Chapter Text
Books slammed onto the table.
“Something’s wrong with Stiles.” Lydia huffed as she sat down, glaring across the table at the others. She had told them all to meet after school in the library to go over some concerns she had, but wouldn’t elaborate until everyone was together. Well, almost everyone. Derek was, obviously, absent, and Stiles had decided to skip school today, just as he had done the last two days since his panic attack in the bathroom.
“You mean, other than the usual?” Isaac asked.
“Yeah, he’s still not sleeping.” Scott replied, slumping a little in his seat at the thought of his friend. “I mean, not that I can blame him, but I think it’s just getting worse even with the medication my mom gave him.”
“That’s assuming he’s taking them.” Lydia said. “Which, he most likely isn’t. And while the lack of sleep is a concern, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about his seemingly enhanced senses, with a big focus on the fact that the full moon is on Friday.”
Scott frowned. “I thought you said that it was normal for people who didn’t get a lot of sleep to be oversensitive?”
“It is, but because he’s getting worse, I wanted to make sure all of our bases were covered. It’s why I was talking with Jackson, since he’s not only experienced being a new wolf, forming or-well-shedding a new body, but also having his autonomy taken away.”
“Are you saying Stiles is a werewolf, now?” Kira asked.
“No,” Scott said. “There’s no way. I bit the Nogitsune’s body, not Stiles'. Besides, we would have noticed by now, right? But, he doesn’t smell like a ‘wolf and he hasn’t been acting like a newly bitten wolf either, even with the upcoming full moon.”
“You mean, other than the super senses all ‘wolves experience and that tend to get worse up to and onto the full moon until they experience their first uncontrollable, most likely full shift?” Lydia pointed out.
“Which, again, you said was due to lack of sleep.” Scott replied.
Lydia shook her head. “No, not to this extent. Scott, I’ve been recording what he’s reacting to, even comparing it to panic attacks or possible hallucinations, and while the data is small since he’s definitely not telling us everything, he’s absolutely showing extremely heightened senses.”
“But I didn’t bite Stiles!” Scott reiterated. “I bit the Nogistune! You know this, you were there!”
“The Nogitsune’s body which, if I remember correctly, was Stiles’ possibly original one, and was still very much connected to him when you bit it.” Lydia argued. “I’ve looked into as many post-possession articles and books that I could find since everything happened, but I haven’t found anything that matches what I’ve noticed with Stiles. The only things that match are records about shifters or other creatures in the bestiary, and there’s almost nothing about Nogitsunes, let alone the effects that they leave on their hosts.” She glared at the table.
“I can try asking my mother.” Kira offered. “I don’t know exactly how much she’ll know, though. She’d told me she’d never heard of anyone surviving possession by a Nogitsune, but maybe she might know where we could look for information, or similar cases?”
“Wait, pause,” Isaac spoke up. “Are we saying that Stiles might be a werewolf?”
“Apparently.” Scott replied.
“Ok, but, like…why wouldn’t he mention that? Like, he has no reason to hide that considering-” He waved his hand around the table. “-you know. Plus, wasn’t he still helping with Malia controlling her shift and all that? Pretty sure that would be a perfect time to mention it.”
“Yeah, but he hasn’t, and that’s the problem.” Lydia replied.
“Still, Isaac has a point. I mean, I don’t know why Stiles wouldn’t trust us with this information. We’re also ‘wolves. Hell, I’m his alpha, since I bit him.” Scott frowned down at the table.
“What if he’s not a wolf, though?” Malia asked. “Like you said, he doesn’t smell like one. I noticed he smells different, but I didn’t know him before Eichen, so…” She shrugged. “Plus, I’m not a wolf.”
“Right, but you’re still pack. Even Kira’s pack, and she’s not even a full shifter.”
Lydia nodded. “Right. I put together the same thing. So, the question is, what could Stiles be that he’d rationalize is best we didn’t know he was? What type of werecreature could he be that he’s worried we won’t react well to? Because at this point, there’s no way he hasn’t started his own research.”
