DATE OF BIRTH: Late 1950s
QUILEUTE STATUS: Tribal elder — non-werewolf
WEREWOLF GENE SOURCE: Black line
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Black
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Billy is heavyset, with a deeply wrinkled face and dark russet skin. He is currently wheelchair-bound as a result of nerve damage due to complications from diabetes.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: Formerly a commercial fisherman, he is currently on disability. Billy is one of the tribal elders and was considered the unofficial chief of the tribe because he was the direct descendant of the last chief. When Sam Uley transformed, Sam became the most senior tribe elder and unofficial chief.
FAMILY MEMBERS: He has three children: twin daughters Rebecca and Rachel, and son Jacob. His wife, Sarah, is deceased. It is also possible that he is Embry Call‘s biological father.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Billy Black has lived in La Push his entire life. One of his earliest childhood memories is being held in his father‘s arms while he watched his wrinkled, stooped grandfather explode into a giant russet-colored wolf along with his two best friends, Quil Ateara and Levi Uley. All three seemed ancient to Billy; their wolf forms were ancient, too, with grizzled muzzles and stiff joints. Yet Billy remembers them making a noise like laughter as they went for one last run through the woods.
When Jacob was born, he saw the curse of his wolf heritage for the first time, and he fervently hoped that vampires would never trouble the Quileute tribe again.
Because of this experience, Billy grew up in a different world than most — a world where magic was absolutely real and lived in his blood. It was a world where evil was real, too. As a teenager, Billy always hoped a vampire would be foolish enough to cross Quileute land. He dreamed of being a powerful wolf, a savior to his tribe. Around the time he turned twenty he realized that he would probably never have the chance to be a superhero, and for many years that was a hard thing for him to accept. Most of the time, however, he was happy. After all, it was a good thing that vampires had learned to stay away from La Push. He became a man with a family, and he learned to treasure the peace of his small town and the safety it promised his wife and daughters. When Jacob was born, he saw the curse of his wolf heritage for the first time, and he fervently hoped that vampires would never trouble the Quileute tribe again. He wanted his son to have the same peaceful life that he‘d had.
?IN THE BEGINNING, THE TRIBE SETTLED IN THIS HARBOR AND
BECAME SKILLED SHIPBUILDERS AND FISHERMEN.?
— Billy Black (
His wife, Sarah, died in a car accident nine years later. Rachel and Rebecca had a very difficult time living around the memories of their mother, and both of them found ways to leave La Push as soon as they were old enough. Billy wouldn‘t leave; he felt like his children, his young son particularly, needed the stability of the place where they‘d grown up. Billy was away working on his fishing boat so often, and he wanted Jacob to be with people he could trust. In the back of his mind, Billy always worried about accidentally taking Jacob away to a place where he might encounter vampires. The same thing could happen in La Push someday, of course, but at least then Jacob would have the support of a pack, and tribal elders who understood. A few years later, Billy had to quit his job because of the progression of his diabetes. It was difficult for him to lose mobility, but it gave him more time with his children. With his daughters more active socially, it was Jacob who cared for his father most often. They became very close.
Billy was always a social person; he had many friends. Harry Clearwater and Quil Ateara IV were his closest friends, almost his brothers. They, too, grew up in a world with magic, and also spent a few years wishing for the chance to be superheroes. If the vampires had come, Harry and Quil would have been his packmates. When Quil‘s small boat was destroyed in a storm, killing Quil, it was hard for both Harry and Billy; if Quil had been a shape- shifter, he would have been able to survive the accident.
Billy was also close with Charlie Swan, despite the fact that Charlie could know nothing about Billy‘s secrets. Charlie did know about losing a wife, though not in the same circumstances, and they both had daughters who were often mysteries to their fathers. Billy and Charlie also shared a love for fishing.
The elders had taught the histories to their sons, but the entire tribe had begun to believe that the stories were only legend.
When the Cullens returned to Forks, it was a dark time for the tribe. Billy knew exactly what this would mean for his son, and he mourned for the safe and commonplace life Jacob would lose. The elders had taught the histories to their sons, but the entire tribe had begun to believe that the stories were only legend. Billy had warned Jacob about the signs of the werewolf — the heat, the growth spurt, the anger — but Jacob had totally ignored him, thinking Billy no more than superstitious. Billy knew that his son was unprepared for what was coming.
Billy knew the Cullens were vampires. He had no history with them, only the tales of his grandfather, as passed to him by his father. He did not believe that the Cullens were as harmless as they presented themselves to be. He feared that without a strong wolf pack to enforce the treaty, the Cullens would take advantage. He worried for his tribe, and for his friends in Forks.
He tried to warn Charlie to stay away from the Cullens, but his warning backfired. Charlie had already taken a liking to Carlisle, and he was upset about Billy‘s prejudice against the newcomers. When Charlie learned that members of the Quileute tribe were boycotting the hospital, it caused a rift between Billy and Charlie for a few years.
Watching Sam deal with the blows his werewolf heritage had forced upon him, Billy was even more concerned for Jacob. He was glad, though, that Jacob had struck up a friendship with Charlie‘s daughter. Billy missed Charlie and was glad for the excuse to visit him again.
However, in the course of that visit, he was shocked and horrified to learn of Bella‘s relationship with one of the local vampires. Now he had more specific worries for his friend and his friend‘s family.
FAMOUS QUOTE
