Prologue

Charlie Swan sighed, sitting on the corner of his daughter's bed. The doctor had told him that the only way to help was to keep her cool, and pray, so that's what the worried father did. He took her thin sheet and dipped it in the ice water again before laying it across her shuddering body. She cried out and the chief of police forced himself to ignore it. His little girl was only twelve, barely a woman, but if this fever didn't break soon, she wouldn't survive the night.

Isabella flailed again, caught in a fitful sleep, her body exhausted from the battle against the heat. She had been warming up over the last week and it wasn't until she gave her father a scorching hug that he'd become worried. It turned out that she had been suffering from a 110 degree fever, and the doctor hadn't told Charlie, but it was getting worse. she wasn't going to survive the night.

Six hours after dusk fell, Charlie went downstairs to refill the ice water tub. He was so focused on his task that it took him a few moments to register the crash of shattering glass and rush up the stairs. Water spilled across the kitchen floor as the Chief of police threw himself up the stairs. "Isabella!" He stumbled into his daughter's room, his foot catching on the door frame. He slammed to the floor and looked up to see that her window was smashed, and her bed was empty, clothes and bedding shredded, and her room trashed by something big. Charlie shoved himself to his feet, racing to the window and only barely stopped himself from flying out, "ISABELLA!"

"Wake up Jezebel!" A sharp stick rapped against the metal bars encasing the beautiful bronze puma. "It's time to earn your meals." The man snapped, rapping the bars. The beast stretched luxuriously, ignoring the blatant threat in his words. James Seacourt however, is not a man to be messed with, and when the great animal didn't leave the cage and follow the path to the training area, he jabbed the cat's massive flank. "Move!" He snapped.

The cat lunged away faster than should be possible and hissed at him, ears tucked back on the massive head. James gestured with his stick, and the cat huffed, lifting its head proudly and stalking through the path like she was bored, not goaded. That attitude had earned her the name of Jezebel, the saucy temptress of the Bible. At first James had been leery about picking up an animal so common as a cougar for his animal act, but after seeing her perform, he'd made a deal.

He scratched his chin as he followed the massive beast. The first thing that always stood out about Jezebel was her sheer mass, she was over four feet at the shoulder, and nearly four meters long from shoulder to tail. At that size, she was as big as your average tiger, and he paid for it. In fact, with a little added ruff, and some painted on stripes, she was a pretty good substitute. Once you got past her size, she was extremely intelligent, seemingly bored by the tricks that would have most cats confused, or at least frightened. More than once James had wondered if the beast was able to open the doors on her cage. When those days came around, he made sure to beat her a little harder, tire her out more.

The beast earned him a pretty penny. It was actually the fact that she was a common beast that had the crowds rushing in. Everyone had seen trained lions, tigers, and bears, but a Puma leaping through flaming rings, climbing ladders, and even putting her massive teeth around the skulls of his performers had the bloody idiots eating from the palm of his hand. In fact, as soon as he entered the tent, he saw Jezebel 'playing'. She would climb up the ladder to the trapeze and sit up there watching them all move about, her tail twitching. James imagined it was the closest thing to a tree she had gotten in the last few years.

"Get your ass down here Jezebel!" He snapped, cracking his whip against the floor. The cat yawned, then made a sound that felt like a child mimicking a bossy parent as she stood up. "Now." He glared up at her. The cat looked over the edge, and then took a careful leap, landing in the catch net without any trouble. From there she hopped off and walked over to James. She sat in front of him, her tail twitching back and forth like she was waiting for something.

James growled, not liking the way she watched him like a piece of meat, the bored look in her eyes made him think of a cat playing with a mouse. "Up." He cracked the whip. She mouthed off again, but she jumped up and clapped her paws a good twenty feet in the air. He ran the cat through the routine, warming her up before the first show of the night started. The other performers watched while they practiced their own acts. He knew the creature evoked the same feeling of awe from the other performers. She had been in his little circus longer than nearly anyone else, almost ten years, and she still pranced around like a spring chicken with no signs of slowing. It was unnerving.