It hung in the air. Despite it being phrased as a question, it was so easy to put the pieces together that Lydia might well have stated it outright. But, at the same time, no one wanted to be the one to pop this tentative bubble of tension.
Eventually, though, Scott did.
“A fox.”
They should have known they couldn’t outsmart that whole “change the host thing”, Stiles thought as he stared down at the red-orange hairs sprouting alongside the claws on his hand. He slowly uncurled his hands from around his steering wheel, taking long, deep breaths to calm his racing heart down. He had thought he heard something when he pulled up to the house, which caused him to freak out and accidentally shift. It was this reason he had, once again, begun avoiding school. He told his dad that he just needed a few extra days, but really he was worried about freaking out at school and hurting someone.
It was fine, though, it gave him plenty of time to do research. His now human hand reached over to his bookbag and pulled out a notebook. Flipping open the notebook, his list of self observations stared up at him.
- Claws + Hair (Red?)
- Enhanced senses (esp. hearing)
- Enhanced healing?
- Black eyes?
- Smells different? (unconfirmed - Derek)
He made a mark next to the claws and hair. He’s been trying to keep track of when he shifts and why (with the more in depth details on a different page). So far, most of his physical changes are similar to that as the werewolves and the werecoyote of their pack. He assumes that he’s…something like them now, especially since Scott was the one that bit him. He doesn’t know why the changes came so slowly, but maybe that was because he wasn’t the one directly bitten.
It’s only a theory, though, because there is almost nothing out there on Nogitsunes, and even less about the people they possess. Specifically, there was nothing about people who survived the possession, so that’s fun. His other research just showed that there were a lot of different shifters out there, which makes sense since it also says that sometimes people bitten don’t take on the shape of a wolf, but instead something that reflects the person bitten.
The issue that Stiles has with this is, well, the fact that he’s pretty sure he’s a werefox if the color that pops up with the extra hair is anything to go by. He hasn’t done a full shift, let alone a beta shift, yet, and while he knows that werefoxes should be like any other shifter (according to his research that is), he’s worried about the extenuating circumstances around his bite. Was he a ‘fox because that just reflects him? Or was he a ‘fox because of Void?
He needed more information, and if his own research couldn’t bring it up (he ignored the nagging voice in his head that told him having Lydia research with him might have brought up more resources), then he’d go to the only other person who knew about the Nogitsune.
Noshiko Yukimura.
“Ok, we got this. Nothing scary about the house with the woman who tried to murder you a few weeks ago.” Stiles rambled to himself. Shaking out his whole body, he pulled himself from his car and made his way up to the front door before he talked himself out of it. He knew Mr. Yukimura and Kira would still be at school, so it would just be him and Kira’s mom.
Three knocks to the door and now he waits.
He wonders if she somehow knows he’s out here. Would she try to make him wait in suspense? Who says she even wants to see him? After the Nogitsune was defeated, Stiles has very fuzzy memories of her stopping by and wishing him well or something. After that, he never interacted with her again. He saw her in passing, here and there, considering she would come to pick up Kira on occasion, but otherwise, no, they haven’t spoken.
So, no one could blame him for the way his heart rate jumped as the door opened and he made eye contact with the woman who had wanted him dead so many weeks ago.
“Ah! Uh, hello, Mrs. Yukimura. If you don’t mind-”
“Mr. Stilinski,” She cut in. “Kira isn’t here at the moment, but you know this.”
“Right, yeah, well I’m not here for Kira, I’m here because I need to talk with you. I just…, look, can I come in? I feel like I need to sit down for this conversation so unless you want to deal with me fainting on your front porch, I should probably-”
“Come inside, Mr. Stilinski.” Noshiko’s very pointed look told him that his flailing was not amusing.
“Right, thanks.” He shuffled inside, and followed her to take a seat on the couch. It wasn’t that long ago he had been sitting in a similar position, not yet able to process the loss of Allison as they prepared to go head first into taking down the Nogistune. Hell, Stiles did not think he would make it past the night.
“Would you like anything to drink?” Noshiko asked.
