The Imprint

With one deep breath of the crisp forest air, she covered more ground than the fastest marathon runner. In one wide step she could leap a distance that any animal would envy. The trees and plants all blurred into a mess of greens and browns as she flew past them. In some distant part of her mind, she was aware of the burning in her lungs and the throbbing in her legs and the sweat dripping down her face, but that part was very distant. In the forefront of her mind were only the three things: the pure pleasure straining her muscles to their limits and then some, the dull red house in the distance drawing ever closer, and, of course, the presence just inches behind her.

How many miles had they run? She'd lost count after fifteen. None of those mattered, though. Only this last stretch did. One foot in front of the other, her speed at this point could match any car on the road. And she was so close. Just a few more steps. "Looks like I won again, chief," Leah managed between breaths, collapsing against the red wall that had been their finish line. She heard Jacob mutter something under his breath as he, too, fell against the wall, gasping for breath. A few more seconds passed and they looked at each other before sharing a friendly smile. Leah's disappeared immediately, replaced by one of feigned indifference. "You know, the boys might stop respecting you so much if you can't even outrun the only chick in the pack," she stated, voice touched by smugness, as she turned to go inside.

"Gloat now," Jacob said, a grin still spread across his face as he followed. "But I almost got you at the twenty mile mark, Besides, the guys like me better, anyways." For a second he paused, before adding, "And don't call me 'chief'. It still feels weird to even think about it. My dad-"

"-Is dead," She finished for him. He nearly winced at the bluntness in her tone. All feelings of friendly rivalry in the air disappeared, replaced by an all too familiar tension. They'd become close over the last two years, but moments like this popped up often enough. Though it was very clear in the end who was the Alpha and who was the Beta, she had no qualms about getting on to him when she felt like he was screwing something up. "It's been three months. Get. Over it. You have the pack to worry about. Eleven guys, plus me, who'll be in your head and just as upset about it as you until you get your feelings in line. And before you tell me what a bitch I am, remember that-"

Both of their heads snapped up as they noticed, simultaneously, the new and yet very distinct smell in the distance. Even if it was very faint, it was too close if they could smell it all. All around the reservation, young men noticed, even if they'd first phased so recently that all they could recognize it as was 'bad'. In ones, twos, and threes, they broke for the forest, confused and wanting input from their alphas, taking for granted that they would be transformed as well. Perhaps they should have, because that was both Jacob and Leah's first instinct. Without a regard for his clothing, he paused for a moment to assure that no one was close enough to the slightly isolated home to see what he was doing, then started to change. Fur grew, muscles strengthened, his bones rearranged themselves as his clothing ripped to shreds. Leah followed suite, speeding through the process that, by now, was as natural to her as breathing.

A wave of thoughts and confusion hit her all at once as, one by one, each member of their now thirteen person pack shifted. By now, she was used to sorting through and comprehending it all, even if the feeling that they could hear her too still bothered her. She focused on Jacob. At first, listening to his mind was like hearing one side of a phone conversation. However, his actual thoughts made it clear that he was having a conversation with Sam. As soon as she reached the conclusion, several of the older pack members seemed to mentally shutter, still associating his name in her thoughts with bad feelings. This was not a topic that they needed to focus on now.Her thoughts in response to theirs, the younger member's forming more and more questions, it all flooded them at once. Yet they could still sort through it, somehow processing it all at once. Even Leah still wondered how they did it.

For those of you who are still confused, there is at least one vampire in our territory. It is most definitely not one of the Cullens. Assume dangerous until I say otherwise. Sam's pack is staying close to protect the tribe, just in case. We're intercepting. Join up with the pack as soon as possible. Let's go. Jacob's powerful voice echoed through all of their minds, reducing the sounds of their actual thoughts to near whispers. After making that statement, he seemed to put much of his focus on suppressing thoughts of his father. Both in considerably damped moods, they set off running together once more. They were careful to stay far from the edges of town, to stay out of sight. They were joined first by Quil, mind radiating anger at the thought of a vampire breaking the treaty. Images of young Claire flashed through his mind. Indeed, many of the others' minds had first gone to their imprints at the very thought of danger, Quil's cutting through because of his proximity and the sheer magnitude of his feelings.

