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It had been one week since Lydia's party. One week since Stiles had kissed Derek. One week since he'd seen Derek. One whole freaking week. Not that he'd been counting, of course. Alright, he had been. He'd also been thinking quite a bit, trying to figure out what was going on. After all, Derek had dropped quite the grenade of information on him. It was an odd feeling to realize someone had been thinking of you like that for over a year. Stiles had been Derek's not so imaginary friend; the voice in his head. He was loathe to think of himself as Jiminy Cricket, but hell...maybe Derek had. The fact was he just didn't know which was why he needed to talk to Derek. The only problem with that was, as previously mentioned, he hadn't seen Derek. And it wasn't for a lack of trying. Both Derek and Isaac told him to stop coming to The Forbidden Woods as it could start to draw attention. Instead, he was supposed to go to Isaac's house if he wanted to see them. Well, he'd done that several times, but Derek was never there or available. If Stiles had been paranoid he'd think Derek was avoiding him.
"He's not avoiding you," Isaac said as he climbed into the jeep. Stiles had taken to picking Isaac up for school the last few days.
"I didn't say that." Okay, so he was a little paranoid.
"No, you alluded to it," Isaac smirked. "Just a lot of pack stuff going on."
"But he's okay, right?"
Isaac's smile softened. "Yeah. Yeah he's okay. Guess you two had a hell of a talk at that party."
"Honest to god, I'm not even sure what happened. Or what it means."
"Well, you'll see him tonight."
Stiles jerked his head to look at Isaac and almost hit the car in front of him. Isaac cursed and Stiles slammed on his breaks just in time. "He's coming to the game?"
"As long as we survive the ride to school, yeah."
"Sorry."
They got to the school without further incident and headed inside. Isaac leaned against the lockers and watched people go by as Stiles put some things away. It was moments like these that Stiles could really see the wolf in Isaac. He had the watchful eyes of a predator, taking in everything around him and cataloging what he saw. Benign, danger, threat, interesting, food.
"It's good he's getting to see you play," Stiles said.
"Maybe you'll get to play tonight too. Coach is still pissed at Greenburg."
"And won't that be awesome? Derek gets to see me tank."
"Hey, you've gotten a lot better this week. Coach even said so."
"Yeah, thanks a lot for your help this week. You're a good Yoda."
"A good what?"
Stiles slammed his locker closed and looked at Isaac in utter shock. "Please tell me there's fur in your wolf ears and you just didn't hear what I said rather than not knowing what I'm talking about."
"Um..."
Stiles grabbed his chest and fell against the lockers. He gasped for unneeded breath as a pained squeak escaped him. "How do you...I mean...you...how...my heart bleeds and we're fixing this."
"Okay," he laughed.
"As your friend, I will not allow you go on suffering like this. We'll watch it tonight after the game."
"Watch what?" Lydia asked as she stepped in front of them.
Stiles sat up straighter and beamed at her. He couldn't help it, it was a knee jerk reaction. "Hey Lydia."
"Hi Stiles," she smiled. She'd gotten a lot better at remembering his name since the party. And his performing better during practice had also seemed to help. "What were you guys talking about?"
"Watching Star Wars after the game," Stiles said.
"Not tonight you're not. You're coming to my party."
"Another one?" Isaac frowned.
"You can never have too many parties. Besides, my parents are out of town. See you at lunch," she smiled and walked off.
"You're not seriously planning on going are you?"
"Oh you're going too, fluffy," Stiles snarked as they started to class.
"I thought you said you'd decided it was time you got over your thing for Lydia."
"I did, I will, I mean yes, I am, what?"
"One, you need less sugar in the morning. Two, if you're moving on then why did your heart dance out a samba the moment she came up?"
"It loves Latin music," he deadpanned. Isaac gave Stiles his "you're a dumbass" look. "Moving on. Moooooving on. Moving being the key word. As in not yet moved but in the process of."
"If you say so."
"Whatever fluffy, let's get to class."
"You're really not letting the fluffy thing go, are you?"
"Not until you prove me wrong. All I have to go on is your mop of hair. So you're just a big, brown, fluffy ball of fluff until I see different."
"Gee thanks."
They took their seats in class; Stiles sat behind Scott and Isaac behind him. Scott had been trying to make an effort to shore up the slowly crumbling walls of their friendship the past week. And while Stiles appreciated it, it just made it sting more when Scott blew him off for Allison. But then slowly losing a friend was always painful. He cared a lot about Scott, but he was seeing more often than not that Scott didn't care for him all that much. He wondered if seeing him with Isaac had made Scott realize he missed his friend...or if he just didn’t want to share.
He was snapped out of his rather maudlin thoughts by their history teacher giving them their assignment for next week. The Season of the Wolf was coming to an end, though he stressed they should still be cautious, and as such they were to write a paper on its history. Stiles shared a look with Isaac. He had a rather new view on the whole thing now; not that he could put that in a paper. Maybe Peter had another old book he could borrow. It had to be better than most of the history books in the library. He already felt like he'd read them all over the past couple of weeks as he had tried to find out what was really happening in The Forbidden Woods. Though, maybe he should just stick to the general public knowledge.
“You want to get together tomorrow and work on this?” Scott asked as they left class.
“Sure. Want me to come over about noon?” Stiles smiled.
"Sounds good." Scott seemed genuinely happy, which made Stiles happy as well. That was, of course, until Allison showed up and Scott forgot Stiles existed.
He didn't have any more classes with Isaac until after lunch, so it was a bit of a cloudy day for Stiles. He didn't get it; every time he started to say something to Scott she would show up. Honest to god, it wasn't like he didn't like her or that he didn't want Scott to be happy, but what the hell? He finally managed to corner Scott right before lunch and started to talk to him about it, but Scott changed the subject to be about him and how nervous he was about some big dinner he was supposed to have with her parents. Stiles felt like bashing his head against the wall. Or better yet, bash Scott's head against the wall.
He decided to forgo lunch with everyone and went out to the lacrosse field instead. He supposed it wouldn't be so bad to sit there and listen to Scott drone on endlessly about Allison. It wasn't like Stiles could talk to Scott about what was going on in his own life. Though, it would be really helpful to talk to someone. He gave a heavy sigh and looked at the bag of potato chips in his hand. He felt bad laying it all on Isaac but who else did he have?
"Hey Stiles," Derek said from beside him.
Stiles jerked and almost fell off the bleacher. The bag he’d been holding flew into the air causing chips to rain down over him.
“Jesus Derek! I’m gonna put a freaking bell on you!”
“Sorry,” he smirked.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was in the woods and I saw you sitting here-”
“You’d think lurking was an Olympic sport with as much as you practice,” he grumbled and brushed the crumbs off his clothes. He looked over at Derek and caught the hurt puppy look on his face. It vanished as soon as Derek saw him looking, but it was too late. “I’d offer you some of my chips, but how about some of my chicken?”
