The full moon is bright over the Hogwarts grounds. Padfoot howls at it, then dips his nose to the ground to discover the scents- bird-Niffler-house elf-werewolf-centaur- all crossing and intercrossing through the forest.
Prongs stamps a hoof next to Padfoot's nose, stopping him from running off. They have a bigger mission tonight.
Far off, they can hear an answering howl, somewhere deep in the woods. Wormtail chatters nervously. It's Moony, the fourth and most dangerous member of their pack. He got loose somehow- they still aren't quite used to controlling him, even after eight or so moons- and now they have to find him.
Prongs stomps the ground twice. He and Wormtail watch Padfoot, waiting. Padfoot grins at him- okay, guys, I was getting around to that- and howls again.
Moony howls back. He sounds closer this time. Prongs takes off after the noise, and Padfoot follows, tail wagging, although whether it's from the chase or reuniting with Moony he isn't sure.
They run in silence, save for their panting and the strange noises of the forest around them. When Padfoot is Sirius, he sometimes thinks about how bizarre it is, that he and Prongs/James are ever quiet around each other, even as animals. During the day, all they can do is talk talk talk, so much so that in four of his classes, he and Remus have to sit apart from James and Peter (the teachers think that Remus is most likely to teach responsibility and that Sirius is in the most need of some teaching). Even then, he and James have become extremely adept at passing notes. It's one of their favorite games to play- how creatively/obviously can they pass a note without being discovered? Now, Padfoot and Prongs don't even make eye contact as they run, both too focused on their goal.
They can hear Moony ripping something to pieces now. Padfoot and Prongs (followed a few seconds later by Wormtail) clatter into a clearing and there Moony is, tearing into a unicorn the way Remus sometimes tears into a sausage at breakfast. Padfoot and Prongs freeze, animal selves and human selves sending them loud messages. Sirius thinks he knows what Prongs is telling James to flee- Wormtail is already hiding a few feet away- and Sirius would leave, too, if he didn't know he had to take care of Remus. But Padfoot, however- Padfoot wants to join the feast.
Prongs snorts loudly. Padfoot realizes he's been staring, drooling, at Moony and the feast. He and Prongs share a glance- time to stop things.
They step forward. Padfoot nips at Moony's feet, driving him away from the mutilated unicorn, and once he's growling and snapping at Padfoot instead, Prongs makes sure to get in between the two of them and the carcass. There's a tense moment, where Moony stares down Prongs, hackles raised, and Sirius knows exactly what James is thinking- never, in eight moons, have they gotten this close.
Padfoot charges in between them with tongue lolling, hey, we're all friends, let's have fun, remember? Moony hesitates, eyes darting between them and the carcass, tail as straight as a broomstick.
Come on, recognize me, you twat. Sirius thinks.
Moony snaps at Padfoot, and Padfoot lowers himself to the ground to show submission. Sirius hardly dares to breathe as he waits for Remus's response. Worse, he's beginning to feel unfocused, and the last thing he needs right now is to turn back into a human just in time to become Moony's dinner.
Moony snaps again, nipping Padfoot's neck, but it's not as painful as it could be and Padfoot knows Moony's just showing who's in charge. Moony turns and pads off into the woods, abandoning the carcass, and Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail follow.
The sun is just starting to rise, the rosy-yellow colors of the sky softening the Shrieking Shack and making it look almost lovely. Sirius, James, and Peter pull on their clothes while they wait for Remus to wake up.
The mornings are Sirius' favorite parts. Yes, he's exhausted and bruised and the bite on his neck is still sort of bleeding, but it's the time when he feels the Marauders are the most connected. The day is for Hogwarts and class and girls, and the night is for sleeping or Moony, but this time, in between, is when they really share this secret with each other without worry.
Remus snorts himself awake. "Wha-" he says, and then realizes where he is. "Sorry."
"Don't have to be sorry, mate." says James.
"Yeah, Moony, we told you to stop or we'll hex you." says Sirius. Remus always does this, every single full moon- apologizes for hurting them that night. Sirius wishes Remus would see it's not really his fault. It's part of who he is, and they all love him anyways. He's Moony. How can they not?
Remus gasps. Sirius looks up, alarmed, but Remus is only discovering the unicorn blood all over his body.
"What did I do?" Remus asks.
Sirius doesn't answer, distracted by the shining smears of unicorn blood against Remus' skin. It looks almost pretty, especially in the sunrise. That isn't why Sirius can't stop staring at it spread over Remus' long pale legs, his thing chest, his arms all cut up by branches. Sirius can't help sometimes but be transfixed by the more feral side of Remus. Something about the image of Remus with a girl like that- Remus fighting through hordes of enemies to win the girl or Remus covered in blood, on one knee before the girl to present him with the head of his enemy, like an ancient barbarian, or Remus on the attack, pulling- the girl- to him and kissing her ferociously, Remus angry, angry at Sirius, and it coming out with every touch and with every kiss-
James, Peter, and Remus are looking at him. Sirius realizes one of them said his name. And he's staring at Remus' naked body. Bugger. "What? Sorry, the unicorn blood, it's very- shiny."
Remus looks even pinker than usual in the sunrise light. "Your neck." he says.
"Oh, that? That's nothing. Just a little love bite you gave me, Moony." Sirius says, grinning. "I'll just tell them Prongs bit me."
James shoves him, and he puts James in a headlock so he can mess up his hair, and it's as easy as that to distract himself. But as he walks back to Hogwarts with James and Peter, he is uncharacteristically quiet, pondering two things.
One, Remus, his bookworm roommate, is a little bit wild.
And two, Sirius likes it.