Jezebel performed her act flawlessly, and as soon as she was done, she sauntered away and sat down to clean the dirt off her paws, still watching him with that predatory intensity. He knew that she was just waiting for the chance to get him, he didn't know what she was waiting for, but he would be ready. James Seacourt is no pushover, and no overgrown housecat is going to outsmart him.

Twenty-five years. It took James nearly twenty-five years to break that damn cat, and good god did he break her. He smirked as he approached her cage and immediately she was standing and alert, aware that he was not afraid to use his prod on her. As soon as the gate was open, she trotted out, head down, her brown eyes dead like they were supposed to be. He'd done away with all the gates and passages a while back, it was too much hassle, and now with Jezebel as docile as a kitten he didn't worry about escapes or attacks. She kept a close eye on him, watching for any cues he would give her at a moment's notice, testing the intelligent beast's intentions.

He led her into the circle, again it was free of bars. Some of the newer members had been leery of working with such a large creature without any protection, but after seeing the perfect obedience that James' presence garnered, they stopped worrying. Some of the older crew seemed a little saddened by the change, missing the playful nature of the beast that had drawn them in, but as James had influenced Jezebel, he had also tamed his people into following his every word.

People flooded in from every corner to see the great Jezebel in action, she was a stunning creature of grace and speed, and seeing her walk among the crowds without any restraints was both thrilling and terrifying. Half the county was in attendance, and Jezebel performed wonderfully, roaring at all the right times, jumping, leaping, standing on her back legs, she was the perfect little trained monkey for James, but tonight was different. She could feel it in the air, smell it in the breeze.

A woman sat in the very front row, watching the bronze cat perform her routine, but instead of seeing the amazing feats, she saw the dead lifeless eyes of a broken creature, and she saw Jezebel's fear of the older man running the circus. As soon as the show was over, she walked over to join the line of people who went to pet the exhausted cat, and feed her kibble provided by the circus workers. The woman waited in line patiently until it was her turn, and she cupped the cat under the jaw and scratched gently, causing the animal to purr loudly, something most of the workers had never heard before. "I am Kira." She murmured, "And I will see you soon."

Kira walked away, and Jezebel flopped on her stomach, too tired to bother sitting up again. James glared at her and cracked his whip threateningly, but for the first time in almost a decade, she ignore him, watching the tall amazonian woman with the dark hair and almond shaped eyes walk away with a regality that she had never seen in a human before. Jezebel gave a small wave of her tail, watching the woman go. She let herself hope that the human would come back.

That night James beat her harshly for her disobedience. His leather whip left deep wounds across her flanks and back. She ached on every side, but she couldn't bring herself to lash out at him. He didn't even restrain her, she could have left at any moment, she knew she could, but where would she go? At least with James, she knew what to expect. He locked her in her cage, bleeding freely, and left to go celebrate the money he'd made off of Jezebel's pain.

She flopped on her side, too tired to pace the edges of the cage, and waited for the wounds to knit themselves closed again. By morning she knew that they would all be gone, yet another perk of being an aberration. Jezebel dozed, awaiting the morning, but a flash of white caught her peripherals. The great cat sat up again, watching for the sight, and was surprised to see what looked to be an enormous beast, larger than herself approaching her cage.

A tiger, so brilliant a white it seemed to glow, strode over fearlessly, and Jezebel felt something push at her mind. Words. "My name is Kira."

Jezebel skidded back, her hair raised on end, her tail up, trying to hide her terror from the talking tiger. How the heck did she do that? Jezebel panicked, her back arching as she tried to shove more of herself into the corner, pressing back into the thick metal bars.

"The same way you spoke to me little one." Her eyes were calm, but her… mental voice? Sounded amused. She reached over with a massive paw nearly the size of Jezebel's head and struck the heavy padlock, her claws slicing through it like razors through butter. Sparks flew, lighting the Tiger's face, and Jezebel realized she had the same piercing blue eyes as the woman from before.

