[ Derek Hale failed. He failed at properly equipping Scott, he failed at being an alpha, and he almost failed at being a brother. Which is where the ultimate sacrifice comes in. Maybe it's in Peter's plan, but Derek can't care about that. He gives it all up for her. He finally gets it. He gets that being the alpha, being a werewolf, it's not about power. It's about loyalty. It's about acceptance. It's about working together. That is what a pack is about.

He skips town with Cora. He's lost out on too many years with her to waste any more time.

What he wants to do, besides spend time, is to see where she'd been, who she knew there - if it's safe there.

For the first time in a long time, he's not in a rush to get anywhere. He has no real plans beyond getting to know his sister all over again. He sleeps soundly most nights, something else he hasn't done in months. Maybe, years. In town, he pays for a leatherbound journal. He spends his early mornings writing. Left behind, Derek hadn't gotten the education he needed, the experiences he needed in life. He never wants that to happen to anyone again, especially not his sister.

So, he starts writing. Pack politics. Pack traditions. Cultural differences. Mantras. Anything he can think of, anything that might benefit his sister.

He wants to teach her everything he can. To borrow from Buffy Summers, he doesn't want to hide her from the world, he wants to show it to her. (Okay, he also wants to hide her from it. She almost died. And, maybe, maybe Derek's the one that can't let go here. He can't go back just yet.

Today, he's out front in the wooden chair, scribbling down what he remembers about kanimas. ]