Diving Away The Day - [open]

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin had only been in La Push for a couple of months and really the only people she knew were those on the reservation. These people included most of the tribe there and of course the other shifters in Sam’s pack… her new pack. It was still so strange to her to think that she had left her home four years prior and she was now a member of a new pack with a new home. Sam & his imprint had been kind enough to even take her in while she was still looking for a job and a place of her own. After about two weeks of looking she got on helping one of the local women in her little shop. She loved that she had found a reservation to live on again. She had missed the life of a tribe ever since she had left her own home. She allowed her mind to linger on her old life in Tennessee only for a moment before jerking it back into the present time and place where she could feel the cool, moist ground under her paws as she dashed along the cliffs of La Push.

The feeling of a good run always helped her clear her mind and this morning was no different. She had woken up many times through the night with her nightmares tormenting her once again and at the first sign of light she decided it was time to get some air. The cliffs were not frequented all that often so it was a place she had been told that she could go if she just needed some time and space. Sam had been great about letting her know where she could and couldn’t get away with being a wolf. Besides that, he had also introduced her to cliff-diving and she was instantly addicted to it. The thrill that came with the dive was like nothing she had ever experienced before and she was more than ready for that feeling now. As she reached the point where Sam had first taught her about diving, she paused for a moment on the edge just looking out over the wide open waters before her. If a wolf could smile, she would have been but even though she couldn’t show her contentment that way, it was something easily seen in her eyes.

Her heart began to pick up its pace even before her paws left the rocks of the cliff and within moments of feeling the rushing air around her, she felt the sudden exhilaration of the cold water hitting her body. It took her a moment to get her bearings and make it back over to the cliff’s edge where there was a small over hang she was able to climb into before shifting back to her human form. She quickly changed into her swimsuit, shorts and t-shirt before moving back out to the Cliffside and starting to climb back up to the top. She loved this feeling and the rush that it gave her truly helped clear her mind of worries and concerns, at least for a while. By the time she reached the top she was grinning and her eyes showed her contentment. Truly, she could do this all day and never grow tired of it.

Instead of jumping again right away she decided against it and just sat on the cliff’s edge. She let the breeze blow her hair and somewhat calm her as it did so. She loved the ocean and didn’t really know how she had ever survived in a landlocked state like Tennessee for so long. She would trade just about anything in the world to make sure that she was able to stay by the ocean for the rest of her life. With this thought she closed her eyes and just let the sounds and smells of the ocean consume her senses and take her far away from any problem that had even considered entering her mind.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

A almost red wolf raced through the forest, holding that wolfish grin. Three other wolfs: A dark grey and two black, galloped after the little red, growling and snarling. The red looked voer her shoulder with a roll of her eyes before darting faster. Kicking up her speed, the red wolf "chuckled", a throaty almost growl like noise floating out of the red's open mouth. The red contiuned to gallop through the woods, hardly making any noise. Slidding to a stop, The red wolf seemed to smirk, looking around. The wolf's eyes shone blue as she scanned the area before the wolf shuttered. Instead of a red wolf, now sat a young girl. The girl looked up and smirked lightly before standing up.

Amber arched her back, hearing it crack and pop before rolling her shoulders. "Gotta love training..." Amber rose to her full height of 5'7 and shivered slightly, not due to the cold but due to the fact she was still twitching from her run. The 15 year old girl arched her back again before starting to climb the jagged mountain path. Amber smiled, running a hand through her light brown hair, pushing it out of her face as she climbed.

For a 15 year old, Amber was quite the athlete. She climbed the rocky and steep path as if it was a walk in the park. Although she was female, Amber was constantly put to the test by all 8 of her brothers and her father. Being the only girl in her family, Amber was always trained the hardest by her father, although she understood why. Her grandfather had wanted to give Amber up, saying no girl could live up to their legacy, the Jackson Legacy. Her father and brothers had stood up for her, saying she was the best and no one could beat the 15 year old. She could still hear her grandfather's words,' She has until she's 16... If she does not succeed, Kill her..." She smirked lightly before growling, " Look at me now, Gramps..." The brown-haired girl laughed lightly before ducking as her head nearly collided with a fallen tree.

