A/N: This began as a one-shot but since many of your reviews stated that this seemed incomplete and want to know what happen next, I would be continuing to work on this story. This story would be set post-OOTP and pre-HBP. So basically, Sirius has died and Remus has yet to push Tonks away (as in HBP).
I made the cover myself from various pictures! It's the second cover (after the one I made for 'Worth') I made so I hope you like it!
Do leave me a review about what you think of the story (or the cover)!
Once Upon A Full Moon
Chapter 1
"Remus, I-," Tonks paused. She adjusted her gaze so it fell directly on his pale face. She swallowed and fisted her hands, drawing strength for what she's about to tell him, "I'm leaving you,"
He stiffened but his face revealed nothing; Remus and his poker face, she mused bitterly. His eyes raised to meet hers and she felt like she was stabbed in her heart. His frighteningly light blue eyes flashed with hurt through the strands of fringe that fell into his eyes. He looked so beautiful. His bare torso, although scarred, was lightly toned and Tonks could still remember the times she had ran her hands over it. He licked his lips before speaking and her eyes flickered down to them, "why?" His voice was so soft she barely heard it.
Speaking through clenched teeth, she replied smoothly, "You're a monster," She croaked out and without waiting for his reply, Tonks swept out of the door, her foot catching on the door jamb but she caught herself and left.
He looked down at Dora who was sprawled on his chest, "Are you still aching? Are you sure it's alright that I'm lying on you like that," She made to shift but Remus felt his arm tighten automatically around her, locking her in place.
"I'm okay, I'm comfortable with you here," He replied as he gazed at her. He couldn't believe it. He, Remus Lupin, was holding the woman he loved. She was warm, beautiful and most importantly, she loved him with all her heart. He could see it in her eyes when she gazed at him, feel it in her tender touch on his face when she asked after him and when she kissed him, especially when she kissed him.
Nodding, Remus forced a silly smile off his face when she lay her head down on his chest.
"Your heart, it's so strong," She whispered and pressed a kiss onto where his heart was.
"It's yours, Dora," Remus muttered, "if you would have me," A beautiful blush brought colour to her pale cheeks and the roots of her bubblegum pink hair turned red. He hated to look away from her but he glanced out of the window to see the orange hue of the sky, hinting at the setting sun and thus the rising moon, "Dora, I have to go," He whispered.
She frowned unhappily, "I don't like it, Remus. It's dangerous out. Why can't you stay here?"
Remus smiled at her, his hand gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's dangerous for you if I stay here. I'll wreck the house when I'm without wolfsbane,"
"We can put up wards," Tonks sat up and as if to cement her point, she pulled out her wand, "I know wards that can keep a werewolf contained,"
Remus watched her with a measured expression as he sat up with her, "I'll rather not risk you,"
Her brows furrowed and she looked down at her wand, "I can do it, Remus," She sighed, "I wish you would have more faith in my ability,"
Remus took her face in his hands tenderly, coaxing her to look at him, "I wish you would treasure your life,"
She looked at him, dead in the eye, "I do treasure my life," Her stormy grey eyes held him with such passion and intensity, Remus found himself afraid and he looked away but Tonks gently guided him to look back at her by his chin, "You are my life, Remus, I wish you would see that,"
Remus averted her eyes stubbornly, "Dora, please," He made to stand. As he reached for his cloak, he could hear Tonks rising behind him.
"I want to come-"
"No!" Remus surprised both her and himself with the harshness in his voice. She jumped and Remus regretted it instantly. He covered the distance between them in two long strides and cradled her to his chest gently. He palmed her head with one hand and wrapped his arm around the small of her back, "stay here, my love," He buried his nose into her hair, "I love you and I'll come back to you,"
She let out a soft plaintive whimper into his chest, clutching his shirt with her fists. He let her go and extracted his shirt from her relatively small hands. Remus hunched down and brought her hand up to his lips. He kissed the tips of her fingers gently. When he straightened out, Tonks had tears welling up in her beautiful eyes.
"Be safe…" She whispered.
Remus shot her a strained smile and Tonks helped him put his cloak on before he walked out the door without a backward glance.
Tonks stood leaning against the doorway, her arms crossed as she watched her love walked swiftly out to the apparition point and apparated with a pop. She watched the empty space with a measured expression, strangely calm as the seconds ticked by; every second a heavy weight on her.
