|2| Broken Beta {Paul Lahote}

XI

"That was the story of the spirit warriors. This is the story of the Third Wife's sacrifice." Old Quil, he began his story in a thin tenor voice, and he sat up straighter in his chair.

Juliana narrowed her eyes swiftly at Old Quil, as he as well, seemed to be a hard stare at her.

"Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the North with the Makahs."

"Young women had begun to go missing and the Makahs blamed the neighboring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted."

"The spirit warriors of old could hear each others thoughts, and as such, the wolves could as well. They knew, that none of them could be responsible for it. Even though, there was one wolf in particular who could have hidden his thoughts, he chose to not." Old Quil's words were clear and Juliana stares at him, her fist clenching at her side, and slightly quivering.

Paul reached out and put his hand on top of hers, as the quivering was still a clear thing.

"Taha Aki was no longer a warrior to lead his people, he wanted no war. So, he sent his oldest wolf-son Taha Wi, to take the pack and find this enemy of a fellow tribe the Makahs."

"Taha Wi led the five other wolves in his pack on a search through the deep mountains, lookin for any evidence of the missin' Makahs. They came across something they had never encounters before-- a strange, sweet scent in their forest that burned their noses, to their points of pain."

Julianna spotted Bella as she shrunk back at the mention of it, and Julianna rolled her eyes a little, as she turns to Old Quil again.

"They did not know what creature would leave such a scent behind, but they still followed it,"

"They found faint traces of human scent, and some traces of clear human blood, along the trail. They were sure that this was the enemy, that they had been searching for."

"The journey took them so far north, that Taha Wi sent half of the pack, the younger ones, all back to the Harbor to report to Taha Aki."

"Taha Wi and his two brothers, they did not return. The younger brothers searched for their elders, but found a deadly silence. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He wished to avenge his sons' death, but he was old. He went to the Makah chief in his mourning clothes and told him everything that had happened. The Makah chief chose to believe him and his grief, and their tensions ended between the two."

"A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweer stink, all throughout the Makah village. The wolves went on the hunt once again."

"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taha Aki's third wife, and the youngest in the pack. He brought something with him, that had never been seen, in all the days, of the Quileutes-- a strange, cold, stony hard, corpse that he carried torn into sorts of pieces. All those who were of Taha Aki's blood, even all of those who had never been wolves, could smell the piercing scent of the dead creature. It was clear that this was the enemy of the Makahs."

"Yaha Uta described what had happened: he and his brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man but was hard as a granite rock as it were, with two Makah daughters. It was clear that one girl was dead white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creature's arms, his mouth at her throat. She may have been Alice when they came upon the hideous scene, but the creature, he quickly snapped her neck and tossed her lifeless body to the ground, when they approached. His white lips were covered in her blood, and his eyes glowed red."

"Yaha Uta described the fierce strength and speed of the creature they had fought. One of his brothers quickly became a victim when he had chosen to underestimate that strength of their enemy. The creature, it ripped his body apart like a doll. Yaha Uta and his other brother were a lot more wary. They worked together, coming at it from the sides, outmaneuvering it together. They had to reach the limits of their wolf strength and speed, it was something that had never been tested before. The creature was hard as stone and as cold as ice. They were finding out that only their teeth could damage it. They began to rip away, so many small pieces of the creature as it fought them."

"But the creature learned quickly and soon was matchin' their maneuvers. It got its hands on Yaha Uta's brother. Yaha Uta found an opening on the creature's throat, and he lunged. His teeth tore the head right off of it, but to his shock and horror, the arms both continued to mangle his brother. Yaha Uta tore the creature to pieces, trying desperately to save his brother. He succeeded in his task, but was too late to save his brother."

"He lay out the reeking pieces of the creature to show the elders and to the horror of all of them present, it began to pull itself back together. Horrified, the elders set fire to the remains and separated the ashes of the creature. In warning if it ever rose again, Taha Aki kept one bag around his neck." Old Quil turned to Billy, who pulled out an ancient bag, blackened with age.