#Council meeting | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

braveclementine · 3 months

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The Council Meeting

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Twilight characters or locations. I do own Davina Mikelson and Marcel. I also own the backstory for my OC. I do not condone any copying of this.

Davina P.O.V.

I spent much of the next few days, getting used to being back in Carlisle's house again. I hadn't wanted to move back in, not till we were married. The last time I had moved in, they had left a few months afterward. It was just a bad sense of deja vu.

I also spent quite a bit of time on the Rez. Especially with the council meeting coming up, I was helping Emily buy and plan the meal for the night. Mostly hotdogs and burgers. I would also make chili. We were thinking ten or fifteen bags of potato chips- family sized- might be enough. And maybe four pizzas. No, six.

Emily was going to call for pizzas. I told her I would make homemade ones. It would be faster and cheaper. Oh! And Chicken wings! Spicy ones at that.

But those, I called from Larosa's because those were the best kind.

On the day of the council meeting, Emily and I spent the majority of time cooking at our separate houses. Carlisle was my guard throughout the day, watching me and making idle conversation while I cooked.

"Everything is going to be alright." I responded. Carlisle- well really Lord- had spent a lot of time in the house, running circles in my bedroom like an idiot- though I never thought about him like that of course- trying to get the scent out of my room.

"So Alice has the wedding set for next Wednesday." Carlisle said softly. "A complete week from now."

"I've never been more nervous." I said, a lump in my throat.

"Why?" Carlisle questioned.

"It feels like a bad time to have a wedding." I admitted, "What with the possibility of vampires in Seattle, this rouge vampire, and also Victoria. I feel like Alice is rushing this wedding. But at the same time, I can't wait to be married to you."

Carlisle smiled softly, running his finger over the edge of one of the wine glasses I had set out. I didn't drink alcohol, but I used them as flower holders, soil in the bottom, small seeds placed in them. Small flowers to grow inside of them.

Like snow globes with tops.

"Will you take my last name?" He asked.

"Most definitely." I said with a small smile. "Davina Cullen. It has a nice sound to it."

"Marcel told Alice he'd come." Carlisle said.

"Yeah, I heard." I said. "I still haven't told the werewolves though. I probably should've done that a long time ago. What about the Denali clan?"

"Tanya, Kate, Carmen, and Eleazor will be coming. Irina will not." Carlisle said. "They have a grudge against the werewolves for killing Laurent. Apparently he was Irina's mate."

I stared at him incredulously, "Do they know that the reason Laurent is dead is because he was trying to kill me?"

Carlisle's eyes flickered and then he said, "It's been mentioned."

I scoffed, turning back to the fourth pizza. I had given two to Emily so that she could cook them there. My oven really only had room for two pizzas at a time.

The Chili sat in the crockpot, staying warm. I had a box that was filled with chip bags on the kitchen island. The ice that would go into the cooler and the drinks were in the freezer and fridge.

The pizzas were the last thing and I then ordered the wings so that everything would be done at the same time.

"We'll have to put the honeymoon off for a little while." Carlisle added. "Till Victoria is finished. I can't leave them here to defend themselves."

"I know." I said softly. "You'll have to let me know where we're going ahead of time though, so I can settle it with the army."

Carlisle snorted. "That's a stupid rule."

I smiled a little, closing the oven door, going and sitting next to Carlisle, "Yeah. Believe me. It's not my favorite rule either."

An hour later, Carlisle helped me load everything into the SUV and then he kissed me good-bye. "Be home safe." He murmured, kissing me repeatedly all over.

I giggled, reaching up to capture his lips before sliding into the driver's seat and heading to La Push.

Once I was there, Emily and I set all the food out around the campsite that we would be using on a long plastic table.

The werewolves and elders showed up first but Bella and Jacob came along not long after. Bella seemed nervous until Embry shouted, "Hey, vampire girl!"

Quil jumped to his feet to kiss her cheek and Emily hugged Bella as her and Jacob settled themselves down near Sam and her.

"Hungry Bella?" I asked with a teasing smile. "Us girls have to get the food first before the wolves dig into it."

