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Step by Step, We'll Get There	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: S through Z > Teen Wolf Views: 4674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf nor profit of it. Jeff Davis owns it.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Author's note: Not much action in this chapter, but this one is necessary to move the story further, so bear with me please.
Warnings: Panic attack (my apologies if it's inaccurate; I don't want to offend anyone with it; mostly some explanation about Elemental Foxes
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 18
"You look better than when you were brought into the hospital, Mister Stilinski."
Deaton's calm, very unexpected, voice had Stiles starting and flaying his arms around; his heart skipping a beat. "Can't you just knock?" he asked annoyed and sat up.
"I did." Deaton quirked an eyebrow and closed the door behind him. "You must have been distracted." His dark eyes flitted briefly to Stiles' and Derek's entwined hands.
Stiles flushed, but refused to release the werewolf's hand. If Derek was okay with holding hands in front of the druid, then he was more than okay with it.
"I've heard you have questions for me," Deaton went on, pausing at the end of the hospital bed. He carried with him a strong scent of the woods, as if he'd been walking around there the whole day.
"Dad said you're the only one who can answer them," Stiles said, eyeing him warily. Given how cryptic the older man had been in the past, he wasn't so sure whether he would get some actual answers now.
"I'll try at least," Deaton smiled. "What do you want to know?"
"Why am I still not healed?" Stiles demanded immediately, figuring he'd go for the most important question first. There was also the matter as to why he hadn't figured out sooner what kind of ritual Theo had been wanting to set up – he was a goddamn druid, shouldn't he have recognised this shit? – but the whole still not fully healed yet part was slightly more important now.
Two days should have been more than enough for him to heal completely, even if they had to flush out his entire system.
"That's a very interesting question," Deaton said mildly and his eyes lit up with interest. "Before I can answer that, I'll have to tell you something else first. Otherwise it won't make much sense."
Waving his free arm in the air, Stiles said, "Lay it on me. Whatever gets me a real answer."
Derek squeezed his hand briefly at the non-too subtle dig at the druid. Whatever, the man knew how annoying Stiles thought his evasiveness was. If he hadn't been offended by that in the past, he wouldn't be now.
"How much do you know about Elemental Foxes?"
That they were apparently connected to whatever the Nemeton was. He could hardly answer that, though, because that would mean admitting he'd been snooping around in the druid's files.
"Nothing," he said instead and that wasn't even a lie. He literally knew nothing about these supposed Elemental Foxes, except that apparently somehow the one in Beacon Hills had been connected to this Nemeton crap and their death had caused the decline of the Nemeton. That was all he knew – and even that little he'd only found out accidentally.
Deaton nodded thoughtfully, folding his hands together. "That does not surprise me. Not much is known about them after all."
Then why the hell did you ask?
He must have sensed Stiles' rapidly growing frustration because he continued, "Keep in mind that what I'm about to tell you is information mostly pulled out of old lore, tales which have been passed through throughout the centuries."
Stiles just nodded, resigning himself to a long winded conversation in which he still might not get all the answers he needed. Why had his dad thought Deaton would be the perfect guy to ask questions to? The man lived to be as mysterious as ever!
"The reason why not much is known about them is simply because Elemental Foxes are very rare," Deaton started, putting emphasis on the last word. "They are said to be descendants of the old gods themselves, though of course how much of that is true has been lost to history." He smiled faintly.
Stiles still didn't get what this little mythology titbit had to do with him, but he guessed he just had to keep waiting and hope Deaton would get to the point soon.
"Considering their link with the gods, it's not surprising that they are thought to be connected to spiritual sources here on earth," Deaton continued serenely. "Lore has it that Elemental Foxes tend to gravitate to spiritual sources and essentially bind with them. It's said that any village already lucky enough to have a spiritual source in their midst will be favoured by Lady Fortune herself should an Elemental Fox bind itself to the source."
"Look, this is all very interesting, but can you just please tell me what all that has to do with me?" Stiles said tersely; his fingers spasming around Derek's briefly. He just wanted to know why the hell he still felt like he'd been beaten up – which was admittedly a slight upgrade since this morning when he had felt like a steamroller had flattened him – and any mythology information could wait for now.
"Beacon Hills is a very old town."
Of course Deaton wouldn't be deterred from his tale, that would have been too easy. Lovely.
"So old that it has its own spiritual source," he paused. "The Nemeton."
"That tree stump?" Stiles squinted at him. He was almost a hundred per cent sure Deaton was referring to the stump, but it wouldn't hurt to finally have his suspicions confirmed.
