Canines and Felines

Rituals, Bribes, & Vampires

"How do I know for sure you'll give me what I want?", a tall vampire asked from behind a heavy door, letting it crack open just enough so he could see his wolf visitors and vice versa. "Because we're honest... and desperate.", Derek answered. "Fine. I'll bite some Lodjurs, but if you want me to do it then I want the necklace now.", the vamp argued. "That's ridiculous we're not gonna- ", Scott began to counter. Derek held up his hand to silence the younger wolf. "If we give you the necklace now, what's stopping you from betraying us? Vampire are known to be tricksters.", the Hale man said. "Well c'mon now, you don't really believe in that hurtful stereotype now do you?", the vamp asked, almost teasingly.

Derek lifted an eyebrow in annoyance. "Fine. I'll just take it afterwards.", the male vampire said. "Good. Be ready to go at sunset.", Derek said.

****

"Re-reading the bestiary, I found that Lodjurs like to hide out in caves or tunnels. There's one cave system just outside of Beacon Hills that I used to check out all the time because I thought a supernatural creature was living there. Unfortunately, I never caught it. So there's a chance it might be our Lodjur.", Deaton told the pack. "And if it's not?", Derek asked. "Well I doubt they'd have killed Stiles, seeing as they probably want something with him. So we have plenty of time to look for him.", the vet replied. "Don't worry, Derek. We'll find your mate."

"Mate?!", the rest of the pack said, almost perfectly in sync. Peter rolled his eyes from the corner of the room, "Oh please, it was obvious.", he said. "How long have you two been mates?", Scott asked, bewildered. "Since he found out he was a Kot...", Derek answered solemnly. Everyone grew quiet. "You actually like him, don't you?", Lydia asked. "Doesn't matter. He and I are just friends. And it definitely won't matter if we can't find him.", Derek muttered. An uncomfortable silence lingered around the group for another minute.

"We will find him. We have to.", the sheriff stated. Everyone nodded with a new sense of hope and determination. Even Jackson, who had always hated hope and optimism, was now beginning to feel hope that they could get Stiles back.

****

Derek and the pack showed up at the vampire's hideout at sundown. As the final ray of sunshine left the hemisphere, the vampire slid out the door. "So, where exactly are we going to find this friend of yours?", he asked in his thick British accent. "We think he's being held in a cave nearby.", Issac answered, in his hushed American accent. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save this damsel in distress.", he smiled. Everyone, excluding the humans of course, split into groups as they began searching for Stiles. Or at least any sign of someone living in a cave.

****

At midnight exactly, the night prior, the ritual began. Stiles sat in the middle of a circle of candles and some rather odd sigils that were poorly painted on the ground beneath his feet. He had begun to chant an incantation that the Lodjurs gave him. An even smaller circle inside of the candle circle consisted of things that reminded Stiles of Derek. And finally, Stiles himself wore one of Derek's t-shirts that Fei stole when they kidnapped Stiles.

It was around dawn, when Stiles, who was sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the ground, began to hover above the cave floor. He kept chanting as Amber and Fei told him it was okay and that the ritual was working. By afternoon, he was well above the ground, floating as he chanted.

"When two hearts are one, choice there is none. A mate bond is broken, so let it be spoken.", Stiles repeated. "Kind of an odd incantation, don't you think?", Fei murmured to Amber. "Eh, I guess.", Amber replied. The two Lodjurs left the Kot to chant as they walked into another room of the cave, closer towards the entrance. There, they played a few board games and cuddled on their makeshift couch.