"Why are you here?" The Puma asked tentatively, unsure how to project her voice to this Kira. She hadn't even registered that her cage was open, never considered leaving the familiarity of her prison.

Kira pushed the gate open with her nose, "I came to free you little one, before you forget who you truly are." When Jezebel didn't move, Kira chuffed at her and tossed her head, "Come with me little one. I won't harm you."

Jezebel took a few tentative steps forward, her fur puffed out like a scared kit. "Where will we go?" Her ears twitched wildly, searching for any sign that James was coming back, her tail whipping back and forth from anxiety.

"I will take you anywhere you wish to go little one." Kira nuzzled the smaller cat as soon as her head was out of the cage, providing the support that the kitten needed so greatly. Jezebel launched herself out of the cage, rubbing her cheek and side desperately against the massive tiger, purring loudly as she covered herself in Kira's scent. Kira chuffed again, sounding like she was laughing, and licked Jezebel's head, "Come with me, I shall get you washed and fed kitten."

Jezebel followed her eagerly into the woods, doing anything and everything the tiger commanded. It wasn't until she was clean and had eaten to bursting that she realized that the tiger was a good twelve feet long from nose to rump, with an extra four feet of fluffy tail, and nearly five feet tall at the shoulder. "How are you so huge?!" Jezebel exclaimed as soon as she realized it.

Kira sounded highly amused when she informed the kitten, "I am no normal animal, like yourself, I am also human. Don't you remember when I came to visit you earlier?" She stretched and rose up on her hind legs, dwarfing the cougar for only a few minutes before she became a woman again. A six foot tall, pale skinned woman wearing nothing but two tight black things around her chest and waist. Jezebel knew they had a name but she couldn't remember.

The puma jumped back, and snarled her surprise, fluffing up in fear again. "How is that possible?" She exclaimed, not even sure if Kira could still hear her.

Kira crouched down, "It's okay little one, I won't hurt you." She said it again, and it had a calming effect on Jezebel, "Do you know how to change back."

The puma stood frozen except for her tail. Kira smiled, "Remember being human little one, how it felt to walk on two legs, to eat and play. Remember your face in the mirror, talking and laughing with your family. Remember, and you will change back." She waited patiently as the puma remained still until she shrank into a human again. "There you are my little one." Kira smiled.

Isabella trembled in fear. She didn't remember this body, it was too big, and awkward. She was just a little girl.. Wasn't she? "How long?" She croaked, her voice a rough, husky sound, nothing like the nearly musical quality of Kira's smooth voice.

"The year is 1995 little one." Isabella stared in shock, tears streaming down her cheeks, collecting and gathering around the scars on her face. Scars that had healed long ago, but remained stitched into her soul. Kira walked over, and scooped the girl into her arms, hugging her silently. "Do you know how old you are kitten?" She asked softly.

Isabella clung to her, shaking, "I am forty-nine years old." She rasped. It took her hours to calm down the child, and hours more for her to remember her own name, how to walk on two legs... Kira was endlessly patient through it, silently offering her support to Isabella every step of the way. Pushing for more, reminding the child of what she used to be, it took some time, but Isabella slowly woke up from the haze she had been hidden in while she was confined.

Eventually Kira reminded her about clothes, and Isabella blushed, realizing that she had been curled up, naked in another woman's arms for hours. Kira explained that it was a natural thing, and that she shouldn't be ashamed of her body, but Isabella was deaf to it. As soon as Kira had said clothes, Isabella had turned bright red and refused to leave the bush she sought refuge in until Kira handed her a shirt and a pair of shorts that were both huge on the girl, but better than nothing.

Isabella walked out of the bush, head hung low as she waited for chastisement. Kira chuckled at her, her rich voice even more lovely when wrapped around her quiet, understated laugh. "We will have to buy you clothes little one. Come." Kira took the surprised girl's hand, and walked into town.

They spent nearly three hours in the shoe store trying to find something that Isabella would put on without coercion, and as soon as that was done, Kira dragged her into a clothing store, causing the girl to whimper. "I don't like this."

