Twilight One Shots *Requests Closed*

The Forest Weeps (Paul Lahote)

Rain poured from the sky and the wind blew cold as if the heavens themselves were crying. A lone wolf patrolled his lands looking for any sign of a threat, but the rain washed away nearly every scent he could find. It was for this reason that the wolf was shocked to find a naked bleeding girl in his woods curled around a tree root in her sleep. She was unfamiliar to him and the rain covered her scent, but even up close he couldn't find a scent at all. She smelled exactly like the forest did. Like moss and fresh earth. He pondered where she had come from and he debated what he should do. If he should call for his pack, try to move her as he was now, or if he should shift back and try to approach her.
Deciding to call for his pack he moved away and let out a howl, hoping that they would hear him and shift. However, he hadn't fully thought it through as the loud howl had awoken the girl.
The girl's eyes shot open and she sprung up into the tree faster than the wolf could comprehend. She dangled from a high branch and gave a low growl in warning. At first the wolf was stunned to say the least. The only creature he had ever seen move that fast was a vampire or even himself. However, this girl didn't smell like him or any vampire he had ever seen. Her eyes were neither gold nor red like a vampires. And when the sunlight hit her skin she didn't shimmer. He could hear her heart beat and see the blood rushing through her veins. Yet, she most definitely was not a human.
'Embry! What is it?'
'Is it a threat?'
'A leech?'
'Stay aware!'
'Are you in any danger?'
The voices of his pack members filled his mind as they began to shift and rush to answer his call. He tilted his head at the girl in the tree and whined when he saw blood drip down her skin. It was then he fully saw the extent of her injuries.
'I don't know what she is. She doesn't smell or look like a leech. And she doesn't smell like us. But she isn't human. She looks seriously hurt. And scared. Very scared of me.' he answered the voices in his mind to try and calm his pack's worries.
'And you're sure she isn't a vampire? Or one of us?' Sam questioned as the pack arrived and closed in around the tree.
Peering up the wolves watched the girl who stared at them in fear and wonder.
Her eyes were a pale blue, almost silver, and her skin was equally as pale. Almost as if she never was I'm the sun. Her hair was cut short and white as snow. She was more pale than any vampire they had ever seen, but Embry was right. It was in that moment of observing that all the wolves froze as one of their own began to feel his world shift.
When Paul stared into the pale eyes he felt his heart tug. He found himself seeing glimpses of a future with the strange girl in the tree. Them running side by side in the forest, her pace faster than his and her movement graceful as of she was floating. He saw the two of them sitting next to a lagoon he had never seen before and listening to her voice as she sang to him. The gravity of the world changed for Paul Lahore in that moment. And his pack mates gazed up in wonder as they saw through the mind link what he did.

In the tree the pale girl caught her eyes with those of a grey wolf. The brown orbs calling her into them and she let out a soft gasp. She knew immediately what was happening and the fear she felt disappeared. She slowly lowered herself off the branch and gently landed at the foot of the tree. She stood ten feet in front of the wolf and the two couldn't look away nor move.
"Mate." She whispered as she took a small step forward.
One of the younger wolves let out a snarl as he felt she moved to quickly. He was new to the pack, only having shifted two days prior and didn't know the meaning of an imprint. Before he could move towards her Paul growled fiercely and bared his teeth at him. The young wolf bowed his head and whimpered a sorry as Sam started to explain.
Suddenly the world stopped and the girl stood straight as a board looking into the distance in fear. She took a cautious step away from the wolves and cried out before she vanished. Paul whined and turned his head frantically trying to find out what direction his imprint had gone off to.
'Where?! Where is she?!' he yelled and spun himself in a circle.
His fellow wolves also tried to search the forest for the girl but she had simply disappeared into the air. As the wolves began to give up and consider going home to discuss who and what she was... A loud scream filled the forest and the sickly sweet scent of a vampire filled their noses.
Even though Paul had only heard her sing in his vision he knew it was her. She was in danger. She needed him. He took off deeper into the forest with his pack beside him. The wolves found a clearing and froze as they watched the scene in front of them. A pure white lion and an unknown vampire circled each other, filling the air with snarls and hisses.
The vampire was a male and had bright red eyes, showing he had fed recently. And when they saw the crumpled body of a lone hiker the wolves let loose their own growls. When the vampire turned and saw the amount of enemies against him he tried to run. However, the lion pounced and began to tear the blood sucking creature to pieces. Clear vemon splattered across the ground and atone like chunks of flesh landed in front of the wolves. When the vampire was finally in to many pieces to count the lion stopped. It turned and the wolves watched in confusion as the lion started to morph into the girl from before. She dropped to her knees in front of the dead hiker and sobbed. She cried for the young man who had lost his life in such a brutal way. She cried for the family he had when she saw his wedding ring and the tattoo of a baby's footprint on his forearm. She cried for the man who was taken to soon from this world. She cried for a man she never knew. And even the forest cried at the sight of her and the dead man.
The wolves didn't know what they were going to do, but one by one they shifted and hastily threw on their clothes. The boys looking away when Paul caught a few looking at her naked form. The lone female wolf covered her younger brother's eyes. And the alpha handed his shirt to Paul who slowly sank to the ground beside his imprint.
Their eyes met as he handed her the shirt and he looked away when her nakedness caught his attention. She pulled the shirt over her head and moved to lean her head on his shoulder. The two shifters spoke no words as they listened to the forest weep for the human in front of them. It wasn't until Sam had called Chief Swan about finding a body in the woods near the meadow that the girl finally spoke.
"Maise."
Paula's eyes shot to her face and she gave a small smile.
"Maise. My name is Maise. Maise Connelly."
"Paul. Paul Lahote." He grinned and held out his hand to her.
"So the lion and the wolf, huh?" She giggled and took his hand giving it a shake.
"Yeah, speaking of which. Would you mind explaining what exactly you are?" Sam asked as he looked between his pack mate and the pale girl.
"I will. Over a cup of coffee and some food. I haven't eaten in days." She smiled at the alpha and began to walk away, Paul fast on her heels.