Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 13:43:41 -0400 From: PJ Wallace Subject: Two Souls Become One, Chapter 1 The following fiction is based on the Twilight Series written by Stephanie Meyer who owns the rights. In no way have I benefited monetarilly for writing this story, nor do I intend to. This story is simply imaginative fun. In addition, I am not trying to imply the sexuality of the celeberties that portray these fictional characters in the Twilight movies. Note to Readers: I will do my best to follow most of the story line from the actual series; however, I take a lot of creative license in creating a unique storyline. Enjoy! TWO SOULS BECOME ONE by SimplyBK When I was young, I feasted on my mother's stories about growing up in La Push, Washington on the Quileute Reservation. Tales of harvest bonfires, shape-shifters and the cold-ones--walking death that fed on human blood, became my obsession. I longed to be apart of this imaginary land where magic was real; however, elaborate stories were the only connection I had to my mother's family. Before, I was born, my mother choose to leave the reservation to attend college on the East coast in Upstate, New York. where she met my father during a field trip for her Anthropology class. Also of Native American heritage and half Black, my dad would often joke that he was the only Black guy that really had "Indian" in his family. Because we lived so close to my father's family, I grew up practicing Seneca customs. My parents were married within weeks of graduating from their respective universities and settled down in Buffalo, New York, not far from my father's reservation and where my mother went to school. When I was born, my parents had been trying to conceive for a number of years, but my mother suffered from benign fibroid tumors and didn't think she would ever have a child. Mother said that I came to her in a dream on a summer's eve--a wolf-pup scratching at the back door demanding entrance. She woke the next day and knew instantly that she was pregnant. I was born, Willow Trinity Nola, a healthy baby boy in the middle of a ragging blizzard. No lights or means to get to the local hospital, just a roaring fire place, the urgent grunts of an eager mother and the steady hands of a loving father. My dad said that being born in such harsh conditions meant that I would triumph over any obstacle that dared to stand in my way. I had an amazing childhood. As an only child and the first grandchild of my father's parents, I got everything that I wanted. I was never lonely and I learned how to do just about everything!! My grandfather was an elder in the Seneca tribe and demanded that I learn the ways of the land. I learned to hunt, swim, climb, jump, fight and live with nature. Grandpa always would say "Slight of build, big in spirit" when referring to me. While athletic, I was pretty much a scrawny kid that was often mistaken for a girl. I had long, jet black hair with deep waves. My facial features were expressive and delicate with high check bones, brick-brown skin and honey colored almond eyes. Grandpa would tell my dad that I had two-spirits, one male and the other female and I would someday become a healer and leader. Grandpa, to this day, is one of the smartest men that I know and always calls it how he sees it. I later learned that two-spirited was nifty Native American expression for gay which is probably one of the reasons my father taught me martial arts. "Two-spirited or one, you must learn how to defend" he would say while sparing with me. Each time he knocked me on my butt, we would find a way to laugh and I would get back up for more. Life was absolutely perfect, until I turned 16. That winter after I turned 16, "something" moved into the woods and it was killing my grandfather's livestock. I was told to stay away from the creek and to be in the house by sunset. My mother and father spent hours behind closed doors with the elders trying to determine the cause. At the time, I was to busy tripping over my own feet to understand the seriousness of the situation. Over the summer, my body had gone through a number of changes. Firstly, I was always hot. My mother took me to the doctor and there were no signs of sickness. Just a consistent 99.3 temperature. In less then a year, I grew from 5'5" to 6' which was a lot since both my parents were of average height. Mom said I was a late bloomer, going through puberty and that I received my new found height from my Uncle Sam on her side of the family. My body also changed. I thickened and my musculature became more defined. My legs and bottom became tight and round. My mom had to buy new jeans that were to large in the waist because they had to accommodate my butt which seemed to swell like a ripe pumpkins, my hips developing a slight curve. "Mom, what is going on with me? I feel so out of it" I asked one afternoon while we were at the mall. "Honey, I hope my thoughts have nothing to do with what you are going through" She ominously I didn't think to ask what she meant. Guys with whom, I use to be friends with in school, began to avoid me and stare at me in the locker room when they thought I wasn't looking. During a basketball game in gym, I was the last to be picked even though I was probably the best athlete. Craig, one of my "friends" picked me for his team and followed it up