It was getting dark when Remus decided he wanted to go out and play, but he didn't take into consideration the sun sinking behind the trees. In his young mind, nothing could hurt him, because he was at home and home was safe. He lived in a quaint cottage with his parents, tucked neatly between mountains to the back, forests on either side and the rolling hills of the country stretched right out front. It was the type of place where any child would be lucky to grow up, with wide open spaces and plenty of fresh air, it was no wonder Remus wasn't afraid. Of course, his parents had warned him plenty of times that the forest was dangerous at night, and that there were animals much bigger than him that wouldn't hesitate to have him for supper- but Remus was naturally curious, and naturally caring, and didn't believe a word. How could you when the only evidence of wildlife you knew were the wolves that lulled you easily to sleep with their song and then fallen birds you carried home and nursed back to health, he was only six years old, young and naive.
Climbing down from his bunk, paper in hand, he dubbed the soft surface of his mattress not hard enough to draw on. The rational idea would be to sit down at the kitchen table, where there was plenty of light and plenty of warmth- but at six years old, that part of your brain isn't all there, so the best idea to Remus was to go outside and find a firm patch of ground, or maybe even a nice flat rock. Besides, he craved the fresh air and he hated being stuck inside, so why not go for a walk?
Safety told him to tell his parents where he was going, but they were in the sitting room taking tea, and Remus didn't want to be told no, so he put on his shoes and slipped soundlessly out the back door.
The trek to the forest was easy, a stone path having been laid long ago. It was only once he reached the edge of the trees that the going got tough, short legs scrambling over roots and underbrush. He had been through the forest countless times, but never had he gone too far, he didn't know what was different this time. Turning just slightly when he got to the point of barely being able to see the house, he considered stopping, but a certain allure pulled him deeper into the shadows. The canopy overhead was thick, lush with dark leaves, letting only a certain amount of light seep through so beautiful patterns of brilliant sunset colours splashed over the ground.
A few minutes passed before Remus decided to stop, and he dropped where he stood, satisfied with the location, and pressed his pencil crayon between his lips. Smoothing the sheet of muggle style paper over a smooth rock, he dusted the dirt from its surface before bringing red to white and throwing a days worth of imagination into the intricate doodle. It seemed like great lengths to go to for petty art, but Remus liked the peace of the outdoors, the call of the birds above him and the occasional scurry of tiny feet on the forest floor. Out here, he was able to lose himself in concentration, meaning he didn't notice when the woodland creatures stopped, silence settling like a heavy blanket. It wasn't until a much larger creature snapped a branch off to his right that Remus lurched back to the present, still as a deer as he stared straight ahead. Usually he would have gone back to his work, but this time a low sense of panic spread slowly to each of his extremities, and just as he was about to scream a hand closed over his mouth.
Rough fingers scraped across his lips, and a muffled cry was thrown into the fingers as he was lifted easily off the ground. Remus wasn't a big boy, he wasn't strong (not that most little kids are), and the man easily over powered him, carrying him kicking and screaming deeper into the trees, until he felt he would never find his way home. A sense of dread replaced the panic, and he slumped against the warm torso behind his back, energy lost after a hard struggle- he wasn't going to fight anymore, he couldn't fight anymore, his throat was sore and raw from attempts at screaming, and somehow even he knew nobody had heard him. He was a lost cause, he would never see his family again, he was going to be taken away forever and it was all his fault.
Amber eyes slid closed as he was thrown to the ground, clear tears trailing down dusty cheeks as he was pushed onto his back. "Please, don't hurt me" he whispered feebly, curling his legs toward his torso as a means of protection. He barely heard the cackling laughter, the elder mans words crushing him like a tonne of bricks. "Hurt you, boy, I wouldn't dream of it! I'm here to give you a... special present, something that'll change your life forever. I've been watching you, and your father, and I have to say that you're perfect."[/b] It was dark now, and Remus didn't get a chance to respond, the moon was rising high overhead, and he heard the man give a sigh as its milky light finally touched him, the crack and pop of shifting bones filling the night before a sick howl tore through the air. He wanted to run and scream, but he could only lie mortified, everything going black the second the beast pounced. Looking back, he can remember a searing pain push into his shoulder, and the feeling of something spreading through his veins- but his last memory of that day was being found early that morning, being carried back to the house and waking to two weeping parents. Fenrir Greyback had barged into their lives, claimed the innocent life of their son and turned him into one of them. He was gone for now, but he would be back, it was just a matter of waiting.