A/N: I broke this chapter into two parts since the second part became longer than I thought XD So this one is just Saturday instead of the whole weekend but part 2 is already almost done so it won't take long for an update. I know I haven't updated anything recently but I've had some IRL stuff to deal with and it's been pretty hectic... but here it is =D
We learn a bit more about Noshiko and the Nogitsune so I'm messing with the lore again XD I hope it all makes sense!
*Saturday*
Kira was woken up suddenly by someone whispering in her ear and a hand quickly covered her mouth as she went to suck in a breath to scream. Her eyes flew open and she registered that Peter was sitting on the edge of her bed, an amused smirk on his face. She sat up immediately, eyes bright and fully awake, mumbling his name through his fingers.
"Shhh, I don't want to get my permission to teach rescinded by being caught in your room so early in the morning." Once Kira acknowledged his words, he removed his hand. "I promised to come see you right?"
"Well yea, but I wasn't expecting you this early in the morning, is everything okay?"
Peter nodded his head and laid out next to Kira, easily maneuvering her onto his chest, arms wrapping around her. "Nothing's wrong, just wanted to see you. I find myself wishing I could spend more time with you and well, I'm not one to wait. I figured your parents would let you sleep in a little while so I stopped by. Oh, I'm planning on going to the game tonight, just to mix things up, should be fun."
Kira smiled and cuddled into Peter's chest, ecstatic at Peter's admission. At first she thought maybe it was just her that felt that ache… a longing, to be with him more. When he mentioned the game, she tilted her head and looked up at him, "We still aren't going to tell Scott right?"
"No, no, I'm not ready to tell him yet, that would just make things more difficult. I'd rather wait until you have a few more Tails, then you can show him that your mom approves of me teaching you. Still, I can go sit with you and the girls, show some support for the Pack. Have you thought any more about which Tail you want to work on next? I know we said we'd just go down the list but I figured I should ask and see. Technically the next one would be learning how to summon your hornets."
She thought for a moment, "That one doesn't sound bad. Although, just based on your opinion, which ones do you think I'd have the hardest time learning? I figure we can save those for last and give me more time to really learn how to control my Thunder."
"Definitely the neural control and the intangibility, although dream manipulation can be rather hard if you have a hard time connecting with someone's subconscious. On the flip side, your Thunder effect, the shockwave, might be easy to learn. Plus your minion, the hornet, is small so it should be easy for you to manifest, versus something like the deer. The illusion stuff, might be easy, might be hard, depends on if I can accurately describe it to you…"
"Then how about we stick with the hornets, then maybe the shockwave stuff. Both of those sound interesting, although… I honestly have no idea what I'd use my hornets for…"
Peter ran his fingers through Kira's hair, "On a day to day basis, not much. For you, since they'd be an extension of your powers, they'd come in handy whenever you're fighting an enemy. While they are busy fighting us Wolves, you can unleash them and have them shock multiple opponents at once. Or they can produce a small shockwave, once you've mastered that, so they could work as traps and stuff."
"I remember you saying something like that when you first told me all about my Tails- oh um, I know it's kinda late but, can you also teach me how to do the… aura hiding thing? I mean, Mom already found out but it still might be handy to be able to block my aura in the future."
"Yea, of course, we can work that in as well. Or is that something you should work on with your mom?" Peter asked. "With the complexity of hiding a Fox aura, she might be the better teacher, there is more to it than just hiding a Wolf scent."
"Oh, good point! I can ask Mom, she should at least be able to give me some pointers. Then if I can't grasp it via her methods, I'll ask you."
"Sounds good, I'll get back to you on a day that we can work together on the hornets. Oh, time to go, your mom is coming to wake you up for breakfast." Peter sat up, pulling Kira with him and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you this evening," he promised. As he went out the window, Peter was surprised to find himself smiling; he'd never been one for casual visits before but he found that he was wanting to spend more and more time with his Kitsune, just like he'd said. Maybe he should find more time to stop by and visit under her parents' noses.