“Ah…uh…no, no thank you.” His eyes darted around the room. Nothing was particularly different since the last time he was here, nothing but him that is.
Noshiko nodded and settled into her own seat, her eyes scanning over his hunched over body. “I am glad you are doing better, Mr. Stilinski. The last time I saw you, you were still recovering from everything.”
“Thanks, but, uh…I may not be doing as well as we all thought.” Stiles replied.
“Which is why you are here.” Noshiko leaned back in her seat. “I will be honest, I don’t know if I can answer the questions you have, but I will try as that is the least I could do after everything.”
“As long as it’s a non-criptic, straightforward answer? I’ll take whatever you got.” His leg started bouncing up and down as he tried to focus his thoughts. Noshiko was nice enough not to comment and waited silently for Stiles to start.
“Ok…ok, so, kitsunes there are a bunch of different types, right? But, even though there’s different types, all the notes and articles I found say they all form the same way. That they’re basically born kitsunes and, at some point, start coming into their abilities.”
“That is correct.”
“Right, but, well, the Nogitsune was, well, more spirit-like. Right? Because you had to summon it anyway and then it possesses the…the body and all that, and um…is it possible that, considering all the lack of information around that particular kitsune, it could change someone into one? Or maybe leave some foxy side effects?”
Noshiko shook her head. “While it is true information is limited, I can say that, at its core, the Nogitsune is just as any other kitsune. Kitsune are not shifters. It is not their body that changes to meet the fox within. Kitsunes are kitsunes at their soul, it is why it appears the way it does in photos. Our physical form is just the one we take that best fits our soul. While some of the most powerful kitsunes can shift between a fox and a human, we are not true ‘shifters’, not in the sense of werewolves. Our bodies simply hold our kitsune forms in a physical form, otherwise we would be something more akin to an elemental spirit. And it is because of this that we can not create other kitsunes the same way werewolves do, and why the Nogitsune was able to ‘possess’, as you put it, your body.”
“Ok, sure, but I’m one hundred percent confident that I was not a kitsune before all of this, but I’m also pretty sure that my body could not heal at the rate it was when I was being driven by that thing.” He gestured to his stomach. “It literally disemboweled me! You were there for that! And even if that was some made up dream, I also remember Scott’s mom being very concerned when we did that whole split body thing because, again, I was disemboweled! But there’s not even a scar.”
“Well, if I remember correctly, the injury was to the body the Nogitsune remained in. Not this one.”
“But that was still my body, and it definitely couldn’t do that before!” His hands flung out now, the distance between them the only reason he didn’t accidentally hit her.
Noshiko nodded. “True. But, if you truly had become a kitsune, you would not be here having this conversation with me.”
This made him pause. “...what?”
“I told you, the Nogitsune is the same at its core. The reason a Nogitsune is summoned, or generally appears in another’s form, is because, its nature, is that of a trickster, and that of void.”
“Right, void, yeah it called itself that.”
“And by that nature, it consumes and destroys all it comes in contact with. When it takes a body, it breaks it down and changes it to hold its spirit. To do that, it must also destroy who the body belongs to. You would have been completely gone, should have been, if you did not fight as hard as you did. It was why, even split, you were being drained to keep it going, and it is also why neither body was really healthy, as, once your soul was consumed, your body would have fallen to the void soon after.”
“Ok, sure, that makes sense, but you also said I’m the only person you know of to survive being possessed by a Nogitsune, so what if there’s some new things being…uh…discovered here.”
She hummed, before looking at him consideringly. “You are correct. I supposed, if you told me what changes you have been noticing, that I may have a better understanding of what is happening to you.”
Stiles met her gaze before hesitantly pointing a finger at her. “That…is a good point.” And so he did. He told her of the heightened senses, the fur that appeared and disappeared. He mentioned the claws and black eyes, and how, if Derek is to be believed, his scent is different too.
“Well, I was correct in that you are not a kitsune.” Noshiko said when he finished. “I mentioned before that kitsunes do not physically change as werewolves do. What you are describing is much more in line with a newly bitten wolf than a kitsune.”
