When Scott and the others returned from school and arrived at the pack house, they found the entire pack already gathered. Sitting beside Noah and Parrish was a woman with four children beside her, ranging in age from twelve to six.
After greeting everyone, Scott looked at Noah and asked. "So, who is she? And what's going on?"
Noah replied. "She came to the sheriff's station looking specifically for you."
Scott frowned. "Why is she looking for me?"
Noah shrugged. "I don't know. She wouldn't tell me anything. Just asked if I knew how to find Scott McCall, and said you were the only one who could help her."
Scott turned to the woman. "Why are you looking for me?"
The woman looked around, then said. "Can we speak in private? What I'm about to say isn't meant for normal people to hear."
Scott shook his head. "You can talk here. No one here is normal. They're my pack."
The woman hesitated, then nodded. But before she could speak, Melissa said. "Wait." Melissa said. "How do you know about Scott? And what exactly do you know about him?"
The woman replied. "It was an Alpha named Satomi who told me after I went to her for help. She said that she and her pack are pacifists and couldn't help me, but she told me that Scott McCall is the Alpha protecting Beacon Hills and that he might be able to help me."
She turned to Scott. "That's all Satomi told me. She didn't tell me where to find you or anything about your pack. I didn't even know you were about the same age as my daughter."
Scott nodded. "I see. Then what do you want from me?"
The woman's voice trembled slightly. "My husband and two of my children were kidnapped by hunters. Normal police can't do anything about it... so I'm hoping you can."
Scott narrowed his eyes. "First, tell me what are you? I can tell you're a shapeshifter, but I don't know what kind."
"Please forgive my bad manners." She said. "My name is Alannah, and these are my children. We're jackalopes."
Stiles blinked. "What's a jackalope?"
Alannah smiled faintly. "Let me show you."
She shifted, gray fur spread across her body, two large rabbit ears appeared atop her head, her face transformed into a rabbit-like snout, antlers grew from her skull, and her feet became elongated and rabbit-like.
"A jackalope." She explained. "Is a rabbit shapeshifter with antlers."
Stiles tilted his head. "Okay, but you don't look dangerous. Why would hunters kidnap your family?"
Chris said. "It's for their feet."
Allison looked at her father, confused. "Their feet?"
Chris nodded grimly. "Yes. Jackalopes, and all rabbit shapeshifters, have an unusually high fertility rate. Some people hunt them for their feet, using them as fertility charms. They place them under beds, hoping it'll help them conceive children."
Victoria raised an eyebrow and turned to Alannah. "Then whoever's hunting your family must have fíorchraiceann."
Lydia frowned. "Fíorchraiceann? What's that?"
Deaton answered. "It's a Gaelic word that translates to True Skin. It's a horrific concoction that forces a shapeshifter to remain in their transformed state, even after death. It's made from Kanima venom, and a rare strain of wolfsbane called Black Wolfsbane which stops regeneration, and mandrake root."
Erica wrinkled her nose. "But… why force someone to stay in their shifted form?"
Victoria answered grimly. "To skin them. The pelts can be sold on the black market, or turned into taxidermy trophies. In Alannah's case, their feet would remain in rabbit form even after being cut off."
Allison muttered, horrified. "That's disgusting."
Chris nodded. "It is. And it's not what real hunters are supposed to do."
Alannah took a shaky breath. "It's worse than you think. The ones hunting my family aren't just human hunters. They're Sionnach Scáth."
Victoria's eyes widened. "Shadow foxes?"
Alannah nodded solemnly. "Yes. And if you know anything about them... you know they won't let any member of my family go."
Melissa turned to Victoria, concern in her eyes. "Victoria, who are these shadow foxes? Why do you look so surprised?"
Victoria's expression darkened. "Sionnach Scáth or Shadow Foxes, are terrifying shapeshifters. They're born killers who hunt the supernatural not to protect humanity, but to dismantle, package, and sell every last piece of their prey. Where most hunters bury or burn bodies, the Sionnach Scáth carve them into commodities."