Kira was still smiling to herself when her mom opened the door a few moments later, telling her that breakfast would be soon. If her mom was surprised to see her awake and smiling, she didn't comment at all. Kira would have thought it was all a crazy dream except for the fact that Peter didn't close her window all the way, he'd been in a hurry. Even if it had only been for a few minutes, just knowing that Peter took the time out of his day to come and see her made Kira feel special. Peter was obviously a man that knew how to make his lover feel appreciated. Lover? Had Kira really just… a blush covered her cheeks as she imagined what it would be like to be with Peter. They'd gotten a little heavy handed before but they hadn't had sex yet. She thought back on his promise in the woods and covered her face. But she didn't have long to dwell on him because after breakfast, Noshiko told her to get dressed and head to the basement, they were training.
She was standing in the middle of the basement, facing her mom and chewing on her lip, how was this going to go exactly? This really shouldn't have surprised her, now that Mom knew she was earning her Tails and was committed to learning, she'd want to work with her even more. Just as long as it wasn't… hardcore training like before. But her mom seemed to understand where Kira was coming from when they'd had their talk so surely it wouldn't be that bad.
"Alright Kira, I'm hoping to spend some time teaching you more about your reactions today, so that way you can understand your movements better," Noshiko said. She had her own katana in her hand and began to twirl it around, "But first, tell me, is it better to use one hand or two when using a sword?"
"Um, well, two gives you more power and stability but right now you're twirling it with one hand, and that's how I do it as well, how come?" Kira asked, eyes watching the blade's movement. She had an odd compulsion to mimic her mom's movements.
"Good response, there is a time for one hand and a time for two. Generally, we use two hands although of course there are specific styles that utilize one. For Kitsune, as I'm sure you've probably noticed yourself doing a lot, we always spin the blade before we engage, do you know why?"
Kira shook her head, "I just know that it feels… right. Even if I'm not fighting, like when we were all gathered and were just coming up with a plan for fighting the Nogitsune, I was stressed and I found the katana in my hands, it helped to steady me." Besides, she loved how the others always looked really impressed with her sudden skill, maybe she liked to show off a bit…
"That's because it helps us awaken and bond with the weapon," Noshiko explained. "When you have your spark tied to the weapon, it helps to awaken it, let's the spark warm up before getting used. Obviously, if need be, you can just grab the weapon and 'turn it on' but the spark is stronger if you've taken a few minutes to handle the sword. But even in weapons that you haven't imbued yet, it helps our Kitsune spirit become attuned to the weapon in our hands- the weight, the feel, its preferred movement style."
"That makes a lot of sense actually, when I was learning how to awaken the spark for the imbuing part, I twirled my sword around until I felt this connection with it. But wait… why do Humans do it? I mean, we see it all the time in movies and stuff…"
Noshiko chuckled, "Because it adds flair and looks cool. I think it started as a way to intimidate one's opponent; it lets you show off your skill before the fight even starts and maybe they'll back down. For us it's more than that, although I suppose, depending on the enemy, they might be intimidated as well."
"And it's just easier to use 'flair' with one hand I'm guessing?" Kira asked, flicking her wrist and letting the hilt of her katana spin around the back of her wrist.
"Exactly."
"Okay, so… since I did imbue this weapon, would that mean that I should just… like hold it more often? Peter told me that I can summon the weapon from further away if I have a really strong bond with it."
"Yes, by handling the weapon more and keeping the spark alive in the katana, you will create a very strong bond with it. That's why the sword belongs to you now, the bond you've created with it is strong. It was mine, years ago, one of my favorites, which is why I used it to attack the Nogitsune all those years ago. But when I attacked him, I had to push my essence from the sword into the body."
"You… pushed your essence out… Is that why it shattered?"
Noshiko nodded, "Yes. It is… traumatic for a weapon to have its spark torn from it- but it was necessary. That was my way of… changing the body of the host. The katana was infused with a mass amount of my power and by pouring in a different Element, the host body couldn't cope and the Nogitsune was forced out. I saved the pieces, I couldn't bear to leave it down there, shattered. Certain types of Kitsunes can reforge weapons as an effect of their FoxFire and thankfully you were one of them. Otherwise I would still have a sheath of broken pieces. But by reforging it, you… changed the sword's alliance, you filled the hole that I created when I removed my spark. Kira, you brought the sword back to life, while I was the one that killed it. .. Now you didn't quite imbue it with your spark back then, since you didn't understand how to do that, but you still created a strong bond with it. Keep that in mind in the future- the next weapon you try to imbue might be a little harder than you think."
