Chapter (4)The boy set off. He walked for a long time, and finally arrived. A small house stood, and Baba Yaga with the Bony Leg sat in it, weaving. "Hello, dear aunt!" he called out as he entered. "Hello, my darling!" she said with a sharp smile, showing off her iron teeth. "Mother sent me to ask for a needle and some thread so she can sew me a shirt." he said trying not to shiver in fear at the sight of her sharp teeth. "All right, well for now, sit down and do some weaving." she said standing and letting the boy sit in her seat. So the boy sat at the weaving loom, and Baba Yaga left to give order to her maid. "Go, heat up the bathhouse and give my nephew a bath, and make sure he's nice and clean. I want him for my breakfast." The boy sat still as a statue, frightened nearly to death, and asked the maid: "Dearest! Don't spend so much time lighting the wood as pouring water on it, and don't hurry hauling water, use a seive for it!" And he gave her a kerchief. Baba Yaga was waiting. She walked up to the window and asked: "Are you weaving, dear nephew, are you weaving, my darling?" "Yes, I'm weaving, auntie, I'm weaving, my dearest!" Baba Yaga stepped away. The boy stood up and noticed the cat watching him with wide yellow eyes so he gave the cat some ham and asked it: "Isn't there a way to get out of here?"
Stiles took a step into the darkness of the woods but was yanked back by a grip on his arm.
"Derek let go," he said with a sigh not trying to pull away from Derek 's grip. "I can't move if you are holding tightly onto my arm."
"Stiles shut up." Derek growled.
"We don't know what traps this bitch has laid you can't just walk in there." Scott said.
"Shut it McCall." Stiles growled making the others stare in shock. "We don't know if she's the one doing it or not. An insulting her before we even get properly into her territory is a one way trip into her pot for supper."
"Stiles it really is dangerous for you to be just walking in there." Allison said trying to be the voice of reason.
"Listen Argent I've been coming here since I was little she's never harmed me." Stiles hissed making Allison look away not meeting his eyes. "We're here to ask questions not for you morons to just attack her with out reason. I brought you guys along because...because if I'm wrong, I want to end this quickly but I still say it isn't her."
Stiles took a deep breath and pulled away from Derek who didn't say anything as Stiles turned back into the woods and took a few steps away before the others quickly followed behind him. Stiles could never remember the woods being so quiet or so empty as they followed the long used path. No one expected the yowl as a large black cat the almost as big as Stiles suddenly dropped from the tree hissing at the others. She wrapped herself around Stiles her eyes blazing with a yellow light.
"No she's not here to hurt us." Stiles snapped when both Argents raised their weapons. Stiles placed his hand on the cats head before pulling a bit of ham from a pouch and holding it out to the cat, which quickly took it and devoured it down happily before rubbing against Stiles happily with a purr.
"Stiles?" Lydia said watching the cat with wary eyes.
"She won't hurt you, not now at least, will you Olivia?" Stiles cooed stroking the cat's head gently, the cat let out a low mewl. "Silly cat," he said fondly.
"Stiles she's huge." Lydia added her tone convening how anyone could call something that big silly was insane.
"She's wasn't always this big, now come on." Stiles said turning and walking down the path again. Olivia still pressed close to his side, she only stopped once to throw and unimpressed look at the others and scoffing before hurrying to catch up with Stiles.
"I think we were just snuffed by a cat." Scott muttered as they followed quietly behind.
"No duh McCall." Jackson said with a snort.
Stiles pretended to not hear them and just patted Olivia's head as he remembered when he first met her.
He'd been about eight when he had went out into the forest intent on finding his Babushka's house by himself. He'd gotten lost of course but he soon found that was the easiest way to get to her home. She wasn't outside this time but her front door was still open. The sounds of the clacking of the ancient loom she kept in her living room could be heard outside. The fire was burning bright in the hearth as she sat at her work.
"Hello Babushka." Stiles greeted happily.
"Hello little one." Babushka chuckled.
"I brought you something!" he said holding up his nap sack. "Babushka what's wrong with kitty?" he asked when he noticed the big black cat curled up on the rug looking as if to be in pain.
"She's giving birth little one. She's having kittens." Babushka said lifting him into her lap and gently stroking his hair. He felt her nails which were always pure white scratch lightly at his scalp.
"Oh," Stiles said watching the cat with interest. He sat comfortable cuddled up in Babushka's lap as she started to work on the loom again as he watched as six little kittens were born. The last one was extremely tiny.
"Is Kitty going to eat them?" he asked making Babushka laugh.
"No little one she's just cleaning them but it seems that little one may not survive." she said seeing the smallest one struggling to stay close as its much bigger siblings pushed it out of the way.
"But Babushka you can't let it die!" he had nearly wailed earning a glare from Kitty, who just returned to licking her little one's clean.
"It is life little one, you know this." she said with a smile.
"I know but please," he said softly, she sighed and smile.
"I will see little one." she said finally. "Now did you have something for me?"
