AN: From now on I will try my best to post a chapter every Friday until the story is done. Enjoy!


I collapse on the bed with a sigh. After that mess with the emissary Jack, Mac, Riley and I headed over to the local motel. Mac and Jack were bedding in one room, and Riley and I in an adjoining room.

"So, uh, can we talk about everything? Or do you want some time?" Riley asks, settling onto her bed.

"Ask away. I'll answer whatever I can." I decide to give her the same deal I gave my twin brother. It's only fair, I've known her quite a bit longer than Stiles anyway.

"Well, uh, what happened to you? I mean, while you were working with the Goblin King." She starts hesitantly.

"Let me just make this clear. I worked for the Goblin King. I was gifted with the misfortune of having to do what he told me to do. But, essentially, it was hell. I'd rather have been in a maximum-security prison. And yes, I have been in one before. Long story, don't bother asking. I'm not going to tell you on this mission, but maybe on a later date."

"Oh. But why did you do what he told you? Like, I know there's usually blackmail, or very little choice, but what made you do what he wanted?" I hesitate, weighing how much to tell.

"Well, trust me. When I was old enough to understand, what was going on, and my status as an assassin gave me lots of opportunities to see how the outside world worked, I did get a bit rebellious. But, I was smart enough to realize that I could be free, not smart enough to play along with the Goblin King until I earned his trust enough to get an opportunity to be free. Too little, too late. By the time they found me" I nod at the door separating us from Mac and Jack, "I was treated as if I were only a tool. Heck, after seven years of being treated like that, I thought I was a tool. Sometimes I still forget I'm allowed to feel. Sometimes, it's better that I don't feel." She looks at me, horrified. "They, uh, well. Their methods of discipline were… Harsh."

"What, did they like whip you or something?" She asks softly.

"Or something. Look, I'd rather not talk about this bit during a mission." I tell her. "I was thinking you'd have questions more about any supernatural threats we'd be facing. Not trying to get me lost in the past."

"Oh, um. So, what's a kitsune? That's what Mac is, right?"

"Yeah. He's a pretty young one, too. Only two tails. Kitsune is the Japanese word for 'fox'. The mythological creature, also called a kitsune, is a nine-tailed fox. The kitsune are traditionally tricksters, and one of the most powerful supernatural creatures out there. With only two tails, Mac isn't going to be god-like or anything, but I'm actually disappointed in myself for not being able to piece together what he was. I'll be honest, I don't know much about kitsune, thank goodness I never had to try to kill one, so I don't know how much I can tell you, but I'll try my best."

"So, does Mac have any super-powers or anything?"

"Well, you'd have to ask him, but my guess is that he doesn't really have much. As a kitsune he'll have much better reflexes, he's a bit faster, and stronger than humans, but not much. Since he has two tails he can summon fox fire, which is probably one of the most dangerous things in the world. It's where the legends of greek fire came from. It's a fire that can only be put out by the kitsune who made it or a nine-tailed kitsune. Outside of that, I don't really think Mac can do anything. Outside of his wily nature and any aforementioned powers, that's probably all he can do."

"Probably?"

"Well, kitsune gain more powers as they age, and Mac's pretty young. I've heard some pretty gnarly stories about what older kitsune do."

"So, what? When Mac's fifty he'll be able to like, lift cars with his mind?" I can't contain the snort at the idea. "Well, I'm sorry. I don't know anything about what fox dudes can do!"

"No. I'm not laughing at that suggestion. I don't know if kitsune can actually develop some sort of telekinesis. The funny part was, and I know you didn't know, but I think Mac's already a couple hundred years old."

"I'm sorry, WHAT?!"

"Kitsune age slower than humans, they can, theoretically, live for centuries."

"Wait, so Mac's- "

"Much, much older than Jack. OH! He also has enhanced hearing and smell, like a fox, so he's probably been listening in on this conversation, so he can confirm whatever I said if he wants. The door swings open. Mac raises an eyebrow at me.

"Really?" He stares right at me.

"Am I missing something here?" Jack says, looking over Mac's shoulder.

"Oh, just listening to Kay here tell Riley exactly what makes me a total freak." Mac groans. I roll my eyes.

