Soul Of The Matter

'That's just not funny.' Neta says, glaring at the image Stiles has left on their bed. It's a bit rude, a bit stupid and not, in any way, funny.

Scott chuckles at the image, completely ruining Neta's point. She glares slightly but he just shakes his head, still smiling. 'It's a little bit funny.'

The husky puppy scowls, jumping across the room at him. His claws come out instinctively as she moves, catching her and falling backwards, landing on the bed with a thump. They wrestle for a second until Melissa shouts at them through the wall. Scott stills, Neta resting on his chest.

'Do you think Allison will be there tomorrow?' He says, voice pining.

She rolls her eyes, biting lightly down on his arm. 'You're pitiful, you know that right? And yes, Xub said they would be going.'

Scott smiles, thinking of seeing her at the lacrosse game. He allows himself to be lost in thoughts of his girlfriend, despite his dæmon's whining that he's obsessed. All he knows is he loves her and is sure he always will.

'Pathetic.' Neta bites down on his shoulder, harder and his fangs pop out.

'I'll show you pathetic.'

Scott growls.

Xub flies off Allison's shoulder as the man runs at them. The hawk's claws dig into his lynx's back, just as Allison kicks his feet out from under him. The man tries to grab her shirt and pull her down but she spins, managing to get him on his front, while Xub presses a talon into the lynx's throat.

'Very well done, Allison.'

The two of them release their opponents but keep their posture tensed. Even if they are currently being praised, the session has not been called to an end and another opponent could be waiting in the shadows. Xub speeds to Allison's shoulder as Gerard emerges from the dark.

'Very good. Put the knife down, training's over for the day.'

Xub takes one more glances around before Allison put the blade in the holder, concealed in her boot. The hawk goes on high alert, listening out for any signs of danger. Even if training is over, the wolves still know where they live.

Allison smiles as Gerard walks away, taking her defeated opponent with him. She grabs her knife again, for the run home. 'Those wolves aren't ready.'

'Oh, they'll be ready.' Xub smiles. 'Just not for us.'

Adabaghi glares down at Neta and Takut, waiting for them to take the hint and leave. Despite being werewolf's dæmons and therefore being stronger, the fox is still bigger than the two puppies and can, sometimes intimidate them. Stiles is equally glaring at Scott and Isaac. The former is still happily ranting about theories and ideas while the latter is desperately tugging on his arm.

Finally, the two leave, their husky and wolf pup dæmons hurrying after them. Stiles sighs in relief, turning back to his research. They know there is a darach, and they know they are sacrificing people in three but they need to figure out how many threes.

'Three, five or seven.' Stiles says, flicking through a dozen pages on the Internet. 'Scott thinks three, I think five.'

'Three times five is fifteen.' Adabaghi says, jumping onto his desk. 'The same as three plus five plus seven.'

'But what other categories?' Stiles says, opening six new tabs to see what Druids consider magic. 'How many Philosophers does Beacon Hills have? What about Guardians, Crafters, Beasts?'

Adabaghi sighs, pressing her tail to his wrist. 'It'll be okay, we'll figure it out.'

Stiles smirks, scratching her ear. 'I know.'

Derek smirks as Adabaghi scrambles out of the room, biting the back of Stiles' shirt to take him with her. Serigala shakes her tail, dropping the snarl and smiling up at him. He looks down at the wolf- ironic form, he knows- and lets his hand drop to her head, rubbing the top of it gently.

'Stupid boy.' She mutters as her expression goes lax under the treatment. Her voice is a mixture of exasperation and fondness. 'He should leave the fighting to the people who can heal.'

'Stiles isn't actually fighting though, is he? Just researching.'

Serigala snorts slightly. 'Yes, because the Kanima will take that into account, won't he. Stiles is just researching.'

The wolf dæmon jumps up onto the top of the carriage, the leap only possible because of her man's lupine side. Derek looks up at her, rolling his eyes slightly. 'I'm not saying he's not in danger, I'm just saying we might have more important things to think about.'

'Like what?' She replies, tail wagging back and forth. 'Some kids that care nothing about us and will probably get killed the second they go into battle.'

Derek's eye flash and he snarls. 'Yes. Our pack.'

Menjerit looks around the classroom as Lydia solves the equation on the board. The raven dæmon next to him glares at the monkey, angry that Lydia can work so well despite half her brain being distracted. Menjerit just rolls his eyes, looking at the empty spaces around the classes. Scott, Stiles, Allison, Isaac, Ethan, Aiden and Kira. He wonders what is so important that all of the supernatural community must be involved.

'Apart from us.' Lydia whispers as they leave the classroom ten minutes later. 'So can't be that important.'

'Or it's dangerous and they think we need protecting.'

Lydia scowls as she collects her things from her locker. She'll head over to Derek's loft, probably stumble across some "epic" battle and put herself in "danger". Please. No ones dying today, especially not her. She gets into her car, Menjerit crawling into the passenger seat and relaxing.

'Lets not go to Derek's.' He says, leaning straight back in his seat.

'Why?' Lydia frowns. 'Don't you want to know what's happening?'

The monkey shrugs. 'Allison'll tell us and Stiles will write up a full report later. Let's go home and do some homework.'