“Thanks,” he said softly and climbed up to sit beside Stiles.
“So how have you been? I haven’t seen you since the party.” Again, not that he’d been counting.
“Busy. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Isaac said you had a lot of pack stuff going on.”
“Yeah...”
Stiles waited for him to add to that profound statement. “So...do you want to talk about it?”
“I...no.”
“Derek, are you ok?”
“Can you just talk to me for a while?” There was that kicked puppy look again.
“Oh I can talk. I can talk until you feel the need to shove me off the bleachers.” Stiles recognized the tone of that question. It was a plea he’d often uttered after he’d lost his mother. He just needed something, anything to take his mind off it. Usually he had to find his own distraction. So he was more than willing to help when he heard the weariness in Derek’s voice.
He told Derek about how his chemistry teacher was always riding his case; about how annoyed he’d get regarding Scott and Allison. He talked about his feelings for Lydia and how he knew he should move on, but that was easier said than done. Derek would comment now and then, offer ideas and sometimes growl or grumble which made Stiles laugh. Stiles also talked about more commonplace things like needing to learn more about fixing his jeep, or funny things his dad got called out on.
“How do you get a turkey stuck on your head?” Derek laughed.
“I don’t know, but it was awesome.”
By the time they got to talking about lacrosse and how Isaac had been helping him the warning bell for class rang.
“I guess you need to go,” Derek said and looked back towards the school.
“No, I have a free period. Isaac is actually coming out to help me some more. You can stay and watch, if you want.”
“Thanks,” he said softly.
“No problem. I’ve been where you are. Procrastination and avoidance are key coping mechanisms at times.”
"Yeah, I guess."
"Oh, and you owe me a bag of chips."
Isaac joined them out on the field and he worked Stiles through a few more routines. It had gotten easier to keep up with Isaac since they started practicing together. As long as Isaac kept the inhuman accuracy down, that is. He was faster than a human, too. Reflexes were much sharper. Stiles couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. He hoped they all understood just how awesome they were. They finished when the alarm Stiles set on his phone went off. That way they could still have enough time to cool down and get back to the school in time for class.
"I'm just saying we're so going to deserve that party tonight," Stiles smiled.
"Party?" Derek frowned.
"Lydia's throwing another party and Stiles wants us to go," Isaac said as he stretched his arms over his head.
"You should come too," Stiles added.
"I...I can't."
"Oh...well that's okay."
"I should go," Derek said in his low, rumbling voice and started towards the tree line.
"Was it something I said?" Stiles frowned. Isaac just shrugged and started back to school.
“My nephew the charmer,” Peter drawled as Derek walked back into the woods.
“Shut up,” he growled.
“No really. I feel like I should be taking notes.”
“Why are you here?”
“Boyd is back. They can’t track the Scavengers.”
“Why the hell not?” he demanded.
“Well Derek, I’m sure if they knew that they wouldn’t have an issue tracking them.”
“So for all we know they could be here.”
“I doubt highly that they’re here.”
“Why?”
“Because none of us are dead.”
~*~
The game went really well. Not only did Stiles get to play, but he made a few goals. Hell, with an assist from Isaac he even made the winning goal! Stiles was so stoked that it didn't bother him too badly that Derek couldn't go to the party afterwards, at least he'd made it to the game. It didn't bother him that Scott hadn't come to congratulate him like the rest of the team had done because he was too busy arguing with Allison about something. And after Lydia came up and hugged him, well hell he didn't think anything could bother him. Not the sight of his best friend drunk at the party or that after a while the accolades seemed to wear off and he was just another player. What did bother him, however, was walking in on Scott making out with Lydia.
He'd gone in search of an unoccupied bathroom and had opened a closed door in hopes he'd found one. He didn't even realize it was Scott and Lydia pawing at each other, not until they reacted to his voice. "Whoa there. Sorry about that. Next time hang a sock on-" His eyes widened to the size of saucers and all the blood seemed to rush from his face.
"Stiles did you-whoa," Isaac blinked as he walked up to Stiles then looked into the room. "Wow..."
"You son of bitch," Stiles finally managed to get out.
"Stiles wait-" Scott called but Stiles was already walking off, threading his way through the crowd.
Stiles was outside and in his jeep before even Isaac could catch him. His blood was boiling with a mixture of emotions and he could hardly think. He wasn’t sure how he ended up at the lacrosse field; he didn’t even remember making the decision to drive there. If he’d been in a calmer state of mind he would have been relieved he hadn’t got into an accident on the way there. But he wasn’t thinking straight. He’d never been so angry or hurt. Not in this sense, anyway. When his mother had died he felt hollow. Like a black hole had taken up residence inside him and consumed anything happy or good.
He slammed his hand against the steering wheel and got out of the jeep. He started to pace across the dark field and tried to calm himself. He listened to the sound of his shoes pressing into the dried grass and the soft little crunch it made. The cold fall air seemed to trap sound. It was as though a dark blanket had encircled him and all he could hear was his footsteps and the sound of his own breathing; which made it even more of a shock when he turned around and slammed straight into someone. He fell back with a yelp and scrambled away a few feet. The lights of his jeep cast just enough light on the field so he could make out the familiar shape.
“What the hell! What is it with you people?!”
“Not being ‘people’ is possibly one thing,” Peter smirked. He held out a hand and helped Stiles to his feet.
“Fine, wolves. What is wrong with you wolves?”
Peter shrugged and Stiles could hear the sound of his leather coat creek. “We walk softly.”
“And carry a big stick?” Stiles mocked.
“No. Not so much.”
Stiles could just make out a flash of fangs. “Yeah well...what are you doing out here lurking? What is it? Like Uncle, like nephew?”
“No. Derek lurks, I observe. Very different.”
“How?”
“Well, key difference is it’s less creepy and brooding.” That actually made Stiles laugh. “And it has the added benefit of letting you see things others miss. Now, what are you doing out here in the dark all by your lonesome? I heard there was a party.”
“Yeah...at Lydia’s.” Just saying her name was like stabbing a knife in his heart.
“Yes, I can smell her on you.”
“Remember how you were just talking about being less creepy?”
“Sorry,” Peter smirked. “So why are you here trying to walk a pit into the field? And why is there cloud of...” he stopped and took a few sniffs, “anguish around you?”
He thought about telling Peter to mind his own business, to go hide among a flock of sheep or something. What came out, however, was far from that. “My best friend’s a backstabbing jackass.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah...so what are you doing out here?” Stiles asked again, eager to get the subject off him.
“Patrolling.”
“Patrolling? Who are you, Buffy?”