I wasn't super hungry, just grabbing one of the bags of chips and some rootbeers, situating myself between Sam and Seth.

"You know, you made all that wonderful food." Sam said with a sigh, "And you go for the store bought junk food. You're going to get fat shorty."

"I have excellent metabolism, thank you very much ugly." I said, ripping open the Takis and popped on in my mouth. "Want one Seth?"

"Umm, they smell spicy."

"They're hot." I said.

Seth and I chatted easily, Leah listening in, but not talking. I knew she was probably grateful to be on this side of the fire, so that Sam and Emily were to her side, not in front of her where she could see them. Sam was mostly talking to the elders or to Emily, although he occasionally made a side comment to me, teasing me.

I was very quick in my comebacks.

I grew quiet as the sun started to go down, pulling out my laptop so that I could pull up Wattpad. I really wanted to get the legends written down and with my 100+ WPM and 97% accuracy rate, I would manage to get it down. Then I'd publish the 'histories' as 'myths'. Should be interesting.

"Are you gonna eat that hot dog?" I heard Paul ask. I looked up because most of the food was eaten by now and I wondered who he was talking to- which was Jacob.

Jacob had a spitted hot dog on the end of a coat hanger and he stared at the hot dog mournfully. "I guess. I'm so full I'm about to puke, but I think I can force it down. I won't enjoy it at all, though." He sighed sadly, full of crap, and I giggled.

"Paul, calm down." I warned him as he balled his fists up, glowering at Jacob.

"Sheesh." Jacob laughed, "Kidding, Paul. Here." And Jacob flipped the hot dog over to him. Paul caught it neatly and said, "Thanks, man."

I rolled my eyes.

Jacob and Bella muttered amongst themselves. Seth and I got up so let Sam move in with the council leaders and I situated myself between Embry and Seth. I leaned against Embry's shoulder. We had gradually moved from him calling me 'mom' to 'sister' and we were quite relaxed in each others' presence.

Billy cleared his throat and started to speak. I got out my laptop, making sure the light was dim, and poised my fingers over the keys.

"The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning. And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting- that came later. First, we were spirit warriors."

I would have to come up with an entire backstory to everything to base these 'histories' off of. Maybe I'd simply just write about everything that had happened since I'd touched down in Forks. I'd have to change my character name though. Maybe to Grace.

"In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbor and became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe was small, and the harbor was rich in fish. There were others who covered our land, and we were too small to hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to our ships to escape them. Kaheleha was not the first spirit warrior, but we do not remember the stories that came before his. We do not remember who was the first to discover this power, or how it had been used before this crisis. Kaheleha was the first great Spirit Chief in our history. In this emergency, Kaheleha used the magic to defend our land."

Spirit Chief. Spirit warriors. Kind've sounded like Spirit Animals. Now that was a great book series. I'd liked the mobile game too, but they got rid of it recently and I was pissed.

"He and all his warriors left the ship- not their bodies, but their spirits. Their women watched over the bodies and the waves, and the men took their spirits back to the harbor. They could not physically touch the enemy tribe, but they had other ways. The stories tell us that they could blow fierce winds into their enemy's camps; they could make a great screaming in the wind that terrified their foes. The stories also tell us that the animals could see the spirit warriors and understand them; the animals would do their bidding."

Could animals see ghosts? Or just spirits? Were they the same thing?

"Kaheleha took the spirit army and wreaked havoc on the intruders. This invading tribe had pakcs of big, thick-furred dogs that they used to pull their sleds in the frozen north. The spirit warriors turned the dogs against their masters and then brought a mighty infestation of bats up from the cliff caverns. They used the screaming wind to aid the dogs in confusing the men. The dogs and bats won. The survivors scattered, calling our harbor a cursed place. The dogs ran wild when the spirit warriors released them. The Quileutes returned to their bodies and their wives, victorious."

I really hated the word 'victorious'. It wounded like 'victory' and also 'Victoria'. There was no such thing as 'victory' in my life.

