A/N: I'm back! Don't know if anyone is still around to read this after all this time but here I am, flinging another chapter into void that is the internet hoping someone out there will find some pleasure in reading it. No promises time-wise when it comes to updating though cuz real life does take precedence...
Chapter 23
This battle, these losses, were nothing more than snowflakes during a snowstorm.
One would remember the storm but no one would recount each and every snowflake that fell,
they would fall like many people during the war; unseen and overlooked,
their contributions and sacrifices merely forgotten.
- M -
…
Gossip travels fast in the supernatural community this is a mere fact. Another fact being that in its long international game of telephone some parts have been known to get mixed up or left out, not even to speak of the embellishments and the speculations spun as fact.
''A lone coyote and an alpha wolf… well color me surprised.'' A young brunette man mutters baffled.
His companion, a redheaded woman next to him, seems to have a different opinion. ''I'm not. I mean aren't her kids a little too blond and wolf smelling?''
Squinting, a third person joins the conversation, ''I thought they were her nephews?''
The redhead scoffs, ''And you believe that? It's a clear cover up. Why else would they be so familiar with each other, so familiar in fact that she'd be crazy enough to challenge him to a fight?''
Tilting their heads the three stare at the strange pair once more, jumping in fright when another person suddenly speaks up behind them.
''I believe this is a meeting to promote intermingling between packs… So how about you three stop chit chatting with your own, take their lead-'' Tilting his head towards the couple the three had been staring at, ''and start mingling with some other people?''
The three beta's jump into separate directions, quickly latching onto any person they could to escape the older alpha's wrath.
Rainier chuckles at the three fleeing beta's, he wasn't that scary in his old age was he? At least never scary enough to coerce Satomi into attending these events… Looking between the admittedly strange pair and the young boys the coyote brought along he wonders if there is any credence to their words, could that be the grievance they were trying to settle?
…
''Why aren't we shooting up the place again?'' A man asks impatiently, tapping his foot against the dashboard.
Kate turns to the man, annoyance coloring her features. ''Because you nitwit, there are about 300 wolves there. One step into their little picnic area and you'll be gutted before you can get a single shot off. But by all means don't let me stop you.''
Grunting noncommittally, the man looks away from her.
''And why aren't you sending your guy in?''
''Because he'll end up gutted…'' She responds, speaking very slowly as if that would help the man understand her point better. This is what she gets for stooping so low as to partner with the Molé family.
The driver, an older man gruffly speaks up, ''Why are we here Katherine? We're not getting anything out of this and you know it.''
''You're right about one thing, we're done here. I've seen enough, let's go.''
''Waste of time.'' The younger man grumbles, fiddling with his gun impatiently.
Rolling her eyes Kate tries to remind herself that she needs these idiots, cannon fodder so to speak, but god did she hate having to put up with these amateurs. It was a pain but at least she got what she came here for; a face and a weakness.
Staring at the picture on her camera she zooms in on the bitch that killed her parents and her disgusting brats. Maybe she'll gut them in front of her, make her watch before doing her in as well.
A small, sickening, smile filling her face at the thought.
Soon.
…
''Alright Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, this is it; the game you've been waiting for. The ultimate hide and seek tournament! The area has been cordoned off with tape, stay within this area and use your senses wisely. These fine men and women will be the in game referees, easily recognizable by their fashionable bright orange vests, they'll be observing the game and will have the last say should any disputes arise.'' An older man in his late fifties announces, pointing at a group of people standing off to the side.
''You'll receive a card specifying your target, tag them and you'll gain their hunting card, with it you inherit their target and previously won cards. The game will last until the last person has been tagged or until the time runs out at which point you will be called back. Whoever has possession of the most target cards wins.''
''What if you get your own card or someone's who left the game?'' A young man asks.
''Terrific question. Then you get to hunt someone freely until you gain someone else's card or get caught by your own hunter. People who leave the cordoned off area forfeit their place in the game and their card will subsequently turn gray signifying them as caught.''
''This is not hide and seek'' Malia whispers to Peter.
Frowning Peter turns to her, ''You've never played?''
