"Hey, Stiles, what brings you by today?" Deaton asked.

"Did Scott forget to tell you?" Stiles raised his eyebrow.

"I gave Scott the week off to focus on the Kanima," Deaton told him. Stiles knew better than not to take it personally when Scott lied to him, but he kept a strong face. Isaac then came closer so he could hear better.

"Well, I was reading up on the Kanima," Stiles grabbed a paper from his pocket and handed it to Deaton, "I read that if you put a hex on the human form of the Kanima, then you put the hex on the master too."

"Where did you find this?" Deaton looked impressed

"Dark Web,"

"Well... This could potentially work, but I need to find a skilled witch. If a Hex Bag isn't made properly, it could kill the targets and potentially the witch."

"Aren't you a witch?" Stiles asked, confused and Deaton chuckled, shaking his head.

"All right, Stiles, I will get to work as soon as I get all the fleas off of this kitten," Deaton looked back into his work area, raising his eyebrows when he didn't see that cat anywhere. Stiles felt pulling at his jeans. He looked down and was met with a gray kitten with ice-blue eyes climbing up his leg and meowing like he was about to die. He was soaking wet and soapy. "Looks like he wants to go home with you,"

"Dad wouldn't like that. We like dogs more anyway," Stiles smiled, picking up the kitten and putting it on the counter. Stiles petted the cat as he tried to shake his wetness away but then meowed, annoyed that he was still soaked.

"I am sure you can find a place for him," Deaton said, and Stiles raised his eyebrows, "A house somewhere out in the woods,"

"How do you know about that?" Stiles asked

"I have my sources," Deaton said, making Stiles glare at him, he was something, and he was going to figure out what he was.

"He is pretty cute..." Stiles' attention went to the kitten when she tried to jump onto his chest.

"Think about it for the weekend, I have to give her shots, and she has just a few more to get rid of her worms," Deaton laughed as he got the kitten from Stiles, nodding goodbye to the boy as he went back to bathing the cat.

Isaac was wondering what Stiles was doing with a house in the woods. The bricks and boards make sense if Stiles is building a little hut. He followed the Jeep down a dirt road for 20 minutes. There were truly no other houses around here. Isaac remembered being on the side of the forest. It could be one of the places he had been during his night runs. He did recognize the smell of burnt wood. He had never been there before, but he had heard many stories about the Hale Manor fire. Sometimes when Derek would come to the warehouse in the middle of the night, he would smell like a fire. The betas always thought he might have been around a bonfire, but the stench had a distinct smell.

Stiles came to parked in front of the Hale Manor. Isaac had never seen it before. He had no idea how Peter made it out alive seeing the wreckage. He headed behind a tree 500 feet away so Stiles couldn't hear him if he had stepped on a twig. Stiles got out of his beloved Jeep and walked behind the Manor; Isaac couldn't see him, but he could hear what he was doing. Stiles came around the house with a red wagon and a jar of Mountain Ash. Isaac could smell the peppery, burning smell of it. He wondered why Stiles didn't carry it around all the time, being a human amongst wolves. Stiles loaded the wagon with everything he got from his errands and walked into the woods through a naturally worn path Isaac assumed the wagon had created from Stiles using it.

"I know, I have tried, but there's a new threat, and he is getting stronger," Stiles said to no one. Isaac assumed, but he was talking to Laura Hale. When Isaac was eavesdropping in Stiles' room, he heard him talking on the 'phone,' but it was just a ploy in case his father found him talking to himself.

"Stiles, how can I ensure my brother is safe if you don't talk to him? To me, it seems like you two are enemies." Laura crossed his arms.

"Have you met Derek? He isn't exactly the most warming, and he is a skeptic even though he is a werewolf," Stiles muttered. He looked to the brunette and stopped walking, "I am trying to build you and your Pack a sanctuary to rest. Stop worrying about Derek... he can take care of himself. Isaac tripped over a rock, but Stiles didn't hear him, "What?" Stiles asked Laura. She stopped in her tracks and looked immediately at Isaac; she didn't see him as a threat since he was Derek's beta.

"Nothing," Laura grumbled and kept walking. She may be a Ghost, but gossip travels fast through the veil. She knew about the new threat, The Kanima, and even knew his identity before Scott and Stiles.

Stiles pulled the wagon out into the Meadow, rolling his eyes when he saw who was standing in front of his project. Peter had been dead for three years, and seeing him was still something Stiles hadn't gotten used to. Sometimes spirits look normal, and that means they are peaceful. Others look like they did the day they died. That means they either haven't accepted their death, are vengeful, are tied to someone, or can't let go. Laura was peaceful and stayed in the veil to look after her little brother. It was a bonus that Stiles could hear and talk to her. She could travel anywhere in the forest she died in. It was rare when Stiles was there to translate for her. When he was around Derek in the woods, Stiles refused to translate because she thought she wasn't real.