As the 15 year old stopped for a break, an unfamilar scent caught her nose. The 15 year old tilted her head before shifting back into her wolf form. She always fought better in her wolf form anyways. Padding towards the smell, the small red wolf spotted a girl. She looked about 24, not much older. Amber stepped out of the forest and barked lightly, trying to get the girl's attention. When Amber did, the 15 year old shifted back to her human form before studing the girl closely.

"Hi..."

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin had drifted off into somewhat of a daze allowing her senses to be overcome by her surroundings. Her mind was completely clear of all thought and for the first time today she was completely at ease. Even in her ease, she knew she would have to admit everything from her past to her new pack at some point, but she would try not to drop it all on them at once and hope they understood. She still was getting used to her new alpha Sam and his pack that had all been close from the time they were kids. She knew that this new life wasn’t going to be easy but she was finding ways to deal with it and the outdoors always helped. The calm that she experienced from just being in the ocean air was an amazing feeling and right now it was just what she needed. However, it didn’t last as long as she would have hoped.

Suddenly her eyes shot open as she caught the scent of another shape-shifter nearby. It wasn’t a scent that she recognized and she immediately shifted where she sat so that she could catch sight of anyone coming out of the forest but she could also easily jump from the cliff to the waters below if she needed to. She wasn’t about to get into a fight with any local shifters mainly because she was sure that there were some that she hadn’t been introduced to yet and they may not all know that she was a part of Sam’s pack. After all, she wasn’t originally from here and so she was a new face in a very small area where everyone knew everyone, a lot like her old home.

As she heard a light bark she spotted the little red wolf and slightly smiled. As the wolf shifted into a young girl it was obvious that she was a young teenager but that she was very self-confidant. She watched the girl carefully, not knowing if the girl was peaceful or if she was just playing like she was. “Hi…” As she heard the young girl speak she slightly nodded and continued to smile.

“Hello… I’m Caitlin, and you are?” She spoke as she rose from where she had been sitting on the cliff’s edge. She still wasn’t completely sure yet if she could trust the young girl but she had a feeling that since the girl had gone back to her human form that she felt comfortable around Caitlin, which meant that the girl wasn’t a threat. She hoped…

“And if you don’t mind me asking… What brings you all the way out here on your own?” She didn’t want to sound like she was being nosey but in all truth most everyone stuck with their pack unless there was something else going on that they couldn’t, or if they had imprinted than they stuck close to their imprintee. She had picked up on these two things right away after the first time she had shifted and found that here was the same as at home. She learned quickly that if she couldn’t figure out where one of her pack mates was, she could get ahold of their imprintee and find out very quickly where they were if she needed them. With this girl being as young as she was, Caitlin wasn’t sure if the girl was truly on her own, if there were other wolves around, or if there was something else going on entirely. She stood as she waited for the girl’s answers but stayed close to the cliff’s edge just in case she ended up needing to make a quick exit.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

Amber studied the older girl closely, debating whether she was friend or foe. As the older girl introduced herself as Caitlin, Amber's mind immediately went into searching mode. It scanned her memory for any Caitlin. 'Caitlin, Caitlin... Wait, Isn't she the...' Shaking her head slightly, Amber's posture relaxed slightly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Caitlin, I'm Amber Savannah James Jackson, but everyone calls me Ace.." The 15 year old smiled brightly at Caitlin before replying to the older girl's question," My brothers and I were going to go up to the top of the mountain, but they fell behind as usual.." Amber rolled her eyes with a grin.

" You're one of the new pack member's from Sam, right?" Amber asked, tilting her head slightly. She had been told by Seth that Sam was not a wolf to be reckon with and if he found out there was another pack, well... let's just say it won't end well. The 15 year old smiled at Caitlin; although she was raised by guys, Amber did have manners. She may be a wild animal, but she was still a human. Amber ran a quick hand through her hair, pushing it back out of her face. Letting her body langauge relax, Amber crossed her arms over her chest and rested her left leg , watching Caitlin.

