39. More Bad Than Good

Derek wasn't answering our calls so we decided to look for clues. Scott followed the scent of the coyote while Stiles and I just went deeper into the woods. Soon we found a cave and we were sure it was of the coyote, so we went from there to find Scott. As we were running in the dark, someone grabbed our hands and we both screamed but when we turned it was Scott. We told him that we found something and he told us the same and soon we took him to the cave. "It's a Coyote den." I said and then Scott corrected me that it was Werecoyote. Then Stiles went inside and picked up a jacket and reminded Scott that it was the same jacket that Malia was wearing in the photo. Near the Jacket we found a teddy bear, I picked it up to look at it but then I dropped it and turned to face Scott and Stiles, "We shouldn't be in here." Scott agreed with me and said, 

"Yeah, she's not going to come back now. We just invaded her home, our scent's going to be everywhere." 

Then Stiles asked if she was not going to come back here then where would she go but Scott didn't know. "Well, can you track her now? You think you got her scent?" I asked. Scott said that he might be able to track her but he's better at it when he's full wolf and he was still worried that he wouldn't be able to turn back. Then he said that if he can't find Derek he would need someone else's help as he can't do this alone. As Scott was talking something struck me, "Guys, this is basically a crime scene. We can call Dad here, this new lead might delay his case." Then we got out and Stiles called Dad.  

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"You're sure it was her?" 

Dad asked Scott after going through the cave. Scott explained Dad when he looked in the Coyote's eyes, they glowed just like his, and Stiles and I also supported Scott saying it made sense. 

"But it wasn't a girl, it was a four-legged coyote, right?" 

Dad argued, "Well, yeah. See that's the point that we don't exactly have figured out yet." I said and then Scott said that if it was a full moon and she did change while her mom was driving, then anything could've happened. Then Stiles jumped in and said, 

"Think about it Dad, they're driving, Malia starts to change, she goes out of control, the mom crashes and everyone dies, except for Malia. She blames herself, goes off running in the woods, and eventually becomes trapped inside the body of a coyote." 

Dad said it did made sense and we all released a relived breath but then he added in a Chinese folktale and we all stared at him. 

"Kids, this is...This is insane. I need this kept quiet. Three of you, not a word. I don't want anyone hearing about this, especially Mr. Tate." 

Dad told us and as he was going to add more, a car approached us and Mr. Tate and Scott's Dad got out. Agent McCall ignored all three of us and went in the den and Dad followed him while we kept standing there. Soon Dad came and send us home.

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The next day in the school we showed Allison the location of the den on google maps, "Here's where we found the den. It's right in the middle of the hiking trails." I said zooming on the location. 

"Well that could narrow it down. Coyotes travel in fixed trails. But I think you're right about her not going back to the den. Coyotes don't like wolves and they're really smart, if they don't want to be heard, they actually walk on their toes."

After that Stiles asked if coyotes actually tip-toe, I sighed annoyingly and said, "Yes, Sty they tip-toe." After that the bell rang and Allison had to go to her class, so she requested that I send her the pinned location of the den. 

After that Stiles sat on his usual seat, and as Scott and I were going on ours Kira approached us. 

"Hey guys, I'm Kira. Wait, you knew that, I knew you knew that, I don't why I just told you that again. Anyways, I have something for you guys." 

She rambled and then started searching her bag, at that point I went and took my seat to give them a little a privacy, but I could still hear their conversation. She told Scott that she did some more research about Bardo and printed it out for him, and when Scott said that it was unnecessary, Kira said that it only took her couple of hours. I was impressed by her but at same time shocked and as Scott looked at me with big eyes I could tell he was too. After that as she searched her bag, she couldn't find it but soon her Dad walked in.

"Kira, you forgot all the research you did for that boy you like." 

After that he handed her the papers, and Scott looked at me with big eyes while I couldn't help but laugh. After that Mr. Yukimura walked away and Kira turned slowly in embarrassment and when she did I saw that she and Scott both were flustered. She then handed Scott the paper and came and sat in front of me with her head down. I leaned in and rubbed her back, "Honey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Trust me, I have done my fair share of embarrassing thing in front of my crush." She then gave me a large smile which I returned and soon Mr. Yukimura started our lesson. 