"You know... I would think death would be the perfect time to work on your communication skills," Stiles muttered.

"Well, if I am a figment of your imagination, then you would need to work on it," Laura snapped and regretted it when she saw Stiles' face.

"Just get rid of him... he creeps me out," Stiles saw the apology in her eyes. Peter's body was still shifted half into the monster Alpha he once was, with charred flesh and burned claw marks where Derek slashed his throat out. He can't physically harm Stiles, but his appearance does cause some night terrors. Laura growled and chased Peter off. She still hadn't fully forgiven him for killing her so that she would torment him.

Stiles lugged the wagon a couple more feet to his house. Isaac widened his eyes and knit his eyebrows together. He was expecting to see a poorly put-together hut, but what he saw were the bones of an actual house. Stiles had been working on this ever since middle school. He didn't know Derek at the time, but he knew that he was the only property owner, and he knew that he would probably never come back. Also, he technically didn't know that it was Derek's property. He would walk to this Meadow a lot after his mother died. It was about a mile from his house. It made things much easier when he discovered he could drive heavier materials closer. From Derek's house to the Meadow was only a couple of feet away.

Stiles had always been interested in building things. He had done tons of research and watched hours of YouTube tutorials. He tried different ways to lay concrete slabs for the house foundation. He did have help in 7th grade with Scott but abandoned that house somewhere else on Derek's Property. Scott had long forgotten about the house he and Stiles were building. He was pleased with his layout and how flat he had built the house's foundation. He focused a lot on the house's structure; he had been asking for leftover wood from his father's friends for years. He was ambitious when he decided on 700 Square Feet, but it paid off after four years of hard labor. Last Year he focused on putting a porch and roof on the house. This Year was finishing the inside. He had four rooms in the house, a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a would-be bathroom (once he understood plumbing more). He needed to be more confident in wiring the house. He didn't want it to burn down from an electrical fire. He had the Portable Generator to power the house when he was done with it. He would have to buy a lot of Extension outlets to plug into the generator.

Stiles had the roof well-built and the walls insulated. He had left the room with the windows but had the holes boarded up with plywood. He had a door installed, but it was only temporary. He was saving up enough for a custom door. Stiles came out with enough ingredients to make mortar for the bricks he had and poured in just enough. He confused Isaac when he poured some mountain ash into the mortar. Stiles was laying the bricks with the mixture, so if he needed protection, he would have it; the custom door would be made with Mountain Ash. That way, if he opened the door, he could let his Pack in. If it were closed, then they would be safe. Stiles already had the ends of the house built with brick. He just needed enough bricks to finish the front and back.

These bricks were a bit more vibrant than the others, so he put them at the front of his house. He hoped that Laura was still chasing Peter. It drains him when he talks to ghosts. It's like they feed off his energy. Especially the ones that haven't excepted their deaths. Hundreds of dead people follow people in the high school. He laid down a couple of bricks until he started to have fire-hot pain all over his body. He would get this sensation a lot when Peter was around. Stiles grunted in pain and took off his Jacket. Isaac had never seen him without a long sleeve.

Stiles had scars all over his body. He would get some from dark spirits sometimes. The pain was gone after a minute, and he didn't feel any new scars, but when he looked down at his wrist, he saw fresh claw marks. He inspected them for a while. He didn't know where they came from... they looked like the Kanima's talon. He looked around, confused, and saw a spirit in the woods. Isaac widened his eyes when he was looking straight toward him. Stiles walked closer, seeing a man in tatters of camouflage military uniform. Stiles couldn't recognize him since his face was so disfigured. He remembered something from a couple of years ago. His class held an assembly for grief in elementary school because many families had lost their loved ones at war.

"Isaac," Stiles snarled, quickly putting his Jacket back on and stomping toward the spirit by the tree, he had never seen Isaac's brother Camden before, but he knew he was one of the fatalities. He put two and two together.

"Shit..." Isaac muttered

"Isaac!" Stiles shouted, "Come out! If you don't fucking stop following me, I will kill you!" Stiles wished he had fangs and claws to beat Isaac in a fight. Stiles' wrist began to hurt where his claw marks had been. He ignored it because he was so embarrassed. Isaac had followed him to his secret spot. He saw him with his Jacket off and, worst of all, talking to Laura. Isaac stood up, slumped over, caught, he let Stiles chew him out, but he felt like they were being watched.

"Stiles, Shut up," Isaac said, and Stiles scoffed before Isaac put a finger to his mouth. Isaac took in his surroundings and listened. He looked around then to Stiles, who was focusing way into the forest.

Stiles just saw spirits flying in his direction at about 20 miles per hour, Isaac didn't see the spirits, but he did hear something running through the treetops. Isaac didn't know what was coming, but it was an 80% chance it was the Kanima. "Stiles! Run!"

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