Kill of the Night

Author's Note: Teen Wolf is not mine. I do not own it so please don't sue me for having a little fun with it. This was originally intended as a one-shot but it is possible that I will be writing a prequel and maybe a sequel since it won't leave me alone. So keep a weathered eye out for those please and thank you. Also, please remember that reviews are love!

His lungs were burning. It felt like he had been running for miles already but there was no sign of the road. He hissed as another tree branch scraped a layer of skin off from his cheek. A howl reverberated through the woods behind him. He ran faster.

He made it another hundred feet before his natural clumsiness caught up with him and he flailed wildly as he pitched forward. He managed to limit the damage to his head by landing on his arms. The jolt was enough to knock the breath out of him though and he lost precious seconds trying to recover enough to move.

The sound of snapping twigs was getting closer and the forest itself seemed to be waiting with anticipation. Stiles swore quietly and hefted himself up. It was too late. He was out of time. He knew he would never make it to the road now so instead he looked upwards. He grabbed the nearest tree branch that he could reach without stretching too much and started climbing. The adrenaline was still working in his favor and he managed to make it about a quarter of the way up the tree before a large shape burst across the forest floor beneath him.

For a minute Stiles froze. He bit his lip but deep inside he knew it was futile. There was no way that the beast wouldn't be able to smell him.

Sure enough as he looked down the beast looked up. The red of its eyes cut through the night like two beacons. Hellfire come to Earth. Stiles swallowed and focused on climbing. All he had to do was stay out of reach until dawn and then he would be safe.

Below him the beast growled lowly. It was circling the tree now. Every few minutes it would raise its nose into the air and sniff before circling some more. Stiles didn't know what the point of scenting for him was if it already knew he was there but he didn't honestly care at this point.

When he had reached the halfway point Stiles decided to stop climbing and catch his breath. He could just make out the full moon through a break in the trees and he scowled at it uselessly.

He could hear an owl hooting in the distance and see the far off lights of Beacon Hills shining like fairy lights. Close, but not quite close enough. Maybe a few miles. He knew he would never make it in one piece if he tried to run again. Stiles sighed loudly as he tried to settle in for the rest of the night. The bark was unforgiving but Stiles figured that it was a small price to pay if it allowed him to go home alive in the morning and with all of his limbs attached.

Stiles glanced down wearily and tried to make out the shape of the beast through the leaves. He couldn't see anything. For a moment Stiles heart stuttered wildly. Maybe it had given up and gone after more readily available prey. His hopes were dashed by what he soon heard below.

A deep laugh traveled up to him through the branches and Stiles felt his blood run cold. He leaned closer to the tree and tried to make himself smaller.

"You should know by now that you can't hide from me Stiles. You smell far too delicious to let go of without a chase."

Stiles cursed softly and harshly brushed away a reactionary tear. He gave up all pretense of hiding and spit angrily downward. He knew he would never reach Derek but damned if he wasn't going to try.

"Fuck off!"

Derek laughed again and Stiles could see him eyeing the tree thoughtfully. Stiles inched up to a higher branch. "Why don't you just come down? We both know that if I have to come up there and get you I'm not going to be very happy."

"When are you ever?" Stiles mumbled darkly.

"Last chance Stiles."

"I repeat, fuck you!" Stiles heart beat picked up when he heard Derek growl and reach for the first limb. He could hear Derek's claws as they dug, unforgiving, into the bark of the trunk. When Derek had made it about a quarter of the way up the tree Stiles really started to panic. Derek hadn't been this good at climbing the last time. Stiles had been relying on past experiences to keep him safe and now it looked like he was stuck. He started looking around trying to map out his next best escape route. The nearest tree was still a good leap away and there weren't any branches that would hold his weight in order to make the jump. Another option was to climb higher and hope that Derek slipped before he got to him. One of the only other options was to try and climb down past Derek. The tree was pretty wide but Stiles didn't think it would be wide enough to get by unharmed. Besides, that close he would have to contend with Derek's reflexes as well and Stiles knew that he was no match for those.

He was getting closer. Stiles knew he had to make up his mind quick or none of his planning would matter. Once Derek caught him Stiles knew that there would be no escape.

Stiles closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he decided. He reached into his boot and grabbed a small blade out of the heel. He heard a sharp inhale and then an angry growl below him. Derek had managed to make some more headway and he was quickly closing the gap between them. Stiles could make out the red hues of his eyes clearly now and they looked as angry as the rest of his body language. "You'll never get a clear shot Stiles. Do you really want to risk it? You know what I'll do to you if you fail." Stiles looked into Derek's eyes and saw the seriousness of his conviction. If Stiles tried to cut him it would probably cost him his life. But what other choice did he have? If Derek caught him then it would mean a fate worse than death, right? Right?

Derek sensed Stiles hesitation and he smiled sharply. "I could make it good for you Stiles. You know I could. All you have to do is submit. Would that really be so bad?"

Stiles shuddered as he thought of Erica. And Boyd. And Isaac. He remembers vividly what had happened to them when they had submitted to Derek. Stiles hadn't seen them for weeks and when he finally did they weren't the same. They were hollowed out and broken. Toys for Derek to play with and discard as he pleased. Stiles gritted his teeth against the memories. All of that was horrible but Stiles knew that what Derek had planned for him was so much worse.