''Not as a game-''
''Young lady, do you have any questions?'' The announcer asks suddenly, taking her fervent whispers as a plea for help.
Looking up at the announcer she nods, holding a hand on each of the boys' shoulders as if to shield them from the crowd's scrutiny.
''How are the kids supposed to play this with us, won't they get tagged out really quick?''
''Ah, new to the games I see, no worries dear. This game is played in three separate leagues: The children under twelve play against each other. Thirteen up to seventeen and the last league is everyone above eighteen.''
Seemingly satisfied with her silence the announcer moves onto the next question.
A young woman raises her hand. ''What qualifies as getting caught?''
''Excellent question. For league one, the children twelve and under will simply tag their target. League two, the teens up to seventeen will have to capture their target and hold onto them for three seconds. The third league, eighteen and up will have to capture their target and hold onto them for ten seconds. But remember people this game is played with everyone; human and were, young and old so no teeth or claws allowed. Minor injuries in the adult and teen leagues are expected but mind your manners and be mindful when tagging non-were's. If the refs find you to be using too much force you'll be disqualified instantly!''
Nodding along, Malia throws a quick glance over Ethan and Aiden, reassured by their excited looks and energetic hopping. And they weren't the only ones, it seemed everyone was brimming with excitement, even those on the sidelines unable or unwilling to participate in the game themselves.
Caroline blows Peter a kiss from her spot on the sidelines, earning herself a smirk from the recipient. Talia sits next to her with Alexander waving excitedly at them, the boy being a year short of being allowed to participate.
Turning her head she spots the Edevean pack. She makes eye contact with Clara who smiles at her, Dean mouths a 'good luck' to her before they head into the game zone. Deucalion nods at her as he walks past them, a smug smile on his lips as he flips his card between his fingers.
Malia follows Peter and Laura to the starting line for league 3, James splits off of the group to drop the kids and teens at their starting points.
A part of her tells her it resembles the past too much, that she should bow out now to avoid the risk of having an episode. But just when she's about to she hears Morrels voice ringing in her head.
''I wish I could tell you that you will forget about all that you've been through but that would be a lie. All I can advise to help you get through this is to keep living, keep coming to therapy and to make new good memories to drown out the bad ones.''
''Make good memories to drown out the bad ones.'' Malia whispers under her breath, eyes closed as she steadies herself.
Laura shoots her a concerned look before nodding and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
''The good old 'To get over a bad guy, you have to get under a good one.' I like it.'' She whispers in her ear.
Turning to Laura, Malia can't help but laugh. Laura turned out to be a very enjoyable person to be around, a very welcome presence in her life. Unlike a lot of the rest of the Hales Laura never pried into her past, not that she didn't seem to care or was uninterested but there was a sense of understanding. An understanding that while family should be included, not everything had to be shared with them, some things were just your own and that was okay.
''And what would you know about any of that dear niece?'' Peter asks, eyebrows raised in question.
''Oh uncle Peter, that's so sad… No one ever talked to you about the birds and the bees? Poor thing, maybe I could ask dad to give you the talk later?'' Laura says in a faux shocked voice, quickly taking off before Peter can reach her.
''See ya in the game guys!'' She yells over her shoulder as she sprints away.
''Just wait until I get to your card Laura!'' Peter yells after her.
Leaning towards Peter, Malia smiles, putting on a sickly sweet voice. ''I could tell you about the birds and the bees if you want?''
Darius standing a little ways over with the referees guffaws loudly and he isn't the only one, the refs surrounding him seem to be gasping for air. Peter glares at them but it only seems to have the desired effect on the younger generation, the older refs simply pause before proceeding to laugh again.
Throwing up his hands in mock-surrender Darius shrugs, ''I'm one of the refs, I have nothing to be afraid of.''
''Eh… accidents happen.'' The announcer casually interjects, gaining a bunch of wide eyed utterly betrayed looks from his referees.
With a razor sharp smile Peter looks at the previously laughing bunch, ''Hear that? Accidents happen.''
Following the direction Laura fled into they end up at the starting line. Both grab a card and head into the hunting zone, splitting up almost instantly upon entry. Or rather Peter splits off from her, effectively abandoning her, but honestly who's surprised at this point?
