Void had never been special.

He, like his siblings, was born in the spring; he was not the runt of the litter or its pride. He was the fourth pup born in a litter of seven. His fur was the same spotted mixture as his other siblings with the same eyes of amber that were well known of his kind, a Finnish demon fox, as the older ones in the their skulk called them. It was their type of demon, weaker than the others, they held some magic, but it was their cunning that set them apart. They couldn't use magic to take human form, or shed theirs for another; they weren't even born able to shift between the two. They were demon foxes and remained simply as foxes, with the ability to speak and have humanistic tendencies, as his mother had proudly explained to him and his siblings.

They were tricksters, but rarely was their kind evil.

Even his name wasn't special; his mother had named all his siblings after a version of the same word. She claimed the word Void had amazed her, this word meant nothing but it also meant to want. He had understood but compared to others whose names were simple, like George, well, it had been his and his siblings bonding moment.

Which is why to him that is was strange that even before he was old enough to open his eyes, he was being stalked by a hound.

His mother had thought it to be adorable, that one of her pups was already with a mate. His mother had tried to nudge him in the hounds direction a few times, laughing at what she thought to be adorable antics, his father had only rolled his eyes and remarked that "that Derek, is strange one.", Void agreed. The hound was strange.

Always following him, it didn't matter the when or where, the hound was always there and sometimes his family was with him as well. Leaving Void a little traumatized when the family of hounds cooed at him and congratulated the hound.

Void did not share the same sentiment, maybe given time he could but right now it was overwhelming. The hound continued to follow, watch over, leave presents and had a bad habit of jealously. Snarling at any who came to close to him that wasn't family. Sometimes it was at family members as well.

Those same family members, his siblings, who had him, wishing he had friends. He loved his siblings, and would- like them-do whatever was necessary to defend each other against the dangers of living in a world populated by monsters and demons. But all that seemed to mean nothing in the face of the hound returning to continue with his stalking-courting-that had his mother all dreamy eyed and cooing about adoring and doting mates.

So Void had taken it upon his now two month old self to simply avoid Derek

Derek-the hound-had taken it as Void playing a game of catch me or one sided tag. Continuously chasing him down and pouncing, sometimes even laying down on him to keep him still, so Derek could just stare at him.

Even having the audacity on several occasions to lift him from the scruff and carry him to the church, to take him to the other side, to Derek's home. Each time this happened Void had whined and let out little cries till Derek had stopped, lowered Void back to the ground and started to nuzzle at him, huffing in what he supposed was meant to be comforting. It wasn't. Void refused to stop crying until Derek carried Void home, to his den in the hallowed tree where his mother was waiting. His mother who had all but offered Derek a place in the hallow tree for the night and the rest of their lives.
…..

"He's so attentive." Voids mother had cooed as he remained in his spot against her flank, it was safe here. In their nice den of a hallow tree, he had only scoffed at her words and let himself try to absorb her warmth. "Just yesterday he was bringing you the livers of athletes; you should give him a chance."

Void turned his head so it pressed against her, and let out another scoff, Derek had brought him livers and then forced him to eat them, Void had shared the livers with Derek when he had become full, a mistake on his part. Since Derek had continued to preen, acting like his father when mother praised him. It had been traumatic, but he had been to full to care and curled himself around Derek to sleep. Because Derek was warm, that was his story and he was sticking to it.

"He tried to take me home with him." Void reminded her.

His mother the one that had bore him, raised him and nurtured him had let out a laugh. "The moment you let out your first cry he howled in return." She let out a sigh, "I can only enjoy the time I have with you, when you're simply my pup, till you leave us and join his pack." His mother's tail wrapped itself around him, "I think you'll be very happy with him Void."

"I'm not joining his pack. I'm staying here in the den, with you." Void reminded her, letting out a yawn and ignoring the laughs his mother continued to have at his expense. Void drifted off enjoying his time with his mother before his traitorous siblings came in and piled on him.
…

Derek had been in his bedroom, alone, sitting at his desk browsing through his yearbook.

It wasn't his fault; he had found his mate and was just trying-continuously- to bring him home. Void had simply over reacted, again, he couldn't help that Void was still a pup, or a fox. He was old enough to be separated from his mother, but did he want to leave. No, Void cried and cried till Derek took him back to his mother, and then looked at Derek with his big bright amber eyes no longer full of tears and went right back to playing his never ending game of catch me. Leaving Derek to want to hang his head and cry. They played together, napped together, groomed each other and ate together. Everything was perfect till he tried taking his mate out of Oak Creek.

Derek closed the yearbook placing his head on the desk and returning to his sulking. At least that was his plan before his sister barged in.

Laura had been sympathetic to his problem the first few times. She had given him assurances that it would be alright, that Void was still young and everything else she could think of, to try and make him feel better. She had even offered to bring the stubborn pup to their den herself, but now after his failed 13th attempt she had just come to laugh at his misery. Because his misery was his families' soap opera it seemed. He didn't want ot look up from the table it was the only one that didn't judge him, because when even non pack was leaving message for your mother on how understanding and supportive they were to your sons situation-well there were a few extended pack members he was going to stab in the stomach next gathering.

"So how was attempt number-what is it now-13 at getting Void here." Laura asked him, finding the situation too amusing. "I especially liked it when he demanded that you take him back home to his mother. And you did!"

