"What are you two doing in the hallway during classes?" Questioned Principal Natalie Martin, catching the girls a moment after Liam informed them on what he knew about Scott's situation.
"Something happened with Scott so Liam called asking for my help." Answered Lydia.
"Is he alright?" Asked a concerned Natalie, while she hoping the boy didn't get himself involved in Mystic Falls supernatural community if it had one.
"He's awake but we haven't talked to him yet." Was Malia's reply, and it was clear she didn't like the last part.
"Well then get to class. I'll call Coach then inform you on my findings." Said the woman.
"Coach won't know more than Liam, mom." The banshee pointed out, which was true for more than one reason.
"Then you'll have to wait until then. This is your last semester in high school, surely you could take it more serious." Natalie truly wished the kids could focus on their school career.
Break
"Why do I feel like you're not telling me something?" Asked Melissa McCall.
After listening to her son try to explain what happened and what was wrong with him the woman was not convinced that he knew nothing about what was happening to him. Alan commented on how far ahead and advanced Scott was in witchcraft for his age, especially considering that he started practicing late and has been for just a few months, not to mention how the boy was an 'artificial witch created by the Dread Doctors'.
Yeah, as time went by the druid was beginning to have doubts about that. The True Alpha sighed, he couldn't really fool his mother and that was true for his pack too, but...
"Alright, there's something I'm not telling you. I need to create my talisman soon or I'll experience more of these blackouts." Said the boy.
"Why? And why haven't you?" Questioned the mother.
"I need a form of a limiter to manage my magic powers, a gateway. Like Kira's katana serves as a gateway to her powers. My magic powers keep growing everyday day, mom and uncontrollable magic is dangerous magic, especially when it's internal. All the spells and ingredients I've come up with haven't felt right for me for my talisman but I'm hoping that I'll be inspired while I'm here." Answered Scott.
"Well, get inspired soon before you give me a heart attack. I have to get back to work so I'll call later to check up on you. I love you, honey."
"I love you too, mom." Responded Scott before they both disconnected the call.
'So, what now?' Asked Raven1.
'We wait until I'm allowed to leave.'
'You do know that you could just compel the nurse to release you, right?'
'I do, but I kind of want to be here at least until the end of first class after lunch while I think about how to introduce you to everyone. I haven't really thought or voiced thoughts of adopting a pet so it would be strange to get one out of the blue.' Replied the McCall.
The bird hadn't thought of that, but...
'I think I have an idea.' Said Raven1.
Break
"Caroline and Bonnie called earlier." Said Stefan, watching as Elena eat after she woke up. "Alaric told them about what happened."
"I'll call them later. What do you plan on doing with Katherine?" Responded the girl.
"I, I don't know. I don't even know if we will find her." Answered the vampire.
"What about Tyler?"
Now that question gave him pause. Stefan hadn't really thought about Tyler Lockwood much after Damon told him about his fate, the only thing he had on his mind was finding a cure. A cure Katherine stole that he still had to pay for.
The Salvatore wanted to blame the werewolf for his brother's death, he wanted to rage and set loose the monster he didn't want to be, but that was the thing, he didn't want to be that monster. He had to learn control or Klaus was going to succeed in bringing the ripper out of him.
Thinking about that the vampire waited for Elena to finish eating before telling her about the letter from Klaus.
Break
Matt joined Tyler after school to watch the lacrosse practice. He wasn't really interested in the sport per se, he just wanted to watch and maybe take notes. Just as the human sat down he saw Caroline laughing happily while pulling Bonnie behind her, a sense of longing hit him but the boy was resolved in his decision, a supernatural best friend was more than enough.
Said supernatural best friend didn't miss his reaction and was a little glad that Caroline rejected his advances. He was learning to see her just as she saw him, as a friend and that was enough because not so long ago his only true friend was Matt. Caroline and Bonnie found themselves seats before looking on as the players got on the field in their training gear with their respective coaches.
"It seems like Mc-Scott isn't going to participate." Said the witch, seeing that the boy wasn't in gear.