Peter smiled brightly at that and Stiles caught the hint of fangs again. “I like you. You’re-” He cut off and sniffed the air again. He turned his head sharply and Stiles watched as he narrowed his eyes at the woods behind him.
“Um...Peter?”
“Isaac said you’re doing a history report on The Season of the Wolf,” he said, abruptly changing the subject as he looked back at him.
“Huh? Yeah...”
“Let’s go back to the house and I’ll lend you some more books.”
“What?” Stiles looked towards the trees then back at Peter. “What did you smell?”
“Oh now my sniffing isn’t creepy?” he grinned. He put his hand on Stiles shoulder and ushered him towards the jeep.
Stiles looked back towards the tree line one last time, but it was black as pitch and he couldn’t see anything. He didn’t know Peter well enough to be sure, but he was leaning towards that whatever Peter saw and smelled...it wasn’t good.
Stiles never got Peter to tell him what it was he saw, or what he smelled. The one time he tried to ask on the ride to the house Peter gave him a look that said, quite clearly, to shut up. He could see where Derek got his glare from. A glare he got to see firsthand as he pulled up to Isaac's house. Isaac and Derek were standing in the driveway, Isaac apparently having just gotten home.
"What are you doing with him?" Derek growled.
"Fattening him up for Sunday dinner," Peter quipped as he got out of the jeep. Derek surged forward but Peter seemed unfazed. "I found him pacing on that field and brought him here to borrow a book. Seriously, how are we related when you can't grasp sarcasm?" Peter shook his head and went inside the house.
"Sorry I bailed on you," Stiles said.
"Don't worry about it. But you missed seeing Jackson deck Scott," Isaac grinned.
"Wait what?" Stiles blinked. His first knee jerk reaction was to feel bad for his friend.
"Stiles," Derek said as he came over.
"I'll see you inside," Isaac said and walked towards the house.
"You shouldn't have gone to the field alone."
“I didn’t actually plan to go there, I just ended up there. And why shouldn’t I go there? I mean, I know what’s in the woods now and you’ve made it pretty clear I’m not on the menu. So why should I be scared? Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Derek let out a sound something like a huff and looked towards the house. Stiles reached out and touched Derek’s arm to draw his attention back; the look he got in return had him slowly pulling his hand away. He really was an expert at glaring.
“Just don’t go out at night alone.”
“Yeah, okay. So what am I supposed to do? You got some sort of wolf signal I should send up?”
“Tell Isaac. He’ll go with you or he’ll tell me.”
Stiles took a chance and reached out to touch Derek’s arm again. The look he got was softer this time and tinged with worry. It made him look so very young. Stiles knew that look very well, having seen it in the mirror a million times. It was a look that said, “I’m too young for this. I’m scared. I’m alone. Please, just make it better...please.”
“You know you can talk to me, right? I’m here now. You don’t have just talk to the imaginary me.”
Derek nodded silently and closed his eyes. Stiles wanted to step closer, wanted to hold him and tell him whatever it was; it would be alright. He knew because that’s what he so often needed himself. But this thing between them, whatever it was, was so up in the air. They’d kissed at Lydia’s party, sure, but that had been a week ago and Stiles had hardly seen him since. They hardly knew each other. And if Stiles was honest with himself...he wanted to live up to Derek’s imagination.
“I should have gone with you to the party,” Derek finally said.
“You can go with me to the next one. Because if there is one constant in this universe, it is Lydia and the throwing of parties. But if you feel the overwhelming and desperate need to make it up to me, you can help me write my paper tomorrow.” Derek let out a huff of a laugh which made Stiles smile. For a moment it looked like Derek might kiss him again, but he stopped about half way and took a step back.
“Come pick me up tomorrow. I’ll help you.”
“Deal,” Stiles smiled and followed Derek into the house.
~*~
Stiles pulled up to Isaac’s house the next morning and knocked on the door. He brushed a bit of lint of his flannel shirt as he waited for someone to answer the door. After a minute he knocked again and tried to look through one of the windows. It didn't look like anyone was there. He hopped off the porch and walked around the house, thinking they might be in the backyard.
"Aaaaand empty. Awesome." Stiles sighed and walked out to the large backyard. He looked up towards the house, and then towards The Forbidden Woods. He'd said he wouldn't drive out to the woods anymore, but he never said he wouldn't go into them. And hell, they apparently owned all the houses that backed onto the forest, so no one out of the know would see him. "Well, you told me to come get you. So here I am." He tugged at his shirt and stepped into the woods.
Winter was definitely creeping into the air. If you knew what to pay attention to you could actually smell it in the air. The air was crisper, almost cleaner; clearer. But it really made him wish he'd brought a jacket. A long sleeve plaid over a t-shirt was just not cutting it, but then he hadn't been planning on trekking through the woods.
"Come on, Derek," he said to the quiet forest. "See this is why you need a Wolf Signal; big light to shine in the sky. Okay, granted that only works at night...maybe a Wolf Flare...no that would bring other people. Dog whistle?" He froze as he heard some leaves rustling over his shoulder. His heart started to pound as he heard a twig snap. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. "It's just Peter and Derek, Stiles. Your favorite neighborhood creepers..." He opened his eyes and slowly looked over his shoulder. The ridge behind him was empty; nothing but dried leaves and detritus. He let out a relieved chuckle and slid his hand over his face.
That was when they crested the ridge. The wolves were huge and moved as one. They were slow, graceful...deadly. And best of all their eyes never left Stiles. There had to have been at least a dozen and they fanned out behind the huge black wolf with red eyes. They were bigger than he imagined. Like huge. Huge. Great Dane meets Malamute meets Incredible Freaking Hulk huge.
"Oh....wow. Um...Derek? Isaac?...Peter?"
Two large brown wolves moved up to stand beside the black one. Stiles swallowed as the black wolf slowly walked towards him. Stalked would be the better term. What if these wolves were part of Derek's pack but Derek wasn't with them? What if they didn't know about him?
"Ah crap..."
The big wolf stopped about a foot away from him. The top of its head nearly came up to Stiles’ shoulder; he wondered if they weren’t part pony. It growled softly, a low vibrating sound that seemed to roll straight through Stiles. It looked over its shoulder and snorted. The rest of the pack peeled away, vanishing into the trees like ghosts. One of the brown wolves, the slightly fluffier one, came up to Stiles and nosed at his hand. Stiles relaxed the moment it did that and he smiled.
"You're really not losing that nickname now, Isaac," Stiles said and stroked the wolf's head. The other brown wolf came up and yawned. Stiles recognized the markings on it as the one he'd seen the night when someone had put a note on his jeep. The one he'd thought had smirked at him. Really, that could only be one person. Well, one wolf. "So glad my terror is boring to you, Peter. I mean come on! You all looked like you were trying to decide how best to eat my kibbles 'n bits!" Wolf Peter made a snorting noise that sounded like a laugh. Stiles looked back to the black wolf who he was now sure was Derek.
