Anger and The Beginning

My day started off pretty good. I was still riding the high of Edythe accepting my invitation to prom. She came over last night to speak about it as well.

Neither of us spoke about what we were. Despite knowing that each other was different, we didn't see the need in talking about that kind of stuff right now. It'd come up one day but it wasn't today. We were just happy spending time together.

We talked about how quick this was. How we'd gone from strangers to Edythe meeting me in my room at midnight. I teased her about stalking me so many times before, though.

I still couldn't get over how cute she looked when she got embarrassed.

It almost distracted me from the fact that this little bundle of beauty had the destructive force of a tank in her body. But even when I did realize that, I didn't really care too much about it. Why would I? I was the same, after all. I just had the muscles to prove it.

Anyway, why did my day only start off good? Something felt different about the air.

The way it smelt, the way it felt when it blew against my skin...it was different and not in a good way. My instincts said that something was coming. Something bad, to be specific.

Despite having gotten used to be instincts and the new feelings brought on by Phasing, right now I felt even more volatile than usual. If the usual was me being like a dormant Volcano than right now I was bubbling and spewing smoke like an active one. It was like my body knew something that I didn't.

This thought was sent into overdrive when I heard from Charlie that someone in town had died. A friend of his. The cause of death was an 'animal' attack. Digging a little deeper, I found that the body was devoid of blood and had been bit and torn all over.

Only one thing popped into my mind at this.

A Vampire attack.

That's what my body knew before me...and yet finding it out myself didn't let me get rid of this tension inside of me. Like a spring taut and ready to move, the tension twist my stomach around in knots. It only added to my annoyance and anger. I took this as a sign - it wasn't just the Vampires in town that were getting to me.

Something else was going to happen. Part of me had an idea of what was going to happen - maybe this was the day I'd shift for the first time? The possibility had been stuck in my head ever since I had that thought when I left school this afternoon.

It meant I was trying to stay away from people as best as I could.

After school, instead of visiting Jess, I stuck to the woods like some kind of hermit. I walked and I walked, all until I actually reached Port Angeles. That was about 56 miles and I didn't even feel slightly out of breath after walking and even jogging so long. It really made me think about how much my body was improving.

I'd actually met another kid who'd just started phasing. Embry, was his name. He was a decent guy - a bit shy and reserved at times but he usually meant well.

But the biggest difference I was seeing was that my improvements were well ahead of his.

We'd messed around a few times - arm-wrestling and whatnot - and every time, I'd beat him without putting in much effort. The real kicker, is that he's been Phasing for a solid 2 or 3 weeks longer than I have.

By all means, he should be much stronger than me. But he isn't. Maybe this is why Edythe didn't feel as hard as Sam described Vampires to be?

It also solidified a growing suspicion of mine:

I wasn't a Wolf Shapeshifter. I'd had my doubts but I was more certain now. My other reasons were that I was getting different sense enhancements than them as well. To the Wolf pack as a whole.

Their sense of smell was seemingly higher than mine. Mine wasn't dull or anything like that but it definitely wasn't as keen as Embry's of Sam's. But on the flip side, my sense of sight and touch were much more advanced than theirs. If I was attacked from behind, I'd feel it before I heard it. My sense of touch was so sensitive that I could feel the air moving around me and feel the vibrations in it - I could easily maneuver myself through the woods with my eyes closed and just based off of my sense of touch feeling the air around me and telling me how close I was to things and where they were in my proximity.

But there was more. By extension of my hyper-enhanced sense of touch, my sense of balance and kinaesthesia were much better than the other Shapeshifters I knew, not to mention normal humans. What does this mean?

I could easily perform gymnastic maneuvers like I'd been doing them for decades and it was all on instinct alone. I had much better control over my body and it's movements.

Put that together with my higher strength, speed and reflexes, and I'd say that I could take on most of the Wolf pack one on one and win 9 out of 10 times. That is if they don't enter their wolf forms - that's a whole new variable. But honestly? I feel like when I'm done Phasing, I might be strong enough to take them on in their Wolf form while I'm still in my human one.

Just my instincts telling me, you know? They've served me well so far.

