More and more these days Bella has been going further afield on her own. Testing herself, testing her boundaries. Just to the edges of the town, staying out of sight for the most part. For the residents of the town she has not been seen since her wedding. As far as is publicly noted, they went on an extended honeymoon. This late afternoon Bella has extended her range to the nature center, staying in the tree line as she skirts around the centre, keeping an eye out for any people that might be hiking nearby.
Earlier today, Ama was one of those people hiking. And now, she's leaving the nature center, her headphone wires hanging from her pockets, and her pack on her back. She's in typical hiking clothes, although she also has her necklace on, per usual.
The movement from the center catches Bella's gaze and she darts behind a tree, her gaze caught by the woman. She takes a tentative breath, the scent flaming in her throat for a moment so she holds her breath. Yet she remains, watching. This is another test for her, one that is doom should she fail. Death to Amaya, disrespect of her family.
You know that feeling you get when you feel as if there's someone watching you? Or as if there's something just out of sight that you shouldn't ignore? Neck hair prickles, shoulder blades go up and back slightly, tensing? In Ama's case, her ears draw back as well, and he posture changes into something like a mix of a tense slump and a very slight crouch. She stops there, her hand goes to her necklace pendant, and she surveys the tree line, looking for anything, shadow, or movement out of the ordinary. After all, it's getting late, and she can't even count on one hand the number of time's she's been warned about going out too late here. Particularly in the forest.
Bella remains still for a moment as she watches from the shadows, nearly ready to turn around until she notices the reaction from the woman. "Sorry…" She calls out in a delicately chiming voice. She steps partially around the tree, but remains in the shadows. Not quite looking directly at the woman, anything to hide the color of her eyes and any distinctive changes in her features.
Amaya blinks, relaxing and straightening, although she does keep her hand on her pendant. She tilts her head and knits her brows together, ever-so-slightly, peering towards the shadowed figure, a puzzled expression on her face as she tries to place the voice and what she can see of the person. She shrugs at the apology- not this person's fault Ama is a touch paranoid- and opens her mouth, as if to say- Or, judging by her expression, ask- something, but then just closes it again, deciding against it.
Bella moves around the tree, but remains in the shadows beneath it and takes a tentative breath, one hand remaining on the tree next to her as if it would be an anchor for her. "I did not mean to startle you, I had not expected anyone to be here." She says, keeping her voice low but non threatening. She glances to the woods behind her for a moment, startled at a sound herself before she too relaxes again.
Amaya shrugs a second time, "It's okay, there typically isn't anyone here, other than when they do school trips and the occasional hikers. I lost track of time, or I wouldn't be out here at this time anyways." She sits down on the end of one of the wooden benches, almost all the puzzlement gone from her face. She seems to have given up on discerning the identity of the person, despite recognizing her.
"Yes…I am not usually out either. I should probably be heading back." There is a curious strain to her voice and Bella tucks in closer to the tree again. She looks toward the direction of where the sun hides beneath clouds, hanging low in the sky. "Dangers lie in the woods for the unsuspecting, it is best not to tempt them." She says in a distracted voice.
Amaya nods, "Same here." She rolls her shoulders, before nodding in response to the warning, and stating dryly, with a touch of humor in her tone, "I've heard. Giant killer owls and whatnot." Not that she doesn't heed the warning, but, well… yeah. "I don't tempt them, not purposefully, at least."
"Owls…" Bella responds with a touch of humor in her strained voice. "And the venomous butterflies must be watched for as well." She calls out in her musical voice. She finally pushes away from the tree, crossing to the shade of another, slightly closer than the first. "Oh but you do…" She murmurs in an undertone, just a whisper on the wind.
Amaya grins, her shoulders shaking a bit with un-vocalized laughter. As the other moves, Ama tilts her head, but stays where she is. Her hearing, while rather good by human standards, isn't nearly acute enough to pick up the murmur, much less the actual words.
