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𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 ❞

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ㅤ𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐀𝐇𝐀 𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.

Known as a spirit warrior, he was the first in the tribe to have ever become a wolf shifter. In the stories, it was said that he was a just leader, someone who, despite his power, refused to use it against others; he simply wanted to protect his people. So, when Utlapa, a fellow spirit warrior, wanted to use their magic to conquer other tribes, he banned him from ever using their abilities.

Utlapa hadn't taken it lightly, and sought to take Taha Aki down.

Selfishly, after seeing Taha Aki travel into the spirit realm, he did the same, but instead of returning to his own body, he took control of the chief's. By posing as Taha Aki, he took over the tribe.

Taha Aki tried to do what he could to get back to his body and save his tribe, but couldn't with his lack of a physical body. But he realized that the Great Wolf could accommodate his soul, and after asking for permission to share its body, he eventually became known as the first shifter. He used his new-found ability to take down Utlapa once and for all.

With his power to share the wolf's body, Taha Aki became the tribe's protector, alongside his role as the chief. It was said that he lived to two hundred, shifting constantly to maintain a form of immortality. He'd had two wives who died of old age, but a third who sacrificed herself so he could kill a Cold One.

His heartbreak was said to be so severe that he never shifted back to human, and no one, to this day, knows what happened to the great chief.

Yet here he was, standing in front of May Black as she traversed the spirit realm for the first time.

"You...you're kidding," she huffed in disbelief.

"Young one," Taha Aki began, "after the death of my sons, I thought my life was over. But it never truly shattered until my third wife's death. I couldn't bear it all. I selfishly left the tribe, left my people to fend for themselves...something I can never forgive myself for."

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I couldn't," he admitted. "It could be shame, it could be fear. But something held me back from returning, and all I could do left was to watch over my people through the spirit realm, the realm which you have the ability to enter."

May faltered a little. "Why can I travel the spirit realm?"

"It was a common ability within the Quileute once upon a time," he explained. "The council was full of people who could enter and exit the realm with no issues. But the ability got lost with time. The same thing happened with shifting; I know that shifting into a wolf now is only triggered by Cold Ones, when it used to be something that came naturally to the men. I suppose it happens."

"Okay...okay," May nodded, eyes wide. "Right. But, um, how is it that, as a woman, I shifted? And how is it that I'm able to go to the spirit realm?"

"The legend of the white wolf has been there since the beginning of our tribe," he told her. "One of the stories we used to tell our children. The protector, we called it. A pure-white wolf that protected the children and offered them comfort and warmth in times of struggle."

"I...I've been told that story too, but I didn't know it was a prophecy."

"That's because many stopped believing it. Even I did."

"Yet I'm here."

"Yet you're here." In front of her, Taha Aki shifted back to human, still wearing his clothes—she supposes it is the spirit realm; clothes were imaginary at best—and gestured for her to do the same. Immediately, she followed his instructions, also wearing clothes in human form. "I understand your hesitance towards taking up the role you were quite literally born for, but this ability to travel the spirit realm is an advantage. You can watch over the tribe without being physically there."

She scoffed, crossing her arms and glared up at him—he was quite tall. "You mean to tell me that no matter what I say, the gods will do everything to make me alpha? Are you kidding me?"

"You should be thankful," he scolded. "The ability to shift is sacred, and the ability to travel as spirits is essentially lost. You've been chosen."

"Yeah, I didn't ask to be."

"Sometimes, responsibility is bestowed upon us without our consent. The only thing we can do is deal with it, and you're doing so by running away?"

"Like you can talk," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Taha Aki sighed, his old and wise face that looked strong and immovable showing an unexpected vulnerability. "And that is exactly why I'm asking you to reconsider. You do not want to regret your choice." There was silence between them for a while, stifling and awkward. But he spoke again, "you know, this isn't the first time we met. You've been travelling since you were a child, Accalia."

