Chapter 8

A/N: Once again I would like to thank leelator for giving me all of that wonderful information about the Quileute and other Pacific Northwest tribes...it helped me to shape several scenes in this chapter! :D



Chapter 8

Black Wolf made his way hesitantly towards the home which White Swan lived in with Crow Flies and his family. He could only hope that today she would accept his apology for what he had done to her at the river the day before. Now that he had taken some time to pull himself together, plus come up with a good way to apologize to White Swan for what he had done, he finally mustered up the courage to go talk to her.

He silently hoped that he hadn’t blown things with her since he really liked her, but he honestly wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted him to go near her again. After all, he nearly ruined her reputation with what he had done which would now make him no better than someone like Badger Snaps.

Rounding the corner of a nearby house, Black Wolf spotted White Swan between her house and the neighbor’s where she was kneeling next to a log that had been fashioned into a bench. She was hunched over a large round cedar basket which Black Wolf noticed was full of thimbleberries once he was closer to her.

White Swan was in the process of grinding the thimbleberries to make a jam, as was one of the ways of the Quedeyona. The tips of her fingers were stained with the juices of the berries as she continued to grind the small round tool she was using into a handful of the fruit that she had put into a smaller bowl.

She lifted a hand, using the back of it to brush a wayward strand out of her face before smiling when she noticed Black Wolf approaching.

“Hi Jake,” she greeted a little shyly, when he came to a stop in front of her.

“Hello Bells,” he replied a bit awkwardly. “Um…I was wondering if…I could have a word…with you?”

Black Wolf didn’t miss the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks as she nodded. “Sure, just let me finish these berries first.”

Black Wolf nodded and sat on the bench to wait while White Swan finished grinding the rest of the berries from the larger basket. He watched as she selected berries from the cedar basket, put them into the bowl, then grinded them until the berries turned into the gelatinous goo that was the beginning of the jam. When White Swan was satisfied that the jam was done, she quickly worked at tilting the bowl over another smaller container made of bone, spooning the jam into it.

She continued to fill other containers just like the first until the cedar basket was nearly empty of thimbleberries. Once she was done with that, she picked up small pieces of seal hide which she used to cover each of the small containers. Finally, she fastened them down with pieces of thread made from the bark of a cedar tree.

Setting the containers next to the bench, she wiped her hands on the leaves that she had also collected from the thimbleberry plant until they were relatively clean. Then she moved to sit next to Black Wolf where she folded her hands in her lap.

Without looking at him she asked, “Um, what did you want to talk to me about, Jake?”

Black Wolf swallowed as he realized it was time to say what he had come to say. “Bells, I’m…I want to apologize…for yesterday.”

White Swan slowly looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “Oh? What do you mean?”

It was Black Wolf’s turn to look down at his hands. “For running off on you like that, I mean. I know I shouldn’t have done what I did to you and…”

White Swan shook her head. “No Jake. It’s okay, really. I’m not upset about it.”

He looked up at her. “Really?”

“Really.”

He appeared to be confused. “But I took too much from you. I shouldn’t have…I didn’t want to bring shame down on you.”

White Swan gave him a shy smile as she looked down at her hands once more. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do, Jake.”

At that, Black Wolf couldn’t help but stare at her profile. He was amazed that White Swan wasn’t the least bit upset at him for taking advantage of her. In fact, she seemed to be a little pleased with his reaction to her.

And that thought only made Black Wolf smile with the hope that White Swan was having the same feelings that he was having about her.

When Black Wolf remained silent, White Swan looked up to catch him staring at her. Feeling her cheeks heat a little from the look on his face, she cleared her throat.

“Um, I want you to know that I don’t regret what we did, Jake.”

Black Wolf blinked, as if coming out of a daze. Her words had registered in his mind. With a smile of his own, he spoke in a husky voice. “I don’t regret it either, Bells.”

When she graced him with a full blown smile, Black Wolf felt his throat constrict. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed before even realizing he’d said it.

