Here is the next chapter of my story. Please also read my extra notes at the end. Please let it also be noted that I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.
As Stiles waited for the stranger to come back out, he tried to figure out how his day even got to this point. All he wanted for his birthday was for him to spend some time with his dad, eat a lot of junk food, and watch a good movie, but he just had a gun pointed to him by some crazed hunter while his dad was at some homicide site. The last part was weird for Beacon Hills, but the rest just didn't make any sense.
Maybe he ate a wild mushroom that he doesn't remember eating and is now having the equivalent of an acid trip. If he was, then this was probably to get much worse before it got better. He would probably start seeing a bunch of people dancing naked around a bonfire. And they wouldn't even be good looking people like the dark haired man. That thought was dismissed quickly though.
The other man came out of the trees fully dressed with a specific theme. He was wearing a black Henley, with black jeans, and black shoes; which was all topped with a black leather jacket. Stiles would bet his precious jeep on what color the man's underwear was.
Before he could really think, Stiles said, "Dude, it's the middle of summer. Don't you think it's too hot to wear a leather jacket? And what's up with all of the black?"
The other man raised a single eyebrow before answering, "First off, don't call me dude. Second, I will wear whatever I want whenever I want. Thirdly, what color I wear is none of your business. Now if you don't mind, let's start heading to your car. It will be a while before we get there anyway." The stranger stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets before walking off.
Stiles couldn't argue with his last point, so they slowly started down the road that would eventually lead to his car, what he will use to go home and get ready to spend the rest of the evening at Jungle. He just realized he really didn't feel like going to the club anymore.
Stiles looked at the man. He really was quite handsome with all the dark hair and stubble, but what really caught his attention were his green eyes that seemed to see more than others could. Like he could look beyond basic solid masses and see the individual particles that made things up. Stiles also very well remembered what he saw when the man was still naked. All of that slim yet muscular six-pack hotness, but he did not look at anything passed the belt. He didn't know then, nor now, why that man was naked, but he was going to give him the respect that he may or may not deserve. Since the guy did save his life, and was kind enough to walk him to his car, Stiles was going to lean with the guy deserving respect.
Stiles was able to stay quiet for a few steps before he asked, "Well if I can't call you dude, then can you at least tell me your name?" The other man looked at him, again with a raised eyebrow.
After deciding that it wasn't necessary to continue watching him for some ulterior motive to the question, he replied back, "Derek."
"Well Derek, my name is Stiles." Stiles was only able to stay quiet for two steps this time. "Why did that crazy old man try to shoot me?"
Derek had to let out a sigh before a sad look crossed his face. He tried to replace it with a neutral one, but you could still see what he was feeling in his eyes.
"You saw the wolf. Didn't you?"
With flaying arms, Stiles said, "Well yeah, but why would a poacher care that I saw an animal that wasn't even indigenous to the area. It's not like anyone would even believe me."
"It's because the wolf isn't supposed to be here that he was ready to kill you."
"Oh." Stiles looked down at his feet that he really wanted to drag, but knew it would probably piss the other guy off and make them go slower. He started thinking about the poor wolf running around, knowing it was being hunted, to please the desires of some sick man.
"Is the wolf alone?" Derek looked to Stiles again, but this time with confusion.
Knowing what he was about to ask, Stiles said, "Wolves are pack animals. Like humans, they need constant contact with others to feel safe. If the wolf I saw today is being hunted, I would like to think that he is not here alone and that he has his pack here with him to help him feel safe and give him purpose to try to survive for more than just to survive."
For the first time in their brief acquaintance with each other, Derek smiled at Stiles before letting out a huff.
"I'm pretty sure his pack is hiding and waiting for him to come back."
"Why would the others be hiding?"
"They probably know that he is doing everything he can to make sure that his pack doesn't get hurt."
Stiles suddenly stopped walking and asked, "What do you mean?"
Derek stopped with him and looked right at Stiles before answering, "That wasn't some random wolf you met, Stiles. That was the alpha of the wolf pack."
Stiles couldn't think of a better response than, "oh," before he continued walking towards his jeep again.
If Derek was right, and that was the alpha of the group, then he felt bad for the wolf. As Alpha, of anything really, that meant that he was in charge of making sure his pack stayed safe and healthy. That he had to protect them at all times while making sure the other needs of the pack were met. How was that wolf supposed to do all that away from his real home? For a wolf to have to go through all that, and make sure some poacher wasn't going to kill them, seemed like a lot of responsibility for something that had to stay hidden.
"I don't think that's how the wolf sees it. He isn't doing it because he has to. He is doing it to make sure that his pack, his family, stays safe."
If Derek just said that, then it means that Stiles just spoke his thoughts out loud without thinking again. Somehow, Derek didn't seem fazed by that ramble.
