The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 21. First Hunt

The window? I asked, staring devil stories down.Id never re all(prenominal)y been afraid of high per se, scarcely being equal to(p) to see all the details with such clarity made the prospect less appealing. The locomotes of the rocks below were sharper than I would moderate imagined them.Edward smiled. Its the most convenient exit. If youre frightened, I can carry you.We father all eternity, and youre worried a conflict the time it would take to walk to the anchor door?He frowned slightly. Renesmee and Jacob are downstairs___Oh.Right. I was the monster now. I had to keep outside from scents that might trigger my wild side. From the people that I loved in expositicular. Even the ones I didnt really experience yet.Is Renesmee okay with Jacob there? I whispered. I realized belatedly that it must havebeen Jacobs viewt Id seed below. I listened hard over again, plainly I could all hear the one steady pulse. He doesnt corresponding her much.Edwards lips tightened in an odd way. Trust me, she is accurately safe. I know exactly what Jacob is thinking.Of course, I murmured, and looked at the filth again.Stalling? he challenged.A little. I dont know how.And I was very conscious of my family bed me, reflection silently. Mostly silently. Emmett had already chuckled under his brea subject space once. One mistake, and hed be rolling on the floor. Then the jokes about the worlds only clumsy vampire would start.Also, this dress that Alice must have put me in sometime when I was as well as garbled in the burning to notice was not what I would have picked out for either jumping or hunt. tightly fitted ice-blue silk? What did she think I would need it for? Was there a cocktail party later?Watch me, Edward said. And then, very chance(a)ly, he stepped out of the tall, open window and fell.I visualizeed carefully, analyzing the angle at which he bent his knees to absorb the impact. The sound of his landing was very low a muted thud that could have been a door lightly closed, or a book gently laid on a table.It didnt look hard.Clenching my teeth as I concentrated, I act to copy his casual step into empty air.Ha The ground seemed to move toward me so slowly that it was nothing at all to place my feet what shoes had Alice put me in? Sti allowtos? Shed lost her mind to place mysilly shoes exactly right so that landing was no different than stepping one foot forward on a prone sur character.I absorbed the impact in the balls of my feet, not requirementing to snap off the thin heels. My landing seemed precisely as quiet as his. I grinned at him.Right. Easy.He smiled back. Bella?Yes?That was quite graceful pull down for a vampire.I considered that for a moment, and then I beamed. If hed just been motto that, then Emmett would have laughed. No one found his remark chirruporous, so it must have been true. It was the first time bothone had ever applied the word graceful to me in my entire sprightliness or, well, existence anyway .T/?an/cyou,i t grey him.And then I hooked the silver satin shoes off my feet one by one and lobbed them together back done the open window. A little withal hard, maybe, but I heard someone get word them before they could damage the paneling.Alice grumbled, Her fashion sense hasnt improved as much as her balance.Edward took my march on I couldnt stop marveling at the smoothness, the comfortable temperature of his fight and darted by the backyard to the edge of the river. I went a presbyopic with him effortlessly.Everything physical seemed very simple.argon we swimming? I asked him when we stopped beside the water.And ruin your pretty dress? No. Were jumping.I pursed my lips, considering. The river was about fifty yards wide here.You first, I said.He touched my cheek, took two quick backward gradations, and then ran back those two steps, launching himself from a flat s modulate firmly embedded in the riverbank. I studied the moth-eaten of movement as he arced over the water , finally fermenting a somersault just before he disappeared into the thick trees on the otherwise side of the river.Show-off, I muttered, and heard his invisible laugh.I backed up five paces, just in case, and took a deep breath.Suddenly, I was anxious again. non about falling or acquiring hurt I was more(prenominal) worried about the forest getting hurt.It had come on slowly, but I could feel it now the raw, massive strength thrilling in my limbs. I was trivial for sure that if I wanted to tunnel under the river, to claw or beat my way straight through the bedrock, it wouldnt take me very long. The objects near me the trees, the shrubs, the rocks the house had all begun to look very fragile.Hoping very much that Esme was not oddly fond of any specific trees across the river, I began my first stride. And then stopped when the tight satin split six inches up my thigh. AliceWell, Alice always seemed to treat wearing apparel as if they were disposable and meant for one-t ime usage, so she shouldnt mind this. I bent to carefully grasp the hem at the undamaged right seam between my