Wow. I don't think I've ever seen such a scared creature in my life. Seriously- her hair was standing straight up on her neck, and when we spoke, she nearly jumped right out of her skin. I am talking about Julia here- not the deer. Yes, we took Julia on her first deer hunting trip today. The hunting trip consisted of Julia, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper and myself.
It was quite the sight to see. She seemed ready, and after a few days of training, we didn't think she could have been any more prepared. I mean really- it isn't rocket science. You go out into the brush, you find some animals, and you grab them. Then you suck their blood out as easily- or easier, actually- as you would any human. It is actually a very simple process.
The only hard part of the entire thing is getting over the smell. When feeding on humans, the entire thing is alluring. They look good, they smell good, and they taste incredible. The only bad part about the process of feeding on a person is the guilt- which most vampires don't have to deal with, since feeding on man is a natural thing for vampires and vampires consider it to be a natural process, much like a lion hunting a gazelle.
However, with animals, they smell much different. It is not necessarily horrible- but it is not appealing by any means. It does not attract us. It is metallic, strong and clear in our noses. We can sense it is there, but it does not shout out "here is your next meal!" to us such as a human's blood does. It certainly does not sing to us. And as if the smell was different, imagine the difference in taste.
Julia seemed to notice the smell the second we got into the little woods. The area was abundant with animals, small rabbits, white-tailed deer, and other such creatures, but the only thing we were interested in for our next meals were the deer. Julia was sniffing the air and wrinkling her nose the instant we hit the animal scent.
Carlisle explained to her that animals smelled different, and she would get used to it. She smiled warmly at him, but her thoughts weren't so sure of his words. The deeper we got into the trees, however, the more nervous she became. I have never seen anything like it. Her thoughts were going crazy. She was actually frightened of the deer. She was afraid they would kick her. Afraid they'd fight back. Afraid that she'd hurt them. Afraid she'd like it, afraid she wouldn't. A million thoughts flew through her head a mile a minute.
Finally we reached a good spot, where several deer were unsuspectingly drinking water from a small brook. I demonstrated to her how we would do things, and we went over the plan once again. We would each grab a deer fairly quickly, and feed. It was an easy process, no need to be nervous. She was, of course.
The next thing I knew, she started hyperventilating. Another odd vampire behavior, since we don't breathe, but it must have been an old habit that she kept from before. She sat down quickly on the ground, tucked her knees into her chest, and started breathing extremely heavy.
Jasper rolled his eyes, exasperated, but immediately sent out calming sensations in her direction. I tried to talk her through her thoughts, to get her to calm down as well. Carlisle was doing the same thing as me, and Alice was standing there, unsure of what to do. After a moment, Alice just fished around for some future visions to see if she could determine what happened next. Julia's state of mind was too unpredictable of course, so Alice got nothing.
Julia's little display didn't last long between Jasper's calming powers and Carlisle and my talking, and after a moment, we talked her into going back home and trying again another day. Severely embarrassed, she apologized the entire way home.
Who would have thought that perfect little Julia was scared? She seemed so composed and poised- and when it came down to it, all her fears broke through. I felt very sorry for her though, after all that she had been through, and was determined to help her try again very soon. After discussing it with Carlisle, we both feel certain that she can master eating animals instead of feeding on humans. It will just take patience. What come easily for some is not so easy for others.
In the meantime, Carlisle is shut away in his office, wondering why this is so difficult for her. And Jasper feels some sense of justification that he is not the only one struggling with a vegetarian life.
That was our day for today. Be back again soon.
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Alice Cullen
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Before Twilight
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Chicago
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Edward Cullen
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Jasper Hale
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Julia
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