A/N: A surprisingly fast update it seems. I just had to write down more of this little tale and well this is the result. I hope everyone enjoys this update and continues to read this tale. Also thank you so much for your kind reviews; they made me so happy when I read them.
And now…
Onwards.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
Harry stared up at the sky blankly as the ice cold rain hit his bare skin. The drops of liquid ice seemed to burn as they hit his body relentlessly, icy trails of pure water fell lazily down his pale and goose bumped skin. Yet despite the cold, he could not even think of sparing the energy needed to move away from it.
Instead he frowned and looked around at the deep green forest. A few of the trees had a thin layer of moss growing on them and so far he'd notice the land around him supported a vast variety of wildlife. He'd noticed some deers and rabbits grazing a fair distance away from him, and somehow he wouldn't be surprised if there were even a few bears in the area, thankfully nothing that dangerous had come across his small spot yet. His small area had a large bed of moss that he usually slept on and was covered by a few fallen trees. The ones still healthy and growing would usually offer adequate shade to him, if it was warm enough for it. Instead the forest seemed perpetually muggy, with uncomfortable moisture filling the air when the summer sun finally decided to make an appearance. Today however seemed to be going against what he was used to. A sudden storm had broken out and now the mugginess he was used to was gone, replaced instead by sharp winds and thunder as the storm raged fiercely on.
A sharp wind dislodged some gathered rain from one of the trees, making him gasp sharply as it fell on his bare back, shivering he closed his eyes and huddled his legs closer to him in a vain attempt to keep warm. The wind seemed to cut away at his weak defense and find any small pocket of warmth it could, making him instantly chilled again. His teeth started to chatter as he tried to stay warm, laying down on the drenched moss his thoughts wondered back to the strange memories constantly floating through his mind.
As if brought on by his thought alone another hazy memory floated through his mind, this time showing a large lake surrounding by deep green grass and a warm sun. It was always the same, he could see faint images, but what they were about, he hadn't the slightest clue. Since he had first woken up in the forest a week or so ago they'd been haunting him. He could remember his name, and even his age roughly, but should he try to think of something more substantial or important, it would drift away from him. He knew something had to have happened for him to be here, but the harder he tried to think of what that was; the less the knowledge would come to him. Instead his chest would start to burn and before long he would be sobbing silently from something he couldn't even remember.
Sometimes when he slept he would hear the faint sound of laughter reverberating off stone walls, or see dark bushy hair and a kind smile. Other times nightmares would fill his mind, he would dream of blood red eyes and an insane cackle as a green light headed towards him. On those night he would awake screaming, his throat burning as he screamed his voice raw. After a few nights of this, his screams soon stopped making noise, and his throat started to hurt less.
He'd quickly thought it a blessing.
He enjoyed the dreams he would have, and constantly hoped for them whenever his eyes closed, but it hurt at the same time. No matter what he thought of them, they were just dreams.
Only dreams.
Who he was before this, why he was here… he couldn't remember.
When he'd first opened his eyes his body had been filled with unimaginable pain. Liquid fire seemed to be burning its way through his very being, making everything from his bones to even his very eyelashes hurt. At times even the tears streaming down his face were too painful, and he would try in vain to close his eyes just to not feel the burn as they slid down his cheeks. After what felt like ages the pain finally stopped, with his body spasming every now and then as it remembered the abuse it had been put through.
He shook his head and frowned, barely paying attention to the moss and mud that must now be covering his tangled locks. Sometimes when he watch the sky darken from his spot in the forest, he would muse that perhaps he was abandoned here by someone. Perhaps he had been unwanted, a burden for others. These thought would always bring up images of a blurry family of three. He could not see much of them, but knew that they had looked upon him with disdain and sometimes... indifference.
It was when those memories flickered through his mind that he felt lonely. He would wonder then how it would feel to be cared for by someone, and at times he wondered if he ever was. He knew that perhaps if he moved away from his home he could find out, but he was scared to move far from his spot. The most he had moved since he first woke up was a few feet away as to not relieve himself in his home. Another wind blew harshly at his skin and he shivered as he tried his best to ignore the ongoing storm. Looking down at himself he instead concentrated on his meager belongings, his only clues on who he once was. A tattered pair of pants that clung to his thin and slender frame and a small moleskin bag tied around his neck. The bag always brought about memories of dreamy blue eyes, but its purpose was still unclear to him. He'd tried to open it a few times, but the attempts were always fruitless.