Trekking through the vast game area she scans the terrain thoroughly, spotting Clara hiding in the treetops and a mid-forties brunette guy behind one of the tree trunks. Quietly she tiptoes through the area until she reaches higher ground, sinking down she reads her card, smirking when she does so.
Marco Ward
Age - 21
Beta - Edevean pack
Fighting level - regular
Chuckling she stufs the card into her pocket, regular eh? She wonders what her card says.
Climbing into a tree she calmly observes her surroundings from above, enjoying the slight breeze blowing through her hair. Her best course of action was to wait out the initial wave, let others thin out the herd, tire themselves out, before striking herself and picking off those left over.
Leaning against the tree trunk she closes her eyes, relaxing a little as she listens to the sounds of the forest. Occasionally smiling as she listens in on the other participants, looks like some have teamed up; A curious choice if you ask her, then again they're not used to anything other than teaming up she supposes all coming from packs. After a while her eyes crack open, she wonders how much time has passed, half an hour or has it been closer to an hour at this point? Her musings are interrupted by a familiar pair.
She hears them long before she sees them, their voices hardwired into her brain it seems. Aiden and Ethan, hand in hand, sneaking through the clearing while she observes from up above. Hearing some older kids a little ways back name dropping Aiden she debates whether or not she should say something or let them figure it out by themselves.
''You think aunt Malia got tagged yet?''
She hears Ethan whisper, making entirely too much noise, stomping through the area in a way that makes her cringe. She should really add stealth training to their morning rituals.
Aiden, much more aware of their surroundings, has his head on a swivel.
''Nah, you think she caught someone yet?''
Ethan shrugs, ''Maybe.''
''Maybe?'' She asks from above, scaring the bejeezus out of the boys.
Falling onto their buts the twins look up to see Malia standing on a branch above them and before they can say a word she hoists them both into the tree, signaling them to be quiet. Down below them a pair of twelve year olds slowly track through the area whispering to one another, funnily enough a pair of identical twins as well.
Once they're far enough away she smiles at her boys.
''That was so cool.'' Ethan whispers in awe.
Aiden less impressed shrugs, ''Not as cool as Derek, he already tagged two people.''
''You ran into Derek?'' She asks bemused.
''Uhuh, he was with Paige, she hasn't caught anyone either.'' Aiden informs her, ''We also saw Uncle Peter but he was busy.''
''Busy how?'' she asks, jumping down from the tree branch.
Ethan laughs a little as she picks him up, ''Busy running.''
''Running from who?'' she asks curious, as she lifts Aiden off of the branch as well.
''Laura.'' Aiden snickers.
A bright smile fills her face picturing her fath- Peter running from Laura. She tries to hold it in but she can't help but laugh at the image this conjures up, uncaring that she's being much too loud. After a while her laughter subsides and she manages to continue her conversation.
''So did she get him?''
The boys shrug in response.
''What, you didn't stay to see?'' She asks, a little shocked and maybe a tiny bit disappointed.
''Couldn't.'' Ethan responds.
Seeing their response she looks at them in confusion, ''And why not?''
''We were running too.'' Aiden replies, giving her a cheesy smile.
''Okay… that the reason Cora isn't with you?''
The boys nod, ''We were running from Cora…''
''She got one of you on her card already?''
''Me…'' Ethan says almost shyly, ''She was really nice about it though, gave us a head start.''
Smelling a familiar scent, Malia smirks a little. Hugging the boys she whispers into their ears, ''Then you'd better get going now, if you want to keep that head start.''
They look at her, confusion clouding their small faces right up until they spot Cora jumping out of the bushes behind Malia sprinting at them like a vengeful spirit out to get them in the deep of night. Screaming the boys hightail it in the other direction.
When Cora flashes by her, and damn was that girl fast, she hears a happy ''Hi aunty Malia!'' before the girl in question disappears completely from sight again, taking her boys with her.
Smiling, she shakes her head at their antics before focusing on her own target again; time to hunt a snake.
…
Making his way up the hill Deucalion smirks at the scene he's walked into. A few steps in front of him sits his target, completely preoccupied with subduing her own target.