"He was crying." Derek reminded her, reminding himself that she'd heal if he pushed her down the stairs.

"Of course he's going to cry Derek! He's a pup, but he's your mate and he has to learn now that his place is here or later on it's just going to be confusing to him and he'll never call this place home." Laura reminded him, again, just like his mother had been reminding him, and his father, and nearly everyone else in his pack. He only scowled at her in response, she didn't understand, he didn't like seeing Void cry, it felt like had failed when it happened. Laura only sighed at him and shook her head, opening the yearbook to look at the one picture Derek had circled.

"Isn't that Paige Matthews?"

"She's going to be Void soon."

"Does Void know that you want him to be a her?"

Derek only glared at her.

Laura stared at him and sighed. "Just try and bring him home first."

Derek glare combined with his scowl, because really what did everyone think he was doing.

Laura looked at him and just straight out laughed.
…..

Peter was writing again, all could hear the furious scramble of a pen on paper trying to keep up with the writer's thoughts. Talia was a little concerned; it seemed Peter was locking himself away just a little bit more than usual. Normally he at least ate dinner with them, this time he was taking all his meals in his room, and their mother was letting him.

"Leave your brother alone."

Talia turned to look at her mother, the patriarch and alpha, who seemed more concerned in seeing what, happened in the "stories" that played on the TV than what was happening in the house.

"He's been up locked up in his room for a whole week, just writing, it's not healthy mom." Talia stated in annoyance.

"Peter is just creative."

Talia rolled her eyes and winced as she heard Laura once again laughing at Derek's expense. This was her family- it sometimes made her wonder why her clan was so feared. If they only knew what happened in the actual house when no one was around to threaten or disembowel.

"And tell Derek I think it's adorable that Void makes him work for it!"

Talia could hear her son and herself sigh at the same time.

"Mom, I don't think he's old enough to manipulate Derek like that, he's just a pup."

"Yeah! He still cries for his mommy and everything!" Laura yelled back.

"Well, tell Derek to offer him some sweets that always works on children."

"MOM!" Talia scolded.

"What kind?" Derek and Laura asked at the same time.

Talia raised her head and arms up to the ceiling wondering how this had even become her life, she was a predator, one that all feared and this conversation was happening in her kitchen.

"Anything with peanut butter, he'll be so distracted with eating it-he'll never notice you brought him here."

Aside from Peter and his writing, they could hear the two siblings whispering to each other as they hatched a plan.

"Mom, you can't just…" but Talia was interrupted by the volume on the TV being raised and her mother scolding her.

"Not now dear, Damon is about to save Elena."
…..

Derek did listen to the wise words of his grandmother and left to Oak Creek in his human form instead of his hound, it would make Void curious and the cookies he brought would seal the deal. He was bringing Void home today. He exited the church and was not surprised that no one was around to greet him. He had at some times been delusional enough to believe that his dear mate would one day be waiting for him, but as was usual with his fox, he would have to chase him down. Triple checking that the cookies were still in pocket he headed off in search of Void.
…

Void, who had been abandoned by his siblings the moment Derek had entered Oak Creek, was calmly just sunning in a meadow by a stream. There were lakes here but it was siren territory and they were equal opportunists when it came to what was edible. Letting out a yawn the fox curled around himself, he would have scampered off but his spot was perfect, and he was not giving it up. Even if Derek was approaching him on two instead of four legs, that had Void looking up. He had seen human forms before, some of the older residents still wore theirs here, but he had never seen Derek's.

"Hi, I brought you some cookies…my grandma made them."

He had also never heard him speak; trotting over to the human hound he sniffed at him. He almost smelled the same, just a little changes but that was expected. Derek lifted him-which made Void struggle for a quick second before he heard the same rumble that Derek always gave when they were together- up using one arm to cradle him as he used his other hand to open the bag containing the cookies. Void was sniffing at him and nosing at the hair around his ear, it felt different than fur, more like flowers.

Derek used his cheek to nuzzle him back before he had the bag open enough to let Void sniff at the cookies. Derek felt like he was holding his breath, just waiting for this whole plan to go down in flames and for him to go home once again, with no mate. But for once, Void was being agreeable and started sniffing at the bag, before he seemed to be trying to shove his whole head into it. Derek waited till Void began eating at first with tentative unsure bites, then he was attempting to simply eat them whole. Once Void was distracted, Derek walked slowly and allowed Void to keep his nuzzle buried in the gallon sized zip lock bag that contained 52 cookies.

Void ate the cookies, having to chew them before starting a new one, they were so delicious, and Derek had been so nice to bring him these, not that he was going to share because he wasn't, he was going to eat every last one of them. Once they were all gone, he'd whine at Derek till he brought him more.

He had been so distracted with his treat that he didn't notice until he heard a door slam that he wasn't in the meadow after all, he was in the church being carried towards the cracked door. He looked up at Derek with curious eyes and was distracted again by Derek shifting the bag with those cookies. Void immediately dove back in for those abandoned cookies that wished to join the others in his stomach, he didn't notice when Derek let out a sigh of relief or continued walking. He just ate and ate, till he couldn't ignore that everything was suddenly different.

The smells even the feeling that was washing over him and the sounds were different and new. He heard voices that he had never heard before , he tried to push himself closer to Derek, but once he looked up and saw the proud smug smirk on his stupid human face, he did the only thing he could in that situation. He bit him hard on the cheek and hid once he was released.