Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or it's characters. I own only the plot of this story, and the OCs created for it.

AN: Heya! This is my first Teen Wolf fanfic, and I have spectacular plans for where I will take this, so please bear with me! Enjoy!

"Scott! Hey, Scotty!" Stiles's voice exclaimed over the clamor of slamming lockers and chattering students in the hallway of Beacon Hills High. Scott was all too familiar with that spark of excitement in his friend's voice. It was the same exact spark Stiles had whenever he'd found a new way to… well, Stiles would call it have fun, but Scott would say it was normally a new way to get the both of them in trouble either by sneaking around where they shouldn't or getting involved in the Sheriff's private cases. Sometimes – often-times, really – it was a little of both.

Scott scanned the crowd of highschoolers in search of his friend. It didn't take long to spot that unmistakable, unruly head of spiky brown hair bobbing toward him as Stiles fought through the masses, only stopping when he stood by Scott's side grinning like a schoolgirl.

"Stiles," Scott greeted as the two of them walked together towards their classrooms. "What's up?"

"Oh, man, you are not going to believe this," Stiles began, his grin somehow getting wider. "I found us a new case!"

"A new case? Stiles, we're teenagers, not detectives. Have you been listening to the police radio again?"

Stiles scoffed. "Like I ever stopped! It's good to know what's going on in your town, Scott. It's called town… awareness."

Scott raised a single eyebrow at his best friend. "Town-awareness?"

"Yes. Town-awareness. It's like self-awareness, but for your town. It's gotta be a real term. Everything is anymore."

Scott couldn't help a small smile. "Can't argue with that. But I thought we agreed it was best to let your dad handle his own cases. We should worry more about any supernatural threats the nemeton could bring to Beacon Hills."

"See, now that's the thing. I have very good reason to believe that this is exactly our kind of gig. Just hear me out, okay?" Stiles reasoned. As much as Scott longed for a break from fighting werewolves, and kanimas, and whatever other unnatural creatures that crawled their way into Beacon Hills, he knew that if Stiles was right, he'd have to get right back at it. Monsters weren't ones for taking holidays, unfortunately – which meant neither was Scott.

"Okay. What's going on?" Scott asked after taking a small moment of silence to mourn the loss of his spare time.

"I'm glad you asked, Scotty boy. See, I was listening to the radio, and the police got a call to respond to an animal attack at Beacon Campgrounds. One fatality. Of course, it's hard to get much information from the radio, but I did find out one small detail."

Scott's friend met his eyes with an intensity only Stiles could bring. In response, Scott could simply blink, his brow furrowing. "Are you… going to tell me what it is?"

Stiles let out a long groan. "I was pausing for affect. Aren't you on the edge of your seat?"

"Umm, I guess?" He was honestly just a little too tired to be that excited about a new case. He was barely able to keep up with Stiles's energy on a good day, much less when he wasn't fully rested and stuck in school-mode. He'd really been looking forward to the chance to get his grades back up again. No monsters meant maybe he'd have the chance to recover before he ends up getting held back a year.

"Ugh, you're hopeless," Stiles groaned. "The girl apparently disappeared from her campsite. When her friends found her… well, let's just say there wasn't much left of her to find."

"Not much left?" At that, Scott had to admit his interest was piqued. "What, so they think it was a wolf or a cougar or something?"

"Or something." Stiles nodded, the brown wisps of his hair swaying slightly with the movement. "What do you say we head to the scene after school?"

Scott's lips turned down in a frown as he considered the proposition. "I don't know, Stiles. I really need to study. I have this test, and-"

"Hello, Scotty! This is a dead body we're talking about. Torn to shreds by some monster. Look, I get studying is important, but so is protecting innocent lives from whatever's out there." Stiles arms flailed about wildly as he talked – something Scott was very used to by now after growing up with his hyperactive best friend.

"Well, what if it really is just a wild animal? Maybe we should just wait to see what else the police can turn up."

"Are you forgetting that this is Beacon Hills? When is it ever just a wild animal?" Stiles reasoned, and Scott had to admit he had a point. There'd been many reported animal attacks in the town's history, both recent and dating way back. In their experience, nearly every one so severe as to take a life had some ties to the supernatural.

"Yeah, you're right." Scott sighed, raking his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm just tired, man. I need a break, and I really have to catch up on my school if I don't want to be held back a year."

Not long ago, Scott would've been right there with Stiles, eager to get out there and investigate every angle. But after that whole deal with Deucalion and the Darach, he really just needed a short break. He'd nearly lost his own mother, for crying out loud! And Stiles had nearly lost his father. It seemed they just had different methods of coping. Scott knew his friend was prone to finding ways to distract himself to avoid anxiety and issues, but Scott was the opposite. He needed time to process and recover after something like that.

"Come on, Scott. Just an hour or two of your time. If we don't find any evidence that this is more than an animal attack, then we'll drop the case, alright?"

For some reason Scott always had a hard time saying no when Stiles pleaded with him like that. Maybe it was the small twinkle of mischief in his friend's eye or the spark in his way of talking that was so uniquely Stiles that Scott would feel like a criminal if he stomped it out by saying no. Whatever weapon it was that Stiles used against him, it was effective, and Scott found himself muttering out an exasperated, "Fine."

Stiles celebrated his victory by pumping his in the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed perhaps a little too loudly. Some of the other students gave him funny looks, but Stiles didn't seem to notice – or if he did, then he just didn't care. That was one thing Scott admired about his friend. Stiles didn't care what people thought of him. He didn't care if they found him a bit weird or uncool. He never changed himself to fit the crowd he was in. He was always just completely Stiles.

"Okay, man," Scott said, unable to help a light chuckle. "I'll catch you after school."

That concludes our first chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments. I'm far more likely to publish the next chapter sooner with good feedback to fight that writer's block XD A favorite or a follow would also do wonders for my self-esteem XD XP