''Alright, alright, the ten seconds have been up for like ten minutes now! Can you get off of me already?!'' Marco huffs, having seized his futile attempt to tip her off of his back a long while back.
Holding onto his wrists as she sits on his back Malia hums, ''I'm still not hearing the magic words…''
Letting his head fall into the dirt, his young beta huffs in exasperation. ''Could you please get off of me?''
Deucalion watches as a smile fills Malia's face.
''Enjoying the view?'' she asks whipping her head around, looking him straight in the eye.
Smirk still in place Deucalion shrugs, ''Not a bad view.''
Getting up Malia takes the hunting cards Marco had previously owned. Reading the card on top of the significant pile, she frowns.
''Bad card, angel?'' Deucalion asks as he slowly advances on her, casually helping Marco off of the ground as he does so.
Her brown eyes turn to him in a flash, and not for the first time he wonders what she sees when she looks at him. She closes the gap between them, close enough to where he could easily take hold of her and gain her newly acquired cards for himself.
''I haven't seen a trace of you all game…'' she smiles, eyes intently on him, as she creeps even closer to him. So close they're almost standing chest to chest.
His smirk melting into a smile, he responds, slyly showing her his stack of target cards. ''Been busy.''
''Figured,'' She smirks back at him. Stuffing her newly won cards into her pocket she shoots him a regret filled look, ''Hate to disappoint but I work better alone.''
Taken off guard Deucalion blinks dumbly before he can make sense of her words. ''You believe I came here to forge an alliance with you?'' He asks baffled.
Smiling sweetly she whispers, ''not at all.'' Before suddenly pushing him to the ground and taking off in a sprint down the hill he'd just walked up.
He lays there for a second listening to her speedy descend down the hill, before letting out a stunned laugh. Scrambling off of the forest floor he quickly takes of in the same direction Malia ran in.
…
Outrunning Deucalion turned out to be quite the challenge and hiding wasn't an option considering his skill level when it came to tracking. So here she was, sprinting through the woods with Deucalion hot on her tail. She itched to turn and show him how fast she really was but opted not to, considering the no claws and fangs rule of the game.
On her mad dash she tried everything to shake him off, she jumped over tree trunks, slid underneath bushes, ran in circles to spread her scent and confuse him, she zig zagged but none of it seemed to even slow him down.
Running through the wooded area she expertly dodged another wolf that had stepped into her running path, letting out a bark of a laugh when she heard Deucalion collide with that same wolf barely more than a few seconds later.
She never slowed her stride though, this was the perfect time to disappear from his sight. Running for another few minutes she slowed to a stop near a small river. Breathing heavily she laughs, it's been awhile since she'd had this much fun. Surveying the area she concludes it to be a fine hiding place, at least if she was able to throw Deucalion off her trail. Eyeing the shallow river she contemplates if outsmarting Deucalion would be worth getting her clothes wet.
Hearing leaves crunch a little ways over, she makes up her mind and wades through the waist deep river to the bank on the other side. Quietly she ducks down behind a pair of bushes just as soft footsteps approach the bank on the other side of the river.
Peaking through the bushes she watches an unfamiliar man in his late thirties sneak through the area she'd just left. She takes him in, his broad shoulders, reddish brown hair and pale blue eyes. She's sure she's seen him before but can't recall a name or pack to go along with the face. The man in question tenses along with her when a branch nearby cracks, looking to the tree line she's surprised to see two of the referees casually entering the scene. She could've sworn she'd caught Deucalion's scent…
Then it suddenly strikes her, grabbing her card she looks from the picture to the man stalking on the other side of the river. He's her target! She's about to rise when Deucalion comes sprinting into the scene.
Her targets face lights up, ''Ah Edevane,''
''Oberman,'' Deucalion nods in response,'' Any chance you've seen a woman come by here, mid-twenties, piercing brown eyes, about yay heigh?''
''You just missed her, she went that way.'' Oberman says, casually pointing to the area behind him.
Eyeing Oberman, Deucalion chuckles. ''Thanks, you'd think she was easier to keep track of with that platinum blonde hair.''