"Yes," the little boy said happily reaching out for his nap sack and pulling out a ruffly constructed craft made of pipe cleaners. "It's a Brigid's cross! Momma showed me how to make one. I made one for Momma and you. Momma said that Brigid and Matka Gabia were close to the same because they both are of fire and protect the hearth. "
"It's lovely little one," she chuckled taking it and smiling. "It will have a place on my hearth. Now I think it is time to go home your momma must be worried."
"Okay Babushka." he said hopping off her lap letting her stand up and gently take his hand to lead him out.
"Bye Kitty, bye kittens!" he said turning to wave at the cat who just snorted and returned to tending her young.
When he and his mother visit two months later, all the kittens but the tiny one are gone. The little one is still too small and Babushka is frustrated as all the others had started to grow. Stiles pleads to his mother and grandmother to let him keep the kitten and with his Babushka's permission, Kitty drops the hapless kitten into his lap where it mews helplessly.
"Are you going to name her?" Babushka asks as she makes a cup of tea for herself and his momma.
"Olivia." he says happily stroking the kittens head gently. "An she's gonna be a big strong protector like her momma." he says firmly not seeing as strands of magic flowing from his fingers into the small kitten's body as he pets her.
"Yes she will be." His Momma said watching them, she looked back at Babushka when she said something in Russian Stiles didn't catch.
Stiles is brought back from his memories by Derek moving to stand by his right side since Olivia is on his left.
"Stop fretting sour wolf, it's going to be alright." Stiles said firmly sounding more sure and confident then he felt. He felt Olivia leaned against him and purred loudly.
"Stiles are you sure this is smart?" Erica asked as the webbing on the trees got thicker the further in they went. "I mean are you even going in the right direction?"
"The best way to find the house is to be lost." Stiles answered. "It has a tendency to walk off where ever it wants so if I tried to follow a set path we wouldn't find it."
"Stiles it's a house, its not going to get up and walk away." Scott said talking to Stiles as if he was simple.
"Scott you are still on my shit list, stop opening your mouth and proving you're an idiot and just follow me. If you get lost without me, I'm not stopping you from getting eaten by either the dogs or the spiders." Stiles replied half cold he would have kept going if not for the fact Derek reached out and grabbed his wrist and squeezing it gently. Stiles glanced at Derek who just have Stiles a half glare. Stiles knew it was just his way of tell him that he was worried so Stiles didn't say anything else.
They were deep into the woods when Stiles heard the sound of clicking of spider feet. He knew the others tensed but Stiles didn't stop walking. He called out loudly in polish before he started to sing as well. The others just looked at him like he was crazy but the loud sound of spider's feet stopped and it dawned on them that they were listening to Stiles sing.
"Amidst great Rocks
Koschey the Deathless leaping,
Onward rides,
Wild and fierce
And free again from chains.
Like the storm he howls and weeping,
Sprays the steppes
With burning tears of rage." Stiles sang out in both English and polish. Olivia stay quiet but yowl when a young women dressed in red and black stepped on to the little path. The dress was a deep black with red trim done in an older style from hundreds of years ago. Her apron white and he skin deeply tanned.
"Hello my dearest." she said giving Stiles a fanged smile. All her teeth sharp.
"Hello little maid." Stiles responded.
"You still sing so lovely. Shall I clean and prepare for your friends arrival at my mistresses home?" the Maid asked.
"No they are not for supper nor for any meal if I can help it. So do not waste your time heating the water or stroking the fire." Stiles replied digging again in his bag and stepping forward only to be yanked back by Derek.
The maid hissed bearing her fangs at Derek.
"Derek you asshole let go." Stiles growled as he pulled a handkerchief from his bag finally and pulling away from Derek stepped forward to the Maid who yanked the boy into her arms hugging him tightly to her. "It's okay he's not going to hurt me. I have something for little maid."
The maid let go of Stiles and looked at him curiously but smiled as Stiles handed her the handkerchief. Unfolding it revealed a lovely little spider pin.
"Oh little one you are too kind. Help me put it on please?" She asked happily as she lifted the black hair pin up.
"Of course little maid," Stiles chuckled as he helped her tie the handkerchief in her hair and then pin it into place with the pin. "Were you hurt the other day?" he asked noticing several scratch marks on her neck once her hair was up and out of the way.
"Was attacked by unknown. It got away." she said her voice a bit of a hiss. "Not safe in the little one, need to take dogs and leave."
"We're not dogs." Erica hissed back her fangs and claws growing.
"Not talking about you girl." the Maid hissed. "Not safe little one needs to be safe. Mistress would punish so bad if you got hurt."
"I'm fine Maid. I have Derek and the pack here with me." Stiles said softly bringing her attention back to him.
"Be safe go home. Mistress isn't going to be happy you're here." the Maid said trying again to convince Stiles to leave.
"No." Stiles said firmly making the maid sigh.
"Little one so stubborn like father." she spoke. "Can only lead you little way."
"It's fine if you can take us to the gate it's as far as I'll ask you to go." Stiles asked.
"Can do that little one, can wolves keep up? Or do I need sisters to carry?"
"We'll keep up." Derek said
"We'll see." the Maid said stepping back her body contorting til she became a creature half spider and half human. Stiles just laughed at the others who were gaping at her. The Maid then hauled Stiles up into her arms and onto her back before taking off down the path. With the wolves and the hunters following down the path.