"What? But he's the only reason I came." Whined the vampire, echoing Tyler's own disappointment.
A moment later the local lacrosse coach announced that there wouldn't be practice today but a game to kick start the week. That surprised a lot of people, especially the players.
"Wow, talk about a turn of events. This might be interesting." Voiced the Bennett and her vampire friend agreed.
It took sometime for the players to get ready but soon the game was on though it started out a little slow but with its pass the speed picked up with Timberwolves scoring the first and second goals, feeling more confident since they were home. The score evened out when Liam and Gwen scored, respectively before Diaz (Cyclones) scored the third goal, the Cyclones taking lead.
The Timberwolves struggled with the attention if the crowd since more people came to watch the game than usual, lacrosse wasn't the sport in Mystic Falls while in Beacon Hills it was quite popular, so popular that every game was televised and that game the Cyclones the advantage though Liam was just finding his footing as a team captain which was a blessing for the local team, otherwise they might have been losing by a steep slide.
It made Scott proud that his beta was finding his footing, with Gwen and Diaz as good support.
Matt and Tyler found themselves a lot more interested in the game than they thought they would be, especially when the captain of Cyclones mixed it up with parkour which earned him and his team some cheers from the local crowd and that didn't help the Timberwolves morale.
Coach Finstock couldn't help the satisfied smirk that came over his face, he and his friend, the Timberwolves' coach Coach Mbongo had a bet going and by the score on the board Bobby was already counting his wins. That was until he saw Scott suddenly pick up two crosses and run to the field, he yelled at the boy to get back to his seat especially when it was obvious the McCall was going to intercept a goal heading for the Timberwolves' goal net.
The man didn't just want to win, he wanted to destroy the spirit of the local team but it seemed like his former captain had other ideas. Bonnie and Caroline, like everyone else including Liam, Gwen, Tyler and Matt, wondered why the McCall would suddenly run into the field to save a goal for his team for the opposing team.
That wonder lasted until they saw a black figure fall from the sky and it was obvious that the ball was going to hit it, hard.
The crowd and players watched as if in slow motion as they saw another parkour practitioner from Beacon Hills run into the field, jump and flip over or spin around obstacles, which were the players, and when he was right where the collision would take place, extend the duo of crosses he had to catch both the ball and black figure while spinning around to use the momentum he'd picked up and from the objects in the nets to limit further damage to the black figure and come to a stop.
He ended up in a very superhero pose on one knee, bent over with one crosse in front while the other his rear, face down. If Derek had been present he would have been very proud of his protege. Liam was just in awe. Scott used reasonable speed and agility, everything that would be counted as humanly possible but the way he delivered it all and the 'finish' was just badass and graceful. What followed next was a moment of utter silence, until...
"McCall, what the hell was that?!" Shouted Coach Finstock, approaching the boy.
Scott stood and threw the crosse with the ball to his coach who easily caught it, then the boy carefully took out the black figure from the crosse he still held, eliciting a croaking call to echoed throughout the field before everyone saw a bird.
"What's that? A crow?" Inquired the coach, a little curious.
"A... Raven. And one of its wings is limp, probably got separated from its flock." Answered the Tribrid, throwing his coach the other crosse which he caught.
"You want to tell me you intercepted a goal to save a crow?" Questioned the man, as though that was the most ridiculous thing he's heard.
"A raven, coach. There's a difference. Um, anyone know where the local animal clinic is?" Replied Scott, before making his own inquiry while leaving the field.
The question served as a reminder for those from Beacon Hills why their former captain would do what he did, he was an assistant to a veterinarian. When no one replied Coach Finstock repeated the question.
Everyone was just taken aback by the boy's reason for interrupting a match, particularly those who were aware that ravens were thought to be bad omens though that was just one of many beliefs.
"Did he really interrupt a game to save a bird?" Asked Caroline, not knowing anyone who would do something like that, well maybe Bonnie.
"Looks like it. A raven at that. It's kind of cute that he would do that and it means that his offer was genuine." Said Bonnie, a smile on her lips.