Bella's fingers brace against this new tree, her chest still against breathing in anymore of this woman's scent. There is a curious look of accomplishment on her face though and she looks behind her again as if she hears something in the woods. "Yet you still hike alone with such threats about…” she says though the words have an inflection of both question and comment.
Amaya looks down, "I /meant/ to come back a time when there were still the occasional people about, but the last one came, and I was going to head back with the next person or group, but… Well, none of them were loud enough, so I didn't notice them, and then suddenly…" She shrugs. "At least it's still light enough out; I won't trip over tree roots on the trail or something of the like." She tilts her head, curious as to why the other keeps twisting around, but shrugs it off, "Besides, I'm not the only one out here, and safety in numbers, right?"
Bella stands in the shadow of a tree, her fingers braced against the rough bark, the sensation giving her some distraction. She is mostly holding her breath though she takes the occasional tentative breath before clenching her teeth at the wonderful terrible feelings that strike her throat. She really should leave, but yet she can't. She must challenge herself, the control is still there. For now, though it is starting to waver. "Yes, safety in numbers…" Again there is strain to her voice as she watches the girl, perhaps waiting for her to move before she does.
Amaya has no reason to leave. For one, she's comfortable. The bench supports the pack, so that its weight isn't dragging on her shoulders. To her knowledge, she's pretty safe. Near to the nature center yet, and there's another there with her. Plus, it'd be rude to get up and take off when you're talking with someone. Thus, she just sits for now, observing, idling fidgeting with her pendant.
Bella turns her head away to take a breath, to get a scent of the world around her before looking back to the girl and holding her breath again. Oh she doesn't need to breath, but she does want to be able to smell being out here alone. She moves to another tree, a little closer yet again, still staying to the shadows. Slowly working her way closer. Her jaw tightens as the smell grows stronger again. "It grows late…" She says tightly, hoping to give the other a chance to leave.
Amaya frowns slightly as the other twists yet again. As said other moves closer, Ama peers, but the shadows are still too much for her to place this person. She nods, "Yeah, it does. Yet it's not nearly dark out, and the curfew is quite a bit after that. I have a couple flashlights in here.
Bella tilts her forehead to the tree her fingers are braced again, curious behavior. She closes her eyes to the scent, the burn in her throat as she tries to think of other things. Edward, dear, anything right now. She could move away, that would be the best thing to do but for some reason she can not find the strength to move all of a sudden. "You should go home…" She warns in a low voice, tainted in strain. "I live nearby, I can make it on my own." She suggests to give the woman an out.
One moment, Bella and Amaya are alone, and the next minute…Well, they aren't. Bella might have a few moments more warning than Amaya with a strangely familiar scent… Dust, grass, bunnies, pigeons, all underlaid with the familiar scent that screams 'vampire'! Then again, she might very well miss it underneath the much more interesting scent of a vulnerable human. Either way, Kyler suddenly darts from the brush in a streak of movement, not bothering to slow himself down for Amaya's benefit, but silently flying at Bella. Kerpounce! But it isn't a friendly tackle, as both women may have seen him perform before. He looks more crazed than ever, bits of leaves and twig twined in his hair, and a look of utter rage in his eyes. And then…he smacks Bella on the nose. It's more of a love pat, really…the kind of swat one gives to a badly behaved puppy. But it certainly gets the point across as he crouches closer, nose to nose, hissing and snarling. "/Mine/!" he announces, as clearly as he's able.
Amaya is sitting sideways on a narrow bench designed for kids to sit on, and at a 90 degree rotation from how Ama's on it now. And the benches are narrow even when being used properly, so that the kids can't just fall asleep. Thus, when she's startled, she jumps; and when she jumps- due to the narrow-ness of the bench- Her pack shifts, pulling her off balance, and down onto the ground. From there, she blinks, giving her brain a moment to catch up. Leaving her pack down there, she gets up, and stares over at Kyler and the other.
