Thanks to orionastro for the prompt.

Tw: abuse

Red eyes watched from afar as sirens could be heard in the distance. The forest was dark with moonlight attempting to make its way through the trees, but the headlights were bright and the officers that pulled out of their police cars prefered the flashlights to the moon. The creature panted as they wandered the woods looking for half of a dead body. It began to move away down a steep hill as it considered the officers attempts futile. Even if they found the girl's body, it wouldn't do them any good. As the search-party's lights beamed through the trees above it, the creature continued to make its way through the autumn leaves.

"Stiles! Wait up! Stiles!" A voice called in the darkness. A dog barked in the distance as the creature eyed the moon, its mouth watering for the sensation of blood dripping down its throat. It sniffed the air and headed in the direction of meat, defenseless in the safety of night when predators usually slept. Easily, the prey was caught, startling the rest of the deer it had been sleeping with. The creature ate ravenously, almost grinning with its snarled mouth and heavy fur that dressed the rest of its body. It's long back and powerful legs arching in the darkness as it bit into its food, chewing the raw meat and letting blood smear its face and run down its claws.

Suddenly, it heard a yelp followed by rustling leaves and a thud. In the faint moonlight, it may have had trouble seeing the boy as he pulled himself up with a fallen tree, but this creature could see easily in the dark, and a desire fueled it. Power. It called to him and he could see this opportunity in the boy. As he began to walk away, the creature felt a growl rumble through it. He was walking away? Not so soon.

The boy stopped in his tracks. Good. Slowly he turned towards it. Red eyes peered at him from the shadows of the woods. As he tried to see it more clearly, the creature charged at him. The boy screamed as the creature pounced on him, pulling him by his waist towards it. He tried to grab at anything to hold himself steady against it, but it was no use. He screamed as it bit into his side and then quickly disappeared into the dead of night.

Yes… why hadn't I thought of this before? The creature asked itself. It looked up into the sky and made a snarling grin at the moon. Watch me now as I revive the power of the Hale pack. Into the darkness it ran looking for its next target.

Xxx

Stiles sighed loudly, interrupting the sheriff's lecture about the dangers of wandering through the woods at night with a possible murderer on the loose. He paused then and sighed as well. "Don't listen in on my calls, alright? And you're grounded."

"But dad!"

"Goodnight." He said in finality, and walked away. Stiles flailed around in frustration and headed into his jeep.

Xxx

Isaac waited in his room as he listened to his father's yelling into a phone downstairs. "That happened years ago, stop bringing it up. Don't call me again." After the sound of something hitting the wall downstairs, Isaac made an irritated sigh and glared out his window. At least he had the first day of school to look forward to. It would be an excuse to get out of the house and be away from his father after a summer vacation that felt too long. The whole house felt hot and not because of the weather. The air was thick and muggy with the tension Isaac felt, the agitation that grew as he yearned to live independently and without his father's oppressive manners. Isaac picked up a picture of his brother, Camden, and gave a little sigh. Would it have been easier if he was still with them? Isaac didn't know and put the picture of the man back down on his desk. Maybe if Isaac joined the military too, he'd be able to get out of this house faster.

"Isaac!" He heard his father call to him from downstairs. He felt his entire body tense up and held his breath.

Please don't… Isaac thought. He went through his head and tried to figure out what he could have messed up this time. Had he forgotten to do the dishes? Maybe it was because he left the shoes in the living room instead of putting them away. Did it really matter? Why did he care so much?

"Isaac!" Mr. Lahey yelled, louder this time, his voice sharp with increasing anger. Isaac flinched and got up from his chair, his footsteps heavy down the stairs and his head hot. His muscles felt stiff in his shoulders as his fists clenched. "Did you finish your summer reading?" He asked, his father's eyes glaring.

Why do you care? "Yeah."

"Really?" He said, putting his hands on his hips with eyes made of fire.

Isaac tried to straighten his back while avoiding his father's eyes. "Yes, sir."

