Red Moon ~ Chapter 7 ~ I Walk in the Forest when the Wolf isn't There

Chapter 7: I Walk In The Forest When The Wolf Isn’t There

After we stepped out of the house, I felt much better. Fresh air filled my lungs and my head got lighter as my thoughts and focus cleared of its fear-filled haze. I pushed the worry over the painting away, as much as I could at least.

It had gotten pretty dark fairly fast, but our parents agreed to let us go as long as Nessie had her cell with her. I looked around in awe. Trees, trees and more trees. Nothing like the rainforest though. These were a little scary, cold and uninviting, a complete opposite of the welcoming warmth of the Amazon Rainforest; that’s how they looked to me right now. Like anything could jump from behind them any moment now and attack. While I was completely distracted by my thoughts, Renesmee shouted, “The last who reaches the clearing is a turtle!” She giggled and started running as fast as she could. I quickly jerked from my indwelling and looked at her hair flying crazily in the wind as she picked up speed.

“Hey, what clearing? Wait!” I yelled as I took after her in hot pursuit, laughing uncontrollably.

“Run straight and you will see it!” she said still giggling; not very loud but I could hear her words clearly. And I saw the bronze mess on her head fading away.

And with that I pushed myself forward. I must be running much faster than usual, because I was already reaching her. My long curls were bouncing up and down like crazy as I ran faster and faster and faster. Gosh! How could this girl stand having these curls all the time? I was just five meters behind her, when I saw a reddish-brown flash on my left and I turned in its direction. The next thing I remember was two dark brown eyes and a hairy face with me then falling pretty roughly on the ground; two huge paws on my chest and Nessie giggling still when she should have been screaming. I turned to look who’s were the paws and –Ah! An enormous wolf was standing on top of me and was looking down at me!

I let out the loudest, “girliest” yet terrified shout I could, “Help!” Pinned to the ground, fear overcoming me, I looked up at the russet wolf.

I’m sure I would have passed out if I was standing, my heart was hammering in my chest and I was scared beyond as much as I could imagine. The wolf’s breath was slow and steady and made me calmer.

Perfect! This monster is about to bolt me up and I start calming!

It felt my panic though and stepped back. I stayed frozen there, tried to scream again, but no sound could come out. Finally, I heard footsteps and Renesmee appeared, holding her hand over her mouth to hide the laugh she was holding in. The wolf’s fur on its back raised and it let out a loud growl.

“Jake! Stop it! That’s not me, silly wolf!” she said in a calm but very imperative tone. 

“What are you doing? Can’t you tell the difference from our scent?! Idiot! ” she said as she slapped the wolf on its hind end! Yep, she hit the wolf! Was she crazy?!

The monster became a small fur ball and lowered its head, like a puppy who’s being scolded.

Jake? She knows this wolf? Is he her pet? I asked myself.

“I’m so sorry, Eshe. He meant no harm, really. He thought it was me.” But she gave him a glare and made the animal lowered its head again as she gently stroked his head and ran her fingers down his back through his fur.

I changed back to myself, still shocked at what I was watching; I had enough with changing appearances today. She offered her hand to help me get up and when I was back on my feet I started observing him.

He looked harmless now. Well, not exactly. He was still huge, but it felt definitely safer when his jaws are not just some centimeters above my throat breathing down my neck.  He was like a big puppy. Like Clifford, the big red dog. (Yeah, I love cartoons.) Then I noticed something else, something was tied on his right foot.

Was that a pair of shorts? And a t-shirt? What the heck is going on here?I thought to myself again. My mind was reeling at the possibilities.

“Jake go change and come back to introduce yourself like a normal person. A HUMAN PERSON!” Human? She sounded like his trainer and he was like her puppy. If I wasn’t still in shock I would have giggled. Then he turned and went behind some trees. Nessie turned to me and said: “I’m so sorry, Eshe. I didn’t think that Jake would be back so soon. I would have warned you both about each other.”

I looked at her with a look saying: ‘I have no idea what you are talking about!’

“Wait till Jacob comes back and then we will explain you everything.” she said with a smile and patted me on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort me and calm me down.

Ring! Ring! Renesmee pulled her cell from her jeans’ pocket and picked it up. “Hey, dad, we’re fine. Jake got home sooner than I had expected and appeared in the forest and kinda freaked Eshe out.”

There was a small pause.

“No, no, there is no need to come, we are fine.” She continued, rolling her eyes at the phone.

Another pause. “Yes I told you I’m sure. Okay, do whatever you want but don’t come here and pick a fight with Jacob. ’Cause I’m sure you will. Bye.” she said and quickly hung up the phone before her dad could say anything else.

I sunk deep into my thoughts…  All I could do was wait… But for the first time in my life this was a very hard thing to do. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind. Impossible theories about Jacob; each thought more impossible that the other.

The wolf would come back and start talking? Would he magically turn back to human?!  All this sounded stupid. And I had even stupider theories… I didn’t have time to realize how impossible they were because a guy appeared from the trees the wolf had disappeared into just two minutes ago.

Huh? A little voice in my head questioned me: Is the magically-transformed-to-human theory still stupid?

He looked like he was in his twenties, tall and very, very muscular. He had black short hair and deep, dark brown eyes, just like the ones the wolf had. His skin was russet; a pretty dark tone. He approached us while Renesmee was tapping her food impatiently. She looked pretty pissed; her face was a bright shade of pink.

“Hi,” he said hesitantly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you were Nessie and-”

I interrupted him because now I realized I was not afraid but I was furious. Much more than Ness.