White Swan’s reaction was the same as Black Wolf’s in that instant. They looked at each other with wide eyes before looking away shyly. White Swan couldn’t help but beam at Black Wolf’s surprise confession, then in the next moment she realized that what she had seen the day before had been nothing at all.

At least, that’s what she now hoped it was.

Turning back to Black Wolf, needing to make sure she was thinking correctly, she asked him a question. “Jake? I saw you yesterday, before you saw me at the river. You were with Rosalie. I saw you with her and I thought…. Well, the way you were acting with her, it looked like you had feelings for her too.”

Black Wolf turned back to look at her with confusion. “Rosalie?” Then in the next moment, his face cleared. “Oh! You mean Mouse Daydreams, right?”

White Swan nodded, “Yes, her birth name is Rosalie.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” He tested her name again before he continued. “To answer your question, it wasn’t what you think. I think of… Rosalie… as a sister. I have known that she has been mistreated by her owners for a while now, so I tried to convince her to let me tell someone.”

She huffed. “Let me guess, she said no.”

Black Wolf nodded. “She told me that she didn’t want anyone to know. That she would take care of herself. I tried to tell her that she should report them, but she made me promise not to speak to anyone. She said you and some of the other slaves have already tried to do the same thing I was trying to do.”

White Swan sighed. “Yes, we’ve tried talking her into letting us go speak for her since she won’t do it herself. But it’s like you said, she wants all of us to mind our own business.”

“That is what she said, in her own way of course.” He grinned.

White Swan returned his grin. “Of course.”

They shared a laugh for a few moments before Black Wolf turned serious again. White Swan could tell he had something else he wanted to tell her. She waited patiently for him to find the words he needed, giving him an encouraging smile when he looked up at her again.

Since they were being honest, Black Wolf felt like he had to tell White Swan what he had been doing before she had finally talked to him at the river. He just hoped it wouldn’t change her mind about her feelings for him.

“Bells, there’s something else you should know.”

White Swan nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Before you saw me at the river, I was…” he paused, suddenly a little afraid of what she would do. She was a strong woman after all.

White Swan put a comforting hand on his arm to encourage him. “Jake? It’s okay, just say it.”

Black Wolf glanced down at her hand before mustering up the courage to tell her. Looking away, he spoke softly. “I was watching you. When I was talking to… Rosalie… I looked up in time to see you walking away. When I was finished talking to her, I went to find you. I followed your trail until I found you at the river.”

When he paused, White Swan looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with that.”

Black Wolf sighed. “You were still in the water.”

She was still puzzled as she said, “Okay.”

Then suddenly it dawned on her just what he meant when he said he had been watching her. She knew she should be offended, but the truth was, she was just a little bit glad that it had been Black Wolf who was watching her. A smile spread over her face as she realized that Black Wolf was confessing the truth, yet was probably worried that she was going to be angry at him.

Giving his arm a gentle squeeze, she whispered to him. “Did you see anything while I was in the river?”

Black Wolf shook his head, but still didn’t look at her. “The water covered you up to your shoulders, then when you turned to get out, I looked away. I waited until I was certain you were covered before I looked up again. You were behind the rock.”

White Swan’s smile grew wider. So he had watched her, but he had still given her some dignity by looking away for a few moments.

He was truly a great man to her. “It’s okay Jake, I’m not angry.”

He turned to give her a shocked look. “I just want you to know…that I don’t do that. I’m not a… a…”

White Swan could tell he was searching for the right word. “Pervert?”

He nodded. “Yes. I’m not.”

She grinned. “I believe you.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “You do?”

“Um hm. I understand you went looking for me and when you found me I was busy. So, you decided to wait until I was done before approaching me. The fact that you looked away to give me some privacy was very decent of you, Jake. Thank you.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. At least now I know what made you do what you did.” She nudged his shoulder as she teased him.

