story is going to shift a bit in terms of place. Jake is in a tight spot right now, but Ed is sure to do something about it.

Don't worry about that red-eyed vamp, he'll get his just desserts!

Thank you!!

[walkonwaterbabe.livejournal.com]

wow, this is interesting, please update soon

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! I'll update next week.

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Arrgh! Cliffhanger of Dooooom!

Loved Billy's musings about the extra mass the wolves take on and the Moon. Loved Hawking's cameo :) Love E/J dancing around the bottoming issue. And then wham, the cliffhanger. Wolves that form a "pack of one" die quickly- hurry and save him Edward! :)

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

Thank you! What Billy told him will be important later on. I'm glad you liked the Hawking cameo :)

J/E will deal with bottoming later on, and Edward's got to get some help to deal with Jake's troubles.

Hallowed Moon - 4/7

[pingback-bot.livejournal.com]

User uchihaambrosia referenced to your post from Hallowed Moon - 4/7 (http://uchihaambrosia.livejournal.com/18217.html) saying: [...] Originally posted by at Hallowed Moon - 4/7 [...]