Chris nodded grimly. "They operate like a supernatural black-market slaughterhouse, harvesting pelts, fur, bones, teeth, claws, blood, eyes, hearts, every organ they can. And if there's a buyer, they'll even sell their prey alive. And of course they don't just hunt supernatural beings; they hunt normal humans too."
Victoria added. "They live by two brutal codes: One—We don't hunt to protect. We hunt to profit. Two—No waste. Everything has a buyer."
Chris clenched his jaw. "They have no loyalty. They'll hunt their own kind, or even family if the price is right. And they show no mercy… because mercy is bad for business."
Scott frowned. "What kind of powers do they have?"
Chris answered. "They're called Sionnach Scáth, which means Shadow Fox for a reason, they're werefoxes with shadow-based abilities. While they aren't the strongest, they're excellent assassins and incredibly fast. They're also very difficult to kill, especially at night. They can turn their bodies into shadow, making physical attacks useless. However, they can be harmed with fire or lightning-based abilities, and they can't maintain their shadow form for more than a minute or two. And since they're shapeshifters, they also possess enhanced strength, senses, reflexes, and all the other typical shapeshifter traits. They're even faster than an average werewolf."
Scott's eyes lit up with a dangerous smile. "Shadow abilities, huh? Then they're mine. If I absorb their powers, I might gain some more shadow tricks. We need to find these bastards."
Noah turned to Alannah. "Do you know where they might be?"
Alannah shook her head. "No. My husband, eldest son, and daughter managed to delay them so I could take my youngest children and run. Before I left, my daughter asked me to call one of her friends for help, a girl named Lori from Satomi's pack. Lori then took me to Satomi."
Scott said. "Do you have anything of theirs? Something personal?"
Tears welled in Alannah's eyes as she reached into her coat and pulled out a bloodied phone. "This blong to my daughter. She gave it to me to contact her friend Lori."
Scott took the phone, then handed it to Lydia. "See if you can get a vision. If not, order the crows to search the Beacon Hills Preserve."
Chris added. "Look for any RV, van or trailer out there. Those bastards always travel with their tools, to keep their… inventory fresh."
Lydia nodded and closed her eyes, gripping the phone tightly. Her breath slowed as she slipped into one of her banshee trances.
Moments later, her eyes shot open.
Stiles rushed to her side. "What did you see?"
Lydia said. "I saw a girl. Blonde hair, wearing a white hoodie. She was tied up… and there were others with her, also restrained. They were inside a van. It was cramped. They looked scared."
Alannah gasped. "That's my daughter."
Derek asked. "Did you see where the van was? Any signs?"
Lydia slowly shook her head. "No… unfortunately, I couldn't see where. Just the inside."
Scott looked at Alannah and said. "There's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Alannah hesitated, then answered. "The bad news."
Scott took a deep breath. "If we don't find your daughter soon… she's going to die. Lydia is a banshee, and most of the people she sees in her visions don't end well."
Alannah's face went pale. Fear and shock gripped her, but after a moment of steady breathing, she asked. "Then what's the good news?"
Scott said. "Your daughter is still alive. That means there's still time to save her."
Tears welled in Alannah's eyes. "Then I'm begging you… please, save my daughter, my son, and my husband."
Scott placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll do everything we can. Lydia, send the crows."
"Already did." Lydia said softly.
Scott stood up and looked around. "Alright. Who's coming with me and Lydia to hunt those foxes?"
Chris and Victoria stepped forward. "We are."
"Me too." said Allison, Malia, and Stiles in unison.
Alannah stood as well. "I'm coming with you."
Scott shook his head. "No. Stay here with your kids. They need you. Wait for good news."
Reluctantly, Alannah nodded and stepped back.
Scott, Lydia, Allison, Malia, Chris, Victoria, and Stiles left the ranch and headed into the forest.
"Lydia." Scott asked. "which direction feels right? Don't overthink it, just go with your instincts."
Lydia looked around, then pointed. "This way. It feels… ominous."
"Alright." Scott nodded. "Send some crows ahead, and lead the way."
Lydia closed her eyes briefly, commanding a few crows to scout the path ahead. Then, without another word, she broke into a run.
The others followed, their forms blurring with supernatural speed as they vanished into the woods.
To be continued... 😊