A/N: So, I'm cutting this in half, the school/Liam scene and the Kanima fight and then the next chapter will be the *gasp* "talk" XD I just wanted to be able to fully go into detail with Kira not understanding and being awkward and stuff as well as the fact that it has been awhile since I've posted because the holidays and stress! So here's part one and part too hopefully soon =D
PS: Fight scenes, even short ones, are hard to write... kudos to the peeps that actually like coordinate them for shows and stuff O.O I don't know how I ever did that big fight scene at the end of The Wolf Reigns story hahaha
Also, moooooore lore stuff, only this time with the Kanima lore because I've always had so many questions about that and Peter ends up explaining it to Kira so I had to come up with some answer that I was satisfied with...
*Monday*
Kira couldn't believe her ears… seriously? Scott had gathered them all between the buses before school, he'd said it was urgent. And now he was telling them that they needed to keep an ear out for Liam all day. Of course he was a freshman so he didn't have any classes with them, which made monitoring him that much more difficult. She had a hard enough time concentrating in her classes sometimes and now she'd have to actively focus her hearing just in case Liam got set off? Malia was the only one who looked excited about this, probably because she wasn't the biggest fan of school and paying attention anyways, and now Scott was giving her an excuse to slack off. Kira understood that Liam was dangerous right now and that they had no idea if he might fly off the handle but surely Scott could have convinced him to stay home? When she had messaged Peter before bed, he'd told her about how Scott was having trouble because Liam hadn't wanted to listen at all! So Scott couldn't even get near Liam without the freshman tensing up and storming off. Great... that meant that his anger was in constant fluctuation as well. Kira was going to take this all in stride though, this was just more practice for her! The problem was… Scott didn't realize that she needed practice at this, he was fully counting on her to know what she was doing... But with Scott, Malia, and Isaac listening, Liam was probably covered. At least she hoped so... the Kitsune would do her best to help out but she probably wasn't going to be too useful. As the bell rang and they all hurried off to their classes, Kira murmured a quick plea that everything would go okay.
*Second Period History*
Really? Out of all days… her dad decided to have a pop quiz today? Malia was growling quietly in front of her and Stiles was groaning loudly. Hopefully Scott and Isaac were in a better position to listen for Liam. She raced through the quiz, thankfully being a bit of a history nerd (since that was all her dad talked about…), and she was sitting there waiting for everyone else to finish when she heard something. At first it was hard to pick out, since not every single class in the school was having a quiz right now but Scott's voice carried to her ears; it was probably her Fox tuning into the Pack bond. He was calling out for Liam to wait for him and Kira closed her eyes, trying to zero in on Liam's voice… but she wasn't sure what he sounded like. His angry reply wasn't hard to miss though.
"Scott, seriously, get the hell away from me! If you don't leave me alone, I'm telling the principal that you're stalking me. I don't want anything to do with you!"
"Dammit Liam, I'm your Alpha- you have to listen to me," Scott answered, and if Kira was honest, he sounded pleading instead of authoritative. He definitely wasn't inspiring Liam either, judging by the Beta's reply…
"I said leave me alone!"
Kira jumped at a sudden loud noise, maybe Scott getting slammed into the lockers? Or Liam punched a locker, something metallic had definitely been hit… but there weren't any growls and Scott stayed quiet. Hopefully he was letting Liam walk away; it was obvious that his presence was only making the situation worse. Maybe Isaac should try to approach Liam instead, that might be easier on the freshman. If he thinks Scott lied to him and betrayed him, then he wasn't going to listen to anything he said right now. She sighed to herself and tuned down her ears, not wanting to blast her eardrums if something loud happened in class.
Stiles leaned over, whispering, "Hey, everything okay out there?" He had noticed that Malia had almost jumped out of her chair, he'd been about to dismiss it as absolute frustration with the quiz but then he noticed Kira's look of concentration as well.
"Mr. Stilinski, I'd hate to assume you're cheating and give you a zero on the quiz," Mr. Yukimura called out.
"No um, of course not," Stiles said, looking forward again.
Kira chewed on her lip, thankful that her dad had decided to say something because honestly, she wasn't sure how to answer Stiles's question. There wasn't a fight that needed to be broken up, but Liam was getting riled up and stressed out which was bad. Maybe… maybe he could tell Scott to just back off a bit, give Liam a couple of hours to come to terms with everything. . Stiles was his best friend, Scott was most likely to listen to him…. He really needed to give the new kid some space... He was probably trying to focus on school right now and every time Scott tried to talk to him, it was a blatant reminder of his 'monster'-ness. She sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands- how were they going to get through the rest of the day like this?
*Fourth Period Algebra 2*
Ugh, this day was going by so slow! Lunch had been a disaster… Liam had stormed out of the cafeteria, eyes glowing and on the verge of shifting… but that probably had to do with the fact that Malia had been glaring at him the whole time! Not staring, downright glaring. She was offended by Liam's reaction if Kira had to guess; here she was trying to learn how to be more in touch with her inner… well, coyote, and Liam was doing his best to ignore everything. Plus the cafeteria was always really noisy and it seemed to be getting to Liam since he didn't know how to adjust his hearing at all… When he did finally storm out, Scott had been about to follow but thankfully Isaac grabbed his shoulder. The blonde went after him instead, promising to keep his distance and just follow to make sure Liam didn't encounter anyone. Now they were all back in class and Kira was on edge, she could just tell that things were going to explode soon. She wasn't focusing on what Mrs. Duff was saying at all, she'd have to get notes from Lydia later…
She was doodling on her notes when she finally heard it, a loud snarl and a deep growl in response to whatever threat. Her hand shot into the air, "Excuse me, Mrs. Duff, may I go to the bathroom?!" This wasn't just another hallway spat, even her inexperienced ears could tell it was going to escalate.
Mrs. Duff sighed but nodded her head, "Five minutes."