Derek let out a huff and walked closer to Stiles. He nosed at Stiles other hand like Isaac had done. Carefully, he bit the sleeve of Stiles’ shirt and started to tug him back in the direction of the house. He let go as soon as Stiles started to move. He stayed close to Stiles, though, and Stiles couldn't help but slide his fingers into the thick fur at Derek's neck. They got to the tree line and Derek nudged Stiles towards the house.
"Aren't you coming? I mean you said-" he stopped as Derek managed to scowl at him. It was both impressive and scary as hell. "Okay, I'll just go wait on the porch then."
He rubbed Isaac's head once more before walking back across the lawn to the back porch. He sat on one of the wooden steps and rubbed his arms to try and warm up a bit; luckily he didn't have to wait too long. He watched as Derek came out of the forest and headed towards him. He adjusted his tight black T-shirt (and really, who had shirts that tight?) before pulling on his jacket. Stiles realized Derek must have only just pulled clothes on before stepping out of trees. He'd missed seeing Derek naked. Damnit.
"Sorry if I broke up the party," Stiles said as he got up.
"We were done." Derek rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck from side to side.
“You guys are pretty impressive en masse like that. Thought I was gonna be on the menu for a minute.”
“We’d already eaten.”
“Yeah...yeah that’s not ominous sounding at all. Lemme guess. Bunny. It’s what’s for breakfast.”
Derek gave Stiles one his dark looks and Stiles pressed his lips together tightly. He decided the wise choice right then was to just go to the jeep. Do not meddle in the affairs of Wolves, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
“So thanks for helping me today. I was supposed to work with Scott but...yeah not so much.” He felt Derek following him more than seeing him.
They got into the jeep and Stiles finally chanced another look at Derek. He had this dark, dangerous, sexy aura thing going on and it was appealing as hell. There was just something about it. It was like fire; you knew it had benefits but if you get too close you get burned. Stiles didn’t think he’d mind getting a little burned...that’s what aloe was for, right?
“Stiles,” Derek said. His voice was a bit louder than normal and Stiles blinked. Apparently Derek had said his name a couple of times to no reaction.
“Huh? Sorry, what?”
“I asked if we were going to go, or just sit in the jeep.”
“No, no we’re going sorry. Here we go.” Stiles was sure he saw Derek smirk out of the corner of his eye.
His house wasn’t too far away, so they made it back pretty quick. Once inside, Derek took a moment to take in his surroundings. Stiles gave him the nickel tour before heading up to his room. He was actually a bit nervous which usually meant he yammered on about...well anything. So by the time they got to his room Derek had a full history of everything in the house, which was mostly kind of boring. Derek hadn’t said anything which just made Stiles more nervous. He busied himself gathering the books Peter had lent him and piled them onto the bed. He was trying to ignore how Derek was watching every move he made, but he could feel the wolf’s eyes on him.
“So I’m not really sure where to start other than just diving in, which is fine. I mean we weren’t really given any specific direction, just to write about the history. Peter said these are more mainstream, which is good. Fewer questions to answer and I know you don’t want more questions. So yes...” He swallowed as he realized Derek was suddenly standing right next to him. “Okay seriously, are you going to be mute the rest of the day? Did you put some invisible muzzle on?”
“I like listening to you talk,” Derek said in his warm, rich voice. Stiles blinked in surprise and felt his heart pound a bit faster in his chest. Derek reached passed Stiles and picked up one of the books. The heady scent of earth, trees, and something warmer filled Stiles’ nose as he did. He started to lean towards Derek, wanting to smell more of it but he stopped as soon as Derek looked at him.
Stiles coughed and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I talk a lot. So that’s good, I guess.” He moved over and grabbed his laptop. Derek chose a chair near his bed so that became the de facto work space. “I guess this isn’t something you do a lot. Helping with homework.”
“The whole pack raises our pups. So I’ve helped with homework before.”
An image of Derek sitting down helping kids with their homework pups crawling all over him flashed across his mind. It was far cuter than it should probably be. He watched as Derek flagged a couple of pages in the book he was holding and realized he should really get to work instead of just ogling him. They worked like that for a few hours, Stiles making notes and Derek explaining some of the history to him. Derek was in the middle of explaining one of the older stories to him when he looked towards Stiles’ door quickly. Stiles knew if he’d been in wolf form his ears would have perked. He recognized the look as similar to the one he’d seen on Peter the night before. Derek heard something he didn’t like.
“What is it boy? Timmy stuck down a well?”
Derek rolled his eyes and looked over at him. “Ha ha. Were you expecting someone?”
“What?” he frowned and started get up. “No.”
“Stiles!” Scott called as he came into the house.
“Oh son of a...”
“Who’s that?” Derek growled and set the book down, looking towards the door.
“It’s Scott.”
As if the name itself summoned him, Scott walked into the room.
“Stiles!” Scott frowned when he looked around and saw all the books and such lying about. He did a double take as he saw Derek sitting there. One eye had quite a nice bruise; evidence from Jackson’s punch. “I thought we were working at my place.”
“Are you kidding me? You thought I was still coming over after yesterday?”
“I know I screwed up,” he said in a pitiful voice and flopped into the computer chair. “I don’t know what to do! I was so drunk I barely remember doing it. Or even why!”
“Apologizing might be a good place to start,” Stiles said. He glanced over at Derek and blinked at the look on his face. He was looking at Scott like his friend had just said something about his mother. If he’d been a cartoon character there would have been a great big storm cloud of death over his head.
“I tried! She won’t listen to me.”
Scott’s voice drew Stiles’ attention back. “Wait, what?”
“Allison! She won’t listen to me.”
Stiles blinked. He suddenly felt like giving Scott a shiner on the other eye. “Are you...Scott I was talking about me!”
“Huh?” Scott frowned. “Why would I apologize to you?”
Stiles threw his arms up. “Are you kidding me?! For kissing Lydia! You knew how I felt about her!”
“Stiles this is serious! It’s not like you ever had a chance with her.” Scott got up and moved to stand in front of Stiles. There was a low warning growl and Scott looked over at Derek who was now standing. “What is he doing here anyway? I really need you to help me to get Al-”
“If you say Allison I’m punching you in the head,” Stiles warned.
“How can you be mad at me? Lydia only just started remembering your name! Can you please just set aside your delusions and focus on me? Allison and I-”
“You’ve only been together for two month, jackass! You are not the epitome of love and devotion.”
“And you’ve never even been in a relationship except in your head! I know you’re just jealous that you’re not getting all my attention anymore. Allison said that’s probably why you made up those stories about seeing the guy in the woods and outside your place with wolves, and why you’ve been hanging out with Isaac.”