He smiled as he finally looked shyly into her eyes. “Actually…I have been wanting to do that for a while now.”

White Swan giggled. “Well, I’m glad you did it. I think I’ve been wanting you to do it too.”

They shared some soft laughter before Black Wolf spoke up again. “Well, now that I have told the truth…I want to tell you the reason why I was looking for you then. There is something I want to show you. Will you be busy after the evening meal? I would like to take you to see it then.”

White Swan smiled. “I should be free then.”

He nodded. “Good, I will come to get you after the evening meal.”

White Swan nodded as Black Wolf got up from the bench. She rose to her own feet as he gave her his sunny smile, prompting her to give him a smile of her own. He took a step towards her as he spoke in a soft voice.

“Until then, Bells.”

“Until then,” she replied, watching as his gaze shifted to her lips for a moment.

Black Wolf wanted to kiss her. He really did, but he knew they were in an area that was too public. Plus, he had just apologized to her for taking advantage of her before, so it wouldn’t be right to take that chance again.

No, he would wait until they were alone again.

With a sigh, he reluctantly backed away from her, waving goodbye before he finally turned away to walk off, leaving her to finish her duties for the rest of the day.

**************************************************

White Swan glanced at her surroundings as Black Wolf continued to lead the horse she was riding through the forest. He had arrived at Crow Flies’ home not long after she and Squirrel Gathers had finished cleaning up the remains of the evening meal. She had been helping Turtle Dove get ready for bed when Black Wolf had arrived and asked to speak with Crow Flies.

A few moments later, Crow Flies had returned to tell her that Black Wolf had asked for permission to take her for an evening walk. Crow Flies said he would allow it if White Swan agreed to switch a chore with Squirrel Gathers the following day since she would have to finish White Swan’s chores for the evening.

Once the three of them had agreed as to what chores were going to be switched, White Swan had gotten ready, then Crow Flies had escorted her outside where Black Wolf was waiting for her. There, Black Wolf had thanked Crow Flies for allowing her to walk with him before he led her through the village.

At the edge of the field where the village had fashioned a kind of corral to keep the horses, Black Wolf had retrieved his horse and made it ready for White Swan to ride it. When she asked if he was riding, he told her that he knew the land well enough to walk. That meant they had a ways to go in the fading light, which would make him worry about her walking around the sometimes uneven land.

Now she was glad he had made her ride because she could feel how uneven the ground was even from on top of the horse. It would be quite a while before the scent of smoke reached White Swan’s nose, and a bit longer before she could see a light shining in the forest. As they neared the light, she realized that this was what Black Wolf had wanted to show her.

There, in the middle of nowhere was a log cabin. It sat looking cozy amid the surrounding coniferous forest, even with the smoke rising from the chimney.

Black Wolf led the horse right up to the door before he helped her down with a smile. “This is the home of a good friend.”

White Swan’s eyes went wide. “Really? You know someone who lives in a log cabin?”

Black Wolf nodded. “His father knew my father, as I know him.” He tethered the horse to a pole near the door before holding out his hand to her. “Come, let us go meet him.”

White Swan took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the door. He lifted his free hand to knock on it, then waited for a few moments before the door was finally opened.

A tall, slender man dressed in leathers and furs appeared behind it. Sporting slightly long hair that was shaved on the sides and pulled into a ponytail at the back of the crown of his head, the stranger’s green eyes sparkled with mirth the moment he recognized Black Wolf.

The man grinned at Black Wolf. “Well now! Ya finally made it! I was beginnin’ ta think you’d been lyin’ ta me, Black Wolf!”

Black Wolf returned his grin as they shook hands. “Sorry for that. I had to make some arrangements before I could come.”

He turned to White Swan while motioning to his friend. “Bells, this is my good friend, Jasper Whitlock or Weasel Tracks to our village. Jazz, this is Isabella Swan or White Swan to our village.”