Her target- alpha Oberman nods in agreement, ''you'd think.''
Malia watches as Deucalion's eyes sharpen, he's come to the same conclusion as her. The hunter has become prey.
Doberman is no fool though as he too notices the shift in Deucalion, he strikes out immediately. Unfortunately for him Deucalion is anything but easy prey, easily dodging his attempts at capture.
Malia watches their strange dance for awhile before quietly tip toeing over to the rivers edge, the two men on the other side of the river way too immersed in each other to notice her advance. The referee's don't even react to her appearance, though she supposes they might not want to tip of Deucalion and Oberman to her presence by reacting.
Oberman manages to push Deucalion to the ground, a push hard enough to make him roll all the way into the shallow part of the river.
Malia makes her move then, tackling the unsuspecting Alpha into the ground. She struggles to hold onto him as he fights to break free of her hold. She slowly loses grip on one of his arms and he manages to shrug her off of his back, resulting in her butt making a painful landing on the grassy field. With one hand still grasping one of his wrists she manages to hold onto him, even as he scrambles up into a standing position.
Looking at her hand clasped over his wrist Oberman shifts his now glowing red eyes over to her, giving her a sympathetic smile. ''I'm sorry about this.'' He says before sweeping out the arm she was holding with enough force it flings her against a nearby tree, knocking both her back and head into the hard tree trunk.
Her ears ring for a bit as she gets her bearings. When she does, she sees one of the refs speaking to Oberman.
''Please tell me that little throw doesn't count as excessive in these games.'' She huffs out in defense of the other wolf. Seriously all he did was throw her a few feet, not his fault she didn't stick the landing.
''Thanks for the assist but you won fair and square,'' Oberman smiles as he hands her his cards. ''tenth second hit just before you went airborne.''
''Oh…'' She mutters surprised, accepting the cards.
How does this work, she now has Oberman's target which is Deucalion but she's Deucalion's target… Apparently she'd voiced her confusion out loud as Oberman responds.
''Simple, whoever holds the other one down first.'' He says before jogging out of sight.
Sweeping her eyes over the area she spots Deucalion at the river's edge, at the deeper part where she'd waded through to get to the other side, squeezing the water out of the side of his shirt. A futile attempt while wearing it but who is she to judge.
Sneaking up to him she almost pounces when he warns her not to.
''Push me into the water again and you shall live to regret it.'' Sounding as disgruntled by the fact he was wet as a cat forced to take a bath would be.
Before she can proceed in her attack he swiftly kicks her legs out from beneath her. Landing in the dirt or rather mud right before his feet, she quickly grabs onto both his legs and drags him down into the muddy ground alongside her. A muddy scuffle ensues. Slipping around Malia eventually manages to get the upper hand, straddling his chest. This victory is short-lived however as Deucalion effortlessly flips them over, so that she is once again the one laying in the mud.
Breathing heavily she struggles against his hold, trying and failing to break free.
He leans down to her, a smirk playing on his lips. ''Don't mourn your loss today, tis quite the feat you held out this long against the reigning king.''
Tilting her head up to meet him halfway, her eyes light up. ''Monarchies are made to be toppled.''
She smirks as she sees his eyes widen at the challenge. She uses all of her strength to flip them over once more. But instead of fighting it when he tries to flip them again in his favor, she moves along causing them to spin into a roll. They come to a stop with her on top at the edge of the river.
Malia eyes Deucalion before shifting her eyes to the river, just a roll away from them. Mirth filling her eyes. Somewhere behind her she hears the refs starting the count over again, but she pays them little mind.
Licking her lips she watches as Deucalion catches up with her plan, the horror in his voice music to her ears.
''Malia don't.''
With a laugh she swings her body to the left, plunging herself into the cold water, dragging Deucalion down with her.
She's the first one to break the surface, searching the water for Deucalion. Not seeing him she searches the river bank, when she's suddenly pulled beneath the water again by a strong pull on her legs.
When she gets back to the surface again, this time spluttering, she's faced by a smug looking Deucalion.
That's when one of the refs approaches them, ''Times up.''
Stunned Malia turns to look at Deucalion, seeing a similar expression on his face.
