The First Steps on a New Path - Storyline 10 – Together ( Part Three)
Continuing on From.....
Continuing on From..... •- Embry Call -• "Hey, Sunshine." I spoke into the phone, a grin on my face when I saw #SueClearwater's name on the
•- Embry Call -•
“It’s payback for all the times I told you I was just here to look pretty, and you put me to work anyway!” I laughed and loaded the box into the Jeep. #Danni laughed so hard at Leah’s joke that she snorted and turned bright red. She clamped her hand over her mouth. She was trying very hard to impress Leah. It was cute.
“She thinks that she’s hilarious.” I laughed and headed back towards the building with the supplies. “You like old cars?”
‘My dad does… I like going to car shows with him. You’re probably a car geek like him if you’ve kept this going for so long.’ She hefted another box, and I grabbed three.
“Not particularly… I just always believed it was better the fix what you have instead of just replacing it. And I guess I get attached to things. But it’s getting hard to find parts for the old girl.” I looked fondly at my baby and slide in the last of the boxes. I nodded towards Leah. “This one over here prefers two wheels to one.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Listening to the conversation between the two made me smirk some more.
#Danni felt comfortable enough to let herself show her true self with her laughter. It was kind of a cute sound with the added element of her reddened cheeks.
Until the conversation was set back on me and the eyes widened tuning and rounding on me.
‘You ride?’ She asks like an excited child.
“Hmm…” nodding my head once. The girls turning to look at Embry and then back to me. ‘What kind of a bike is it?’
“He…” setting the boxes in my hand down and the banner from under my arm in the back of the jeep. “He is a Rocket X.” She clearly wanted more information from her reaction.
“2,500cc, 4,000 rpm , 2.5 litre engine…. Three-cylinder engine sitting in line with the chassis. When you Open up his throttle… he sings.” If I could take out my phone and take a photo of her, I would have. ‘He sounds amazing. Do you like giving people rides on him?’
My eyes went to Embry as to say. ‘Why the hell did you pull me into this conversation?’
•- Embry Call -•
I laughed and shook my head and laughed… “Really?” I gave Leah a deadpan look and then looked at #Danni again. “But he also runs on fossil fuel.” She giggled a little… seeing the irony of Leah knowing all those facts off the top of her head but would only say the Jeep ran on fossil fuel.
“Nah she likes to keep him all to herself… But she makes up for it by sharing her time, wisdom and a healthy dose of sarcasm with all of us every single day.” I was teasing, but I gave Leah a look that said I saw all that she gave to all of us… and that did include sarcasm too.
I closed the tailgate when the last box was in. “It's been an absolute pleasure Danni, and next time I’m in town I will certainly trust you and your guys to detail my beautiful baby.” I tapped the soft top. “Today she’s working hard for the good of the Tribe, she’s earned a spa day.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“Facts, Call. It’s all about knowing the fact.”
They would all worry if my levels of sarcasm faulted. And he knew it too.
“Spa day.” Smirking at this little fact. He knew about spa days. An image of him with a face mask on came to light. Making my shake my head now. Reaching my hand out I shook the girls. Thanking her for her time and the help she and her dad were giving my Ma and tribe.
‘If you’re in town in the weekends, maybe bring your bike down. The guys here are great at detailing bike too.’
She was smiling, so I didn’t tell her that I did all those things by myself. Cleaning my baby, and detailing him, it was my way to relax and taking some time to myself.
“I’ll let Call over here lead the way. And… like I said. I will be sure to send business this way.”
Opening the door I slipped into the red jeep, no one could miss this thing coming from the colour to the sound of it. And you could tell it was well cared for by Embry.
“Where to next?” The cloud over us shifted a little, letting the sun glimpse through. Giving me a reason to take my jacket off and place it over my knees.
•- Embry Call -•
I raised an eyebrow at Leah. “Because men can’t know about spa days? That’s very old-fashioned for such a modern woman.” I teased. I knew that Leah would never bring her baby here… tending to him was her meditation.
I took #Danni’s hand gently and smiled at her. “It's been an absolute pleasure, Danni. Be sure to pass the gratitude of our Elders onto your father for us.” I winked and she blushed… I still had it! Even if her eyes did flit immediately to Leah and she lifted her free hand to hide that blush. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you very soon.”
She glanced up when Leah climbed into the driver’s seat. ‘Most guys won’t let anyone drive their vehicles… especially one they work so hard on.’ She said and I knew that anyone really meant women.
“If there’s one thing you should know about me #Danni; it's that I am definitely not most guys.” I chuckled and she swatted my hand out of hers, which I moved so she barely made contact, saving her human hand the pain even a playful strike might cause. We said our goodbyes and I climbed into the passenger seat.
“I do believe that the day is ours now, Trouble.” I smiled at her. “So… home… Unless you have a better idea?” I quirked a brow.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“Not at all.” My lips curled up a little. “More the fact that it is you, and of course you know about spa days.” Saying it with a matter-of-fact tone.
Not saying anything more just giving a small nod of my head when #Danni smiled and waved at me. But I did still there listening to the conversation they had. Embry was so much better than me as the building relationships with people. Today he had done so without thinking a number of times. His smile, the Call charm, the way he gave people time too. It was a gift, a skill.
And #Danni has hit the nail on the head at one point. Tiffany Call had brought her boy up in a way that other boys didn’t see. And now that he was a man on his own two feet, I could see his mother in him. Not just those eyes, or the dimples. But in his heart too.
Turning the key his Jeep came to life on the first try. Putting it in gear I slowly eased us out of the lot. “Home? Without Pizza from Leo? Do you want to explain that outcome to my Ma or your mom?”
•- Embry Call -•
“Sometimes I like to spoil myself…” I smirked and her. “And Glamour pays for all of their staff to have a membership at the best gym in town… their sauna is top notch.”
I laughed at Leah reminding me that if we returned without pizza… very specific pizza… there be trouble. “I almost forgot about the pizza… The company of two charming young women can do that to a guy.” I laughed and buckled up. When we pulled out of the car wash I turned to Leah and smirked. “You know… I think our two-spirited friend back there liked me better by the end.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“I’ve told you a million times, you’re too easy to distract. And today it was two women? So much for that warrior within keeping you in line. Maybe I need to have words.”
Keeping my hands on the wheel, and my eyes on the road. Noticing everything happening. The cars, trucks, bikes. The people on the sideway, the kids playing who were likely to run free. Cataloguing it all as I drove.
However, I could still see him out the side of my eye. Appreciating the fact that he put his belt on. It helped my shoulders relax just enough. ‘You’ve got this.’ My warrior whispered to me. Her openness protecting me from myself as she always did.
“Remind me to tell Leo if he is there. Have him made your pizza not so special for payback.” It wasn’t going to happen, that man didn’t know how to make everything that wasn’t perfect in his eyes.
Shaking my head, I turned his jeep onto Main Street, heading back towards the pitch and where the pizza truck lived. My mind going back to the time we spent with #Danni.