"Wait… well okay, I get that part, I had a head start on imbuing the katana and that was probably why it only took me a few minutes to figure it out but… I had no idea how to… force any of my spark into… um… Not-Stiles's body… What would have happened if Scott hadn't of Bitten him? And weapons have alliances? What does that mean?"
"I wouldn't have let you fight the Nogitsune if the Bite wasn't a part of the plan. I just knew that your sword had enough latent… 'magic' in it and it would at least hamper the Nogitsune, giving Scott time to administer the Bite. Any other weapon wouldn't have been strong enough to hurt him, to make him pause. If it came down to only using that sword, I would have had to teach you how to push your essence into a body, which as you know now, I was hesitant to do. Especially since we would have been pressed for time and there would have been no way you could've understood all the intricacies needed to find a balance." Noshiko regarded the katana in her daughter's hands with a fond look, "Of course weapons form alliances, we help them to feel alive in a way that normal Humans cannot. By waking them up, they tend to imprint on us, if we were to switch swords right now for a mock fight, you would feel exactly what I mean. And that bond is only increased once you imbue a weapon with your spark, you give the weapon a new purpose, a new life. And that is why removing the spark is detrimental for the weapon- you strip them of their purpose and they can't just go back to being what they were before."
"Oh, I get it. I mean, I knew you wouldn't have totally just let me walk to my doom, and that if I absolutely needed to do the spark forcing part in order to win, you would've said something. I kinda wondered how just the sword worked for you back then and that made me wonder as to why it broke… but okay, that makes a lot more sense. It was because you took the spark from the sword in order to fill his body with a different essence, changing the body." There was a lot more to weapon handling than she had ever realized… of course she knew that the sword used to belong to her mom but she had no idea that her mom had sacrificed her bond with the katana. Had no idea that the reason it had shattered was because the Spirit essence had been forced from it. She looked down at the katana, amazed at how much this sword had been through, and now it was helping her to become a better Kitsune. Then she looked back up at her mom, wondering exactly what her essence was… Kira bit her lip for a moment, deciding to just ask, "Mom… you're a Spirit Kitsune right? I mean… I was going over the list of Tails and that seems to be the only Element that fits… We never talked about it and with everything that was going on, it just never seemed to be the right time to ask…"
"Yes, I am a Spirit Kitsune, I… I hadn't realized either that we never discussed it. If… If I hadn't lost all my Tails, I could be a more proper teacher and show you…"
"But… isn't it going to take a long time for you to get your Tails back? I mean… are you going to be okay?" Kira asked, worried about her mom.
"Yes, I will be fine. Like I said, I can still heal quite well and given enough time, I can produce FireFox. What will take the longest is amassing enough of my spark to recreate the Tails and the power they hold. Our Tails are like reservoirs, holding a chunk of our power for us to use. I just need to build that power back up, but I'll be able to use my powers long before I regain a Tail. I just can't overdo it or I'll be pulling power from the reservoir again and it will take even longer to fill."
"Oh, okay, I just… don't want anything bad to happen because of what we accidently did…"
"I've survived this long, I won't let one Nogitsune be the end of me now," Noshiko assured her daughter. "Any other questions or shall we continue with the weapons training?"
"Just one… I… how come the Nogitsune was able to summon the Oni? That's not something Void Kitsune can do… it wasn't because of you and the essence thing, right?"
"Well, to start, he didn't actually summon them, he just… repurposed the ones I'd already summoned. Spirit summoning has a certain protocol that Kitsune have to follow, it's usually considered one of the hardest Tails for a Spirit Kitsune to master. For small, less powerful spirits, we can just summon a bit of our energy- how it works is that the summoned spirits need a body to inhabit in order for them to interact with our world. And our FoxFire is made up of essence and energy so it's the perfect host- we build the body from our energy for them to use."
Kira tilted her head, confused about something, "What about the fireflies? Your animal summon is the butterfly, right?"