"You're the one who decided she had to be clothed, remember little one?" She teased, amused by the child's reluctance. "Let's find out what size you are before we go overboard." She grabbed a shirt in three sizes, and the same for a pair of shorts and took Isabella to the changing rooms. "Go in, try them on, and whichever one feels most comfortable, tell me the numbers on the tag." She instructed before sending the girl into the stall.

Isabella stripped slowly, still struggling with buttons and zippers and the laces on her shoes. She didn't love the constricting nature of her clothes, but being naked was no option, what would her daddy think? She stripped down and gasped at the state of her body in the mirror. Smooth pale skin was replaced by pink ropy scars criss-crossing her legs and shoulders. Twisting, she could see more across her back, thinner ones only as wide as her pinky. The ones on her thighs were as big around as nickels.

Her face was somewhat familiar, all the roundness replaced by thin cheeks resting on rounded, heart shaped cheekbones. Her chin would have been petite but the razor thin scar that traveled up to cut through her left eyebrow made it seem sharp to the extreme. She looked down at her hands, and realized that there were thinner white scars travelling up her forearms. Then she realized what was underneath those scars. Heavily packed muscle, smooth until she moved, or breathed and all of a sudden, deep lines of definition cut along her biceps and stomach. She was sure that if she could flex long enough she could actually use her stomach as a washboard for her clothing.

"Isabella?" The quiet voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Almost done." She rasped, and got to work trying on the clothes. After they decided on her size, they spent another hour on a small wardrobe, and a backpack to hold it all. By the time they were out, Isabella truly believed that the years had passed, nothing was the same, the clothing, the people. No one behaved like she thought, some tried to make her sign things, or stopped to hand her flyers. They thought she was adult, and Isabella realized that she was, but she wasn't ready for it. She was terrified, and walking on the streets was even worse. She clung to Kira's arm as they walked, and Kira picked up the pace, taking them out of the city as fast as any human could go.

Chapter 1

A/N: So the support I have gotten from you guys is overwhelming. I haven't had this much enthusiasm for a story in so long, and it feels great. Hopefully this story won't disappoint too much. I'm reading your ideas, and doing my best to take them into account considering how much has already been written. In particular I want to thank YellowDino for encouraging me to continue the one-shot this is based on, and Valfreya for reminding me why I love doing this so much. Enjoy.

The next four months were filled with traveling, letting Isabella see the United States and everything that had changed, while letting her remain a child for the most part. They walked all up and down the east coast, searching for wonders that she hadn't yet experienced. All too soon Isabella was comfortable with Kira, smiling and joking like the kitten she had been dubbed. She didn't handle crowds well though. She never talked about it, but Kira knew it was the memories of being forced to play the beast. Kira taught Isabella more about being a shifter, absorbing everything the older woman had to teach her, mastering her abilities until she could shift with clothing on, and return with at least the skin-tight articles intact.

The two of them made quite a sight, the gorgeous bronze color of Isabella's pelt reflected the sun brilliantly, while Kira's coat had a creamy glow to it, it was enough to entrance anyone who saw them. Both of them meandered through the appalachian mountains, enjoying the sunny morning together. The marginally smaller cougar had picked this moment to nip at Kira's tail playfully, skipping away gleefully as Kira snapped lazily, amused by her kitten. "Is that all you've got little one?" She teased, waving her tail lower, teasing Isabella out of hiding.

Isabella leapt from a low branch, her paws splayed wide to catch the fluffy toy waving in front of her. Kira whipped it away just seconds before Isabella caught it, chuffing at the kitten. "Missed me." Isabella growled playfully, lunging after it again while Kira watched her flounder, her wild movements sinking Isabela deeper into the pristine snow until she was stuck chest deep, grumbling to herself.

Kira sauntered over, looking into the deep hole isabella had dug for herself, and chuffed again, watching the kitten flounder, pawing at the loose powder to try and pack it down so she could get up. Finally, she looked up at the tiger and asked, "Will you please help me?"

