Black Dog

 My claws dug into the ground ready to move me in any direction, my stance went low, and my tail went to the ground and twitched a few times as I took in the sight before me. A warning growl accompanies every breath I take, my lips curled up showing my teeth slightly. 

 Before me was a canine that stood nearly as tall as me, black in color from his nose to his tail. He too looked just as surprised as me with what he was looking at. His snout was slightly open, and his lips pulled back from teeth that looked ivory white in contrast to the rest of his body. His ears were laid back and his black eyes were watching me intently, his back legs twitching as they looked for balance.

 After a few moments of looking each other over, he is the first to relax his posture and I hear his questioning voice in my head {"Thomas? Is that you?"}

 {"Yes. Well, if you're the black dog in front of me. Then I am the Tiger in front of you."} As I answered I slowly loosened my tense muscles and stood at my full height. I could feel my tail waving around behind me, doing its own thing.

 {"Don't call me a dog! I am a proud Wolf warrior of the Quileute tribe. Not some domesticated pet."}

 I realized he really didn't like my choice of words, {"Sorry, I have never seen a wolf before, the only thing I have seen that looks a bit like you is dogs. Though none near as big as you. How did you choose that shape?"} I was subconsciously moving toward him with my nose out trying to smell him, my curiosity was overpowering. Still, I was also ready to pull back at the first sign of trouble.

 The black wolf also extended his nose and was taking large breaths through his nose, trying to take in my smell. Sensing no hostility, I got closer and allowed him to get close as well.

 {"You're a Bengal Tiger! And an albino one at that. I have never heard of any shifter other than our Wolf warriors. I don't understand."} 

 {"Yeah, me either, I just assumed you were a tiger too until I saw you. Not sure what to say, I have no understanding of what is going on. Not since I ran into the Vampire with a Napoleon complex."}

 {"The Quileute tribe has always had magic in our blood, going as far back as the first days. We could leave our bodies and act in ways to scare our enemies off when they came for us. But one day through trickery a warrior was locked out of returning to his body and was only able to take form again in the body of a wolf. That is where our transformation ability came from. Well, that is a condensed version of the stories anyway. The elders will have to give you the full story if they decide to share our history with you."}

 {"What can you tell me about Vampires?"}

 {"I hear Sam mentally sigh. There isn't much I can tell you without breaking the treaty my people agreed to in years past. One of our ancestral chiefs made a treaty that we cannot tell anyone the true nature of the Cullen's."} 

 I thought for a moment. {"But you didn't tell me. I already know because of the run in with the red eyed vampire."}

 {"That will protect the treaty then."} Sam said after thinking it through for a moment. But then another thought hit him. {"Did you burn the Vampire after tearing it apart?"}

 {"How would I do that?"} I held up a paw, {"No opposable thumbs. Why do you ask?"}

 {"How long ago was your fight?"}

 {"Maybe 20 minutes, it's kind of hard to tell time in this form."}

 Sam stood up from his seated position, "{Take me there quickly before it's too late."}

 {"OK, Follow me. But while we move, how about you tell me about vampires."} I started leading him back the way I came at a quick pace just under running.

 {"All I really have are stories from Tribal lore. Vampires are rare and many years can pass between the need for the power to manifest. Usually, it would be one or two men in the village would turn when the Tribe was under attack and once the Vampire was dealt with, no one else would awaken. With time the Wolf warrior would grow old after not needing to shift. But through these battles, we have learned that Vampire's strength is incredible, and their speed is too fast to follow for a normal person.

 Only the teeth of a wolf warrior can penetrate their skin, the best arrows of old would bounce off them like stone. Even in later years, with the advancement of guns, they couldn't be harmed any other way we could find. Once they are torn apart, they must be burned as their body parts try to reattach. Though that is rather slow, so we should make it back in time to the one you killed."}

 {"You are saying that even in 5 separate pieces that thing isn't dead? How is that even possible? I tore it's head off."} I decided to pick up my pace once this registered. 

 Sam didn't say anything at all about my sudden hurry, just kept pace rather easily.

 {"I really don't know Thomas, and to be honest, having never seen it, I can't guarantee its truthful. But I have been learning that the stories passed down contain more truth than I expected. There is something you should know, something that just recently turned my world upside down. We wolves have something called imprinting. It works very much like love at first sight, but so much stronger. 

 I had a girlfriend named Leah that I was truly in love with. We had planned out our life and were just waiting for her to graduate before this... Change happened. Once the Elders learned I had made the change, they filled me in on the rules. You can tell no one about the Wolf warriors that is not an elder or part of your pack, with only one exception. That exception is that you can tell the one you imprint on because if you have truly imprinted, you can hide nothing from them. 

 In my mind, I had convinced myself that I had imprinted on Leah. But the night I made the decision that I would tell her. She was with her cousin."}

 Sam paused there, and I could make out from his tone that the drama was about to go full Soap Opera. Maybe that's why he is unloading this on someone he barely knows, because it's still raw for him and he needs to talk it out. 

 {"I had seen Emily before, and she never really registered as more than a very close cousin/friend to Leah. But that night, it was not long after you and I met for the first time. That time, when I saw her... My world came undone. Everything that makes me... Me, suddenly had a new purpose. I love my tribe and always wanted the best for it, but now I want that because Emily will be a part of it. I have always taken pride in my strength and abilities, but now they only exist to ensure that Emily is safe. Everything that makes me grow, or strive to improve, is all now done to protect and care for her. 

 That very night, I had no choice but to break up with Leah. I do still care for her, and I can still see the love that I have for her. But it just doesn't mean anything in comparison to my feelings for Emily. I hate myself for hurting Leah but, I couldn't do anything else. In fact, I was coming back from Emily's house after telling her everything when I felt a strange pressure on my mind, and that turned out to be you."} 

 {"You went and told Emily... Everything?"}

 {"Yes, like I said, I will hide nothing from her. She is my reason now. My reason for everything."}

 {"Well, the fact that you are here now, tells me she didn't take it too well. After all, she is family with your ex."} 

 {"No. She did not take it well. But that's what I would expect of the one that means so much to me. She will have to see just how much I care for her before she forgives me for hurting her cousin. She told me to leave, so I did, for now. I will keep trying."}

 I found the idea of imprinting... Off-putting. I like to think that I make my own decisions, but in all reality, I can't say what truly attracts me to Edythe. Not like I looked at her and decided that she would be what I was attracted to. It was the reverse, I saw her and found her attractive. I pushed that out of my head because there were so many questions to ask myself about her.

 {"Anything else you know about Vampires? We are almost there, and from what you said, he could be putting himself back together."}

 {"Don't let them bite you, their venom is poison to us. Too much can kill you."}