"Yes, butterflies are for Spirit because they represent transition and change; Spirit Kitsunes represent the transition from life to death. Other animal minions are very literal, like how River Kitsunes summon otters, a creature known to live in rivers. There are a few that take on a more symbolic for though. Fireflies represent life, they give off light which is naturally assumed to be tied with Goodness and Purity- Heaven. This is why they are also the animal representation of Celestial Kitsune- the light energy they wield is reminiscent of Heavenly Energy, of that same Goodness. When fireflies glow, it is because they are looking for a mate, they are working on creating new life. So naturally, fireflies are the chosen conduit for spirits to enter into our world. The firefly is their connection to this world but the Spirit energy is the host they use to interact with this world," Noshiko explained. "So back to the main question, I create the vessel in which the spirit will dwell and once they have manifested, I issue an order for them to follow. At this time, the spirits have bonded with my specific energy and know to carry out the instructions I've given them. What happened with the Nogitsune was only possible because he stole my Tail, not because of our previous fight. Because it was mine, the Oni reacted to it as if I was the one giving them the new order. He waited until the Oni were around him and then broke the Tail, releasing new energy for them… it's akin to making a new deal. If, for any reason, I wish to change the instructions, I have to offer up more of my energy to renew the contract. It prevents a Kitsune from easily keeping a summoned spirit around forever by constantly changing their instructions. And of course, the stronger the spirit, the more energy they require for a renegotiation. Summoned spirits will stay until its directives have been completed and then disperse, the only other way to preemptively dismiss them is to kill the firefly, if the conduit for them to be here is gone, they can't stay. Of course, the more powerful the spirit, the harder it is to actually access the firefly. Although… if their master dies, that's another way to dismiss a spirit before they've completed their objective. The will behind their instructions is gone so they have no directives to complete any longer."
"So by breaking the Tail, he offered up all your stored energy as a renegotiation and they didn't realize it wasn't actually you giving them the new, um, instructions?" Kira asked.
"Basically. Most Kitsune are not willing to be ordered around so it isn't very likely that someone could coerce a Spirit Kitsune into summoning a spirit for them. And it's just as unlikely that a Tail will get stolen. So that is how they identify their master, by energy signature- a type of supernatural fingerprint. There is no voice recognition since I never actually verbalized what I wanted the Oni to do, it's based off of my will."
Kira blinked a few times, "Wow, that sounds… I mean, I can see how that's supposed to be foolproof, but then again, that also goes to show just how formidable a thousand year old Void Kitsune can be. Um, but okay, enough of the heavy topics, we can do weapon training now."
Noshiko smiled, glad that Kira wasn't afraid to ask questions. She could have easily been dissuaded from asking because of her prior attitude and evasions but that seemed to be behind them. At least now she knew Noshiko would actually provide answers and that probably made it easier to ask. "Now, when you see me move like this, what is your instinct telling you to do?"
The younger Kitsune was caught off guard when she saw her mom suddenly advance and raise her sword like she was going to strike. Immediately, Kira's own katana was raised, positioned horizontally above her head in order to block the strike.
"Do you know why you moved like that?"
"Um.. because I thought you were attacking?"
"Yes, granted, that was a very obvious maneuver, but in order for you to understand my point, we're starting on square one. So, you were able to read my movements and guess as to what my mode of attack was going to be. Now if I move like this?" Noshiko brought her sword down and slashed at her daughter's side, which Kira easily blocked again. "Good, you were able to determine a side slash, also easy. But it's important to realize the difference between reaction and reflex. Right now, you're reacting on reflex, because… that was the way I trained you. And that isn't a bad way to wield a weapon, it means that you can respond to an attack without needing to process what is happening. But… it also negates your critical thinking… you only become reflexive against attacks you've seen before. If I were to go like this," Noshiko changed grips on her katana, swinging it on a downward arc again with just her right hand. When Kira reacted and raised her arms to block with her own blade, Noshiko unsheathed her wrist dagger and pressed it into Kira's stomach with her left hand.
"No fair!"
"Exactly my point. You naturally reacted to my movement, not expecting the new attack because I never used that on you before. So what we're going to be working on today is recognizing different grips and what they are used for. I want to build on your critical thinking, so that way if you see an attacker coming with a one-handed grip, you'll be able to react accordingly and not blindly out of reflex for a two-handed attack."
Kira smiled, "Okay, I get it now."
