ON HOLD - Seeing the past (R. Hale)

Updated - The dream to start it all

     The moon is hanging low in the sky, and in the clear night by which I am surrounded it almost appears to touch the motionless lake ahead. The silence of the night is too unsettling for my liking as my group scans the tree line for any signs of trouble. Something deep within me stirs saying that it is already too late, and that trouble is indeed upon us. The scent of sap riddled pines, fresh water, mud, and sweat overwhelms my nose. Yet, still no sounds come other than Ezra crunching a twig beneath his boot. Not even an insect can be heard. Lifting my hand in the air I signal the others to go high and stay silent. The rough bark scratches against my palms as I begin to scale the tree to find a better vantage of the world bellow. As we sit waiting for a few minutes I finally hear it. The squelch of mud releasing its hold on a shoe about a mile out towards the east. To the west, the sound of paws pounding into the cold wet ground begins to grow. Looking to the others I nod while communicating through our mental link, "do not forget the mission is to try and broker a peace between these two factions. We are not here for battle. If a fight breaks out half of us will defend and the rest will scatter." A few, "yes commander's" resonates back to me.

With a nod I launch myself into the middle of the clearing acting as the divide between the wolf and vampire clans. Clearing my throat I speak, "you each know why we are here this evening to which the moon is a witness. Both clan and coven alike has asked for peace moving forward, and have reached out to the realm for assistance..." before I can continue the sound of two dozen more vampires approaching can be heard in the distance. The vampires broke the terms of the treaty leaving the wolves and guardians outnumbered. Even with the strength of the original knights we will be out matched. Looking to the trees my eyes meet with the scared warm brown ones that I have always loved and the crystal blue that I have grown to love as well. "Charles and Ezra you must take half of the guardians and go. I need to stand and fight with the others. I will not condemn all of my people to death. Ezra please do not retaliate. Stay strong for Thea." I breathe deeply as a tear falls down my cheek remembering the eyes of the daughter I will never see again. "All of you go now! That is my final decree as your commander. Charlie and Renee, if Ezra retaliates please keep Athena from this world. Don't let her pickup this mantel." As the last word leaves my mind the oncoming hoard breaches the tree line, and I grab the hilt of my sword in my hand, "this is the only chance that I will give you to rethink this decision." I say to the arriving army.

     The lead vampire bares his fangs at me, "you should have known this would never work. Aro sends his regards, and he wants you to know that when you die today he will hunt the rest of your kind until your bitter end. Every last guardian will die." With that he pushes forward closing the distance.

     "Not before I take half of you with me." I grunt back plunging my sword through his unbeaten heart setting him alight with the eternal flame. Removing the sword from him I swing at two more striking them down as well, watching them burn as they fall. Lifting my hand, I will the flame through my body taking down a dozen more as their screams pierce my senses. The whimpers of fallen wolves cry out and then are silenced by their untimely demise. As promised, their numbers have dwindled to less than half, but now my muscles are screaming. The toll of the eternal flame on my body is heavy and I am fading fast. As I strike out with the last of my energy, I feel a spear pierce through my armor into my lungs. Falling to my knees, I look at the dead surrounding me, and before I fadeaway my thoughts are filled with remorse. The glowing blue finally leaves my eyes allowing the hollow brown to shine through.

     Covered in sweat I sit-up in bed gasping for air and clutching at my chest where the spear should be. As my chest rises and falls rapidly, I look around taking comfort in the sound of gentle raindrops tapping on my window. A movement to my left draws my attention, but when I look nothing is there. Lying-in bed to my right I see Leah sleeping soundly while snoring ever so lightly. The events of last night come flooding back to me. The game night, mom's arrival, the acceptance letters, and the Cullens. Leah slept in here so that mom could stay in her room, and as I look at her mused hair and blush dusted cheeks, I adore her all the more. How did I get so lucky to have the great and scary Leah Clearwater as a best friend? As warmth and comfort feels me to the bones at knowing it was only a dream, I stand from the bed thinking of the similarities between my life and the woman's who was lost, the commander. Sitting at my desk I reach for a blank piece of drawing paper from my bookshelf, and pull out my charcoal and a blending stump before setting it all down. Slowly and mindlessly, I let my hand glide over the paper while deep in thought. The more my mind wanders the less that it feels like a dream. The Charles she gazed at lovingly was my dad, and she mentioned mine and Renee's names. I saw my infant face in her mind, but Renee is my mother. As a thought strikes me, I drop the charcoal to the desk and it rolls off onto the floor. The commander's glowing blue eyes looked like Renee's when she hugged Rosalie. Something is not right here. Picking up the charcoal I place it back on the desk, and noticed I am covered in the black chalky substance. With a sigh, I heave myself up and onto my feet stretching out my back as it releases a few soft pops. Then trudge my way to the shower.