Kira smirked, and leaned down, biting the nerve on the back of Isabella's neck that naturally paralysed her, and drew her arms and legs up like the kitten she had been dubbed. Kira lifted her up and dropped her gently where the snow was shallower, and licked her cheek. "Silly kitten, you should know better than to play in snow drifts."

Isabella crawled under Kira's belly and stood, rubbing herself against her friend purring loudly, "But it's so much fun." She smacked Kira's face with her tail, giggling internally at the low grumbling Kira started up.

"Not that this isn't adorable, but this is my territory." An unfamiliar voice filled their minds. Kira snarled, and Isabella retreated under Kira's stomach, crouched down in the snow, her fur puffed up in fear.

"Show yourself." Kira demanded, her normally placid voice sharp, nearly painful to Isabella's mind.

Before them a jaguar nearly the size of Kira leapt down from a tree, landing lightly on top of the snow. Her teeth were bared and her ears back in an obvious challenge, "You dare command me on MY land?" She snarled, her fur puffing up but not in fear. Her rage was palpable in their minds, and her tail was frozen in place, indicating that she was ready to pounce at any moment. She was a gorgeous creature, exuding that same glow of health that Kira and Isabella did, but with the added look of a truly wild animal, powerful and capable, she held the confidence of an experienced huntress.

The shock yanked a mew of surprise from Isabella, and the wild cat almost leapt, but instead she bared her teeth and approached. She dared Kira to stop her, her eyes glued on the kitten between the tiger's paws. "You should really train your kitten." Kira snarled, and the jaguar ignored it, circling them. Kira didn't turn, but moved her head to keep an eye on the circling cat. "She's a liability down there, tripping you up." The jaguar lunged suddenly and nipped Isabella's flank, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise.

"We have done nothing, let us leave you in peace." Kira demanded in that same, nearly painful voice.

"You think to command me child?" The jaguar lunged for Kira this time, and Isabella skittered away as fast as she could, not wanting to be the liability that the stranger had named her. Kira caught the other cat with a swipe to her face that left bloody stripes. The jaguar roared and ducked under Kira's massive legs, catching her in a powerful hug from below, her rear claws digging into Kira's stomach, and her teeth latched around Kira's throat, intent on ripping it out.

Kira reared up on her back legs, trying to beat the jaguar off of her, but the position was awkward, and her arms didn't necessarily bend that way. It was to both their surprises when a blur of bronze slammed into the jaguar's side, ripping her off of the tiger with a fierce snarl. "Get off of her!" Isabella clawed wildly at the jaguar's face, only to get her stomach kicked out by two powerful legs. She flew back into a tree with a crunch, and the jaguar launched herself at the kitten.

Before she could reach the annoying cougar, the jaguar found herself with a pair of teeth around her jugular, and a heavy paw braced on her chest. "Submit." She heard the powerful voice of the tiger and calmed herself, panting heavy fog-laden breaths into the cold air.

"Impressive. I have not been bested in a long time." She commented, flopped on her back in a submissive pose. "My name is Victoria."

"I am Kira. This is my kitten Isabella." The tiger released Victoria's throat and backed up, staying between the jaguar and her little one.

"Pleasure." Isabella nodded, seemingly exhausted by the excitement of her outburst.

Victoria rolled onto her stomach but remained lying down. Her heart was thrumming from the activity, and a part of her was eager for more, but she did not want to push the massive tiger into doing something Victoria would regret. "Any particular reason you ignored my markers? I have this area well defined." She seemed far less angry than Isabella expected.

Kira settled down beside her kitten, giving Victoria space as she licked her claws clean, "We noticed the markers, but we couldn't identify the animal. We assumed that it was a wolverine or a bear or something. We've been traveling for a few months now, getting the kitten acquainted with human life, and we never ran into another shifter." Isabella curled herself around Kira, trying to settle her pounding heart as she watched the Jaguar curiously.

Victoria yawned, "I suppose. There aren't many of us left anymore." She glanced at the anxiously whipping tail of the kitten and chuffed, "I won't bite kitten."