Hours later when the pair of them finally emerged from the basement for a late lunch, Kira was exhausted. Mom was hell bent on being a better teacher; they'd reconstructed Kira's knowledge of using her katana, working on the basics. Kira was able to recognize different styles now as well as utilize different grips- before it had all been out of instinct, like her mom said but now she had a more fundamental understanding. It had taken them a bit to shift Kira's reactions from reflexive to reactive though… In the end, they managed to shift her attention by Noshiko attacking and when Kira moved to block, they froze and Kira had to explain why she had blocked the way she did and what Noshiko's movements had communicated to her. By taking a few moments to discuss it each time, it helped the critical thinking part of her brain wake up, creating mental pathways for her to remember in the future instead of just relying on her muscles to act. Of course, Noshiko still worked Kira hard, hence why she was so exhausted but, at least they started from the basics and were building on Kira's understanding of the weapon and it was helping a lot. The young Kitsune didn't mind the hard work now that she understood the meaning behind it and it didn't feel meaningless. They even switched katanas for awhile, so Kira could feel what it was like to use a weapon that was already bonded to someone else. It had completely put her off her game and she was happy when they'd switched back.
"Hey Mom, we're done with the training for today right?"
"Yes, I don't want to completely overdo it and wear you out. When you've lived as long as I have, you learn a lot of different styles of fighting with many different weapons; that's not something you'll learn in an afternoon. But I think we made a lot of progress today, you're learning more about how to wield a katana and how to move, not just reacting. Like I said, that was mostly my fault, it was something I could teach you quickly, help you learn how to defend yourself, without actually awakening your powers. Now I have time to train you properly though."
"So, that means I can go to the game tonight right? Since you said I'm not grounded…?"
Noshiko looked her daughter over, "I thought we agreed that you weren't going to lie about when you are training with Peter?"
"What? I'm not…"
"Then why do you have a guilty look on your face?"
Kira looked down at her hands, "More like a nervous look I think. I just… I know I told you that I'm considered Pack, even if you think it's a little weird as a Kitsune but… at the same time… I feel like there is some underlying expectation of going to the games. I mean Allison is going for Isaac… Malia is going for Stiles… All the guys on the team that have girlfriends, they sit together on the benches and cheer and stuff and I just…"
"I thought you liked Scott? When he first noticed you earlier in the year you were practically dancing around the house."
"Yea, I know it's just like… now… things feel different. I mean, he's still totally cute and really nice to me but… knowing he's supposed to be the Alpha of the group, I guess it just feels weird?" At least part of that was true… No way was Kira going to tell her mom that it was also because she'd found Peter instead. It was weird though, she did have a crush on Scott when school had started and she got super flustered around him but her Fox just didn't react to him in the same way that she did whenever she was around Peter. Now that she realized that her Fox and her Human sides were infatuated with Peter (compared to just her Human side concerning Scott), Kira was over the Alpha in that respect.
"Well what about Lydia, she isn't dating anyone on the team but she's still going, right?"
"Yea, that's true. I just know some of them are kinda pushing for me and Scott to get together and it just feels forced and I feel awkward about the whole thing. Like I said, before I totally would have been stoked that they were pushing for it too but I think they just want him to get over Allison and I just don't feel the same way about him now that I know about all this supernatural stuff. But I mean, I'm still going to the game, since it's kinda like a Pack thing, I just wanted to make sure it was okay."
"Yea, you can go tonight since you aren't grounded," Noshiko said.
Kira smiled, "Okay. I'm hoping that soon, I won't… feel as awkward about all of this and find my place in the Pack. Plus I mean… we are still kinda keeping my training a secret from Scott and the others so I just feel weird knowing that I'm hiding something big from them…"
"Well we aren't telling them because they don't trust Peter…"
"I know but… that's totally not right! Peter is different now and I mean… you even went to talk to him and whatever he said worked- he's still my teacher."
"I don't trust him completely and I am going to be monitoring your aura closely to make sure you don't lose that balance. I'm also waiting to hear about what exactly he's going to ask you to do as repayment. But, so far, he has taught you well and I have to acknowledge that. But I do think we should be aware of the fact that Scott and the others would highly disapprove of him teaching you, they know more about him than we do. If they think he's untrustworthy, there is a reason for it."
"If I ever feel like things are getting sketchy, I'll tell you and I won't have any more sessions with Peter, I promise." They just didn't know Peter like she did- they had this complicated history and it affected how they all viewed each other. As long as her mom was at least semi-okay with him teaching her right now, Kira was fine with that. But one of these days, they'd all realize that ostracizing Peter was a mistake and they'd welcome him as a more formal member of the Pack. Then the two of them wouldn't have to hide their relationship.