Leah hated hearing about the imprints, even if through thoughts. She didn't blame the others, but it reminded her of Sam without fail. Sam, who she still loved to that very day. Sam, who would be a father in a matter of months. Sam, who- Uh, sorry Leah. Didn't mean too... One of the others, who'd been desperately trying to figure out where his imprint was, if she was safe, said. Thought. Whatever. She caught a stray thought from Jacob, echoing her sentiments from earlier. Get over it. She shook her head, trying to clear it of all of these unnecessary thoughts. She was Leah Clearwater, dammit. Fuck love. Lives could be at stake in a matter of minutes. She had to get her head in the game.

The others arrived in groups of twos and threes, rounding out the pack in a matter of minutes. Jacob was careful to keep them away from the main road as long as possible. Thirteen wolves the size of horses, running at speeds of over sixty, seventy miles an hour? They would definitely draw notice from anyone just driving by. As they approached the car, which did indeed seem to be heading towards the reservation, both Jacob and Leah focused their senses on the immediate area. This car seemed to be the only one for miles. But they could never be too sure. Joseph, Micheal, He thought, purposely choosing the two youngest members of the pack: Thirteen and fourteen, respectively. Give the car a wide birth, and head that way to keep watch for any more cars coming this way.

One of the young men seemed disappointed to be sent away from the action, stirring several memories from older members of the battle against the newborns. That quieted his complaints. The other seemed almost glad.The next set of planning, too much to articulate, was shared by thoughts and images instead of the pack speech that they used to specifically communicate with one another. Three wolves would stay on this side of the road, three would go to the other. Two would take up the rear, while Jacob, Leah, and Embry took the car head on. If the vampires seemed unwilling to pull over, they'd stop them themselves. The car just minutes away, they swiftly took their assigned positions. Joseph, Micheal? Any cars? Jacob asked the two boys. Just the one with the lee- He sensed Jacob's annoyance at the word before finishing the thoughts, and corrected himself. Vampire. There's definitely only one. With a human. Both are guys.

Jacob took his place at the center of the road. Leah went to his right side, Embry to his left. Evey set of ears zoomed in on the sound of the car engines as it drove the winding road. The smell, repulsive to those who hadn't spent much time around the Cullens and merely distinctive to those who had, became stronger in the air. Yes, definitely only one. And yes, with a human. If they stop and he doesn't seem dangerous, I'll transform and talk to him. If not, be ready for a fight. Don't take any risks unless you have to, guys. And do not underestimate him. Just as he gave this final warning, the car rounded the final corner and came into view. Three giant wolves in its headlights, staring them down with very human eyes, it was no surprise that they stopped.

Leah's gaze focused almost exclusively on the human. Trying to get a sign of mental state. Did he know he was riding with a killer, a blood sucking monster? Was he just like that stupid girl, waiting for the day when his companion would turn hm into a killer, too? Or was he an unsuspecting victim, who'd be dead by midnight if they didn't help him? A flash out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. A brown flash of fur. Quil. He was advancing, emotion clouding judgement, mind conjuring images of this vampire attacking Claire and bleeding her dry. Her eyes flashed back to the car. The driver, the vampire, was climbing out. She hadn't gotten a good look at him yet. He. He-

He was everything.

A total of nine other members of the pack had imprints, now, but they'd only experienced it as a pack once before. They were used to hearing each other fawn over the imprints, with varying degrees of amusement and annoyance. But the powerful feeling of that first look was something one did not get used to, even when they experienced it secondhand. All she could do was stare at him for a moment, even as she felt her universe shifting to place him squarely at the center. She hated his kind, hated imprinting, period, hated the thought of love, but the feeling was so overwhelming that even her packmates had trouble thinking about anything else for just a fraction of a second. By then, Quill was only one short leap away from striking.