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin watched the young girl as the girl relaxed at the sound of her name. Obviously this girl had heard of her from somewhere, so she’d have to get around to that at some point. ”Pleasure to meet you, Caitlin, I’m Amber Savannah James Jackson, but everyone calls me Ace..” She couldn’t help but grin at the girl’s very long name that shortened down to such a wonderfully short nickname like Ace. She thought it was a wonderful idea to go by something so short for everyone’s sake.

She changed her weight on her feet as she continued to listen intently to Ace’s answers of who she was and why she was here. “My brothers and I were going to go up to the top of the mountain, but they fell behind as usual..” The grin on Ace’s face and the roll of her eyes told Caitlin that Ace’s brothers were definitely going to get picked on about falling behind, for what seemed to be on repeated occasions. She gave a slight nod both for understanding why Ace was there and in approval of Amber’s reaction to her brothers. This information also let her know that at any point in time that Amber’s brothers could show up as well, so she could be prepared for that & not stress herself out again.

However, she didn’t fully relax until Ace finally asked a question of her own. ”You’re one of the new pack member’s from Sam, right?” This was the question that confirmed what she had been suspecting. Ace had heard about her from someone, so the only question that really remained was from who. However, that was a question she would address here in a bit and instead she would show her manners at the moment.

“Yes, I am… Caitlin Tokala Houston, and it’s a pleasure to meet you as well Ace.” She smiled as she began walking over to where Amber stood. The fact that Ace was so relaxed helped Caitlin to relax as well, and this was something she was very thankful for. She honestly didn’t really have anyone she was truly close to thanks to being literally the only female in Sam’s pack and therefore not really feeling like the other girls around would really be able to understand her. Granted, Leah was in Jacob’s pack & she had been told that she could probably go to Leah about anything, but it just felt strange seeing she had never actually been introduced to Leah, & she had also learned all about the situation with Leah, her Alpha Sam, & his imprint Emily. So Leah wasn’t really someone she thought it would be right to talk to about much considering she didn’t even really talk to her own pack about a lot of things. Instead, she kind of hoped that maybe her and Amber could get to know each other and maybe become friends. After all, she had just met the girl and she was already impressed with Amber’s personality and domination over her brother’s abilities. As she finally stopped walking just in front of Amber she held out her hand with a smile.

“So Ace… Are you and your brother’s part of Jacob’s pack?” She decided to ask it as a question considering it was possible they were nomadic wolves. After all, she herself had been a nomadic wolf for about four years before settling here in La Push, but she also figured that Ace had to of heard of her from someone and Jacob was one of the few people she knew outside of her own pack. So unless Ace had heard of her from one of her own pack mates, than she had to of heard the news from Jacob himself.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

Ace smiled at Caitlin's introduction to her full name,"Your name is very pretty, may I add... Mine is a big mouthful.." The 15 year old grinned lightly. Having been the only girl of her pack, Amber's name had been the hardest to make. Her mother and father weren't excepting any girls, so they had all focused on boys names. Amber was picked out of a vote and so was Savannah, because two of the nurses who had helped Amber's mother through labour had suggested just in case. James, however, was put in as a momeory and tribute to her mother's father. Acer's older brothers often teased her about having such a long and "girly" (to them) name, so they shortened it. Having grown up with only boys, Ace never really minded her name, it was long yes, but it was a symbol of who she was.

"Yes and No... You see..." Ace bit her lip before starting up again,"My pack isn't actually known about... The only reason I know about you and your pack is because My imprint is Seth... Seth Clearwater... He's been telling me about the packs and such... Because Seth and I are imprints, hopefully, My brothers and I will merge with Jacob's pack... But, you can't tell Sam... If he finds out there's another pack.." Amber bit her lip to cut herself off. Why she was telling all this to someone she just met, Ace was unsure. No one else knew her and Seth were imprints. Now someone from the pack who could kill Amber and her brothers, had found out... She could... Amber bit her lip harder before blurting out,"Please, don't tell Sam..."