Noshiko conceded the point, not wanting to start an argument, "Sounds good, just, be on your toes." As long as Kira didn't lose her head, everything would be okay.
*Lacrosse Game*
"So, how do you think the new kid is going to do? Scott finally put him in his place yesterday at practice, you missed it," Malia said, plopping down onto the bleachers. "Where were you anyways, you obviously weren't sick, you can't get sick…"
"Yea, it isn't like you to skip," Lydia pouted from Malia's left side.
"I just… was doing something else is all," Kira mumbled. Wow she hadn't even thought of the girls asking her questions about her absence yesterday. Duh, of course they would! And they all knew about her secret so the usual excuse of the flu was totally out, like Malia just said… What excuse could she possibly give them?
Allison leaned forward and was about to say something about Kira's evasiveness when he heard Lydia suck in a breath, her arm gripped by Lydia's painted nails. "Lydia?"
"What is he doing here?"
Malia and Kira both turned to look, Kira's heart spiking as she spied Peter walking towards them. The Wolf had told her that he was going to be here but a small part of her was afraid he might have changed his mind or something… It wasn't like Peter had any real reason to come to a lacrosse game, except of course it seemed like one of the main reasons he was here was for an excuse to see her. Kira was more than okay with that. She looked him over as he approached the bleachers; he was wearing a dark grey v-neck and his usual jeans while the rest of them were bundled up in jackets- surely he was just showing off right now. But Kira wasn't complaining, he looked good and the short sleeves gave her a good view of his muscled arms. Thankfully Malia was just as focused on him as Allison and Lydia and she didn't notice the change of scent coming from the Kitsune.
Allison stood up and glared, "Why the hell are you here?"
"What?" Peter asked, hurt look on his face. "I can't come and support the lacrosse team, considering who Scott is to us all? Or what if I wanted to chat with my daughter? We obviously have a lot to talk about but she seems hell bent on avoiding me- you probably have nothing to do with that. I'm technically a part of this Pack and Malia is my daughter, I have every right to see her, regardless of you all trying to poison her against me. I understand you don't like me but you can't ice me out completely, you all owe me a lot."
"I don't owe you anything!" Allison stated. "You killed my Aunt!"
"We've told her nothing but the truth!" Lydia cried out at the same time.
"Well to be fair, she killed members of my family first. And I thought we were putting the past behind us, she needed to pay for her crimes. Besides I wasn't exactly in a great frame of mind when I woke up from my coma, I'm not the same Wolf I was. Besides, if I'm such a bad guy, why did I help Scott save Stiles?" Without waiting for an answer, Peter climbed up the bleachers and dropped down behind Kira and Malia. He felt like he'd made a pretty convincing argument about Malia, hopefully if they started to come around, it wouldn't lead to such a fight when his relationship with Kira came out in the open. How many times did he have to explain that he was literally insane after spending 6 long years in a coma? But no, they were all children, unable to understand that the world wasn't black and white… well, most of them were children, Kira of course was smarter than that. Although the calculating look Malia gave him didn't escape his attention either, maybe she was his daughter after all.
"Leave." Allison was still glaring at him, offended that he'd just ignored their words and sat down.
"I have every right to be here, so just sit back down and relax," Peter scoffed.
"I can't exactly relax with you behind me," Lydia told him, body rigid.
Peter tsked, "Lydia, I have no reason to hurt you. I thought we had a pretty good conversation the other day, when I helped you with your Banshee powers-"
"You threatened me and if Allison wasn't there…"
Allison pulled Lydia to her feet, "Don't try to act like you're some saint now just because you've helped. You even told us that day that you were getting something out of it! It wasn't like you helped out of the goodness of your heart!"
