Jake had transformed into a beautiful, russet wolf. His big, brown eyes were still his, eyes too intelligent to be that of an animal, but everything else was different. He was massive. His paws were easily the size of Kova's head. He strutted forward, and Kova realized he could still scent his emotions as a wave of happiness and excitement hit his nostrils. Kova's smile stretched wide as Jake grew closer, coming to a stop a few inches from him. He reached a hand out, desperate to know how soft Jake's fur was. The wolf ducked his head down to Kova's level, prodding the outstretched hand with his wet nose.
Kova giggled, scratching Jake's forehead like he was a puppy. He practically purred under the treatment. Kova moved closer as he let his fingers card through the long, soft hair at Jake's neck. It was silky and clean, the warm colour of it reflective of Jake's inviting personality.
"Are you all the same colour?" Kova wondered, considering the theory forming in his mind.
The wolf shook his head no in answer, and Kova felt a little spark of interest. Perhaps the colour of their fur reflected the personality within. Kova would have to pay attention to the others he met to further study that angle.
"You're beautiful Jake," Kova breathed, without an ounce of shame.
Because it was true. His face was warm russet brown, his eyebrows and the sides of his chin a light beige. The rusty brown continued down his back and tail, mixing with sprinkles of fur the colour of raven's feathers. His underside and legs were a darker shade of the beige on his face, and Kova seriously couldn't get over how pretty he was.
And his size. He was so much bigger than Derek or Malia. Both of them were the same size as the average wolf and coyote, they didn't get bigger at all. And the colour of their fur seemed to reflect the colour of their hair. Derek's wolf was a midnight black, and Malia's a mousy brown. The difference was interesting, though unsurprising- Kova and Jake were two entirely different species, even if they both got lumped into the "werewolf" category.
Jake nudged Kova's cheek with his nose, causing Kova to giggle once more. He looked into the wolfs eyes, and seemed to understand what he wanted. Kova let his transformation happen again, his wolf-half sighing in relief as Jake studied him. He considered the werewolf's glowing yellow eyes, his four long, dangerous looking fangs, and the sharp claws that sprouted from his fingers. It was so interesting to both of them how different they were from each other, yet the same.
A large grin grew on Kova's face as something occurred to him, and Jake's excitement spiked. He knew that grin.
"Race?" The werewolf asked the shapeshifter, and Jake let out a sharp bark that was clearly an affirmative.
Kova recognized that Jake damn well knew these woods like the back of his hand, especially since he burst into a wolf the size of a massive grizzly in his spare time. He likely ran these woods daily. Kova would follow Jake's lead. He wasn't keen to be seen, and Jake wouldn't be either. That was the thing about being supernatural in nature... it came with the responsibility of keeping their existence a secret from humanity. The russet wolf spun on his heel, shooting off into the trees. Kova grinned a feral grin, taking off after him instantly.
A delighted laugh left the werewolf's lips as he raced after Jake. The feeling of the wind whipping by had such an incredible effect on Kova's mental state. All of yesterdays stress- the discovery of vampires, the discovery of his mate, telling his cousin what he was... it all faded into the background. His normally racing mind quieted in moments like these. It was why he loved motorcycles so much... they were the only thing that even compared to this feeling. The freedom of feeling like you're flying. It both energized and calmed him, and he laughed again, the sound disappearing behind him.
Jake glanced back at him, releasing a sharp bark that almost sounded like a laugh.
Kova was prepared to smile in response, but his head snapped to the left, his instincts on high alert as he skidded to a stop. He stood stock still, crouched in a ready position as he looked and listened silently.
What had alerted him?
Jake came rushing back to him, quiet except for the heavy footfalls of his paws. Kova met his gaze before nodding his head in the direction he'd... seen something? Heard something? He didn't know what had made his hair stand on end.
The next moment there was a flash of ginger hair, so red it was almost the colour of flames.
"What the hell was that?" Kova breathed, and nearly jumped out of his skin as Jake howled into the air. "What the hell man?!" He hissed, they'd just given themselves away to whatever the hell was lurking in the woods.
But then the scent hit him, and Kova understood instantly, as three answering howls sounded not far from them. The scent of lemons rolled in sugar, a sickly sweet burn in Kova's nose. Jake took off like a shot in the direction of the redhead, and Kova followed after him with adrenaline pumping through his veins.
They were hunting a vampire.
Jasper's words flashed through Kova's mind... "The only way to kill our kind is to tear us apart and burn the pieces," he had said flatly, "otherwise, we have no weaknesses besides the Quileute wolves' teeth."
Would the vampire also be susceptible to Kova's teeth? To his claws? Or was he chasing something that he would be helpless against? He was entirely out of his depth in this situation. He didn't have enough information.