"The other nearby tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs, made treaties with the Quileutes. They wanted nothing to do with our magic. We lived in peace with them. When an enemy came against us, the spirit warriors could drive them off. Generations passed. then came the last great Spirit Chief, Taha Aki. He was known for this wisdom, and for being a man of peace. The people lived well and content in his care."

Sounded like Carlisle.

"But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content."

There was a hiss that went around the fire, although Seth did not join in. How did you spell Utlapa? Oot-la-pa? Ut? Not entirely sure.

"Utlapa was one of the Chief Taha Aki's strongest spirt warriors- a powerful man, but a grasping man, too. He thought the people should use their magic to expand their lands, to enslave the Hohs and the Makahs and build an empire."

I could just call him 'Voldemort'.

"now, when the warriors were their spirit selves, they knew each other's thoughts. Taha Aki saw what Utlapa dreamed, and was angry with Utlapa. Utlapa was commanded to leave the people, and never use his spirit self again. Utlapa was a strong man, but the chief's warriors outnumbered him. He had no choice but to leave. The furious outcast hid in the forest nearby, waiting for a chance to get revenge against the chief."

"Even in times of peace, the Spirit Chief was vigilant in protecting his people. Often, he would go to a scared secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body behind and sweep down through the forests and along the coast, making sure no threat approached. One day when Taha Aki left to perform this duty, Utlapa followed. At first, Utlapa simply planned to kill the chief, but this plan had its drawbacks. Surely the spirit warriors would seek to destroy him, and they could follow faster than he could escape. As he hid in the rocks and watched the chief prepare to leave his body, another plan occurred to him."

"Taha Aki left his body in the secret place and flew with the winds to keep watch over his people. Utlapa waited until he was sure the chief had traveled some distance with his spirit self. Taha Aki knew it the instant that Utlapa had joined him in the spirt world, and he also knew Utlapa's murderous plan. He raced back to his secret place, but even the winds weren't fast enough to save him. When he returned, his body was already gone. Utlapa's body lay abandoned, but Utlapa had not left Taha Aki with an escape- he had cut his own body's throat with Taha Aki's hands."

I shivered. I would never, ever, want to be in someone else's' body. That seemed absolutely terrifying. I cracked my knuckles to keep them warm so they didn't freeze up as I continued to type.

"Taha Aki followed his body down the mountain. He screamed at Utlapa, but Utlapa ignored him as if he were mere wind."

Wasn't he?

"Taha Aki watched with despair as Utlapa took his place as chief of the Quileutes. For a few weeks, Utlapa did nothing but make sure that everyone believed he was Taha Aki. Then the changes began- Utlapa's first edict was to forbid any warrior to enter the spirit world. He claimed that he'd had a vision of danger, but really he was afraid. He knew that Taha Aki would be waiting for the chance to tell his story. Utlapa was also afraid to enter the spirit world himself, knowing Taha Aki would quickly claim his body. So his dreams of conquest with a spirit warrior army were impossible, and he sought to content himself with ruling over the tribe. He became a burden- seeking privileges that Taha Aki had never requested, refusing to work alongside his warriors, taking a young second wife and then a third, though Taha Aki's wife lived on- something unheard of in the tribe. Taha Aki watched in helpless fury."

That was absolutely revolting. Watching your body be with other women that weren't your wife.

"Eventually, Taha Aki tried to kill his body to save the tribe from Utlapa's excesses. He brought a fierce wolf down from the mountains, but Utlapa hid behind his warriors. When the wolf killed a young man who was protecting the false chief, Taha Aki felt horrible grief. He ordered the wolf away."

My hands shook a little with that and I closed my eyes briefly. Embry suddenly squeezed my shoulder and I opened my eyes, looking at him with silent thanks.

"All the stories tell us that it was no easy thing to be a spirit warrior. It was more frightening than exhilarating to be freed from one's body. This is why they only used their magic in times of need. The chief solitary journeys to keep watch were a burden and a sacrifice. Being bodiless was disorienting, uncomfortable, and horrifying. Taha Aki had been away from his body for so long at this point that he was in agony. He felt he was doomed- never to cross over to the final land where his ancestors waited, stuck in this torturous nothingness forever."

