Naturally

Naturally (A Jacob Black Fanfic) -42-

Jacob Black's POV

Seriously guys, grow up! We need to stay focused! I scowled at Leah and Marisol as they returned from their race. Leah was boasting to how she won while Merris could care less, seeing it as a game than a real competition. Leah, don't distract her. She's new at this and she needs to focus on how to control her own self.

Excuse me? I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. Merris snapped back at me.

I don't trust your word, I argued, staring her down. Because she was smaller than me I could force her down onto all fours. She wistfully lied down before me before it could advance to physical violence but she made a point to snarl lowly.

Whatever, like a teenager, she had to have the last word. I let her get away with that if that meant we could finally achieve some time for serious business.

How are we supposed to catch this guy? We don't know where he's at or when he'll strike.

Stake out? Quil suggested.

I was thinking that.

Well, Merris had to put in. If you do a stake out, make sure it's in small numbers. If you bring half the pack, he'll know something is up and well-ah! You succeed in scaring him off before you could even catch him. If you patrol in smaller groups, like 2 or 3, with another in the opposite direction, he won't be so intimidated and feel a little more confident in entering the territory.

I'm not going to put any member of my pack at risk. He is dangerous and reckless and could do serious damage to one of my pack mates. If we're going out late at night, I'm sure as hell is going to send reinforcements to protect each other. I yelled.

Merris stuck her head in the air, displaying her arrogant "I-know-better" attitude about herself perfectly. I was offended that she could undermine my authority.

So what if you're Alpha, Jake, she attacked my ego. You don't know how to confront this situation unlike me. You know how to confront Vampires but not your own kind. I, on the other hand, have experience with both.

What are you trying to say? That you know better than me? And what kind of experience are you talking about? I know she could defend herself, seeing as how she handled Paul, but I doubted she knew how to think for a whole pack. No way would I trust her with mine.

If I explain it to you, you still wouldn't believe me, so how about I do a demonstration instead? I'll play the ruthless psychopath and you can experiment with your tactics. After the first round, we can discuss the flaws of your plan.

I didn't argue because I was honestly intrigued with this plan. It would prove vital and beneficial for all of us to work as a team, and plus I was anxious to catch Marisol myself to show her who's really the top dog.

All right, give me a head start, okay? So hypothetically you just caught a whiff of my scent and when you do, act on your strategy you think will work best. Three minutes, guys, to discuss who goes where or does what while I get some distance.

She jumped up and bounded to the east. I watched her graceful figure get smaller and smaller with the more distance she gained. My heart stung a little bit to know she'd be out there on her own and I couldn't be by her side to watch over up, to protect her...

Oh quit being a sap, Jacob! She's coming back later, you know. It's not like she'll run into the real psychopath. Leah snapped at me. I glared at her.

Zip it Leah. All right guys, we have her scent, I suppose. The first thing we do is follow it. When it's strong, we'll separate in pairs in hopes to surround her. I don't want anyone to charge at her before me. Because hypothetically, if it's the killer, I'm not putting anyone in danger, understand? Just lock in on her so she has nowhere to run and I'll be the first to confront her.