"And what about the dishes?"

"I did them." He said, folding his hands over his own, feeling his shoulders begin to slouch under his father's judgemental eyes.

"Oh yeah? You're just doing everything, huh?" Mr. Lahey practically spat.

I can never do anything right… Isaac thought. No matter what he did, his father would find a way to be angry at him. Mr. Lahey walked away, moving into the darkness of the living room to turn on a lamp and grab a remote. "Isaac!" The boy flinched away from the irritated volume.

"What?" Isaac asked, his breath hot.

"Come here." Mr. Lahey's voice demanded sternly.

Isaac wanted to turn and leave, to just run out of the house with all his might. His body tingled with the sensation to rebel, to escape, but he didn't know how to. Not when he felt his father's hands on him everytime he heard the agitated strain in his voice, not when he saw the lights go out and felt his skin grow cold on him before he could think to run. Isaac made his way into the living room, around the sofa to stare where his father pointed. "You see this?" He asked. Isaac didn't say anything. "Answer me! Do you see this?"

"Yes." Isaac said, his voice not hiding his irritation. He glanced up at his father's silence, watching the tension in the man's jaw and the veins in his face rise. "Sir…" Isaac added softly, his eyes back to the mud on the carpet.

"What did I tell you about these fucking shoes in the house? Huh?" He yelled, leaning into Isaac. The boy tried not to cower away, but he felt his chin pull in closer to his chest and his back curve to make himself smaller.

"You-"

"Don't talk back." He yelled, punching Isaac in the jaw as the boy's hands quickly came up in reflex.

Fuck. Isaac thought.

"What? Trying to block me? What, are you trying to fight your old man?" His father said with a cocky chuckle, his chest tall, his head high. "You think you can?"

"No, sir." Isaac said, trying to hide the quiver in his voice. Isaac struggled to keep his hands to his side as his father punched him again, in the stomach making the boy double over. A gasp came from him as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Pick up your shoes and clean up this mess." His father said, practically spitting the words out. Isaac didn't move, didn't breathe. He watched as his father's legs moved out of view. When he could hear the padding of his feet as the floor turned from carpet to wood, Isaac took a breath.

As he listened to Mr. Lahey go around the corner to pick up whatever it was he'd thrown earlier, Isaac cursed under his breath, "Asshole." Isaac grabbed his shoes and went up to his room.

"You better not leave this mess down here." He heard his father call from downstairs.

"I won't, I'm just putting away my shoes." He yelled down.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me." His father warned.

"I'm not." Isaac muttered before heading back downstairs. He felt his father's glare as he watched him from the foot of the stairs. Isaac didn't look at him as he went into the kitchen to grab some paper towels from the sink.

"What, are you stupid?" His father asked.

Isaac tried not to involuntarily sigh.

"Get the fucking carpet cleaner." Isaac could feel his father's eyes staring into the back of his neck. He turned to the kitchen closet and grabbed it. Moving back into the living room, he sighed quietly to himself thinking that it hadn't been that bad this time. He figured his father held back because he was going to school tomorrow. Isaac touched his jaw gently and wondered if it would swell anyway. Maybe no one would notice. After scrubbing away at the carpet, he heard his father stomping upstairs.

Why is he still angry? Isaac thought, and then remembered the phone call his father had earlier. On an impulse, he suddenly felt the need to go grab a soda from the store a few blocks down. He barged out the door, hardly noticing the cool night air. It wasn't until he got out of the store that he felt the cold on his bare arms. He rubbed them for warmth, his hands grazing his short sleeves as he did so, and started to walk back home. Did he notice I left? Isaac wondered. He'll probably be pissed I didn't ask him. He unscrewed the cap of his soda bottle, which was followed by a satisfying hiss as the carbonation floated up to the top. He quickly closed it to keep the bottle from overflowing as his phone began to ring. Isaac pulled it out and saw "Dad" on the caller ID. He gulped down his soda nervously. Maybe he just wasn't done. Isaac thought as he touched his jaw with the cool bottle. His throat began to feel tight as he sensed walls closing in around him. Isaac's breath quickened and he suddenly found himself at his father's cemetery. "Yeah I was just… checking up on it. That's all. I was… watching out for grave robbers… or something." He added lamely, muttering to himself. But you didn't answer your phone. Isaac looked up to the starry sky, pissed at himself for being so stupid. The phone began to ring again but he just stared at it in his palm. He could feel the last ring approaching. He needed to answer it or-

