The Long Way Home

Chapter 23

Stiles felt exhilarated; running had taken on a whole new meaning now.

He couldn't help but laugh as he flew through the forest faster than he ever though he could. Derek ran at his side and was he actually smiling. Stiles felt it inside, there was something about running with someone else by your side, it was fun, exciting, and challenging-well it was Derek who kept pushing, always pulling ahead just to see if Stiles could catch up to him. Stiles knew that if Derek wanted to, he could leave Stiles in his dust.

For all it's fun it was still a challenge, Stiles could enjoy himself as he ran but his klutzy nature wouldn't be cured over night, he still had to pay attention. He'd stumbled over roots and rocks more then once, but he was keen on not wiping out and breaking a few bones on his first real run, so he managed to stay upright and push forward.

When Derek began to slow, Stiles mirrored him. They had been running for quite some time and unlike Derek, Stiles was winded. His body still needed to build up its strength and endurance, he could keep up with Derek's lupin speed, that didn't mean he was on the same level as a werewolf, but maybe in time, he could be.

"Everything okay?" Stiles asked in between breaths.

Derek nodded, then asked. "Can you smell that?"

Stiles was about to ask what Derek meant but decided against it.

He took a deep breath, not in an obnoxious and loud manner, but slowly and deeply. There was something drifting faintly in the air, it smelt spicy, not in the way hot peppers did, no, it smelt sharp, harsh, and bitter? It was followed by the scent of gunpowder, a scent he didn't know he knew, it brought memories of his dad to the surface and made his chest ache with longing.

He swallowed back his emotions before speaking.

"I smell gunpowder and something else I can't place, what Is it?" Stiles asked.

"You have a good nose, it's wolfsbane. It's not a scent you can really pick up back home, hunters tend to carry the bullets but the casing they use dampens the smell. The more hunters work with it the more the smell of the actual flower clings to them, it's easier to tell when we're out here because the air is clean. Remember the scent, even when we're back home, if you catch the slightest whiff of it you let me know." Derek said.

"Okay," Stiles said with a nod.

Derek returned the gesture, then they resumed their run.

Later on, that night they made camp, they didn't bother with starting a fire or finding shelter, they didn't need it. Derek scented no on coming storms, and Stiles barley felt the chill of the night as he had before, even so he still leaned into Derek's side as they rested against a tree that night.

Sleep didn't come right away, Stiles wanted to enjoy the stars some more, Derek was doing the same. Stiles had come to like Jonna for what he'd done and what'd he'd given them-well him in particular, but he felt way better and more at ease with it being just him and Derek again, Stiles considered Jonna a friend, but he wasn't pack. He wondered idly if Derek felt the same way about the man, maybe he did. Derek had barely spoken to the man in Stiles' presence, save for when they said their goodbyes, so Stiles was pretty sure he felt the same way as well, at least to some degree.

"You never told me your plan Stiles." Derek said.

"My plan?" Stiles questioned.

"Rats in a maze." Derek supplied.

Stiles smiled and blew air out between his lips as he ran one of his hands through his hair, then began to explain his plan about what he had planned for the hunters.