fingers and, exerting the tiniest measuring stick of pressure possible, I ripped the dress open to the top of my thigh. Then I fixed the other side to match.Much better.I could hear the muffled joke in the house, and all the same the sound of someone gritting her teeth. The laughter came from upstairs and down, and I very easily recognized the much different, rough, throaty chuckle from the firstfloor.So Jacob was watching, too? I couldnt imagine what he was thinking now, or what he was soundless doing here. Id envisioned our reunion if he could ever for introduce me victorious place farthermost in the future, when I was more stable, and time had healed the wounds Id inflicted in his heart.I didnt turn to look at him now, wary of my mood swings. It wouldnt be good to let any emotion take too strong a hold on my frame of mind. Jaspers fears had me on edge, too. I had to hunt before I dealt with anything else. I tried to forget everything else so I could concentrate.Bella? Edward called from the woods, his voice moving closer. Do you want to watch again? but I remembered everything perfectly, of course, and I didnt want to give Emmett a reason to find more humor in my education. This was physical it should be instinctive. So I took a deep breath and ran for the river.Unhindered by my skirt, it took only one long bound to reach the waters edge. Just an eighty-fourth of a second, and yet it was plenty of time my eyeball and my mind moved so speedily that one step was enough. It was simple to position my right foot just so against the flat stone and exert the adequate pressure to send my dead body wheeling up into the air. I was paying more attention to aim than force, and I erred on the amount of power necessary but at least(prenominal) I didnt err on the side that would have gotten me wet. The fifty yard width was slightly too easy a dista nce___It was a strange, giddy, electrifying thing, but a short thing. An entire second had yet to pass, and I was across.I was expecting the close-packed trees to be a problem, but they were surprisingly helpful. It was a simple issuance to reach out with one sure hand as I fell back toward the earth again deep inside the forest and catch myself on a convenient branch I swung lightly from the limb and landed on my toes, still fifteen feet from the ground on the wide bough of a Sitka spruce.It was fabulous.Over the sound of my peals of delighted laughter, I could hear Edward racing to find me. My jump had been twice as long as his. When he reached my tree, his eyes were wide. I leaped nimbly from the branch to his side,soundlessly landing again on the balls of my feet.Was that good? I wondered, my breathing accelerated with excitement.Very good. He smiled approvingly, but his casual tone didnt match the surprised expression in his eyes.Can we do it again?Focus, Bella were on a hunt ing trip.Oh, right. I nodded. Hunting.Follow me if you can. He grinned, his expression all of a sudden taunting, and broke into a run.He was faster than me. I couldnt imagine how he moved his legs with such blinding speed, but it was beyond me. However, I was stronger, and every stride of exploit matched the length of three of his. And so I flew with him through the living green web, by his side, not following at all. As I ran, I couldnt help laughing quietly at the thrill of it the laughter neither slowed me nor upset my focus.I could finally understand why Edward never hit the trees when he ran a question that had always been a mystery to me. It was a peculiar sensation, the balance between the speed and the clarity. For, while I rocketed over, under, and through the thick toil maze at a rate that should have reduced everything around me to a streaky green blur, I could plainly see each tiny leaf on all the small branches of every insignificant shrub that I passed.The wind o f my speed blew my hair and my torn dress out behind me, and, though I knew it shouldnt, it felt warm against my skin. Just as the rough forest floor shouldnt feel give care velvet beneath my bare soles, and the limbs that whipped against my skin shouldnt feel worry caressing feathers.The forest was much more alive than Id ever known small zoologys whose existence Id never guessed at teemed in the leaves around me. They all grew silent after we passed, their breath quickening in fear. The animals had a much wiser reaction to our scent than adult males seemed to. Certainly, itd had the opposite effect on me.I kept waiting to feel winded, but my breath came effortlessly. I waited for the burn to begin in my muscles, but my strength only seemed to increase as I grew accustomed to my stride. My leaping bounds stretched longer, and soon he was trying to keep up with me. I laughed again, exultant, when I heard him falling behind. My naked feet touched the ground so infrequently now it felt more the like flying than rill.Belial he called dryly, his voice even, lazy. I could hear nothing else he had stopped.I short considered mutiny.But, with a sigh, I whirled and skipped lightly to his side, some hundred yards back. I looked at him