“I think she is a free spirit now.” Speaking with the respect the girl deserves. “She doesn’t see the flesh, more that she connects to the soul. Didn’t you see how she was drawn to you?”
It was something I knew about Embry and Seth, my kid. They were so open with their kindness that everyone was pulled into their orbit.
•- Embry Call -•
“Hey… he does all the hard work so I can enjoy life in the moment.” I teased her. I watched her taking everything in… that composed, calm/alert quality in her body language. We had been in the car a lot today… maybe it was wearing on her now.
I rolled my shoulders settling a little into the seat. “We’ve spent a lot of time in the car today… You sure you don’t wanna stop somewhere, before Leo’s…” I lowered my voice and waggled my brows. “We could take one of the hiking trails… get lost in the woods like a couple of townies.” I stressed the word lost. “We could stretch out our legs… get some fresh air.”
I smiled at her again when she talked about #Danni. “Well, whatever shape that girl’s soul is... it’s a good one. She was far more drawn to you at the beginning.” I chuckled. “She’s going to fall in love… a lot…” I laughed a little harder. “And it will be real and heart-breaking every single time until it's forever. #Seth will be the same… Unless…” Well, we both knew what the ‘unless’ could be…
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“Hmm…” He hasn’t wrong when it comes to reading people. “She reminds me a little of Littlesea Junior. That girl gives her heart away like it is candy.” And she loved full heartedly each and every time. How? I didn’t know.
Seeing him out of the side of my eye, I began to chew on the inside of my cheek. My wolf stirred telling me the man was clearly a mind reader. As much as I wanted to be done and go home, this had been the most amount of time I’d speat on four wheels in a long while.
“There’s not unless about it.” I finally said turning the jeep south at the next stop sign. “The kid has his soul our there. He just hasn’t met her yet.” I could see my baby brother so clearly, and I could tell that he wasn’t completed yet.
I took the next left taking the jeep towards the Peabody Creek Trailhead. Even a town such as Port, had a few beautiful trails that could make you feel at one with the earth and the forest.
“Stretching our legs, it is… If you think you can keep up with me, that is.” Lifting my chin towards the sign post telling him where we were heading towards.
•- Embry Call -•
I laughed. “You know… the guys always thought that she would be imprinted on someday… but I never thought so. She’s a free spirit… Not like #Ness and #Kim; a different kind. I don’t think the Spirits would choose that for her, she needs to fly free… not that being an imprint means you aren’t free…” I laughed. “Maybe I don’t have the right word to describe this for once.”
I nodded when she talked about #Seth. “He does… no doubt… They’ll be tested on the journey to find each other… because that kid will have an epic.”
I wasn’t actually expecting Leah to take my suggestion… but she was herself in the woods… so I suppose I should have. I smirked at her. “I don’t have to keep up with you Leah. I just have to be able to find you.” I chuckled… because that was kind of my thing.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Biting the inside my cheeks I took in what he was trying to say. “No. I actually get it.”
The girl even as a child was free in a way that the spirits loved, she was followed by love and affection. By anyone who saw her. Her family, the tribe, and the spirits. “We all have our callings, she has hers too. It will come to light when it is her time. Until then…” She would mark her place in the world until her path, whatever it was came calling.
Glancing at him from the side of my eye, the sound of his laughter filled the jeep surrounding me. It was then when my shoulders dropped a little and relaxed.
“Hmm… you could find me, but by the time you get there. I’ll be gone again.” These spirits had given him a gift that made sure he was never alone if he wanted to.
In wolf form Embry had an uncanny sense of direction, he could tell where exactly any wolf connected to the mind map was, then without moments wait, the quickest route to get to them.
The scent of the forest called to me, as we left the town behind.
Bypassing the signed to the visitor centre, turning us towards the entrance of one of the longer trails. The townies didn’t use as much, even if sometimes you could never tell.
•- Embry Call -•
I chuckled a little… “This is why it's so easy to talk to you... you get it. even when I make no sense. I’m sure she does. She’s even better at living in the moment than I am.” I looked at the signs we passed.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever hiked this one… I tend to head more towards Neah Bay when I wanna get into the woods away from home.” I glanced at her and smiled; her whole-body language had changed already. She was more relaxed before she even parked the Jeep. We parked the car, and I climbed out, heading to the back of the Jeep to reach around the backpack I kept there… it just had basics in it. “Just so we don’t look like inexperienced townies.” I chuckled. We already weren’t exactly dressed for hiking.
“You know you really brighten up when you’re in the wood, did you know that? It’s like another part of you comes alive.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
The thing was… he made sense to me. I didn’t know how or when it happened, but something clicked into place. And the guy who once annoyed the life out of me with all his positivity, now made sense!
Climbing out of his jeep, it took me less than two minutes to braid my hair. Pulling it back and out of the way.
“Is that because going to Neah Bay takes you closer to your grandparents?” He had a connection to ancestors of two tribes. Joining him at the back, watching him gather his things my eyes moved over the opening, and I knew the way we would enter.
“It will help to blend in.” We really weren’t dressed to hike, but I didn’t really need a dress code. The blending was for the benefit for the people we could pass on the trail. Throwing the keys of his jeep to him. “You best keep those safe.” Pointing to the pathway I began to walk. “The forest was and is my solace, it was the perfect place for me to go before I had my own place. The spirits have greater strength in nature, so it just makes sense.” As soon as I saw it, I pointed it out to Embry. “That there, is the single log entrance to the tail.” He was right, I came into my own when I was out here. But, he had been noticing?
•- Embry Call -•
I nodded and slung the backpack over one shoulder. “I think so… When there’s nowhere else I need to be it’s the direction that makes the most sense to me.” I smiled and caught the keys and tucked them into the front of the backpack and zipped the pouch.
I followed her towards the trailhead. “#Jacob says it is my inner homing beacon tugging me to my other home.” I laughed, but I knew he was right. La Push would always be home, but Neah Bay would always have a piece of my soul too.
I stopped and looked at the log-turned-bridge stretching across the creek. “Oh, I know a certain teenage girl that will get a kick outta this.” I chuckled and snapped a picture to send the Bear later on. This was not the time to field a text storm from her. I didn’t want my attention divided.
When we reached the tree-bridge I motioned to Leah to go first. “Age before beauty.” I waggled my brows because the subtle jibe was less likely to get me pushed into a creek than the saying ladies first.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
While he took the picture, my hand brushed over the inside pocket of my jacket, where the small device now sat, no movement, no sound. It was safe.
It was hard not to hear the meaning behind his words. One in particular.
‘Need…’
Such a small word and it had so many intensions attached to it.
“You know if you need to get away. You aren’t alone…. You have people who will give you what you need. Even if that’s time to leave and answer that call.” My wolf rolled her eyes at me, but she didn’t say what I felt her feel. “We all have that pull in us, more so I feel since the warriors in us awoke.”
That’s how I liked to think of our change now. My wolf and the spirits always spoke about the warriors being in all our people. We were just the lucky ones, who woke up when our people needed us. Of course, in the early days, I called bill shit on this thought process. But the more I lived in my skin, the more I saw this to be true.