Kira grabbed the bathroom pass and hurried from the room, running towards the sounds of the fight. It was so loud in her ears, she was surprised that other kids weren't piling into the hallways to see just what the hell was going on. But then again, she was acutely tuned to Scott's voice and had been listening for Liam intently. As she darted around another corner, she was surprised to find out the noises were coming from the locker room and now she registered that there was another growling voice in addition to Scott's and Liam's… Kira pushed the door open and skidded to a stop, taking in the scene. Liam was being held in the shower area, pushed up against the wall by Malia and Scott. The shower was on, as if the cold water would help calm him down… he was angry, not horny, Kira scowled to herself- even she knew that wouldn't help center him... it was only making him angrier. Allison and Stiles were here as well, the Hunter with her miniature crossbow out and pointed right at Liam's chest.
"Seriously, Liam, calm down," Stiles called out, unfazed by the loud snarls coming from the soaked Beta. Apparently he thought that Liam was just being dramatic, and this wasn't the first comment he'd made.
Scott turned and gave his friend a pleading look, "Stiles, not helping…"
"He isn't getting away, and we'll be here until he learns to control it," Allison said, eyes narrowing as she kept the boy in her sights. "Unless he wants to find out what an arrow feels like."
"I don't think this is helping at all," Kira stated, too shocked to come any closer to the rag tag group of watch dogs. There was no way Liam would rein his anger back in if they were treating him like this! How could Allison say something like that? She could understand that the Hunter would act that way around Peter but Liam didn't deserve her distrust just because he was having a hard time. "No wonder he thinks Werewolves are monsters! You're treating him like he is one!"
Stiles, Allison, and Scott all turned to look at her, surprised by her appearance; apparently they'd been so focused on Liam they hadn't even heard her come in. But that meant that only Malia was fully focused on the angry teenager and he easily knocked Scott aside. Malia struggled to hold onto him but Liam completely ignored her and the deep gashes her claws made in his arm as he flew right towards Stiles. Stiles let out a terrified scream, scrambling backwards and tripping over a bench and Allison spun back around, raising her crossbow. She squeezed the trigger but the bolt zipped past Liam and ricocheted off the tile in the showers.
It took only a split second for Kira to realize what was happening and as soon as his feet touched the concrete floor, the Kitsune raised a hand and ropes of electricity flew from her hand, enveloping the rogue Beta. The lively ropes wrapped around his torso and arms, locking his muscles up and he dropped to his knees; the electricity was toned down, she didn't want to send him flying or kill him, just subdue him. Slowly she approached, crouching down in front of the boy. "Liam, I need you to take control. I can't let you go until you're Human again."
Liam roared in response but the glow in his eyes faded a bit. His anger level must be extremely high, electricity usually hampered a Were's shift but he wasn't changing back. Kira thought for a moment about upping the voltage but she didn't want Liam to think she was punishing him. So she slowly lifted her hand, reaching out to cup his cheek, "Liam, I know you're still in there. Take back control and I can let you go okay? I just don't want you to hurt Stiles, and I'm sure you don't want to hurt him either, right?"
Slowly, Liam shook his head and his features softened, returning to Human and grimacing from the shock therapy. Once she was satisfied that he was really in control, Kira pulled her electricity back. "Come on," she said, standing and offering him a hand.
Liam looked at her, surprised… wasn't she scared of him? Well honestly, she had no reason to be- she shot electricity out of her hands and even managed to stop him mid attack. Thank goodness there was someone here that could stop the monster…. He took her offered hand and stood up, looking down at the floor, doing his best to ignore everyone else in the room or else risk getting set off again.
Kira smiled at him, not remembering the other people in the room until Malia's growls filled the room. The Coyote took a menacing step forward, eyes glowing, and Kira noticed Liam tense up next to her. This was absolutely ridiculous! She raised her hand, lightning arcing from her fingers, "Malia, do not attack him or I'll be forced to stop you."
"Stop me? He went after Stiles! I thought we didn't attack Packmates Kira," Malia asked, confused as to why the Fox was protecting the dangerous pup. It wasn't like Kira to resort to violence, and definitely not against a Packmate in defense of an outsider. Besides, he clearly didn't understand how things worked and she was more than happy to teach him.
"He is Pack and he's still learning! None of you have given him any reason to trust you! Stiles should know by now that his snarky comments aren't helping! Just because Scott got through his first few months okay doesn't mean that Liam's Wolf recognizes any of you. Hell, Scott and Stiles have known each other for years and how many times did Scott try to eat him? Peter was right, you aren't ready for this Scott!" With that Kira pulled Liam out of the locker room. Seriously, Malia still had trouble recognizing Stiles on the full moons and she was mad at Liam for going after Stiles? He wasn't a threat anymore, he had shifted back and Stiles was unharmed, she had no reason to start a fight, couldn't she see that? Kira wanted to scream in frustration, how could Scott handle two out of control Weres? There was no way Malia counted as a safe Beta- she got frustrated and shifted all the time. Hell, Scott wasn't even the one in charge of teaching the Coyote, Stiles was… a Human. This whole Pack was ass-backwards right now…
Inside the locker room, Malia was fussing over Stiles while Allison scooped up her small bolt, tucking it into her pocket. Stiles scoffed to himself, "Okay, I'll be the one to ask then… when the hell did Kira learn how to do that?! I thought her mom didn't want to teach her yet?"
"I… I have no idea…" Scott murmured, staring at the closed door, mind racing. For just a moment he wondered if maybe Kira was losing control to the Fox Spirit but he dismissed that thought instantly. She had been in total control the whole time, Kira had gotten a lot more powerful since the last time he'd seen her use her powers. Why hadn't she told any of them about it?
Allison came up to him, awkwardly patting him on the shoulder, "She's wrong you know, you can handle this just fine. Liam will learn how to control it, just like you did, just like Isaac did. If Malia can learn, he can too." Too bad Isaac hadn't been here to help, three Weres against one would have been better odds of course. And if they hadn't all been surprised by Kira, Allison surely wouldn't have missed her shot. The Hunter didn't stop to ponder Kira's first outburst, about how they were looking at this wrong. Scott was his Alpha now and she believed in him, even if they weren't dating anymore. Scott hadn't led them astray yet after all.