She moved without thinking. A grey flash, she flew, fueled by something far beyond normal emotion or reason. Quil was already in the air when she hit him, sending them both flying across the pavement. She landed on top, open jaws inches from his exposed neck. Her eyes, more animal than human now, drilled into his. Daring him to move. A low growl vibrated in her throat. A threat. At that moment, every member of the pack realized that she would do it, if she had to. In his wolf form, Quil was stronger. His instinct would tell him to fight back, to challenge her position. But intellectually, he knew that a fight with his Beta had a pretty good chance of ending in his own death. Furthermore, he knew exactly why she was doing what she was. He lay still.

Wow, Leah. Jacob's voice. All thoughts of violence against this vampire had left his mind, replaced by his confusion over how to proceed. Well... You sure know how to pick 'em.

Tobias

"All our times have come.....Here but now they're gone.......Seasons don't fear the reaper........Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain......We can be like they are
Come on baby... Don't fear the Reaper........Baby take my hand... Don't fear the Reaper.......We'll be able to fly... Don't fear the Reaper......Baby I'm your man..."

It was fairly late at night, 8:45pm, as Tobias lightly drummed his fingers to the beat of one of his favorite songs. There was a slight snort from his right as a sleeping figure turned over and grunted before getting up. "Jeeze, Toby, why do you listen to this junk?" he said gesturing at the radio, "I mean, you need to listen to some Metal." Tobias sighed and looked over at him, "Matt, you need to respect the classics more. Blue Oyster Cult is amazing." Matt sat up in the seat and looked around, "Man,how long was I out?" "Well, Matt, you fell out about 12 hours back." He looked at Tobias with a horrified look on his face, "You ass, you should have woke me up earlier! You know that we agreed to split the driving."

Tobias sighed, rolled his eyes, and glared at his brother, "I may be indestructable, but your driving has even me scared." Tobias wasn't really scared of his brother's driving. He was a Vampire after all. He looked into the mirror at his red eyes and sighed. He was thirsty and hadn't fed in almost a month. Despite the great things that being a Vampire brought him, the speed, the memory, the vision, the hearing, the smell......., it was the thirst that he hated. He was able to hold back the pain he felt at this stage fairly well, but he'd need to hunt in less than two days. Hunting.....that was the worst. He hated to kill, though he only ever hunted those that wouldn't be missed like Hobos and street people, or those that the world would be better without like criminals. Always after, he remorsed what he did before disposing the body as best he could. "Hey, earth to Toby! Hello? You zoned out." Tobias shook his head, "Sorry, Matt, I was.....thinking...."

Matt looked back at him and shook his head, "I know that look. Toby, you need to leave me somewhere and find a place to hunt." Tobias shook his head, "No, I told you what I heard from a Nomad. There is a Coven around this area that has found a way to live without killing humans. I have to find them." That was the truth. For three years, he had been plagued with this problem. However, a month ago, he met a nomad who had been hunting that same night. They talked for a few minutes and she said she knew of a coven that was living somewhere in Washington that vowed not to hunt Humans. She didn't know how they did so, but she said that it was stupid to deny their very nature. Tobias didn't agree and quickly returned to where Matt and he were living at the time. They packed everything that night and left that night. They had a long way to travel from Gulfport, Mississippi. Under normal circumstances, Tobias could have been in Washington in about a week, but he couldn't leave Matt behind. Now, a month later, they were almost at Forks.

They had just turned a bend when Tobias heard them and smelled them. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he sure did when three giant wolves appeared in the middle of the road! Tobias just put on the brakes about 10 feet from them. Matt looked at him in confusion, but Tobias just shrugged. "Let me handle this. These.....wolves, if you can even call something that big a wolf, should be scared of my scent. Most animals are." Matt nodded, but reached under the dashboard for the small revolver that he kept. Tobias stepped out and quickly noticed that one was coming from his side. It was one of the bigger ones. Suddenly, before even he could react completely, the big one leapt at him! Midleap, a smaller, lighter colored one tackled it out of the air and on the pavement. The other wolves seemed frozen at this......
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Jacob
Jacob could feel the bond of am imprint happening.....from Leah! His first thoughts were that she imprinted on the human, but when she attacked Quil, Jacob felt what was the last thing he was expecting. She.....Leah, the biggest hater of Vampires, imprinting on one! Jacob tried to keep calm as he barely got out, "Wow, Leah.....Well... You sure know how to pick 'em." A few seconds later, Jacob was almost forced to order Leah off of Quil and for both to back off. Once they were both about twenty feet from each other and away from the Vampire, he told the rest of the pack that he was going to phase now, "Watch my back."