“Is the call ever so strong that you feel like you’re in the wrong place?” He’d said before, how something in him always told him where he needed to be.
The sight of the log bridge brought #Bear to his mind. Nodding my head once as I spoke again.
“Hmm… yeah…. You’ll have to bring her up now that you know where it is.”
I knew that Kiddo would be happy to run the miles of forest with the guys. And they would carry her back if she over did it.
Turning to look at him, with my eyebrow raised I shook my head slowly. “How old are you, five?”
Reaching my hand out I smacked him upside the head. Then without any hesitation, with one foot in front of the other, I started over the damp wood without needing to hold the hand rail the locals had added.
“Just say it as it is, you need to see perfection at its best.” Turning my head back over my shoulder, I was smirking now.
‘More like he wants to check your arse out.’ My wolf teased. She was slowly waking up with the call of the forest so strong all around us.
•- Embry Call -•
I smiled at her.. because, of course, she wanted to make sure I was okay and getting the downtime I needed. “I know… I don’t see the responsibilities I have as a burden. Or I try my best not to… mostly I succeed at that. Looking after Mom… the pack, the pups… the girls… I love being part of it all. And yes…” I admitted. “Sometimes it's hard and I struggle just like anyone else. But lately…” I smiled at her. “Honestly… I know you’ll never let me live it down… but everything just feels… lighter… easier.” I knew that it was because of this thing between her and me.
I felt… happier, supported, in a way I never was before, and I had always been lucky enough to have amazing people to support me and encourage me in my life. And I wasn’t too macho to admit that now… with her… I felt protected from the things that had crept into my life and made me feel like I was constantly at odds with the world. She gave me the space and security I needed to let all of it out and then she was there letting me just be me it that time we had together in our bubble.
“I know where I can go when I need something. I promise… I’m not going to make the mistake of going it alone again. But what #Jake would call my inner compass… lately it's telling me that La Push is where I need to be and where I’m needed too. But I still make the trip out to Neah Bay for a day here and there.”
I thought about her question. Did I ever feel like I was in the wrong place? “No… La Push was never the wrong place, even when I was a kid and it felt like it was. It’s home, Neah Bay is home too. But La Push is where I want to be.”
I tried to dodge the swat, but she was too quick. “Mind the hair!” I laughed and ran my hand through it. I followed her across the log. I was definitely checking out her arse.
“I’ve told you many times, Trouble… You gotta learn to slow down and enjoy the view.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“That wasn’t my meaning… I know you wouldn’t see any of it as a burden, but it doesn’t mean you deal with the bad on your own.” He’d done that once before, and I was still feeling it in my bucket of sins. How I could have missed his drowning while being his Beta. And now… Well… it was even deeper… And to hear him saying that things felt lighter these days, something must be working, right?
“Inner compass?” My lips curled up into a smile. “I like the sound of that. But if you tell Jake.” I did the ‘I will kill you’ motion once I reached the other side and turned to watch him following my lead.
‘See, now we get to enjoy the view. The boy is…’ I mentally snapped my teeth at my wolf. Some things didn’t need to be said to be felt. ‘Fine, but the hair… he is right… lets not mess with perfection.’ She laughed when I rolled my eyes. From the start she’s had a soft spot with Embry Call, and today was no different.
“Who said I’m not stopping to enjoy the view?” Raising my eyebrow, while pushing my hands into my jacket pockets. “Now, are you going to take all the rest of the day on the log? Get a move on.” I’d already turned whist walked away to catch the trail. This one was different to Royal Basin, as more people had walked a deeper path into the ground. But half way in there were off paths that could be taken for those who wanted to test their hiking skills.
•- Embry Call -•
“No… I know that. You of all people would never think that… #Jake gets it… #Quil gets it… But there are some; like the staff at the hospital and people on the Rez that think I’m some kind of amazing son just because I hardly miss an appointment and if I did I’d make sure someone else is there. They tell me how I must give up so much of my time to look after her. All I want to do is roll my eyes at them and tell them it’s the bare minimum.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “My lips are sealed… but honestly… I think you guys overestimate my abilities.”
I paused when she stopped and looked back to check me out now. “I’m just letting you have a really good look. I did… so it's only fair. ” I teased her. “You’re welcome.” I grinned as I hopped off the log. I had to admit the whole idea of crossing a creek on a log gave a sense of whimsy to this little adventure… the railing added to it was easily ignored to maintain the illusion.
I lengthened my stride to catch up with her on the path. “Any secret spots on this hike?” I leaned over closer to her and whispered. I clearly remembered the trip to the Royal Basin and everything that happened there. I still had dreams about it.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Shaking my head as I walked. “That there isn’t a reflection on you, it’s actually the sadness of how some people in this world are alone and without people who care for them.” My eyes moved to find him for a split second as I continued.
“The hospital staff… even some on the Rez… they see people who have the mindset that being there in someone’s time of need is a burden… They see people who weep at not belonging. So, when they see you. It’s something they need to comment on.”
My finger was already up flipping him off before he stopped talking about me checking him out. I mean I knew I had a big head when it came to eyes on me, but Embry Call was in a league of his own.
“You really need to come off your high horse. Unless you want some help with it. I’m happy to kick your arse from time to time.” My eyebrow raised when he asked about secret spots. I guess he knew I liked to find places no one else did so that I could be alone with myself and my wolf.
“It’s not much of a secret, but… every few people know about a spot. Question is do you want to be told… or should it a show and tell?”
•- Embry Call -•
I nodded... she did have a point. “You’re probably right... I always thought that maybe they just didn’t believe they’d have anyone in their lives that would do for them if they were ever in need.”
I laughed at the irony… a woman like Leah showing the slightest amount of interest in someone was the ultimate ego boost and here she was threatening the keep that same ego in check. “That’s probably the most ironic thing I have ever heard, Clearwater.” I smiled at her. “But we both know you won't take me home your mom covered in dirt… So, I’m safe…” I quirked a brow. “For now.”
I tilted my head like I was thinking about her proposition…. “You know I love a surprise. Lead the way.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Okay, he also hit a nail on the head. There were so many who didn’t believe in those around them. Maybe I had been one of those people for the longest time.
‘You used to call yourself a lone wolf while surrounded by two packs.’ She was awake, watching, and of course commenting.
“Who in the name of the spirits is being ironic? I’m telling you out right… my arse is worth the hype. Yours…. Hmmm…” lifting my hand and moving it from side to side.
My lips curled up into a smirk, he really believed I wouldn’t kick his arse before going home to Ma?
‘You know you wouldn’t, she would chew your ear off.’ Spirits, she was annoying when she was right. Rolling my eyes now at her.
“Sometimes, getting your ear chewed off by your Ma is worth the trouble.” Answering them both together.
“Anyway, it would give Ma a reason to feed you and pull your cheeks. You wouldn’t take the joy of doing it from her, would you?” The path curled off to the north, and the east. The northern side slowly growing steeper and the one we take.
