(1) Sensus (L.Dunbar)

Chapter Four

Darcus lets out a breath. Just for the fun of it. Also to see its presence in the cold breeze. He had to put a beanie on his head. With how cold outside is. His attention then proceeds to shift to the field. The area used for tryouts, practice and actual play offs. His eyes wandered finding Scott and Stiles on the sidelines. Per usual. So much for Scott's 'good night sleep'. Practice was about to start as he rubs his hands together and breathes into them to warm them up. Just as the whistle is blown to signal the beginning of practice Lydia and the new girl plant themselves on the bleacher in front of him. Clearly the girls had the same idea as him with the hats.

"Who is that?" The new girl inquires. Darcus remains silent behind the girls. He had spotted the new girl's eyes following Scott's every move. It disgusted him. Almost like a romance film. He scrunches his nose when Scott starts heading over to the goals. He wasn't ever a really good goalkeeper.

"Him?" Lydia nods to Scott probably to verify. "I'm not sure who he is..." She answers. Much to his own dismay Darcus said nothing. Nothing to defend or help his friend with the new girl's interest. Losing interest in the conversation Darcus averts his attention back to the field. And every time a ball hit Scott he jumped almost as though he felt Scott's pain. Though, after the fifth ball he actually starts catching them instead of using his body like a dart board. 

"He seems pretty good." The new girl deduces.

"Yeah, he is." Lydia agrees with her as they both stood up to join in the cheering. Darcus' eyes remained on Jackson as he tried to scare Scott with an impressive shot but the ball was stopped and the crowd erupted in applause. Darcus included. It was a new and almost improvised...?

...............................

Darcus silently follows behind Scott and Stiles. After lacrosse tryouts had finished, he agreed to go with them back into the forest to try and find the inhaler Scott dropped the night before when he was running from whatever it was that attacked him. Darcus lets out a breath and runs his fingers through his hair.

"I don't know what it was! It was like... I had all the time in the world to catch the ball! And that's not the weird thing. I hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, I smell things..." Scott said to them as they walked to where he thought he dropped the inhaler. And as unnatural as it sounded he listened and would support Scott in whatever this phase is. His nose scrunches as he stumbles behind his brother and friend because he was trying not to get mud on his boots.

"You smell things? Like what?" Stiles asks him. Skeptical as usual.

"Like the mint gum in your pocket." Scott answers his best friend who helps his little brother across a steam. "Or the polish on Darcy's nails." Which he did have on. Though he never mentioned wearing it as it was clear polish. Darcy's conclusion was; Scott could actually smell things the rest of them couldn't. Makes him wonder if Scott could smell any stenches carried by the wind. His own nose scrunches at the thought. Scott's smelling was beyond that of normal humans.

"I don't have any mint gum in my..." Stiles trails off his denial as his face went blank. He pulls his hand out of his pocket. And as Scott said a stick of mint gum came out of his pocket. "So, all of this started with the bite.?"

"Well, I want it." Darcus mumbles.

"What if it's like an infection? Like... my body is full of adrenaline before a shock or something..." Scott wondered out in concern. Darcus was no idiot. He has read too many books of mythology and bed time stories to know the signs. And if his theory is correct then that would mean those stories were more than bed time stories or fairy tales.

"You know what, I actually think I heard it... It's a specific kind of infection."

"You're serious?" Scott inquires. And Darcus cannot help but agree with his brother. The stories had all always started with a bite. Especially the ones regarding Scott's current condition.

"Yeah. I think it's called: Lycanthropy." Stiles jokes as they stop at the top of the mountain. And whilst that's what Stiles said it was, Darcus agreed and saw the logic behind the diagnosis. Scott had not caught on to the joke.

"What is that? Is that bad?" Scott questions Stiles in distress as he stood next to him.

"Oh, yeah, it's the worst! But only once a month." Darcus jokes even though he is actually considering the possibility. He would be kind of happy if he was right. Having a werewolf as a friend would be new and interesting. Also because he loves to be right.

"Once a month?"

"Uh huh. On the night of a full moon." Stiles tells him with a serious tone as he imitates a wolf howling, and Darcus presses his lips together in a line to keep from laughing out loud as Scott realised they were mocking him. He punched Stiles hard in the shoulder. "You're the one who heard a wolf." He defends himself as he rubs the spot where Scott had hit him. They all started looking for the missing inhaler in the leaves.

"It's not funny, there's something seriously wrong with me."

"I know! You're a werewolf!" Stiles repeated to Scott with a clearer conclusion. Scott could be ditsy at times. But inside Darcy's mind he was genuinely thinking of the possibility.