❝He loves her because she is a fierce, wholly unexpected, electric storm, yet she is a constant, quiet, pure and utterly calm shelter from the cruel, cold world. She Is a Wild Thing! She is nature's most enigmatic, rare and magical creature and he i...
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Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Emily Hansen loved the heat and everything that came along with it. Nothing beat the feeling of warm cement beneath her feet or the smell of sunscreen at the pool. Absolutely nothing.
So naturally, when her father broke the news that they would be moving away from her hometown in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Forks, Washington, Emily ran away in tears.
She ran and ran until her bare feet met the soft dirt of the woods behind her neighborhood and collapsed. Emily just simply wanted to lay there, surrounded by nature and it's sweet, sweet music. All around her it seemed that the birds began to sing their goodbyes and were soon joined by the chorus of the crickets.
A smile spread itself wide across her long face. Emily would never forget this moment for as long as she lived.
Above her, the sun was beginning to set. It's fading rays shot through the canopy and dappled her face in an array of yellows and oranges. Emily felt the warmth to her bones, reveling in the last light like a reptile on a rock.
In Forks, I will never feel the sun on my skin, she thought somberly. Not like this.
It was only when the sun had hidden behind the horizon that Emily sat up. There were leaves in her hair and dirt between her toes, but she did not mind. She wrapped her thin arms around herself, creating a bit of friction against the cool, summer breeze. If she did not get up now, Emily's father would be forced to come looking for her. Which was the last thing she needed to add to her already expanding pile of misfortune.
Emily gingerly rose to her feet and stretched out her long legs. Her brown eyes scanned the trees before heading in the direction towards home. Emily had visited these woods since she was a little girl, as her dad would always let her tag along on his hunting trips. It was he who introduced Emily to the harsh beauty of the wilderness, and she had loved every bit of it since.
Leaves crunched under her heel as she approached the tree line, but after picking up on a separate set of footsteps behind her, Emily paused mid-stride.
A twig snapped.
Not wanting to startle whatever lurked behind her, Emily carefully turned her chin towards the right shoulder. Her eyes strained and her heart beat fluttered as she saw the beginnings of an ear. Underneath the growing light of the moon, the creature's pelt gleamed of silver.
The breath caught in her throat as she beheld the creature before her.
A relieved smile crept its way across Emily's face.
"Oh, it's you." She breathed, turning fully now.
The doe raised her head to her, its black eyes bright in remembrance. It knew her.
Emily stepped comfortably towards the thin animal, reaching out her hand. The doe mirrored the girl and stepped forward as well, sniffing her outstretched palm.
