It was dark, misty night. The air had a certain chill to it, and he knew there was something special about tonight in particular. What was so special, you ask? Well, even little Remus Lupin didn't know. He was out watching the fireworks with his family, but couldn't seem to find them. His father had always told him: "If you get lost, son, wait by the tree beside the yellow cottage."
And there he was, by that tree, smiling happily up at the sky. Ah, the moon. How beautiful it looked, its silver, mystical glow, the way it drifted gracefully through the sky- and it looked even more stunning when it was complete, just like it was on this particular night.
He inhaled the fresh air of the night; he assumed it had been raining this morning, because the air still smelt damp, and refreshed. After around five minutes of waiting in complete silence, he heard a rustle coming from the woods close by. He looked up curiously, and a smile immediately spread across his lips. It would be his mother and father, of course, coming to fetch him. He hopped up from where he was sitting, making his way over to the woods, calling to them.
"Mummy? Daddy? I'm over here, see-"
In response, he did hear a voice, but a growl. A ferocious, threatening growl. Remus swallowed nervously, backing off slightly; it sounded like a very angry dog, and he didn't want to cross paths with it. The growling got louder, and Remus got even more frightened. "Mum?" He called, his voice filled with panic and need. "Dad?!" He spun around, his pulse thudding against his skin, and he began to sweat, despite the spiteful cold weather.
The growling was loud now, and he knew it was out of the woods. He turned around slowly, determined to face his demons. Dogs, weren't scary, right?
Wrong.
It wasn't a dog.
Remus wasn't sure what it was, but it most certainly was /not/ a dog.
Whatever this beast was, it was tall, skinny, with sharp little beady eyes, and scars covering it. It almost looked like a…
Wolf.
But weren't wolves supposed to walk on all fours? Weren't wolves meant to travel in packs, and have long thick fur?
All the wolves in the storybooks his parents read him had been cute, fierce, but not too much of a threat.
This 'wolf' certainly seemed threatening.
Remus gulped, turning around again and doing the first thing he could think of; he ran.
He ran and he ran and he ran, his heart pounding as he heard the set of footsteps catching up with him so easily- there was no way he could outrun this, this beast!
He darted into another little wooded area, finding trees and bushes to hide behind, moving until he heard no more noise.
Whatever it was, it was after him.
And he had escaped.
BANG.
Perhaps not.
He saw a nearby tree fall down before his eyes, and couldn't help but let out a gasp of shock. He wanted to cry, he /needed/ to cry, but he just couldn't. He felt paralysed with shock, and suddenly, the world around him seemed to go into slow motion. Everything that happened next was a blur.
The noise.
The shove.
The thud.
The bite.