Lydia smiles. 'Okay. But first, we'll go shopping.'

Jackson storms out of the locker room, not caring if anyone notices and not expecting anyone to really care. They're all too busy crowding around McCall, congratulating him on making co-captain. The guy's been on the team two months and now Coach has decided to give him co-captaincy. It makes no sense and it's definitely not fair.

'You might want to calm down a bit.' Tersesat whispers in his ear from her place curled around his neck. 'Remember, you're still captain.'

'Co-captain.' He hisses, reminding the world why she Settled as a snake. 'The same rank as McCall. Coach couldn't give him vice captain or deputy, he had to give him-'

'I know.' She cuts him off, looking around the empty corridors as they head to his Porsche. 'But please calm down, we don't want anyone to see.'

'No one's going to see because no is looking at us. They're all looking at Scott freaking McCall. Teachers, students, everyone. Even Lydia doesn't look at me when he's around.'

'So?' Tersesat says as they drive off. 'Lets get better at Lacrosse and show Coach he was wrong.'

'Oh, I'll show him.' Jackson says, smirking. 'I'll show them all.'

Kira swirls the katana around smiling to herself at the ease of it. Guntur rests on her bed post, his little face bunched up in pride. Although he cannot fight himself, the elf owl likes seeing her practice and getting her thrill from it. Kira spins to a stop, sword centimetres away from Guntur's face, causing the small owl to fall backwards onto the mattress. Kira giggles.

Guntur ruffles his feathers and narrows his eyes at her. 'Don't do that.'

Kira laughs, dropping the sword and picking him up. He struggles again, getting flee and flying in a wide arc around the roof. He lands on her shoulder, biting slightly on her ear. She smiles at him, scratching his stomach and making him shake out his feathers. A noise a window makes them both turn, Kira instinctively picking up the katana again. They both relax when they realise it's just the wind.

'We need to cool down a bit.' Guntur sighs, leaning on her ear. 'This is getting ridiculous.'

Kira's ears twitch slightly as she hears her mother walk in, arguing with her father. She shakes her head, sheathing her sword. 'Actually, I think we need to be on alert.'

Takut whines as Neta and Serigala jump at each other, rolling around on the floor and trying to bite the other. Derek and Scott's argument hasn't turned physical yet but they are inches away from each other, shouting about what they should do about the Alpha Pack and the wolf puppy is just stood there, staring at the fights and pressing herself against the wall.

'You okay?'

She looks up, smiling sadly as Isaac as he slides down the wall to sit next to her. He stretches his legs out and she collapses over them, his fingers threading through the fur on her neck.

'Don't like shouting.' She whispers into his knee, eyes closed in an attempt to ignore it. The voices just seem to get louder. Isaac places one hand on her ear, the other massaging her back.

'It'll be okay.' He says, kissing her head. She looks up, licking his cheek and pressing her neck to his. The two collapse like that, too exhausted to keep up with the fighting, to keep up with the two-maybe-one pack. They fall asleep against the wall, smiling to themselves.

No one notices until four and a half hours later.

Api glares at the hawk until he and his hunter leave the loft. The rest of the pack go with Argent, leaving the cougar alone with her werewolf. Peter pats her head once, reclining easily on the steps. Api shakes her head, snarling under her breath.

'I can't believe they trust a hunter more than us.' She sounds like a petulant child but he nods along with her.

'One day their trust in humans might get them killed.' He smirks. 'Or their family.'

Api snarls, jumping up so her face in inches from his. 'Don't mention them so flippantly. Don't joke about their deaths!'

He rises onto the balls of his feet, growling back at her. 'I'm not ignoring what we went through, what you went through, but those children do. They forget the Argents are killers and that the girl will surely follow her Aunt's footsteps.'

They stay like that for a few moments, teeth bared and eyes narrowed. Peter knows, if it wasn't suicidal, Api would attack him for the slight on her family.

'Well, if they're not wary, we'll have to be.' She says finally, relaxing.

He smirks. 'Uncle Peter, pack protector.'

They laugh at the idea.

Akuma turns her head to where the other Alpha dæmons are sparing. Deucalion places a hand on his wolverine dæmon's head, smirking as Ethan and Aiden's jackal dæmons roll each other into the dust.

'Enjoying yourself?' Akuma raises her head to Kali's voice, reaching her nose out for Shi. The lion touches noses with her but he offers no more contact.

'Quite.' Deucalion says, smiling. Kali sits down next to him, watching the fighting, as Tsuin manages to pin his sister to the ground. Daburu laughs, pushing him up and jumping over to the older dæmons. Aiden follows his dæmon while Ethan scratches stays with his for a few seconds, scratching the male jackal behind the ear.

'Ready for the war then?' Aiden smirks, earning him a nip from Daburu as their brothers join them.

'What war?' Ethan laughs slightly. 'Even without Ennis, we'll walk all over them.'

Kali snarls at the mention of her friend and Akuma rolls her blind eyes slightly. The she-wolf is impossible to tame once her eyes are on a mission. That's very helpful for Deucalion's plans.

Shi growls, a low rumble. 'We will kill them all.'

'No.' Deucalion leers. 'We'll hunt them down.'