with "Willow is to pretty to play with us, but we can't leave him on the bench." I was so pissed by the comment and the unusual treatment that I jumped up in his face. "Oh! Is that the fucking problem?!! You guys think I am to "pretty" to hang with all of a sudden? Is that why all of my friends are ignoring me?!!!" "Dude, you are even acting like a girl" Craig spat. Richard, another guy that was in my class, and probably the most level headed, coaxed me off the ledge and asked to speak with me in the hall. "Willow...you know none of us have a problem with you being gay or anything like that. Ahh...you have changed a lot and you know how guys are? Hormones and all. You've always been different, but now you seem more...ah, feminine looking. It isn't anything bad, I just overhead some of the guys whispering in the locker room saying it was getting weird for them because you are a really pretty guy. You know, like unusually, really pretty?" "Richard, it isn't my fault. I can't help the way I look. This is my body. What am I supposed to do?!!" I said, genuinely bewildered. "Wear baggy clothes?" Richard, joked with a shrug. "Whatever!!" I yelled before running out of the school, to emotional to see the humor. I stormed out of the side door that lead into the soccer field. I could hear Richard calling after me in the distance. I didn't turn around. I kept running. I felt hotter then ever. Heat exploded under my skin and I could feel it bursting out of my pores. It got so hot that I thought I was going to combust and then everything went silent. Later I a woke to splashing water and the scent of fresh linen. My eyes fluttered open to the vastness of the sky and clean, billowing sheets hanging on the line. I sprang from my back to a crouching position, snarling and taken in my surroundings. I realized I was behind my house, next to the stream, naked and covered in dirt. I stood slowly, not to disorient my self further and I could see my parents slowly approaching from the back door. I begin to tear, feeling as if I had done something wrong, only to be embraced by the two that loved me most. Wrapping me in a warm down-blanket, my parents ushered me inside. "Mom...Dad...I" I tried to begin not knowing what to say or what happened to me. "Shooosh, my love. You are fine and we have much discuss" my mother offered while dad rubbed circles in my back. "Why was outside? Why do I feel so...different? " "Son, if you haven't noticed, you have changed a lot this past summert" my dad reasoned "You've grown so much, your body has become stronger and you are quite striking" my mom added. "Do you recall the Quiellete legends of the roaming wolves and the cold ones?" my dad asked. "Yes." "Honey then you remember the wolves come when the cold ones hunt?" my mom asked "Yes. I remember the stories you use to tell me" "Baby, those stories I told you aren't folklore. They are true." "Son, your mother's people are a mystical tribe and are known among us as shape shifters. Quilettes for centuries have protected North America from Vampires. Your mother's people are natures answer to the cold ones. I know this is a lot to take in, but the reason you were disoriented and woke up outside is because you transformed." "Into a wolf?" I asked trying to maintain my composure. "Yes, . Bits and pieces of your memory as a wolf will start to come back to you. But yes, you are a shape-shifter and it is because a vampire is the one killing your grandfather's farm animals." mom said as calmly as possible. I thought about the stories my mom told me and I also began to remember foggy images from last night. I could see the stream. I recalled running through the woods and the rows of trees passing by like a film on fast forward. I also could see the house and my mom staring at me from the back porch, tossing a sack of meat over before retreating into the house. "Mom, did you feed me?" I asked nervously. "Yes, while I am not a shifter, I could sense the change and I knew that your instincts would bring you home, so I was prepared." "So if I am a shape-shifter, where is this vampire?" "That is what I am here to help you find out." In the door way of the living room stood a man that needed to duck in order to enter the room. His red-brown skin glistened in the sun which highlighted his chiseled cheek bones. There was a familiarity etched into the stern face that I couldn't quite place. "Willow, this is your Uncle Sam" Mom said pointing at the towering man. I couldn't explain, but I could sense he was like me. The same power that pulsed under his skin was in me and I suddenly felt less alone. "Willow. Wow. You've grown into a beautiful pup I bet you are an amazing wolf" Uncle Sam said, allowing a small but genuine small to flash. "Willow is quite the beauty, Sam. Powdery white with a lion-like mane and piercing ocean blue-green eyes. Amazing" my dad said with a glint of pride in his eye. I excused myself to go upstairs to find some clothing. When I returned, dressed in an old form fitting t-shirt, sweats and sneakers, there were two other buys sitting in the living room. "Willow, please meet my fellow pack mates--Quil and Embry " my Uncle Sam introduced. "Hey Willow! Cool name! I am Quil" Quil, the taller one extended his hand and shuck enthusiastically. "And I am Embry, the handsome one." "Nice to meet both of you." "Willow, Embry and Quil