So, if there was a wolf afterlife thing. . . would I end up there? I didn't know and that made me feel weird inside.

"The great wolf followed taha Aki's spirit as he twisted and writhed in agony through the woods. The wolf was very large for its kind, and beautiful. Taha Aki was suddenly jealous of the dumb animal. At least it had a body. At least it had a life. Even life as an animal would be better than this horrible empty consciousness. And then Taha Aki had the idea that change us all. He asked the great wolf to make room for him, to share. The wolf complied. Taha Aki entered the wolf's body with relief and gratitude. It was not his human body, but it was better than the void of the spirit world."

So. . . say a mountain lion had followed him instead? Would he have shared the mountain lions body? What of an Eagle? Did this mean there weren't really werewolves at all? Instead. . . maybe just shape-shifters?

"As one, the man and the wolf returned to the village on the harbor. The people ran in fear, shouting for the warriors to come. The warriors ran to meet the wolf with their spears. Utlapa, of course, stayed safely hidden. Taha Aki did not attack his warriors. He retreated slowly from them, speaking with his eyes and trying to yelp the songs of his people. The warriors began to realize that the wolf was no ordinary animal, that there was a spirit influencing it. One older warrior, a man named Yut, decided to disobey the false Chief's order and try to communicate with the wolf."

"As soon as Yut crossed to the spirit world, Taha Aki left the wolf- the animal waited tamely for his return- to speak with him. Yut gathered the truth in an instant, and welcomed his true chief home. At this time, Utlapa came to see if the wolf had been defeated. When he saw Yut lying lifeless on the ground, surrounded by protective warriors, he realized what was happening. He drew his knife and raced forward to kill Yut before he could return to his body."

I closed my eyes, pausing for a moment, even as Billy continued with the story, writing only chicken notes as this part was easy to imagine. I hated death. I hated writing about death. I knew death came with old stories like this, but it didn't make the pain any less easy.

". . . Taha Aki's anger was the anger of a man. The love he had for his people and the hatred he had for their oppressor were too vast for the wolf's body, too human. The wolf shuddered, and- before the eyes of the shocked warriors and Utlapa- transformed into a man. The new man did not look like Taha Aki's body. He was far more glorious. He was the flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's spirit. The warriors recognized him at once, though, for they had flown with Taha Aki's spirit."

I dozed out as Billy talked about Utlapa's death. The giving back of the wives, but keeping the law of no spirit traveling in place.

"From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. The wolves were all different, because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside."

"So that's why Sam is all black. Black heart, black fur." Quil muttered under his breath and it took me a moment to realize I had typed that sentence out. I giggled quietly while deleting it.

"And your chocolate fur reflects what? How sweet you are?" Sam muttered back. I grinned, winking at him.

"I'd be ultra violet." I muttered in Seth's year. "Purple wolf."

Seth snickered.

Billy Black ended the story, drinking water as he let Quil Ateara, Quils grandfather, take over the story.

Quil's grandfathers voice was nowhere near as majestic as Billy's was, but there was a fierce urgency in his voice as he spoke, making you want to listen. The quavering in his voice also gave it the sound of something, like someone was speaking a script in a movie, providing the backstory for it. . .

"Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the north, with the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had disappeared, and they blamed it on the neighboring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still read each other's thoughts while in their wolf forms, just like their ancestors had while in their spirit forms. They knew that none of their number was to blame. Taha Aki tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much fear."

'Fear in the name only increases fear in the thing itself.' I thought randomly. Great, thank you Dumbledore, that was helpful.

"Taha Aki did not want to have a war on his hands. He was no longer a warrior to lead his people. He charged his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit before hostilities began."

'Wii Wii' I thought in a French accent.

Fuck, I was probably the only person in the entire world that could think really stupid thoughts when hearing these stories. And these were my descendants too! There was something tragically wrong with me.

"Taha Wi led the five other wolves in his pack on a search through the mountains, looking for any evidence of the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before- a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, rearranging the laptop to sit lower on my legs as I typed.

