He could feel it coming, that familiar pain in his body, echoing from the night eight years ago, when he had been bitten by the cursed beast, but it was still just as painful. Exactly how he remembered it.
The teeth…
The blood…
The moon…
His body was trembling, involuntarily convulsing. A poison was coursing through his body, releasing the creature that had consumed him, that night, so long ago.
"No…" he mumbled. He didn't want to transform, but the full moon above him was eerily looming, mocking him as he lay on all fours, panting.
His eyes were glowing yellow, his nose elongating with fangs rudely protruding from his jaws, his back stretched and arched, his arms and legs extending, unretractable, deathly claws replacing his old, friendly fingers. He could feel his senses increase threefold, his human instincts fade away, the wolf taking over. Fur sprung out all over his body, replacing the clothes he had sported, his wizard robes a mere human memory, completely unimportant to the carnivore.
Remus Lupin no longer was.
He had been completely devoured by the werewolf within him.
But a growl to his right made the wolf spring around, and he found himself face to face with a big, shaggy black dog, his jowls quivering. The wolf tilted his head in curiosity. Beside the dog was a beautiful white stag, almost radiating a silver heat, and on the other side, a rat, no larger than a small loaf of bread.
They were all starring directly at the wolf, attentive, ready for anything.
The wolf took a small step to the right, and the animals all followed, mirroring him exactly. He set his paw down in front of him, and the three animals all touched their hind legs to the ground behind them.
They obviously knew the wolf, but he couldn't remember them.
Nor did he care.
The wolf was hungry.
But no food seemed to be around him. He was in a falling apart house, the windows boarded up with wood that had scratches on it. But the scent…
The scent…
There were humans somewhere…
Somewhere close.
The wolf ran towards the window and started scratching and sniffing, when a sharp thing pocked him hard in the back.
Turning around angrily, the wolf could see a defiant stag stare him straight in the eyes, daring him to try to escape. But the stag could not understand, there were humans outside! There were humans, filled with blood and meat, and covered in flesh…
The wolf ignored the threat and returned to the window, scratching at the wood, desperately, whimpering. Growling, he continued to scratch when a familiar sharp thing prodded him again in the middle of his back. Springing around, the wolf crouched on all fours, his shoulder blades accented through his thick coat of fur.
The stag, however, did not move. He continued looking at the wolf, but his expression significantly changed. It seemed to say, Remember… Please, don't do this.
But this meant nothing to the wolf.
He growled again, flaunting his teeth. The stag lowered his head, showing off his beautiful head of racks, and the dog and rat came to stand by him, ready for anything.
The wolf howled, trying to scare them off, trying to get them under his control, but they knew that he could never harm the three of them.
The wolf was outnumbered.
When he took a step backwards towards the window, the animals all followed.
The rat shook his head.
Not this time, old friend, he seemed to say. Not this time.
The wolf sat down, his teeth still showing. He did not trust this odd band of musketeers. They had a strange smell of them. A familiar smell, but he couldn't remember…
Not this time, old friend. Not this time.