“First of all, leave Isaac out of this. Secondly, you told Allison? And I can’t believe you think I made it up! You need to just...you need to go.”
He grabbed Scott’s arm and tried to steer him towards the door. Scott wasn’t having any of it though and jerked away, giving Stiles a bit of a shove. That’s when they hit DEFCON 2.
All Stiles saw was a blur of black and then Scott was pinned against the wall by a very pissed off Derek. Scott’s eyes were so wide they looked like they were going to pop out of his head. He was trying to get Derek’s now clawed hand off his neck, but Derek wasn’t budging. Stiles rushed over and cursed as he saw Derek’s red eyes and, even more frightening, his Big Bad Wolf size fangs.
“Derek, it’s okay. Let him go,” Stiles said and tried to keep his voice calm. He slid one hand to Derek’s shoulder and the other to his wrist. It didn’t look like Derek was going to let go at first, but his fingers eventually let go of Scott and the boy dropped to the floor. Stiles eased Derek back, but the wolf’s eyes were still trained on Scott. “So much for me not telling my friends about you.”
“He touched you...hurt you.” Derek’s voice seemed deeper, rougher.
“I’m okay. Not bruises,” he said softly. But he knew that wasn’t the kind of hurt Derek meant.
“What-what the hell-what is he?!” Scott stammered.
Derek snarled, flashing his teeth at Scott again who cowered on the floor more.
“You should have gone when I told you,” Stiles sighed. He moved over and crouched in front of Scott. “So about that guy and the wolves I imagined...”
It took awhile to explain everything. Well not everything, but enough. Stiles explained that the Wolves were real, but several of the legends were true. He also stressed the importance of being quiet. Derek sat there growling and looking menacing. The reason it took so long was because Scott wasn't really listening the first time. He was too much in shock. Once Stiles brought up Allison and promised to help get them back together, Scott focused. He even promised not to tell anyone, which was the important thing. Derek threatening to eat him if he did just solidified his word. After Scott left, Stiles sat on the foot of his bed staring at his hands.
"That was pretty dangerous what you did. Outing yourself like that," he said softly.
"He was hurting you..."
Stiles looked over at him. Derek had sat back down in the chair he'd started in. "You risked that, because he was hurting me?"
Derek shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah..."
Stiles looked at him for a long moment. He studied Derek's face, trying to read him. Trying to understand. Was this all because of what Stiles had stood for in his mind? Was he just doing it because he was a protector? Or was it something else? Stiles hoped it was all of the above, really. He got up and walked over to stand in front of Derek, standing there until Derek looked up at him. He brushed his hand through Derek's hair and thought it felt as soft and as warm as his fur had been. He didn't know he was going to do it until his lips brushed against Derek's. He pressed his forehead to Derek's and closed his eyes.
"Thank you," Stiles whispered.
"Anytime," he replied in the same hushed tone. "I should go tell the others about your friend."
"Yeah," Stiles nodded and brushed his lips over Derek's again. Derek huffed and leaned into the kiss. Stiles stepped back after a moment and sat on the edge of the bed. "Thanks for not eating him."
Derek huffed and shrugged one shoulder. He got up and set a book beside Stiles. Derek looked down at him and Stiles had to seriously resist the urge to pull him down for another kiss.
"Did um...did Peter ever figure out what was in the woods last night?" He had to do something or else...well...
Derek's expression changed. "Don't worry about that," he said and moved off to grab his coat.
"Um, I'm not. I was just curious. What was it?"
"Nothing."
"Didn't seem like nothing. He got that look you had when you realized Scott was here. I'm guessing you heard something? Or maybe smelled something?"
"Stiles..."
"I mean he was in a big hurry to get me out of there. He tried to hide it but-"
"Stiles! Drop it," he growled.
Stiles frowned and slid back to the middle of his bed. "Fine."
Derek frowned. "I'll check on you later..." When Stiles didn't answer he sighed and left.
Stiles flopped back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He knew there was something out there, but he didn't know what. Why didn't Derek want him to know? What was he hiding? And why did the taste of Derek's lips linger on his? He let out a slow breath and drummed his fingers on his chest. What could be out there that would scare both Derek and Peter? Stiles frowned as he remembered a brief passage he'd read about the Scavengers. That first book Peter had given him said the Wolves and the Scavengers were mortal enemies. Could that be it? He sat up and pulled all the books closer.
Two hours later Stiles pushed the last book aside. There wasn't even a mention of Scavengers. But Peter did say these were more mainstream books, and we're focused primarily on the Season of the Wolf. He looked at his laptop and thought about when he was first looking the myths and legends of the Wolves. Maybe he could find something that way. He hopped off the bed and grabbed his keys deciding to make a library run first. They did have a pretty good myth section, so what could it hurt?
Once at the library he wasn't exactly sure where to start. So Stiles just grabbed every book he could find on myths and legends pertaining to the Wolves. Which, as it happened, was a lot of books. He probably looked like a cartoon character walking out of the stacks carrying a pile of books he couldn't see over. And sure, he could have carried them in several trips but then he wouldn't have looked like an ass when he walked right into someone and threw all the books in the air. Oh, and yelped like an eight year old girl with pigtails. To make matters worse, if they could be, he realized it was Lydia he'd run in into…and then a book fell on his head.
"Well that was special," she mused.
"I'm sorry I couldn't see and I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"No, I'm okay."
Stiles nodded and bent down to pick up the books. He blinked as Lydia got down and started to help him. She took an armful and stood up, which was equally surprising.
"Where are you sitting?"
"Uh, over there," he nodded and stood with the rest of the books. He watched as she walked over to the table where he'd left his backpack and started to set the books down.
"Myths and legends? Is this for the history paper?"
"I'm uh...looking at alternate ideas," he said and set his books down.
"Interesting."
"Really?"
"No."
Stiles sighed and sat down.
"Stiles...I'm sorry."
"For what?" he frowned.
She sat down across from him. "I didn't know about...I didn't know you'd had a crush on me for as long as you had. I was talking to Allison and she told me. I didn't know and what you saw last night-"
"Hurt. A lot."
"Yeah," she said softly.
"I wasn't mad at you."
"You should be."
"You didn't know..." Stiles let out a breath and asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to. "What about you and Jackson?"
"We'll be alright."
"But you're not now?"
"He's pissed but once he calms down I'll remind him of what he did the last time he was really drunk and who he did it with."
"Well that's a healthy relationship if I've ever heard one."
"We're complicated," she said with a half grin.
“That’s an understatement. What about you and Allison?”
“Oh we’re fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Honestly I was so drunk I didn’t know it was Scott. Just some guy I thought was hot at the moment.”