are a part of the Quileutes pack that protects Forks, Washington. They are going to help us hunt this new threat to the area" my Uncle explained. "Well, Uncle Sam, when you say hunt, do you mean kill? Ever since Mom first shared what I thought were just stories, I have read a lot and if this vampire is attacking live-stock maybe it isn't dangerous?" I questioned. "Someone has been doing their homework" Quil snickered with Embry. I licked my tongue at them, some how instantly feeling like they were the brothers I never had. "That is a good observation, Willow. Since we are not certain of this creatures intentions, we must be ready for anything. Our first approach will be to talk. Keep in mind, vamps are dangerous and they are not our friends" Uncle Sam said so seriously, it sent chills up my arms and back. "When we arrived last night, we immediately patrolled the area near the animal killings and we smelled a strong presence near this abandoned house on Cattaraugus Creek." "I know that place well. When are we going?" I squealed. "So the newbie is ready for a run" Embry laughed, slapping palms with Quil "No! Absolutely not!" my mom bellowed "Mom. This is a part of my heritage. How can you deny me? Last night in wolf form, I didn't know what was happening to me, but I felt free and like myself. Running through the woods, leaping, hunting and finding my way home felt natural. Please at least let me run with them." "Spoken like a true wolf" Uncle Sam said while rubbing my head. My dad and mom looked at me helplessly and eventually nodded their apprehensive approval. ******************************************************** Before we went to stake out the vampire, Sam and the guys took me to the woods to teach me how to transform at will. "It is like exploding from the inside out. You just focus on being your true self and suddenly you just become" Sam explained. I watched Quil and Embry strip down to skin and I tried not to stare blatantly at their chiseled, sinewy bodies. While I acknowledged being gay, I never acted upon it--nothing more then internet exploration. I thought guys at school were attractive, but I never wanted to make anyone feel uncomfortable, so I kept myself in check. Having these two close enough to touch was a bit overwhelming. "Well, don't just stand there. Take your clothes off. Wolves don't wear t-shirts" Embry joked. I slowly stripped and neatly folded my clothes and placed them in a a plastic bag that my mom game me. I hung it from the branch of an old oak tree. I focused on thinking of them as brothers to help my errection subside. When it was safe, I turned around and I caught Embry and Quil staring at me. "Dudes. Do I have a funny birth mark on me or something?" I asked jokingly. "No. Just a fantastic ASS!!!" Quil said seriously. I burst into a fit of a laughter, nearly suffocating because I couldn't catch my breath. The guys started laughing as well which help ease some of the tension I was personally feeling. We were interrupted by the growling sound of a very large animal. I turned around to see a menacing wolf as big as the largest bear and black as the midnight sky. "Sam want's to know if you accept his invitation into the pack?" Quil asks. "Ahhh, how do you know what a 10 foot tall wolf is saying and What do I have to do?" "You just have to accept and then you will be connected to us. It is important when we work together so that we can watch each others backs. The down part is that we are completely mentally connected, so the pack is always in your business" Embry offered. "Well, I accept...for now" I said skeptically "The wolf is always waiting right under the surface of your skin. Just let your mind feel it; let it consume you and turning will be a piece of cake" Quil said before his face contorted and like play dough, his body morphed and chocolate brown fur covered his skin. "Whatever Quil, don't be so poetic. Willow, for me, changing is like warm milk in my belly that spreads all over me until it is me" Embry shared. I watched him transform quickly into a tall, slender grey wolf. "Now you try it" Sam's voice sounded in my head. I closed my eyes and remembered the freedom of running through the woods. The smell of wet moss, leaping over the creek, it all came rushing back to me. The feeling bubbled inside of me and I rushed towards it as fast as I could, feeling my body being pulled with the tow. Then there was a brief moment of silence. "Wow. My nephew is an impressive wolf. Beautiful" Uncle Sam said in slight aw. Embry and Quil howled like the joksters they are. "You look great, Willow. You are all white with a lion-like mane. Your fur looks like you've been to a groomer" Quil offered. Embry sniffed curiously near my tail. Before I could step away, His nose was under me and the sniffing tickled my rear. "What are you doing?" I said with the sudden urge to clean myself. "I don't know how to tell you this Willow, but you transformed into a female wolf" Embry said, still sniffing around my tail until I flicked dirt at him with my hind legs. We all turned to stare at Sam with curious eyes. "Oh my goodness, Sam! Is this a common occurrence?" I asked "I am not sure. My grandfather once spoke of a legend where a two-souled shifter would some how bridge the gap between the two races and birth a new generation of mystics. He was a pacifists and believed that vampires