"What?" May frowned as she began to walk into the woods, her feet seemingly having a mind of their own, leading her deeper and deeper in as she get lost in her thoughts. "I..." she paused. "The dreams...the wolves..."

"The field...this field," Taha Aki mentioned, gesturing around them. "Come here when you get back to your body. I will be here."

A tugging at her navel startled her, and without warning, she was dragged back into her body, eyes snapping open as she tackled the person who had their hands on her; an automatic, reflexive response she developed over the years.

"Stop! Stop-- May!" The voice of the boy that was under her shouted. And she quickly recognized the voice, and stopped.

"Jacob?"

"I found you outside in the cold, sleeping with barely anything on," Jacob rolled his eyes, shoving a blanket in her face. "When did you get back?"

"Yesterday," May groaned, eyes still heavy with sleep. But she opened the blanket handed to her and wrapped it around her, covering even her head, making her look like she was wearing a cloak. "I'm on a med leave because I'm sick, so I was cooped up in my room the whole day."

"Yeah, you're sick, yet I found you outside--"

"--in the cold, sleeping with barely anything on," she rolled her eyes. "Not my fault I got hot as balls last night. The fever was burning me from inside out."

Jacob rolled his eyes too and dragged her towards the kitchen, grabbing a mug from the cabinets and ingredients to make some chamomile tea; it was something that Sarah Black used to do when her kids got sick.

"Well, how long are you gonna stay here?" He asked as he prepared to boil some water in their kettle.

"You want me gone already?" She joked.

"No," Jacob sheepishly admitted, but then he sighed. "I just wanted to know how much time we've got until you leave again."

"Jake..."

He cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's fine. I get that it's your job now," he rolled his eyes again in true teenage boy fashion, "but I wish you weren't gone so long all the time. Miss my older sister. You know...I haven't even seen Rachel or Rebecca in years, you're the only one who ever goes home anymore."

"I'm sorry."

Jacob shook his head again, refusing her apology as he handed her a mug of hot chamomile tea. "Just get better. After breakfast, I'm taking you to meet Bella."

"...who?"

Groaning, he glared lightly. "Swan. Bella Swan."

Fighting the urge to make a face, May just decided to take a large gulp of her tea as she tried not to react. She choked at how hot it was, successfully changing the topic as she exclaimed, "Oh, fuck, that's hot!"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, no." She gave him an apologetic look. "Oh, um, and I can't today. I've got...plans."

He frowned. "With who?"

"None of your business," she poked her tongue out before nudging him. "Thanks for the tea, though." And she took that as her cue to exit the kitchen, fully intent on staying away from the Swan girl for as long as she can.

Her feet led her back into her room, one hand still holding the blanket tight and the other holding her mug. Once she closed her bedroom door, she placed her mug on her old vanity, shrugged off her blanket, and flopped down onto her bed, grabbing her phone from her nightstand as she did so. She was surprised to see the abundance of messages from Spencer.

Where are you?

Why haven't you messaged me yet? I'm concerned.

Are back home?

May?

May Black.

Accalia May Black.

MAY!

She laughed, before quickly calling him. Just as the first ring finished, he was answering.

"Where have you been?!" He scolded like a mother would. "I have been worried sick! You didn't call like you said you would once you got home, so I thought, what if my best friend got kidnapped, or murdered, or--"

"Spencer Walter Reid, calm your tits," she snorted. "I'm fine."

"How fine?"

"Super fine. I just passed out once I got home," she lied easily, flopping onto her bed. "Couldn't sleep on the plane, so I had to nap. Nap that was supposed to be an hour became five. Then after that, I just spend my time with family. Sorry." She laughed a little.

Spencer let out a loud sigh of relief. "Thank fuck, I thought you got taken."

"I carry a gun," she pointed out, eyes moving to stare at her gun that was tucked in one of the bags she took with her. "And I'm a tall woman; I know how much power I hold."

He chuckled. "Still, I wasn't hoping to get a heart attack so early in my life."