“Some surprises, may lead you off the side of a cliff… still want to follow alone, Wisearse?” She huffed. And Fine… I wasn’t going to take him off a cliff. But…. A woman could hope…
•- Embry Call -•
I nudged her with my elbow and laughed. “I’ll remind you of that the next time you grab mine.”
I shook my head again. I knew that wouldn’t but if I kept pushing the issue, she very well may risk the telling-off from #Sue just to prove a point. “And the excuse only your mom needs to dote on me is that I walked through the door.” I smirked, but it was true. #Sue spoiled the packs; she knew that we had a lot of responsibility, and she would lift the pressure as best she could anytime, we were there. Protecting the tribe was a full-time job on top of the full-time jobs or schooling that all of us had too.. because we still had human responsibilities to maintain too.
I laughed then when her words pulled from my thoughts. It was a full belly laugh… the kind that had only become a regular occurrence in my life again in the last few months. “I suppose that would only be fair… But just remember, I got there first.” I turned to grin cheekily at her, laughing the big laugh again.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Lost in that sound. That was the reaction of me and my wolf. We walked slowly watching him so closely that the world melted away. The hum of the spirits peaked in as the wind kissing my skin with a cool breeze.
Spirits… the way his eye lit up, the sound rang sweetly in my ears, and more so, it was something that made me stop my breathing so that it was the only sound I could hear.
“Spirits.” Shaking my head slowly. Pressing my lips together I began chewing on the inside of my cheeks.
My mind gathered the last words he said. “On please, you may have been the first. But I will be the one who does it with style.”
Without anything else side, I started to jog up the incline, the moss full of some dampness as my boots hit the tops of it.
“Here, it’s up this way.” I broke out into a run, nothing too fast. I knew were alone, there were no new or fresh scents in the forest. But it was better to be careful.
•- Embry Call -•
I hadn’t missed her little whisper… she was paying attention to little things that were shocking her. She was always a detail-orientated person… but I was seeing more and more that details she wouldn’t have paid attention to in the past; were now the first thing she noticed.
But I couldn’t lie... the last few months had brought to light so many things about her that I hadn’t ever let myself focus on before.
“Will there be an audience this time? Or will I get the chance to kiss you in the ocean after you do it with style?” I waggled my brows at her.
I stopped to watch her bound up the bank on the side of the trail. “Spirits.” It was my turn to mutter it now. What a view!..... And she was gone, I huffed a laugh because I should have known. She was so quick. I took the rise in two long strides and followed her into the trees and tried the catch up with her. Not that it would particularly matter.. we had just spoken about my knack for finding people. Was she testing the theory?
“Is this the part where you make me think I’m chasing you through the woods, but it ends with me going missing without a trace?” I teased her, I didn’t need to shout, she could hear me easily because I could still hear her moving through the trees.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
I left his questions unanswered; my words weren’t needed for them. He knew the truth and well, and if there was a question mark, it would give him pause to think.
My breath stayed as even as another person when they strolled in the park, as I leaped the creek after making sure no one was there to see me.
The trees passed me, while I ducked and dived from the low falling branches. Until the sound of the falling water became clearer and clearer with every passing step taken.
Finally, my direction turned east, with a run up the side of broken overgrown pathway that opened up into a small clearing. It was funny how the journey to this spot was testing for those who weren’t warriors, and then when you came to a stop. It was cleaned out, so those who found it could enjoy it.
“Still as beautiful.” I whispered to the cascading water and the sound of the hum in the air.
•- Embry Call -•
It was a gorgeous run, the trees were like the trees of home, but the earth was harder, dryer… it didn’t rain as much here, and I could tell by the way the soil felt beneath me. I couldn’t lie… the chase made me want to take off my boots and feel the ground against my bare feet. Maybe even let my wolf out to explore here a little more. Expand those comprehensive maps my mind seemed to piece together of its own accord.
She made a sharp turn, and I trailed her, this was her surprise so I could follow her lead. I caught glimpses of her on the terrain where my long stride helped me to compete with her quickness, but I never quite caught up. She was incredible, the way she moved through the trees because she belonged there… she left hardly a trace of her presence behind. Leaving the forest as pristine as it was before she passed through. Her scent and the occasional patch of flattened moss was all that lingered. The sound of cascading water reached my ears.
We came upon a path, and she started to slow and like we were in sync… so did I. I was glad I did because by the time I could see the crashing water she was standing in front of narrow falls, green life encroaching above, around and across the water. The spray that rose from the water caught the light when a breeze parted the branches above and let Grandmother’s light through. It glowed with little spheres of colour all around her. The mist evaporated in the air before it could settle on her skin or clothes, save for a few determined droplets that settled on her hair and glowed in the dim light. Even with her back to me... She was a vision.
“Spirits.” I muttered. Tilting my face up to a gap in the trees. “I got the message.” I whispered to The Old Woman, she was reminding me once again that my fate and hers travelled the same path. I turned my gaze back to her and smiled.
She was a fucking Goddess. “But thanks for the reminder.” I whispered.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
I knew, without asking. His words weren’t for me, he was talking to them. And they were signing with joy in their midst. These places were where I came when I felt I needed a clear path to them, and also when I felt the need to just be with them and no one else. And I had come with him today.
They noted the difference in me today, then danced freely towards him. To the naked eye it would look like mist from the falls, but to me it was more. Mother Earth, the spirts of the water and the wind entwined to join, and to welcome him to them.
“He is listening.” I told them, but they knew this already. Because they pointed up to the sky and I saw the light kissing his forehead. “Spirits” Grandmother was kissing Embry Call, giving him her blessing. Was he on her path?
“Spirits.” I said to myself again, with my eyes not daring to leave the view before me.
The true question was, did he know? It wasn’t my place to step up and say anything, this was a personal moment that no one had the right to spoil or stop. So, I took a few steps away to give them the space he needed to have with her. But them his eyes came to find mine and he smiled that smile. The one that stopped my heart in its tracks.
Tilting my head to the side. I took him in. His broad shoulders, the height, the way his hair caught the light, and his eyes. Spirits his eyes sang so loud each and every day. And I wanted to listen to them now that I’d seen them. I smiled back. Because he has become the one person who saw the truth, no matter how often I tried to hide. There was on hiding when Embry Call looked into your eyes.
•- Embry Call -•
She had turned to face me, and if I had thought she was a vision from behind… there were no words for how she looked with a dewy sheen of mist across her face; evaporating and reforming continuously as the spray from the falls fell again and again over her cheeks. I heard her words and knew that they weren’t for me. She was having her own moment. And it was beautiful. I watched it all unfold, enraptured.