Isaac's head spun up as he heard something move in the distance. The sound of rustling leaves and a twig snapping. Was he there? Isaac squinted into the dark. But how did he know Isaac would be there? He thought he saw something red gleaming on the other side of the iron fence that marked the edge of the cemetery. I'm so dead. He thought, biting his lip and gripping his phone and bottle. He didn't expect the growling though. What? Isaac took a step back. Was it a rabid animal? He saw the two red dots follow his movement. A gulp involuntarily tracked down his throat as he took another step back. As it launched toward him, he tripped backwards and immediately pushed off his feet in the other direction, but the beast was quicker and pinned him to the ground with its sheer weight. He felt its hot breath on his back, and the low snarl that threatened to break his neck. Isaac tried to hold back tears as he suddenly realized he might die. Pain shot up him from his waist as he felt its teeth sink into his skin. He cried out and it was suddenly gone. "Ah! Fuck!" He yelled, his hands rushing to his side feeling holes in his shirt while hot blood seeped through. Isaac inhaled quickly and looked around with wild eyes, trying to figure out where the beast had gone. He flinched away from the sound of howling nearby. A wolf? He shuddered and rushed home, hoping not to bump into it again.

Xxx

Jackson closed his car door and looked up in alarm at the sound of howling in the distance. He furrowed his brows at the oddness of it. When he was a child in Beacon Hills, he sometimes thought he heard it too, but that had been many years ago. Besides, Beacon Hills didn't have wolves anymore. His mother had told him when he'd asked her after being frightened one night. He thought he'd seen a large dog, that didn't seem normal. At the time he thought it was a monster, but his mother thought it was more likely a wild coyote or something. That was when she'd looked it up and found that wolves hadn't been in Beacon Hills for decades. Jackson shrugged off his worry and headed into the house.

Closing the door behind him, he bent a knee to the ground.

"Hey." His mother called distractedly, watching the nightly news.

"Hey." He said back, looking up at her and then back to his shoes as he took them off. He headed up to his room and fell into his bed. Practice was tomorrow. School was tomorrow. Jackson couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as pressure began to sit in him. He had to be perfect.

Sitting up, Jackson picked up his phone as it chimed to tell him he got a new text. He expected that it would be from Lydia, but instead Danny's name appeared.

Danny: Did you hear that howl?

Jackson: Ya y

D: My moms freaking out saying the wolves are back

J: lol figures

D: Yeah she wanted me to give u a good luck charm. I know its kind of weird but…

J: k see u at school

Jackson sighed. Over the years, he'd learned that Danny's parents had always been weirdly superstitious. He didn't really know to what extent and Danny never tried to explain. Looking out the window, he imagined going back onto the lacrosse field and being ace, his parents at his game, happy and loving him. He imagined finally feeling good enough and his eyebrows pressed together. Suddenly, a mask swept over his face and he looked normal, quickly sitting. He walked over to his lacrosse stick and punched into its pocket making sure it was firm. After five minutes of messing with it, he got another text.

D: Can we meet up?

J: now?

D: Sorry my mom

J: sure b there in 10

Jackson headed down the stairs and towards the door.

"Are you leaving? It's late." His mom said, looking over her shoulder and turning to face him from the sofa.

"Yeah, Danny wanted to meet up before school. I'll be back soon." He said.

"Alright, drive safe." She said, turning back to the tv, his father sitting in a sofa-chair with his laptop.