Next to him Derick shifted slightly as if he wanted to say something. When Stiles glanced at him, though, Derek's face was smooth and he was just staring at Deaton.
"The tree, yes," Deaton confirmed, and yes, he knew he'd been right! "The town was also very fortunate to have an Elemental Fox binding herself to the Nemeton."
"If you had an Elemental Fox in Beacon Hills, then you should know more about them, no?" Which would render the beginning of Deaton's explanation entirely moot and a waste of time.
"She was a very private person," Deaton replied calmly. "She wasn't very prone to giving a lot of information about her kind."
"Why is it considered lucky to have an Elemental Fox tied to a spiritual source?" Derek asked; his thumb rubbing slowly across Stiles' knuckles.
"The same reason why anyone mated to an Elemental Fox is considered to be incredibly fortunate: they provide a power boost to put it simply," Deaton answered; his eyes growing distant. "Spiritual sources in the past were used as an aid to raise wards around the town, meant to protect the inhabitants from possible attacks. If an Elemental Fox gave their power freely, the wards – and any other ritual that requested their aid – would be boosted tenfold. They would become practically impregnable. You would not be able to find a better defence than that."
Stiles was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "Who was this Elemental Fox? The one who tied herself to the Nemeton?"
Deaton's eyes seemed to burn straight into his skull when he replied softly, "Claudia Stilinski. Your mother."
He suddenly became aware of how loud his blood was rushing through his veins, the noise drowning out the beeping of the machines next to him and the hustle and bustle of the hospital outside his room disappeared, replacing by ringing. It was becoming harder to breathe, his lungs unable to expand properly, and he clawed at his chest, panicking when something blocked his throat, preventing him from inhaling deeply.
"Stiles, Stiles, look at me." Derek's commanding voice sounded far away, like Stiles was under water and all the sounds got absorbed by it.
Warm, strong hands grabbed his own, stopping him from scratching his chest even further, and then his right hand was pressed against a firm chest, the other still holding his free hand firmly.
Wildly he looked up, his breathing shallow, as he gasped and gasped for air, and then his eyes locked onto glowing golden ones and distantly he was aware of flashing his own, even as panic threatened to drown him further and breathing became even harder, and god, he was never going to be able to breathe again and he was going to suffocate here, he was going to die here, in this stupid hospital bed, right when he'd survived Theo and wouldn't that be one hell of a stupid idiotic way to go? God, what was wrong with him, why couldn't he just breathe, he knew he could breathe, nothing was pressing down on his chest, but his lungs were being stubborn bastards and nothing was cooperating and, and –
"You're okay, you're safe. You're with me, you're okay, everything is fine," Derek was saying, keeping his eyes locked onto the Omega's. "Breathe with me, I know you can do it. One, two, three, four, five, six, inhale and one, two, three, four, five, six, exhale. Just copy what I do, I know you can do it. One, two, three, four, five, six, inhale and one, two, three, four, five, six, exhale."
He couldn't focus at first. Derek's words washed over him, not registering in his brain, until something made a click somehow and then he slowly started to match Derek's breathing, counting with him silently, inhaling and exhaling when he did. It wasn't an instant fix. It took a long time to come down from – what he embarrassingly realised was – a panic attack. He hadn't had those in years – not since the two years after his mother had died.
God, they fucking sucked.
Deaton was still standing at the foot end of his bed; his face unreadable when Stiles raised his head. He was too sweaty and tired, and drained, but he needed to know.
"The Nemeton looks like that because of my mom?" His voice croaked, broke in the middle and he gulped down the glass of water Derek offered him.
"When she passed away, the Nemeton fell in mourning," Deaton murmured; a vague hint of sympathy lurking in his voice. "It's what happens when a spiritual source like it is tied to someone. The source cannot die, but they can mourn and take years to restore themselves to their full strength."
"Did – does my dad know? That mom – that mom was an Elemental Fox?" Why had he never told him? In all those years … He'd assumed for all those years that mom had been a regular fox, just like him. He'd thought she was special, yes, but in the way every child thought their mom was amazing and special and perfect.
He'd never thought she would be a rare breed.
"That I do not know for certain," Deaton said neutrally. "As I mentioned before, your mother was a very private person. It is quite possible that your father never knew her true nature."
"What does that – am I … Am I the same?" He could barely get the words out of his mouth; they wanted to remain stuck in his throat as though if he didn't speak them aloud, he wouldn't need to face reality.
The reality that he might be a …
"You were found underneath the Nemeton. Considering Mister Raeken's address and the path you must have travelled in a bid to get away from him, it should have been impossible for you to find yourself anywhere near the Nemeton," Deaton said. "Yet you did. What do you make of that yourself, Mister Stilinski?"