"They did not know what creature would leave such a scent, but they followed it. They found faint traces of human scent, and human blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for. The journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent half the pack, the younger ones, back to the harbor to report to Taha Aki. Taha Wi and his two brothers did not return."

I flinched. Embry placed his hand on my shoulder again.

"The younger brothers searched for their elders, but found only silence. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He wished to avenge his sons' death, but he was old. He went to the Makah chief in his mourning clothes and told him everything that had happened. The Makah chief believed his grief, and tensions ended between the tribes. A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink all through the Makah village. The wolves went on the hunt again."

I was not thinking of wolves, but of my brother at Fort Knox.

"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taha Aki's third wife, and the youngest in the pack. He brought something with him that had never been seen in all the days of the Quileutes- a strange, cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces. All who were of Taha Aki's blood, even those who had never been wolves, could smell the piercing smell of the dead creature. This was the enemy of the Makahs."

I shouldn't have come survived the bombs. Why hadn't I dragged my brother with me when I went to hide in the game? Why didn't I hide with my brother instead of Azim?

"Yaha uta described what had happened: he and his brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man but was hard as a granite rock, with the two Makah daughters. One girl was already dead, white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creature's arms, his mouth at her throat. She may have been alive when they came upon the hideous scene, but the creature quickly snapped her neck and tossed her lifeless body to the ground when they approached. His white lips were covered in her blood and his eyes glowed red."

People had been thrown at the base, high into the air when the bombs had gone off. Had they landed on their feet, some of them might've survived. But they were flung upside down, landing on their necks which had broken. Some of them had still been able to scream- I could still hear them in my nightmares.

I was reeling in my nightmares, not paying attention to the story anymore but no one noticed. They were all locked in on the story. It was strange that a story of werewolves and vampires was making me relive the entire battle again.

". . . elders set fire to the remains. A great cloud of choking, vile smoke polluted the air. When there was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many small bags and spread them far and wide- some in the ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."

When the older man paused, looking at Billy, Billy produced a small bag, black with age, around his neck. I heard people gasp but I was not one of them. I was horrified. Yes, it was good that even after all these years, the enemy could not put itself together. . . but say the Volturi burned my family in the future. Carlisle. . . he would never be able to be put back together.

I felt sick with worry. I had to protect Carlisle at all costs. No matter what. I could not let anyone lay a hand on him.

"They call it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf protector left, young Yaha Uta. They did not have long to wait. The creature had a mate, another blood drinker, who came to the Quileutes seeking revenge. The stories say that the Cold Woman was the most beautiful thing human eyes had ever seen. She looked like the goddess of the dawn when she entered the village that morning; the sun was shining for once, and it glittered off her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black in her white face. Some fell to their knees to worship her."

I could imagine her. She looked like Rosalie.

"She asked something in a high, piercing voice, in a language no one had ever heard. The people were dumbfounded not knowing how to answer her. There was none of Taha Aki's blood among the witnesses but one small boy. He clung to his mother and screamed that the smell was hurting his nose. One of the elders, on his way to council, heard the boy and realized what had come among them. He yelled for the people to run. She killed him first."

"There were twenty witnesses to the Cold Woman's approach. Two survived, only because she grew distracted by the blood, and paused to sate her thirst. They ran to Taha Aki, who sat in the counsel with the other elders, his sons, and his third wife. Yaha Uta transformed into his spirt wolf as soon as he heard the news. He went to destroy the blood drinker alone. Taha Aki, his third wife, his sons, and his elders followed behind him."

Yes, what a great idea. 'Hey, let's go watch our only wolf son go and destroy a cold one that he needed two of his other brothers to kill the first time! I'll bring popcorn!'

"At first they could not find the creature, only the evidence of her attack. Bodies lay broken, a few drained of blood, strewn across the road where she'd appeared. Then they heard the screams and hurried to the harbor. A handful of the Quileutes had run to the ships for refuge. She swam after them like a shark, and broke the bow of their boat with her incredible strength. When the ship sank, she caught those trying to swim away and broke them, too."