Jackson got in the car and drove towards Danny's house. He thought he saw something move incredibly fast to his left, but figured it was a trick of the eye. Danny walked out as he saw Jackson's headlights through the window. Jackson saw Danny make his way to the sidewalk from the side door down the driveway. From the front door of the house to the sidewalk was lawn and flowerbeds. Jackson met him halfway on the lawn.

"Hey, sorry, my mom, you know…"

"Yeah, I know. Why'd you come out the side door?"

"The front door got jammed somehow, we're gonna get someone to fix it this week. Here." He said. "She said to carry it on you. It's like, supposed to ward off evil creatures."

Jackson opened the napkin and found a dried flower inside it with purple petals. "What, in my pocket or something?"

"I don't know, probably. It's all just superstition anyway, but you know her."

Jackson chuckled and nodded. "Alright, thanks." He said, turning back to the car before he heard a low growl. Danny froze and Jackson looked where his eyes stared. Terrified, Jackson ducked so that his car would hide his head, even if he wasn't right next to him. Across the street, a beast that looked like a wolf but much larger and fouler glared at them. "Something like that?" He whispered.

"Don't panic." Danny said, slowly backing up.

"I'm not." Jackson said with a nervous smile.

"Just… come with me." Danny said, trying to stay calm as he took another step back, keeping his eyes on the creature. "It shouldn't hurt us… I don't think."

What does that mean?! Jackson slowly crept towards Danny's side door, trying to keep his body low. They heard it growl again, and suddenly it lunged towards them. Now they were running, but not fast enough. It first clamped down on Danny and bit him.

"Holy shit!" Jackson yelled, jumping back. Quickly it was on him. Jackson still had the little flower in his hand and gripped it tight, but forgetting it was there in his panic.

"The wolfsbane!" Danny yelled, but Jackson didn't understand and cried out in pain as the beast bit him too and suddenly was gone. The side door burst open as Danny's father ran out, followed by his mother.

"What's going on?" She asked, coming from behind her husband.

"I… I don't know." Danny said, tearing his eyes from Jackson in wide eyed panic. "It came so fast-I-"

"What did?" His mother asked, coming to his side. "What happened?" She stopped at the feeling of something wet and hot on his arm. "You're bleeding?" She asked.

Danny blinked, "What? Oh-yeah, I think it bit me."

"What did, what bit you?" She asked, holding his shoulder tightly without meaning to.

Jackson breathed heavily, his mind high with adrenaline and hopelessly confused. He felt something touch his shoulder and flinched away, looking up at it's source. Danny's father gave him a sad smile beneath his thick moustache, pulling his hand away. "Why don't you come inside, have a drink of water, hmm?"

Jackson slowly shook his head. "No… no… I should go home." He said simply, regaining his focus. Some animal. He reasoned to himself. Something big. He was lucky to be alive and he knew it, though he wondered why it just ran away. Was it a bear? No, it looked… it looked like a wolf… but bigger and stranger. Still, he was grateful he'd survived, and finally he took a moment to inspect his shoulder, the light from the open door helping him see the bite mark and blood dripping from it. He heard the man curse at the site of the bite. Jackson sighed, wondering if he should go to the hospital and get it checked out. He hoped it wouldn't get in the way of lacrosse. Did he need to get checked for rabies? "I think I'm going to drop by the hospital, want to come?" Jackson asked, looking at Danny.

"They can't do anything." Danny's mother said with tears streaming down her face. "Only I can help him." She said, "And if you have any sense, you'll come with me." She said, helping her son up and leading him inside. "But I won't wait for you." She hesitated at the door, "I know you don't understand us, why we give you things like wolfsbane. Maybe our beliefs seem strange to you, but if you'll let us, we'll help you."

"Mom, don't." Danny pleaded.

"Oh then what do you think happened? Huh?" She said angrily, her voice fading as she moved into the house, the sound of a lecture beginning.

Jackson watched as the three of them left, Danny's father pausing at the door to look at Jackson and see if he would follow and then sighed, shaking his head as he closed the door.