''Congratulations, you tied.'' The ref smiles, clearly amused by their stunned expressions.
''We tied?'' she exclaims looking at the referee, wiping water droplets away from her face.
Turning back to Deucalion she spots him already climbing out of the river. Following suit she also wades over to the riverbank.
A hand shoots out to assist her out of the water and when she looks up she is met by a soaked but for some reason smug looking Deucalion.
''What's that look for?'' she inquires suspiciously as she slowly takes his hand.
''Not quite toppled the monarchy now have you? What's that quint American saying… Can't beat them, join them?'' He tells her smugly.
A surprised laugh escapes her, ''Haven't been toppled yet, have you?'' Her intent clear in her eyes, unfortunately he notices about a second too late.
''Malia don't!''
…
Talia bounced Alexander on her hip anxiously. Why hadn't she returned yet, the game had ended several minutes ago.
''She'll be here in a couple of minutes, it always takes the refs a while to gather the remaining players.'' James tells her soothingly.
Nodding absentmindedly Talia wants to believe him but she cant help but feel uneasy the longer it takes. The fact that the rest of the pack got tagged out much earlier didn't help this feeling. Taking a calming breath she glides her eyes over the surrounding packs, trying to see who is still in the game.
''Deucalion get you again?'' she hears James ask, she turns her head to see who he's speaking with.
Alpha Oberman shakes his head with an amused smile on his face. ''Not this year, a certain Hale caught me of guard while I was busy trying to capture Deucalion.''
Confused James turns looks between Oberman and the Hale pack, ''I thought you got tagged only just a few minutes before the end.''
''Sure was,'' Leaning sideways Oberman looks at Talia, ''that sister of yours sure has a tight grip.''
''Aunt Malia tagged you?!'' Cora all but screeched, ''that's so cool!''
Squatting down the older man smiled kindly at the young Hale, ''don't think I didn't hear about you tagging Jordan, that was quite the feat as well young lady.''
Talia watched with an indulgent smile as Cora preened at the praise.
''There she is!'' Alexander yells, pointing towards the tree line.
The twins sprint towards Malia immediately, weaving their way through the crowd fluidly like they're made of water in order to get to her.
Looking up Talia is shocked at the scene playing out before her. There emerging from the trees are Deucalion and Malia soaking wet, but what shocks her most about the scene is the relaxed manner in which Malia seems to carry herself in that moment. Her focus lies entirely upon Deucalion, her mouth is formed in a genuine smile. Deucalion's posture surprises her equally as much, the usually reserved man laughs heartily when Malia punches him in the shoulder going as far as playfully shoving her back in retaliation. The twins launch themselves into Malia with so much force she almost topples over, only remaining standing because Deucalion lends her a hand.
It's a scene she both loves and fears to see. What if her sister chooses to join another pack over hers, the Edevane pack wasn't that far from her own but it would still take her sister out of Beacon Hills. Away from their family, their pack, and their protection…
…
That evening
''She was so scared, petrified really. The hunter had been chasing her for what felt like hours, chasing her through the woods in a frenzied run, until she made a fatal mistake.'' Melody, a blonde haired woman recounts softly, the surrounding people listening with bated breath. One of the many firepits casting a warm glow on her pretty face, and though she spoke softly her voice easily carried through the silent valley.
''In her fright she'd failed to think clearly and let him drive her straight into the bottom of a cliffside. Cornered she felt her heart pounding loudly in her ears drowning out all else. One thought echoed through her mind; This was it, this was her end. He would put her down like a rabid dog.'' She let silence ring through the open field as the youngest that were still awake hung onto her every word.
''Then what happened?'' A teen girl whispered breathlessly.
Melody's eyes met the girls' before gazing back into the fire, ''The man stepped in front of her, his rifle leveled at her heart-''
Malia's stomach churned. It wasn't the story itself that made her feel sick though, if anything that was an experience she thought most supernaturals had gone through. No, the unease only filled her after flicking her eyes around the field. She expected to see bored faces, teens that were yawning at the far too mundane story. Instead she was faced with enraptured expressions, fear and anticipation lingering in the air as the younger beta's hung onto the blonde's every word. Only few seemed to be able to relate and most were well into their twenties and over.