Scott nodded but deep down, he knew Kira was right… He just always thought that Derek had a fairly easy time when he turned Isaac, Erica, and Boyd… he definitely never heard otherwise! And he personally had such good control now that he didn't often think about just how many close calls he and Stiles had had last year… But that was why he had even asked Derek for help! He wasn't trying to do this on his own, he had asked a more experienced Were for help- Derek had been an Alpha previously after all, on top of his family knowledge. But Liam was being resentful and he was resisting, how was Scott supposed to work with someone like that?! He had just wanted to make it up to Liam… He knew all too well what it was like to sit on the bench and Liam was a brilliant player! Too late Scott realized that he shouldn't have blindly offered the Bite to Liam… he had messed things up and Stiles had almost gotten hurt… Even if Kira's entrance was what had distracted them in the first place and allowed Liam to break free, Scott was smart enough to admit that there were plenty of other things in the room that might have distracted him and gave Liam the same opening. Stiles's comments had definitely been amping Liam up the whole time and Scott had taken his eyes off Liam to talk with Stiles… It was a miracle he hadn't broken free then. Hell, he knew Allison meant well but her comment just made him feel worse. Isaac learned control from Derek, not him, and Stiles was teaching Malia control… He dismissed everyone back to their classes. He dismissed everyone back to their classes. He swore that he'd find a way to make all of this right, he'd make a good Beta out of Liam, somehow. And maybe he'd become better at the Alpha thing too.
Out in the halls, Kira was still leading Liam away from the locker room. He could tell that she was ticked off but he was surprised that it wasn't at him.
"I… I didn't go after him because he agitated me," Liam whispered after a moment of letting her pull him along. "I just… he was Human and was the easiest target… I… god I wanted to tear him apart! And Scott keeps trying to tell me I'm not a monster?!"
"Hey… he's right, you aren't a monster, but I completely understand how that's hard to believe right now. It's just… the Wolf inside you is… they are trying to find equilibrium within you and they feed off intense emotions…. All that anger you have built up inside you is only making it harder to control, that's why this is hard for you right now. You aren't a monster, you are still you- there is just more to you now. I can't…. I'm not a good person to try and explain it because I'm not a Werewolf… and I know Scott has just been making it worse by getting in your space-"
"He lied to me, so why should I trust anything else he has to say? He just wanted to turn me because he wanted more power! He told me about how Wolves are stronger in Packs, I'm not stupid."
Kira shook her head, "No, Scott isn't like that at all. He really did want to help you he's just… really, really bad at explaining this. You just need time to understand your Wolf and how to control it and things will get better."
"Yea, whatever… where are we going anyways?" Liam asked, wanting to change the subject.
"I'm taking you to Ms. Morrell, she knows all about the supernatural so I think maybe talking to her will help, since she's a counselor you know?"
"I've talked to plenty of counselors and it hasn't helped with my anger…. No offense to Ms. Morrell."
Kira laughed, "Ms. Morrell isn't like most counselors, and you aren't going to her to talk about your anger, you're going to her so you can just… let out all your emotions about being a Were now. She'll probably have some good advice for you. She isn't tied to Scott's Pack at all, she's a neutral party that knows the truth so I think she'd a good place to start. I know what it's like to have to find a different mentor…"
"What do you mean?" That was an option? He didn't have to learn from Scott?
"My mom was supposed to teach me about my heritage but her methods weren't working for me and I found someone else to tutor me. Mom wasn't very happy about it but she's realized that it works for me so she's had to accept it. Now Scott just has to realize that he isn't taking the right approach with you… but he doesn't want to listen to Peter…" It was stupid that Derek had to get help from Peter and then Derek would take Peter's ideas and pass them onto Scott and Derek would get the credit!
Liam stopped outside of Ms. Morrell's office, "Who is this Peter person? You mentioned him back in the locker room too."
Kira flushed and cleared her throat, "He's my mentor. He's a part of the Pack, a Werewolf as well, but Scott doesn't trust him at all- you can't tell Scott! Please! He doesn't know that Peter is teaching me…" Oh crap, she'd said too much!
"I don't plan on talking to Scott at all right now, so I won't say anything about this," he promised. She had stopped him from killing someone today, the least he could do was keep her secret. Although maybe Peter was someone he should seek out? He wanted nothing to do with Scott right now and that Derek guy was just so grumpy…. If she could do it then he could too. "Um thanks, I guess I can try talking to her. At least this way I know Scott won't try to talk to me again while I'm here."
Kira nodded, opening the door and quickly introducing Liam to the counselor, explaining the situation; as she went to leave, Kira thought she saw a smirk on the counselor's face but a second glance and it was gone… maybe she imagined it. There was definitely nothing amusing about this situation...
"Miss Yukimura, wouldn't you like a pass? Surely you've been out of class for longer than 5 minutes. And thank you, if you hadn't helped out, I was about to step in and we all know that Scott hates when I get involved." Surprisingly neither of them bothered to ask how she knew about the situation from halfway across campus. Kira must already be used to her brother's obtuse way of handling situations and his vague explanations, good.
"Oh yea, thank you! Mrs. Duff would give me like a week's worth of detention if I didn't come in with a pass." She took the signed paper from Ms. Morrell and hurried back to class, hoping Liam was in good hands. Surely she was better equipped to handle Liam than she was though- and Scott, Scott was clearly in over his head. Once Liam calmed down and was willing to listen, Scott could try to bond with him then. Kira was pretty sure that once Liam and his Wolf found a balance, he'd be willing to get to know everyone in the Pack better, after all, Wolves felt a strong pull towards Pack. His Wolf was just more focused on all that anger… But Scott was the exact same way at first so she wasn't really worried about Liam, this was a natural learning period. Maybe Liam's I.E.D. put him at more of a disadvantage than Scott and the other when they'd first been Bitten but that was all the more reason for everyone to be patient and gentle with him.