She was impressed, not a lot of people cared as much about nature in general and she couldn't help but appreciate that he would go out of his way to save a random bird. Oh, if only she knew that said 'random bird' was not so random.
The witch took her eyes off Caroline for but a moment only to see her friend at Scott's side the next, introducing herself and presumably being his guide to the only animal clinic in town. The thought of healing the bird with her magic crossed her mind but there was a risk in that. Exposure.
"Let's continue the game, people. We still have a game to finish." Said Coach Mbongo.
Break
"Hi!" Greeted Caroline, once Scott was off the field, picking his beg from the bench he had been sitting on and leaving the area.
"Um, hi." The boy returned the greeting, a moment before her scent registered to him and identified her as a vampire.
"I happen to live not that far from the only animal clinic in town so I wouldn't mind driving you there." Said the girl, playing with a strand of her hair.
"Uh..."
"Great! I'm Caroline, by the way, Caroline Forbes. And you're Scott McCall, the boy who just intercepted a goal for his team to save a bird." Interrupted Caroline, causing the boy to pause.
"How did know my name?" He asked, cautious.
"Oh, you met a friend of mine earlier, Bonnie." She said, realizing that it must have sounded pretty weird and a bit alarming.
The True Alpha realized that the witch and vampire probably knew about each others supernatural status and wondered if the werewolf he met in the hallway was a friend of theirs. Considering his own unconventional pack the McCall wouldn't be surprised if they were, the problem was that the boy didn't know the girl's intentions.
After the run in with the female vampire (Katherine) yesterday the Witch Tribrid was cautious. He didn't come to Mystic Falls to kill people.
'Her intentions are pretty obvious, you're just pretending otherwise like you have been doing since Kira left. Live a little, Scott. Remember that though you're an alpha of a pack you're still a teenage boy. If she's interested go for it for a change.' Said Raven1, having had enough of watching the McCall turn down every girl who has shown interest.
"Uh, Scott?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'd appreciate a ride, thanks." Replied Scott, having been caught off guard by the raven's comment.
It felt a weird having the bird speak with him telepathically, he could even feel the other parts of Belasko. Satisfied, Caroline led the True Alpha to her car, a spring to her step.
Break
Malia sighed in annoyance as she sat in detention after school. After the teacher saw her talking on the phone in the morning during class she was given detention for after school. It wasn't a big deal but what really got to her was that she couldn't make a call to check up on her fellow alpha. The general world was really annoying with its rules and whatnot, really, life in the wild was way more her style, except the part where she was alone.
The exception was why she enjoyed teaching Scott, sharing knowledge and skills with him that took a lot of time for her to learn and develop on her own. The werecoyote appreciated that the boy appreciated and valued his lessons with her just as she appreciated and valued her lessons with him. It was actually nice to have someone in the pack that she could connect with in the form that she felt most comfortable in, it helped that Scott loved deer meat just as much as she did after their first successful hunt together.
That actually gave Malia the sense that she was normal when people ask her what her favorite food was and she answered with deer. She didn't have to think about the 'correct/normal' answer anymore and reply with... Pizza. It was nice, refreshing and so her. Learning her abilities as an alpha was another thing the Tate enjoyed, including exploring the abilities she took from Theo the Traitor and integrating them into her fighting style.
Though it was annoying that Lydia and Jordan were immune to kanima venom and Scott had an unusually high resistance and tolerance to electricity. Aside from that Malia was glad that even though there were things she was keeping from her adoptive father, they had a far better father and daughter relationship than she had with her biological father. A biological father who tried to use her desire to find her biological mother to kill for him.
The fact that Peter wanted her to kill Kate, his then partner, made the girl wonder if he would have honored her deal with him. While on the thought of her parents, Malia thought about Scott's confession. His confession that he didn't feel guilty about killing her biological mother, Corrine.
They never touched that topic since that time, not even once. Though they never touched that topic again the girl felt like that was probably the most honest Scott has ever been with anyone about his more darker side, the side that he has been keeping at bay.