''She had nowhere to run, no one to run to he told her as much and she knew it was true; no one would miss her, not until it was too late. Leaves crunched under his boots as he closed the distance between them. She moved backwards until she hit the rock wall that trapped her there.'' Melody's eyes seemed to glaze over as she stared into the flames, ''She knew what would happen, knew she should fight but he was bigger and stronger than she would ever be.''
Looking around she smiled, ''She looked up at the sky, a full moon lit her soon to be gravesite. Her mouth opened, whether to scream or cry she didn't know instead what came out was a howl. Her teeth sharpened, her hands became weapons and in that moment everything changed. That night the hunter became the prey.'' She looked around the younger wolves before ending her story, ''Some say you can still hear his screams echo through the air on calm nights like this one.''
Right at that moment a scream erupted form the now shadowed woods, startling some of the pack members so bad a few other screams joined the jokester emerging from the shadows. Malia chuckles, petting Aiden's hair to sooth him back into his slumber. Ethan merely looks up and sensing Malia's calm lays his head back down on her thigh and lets his eyes droop close once again.
Aleron casually make his way through the crowd, ignoring the glares of some pack members now dealing with awoken youngsters, before plopping himself down right next to his father seeming extremely pleased by the results of his prank. His father seemed anything but.
''One of these days he's going to drive his poor father straight into the nuthouse.'' Peter laughs from her left. Caroline soundly asleep, leaning against his chest, unaware of any of the excitement around them.
Malia's eyes drift from her left to her right, roving over most of the Hale pack and some of the Edevane pack. Raking a hand through Ethan's hair her thoughts linger on her last therapy session.
''You think I'm crazy.''
Morrel looked at her, guarding her emotions. '''No one is saying that.''
Malia's eyes flit around the room until they finally settled on Morrel again. ''You didn't have to. I can sense it, you think I made it all up. Like some sort of nutcase.''
''No. I know you have suffered, I believe you experienced a great deal of loss-''
Shaking her head Malia let out a humorless laugh, ''You're probably debating whether or not to send me to Eichen…''
''Not at all Malia, I don't think you're crazy. I think you have endured so much suffering and loss in such a short timespan your brain may have sought to protect you-''
''You think my brain thought it more comforting to have the world plunge into war, have the entire world die slowly and painfully, than what exactly? What could possibly be worse than that?'' Malia said aggravated, pacing in front of the window.
Calmy Morrel looked at her, ''Perhaps it was more comforting if you weren't the only one who'd lost everything, who'd suffered in the ways you and your family had, to know your pack fought not alone but with the entire supernatural community at its back. The mind spins many tales when it cannot survive the truth-''
''This was a mistake, forget I said anything.'' Malia scoffed grabbing her coat and running out of the office.
She flinched when a hand brushed her shoulder.
''Are you alright?'' Deucalion whispered. He slowly retracted his hand from her shoulder when he noticed Rainier looking over at them with an unreadable expression.
Looking over Malia sent a small smile his way, hopefully a reassuring one. As she tried to shake of the flop of a conversation she'd had with Morrel a few weeks back. At least she knew her to be true to her words when it came to her oath of secrecy, too bad she thought she was an absolute nut.
''Perhaps someone else would like to share a story? It can be whatever kind of story you would like, real or imagined, scary or funny, any kind.'' Ranier says, leading this part as the oldest alpha among them. Getting only silence in return he looked around the crowd before zeroing in on Deucalion.
''Deucalion, perhaps you have a story to share?''
Laughing awkwardly Deucalion looked around at the expectant faces around them, ''I am a terribly boring storyteller, I fear I'd put you all to sleep with my stories.''
''Oh come on Deucalion, you tell such riveting stories.'' Kali teased with a broad Cheshire smile.