"Yeah, well--" There was a sudden scuffle on Spencer's end, causing May to frown in confusion. "Spencer?"

There were loud grunts and a scream of 'hey!', a lot more suspicious noise, a thump, before: "Hi."

"Hello, Derek," May smirked. "You stole my best friend's phone."

"That I did."

"That's not how you win my heart."

"Then tell me how to," Derek told her. Though she couldn't see his expression, the tone in his voice made her assume he was sporting a serious look. This made her sigh a little, but the quirk of her lips remained.

"You gotta figure that out yourself, hotshot."

There was another scuffle, Spencer's chastising voice shouting a muffled 'you don't just steal my phone off my hand! She's my best friend, not yours--', before finally: "I need to end this call before Morgan steals you away from me again. Glad you're not dead. See you soon. I love you, bye!"

May could barely get a word out before the line dropped. But she wasn't the least bit frustrated by what happened; in fact, she was amused. She never thought she'd ever get to the day when she'd be so happy to hear Derek Morgan's voice.

She huffed to herself, and stood up from her bed once more. She knew she wasn't getting sleep again any time soon, and she needed to talk to her dad. So that's what she did; she exited her room and headed straight to where her dad was.

Ominously, she looked him straight in the eyes as she stated, "We need to talk."

"Taha Aki came to you in a dream?"

"He said it's not a dream," May repeated, sighing as she leaned on her father's shoulder. Now, the two were back outside on the porch she fell asleep on, wearing clothes that were appropriate enough for the coldness she couldn't even feel. "He said I was travelling into the spirit world, which is why I was able to speak to him. He told me to meet him at this field." She crossed her arms, frowning. "I'm not even sure if I want to."

"Why not?" Billy asked incredulously. "If it is Taha Aki...May..."

"I know," she huffed. Wearing a large gray pullover with loose, gray-washed jeans, she at least looks like she's 'cold'. "But...dad, I meant what I said, I really...really don't want to be a part of this world. I've left it behind, and the only thing I'll ever agree to is the spot on the council."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Why?"

"I'm...this isn't what I envisioned for my life," she admitted. "I enjoy how it is now. And...remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be so much like Uncle Charlie?" She asked him.

He couldn't help himself from chuckling. "Yeah, you even called yourself Uncle Charlie's Angel, pointing bananas at people, pretending it was a gun. Your mother encouraged it, used to call you Officer Cali."

"Agent now, thanks," she joked. "But...it goes to show that this, what I have now, is what was meant to happened. It's what I've always wanted," she ended the sentence with a tearful chuckle, as tears welled up her eyes. "Mom supported me whenever I'd joke around with the idea, but I knew she wanted me to reach my dreams, and I did. And now...I just...I feel bad, about dismissing this whole prophesy thing," she shook her head, letting a tear fall. "But...I'm an adult, with a life outside of La Push. If you were in my shoes..."

"I'd probably react the same way," Billy sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but you...you have the choice to leave La Push and stay in DC, but you can never escape the responsibility of being the alpha."

She looked down and sniffed. "I know. That's...I realized that too."

"So, what are you gonna do?"

Looking up to dry her tears, she sniffed again and pushed herself to stand. "First, I'll call to extend my leave. Then...then I visit Taha Aki's field. I'll decide then."

"I'm sorry, May."

"I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry...that I was chosen as the white wolf."

author's note: so here's me expounding on the legends. i always thought the backstories of these supernatural creatures were a lot more interesting than the love triangle, so here we go. i also added a bit of my own "legend" so i hope it's not weird or anything.

not much derek nor spencer content, because i really wanna focus on may first, to establish herself and realize her importance in the story. obviously, there will be some more characters she'll interact with, so i hope y'all are excited for that. 

i'm honestly so excited to begin the story arc where the team slowly discovers what she is and aaaaaaa soon hopefully.

but for now, enjoy :DD