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin could already tell she was starting to like this girl and continued to smile as she listened to Ace. ”Your name is very pretty, may I add… Mine is a big mouthful…” That one little comment was all that it took to know she would definitely be all for keeping this girl around. She slightly laughed at the description Ace had chosen for her long name and thought it was also fitting. Yes, it was definitely a mouthful and having a much shorter nickname was a good idea. She recalled that her own father had chosen the name Caitlin while he said it had been her mother that had insisted on the name Tokala. When she was young she hadn’t understood why her mother would have made her father promise to her that Caitlin’s middle name would be Tokala, but she understood after her first shift. Now it all made sense because now she truly was a tokala, a wolf.

She pulled herself from her thoughts as she heard Ace’s answer about belonging to Jacob’s pack and suddenly realized that she once again had a secret to hide from her pack. Oh great… as if I’m not already keeping enough from them… oh well… it is what it is… The thought passed through her mind within seconds and as she heard about Ace and Seth imprinting on one another, she slightly nodded. She didn’t know Seth personally but she had been told of him by Jacob. In fact, she now recalled that Jacob had gone ahead and told her a little bit about his pack and who the members were, and Ace was not among them.

“Don’t worry Ace… I won’t tell Sam anything. I promise. I’m good at keeping secrets, even from the pack mind. He won’t find out from me, I promise.” She really didn’t want to add yet another secret to her list, but there was no way that she was going to spill on something like this when it really wasn’t her place to do so. After all, if anyone should be telling Sam that there was another pack around, it should be Jacob, so she wasn’t going to go there.

“And I may be pretty new to Sam’s pack but I definitely have gotten the feeling that if he were to find out about another pack, he wouldn’t react well. Even if someone did tell him that you and Seth are imprints. After all, until your pack merges with Jacob’s than there’s really no way of Jacob easily protecting you and your brothers from anything that Sam may try to pull. So it’s okay. You’re secret is safe with me. It’s only one of a few that Sam just doesn’t need to know.” She smiled kindly and softly placed her hand on Ace’s shoulder to reassure her. She had always been an only child but she had often wanted a younger sibling. This however, was impossible seeing as her father never did end up remarrying. Now a days it seemed like she was always looking for that friend that could fill that spot of a younger sibling in her life. She began to wonder if she had indeed found that friend in Ace.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

Ace bit her lip and started chewing on it; a habit she had developed over the years. It was a horrible habit and Acer's brothers has tried to stop her over the years. The 15 year old shape-shifter smile brightened as Caitlin said she wouldn't tell Sam.

"Thank you, Thank you Caitlin..." The 15 year old took in a deep breath and smiled brightly,"I'm sorry... I just... I've lost too many people in my life and I don't want to lose any others..." The 15 year old ran a tanned hand through her long light brown hair.

"You have no idea how grateful I am...." Ace smiled brightly at the older girl. "I'm so sorry about dropping all of this on you... My brothers don't even know about my imprint with Seth..." Ace tucked a light brown strand behind her ear before crossing her arms over her chest, smiling brightly.

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin couldn’t help noticing how Ace’s nerves made her chew on her lip and she remembered as a child having to break the habit of popping her joints when she was nervous. She slightly nodded and smiled as Ace thanked her for keeping the secret of the third pack. However, it was when Ace mentioned that she had already lost people she cared about and didn’t want to loose others that really caught Caitlin off guard. She looked into Ace’s eyes and could see the honest and true concern within them, that was obvious, but what blew her away was thinking that someone else so young could have experienced a strong loss like she had and then she ends up meeting them. Huh… who would’ve thought… And she’s right around the same age that I was back then. With this thought she knew what was going to come up and she took a deep breath preparing herself for it.

