A/N: Would just like to take the time to thank lord kiras hand for helping me brainstorm some ideas and character placement. They read my first chapter and immediately came to me with some ideas. I can't wait to implement them in later chapters! Hope everyone is continuing to enjoy this story!
*Back in Goodsprings*
The pair headed back towards town, keeping their eyes peeled for the ingredients... but it wasn't easy, the town had a lot of nooks and crannies that the plants could be growing in. They walked slowly, not wanting to accidentally miss one but after a few minutes of careful searching, they realized it would probably be easier to ask someone where they should look. Stiles looked around but there weren't many people wandering around outside for them to ask. Instead of knocking on doors and bothering people, they decided to head to the general store and start there; maybe they'd get lucky and there would be some in stock. Stiles's heart sank as they entered the small store, there wasn't much on the shelves, but it couldn't hurt to ask anyways. Scott looked through everything, just in case there was something there for them to pick up while Stiles just went up to the register to ask.
"Can I help you sir?"
"I was hoping you'd have some broc flower and/or xander root?" Stiles asked, hopeful lilt to his voice.
The owner's face fell, "No, I don't go out if I don't need to, so what I have are just the things people sell me, which I resell to others. Not many people around here harvest the plants solely for trading to me... Sorry I don't have any of that, but maybe there is something else here that you'd like to buy?"
Stiles started to shake his head but then Scott came up, holding a shovel, "This please." He got a weird look from Stiles but easy handed over the caps and propped the shovel against his shoulder. He thanked the guy and they left the store, heading over to the saloon. With how hot it was getting, surely that was where they'd find people hiding out. But they didn't even have to go in, there was an older man sitting in the chair on the porch of the saloon- might as well start with him. "Hey there, could you tell us where we could find some xander root, or broc flower? Sunny asked us to pick some up," Scott asked, using his puppy dog eyes.
"I'm not sure about the broc flower, but you can find the xander root over by the old school. But be careful, there are some critters over there you'll want to watch out for. But inside is that darn safe that I've been trying to crack open. Maybe you boys will be able to open it. Name's Easy Pete by the way, nice to meetcha."
"Thanks a lot Easy Pete, we'll see you around."
After they walked away, Stiles nudged his friend, "What's with the shovel dude?"
"Well, if we're going out hunting xander root, do you want to have to dig it up by hand? I sure don't, hence, the shovel."
Stiles shrugged, it didn't seem totally necessary but it hadn't been too expensive. And he supposed it would make things a little easier, so he didn't argue. The boys quickly ran over to the old school, finding a few Mantises roaming the yard; Stiles made a face, he didn't really like the insect creatures. They hopped around all the time and traveled in groups, making them hard to deal with, even if these ones were only about a foot tall. As they came closer, one of the Nymphs saw them and spread its wings, alerting the others to the threat. Two other green monsters joined up with the first one and they all jumped, reaching out with their sharp forelegs. Stiles took a few steps back to give himself time to aim, and then with a few well placed shots, he dispatched them. Once the yard was clear, the boys searched for the xander root; the fenced area wasn't huge so it wasn't long before they found some by an old tree stump. A few were quickly dug up and placed in Scott's bag- one ingredient down.
Stiles glanced at the old building, "You want to take a look inside? Might have some good stuff in there that Pete missed, don't you think?"
Scott shrugged, "Worth a shot, let's go."
The boys entered the abandoned building and Mantises congregated on them as soon as the door closed. "Shit, there's even more in here!" Stiles yelled, pulling out the pistol. He shot the few closest to them and the others made the mistake of jumping on Scott, who easily smashed them in his hands before healing from the minor cuts.
Scott turned to smile at his companion, "See, who needs a gun? Not me."
"Ha, well Skinny Snark-Pants does so Mr. Wolf-Powers needs to shut his fluffy butt," Stiles sneered good-naturedly.
