Stiles dropped down from the roof of his best friend's house, "Aaahhh."
"Aaaahhhh"
"AAAAHHH. Stiles what the hell are you doing?" Scott gasped as he tried to breathe, being asthmatic made it slightly difficult.
"Woah, woah, woah! You weren't answering your phone. What's with the bat? Stiles exclaimed as he hung upside down from the roof opposite Scott.
"I thought you were a predator!" cried Scott right back.
"Look, never mind that. Listen so my dad left twenty minutes ago. They've calling in all Beacon Hills department and even state police. Dispatch called, two joggers found a body in the woods", Stiles rushed out excited.
"What a dead body?" Scott cried out again.
"No, a body of water. Yes dumbass, of course a dead body."
"What you mean like a murder?" Scott asked.
"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl in her mid twenties", Stiles answered.
"Wait. If they already found a body what are they looking for?"
"That's the best part. They only found half! We're going" Stiles thrilled excitedly.
Stiles was waiting out front the next day when Scott arrived at school. "So what happened after I got busted by my dad last night? And dude why do you smell so funky today? Did you change your cologne or something? You look different today too."
Scott finished approaching him with a small smile playing on his lips. "I'll tell you in a minute, first you own me an apology though. I got injured thanks to your little walk in the woods idea last night", Scott huffed at his friend. He ignored the comments about his smell and looks.
"Sorry man" Stiles said sincerely. "Was it bad? Can I see it?" Stiles didn't wait to draw breath. Scott pulled up his shirt to show his best friend the bandage he had applied to his side. "That is so cool", Stiles gasped. "So what happened?"
"It was dark so I didn't see it properly. But it looked like a wolf", Scott admitted.
Stiles chuckled to himself and shook his head. "No. No way man. It wasn't a wolf that bit you."
"Well that's what it looked like. And I heard a wolf howling", Scott just shrugged.
"I doubt it man. There aren't any wolves in California and there haven't been wolves in California for years. Like sixty years." Stiles mused. He had a confused and puzzled expression on his face.
"Well if you don't believe me about that, then you definitely won't believe me when I say I found the body", Scott teased his friend.
"Really?! That's so cool" Stiles voice shot up a few octaves. "That's like easily the best thing to happen to this town since the..." Stiles trailed off for a second as he spotted Lydia Martin approaching. "Since Lydia Martin was born. Hey Lydia", he called. "It looks like you are going to ignore me. Nice talking to you." Stiles pouted for a moment before turning on his best friend. "You know this is all your fault right?"
"Yeah I know", Scott replied smiling slightly again.
"You are just such a nerd. And you are pulling me down to your nerdy depths. You know that makes me a nerd by association", he chuckled bumping his shoulder against his friends.
After school they both headed into the forest to look for the body again. Hoping to find it easily this time since Scott found it already. Scott was busy ranting on about how his reflexes and senses seemed sharper. Stiles wore his confused expression again but asked him. "So you can smell things dude. Like what?"
"Like the mint gum in your pocket", Scott replied.
"I don't have any mint gum in my pocket" Stiles said as he pawed through his pockets. Surprised to find he actually did have some. Huh he forgot he had that and he was so used to the smell he didn't register it most of the time.
They walked on for a few seconds. "So", Stiles muttered, "All this started with a bite."
"Yeah. What if it's like an infection and my body is being flooded with adrenaline before I go into shock?" Scott asked.
"You know I think I have heard of this one."
"You have?" Scott gasped.
"I think it's called Lycanthropy", Stiles said straight faced. "What is that? Is it bad?"
"Oh yeah it's the worst but only once a month" Stiles continued with his straight face.
"Once a month?" questioned his best friend.
"Yeah on the night of the full moon." Stiles waited one full second before he gave a childish wolf howl.
"Come on man be serious", Scott chided him. "Look man", Stiles chided him right back. "You're a werewolf, that's so cool."
Scott ignored him as he looked around at the ground. "This is it. This is where I found the body, the deer came running and I dropped my inhaler."
Stiles looked around, and breathed in deeply. "Well it's not here now. Maybe the killer moved the body."
"If so I hope he left my inhaler, those things cost like eighty bucks", Scott sighed. Stiles suddenly tense as he realised they were being watched. He smacked Scott's shoulder as they turned around.
"What are you doing here? This is private property", a gruff voice called as the dark brooding man walked towards them.
"Ah, sorry we didn't know", Scott replied. "We were just looking for something." Stiles was looking first at him and then at the man opposite. It looked like he was making some sort of comparison. He was breathing deeply as well as if he was having trouble breathing. The dark and brooding man gave him a look before tossing something at Scott. It was his inhaler! The man turned and walked off.
"Come on I got to get to work", Scott mumbled. "Dude, that was Derek Hale. You remember him right? He is only a couple of years older than us. His family were the ones that burnt up in their house like ten years ago."
Stiles let it go and didn't bring it up for the next couple of days but he did start researching werewolves. He had let Scott believe it was just a joke but he didn't believe it himself. So it was Friday afternoon after school and he was back in research mode. He had been up all last night researching it because the full moon was that evening.
Suddenly a knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. Walking over to the door he opened it and pulled Scott in with barely a "Get in here."
"Look I been up all night reading websites and books" Stiles said. "How much Adderal have you had today?" Scott questioned his friend.
"A lot dude, but it doesn't matter. Just listen", Stiles rushed out quickly. Excitement was making him talk quickly again.
