The Scent of Danger (SP- open to Jake, the Cullens, the Denali, the wolves, and the Volturi)

The deep, rich scent of the mountain lion filled Edward’s nostrils, and he closed his eyes as he breathed in the delicious smell. He crouched in a tree behind the lion, positive that the lion had no idea he was being watched. Edward was as silent as a ghost, and he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling silently at the comparison. The lion padded forward, sniffing a tree here and there, and as he wandered through the trees Edward followed, unheard and unseen. With deadly precision and grace, he launched himself down from the tree and tackled the lion effortlessly, savoring the animal’s warm blood as it ran down his throat.

His family were currently pushed momentarily to the back of his mind, though Bella and Renesmee were never completely gone from this thoughts. Rather, they were on the backburner as he gave himself over to his acute senses. When Edward hunted, he needed to be alert, constantly aware of his surroundings, and ready to flee at a moment’s notice. The woods were full of creatures that posed no threat to a vampire such as himself, but there were things out there that he’d prefer not to encounter. The Volturi, for one. The constant threat of the deadly Volturi was never completely forgotten, either- and Edward was always keeping an eye out for them in some way or another.

Though he once would have relied on Alice to keep watch for any further run-ins with them, her visions weren’t always available these days, what with Jacob and his pack running in and out of the Cullens’ house. Edward had consequently been relying on his own sense of smell and his mind-reading ability to guard his family from any unwanted visits.

What is that?

Edward bolted up immediately from the mountain lion he'd been enjoying, his eyes burning with sudden rage. He could smell something strange and uncontained; another vampire. The scent filled his nostrils and immediately triggered warning signs in his mind. This was not the familiar, warm scent of one of the Denali sisters, or the harsh but friendly smell of the Mapuche coven. It was something new, foreign, strange... and dangerous. It was all Edward could do to stay in control. At that moment, he was no longer a hunter; he was a husband, and a father, who would do anything possible to keep this new predator from hurting his family. In some ways, he was now more fierce and wild than he had been ten minutes ago while he was stalking his prey.

He followed the scent's trail, growing even more alarmed when it led to the house. Whoever had been here had definitely been circling the Cullens' house- and the scent was no more than two days old. He couldn't hear any thoughts in the nearby area, but that didn't mean the danger was gone. From the patterns that the trail formed, someone had definitely been watching them.

Bella. Nessie. His immediate priority was to get them out of the house, get them safe. Of course Edward should find out who it was, but that was only a secondary need. Nothing mattered other than keeping them safe. "Carlisle!" he yelled as he barged into the house. "We've got trouble."

Bella sat on the couch in the Cullen's livingroom, flipping through a fashion magazine Alice had insisted she read earlier that afternoon. She clicked her tongue, her brow furrowed, at some of the plunging necklines. Bella wondered what dear Renesmee would gather from subjects such as skantilly dressed females. She was growing so fast, and getting so smart very quickly. Bella's dead heart still seemed to throb with pride and love for her daughter. She smiled slightly.

Bella stood, and dropped the magazine on the desk where the computer sat. She could remember easily the last time she'd used that. She remembered brushing her fingers across the keys, trying to hard to appear absent-minded. Bella's smile didn't falter. At least now she was sure they were gone, the Volturi, for at least awhile. Though sometimes this subject was extremely touchy, and so much more dreary, Bella was just in a good mood that seemed to not be able to be squashed. For now.

Bella's smile grew wider as she heard steps approaching the house. Edward must be back from hunting! Bella happily began to go to the door to greet her husband, but the steps were already; whoosh.
Edward barged in the entryway.
"Carlisle!" He yelled. "We've got trouble."
Bella's grin vanished so fast it couldn't have been there in the first place. Her husband's face was that of stress. Even fear...? She rushed towards him.
"What's happened?" She demanded, taking his hand. She gazed into his eyes, all those happy feelings dropping like stone in her stomach. Dread began to seep through her mind, and her knees felt locked, as if they should be giving out but won't...

Renesmee Cullen opened her eyes suddenly. Scanning the room slowly with her eyes, she waited with her breath drawn. For someone her age, Renesmee was pretty smart, though her circumstances were a little different from other childeren. In certain situations she could just tell when something was wrong..... This was one of those times.

She climbed out of her little bed and moved over to the window, searching for something in the trees. No,She decided. It was'nt there today, whatever it was that had been watching her before. Giving a small frown she sat back down on her bed, wondering what was causing the clenching feeling in her stomach. Maybe she was just hungry.

Thinking about food, she realized that she was in fact hungry and the new thought that popped into her mind put a small smile on her face. What if mommy and daddy took her out hunting today? A full grin spread across from cheek to rosey cheek. Completely forgetting about her former worries she raced out of her room and went to find her parents.

When she reached the front of the house she was glad to see both of them were there, talking to eachother. What she failed to notice at first was the concern and fear radiating through the air and the urgent tone that held her parents voices.

"Mommy, daddy? Are we going to go hunting today?, " she asked hopefully.