“Seriously?” All Stiles could think was that could have been him.
Lydia shrugged. “Anyway, I just wanted to say I was sorry. I’ll let you get back to your research.”
Stiles nodded, unable to think of any reason to make her stay. He watched her go and felt the familiar heart pang. He sighed and looked down at the books spread out in front of him. He picked up the closest one and flipped through the pages in search of any reference to the Scavengers. The first book proved fruitless so he went onto the next, and then the next. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice someone had sat across from him until they spoke.
“So you’re the one that’s nabbed all the mythology books.”
Stiles blinked and looked at the young man now sitting across from him. He had a warm, innocent smile and looked pretty much like the definition of the boy next door. Right from his short brown hair that was styled to look mussed, all the way down to his striped shirt.
“Yeah, sorry. Did you need them? I’m done with these,” Stiles said gestured to the books he’d already gone through.
“Thanks. I just moved here and wanted learn more about the area. I’m Matt, by the way,” he smiled and pulled the books over.
“Stiles. When did you move here?” He wondered if it one of the wolves he hadn’t met yet. But then hadn’t Derek told them all about him?
“Day before yesterday.”
“Ah, that would be why I haven’t seen you in school.”
“Yeah. I’ll probably start next week. Mind if I sit here while I look these over?”
“Free country,” Stiles said and looked down at the book in his hand again. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something about the guy that just...bothered him. Something in his eyes, maybe. Something just felt off.
“You a speed reader or something?” Matt asked when Stiles set down his book and picked up another.
“No, I’m just looking for something specific.”
“Oh? Like what?” Stiles looked up at him and frowned. Matt gave a sheepish look and rubbed his neck. “Sorry, I’ll be quiet. Promise.”
“It’s alright, I just really need to get through this and head back home.”
“I should get going anyway. Maybe I’ll see you in school. Thanks for these,” he smiled and walked off with the books Stiles was done with.
Stiles watched him leave and frowned. He tried to shake off the feeling that there was something there that he was just...missing, something important. He tried to shrug it off and get back to reading but it just kept poking at him. He gave up finally and grabbed the books he hadn’t looked through yet and checked them out. When he got out to his jeep he all but did a double take. He had not one, but two flat tires.
"What the..."
He knew they weren't like that when he'd gone into the library, and they weren't even low when he left the house. He looked around but he seemed alone in the parking log. He grumbled about crap luck and pulled out his phone. Oh so shockingly, Scott didn't answer his phone. He didn't even bother to leave an annoyed message and chose instead to call his dad.
"Two what?" his dad frowned over the phone.
"Tires. Can you give me a lift?"
"I've got some things I need to finish up here. How about you walk to the station and when I'm done we'll get some dinner and see about your jeep?"
"Works for me. I'll head over now; should be there soon." He made sure the books were stashed in his jeep then locked up. It wasn't too far to the sheriff's station, just a few blocks.
On the way out of the parking lot he heard a snuffling sound and then saw a flash of fur. "Derek?" he said softly. When no one answered he kept walking. The overwhelming sense that not only was he not alone but he was being followed washed over him like a tidal wave. He never saw much, just a flash of greyish-brown sometimes reddish-brown fur or a bushy tail.
"Seriously, not funny. I'm gonna lay odds that Isaac, if not Derek, won't be very pleased with you trying to scare me," he said as he stopped by an alley. "This some sort of pack initiation thing?"
The animal slowly stepped out from behind a stack of boxes. It looked similar to the wolves he'd seen in the woods earlier that day, but not as big. It was leaner and a bit shorter. Its tail was also a lot bushier. Standing there staring at the animal with its glowing yellow eyes...Stiles was fairly certain he wasn't looking at a wolf. When it snarled and started to stalk towards him all doubt vanished. Oddly enough, it looked like a coyote, but they were way too far West for it to be one. Plus, coyotes didn't get that big or have bright glowing eyes like Wolves...right?
"You look very unhappy and it's obvious that I'm bothering you soooo, I'm just gonna go now. You can go back to lurking in the shadows of the alley in peace."
He backed back onto the sidewalk and the safety of the open street quickly and hurried down the street. Stiles thought he was clear until he saw two more coyotes lurking beside a parked car on the other side of the street. They didn’t move towards him as the one in the alley had. He kept on eye on them as he walked along the storefronts. He wasn’t ashamed to say he put an extra hustle in his step. When he finally got to the sheriff’s station he looked around to see if he could still see any of them. Nothing. Not a hint of fur or a flash of glowing eyes. Maybe he was blowing this out of proportion. Maybe they were just wild dogs and he’d caught them in the right sort of light. Horror movie lighting, but lighting nonetheless. But then why would wild dogs be stalking him? Of course he didn’t know why coyotes would be stalking him either.
“Thoughts of a paranoid mind,” he sighed and went in to find his father.
~*~
Derek sat on a fallen log and watched some of the young pups roll around with each other in a play fight. There were days where it felt like it wasn’t so long ago that, that had been him. Then there were days when it was hard to imagine he’d ever been that young. Today was one of those days. Scavengers were on his land and he had no idea where they were or why they’d come this time. Not only that, but they had to cross quite a bit of distance from their desert home to be here. It shouldn’t be that hard to find them, but every time they picked up their scent they lost it just as quickly. It was like...something had cut it off. Wiped it clean from the air and ground. Like they just vanished. Peter thought they were getting outside help now, but Derek just worried that it was somehow his fault. If he were a better Alpha, more experienced he would be able to find them. He would be able to protect everyone.
The last time the Scavengers had invaded he lost not only his parents but his older sister. She was the next in line after his parents and it this responsibility was never supposed to fall to him. His mind flashed the nightmare images of how he’d found his sister in pieces. The thought alone made him feel sick and boiled rage through his veins. He looked down as the pups rolled over each other the way he and his sister once had. He’d never let anything happen to them. Never.
“I can hear you brooding all the way on the other side of the woods,” Peter snarked as he sat down beside Derek.
“I’m not brooding,” he growled.
“Again, choose your own word. Do you prefer dwelling, fretting or perhaps moping?”
“Did you find anything?” he asked, choosing to ignore his uncle’s jab.
“No,” he sighed. “I picked them up again but it’s like someone scrubbed it out. And it’s never in the same place, or even near the same place. I’m telling you, they’ve got help this time.”
“From who?”
“Well, you know those desert shamans love them. Deify them like ours do up north.”
“If that’s what you think, shouldn’t we be trying to find the shaman?”
“Yeah,” he snorted. “Because that would be so much easier. Besides, nothing says the shaman came with them. Might have just given them something.”
“Well we should-”
“Derek, we’re doing everything we can. We’re out on patrols; everyone is staying in groups of three at minimum. The houses are watched constantly and the dens here are well protected. We won’t let you down and we have faith in you.”