"So is this about the body in the woods? Did they catch the killer?" Scott asked. "No, it doesn't matter. There is no question who did it. It's Derek Hale."
"The guy from the woods the other day?"
"Yeah, but that's not it. Would you just listen? It's about the joke the other day. It's not a joke anymore", Stiles sighed. Scott looked at him confused so he explained, "The wolf bite in the woods. You said you heard a wolf howl. Do you even know why a wolf howls?"
"No should I?"
"A wolf howls when it is alone to signal its location to its pack. If you heard a wolf howl then there might have been others nearby. There could have been a whole pack", Stiles cried.
"A pack of wolves?" Scott gasped.
"No. A pack of werewolves." Stiles fell into silence as he let it sink in with Scott.
"Why are you doing this?" Scott growled at him. "You know I am picking up Allison in an hour."
"Look I saw you on the field this week. Those reflexes and the senses, that's not normal. And don't think I missed the fact that you don't need your inhaler anymore", Stiles yelled at him.
"So I made a good shot", retorted his friend. "No, you didn't make a good shot you made some incredible shots. People can't just do things like that over night."
"Look I can't deal with this right now. We can talk tomorrow", Scott told Stiles.
"No we can't. The full moon is tonight. We need to talk about this now."
"Don't you get it? I finally made first line, I got a date with a girl I can't believe wants to go out with me and my life is perfect. Why have you got to ruin everything?" Scott raised his voice.
"I'm trying to help you. You're cursed Scott. Or maybe gifted is a better way to put it. Also it's not just the moon that will cause you to change. Anything that causes you anger or your pulse to rise can cause you to change too" Stiles told him reading out of one of his research books. "Like when your blood lust is peaked."
"Blood lust?" Scott asked.
"Yeah your urge to kill", Stiles informed him.
"Stiles I already have an urge to kill."
"Alright but remember anything that causes your pulse to rise can cause you to change. I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does", he concluded as he went over to his friend's back pack. "I am ringing Allison right now."
"Why?"
"I am cancelling your date", Stiles had already began scrolling through Scott's contacts.
"No give it to me", Scott roared pushing Stiles up against a wall and almost punching him straight in the face. Scott stopped himself and swiped at Stiles swivel computer chair to vent his anger. "I'm sorry", he muttered.
He moved across the room to pick up his bag before moving to the door. "I'm sorry", he muttered again before he left. Stiles stood there against the wall for a minute. His best friend had almost just punched him. He walked a couple of steps forward to pick up his computer chair from the floor. As he put it up right he noticed the three slash marks through the fabric. "Oh my gosh. I was right."
He wondered if maybe it was time to share his secret with his best friend. This wasn't his first time dealing with something straight out of the supernatural stories that supposedly sane people thought were just myths. Stiles had this horrible sinking feeling that whether he was ready or not his secret would be coming out soon.
Stiles had barely caught a glimpse of Scott at the party. The one time he did he felt relief flood his body. Scott was clearly feeling the effects of the full moon and making an effort to get away from everyone else. He peeled his car away from the house while Stiles watched from the front door. Once the car was gone he looked over to see Allison had found a lift home. Derek Hale was climbing into his car with Allison in the passenger seat before Stiles could do anything.
Great now Allison was in the presence of another werewolf. He ran down the steps and jumped in his car following the route he knew Scott would take to get home. He jumped out when he got to Scott's house and using his spare key he rushed upstairs to pound his fist on Scott's bedroom door. "Scott man. I know you are in there. We have a problem."
"Yeah the problem is you being here. Get out now before I hurt you", Scott called as he pushed against his door to close the small opening again. "Look just do me a favour and find Allison. Make sure she gets home all right."
"Scott, would you just shut up! That's why I came over here. She got a lift home with Derek" Stiles yelled through the door.
"WHAT" roared Scott. "He is the one who killed the girl, he is the one who did this to me."
"Tell me something I don't already know. I am going to head over to Allison's and see if she is there and if she is alright", Stiles called through the door before rushing off.
Stiles left the engine running as he ran to the door of the Argent's house. He rang the door bell a few times in quick succession then waited the few agonising seconds before someone answered the door.
"Hello can I help you?" asked a woman in a cold voice.
"Hey Mrs. Argent. I'm a friend of your daughters. This is going to sound crazy, like really crazy. You know what it is..." Stiles never got to finish.
"Allison", Mrs. Argent called up the stairs. Allison appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down at them.
"Ah thank goodness your home. Scott asked me to check that you got home alright", Stiles mumbled quickly. "Okay well I will just be going now. Have a good night."
Stiles had to pick Scott up from the edge of the Hale estate later that evening.
"Look I hate to say this. And I mean I really hate to do this. But I agree with Derek the bite is a gift. Without it you would still have asthma, you wouldn't be first line and you probably wouldn't be dating Allison. Maybe instead of always bitching and whining about the fact you were bitten you should be celebrating it." Stiles turned to look at his best friend who looked at him shocked.
"Maybe you are right. But tell me something last night you said you already knew Derek was a werewolf. How did you know what he was? I didn't know until I saw him at the party."
Stiles shuffled uneasy in the driver's seat. "I don't know. I mean I didn't know a hundred percent it was just a feeling." Scott could tell his best friend was lying but didn't care too much to pry into his business and find out. Stiles would tell him his secret when the time was right he was sure.