As the lesson started I noticed Kira eyeing Scott and I smiled but soon my smile turned into a frown as Mr. Yukimura called Stiles to read the passage. Stiles resisted a little but Mr. Yukimura was stubborn, so in the end Stiles gave up and went to the podium with his reading material. As Stiles stood in front of us I could tell that he was struggling but soon he started breathing heavily and gripped the podium tightly as if he was falling. Scott and I stood up and moved towards him as his condition got worse, he couldn't even stand properly. "I think we should take him to the nurse's office." I said, Mr. Yukimura nodded, so Scott and I supported Stiles from each side and took him out of the class. 

We took him to boys washroom at end of the corridor, as we knew that it was the only place where nobody would disturb us but as soon we got there, Stiles started breathing more heavily and had to take support of the wall to walk, 

"Rue, is he having a panic attack?" 

Scott asked, "I don't know, maybe. He never had one like this." I said barely controlling my tears. After that Stiles stood in front of a mirror and chanted, 

"It's a dream, It's a dream. This is just a dream."

"No, it's not Sty. This is real, you're here with me and Scott." I said but Stiles didn't believe us so Scott asked how could we tell if we're dreaming or not, "Fingers, you count your fingers. You have extra finger in dreams." I said and after that Scott and I both raised our hands and Scott asked how many did we have, but Stiles wasn't looking at us. "Hey, Sty look at us, come on. Look at out hands and count with me." After that Scott and I started counting our fingers with Stiles. "Ten. See Sty, we have ten fingers." Stiles then slowed his breathing and slid down the wall next to sink and Scott and I also kneeled in front of him. Stiles started crying and asking what was happening with him, I hugged him, "We will figure it out and you're going to be okay." But then Stiles asked was he going to be okay or Scott for that matter. 

"Scott, you can't transform, Allison's being hunted by her dead aunt, and I'm straight up losing my mind. We can't do this. We can't help Malia. We can't help anyone." 

Stiles said as more tears streamed down his face. "We can try. We can always try." Both Scott and I said at the same time and hugged Stiles. Our hug was cut short when Scott said that he heard a howl coming from boys locker, then he focused and told us it was the coyote. He then ran out of there instantly while I helped Stiles get up and gather himself. After that we called Dad, and he got to the school in few minutes with animal control. 

"A couple of students said they saw it running across the field and back into the woods. Thank God, nobody got hurt."

Dad said as we were waking in the corridor trying to find Malia. "What happens if she does hurt someone?" I asked and then Dad said that most likely the department will have to put her down.

"Put her down? Dad, try not to forget there's a girl in there, one that you'll be killing."

Stiles argued but Dad didn't respond so I asked, "Dad, you aren't back to not believing, are you?". He said that he believed and there a lot of things he don't understand yet but it didn't mean that everything imaginable is suddenly possible. Then he asked us if we were 100% sure that she was a girl and not an animal, we both nodded and I said, "Yes we are, because Scott's sure." Then we looked across the hall and saw Scott standing there. Stiles and I turned and Stiles whispered. 

"Scott, you have been listening?" 

We turned back and saw him nodding. Then Dad said that we needed to figure this out soon. After that as Stiles and I were going in the locker room where Kira was we saw our bags on the floor. We quickly grabbed them and I saw Stiles becoming a little uncomfortable, "You okay there, Sty?" I asked and he said that we need to go to Scott immediately as he knew why she came to school.  

As we entered the locker room we saw Scott sitting on a bench but after seeing us he got up. 

"Guys, I think I know what she was looking for." 

Stiles said opening his bag and taking out a doll, "You took the doll from the car?" I asked annoyed and Stiles explained that he thought Scott could use this to track her smell or something, before any of us could say anything more we saw Mr. Tate coming in and asking Stiles where did he got the doll from, then he snatched the doll from his hand and told us that it belonged to his daughter. Dad suddenly jumped in front of us and took Mr. Tate aside to calm him down and to remove him from the premises, but as Dad was trying to escort him out he noticed a gun on him, Dad remined him that even if he had the permit of that gun, California schools are gun free zone and then without listening to him escorted him out. 