Malia watched as Deucalion tried to deny once more. A story. That's what they wanted, she debated on what to say if anything. She wasn't exactly a good storyteller either and most of her stories had horrible real life endings, she wanted to help Deucalion out but after what happened with Morrel…
Morrel. She'd thought it was all made up, some figment of her imagination…
Looking around her, at the people surrounding and thinking of the people who weren't, she struggled as the reality of it all came crashing down on her. If anything, in this time everything that she'd experienced might as well have been a figment of her imagination. Because technically it hadn't happened yet and she'd already changed far too much for the future to even resemble her past ever again. By saving her family she'd also erased them forever…
The only tangible proof of her family- was her. But she can't speak their names, can't describe them in too much detail without sounding insane. Her heart felt like it was being constricted, the thought that every memory of her pack would die with her, every sacrifice they'd made and all their love forgotten…
Malia lets her eyes drift away from the people, gazing into the dancing flames before speaking.
''They'd been running for a long time, their home long gone, their family scattered to the wind.''
All eyes turned to her as her voice betrayed no emotions at all. A chill traveled through Deucalion's body hearing her detached words. The people in the clearing seemed to hold their breath collectively as if a single sound would stop her dead in her tracks. Peter's head snapped up from where he'd rested it on Caroline's shoulder. Paige lifted her head from Derek's shoulder, looking intently across the fire into Malia's eyes. James squeezed his wives hand in support as he felt her tense.
''Running from place to place, nowhere was safe, not for them.'' Flames danced in her vacant brown eyes as if she wasn't there anymore.
Everyone in the clearing listened with rapt attention. The younger teens clamoring with anticipation. The adults were apprehensive, knowing that whatever story she would tell, more than likely came from experience. And the little that was known of her experiences were written across her skin, and those didn't paint a pretty picture.
''They were an odd bunch, not alike at all and yet they fought for the same thing. Loved one another deeper than any could comprehend, they'd been so young, stayed so young...'' Heaving a heavy breath Malia grimaced at her own memories, many so vivid it hurt to remember.
A chilling realization traveled through the crowd; she was speaking of her pack, her dead pack.
''They fought so hard but were no match for them, no one was. No matter how hard they fought for peace nothing worked, the enemy never wanted peace. It didn't matter who we were, all that mattered was what we were and they hated us for it. They hated us-'' Her hands shook as she kept petting her hand through the boys' hair, looking down at them her voice broke slightly.
Peter hugged Caroline closer to him, hands protectively cradling her stomach. Anger simmering through his body as a response to the pain flying of his sister in waves.
''And I hated them. I hated them a little more each time they took one of us but we never gave up, we couldn't.'' Sweeping her eyes back to the flames she let out a wet laugh, ''He was the opposite of me, he could never hate them, incapable of seeing the worst in people.''
A tear streaked across her cheek, swiping it away roughly, she chuckled hollowly. ''They say the heavens cried when they executed him, truth is it merely rained. They left him there, lying in the dirt, as bait for us. They laughed as they spoke of what they'd do when his wife showed up, right in front of him... He would've despised me for what I ended up doing to them.''
She looked around her, at the people but found herself unable to see them, merely a blur.
''Not all monsters do monstrous things, but that night-'' Her voice grew breathless, ''That night, after watching his eyes fade from a vibrant red to a lifeless brown, I did monstrous things.''
Eyes flicking up she watched multiple emotions flit over the people's faces around her. Silence blanketed the valley for a moment.
''Why didn't you stay with the beta who took up his mantle?'' A younger wolf asked, unfamiliar with the idea that a pack would seize to exist upon the death of its alpha.
Her answer stuns the people listening, ''What beta?''
''He had no beta's?'' another youngster asks confused.
Malia lets out a hollow laugh upon hearing this question, ''Everyone still alive at that point couldn't inherit the spark from him.''
''Because he was a wolf and you a coyote?'' Paige asked quietly, holding Dereks hand tightly.
''That was part of it yeah.'' She responded softly, though sometimes she wonders if she could've had Scott not been a true alpha.
''How long had you been together?'' Aleron asks, no hint of a joke in his tone. Smartly directing the questions into a more positive direction.
Frowning Malia shrugged, ''I'm not sure, we got married when we were already on the run. That time gets a little jumbled together…''
''How did you meet?'' a young teen asks, stars in her eyes at the thought of being married to an alpha.
A genuine smile creeps up her face, ''How he met most people, he saved my life.''
…