It had been somewhat confusing during the werecoyote's early days with the pack that the one person who was supposed to be the most dominant, claw happy and quick to kill was actually the one to take the road with least resistance and violence as much as possible, and hold back in order to avoid getting lost in the heat of battle and accidentally kill someone.
Once she joined his pack Scott McCall was a far cry from the dominating and intimidating alpha werewolf who forced her to submit and change back to human even though they were different species, actually, before she even joined the pack. Malia remembered the awe and wonder in his eyes the first time she laid eyes on him in her human form, another far cry from the dominating howl he released a moment before.
She only fully realized after he'd confessed that he felt no guilt for killing two people in one night, one of them being her mother and the other a resurrected spirit, that Scott's pacifism was probably a way to not give in to his darker desires. It was actually possible that if the boy decided to give in to those desires he would be worse than the enemies they've encountered and that was just as a werewolf. L
That made Malia think about Peter's comment about the True Alpha being incorruptible. It wasn't about being incorruptible but not giving in and keeping himself from becoming what he said Peter was, a monster. The alpha werecoyote learned a lot about Scott during their training together and how he handled his alpha status and desire to expand the pack.
Oh, Malia knew how that felt since becoming an alpha herself and was glad she had the boy to help and guide her. Though the McCall had the power to rule Beacon County and with time the world he just wanted a normal life, the life Peter's bite took away from him.
He has accepted his fate but that doesn't mean there isn't a small part of him that envies humans who lived their lives completely oblivious to the existence of supernaturals. That very same envy was the reason he wasn't going around turning people, he valued what they had, something he wasn't ever going to have again and wanted to preserve it. The werecoyote understood her fellow alpha because that was kind of how she felt concerning her adoptive father.
Yes, she was afraid of losing him if he learns the truth but that wasn't the only reason she kept him in the dark, the other reason was to keep him safe and a supernatural 'virgin' because once a person learned about that world it wasn't easy getting out of it, especially if family was involved. The only person who seemed to manage was Natalie Martin, somehow.
That woman was just... Infuriating. She knew the truth about their situations but acted like she knew absolutely nothing. It seemed like she didn't realize that her daughter along with her pack and it's allies were responsible for keeping Beacon Hills High School, Beacon Hills and Beacon County functional.
If Scott decided to change his ideals about the pack being protectors of Beacon Hills and by extension Beacon County the next time something happens, the town and county would be most definitely left defenseless. But people like Lydia's mother made one question if they were worth protecting, especially those who Scott had to compel before they made life difficult for the pack and it's allies.
Now Malia was even more annoyed with being in detention because it made her think about all that since there wasn't anything else to do. It wasn't her fault that she got bored and wanted to hear Scott's voice. It was actually amazing how she went from hating him for forcing her to take human form to being close friends and confidants, same with Lydia.
The werecoyote had no problem leaving the banshee behind but now she was her best friend. Somehow Malia found herself with this amazing group of friends who would risk their lives for her, just as she would risk hers for them. After thinking about all that the girl expected for detention to end at any moment only to be disappointed that that wasn't the case.
Break
Alaric watched from his car as a recovered Scott McCall climbed into Caroline's car before she pulled out and drove away. He wondered what that was about before pulling out and getting on the road himself. He found Elena and Stefan in the kitchen with the former reading what seemed to be a letter. Greeting them, he got himself a glass of water.
"At least he's not forcing you to leave town and search for Katherine." Commented the Gilbert, closing the letter Stefan just gave her.
"Yeah well, I'm sure there's more to it than just that. It feels like Klaus has more plans for me than just a bodyguard." Said Stefan.
"He wants you to be his bodyguard?" Asked Alaric, finding that ridiculous.
"His witch's bodyguard. I don't know why he doesn't just leave already. The curse if broken, what more is there for him here?" Answered Elena before rhetorically asking.
The only vampire in the room lowered his head a little, mentally answering the question with one word; ripper.
"Well, I have lighter news. The visiting students have arrived." Said the vampire hunter.
"What visiting students?"
"A lacrosse team from a high school outside the state. They'll be in town for the week, attending the high school and training with our local lacrosse team after school." Alaric answered Elena's question, before excusing himself.
