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After exchanging hugs and a kiss on the cheek for her father, Elise returned to the reservation where Paul stood restless and antsy, his limbs unable to be completely calm when his imprint was away. Especially now that Sam had agreed they'd fight alongside the Cullens, a small disregard of the treaty for a greater good. "We wouldn't be doing this is it were for Jacob," Paul grumbled under his breath in the raspy baritone that made up his voice. It was obvious he was anything but pleased to be thrown in a situation where he had to side with vampires and for now Jacob was the brunt of his irritation seeing as he was the one who went to Bella's graduation and affirmed that the pack would do anything they could to keep her and others safe.
Other members of the pack let out similar complaints but there wasn't much else they could do, alphas orders get obeyed no matter what. With tense jaws and stiff muscles, Paul, Sam, Embry, Quil, Jared, Leah and little Seth all took of their shoes and unbuttoned their shorts, tucking their clothing away for safe-keeping exchanged last words around Elise before they'd be in their wolf form, communicating through their pack link and leaving her to her own thoughts. "It was bound to happen either way," Elise tried to comfort, one hand resting on the bare muscle of his shoulder that emitted so much heat she could nearly see steam coming off of him in the chilly weather.
Paul rolled his eyes before disappearing in the tree line to phase and come back out to her, allowing the Grecian female a ride on the werewolf choo-choo train.
They all moved like a unit, paw pushing forward behind the authority of Sam, his jet black wolf knowing where to go with ease. It was obvious when they finally reached the training grounds, their snouts huffing with wet sneezes as the sugary assault of vampire evaded their noses—a clear discomfort forming as their blood begged for the purchase of their sharp teeth to sink into the marble flesh of the leeches.
However, their restraint was impeccable, all keeping as calm as they could when faced with the Cullens. "Elise," Esme's wispy voice called through the silence, a kind smile graced across her face. "So nice to see you again." Her motherly aura was soothing but Elise couldn't help but wonder how someone so gentle could but up any kind of fight—especially the one that was approaching.
A kind nod was returned, her hand simultaneously running through Paul's fur as a comfort. "I take it they won't be speaking to us in their human forms?"
"Nope," She retorted unabashedly, stunning blue eyes meeting with the unusual topaz. "You'll just have to translate."
Carlisle gave a grateful upturn of his pale pink lips anyway, all of them so perfectly put together it made Elise squirm. "That's okay, the fact that they came is good enough for me." Taking a pause, the leader of the Cullen clan motioned behind him to Jasper. "Since my son has more experience with what we're up against, he'll be the one teaching us the ropes today."
Bypassing the pleasantries, Jasper went straight to work, features hard and stern. His hands were intertwined behind his back as he paced slowly, looking each member of the pack dead in the eyes fearlessly. "The newborns we'll be fighting will be much different to what you're used to. Their human blood still lingers in their tissues, making them stronger and more savage than ones who has passed the fledgling stage. Knowing this, the approach we talk to defeat will also be different."
Breaking the eye contact, Jasper finally turned to face his family. "The two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that and you will lose."
"Is it time yet?" Emmett pressed, the big pale ball the muscle and dark hair was all but hopping around on the pads of his feet to start a fight.
It was amusing to see how the brothers interacted with one another, it reminded Elise so much of the pack she huffed out a little laugh when Jasper slowly turned to his brother a few yards away and took stance. "Show me what you've got and Emmett, don't hold back."
The devilish smirk that overtook his face was filled with mischief. "Not in my nature."
At a first glance, the fight itself seemed unfair, the large mass of Emmett compared to Jasper and his much leaner form gave the impression that he didn't have the slightest chance of winning but when watching, that clearly wasn't the case. Emmett was predictable, rushing forward like a linebacker while Jasper was lethal grace. His movements were calm and calculated, seeming to know what Emmett would do before the move was even made. Using his brothers size to his advantage, Jasper quickly flipped him over and looked down at the fallen man with a smirk on his face. "Never lose focus."
Edward was next, fighting against Carlisle who appeared out of place, too classy and proper fighting to be fighting his own son. It was moreso horseplay that a real fight, Edward giddy when given the chance to toss this non-biological around the dirt. The teasing didn't last long, Carlisle taking the win when Edward had assumed he'd won. Jasper strolled by them casually, topaz irises shining in playful disappointment. "Never turn your back on the enemy."
Sam and the pack watched with baited breath, clearly intrigued, taking mental notes and making jokes through the pack link as each member of the opposing family fought. They'd learned much more than they intended to but Paul cut it short when drawing attention to a certain wolf strayed away from their lineup and towards Bella. A grumpy little noice pulled its way from the back of his throat, large brown eyes rolling at the sight: Jacob Black in wolf form being petted by the girl who was the center of the upcoming fight.
"Done for the day," Edward murmured, flanking behind Bella and effectively breaking the connection between his lover and Jacob. No one complained, the wolves more than happy to retreat back to their land, far away from the bloodsuckers. Elise was just happy she'd finally be able to get off Paul's back, the heat he radiated was soothing at first but her thighs had started to sweat and stick uncomfortably on the denim of her jeans.
"Elise, are you going to be in the fight too?" Seth curiously questioned when he'd finally shimmied his shorts back on.
"Not a chance in hell," Paul and Leah shot back, making eye contact and having some sort of silent agreement that they'd both do whatever it took to keep Elise as far away from the fight as possible.
Running a hand through her hair, Elise used the other to wrap an arm around Seth's bare shoulders. "I haven't practiced my gifts much since my accident, I don't think it's the best idea. There's too much at stake for me to be a distraction if anything bad happens."