Jacob Phased back to human and stared into the red eyes of the new Vampire. "Okay, what are you doing here? In our lands?" The Vampire cocked his head to the side slightly, looked back to the car as is asking for permission, then said, "I am looking for a Coven said to be close by, Wolf Guy. I am tired of.....feeding off humans. There has to be another way." He nodded, "Yes, there is a Coven, but not here. Do you have a phone?" The Vampire pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it to him. After catching it, Jacob dialed up Edward, "Hello, Edward? Yes, I'm okay, but we have a situation. Can you meet us at the line? Five minutes? Okay, we'll be there." Jacob tossed the phone back to the Vampire, "Okay, here's the deal. We escort you to the line. The Cullens, the Coven you're looking for, will meet you there. Give me a moment to speak to my pack."

Jacob quickly phased back and began giving out orders. He hated using the Alpha voice, but this was a potentially deadly situation for everyone. "Okay, Everyone but Embry, Seth, and I will head back to La Push. Wake the elders and we'll meet at the usual place. Don't say anything until I get there." Jacob then looked Leah in the eyes, "Leah, I know this will be hard, but I need you to do this. We need to let everyone know." Jacob then thought out to Sam, "Hey, we have a major situation. No, La Push is safe. I'm sending the rest back. Seth, Embry, and I are going to take the Vampire to the Cullens. Look, I'll explain when everyone gets there." Jacob phased back and looked at the Vampire, "You follow us in the car. Once we get to the line, the Cullens will take you."
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Tobias
Ever since he became a vampire, he though he had seen everything. When the biggest of the wolves became human, he was stunned. A few tense minutes later, he was back in the car, following the wolves. Matt was stunned into silence during the drive. "Matt, are you okay?" He rolled his eyes, "Yes, it's not every day you see a Werewolf." I shook my head, "Yea, that's the only thing they could be..."

A couple of minutes later, we arrived at this....line. There were 5 Vampires with yellow-gold eyes standing there. One appeared to be speaking to the Big wolf before nodding and nodding to me to follow them. The three wolves ran off at full speed while the strange-eyed Vampires led the way to their home.......

It was several more moments before Leah was able to get a hold of herself and get off of Quil. Eyes still locked with his, she backed away, as did he. She turned around only when Jacob turned back into a human, and began to speak with the vampire. The vampire. She wanted to know his name, she wanted to speak with him. She wanted to rip his throat out for trespassing on their lands. She wanted to hold him, wanted to- Sis, get a grip! Seth's thoughts, directed towards her. She managed to stop thinking about him for a moment, instead directing her thoughts towards her packmates. The strength of her conflicting emotions was effecting them, too. A pang of guilt hit her. She was their Beta, she was supposed to stay calm no matter what. Only by focusing on this fact was she able to keep a clear head.

Jacob phased back, giving them the order to return to La Push in his unrefusable Alpha voice. Leah was furious. Embry and Seth could stay, but not her! Logically, she knew that she was too emotionally invested in it all, that she'd usually be glad to not have to go meet with the leeches, but none of that mattered. Even as she followed the order, taking one last look at her imprint before taking off at a gallop towards home, she mentally raged at Jacob, calling him every name she could think of. Several minutes later, she managed to calm herself once more. She did her best to ignore the thoughts of her packmates, and just focus on running.

I'll get my mom, She told the others, naturally taking charge in Jacob's absence. Quil, you get your grandfather, and Micheal, get Lucas. Tell them to meet at Jacob's, like usual. Everyone else, just stay nearby and stay phased. Listen for news from Jacob. Those were her orders, short and sweet. The last two council members were Jacob and Sam, who already knew about the meeting. Careful to stay out of sight, she headed for home.