"Miss Yukimura I certainly hope you have an excuse?" Mrs. Duff called out as soon as Kira stepped back inside.
"Um yea, I have a note from Ms. Morrell, someone was having a um, crisis and I helped out." Kira quickly handed over the note and the bathroom pass before heading back to her seat. Yea… she was definitely going to need the notes from Lydia now… But at least she helped Liam calm down! And in a few hours, she'd help some other innocent people by finding and healing a Kanima!
*After School*
Kira rushed out the front doors, knowing that if she lingered, Scott and the others would try to talk to her about what happened with Liam. She knew this because Stiles had already tried in 5th period but Kira had managed to ignore him, needing to take notes. But Scott would be harder to ignore, as her Alpha… As she was cutting through the parking lot she heard Allison and Lydia both calling out her name but she didn't even pause or look back, that way she could feign ignorance later. When she got to the sidewalk, Kira looked both ways, spotting Peter's car halfway down the block; hiking her backpack up higher, she jogged towards the car, eager to get going.
"Hey, how was your day?" Peter asked as soon as she climbed in.
"Stressful honestly, Scott and Malia kept riling Liam up, for different reasons, and he finally lost it during 4th period."
"He didn't hurt anyone right?"
Kira shook her head, "No but… he did lunge at Stiles- I stopped him though! I just… he can learn, right?"
"Yea, he can, if he chooses to listen. If Scott can get through to him… Liam just has to find the method that works best for him, like all new Wolves. His situation is just a bit different than normal but that doesn't make him a lost cause yet." Now if his Wolf started to gain control and he went Rogue, well... they'd have a problem on theirs hands but they still had time.
"Well I might have… helped… or I made it worse, I'm not sure yet." Kira went on to repeat what she had told Liam before leaving him with Ms. Morrell.
Peter approved of what she said, it mirrored a lot of his own thoughts, if in a nicer tone; and Marin was all about balance so he wasn't worried about her corrupting Liam or anything. She was shady in a lot of ways but she took her position as a Druid very seriously and Peter knew that would keep her on the up and up with the Beta. Besides, if Liam actually managed to let out his feelings, she could point him in the right direction to finding his Anchor and with it, control. But he wasn't worried about Liam right now, it was on Scott to keep him in line and most of the Pack would be at practice with him anyways. "So, are you sure you're ready to find a Kanima?"
"Yes, although, can we stop by the house first? I should probably have my katana."
"Already grabbed it. Since your parents know I'm your mentor and that we're going on a hunt today, your mom wasn't surprised to see me knock on the door. In fact she had it ready, handed it to me before I could even finish asking for it. I think she's a little on edge about you going off into your first battle… well I guess it's not your first, you did fight the Oni and then the Nogitsune as well. But this isn't a necessary battle, this is the first one you're participating in by choice. And she can't be there to keep you safe."
"Yea, the others were because we were all threatened and I wanted to help. This isn't even a Pack fight, like it's just you and me. But I know we can handle this." She turned and looked at Peter, heart speeding up, "Besides, you'll be keeping me safe."
"I won't let anything bad happen to you," he promised.
She knew he meant it and that was why she was eager for this instead of scared. Kira took a deep breath and settled her nerves, she felt like bursts of electricity were going to erupt from her any second! This was absolutely thrilling! The almost fight with Liam probably amped up her energy, but in a good way, because now Kira was even more sure of her powers. She had stopped Liam in his tracks! Just to be safe though, she decided to ask Peter what he knew about Kanimas and what made them dangerous.
"Well a Kanima is a creature that has lost their way, someone that can't achieve their true shift because they don't have an identity. They are so lost that they aren't consciously aware of their actions when they are shifted, the Kanima and the person are completely separated, they don't share memories or awareness."
"How come? Even Liam is aware of things when he's shifted… a Kanima doesn't remember at all?"
Peter shook his head, "No, they often have no idea they have even become shifters, unless their new master tells them, shows them proof. But even then, they can never remember what they do when they are in their secondary form. Calling out the person's name doesn't help either since the Kanima does not mentally recognize who they are in their other life."
"How come… I… How come some people have trouble shifting? I always thought… well I mean, unofficially of course, before I knew this was real… I always thought that either you were born into a specific species, or when you were 'chosen' you turned into the same creature as whatever attacked you. I don't understand how the 'identity' part works…"
"Yea, that confuses a lot of people that are new to the whole supernatural world. I'll start by saying this, birth trumps everything. Second, Human is almost always a possibility, at least for shifters, witches, et cetera, for some, like Faeries, they always have Faery children, they are on a different level than what we're talking about. Anyways, shifters, any child born has the option of being completely Human, or it is split between what your parents are. That's why Malia is a Coyote, because her mother was one. The variations come into play when people are turned after they are born. Also, Kanimas cannot be born, even if both of their parents happen to be one, the child will be Human or they will act as a predictor for what at least one of the parents will shift into. With me so far?"
Kira nodded, "Yea, since the shift, or I guess animal, is tied to the person, it makes sense that a baby can't be born confused about their identity, they don't even know what that means. Confusion about oneself can't be passed down genetically like that. They'd pass on the shifter DNA they carry, even if they don't recognize it in themselves."
"Correct. Now, the 'venom' that turns people into shifters depends on the person in question, there is an intelligence to it, as creepy as that sounds. It will rewrite your DNA, and awakens an inner animalistic drive. But it needs that core identity in order to work. Scott became a Wolf because of his drive to help others, his caring nature, it resonated with the Pack mentality. Although I have to say, the odds of Erica, Isaac, Boyd, Jackson, and Liam all turning into Wolves as well… surprising… Erica wanted friends, wanted to belong so her being a Wolf isn't that weird, whereas Isaac, I think he only became a Wolf because that's what Derek convinced him to be. It's completely dependent on the person going through the transformation."