I smiled and closed the distance between us, I reached up and touched a loose strand of her hair that the droplet had clung to. Running my fingers over it only served the make the soak into the hair, it fell straight and wet against her cheek. I was breaking oh-so-many rules right now. My ears were trained on the world around us… there was no one here, I would never push those boundaries anywhere that would put our little bubble at risk
My eyes stayed locked on hers. They were dancing with the reflected colours of the light shining on the falls and whatever she was thinking. “Don’t kill me.” I whispered to her. Normally those words were followed by a kiss. But right now I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
I lifted my hands to her cheeks, brushing my thumb across the sheen that coated them and watched her skin dry due to her incredible body heat, and then slowly the mist regathered on her face as I cradled it. “Beautiful.” I said, softly… it was the only word. She was truly beautiful all the way down to the centre of her soul.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
My heart stilled. My breathing slowed. My mind blocked the sounds of the world around us once I knew we were the only ones here. And I allowed the water, the spirits and his heart beat to become the rhythm of this moment.
He has been touched and blessed by our grandmother, he had listened to her which meant he had heard her.. Goosebumps weren’t something I experienced often, however my skin tinged as they came to form over me.
He has places trust into this path we were walking on. Each of us with our eyes set on what our choices were. And these choices brought us here today. Brought him to a place where he could look beyond the universe and see the light of our ancestors.
I felt like a thousand touches caressed, when his hands were so delicately placed, making me gasp a little. The rules ran through my thoughts, but the spirits sang of touch, of care, of the moment. Which in turn made me smile. (They were most definitely on his side here today.)
Eyes… Spirits his eyes… I couldn’t take mine away from them. It wasn’t from the stubbornness of not being the first to drop them. No… it was from the intrigue and excitement of what I saw in them. That was until my lips curled up, because knew those three small words came with mischief. The kind that would pull off my urge to throttle him. Not this time, my sight dropped to his lips, then slowly followed the line of moisture settling over his features.
The curve of his jaw.
The smooth skin of his face, with just a hint of growth starting to show.
His nose... which I had the urge to bite.
His forehead... with the glow of conversation with his spirits…
“Beautiful.” I replied back to him in a softly whispered voice for his ears only.
And I hoped he understood that it was not just the exterior. I observed the son, the brother, the friend, the mentor, the supporter, the kind soul… the list was endless of what he succeeded in sharing. When anyone viewed this man, they all witnessed something different, I was sure. It had become so clear to me.
This man… Embry Call had many, many, many different facets hidden in those eyes.
•- Embry Call -•
I smiled, she was here, only here, in this moment with me. Even if I could mentally hear her reciting the rules in her head. But that was allowed. The rules were for our bubble, after all. And if that meant that, for once… I was the one straddling both worlds; I would do that for her. To allow her these seconds… maybe even minutes of weightless, free-thinking and feeling… then that was exactly what I would do.
With one foot planted in this world of magic and Spirits… and her… And one in the rest of the world with my ears trained on the trees for anything remotely human. To allow her that security… Everything else was hers. She was all I could see, all I could smell, all I could feel. My hands on her cheeks, her hands on mine. I knew the second I felt her touch; this moment would live forever in my mind, and I silently told the Spirits that f I died tomorrow… this was the moment I wanted for my paradise. If I was worthy of such a thing.
“Extraordinary.” I replied to her compliment. “For a woman, so many believe to race through life and never stop too just be… You always take me to the most remarkable, magical places.” I turned to kiss her palm and brought my eyes back to hers immediately. I didn’t want to miss anything. “Will you promise me one thing?” I smiled. I knew how seriously she took promises, but I knew no matter where this path led… no matter what we were to each other at any point in our lives, she could keep this one.
I dropped my voice… so low and soft that not even the Spirits could hear. “Never stop surprising me.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
The kiss he placed on my palm lingered with a heat that wasn’t something I felt before. This is where the unspoken outweighed the spoken, and it felt deeper.
I stilled, my eyes burning into his and I held my breathing. He didn’t ask for promises, and the fact that he knew I would take death over a broken word. It had to be something worthy of this moment we were sharing with the universe.
“I…” tilting my head I pressed my lips together. “Hmm…” I let the words sit for a moment. And when I was sure I heard him correctly. I answered. “Never Stop Surprising You?” He wasn’t joking. “This is the promise you want to ask of me?”
As soon as I asked the question, I felt the wind pick up and pelt me on the back of my head.
The message clear. ‘Stop asking questions instead of answering.’ And sure, it was something I disliked doing. But by the Spirits, a woman needs to make sure she understands the importance of a promise before giving her answer.
I wanted to snap my teeth and tell them to back off. But with company. Even I knew Embry would get it. That was going too far for me.
•- Embry Call -•
I saw the moment in her eyes when she realised, I was about to ask her for a promise… I smiled. Because her first reaction wasn’t to run away before I could get the question out.
One corner of my top lip lifted in a smile. She was turning the words over in her head, looking for any loopholes I might have weaved into the request… I didn’t blame her. I found loopholes in our rules all the time. That breeze picked up again and I wasn't sure if the message was for her or me. Was I asking too much?
“That’s all…” I smiled meaning it. I leaned in until our noses and foreheads touched. “The occasional surprise…” I took in a long breath of her scent. “No… is always… will always be, an acceptable answer, Leah. Always.” It was the truth; it wouldn’t mean our path wavered. That one word wouldn’t drop a wall in front of us telling us we had nowhere left to go. I knew that the same was true for her… I could say it to her, and she would hear it, and respect it.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Closing my eyes, I took the moment as it was meant for us. The breeze blew strands of my hair into his face the scent of him filled my senses.
“I know.” I did. “I know I could say No, and that is it. You wouldn’t question it or me.” One of the things I knew about him for a long while.
But this wasn’t a big ask. “I promise Embry, I promise Never to stop surprising you. However big or small it may be.” I could do that because he wasn’t asking me to change. He was asking me to continue being me.
My hands found his, and I laced our fingers together. Pulling back enough to glance over to the falls and then back to his deep dark eyes.
“Who knew you could ask for a promise, especially since neither of us believed in staying put long enough to ask or to be asked.” Spirits, was this the lesson for today?
To gain trust, you had to be willing to trust yourself? But we did, right? We had shown trust in one another time and time again. Before the night he had kissed me.
•- Embry Call -•
I knew that this was essentially me asking her to keep being herself. But it was so much more at the same time, those words, I promise … from her lips it meant a lot. I know what it cost her, the act of the promise itself; was a huge leap of trust that I didn’t take lightly and the smile on my face undoubtedly showed her how deeply I understood that.
She’d given me her trust… so much trust over this entire journey. And today… it was even deeper. She had faith in me.
Those kinds of encounters she was talking about couldn’t compare to a lifetime of history and everything it’s evolved into; she knew that too. But if she needed the heaviness of the moment lightened… well that was kind of my speciality. “Me.” I smiled and flicked my eyes to the falls, the Spirits dancing in the mist that continue the dry and settle on our skin in an endless cycle of blessings. “Them…”
I chuckled now. “I would have… but you hesitated.” It wasn’t a true hesitation… she was giving it serious thought. I lightly bit the end of her nose and flashed her a broad smile.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“Hmm… “ He wasn’t wrong. “They know far more than they let on, because we have to make the choices to walk over the path.” Tilting my head, a little to look back at the water. “Not that it would stop them from kicking my arse, if I choice one they weren’t full agreeing with.” My lips curled up into a smirk. Because on those paths too, they wouldn’t stop me. Those were where the lessons were learnt for life to grow.