Eventually, she pursed her lips, turned and snatched her coat off the coat rack and marched out the door. She waved her wand behind her to secure the house. She muttered the incantation for the spell that would trace Remus' apparition. The tip of her wand flashed white to indicate success. With resolution of steel, Tonks apparated.
It was the middle of a forest and the tall trees blotted out the scarce sunlight streaming to the forest floor. She glanced up and around her, to get a sense of the time. The full moon was about to rise. Remus was nowhere to be seen but Tonks was sure his screams of the transformation would lead her straight to him.
It didn't take long.
The first signs of moonlight were plainly noticeable. She heard a cry and began walking briskly in that direction, her wand clutched firmly in her hand. Her heart wrenched with every cry of raw pain she heard but she only quickened her pace.
She caught sight of a writhing figure on the floor and she froze.
Amongst the folds of clothes, she could see Remus. He had his face in his hands as he shifted. She watched with tears in her eyes as Remus was tormented by the moon. She waved her wand and set up wards to prevent Remus' screams from being heard outside the ward. They needn't attract any curious muggles. Sickening cracks of bones could be heard as fur sprouted from him. His spine snapped and Tonks flinched, whimpering as Remus' screams reached a deafening pitch.
She clenched her fists, refraining from running to him and taking him in her arms to assure him that everything would be alright but she knew it wouldn't serve anything but put her in more danger so she stood by and watched.
The man she loved shifted into a wolf with rustic brown fur. It whimpered as it tried to stand, favouring a leg. The wolf didn't seem to have noticed her yet and Tonks was thankful for the still air.
Clutching her wand, Tonks settled amongst the leaves as the wolf decided to lay down for a moment longer.
Tonks stiffened as she heard the telling sounds of the approach of wind by the rustle of leaves of the floor. True enough, a gust of wind flew into her back, running through her hair and stirring her coat. The wolf perked up as the wind hit it.
Slowly, she rose from the floor, watching the wolf with careful eyes but kept her calm as it spotted her and too rose.
Swallowing, Tonks raised her wand before her, praying she wouldn't have to use it. The wolf eyed her suspiciously as it sniffed subtly at the air. It caught her scent and snorted. The wolf began to stalk forward quietly. It looked curious but Tonks knew that curiosity could turn into a mad chase the moment she turned tail and run.
Instead, she held herself still.
Then a rustle of a bush nearby made both Tonks and the wolf freeze up.
Without preamble, another wolf leaped out of the bush in a mad rush towards her. Tonks glimpsed eager yellow eyes and a strong jaw, left ajar, displaying an impressive array of sharpened canines. She made to duck but the wolf crashed into her, its jaw clamping air as she pulled her arm narrowly back from it. The weight of the wolf made her tumble into the ground. Then the wolf was off her abruptly.
Tonks scrambled to her feet the moment she managed to regain her orientation. As a cloud blotted out the moon, Tonks squinted to see a mess of fur tussling fiercely on the forest floor. She could hear snarls and snap of jaws.
Suddenly there was a whimper and light filtered through the leaves to reveal the rustic brown wolf that was Remus, pinned by the other. Tonks could see the wolf had midnight black fur and he was bulkier in frame than the brown wolf. She could see the sinewy legs it had as it pinned the struggling wolf down.
With a snarl, the black wolf lunged down and locked its jaw around the brown wolf's shoulder. The animal struggled but to no avail, whimpering in pain.
Tonks' heart wrenched, "Get away from him!" She flicked her wand and a jet of blue cut through the air at the black wolf. The black wolf looked up and upon sighting the spell, leaped off the brown wolf and out of the way of the spell. Tonks didn't let up, continuously firing spells at the floor at the legs of the black wolf till it fled from sight.
Tonks then quickly flourished her wand around the vicinity to ward out other werewolves as best as she could. A whimper made her scurry over to the wolf's side, her fear forgotten.
The brown wolf was lying on its side. Tonks could see three deep gashes along its torso, on its ribs. On its shoulder, there were also signs of the deep gorges of sharp canines into the flesh.
"Merlin," She breathed out shakily, trying to keep her calm, trying to remain in control of her emotions like she was trained. The wolf was breathing in raspy and heavy breaths. Tonks reached out to hold it down, raising her wand but the wolf snarled amidst its whimpering and shied away from her, "hush now, I wouldn't hurt you,"
But the wolf didn't understand her. It leaped painfully to its feet, whimpering, and away from her.
