The Red Moon Promise | Twilight Jacob Black Fanfiction

Chapter 17. Black Dawn

The murky image, obscured by its speed, appeared as streak, stretching toward Embry's back, pushing a fist through his chest and attempting to clutch his head. Quil and some others leapt at the same time Jacob exploded, and raged filled growls rang out, echoing throughout the mountains.

Quil had dropped the vampire, but only before it could do more damage to Embry's human body. Every other wolf who reached them chomped, gashed, and gutted it to bits. But it wasn't the Native American vampire.

Embry fell forward with no expression.

The woods spun and everything appeared to fade out for a moment. Then the sound of several broken wolves howling in agony penetrated Jacob's ears, crushing him like a weight. He dropped to the ground. When he came to, he found himself lying beside Embry along with Sam and the others, each of them suffering in absolute anguish. He didn't know how long they sat there weeping and wailing, but Sam pawed at him. Jacob, we need to pull ourselves and the pack together, finish this up, and take Embry home.

Jacob nodded, lifeless and dazed.

There were seventeen vampires. Seth whimpered, turning his moisture-soaked eyes to Brady. We didn't count 'em right.

Seth! Don't even think it, Sam barked with firmness. You either, Brady. Nobody can count what they don't see or hear.

The pack burned every piece of vampire scrap soundlessly and left for home with Embry's body flung over Sam's back. Even though they moved as wolves, not one internal notion was made, not one thought heard; everyone trotted slowly, devastated, and in utter shock.

Late morning when they reached La Push, the pack decided Sam and Jacob would go together to let Embry's mom know what happened to him, first. The rest of them would show up later to pay their respects.

Sam and Jacob drove in silence. Before they reached the main gate to the house, Sam stopped the truck. "Let's just walk the rest of the way from here," he suggested. Neither of them were in a big hurry to get there. About halfway down the long approach, Sam stopped again. He hung his head, his shoulders slumping. Jacob gave him a few minutes.

"I don't think I can do this," Sam muttered.

Jacob knew exactly how Sam felt. He was dying inside the same. He reached out and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "We'll get through this. We all will. Together," Jacob consoled, trying to convince himself of it.

"I don't think I can face her," Sam murmured, tears overflowing the rims of his eyes.

Jacob stood, quiet. He held a terrible hurt inside, but he felt cold and numb at the same time.

"I should have let him tell her. Why didn't I?" Sam whispered, his eyes glazing in introspection, as tears poured down his sorrowful face.

"You did what you thought was best." The lump in Jacob's own throat grew until he too was crying. "You were trying to protect her. Look at the danger we put Rachel, Kim, and everyone else in, who knows our secret."

Sam scowled, in anger at Jacob's words. "What's the point in that, Jacob?" he spat. "Eventually, everyone on this Rez has to know! I mean, none of us are aging. What are we planning to do... move away? And how do we protect the tribe then?"

Jacob put both fists in his pant pockets and hung his head, staring at the cracks in the desolate mud caked road below his feet, through blurry eyes. He said nothing.

"Protect them," Sam scoffed. "How do you know that's what I did? He was my little brother, and I didn't even acknowledge him." Letting go of himself, Sam sobbed uncontrollably.

Jacob remained silent until Sam's sobs quieted. "You knew... for how long?"

"I think for a while now." Sam paused for several more moments. "I could have made his life easier. You know? I could have made her life easier. She thought he was a bad kid. He wasn't a bad kid. He was a good kid. He was my younger brother, and I kept him in trouble. She couldn't even be happy with him, proud of him. I took that from her. I took that from both of them." Sam spoke with hostility toward himself.

"You didn't know." Jacob wept quietly as he tried to comfort Sam.

Sam began to sob again. He pressed both of his fists against his forehead. "Are you sure about that? Maybe I just resented her, resented him." He met Jacob's pained eyes and asked, "How do you know I didn't want him to follow my orders instead of her's just because I could make him? How do you know I didn't enjoy him disobeying her?" His expression twisted in suffering as he tortured himself.

Jacob raised his voice. "You didn't, Sam!" Glaring at him, he dropped his voice and stressed, "I know you didn't. We would have seen it. Someone would have heard it."

Sam lowered his head, kicking at the drying mud road, and they both cried until they could pull themselves together again and continue on to the house. When they got to the door, they wiped their faces dry and stood still for a minute or two. Jacob took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Embry's mom yelled. She was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. "Embry's not here. He hasn't been home for a few days, and I thought he was with one of you. I swear I don't know what I'm going to do about that boy," she complained.

The look on Jacob's face halted her on the spot. She looked from Jacob to Sam and back to Jacob again. Her expression turned to worry. "What is it?"

Just then, another knock sounded at the door. The door swayed opened, and Paul wheeled Billy inside. Paul went back outside, closing the door behind him. Jacob saw the strength and comfort of Billy's eyes. He was never happier to see his dad in his life.

"What's going on here?" Embry's mom jumped up on the verge of panic.

"The boys have some things they need to tell you," Billy said, in a voice saturated with authority. "Go ahead, Sam."

Billy squeezed Sam's arm, giving him the strength to speak.

Sam told her the entire story from the beginning, starting with his own transformation. He left out only one detail. The final moment of Embry's life. Embry's mom wept as she listened. She remained calm, probably from the shock of it all. Still, the stabbing misery showed in her brokenhearted eyes.

When Sam finished, Billy opened the door and Sue and Leah walked inside. Sue approached Embry's mom, folded her arms around her and held her while all the sorrow erupted.

One by one, each of the pack and some of their parents entered the house and shed tears with Embry's mom.