Forever Young

Chapter 31

When I woke up the next morning, Renesmee was home. But she was still asleep, even after I had finished eating, and Carlisle sent Takoda and me outside to play. He said we weren't allowed to disturb her.

She had never used to sleep so late. 

It was sort of cold that day, since it was the middle of December. Esme had bundled Koda and I up in coats and hats and mittens, despite Takoda's protests. Wolves always hated wearing layers since they naturally ran warm, but Esme was insistent that it was better safe than sorry- after all, Koda was still part human. Unless he was in his wolf form, he was vulnerable to the elements- to some extent. He could still fare far better than a human, though.

Takoda and I went to sit by our tree- the one with the wooden swing. He pushed me for a little while, but eventually a big beetle in the grass distracted me. Unlike in the summer, there were very few bugs around right now, due to the cold. And this one seemed extra bright against the single-colored grass- the flowers had all died, too.

Coming over to see what had stolen away my attention, Koda kneeled beside me and put a finger out. The little bug paused at the tip of his nail and then began to climb up. Koda lifted his hand to show me. "It's a burying beetle," he told me. "They usually aren't around when it's cold."

"This one is strong, then," I observed, pulling Koda's hand closer to my face. "Why's it called a burying beetle?"

He grinned at me. "They eat dead animals, and they sometimes bury the carcasses to lay their eggs in."

I couldn't help but make a face, despite the fact that I killed animals myself to drain them of their blood. But there was something... creepy, about using a dead body to lay a bunch of eggs. It just sounded so icky.

But Koda shook his head at me, fascinated by nature, as always. "No, it's smart," he assured me. "They eat dead animals, so laying their eggs in a carcass means the baby beetles have something to eat when they hatch. Burying beetles are actually super cool- when the female is ready to lay her eggs, the male stands guard to keep her safe. And he even stays to help take care of the babies with her. They're really rare in this state."

He sounded so fascinated by the life of this tiny little beetle, and it made me wonder why he disliked school so much. Koda loved learning stuff- but he hated reading big books. Was he just too much like me, and got distracted if he had to sit still? Maybe this was every child's best learning environment- outdoors, where we could move and run and observe the things that we actually enjoyed.

Maybe that was why Carlisle required us to play outside so often- maybe this was also part of our education.

Though we were still staring at the beetle, it didn't have the same interest in us. Without warning, wings suddenly appeared from the bug's back and it flew away. I chased after it, but came to a sudden stop at the treeline. 

Going into the forest alone was naughty.

As the beetle disappeared from my sight, I sighed and ran back to Koda's side. "Want to play soccer?" I asked him. "I want to be able to beat Mato one day!"

We turned and ran back towards the house. Esme was now on the porch, watching us. I hadn't noticed her step out of the house, but was very glad I hadn't dared to try and chase after the beetle any further. I had gotten into trouble several times for crossing into the woods, and after my latest excursion with Koda, something told me she would not be too merciful if I went even a step beyond my boundary line.

Takoda was really picky with soccer, and if I hadn't wanted to play so badly, I would have quit. He always corrected everything I did- even if it was just a kick. He was adamant that I needed to use the inside of my foot to kick the ball to him, and not the tip of my foot.