Disclaimer: *sniff* Not mine... never is...
This takes place in the Marauders' sixth year. So far, everyone is still sixteen except for Sirius (meaning James, Remus, Peter, Lily, and Severus) who is seventeen.
...
Sirius kept muttering various things as they followed the blood. They only stopped in their tracks when Sirius spoke louder, "James, do you hear that?"
James stops and listens, "Why are you breathing so heavily Sirius, I can't hear anything over that!"
"That's not me James…"
"Oh. My. Godric."
The boys turn to a bush, and both felt the breath leave their bodies. Two bright red eyes were watching them.
They both started climbing a large tree as the werewolf rushed them. They couldn't use magic to stun him, and they were afraid they'd hurt him.
They both looked at the pitiful creature that limped out of the bushes. Its eyes were dull, and blood flowed heavily from a deep, long gash across its stomach. One of its arms was twisted and mangled. It let out a long, anguished howl as it thought it had lost its prey.
Then it looked up. It's pink tongue lolled and it made a pitiful moaning sound, begging them to come down. Then a slight human look came into its eyes, and a hand unconsciously moved towards the gash in its stomach.
James turns to Sirius as it circled the tree, "I can't change into a stag up here, and you might fall!"
Sirius nods, "But I don't think I should turn into a dog anyways… I'm fairly big, and I might hurt him." James nods in acceptance. "So Prongs, I guess we wait until he leaves and we follow him from a distance, or until the Sun rises." He nods again.
They stay up in the tree for two hours. In those two hours the werewolf attacks itself again, worsening and creating wounds. It head-butted the tree several times, until a trickle of blood dripped from the head too. Finally, when it was nearing four in the morning, it made another pitiful noise and slowly limped away.
Sirius woke James up, who had started to doze, and said, "There he goes Prongs."
They jump down silently, and follow the badly injured wolf. But, after half an hour of following it through the dark, twisted woods, they can't find its tracks.
"Damn it," Sirius mutters for the fiftieth time.
James sighs heavily, "Okay Padfoot, new plan. We split up, and whoever finds him first sends up a shower of sparks. Green if he doesn't know you're there, or if he's turning back. If he sees you as a wolf send up red sparks." Sirius agrees and they split up.