Anyway, it was easily night time by the time I got to Port Angeles. I was quite hungry and I wanted to go and get something to fill the gluttonous pit that is my stomach.

Though as I was walking through the streets, I heard something troubling.

"Don't touch me--!" I heard from a few hundred meters away. It wasn't the fear in the voice that troubled me and nor was it the fact it was some damsel in distress situation. No. What troubled me was that it was Bella.

...This idiot cousin of mine.

I instantly took off, not carring that I was running much too quickly to pass off as a human sprinter let alone a normal human. But I kept to the alleyways, so I guess it's okay.

Whatever. It didn't matter anyway.

. . .

POV Change - Bella Swan

I knew this would happen. Ever since I saw them look at me in that alleyway I knew they'd follow me...but what could I do!

"Come on, have a drink with us! Have a beer!" one of the drunker ones slurred at my face, his breath stinking like stale beer and cigarettes. It repulsed me and I tried to back away but his inbred friend behind me just coped a feel of my ass when I tried to go backward.

Even if the friend wasn't there, the drunken man grabbed my risk and I felt fear grasp at me.

I couldn't move. I knew what these guys wanted and it scared the living hell out of me. I...I didn't want to! Why can't they just f-fucking see that and let me go?!

But as quickly as that man grabbed my wrist...he let it go. Or rather, he disappeared from where he was. I felt a bit of air pass me and I had to blink a few times to realize what had happened:

The man had been punched away.

If what happened could be called a punch. It was like someone took a sledgehammer to his lower jaw. He was still breathing...but barely. His jaw was definitely dislocated AND broken with most of his teeth coming out of his mouth in a bloody waterfull of, you guessed it, blood and teeth. It looked increasingly brutal the more I looked at it.

However, my attention was taken away from the wheezing, barely conscious man and toward the person who's punched him.

William Riley. My cousin.

Ever since he told me about his sister who's in a coma and being looked after in Forks Hospital, me and him have gotten a bit closer. I'd even call us somewhat close friends, something we'd still be even if it came out that we weren't related or something. Which is why I'm so curious as to changes he'd been going through since I met him.

He'd...changed a lot since the time I first met him. He used to be shorter and less muscular, for one. But his reddish auburn hair also used to be less wild-looking and shorter. Now it's like some sort of short mane* on his head and it looked utterly wild and unruly. I'd seen him try to comb it before but it just wouldn't give. I laughed last time I saw it but right now...it truly suited his appearance.

(A/N - Don't get me wrong, he's not a lion. But Tigers still have fluffy hair around their neck and cheeks. So, like a small mane. Also, I'm trying to keep it ambiguous for the people who can't put two and two together about him being a Tiger Shifter ;) ~~)

The hair around his head sort of...bristled(?) rising as if a sign that he was angry. Which from his clenched jaw, glaring eyes and snarling mouth were anything to go by, he was. He looked very angry.

But the thing I'd say that changed the most about Will? Other than his ever-increasing body size and muscle mass? It was the aura and feeling he gave off.

Usually, he looked lazy and laidback. But there was always something there...lurking behind those friendly green eyes. Behind the easy smile he put on when speaking to most people and when he was in an okay mood.

And I was seeing it right now.

His emerald green eyes practically shone, exuding the violence of a barely contained animal. His entire body seemed bigger than it actually was and that's when I released - the air was shimmering around him. Like he was emitting heat. The very air around him felt dangerous. Just being this close to him was suffocating and I felt like I needed to run.

Will looked around, scowling at the men who'd just seconds ago been so rowdy. He was judging them. I could tell. Judging whether they needed a punch like the first one.

A screech from the side of me made me realize that I'd been blocking out sounds since Will appeared. Like my body deemed hearing unnecessary for the escape I had to enact to get away from Will.

A car had come barrelling towards us and stopped with a screech. Will's eyes shot in the car's direction and instantly, his body language eased up slightly and someone I didn't expect to see got out of the car.

Edward.

Then the passenger side opened up and Edward's sister Edythe - I think that's her name - got out. She looked to Will with such worry in her eyes that I wondered...did they have something going on--

I instantly put an end to these thoughts when Edward spoke, "Get in the car," he said, such a tone of authority to his voice that I didn't even think about disagreeing and before I could even move, Will also spoke up.