"What about when I helped you break out of the Nogitsune's spell, while you and Scott were in Stiles's mind? I was the only one there that even tried to do anything," Peter deflected. Of course he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart, all of them besides Malia and Kira had orchestrated his death! Maybe they were having a hard time trusting him because he'd killed a few people but he had no reason to trust them either because they'd actually set him on fire! They basically shunned him from the Pack, tried to keep him weak, an Omega, but they needed him and that was the only reason Scott let him stay. If they wanted to treat him like a business partner instead of a Packmate, well then, he would reciprocate. And that was why he got along fine with Kira, she actually respected him, listened to him, and in return he didn't treat her like all the others. If he really wanted to be a bastard, he would have simply refused to help Lydia, or Scott, or Stiles. At least this way he was protecting his interests by asking for some kind of payment, since they weren't smart enough to realize how big of an asset he was.
"Hey, I know that you guys don't really like Peter but um, let's not cause a scene?" Kira whispered. "He's right, we have no reason to make him leave… just because he's done some shady stuff in the past doesn't mean that he's here trying to sabotage things. And his point about Malia is valid… he had his memory of her stolen from him, don't you think he has a right to try and get to know his daughter now that he knows the truth?"
"Thank you!"
Allison huffed and pulled Lydia to her left side, so she'd be between her and Peter. Kira didn't understand what Peter was like but she was right, they were causing a scene. They'd just have to talk to Scott about it and then Scott could ban Peter from coming to the games. He'd have to listen if the Alpha ordered him to do something. As for the Malia issue, the Coyote only had to tell him that she wanted nothing to do with him and he'd have to back off!
Malia glanced back at her father, curious about why he was really here. She knew enough about him that she couldn't trust anything he said, Stiles made sure she knew that. But, she also knew that she had no proof he was up to something and Stiles always said that proof was more important than instinct… Malia didn't understand why but that was the way it worked in the Human world and she was Human now, not a Coyote. She was curious about him though, and Peter was absolutely right, none of them could stop them from talking. Maybe she should have a conversation with him, see what he might be able to offer her.
Glad that the girls had calmed down, Kira flashed Peter a quick, nervous smile and then faced the field again. Her cheeks flushed when she felt Peter gently nudging her back with his knee, just reassuring her with his presence. Subconsciously she leaned back against his leg, feeling the warmth coming from his body, even through her jacket. Kira was so focused on Peter's scent that she wasn't paying attention to the game so when her phone chirped in her pocket, she jumped.
"Who is texting you? We're all here…?" Malia asked.
"Probably my mom," Kira mumbled. Malia knew that she didn't have many friends so it was a little strange that her phone when off when everyone in her small circle of friends were here. As she pulled out her phone and glanced at the name, she was suddenly glad that Malia had turned her attention back to Stiles. It was Peter. She tilted her phone a bit to the side, so Malia couldn't get a direct look at it and opened the message.
How was practice today?
Good, I learned a lot actually! Mom taught me how to understand my reactions to certain attacks and I'm kinda learning how to read my opponent. That way I don't have to rely on reflexes when I'm fighting, I can actively process the attacks and plan accordingly
Kira stuffed her phone back in her pocket, doing her best to just watch the game while she waited for Peter to message back. Obviously he was going to take a minute or two, with Allison watching him out of the corner of her eye- it would be way too obvious if he immediately looked at his phone right when Kira had sent a message. Although she did turn off her alert tone, so that way the others wouldn't totally be aware of when she'd get a message. When her phone buzzed in her pocket, it took all of her self control to not just read his message right away.
That's good, I'm glad that she's teaching you the fundamentals. I was thinking that maybe we could meet up tomorrow, although it probably won't be in the loft.
That's alright, it doesn't have to be. We can meet in the woods again if we need to, I don't mind!
It's supposed to rain tomorrow, your mother would kill me if we practiced outside
Before she could respond again, a shrill blast of a whistle drew her attention to the field, along with some loud screams of pain.
Malia smirked, "Serves him right for biting off more than he could chew."
Peter glanced at her, she was more like him than the others seemed to realize, what an interesting development…
"No, that other player totally crossed the line," Allison admonished. Just because Liam was a freshman, didn't mean that he deserved to get hurt. And he really sounded like he was in pain…
"Then he needs to work on his reaction time, I never would have gotten tripped like that," Malia mumbled, crossing her arms.
The people in the bleachers were all mumbling so Malia wasn't even trying to listen in on what was going on but a few minutes later when Peter suddenly scowled she was surprised. He'd managed to listen in on such a specific conversation with all this background noise? Was Scott that good? If so, he neglected to tell her about it.
"I can't believe him," he muttered darkly, glaring in Scott's direction.