“I know what you mean… I lost my father ten years ago. I was fourteen at the time and about four years ago I just couldn’t be around my people anymore because I was afraid of losing one of them. I did the Nomad life for about four years and then a couple months ago I ran into Jacob. He said he didn’t think bringing in another female would be a good idea for his pack, but he was kind enough to talk Sam into taking me in. I think being out alone on my own was what I really needed in order to get over my fear of losing a loved one. Sometimes, you can’t realizes what you have to gain, until you’ve lost…” She somewhat surprised herself with her last sentence, personally she hadn’t thought of it that way herself. She figured it was probably a good little tidbit to keep in mind when she wondered if she should really be sticking around here.

“And as far as dropping all of this on me, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind at all, and from the sound of it. You really did need someone to talk to about it all. After all, you can’t be expected to keep everything bottled up inside without some kind of out lit or sooner or later it will just consume you and then things would only get worse. It’s almost like trying to keep a cork in a bottle of pop while you shake it and all of the carbination builds up pressure. At some point it won’t be able to keep holding and it will blow up.” She smiled at Ace and gave a slight nod.

“So, seeing as you and Seth obviously don’t feel comfortable telling anyone else about your imprint yet, you can both feel free to come to me at any time to talk about what’s on your mind. Okay?” She left this opening for two reasons. One reason was because she just wanted to make sure that Ace truly understood she could be trusted and that her imprint secret really was safe, and two, she also wanted to give an opening for a friendship that the two of them might be able to build on their trust.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

Ace listened as Caitlin spoke about losing her father when she was fourteen. Ace nodded, " I know how you feel... I lost my mother when I was four... I never really knew her, though, even when my brothers tell me about her... I lost my father when I was 10... He was killed a few years ago by vampires..." Ace sighed lightly. She was always so close to her father, although he pushed her hard in training. The 15 year old looked over at Caitlin, her eyes wide in wonder and surprise," My dad used to say the same thing... He always wanted my brothers and I to remember that..."

Ace nodded, listening to Caitlin as she spoke about bottling it all in," I know but I find it very hard to express my feelings..." The 15 year old shape-shifter rubbed the back of her neck. Having grown up with boys, Ace picked up some boy traits, like running her hand through her hair and rubbing the back of her neck.

Ace smiled at Caitlin's offer before nodding,"Thanks Caitlin... I will..." Ace bit her lip, hoping they could be friends. She enjoyed the older girl's company and she felt very calm around the girl.

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin listened as Ace spoke of not really knowing her mother and losing her at such a young age. This alone would have been enough to make Caitlin have a connection with Ace because she fully understood that feeling of a missing piece in your life. However, it was when Ace spoke of the loss of her father that really drew her in. She almost couldn’t believe her ears when Ace mentioned that her father had been killed by vampires. This was when she became sure that this girl was definitely one that she wanted to keep close. She didn’t really understand how two girls from different parts of the continent could have so many details the same in their lives. She wasn’t sure if she should go ahead with her own admissions or not, but she felt that after Caitlin just shared her history that it would only fair for her to do the same.

She paused as she heard Ace admit to having a hard time talking about feelings and slightly laughed with a nod. She knew exactly how that felt because her and her father were exactly the same for a long time and after he passed, she just locked herself away from just about everyone, including the other shifters back home. However, the others back home were wolves that she would never talk about with anyone, ever. She quickly pushed them from her mind and instead rested on her life’s similarities to those of Ace’s. ”Thanks Caitlin… I will…” She gave a slight nod and decided to sit down on a nearby rock before she smiled over at Ace. She took in one deep breath before revealing her own past losses, even if some of the details she kept to herself.

“I know what you mean about not knowing your mother. I lost mine when I was born. Actually, I lost her and my twin brother due to complications… It was always just me and my dad, though my mom’s friends would always try to help out with the more “girl” stuff when they could.” She slightly smirked remembering the first time that her father had tried to braid her hair and they ended up having to get it cut off at her shoulders because even the hair dresser couldn’t get all of the knots he had put into it back out.