"That's new." Said the girl.
"It's probably to increase our local lacrosse team's popularity and funding." Stefan offered.
There was a little voice in his head that said that at least Damon wasn't around to cause problems while another rejoiced that the older Salvatore couldn't mess up his relationship with Elena, but the vampire tried to ignore how those voices sounded like his own.
Break
Satisfied that Scott was back to his feet Liam enjoyed the rest of the game. Nerves and worry out of mind and focus on winning, the boy set to win his first game as team captain. He suspected that that was one of the reasons his alpha left, to give him the chance to do his thing without him there, a test of sorts and the boy wasn't going to fail it.
His team picked up right where they left off and scored even more goals with Coach Finstock celebrating loudly although Cyclones slowed down to give Timberwolves a chance to catch up.
They still had a few more days in Mystic Falls and didn't want to make their living hard for beating the local team by a landslide, something that their coach didn't seem pleased with and made it known to Liam only for the boy to give a valid reason that they were visiting and didn't need to brutally beat the local team on their first game.
They needed to play smart, not hard. The beta smiled when he said that part, thinking about his stepfather who usually said that to him. Life was better, life was good.
The Dunbar was happy that his mother wasn't as on edge as she was before the longer time went without an outburst from him or a report about him exploding. Somehow, Scott turning him into a werewolf was a gift, a blessing in disguise he didn't think it was at first and Liam was glad for it. He has never thanked the McCall for saving his life but he was grateful.
Break
"So... Do you go around saving birds often?" Asked Caroline, pointing at the raven.
"Not really." Answered Scott, thinking about the time Malia dared him to capture a bird in his wolf form.
Not birds.
"I work at an animal clinic so animals are usually brought to my workplace." He added.
"As a receptionist?" Inquired the girl, sure that the boy's looks would work for him.
"An assistant to the veterinarian. What about you? Have a part-time job?"
"Nope. But I do handle a few things at school, including organizing school events like dances and I'm the captain of the Lady Timberwolves." Responded Caroline, impressed by her passenger's part-time job occupation.
It seemed like he was more than a typical jock.
"Lady Timberwolves? Your school has a girls only lacrosse team?" Commented Scott.
"What? No! The Lady Timberwolves is a cheerleading squad led by yours truly."
"Oh. Sorry. My school doesn't have a cheerleading team. In place of that we have co-ed sports, if you noticed there are girls in our lacrosse team." The vampire noted pride in the boy's voice though she found it weird that a school didn't have cheerleaders.
She didn't think her small town would get over their stereotype mentality and let boys join the Lady Timberwolves, the name itself kind of proved the point.
"But if you had a cheerleading team, would you join it?" She asked out of curiosity.
Scott took a moment to think about that. Though there were benefits to cheerleading, the boy couldn't help but think of Allison and her years of gymnastic experience. If she joined a cheerleading team when she arrived in Beacon Hills and males were allowed to join, he was sure he would have joined the first chance he got.
He knew how nice it was to play the same sport and be on the same team with the person he loved from Kira joining the lacrosse team. They spent more time together and...
'You still have a question to answer, you know.' Raven1 said, startling the Werewolf Tribrid.
'Stop doing that!' He admonished.
"It would depend on whether I would still be able to play lacrosse or not." Scott's reply satisfied Caroline because he took the question seriously and considered his answer and not for her benefit.
It made her reevaluate her plans to have a fling with him. She couldn't help but notice that he was thoughtful and that added the risk of developing feelings for him. A lot could happen in a week, she knew that very well. When they arrived at the animal clinic, Mystic Falls Animal Clinic, named after the town, the Vampire Tribrid and vampire went in. Caroline offered to take the McCall back to the school or motel, whichever he preferred.
"Hi, I'd like to get this raven checked up. I caught it falling from the sky, probably got lost from its unkindness." Said Scott, after entering the clinic, holding said bird.
"Hi! Ah, alright please fill in the register." Responded the receptionist.
The Forbes just took a sit and watched it all play out although she was thinking about getting her blood fix before the thirst took over.