Suddenly, in the distance, a lone wolf call could be heard. Stiles ears strained to pick up the subtle nuances of the call and when they did he almost cried in relief. Derek had frozen below him in surprise. He was just out of arms reach and Stiles held his breath as he waited to see what Derek would do.

For a moment all of the night seemed to stand still. It was broken by Derek's furious howl. The call sounded again but closer this time and angrier. Derek huffed loudly below him and glanced upward.

"This isn't over Stiles. There will be other full moons. He can't keep you safe forever. One day you'll slip up again and I will get you."

Stiles shivered as Derek descended rapidly down the tree. He hit the forest floor and shifted seamlessly. He threw one more angry howl into the air before he disappeared into the night.

Stiles let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He waited another full minute before he stuck his knife into his jeans and started his own descent. Once he reached the bottom he heard the familiar howl and waited nervously for a few minutes before a wolf bounded through the thick shrubs off to his right. As soon as the wolf was clear of the branches it shifted soundlessly.

For a second Stiles and Scott just stared at each other. Then without a making a sound Scott stepped forward and pulled Stiles into a hard hug. Stiles clung to him so tightly he thought he could hear ribs cracking and healing beneath his arms.

Scott pulled back after another minute but he kept his hands braced on Stiles' shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Stiles nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, but it was close this time. Much closer than last time."

Scott frowned deeply. "What the hell are you doing out anyways. When I first felt you leave the boundary I thought maybe I was imagining things. That's the only reason I wasn't here sooner."

Stiles shook his head. "It was a trick. I only left because I thought my Dad was in trouble. I got a call and…" Stiles shook his head harder. "It was stupid. I should have known better but when I couldn't get a hold of my Dad I just…"

Scott nodded and hugged Stiles to him again. "It's ok man. Your Dad is fine. I checked on him when I couldn't find you at home."

Stiles breathed a sigh of relief before he tensed up. "Where's Allison?"

"She's fine. She's at the house. Man, when I told her you had crossed the boundary she freaked out. You are going to have to bake her cookies for raising her stress level through the roof. Lydia too."

Stiles groaned. "Oh God, you told Lydia."

"How could I not, I thought you were in serious trouble. Turns out I was right. Good thing I know your scent so well or you would have been in some real trouble." Scott smiled goofily at him and Stiles couldn't help but smile back. Through the trees the dawn light was starting to weave its way among the leaves. For a second Stiles just let it warm his face.

"Come on Stiles, let's go." Scott nudged his arm and Stiles breathed out. They started walking out of the forest together. Both of them laughing and joking with each other as they started back toward Beacon Hills.

When they were about halfway home Scott turned serious again. "He's never going to stop is he?"

Stiles glanced at him briefly before he shook his head. "I don't think so." Stiles kicked the dirt out of spite and let out a grunt of anger. "I just don't understand why he's so determined to catch me. It's not like he doesn't have a whole town full of teenagers to choose from. He's already proven that he's willing to go after others. So why doesn't he just leave me alone." The last part was said on a shout. Scott visibly winced and Stiles apologized.

"Maybe it's more than just a desire to turn you." Stiles gave Scott the side eye for a full minute before he laughed.

"Yeah, it's a desire to tear my throat out with his teeth."

Scott huffed unhappily and stopped walking. Stiles paused as well. "I'm not kidding Stiles. Maybe he doesn't want to kill you or turn you. What if he wants you for something else? What if he wants to…"

"No." Stiles grit out the word harshly and with conviction.

"I'm just saying that maybe he's your…"

"No." Stiles started walking away and Scott had to run to catch up.

"Ok. You're right, I'm wrong. I'm sorry I even brought up the possibility. Do you forgive me?" Stiles walked another quarter mile without answering before finally Scott's puppy eyes won him over.

"Fine. You're forgiven." Stiles nudged him playfully and Scott smiled at him. "Just don't bring it up again." Stiles spoke the last part in a way that allowed for no argument. Scott nodded reluctantly. "And next time show up quicker."

Scott growled quietly in response. "No, next time don't cross the boundary in the first place." Stiles nodded quietly in assent. When they finally reached Stiles' street they could both see the Sheriff's cruiser in the driveway. Stiles groaned quietly but Scott could tell that he didn't really mean it. "Well, I should probably be getting back to Allison. I'll call Lydia for you if you want."

"Yeah dude that would be great, thanks." When they reached the front step Stiles paused briefly. Scott had stopped at the bottom of the stairs and was looking at him thoughtfully. Stiles smiled back at him. "Thanks again man. You really saved my ass tonight."

"Hey, what are best friends for." Scott smiled goofily and Stiles smiled back.

"So I'll talk to you tomorrow at school?" Stiles shuffled nervously for a minute.

"Yeah, I think I'll be around for awhile."

Stiles nodded gratefully and reached for the doorknob. In the distance a wolf call sounded and was quickly answered by three other calls. Stiles tensed visibly and Scott growled lowly.

"Maybe I'll ask Lydia to add a couple more wards tomorrow after school."

"Yeah. I think that would be a good idea." Scott's body was subconsciously crouching for a fight and Stiles was suddenly bone tired.

"Go home Scott. Give Allison a hug for me, okay?" Scott nodded distractedly and headed off down the street.

Stiles stayed on the step for another five minutes before he heard the howl. It was closer now. Expectant. Stiles visibly shook himself and wrenched open the door. Once he had closed it securely, turned all of the bolts and slid all of the locks, he leaned against it heavily.

One full moon down. A lifetime to go.