Jasper turned his grin and sparkling eyes to White Swan as he held out a hand to her in greeting. “So, this is White Swan! It’s a pleasure ta finally meet ya, ma’am. Black Wolf has told me so much ‘bout ya.”

White Swan’s eyebrows rose in surprise as she reached out to shake his hand. “Really? Well, I’m sorry to say that I cannot say the same.”

Jasper chuckled as Black Wolf looked a bit sheepish. “Tha’s okay. I can quite understand why Black Wolf hasn’t said anythin’ to ya ‘bout me. Well, come on in ya two, I just put a fresh pot o’ coffee on the fire.”

He stood back to let the two of them in before closing the door, then escorted them into a room which had a lot of furniture made of wood that was covered with furs and pelts. Jasper headed to the fireplace at the end of the room while Black Wolf and White Swan made themselves comfortable on a couple of fur covered chairs.

White Swan looked around the cabin in awe. From the outside it had appeared small, but inside there was so much room. Near the front door was a wooden table surrounded by four chairs with seats made out of leather hides. The rest of the room consisted of a couple of wooden cabinets, some shelves, a few smaller tables, several stuffed chairs and the fireplace. There was another door on the left wall which White Swan assumed was the place where Jasper slept.

Jasper poured some coffee into three mugs, then handed one each to Black Wolf and White Swan. “Who wants cream an’ sugar?”

White Swan smiled. “I’ll take both, please.”

Jasper nodded as he retrieved a tray from one of the cabinets and returned to her side. White Swan took what she needed before thanking him as he moved to Black Wolf’s side so he could take what he needed from the tray.

White Swan waited until Jasper had sat down in a chair to prepare his own coffee before speaking. “This is a lovely place, Mr. Whitlock. It’s very big inside.”

Jasper took a sip of his coffee before he smiled at her. “Thanks, White Swan. An’ please, call me Jasper, or Jazz for short.” He looked around the cabin as he sighed. “I love this place too. Me pap an’ me built it together.”

White Swan’s eyes grew large. “Really? You built it?”

Black Wolf laughed as Jasper chuckled. “Well, I was only ten when me pap first built it, but I did help him out a lot. He did most o’ the hard work though.”

White Swan nodded. “Well, that’s impressive just the same.”

He grinned at her. “Thanks, I’ll be sure an’ tell me pap ya like it.”

White Swan smiled. “Will I get to meet him too?”

Jasper shrugged. “I can’t really tell ya that. Me pap lives back East now, an’ I don’ know if he will be back this way again.”

“Oh, why did he build this then go back East?”

“He was offered a great opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. But tha’s okay, ‘cause now this place belongs ta me an’ he’s got a great place back East too. He built the house he now lives in too.”

“Wow, he is really talented then!”

Jasper chuckled. “In more ways than one. Not only can he build homes, but he’s great at learnin’ languages. Tha’s why he’s back East now. They wanted him ta help them communicate with the natives.”

“So that’s how you know Jake?”

Black Wolf nodded as he answered for Jasper. “Jasper’s father, Carlisle was the one who helped my father learn English. Then when he moved back East, he made it possible for some of us to go learn English while living among the pale faces for a few years.”

White Swan smiled at Jasper. “And now you live here and continue to help Jake learn English?”

Jasper laughed. “Not exactly. I’m not as talented as me pap, but I do love the land so this is where I chose ta live. Me pap understands. If it wasn’t for the fact that he does a lot o’ good where he is, he’d still be out here too.”

As the evening wore on, Black Wolf and Jasper told White Swan more about Jasper’s life. His father whom the natives had affectionately named Turkey Helps, was now working as a negotiator back East. There he dealt with the often clueless whites who had no idea how to deal with the natives of the land.

Once a trapper and trader when he had lived in the cabin, Carlisle was now often a crusader for native rights since he was fluent in several languages. While Jasper couldn’t speak anything other than English and Quedeyona, he had followed in his father’s footsteps by being a trapper and trader too.