I wondered how Sam had gotten me out of the water when Victoria had jumped in after throwing me in. He hadn't been in there as a wolf. Maybe the others had jumped too and Victoria had fled, not knowing how the wolves would be in the water.

I had never asked Sam.

"She saw the great wolf on the shore, and she forgot the fleeing swimmers. She swam so fast she was a blur and came, dripping and glorious, to stand before Yaha Uta. She pointed at him with one white finger and asked another incomprehensible question. Yaha Uta waited. It was a close fight. She was not the warrior her mate had been. But Yaha Uta was alone- there was no one to distract her fury from him. When Yaha Uta lost, Taha Aki screamed in defiance. He limped forward and shifted into an ancient, white-muzzled wolf. The wolf was old, but this was Taha Aki the Spirit Man, and his rage made him strong. The fight began again. Taha Aki's wife had just seen her son die before her. Now her hsuband fought, and she had no hope that he could win. She'd heard every word the witnesses to the slaughter had told the council. She'd heard the story of Yaha Uta's first victory, and knew that his brother's diversion had saved him."

'Oh wonderful. This was not a good story to tell Bella.' I thought and shot her a look.

"The third wife grabbed a knife from the belt of one of the sons who stood beside her. They were all young sons, not yet men, and she knew they would die when their father failed."

Maybe they shouldn't be telling me this story either. Wouldn't I give my life to save any of my wolf sons? Any of my vampire children? I thought it over seriously. I had thrown myself on Angel when the bombs went off. Though I had never harmed myself, I'm sure I could take a knife to my skin to protect my children, wolf or vampire.

"The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the dagger raised high. The Cold Woman smiled, barely distracted from her fight with the old wolf. She had no fear of the weak human woman or the knife that would not even scratch her skin, and she was about to deliver the death blow to Taha Aki."

Now, the Cold Woman to me was no longer Rosalie, but Jane.

"And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. She fell to her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart."

Why the heart? Any release of blood would've done. She could've dragged it along her arm. But maybe she thought if she died, she would not feel the pain of the vampire's teeth.

"Blood spurted through the third wife's fingers and splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker could not resist the lure of the fresh blood leaving the third wife's body. Instinctively, she turned to the dying woman, for one second entirely consumed by thirst. Taha Aki's teeth closed around her neck. That was not the end of the fight, but Taha Aski was not alone now. Watching their mother die, two young sons felt such rage that they sprang forth as their spirit wolves, though they were not yet men. With their father, they finished the creature."

Maybe Leah was wrong. Maybe there was nothing wrong with her. Maybe there was something wrong with me. Her father died, she became a werewolf. I killed 2,000 people with two rounds of bombs and I didn't- though I should've. Why hadn't I phased yet?

"Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed back to a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch her, and then he went into the forest and never returned. Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time on. Taha Aki's sons guarded the tribe until their sons were old enough to take their places. There were never more than three wolves at a time. It was enough. Occasionally a blood drinker would come through these lands, but they were taken by surprise, not expecting the wolves. Sometimes a wolf would die, but never were they decimated again like the first time. They'd learned how to fight the cold ones, and they passed the knowledge on, wolf mind to wolf mind, spirit to spirit, father to son."

Father to son.

Me or Leah. Which one of us was wrong?

"Time passed, and the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small. A bigger coven came, and your own great-grandfathers prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave some proof to his claim that they were not the same as other blood drinkers. The wolves were outnumbered; there was no need for the cold ones to offer a treaty when they could have won the fight. Ephraim accepted. They've stayed true to their side, though their presence does tend to draw in others."

I smiled a bit at Carlisle. 'He spoke to Ephraim like a man'. Yes, that was my love all right. My mate.

"And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the tribe has ever seen. Except, of course, in Taha Aki's time. And so the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."

'And daughter', I wanted to add for Leah's sake. 'And daughter.'

"Burden," Quil said, startling me, "I think it's cool."

Seth nodded beside me.

Slowly, the group became less still, Old Quil Aterea's eyes finally left me, and I drew away from the campsite quietly and without anyone's notice.

I walked along the beach, looking up at the bright stars. With no lights out here, you could see them more clearly.