Rolling my tongue over my teeth, I raised an eyebrow looking back to him. “I did not hesitated, Embry Call. I make sure I had all the information, before making my decision. There’s a difference in the two I’ll have you know, Wisearse.”
I moved out from between his arms, taking a few steps away and them towards the falls. “Embry…” Biting the inside of my cheek I lean onto the wooden fence. “You’ve never said anything about the fact that I see the spirits, that I talk to them.” Turning my head to catch sight of him. “Doesn’t it bother you?” I’d never thought of asking him the question. Mostly because the nights he stays with me, the spirits let me be. I’d only shared spaces like here, and the Royal basin with him and them together like this.
•- Embry Call -•
I let her go when she stepped away, curling my fingers against the fabric of her shirt; just to let her know that I would always keep her closer if I could. I respected the space she made between us and took a moment to appreciate the sight of her backdropped by those gorgeous falls. The urge to take a picture fell over me… I was normally one to appreciate the moment does not ruin it by trying to freeze it in time. But right now I wanted to do both. Instead, I fixed the moment in my memory.
Her question made me exhale… I had a lot of thoughts on this. “Your relationship with the Ancestors and Spirits is sacred, Leah. I don’t ever want to be a roadblock in that connection. But there are a few things that bother me about it.”
I moved closer. Not wanting there to be too much space between us that she would think these things bother me were a deal breaker. “Maybe bother is the wrong word… but don’t understand… Like, why they don’t let you sleep? I know that it's time they use to teach you things… but never?” I shook my head… dropping my gaze for a second. “It seems cruel… and then… I started to think… maybe that’s why they joined our paths… because you seem to sleep when I’m with you. But we can’t spend every night together.”
I leaned on the fence now, within arm’s reach of her. “Keeping you from dreaming… and that night… in the bar, when #Jay and #Kim were having their… crisis. It was like you were in pain… in actual physical pain and I don’t understand why they would do that to you.” I sighed heavily now. “You sacrifice everything for the pack, your family… the tribe. And they seem to take so much from you… I can’t see any reason why… I can’t see how it helps the tribe, or you, or the Protectors. Maybe it isn’t for me to understand, but I wish I could.” I turned to catch her gaze and paused, falling a little deeper into the depths of her eyes. “I would give up all of my dreams just so you could have one night filled with the best dream you’ve ever had.”
I had so many dreamed-filled nights in my life… I could give up the rest of those just so she would understand the depts of dreaming. I had more than enough to hold onto.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
By the name of the Spirits, this I hadn’t seen coming. Questions sure, however such deep filled ones, and the fact that I could tell he really had put some thought into it. I stood glancing at the water for a while. Thinking, listening, and understanding where Embry was coming from. Why he would see it the way he did, and how I could explain it.
This was my life, had I questioned it? Yes, I had, but had I pushed for it to change? No, never, not once I came back from being lost.
“It’s hard for me to put things into words. But let me try?”
I saw the bench behind us, nodding my head towards it. I turned, taking his hand in mine to guide us towards it, hoping to show him that anything he wanted to know, I would find a way to answer. But where should I start? Just by answering his questions maybe? Addressing the things, he was concerned with to start with? Yes.
Sittig down, I let his hand go, crossing my legs before me, I clasped my hands on my thigh.
“Sleep…” I started… “it’s… best if I start with the history of me and my relationship with them?” Nodding my head towards the mist still dancing in the air. “You know that I was born with this.” Moving my hand around me. “Some call it a sight, some a connection, and some call it a madness.” How many times had I heard those whispers…
“As a young kid, I didn’t see a difference in the way I spoke to them… and how I spoke with… say Rachel and Becca.” Finding the two names of those who were closest to me growing up. “They were all as real to me as the other. I learnt as I grew, not understanding the concept of what others saw. But that changed as my youth became older. When the world’s eyes weren’t so forgiving to a young girl with something that was seen as abnormal. I wanted to be like the others, I wanted Friends, I wanted what other girls had. So, I closed myself off. I stopped it all: they kept trying and I pushed back. Until…” My eyes moved to the water again. “Until my change. They no longer were asking to be let in, they kicked the doors down.”
My eyes searched his to see if this was something he had been aware of, or if it was new information. “When I finally stopped fighting and I let them in… it was like opening the floodgates. I was drowning. Until the Great wolf stepped in. He held them back. Letting them step down to speak to me, one at a time… Until I could learn to do it for myself.” Shaking my head. “But, But by then I had grown to resent myself…” Chewing on the inside of my cheek thinking for a breath, and letting Embry soke in what was said.
“My body sleeps, my mind to a point does too. But it’s not the kind of sleep you would expect from someone I guess.” What was I trying to tell him? “The years I had closed myself off had to be pushed into a short space of time. I couldn’t do it in the waking day. Not with everything that was happening…. All our lives were turned upside down… Da…” I pressed my lips together looking back towards the waterfall again. I didn’t need to rehash that time out. It had been there for all to see, and Embry was there too. “I didn’t want an easy path, maybe as a punishment, maybe with the realisation, that I could have seen what had happened coming… if only I hadn’t closed myself off trying to blend in? I could have saved our tribe’s young… maybe the pups wouldn’t have changed so young if I saw it all. They could have changed when it was their rightful time…. Maybe Da….” My throat tightened a little. But I pushed past it. “My bucket of sins had grown so deep, and I didn’t want to go unpunished for my mistakes.”
I didn’t dare pull my eyes away to the dancing spirits who begun to move closer to me, to cocoon me from myself. “Anyway. I gave up my sleep, my dreams so that I could learn. So, that I could gain the most powerful thing at my disposal… Knowledge… As time went on, I made the choice to continue that way. It’s not our spirits who are cruel. This was a choice I made.”
My mind moved back to the situation Embry, addressed next. #Jay and #Kim. How could I explain what took place there? “I have a responsibility to the tribe, to the pack, and to those who came before us. Listening, learning, and sharing…. That is what I was born to do. I for the longest time believed I was…. Born… to sacrifice.” This part I knew was not new to him. We’d spoken to it before. “What happened with a Warrior and their Imprint doesn’t affect me, until it is something I should have seen coming, something I could have helped or supported them with. I had missed something with those two… What occurred wasn’t a punishment on me. It was a visual of what they were feeling….” Was I explaining this correctly at all? “If I were to say to you. Kim was upset. She felt she was aging out past Jay… You may understand. You may have an idea of how she felt. But the spirits… they take a different route with me. Because I can’t see those things. To me age is nothing. Jay will be hers no matter what.” Rubbing my forehead because I knew I couldn’t find the words to explain my shortcoming. “Sometimes for me to understand the pain someone is going through… I need to feel it too.” Scoffing a little as I laughed at myself, shaking my head. How imperfectly perfect could I be? . “Stone hearts, cannot understand those with soft hearts.” Someone had once said that to me. and it came in handy now.