expectantly. He was smiling, with one eyebrow raised. He was so beautiful that I could only stare.Did you want to stay in the country? he asked, am utilise. Or were you planning to continue on to Canada this afternoon?This is fine, I agreed, concentrating less on what he was saying and more on the mesmerizing way his lips moved when he spoke. It was hard not to become sidetracked with everything fresh in my strong new eyes. What are we hunting?Elk. I thought something easy for your first time He trailed off when my eyes narrowed at the word easy.But I wasnt going to palisade I was too lusty. As soon as Id started to think about the dry burn in my throat, it was all I could think about. Definitely getting worse. My mouth felt like four oclock on a June afternoon in Death Valley.Where? I asked, scanning the trees impatiently. Now that I had given the thirst my attention, it seemed to taint every other thought in my head, leaking into the more pleasant thoughts of running and Edwards lips and kissing and scorching thirst. I couldnt get away from it.Hold still for a minute, he said, putting his hands lightly on my shoulders. The urgency of my thirst receded momentarily at his touch.Now close your eyes, he murmured. When I obeyed, he raised his hands to my display case, stroking my cheekbones. I felt my breathing speed and waited briefly again for the blush that wouldnt come.Listen, Edward instructed. What do you hear?Everything,I could have said his perfect voice, his breath, his lips brushing together as he spoke, the whisper of birds preening their feathers in the treetops, their fluttering heartbeats, the maple leaves scraping together, the faint clicking of ants following each other in a long line up the b ark of the nearest tree. But I knew he meant something specific, so I let my ears range outward, seeking something different than the small hum of life that surrounded me. There was an open space near us the wind had a different sound across the exposed grass and a small creek, with a rocky bed. And there, near the noise of the water, was the splash of lapping tongues, the loud thudding of heavy hearts, pumping thick streams of blood___It felt like the sides of my throat had sucked closed.By the creek, to the northeast? I asked, my eyes still shut.Yes. His tone was approving. Now wait for the breeze again and what do you stink out?Mostly him his strange honey-lilac-and-sun perfume. But besides the rich, earthy smell of rot and moss, the resin in the evergreens, the warm, almost nutty aroma of the small rodents cowering beneath the tree roots. And then, reaching out again, the clean smell of the water, which was surprisingly unappealing despite my thirst. I focused toward the w ater and found the scent that must have gone with the lapping noise and the pounding heart. another(prenominal) warm smell, rich and tangy, stronger than the others. And yet nearly as unappealing as the brook. I wrinkled my nose.He chuckled. I know it takes some getting used to.Three? I guessed.Five. There are two more in the trees behind them.What do I do now?His voice sounded like he was smiling. What do you feel like doing?I thought about that, my eyes still shut as I listened and breathed in the scent. Another bout of baking thirst intruded on my awareness, and suddenly the warm, tangy odor wasnt quite so objectionable. At least it would be something hot and wet in my preserve mouth. My eyes snapped open.Dont think about it, he suggested as he lifted his hands off my face and took a step back. Just follow yourinstincts.I let myself drift with the scent, barely aware of my movement as I ghosted down the incline to the narrow meadow where the stream flowed. My body shifted forwa rd mechanically into a low crouch as I hesitated at the fern-fringed edge of the trees. I could see a big buck, two dozen antler points crowning his head, at the streams edge, and the shadow-spotted shapes of the four others heading eastward into forest at a leisurely pace.I centered myself around the scent of the male, the hot spot in his shaggy neck where the warmth pulsed strongest. Only thirty yards two or three bounds between us. i tensed myself for the first leap.But as my muscles bunched in preparation, the wind shifted, blowing stronger now, and from the south. I didnt stop to think, hurtling out of the trees in a path perpendicular to my original plan, scaring the elk into the forest, racing after a new perfume so attractive that there wasnt a choice. It was compulsory.The scent ruled completely. I was single-minded as I traced it, aware only of the thirst and the smell that promised to blow it. The thirst got worse, so painful now that it confused all my other thought s and began to remind me of the burn of venom in my veins.There was only one thing that had any chance of penetrating my focus now, an instinct more powerful, more basic than the need to quench the fire it was the instinct to protect myself from danger. Self-preservation.I was suddenly alert to the fact that I was being followed. The pull of the irresistible scent warred with the impulse to turn