“Wait! You are the wolf who attacked me?! You are the one who came out of nowhere and would have what….played with me or worse EATEN ME…. if Renesmee hadn’t come?!” I used her whole name to emphasize the situation. I thought I could keep my voice calm but stern like Nessie's, but hysteria was getting the best of me again. I felt my face getting all red and hot from anger and the blood was rushing through my veins so quickly I felt like I would explode.

I wanted to sink my teeth deep in his throat and suck all his blood till the last tiniest drop…the monster inside me was taking control, and it was not just my instinct, my thirst… it was fury –red and hot –boiling inside of me, ready to get out and satisfy its vengeance with the first chance it could. And that chance was here, in front of me. Rational thinking was far gone from me, everything around me blurred, except him. I was staring at him, calculating the distance between us, how would I strike, which side of his neck would I bite, and in the meantime I was hissing like crazy, just like a cat scared like hell would do in front of a dog.

Because that’s what he is. A dog. A stupid, moronic dog, who scared the hell outta me! But he was going to pay. I would, I would–

Suddenly, a weird calmness overwhelmed me. Everything in my mind blurred. This time everything went out of focus... I was here, but I was just a watcher, stuck in a body I couldn’t move. I could just see, but I couldn’t do anything else. I felt numb and realized I had fallen on my knees. I could see my and Nessie’s family surrounding me, trying to calm me. The dog was out of sight now.

I heard everyone asking if I was okay and if I could hear them, asking me to get up so we could all go back home. I couldn’t understand who said what but at least I heard them. I was shaking badly. Really badly. Nessie tried to touch my back but she pulled her hand away instantly. I tried to talk but no words came out of my mouth.

‘Agh! Just let me run away and be by myself! I need to be alone! I can’t calm down with all of you around me!’ I was screaming in my head.

“I am sorry, Eshe, we can’t let you go off into the woods alone. You will have to try and calm down with us here.” Edward said in a soothing voice.

Oh perfect. I forgot Nessie’s mind reading daddy.

‘So no need to talk huh?’ I sighed thankfully.

“Yes.” He nodded.

‘Give me a minute.’

He didn’t say anything but I know he was waiting, patiently. So were the others. I tried to take some deep breaths, slow my heartbeat. Several minutes passed, the trembling had stopped but my heart was still beating like crazy.

All I could hear were mine and Renesmee’s heartbeats and a soft breeze moving the leaves of the trees around us. the weird numbing calmness was fading, but it was still there.

‘I think I’m ready.’ I thought; not sure if I could speak yet.

“Okay, then. Do you need help getting up?” Edward asked.

‘No. I can do it on my own.’

And I could. I placed my hand on the damp forest floor for support and tried to stand up. Then it happened. I exploded. I jumped some meters away and automatically everyone took several steps back. I landed on my four feet lightly as usual… Four feet?! Wait a–I turned to look at the place where my hands should be. Two fluffy reddish-orange paws had taken their place. I panicked. Nessie stepped toward my direction. Everyone looked with wide opened eyes.

“Eshe?” she said in an unsure whisper as to not startle me. “Is that you?”

‘Of course it’s me! Who could it be?!’ I wanted to shout but all that came out was a weird growl. Well not exactly growl. A mixture of growling and hissing. It sounded a little like the hiss I was making when I was about to bite Jacob. Bella pulled Nessie back. I started feeling numb again, like before, but nothing could hold me anymore. Not even this, so I panicked. I turned my… tail?! toward their direction and ran away.

I was pushing myself faster. Faster than I had ever ran in my life. Faster than a vampire. I didn’t even wonder how this could be happening. All I was thinking was: I have to get away…I have to get away… The soft breeze had turned to a freezing, hard wind that threw snowflakes in my face.

Snowflakes? At the end of May? Hello? I have turned into a fluffy reddish…. I-don’t-know-what…. and I’m worried about weird weather? What is happening to me?

I could see water on my right. A lake. I headed there. The water was calm and still and I leaned my head over it. The first thing I noticed was the reflection of a fox on the water surface with sky blue eyes; my sky blue eyes.

Is this me? I had turned into a fox? Perfect. My magically-turned-into-animal theory looked even more likely now. And not only for the…dog.

I wanted to cry, but no tears came.

What? Foxes don’t cry? How will I cry then? And more importantly how will I turn back into vamp? No. Human? No. Ugh! To whatever I am? I’m panicked, alone and a fox!

I moved slowly to my feet and onto some fallen tree logs. The earthy scent of the damp log was welcoming, so I curled into a ball wrapping my fluffy tail around me.

I laughed to myself. I am staring to like that tail.

My lilac sweater was still on me, well part of it. The sleeves were ripped from me running through the woods. I kept staring at the snowflakes falling on the ground and melting; letting my mind wrap around what had just happened. I lay there, curled into a ball, keeping myself warm for what seemed like hours mesmerized by the calming affects of the snowflakes. Minutes passed and I could not decide what to do… I was a fox! I didn’t know how to get back to the Cullen’s home and besides, they were totally freaked with whatever happened to me. Just as much as I was…

I was babbling inside my head without managing to actually decide what to do when a familiar scent hit my nose. Pine needles and wet dog. His image came to my mind instantly.

Jacob.

The fur on my back raised and I was completely freaked out.

What the hell is he doing here? Who told him to come? I was about to rip his throat open and now he comes to find me?! He must be a glutton for punishment! He’s really been asking for trouble…

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