Ficlet: A Hunter's Duty
Author: starkidwarbler
Title: A Hunter's Duty
Rating: R
Pairing/s: Gen
Character/s: Chris Argent
Summary: They'll be after him, he knows it.
Warnings: Violence, references to suicide
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 694
Prompt: 59. Teeth and Claws
Author's Notes: Vague references to 3A and 3B.
They’ll be after him, he knows it. Hunters who get bitten are taught that it’s better to finish it yourself than to become a danger to others, and quite frankly, that it’s better to die than to live as a werewolf.
When he was a teenager, Chris never questioned this mentality. He ate up every word his father spouted out about the dangers of the bestial nature of the supernatural world. He believed that werewolves couldn’t be trusted to control themselves, and he forged his silver bullet in testament to his vow to never become the kind of thing he hunted. He took to the code of the hunter as a child would cling to his security blanket, and for years, he convinced himself that so long as he always abided by the rules, never bending or breaking them regardless of circumstance, then he could never lose sight of what his purpose was- why hunters existed in the first place.
Knowing werewolves, watching his daughter interact with them, and then helping his wife fulfill her duty when she was bitten all served to make him question. He started to see how corrupted his kind had become in their rigidity, and could do nothing more but ensure that neither he nor his daughter continued any further down that path. Much as he wanted for the two of them to withdraw from that world entirely, he couldn’t be more proud of the new vow that Allison had created for them, and her drive to protect rather than to hunt.
And now he was here, bleeding from his side. The feral alpha he’d chased into the woods managed to double back and strike at him before he could swing his gun around. He knew better than to go on his own against an alpha so ill prepared, but there was no time for anyone else to join him. Either he enter the woods with nothing but the guns and ammo on his person, or risk letting the wolf make it to the other edge of the preserve and into broad daylight near the high school. There would be no telling how many the thing would rip to shreds before Allison, Scott, Isaac, Kira, or the twins could join the fight to bring it down. It could be Stiles, or Lydia, or any number of defenseless teenagers, and quite frankly, it didn’t even cross his mind until now, as he justified his decision. He hadn’t thought much further than the fact that he must go, that it was his duty to protect, no matter the personal cost.
The alpha lie a few feet from him, where he fell after Chris shot him just moments too late, still too much in shock to allow the pain to impede his movement. In its death, the telltale teeth and claws of the werewolf retracted, leaving a dirtied man in its place. Correction: a dirtied boy. Chris couldn’t help but feel a loss at the death of this kid he hadn’t even known, and grateful that he never had to do the same to Scott or Derek.
He got up and used what strength he had to move the alpha into the former den of Malia Tate, which so happened to be nearby. He would have to come back later to bury him properly, but not before taking care of himself. The wound would heal soon enough, but he needed rest, and a new shirt. It would do no good to let Allison see the bite. He wanted to tell her himself. If he was to stay, which he must, they’d have to do some werewolf-proofing in their apartment. Items containing wolvesbane would need to be better sealed, and Allison should have mountain ash on hand to protect herself on nights of the full moon, just in case.
He didn’t particularly want to answer to a teenager for his alpha, but having Scott watching him, capable of restraining him if he started to slip, was far better than trying and failing to do this on his own. He refused to become the sort of thing he hunted, and that would never change.
Title: A Hunter's Duty
Rating: R
Pairing/s: Gen
Character/s: Chris Argent
Summary: They'll be after him, he knows it.
Warnings: Violence, references to suicide
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 694
Prompt: 59. Teeth and Claws
Author's Notes: Vague references to 3A and 3B.
They’ll be after him, he knows it. Hunters who get bitten are taught that it’s better to finish it yourself than to become a danger to others, and quite frankly, that it’s better to die than to live as a werewolf.
When he was a teenager, Chris never questioned this mentality. He ate up every word his father spouted out about the dangers of the bestial nature of the supernatural world. He believed that werewolves couldn’t be trusted to control themselves, and he forged his silver bullet in testament to his vow to never become the kind of thing he hunted. He took to the code of the hunter as a child would cling to his security blanket, and for years, he convinced himself that so long as he always abided by the rules, never bending or breaking them regardless of circumstance, then he could never lose sight of what his purpose was- why hunters existed in the first place.
Knowing werewolves, watching his daughter interact with them, and then helping his wife fulfill her duty when she was bitten all served to make him question. He started to see how corrupted his kind had become in their rigidity, and could do nothing more but ensure that neither he nor his daughter continued any further down that path. Much as he wanted for the two of them to withdraw from that world entirely, he couldn’t be more proud of the new vow that Allison had created for them, and her drive to protect rather than to hunt.
And now he was here, bleeding from his side. The feral alpha he’d chased into the woods managed to double back and strike at him before he could swing his gun around. He knew better than to go on his own against an alpha so ill prepared, but there was no time for anyone else to join him. Either he enter the woods with nothing but the guns and ammo on his person, or risk letting the wolf make it to the other edge of the preserve and into broad daylight near the high school. There would be no telling how many the thing would rip to shreds before Allison, Scott, Isaac, Kira, or the twins could join the fight to bring it down. It could be Stiles, or Lydia, or any number of defenseless teenagers, and quite frankly, it didn’t even cross his mind until now, as he justified his decision. He hadn’t thought much further than the fact that he must go, that it was his duty to protect, no matter the personal cost.
The alpha lie a few feet from him, where he fell after Chris shot him just moments too late, still too much in shock to allow the pain to impede his movement. In its death, the telltale teeth and claws of the werewolf retracted, leaving a dirtied man in its place. Correction: a dirtied boy. Chris couldn’t help but feel a loss at the death of this kid he hadn’t even known, and grateful that he never had to do the same to Scott or Derek.
He got up and used what strength he had to move the alpha into the former den of Malia Tate, which so happened to be nearby. He would have to come back later to bury him properly, but not before taking care of himself. The wound would heal soon enough, but he needed rest, and a new shirt. It would do no good to let Allison see the bite. He wanted to tell her himself. If he was to stay, which he must, they’d have to do some werewolf-proofing in their apartment. Items containing wolvesbane would need to be better sealed, and Allison should have mountain ash on hand to protect herself on nights of the full moon, just in case.
He didn’t particularly want to answer to a teenager for his alpha, but having Scott watching him, capable of restraining him if he started to slip, was far better than trying and failing to do this on his own. He refused to become the sort of thing he hunted, and that would never change.