"Get in the car," he said as if he thought I didn't want to get away from here as soon as possible before he spoke again but not to me, "Keep her safe," he said, presumably to Edward.

Edward just gave a solemn nod before guiding me to the passenger seat. Edythe didn't get back in.

And then we drove off. I turned to Edward, "W-wait, we can't leave your sister and Will there! What if those guys try and hurt them?!" I asked, feeling a pang of worry.

Will dealt with one of them but could he deal with 5 others? He was a big guy, sure, but numbers should mean something, right...?

All Edward did was smirk a little, "I wouldn't be worried about William or my sister if I were you. They're not the ones in danger," he said, sounding vague and mysterious - he was always like this! An absolute jerk!

But...for some reason, I felt that he was right.

. . .

POV Change - William Riley

I was struggling not to rip them all to pieces when Edward and, surprisingly, Edythe showed up. Once Edward left with Bella, Edythe walked over to me and placed a hand on my chest.

She winced a little at the obvious heat coming off of me but she kept her hand there.

"Calm yourself, my dear," she cooed but the anger just wouldn't settle, no matter how sweet her voice became. I huffed, my breath coming out white like actual steam, "It's okay, Bella's safe. You kept her safe," she sweetly whispered and my breathing slowly calmed down.

I closed my eyes and leaned down, leaning my head against hers. She pushed back, pressing our foreheads cleanly against one another.

I'd never felt so at home before. So stable. Like I wanted this action to never end.

I centered myself, remembering who I was and what I wanted. I didn't have to or want to rip these people apart even if they deserved it.

...Well, that might be a small lie but I don't want to be hunted down for being a criminal, right?

Bella's safe. I'm okay. Edythe is here. Everything is fine.

Edythe turned from me, making me frown at the lack of our touching each other, and toward the drunk guys who'd been harassing Bella, "Leave!" she hissed, her tone so cold that it even made my enhanced body shiver a little. It was like being dunked in arctic waters and it set my instincts off like you wouldn't believe. They scampered off just as quickly, two of them dragging the creep I punched when I got here.

Luckily I controlled my strength at the last minute...

Then Edythe turned back to me, a sweet smile on her face, I was instantly back to feeling bliss, "You were very brave, William. You even made my heart skip a beat with that display," her eyes turned into crescent and her full lips split into a wide smile that seemed just as blissful as I was feeling.

I touched her cheek, a smile now on my face and chuckled, "Well, I'm glad I got a reaction from it, Edythe," I said and for a second there was just silence before Edythe leaned forward and gave me a kiss.

My nerves felt like they were being shocked. My body, which was usually so heated, felt pervaded by a cool breeze. But it didn't cool me down, it just fanned the flames higher.

I kissed back and Edythe moaned into my mouth.

We continued kissing for a few more seconds before we stopped and just looked into each other's eyes.

I didn't even want to blink because I thought I'd miss a single second of this beautiful girl in front of me. I could tell the sentiment was mutual as Edythe hadn't blinked once since she'd gotten here. Vampires and their lack of needing to breath, sleep and blink...must be fun at times.

"Should we go then? A walk around the forest before I have to escort you home for your bed time~?" Edythe teased, her usual teasing of bringing up my need to sleep bringing a wide smile to my face.

I required less sleep than a normal person - only about 3 hours - but less sleep was still worse than not having to sleep at all. Edythe never let me forget that.

"Ye--Urgh!" just as I went to answer her...I fell to my knees, gripping my chest.

Something was wrong, something was really--Fuck!

Pain went through my body, seeming to ravage every single one of my cells. I couldn't hear or feel anything anymore but I bet that Edythe was probably worried silly by what was happening...sadly I couldn't do anything right now other than kneel and clutch at my chest while the pain started to spread through my body.

It didn't feel like my body was failing on me or that it was destroying itself...no, it felt like it was rebuilding and restructuring itself.

And I don't know why, but I forced myself to look up into the sky...

Where I was greeted by a full-moon. A blue one. And it sang a song to me. A song of ferocity and wildness, one which made my body change, letting out the beast within.