"Dude, you're not a freak. You're absolutely normal for what you are." I tell him.

"Tell that to the people who have tried to kill me for existing." He replies.

"Alright. Next time I see a hunter, I will go up to them and say: 'Hey, just so you know, my friend here, Angus MacGyver, is not a freak. He's just a kitsune.'"

"Please, god, no." He groans.

"Wait, Krystie, you were telling Rylie about Mac and not me?!" Jack whines. Mac smacks him on the arm.

"Well, you most certainly could've asked him. You know, considering you guys are basically brothers and bunking in the same room."

"Have you tried getting this guy to talk when he doesn't want to?" Jack asks, pointing at Mac.

"Yes, and you're better at it. "I say simply.

"Now, hold on sister-"Jack starts.

"Why don't we continue getting you two caught up in supernatural knowledge, rather than debating who should interrogate me." Mac butts in.

"Sounds good to me." I nod. "Alright! Supernatural 101!" I clap, and Jack's and Riley's heads snap toward me. I slide my duffle bag from under the bed. "The two most important things for any human dealing with supernatural are: wolfs bane and mountain ash. Unzipping the bag, I pull out a small container of said flowers and a pouch of powdered mountain ash. As I do, Mac rolls his eyes and steps out of the room, allowing Jack full access of the room. As Jack walks in the room, I call out: "Jack, can you close the door?"

"What, is Mac not going participate in the lesson?" Jack asks closing the door.

"Well, considering this lesson could in fact potentially kill him, I think it's safer if he stays in the other room."

"What now?" Jack asks, full mother hen mode activated.

"Lesson one: if you want to do any lasting damage to any supernatural creature with regenerative capabilities, use wolfs bane. It's one of the few poisons that work on them."

"Wait. You're carrying around poisons that will kill Mac?" Jack nearly growls at me.

"You carry a gun that can kill Mac. I carry poisons that can kill Mac. I'd never use it to kill Mac. Besides, I only found out that he was a supernatural twenty minutes before you two did." I raise my hands in defense. Shaking my head, I continue. "Now, mountain ash is a special type of wood that contains magic. Supernatural creatures cannot pass over it. Usually a ring of the mountain ash dust is used to contain or guard against the supernatural."

"So, pretty flowers and fairy dust are the most dangerous things to werewolves and kitsune?" Jack asks.

"Oh, trust me. Fairy dust is a completely different thing. Man, that was a fun night." I wink.

"Okay then. Great, that's definitely something I wanted to know." Riley snarks.

"How old are you again?" Jack asks.

"Dude, I'm a professional assassin! Why does it matter how old I was when I got high?!" My voice rises as I complain. Rolling my eyes, I call out to Mac. "Alright Mac, I'm putting the wolfs bane away. Gimme a sec, then you can come back in." I put the container of the purple flowers away, followed by the pouch of mountain ash.

"So, what else you got in that duffle bag?" Riley says, eyeing the bag carefully as Mac walks into the room.

"Well, mostly I've got my weapons in there, uh, I try to keep as wide a variety of wolfs bane as possible now-a-days-"

"Woah, whoa, whoa sister! Why in the world would you want to keep as much of that 'wolfs bane' stuff in your bag as possible?" Jack asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Jack, wolfs bane is the cure for itself. It's kind of reassuring to know that Kay has a wide variety of it." Mac reassures.

"Except for the fact that my duffle bag it kinda infused with mountain ash, so you wouldn't be able to get to it without one of our help." I say, wincing. "And really, only me, because I'd be able to correctly identify which one you were infected with, and identify which one to grab and how to use it as the cure."

"Come on, Kay. I'm trying to defend you here." Mac frowns at me.

"And this is my way of saying I really don't need you to defend me." I smile back. "Look, I'm used to the supernatural trying to kill me on site, I didn't have time to prepare for having comrades that are not just human. I was trying to get Mac to cooperate."

"So, I've got another question." Riley says, raising her hand.

"Uh, okay?" Mac replies.

"If you're a couple hundred years old, how have you known Bozer since you guys were kids?"

"A couple hundred?" Jack shoots a look at Mac. "And you call me old man?"