Jackson stared as it shut, and continued to after. Suddenly, fear struck him as he looked around to see if the beast was still nearby. He tried not to run to his car, but allowed himself to jog. Nervously, he drove to the hospital, feeling a bit shaken.

Xxx

Scott's sleepy body began to wake at hearing a howl. In his sleepy state, he didn't seem to know himself, groggily getting out of bed. He felt strange, like his limbs were not his own, as if they were moving in ways he didn't think were possible. His fingers tingled and and his nails felt new, fresh, the cool night air tickling them in a way that made them feel longer. His face didn't feel right either, and the smells of his room washed over him. He opened a window but wasn't sure where he was going, it was as if instinct was leading him rather than sense. Scott saw two red glowing dots a short distance from his house and felt as if he must do something.

He jumped down and dashed into the darkness, his eyes able to see when the street lamps were too far away. It felt like a dream, and his head was muddled, thirsting for something he didn't understand, though it didn't seem like he needed to. Into the woods he ran on all fours, leaves flying beneath him at his speed. He could smell everything, the rotting leaves, the strange scent of living creatures, and he sensed things he didn't understand. He heard things that sounded like heartbeats and suddenly they quickened, slowed, and stopped as the scent of blood wafted in the air around him. Tiredness swept over him then, and he felt himself falling asleep, his body feeling smaller, his nails shorter, and then in the distance he heard a howl.

Xxx

His phone rang again. He stared at the front door as if in a meditative state. In truth, Isaac didn't want to go in. The door swung open at the sound of Isaac's ringtone, startling him from his trance to stare open-mouthed at his father, fear welling up inside him.

"What the hell were you doing?" His father asked, yanking Isaac's arm into the house.

"I was checking on the cemetery."

"Don't play with me." He said as if he were growling.

Suddenly Isaac remembered his struggle with the wild thing and said, "I was, and some animal bit me- look." He tried to reach down to his shirt, but his father still had Isaac's arm in his hand.

"You need a lesson in discipline." Coach Lahey said, his teeth gritted together in a snarl.

"Wait dad- I did, look, let me just show you." He tried to grab at his shirt as his father pulled him towards the door. The door to the basement. The door to the box. The-

Isaac's heart quickened as a panic rose in him, his body rushed with adrenaline and… and a new sensation he didn't understand, but his body seemed to for him. He yanked his arm away from his father and struck him hard in the jaw, the same way Mr. Lahey had struck Isaac earlier, but this time accompanied by the sound of a crack. His father gasped at the strength of the blow, almost falling over as he reached out for the wall behind him. Isaac heard a ringing in his ears and a headache attack him. "Augh." He pressed his hand to his temple and didn't see his father's face flash from surprise to rage. In his confusion, his father grabbed him violently and pulled him towards the door. Isaac pulled him off, but his father grabbed him harder, dragging him down the stairs and shoving him into the icebox.

"No!" Isaac cried out as the lid closed on him. The dread came then, the walls feeling closer and closer, and his lungs gasping for air as if there wasn't enough oxygen until he passed out from hyperventilating. When he woke up, his panic rose again, and when he collapsed he had nightmares. His skin was wet with cold sweat. Isaac didn't notice the grooves deep in the walls where there hadn't been before, as if a wild animal had tried to claw its way out. He also didn't notice the sound of the car leaving from the driveway.

At night the next day, when his father opened the lid, Isaac lay there, exhausted. Shakily he climbed out of what felt like his coffin as his father called him weak with a disgusted look on his face. As Mr. Lahey disappeared up the stairs, Isaac watched with exhausted fear and awe. His father's jaw was bruised. Stumbling up the stairs, he felt that he was also weak from hunger and thirst, but slipped up into his room. Staring at the bookbag in the corner, he realized he'd missed the first day of school. Isaac lay on his bed. He looked at his fist and clenched it, remembering how it felt to punch his father in the jaw. He felt… powerful.