"Please," She raised her hands to show her submission. The wolf stared at her with amber eyes, its raspy breathing the only sound in the quiet night. It seemed to be evaluating her so Tonks held still.
Eventually, the wolf took a painful step towards her. Tonks matched it with her own. She locked eyes with the wolf, watching its eyes flutter before they rolled to the back of its head and the wolf teetered side to side precariously. A cry of horror escaped her as the wolf fell on its side heavily, struggling to take every breath. She ran towards him, falling to the floor when she tripped over her own feet. She scrambled, the remaining distance, to his side, barely hesitating.
"Lumos!" in her haste and fear for Remus, she abandoned the attempt to perform non-verbal magic. Her wand tip lit and Tonks scanned his body with it, quickly finding the three deep gorges in his flesh. Blood was gushing out of the wound and the flesh was painfully visible amidst the mess of fur and blood.
Tonks placed a hand on the side of his neck gently to assure him as she flourished her wand, muttering healing spells she knew. She stopped the blood flow as best as she could and when it was staunched, she proceeded to heal the flesh. Tonks watched as the flesh knitted together slightly, working its way from the depth of the wound up to the surface.
She cut the spell off as the gash was nothing more than a harsh red cut, bared of any fur. The wolf whimpered and craned its neck to look at her. Tonks glanced his way before beginning her work on the second cut.
Silently, Tonks thanked the healing modules that trainees had to take in Auror training.
The wolf whimpered again, stirring uncomfortably as the second gash knitted itself up under her wand.
"Hush now, it'll be over and you'll be okay soon, I promise," She said, her eyes fixed on his quickly healing wound. The wolf huffed, shaking his head, seemingly to clear it but it shifted its body uncomfortably nonetheless, "hush," she whispered.
The third wound was done quickly enough and Tonks hurriedly proceeded to run her hand through its warm fur to feel for his shoulder wound while her wand cleaned up the dried blood off its body.
"It'll be over soon," She whispered. Her fingers jabbed something warm and wet.
Immediately, the wolf jerk and twist around beneath her hand aggressively, in pain. She heard a snarl and the wolf seemed a blur before she felt pain set her arm aflame.
Tonks bit her lips against the pain after a sharp cry left her lips. The pain was overwhelming. She opened her eyes a crack to see the wolf over her, its teeth were bared and clamped firmly on her arm. Her blood turned its canines crimson and soaked into her sleeve.
Her wand was in her other hand and pointed at the wolf instinctively but as Tonks looked into the eyes of the wolf, she still saw the man she absolutely loved; the man who did not choose this life, who did not mean to hurt her. It was acting on defensive instincts upon being hurt by her.
She gritted her teeth, stilling herself from thrashing, knowing it'll intensify the pain. But the wolf was crazed. It had smelt the heady smell of blood and tasted it. Now it simply would not stop.
With a growl, it clamped down firmer on her arm. Tonks cried out. The moment the wolf released her arm, pulling back a paw to gorge at her face, Tonks acted. She scrambled back on her behind to gain ground, struggling to her feet. She raised her wand as the wolf advanced, still favouring a leg due to his bleeding and unhealed shoulder. The wolf's muzzle was pulled back into a ferocious snarl. Its eyes were wide, dilated with a hunger. Her blood was dripping down its snout. The wolf's tongue darted out to taste the blood and it charged.
Ignoring the wrench of her heart, two jets of red left her wand and hit the wolf full in the face. Its whimper was cut short as it fell to the ground heavily and remained still.
Tonks sat there, staring at empty air. It took another moment for her to take a shaky breath testily and calm her racing heart. Gritting her teeth to steady her trembling lower jaw, Tonks clenched her fist around her wand before she looked at the still form that was the wolf. She glanced down at her arm and waved her wand over it to numb it absently. She hugged her bleeding and throbbing arm to herself as she scrambled to the wolf.
Tentatively, she touched his warm fur, sighing in relief as she felt the telling rise and fall of its torso as it breathed.
She flourished her wand over the wolf to ensure that it would remain unconscious before she raised her wand over its shoulder and began the healing process. Tonks muttered a curse. Although the pain was numbed, the wound took a physical toll on her magic, evidently. The chunk of flesh missing from his shoulder refused to heal and remained stubbornly raw and bloody.