and shifters can live in peace" Sam said while staring at me in deep comteplation. "Bridge the gap? I find out that I am a shifter and now I am going to be some kind of vampire whisperer that births a new race? This is the most fun that I have ever had!!" I barked, rearing up on my hind legs. Embry, Quil and I begin wrestling and playing like pups in the grass. I kept kicking at Embry because he was obsessed at smelling my tail. "Sorry, Willow. Leah is the only other girl in the pack and she doesn't smell as friendly as you" Embry said apologetically. "Ok. Guys!!" Sam growled at us. "We have to focus. Sorry Willow that I don't have time to explain more. We have to track this thing and see what it wants so that we can return to La Push and ask the elders about you. Lets head toward the old home and see if we can pick up a scent." Sam directed. Sam darted off into the forest and we quickly followed. Before we could enjoy the rush of wind, we were already near the house. Sam came to a slow crawl and prowled within a few hundred feet from the abandoned mansion. "I can smell that this is where it stays, but I can tell that it is not here. It was here recently and the trail is leading to the West. Sam lead the small pack of us toward my grandfather's farm. My grandfather had a sizable farm that was best known for cage-free, organic chicken and antibiotic free beef. "I have the trail. The vamp has been through hear within the last hour" Sam projected in my head. We were on the outskirts of my grandfather's farm and nearby I could smell fear. The animals were agitated and in flight mode. As we quickly approached, I could smell the fresh spill of blood and less then 200 feet away in the clearing I could see a slight figure crouched over a cow that laid lifeless. We slowed to a still, not wanting to scare the vamp. "There it is. It is feeding on a cow" Embry pointed out. "We have to be careful. We don't know what this things intentions are." "How are we going to communicate with it if we are in wolf form?" I asked. "Good question, Willow " Sam said. "I will morph into human form to talk, but you three stay as a wolf just in case it tries to attack. Sam quickly changed back into his other self and began talking in a regular voice as if he were speaking to one of us. "We don't mean you any harm, but this land belongs to the Seneca Tribe. Why are you feeding on their live stock." The vampire must have heard him because it stopped feeding and looked in our direction. It slowly began to walk toward us, with hands in the air. As it slowly approached, i could make out in the distance that it was female. Embry and Quills hackles rose and they snarled fiercely, freezing the vampire in her tracks. Sam let his hand rise as to keep them calm. We were less then 100 feet away and the vampire looked like a beautiful young woman of 21. Wild curly blond hair in a flowing dress that feathered in the breeze. "I am not hear to hurt anyone. I have been feeding on animals since I was changed. Twenty years ago. The deer population in these parts has greatly diminished, so I have been feeding out of desperation" She said sniffing at the air like an animal, searching for something. From the thoughts running through Sam, Quil and Embry's head, I could tell she was telling the truth. Her eyes were golden which was a sign of a vampire that feed on animals since those that feed on humans had crimson-red eyes. "You are a vampire. You can hunt where every you wish. You can hunt as far as Canada. Just not here." "I have never ventured that far alone before. My maker has kept me pretty secluded since he changed me. I have lived the past 20 years at his whim." "Where is you maker" "I heard he was dead. Before fleeing, his friend mentioned he was killed by vampires in the West. Good riddance! He slaughtered my family and took me because he said I was to beautiful to kill. He followed my family and I while we were on vacation in Florida all the way back to these parts." "What was your maker's name?" "James" "From the images in Quil and Embry's mind, I already knew that James was a dangerous tracker that thrived on tracking humans he found interesting. I also knew that he was killed by vampires that lived near La Push because he hunted a human under their protection" she offered "You can't feed on these animals, they belong to someone. You can hunt in the wild." Sam suggested. "I am sorry. This is all still very new to me. When I was new it took everything in my being not to eat humans. I nearly drained every deer within 100 mile radius of this place trying to quench my thirst. Also, I haven't seen any other mystical creatures, vampires or others such as yourself since. What is that?" She asked pointing to me. "He is a shape shifter like us" "No. She is more...different. Powerful. She smells amazing." The vamp seem to shimmer into the breeze. First she was there and next she was not. Where did she go? She couldn't have run that fast, we would be able to see her with our eyes. I can still smell here. She is near. I can hear the shift in the air. It must be a vamp power. In the open field where there was nothing to shield her form sight, the vampire was out of sight Sam transformed back into wolf form. We have stay still and use our senses. I've never come up against anything like this and we are not certain of what's going on. "Now