"What?"
"The boy wonder just offered that kid the Bite. He feels horrible that Liam got hurt so early in the season and that he has a lot of promise… His leg is broken…"
"He offered him the Bite? He doesn't even know this kid!" Kira whispered fiercely. "I thought you weren't supposed to just tell people?"
"He isn't supposed to," Peter growled out. Why was Scott acting so impulsively? Couldn't he tell that Liam was a horrible candidate for the Bite? Hell, this was the first time Peter was seeing him and he could sense all that underlying rage from here! Seriously, what was Scott thinking?!
"What did Liam say?" Lydia asked, too caught up in the situation to remember that she was supposed to be avoiding Peter.
Peter narrowed his eyes, listening closely, "Well, for starters, Scott didn't just come out and tell him about the big secret, just that he promised Liam he could make it go away. Liam said he was full of shit but then Scott flashed his eyes-"
"Wait, if you saw him flash his eyes then…" Allison muttered looking around to see if anyone else was showing a reaction to seeing something out of the ordinary.
"Liam asked what the hell was going on but Scott said he couldn't talk here, that they'd talk after the game," Peter continued, ignoring Allison's interruption. "Liam is intrigued and said that if Scott could honestly fix his leg without drugs or anything illegal, he's game. And now that other Wolf is totally freaked out…"
"Other Wolf?" Malia asked, scanning the field. If there was a strange Werewolf on the field, Stiles could be in danger. How could she have possibly missed the presence of another Wolf? But that meant Scott had missed it too… God, wasn't he supposed to be good at this?!
"Honestly, Scott doesn't even know he's there… Wow… this is the kid that everyone believes in?" Peter muttered to himself.
Kira turned in her seat to look at him, "Does this mean that after the game, he's going to give the Bite to Liam?"
"Yea, looks like it. Scott is going to have his hands full, he isn't ready for a Beta!"
"He can handle it! Isaac and Malia are his Betas," Allison spat out.
"Fine, come find me when you're ready to admit you're in over your heads," Peter said coolly before standing up and leaving early.
Kira let out a soft whimper, not wanting him to leave just yet. To hell if the others heard her and wondered why she was upset. If Peter said Scott wasn't ready, then Scott wasn't ready… and from the sounds of it, Liam wasn't a good candidate for the Bite anyways… As soon as Peter was out of sight, her phone went off and she hastily checked it.
Well, looks like we'll be able to study in the loft after all. When I tell Derek what Scott's going to do, he'll be at Scott's house most of the day trying to help him get Liam under control.
Why isn't Scott ready? What's different about Liam being his Beta, like Allison said, he has Isaac and even Malia…
Isaac was already experienced in control by the time he joined Scott, and Malia is still having trouble accessing her Coyote after getting forced back into her Human state. Plus, Liam is full of anger, he'll have an extremely hard time learning control because his Wolf is going to feed off that anger and exacerbate it. Scott has no practical experience in teaching a pup from scratch. Hell, he has no practical experience in training the Betas he does have, let alone a complete fledgling. This is going to be his first, original Beta, it's very different- he isn't ready. I'll text you when I'm on my way to get you. PH
Kira looked back out onto the field, just as the game was resuming… Peter was totally right, like always. Allison, Lydia… even Scott, they didn't understand the implication of trying to train a new Were… If Scott doesn't even have any basic understanding of why training with his current Betas is important, how was he supposed to be a good teacher for Liam? Hopefully they'd come around and ask Peter for help before anyone got hurt. Not to mention… with one more person in the Pack, that's even less time Scott would have to focus on the others. How were any of them going to be ready the next time a threat came to town? She sighed to herself and put her phone back in her pocket, this was all a mess. But it was a good thing Kira wasn't depending on Scott for anything, or else his impulsive decision in creating a Beta tonight would've hurt her training. And Allison was being super stuck up about it! Peter was just telling them all the truth and she dismissed his words just because she didn't like him as a person. Wasn't Pack supposed to be united? This Pack was a mess, and as Kira looked out over the field, she knew the responsibility rested on their Alpha's shoulders.
A/N: I know there wasn't a lot of Kira/Peter interaction but the next chapter more than makes up for it, I promise ;) Hope you enjoyed finding out more about my version of Kitsune lore!