Chapter(5) "Here's a comb and a towel," the cat said, "take them and run away; Baba Yaga will run after you. You put your ear to the ground, and as soon as you hear that she's close, throw the towel first. It will turn into a great wide river. If Baba Yaga crosses the river and starts catching up again, put your ear to the ground again, and as soon as you hear that she's close, throw the comb. It will turn into a deep, dark forest. She won't be able to get through it!" The boy took the towel and the comb thanking the cat for its kindness and ran.

Stiles remembered once watching his mother sit at her vanity and brushing her hair with a small black comb made of stone. She would hum and sing softly to herself, mostly of battles Stiles had never heard of.

"Matka?" Stiles said softly

"Yes little one?" she would reply.

"Who is Koshchey the Deathless?" he asked making her stop and chuckle.

"Some one from a long long time ago my little one." Maria replied with a chuckle as she removed the comb from her hair and began to comb his with it. "Someone from a long long time ago."

"Is dead?" Stiles asked

"No sweetie Koshchey is called the deathless because he can't die not unless it is under a very special circumstances and even then he came back." she said gently as she finished with his hair and tucked the comb away in a little handkerchief and tucked it into a drawer.

Stiles tightened his hold on the comb in his pocket as he held on tight to the Maid's back and made sure to keep the others in sight. He kept glancing back at the pack nearly laughing as the others struggled to keep up. Olivia raced along beside the Maid not even seeming to tire as the wolves did. Finally the maid slowed as they reached a thin close together woods.

"What's wrong why are you stopping?" Derek demanded as the Maid helped Stiles down.

"I can go no further, I must return to my children. Be careful little one, so many things happening not all safe for you." The Maid told Stiles as she gently stroked his hair.

"I've got Matka's gifts." Stiles replied and then added when he saw Derek's look. "And Derek and the pack."

"You are so strong little one, I almost not recognize the little one who first learn to weave with us." The Maid added kissing Stiles forehead before disappearing back into the woods.

"What was she talking about?" Lydia asked as they followed Stiles towards the trees with Derek beside him.

"Hmm? Oh the weaving!" Stiles said with a fond smile.

"Yes." Lydia replied giving Stiles a look that says 'duh!'

"Well Babushka keeps a loom in her home. And when I was about 9 I asked the Maid to teach me because well, my mom.." Stiles faltered a moment his breath hitching a bit at the memory.

He'd gone to visit his babushka right after his mother had fallen ill. He hadn't wanted to be alone but he couldn't stand to be around any more 'well meaning' extended family from his mother's side. Or the looks of pity he got from most of the town. He'd gone out into the woods and screamed and cried begging who ever would listen that his mother not leave him alone. He hadn't heard her for all his screaming at the gods. So turning suddenly to see her standing over him a basket filled with yarn firmly tucked under arm made him fall backwards onto his bottom. She hadn't said word just lifting him into her arms. Stiles always marveled at how no matter how big he got she could lift him up. He buried his face into her shoulder. The smell of faded lilac and the smell of smoke soaked in her clothes soothing him. He said nothing and she offered no words just carried him through the woods through the trees so thin yet so tightly together one couldn't really move through them faster then a slow steady walk. He could still recall the faint sound of the loom going clickty clack clotcky clack as they approached the house. He didn't say a word as the Maid stood up and bowed to Babushka and him before returning to the loom. He had been sat down on the bench chair next to the Maid as Babushka started to thread some of the yarn into the loom. Before going over to the counter to start dinner. Stiles knew neither one would speak about what was happening with his mother.

"Can I learn?" he asked softly to the Maid who just blinked in surprise as if she had forgotten he was there so he asked again. "Can I learn please?"

The Maid looked over to her Mistress who was watching them before looking back at Stiles and smiled.

"Little one wants to make something for Momma?" The Maid asked

"Yes Maid." Stiles replied with a small smile

"As you wish little one," she replied pulling him into her lap.

Stiles felt a hand on his shoulder bringing him back to the present. He glanced up and saw a look on Derek's face one that reminded him of someone else.

"Sorry, my mother had a small loom and she didn't, she couldn't teach me at the time so I asked the Maid and so she taught me. I broke the strands more times then I can count but she always said young ones do." Stiles said with a fond smile as he led them slowly through the thick trees.

"So that's how you made that one blanket in home EC." Scott said. "I wondered how you manged that."

"Well I was going to make borscht but...well I wasn't sure anyone would eat it." Stiles replied with a chuckle

"Why not?" Isaac asked finally speaking up.

"The one I was taught has beets in it and I know I don't have to remind everyone what happened when Jackson tried to cook them."

Lydia and a few of the others snorted while Jackson just glared.

"What happened?" Peter said voicing what Chris and Derek were thinking.

"Pressure cooker." Stiles replied. "he didn't take it off the burner before opening the lead. It blew up everywhere. The whole home economics kitchen smelled like beets for the next two years, if you stand in that spot in the kitchen you can still smell them faintly."

Jackson muttered and those with super hearing laughed or tried to suppress it.

"But yeah its why I have a lot of the skills I've got, between mom, Babushka and the Maid. I know how to keep a home." Stiles said.

"You keep calling her the that, why?" Chris asked.

"Because that is what she is to me." Stiles replied. "My grandmother."