Finally, I turned myself to face him. “I don’t want you to give up on your dreams, Embry. I couldn’t take those away from you. I’m fine with how I am. This is all my choice.”
•- Embry Call -•
I knew that it was difficult for her the find words for her feelings… and this conversation was bound to be full of them. This was her relationship with the Spirits… her ancestors, our ancestors. It’s a pity we weren’t a little further from home or I might try and convince that beautiful Spirit animal of hers to show me all of it. I followed her unquestioningly to the bench… she was really going to answer all of these questions? She knew she could always tell me… this is private… or I’m not ready to share and I would take her hand and walk back to the car just like we’d walked here.
I flinched when she used the word madness... I knew it was a word people had used, about her or to her face. I had never really understood because by the time I was old enough to have remembered to behaviour they were talking about; it was gone… I thought it was just small-town bullshit, the same as I had put up with for being the Makah kid on the Quileute Rez. But I wouldn’t interrupt her when she was sharing something so personal.
My heart broke for her… I knew what it felt like to want to fit in… but I had always had #Jake and #Quil. Other than those few short months when I had to stay away from them for their own safety. “Wait!” I couldn’t stop the breathy gasp… was that why she was the only woman that was called to protect the tribe? She had closed them out and they made the change to find their way back in? No… they wouldn’t… they… Couldn’t… could they?
No… It couldn’t be. She heard them her whole life because she had always been destined to phase. But could the Spirits have predicted that the Cullens would return to Forks when Leah was still just a child?
I knew her body rested, we could last on less sleep than a human, at least once the intense growth spurt and muscle building were over…
After the first change, I had slept almost an entire day to recover from the toll it had taken on my body… I remember the young pups… they had so much growing to do after phasing at just thirteen… for almost a year they slept every second they could. Leah had no problems keeping up with any of us… So you never could have called her sleep deprived… but it just wasn’t the same. Or I suppose it wasn’t to me… But Leah… she had her own way of seeing the world. It was her life… no one else’s. But how can you imagine a world you didn't experience? Asking these questions, I supposed.
My heart wrenched again at the mention of her father. Did she really think she could have changed things with the pups and Harry? The vampires in Seattle and coming after #BellaSwan was what caused the kids to phase and that phasing probably saved one of those kids lives. I know I had used the word cruel… but not implying that the Spirits were cruel… or… not meaning to anyway. But thinking about it now… it did seem like that was what I meant. Maybe somewhere deep down I did… but I never claimed to be perfect.
I chewed on my lip… this wasn’t the first time that I heard her refer to herself as a sacrifice… she had used the word disposable… more than once. But the meaning was much the same. It still baffled me that the Spirits expected her to manage the relationships of the imprinted wolves… the division in the packs made that impossible. I knew that there was nothing she could say to me that would make me feel okay with what I had seen that night in the basement of the HWH. I took in a long breath when she was done and let it out for even longer.
“I know you wouldn’t Leah… And I know it’s not an option. But the simple fact that you would never want anyone to give up a single thing for you is exactly why; if it was possible to give you even one dream… and the cost was the rest of mine. It would be worth it. It has been far too long and far too late for someone to sacrifice just one thing for you for no other reason than you deserve it. I have more than enough dreams to hold onto. But at the same time…” I chuckled. “I couldn’t force it on you. If you choose those nights with the great wolf… who am I to steal even one of those from you.”
I paused for a moment and processed what she’d told me. “I can’t tell you I understand what it was like to have people call you mad and all of the things people said to you. You know that I had my own issues with being judged, but it was always petty prejudices, it was never really about me… it was about ridiculous cultural divides, from people with small minds or people raised by the small-minded. By the time I heard the things people said; you were older, and I just assumed it was all idiotic rumours. I thought… I see this girl all the time at #Jake’s house and she never does that… they have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m sure when you realised that most people didn’t see the world the way you did, it was… Scary. And I couldn’t guess what else… but now… knowing you can still see them like that…” I shook my head and smiled. “It’s amazing… you can see the magic that makes us what we are… hear their songs…” I fell silent… What I wouldn’t give to hear those songs.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
“That’s the thing… you don’t have to fully understand everything today… but by me trying to explain… maybe… a little of it may settle into your mind or in your heart….”
Telling your story is never an easy ride, laying your cards out on the table, opening yourself up to the possibility that the person across from you wouldn’t fully grasp what you’re talking about. But I didn’t have that fear to face when it came to this man.
Embry had shown faith in me when he told me his story, and he had stumbled into part of mine in Seattle. Not once did he mention judgment. Today was no different, he listened, he didn’t offer solutions or give opinions. He told me what it looked like from his side of this bench we sat on.
“I’m not perfect… I can’t lie… sometimes I do just myself time to think about what used to be said.” Shaking my head because I was not proud of it.
“But… Someone you know really well once told me… Healing can be hard when your inner child only wants love, your teenage self wants revenge, and your present self just wants peace.” His mom had the best advice.
“I don’t expect anything from those people, I don’t hold it against them anymore either. I am a warrior of our ancestors it is my responsibility to protect and defend them. So… I choose peace over reliving the past…”
My eyes rested on the water before us, watching the presence of light, reflecting off and on to the water falls.
She was listening to me and watching him whenever my eyes would find his face. She smiled as he spoke about giving me his dreams. And she made our chest feel so warm, that I had to place my hand on mine to give it a little rub.
‘He will make sure you do not go back to how you were. Balance… that is what had always been missing from you.’
Once again, she refused to acknowledge that she was right there with me. (Even if we both knew, her fighting me would never have happened.)
“We all can hear them in our own ways, Embry. For some it’s a beautiful dream, for others it’s the emotions they feel from time to time. Or the sound in the air as the wind blows through.”
‘We could show him?’ She whispered. And I shook my head. Not here… not now… this wasn’t the place.
‘No… I mean yes… that too… but sing…. Sing it to him?’ Biting the inside of my cheeks, I listened. To her, to them, to him…. Could I?
‘Yes…’ She whispered, as the spirits began to change the tune. I could hear it as clear as a summers day. He knew I could sing, he had heard me, but this was difficult. I’d never shared their words with another.
‘Because no one has asked you too before.’ She reminded me. And this was true too. No one had asked me to share their songs. Stories of our ancestors sure… but the music? Never.
I closed my eyes, calmed my breathing, the beating of my heart. Opening myself up to them. So, when I looked out to the water fall, I saw them like stars twinkling before me. As they gave me permission, I nodded my head once in understanding. These were his learnings as much as they were mine. He’s stories and his history.
But the song they sang for him now. It wasn’t about the past, it was of finding peace within yourself, and the power that comes from it. “Forgive me if I make a mistake.” I whispered to them, knowing he could hear me too.
(Music Credit - Peace and Power by Joanne Shenandoah - https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ip56gP3mQzE&feature=share )
•- Embry Call -•
I nodded. “I’m starting to… understand. And thank you… I know that you know you don't owe me any answers. But you gave them to me anyway.” I lifted one of her hands from her lap and held it. I knew I was breaking a rule.. but there was no one here… we could make this place temporarily our bubble. Right?
