Thrice Created

She shook out the excess water from her short blonde curls. Tossing the towel behind her, she ran a hand threw her damp tresses and looked in the mirror.

She stared at her naked reflection, her natural body shape. There. The long red raised scar, puckering on the ends; she ran her fingers lightly over the rubbery surface. She looked up into her eyes and raised the hand to her face. Looking back at her was two illuminated cold blue eyes. Her eyes.

Her brow furrowed and she lightly touched her temple. Wrapping an arm around her naked waist she leaned against the vanity, sighing.

The door opened beside her and a tall, lanky man stepped in behind her. He rested a hand gently on her open side and looked at her through the reflection.

"Dora, are you alright?" His voice was soft and she leaned back against him instead.

She sighed again before responding. "I'm fine…"

They stared at one another in the reflective surface of the mirror, both strangely quiet. He smiled lightly and leaned his head down and tenderly kissed her nude shoulder.

"My eyes changed…I didn't do it." Her voice was small and her tone sounded like she was lost. "It happened right after…" she paused, "but now it's always like this, unless I concentrate really hard." Her voice cracked and he wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing her hand.

"It happened to me too."

Her reflected gaze shot up into his, surprised. He gently turned her around and wrapped her tightly against him. "It happens to every one of us." As he said that she folded herself into his embrace, staring off into space.

She sat at the kitchen table, while Remus made them tea. She had her arms wrapped around her shoulders, an oversized sweater on her petite frame.

He turned back to her, two steaming cups of black tea in his hands. "Mine used to be a dark blue; or that's what my mother always told me. It was so long ago I don't remember…" He said as he sat down, pushing one cup in front of her.

"Why are mine not gold then?" She asked, wrapping her hands around the mug.

His quirky smile and sad eyes were her answer as he took a sip of her steaming drink. He swallowed, closing his eyes, as if in thought. She watched him, the somber silence her companion until he reopened his eyes to look at her.

"It's an ancient story, spanning hundreds of thousands of years, before time. A man, much like all men, sought power; he wasn't an evil man, just an ambitious one…"

"Those are the worst of kinds, can do the most damage…" She interrupted. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"Very true, and one could say that he did one of the worst of all possible things. He sought out evil itself to get his desired power. He made a deal with a devil of some sort; he was promised power, fame, wealth, for one thing in return, the devil just failed to mention to the man what that one thing was…"

"His soul?"

"No, I'm sure he wished that had only been it when the devil came to claim his payment…"

"What then? What's worse then losing your soul?"

"Children. His children."

Tonks' eyes got wide and her knuckles turned white, clutching the mug as tightly as she was.

"Now, it didn't happen right away…the man's twin sons seemed fine, healthy, happy. The man loved them. But the devil had cursed them. On the night of the first blood moon the boys turned into monsters. Wolves." He stopped and took another sip.

"Why wolves?" She asked, still clutching her own mug.

"It's rumored that the devil the man made the deal with was wolfish in form as well." Remus paused again and shifted in his seat before continuing. "Now, they didn't change back, even after the first moon fell. They were ravaging the land, killing anything that got in their way. There were no survivors, just corpses. But a wizard—or so now thought—took pity on the wife of the man; who was devastated at what her children were doing, what they'd become…"

"I'd imagine…" Tonks said offhandedly, drumming her fingers on the cup, an incomprehensible look in her eyes.

"Yes. Well, the wizard feeling sorry for the whole thing made his own deal with the devil. The boys' curse would only affect them on full moons. So later, when the moon fell that night the boys turned back into their human self's. They were no different then before…except…"

"Except their eyes…"

"Their eyes, yes." Remus agreed. "The older had warm gold, the younger cold blue. Their father then renamed them, Ulf and Ulfric. Meaning wolves."

The two became silent; Tonks stared into space as the sound of their clock ticked in the background. She blinked after many moments, and then took a sip of her lukewarm tea.

They sat in front of the crackling fire. She leaned against his shoulder listening to his mellow breathing. Squeezing his arm lightly Tonks' voice broke the near silence.

"Why exactly did their eye color permeate those of us after?"

Remus didn't look down at her to answer; he just continued to watch the dancing flames. "No idea, but its never failed to i not /i happen. If they left a survivor, not only did that poor person then carry the curse but their eyes changed to that of their new sire, and on and on. Greyback is the most famous of Ulf's line, for Ulf was said to be much more bitter then his brother. Neither set out to spread their curse like Greyback, plus their father did all he could do to stop it, as he had sworn to both protect his sons and the people…but none-the-less it happened. Ulf was much more violent as the beast—or so it's rumored—his father had a much harder time keeping him locked down. Ulfric was the one who seemed more…human-like. These traits are supposed to have passed down among their ancestors. Apparently. At least Greyback seems to perpetuate the rumor, he even relishes in it…"

There was quiet again, both thinking their own thoughts before Remus spoke up again. "Then of course there was Peter Bumba…"

Tonks looked up at his shadowed face. "Peter Bumba?"

"The third 'original'. Not really 'original' as he was only nine centuries ago…but he was not born of Ulf or Ulfric's line. He was originally known as Piotr Bumbagee, time has changed his name for whatever reason. He wanted revenge on a neighbor apparently, and sought out the same devil Ulf and Ulfric's father had. They devil had no qualms with giving him what he wanted. Peter was killed when the townsfolk found out what he'd done but not before he managed to bite not only the man he'd sought revenge on, but the man's entire family. Peter's 'offspring', for lack of better word, are some of the most feared at the full moon, especially the blood moons. Their eyes are a blood red, hard to miss, them. I've only ever met one, fewer of them…"

Tonks nodded against his arm, and they both went silent.

"So are we supposed to be mortal enemies or something now?" She asked a silly smile on her face while she took a giant bite of a cheese sandwich.

"What?" Remus looked up from the book he was reading, slightly smiling back.

"The eye thing…Ulf, Ulfric…you know the whole myth thing…it would seem very fairy-tale-ish, which honestly all of it sounds…"

He laughed slightly; they both were much more comfortable talking about what had happened, what they i now /i both were, then they had been before.

"No, I mean, dear, they were brothers…but even so it's just eye colors. The whole temperament thing is just tall tales."

She grinned. "Honestly, I'm more likely to go running buck wild then you are. So reserved." She stuck out her tongue at him and he grinned.

It was strange for him to not find that statement worrisome or inappropriate; from her it was just simple play. He no long fussed about her not taking lycanthrope seriously. She now knew exactly how serious it was, and treated it as such, though she could joke about it, letting him be able to do the same.

"You are right though; it does seem as though there should be some story of how the two groups hate one another and have secret werewolf wars or something. But it honestly doesn't happen. In fact, Greyback, while I lived with the ferals, he wanted more of Ulfricand Peter's kind in his ranks. Most of them were Ulf-clan…in fact most were his own…"

"Clan? Oh, Remus that's just silly. Clan! Right out of the story books! Who came up with this?"

He blushed and smiled awkwardly.

"Oh please tell me you didn't just make it up!" Tonks laughed loudly.

"No. No, it's just…just werewolf talk…I have no idea who came up with it…but Greyback used it…a lot. It took most of my willpower not to laugh dryly every time he'd talk. It really is ridiculous."

"Damn right it is." They both laughed at that and when all settled down Tonks went back to her food and Remus to his book. Life was running rather normally once again.