Tonks persisted till her head felt light and her vision failed. She muttered the spell to staunch the blood flow again when the last one faded away before Tonks lowered herself to the floor. She curled up beside the unconscious wolf, reveling the feel of his warmth around her. Her eyes half closed, Tonks brought up the hand of her uninjured arm and tentatively stroked his snout.
His fur was beautiful up close. It was rustic brown but had flecks of grey in them which was so very like Remus. It wasn't smooth and untangled but the rough quality to it was assuring and warm under her hand.
"Remus," Her voice was barely a whisper, "it'll be alright," Tonks snuggled her body closer to the wolf's chest as the cold bit into her bones. She managed a small smile, "you'll be alright," Pressing a kiss on the tip of his snout, Tonks settled down to sleep. Before that, she held her wand and tried it once more. As the wound began to seal, she felt a wave of fatigue consume her completely and she lay down to rest.
Tonks jolted awake when she felt movement against her.
She opened her eyes abruptly and could see the wolf shifting. Tonks scrambled away, grimacing as burning pain shot up her bloody arm.
The wolf's snout shortened till it formed Remus' nose and its canines shortened and disappeared out of sight behind Remus' lips. All that fur receded into his skin and those on his head remained but became finer to form hair. Paws became hands and feet and his body lengthened. Tonks summoned his clothes wordlessly and gingerly shifted to drape his cloak over Remus.
He was still unconscious.
Tonks scooted closer, grimacing in blinding pain. She had to refrain from screaming. She bit her lips as she leaned over Remus. She ran her fingers through his hair gently, careful not to wake him.
Her sweet Remus. What would he do if he were to wake to see her not only injured by him but infected? Tonks knew he would never forgive himself. If she were lucky, he'll merely flee. If she weren't, Remus would be the death of himself eventually; after a long painful torment of starvation, probably. How would he live? How could the Remus Lupin, who was too kind to hurt his enemies unless he had to, live with having hurt the woman he loved?
With that thought, Tonks paled. The decision was made. He must never know. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his temple, his cheek and then his lips. Tears gathered in her eyes as she drew strength in that thought for what she knew she had to do. She waved her wand shakily over him and watched his brows knit together as he began to stir.
"I love you," She whispered, almost merely mouthing the words. With that, she scrambled to her feet and walked away unsteadily but hastily. She was feeling lightheaded, her eyes were unable to focus and her arm was burning agonizingly.
Tonks made it to a distance away before she could turn back without being afraid she'll run back to Remus upon seeing him. She glimpsed him awaking and sitting up before she closed her eyes, pursing her lips and apparating away from him.
Remus opened his eyes, groaning. His head felt like lead and his body ached terribly. He lifted his head. Cringing, Remus propped himself up on his elbows and looked around him, half expecting to see a bloodied and mangled body of an innocent person by his side.
There was no one. He sighed in relief. Then he looked down at himself. Remus frowned. His cloak was draped over his body, shielding him from the cold. Wincing, he moved his sore arm to shift the cloak so he could look himself over. There wasn't any blood over his body, which meant he hadn't hurt himself in the night. He frowned.
If the wolf didn't have anyone to savage in the night, it would normally take it out on something or itself. Remus licked his dry and chapped lips by force of habit but he paused, tasting the metallic tang of blood on his tongue and all over his mouth. He shot up from the floor, alarmed. He pulled the cloak over himself and limped gingerly to where he left his clothes.
He pulled on his clothes before pulling out his wand. He pointed his wand at the inside of his cupped palm and when water spurted from the wand tip, he washed out his mouth. Remus was horrified as the water he spat out was crimson with blood.
Raising his wand, he muttered, "Homenum revelio," and waited. There were no humans in the vicinity. He pursed his lips. It could've been an animal which managed to escape. With that thought, he brushed away the idea to search for any injured human or animal. He was eager to return to the warmth and comfort that Dora gave. He missed the feel of her petite, almost pixie like frame, in his arms, her body pressed up against his. Then there were her lips, on his.
Trying, and failing, to suppress a small smile, Remus apparated.
He still had the smile on his face when he saw their house. Remus undid the intricate wards on the front door before opening it and stepping inside. As he wiped his shoes on the carpet at the door, which Dora never uses but trips over every time, Remus frowned. The house was dark and it was quiet.
"Dora?" Remus called, "I'm home,"
Silence.
Maybe she's sleeping. Remus shrugged. He untied the cloak from around him and hung it on the hook by the door. He walked up the stairs, smiling softly as he opened the bedroom door but it was empty as well. The bed was unmade and the sheets were strewn carelessly across it. It looked just like how he had left it.