The boys scoured the room, easily finding small stashes of caps and even some spare ammo and a couple of magazines that were still readable; then they found the safe that Easy Pete must have been talking about. Scott crouched down and pulled out a bobby pin, getting ready to pick it.
"Whoa, wait a second, there's a computer here my guy," Stiles chided. "It probably opens the safe, and we don't have to break any bobby pins. Use your head bro."
"Yea, like the computer won't have a code on it or anything."
Stiles held his hand up to his chest, a hurt look on his face, "You doubt my abilities?" Scott just gave him a look, and leaned against the safe as Stiles cracked his knuckles and powered on the monitor. Of course the computer was locked but he scanned through the database and within a few tries, guessed the right password. He smiled smugly at Scott, as he unlocked the safe and powered down the monitor. "Cake and pie Scott, cake and pie."
"Yea, yea, show off!" Scott teased and he popped the door open.
They both appraised the loot they found, a Stealth Boy, that was going to come in handy later! They also found some caps and some water, which was always useful. They gathered everything up and looked around one last time, satisfied that they had found everything; they left the school and started heading back towards the center of town.
Up ahead Stiles saw a robot rolling down the road, which was weird, you don't normally see robots out this far from The Strip. He nudged Scott, silently inquiring if he might know what was up with the bot.
Scott whispered, "That's Victor, he's the robot that helped out. He's… different though, and he has a cowboy face on his screen. He didn't really stick around for me to get a read on him, so I don't know what to tell ya."
Stiles nodded his head, wondering what Scott meant, but he strode across the road and waved the robot down. "Hey, my friend here says you're the one that really saved my bacon! Just wanted to say thanks for helping me out last night Victor," Stiles said to the robot.
"Glad to see you're looking fit as a fiddle. Happy to help out," the robot replied with a slight western accent.
"I was hoping you could tell me about the guys that shot me, maybe you knew them, or saw where they went?"
"Naw, can't say that I knew them, but maybe some of the townsfolk do, can't hurt to ask them. Didn't see which why they went, I was too busy checking on you boys. Sorry I can't be of more help," Victor replied.
"That's fine, I'm sure someone here has to know something. Oh, one other thing, would you happen to know where any broc flowers are? We need some."
"Oh, as a matter of fact, there are some up at the graveyard, I remember spotting some when I helped you boys out. Hope that helps," Victor answered.
"Thanks a ton, and thanks again for your help saving me," Stiles said one last time. He watched as the robot turned and wheeled away, not sure what to make of him.
Scott turned to Stiles and mumbled, "Told you he was a weird one."
"Yea, and he wasn't much help with Peter, but at least we know where some broc flower is! Let's go, we can keep asking around about Peter once we finish up with Sunny."
They practically ran up to the graveyard, wanting to hurry up and get back to hunting Peter down. They noticed the dried blood on the dirt and the many scuffed footprints, visible reminders of the incident the night before. They poked around, Stiles making sure to stay away from the center of the graveyard; unconsciously, he reached up to feel his fresh scar, once again amazed at the fact he had lived through the confrontation at all. As Stiles was kicking some dry brush away from the old headstones, Scott called out that he found one, holding the flower up victoriously. Stiles smiled at his brother as he walked over to join him, giving him a pat on the shoulder to congratulate his efforts. They paused a moment, not quite ready to head back to Sunny... both of them glanced at the bloody patch of dirt.
Stiles sat down next to one of the graves, feeling weak all of a sudden. He grabbed up one of the trinkets that had been left as a memento, spinning it around in his hands. After a few breaths, Stiles decided to broach the subject, "Hey Scott, after I got shot, what happened? How did you get us out of there?"