and defend my hunt. A bubble of sound built in my chest, my lips pulled back of their own accord to expose my teeth in warning. My feet slowed, the need to protect my back struggling against the desire to quench my thirst.And then I could hear my pursuer gaining, and defense won. As I spun, the rising sound ripped its way up my throat and out. The feral snarl, coming from my own mouth, was so unexpected that it brought me up short. It unsettled me, and it cleared my head for a second the thirst-driven haze receded, though the thirst burned on.The wind shifted, blowing the smell of wet eart h and coming rainfall across my face, peltther freeing me from the other scents fiery grip a scent so delicious it could only be human.Edward hesitated a few feet away, his arms raised as if to embrace me or restrain me. His face was intent and cautious as I froze, horrified.I realized that I had been about to endeavor him. With a hard jerk, I straightened out of my defensive crouch. I held my breath as I refocused, fearing the power of the fragrance swirling up from the south.He could see reason return to my face, and he took a step toward me, lowering his arms.I have to get away from here, I spit through my teeth, using the breath I had.Shock crossed his face. Can you leave?I didnt have time to ask him what he meant by that. I knew the ability to think clearly would termination only as long as I could stop myself from thinking of I burst into a run again, a flat-out sprint straight north, concentrating merely on the uncomfortable feeling of sensory deprivation that seemed to be my bodys only response to the lack of air. My one goal was to run farenough away that the scent behind me would be completely lost. Impossible to find, even if I changed my mindOnce again, I was aware of being followed, but I was fair this time. I fought the instinct to breathe to use the flavors in the air to be sure it was Edward. I didnt have to fight long though I was running faster than I ever had before, shooting like a comet through the straightest path I could find in the trees Edward caught up with me after a short minute.A new thought occurred to me, and I stopped dead, my feet planted. I was sure it must be safe here, but I held my breath just in case.Edward blew past me, surprised by my sudden freeze. He wheeled around and was at my side in a second. He put his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes, shock still the dominant emotion on his face.How did you do that? he demanded.You let me beat you before, didnt you? I demanded back, ignoring his question. A nd Id thought Id been doing sowellWhen I opened my mouth, I could degustation the air it was unpolluted now, with no trace of the compelling perfume to torment my thirst. I took a cautious breath.He shrugged and shook his head, refusing to be deflected. Bella, how did you do it? pull away? I held my breath.But how did you stop hunting?When you came up behind me Im so sorry about that.Why are you apologizing to me? Im the one who was horribly careless. I assumed no one would be so far from the trails, but I should have checked first. Such a stupid mistake You have nothing to apologize for.But I growled at you I was still horrified that I was physically capable of such blasphemy.Of course you did. Thats only natural. But I cant understand how you ran away.What else could I do? I asked. His attitude confused me what did he want to have happened? It might have been someone I knowHe startled me, suddenly bursting into a spasm of loud laughter, throwing his head back and letting the so und echo off the trees.Why are you laughing at me?He stopped at once, and I could see he was wary again.Keep it under control,I thought to myself. I had to watch my temper. Just like I was a young werewolf rather than a vampire.Im not laughing at you,Bella. Im laughing because I am in shock. And I am in shock because I am completely amazed.Why?You shouldnt be able to do any of this. You shouldnt be so so rational. You shouldnt be able to stand here discussing this with me calmly and coolly. And, much more than any of that, you should not have been able to breakoff mid-hunt with the scent of human blood in the air. Even mature vampires have difficulty with that were always very careful of where we hunt so as not to put ourselves in the path of temptation. Bella, youre behaving like youre decades rather than days old.Oh. But Id known it was going to be hard. That was why Id been so on guard. Id been expecting it to be difficult.He put his hands on my face again, and his eyes were fu ll of wonder. What wouldnt I give to be able to see into your mind for just this one moment.Such powerful emotions. Id been prepared for the thirst part, but not this. Id been so sure it wouldnt be the same when he touched me. Well, truthfully, it wasnt the same.It was stronger.I reached up to trace the planes of his face my fingers lingered on his lips.I thought I wouldnt feel this way for a long time? My uncertainty made the words a question. But I stillwant you.He blinked in shock. How can you even concentrate on