Derek sighed and rubbed his face. “I just...”
“I know. I miss them too. We’ll find out what’s going on and we’ll protect our pack. Until then, we don’t stop living our lives.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No? How’s Stiles?”
“He’s fine.”
“Yeah? Because by my count you’ve hardly seen him. You went to that party and then avoided him for a week. Then you bail on him and come here today.”
“I had to tell you about his friend, and why do you care?”
Peter sighed, his expression softening as he looked at his nephew. “Do you know what’s good about the calm before the storm? It’s a chance to breathe, to live, to enjoy life. That way when the storm hits you remember why you’re fighting to survive. Are you worried the Stiles in your head is better than the one out there? Because at least the one out there you can actually touch. And more importantly, will touch you back." When Derek didn’t answer Peter reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Anyway, I just came to check in with you before going back out.”
Derek nodded and watched his uncle leave. It wasn’t that he was afraid the Stiles in his head was better, it was that he was worried the real Stiles wouldn’t like him. Or worse, that he would and Derek would lose him somehow. He just wasn’t sure he could handle losing anyone else he cared for. He wasn’t sure what it would do to him.
“Dad, what do you know about coyotes?” Stiles asked as they watch the tow truck driver hitch up his jeep. As planned Stiles had waited in his dad’s office while he finished some paperwork then they went for dinner before coming back to deal with his jeep. With his luck that day, Stiles was shocked to find the jeep still in one piece.
“Coyotes? Not a lot. We don’t get them around here much anymore.”
“But we used to?”
“Long time ago. I remember about five years ago there were some sightings but nothing much. They live out the desert areas, like Nevada and Arizona.”
“What about...myths and legends. Like the wolves.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
“Oh I was just thinking of different ideas for the history paper. Thought I might try and tie in other animal legends,” he shrugged.
“Yeah I remember hearing about some. Pretty similar to the wolf legends here. Shifting into humans, that sort of thing. You know, I think we’ve still got a book at home your mom bought when we were driving up the coast that one summer. Had lots of different folklore in it. Remind me to look when we get home. I think there was something in there about coyotes being tricksters like the ravens up in Alaska.”
“Hey,” Isaac said as he walked up to them. “What happened to your jeep?”
“Flat tires.”
“Bummer.”
“Dad this is Isaac.”
“Hi,” the sheriff smiled and held out his hand. “Sorry we haven’t had a chance to meet yet. Hell of a game you had Friday.”
“Thanks,” Isaac smiled. “It was a good one, glad you made it out.”
“I try to make as many as I can.”
“Can I borrow Stiles for a second?” he asked.
“Yeah, I need to check with the driver anyway. We’ll head home when you’re done.”
Stiles nodded and walked down the row of cars. It was nearing sunset and the sky was taking on the warm orange tone it had.
“Why were you talking to your dad about coyotes?” Isaac frowned.
“What?” The question caught Stiles off guard.
“Coyotes.”
“It’s nothing. I thought I saw some today.”
“Where?”
“Here in the parking lot and on the way to my dad’s office. Huge one in the alley. Well, I thought it was big. I’ve never seen one to compare it to...and why do you look like I just punched you in the gut?”
Color had drained from Isaac’s face and he looked around as though he thought he expected something to jump out any minute.
“Isaac? What’s wrong?”
“We need to tell Derek.”
“Um, okay. But as you saw I am currently sans jeep.”
“We’ll walk.”
“Not happening. It’s getting dark and it’s technically still the season of, you know, you. Dad’s not going to let me walk there. We really need to get you guys a car.”
“We don’t need cars, we run fast.”
“Yeah well, I can’t so car is needed.”
“You ready Stiles?” the Sheriff asked as he came over to them.
“Actually, Sheriff Stilinski, I was wondering if it would be okay if Stiles came over to study chemistry and work on our history paper,” Isaac smiled. “He can stay the night too.”
“Oh, sure. You two are lab partners now?”
“Scott switched to Allison,” Stiles said and couldn’t keep the kicked puppy tone from his voice.
“Ah. Yeah that’s fine with me. I was going to have to drop you off at home and head back to the office for a bit anyway.”
“Can you still give us a lift to Isaac’s?” Stiles asked.
“Sure. Come on.”
They made small talk on the way to Isaac’s. Mostly about Isaac’s family and how they thought the team was doing. Stiles was surprised when Isaac had said his father wasn’t with them any longer. Isaac hadn’t said anything to him about his father being dead, but maybe he meant that he just wasn’t there anymore. Maybe he’d gotten kicked out of the pack. He filed that information away for later and listened to Isaac and his dad talk. Stiles was happy to see how well they were getting along.
“I always wondered who lived in these houses. Never seen one go up for sale,” the Sheriff said as he pulled into Isaac’s driveway.
“Yeah, ours has been in our family since it was built. Neighbors too.”
“Okay dad, thanks for the lift,” Stiles said as he hopped out.
“No problem. Give me a call tomorrow if you need a lift to pick up your jeep. Nice meeting you, Isaac.”
“Nice to meet you too, Sheriff,” Isaac smiled and climbed out. They went inside and dropped their things off. Once Stiles’ dad was out of sight they headed into the backyard and over to the woods.
Isaac was back into his worried/cautious mode and kept scanning the area around them. The sky had grown dark and Stiles could no longer see lights from the houses. He stumbled over a root and Isaac’s quick reflexes were the only thing that kept him on his feet.
“Okay, seriously? I need a flashlight or something,” he grumbled. “Hang on a second.” He rubbed the palms of his hands together vigorously until they were hot then placed them over his eyes.
“What are you doing?” Stiles could hear the frown in Isaac’s voice.
“Trick my dad taught me as a kid. It relaxes your eyes and gets them used to seeing in the dark faster. Showed me when were out camping once so I could see the stars better.” He heard a snuffling noise and Isaac moving around in front of him. “Listen, Fluffy, don’t mock it. Not all of us have super wolfy powers.” He lowered his hands after a bit and blinked a couple times to get them adjusted. “Ha, there. Much better...” He frowned as he focused on his friend in front of him. Isaac was looking off to the side and his eyes had taken on the golden color they had in his wolf form. “Um...” Stiles followed his line of sight and saw a pair of yellow eyes blinking at them through the darkness. “What is that?”
"Move," Isaac growled. He grabbed Stiles and all but dragged him along.
"Whoa their Fluffy, what's going on?"
"Later. Move now," he growled.
Stiles frowned but did as Isaac said. "I take it the glowing eyes out there isn’t one of you guys."
"No.”
Something large ran behind them and they turned just in time to see the mass of fur and muscle dash behind an outcropping. "If that’s not one of you, what the hell was that?"
"Nothing."