"Dora?" Remus called again, this time feeling a jolt of fear as he checked the bathroom and it was empty as well. He frowned. Where could she be? He flourished his wand and an incorporeal patronus emerged from the tip of it. Dora, where are you? I'm home already.
He watched it leave before shredding his clothes and grabbing his pyjamas before slipping into the bathroom for a hot bath.
Remus was in the midst of washing himself off when he heard the door open downstairs. He smiled, quickly drying himself off with a towel. He winced as he lifted his arm and caught three angry red marks on his ribs where he had missed earlier for it wasn't bleeding. It looked days old but Remus knew they were new for he had never seen them before. Then he also spotted a large oval mark on his shoulder, in the shape of a bite. He prodded it testily and cringed. It hurt but it was bearable.
Downstairs, he heard something crash. Grinning to himself, he wore his pyjamas pants before he dashed down the steps as fast as his sore muscles would allow it.
Dora was there. She was looking down at her feet where the small coffee table had toppled over. Her hair was mousy brown, as it always was after the full moon when she would always worry for him.
"Dora," Remus whispered before he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a gentle but firm hug. She tensed up in his arms momentarily before she relaxed and he felt her arm circled around his waist, "I missed you."
"Are you alright?" Tonks asked quietly.
Remus nodded solemnly, knowing she'll worry otherwise, "not a scratch, not really anyway."
He pulled away and held her at arm's length to inspect her. She was wearing a robe over her clothes she wore last night. Her clothes were slightly filthy in places. She had one hand in her robe pocket and the other hand was placed on his hip.
"Where did you go?" He asked, his hands cupping her cheek worriedly. She was looking unnaturally pale, "You're freezing," he accused.
Something flittered across Dora's eyes but Remus didn't have a chance to figure it out before her hand left his hip, almost reluctantly. She spoke, "Remus, I-" Dora paused, her wandering eyes locked on his, "I'm leaving you,"
He froze and dropped his hands to his side. Remus thought his heart had stopped and it probably had in that moment; the moment he had always expected but feared more than anything else. She was finally doing it. Dora had realised what he was and that he didn't deserve her. She was taking herself back but Remus wasn't ready to give her back. He looked at her again, at his Dora, trying to figure it out. Why would she do this? This wasn't his Dora…
"Why?" He hated the way his voice cracked and trembled and barely left his lips.
Another cold stab was felt in his chest as her beautiful grey eyes hardened, "You're a monster," the words, although honest, killed him to hear her say it. Remus found he could no longer look at her. He glimpsed her turn and leave quickly from the corner of his eyes. Frantic to see her one last time, he looked up just as she tripped on the door jamb. His body automatically tensed and shot forward to help her but he stopped himself, clenching his fists.
Then she was gone.
Remus stared at the closed door. He backed into the back of the couch and sank to the floor. Fisting his hair viciously in his hands, he sobbed.
She muffled a cry with the hand of her uninjured arm as she marched to the apparition point. Her heart was wrenched and it took all she had not to turn around and kiss the hurt away from his eyes. Tonks teetered dangerously on her wobbily two feet as she came to a stop at the apparition point. Her head was feeling lighter. She shook her head in a futile attempt to clear it before she apparated with a loud crack.
She appeared in one piece a distance away from the house. Not far away enough but it was all she could manage. Swallowing a sob, she wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
Her knees gave out under her and she lay down on her side on the ground. Wincing and hissing in pain, she lifted the sleeve of her robe. The blood was seeping through the sleeve again despite the fact that she was siphoned all the blood from her robes before stepping into the house.
The wound was raw and bloody. She had tried to heal it but was unable to heal it. Tonks had accounted for it with her weakening magic core from the blood loss but it could also be that werewolves' bites on humans were unable to be healed magically.
Tonks tore a piece of her shirt and tried to tie it around her wound but before she could manage to firm up the knot, her head lolled back onto the floor and she was out cold, tears leaving streaks on her face as it left her closed eyes
She slipped in and out of consciousness for the next few days. When she was conscious, she'd cry while she casted a spell to staunch the blood flow, disinfect the wound and cast a warming charm around herself if she could remain conscious long enough. The sharp burn of the wound often nudged her into unconsciousness but it also woke her up when she got too cold.