Once I was in the forest, I squatted down, breaths heavy, trying not to cry.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I acting like this?

"KOL! KOL WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed, running through the base. 'Please let him be alive, please let him be alive. Let another bomb go off, let another bomb destroy me, just please let Kol be alive.'

I let out a shuddering breath as tears started to fall down my face.

'Father to son.'

Who was messed up? Leah or me?

Me. It was me. I should be a werewolf. I should be.

"Davina?" Sam's voice came quietly.

"Sorry." I murmured, my voice thick. "I. . . the story. . . I was just wondering what was wrong with me?"

"What?" Sam asked curiously, kneeling down next to me. "What are you talking about?"

"The sons who watched their mother die and became werewolves. And Leah became a werewolf after Harry died. My parents, my brother, 2,000 people. . . and I'm not." I let out a shuddering breath. "I'm screwed up. I should be a werewolf, I should've felt rage at Azim's betrayal. But I'm not a werewolf. Other emotions kick in before I can get to angry. It doesn't. . . there's something wrong with me!"

"There is nothing wrong with you." Sam said firmly. "Nothing at all. Females aren't supposed to be werewolves, it's unheard of. But there are always loopholes when it comes to magic."

I nodded but before I could answer, my phone rang. "H-hello?" I asked, wiping my nose and sniffling.

"Davina." Marcel's voice was thick with emotion.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately, jolting to my feet.

"It's your Uncle Josh." Marcel said.

"Umm what about Joshua?" I asked hesitantly and Sam's face grew hard.

"I don't know how to say this in a way to cushion the blow but. . . he's dead Davina. I'm sorry."

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izzystizzys · 3 months

Text

There is a scratch mark on the floor of the Council chambers that Mace has never noticed before. Not a deep one, mind, quite shallow. This matters because it’s making the white-hot pulse of agony stabbing through his eyeballs ebb momentarily. Then, he chances a glance upwards at the fidgeting Knight in front of them, and it returns in full force.

Huh, he’s never seen Oppo Rancisis’ face turn that colour before.

“Hmm”, Master Yoda hums, deep and scratchy. His expression is unreadable even to Mace beyond a baseline gremlinness, and the force with which he grips the edges of his seat is making his bones creak. Master of the Order you should become, they said. Follow the calling of the Force, you should. A fulfilling purpose, it will be. Mace is going to hunt the little goblin for sport when this is all over, and he’s going to laugh the whole time.

“Show us the livestream again, could you, Knight Parvo?” Yoda asks. Mace bursts a capillary, he’s pretty sure, and so does poor Knight Parvo, whose orange Mon Cala skin tips all the way into blood red with stress. “Most unusual, this is.”

“Absolutely not!”, Ki Adi intervenes before Mace has to, thank the Force for little mercies. Plo Koon’s tusks tremble slightly with either suppressed laughter or abject horror, maybe both, and Stass Allie has her head in her hands. “The holo stills should be enough”, Ki Adi proceeds to add, and Mace has to reconsider all feelings of grace he just felt towards his fellow Councillor.

He never wants to watch Yoda zoom in on someone’s abs again. Or Depa raise her eyebrows at the curve of thighs bent over the dripping front of a speeder.

“Speeder Wash For Our Troops”, his former padawan reads out loud from a still of what has to be hundreds of the things gathered in the public senate parking lot. “Fund Our Boys And Get A Wet Seeing-To!” The series of images features dozens of Coruscant Guard troopers in various stages of unkitted, gleaming and shining with soap suds and water. The fact that the whole thing is also massive shatterpoint after massive shatterpoint is, quite frankly, insulting.

“Well hello- oh dear”, Obi-Wan’s blue form crackles to life in his chair, followed by several sounds of choking that are definitely not him. Good, Mace thinks acidly. If he has to deal with this, then so does kriffing Skywalker. “I’m sorry, why am I looking at Commander Thorn using a washrag like a lasso on top of a speeder?”

“Oh, the Guard’s little fundraising project”, Bail Organa says, as he steps into the Council chambers. Normally, Mace likes the man well enough. Now, he just smiles and adds on, “I’ve already donated, in mine and Breha’s name. Remotely, of course.”

