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The trees blurred into a sea of black flowing around me. My muscles bunched and released in an effortless rhythm. I could run like this for days and I would not be tired. Maybe, this time, I wouldn’t stop. But I wasn’t alone. So sorry,Embry whispered in my head. I could see through his eyes. He was far away, to the north, but he had wheeled around and was racing to join me. I growled and pushed myself faster. Wait for us,Quil complained. He was closer, just starting out from the village. Leave me alone,I snarled. I could feel their worry in my head, try hard as I might to drown it in the sound of the wind and the forest. This was what I hated most — seeing myself through their eyes, worse now that their eyes were full of pity. They saw the hate, but they kept running after me. A new voice sounded in my head. Let him go.Sam’s thought was soft, but still an order. Embry and Quil slowed to a walk. If only I could stop hearing, stop seeing what they saw. My head was so crowded, but the only way to be alone again was to be human, and I couldn’t stand the pain. Phase back,Sam directed them.I’ll pick you up, Embry. First one, then another awareness faded into silence. Only Sam was left. Thank you,I managed to think. Come home when you can.The words were faint, trailing off into blank emptiness as he left, too. And I was alone. So much better. Now I could hear the faint rustle of the matted leaves beneath my toenails, the whisper of an owl’s wings above me, the ocean — far, far in the west — moaning against the beach. Hear this, and nothing more. Feel nothing but speed, nothing but the pull of muscle, sinew, and bone, working together in harmony as the miles disappeared behind me. If the silence in my head lasted, I would never go back. I wouldn’t be the first one to choose this form over the other. Maybe, if I ran far enough away, I would never have to hear again. . . . I pushed my legs faster, letting Jacob Black disappear behind me.
Acknowledgments I would be very remiss if I did not thank the many people who helped me survive the birthing of another