I see. You change into wolves. How interesting. I've never encountered such creatures" She spoke. It was like she spoke in surround sound. Constantly moving so we couldn't track her. The white one smells special and while I do not feed on humans, I never said anything about wolves. "Back to back" Commanded. We backed against each other so we could protected ourselves. "Guys, she isn't invisible" I said feeling both exhilarated and scared. "There is something moving around us. Can't you see distortion in the air. I think she is camouflaged. There by the tree!" I directed There by the a huge flowering willow, we could just barely make out the silohette of of something that blended in the background and shifted ever so slightly. "Protect Willow guys" Sam urged. We were focused on the corporeal outline that we were certain was the vampire. We didn't dare blink out of fear we would lose her. "She smells so good. I must taste" we could hear the vamp say in the distance. Moving at lighting speed, she stayed camouflaged and evasive. "Sam, we can't just wait here for her to attack, we have to try something" Embry said nervously "She can't hear us and doesn't know we can detect her presence, so let that be our element of surprise" I suggested. Suddenly the female vampire appeared less then a couple 100 feet and she seemed to be in a trance of sorts. "What are you? Why am I compelled to bite the white one?" "Willow, stay put. ATTACK!" Sam gave the signal. Sam, Quill and Embry leaped into action and covered the distance in mere seconds before she faded into the back ground and ran away. They desperately pursued the entranced vamp as she eluded them with her power to blend into the background. The more I focused the more I could see flicking images of her and her dress, transparent and stalking...me! I had her in my focus as she dodged Quill who almost had her in his jaws. I spontaneously leaped toward her as she frantically tried to escape the other wolves who were closing in on her smell and the sound. In an instant. I had her pinned under my huge paws as she shimmered into vision. "I've got her!!!" my mind echoed to the others who already knew my actions and were bounding toward me. I happily panted in their direction, so proud of myself for living out the tales that decorated my childhood. I was so in awe of the moment that I barely felt the sink of fangs into my leg as the cold one thrashed from my grasp and tasted my flesh. "Amazing. You taste and smell amazing!! What are you!!!" She yelled out in an eerie soprano that sound of a screeching cat. I was knocked out of the way as Sam, Quill and Embry ravaged her, literally tearing her limb from limb. I stared in complete horror at the scene and at my left leg that sported a red blotch where she sank her teeth. The pack of three ferociously and diligently tore the pieces into pieces then scrambled around retrieving twigs and stray pieces of wood to add to the pile of bloody pulp. Sam quickly morphed into himself and grabbed shiny jagged edged rocks from the dried grass and begin rubbing them ferociously over the pile of twigs and bone. A few sparks flew and the heap ignited into crackling flame. Still unchanged, Quil, Embry and I watched the bonfire of flesh and twigs cook until there was nothing left but ash. The towering black wolf reappeared and Sam immediately addressed me. "Willow! What were you thinking?! You could have been killed. You aren't experienced enough to take down a vamp. Don't ever do that again!" Sam growled. I rolled to my back, exposing my belly in submission because he was my alpha. Embry taking my compromised position as an opportunity to sniffy an nozzle my tail area. "Let's get back to the clearing where we left our clothing and head back to your house. Your parent's and the Seneca council will be happy to hear we took care of the problem" Sam urged us. Quil and Embry took off in the direction of my home, followed by Sam. My leg where I was bitten begin to tingle, so I pushed past the dull pain and pursued my new pack. In about twenty minutes we reached the area where I left the plastic bag with my clothes along with their clothes folded on a tree stump. We all quickly morphed back into human form and quickly got dressed. "Willow, you were a little slow back there. Are you tired from your first vamp fight" Quil asked. "Sort off. Also, that creepy vampire bit me on the leg" Sam, Quil and Embry looked at me in horror. "Willow! Why didn't you say something?!! A vamps venom is deadly to a shifter. It kills us!" Quil said frantically. Same inspected my left leg where I was bitten to find teeth indentations, bruising and dried blood. "How do you feel?!!" Sam asked. "Besides a slight tingling sensation, I don't feel anything. I did hurt, but the pain has disappeared" I said, feeling just a bit light headed. "How long ago did you get bitten?" Embry asked. "Maybe about 45 minutes ago" I guesstimated. "Well, you aren't dead, so that is a good sign. Venom runs through vamps the way blood runs through us. That is the way they change humans like the snakes they are. It is fatal to our kind and if you were infected by it, you would be dead already" Sam said. "The only weird thing I feel is a tingling feeling, like mint, spreading up from my leg and over my body. It actually tickles" was the last thing I said before losing conscientiousness.