Holding her breath, Bella does not scent Kyler and it is at that movement from behind her that she finally does notice she is about to be attacked. She spins on the spot with her arms raised defensively, nearly making it to a crouch before she is just bowled over. A growl imitates from her own throat at the unexpected attach, fingers clenching like claws in front of her face until she recognizes who it is who has attacked her at the same time he hits her on the nose. That really does take her by surprise and she looks up at Kyler, "What in the hell was that for?!" She cries out in surprise, her own teeth still bared as he presses his face close to hers. "You can't have her Kyler…we talked about this!"
Kyler keeps his teeth just as bared as her, still quite firmly planted atop her. If Amaya is concerned about the whole thing, Kyler doesn't seem to notice, his rusty eyes still narrowed and glaring at her. "You were /smelling/ her," he snarls. "I /saw/ you. She's /mine/, and I'll have her if I want, and /you/ aren't going to stop me," he says, words spilling out of him at a pace far quicker than is wise, made all the less intelligible by his still-bared teeth. "If you don't stay away from her, I'll…I'll…" And then he's at a loss for words for a moment, before it comes to him and he renews his snarl with enthusiasm. "I'll lock you in the /basement/."
Amaya just sits there, eyes wide, mouth shut. She blinks, again, and just continues to sit, interrupting at one point with "Ummmmm…"
As soon as the words basement is said, Bella pushes Kyler off of him and to the side, rolling over so that she is on top of him pinning him down. "Calm down Kyler…she is right there." The words come in a rush of a whisper only he should hear. "I don't want her!" She hisses again, sitting up but pinning his arms down to the ground above his head. "I smelled her and I stayed my ground. I don't need the basement anymore." Ok, another five minutes may have been a different story. At the interjection Bella darts a look up to Amaya, her body tensing. Her auburn eyes visible now, or is it a trick of the sunset?
Kyler gives a startled yelp as he is tossed off her and…well, then he finds himself pinned. That pretty much does it for what was left of Somewhat Sane Kyler, as he hisses and snarls and generally behaves rather like a cat caught in a trap. "You were going to, I saw you, and she's /mine/ and you better let go of me or…or I'll tell My Alice on you and everyone'll /know/ what you were going to do." Riiight.
Amaya isn't looking close enough to see eye color. She's just gawking, and staring, and such. She does try to say something, at one point, "Erm, Kyler?" Beat. She can't remember the other's name, although she does recognize her now. So she just stays quiet, other than her one interjection.
"If I had made that decision don't you think Jasper, Alice and Edward would be here by now?" One to have seen the vision, one to restrain, one to calm. "Think Kyler! Do you think I would be out here if Alice didn't know I would be ok?" She says in a low voice as she releases his hands, but remains straddled across his torso. She hrmphs softly, her lips moving back to a more natural position as she jumps up and holds a hand out to Kyler, with an arched brow. She glances up to Amaya and back to Kyler, "Maybe we should both go?"
Kyler is back up to a wary crouch, one set of fingertips brushing the ground, as though for balance. He looks as wild as ever as he glowers up at her, and tenses for another pounce…only for Amaya to stop him with the sound of his name. He jerks his gaze back to her, then to Bella, then back to Amaya…then to Bella again. Then, without another word, he springs. This time, however, he isn't aiming for Bella. He darts for Amaya, not even pausing as he scoops her up over a shoulder and heads for the trees. /That/ can't be comfortable.
Amaya just continues to gawk, blinking. Half of what's being said, if not more, makes no sense to her- and that's just what she can hear. Then, suddenly, she's scooped up and carried towards the trees.
Bella reaches out to Kyler but too late. She growls under her breath as he darts off with Amaya, nearly chasing after him save the burn in her throat is reminding her she best not. Things slowly falling into place. Kyler was being protective of the person…not the food. She hisses one last time and runs in a beeline back to the Cullen house, no doubt a couple deer suffering her wrath on the way back.