*On the Road*
As the sun set, the Wolves set out once again, Derek trying not to check up on Isaac every few minutes. After they had eaten, he cooked up the rest of the Radscorpion and wrapped it up in some old newspapers; with all the extra food, Derek's pack was becoming pretty full. He made a mental note to buy some kind of bag for Isaac to keep food for himself; since he was a teenager, his body had an even faster metabolism than Derek's so it was going to be important that they had access to plenty of storage. As they followed the road, they came across an old underpass with Ants scuttling about. Isaac heard them chittering and he unconsciously maneuvered behind Derek, seeking protection.
"It's alright, Ants aren't usually dangerous, not to us. From the sound of it, there aren't any Soldier Ants, those are the ones you want to watch out for. Let's climb up the side here and take a look," Derek suggested, directing Isaac to the incline. Maybe he'd be able to use this as a teaching opportunity.
They scrambled up, managing to stay quiet so the Ants didn't notice them; they were too busy looking for food and their hearing wasn't really the sense that they depended on so it wasn't hard to go unnoticed. Isaac crouched down and stared at the creatures below him... he had never seen them before and he was glad they hadn't blindly stumbled across them. They were a few feet long and had sharp mandibles that he really didn't want to have bite down on him.
"Okay see, they're small, well small considering the size of the Soldier Ants, nothing too special about them really, as long as you stay away from the mandibles," Derek started explaining as he pointed down at the creatures. "The mandibles can tear through leather and skin rather easily if you let them get a hold of you but aside from that, there isn't much to them."
Not much to them? Isaac raised a brow in disagreement... maybe one or two weren't bad but who had ever heard of a solitary Ant? They traveled in groups and he didn't fancy running into a troop of them. It wouldn't take much for them to overwhelm someone.
Derek continued, "It's best to take them out with a gun, or long range weapon, just so they don't get a hold of you. But if you do get close, or manage to sneak up on them, your claws will easily pierce their armor. Their carapace is much thinner than those of the Radscorpions, so really, they aren't a threat in small numbers. I've got a 12.7mm handgun in my bag, just in case we run into trouble, but I think this will be a good opportunity for you."
"What? What does that mean? You want me to kill them?" Isaac sputtered, eyes wide.
"Yes, you need practice, and confidence if I'm being honest. These are easy targets as long as you don't panic Isaac. Trust me, you can do this."
Isaac moaned and closed his eyes, trying to find some sort of strength in his bones for this. But Derek was nudging him, wanting his attention once more.
"This first one, right down there, you can easily jump on as it comes closer. You'll want to keep your legs spread a bit so you can bend your knees as you land. With something like this, you don't want to roll because it lessens the impact on your target. You want to land and stick so you actually crush it with your full weight. Since you'll still be on your feet, there's plenty of time for you to recover before the second one is on you. They aren't really fast, or particularly smart, so as it gets close to you, you'll be able to dodge it, either by rolling or jumping, whichever you prefer. Your body doesn't have limits like before so trust your instincts and you'll be able to utilize more of your Wolf strength. Once you dodge, it will take the Ant a moment to recover and track you, take that time to attack. Any of their joints are weak spots, their armor is the thinnest there," Derek explained, looking at Isaac.
"Okay… but if it looks like I can't do this, will you help me out?" Isaac asked, his voice cracking.
Derek could feel his hesitance, Isaac had no self-confidence; if he panicked down there, he could get seriously hurt. Derek needed him to learn from this, not get stuck in an anxiety loop... he sat up, pulling Isaac with him, one hand on either of his shoulders. "Isaac, you are a Werewolf now, there aren't many things that can seriously hurt you. Trust your body, trust your Wolf, he'll help guide you. But you have to be willing to listen and let him take control. You will be fine, just remember what I said, even if they do grab you, you'll be fast enough to dislodge their heads before you'll lose a limb."
"But, what if I run into more than three someday? They may be small, but if they work together, they can be scary, I've heard a lot of stories about them," Isaac whispered, not wanting to alert the creatures to their presence.