After that we decided to find her ourselves as we were sure that if Dad, Mr. Tate or anyone else finds her they'll kill her. I suggested a plan that since Scott can't change, I call Allison and ask her to bring the Tranquil gun from Mr. Argent's collection, meanwhile we go to Dr. Deaton and take a strong tranquil from him. Scott and Stiles both agreed and as we were leaving, we saw Isaac coming our way, so we took him with as well and I explained him everything on the way. 

"Xylazine, it's a tranquilizer for horses. For a werecoyote, expect it work within seconds, but I only have three, so whoever's shooting needs to be damn good shot."

Deaton said, then Isaac looked at me and I sighed, "Don't get your hopes up on my account. I can shoot, but from 10 I can make only 4 shots go bullseye." 

"Allison can do that, she's perfect." 

Scott said, but Isaac argued that she used to be.

"Okay, what is the point of him?" Seriously, I mean what is his purpose aide from the persistent negativity and the scarf? What's up with the scarf anyway? It's 65 degrees out." 

Stiles yelled at Isaac, "Sty calm down he's trying to help. And as for the scarf I love it. It looks good on him." I said grabbing Isaac from the scarf and kissing him while Stiles groaned. Then Isaac said, that he was the only one here asking the right questions like how do we turn a coyote back into a girl, when she hasn't been a girl for eight years, Scott then looked at Isaac and claimed that he could do it. Stiles and I both was surprised so I asked, "You sure you can, big boy?" He then said that the night Peter trapped us in the school he changed Scott using his voice only and so did Deucalion in the distillery. Then Deaton warned him that it is a werecoyote, we don't know it'll even work if he could find someone to teach him. Then Stiles asked Scott if that was the reason he called Derek first and Scott nodded. Scott again claimed that he could try that on his own but right now he was too scared to even change into just a werewolf. "We need a real Alpha." I said and Scott glared at me. "You know what I mean, an Alpha who can do Alpha things. You know, an Alpha who can get it going, someone who can get it..." Before I could finish Isaac jumped in and said, 

"Up?" 

I nodded. Then Scott s sighed and said, 

"Great. I am an Alpha with performance issues."

I felt bad from him so I went and hugged him from the back as he was leaning on the table. After I hugged him he turned a little and moved me towards his side. Even though I wasn't a werewolf, I could still smell Isaac's jealousy. Then Deaton asked is there someone else who could help, Isaac said that he wouldn't trust Peter, then Stiles suggested the Twins and I reminded him that they weren't Alphas anymore, but then Stiles said that maybe they know a way to help us. So, I called Lydia and told her everything, she said that she would talk to Aiden and then text me. After a few minutes, I got her text saying that twins will meet us as Derek's loft. 

As we were leaving I suggested that Isaac and I could go and help Allison set things up since she was alone. Scott agreed with me and we left for her place. As we went inside Mr. Argent told us she fell asleep, as I didn't want to disturb her we decided to go home and come here early morning. 

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"Do you think you hone in on Malia? If not, we're going to be in the woods for a very long time."

Allison asked Isaac as we helped her with her the tranquil gun. Isaac said that he's got a pretty good lock on her scent. Then I opened my bag and handed Allison the tranquil we got from Deaton. She tried to inject a syringe in it but her hands trembled and the bottle fell from her hand. "Ally, do you want me to do it?" I asked. She shook her head and bend over to pick up the bottle, but as she stood up again she picked up the gun and again pointed it at me. "Allison! Wake up!" I yelled as she finally got out of her trance and by that time Isaac also returned from restroom and seeing Allison with gun and my back pressed up against the wall, Isaac stood in front of my protectively and snarled at Allison.

"Oh my god! I am so so sorry. I don't know what I was doing. I am extremely sorry."