"That wasn't nothing! That was like a hundred pounds of fur and death."
"150."
"Oh yes, that's so much better."
"It's a Scavenger."
"See, you say that like it means something. That looked like...it looked like one of the coyotes I saw earlier."
"It was."
"Seriously, you guys have issues with coyotes? What's next, the roadrunner?"
Isaac glared at him.
"I'm serious; I know where you can get some Acme Anvils wholesale."
"There's a lot you don't know."
"No, really? But you all have been so straightforward and open," Stiles quipped.
“Quiet,” he growled. Actually growled. Stiles could just make out a flash of fangs as he spoke. Isaac looked around and stepped closer to Stiles. “Whatever you do, don’t run and stay close to me.” Isaac pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
“Now is not the time for a Chippendale review.”
Faster than Stiles thought was possible, Isaac was gone and the large brown wolf from that morning was standing in front of him. Stiles swallowed as three large coyotes started to stalk towards them from the front and sides. Stiles bent down slowly and picked up a branch about the length of a lacrosse stick and the thickness of a baseball bat. It looked like it had recently fallen and was very sturdy. Isaac snarled and shifted to keep all three in view. The coyotes stopped and looked at each other then back to Stiles and Isaac. Isaac tipped his head back and howled. It was possibly the loudest thing Stiles had ever heard. The sound vibrated through him and it seemed to have an effect on the coyotes too. They took a step back before collecting themselves and rushed towards them. Two of the jumped Isaac while one went straight for Stiles. Stiles took a swing and nailed the coyote in the side. It yelped and rolled away a few feet.
"That's right, bitch. Winning shot!"
He heard another yelp but this time from Isaac. Stiles turned to him quickly and saw him pinned down. He jerked his head and snapped at the nearest coyote, making it retreat a step.
"Fore!" Stiles yelled and took another swing.
He hit the coyote standing over Isaac and it gave his friend just enough time to get out from under it. The coyotes regrouped and started to circle them. Stiles pressed closer to Isaac who was growling lowly. Stiles felt something wet on his hand where it rested on Isaac. He glanced down and saw his palm covered in some dark liquid. It looked black in the dim light but Stiles knew it was really red. Blood.
"You hurt my friend you over grown fur balls," Stiles growled. He spun the branch and stared them down. "I'm making you into a rug for that."
The coyotes yowled and ran towards them. And that was when he heard the sound that utterly knocked Isaac's howl off the loudest sound ever pedestal. It was a howl like no other and he actually had to cover his ears. The coyote slid to a halt and looked off to the side. Stiles' mouth went dry at the sight. He couldn't make out the features perfectly in the dark, but he knew who it was standing on the stone outcropping. Derek's fingers were curled into talons and his shoulders were slightly hunched. He was also very, very naked. If it wasn't such a terrifying situation Stiles would be really turned on right now. He watched as Derek's outline was quickly replaced by that of the massive wolf. He was quickly flanked by four more wolves, one Stiles was sure was Peter. The coyotes rushed them, one coming after Stiles and Isaac while the other two went for the wolves. Derek and the other wolves leapt off the stone and down over the coyotes. Isaac pushed Stiles further back, keeping him safely out of reach while he snapped and lunged at the lone coyote. Stiles was pressed against a large oak so nothing could come at his back. That didn't stop the coyote that had hidden up in said tree from jumping down and landing on him. Stiles had a moment to ponder how the hell a coyote had climbed a tree in the first place before he had to shove the branch into the animal's mouth to keep it from biting his throat. Four more wolves showed up at that's when the coyotes broke off and ran away through the trees. The one pinning Stiles was the last to bolt for safety. The newest wolves plus two that came with Derek tore off after them.
Stiles lay on the forest floor panting heavily. He heard something walking towards him and he gripped the branch again. Normally seeing a massive black wolf with bright red glowing eyes staring down at him would be terrifying. Now he found it oddly comforting.
"I'm just saying...you need a phone."
Derek huffed and leaned down to nuzzle Stiles' neck. Stiles closed his eyes and slid his arms around the wolf. Derek laid down and licked his face and hands.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. Isaac kept - oh god Isaac!" Stiles tried to get up but Derek laid across him. "No, Derek I have to-"
"I'm okay, Stiles," Isaac said as he hobbled over with Peter's help. There was a pretty big gash in his side, but it didn't look too deep. "We're going back to the house," he said and shifted back to his wolf form. Derek finally got up and let Stiles up off the ground.
The walk back to the house was a bit of a blur and seemed to take far less time than it had before. Stiles' hand never left the warm fur at Derek's neck. When they reached the tree line Derek stopped them. Peter and Isaac slipped across the yard and into the house. Stiles frowned and looked down into Derek's bright red eyes. The wolf leaned in and rubbed his massive head against Sitles' chest. Stiles let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He slid his fingers along Derek's flanks and pressed his forehead against the wolf's head.
"Thank you for coming. Thank you for being there. Thank you for saving us," he whispered. Derek huffed and leaned against Stiles. "I'm sorry we scared you." He felt the fur vanish under his hands to be replaced by warm solid muscle.
Derek stood slowly, rolling his shoulders back as he retook his human form. "What were you doing out there?" he asked in a low, rough voice. It was as if his voice hadn't fully shifted away from that of the wolf.
"Isaac said we had to come tell you that I'd seen coyotes in town. They were watching me."
Derek's jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. "Got that."
"Wait...are you pissed at me now?"
"You could have been killed!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Uh uh. No. No yelling at Stiles. What does yelling at me do? It's not like I decided, 'hey, let's go into the woods and get jumped by a bunch of pissed off coyotes!' Hell I don't even get -" The rest of his sentence was cut off by the hard and desperate press of Derek's lips to his own. It didn't take long for Stiles' brain to get with the program. He leaned into the kiss and helped soften it. His hands slid up Derek's back as they pressed closer to each other. Derek's very warm, very naked back. Right.
Derek pulled back finally and pressed his forehead to Stiles'. "I can't lose you. Not when I finally got you."
"Not going anywhere," he said softly. They stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other and sharing the occasional soft kiss until the cold night finally made Stiles shiver. "How are you not cold? You're naked."
Derek smirked and shrugged. "Come on; let's go check on our Isaac."
Stiles nodded and let Derek lead him to the house. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know who or what the Scavengers were exactly. He didn't know why the wolves and coyotes hated each other so much. But pressed up against a warm, naked Derek...well, he wasn't really sure if he cared right then.
Just out of sight in the woods, cloaked in darkness and an old sort of magic, four coyotes stood around a young man with brown hair. "He's not going to be happy about this. I told you to let me contact the human first. We'll have to move up the time table." Matt looked down at the coyotes. "And no more attacking the human. Leave him to me."
TBC in (soon to be titled part 3)