I smiled wide… “Oh, the revenge line!” I laughed. “Of course, that was the line I focused on when I was a kid.” My gaze met hers. “You know how much she loves you, don’t you?” I know she wasn’t fond of that word, but she had used it first.
I laughed again, remembering the walk I had with Grandmother. “Or they talk in riddles.” I muttered… still intending for her to hear.
I could tell by how still she was that she was having one of her silent conversations again… but with whom? Her wolf… the Spirits… the Great Wolf? Surely a presence like that would lie heavy in the air. Impossible to miss. Then I heard it.
It was her voice…. Like I had never heard it before. She was singing their songs to me… I hardly took a breath while I listened… she was… it was unearthly. Beautiful… more than I ever imagined. My eyes stayed on the misty falls, drifting from them to her and back the whole time she sang. I could hear them in her voice, the music of the crashing water in the background. I was speechless… I, Embry Call… was speechless. That never happened.
I crocked one finger under her chin and turned her face to mine, bringing her closer until our foreheads touched, and I rested my hand against her cheek. I was breaking all the rules now.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
After I finished, we sat there for I wasn’t sure how long. I squeezed his hand, and my eyes lifted to meet his, how did time bend and compress so greatly when I shared it with him? The question still to this day remained unanswered.
We were both breaking those rules I had been so adamant in creating and placing for us, and our bubble. I closed my eyes now, breathing in this forest around me. It wasn’t home like the forests of La push but having his scent here with me made it somewhat familiar.
“I think she called it the growth speech, so maybe don’t tell her your takeaway is the revenge part.” It was a tease, because I had taken all of her advice to heart, I had thought she was teaching me to keep the world out. But she wasn’t, she had tried to teach and guide me on how to survive with my head held high.
Love… that word…. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. And my breath stops. My battle with it was still raging, just not as strong as it had once been.
“I know she does, she’s never stopped reminding me over the years.” My voice was steady with the years of practice, but my emotions were a riot uninterrupted to the most parts. I may not say the word, but it didn’t mean I didn’t feel the emotion toward those who cared for me.
“Rule breakers…” I whispered… “They are all going out the window today.” Turning my head, I kissed his palm once.
Still unable to believe what I had done.
•- Embry Call -•
Her warm brown eyes found mine and I smiled. She wasn’t pulling away, she was here… all in… breaking all the rules right along with me. “I was a fifteen-year-old werewolf.” I chuckled and cringed at the words we used back then. “Maybe I was a little jaded. But I think that’s understandable, right?”
I felt how that word had made Leah stiffen… but it was the only way that Mom would describe her relationship with Leah. “And she never will.” I chuckled. My grandfather had grown up in a very Catholic home… with very little affection. So, when he made a home and a daughter of his own, he decided to break that cycle and filled his house with I love you’s, hugs, kisses, and music. My Mom raised me (And #Jake and #Quil) the same way.
The press of her lips to my palm made my heart skip. I caught my bottom lip, knowing she heard it. “Well, since the rule book is closed for a moment…” I leaned in and pressed my lips to her forehead. “We should make the most of it.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “That song…” I whispered and pressed my lips to hers… “Was the most beautiful thing I ever heard… and that is saying something coming from me.”
I didn’t thank her, I knew she wouldn’t like that. But there was no way I could ever let this moment pass without acknowledging it.
•- Leah Clearwater -•
I wanted to smack him upside the head. We were not werewolves, and I disliked the comparison with a passion. But this wasn’t the time for such a reaction.
“We were all jaded to an extent, I guess. No one can be blamed for how we reacted at that age. It wouldn’t be fair in the slightest.’ I knew he had it harder, making the choice to keep his mom out of the secret of our life hadn’t been an easy one to make. At least #TheKid and I had ma as our backup, our support system in the real world. As much as she tried to be there for Embry, as much as #Billy tried too, some battles were his to fight.
I raised my eyebrow when I heard his heart. It had become my favourite soundtrack, one that gave me calm times to think and be myself. It was also a telltale sign that Embry Call was about to do something which could cause his arse to hit the ground.
But before I could react, my warrior stepped up to stop me. She showed me the moment we were in, she showed me the forest clear of scent and sounds, she showed me the emotion in which this moment was being lived in. So, I closed my eyes, letting him kiss me on my nose, and letting the warmth of his lips touching mine whelm me.
I kissed him back, letting my lips move with his for a few minutes before pulling back to meet his gaze. “We are breaking them all.” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’re a bad influence, Embry Call.” Heat rushed up the side of my neck at the compliment. “It’s their song, I’m just a voice so that it can be heard.” I told him.
•- Embry Call -•
I caught the way her pupils constricted at the word, but back then it was all we knew. “We all had our trials back then, all different… none can be compared or quantified. But we all made it.”
She returned my kiss, not just allowing me to kiss her, this entire time she was here with me. Living in this moment only. Her evolution was happening before my very eyes. Was mine as plain to see for her? “Thank you very much for noticing.” I teased, nipping at her lower lip. “I work hard at it.” I smile, my thumb sweeping against the corner of her mouth. “And we’re mostly bending them.”
My heart was still beating out of time, in a rhythm that couldn't be pinned down. The song still filled my head, only now I could hear it, in the sound of the water, the wind in the trees… even the birds were singing it. How had I missed this? It was everywhere. I closed my eyes, letting her be my eyes for a moment and keep watch to make sure our bubble remained only ours. I tilted my head up and just listened. “I can still hear it.” I whispered. “It's in everything.”
•- Leah Clearwater -•
Reframing from snapping my teeth as he teased me, I stood in front of him with my hand placed over his chest.
“I see you….” Whispering the words to him? Or was it to his heart? Who really knew at this point.
I didn’t speak after that, it was like watching him play right now, the way he was concentrating. The glimmer in his Earth toned eyes, the way they crinkled when he smiled full heartedly. The way I could tell he wanted to love this time so deeply, that he wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting anything.
By the spirits…. My heart danced at his revelation… he could hear them? Was it just the sound of my voice and singing he was replaying? But something told me no… he had broken through.
“I’ve got you… take that leap… tell them… show them… you have come together finally.” It was happening… “Your heart and mind… they are opening up to hear the truth about our ancestors.” This was the evidence of his evolution.
I stepped into him; my hands moved to cup his face lifting my eyes over to the waterfall I saw then clearly. Dancing, singing, telling him the story again. This time aware that I wasn’t their voice.
“They are the sun and the moon, the water and the earth, they are the birds and the insects, they are the air we breathe. They are all around you, showing you the way, protecting you path, guiding you through whatever you call them in.”
My voice was low, soft, and welcoming. Speaking to the man whose eyes were closed but opened to this new reality all at once.
The light of the day was leaving us, telling me it was coming close to our time to leave. But I wasn’t going to rush him. I would wait until he heard everything he wanted.
= The End =
(Music: Peace and Power – Joanne Shenandoah)