Running With Wolves

Chapter 11

Paul didn't know what to do. The instant he'd looked into her eyes, he felt it. The gravity shifting, string pulling, life changing, earth shattering feeling. He didn't know why it hadn't happened before now, he'd looked into those eyes thousands of times before, but it didn't matter now. He'd imprinted on the freshly turned, permanently changed, brand new, reborn Charlotte-Anne Renée Swan. And he couldn't think of anything to do but panic.

So, when Charlie entrusted him with taking care of Bella, he did just that. Placing the unconscious girl on her sister's bed, he rifled through the chest of drawers in search of clean clothes for her. Bella's clothes were soaked, she'd been standing in the pouring rain at the edge of a cliff and talking to herself when she heard her sister's scream echoing through the forest. Once he'd placed the clothes on the edge of the bed, he flopped down in the chair at the opposite end of the room. After hearing a few vehicles take off, Paul slumped in the surprisingly comfy chair and quickly fell asleep.

Section: Vampire Hunters

Subsection: Bitten Hunters

Vampires evolved to survive on human blood*. In retaliation, select human families evolved to better kill vampires. Many vampires have attempted to put an end to the hunters by changing them into the very thing they hunt. This has been observed to work in favour of the hunter.

The change** takes less time for a hunter, though equally as painful. Bitten hunters are somewhere between vampire and human. They still age, and thus do not drink blood. With skin harder than a human, yet softer than a vampire, they tend to think of themselves as durable. These hunters have a heightened sense of both sight and smell, and can move at a speed parallel to a vampire.

The hunters eyes retain their natural colour, as does their skin. They can go through a change in appearance, but have not been found to have the same allure that comes naturally to a vampire.

Unlike vampires, bitten hunters maintain the ability to sleep, to eat human food, to age, reproduce, and the ability to die of natural causes.

Such hunters tend to hold a vendetta against their 'maker', known as a sire***, and will seek to end said sire no matter how long or dangerous the process may be. They will do whatever it takes to get revenge on their creator.

*For more on vampire evolution, see page 12

**The process one undertakes in order to transform into a vampire, commonly known as 'The Change', it is the time spent in extremely unbearable pain that can last from 3 days to a week.

***For more about vampire sires, see page 37

Hopping into the intimidating beauty known as Dorothy, Jacob was greeted by the rambunctious noise of Malcolm and Angus Young's guitars crashed through the sound system. The opening notes of 'T.N.T.' blaring through the cab, chants of "OI!" surrounding him so loudly and thoroughly that came off as the truck's version of a heartbeat. Jacob didn't know whether to laugh of piss himself, or piss himself laughing. Speeding out of the driveway, he took off down the road banging his head to the late Bon Scott claiming to be dirty, mean, and mighty unclean.

Jake sat at the border, listening to what he assumed was a burned CD Charlie made of her favourite AC/DC songs, for he couldn't recall the band releasing an album with 'Big Balls', 'Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)', 'Highway To Hell', 'Hells Bells', 'Thunderstruck', 'Whole Lotta Rosie', 'To Those About To Rock (We Salute You), 'Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution', "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll)', and 'Problem Child' all on the same album.

Currently, he was bopping his head along to 'Shoot To Thrill' as he waited for something, anything, to happen. He'd called Kim and Emily to fill the girls in on everything. Emily had gone into Masterchef Mode, as expected, and began cooking up a storm. Kim, on the other hand, had decided to join Jake at the treaty line. She'd gotten there in time to watch Charlotte and Jared both fly by at an insane, and highly illegal, speed.

Kim had seen Dorothy before, but had never actually taken stock of the large truck. Polished black paint finish, with a matte flame decal licking up the front of the truck. The beast had been the pet project of Leah Clearwater and, of course, Charlie Swan.

They'd started working on it the summer after Charlotte moved in with Paul, the two had tried to explain their plans for the truck to Kim once, but the language they used had gone over her head. She remembered something about a 'lift kit', whatever that was, and rebuilding the engine so it had more horsepower or something. Kim just knew the truck was taller, faster, and louder than ever before.

They had ordered a sound system for it online, and had been ecstatic to drive all the way out to Port Angeles upon its arrival. The girls had been so giddy about it, they asked Kim to go with them. Kim may not have known much about cars, but she went anyways, content to be hanging out in Port A with the two girls.

Sitting in the passenger seat now, having hauled herself up using what Jake had called a 'running board', she could appreciate their previous excitement. Though she wasn't into the same music, she could see the appeal of having your favourite songs playing as loud as possible, singing your heart out for all to hear as you drive along the open road. Kim could finally see why Charlie loved her truck so much. Her truck was both an extension of herself, and an entity all its own.

Kim was shocked, to say the least, when she saw a small pale girl appear out of the woods, stopping a mere few feet from Dorothy. "Alice." Jake growled. Kim paled by his side. This was a vampire? This was one of the Cullens that Bella had been so fond of, that had nearly been the destruction of Bella Swan? Kim wanted nothing to do with this pixie-like vampires, but she didn't want Jake to deal with her on his own, so she reluctantly stepped out of the truck, and walked with Jacob to stand before the dark haired vampire girl.