that? Arent you unbearably thirsty?Of course I was now, now that hed brought it up againI tried to swallow and then sighed, closing my eyes like I had before to help me concentrate. I let my senses range out around me, tensed this time in case of another incursion of the delicious taboo scent.Edward dropped his hands, not even breathing while I listened farther and farther out into the web of green life, sifting through the scents and sounds for something not totally re pellant to my thirst. There was a hint of something different, a faint trail to the east___My eyes flashed open, but my focus was still on sharper senses as I turned and darted silently eastward. The ground sloped steeply upward almost at once, and I ran in a hunting crouch, close to the ground, taking to the trees when that was easier. I sensed rather than heard Edward with me, flowing quietly through the woods, letting me lead.The vegetation thinned as we climbed higher the scent of pitch and resin grew more powerful, as did the trail I followed it was a warm scent, sharper than the smell of the elk and more appealing. A few seconds more and I could hear the muted padding of immense feet, so much subtler than the crunch of hooves. The sound was up in the branches rather than on the ground. Automatically I darted into the boughs as well, gaining the strategic higher position, halfway up a towering silver fir.The soft thud of paws continued stealthily beneath me now the rich scent was very close. My eyes pinpointed the movement linked with the sound, and I adage the tawny hide of the great cat slinking along the wide branch of a spruce just down and to the left of my perch. He was big easily four generation my mass. His eyes were intent on the ground beneath the cat hunted, too. I caught the smell of something smaller, bland next to the aroma of my prey, cowering in brush below the tree. The lions tail twitched spasmodically as he prepared to spring.With a light bound, I sailed through the air and landed on the lions branch. He felt the shiver of the wood and whirled, shrieking surprise and defiance. He clawed the space between us, his eyes aglitter(predicate) with fury. Half-crazed withthirst, I ignored the exposed fangs and the hooked claws and launched myself at him, knocking us both to the forest floor.It wasnt much of a fight.His raking claws could have been caressing fingers for all the impact they had on my skin. His teeth could find no purchase ag ainst my shoulder or my throat. His weight was nothing. My teeth unerringly sought his throat, and his instinctive resistance was pitifully feeble against my strength. My jaws locked easily over the precise point where the heat flow concentrated.It was effortless as biting into butter. My teeth were steel razors they cut through the fur and fat and sinews like they werent there.The flavor was wrong, but the blood was hot and wet and it soothed the ragged, itching thirst as I drank in an eager rush. The cats struggles grew more and more feeble, and his screams choked off with a gurgle. The warmth of the blood radiated throughout my whole body, heating even my fingertips and toes.The lion was finished before I was. The thirst flared again when he ran dry, and I shoved his carcass off my body in disgust. How could I still be thirsty after all that?I wrenched myself erect in one quick move. Standing, I realized I was a bit of a mess. I wiped my face off on the back of my arm and tried t o fix the dress. The claws that had been so ineffectual against my skin had had more success with the thin satin.Hmm, Edward said. I looked up to see him leaning casually against a tree trunk, watching me with a thoughtful look on his face.I guess I could have done that better. I was covered in dirt, my hair knotted, my dress slaughterous and hanging in tatters. Edward didnt come home from hunting trips looking like this.You did perfectly fine, he assured me. Its just that it was much more difficult for me to watch than it should have been.I raised my eyebrows, confused.It goes against the grain, he explained, letting you wrestle with lions. I was having an anxiety attack the whole time.Silly.I know. Old habits die hard. I like the improvements to your dress, though.If I could have blushed, I would have. I changed the subject. Why am I still thirsty?Because youre young.I sighed. And I dont suppose there are any other mountain lions nearby.Plenty of deer, though.I made a face. They dont smell as good.Herbivores. The meat-eaters smell more like humans, he explained.Not that much like humans, I disagreed, trying not to remember.We could go back, he said solemnly, but there was a teasing light in his eye. Whoever it was out there, if they were men, they probably wouldnt even mind death if you were the one delivering it. His gaze ran over my ravaged dress again. In fact, they would think they were already dead and gone to heaven the moment they saw you.I rolled my eyes and snorted. Lets go hunt some stinking herbivores.We found a large herd of mule deer as we ran back toward home. He hunted with me this time, now that Id gotten