“Ok, but I wasn’t bitten, the Nogitsune was.” Stiles said. “And, as we have established, it was in a completely different body! We were literally separate people at the end!”
“Maybe not completely. You were sickly when you separated, yes? And progressively got weaker while it was strong enough to create an environmental illusion that was so real, it was able to trick you into thinking you were cornered?”
“Kira was really detailed in telling you about all this, wasn’t she?”
Noshiko smiled. “And Scott. He refused to leave your side with how many close calls you had. In fact, I think he was worried he killed you himself when he bit the Nogitsune. If you weren’t as strong as you are, I think it might have.”
“Because we were still connected.” Stiles summarized, his body starting to fidget more as his brain began putting more pieces together. “There was probably always going to be one body in the end anyway, and one of us would have walked away with it? That’s probably why it wanted me to kill myself, you know, outside of the whole cause chaos and strife and sadness thing.”
Noshiko watched as he started to pace around her living room.
“And I mean, the bite is clearly some powerful shit.” Stiles continued. “At least on a biological level. I mean, it completely changes a person, and it can basically help a werewolf heal from almost anything. Maybe, because we were connected, it destroyed the Nogitsune parts and just, I don’t know, spread across whatever remaining bond was there and I mean, it must have found no fox spirit shit or else I’d be dust right now, literally.” A stray thought of his wondered if that’s how he didn’t end up dying, that the bite kicked in enough at the end to keep the Nogitsune from dragging him down with it.
(He never wanted to die, it’s why he never took the bite, but maybe a part of him was hoping that by taking on the bite this time, it would keep everything from happening again one way or another.)
“But that doesn’t explain why I’m showing fox colors! Unless being possessed by one influenced it somehow? Like, it got tainted by the Nogitsune’s presence?”
“From my understanding, a bite does not always equal one turning into a wolf.” Noshiko pointed out. “That it, at times, may lead to an animal that is more of a reflection of the person who was bitten than a wolf. In fact, I knew of a few werefoxes that I can confidently say were not originally or ever possessed by a kitsune.”
“Fair point, especially considering the wide variety of were’s we’ve gotten from one gene pool.” His fingers twitched against his arms as he crossed them. “And, while I guess I can see some…connections to being a fox,” He flinched as he said this. “How do we know that it wasn’t corrupted by the Nogitsune?”
“I suppose we don’t.” Noshiko replied. “As I said before, you are the first to ever live through something like this. Arguably, you may be the first shifter to ever be indirectly bit, for lack of a better term. Those two things alone, we’d only have guesses for how things may play out. Together? It’s a mystery.”
“Great, fantastic, just what I was hoping to hear.”
“There is one thing that I think would help you in your troubles.”
“Yeah?”
“Perhaps, relying on your pack?” That raised eyebrow she gave him was a weapon in its own right.
“Ah, see, I plan too, I just-, well, they’ve dealt with enough of my bullshit lately. If I could just…get a head start on things-”
“If I remember correctly, it was having the support of your pack that helped you and them survive the Nogitsune’s plans.”
Stiles swallowed thickly. “Not everyone.”
Noshiko softened. “I am sorry for your loss. And, please understand, while I would be happy to support you in any way that I reasonably can, I think you know as well as I that I can only support you so far.”
Stiles took a deep breath. “Right, um, ok. Well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. If you, uh, think of any kitsune related things I’d love to know but…I-ah…think I should go.” He started making his way to the front door. “I’d appreciate it if, you know, you don’t tell your daughter about my visit if you can? And, again, thank you for having me and answering all my questions and all that. Um…” He got the door open. “Bye!”
He walked quickly to his car, hands twitching and chest heaving as he tried to handle the anxious energy inside of him. Through the buzzing in his ears, he could hear Noshiko calling after him, reminding him to rely on his friends. That was nice and all, but Stile’s really wanted to have all the backup’s ready before he pulled the others into this. Hell, he technically only had less than 72 hours to get some kind of plan in place because if the full moon hits and his behavior is anyway a combination of new wolf and murder kitsune, then the others will have their hands full.