Sighing softly his nose wrinkled as the heavy downpour continued. Night was quickly falling and he sadly conceded that the storm would probably continue for a while yet. Most of the forest inhabitant had chosen to hide from the rain, and as a result his only company was a few songbirds crying out as the rain struck them.
He pulled his knees up to his chest and let his eyes close. He should try to sleep, and hopefully when he woke up next the storm would have passed. He grimaced as his stomach grumbled loudly, pulling his legs closer he tried to ignore the ever present hunger. Perhaps when he woke up again he would try to find some food. Nodding to himself he let his breathing even out and soon not even the rain could bother him as he slipped into Morpheus's realm.
Harry yipped loudly as he stood awkwardly in his new form. His front paws kept sinking into the mud and he tried to walk forward, only to stumble and have the wet dirt cover his sleek and dark coat. He had finally decided to venture out from his tree and see if there was anything for him to eat, his stomach protesting the lack of nutrition after so many days of staying by the safety of his home. He had felt reluctant to leave for even a moment at first yet soon the need for food won out any thought against it. However he couldn't help but feel so vulnerable just walking around as he was. It was then that a hazy memory came to him. A large shaggy dog with bright silver eyes with a large pink tongue hanging out of its mouth as it barked happily at him. He'd focused on the feeling the memory had given him and sighed softly at the comfort it brought him. Yet he had been completely unprepared for what happened next and gasped in surprise as his form changed. He knew he was smaller then the dog in the memory he'd seen, and wondered who the other dog had been. Those thoughts made his heart clench tightly however, so he decided against thinking of them for too long.
He rather enjoyed his new form. His fur was shorter then the other's and definitely not as tangled. From what he could see from his tail it seemed rather soft and bushy; well, when it wasn't covered in mud at least.
He whined softly as he tried to move away from the sticky and evil mud, it seemed that the more he fought against it, the more it pulled at him, and given how hungry he was, he barely had enough energy to escape. His ears flattened against his head as he slowly tried to waddle away from his doom before huffing loudly when he was finally released from the mud's nasty grip. Licking at the sludge now covering his paws he grimaced at the horrible taste, and set about to find berries or something edible to take away the taste of dirt and decay from his mouth.
As he moved through the forest he couldn't help but feel elated at the sounds of so many of its inhabitants moving about. The forest was once again alive, as the harsh rain had finally passed. A few streaks of sunlight broke through the large trees and shone softly on the dense underbrush, making the last green leaves of the season seem to glow. His ears perked when he heard the sound of rushing water and instantly he tried to scamper to it, the thought of cleaning away the filth covering him giving him an unexpected boost of energy. The small brook was refreshing and the water clean; he'd quickly jumped into the rushing water and shook his fur a few times in order to let it clean out as much as possible. After he was satisfied with his now clean coat he bent his head and began to hungrily lap at the water, just now realizing how hungry and thirty he had truly been.
The cool water was refreshing for his parched throat and he almost made himself sick with how much of it he'd drunk. After a while the chill of the water finally became too much for him and he decided to look around for something edible. He stilled when a loud crash sounded through the forest. Everything seemed to have gone deathly silent as he tried to listen to what could have made that noise. He felt his heart thumping erratically in his chest as an inhuman growl reached his ears. Whimpering softly he ran back to his home. He desperately hoped that whatever predator that had been, that they wouldn't find his tree. His stomach growled weakly and he mentally decided to maybe try and find something to eat tomorrow.
Perhaps whatever had been hunting today would be gone by then.
Harry tilted his head as he curiously eyed the large russet coloured wolf watching him. He had heard it as it bounded close to his tree; its heavy paws seeming to shake the surrounding earth as it moved towards him with incredible speed. He was apprehensive about allowing it to see him and tried to run away, but his choice was quickly taken from him when the wolf ran into his small clearing.
He had stayed still then, expecting it to attack him, but surprisingly it seemed content just to watch him. Whenever he tried to move away, it would whine softly to get his attention, yet it had done nothing threatening towards him. He didn't know what to make of it. Sighing softly he wondered if perhaps this was the strange creature he'd heard last week, then again it didn't sound inhuman to him at the moment, rather more like an overgrown dog.