It was through trading that he often dealt with the Quedeyona tribe and he was the one responsible for getting many supplies for the tribe which only the white men made. It was through the Whitlocks that supplies like metals and wools were made possible.

Later, Carlisle had made it possible for some of the younger men of the tribe to travel East where they could learn English while living among the whites. Black Wolf’s father had asked Carlisle if that would be possible since he wanted to make sure there would be someone in the tribe who could become a negotiator after him. Fortunately for Bright Wolf, Carlisle had been able to do that.

Through the years of living in the cabin, the Whitlocks had continued to be good friends with the Quedeyona and Carlisle had struck up a close friendship with Bright Wolf. Even Jasper had become good friends with Black Wolf, who was two years younger than him.

Carlisle and Jasper had originally traveled East together, but Jasper had returned nearly two years later because he missed his way of life at the cabin. Needless to say, Jasper was glad when he’d heard that his good friend, Black Wolf, had returned safe and sound recently.

Ever since Black Wolf had returned, he had been visiting Jasper whenever he had the chance, allowing the two of them to catch up on each others lives. It was during those times that Black Wolf had begun to tell Jasper about White Swan, making Jasper curious to meet the woman Black Wolf claimed was just as strong in spirit as any warrior of his tribe.

By the time Black Wolf and White Swan headed back to the village later that night, Jasper was inclined to agree with Black Wolf. He too thought White Swan was indeed a very smart, strong woman who could stand her ground. However, Jasper wasn’t the only one who’d come away from the meeting with a good impression.

White Swan also liked the warm and friendly Jasper Whitlock. She could definitely see why Jasper was a good friend to Black Wolf. She thought that Jasper had a big heart that went well with his friendly nature, just like Black Wolf did. In fact, she was now glad that Black Wolf had introduced her to Jasper, who had told her that she was more than welcome to visit him any time she wanted to.

While she continued to be silently lost in her thoughts, Black Wolf seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as led the horse back to the village. It wasn’t until he brought the horse to a stop that White Swan was jolted out of her thoughts. Looking down at him in question, she watched as he moved to her side and reached up with his hands, indicating that he was helping her down. When she leaned into his arms, she glanced around the area, noticing that they were still surrounded by the forest.

Black Wolf set her on her feet, making her tilt her head up to look into his eyes wondering why they had stopped there. She somehow knew they were still quite a ways from the village.

Black Wolf smiled at the question in her eyes. Lifting a hand to her cheek, he leaned closer to her and whispered the answer.

“I wanted to do something before we got to the village. Better to do it out here instead of in front of others who would not look upon it so kindly.”

“Oh,” she whispered back. “What is it that you want to do?”

He chuckled softly before saying, “This.”

And then his lips were covering hers in a kiss that started out gentle and slow, lingering in the moment until his tongue swept over her bottom lip prompting her to open her mouth for him. He slid his tongue inside, finding and teasing her tongue, luring it into an intricate dance with his.

White Swan curled her fingers into the front of his jerkin as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to his body as he could. She was glad for it since that was the only thing keeping her upright as his mouth continued to devastate her equilibrium.

Black Wolf took his time savoring her kiss. He wanted this to last, to leave an impression on both of them. He wanted the kiss to be enough to get them through the time that would pass until they could be alone again. He knew that their separate duties within the tribe would often keep them apart, so he hoped this kiss would hold them up until he could kiss her again.

He didn’t let go of her until air really became necessary, and even then he was reluctant to stop. Finally, slowly pulling his lips from hers, he placed his forehead against hers while they both took deep gulps of air.

Waiting until he could find his voice, he gave her his sunny smile. “This will have to do…until I can see you again.”

Her laugh came breathlessly as she agreed with him. “Yes, it will have to do.”







Second A/N: Yes, I do realize Jasper's eye color as a human in the books was brown, but for this story I'm using Jackson Rathbone's eye color, which is green. The character from the original story I wrote this about had blue eyes. ;-)