Cats and Dogs

"So you have to pray to this weird cat goddess every month on the night of the full moon or else you'll become a cougar permanently?" asked Embry as we continued through the forest at the leisurely pace we had set well over an hour ago. After deciding that my house - which was filled with four cats- wouldn't be the best place to continue our discussion.

"Yep, it's because the cougar form has more power, it sucks you in and if you're not careful then you forget why you switched back to being human in the first place." I knew from experience since there was a time a few years ago when I was tempted to give in to the feline side, only to be saved by a werewolf named Brandon.

"Is that what happened to your family?" He asked without looking at me, whether he avoided eye contact out of embarrassment or because he was concerned of falling, I have no idea.

"Yes," I said simply. "They allowed themselves to turn while under emotional distress. When that happens, there's a very low chance of them returning to the world of man." I had said 'allowed' but I knew very well that when the goddess decides to take you, there's very little you can do.

"Sorry, that kind of slipped out." Embry said apologetically. "I shouldn't have asked." I could have told him that he was right and that he should have kept his mouth shut, but for some reason I felt he had the right to know. I mean, he had agreed to help keep the others off my back and it was kind of nice to have one person that knew.

"It's fine," I replied. "It happened decades ago, I shouldn't get so worked up over it." After saying that, the entire forest became extremely silent and the only sounds I could hear was the constant crunch of leaves under our shoes.

"How old are you?" asked Embry suddenly when the word 'decades' apparently made their way into his brain.

"117," I told him and laughed when the boy's jaw dropped just moments before he tripped over a root and fell face first into a giant pile of fallen leaves. "Are you okay?" I asked, not really caring if he was or not because it was hilarious.

"Peachy," he answered sarcastically and slowly stood up as if he was afraid some kind of monster was going to spring forth from the leaves and attack him if he moved too quickly. "So, I'm guessing you're immortal or you've had a lot of bot-ox injections."

"Immortal," I promised and watched as Embry tried desperately to get the leaves out of his hair. "Here," I stepped up to the frustrated canine and started picking out the leaves with much smaller fingers.

"Now wouldn't that just plain...suck?" he asked as the two of us started walking again. Though I did notice that Embry managed to keep his eyes on the path in front of him in order to keep from repeating his earlier experience. "I mean, what would happen if you found someone that you loved? Could you change them like a vampire, or would they just eventually die?" That was actually the first well thought out question he had asked all night, and quite possibly the most difficult to answer.

"I can't bite someone and have them become like me, if that's what you mean," I said. "But, each one of my kind, has a soul mate. This person in normally a vampire since they're also immortal, or a shape shifter because they live as long as their mate does. Though, if our soul mate is a human then after consummation of the bound, they'll become a cougar shifter as well." If you think about it for a second, it's not that complicated; then again I have known about this since I was five. That may have something to do with my ability to grasp the concept, Embry however, wasn't so lucky.

"So you do turn people, but yet you don't? That makes no sense." He argued and I mentally kicked myself for thinking a wolf could understand what I had said.

"No, the goddess turns the soul mate of a shifter, IF that person is human, and only AFTER both people have realized this and have consummated their bond. Have I made myself clear?" Embry's eyes widened as he started to understand what I was saying and I smiled, knowing I had gotten through that thick skull of his.

"Transparently," he said and the boy opened his mouth to say something else but before he had the chance to, we both heard the sound of a group of people walking in our direction.

"Damn," I moaned. "How do they always find me?" Every time I'm in the forest, the pack seems to find me. Now I'm not stupid, I keep down wind and manage to cover my trail pretty well, so there's no reason why it should be so easy for them. It's unnatural I tell you.

"Bad luck?" Offered Embry and I didn't think his attempt at a joke was very funny. He should definitely leave the comedy to me, I mean I'm hilarious.

"Yeah," I sighed, "we could run. I mean, I am pretty fast." I just really didn't want to be around a group of boys and one girl that have a combined IQ of 4, so sue me if my plans weren't exactly thought out.

"They'd just smell that we were here and wonder why we tried to hard to get away from them," He pointed out and I whined at the fact that he was completely right. Damn dogs, they're always doing something to piss me off.

"Kill me now," I mumbled when the wonderfully annoying pack came within my range of sight.

"But knowing you, you'd just come back to life." Embry whispered so that our intruders -yes, intruders- couldn't hear the exchanging of words.

"I should never mention anything important to ever again," I whispered back. "You'll just use it in one of your failed attempts at a joke." Embry chuckled and laid his head on my shoulder as the boys (and Leah) came to stand in front of us.

"Hey guys, wonderful night for a stroll, huh?" Embry asked with his head still resting on my left shoulder, his breath tickling the side of my neck.

"Yeah, whatever. You okay, Alai?" asked Seth and I had to hold my breath to keep from laughing at the unhappy look on Jake's face. It was almost like he was expecting to find me dead somewhere and was disappointed that I was still alive and kicking.

"I'm fine," I assured the cub, "Of course Embry did push me off a cliff, break my arm, and scare the living daylights out of my cat. But I'm fine." Shocked expressions, this is what I live for and let me tell you, I was definitely living now.

"YOU PUSHED HER OFF A CLIFF?!" Screamed Sam and Leah at the same time, totally unaware of the other. Embry, knowing that he had some explaining to do, lifted his head from my shoulder and glared at me as if I was pure evil. I love that glare.

"He didn't mean to," I told them. "I actually just walked off a cliff because Embry looked mad about something and I didn't watch where I was going. Besides, most of me landed in the water." Embry's look softened, but the others still looked ready to kill, even Jacob seemed to want to rip someone's head off.

"Why were you angry?" asked Quil, he seemed to be the only one capable of speech at that exact moment.

"I told him we couldn't continue our secret love affair, of course." I said sarcastically. Most people would have laughed and shaken their head at my stupidity but not Jake. No, he had to be a crazy wackjob of a person.

Before I could say, "stop," before I could scream in warning, before I could say, "I was just joking, calm down." Jake turned into the large red and white wolf I had seen in the forest just days before and launched himself at an unsuspecting Embry.

"Embry!" I screamed as he too shifted in order to defend himself. "Guys stop it!" It was no use, the two wolves were dead set on killing each other and not even Sam or Paul looked as though they were going to stop this.

"I hate having to do everything," I hissed at the cowardly dogs behind me before tying my hair back with a scruchie, and pulling up the sleeves of my shirt to my elbows.

"Jake, Embry" I said as I stepped up to the two growling wolves. Neither paid me much attention and simply went back to fighting a few seconds after I spoke. "Fine!" If they weren't going to stop willingly then I had to force them to.

As Jacob launched himself once again at Embry, I grabbed him around the neck and wrestled him to the ground in just enough time to push Embry away as he tried to get around me in order to bite Jake one more time.

"Knock it off," I grabbed both dogs by the ear and twisted until two yelps of pain sounded through the night, and then continued until both animals shifted back into human form.

"What the fuck was that, Jake?!" screamed Embry as he once again tried to attack Jacob, not caring that both boys were completely naked.

"Don't take it out on him," I said standing up since laying on top of a naked male wasn't such a good idea. "He's having a hard time with the imprint thing, and he must have overreacted to the whole 'love affair' comment." I sensed Jake get up behind me and I turned around just in time to see him shift again and run off into the forest.

"You know," I said to Sam. "We should really get that boy a leash."