A howl signaled over an hour ago calls Naya out of her deep sleep, her ears becoming tuned to the sound. Now she's been chasing the red heads trail for the past hour, all of the pack along side her. Charlie and Harry have been out, trying to chase their tracks, along with some other members of the police force. It's been the last thing on their minds, they're so close to catching Victoria.
"She's closing in on Harry and Charlie!" Jared calls through the mind link. Naya pumps her legs harder to get to the location Jared is, sifting through everyone else to get to him. She's one of the fastest out of the pack.
Jake gets there before she does, Naya's eyes widen when she sees the vamps got Harry lifted up by the shirt. With a growl Jacob lunges forward, getting Harry knocked to the ground, and Victoria a few feet over. Naya runs by Harry, seeing Charlie trying to scale down the cliff. She leaves knowing he's taken care of.
The pack follows closely behind, Jacob standing off with the red head. Naya lets out a defying growl as the leech does a flip, before running off. Naya runs next to Jacob, she can smell her parasitic scent in the wind, making her want to hold her breath.
"Charlie has Harry, she's heading for the cliffs." Sam rushes out through the link, just steps behind Naya.
Naya takes the lead, gaining and gaining as she runs. Bella's right, she is fast, but not fast enough. The wolves emerge from all angles of the forest, trying to corner the woman. Naya feels the dirt in her claws as she runs, getting more and more traction with each steps she takes. Sometimes it feels as though she's flying since she runs so fast, her feet lightly lifting off the ground.
"Paul, check on Harry. Don't shift." Sam orders when he notices how Paul can't keep his worry to himself.
Paul's usually driven by anger in chases like these, but Harry's a beloved member in everyone's hearts in La Push. Jake nudges Naya with his muzzle as they close in on Victoria, just reaching the edge of the cliffs. Naya watches in something between awe and rage as the vampire dives gracefully down into the thrashing depths of the water. Naya's growl is low in her chest, both her and Jacob jumping down to lower levels to try and see if she would emerge.
It's then Paul's cry carries and echoes throughout the trees, Naya closes her eyes, seeing Harry being lifted into the stretcher- EMTS telling Charlie he's had a heart attack, and there was nothing they could do. Harry was close with Naya's father, often telling stories of their tribe together. Naya tilts her head back, letting out a howl along with her packmates, one of sorrow and pain.
"Naya." Jake pauses, in this time she hasn't realized Jacob's changed back to his human form, sporting a pair of just jean shorts.
It's then she smells it, Bella. Naya goes to speak to Jacob, but only a bark escapes her. She heaves running to go behind a tree, shifting easily back into her bones, feeling them shift and curve back into her human body. She throws on the sports bra and shorts she's packed before running out to meet Jacob.
"Bella, I can smell her. Not far." Naya runs out, basically into Jake's arms.
Jake catches her, before giving her a hug, resting his cheek on top of her head for a moment. Trying to bring themselves a small moment of comfort.
"I know, we need to go get her before the leech does." Jacob pulls away, Naya closes her eyes nodding.
Naya starts to sprint, not noticing that she's not wearing shoes, just running as fast as she can to get to Bella. Her smell sticks out, one of fear and something she can only describe as loneliness.
Naya gets to the edge of the cliff just as Bella takes a dive into the depths below, she races to the edge of the cliff, she sees Bella's head peak up from the water.
"Bella!" She tries calling.
Bella then disappears under the swell of a giant wave. Jake pulls up next to Naya, panting as he stares down to see Bella re surface only to crash against another wave.
"I don't know what the hell she's doing, she just jumped." Naya panics, before going to a lower level of the cliff under her.
Naya gauges the distance of the cliff to the water, Bella still hasn't resurfaced. Naya ignores her brain and goes to take a running jump.
"Naya wait!" Jake calls before watching Naya dive into the depths below.
The water crashes around Naya in a haze, it's refreshing to her burning skin, the salt stinging her eyes before they heal over and over again. Holding her breath, Naya looks down to see Bella sinking towards the bottom of the darkness. Bella doesn't seem to have her eyes open, or to be swimming. Naya can hear her heartbeat, a strange sound underwater.
Naya dives deeper, fighting the current to grasp Bella by the arm. Bella's all but dead weight in her arms as she hikes both her arms around her waist. A body swims up next to Naya as she reaches the surface. Taking in a gulp of air she gasps, Jake next to her panicking as he looks over to see that Naya's okay, but an unresponsive Bella.
"I don't know if she's breathing! We need to get her to the shore." Naya uses one of her arms to carry Bella, the other to help paddle her to land.
Jake wraps Naya's arm around his shoulder, the two of them together could get them there faster. Naya can taste the salt water in her mouth, and can see Bella's lips turning blue. Naya hikes Bella up higher, making sure she can't get any water into her mouth or nose.
Finally reaching to where she can stand, Naya carries Bella out of the water and on to the forgiving sand.
"Come on Bells, let it out." Naya shakes Bella's shoulders.
"Come on Bella, breathe." Jake calls before gently placing his hands on her chest and pushing.
Bella gasps, water leaking out of her mouth as she lets air in. Naya and Jake let out a breath of relief.
"Bella can you hear me?" Jacob calls out as her eyes start to open.
Naya places her hands on Bella's face, to bring some colour to her face.
"Jake? Naya?" Bella questions, coming out of her haze.
Jake lets his head fall, thankful their best friend is okay. Naya brings her arms under Bella's shoulders to rest her against her and Jake's bodies.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Jake leans over the two girls, his frustration at the situation arising.
Bella's trembling body racks through Naya, making her grasp her tighter, thankful for her friend being alive. "I-I just wanted to see something." the girl confesses while her body and teeth chatters.