Isabella looked up to Kira who seemed to be ignoring them in favor of cleaning her paws of the blood from Victoria's already healed wounds, deciding that Kira would protect her, Isabella decided to check out the newcomer. Creeping forward, a low rumble poured from Isabella's throat, instinctively purring to let the other cat know that she was friendly. Victoria watch in amusement as the enormous beast crept forward so cautiously, and flopped on her side, waiting. It took a good ten minutes for Isabella to finally make it over, and when she did, the jaguar pounced.

She wrapped short, powerful arms around Isabella's neck and yanked her down into the snow, holding her there as she licked a stripe up Isabella's spine, chuffing in amusement as Isabella tried to squirm out of her hold. "Be still." She commanded, obviously finding this to be the funniest thing she'd seen in a long time. Isabella grumbled, but she stopped squirming, letting Victoria groom her.

"This is weird." The girl informed them, trying not to relax from the soothing feeling. It was like having a bath, and having her fur stroked at the same time. All too soon she was purring, and snuggling back into Victoria's stomach while Kira watched, her tail waving lazily.

That was the beginning of a rather interesting relationship. Victoria took them to her home up higher in the mountains and took care of them like the perfect host. Isabella couldn't help but stare at the woman though. Even as a human, she was stockier, and packed with muscle. She was only an inch taller than Isabella's 5'11", but her wild red hair added at least another three inches on top of that, making her feel as tall as Kira. Seeing the two women stand next to each other was equally disorienting for the girl. Victoria exudes natural power brimming over and waiting to be used, where Kira was tall, willowy, and regal. She kept herself contained beneath a calm facade of majesty.

Victoria traveled with them on and off, claiming that she could only handle our energy for a few months before she needed to recuperate, but the other two knew she was just used to being solitary. Kira would have probably done the same to Isabella if her kitten weren't so helpless in both worlds. By the time she had taught Isabella how to hunt, and walk among humans, she had gotten over her antsy need to escape her company and was content with the companionship of her little one.

Victoria however, took years to wear down. She preferred reading in her cabin, or stalking her territory, protecting it from infidels. Occasionally it caused a small ruckus to see a Jaguar stalking the Appalachians, but finally someone decided she was an escaped zoo animal that took to the mountains and should be left alone. Not that Isabella ever listened to things like that.

Victoria was sitting on her couch, dressed comfortably when she felt a prickling on the back of her neck. She stood immediately, whipping her head around, and scenting the air. There was nothing that she could detect until. She smiled. "I know you're there kitten." The slightest creak behind her was her only warning. She whipped around just in time to catch Isabella leaping into her chest.

"I got'cha." Isabella beamed, snuggling into Victoria.

The older woman chuckled, sitting down on the couch, "If you say so kitten. Now where is your sister?"

"BOO!" Kira grabbed Victoria's sides and the woman jumped, nearly throwing Isabella.

"Kira!" She turned on the laughing tigress and glared as Isabella giggled helplessly.

"You should have seen your face Tori!" Isabella laughed, hugging her sides tightly, "You would have hit the ceiling if I weren't in your lap."

Kira chuckled, sitting on the armchair across from them, "You know I couldn't resist Tori, it was perfection."

Victoria only growl and tossed a pillow at Kira's head, "So what brings you two rapscallions to my door this late in the evening? You planning on dragging me across the East Coast again?"

Isabella beamed, "More like the continent." At Victoria's wide-eyed look, she continued, "I want to go to school, I never made it into high school and I want to learn more. I'm fifty-two years old, and I don't even know Algebra."

"And why does that require me? Or the other side of the continent?" Victoria inquired.

"Well we need you because we need a parent figure, and I want to keep an eye on Isabella." Kira replied, "We both can pass as younger with a little effort, but you just scream… Mom."

The older woman rolled her eyes, "Har har har, I get it, I'm old. So you want to play house. Why across the continent?"