"I've known Bozer since he was a child. I learned how to change how old I look a long time ago."

"Oh, so Bozer isn't, like, a unicorn or something?" I find myself something. Mac give me a look that says 'I didn't expect you to be asking the dumb questions'. "Well, I mean he kinda fits the criteria. He's very innocent, a faithful friend, but still a bit solitary. He's got a very light personality. I could go on, but that's not what we're supposed to be doing. But now that we're on the subject of Bozer, he's gonna be pissed at you when he finds out you hid something else from him."

"I really don't want to think about that right now. We should be focusing on catching these guys up with everything." Mac grumbles.

"Wolves and foxes don't get along, so Mac's probably going to be a bit grumpy for this mission." I explain to Riley and Jack. "Granted, not this grumpy." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"And I'll explain. After we teach these two all the basics."

"Okay. What's considered basics?" I ask him.

"Well, were-creatures for starters." He answers.

"You know, you're allowed to tell them stuff too." I find myself grumbling under my breath. Mac glares at me in response. "Werewolves are either born, or turned." I raise a hand, stopping Jack as he takes a breath. "Only the bite of an alpha can turn humans into anything. Or claws, if they get deep enough I guess. An alpha's eyes glow red. Typically, a werewolf can only achieve the status of alpha wolf if they manage to kill an alpha. Scott, this territory's alpha, is a true alpha though. It means that he is virtuous, morally correct, and has never taken a life. His betas, on the other hand, well…" My voice trails off.

"You could see it when they shifted when they thought we were threatening them while asking for their blessings to enter the territory. Some of the betas had blue, and some had gold. Those with blue eyes have taken an innocent life." Mac finishes.

"Werewolves can heal very quickly, again, wolfs bane is one of the most effective ways to kill them. They have great hearing and smell. They can hear the skip of a heart, the quickening of a breath when you lie." I start listing off. I start wracking my brain for any other 'basics' that Riley and Jack would need to know.

"So, you mentioned alphas and betas. Are there omegas?" Jack asked.

"Yes. There are. Omegas are wolves without pack. They are usually the weakest wolves, and have been kicked out of the pack. They are also usually feral. That means they have lost their human half to become a vicious monster."

"What about the banshee?" Riley pipes up.

"Banshee are rather rare creatures… not much is known about them." Mac starts.

"From what I've seen, they can hear things that no one else can. Typical legends say that a banshee will scream when someone is about to die, right? But I don't think that's very accurate. It seems to me that their scream helps them focus on what they need to hear. I think rather than being the harbingers of death, they are the universe's way of trying to prevent it. But those are just my thoughts." I shrug at Mac's surprised look. "I've had lots of time to observe most supernatural creatures.

"What about these 'hunters' that keep coming up. They had one in their pack, right?" Jack asks.

"Yeah. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that part out. Hunters, as I mentioned before, are normal humans that hunt the supernatural. I've never heard of them joining packs, especially not the Argents." I reply.

"Could be teenage rebellion." Mac suggested.

"I don't know. Last I checked, the Argents kill any supernatural creature that has killed. Considering the number of blue eyes in that pack, it doesn't seem to me like they'd let anyone near them, other than to try to take them out from the inside. But, also considering the fact that there are still two Hales on the pack, they wouldn't be too trusting of the Argents, so that would never work."

"Why, what happened between the Argents and the Hales?" Mac asks me. I shoot him a glance that hopefully says 'dude, how do you not know what happened.'.

"Well, once upon a time the Hales were one of the most feared, most numerous packs. They protected beacon hills, and the Nemeton. Then, a couple years ago, Derek Hale, the young man who tried to rip my throat out, found himself in a relationship with Kate Argent. Granted, eventually that relationship crashed and burned. Literally. Kate set fire to the Hale house, killing most of the Hale family. Both the human and werewolf members."

"Don't give me that look. I've tried my hardest to stay out of the supernatural world." Mac scowls.

"Well, all this information is great and all, but how do we find a way to fix this Nemeton?" Jack says after a pregnant pause.


AN:Leave a review if you'd like! I'd love to know how I'm doing. I always welcome constructive criticism.