Fight For You

one: late

TWO MONTHS EARLIER.

"The very nature of a Darach is to destroy and corrupt the earth around them. They defy the duty of Druids, turning their back on nature and the importance of the balance. The Darach acts selfishly, stealing power through sacrificial rituals and channeling the earth's energy in unnatural ways. They go against the very role that Druids exist to fulfil.

Druids may start to show signs of falling into the path of a Darach through noticeable shifts in attitude, reckless behaviour or lack of control over abilities as the darkness begins to take over them. Druids may find themselves leaning towards one side, whether good or bad, as they begin to give up their focus on maintaining the balance.

It should be noted that once a Druid falls and gives into darkness, there is almost no going back. Redemption is rewarded by nature alone based on changes in behaviour that reveal a renewed dedication to their duties, or by an act of self sacrifice..."

"You ever hear of regression to the mean? It's Deaton's way of saying life can't ever be all bad or all good."

Scott's voice interrupted Ariana's focus, pulling her out of her dark fears and hopeless research. Her eyes had been practically making a hole into Deaton's Druidology book, slowly drowning in a pool of growing fear, before Scott's words caught her ear. She'd been there when Deaton had talked to Scott. Ariana had sat there in Deaton's office, pursed lips and folded arms as the two of them tried to convince her that things were okay for now. Trying to convince the small druid that there was no reason to create another earthquake. It had been a failed attempt but she had to give them credit for trying.

"Things have to come back to the middle," Scott explained to Stiles, oblivious to Ariana's eavesdropping. "Think about the last few months. Things have been good, right?"

"...Yeah, I guess no one has tried to kill us in like five months," Stiles replied, his voice slightly muffled as he ducked his head back under the jeep's bonnet.

Ariana couldn't help a sense of irritation as she tried to pull her focus back to the book sitting in her lap but it was hard not to tune into Scott and Stiles' meaningless and frustrating conversation at the front of the car. Scott was throwing a wrench carelessly up in the air as Stiles hammered away in the bonnet as if whatever he was doing would help the jeep last a few more hours, the two of them seemingly forgetting about the small druid trying to do actual research in the backseat.

"Exactly. We've been pretty much in the middle for a while," Scott continued. "Which means at some point the scale has to tip one way or the other. Which means things are going to get really good again..."

"Or really bad," Stiles quipped back, whacking the bonnet with the wrench probably more for effect than anything actually helpful.

Ariana rolled her eyes at his comment, the way he threw out the suggestion so carelessly into the air. There was a nice comfortable energy around them all right now even despite the full moon looming above in the dark night sky, a sense of ease and safety that didn't quite reach Ariana's bones.

It had been almost five months since 'the Mexico Madness', as Stiles dubbed it. Five months since Ariana's life had been flipped inside out and upside down. Five months since she'd plunged a dagger into her best friend's heart and changed the course of her own life forever. Five months since they'd learned about the existence of the darkest druid, the Donas who had killed Ariana's parents years ago to steal their power. Five months of waiting for the worst while everyone else started to sink back into normalcy.

"Ari? What do you think?" Scott asked, doing his best to bring her into the conversation although maybe he had just heard the crack of thunder breaking overhead and was getting suspicious.