Stiles looked very intently at Derek before he asked, "What's your part between the hunter and the wolf?"
Derek let out a very dejected sigh at that question.
He had taken a couple of steps before answering, "I make sure that he follows the rules of the deal he made."
The answer didn't make Stiles feel much better. Why would a guy, whom was willing to participate in something barbaric, be nice enough to save a guy and walk him to his car? That didn't make any sense. Stiles could only ask the next logical question.
Reflexively, Stiles asked, "What are the rules?"
"From sunrise to sunset shall the hunter be able to hunt the alpha of the pack. He may lure the wolf into a trap set during the hunt, but never during the time of the moon, and must not be able to hurt bystanders within a mile of public spaces. Bystanders that venture past this point can only be considered to be a part if they come within direct contact of the alpha. Both the Wolf Alpha and Hunter must stay within the preserve at all times during the hunt, no more no less."
To Stiles, the way Derek recited that sounded more like a sick contract or pledge. As if he did more than just memorized it once, but repeated it to himself constantly throughout the day. Like he himself lived by the rules.
"To me it sounds like a lot of rules for a simple illegal hunt."
Derek didn't respond to that comment. Stiles wasn't sure if he could.
"Why do you do this?"
Derek answered, "If I don't do this, then nothing stops him from going after the pack instead."
Stiles looked carefully at Derek after that. He had to know something if that was his response.
"You know where the pack is. Don't you?"
Derek stopped and stiffened at that.
He just looked angry and frustrated before he rubbed his hand through his hair and asked, "What were you doing so deep in the preserve anyway? Shouldn't you be at the mall or something?"
Stiles looked down at his feet with a sigh before answering, "I turned twenty-one today, and on big milestone days like this, I think about my mom. How I wish she was alive to see me get to this point in my life. I used to come to the preserve all the time with her, for camping and stuff. I probably wouldn't have gotten so lost in my thoughts today if my dad didn't tell me that he was going to start setting me up on blind dates so I could meet someone. It doesn't make sense why he thinks that would work considering my dad met my mom when he had to pull her over for speeding back when he was still a deputy. How can a man that spontaneously met the love of his life think that forcing something would help me find mine?"
Derek was looking at Stiles with wide eyes. To think that the guy in front of him already had a lot on his mind before a deranged stranger pointed a gun at him.
"Sorry about having a rough day on your birthday."
Stiles waved him off and started walking down the road again saying, "It wasn't a rough day. I just wish my dad would worry about himself more than about my non-existent love life."
With the air feeling so thick, Derek was relieved when Stiles shortly started running up to what he assumed was his jeep.
With a smile, Stiles asked his car, "Hey Baby, did you miss me?" He walked to the driver side and put his hand on the door handle before he looked to Derek and asked dejectedly, "I won't see you again, will I?"
Derek shook his head and answered back, "It really would be best if we didn't. You should stay safe enough if the poacher or I don't see you again."
Stiles nodded his understanding before opening his car door and started climbing into it.
Before Stiles closed the door, he asked, "What are you going to do now that the guy can't go hunting for that wolf right now?"
"I'm going to head back to my place and rest up. It does start all over again tomorrow."
Stiles leaned his head back against the head-rest. With everything that he just found out today, he doesn't even feel like heading out to Jungle anymore.
"You should go. I'm the one that is supposed to worry about the wolves, not you. One of us should be able to go out and do normal people things." Curse his lack of brain to mouth filter.
It hurt Stiles at how Derek sounded like he didn't deserve to do normal people things. As if he truly thinks he is on this planet strictly to mediate some sick contract that an old man would be willing to break within a second. Stiles couldn't stop what came out of his mouth next.
"My dad is the sheriff. I can tell him what is going on here. You could give him proof and we could stop that guy from hurting-
"It doesn't work that way Stiles," Derek interrupted. "If the hunter even suspects he is about to get caught, he will break the deal and just cause a massacre. You are not the first one to run into the wolf, but you are one of the few that gets to live. If you really want to go against him, then stay away from here so he won't have a reason to finish what he started."
Stiles wanted to argue with him, but he knew he couldn't. Derek was right. How could he use the law to fight a monster that blindly went against it?
Stiles closed the car door and rolled down his window.
He faced Derek and said, "Goodbye Derek."
"Goodbye Stiles."
He then placed his key into the ignition and started the car. He watched Derek disappear in his rear view mirror as he was driving away.
As he was driving home to change and head to Jungle, Stiles couldn't help but wish that he could help save the wolves, or at least see Derek again.
For those of you that may have noticed, I changed the rule about a trap can't be within a hundred feet of public areas. I live really close to a couple national preservations and a hundred feet seemed really short for some bystander to walk away from the trail to set off a trap. I have also edited the first chapter. I hope you guys like this story so far. Please send in reviews or PM me your opinions and comments.