He snorted softly as it laid it's large head on it's front paws, two large brown eyes were intently watching him just as he watched the creature. He smiled hesitantly; the wolf hadn't attacked him yet, and in fact seemed quite friendly. He watched as its muscle's seemed to flex under its thick fur, it wasn't aiming to attack him at this moment in any rate. Idly he wondered how its fur would feel between his hands.
A burst of courage filled him as he took a hesitant step forward. He had been spending most of his days now in his other form, and walking was quickly becoming strange for him. The wolf picked its large head up slightly but made no other move towards him. Carefully he reached out a pale hand towards the great beast before smiling as it allowed him to pet it. The fur was surprisingly soft between his fingers and warm. Gaining more confidence he nuzzled his cheek against the wolf, enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate from it. He yawned as he felt himself tire and reluctantly moved away from the wolf, not trusting it to stay docile should he fall asleep. It seemed almost disappointed that he had stopped petting it and began to lap at his fingers making him giggle silently.
He paused in his fun when he heard a tree branch break. His body stilled as he looked around to try and discover what had made the noise. The wolf beside him started whining softly but he could barely hear it as he tried to find the source of the noise.
His eyes narrowed when he caught someone heading his way, they were moving slowly, as if to let him know of their approach. His chest quickly filled with fear. He didn't know what they would want, what if they tried to take him away from his tree, what if they put him somewhere dark? A blurry memory suddenly flashed through his mind. He shivered as he felt himself locked in a small space, a few spiders crawling around him for company. He shook his head wildly; he didn't want to go back there, he didn't want to!
Barely paying the loudly whining wolf any mind he broke into a run away from the strange figure. The man shouted at him as he ran but he didn't pay it any mind as he concentrated on escaping. Faintly he wondered why the wolf wasn't chasing after him like prey after his sudden movements.
He clenched his teeth as he run through the forest, dodging broken branches and hanging vines.
He wouldn't let them take him.
Besides…
Who knows what they would do to him?
Who would want a fr- after all?
He shook his head and gasp in relief when he saw a small opening under one of the moss covered trees, quickly slipping into his other form he ran into it and burrowed as far back as possible.
He held his breath when not even a moment later the sound of someone running near his hiding spot was heard. He could hear them curse under their breath as they moved around him.
"Did you find him?" He frowned when he heard a deep voice sound from the other direction. The person near him moved away. "No, I have no idea how he could have disappeared so fast!"
His ears perked as he heard their surprisingly bare feet rustle the dead leaves on the ground. "But he was just a kid, and he wasn't… one of them was he?"
The other speaker seemed to growl. "Of course not! He looked so skinny and lost out here Sam! Who knows how long he's been here before we noticed?"
They moved around again, seeming to check the area for him. His eyes narrowed when he saw them bend down to check if he was hiding behind a bush or somewhere else. Finally the older sounding one released a heavy sigh as he seemingly gave up on their fruitless search. "If we don't find him soon, we'll involve the cops, I just don't want to scare the kid by having too many people chasing him."
The younger sounding of the two snorted. "If he wasn't afraid of me, I doubt he would be afraid of a few cops."
"That's not the same Jacob, he might be more used to animals depending on how long he was out here, but if someone left him here…"
The younger sighed sadly. "It would explain why he ran when he noticed you…"
Getting curious he carefully crawled to the opening of his hiding space and sagged in relief as he saw the two start to walk off. He whined softly at the thought of others coming for him. Maybe they'll let it go; maybe if he stayed hidden long enough they would just let him be.
He liked his tree, he liked the forest, and most of all… he didn't want to leave.
He whimpered softly before curling up and closing his eyes, his tail providing added comfort as it curled around him.
Hopefully, he'll be left alone soon enough.
He tried to ignore how much that though made his chest hurt.
A/N: I hoped everyone enjoyed this rather fast update. The idea just kept bothering me until I had to write it down. Harry is a bit unsteady at the moment but perhaps things will get better once he leaves his little safety net. Thank you again for all your lovely reviews and please do leave one if you enjoyed this tale so far, they truly make me happy. Also i apologize for any spelling errors you may encounter, I usually edit these myself and sometimes worry over the quality.
Thank you.
Till next time.
