Burning Star: A Twilight FanFic

Side Story 1.2- Connection

RAVEN'S POV

He was confused by my out burst, though he did like it. Still frozen he stared back at me. I could feel his world shift, just as mine clicked into place. I'd waited so long. Seven years. And here he was.

"Can you shift back?" I asked him. He blinked and then moved behind the trees. A few moments later, a tall, muscular man with dark hair and russet skin was moving towards me. I moved forward to meet him.

I stared into his incredulous eyes. He'd only met me, but I'd seen visions of him, visions of us. I already loved him more than anything for years. It had been mere minutes for him. I reached up to touch his face, gently cupping his cheek. His hand covered mine and I smiled.

"Who are you? Are you the girl Jake had us looking for?" His voice was deep. For second, I was mesmerized by it, unable to respond.

But then I found my voice. "Yes, I am. My name's Raven."

"Raven," he whispered. "I'm Embry. Jake said you knew about us. How much do you know?" His tone was cautious.

I laughed, and he smiled automatically. "Everything- maybe even more than you."

His faced became confused. "Are you a wolf, too?"

"No," I said shaking my head. "I have a different connection to the pack. I can still hear the thoughts of the packs when I choose to. Any of the three."

"Three?" he asked.

"My father and brothers have their own pack. But my siblings and I have never been here. And my dad hasn't come back since he left," I told him.

"How long ago did he leave? It had to be before Ephraim's pack right?"

I nodded. "Long before Ephraim's pack. My father is the oldest son of Taha Aki, the first of the wolves."

He stared at me wide eyed. Our hands had dropped from his face as we talked and we held together between us. "That would make him- well, really old, wouldn't it?"

I nodded again. "We're not exactly sure how old he is, but he's around 770 or so. My mom's about 620. She's half vampire."

"How old are you then?" he a little nervously. "And what are you?"

"I'm closest to a human, I guess. It's a little complicated, and I don't really understand it myself. I can still do some vampiric things. I'm a little faster and stronger than a human. I'm sure you also noticed that my smell is odd too. But I also have a lot of abilities that come down from my father's side too. Oh, and I'm 25."

"Do you- you know, drink blood?" His nose wrinkled and I almost laughed. It was cute.

"I can. It does help me heal faster, and keeps me slightly stronger. But I probably wouldn't touch it if my mom didn't cook with it." He looked grossed out and I panicked. "Well, um, it is animal blood if that helps. When they found each other, they realized that they needed to figure out a diet, so they decided that, as long as my dad was killing animals for his food, she could just use that blood. And then Mom learned how to cook and she figured out how to combine the two." I was rambling. I didn't want him to feel disgusted by me.

"Oh. There's vampires here that do that. With the animal blood I mean," he said.

"The Cullens," I confirmed. I wanted to spend more time with him, just the two of us, but I knew I had to gather the pack while I still had my dignity. I wasn't going to be able to play it cool when Mom found me and started dragging me around by the ear. "Embry, I'm sorry to do this, but I have to gather the packs. Is there a spot back on tribe lands where you guys meet? It would be good if I could have the Elders there, too."

"The Blacks' House. I can take you there. But how are you gonna call them?"

I smiled. "Watch. Well, I suppose listen is a better word." My eyes fell closed, and power from the spirits flowed through me. Voices muddled my thoughts, pulling my mind in hundreds of different directions. I found the two pack links, and then forced my way into the minds of all the wolves currently in town.

"Descendants of the Spirit Warriors," I called. "Hear me now. I am Raven, and I have been chosen by the Spirits to guide the pack. I call upon you- it's time to gather to hear the stories of the past. Gather your mates, gather the elders, and go the home of Spirit Chief Black."

This was a part of the power gifted to me- a power to command the pack.

Embry took my hand and began to pull me towards the trees. "It's this way. Should I shift?"

"No, we have to get everyone time to gather."

"How did you do that?"

I smiled. "It's a secret."