"But I thought… at least with Jackson, he wanted to be a Wolf?" Kira had been confused when Scott and the others had given her some background on the Pack's previous adventures. Scott hadn't known much about why Jackson had become a lizard, just that he did and at the time, she hadn't asked questions. But now that Peter was giving her more details, she realized how little the rest of them understood about this part of their lives so she wasn't going to hold back on the questions.
"And later, he became one, but on the inside he was beyond confused, lost, and the 'venom' picked up on that more than his desire to be stronger like Scott. He thought he wanted to be a Wolf, but really he just wanted someone else to decide for him. That's why Kanimas are so rare, it isn't very often that a person feels so internally conflicted about themselves. But when a person doesn't know who they want to be, they have nothing to base their transformation off of. So they become a Kanima, a creature whose sole purpose is to find a master that will tell them who they are. So theoretically speaking, a Kanima can go through their life without needing to be 'fixed' if they find a good master. They don't need to kill and they don't need to achieve their true shift. They only want to do what they are told. Which Humans twisted and used to their advantage, turning their new 'pets' into killers because a Kanima is blindly accepting of anything the master tells them to do.
"Because life has a way of balancing everything out, this led to the Kanima's curse, something that would act as a limit to a master's power over the servant. So if the master ever kills innocents, they begin to lose their humanity as part of the curse. It is normally supposed to add a balance to the world, but people are often stupid and dismiss the curse. I've bonded with a Kanima once, it was an interesting experience, honestly that's why I know so much- I learned it through the bond. A Kanima wants to be wanted so badly, wants to belong, that they communicate their desires to their master."
"How come the master gets turned into a Kanima too? And what dictates innocent?" Kira asked, fascinated. "And you have to tell me what that was like!"
" Well innocent can be hard to define but what I've been able to put together is that it heavily depends on the mindset of the one doing the killing. If a Wolf kills someone solely in self defense and truly feels like their life was in danger, they would most likely keep their golden eyes. With a Kanima master, if they were truly wronged by someone, if in their mind, the person deserves death, then they probably won't be at risk. Sadly the original Kanima isn't exempt from the killing rules, that's why Jackson's eyes are blue. As long as the master is honest, the Kanima is safe from being marked. But if the master ignores the rules, the servant is marked by the shift in color, it just doesn't show in a Kanima's eyes until they achieve their true form."
"But… A Kanima doesn't remember their shifts, that's… that's not fair!"
"That comes back to the master though, as long as they only kill those that deserve it, they won't break the rules but if the master makes them kill an innocent, it is registered as them breaking the rules. It isn't a perfect system, the rules are very strict, we just have to accept it as the way it is."
Kira cleared her throat, "Will you ever tell me how you got your blue eyes?"
"You want to know?"
"I am curious yes but if it's something you don't want to talk about… I'm sure it's not a good memory…"
Peter smiled at her, "How about I'll tell you after you master your next Tail? It's just a part of my past and I don't regret it. I just haven't told the others because… well we got off on the wrong foot and I love hearing all the outrageous guesses they come up with. I don't have any issue in sharing my past with you. Besides, it actually ties in with the Kanima story."
"Deal!" Kira smiled, looking down at her lap. It made her feel special to know that Peter was willing to tell her personal things. Not to mention that he was going out of his way to teach her lore about all these other creatures as well. "Okay, back to the Kanima, what should I be on the lookout for?"
As he drove, Peter filled her in on the basics about fighting a Kanima, what to look out for and to always avoid the claws. By the time they finally pulled into town, Kira was feeling a little apprehensive about the fight now but she couldn't freeze up, so might as well keep up the conversation to distract herself. "Where are we going exactly?"
"Deaton told me that the attacks were all centered around a specific neighborhood, so it's a good bet that the master is around there somewhere. But even if they don't live in the area, it should be a good place to pick up a scent."
Kira nodded and rolled down her window at the same time Peter did; they were getting closer to the action and Kira suddenly felt calm as she focused on her sense of smell. It took a few turns before she finally caught a whiff of something that made her nose tingle. "Are we close? I've never smelled a Kanima before but… we're coming up on something, right?"
"Indeed we are, good instincts. That is definitely the concentrated smell of Kanima… which means the master isn't smart- good for us."
"What do you mean?"
"If the person controlling the Kanima were smart, or I guess, supernaturally aware, they'd know better than to keep the Kanima's lair so close to home. Not only that, but a scent only gets this heavy when the Kanima shifts often or has been shifted for long periods of time…. If I remember correctly," Peter mumbled to himself. "Brady Springs is a big enough town but there was a missing person report that went out within 24 hours of the first Kanima attack. They are predictable creatures; the first thing one would do is try and find a master so it isn't unreasonable that they found someone that same night. And once the master has bonded with them, they'll understand just what the Kanima is capable of."
"And our murderer would have taken immediate advantage. How long ago was the report?"
"She was reported missing, and the first murder happened, 8 days ago."
Kira frowned, "So… this person has been trapped in their shift for over a week?"
"That's what it's starting to look like." Peter gripped the steering wheel harder, he was counting on the master being there when they arrived. He wasn't going to let this person continue their abuse, shifters were supposed to be powerful, not submitted to someone else's will! Let alone trapped in a shift for weeks at a time just to please someone else. Scott might think he was a monster but he never, ever, treated his Kanima this way.
"That's awful," Kira murmured. The only solace she could find was that the person trapped right now would have no recollection of their time. It would suck to come back to yourself and have such a large chunk of time missing, but it would be better to have a blank memory than memories of killing people because you were ordered to. As they turned down streets, Kira noticed that the scent was getting stronger, they were heading in the right direction.