“The Guard’s fundraising speeder wash?”, Obi-Wan repeats, edges of his holo form flickering with what Mace suspects is Skywalker very unsubtly trying to edge in. Force, but the man really is horrible at any and all stealth, like kissing his secret wife in an open arena in front of his Master. “And they are fundraising for…?”

“GAR budget allocations have to come from somewhere”, Organa shrugs. “And with the tide of public opinion turning, they’ve been tending towards cuts. The Guard feels them more keenly than any other sector - they’ve been reduced from half to quarter rations, and medical supplies have not made more than a token appearance in the last draft. The Chancellor has cancelled three consecutive meetings on the matter, and thus it was agreed that a more hands-on approach was needed. Any surplus will go into the Army fund.”

“Surely it can’t be that dire”, Oppo protests, a slightly less concerning shade of purple now. Senator Organa shrugs again, jostling the smattering of cracks slowly building around his person in a way that makes Mace wince quietly. “It’s all publicly available data, Masters.”

It really can be that dire, as it turns out. And quarter rations is only scratching the surface of how dire, considering the Guard has apparently never had access to bacta in all their posting, and also includes requisitioning forms available to the Senate for reconditionings and decommissionings, two words Mace has only heard Ponds whispers amidst shuddering in the early days of the war before Shaak Ti went off and just about tore some throats out over it.

“Alright”, he concedes, rubbing at his temples. “Fair enough, we have failed to tackle a massive blind spot in the Guard’s well being. There is no Jedi assigned to Coruscant, and that’s an oversight on our behalf. But how in the everloving kriff did this get past the Chancellor and Commander Fox?!”

Who have both signed, black on white. Bail Organa smiles cryptically. “Well, if you scroll a bit past that one image, up to the industrial speeder in the back - Commander Fox is currently having credits stuffed into his codpiece in the back, I believe.”

“HE’S WHAT IN THE WHAT NOW”, Commander Cody screeches through the speaker of Obi-Wan’s holo image, and Mace has to summon every bit of Jedi-serenity he possesses in his body to keep from dropkicking a cackling Yoda through the chamber windows.

#fox forged palpatine’s signature is how it got past him #it’s not like anyone can admit to that considering the backlog of official reports he’s been forced to do it on #‘come for me and we’re both going down bitch’ fox says #triple dog dare #fox himself is in such a constant state of sleep deprivation delirium that a sexy speeder wash sounded fair enough #or not worse than anything else that happens on the daily on coruscant anyways #padmé’s handmaidens make it rain with whoops of joy and take a commemoration selfie with all the commanders #‘wait. where’s kit?’ obi wan asks halfway through the meeting ‘wasn’t he supposed to land on coruscant an hour ago?’#‘oh No’ says the council collectively #‘coruscant daily breaking news: residents are horrified by half-naked nautolan streaking through the city apparently making for thr senate’#‘wait that appears to be JEDI MASTER KIT FISTO-‘#it’s very good advertising it turns out #the vod who suggested it (nuisance) gets promoted against his will #the remaining clone commanders have to be restrained first from dogpiling civilians launching their credits at corries #‘BUT GENERAL THEY’RE OBJECTIFYING FOX’ wolffe cries to plo koon #then from murdering several senators aides and the chancellor when certain records surface #‘this is all public knowledge??’ fox asks very confused and still dripping water under six robes his ori’vode launched at him on sight #‘i don’t understand where this is coming from?’#cody is too busy making slitting throat motions at anyone who looks at his vod’ika too long to bother responding #palpatine chokes on a raisin in shock and dies #‘BREAKING BREAKING NEWS: CHANCELLOR EXPLODES IN A BLACK CLOUD AT SIGHT OF WASHBOARD ABS’#and thus the galaxy is foxed #i’m leaving that typo #commander fox #corrie guard deserves better #coruscant guard #jedi high council #mace windu #oh mace my beloved i am so sorry but it’s so funny putting you in Situations #sw tcw fic ideas

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