Innocent Bystander: The Extras

Author's Note #1: A Hunter's Motives

Welcome to the first Author's Note! Here, I will explain why some students at Beacon Hills High School joined Tamora Monroe's hunter organization, and how those students decisions impacted their lives.

Tamora Monroe's hunter organization began in 2013 (Which is when I'm assuming Teen Wolf 6b began). Many people joined the hunters, most with different motives than others. While people like Josh McBride, Brett Foley, and even Joey Greene joined the hunters out of hatred for the supernatural community, others had different motivations.

Nolan Holloway, for example, joined the hunters out of fear. Did he like the supernatural community? Absolutely not. But his hatred for them alone was not strong enough to make him join the hunters. Nolan, as many of you may know, is a very anxious young man. This is true both in Teen Wolf and Innocent Bystander canon. Nolan was afraid of being harmed by the supernaturals, which caused him to act out and join the hunters. He joined so he'd be able to defend himself from people like Liam Dunbar, but he later found that supernatural creatures were nothing to be afraid of. This, and Monroe's condescending and frightening attitude toward him, prompted Nolan to leave the hunters near the end of the war.

Gabe Valet, on the other hand, had different reasons for joining the hunters. While fear was also a contributing factor, he more so wanted to protect his loved ones from harm. Gabe joined the hunters after Monroe promised to protect his younger cousin, Alice Simmons, from the violence that came with the war (this also serves as a reason for Nolan's cooperation, since Alice was his soulmate). This is a promise Monroe would go back on only a few days later after she offered Alice a job as a hunter. Nonetheless, Gabe stayed with Monroe, in the name of protecting his loved ones, though finding out Katie Davis, a supernatural rights activist, was his soulmate didn't help matters. Gabe did terrible things to ensure the safety of the people he cared about, from shooting up Scott McCall's house and giving Nolan the credit, to knocking Nolan out in order to ensure Alice wasn't left without a soulmate. As soon as Alice was harmed by the hunters, however, Gabe quit the job and sided with the supernaturals. He went on to regret ever joining the hunters in the first place, wishing he had "left well enough alone".

Aaron, whose last name was never specified, is a special case. Aaron himself would've never joined the hunters, unlike his friends. However, he was killed and possessed by a supernatural creature known as the Anuk-Ite (or half thereof), and what people thought was him joined the hunters in hopes it would help him/it find his/its other half. Once he/it found who he/it was looking for, Aaron was officially pronounced dead.

Although he was in on the plan to expose Liam's werewolf abilities, Brian Franklin initially didn't want to be a hunter, but Aaron - under the influence of the Anuk-ite - convinced him to join Monroe and her organization. Though Monroe made it hard sometimes, Brian promised himself that he'd never kill anyone - only "maim, or seriously injure" as Dobby the house-elf would put it. After Aaron's (second) death, Brian wanted nothing more than to take down the creature who killed him. Little did Brian know that Monroe wanted to kill him for his supernatural affiliations. She did so the day the war ended.

Nick Boyle joined the hunters for a reason that's sadder than you may think. He tells his friends he joined in an attempt to "pull in the ladies". However, the real reason for his participation in the hunting organization is the sole fact that all of his other friends did. While Nick wasn't necessarily a "sheep" perse, he had a tendency to follow trends as they came and went. Supernatural hunting was the thing to do at the time, so Nick became a hunter himself, afraid of where not fitting in with everyone else would get him. After Brian's death, Nick left the hunters. This would prove to be the right decision, as his soulmate, Jill Addison, ended up being supernatural.

Carter Norton, who is present in the prologue, mentioned in the last chapter, and never seen or heard from again otherwise, was a sophomore, much like his peers in the locker room. He was known as a straight-A student, a prominent figure on the student council, and a young man who had dreams of attending Harvard University. In turn for his loyalty, Monroe promised Carter an abundance of volunteer hours that would eventually go toward his university application, as well as a good word to a future employer, should he use her as a reference on a resume. Thinking supernatural hunting was morally correct at the time, Carter jumped at the chance to join Monroe's organization. Much like Nick, he left the hunters after watching Brian die at Monroe's hands. He would go on to find volunteer hours by other means, and eventually live out his dream of going to Harvard after high school. No one, aside from his classmates, ever found out about Carter's hunting experience.

All of these young men joined the hunters for different reasons, but the one thing they all had in common is that they either tragically passed away, or realized what they were doing was wrong, and became prominent allies to the supernatural.