In a few more minutes, Peter pulled over and turned off the car, eyeing a small house with a foreclosed sign on the lawn. The first and third murders were real estate agents, both working for the same company, the one in charge of selling this place. Of course the police were looking into the former owners but nothing panned out. Then some other people from the neighborhood starting dying too, making the real estate agents seem like crimes of opportunity from someone in the area. Peter scowled to himself as he got out of the car, the police were so stupid. The killer was in the house, there were signs of activity on the side of the house, probably coming in and out of the windows since the front door was sealed off. Signs of Human activity, not just Kanima activity. They probably did an initial search of the house and saw no reason to look again, idiots. "Come on, over there," he told Kira, popping open the trunk so she could get her katana.
"You're sure?"
"Yup, positive. Deaton didn't say anything about what do to with the master but if we're lucky they are hiding out with the Kanima. Maybe we can leave the police a present, do their job for them." And maybe the person resisted and ended up dead.
The couple hurried across the street and jumped the fence, crouching in the backyard.
"What's the plan exactly?" Kira asked.
"Since the master has no problem killing anyone, we have to assume that we'll be in danger as soon as we enter the house. Best bet would be to disable the Kanima as quickly as we can because even if we knock out the master, once an order has been given, only another order can stop the Kanima. The Human can't do anything to us so we'll worry about them last."
"Sounds good." Kira unsheathed her sword and held the cover in her offhand, it was sturdy enough to be used as a secondary weapon if need be. Then she materialized three medium sized orbs, concentrating intensely as she materialized them. Disable. Disable. An image of a Kanima flooded her mind as she concentrated. Hopefully this worked… At least this way, if she got separated from Peter, she'd have some back up. If it worked.
"We go in fast, be ready for anything, so keep your senses open. All set?" Peter asked, hands poised to open one of the windows. At Kira's nod, he lifted the window and clambered inside, claws and fangs out. The Kanima was already ready for them, crouched down low on the floor further down the narrow hallway, hissing as Kira climbed into her lair. The three of them stared at each other for a few seconds before the Kanima rushed them. Peter reacted instantly, roaring and then leaping over the lizard, rolling and springing to his feet behind her, splitting her attention.
Kira twirled her sword, quickly warming up the spark, letting her energy pour into the weapon like before. The Kanima spun to face her, the crackle of electricity getting her attention, and then she leapt towards the ceiling, crawling away into a larger room. Both intruders followed quickly, Kira throwing a hand out, shooting out a rope of energy like earlier and zapping the lizard, knocking her to the floor.
Peter took advantage and jumped on the downed creature, slashing at her face, deftly dodging the dangerous claws. But then the powerful tail wrapped around his neck and threw him into a wall; as he stood up he sensed motion to his left right before someone tackled him to the ground. He snarled and felt a scaly hand wrap around his throat, his eyes registering a half shifted face of a man. "So, the curse is already that far along huh?" Peter smirked. The master was only half Human, barely able to control the original Kanima at this point; he was stronger than normal but still no match for Peter. Thankfully the guy hadn't formed his venom glands yet, he barely had sharp nails at this point, or Peter would be out for the count. He snapped the man's wrist and rolled them both so he was straddling him.
When Peter was thrown free from the Kanima, Kira hurried forward to keep her subdued, electrified katana swinging through the air. But the lizard was fast, rolling onto their feet and scampering away; the tail whipped the air behind her as she moved but Kira was expecting it. The Kitsune blocked with her katana, sharp blade cutting into the skin and there was an angry shriek as the lightning flowed into her body. Just as Kira was debating how to best keep the Kanima busy, she heard a snarl coming from Peter. Just like that, her attention wavered and the more experienced fighter saw an opening. The Kanima leapt at her and Kira reacted solely on instinct, sheath coming up to block the clawed hands inches from her face and her katana thrust forward, cutting the creature's side. As the lizard thrashed backwards, untangling herself from Kira, the Fox felt a sharp sting and then numbness on her left hand. A scared whine escaped her as she realized how quickly the venom was spreading. The Kanima was still struggling to regain control of her limbs from the massive shock but the look in her eyes was dangerous. Maybe she'd have time to come up with a plan before the numbness spread… otherwise...
Peter's fist connected with the guy's jaw a few times before he hauled him to his feet. He then sent the guy flying with a solid kick to the ribs, knocking him into a wall and he dropped to the floor, unconscious… maybe dead. A cry reached his ears and he spun, looking for Kira. Her sword was still up but it was wavering and her left arm was hanging limply at her side. The Kanima must have gotten her… he rushed forward, leaping in front of her as the Kanima attacked once more. Peter caught the lizard's wrists, roaring loudly before viciously slamming his head into her face. While the creature was disoriented, he kicked one of her knees, the pop of the joint drowned out by the deafening screeches of pain; he kept attacking, pushing the Kanima further away from Kira. Peter rolled suddenly, twisting so the creature was over top of him, his feet pushing on her stomach, sending her flying with an intense snarl.
The Kitsune watched as Peter fought the Kanima, thankful that he came when he did… She had been weak… she's almost paid a heavy price for her distraction… But she wouldn't be weak now, wouldn't distract Peter in this deadly situation. It was scary, feeling her body grow heavy, feeling her muscles shake as she strained to stay standing. She bit her lip, refusing to whine out loud because it wasn't like she was dying. But still, it was scary and she felt tears stinging her eyes. The venom was too strong, it spread so fast, and her knees gave out.
A thud behind him drew his attention away from the threat- the Kanima had been knocked through the doorway and into another room, he could spare a moment. He saw Kira on her knees, head lolled onto her chest, Peter rushed forward to catch her just before she hit the floor. "I've got you," he whispered.
Before Kira could say anything, warn him not to let his guard down, a prolonged shriek filled the room. A few feet away, the Kanima (who had been stalking towards them) was writhing on the ground as orbs of electricity connected with her torso repeatedly.
Kira let out a shaky laugh of relief, "It worked…"
"You can still control your lightning when you're paralyzed?" Peter asked. He had been hoping they wouldn't have to find out, that wasn't a topic that had come up when he was in Japan.
