Frozen with fear I stood. I felt the prickling on the back of my neck. I could sense, as is with children, the pending danger. I should have listened to mum, I thought sadly.

I should not have gone out after dark, but the woods seemed so inviting, as if they were calling to me. I felt a shadow upon me, a shadow of fear. I stared wildly around. I heard a noise behind me in the dusk shadows. I didn't stop to look, but I started running madly, my instincts telling me that danger was chasing.

Bare autumn branches lashed at my small pale arms, tearing at my clothes and skin like angry claws. CLAWS. I heard the thought echoing throughout my mind.

The big round full moon came out from behind a cloud, washing the dark woods in an eerie white glow. I stopped and spun around trying to see what was following me, but the shadows cast by the shinning moon confused me. The floor was covered in jagged shadows. A chill breeze hit me, chilling me to the very bone.

I start running again in the direction I was sure would lead me towards home. I barely make it a few feet, when a howl broke out behind me. A howl so chilling that it not only froze my bones, like the wind, but bothered my heart, and froze my blood. I ran as fast as I could until my lungs felt as if they would burst. Searing pain with every gasp of air, I willed my legs to carry me faster.

To my relief, I saw the woods thinning out ahead of me. I pictured myself safe in my bed, huddled under the blankets, safe from the noise and the shadow of fear. My mind already guilty for having snuck out without my parents knowing, especially after they warned me not to venture out on my own at night.

Just as I though I had managed to make it out of the woods alright, fate decided to prove me wrong.

A crash to my right startled me. I spun to face it, but before I could even see, something large and dark collided with me, knocking me off my feet, onto the forest floor. I tried to shake my head clear of the spinning darkness that consumed my mind from the fall. When I finally regained full vision, I wished that I hadn't. I gasped, and tried to scream but no noise would come out of my mouth; my throat felt as if it were coated with sand. My heart was pounding, and blood was rushing throughout my body, for what I saw was far worst than any of my worst nightmares.

An evil creature stood merely a few feet away from me; its vicious eyes glowed, and burned themselves into my memory forever. Wolf-lie, yet like no wolf I had ever seen in my life, it threw back its head and howled. It was not the howl of a dog or a wolf…it was a cold blood thirsty howl that with it took away all my hope, leaving me in a state of fear and despair. I tried to struggle to my feet, but my body wouldn't move. I felt as if every bone in my body was broken. It lowered its head and walked towards me. I dragged myself away from it. It sprang towards me, and it sharp fangs sank into my left ankle. A sharp searing pain spread throughout my body, causing my eyes to water; the worst pain I ever felt in my life, worst then I thought was possible. I screamed out in pain and despair. This is it…I'm dead, I thought desperately. And then everything went black.

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An odd light was dancing before my eyes. My eyes fluttered. I blinked once…twice…thrice…and the world came into focus. The first thing I was conscious of was an intolerable brightness. The white walls of the room and the intensity of the sunshine brought tears to my eyes. I'm dead, I thought again…this must be heaven. I look around and realized that I was in a hospital room. "Remus," came a desperate cry. I spotted my mum. She walked slowly towards me. She stopped an odd look on her face. Was it fear? "Do you remember me?" she asked sadly. "Mum!" I cried out, my voice sounded incredibly hoarse.

Then I remembered everything. "Mum," I said again sounding desperate, "I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you." I started to cry. "And there was that awful monster…and it bit me…" Mum started to cry. It startled me so much that I stopped. She stepped forward, and embraced me in a hug. I began to cry on her shoulder.

"What's going on here?" said a strange voice. We broke apart. A Healer walked in followed closely by my father.

"Dad!" I cried out. "Remus!" he said sadly. Turning to the Healer, he said "I told you he would wake." He turned back to me and embraced me in a hug. Pulling away, he ruffled my hair. "My Remus is strong. I knew he would wake up." He sniffled, and brushed away a tear from his eyes.

I knew something big was happening, because I never saw my father cry. "What happened?" I asked in a small voice. But either no one heard me or they didn't want to answer. I was pretty sure it was the latter.

The Healer spoke to my parents, intentionally ignoring me. "None the less, it doesn't change what has happened. The bite has changed everything. He is no longer the boy you knew. The damage is permanent. We have searched for every possible cure, but none exist. Even though he has woken up, he is too young. He probably won't survive the first transformation." "NO!" yelled my father. "Remus will survive, he MUST!"

"This is all my fault. I angered him."

"What are you talking about? Who is angry, and how is it your fault?" I asked…"Please someone tell me…What happened!"

My mum began to cry again. "We can't say yet," said the Healer, finally addressing me, but not meeting my eyes. "You should get some sleep." As soon as he said this, I began to feel drowsy.

Almost instantly, I fell into a deep sleep, but it was punctured with the sounds of howls, and sharp pain coming from my injured ankle.