316I forgot to mention last time that thought the first chapter was in Bella's point of view, the rest of the story will be in Edward's. I just wanted you to get a look into her thought process.
A Lion Sleeps
Chapter Two: Spring's Beckoning
A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man. – Turkish Proverb
When we caught the scent of what was unmistakably the Quileute wolves, a thought had gone through both my mind and Carlisle's.
Maybe returning to Forks wasn't the best idea.
But, amazingly, this pack of wolves seemed almost as reasonable as the ones we had met seventy years ago. We renewed our treaty with them, and everything was fine – well, as fine as things can be when we're talking about a contract between natural enemies.
After talking with the wolves, we all decided to go hunting. It had been awhile since we had sated our thirsts, and as Carlisle would begin work and the rest of us children would begin school the next day, it seemed like a wise thing to do.
We split up into pairs, meaning that – being the only one without a mate – I was left to go alone. It was better that way, really; as a mind reader I was quite aware of what the others thought as they witnessed their mates hunting. As I usually do, I took off running as fast away from them all as I could, trying to put the most amount of distance between us before they feel to both their hunting and their mating instincts. Emmett would probably refer to me as a 'prude' later, but I doubt that even he would want to stay and watch through the minds of his siblings and parents as they shed clothing and joined together as lovers so often do.
I caught the scent of a herd of deer and was just about to go after them when a certain scent crossed over my senses. I stopped and thought about it, taking another sniff of the scent. I had been correct the first time, though unless Forks had some kind of hidden zoo, I couldn't make sense of it.
The scent was unmistakeably that of an African Lion, but this was Forks. African Lions were supposed to be in, well, Africa. Or zoos, as I had mentioned, but I doubt that a town as small as Forks would have one. And owning a pet such as a lion was illegal.
I forgot about the deer, instead heading off in the direction the misplaced scent was coming from. As I grew closer, I noticed that it was getting lighter. I guessed that the animal was in a meadow of some sorts, and as I stepped out of the forest, I realized I was right.
The meadow was beautiful, nearly perfectly round. The moon shown from directly above it, lighting up all the flowers and trees; the grass seemed to be shimmering in the light. And in the middle of the meadow, sleeping peacefully and unaware of my presence, lay a lioness.
Her fur was the familiar tawny colour, except for these odd brown stripes that crossed over her. She seemed to be just a little bit smaller than the average female lion, as well, though that could be chalked up to age. She was laying curled up on her side, with quiet snores escaping her muzzle.
I stopped to admire the beauty of the majestic animal, no longer wondering what she was doing here. The way she was sleeping, without a care in the world, made me think that she somehow belonged here, despite supposedly being from another continent altogether. Her scent was luxurious, wafting around my face. I could hear her heart beat thumping in a perfect rhythm that I unconsciously set my unneeded breathing to.
Before I could think about it, I was walking closer to her, giving in to a pull I hadn't been aware of until this moment. She continued to sleep, and I grew worried for a moment. What if somebody else had been in the woods, and had found her – would she wake up in time to protect herself? Though I knew that lions could protect themselves quite easily, she seemed oddly fragile to me. Though, perhaps that was because I was a vampire and could kill her in less than a second.
The thought of killing her made it feel as if my heart was being crushed. I gasped out loud, not thinking what it would do to the lioness.
Though she had been deeply asleep, the beautiful creature was suddenly up and facing me, growling deeply in warning. She was in a classic fighting position. Her eyes travelled towards me quickly, and just when I thought she was going to attack, she met my eyes. Instantly, the growling stopped and a look of what I could only call wonder came over the animal's features.
Before I could blink, the lioness turned around and headed behind a bush on the edge of the meadow. I wanted to follow, but as I knew that she was still there, I merely stared, wondering what she was doing. If it were at all possible, I would have fainted then and there as I watched a teenage girl crawl out of the bush the lion had just disappeared to.
Her scent washed towards me as she walked forward, and I noticed that though it could still be classified as the blood of a human, it was very animalistic and almost identical to that of the beautiful lioness. As she stared at me, her eyes not moving from my own, I realized with a jolt that I had seen these same eyes a mere minute before – except they were in the body of an African Lion.
My brow furrowed, and the human drew nearer. Something in my mind was telling me not to move, though I knew that it would be the smart thing; I didn't want to harm the strange human.
She grew closer, and as I felt the heat from her body radiate onto my own, she brought her hand up and cupped one of my cheeks. Acting on some deep buried instincts, I leaned into her palm, nuzzling it as she smiled. Somehow, through her touch, I had realized that this girl was the lion I had seen. And thought I had been thinking about my need to protect the strong lioness, as the girl in front of me held my face in her hand, I felt safe; like nothing could touch me, at least not when she was with me.
"My imprint," she whispered, seeming to be talking to herself. She smiled, and I noticed that her canines were sharper than her others. "Oh, how long I've waited for you, love."
Sorry that this took awhile, but I'm sure you know how things can get at times.
Review, please!
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