"No… those are the three from earlier. I think they only kicked in because suddenly I was scared that we were done for. I can still feel my energy flowing in my body but it is extremely hard to try and control it. If I overloaded my body I can produce some but I don't think I'd be able to control it- I'd just be a lump of erratic energy… Hurry, go tie them up before my orbs die out, I have no idea how long they'll keep that up."
Peter nodded, gently lying Kira down on the floor and pulling the specially made zip-ties from his back pocket. Deaton said they were imbued with mountain ash and Peter wasn't really sure how he was able to handle them…. As long as they didn't lock around his wrists they'd be fine though.
"You should be able to touch her, I was focusing pretty heavily on the Kanima when I summoned those, I'm hoping the energy won't shift to you," Kira called out as he knelt down next to the thrashing lizard.
Carefully Peter reached out and gripped a wrist, letting out a breath when he wasn't jolted along with the lizard. Quickly he grabbed the other wrist and fastened a zip-tie around both of them. As soon as the completed circle touched the Kanima's skin the scales started to fade and when he fastened her ankles together, the same thing. The Kanima was about half shifted back before the orbs of lightning finally died out, the woman passing out as her Human features came into view.
"How come she shifted back? I didn't kill her right?" Kira asked, voice trembling a bit.
"No, no she isn't dead. It's these ties, I think there is more to them than just mountain ash. The mountain ash will ensure that they don't break free while we're transporting them but it wouldn't disable the shift…" Peter cautiously held the zip-ties up, wondering just that the hell they were made of. Deaton hadn't warned him about touching them or needing gloves so it had to be something that needed a complete circle to activate, like mountain ash. He didn't have time to ponder it though, they needed to get out of here, so he quickly tied up the half cursed master as well before returning to Kira. "Come on, time to go," he said softly, lifting her up. Her sword clattered to the floor but his arms were full and he ignored it, easily maneuvering through the house and back out the window, over the fence, and to the car. He got her in the car and buckled her in, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Don't forget my katana please."
"Of course not, I'd be a horrible person if I left that here," Peter replied quietly.
"I'm sorry… I tried but in the end I still got scratched and put our mission at risk," she sighed, closing her eyes and willing her tears not to fall.
Peter leaned forward and kissed her, hands cupping her cheeks, "In the end, you're the one that managed to subdue the Kanima, if you hadn't thought ahead like that, we'd be in trouble. With you paralyzed and unable to accurately control your lightning, I would have had a long fight on my hands- those lizards are resilient. I'll be right back, don't beat yourself up about it too much, you did really well."
Peter hurried back into the house, stooping to grab the katana and tuck it back in its sheath then he moved and scooped up the still unconscious woman. Just as Peter suspected, she was the woman in the report, she'd been stuck as a Kanima for 8 days. Hopefully the people at Eichen could help her… Peter quickly glanced at the other person in the room, debating with himself what to do. But he knew with the curse this severe, it would be too dangerous to leave him to the police. So the asshole would be traveling in the trunk since even Deaton's special zip-ties did nothing to revert the curse- he wasn't shifting, he was transforming, it was different. But he was the last trip, right now he had Kira's katana in one hand and the woman over his other shoulder. Luck better still be on his side, he didn't need any witnesses to this. He rushed to the car, tucking the woman in the back seat and covering her with a blanket, thankful that it was still back there. The katana was tucked under the seat, he popped the trunk and went back into the house one last time.
When he finally started the car moments later, he sped away from the neighborhood, not wanting to push his luck. The car was silent until they were back on the freeway heading home.
"Did we really do it?" Kira asked, shifting in her seat sluggishly.
"Yea, we did, retrieved one Kanima and even one half cursed Kanima master. How are you feeling? Are you really moving already?" Peter asked, shocked.
Kira wiggled her fingers, only barely able to lift her hand, "Eh, it's sluggish, but I mean, the paralysis doesn't last forever, why are you surprised?"
"Because I'd barely be wiggling my toes right now if it were me." Peter quickly glanced at Kira, eyes flared to take in her aura. There it was, shining back at him as brilliant as before…. It had to do with the amount of power she had, the Tails flooding her system with extra healing strength. Damn, if that was the case, would a Kitsune with Noshiko's power level even feel the sting of Kanima venom?
"I… I don't know then, but I can move mostly, just takes a lot of effort."
Peter smiled at her, "Well, you have no reason to push your body to heal, just relax for now, it will wear off soon enough."
Kira nodded and settled back in her seat, feeling drained now that the adrenaline ran out, but they had done it! She was content to sit back, letting the numbness slowly fade from her body; it wasn't until they reached the turn off for Beacon Hills that she moved again. Sitting forward, she opened up the glove box and retrieved her phone (can't have it break during a fight).
"What's up?"
"I figure we should message Deaton, so he can call Eichen and let them know we're coming in with a… um… delivery."
"Good thinking, that will make our stop faster. You have his number?"
Kira nodded, "Got it from Scott pretty early on since he's kind of our go-to guy. Never texted him before though." She scrolled through her phone, finding the vet's number and sending him a quick message. A few minutes later a reply came back.
I'm glad it went well, Eichen will be ready for you, park around the back, near their transport vehicles. There is room for both patients; tell Peter his debt is paid.
She read the text out loud for him, happy that he was even with Deaton for her special box. Although she realized she didn't feel that much different when it came to her debt being paid…. Maybe because Peter had saved her? Kira wasn't really worried about it at all, only her mom was anyways. She and Peter could sort things out later in that respect but as far as her mom knew, the debt was paid.
"Around the back is pretty smart, no one will see them taking two unconscious people from my car," Peter commented, glad that the director had some sense. Clearly he'd been doing this awhile but it was good to know he had a system set up. When they finally arrived at Eichen House, Peter backed into a spot between two of their large vans, 4 technicians and the director waiting just inside the doors. "Perfect, should be transferred over quickly."
Peter and Kira both got out of the car, the Wolf waving the workers over as he popped the trunk; Kira leaned in the backseat and checked on the woman who was just beginning to stir.