the hang of it. I brought down a large buck, making nearly as much of a mess as I had with the lion. Hed finished with two before I was done with the first, not a hair ruffled, not a spot on his white shirt. We pursue the scattered and terrified herd, but instead of feeding again, this time I watched carefully to see how he was able to hun t so neatly.All the times that I had wished that Edward would not have to leave me behind when he hunted, I had secretly been just a little relieved. Because I was sure that seeing this would be frightening. Horrifying. That seeing him hunt would finally make him look like a vampire to me.Of course, it was much different from this perspective, as a vampire myself. But I doubted that even my human eyes would have missed the beauty here.It was a surprisingly sensual experience to observe Edward hunting. His smooth spring was like the sinuous strike of a snake his hands were so sure, so strong, so completely inescapable his full lips were perfect as they parted gracefully over his gleaming teeth. He was glorious. I felt a sudden jolt of both pride and desire. He was mine. Nothing could ever separate him from me now. I was too strong to be torn from his side.He was very quick. He turned to me and gazed curiously at my gloating expression.No longer thirsty? he asked.I shrugged. You dist racted me. Youre much better at it than I am.Centuries of practice. He smiled. His eyes were a disconcertingly lovely shade of honey gold now.Just one, I corrected him.He laughed. Are you done for today? Or did you want to continue?Done, I think. I felt very full, sort of sloshy, even. I wasnt sure how much more liquid would fit into my body. But the burn in my throat was only muted. Then again, Id known that thirst was just an inescapable part of this life.And worth it.I felt in control. Perhaps my sense of security was false, but I did feel pretty good about not kill anyone today. If I could resist totally human strangers, wouldnt I be able to handle the werewolf and a half-vampire child that I loved?I want to see Renesmee, I said. Now that my thirst was tamed (if nothing close to erased), my earlier worries were hard to forget. I wanted to reconcile the stranger who was my daughter with the creature Id loved three days ago. It was so odd, so wrong not to have her inside me still . Abruptly, I felt empty and uneasy.He held out his hand to me. I took it, and his skin felt warmer than before. His cheek was faintly flushed, the shadows under his eyes all but vanished.I was unable to resist stroking his face again. And again.I sort of forgot that I was waiting for a response to my request as I stared into his shimmering gold eyes.It was almost as hard as it had been to turn away from the scent of human blood, but I somehow kept the need to be careful firmly in my head as I stretched up on my toes and wrapped my arms around him. Gently.He was not so hesitant in his movements his arms locked around my waist and pulled me tight against his body. His lips low-pitched down on mine, but they felt soft. My lips no longer shaped themselves around his they held their own.Like before, it was as if the touch of his skin, his lips, his hands, was sinking right through my smooth, hard skin and into my new bones. To the very core of my body. I hadnt imagined that I could lov e him more than I had.My old mind hadnt been capable of holding this much love. My old heart had not been strong enough to bear it.Maybe this was the part of me that Id brought forward to be intensified in my new life. Like Carlisles compassion and Esmes devotion. I would probably never be able to do anything interesting or special like Edward, Alice, and Jasper could do. Maybe I would just love Edward more than anyone in the history of the world had ever loved anyone else.I could live with that.I remembered split of this twisting my fingers in his hair, tracing the planes of his chest but other parts were so new. He was new. It was an entirely different experience with Edward kissing me so fearlessly, so forcefully. I responded to his intensity, and then suddenly we were falling.Oops, I said, and he laughed underneath me. I didnt mean to tackle you like that. Are you okay?He stroked my face. Slightly better than okay And then a perplexed expression crossed his face. Renesmee? he asked uncertainly, trying to ascertain what I wanted most in this moment. A very difficult question to answer, because I wanted so many things at the same time.I could tell that he wasnt exactly averse to procrastinating our return trip, and it was hard to think about much besides his skin on mine there really wasnt that much left of the dress. But my memory of Renesmee, before and after her birth, was becoming more and more dreamlike to me. More unlikely. All my memories of her were human memories an aura of artificiality clung to them. Nothing seemed real that I hadnt seen with these eyes, touched with these hands.Every minute, the reality of that little stranger slipped further away.Renesmee, I agreed, rueful, and I whipped back up onto my feet, force him with me.