Greyback's Bite
She raced the sun. The horizon. She had to get there first. Its presence was overwhelming. She could feel it rising in the east, trying to catch her, to change her.
She couldn't tell the others. Nobody would understand. They would shun her. 'Not something I'm not used to,' she admitted to herself ruefully. But she wouldn't be able to stand the fear and hate if it came from them. It would be too much. And so she fled.
A glance over her shoulder gave her a jolt in her stomach. She could see the tip of its pale outline jutting over the peaks of the distant mountains. Fear, too much fear. She ran faster.
He wouldn't leave her. She was sure. He would stick by her. But she was such a coward. She didn't even risk it. The person closest to her and she wouldn't give him a chance, for fear of his true reaction.
Falling into a copse, the white orb of the night was gone from sight. She sobbed in relief; if only for a moment, she was hidden from the terrors of the night ahead. For a few seconds, she was herself. The grass was cool beneath her, shaded orange by the brilliant sunset. Sunset?! She looked up in horror and saw the orange ball that produced the day slowly falling beyond the horizon.
Ignoring the fear of that white sphere in the darkening sky behind, she stood and staggered toward the hilltop. If she could reach that crest, if she could just get to the next ridge, she would be able to prolong her time just a short while longer. But it was not to be.
Even as she stood on the top of the knoll, the sun was completely swallowed by the horizon, and she was left alone on the hilltop, naked of the daylight's protection. With a growing sense of dread and fear, she turned to face her nemesis at last.
The full moon seemed to glare at her out of the sky, its great eye bearing down on her mercilessly. For a moment, nothing happened. Then she felt it. A searing pain beginning in her chest and spreading rapidly to her entire body. She screamed in agony as she felt her bones stretching and cracking, felt her face twist into an ugly snarl. Her clothes were torn from her body in the rapid change, matted fur sprouting all over her. Her jaw lengthened and her teeth were replaced by a set of vicious fangs. And finally, the fear faded, replaced instead by a woeful longing and a feeling she had grown to recognize over the past weeks; bloodlust.
The transformation was complete. She threw back her head and howled at the pale orb of the night.
The sun was gone. She was alone with her enemy, her friend, the moon. And it was time to hunt.
She fell to all fours, running swiftly from the hilltop. The forest neared, she welcomed its cover. They might come, and she would not be welcome among them. The forest was a solstice, a shelter from the terrors she would commit. Yet an overwhelming urge was rushing through her veins. It was not a human instinct. It was an instinct to kill.
The trackless forest was empty apart from the nighttime calls of nocturnal birds, a welcome thought to the small part of her that remained human. The wolf in her snarled; it wanted blood.
She charged on, feeling inexplicably drawn to the north. Something was waiting for her, just over that mountain. It was urgent that she got there on time. She knew not what for but it hardly mattered. It was of dire importance that she find her destination before morning. Yet she couldn't remember why.
Her claws dug into the soft earth, disturbing the leaf-littered forest floor. An unrestrained violence coursed through her, making her want to rip and tear. There was no past and no future. There was only her and the moon, alone in the hunting ground.
A road. She recognized the paving stones. From where she couldn't recall. Men built this road. A pang of hatred. Men were her enemies. She did not know why, but neither did she care. With another howl she continued on her way.
He was close now. She could feel him nearby. As before, she couldn't think why it was so important that she find him. Who was he? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except that she reach him before morning. She ran a little faster.
The road seemed eerily empty in the dark. A tremor of excitement ran through her as her sensitive nose caught a scent. A man. Her pace quickened; the search became the chase. It was a distraction, but it was necessary to satisfy her needs. The wolf within her howled in anticipation. What was left of the human in her trembled in fear.
She saw him long before he saw her. The road was straight and long, giving her an advantage over her prey. She accelerated, rapidly gaining on her quarry. He turned at the last moment, sudden fear dawning in his coal black eyes. He tried to draw back from her, his cloak tripping him up.
She pounced at him, swinging with two long clawed paws. A shriek of terror erupted from the man's throat as he stumbled out of the way. She bore down on him, disregarding him as he seized something in his cloak pocket. Part of her told her to be careful, but the wolf ignored her. With a loud crack and a bright flash, she was thrown backwards over the roadside.
Snarling, she leapt to her feet and began circling the man in the cloak. The wizard watched her cautiously, raising the small piece of wood again. She regarded it warily. She jumped, soaring across the road toward the little man, this time managing to slash him and dodge the jet of silver light that soared toward her. The wolf savored the feeling of tearing flesh. The human within pulled away in revulsion.
The man screamed, pressing his hand to his side. She howled in delight, circling him again. After a minute his screams subsided into moans, and he lay still. His eyes snapped open at the last second, and his final scream was ended as she sank her fangs into her victim's throat. The wolf howled in triumph, the human sobbed in revulsion. With a final call, she slaked her thirst for blood.
Hours later, the wolf stood again. It was time to continue her journey. Blood glistened on her jaw, but she didn't bother to wipe it. It tasted sweet, and she needed blood to keep her sane. She was near her journey's end.
She remembered when she had been bitten. It was at the end of it all. He had been there. But not even he could protect her from Greyback's bite. That was the beginning. She had to end it. End the fear of rejection. End the hate she could feel growing within her.
In tireless bounds she followed the road. It was empty. No matter. The wolf was satisfied. The full moon shone brightly in the night sky, nearing the end of its nightly journey. She had to hurry; dawn was almost upon her.
She burst from the forest more suddenly than expected, finding herself at the foot of a hill devoid of trees. She looked around warily. The only light shone from the openings in the hulking structure on the hill's peak. She crept forward, following the winding path up toward the house. He was inside, she was sure of it. Her feet and legs ached from her travels, and her breath came as ragged panting. She was almost there.
Suddenly a door opened, and someone emerged. It was still dark; she could hardly see. Then she recognized his round face. It was him, she knew it was. Her search was over. The human within her quailed in horror.
She snarled, jumping, pinning him to ground. There was the same fear in his eyes that had been in the traveler's face when she pounced. But something changed in this one's face. His expression was now one of puzzlement. He was scanning the wolf, as if searching for something he thought he knew.
Then he said the word. A single word. A word that made her feel beyond joy. Her name.
"Luna?"
With an almighty heave he managed to push her off him. The wolf in her wheeled around, snarling. But he had one of those small pieces of wood in his hand. And it was pointed at her. Both wolf and human felt a surge of fear.
Silver light erupted from the tip of his wand. It struck her. She howled as indescribable pain shot through every inch of her body. Unconsciously, she felt her bones shortening, her fur fading, the fangs shrinking, the bloodlust vanishing. Finally, she stood alone, naked, human.
"Luna?" his voice was worried this time. She felt a cloak being wrapped around her bare shoulders and looked up into Neville's anxious round face. She reached out and grabbed his hand. She whispered a single word.
"Thank-you."