"Get her home! I'm gonna help over at Harry's place!" Sam runs onto the beach to inform Naya and Jake.
Naya closes her eyes with a sigh, the last thing she wants to do is think about facing Harry's family. They were basically like cousins and now Harry Clearwater was gone.
"What happened at Harry's?" Bella asks, her chattering to a minimum.
"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack. Charlie and my dad are over at his place with his family." Jake gulps as he says the words out loud.
Bella was no stranger to Harry, Harry and Charlie were close friends. "Is he okay?" Bella furrows her eyebrows together, searching both Naya and Jacob's eyes.
"He didn't make it Bella." Naya doesn't beat around the bush, she was no stranger to loss.
Naya can feel Bella slump against her in defeat, Harry was a simple and kind man. Bella couldn't believe that he's gone.
"Come on, we'll get you some dry clothes and we'll drive you home."
~
After grabbing a change of clothes from Naya's house, Jake, Naya, and Bella pile into the truck. All of them are silent throughout most of the drive, and Naya throughout all of it just wishes she could hold Jacob's hand. It's a selfish thought, especially when Bella is right next to her, and everything with Harry happening all at once, Jacob feels like her landing place. Jake notices Naya's unease, he's become honed into Naya's habits. He places a gentle hand on her knee just to let her know he's here.
Naya bites the inside of her cheek and places her hand on top of his. Her thoughts are interrupted by Bella's chattering.
"Hey, double the body temperature." Naya whispers to her best friend.
Bella chuckles as Naya opens up her arms. Bella wrapped in Naya's sweater leans into the girls chest. Naya rests her head against Jake's shoulder, this is what felt normal. The three of them driving together, this was Naya's first Forks family.
"My hands are freezing," Bella shudders out through clanking teeth. "It must be nice never getting cold."
Jacob chuckles his eyes still on the road. "It's a wolf thing."
"It's not, it's a Jacob thing. You're just warm, you're like your own sun." Bella shrugs as she leans in closer to Naya.
Naya can't help but ponder over Bella's words. Jacob was like his own sun, he exuded warmth and sunshine no matter where he went. Jake managed to lighten Naya's day no matter what mood either of them were in, and that's always been who he is.
The three drive in comfortable silence, Bella's chattering no longer noticeable. Naya rubs her thumb across Jake's knuckles, finding solace in the fact that he's a constant. When Jake finally parks outside of Bella's house, Naya has to shake her head to get back to reality.
"Things are better now that you know about us..." Jacob is the one to break the silence.
Bella furrows her eyebrows. "But?"
"You saw what happened to Emily," Naya winces, this is something both her and Jacob have shared many thoughts over. Bella's humanity versus their curse. "Sam got angry, lost it for a split second...Em was standing too close. What if I got mad at you? Or you were in Naya's way at the wrong time?"
Unwrapping herself from Naya, Bella sighs. "I know you two enough to know that you won't hurt me. I've never met one, let alone two people who know themselves as much as you two do. And things are really messed right now, but don't let that cloud who you are. Which, is pretty awesome by the way. And if you ever lose your way, I'll be there for you. Always." Naya finds herself tearing up at her best friends words. Despite all the chaos this is what she needs, comforting words of the people who know her.
Naya sniffs. "Thanks, Bells."
It's then that Naya freezes, the scent of something so unnaturally clean it burns her nose, vampires. Naya shuts the door Bella was just about to leave out of.
"Jake, we need to go. Now." Naya's voice is one that Jake knows not to mess with.
"Vampires." he all but growls under his breath.
Bella takes in a small gasp. "How do you know?" she asks while Jacob starts the engine.
"I can smell it, we're getting you out of here." Jake is about to take off when Bella whirls in her seat.
"That's Carlisle's car. They're here" Bella as if instinctively hops out of the truck.
Naya jumps out of the car after her. There was no safe place if there was a vampire involved, especially not when one was hunting Bella. "Bella get back in the truck." Naya reaches out to grab her arm.
"Bella it's a trick, you gotta come with us." Jake stands tall beside Naya.
Bella is quick to rip her arm out of Naya's grasp. Naya tries to reign in the hurt she feels towards the action.
"They won't hurt me." she's ready to defend them as if they were the ones with her the past year, not Naya and Jacob.
Jacob looks between Naya and Bella. "Look if a Cullen is back here this is their territory, treaty says we can only defend on our lands we can't protect you here." Jacob is pleading for Bella to leave with them, to come back to their family they just had moments ago.
"Okay, that's okay you don't have to." Bella reassures, but Naya doesn't feel an ounce of comfort.
"Please, Bella you don't know what you're dealing with." Naya looks between the door and Bella, hoping that their friendship would be enough for Bella to leave with them.
Jake gulps. "You're about to cross a line."
"Then don't draw one, please?"
The decision is made as Bella rushes up the stairs to her home. Opening the door she seals her fate, Naya and Jake weren't enough to make her leave. Jake turns around in a rage slamming the door to the truck shut. Naya pulls at the strands of her hair in frustration. There would be no going back from this point forward, whether it was a Cullen or Victoria, things would never be the same.
~
I am the worst? Wowowowowowow that took me way too long to write. Like months way too long for a measly 2K words. But if it makes you feel any better next chapter is going to be Jaya feels to the fucking max?? Also how are we feeling about the fact that this story is most likely only going to have four chapters left? I have the next book title and cover planned out but uhhh yeah guys I've been writing this story since 2016 and it's a miracle it's still up and I still love my Na Na as much as I do. So I'm happy to see it start to come to a close! Because I have major plans for Eclipse! Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you all so so so so so much for 5.1K! That's nuts! Love you all so much.
-Julianna
P.S. gif is Naya.