Out Of Milk

29

They were standing in the Hale house when Derek smelt it first. His Alpha senses were much stronger than the Betas.

Stiles father had shown up with Scott and Melissa, ready to arrange an official search, armed with a pretty good description of the people that had taken Samantha from her distraught siblings – who were currently crying in the arms of their uncle Jackson and blaming themselves for not helping their sister.

So when Derek's head snapped up in panic, Stiles thought at first he had picked up the scent of Sammie – or the hunters that had taken her. He wasn't expecting the look of terror in Derek's red tinged eyes.

"Fire!" He roared. "Run! Get out, go!"

Too late, Stiles saw the rush of flames over the dried leaves, the almost silent sweep of fire through the forest, swallowing everything in its path.

"Stop!" He screamed as everyone rushed to the door. "Stop!"

"They'll be trapped in here!"

"No." Stiles said, holding his hands up – blue fire dancing in his palms. "The runes! I promised you that this house wouldn't ever burn down. You need to trust me. You can't outrun fire like this in the middle of a forest."

The wolves looked at Derek for a response. His nod was strained. "I trust you."

"About time." Stiles grinned, before the flames of the forest swallowed the house whole.

From inside the glass walls, they watched as the fire danced up the sides of the building – trying to fine more fuel, as though the flames were alive. Derek whimpered, his clenched fists white with tension and fear.

"This isn't a natural fire." His dad said. "It's the wrong season for it."

"It's burning too fast."

"They're trying to burn us out." Derek hissed, teeth clenched. "Fucking hunters are always fond of fire."

It seemed to last for hours, but with nothing to fuel it, the fire soon carried on its trail through the forest, leaving nothing but the charred remains of a once living forest behind it.

It took hours before they could go outside. The ground was hot, charred – grey and black everywhere. The house was untouched. Stiles felt sick. Death was heavy in the air.

"They have Sammie." Cassie said, standing in the middle of what had once been the wide drive. "They have my sister."

"Not for long." Derek growled. Stiles turned to look at the Alpha, looking through the forest with a dangerous glow in his red eyes. "They tried to kill us."

"They think we're dead." Stiles said, looking out into the blackened stumps of the trees, some still burning, others smoking – grey trails rising up in the windless air. "We have an advantage."

"If they are any kind of hunter, they'll come here, to see if it worked." Derek said, glancing around at his Betas. "We know these woods – this land – better than they do. We have the advantage."

"We've got no cover." Erica said, looking around. "They'll see us for miles."

"The children are venerable here." Isaac said. "I won't let them stay."