Animals

10.

STILES' POV:

Callie and I were running through the dark trees as we searched for Scott. We turned to avoid a log and ran into someone, "Ah!" we both let out before even realizing it was Scott, "I think we found something,"

"So did I," Scott said.

Callie and I led Scott to what she had found, hand in hand, "It's a coyote den," I said as looked around.

"Werecoyote,"

"You see this?" I picked up a pink jacket off of the ground, releasing Callie's hand for a moment as I examined it, "This is Malia's. Remember, it's the same one she was wearing in the photo," I said as I set it down.

"We shouldn't be in here," Callie said shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" I asked since she was the one who found it.

"She's not going to come back now. We just invaded her home. Our scents are going to be everywhere," she shook her head as she looked around again.

"If she's not going to come back here, where's she going to go?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said.

"Can you track her now? You think you got her scent?" I asked both of them.

"Maybe," Scott said, "But I'm better at this when I'm a full wolf and I'm still worried that if I do it, I won't be able to turn back,"

I sighed, "The door's still open,"

"If I can't get to Derek, we're going to have to find someone else to help. This is basically a crime scene, right? I think it might be a little out of my boss's league."

"And more in my dad's," I said nodding my head. I glanced over at Callie who hadn't said anything else while we stood in Malia's den, but she looked up at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

****

"You're sure it was her?" my dad asked Scott.

Scott nodded his head, "I looked her right in the eyes. And they glowed just like mine,"

"It makes sense, dad," I added and Callie nodded her head in agreement.

"But it wasn't a girl. It was a four-legged coyote, right?"

"Well, okay." I sighed, "But yeah, see, that's the point that we don't exactly have figured out yet," I scratched the back of my head.

"Okay, but if it was a full moon and she did change while her mom was driving, then anything could've happened," Callie said quietly to my dad.

"Horrible things could've happened. Ripping, shredding, tearing things." I flung my arms around only to have Callie grab a hold of the one closest to her, her hand trailing down my forearm, and to my hand, lacing our fingers together.

"Which is probably what caused the accident," Scott added.

"Think about it, dad, alright. They're driving, Malia starts to change, she goes out of control, the mom crashed and everybody dies,"

"Except for Malia," Callie finished my story for me.

"She blames herself, goes off running into the woods, and eventually becomes trapped inside the body of a coyote," I said squeezing Callie's hand, thinking that we are actually getting through to my father when he spoke.

"That makes sense," and then he sighed, killing all my hope, "In a Chinese folktale. Boys and Callie, this is, this is insane. I need this kept quiet. The three of you, not a word. I don't want anyone hearing about this. I especially don't want Mr. Tate hearing about this," my dad said soon realizing that Scott's attention was elsewhere, "Scott? Scott!"