Derek shook his head, "You can't think about things like that, are there more than three Ants down there? No, so don't waste your energy on thinking up scenarios that are worse that what you're actually up against. What about those Night Stalkers? They might've bitten you but you won that fight! Right now you have a few advantages, focus on those. One: you are aware of their presence. Two: they are completely unaware of you. Three: you know their weak points. Four: they are spread out so they won't be able to swarm you, so you'll be fighting one-on-one. And five: I will step in if I think you need it. Remember, I'm your Alpha, I'm responsible for you."
Upon hearing the words, Isaac relaxed; it felt good to just hear that Derek had his back, even if nothing was supposed to go wrong.
"And remember, I have faith in you, I won't push you to do something that you aren't capable of dealing with. If these were Soldier Ants, or Radscorpions, or even 5 or more swarming Ants, I wouldn't let you do it alone. If some unforeseen catastrophe happens, I'll get you out of there, this is just for training, not a life or death situation," Derek added on.
"Thanks, that helped. I've never really had anyone to stand up and protect me before, it's weird. Dad would have just thrown me in the middle of them all and probably wished for my death. But I think I'm ready, just trust my Wolf and I'll be okay," Isaac repeated, taking a few deep breaths.
Derek clapped him on the shoulder, watching as he took a steadying breath, crouching at the edge of the incline. He stood there, watching the Ant below him skitter around between the trashed cars; he couldn't miss, this was his moment to prove to himself he was worth something. Closing his eyes, Isaac focused on Derek's words, he widened his stance but kept his knees bent, imaging the landing in his head. When he opened his eyes, everything was brighter; his Wolf had focused his vision, allowing him to pick up even more in the fading light. That had never happened before, it had only ever been as a panicked response... it felt good.
With one last breath, he launched his body off the edge, lining up with the Ant below him. When he made contact with the large insect, he let out a satisfying snarl, the body crushed beneath his feet. Immediately he swung around, anticipating the next one that was coming his way, crouching low in preparation to jump. The Ant reared its head, preparing to clamp down on its quarry when he leapt into the air, over the Ant's head. As he was in the air, Isaac felt himself twisting, somersaulting; when he landed, his legs were on either side of Ant's thorax and his claws dug into the soft spot right behind its head. It crumpled to the ground, completely disabled, legs twitching feebly. Knowing he only had one opponent left, he turned to face it, teeth bared, and claws at the ready. The Worker Ant charged at him and Isaac, finally knowing what it meant to trust his Wolf, surged forward and grabbed its mandibles. He felt the raw power surging through him, and he twisted his arms, flipping the creature onto its side, legs kicking in the air; then he growled as he ripped the jaws apart, insect blood flowing out from its face. He dropped the now useless jaws on the ground, taking one finally look at the Ant as it lay on the ground, motionless. Isaac tensed suddenly as he felt another presence coming up behind him, but then his Wolf calmed and he realized it was just Derek. When he turned around, he saw a proud look on Derek's face and the sight made his throat tighten unexpectedly.
"You did good Isaac, I knew you could do it," Derek praised.
Isaac just ran up to him and threw his arms around his Alpha, grateful that Derek cared about him. He was 17 years old and this was the first time in his life he'd been praised. Derek was taken by surprise but he returned the hug, forgetting what it was like to have someone to protect.
A/N: Mantis: look like regular praying mantises, only huge! the small ones (nymphs) that Stiles/Scott ran into were only about 1-2 feet tall. They aren't overly dangerous if you see them before they see you, although the larger ones aren't something to take lightly. They often jump at their prey, lashing out with their sharp forearms, as well as attack in groups. The adult mantises can be as tall as a person, quite the force to reckon with, especially when they flock together.
Ants: the regular worker ants and soldier ants are basically just large forms of regular ants. They weren't mutated (other than size obviously) due to the exposure to radiation after the war. The soldier ants as about twice as tall as the worker ants (maybe two/three feet tall) and have huge mandibles. Definitely not something you want to fight up close and personal, but at least they aren't venomous right?