Kova was on Jake's heels, and didn't even break stride as three more massive wolves joined their chase, falling in behind Jake and around Kova quickly. He didn't have time to get a good look at them, as he again spotted the redheaded vampire ahead of them. She was vaulting from tree to tree like an acrobat, her movements graceful and almost... unhurried. She was taunting them. She looked back at her pursuers, and Kova almost stumbled when he caught sight of her blood red eyes. It was unsettling and set off warning bells in his brain. She was as pale and beautiful as the Cullen's, but the red eyes... they made Kova's skin crawl. They were so different from the golden, vegetarian vampire irises he'd been introduced to... this one had to be a human blood drinker. His instincts screamed 'not right' in his head.
The vampire smiled a predatory smile, and Jake's responding growl was fierce. It sounded... personal.
It clicked in Kova's brain then. This had to be the vampire that was after Bella. He'd thought Jake's use of the past tense had meant that the situation had been dealt with. Evidently not. But what was she doing out here on the reservation, and not lurking around the Cullen home? The werewolf had so many questions he thought his head might explode... but there wasn't time for that now. One of the wolves, a massive black one that rivalled Jake in size, leapt forward. He took the lead, snapping his jaws at her heels as she took to the ground once more.
She was fast.
Kova, and the other wolves, were pushing themselves to their max speeds, and somehow she stayed ahead of them. Winding and twisting through the trees and undergrowth expertly. Where was she going? Why was she here? The werewolf didn't understand what was going on, and he didn't like it. He caught a whiff of salty sea air, and knew they were getting damn close to the coastline. Sure enough, sunlight was filtering brightly through the trees ahead.
"She's going for the water!" He murmured out loud, pushing himself harder.
They broke through the tree line, and the vampire soared into the ocean like an Olympic diver. The pack skidded to a halt, sending gravel flying over the edge of the cliff and plummeting to the angry waves below. The vampire had disappeared beneath the slate coloured water of the ocean, effectively masking her scent and disappearing to god knows where. Kova assumed that because vampires are technically dead, they also had no need to breathe. Why would she surface anywhere near where they could spot her? That was that, he guessed.
The wolves were huffing through their nostrils around him; and it wasn't from being winded. It was from anger. Kova could practically taste it, it was so strong. Anger, frustration, and a little desperation. How long had they been chasing this vamp?
Kova stayed quiet, seeing as he was the only one who could talk at the moment anyway. He took the opportunity to study the three new wolves.
They all had the same undercurrent of warm cedar and salty sea air in their scent, much like Jake. In fact, much like the way the vampires all had a token scent- it seemed so did they. Kova found the similarities between them and the vampires interesting, but would never say it. The midnight black one reminded him of Derek, but much, much bigger. The black wolf and Jake stood side by side, damn near the same size. But Jake was just a little larger. The black-haired one had the air of an alpha, something Kova could recognize from experience. A smaller wolf stood vigilant on the other side of the alpha, his coat a beautiful blend of silver, light brown, and the same slate grey as the waves below. And the fourth canine had a more slender, petite looking frame. Her fur was white and silvery grey, making her much lighter in colour than the others. Her snout was thinner, her face an ivory white with dark eyes. Kova again wondered how the colours of their coats might reflect their personalities, and hoped to discover the correlations.
The four of them turned from looking out across the ocean simultaneously, their gazes landing on the werewolf. Kova realized then that he was still in his beta form, and the three new additions cocked their heads curiously as they did their own surveying. The werewolf could smell their curiosity and interest on the air, and was almost relieved to have the use of his gifts with these supernaturals, at least. It had been mildly irritating to find out it didn't work with vampires. He shuffled a little in place, running a hand through his hair nervously. He knew he had just been staring at them too, but it still felt uncomfortable to have four pairs of eyes looking him over so intently.
"Well this isn't awkward," Kova muttered under his breath, and Jake snorted a laugh.
The large brown wolf sauntered up to Kova, rubbing his side against Kova in reassurance. The werewolf reached out automatically, carding his fingers through Jake's soft fur.
"Should we head back?" Kova wondered, looking to Jake for an answer.
The wolf nodded his head, bumping his nose against Kova's cheek and earning a smile in return.
"Lead the way," Kova gestured to the woods ahead, and Jake looked to the other three wolves before trotting forward.
They disappeared into the trees, as quiet as the breeze. Jake wasn't running yet, simply walking along at a brisk pace, Kova joining him at his side.
"I hate that we can't talk when you're like this," he groaned in slight annoyance. "I have soo many questions!"
Jake turned his head slightly so that Kova could see him rolling his eyes as if to say 'why doesn't that surprise me?'
"Come on man! That was the first vampire I've seen that isn't vegetarian," Kova snorted at the word the Cullen's used for themselves. "She gave me the hebee jebees!" The werewolf shivered at the memory of those red eyes, and Jake huffed another laugh at him.
Kova was totally going to have nightmares later.