Allison kept repeating, and turned and placed the gun on the table. I pushed Isaac aside telling him to stop snarling at her. I laughed a little and said, "Well, it's better than a knife and arrow I guess." Then I stood next to her as tears escaped her eyes,

"How am I supposed to help anyone if I'm like this? What am I supposed to do?"

I held her trembling hand and said, "Ally, let us help you. I know we don't know a lot of this stuff, but you can show us what to do." After that she instructed Isaac and me on how to proceed and soon we were done, so we decided to leave for the woods.

Scott, Lydia and Stiles got there as time as us and once we all got out Lydia asked if any of thinks that we might be doing more harm than good, and Scott told her that we were trying to keep a father from killing his own daughter but then Isaac chimed in and said, 

"Actually, we're trying to keep a guy from killing a coyote who is actually his daughter, who we don't know how to change from a coyote back to his daughter."

I glared at Isaac and elbowed him while Stiles got annoyed and said, 

"And again with the not helping. Seriously, what is your purpose other than sticking your tongue in my sister's throat?" 

"Stiles!" I yelled at him, "I love you but that doesn't mean you can talk like that." I warned him, then to distract us Scott turned towards Allison and I and asked if we brought the gun. Allison opened the back of her car and took out the gun but then we heard a gunshot and Scott got on his bike and followed the sound and Isaac, Allison and I also went in the woods to find Malia.

As we were running we heard another gunshot, so we started running even faster. At one point Isaac started running faster than us so it was hard for us to keep up with him but then we suddenly heard him scream in pain. I used every ounce of energy left in me to run towards him and soon I saw him, his leg was stuck in a bear claw. "God, Isaac are you okay?" I asked as we got to him. I saw his whole leg covered in blood and I felt like throwing up but I controlled and tried getting him out of there, while he spotted Tate and Malia for Allison and told her to use tranquil on Tate. Allison started breathing heavily and aimed the gun at him but she missed the shot, "Ally, Breath. You know you can do it. We protect those, who cannot protect themselves."  She took a deep breath and finally shot Tate, but then as she was aiming for Malia, she turned to us and told us Malia was gone. 

It was getting dark and Allison and I were trying our best to help Isaac get out of the trap but it wasn't working, but then we suddenly heard a howl and Isaac changed and ripped the trap from his leg and fell behind, but I caught him and hugged him and we all sighed in relief. We then started walking back when we met Stiles and Lydia on the way. Soon Scott also joined us with Malia in her human form. We called Dad and he came to pick us up. He then took Malia to Tate house as we waited in his car. As he was inside he smiled at us and we smiled back, but then Stiles suddenly got excited and started jumping around. "Sty, what happened?" I asked. 

"I can read. I can read again Rue." 

He yelled in excitement as he hugged me. After that Dad dropped us at home while he went to Station as the case against him was now dropping. As Stiles was going in his room I stopped him, "Sty, what happened today? I thought you liked Isaac?" I asked and saw Stiles expression started to change, he tried to avoid it but I was persistent so he finally gave up, 

"I don't know, it's just...I tried really hard to be nice to him and in all honesty he isn't a bad guy but I just...I just can't help but feel a little jealous. Left out." 

"Left out? Why?" I asked and he elaborated, 

"Before Isaac, it used to be us. I was the first person you used to came to with anything. I was the one to dance with you in your happiness and hold you in your sadness, and you were the same for me. But now, it's always you and him. He's the one holding you, helping you. And I know this probably doesn't make sense but I feel bad that you don't need me anymore, as for the longest time, it has been just us. It is like watching my little girl grow up." 

By the time he finished we both had tears in our eyes and without saying anything, I went and hugged him. After several minutes, I finally said, "I still need you Sty. I'll always need you. The reason I wasn't coming to you as much was because I knew that you had your shit to deal with and I didn't want to add more on that pile." He then kissed my head and then I smiled and punched him and said, "And for the record we are the same age, ass." 

"Oh, you're so dead." 

Stiles said and I started running and Stiles chasing me, just like we were bunch of 7 years old.