Mahina Piha *Twilight*

Ekahi

'Damn Birds!'

Leilani's disoriented mind cursed the pesky birds perched on the branches of the surrounding trees around her. She sat up stiffly on the soft Hawaiian ground letting her senses return to normal; her ears perked up listening to the rest of the animal life that was teeming within the bamboo forest. Leilani could hear the braying of the wild donkeys living on the island and if she really listened in she could hear the trilling of the dolphins off in the distance. Her stomach growled aggressively when a soft breeze flew past her and bringing with it the smell of something delicious cooking.

Leilani stands up on shaky legs groaning as her joints cracked and muscles stretched almost painfully. 'This shift hurt a bit more than usual.' She rubbed her eyes tiredly before setting off towards her family's home. When she reaches the porch of her home she finds some clothes already left out for her; her father's favorite Queen t-shirt that he bequeathed to her on her 16th birthday telling her to 'Rock On!' and some comfortable sleep shorts. She slips on both articles of clothing before walking up the steps and entering the house.

"Hi, baby! We were wondering when you were going to show up," Leilani's mother, Kiaria walks up to her daughter wrapping her in her arms guiding her up to her room. "Yeah, this full moon was rougher than usual," Leilani sighed drowsily letting her mother guide her through the house; she had a very important appointment with her bed. "Where's everyone else I thought I smelt something cooking."

Kiaria smiled, "Your father and uncles are down at the smokehouse we're having Kalua pig for dinner tonight; sort of like one of our last family meals here until next Sunday." Leilani frowned at the rest of her mother's sentence as she was reminded of the tragic truth. Two weeks from now her family would be leaving what they had called home for centuries for a small town in Washington state due to her mom's job. Although Leilani couldn't be more than thrilled about her mother being given the chance to be the Medical Director at a hospital the thought of moving away from Hawaii hurt.

To make matters worse, Leilani was to be put into public school, she'd only been homeschooled her entire life. Her werewolf genes made it slightly difficult for her to fully blend in with the general population. She was constantly on the move as her inner wolf had a hard time staying in one place for an extended span of time; she also had a rather short-fuse (which was most apparent during the week of the full moon.) Leilani also had almost next to zero interaction with the human population; especially interaction with teenagers. Great.

When they get to her room Kiaria helps her daughter into her bed before pulling the blankets over her. "You get some rest; I'll come to get you in a few hours," Leilani's mother kisses her forehead and exits the room leaving Leilani to snuggle into her sheets and sleep off her exhaustion.

As it would turn out Leilani had slept the rest of the day away; her mother had tried to come in and wake her up but she barely budged. It wasn't until she woke up naturally later that evening did she get up; she had also smelt the Kalua pig which caused her stomach to growl something ferocious. She trudged down the stairs following the sound of the boisterous laughter of her father and uncles. "Aloha everyone," Leilani greeted everyone as she walked into the kitchen. Her father and uncles were truly something to behold; all three over six feet and well-muscled. Her mother's brother Maui was bald and was always wearing a tank top proudly showing off his tattoos; Leilani's uncle Kai, on the other hand, had black hair that reached just a little bit past his shoulders along with a trimmed beard and mustache. He too was always seen wearing a tank top that showcased his own tattoos; finally was her father, Ikaika.