“It was me and my dad up until he was killed by a vampire when I was fourteen. After that, my mom’s friends took over raising me up until I just couldn’t handle being on the reservation anymore… I left them all about four years ago and stayed a nomad up until I finally ran into Jacob and after a long talk he convinced me to stay and Sam to take me in. I hadn’t stayed in one place more than a week until now and with an understanding of having a hard time communicating and bottling everything inside. Considering all of the similarities in our lives, I would be very disappointed in myself if I were to not offer to be here for you.” As she finished speaking she smiled and slightly tilted her head to the side wondering how Ace would feel about all of this new information.

“I do ask that you, and if they find out, your brothers as well, to keep the incident with my father to yourselves. I don’t want Jacob’s pack or my own to find out just yet about that particular part of my past. I haven’t found a good opportunity to reveal that to them yet and thus it would be quite difficult to explain to them if they found out through a third party as to why I hadn’t yet told them myself. You understand…” She slightly sighed still not sure how she was going to tell her new pack about everything that had happened to her and how it had affected her and her old pack. She also wasn’t sure how the whole thing would make Jacob and his pack feel because of the close friendship with ‘vegetarian’ vampires. Honest, she didn’t know if she would ever truly be able to warm up to a vampire, even if they didn’t eat humans. She had her reasons and she was fairly sure, she would never be able to call a Vamp a friend.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

Amber's jaw nearly dropped at Caltlin's story about her family. Her brothers, well her older ones anyways, told her stories about her mother, always saying how Ace reminded them of her. Her father even used to say that Ace could have been her mother's long lost twin if she wasn't her daughter. Pushing her hair out of her face, Ace contiuned to listen to Cailtlin, happpy to finally have found someone who understood what she was going through....

"I'm so sorry about your mom and brother... I could never imagine losing my own twin...", Amber said,"I'm sorry about your father as well... My three youngest probably understand what you're going through... My mom died, giving birth to them..." Amber bit her bottom lip gently. The 15 year old never thought she would ever find a female shifter and one who had the same experiences, although they were from different places, it was a one in a million...

"I understand... I promise to keep your secret..."Amber smiled brightly. Interestingly, Amber found it easier to keep secrets to tell them. Her brothers knew never to press Ace for answers or they would get in deep trouble. Although 4 of them were older then the girl ( One only being 2 minutes), Ace acted like the leader of the group. She wasn't afraid to show her strength; and her brothers knew it. She wasn't a force to be reckon with. The 15 year old ran a hand through her long light brown hair, pushing it out of her face before smiling brightly at Caitlin.

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin slightly smiled at Ace as she gave her sympathy and she was sure that Ace was correct about the younger three Jackson boys somewhat being in the same boat as her. It had been hard enough growing up knowing that her mother had died trying to bring her brother into the world just after her, but it was worse knowing he had been lost as well. That kind of loss was something that she wished she could keep any and every child in the world from experiencing. It was a loss that was truly something that couldn’t be consoled and that left so many unanswered questions, you were haunted by them daily. “I understand… I promise to keep your secret…” She nodded as Ace spoke and was so glad that she had found someone that could truly understand her situation. Even if Ace was younger than her, which seemed to be the case, she didn’t mind and she liked the idea of having someone younger around, so that she could see what it felt like to have someone younger that hung out with you, much like she figured her brother would have.

“Thank you, Ace. I really appreciate it.” She couldn’t help the smile that continued to linger. She was enjoying the young female shifter more than she would have thought possible. It was nice to be around another girl shifter for one thing, and it was also great this connection they were slowly finding between them. She absent mindedly started to play with the moss on the rock she sat on and was slowly running her fingers back and forth across it. Every now and then, without noticing, she would stop and pick at a spot until she made it flat and smooth. Somehow this didn’t distract her from her conversation with Ace though and even if someone pointed it out, she wouldn’t believe it until she saw the dirt accumulating under her finger nails.