Luckily, her house was a bit apart from the others, surrounded by trees. As she approached, she kept alert, making sure that there was no one who would watch her change. Unfortunately, there was one person to worry about; Their by now all too requent visitor, Charlie Swan. Her soon-to-be step father. He was nice enough, but the thought that she and that girl were going to be step-siblings was beyond annoying. Then, there was the typical feelings expected of someone whose parents had been happily married just two years before. And they still would be, if not for her.

On that cheery note, she focused her ears and nose on the house. The sound of conversation seemed to be coming from near the front of their small home. As soon as she confirmed that, she rushed to the small shed on the edge of the property, nudging open the door with her nose and going in before their guest could look out a window and notice the giant wolf in their backyard. She had a feeling that he knew more about everything than most people assumed, but now was neither the time nor place to confirm her suspicions. Her fur shrank and disappeared and her bones creaked back into their original positions as she shifted back to her human form. Like always, the thoughts of the pack were the last remaining residue of her wolf form. They grew quieter and quieter before finally going silent altogether. And, like always, she felt both lonely and liberated by their loss.

For a few moments she simply got her bearings back, re-familiarizing herself with her dull human senses. The shed was dark, save for the few beams of moonlight shinning through cracks in the roof. After her eyes adjusted, she went to the shelf against the far wall and grabbed one of two duffel bags. The one in her hands, a faded pink in color, held a change of clothes for occasions such as these. She quickly dressed, then made her way inside.

"What was that?" Charlie asked when he heard the sound of a sliding door open and close, glancing towards the kitchen. He and Sue were curled up together on the small loveseat in the living room, watching the news.

"Sounds like one of the kids are home," Sue answered, nonplussed. Charlie always got onto her for leaving the back door open, but she found it hard to worry about what might come in when two werewolves lived upstairs. At that moment, Leah walked into the room. Her expression was unreadable, even to her normally perceptive mother. It held anger, confusion, guilt, and... Longing? That last emotion was one that she could not pinpoint. "Baby, what's wrong?" She asked, urgently. Leah glanced towards Charlie, then back towards her mother. By now, he knew the drill.

"Looks like it's getting late. I'm gonna head home," He said, standing. Sue followed suite.

"I'm sorry, dear. I-" She started. Charlie interrupted her with a kiss. Leah glanced away, awkwardly.

"Don't be sorry. Call me later, okay? I love you. Goodnight." He started towards the door, before adding over his shoulder, "G'night, Leah."

"Night, Charlie," Leah said. After he was gone, Sue looked back at her daughter.

"Now, what happened? Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"Yes. Well, no. I don't know, mom." Leah collapsed onto the couch, resting her head in her hands. Her mother sat next to her.

"Well, that's not an answer. Just tell me what's wrong," She prodded, putting her hand on Leah's shoulder. "It isn't Seth, is it?"

"No, mom, it's not Seth," Leah said, shaking her head.

"Is it Jacob?" Her tone as she asked made Leah roll her eyes. Despite everything, her mother somehow thought that she and Jacob would end up together.

"No! Well, not really," She corrected herself, as Jacob's sending her back certainly had something to do with her current mood.

"Was there a fight? Did you get hurt? Was there a vampire-"

"Yes!" Leah exclaimed in exhasperation. Sue's eyes widdened.

"Well, what happened?" The silence that followed the question spoke a thousand words. "Did... You...?"

Leah stood up abrubtly. The tone in her mother's voice as she asked was too much. She didn't want to face her. "Look it doesn't matter. That's not why I came home in the first place. There's going to be an emergency council meeting. Head over to Jacob's. I'll meet you there. Eventually." She made for the door, but her mother stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"Leah, we need to talk about this-" She was interrupted when Leah roughly jerked her arm away.

"No, mom, we really don't. I just want to be alone right now." That was a lie. What she wanted was not to be alone, but to be with him. Whether to hug him and speak with him and make him happy, or to curse him and kill him and leave his corpse to the vultures, she wasn't sure. Either way, she left, hoping that the walk to Jacob's would clear her head. She'd take th elong way, just to be sure.