Chasing Forever: Jacob's Story

Three Months Later

 I jog with the others, my breath billowing out in clouds around me. It's November and the temperature has already started dropping to almost freezing. The Legion has us running perimeters every morning before dawn, with no shirts and no shoes. I think back to yesterday, when we'd come back from breakfast to find one of the wolves, Anthony, dead from exposure.

 We hadn't even been allowed to bury him. A few of the vampires and wolves were allowed to carry his body into the woods near a fallen tree where it wouldn't be seen or disturbed by any of us. Anthony wasn't one of the nicest wolves but he was one of the most civil towards the vampires, he was one of the first to actually treat them like one of us.

 I hadn't known him very well, but his death hit me hard. He was young, strong.. Just like all of us. And he was the first to die. It was a wake up call to all of us. The Legion isn't a joke. It's dangerous. And not everyone is gonna live through it.

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 Ezekiel runs to catch up to me as I turn the last bend heading back toward the quarters to wash up before heading to the dining hall for supper. "Jake," He calls as he pushes past wolves and vampires alike to reach me. "Jake slow down."

 I look over my shoulder and grin. "Or you could exert a little more energy and run faster, Zekiel."

 He reaches me and grins back stupidly, his eyes flashing mischievously.  "But where's the fun in that?" He says. "How'd the run do for you today? It help you relax?"

 "Surprisingly, yes." I admit. "I wasn't freaking out as much."

 A few weeks ago I'd gotten a letter from Chyenne saying there was a possibility that she was pregnant. The Legion doesn't allow visitations with family members no matter what the situation and I'd freaked out thinking about how I wouldn't be a father for almost two years and Ezekiel had taken me on a walk, talking me down and reminding me not to panic until I'd written back and gotten a definite answer from Chyenne.

 "Good." He says. "Has she written you back since then?"

 I shake my head. "Not yet."

 He claps my shoulder, grinning at me. "Don't panic yet, just remain calm until you find out the truth." I nod. "I'm here for you, Jake. Brothers, remember?"

 I smile at the vampire who has become family to me. "Brothers."

 We continue to walk towards the quarters, a little way away from the rest of the group, and I shake my head in disbelief after a moment. "You realize three months ago I never thought I would call a vampire my family."

 "And I never thought I'd be able to look past the fur and become friends with a werewolf." Zekiel says back. "But we have."

 I nod. "Its crazy, don't you think?"

 "What do you mean?"

 We enter the room we all share as a group, all 260- 259 of us, and I walk over to my bunk, pulling off my shirt and pants, pulling on a warmer pair. "Three months ago I never would've imagined I would be here, living with you all, training to become one of the kings men. I never thought I would be a father."

 "A father?" Bryan says loudly, looking up from his bunk where he sits pulling on different pants. "Your mate is having a baby?"

 I nod. "Yeah."

 Andrew, one of Ezekiels vampire friends grins at me as he walks past. "Congratulations, Jacob." He says. "You'll make a great father."

 "Aside from the fact that I won't be in his life for the first two years, definitely." I say quietly, running my hands over my face.  

 Ezekiel stands up and walks over to me, pulling my hands away from my face. "Whoa, you don't know for sure yet whether you are in fact having a child." He says calmly, his violet eyes kind and unjudging. "You cannot afford to panic right now, Jacob. It's our first winter in the Legion. All of us have to try the best we can to survive and that means focusing on us and what we have to do to get through this together, alive."

 Everyone in the room nods and a few even place their hands on each others shoulders. "You're right, E." Bryan says quietly. "We owe it to Anthony to try to get as many of us through this winter as we can."

 A few of the guys look down, and I can sense their fear at the threat of death due to exposure. It's spreading like wildfire since Anthony. They need a leader. My vampire, Jordan whispers to me. Somebody who they believe is strong, somebody they're willing to follow to stay alive.

 But it's not me. I say back. I'm not a leader.

 Only because you refuse to be. He says. You could be, if you stepped up.

 One of the vampires, Saule, shakes his head, throwing himself down onto his bed. "Who are we kidding? We're all dead as far as I'm considered. Winters are harsh. Many in my clan die during the winters here. And they had shelter. We're all living in a shack, with a dozen candles, thin blankets." He looks around. "Half of us won't make it through this winter. And even more won't last through the training."

 Xavier, a wolf from Bristol shakes his head. "He's right you know.." He mumbles. "We're gonna die here. We're never gonna make it back to our families."

 They need a leader, Jacob.. Jordan whispers. Give them hope. Let them know there is hope.

 "Look. This isn't your pack, it isn't your clan." I say looking around the room at both of them, and then at everyone else. "We're on our own. We have to take care of our own. From now on pack loyalties, clan rivalries, they disappear. We are our own. We are The Legion, and we are one." A few of the boys nod their heads in agreement with my words and others smile to themselves as they realize the significance of the statement. "The moment  we decide that this isn't worth trying to live through, we are all doomed. Now I can't promise all of us will make it out of here and back to our families, but I can promise I will never turn my back on one of you. I will try my hardest to keep you alive. But you all have to try too."

 By the end of my speech everyone in the room is standing and nodding. Most glance at the empty bed where Anthony used to be, and when they look back at me I see a new found resilience within them. They're going to do this in his memory.

 "We are one." I repeat again, looking around and making sure I make eye contact with each and every one of them. I look at Ezekiel last and he stares at me, his eyes proud, and nods. "We're The Legion. Brothers for life."

 "Brothers for life." They say back loudly and I realize in that moment that I have never been prouder then to be a part of a brotherhood like this.