"Wow, talk about great timing," she mumbled to herself, thankful that she hadn't woken up on the way here… that probably would have gotten ugly. Slowly she slid the woman out of the car, pulling on her arms and a technician came over, grabbing her legs so they could set her on the stretcher.
"Wasn't expecting to get the mastermind behind all this but you did the right thing, can't hand him over to the police looking like that. We'll do what we can for him but the curse will probably consume him," the director was saying as Kira came up to stand with Peter. "Once he's fully shifted into a Kanima, it might be easier to pair him with someone here and keep him under control."
"Can he not shift back?" Kira asked.
"Cursed Humans are a bit different from lost shifters. Over time, he will learn how to shift back but it will take time because he'll have to regain his Humanity, where the shifter is only lost when in their other form."
"Oh… well as long as he doesn't hurt anyone anymore."
Peter nodded in agreement. "Well, if you don't need anything else from us, we'll be on our way."
The director waved them off and hurried back inside to check on his two new patients.
"I'm sure your mom is eager to hear how it went and will need to make sure you're okay. Thank goodness you can walk again, if I walked up to the house carrying you, she might've killed me."
"Yea, that would be pretty scary as a parent I'm sure," Kira said with a laugh, imaging just how bad that would look with her limp, paralyzed body being carried into the house. Honestly she would look dead and her mom would probably come flying out of the house screaming. But, when they pulled up to the house, she climbed out of the car on her own and retrieved the katana. "Oh, you're coming in?"
Peter nodded, closing the car door, "I have to make sure you tell the story right, can't have you leaving out my accomplishments."
The Fox rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at her lips, now that her parents knew about her training, he was allowed to come inside. It was nice that they didn't have to go behind her parents' backs about their relationship… well, part of their relationship.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving a light squeeze before leading her up to the door; hopefully the conversation about Claims would go well. Should he warn her? It seemed kind of mean to blindside her with the knowledge that her parents knew about the sex… He decided that after the day she had, she didn't need any other surprises. "Hey, Kira, before we go in…"
She paused, key in the lock. "What?" she asked, suddenly concerned.
"Don't freak out, I just need to tell you something," he whispered, leaning in close to her ear. "Your parents know about us, like, all of it."
Kira backed away from the door, eyes wide as she comprehended his meaning. "Oh no, I'm not about to have the sex talk with you and my parents. Just kill me now. It was bad enough the first time, when I asked Mom for birth control pills…"
Peter hurried to catch her as she continued to backpedal, arms wrapping around her waist. "They aren't mad… well maybe a little mad but I promise, this isn't going to be about safe sex and it isn't going to be about me being banned from seeing you either," he hurried to reassure her. "Calm down, it's okay. I just didn't want you to freak out inside the house when your mom brought it up out of the blue."
"Then why do we even need to have a talk?" Kira asked, burying her face in Peter's chest.
"Okay I lied, there might be some sex talk but it isn't the kind of conversation most teenagers get- this is a supernatural thing. Sex is different for us some times and your mom just wants to explain that to you and she asked me to help."
"How did she even find out?"
"That will be discussed inside, I promise. The sooner we go in, the sooner this all gets explained, okay?" Peter said, kissing the top of her head. He took the keys from her hand and walked them back to the front door, unlocking it himself and nudging the Kitsune inside.
Kira looked back up at him, "You promise she isn't going to tell us we can't be together?"
"I promise." Peter grinned, it wasn't like Noshiko could force them a part anyways, not now that Kira had marked him. In a way, her inexperience with the supernatural was good, because if she had held off on Claiming him and her parents had still found out about the sex… they'd be a lot less understanding about it. It would've been so much easier to say that Peter had tricked her or something, but a Claim was proof that Kira had strong feelings for him. Now there was just the issue of Claiming her back. The Wolf stamped down the thoughts that surfaced- it wouldn't do to be in a state of arousal while trying to prove to Noshiko he was a good match for her daughter. He reminded himself that, even if this turned out to be awkward, it needed to happen before their relationship could move forward.
The pair walked into the living room, where Ken and Noshiko were already sitting, waiting. Kira pulled Peter to the couch, holding his hand tightly- if they knew about the sex then she was going to openly be leaning on him for support. "So, do you want to hear how it went or are we having the awkward conversation first?" she muttered, looking at the coffee table instead of her parents.
"I may have warned her about the fact that you know we had sex," Peter smiled. His thumb was rubbing the back of Kira's hand, letting her know that they'd make it through this.
"Please, I would like to know how that fight went, I was worried when I hadn't heard back from you. But I also knew better than to call since any distractions during a fight can be deadly. Then we can discuss the other matter," Noshiko answered. It didn't surprise her at all that Peter mentioned it to her, although she was surprised he had waited until they were right outside the house. Still, it was better than Kira finding out because she brought up the topic out of the blue. She focused as her daughter cleared her throat, apparently starting from events at school.
A/N: I had to make a compromise with Kira's bamf moments, she reacted quickly in dealing with Liam and at the end of the fight with the Kanima, she was the one that saved the day, but I also had to keep it real, that Kira has had very little fighting experience, so she didn't get away from the second fight without some damage XD She is definitely getting stronger, but she still has to learn how to use her abilities in an active fight and I figured this would be a good lesson for her. Plus, Peter's instinct to protect her went into overdrive.
Going off of what I said about the Were "venom" one of my headcanons is that Kate came back as a Jaguar is because she's stubborn and refuses to die and cats are said to have nine lives. The venom would have responded to her drive of "I don't want to die, not here, not like this" and that was how she came back. Obviously I couldn't add that little detail since, in this fic, Kate is just dead. Hope it makes sense, if not, like all the other lore, feel free to ignore it since it doesn't have any long term bearing on this fic XD I just HATE leaving big gaps of logic... I may mention the Peter+Kanima thing in the future but it would just be a short tale, the actual lore that I explained in this chapter can just be forgotten if it doesn't sit well with you.