Stiles stared at him, his heart thudding fast, threatening to jump straight out of his chest, and his stomach turned. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said faintly.
Derek was just in time to shove a bucket underneath him before his stomach started revolting viciously.
He'd brought the Nemeton back to life.
After he'd finished throwing up, Deaton had finished his explanation. The Nemeton had been mourning for years, only able to sustain the forest and the wards with the help of Deaton.
But then Stiles had sent out a call for help and the Nemeton had responded, reacting to the one Elemental Fox nobody had realised was in their midst. The tree had flourished, springing back to life, eagerly bonding itself to the Elemental Fox when he had fallen down exhausted and near death against its roots.
It had lost one Elemental Fox – it wouldn't allow anything else to take away the second one. So, as Stiles' call had also reached the Hales, the Nemeton had come back to life to defend him against Theo. Its roots had wrapped around him, keeping him safe from the prowling panther; that had been the suffocating sensation he'd experienced before passing out.
Theo had been chased down by both furious werewolves and the Nemeton itself. The forest had reacted to the newly awakened source, trying to trip Theo and trap him. Both parties had nearly succeeded, but Theo had managed to stumble out of the woods just in time for his mysterious partner to pick him up in a car.
The Nemeton hadn't wanted to release Stiles at first apparently. The roots had been wrapped tightly around him and it had only been when Talia had appeared as well, touching the Nemeton, that the tree had relinquished its hold on the fox, allowing Derek to rush him to the hospital.
The Nemeton was the reason why Theo had come here. Presumably he'd wanted to take control over it with the ritual, which would have granted him immeasurable power, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.
"What did he need me for then? If he just wanted the Nemeton, there was no reason for him to go after me," Stiles had said, having reeled on the edge of another panic attack.
"While almost nobody knew Claudia was an Elemental Fox, that does not mean nobody could have done some research," Deaton had said calmly, although he'd also sounded a tad condescending which had made Stiles bristle offended. "All surrounding towns know of the Nemeton and how it had been flourishing for years until it had abruptly fell in mourning. If one thought to check the obituaries around that time, they might have reached the reasonable conclusion that your mother might have had some sort of link to it. Would they have known for sure she was an Elemental Fox? That I doubt, because there are quite some people who can form a bond with a spiritual source. An Elemental Fox is but one of them."
"But why did he come after me? Even if he knew my mom had something to do with it, he couldn't have known that I – that I would be the same as she." Hell, he hadn't even known he was apparently an Elemental Fox! How the fuck could Theo have known?
"It stands to reason that you might have inherited what made her special." Deaton had studied him thoughtfully. "Not an odd guess to make. As I mentioned before: Elemental Foxes are considered to spread fortune to those around them. One who's fortunate enough to mate with them, would find themselves considerably more powerful. If you can count a spiritual source underneath your control as well … I shudder to think what he might have been planning to do with all that power."
He'd been nothing but a tool to gather more power. Theo hadn't gone after him because he liked him or even because he just wanted to screw over a Hale. No, he'd singled out Stiles and had gone after him, because Stiles was a key to more power.
It wasn't as if he'd been love with Theo, had never even liked him even when he hadn't been aware yet that he'd been the serial killer all along. But it made him feel sick to the core to know that he'd been used all just for a power boost. Like this was just a videogame Theo had been playing and Stiles had been one of those tools that could give him a power up.
It had never been about him, but about what he was.
The worst thing was that he hadn't even been aware he was considered something special!
Knowing what he knew now, it made sense to him why his mom had been so fond of that clearing with the big tree. Because the tree had still been alive back then, he recalled now with perfect clarity. The tree had been a stump for so long, he'd forgotten that once upon a time, a time when his mom had still been alive and well, the stump had been a huge, flourishing tree, with branches so long, they swayed across the ground and hid them from view whenever they had settled themselves against the sturdy, thick trunk.
Then his mom had died and the tree had withered and died seemingly overnight, leaving nothing but a stump behind and dead, rotten leaves.
The tree stump was no longer there now.
Instead he stood in front of a magnificent, imposing tree, which towered high above all the other ones, making them look like insignificant dwarves. The trunk was thrice as wide as him and they would need at least three to four people to be able to form a complete circle around it. The leaves were a bright green and narrow like blades, attached to long, thick branches. Some of those were long enough to brush their tips across the forest floor, stirring up grass and leaves.