Tonks barked a harsh croaky laugh as she managed to sit up against a tree after countless days. The wound was tearing her down but in a way, it kept her alive.
She had quit her job at the ministry and her involvement with the Order was external. She was helping with an undercover mission to recruit creatures to their cause. It stung when Kingsley told him. It was the lengths she had gone to avoid him, to not lay her eyes on such a disgusting monster.
Remus probed Kingsley to find out what creatures have she been tasked to recruit but Kingsley was none the wiser as well. In fact, none of the order members have seen Tonks in months.
Remus shifted out of the house they shared, no longer able to bear with the overhanging signs of Tonks everywhere. He saw her perching on the counter top, teasing him as he cooked. He saw her barging into the bathroom, leaning against the door frame, winking at him as he bathed. He saw her slouching on the couch, listening to the radio as she dozed.
He had moved into a small flat. Even when he lay in bed at night, trying to convince his battered and tired body to rest, he could've sworn he could smell her subtle scent, feel her warmth beside him, when he was alone.
Remus dreamt of her, every night since she left. In the days leading up to the first full moon since her departure, he was convinced it would be as terrible as the full moon he went through after learning of Sirius' capture and James' and Lily's deaths.
It didn't disappoint. The transformation was pure boiling agony, almost causing him to blackout in the midst of it and his human mind did. When he woke up, Remus thought his wolf-self had finally successfully bitten his arm off. Everywhere ached and there was blood as far as Remus could see. He managed to make it to the burrow, hating himself within an inch of his life for having Molly Weasley patch him up. His arm and face had chunks of flesh missing and Molly had thought he was a goner but he lived.
He gained more scars in that one night, the first transformation he had after losing Dora, than he remembered gaining his whole life.
Tonks has been watching him. Since she has recovered enough after her first transformation to walk. She did not know why she did what she did. She wanted to know if he was alright but if he was not, there was most definitely nothing she can do about it. It hurt her to see him ambling down the steps out of the flat he moved into, his face a smooth expressionless slate as always. He was thinner and paler than she last remembered.
She watched him limp into an alley and heard the crack of apparition. She followed as she did on the night she was bit.
This was the night of her second transformation. And his second since she left him. Tonks had heard from Remus about his adventures with his animagus friends. He told her that having animals nearby as playmates diverted the wolf's attention off of hurting itself. She did not ask him it works the same between werewolves but what she read in books did not tell her that werewolves were naturally hostile towards each other. For both their sakes, it was worth a shot.
She watched Remus remove his clothes and place them by the side in the middle of the woods and she left a safe distance away but not too far that their wolves would not meet.
She shivered as she removed her clothes. Glancing to her shoulder, she could see the thick lumpy scar there where her wolf had gorged itself with its claws in frustration. She twitched as she felt the moon's pull in her gut. Snap. Her bones broke. And it begins. She cried out unwittingly, falling onto her hands and knees.
Tonks was mildly aware of her hair turning white, as it always did when she was in intense pain. Then as her joints to shift, she glimpsed her white hair turn maroon suddenly. Her face began to shift too, breaking and joining again.
She screamed. So this was what Remus went through his whole life.
The wolf looked around in the dark. It was all alone. It whimpered as it sat on its hunches. Then it howled wistfully at the moon. It jumped, startled as it heard a replying howl not far away. Despite aching joints, he leaped to its feet and scanned its surrounding.
It heard a light yip and it turned to see a maroon coloured wolf approaching cautiously through a scratchy bush. It sniffed the air and snorted at the smell of a foreign scent, and yet, familiar.
The wolf snarled a warning as the maroon wolf ventured closer, curious. It startled and stayed still. The maroon wolf was young and a she-wolf. A second passed before the wolf approached, growling at the back of its throat.
The she-wolf yipped and ducked its head down to lick the wolf's muzzle. The wolf stopped growling as it allowed the she-wolf to extend a friendly gesture. Once the wolf is satisfied that the maroon wolf was no longer a threat, it bumped the she-wolf's side testily with its head.
The she-wolf yelped, side stepping. The wolf tensed and both wolves regarded each other cautiously before the she-wolf lunged forward, nipping the wolf in the side. It was not necessarily painful but an annoyance nonetheless. The she-wolf then barked and took off a safe distance away. When it realized the wolf was not giving chase, it whimpered, ducking its head as it wagged its tail.
Eventually, the wolf gave a loud bark before running after the she-wolf, who darted off, barking.