"Right this way, Mr McCall." Said the receptionist after the boy filled the register, directing him to the back.
He sent a nod to Caroline before following. The girl overhead the veterinarian praise Scott for having caught the bird, sighting that it's wing was only dislocated and if the lacrosse ball had hit it it would have probably broken the bones entirely.
She stated that they would keep the bird there for the time being and either release it or call appropriate people to find it a home since the boy was visiting and wasn't looking to adopt. A few minutes later saw Caroline and Scott leave the animal clinic.
The girl asked him if it was OK if she passed by her house to get a change of clothes before taking him to his motel, something he was alright with plus he was interested in seeing if she would attack him like the first vampire he met.
"Thanks for..."
The Witch Tribrid was interrupted by his phone vibrating and a quick check told him it was Malia.
"Could..."
"Sure, answer away." Said the Forbes, smiling while looking to get more details on the jock that seemed lovable and not a total jerk.
"Hey, Malia." Greeted Scott after answering.
"I really hate detention." Was the girl's greeting, almost causing an eavesdropping Caroline to burst out laughing.
"More than Maths?"
"Of course not. But detention is a close second. What happened? Liam didn't say much and your text wasn't exactly detailed, just a vague 'I'm OK'."
"I am OK. I collapsed earlier while on the phone with Deaton and according to Liam I was short of breath and sweating." Responded Scott.
The Mystic Falls vampire wondered who the girl on the line was while she found a clue as to why her passenger sat out the lacrosse game with the skill he showed.
"Were you..."
"No. I just suddenly felt lightheaded and disoriented, that's why I called Deaton. Don't worry, Malia, I'm fine now." The McCall interrupted the werecoyote before she could finish her question, knowing that she'd think he was either attacked or poisoned.
"Well Liam will be keeping an eye on you just in case and if anything happens I'll be there with the pack..."
"Malia..."
"No, Scott. I'm not going to lose you, if Liam knows what's good for him he'll do as I say and you'll let him." Stated the alphette, then cut the connection to not give the True Alpha the chance to say anything.
She knew Scott would do the same for her and any member of the pack, that was not only what she believed but what happened when her cousin Derek disappeared during her early days with the pack and she would do the same for him. The McCall sighed and leaned back in the passenger seat.
Though he was worried he was also touched. With every passing day Malia was regaining the empathy and compassion that years as a coyote took from her, and those she cared about were privileged enough to be exposed to her softer side, whichever form it took or she chose to show it.
While Scott took the time to center himself he didn't notice how Caroline stiffened as she heard what the alphette said, particularly one keyword; pack. It meant the seemingly heroic and lovable jock was a werewolf and that he had a pack, a pack that would come to his rescue if something happens to him.
That reminded the girl of Mason, Jules and their werewolf pack, Tyler as well and what happened the last time there was a werewolf pack in Mystic Falls, what they did to her. It also brought forth Klaus. The vampire quickly covered her reaction so that the McCall wouldn't notice it, wondering if he knew that she was a vampire.
Scott withheld a groan when he caught Caroline's chemo-signals, realizing that she eavesdropped on his phone conversation with Malia and reached some conclusions.
"Who was that? Your girlfriend?" Asked the Forbes, voice light, deciding to maintain the act if it was one and in case the werewolf didn't know that she was a vampire.
But the fact that he could kill her with just one bite was not helping her keep her cool internally.
"A close friend. I don't see myself dating anytime soon." Answered the True Alpha. "What about you? Are you dating anyone?"
"No. I'm as single as can be. So... You collapsed earlier? Is that why you weren't playing in the match?" Inquired Caroline, searching for some information and Scott knew that very well, the girl wasn't even trying to be subtle about it.
"Yes to both questions. I actually don't know what happened aside from feeling sick, but I'm alright now." Answered the boy, a moment before the Forbes stopped at her house.
She planned to inform her friends about the presence of at least two werewolves from Beacon Hills High School, Scott McCall and someone called Liam, so that they didn't cause any drama, they didn't need it with Klaus in town.