As he stood there, staring at it, he felt it calling out to him, cooing reassuringly. Its branches gently strained forwards as if they wanted to engulf him in an embrace, welcoming him back after so long. He could feel its power thrumming all around him, from deep within the earth, to high above the sky; everything to its deepest core singing with it.
The Nemeton was alive once more and it wanted everyone to know.
"I did that," he said quietly.
The resurgence of the Nemeton was the reason why he'd been still in pain when he'd woken up at the hospital. His body had already been fighting the poison and had been helpless to stop the Nemeton from sapping his energy, using it to restore itself. It hadn't taken everything, because that would have meant killing Stiles, but it'd taken enough for his healing to slow down significantly, his body struggling to cope with the sudden loss of energy.
A stick cracked in two behind him when the other one drew closer.
"You did," Derek agreed softly and came to stand next to him, studying the Nemeton warily.
"Did your mom know? About my mom?" Stiles kept his eyes fixed on the tree in front of him, even when he felt the Beta's gaze momentarily resting on him.
"She admitted to knowing that there was an Elemental Fox living here, but she didn't know who it was," Derek replied. "She agreed to keep your identity a secret from the town, just like Claudia's secret was kept safe."
"And the rest of your family?" Stiles ignored the part about keeping his identity safe; it didn't matter to him. Not at this point anyway. Not when he was still reeling from everything he'd learnt the past couple of days. He'd freak out about it later when he had time to process it probably. One thing at a time now.
"We didn't know." Derek shook his head before he paused and added wryly, "Well, Peter might have. It wouldn't surprise me, given how much he relishes knowing things others don't."
Stiles nodded. That made sense. Peter seemed like that type of guy. "My dad didn't know," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Told me that he'd always thought there was something different about mom, but he just figured that was because she was the love of his life and therefore would be different from everyone else. I don't know who's freaking out more about this to be honest: him or me." He breathed out slowly and licked his lips.
Dad hadn't wanted to let him go to the clearing, insisting he still needed to rest. But Stiles had been going crazy cooped up in the house after several days of being stuck in the hospital and only his promise that someone would accompany him had made dad relent. Dad would probably have offered to join him, but he was engaged in a battle with the council as they tried to decide what to do with Stiles now that his supposed partner had fled the town.
Apparently having a serial killer as a Courting Partner and being almost killed by him was not grounds for immediate termination of the Courting, imagine that. Stiles had always known the council was a bunch of backwards fucktards, but at the moment he was glad to let his dad fight his battles for him.
He just needed some time away from all the Courting bullshit, didn't want to think about Theo and what was going to happen now just yet.
So he'd wanted to leave the house and had been about to call Scott, asking him whether he was up to a stroll in the woods, when Derek had rung the doorbell, offering Stiles another choice as companion. The choice had been rather easy in the end.
"What are you thinking?" Derek asked quietly, turning to face him.
"Just … How fucked up everything is now, I guess." Stiles shrugged and wearily dragged a hand through his hair. "I found out I'm apparently a rare breed and that's the reason why Theo decided to go after me. Like I'm nothing but a tool, some kind of power boost. I never liked him, but it would have been one thing if he'd gone after me because he actually liked me. To find out that I was just something he could use to become more powerful …" he trailed off and swallowed, blinking rapidly.
"And now I somehow brought this stump back to life which turns out to be some kind of powerful magical artifice and god knows what's going to happen next. My mom knew what she was doing, but I don't and I've got nobody to ask anymore." His voice grew thick at the end and he took a shuddering breath, wiping the back of his hand roughly underneath his nose.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Derek. I really don't know."
He'd always been that guy who had a plan A, a plan B if something went awry, then a plan C if plan B somehow didn't work out and so on. He was a planner, he knew things, he'd always known what to do, even if he'd been uncertain at times.
He knew nothing anymore. He had no clue what he was going to do now. Now that he was apparently an Elemental Fox and the Nemeton had bounded to him, what was he supposed to do? With Theo still running around freely somewhere, what could he do?
For the first time in his life he had no idea what to do, not even the slightest inkling, and that scared him.
Arms wrapped around him, strong muscled ones, not the spidery long ones still longingly reaching out to him. Derek pulled him close, brushed his nose against Stiles' temple and he started slowly rubbing up and down over Stiles' back.
"You take it one day at a time. And we'll be there to help you, every step of the way," Derek murmured.
Stiles closed his eyes when he felt lips pressing against his temple now, a searing brand against his skin.
"I'll be there for you every step of the way."
The promise hung between them, binding them, while the Nemeton's power buzzed and hummed around him, giving a silent promise of its own.
AN2: I hope it wasn't too bad!
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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