Imprinted [Sterek]

Chapter 4

There was a commotion going on outside of the cabin around 5 o'clock that night; Stiles pulled himself away from his computer walking out on the porch to see what was going on. "I've been hearing news of people seeing wolves starting to work their way into Washington and Oregon from Idaho, but here in California?"

"I heard that too, but from what I heard, there was only a couple of sightings in northern Washington next to the border, and the government was keeping an eye on them."

"Maybe someone has a huge dog running around. I mean a King Shepard has paws this big, even some Malamutes, I don't see the need to worry too much about this until someone sees a wolf."

Wolf? Stiles stumbled off the porch and into the crowd of people looking at the prints himself. There in the mud that was stirred up from the light snow, there were extensive dog tracks. Well, Stiles knew better, they weren't shaped right, most domestic dogs have thinner prints no matter the bread. Wolves have expansive tracks and the way that their nails dig into the mud is different, seeing as the only way that wolves and coyotes keep their nails trimmed is running on rocks or the pavement, they tend to get long and point grabbing the dirt differently than an average dog would.

Stiles has always had a love for wolves, the massive paw shaped birthmark that rested on his back gave him a lot of hell when he was younger. But it fueled his passion for the majestic animals. When they were in college, he and Scott took a couple of wildlife management classes. When Scott brought them up he didn't even have to ask Stiles if he wanted to take them with him if Stiles was getting the chance to spend time around animals, mostly wild animals, he was all about it.

They spent three weeks on wildlife preserve hanging out with just about any animal you could imagine. Stiles favorite, of course, was the wolves, he would sit there for hours watching them. They seemed to watch him as well, not in a predator and prey kind of way, like they were just as interested in him as he was in them. The people who ran the preserve noticed and seeing as the wolves were somewhat used to humans, as long as Stiles had someone with him, he was allowed to be in the wolf enclosure.

It was strange they would all just lay there and let Stiles touch them, seeing as they were still wild animals it was very odd for them to let him do that. He was able to hand feed them, and it was like they didn't care if his hands were covered in blood and fresh meat, they took their feed with the most care as if to not bite Stiles. It was very odd; Stiles still isn't sure what happened. He's only been back a couple of times since taking his class, but it seems like as soon as his Jeep pulls into the parking lot, the wolves are howling letting him know that they knew he was there to see them.

"Alright everyone, go back to your homes. If anyone hears anything or sees anything, call Fish and Game, do not take action." Someone says breaking Stiles from his trance. He shakes his head, taking a quick picture of the prints with his phone before returning to the cabin. He quickly sends the image to Scott asking him what he thought of the prints, seeing as Scott was a bit of an animal expert seeing as he was a wild animal vet, that and Scott knew how much anything that possibly had to do with wolves meant to Stiles.

To Scott: Hey check these out. Some people think that they're from a wolf. From the looks of them, they are, but you're the expert.

Stiles passed the living room waiting for Scott to reply, it was going to be a long night if Stiles was right. His phone soon started ringing, and it was Scott calling.

"Hey, I got your text. I mean it looks pretty wolf-like, but it's hard to tell from the picture. I would have to examine it in person to know for sure." Scott says instantly.

"But there's a possibility?"

"There's always a possibility. I mean have you seen any dogs running around that could put out a print of that size? You know as well as I do Stiles, wolves have been moving through the states again after the government let them lose to start controlling the animal populations. I haven't heard any reports of them coming this far south, just to northern Washington."

"I know, neither have I. Well thanks, Scott, I'll see you in a couple of days." Stiles sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, two more days man. I need a vacation, Deaton's has been gone for two weeks, and I'm up to my ears in patients. I had four surgeries today; it was a nightmare. I've got a great story to tell you when I get there too. See you soon, Sti."

"See you soon, Scotty." Their call ended, and Stiles forced himself to climb up the stairs to his room falling face first on the bed. After laying there for a while he closed his computer and shoved it into the drawer, he didn't feel like draining himself trying to write tonight. Stiles changed into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt before climbing into bed and pulling the covers as far over his head without them coming off of his feet. He had a feeling that it was going to be another long night.