What he needed first was somewhere he could put himself that wasn’t around anyone or anything that can be used as a weapon. He could lock himself in the bank, but then that just means he’ll be more bloodthirsty when he comes out. Maybe somewhere in the preserve? Especially if he could make a ring of mountain ash, then at the very least he should be stuck in a circle until the night ends.
He wants to make sure all of these ducks are in a row before even getting any of the others involved.
Thought there might be one person who could help him with finding a good secluded spot in the woods.
Picking up his phone, he dialed in a number. “Hey, Zombiewolf, how you been? Good? Great.”
“Oh, good, you’re here.” Lydia commented as she and the others approached Derek’s car. “I was worried that since Stiles was out today, you’d slack on your usual stalking.”
“What do you want?”
“Well, first of all, considering your tendencies, have you seen Stiles at all today? He hasn’t been answering any texts.”
“No.”
“That means either he was still at his house this morning, or he was gone before you drove by.”
“Is there a point you’re making here? Because if not, Ethan and I will be leaving.” He looked over at the teen who was climbing into his car. It wasn’t everyday, but sometimes the other looked for the company of another ‘wolf to fill the void that was left after Aiden’s death. After everything, this was something Derek could understand.
“We think Stiles might be a werefox, or something.” Scott spoke up. “He’s been showing similar symptoms as a newly bitten ‘wolf getting closer to a full moon. It’s not one to one, but enough that Lydia, and probably Stiles, have put together some pieces.”
“A werefox?”
“Yeah,” Scott replied. “I mean, you were the one who said not everyone turns into a wolf.”
“And Stiles knows how to spot a were by now.” Lydia cut in. “And he wouldn’t have much reason to avoid talking about it, unless it was connected to a fairly recent traumatizing experience. Considering the full moon is on Thursday, I’d say he picked a bad time to stop talking to us.”
“So what’s the plan?”
Isaac paused. “Wait, you’re not going to question us thinking Stiles is a werefox?”
“He smells different, compared to what it was before everything. I thought it was just lingering Nogitsune stink. A were’ would make just as much sense, especially since he came home smelling like blood but had no injuries.”
“You’re really not helping the stalker allegations.” Isaac sighed.
“So, the plan?” Derek asked, ignoring Isaac’s comment.
“First we have to corner him.” Lydia said. “Preferably before he loses his mind on the full moon. Again, I have no doubt that he’s already put things together and is currently putting together a plan of his own. What I’m worried about is he is going to put together a plan that completely disregards his own safety.”
“I was going to head over to his house tonight.” Scott said. “If he’s not there, Lydia and Kira were going to check around town for him, and maybe check in with Deaton just to make sure we won’t be missing anything important. Malia and Isaac were going to check the preserve…”
“We can do that too. I’ll also make sure he didn’t break into my loft again.” Derek replied, starting to climb into his own car.
“Great, thanks Derek. And, you too, Ethan, if you decide to help.” Scott said before they drove off.
It was quiet for a moment before Derek broke it.
“You don’t have to help. Stiles wouldn’t blame you for wanting nothing to do with him.”
“I know.” Ethan replied. “Do you think being connected to that thing will impact how he acts? Maybe why he’s even a fox to begin with?”
“I don’t know.”
Knowing Stiles, that is most likely why he hasn’t said anything. He’s probably worried that he’s going to act dangerously and wants to keep them all as far away as possible. Personally, Derek thinks that’s a stupid plan. Between him and the others, they have more than enough experience to deal with a new were’ even if it's a different type. Even if the behavior is slightly different than that of a werewolf’s, Derek doubts Stiles will have access to the same abilities that Nogitsune did so he shouldn’t be hard to restrain.
And, even if he did, well…they technically knew how to deal with that too.
“We’ll stop by the loft before heading out into the preserve.” Derek told Ethan. “Even if you don’t want to be involved, if you notice anything, tell me.”
Ethan didn’t give him a verbal response, and honestly, Derek wasn’t expecting one.