"Because." Isabella huffed, "I want to see where I grew up, but I've already seen the south, and the midwest… and we've spent so much time in the east recently." She nuzzled her face into Tori's shoulder, she didn't like mentioning her past, or what happened with her change, and only Kira knew about her time in the circus. Tori knew she had been trapped in animal form for a long time, and caged, but that was all the older woman dared ask.

Tori stroked her hair, and thought it over for a short while. "Give me some time to get my affairs in order, and I'll join you in Seattle, maybe two weeks from now?" Isabella squealed with joy, and she smiled at the girl, kissing her forehead, "I'll take that as a yes." She glanced up to see even Kira had an uncharacteristic smile.

True to her word, Tori met them in two weeks, and they drove south together in Tori's truck, a rusty red monstrosity of indeterminate age. Kira gave it a thorough inspection, but couldn't find any reason why it wouldn't work, so she and Isabella piled in. Kira gave Victoria a short run-down, "We're headed for Forks Washington. The Swan family moved there when Isabella was a little girl." Tori nodded and started South. "So what is our last name going to be?"

"You're asking me?" Tori asked, "This is your crazy scheme. I'm just here to pay the phone bill."

Isabella looked up shyly, "Well we thought, since my last name is out, and Kira doesn't really remember hers, we could use yours?"

The older woman snorted, and rolled her eyes, "First you call me old, and then you try to take my last name. Humph. Well then, we are the Calleigh's." She shook her head at their ridiculousness, and tuned out their chatter, mostly dominated by their kitten. Victoria was more than just an older woman, she had spent decades, millennia perhaps trying to find that missing piece of herself.

Just by looking it was obvious that Kira was at peace with herself, having found everything she needed to be whole. Isabella on the other hand, was in desperate need of something. She was never alone, she couldn't handle it, and no matter that Victoria knew nothing about her captivity. The only reason why a healthy shifter is confined is by choice, and those scars… The ancient wasn't sure if Kira knew the reasons why some wounds scarred and some didn't.

Among the shifters it was known that as soon as they changed, they no longer healed at a human rate. Scars were thought to be a matter of severity, but Victoria knew better. She had lost fingers, a whole foot once, even her eyes were gouged out by a particularly violent vampire with a grudge to settle, and yet none of them retained scars. However, she did have a few smaller scars on her wrists and thighs where she had done the unthinkable. One or two others along her neck where she had desperately wished that she could be killed. She knew that Isabella's scars were self-inflicted, whether the child accepted it or not, and Victoria could only hope that their kitten would not go through the centuries of loneliness and pain that she herself had endured.

Victoria knew that she had come to terms with her loneliness, and had learned to embrace it with a vigor that most could only dream of. Isabella is too social, and Victoria was concerned that her kitten wouldn't be able to handle missing a piece of herself. Not for very long anyways.

Kira tapped her on the shoulder, and Victoria realized that there were flashing lights in her rearview mirror. "Screw me." She muttered and pulled over quickly, rolling down her window. The glass squealed in protest.

The officer made his way over to her window, he was an older gentleman who would have been pushed to retire years ago if it weren't such a small town. "Ma'am are you aware that your tail light is out?" He asked, his thick handlebar mustache was almost comical on his worn, round face.

"No I wasn't officer." Tori replied, trying to remain neutral. "I had the car shipped to Seattle, it must have happened during the move. I'll get it fixed just as soon as we're settled." It wasn't a big deal.

He nodded, "Then I'll let you off with a warning." He checked the back of the car piled high with boxes, "Are you all gonna be moving into town?" He asked curiously.

Isabella nodded excitedly, "Yeah! We're so excited to get started in school next week."

"School?" He raised his eyebrows, looking over the two in the passenger seat more carefully. It was possible they could be school aged, especially the smaller one. "Well I guess you'll be meeting my grandsons. If you three need any help moving in, or with your furniture, give my son a call, Derek Swan. He and the boys can give you a hand with all the heavy lifting."

Isabella paled, and Kira leaned over her with a small smile, hiding her from the officer, "Thank you so much, we were so worried about that, officer..?"

"Charlie Swan." He smiled, offering Tori a phone number, "Welcome to Forks."