“So out of curiosity, Ace, how old are you? And how long has your family lived in the area?” She was becoming more curious. She was sure she could avoid sharing her thoughts by focusing on other things going on with Jake’s pack and the Cullen’s vampires that she had heard about, but never met. It just made more secrets and honestly at this point, she wasn’t sure if she would stay with Sam’s pack permanently but they were her new pack that she had yet to give her full trust to. Yes, they were all on the same side, but she still had reservations about them knowing about her, so it was no problem to keep them from learning about Ace and her brothers. Granted, someday, as long as she stayed, she would tell Sam and the others everything but for now it just wasn’t the time. As she lingered in her thoughts while waiting for Ace’s answers, she suddenly had many other questions start pouring into her mind and she quickly organized them to ask as long as Ace didn’t mind answering.

[Amber Savannah James Jackson]

" No problem Caitlin," Ace smiled as the older girl thanked her. The 15 year old ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back out of her face. Her hair was about shoulder length, meaning it wasn't too long, but it always got in her face, not that Ace minded. She tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear before listening as Caitlin asked her a question.

"I'm fifteen..." Ace smiled brightly before continuing"I'm unsure how long we have lived in this area, but my father said, his grandfather had moved his family here when he was just a baby... I'm unsure myself, where our origins lie..." The 15 year old enjoyed learning about her families's history; although her brothers had thought it was boring.

" And how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Amber knew her brothers would smack her, if they were around, but she was interested in the slightly older girl. She could had been a little older then her oldest brothers, but not by much.

"Seeing as you're new to Forks, I'm just curious to know where you are originally from.. If you don't mind me asking..." Ace leaned back against a tree, crossing her left leg over her right and slipping her thumbs into her belt-loops, giving her that calm relaxed posture to her. She didn't often keep her guard up for long, although her brothers hated it.

[caitlintokala]

Caitlin watched as Ace pushed her hair out of her face and tucked it in behind her ear. She slightly smiled noting Ace’s words as she spoke. Caitlin had figured by the way that Ace acted that she was probably younger, but she hadn’t realized that the girl was about nine years younger than herself. It was an interesting discovery that she hadn’t been ready for, so it caught her a little bit off guard though she didn’t linger on it too long.

However, the fact that Ace didn’t know where her family was from really got Caitlin’s mind going. Why hadn’t Ace been taught about her origins, even if her grandpa was the one to move the family to Washington. Her mother, her family, her tribe would never allow one of their young ones to go without being taught their origin history and traditions and so she couldn’t help wondering why Ace’s family hadn’t clung to that knowledge of their own family. Within an instant she found herself pulled from her thoughts as she heard Ace ask her a question. “And how old are you, If you don’t mind me asking?” She slightly smirked seeing she had figured that Ace would have some questions of her own if that door was opened. “Seeing as you’re new to Forks, I’m just curious to know where you are originally from… If you don’t mind me asking…” She gave a slight nod and smiled before answering.

“I’m twenty-four years old and I’m originally from Tennessee, but I haven’t seen my tribe there in four years.” She paused not really sure if she was quite ready to talk about her tribe and the life she had left behind. She wasn’t sure how Ace might react to her news of her old pack but she also figured that out of all the people that she was currently around, that Ace would be the one to tell all of this to first. After all, the girl appeared to be more than trust worthy, so she decided to just go with it.

“Back home on the reservation I was actually my pack’s alpha. None of my first cousins of the same bloodline lived on the res to take that position, so it was left up to me. It was about three weeks after my father’s death that I first shifted and accepted my responsibilities. There was quite a bit of time between my shift and when I gained pack mates but they were all around my age. I ran with them until four years ago when we had a close encounter with a pair of vampires that we did take out but I chose to leave. I was a nomad for the past four years all over the states until I ended up here, and I’m really glad I did.” She smiled and glanced out over the cliffs at the ocean that laid beyond them. She still couldn’t believe how calming the ocean was to her. However, she didn’t linger on the thought long before returning her gaze to Ace still with a little smile.