Pack is Forever
Summary: Remus has heard something he wasn't meant to and runs off. Fenrir, taking advantage of the situation, reclaims Remus for his pack. Will it be the hell Remus thinks it will be, or will it be something entirely different?
Okay, another chapter. I...Don't have anything else to say. Please review, and thanks to SlytherinGirl26, SomuchSarcasm, .sora, Natasha, Lupinesence, Nonsensical Surrealism and .saint for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't think I'd cope with writing a real novel.
Warnings: A bit dark and gory at the end.
It had been several days since the incident, and Remus was getting restless.
Fenrir watched his pup wear a ditch around the edges of the camp, slightly concerned for the boy. The last several days had followed a routine of sorts. Fenrir would hunt three times a day, returning to the camp with his catch around half an hour after he left, and would watch over his pup the rest of the time. Remus slept when he wasn't eating and was rarely awake otherwise. Remus seemed to have decided that the time after dinner was question time and asked Fenrir whatever came to mind, ranging from werewolf version of politics to members and stories of the pack to how Fenrir could tell certain things about their surroundings. Remus had asked him persistently until he had agreed to teach Remus how to tell whether a night would be warm or cold. It had originally started with Remus deciding the temperature of the night and choosing where he slept, whether it be outside or in the tree, and Fenrir would sleep in the one he didn't choose and they'd see who was right and who was cold/over-heated. However, Fenrir decided against it after the first night when Remus had made the wrong choice and chosen to sleep outside on a cold night, Fenrir bringing his frozen pup inside out of the cold after seeing him shivering. Now Fenrir just checked Remus' assumptions and corrected him when wrong.
Now Fenrir was watching his agitated pup, torn as of what to do. He had been anticipating this since he'd reclaimed his pup; Remus' emotions were out of control. As his body and mind tried to acknowledge and accept his new situation, his emotions were running haywire. His pup would be perfectly fine one moment, blink and he'd be trying to hit him in the face. Explosions of anger and fury had been common the past few days, but, much to Fenrir's relief, neither of them had been injured in any of the fits and they didn't last very long. Less common was Remus breaking down, which had only happened once so far, but it had distressed Fenrir more than he thought it would to see his pup crying over something that even Remus didn't understand. It was these bursts of uncontrollable and unprovoked emotions that were the reason why Fenrir made sure his pup slept as much as possible. Remus didn't protest much as the fits tired him out. However this time, now that his emotions were starting to stabilise again and he was returning to health, Remus wasn't acting irrationally, he wasn't tired out from his body and mind adapting and Fenrir had no reason to keep his pup asleep anymore.
He'd watched for the past few days as his pup got more and more agitated, more and more fidgety and spent less time asleep. He knew that he couldn't keep an active pup locked up for a month, no wolf liked being contained. But he was reluctant to let his pup out with the dangers that were outside. He was torn between being protective of his pup and doing what he knew his pup needed to be happy. What had him concerned the most though was the fact that Remus hadn't told him that he was getting frustrated over being cooped up, even though it had started quite a while ago. It worried Fenrir that his pup had so little faith in him, so little that he couldn't be trusted with being told that something was wrong. It stung that his pup didn't believe that he wouldn't mock or hurt him, even though he knew it'd be a long process until his pup trusted him. Frankly, he was surprised that they had made as much progress as they had, with Remus asking questions without fear of attack and sleeping, albeit lightly, under Fenrir's gaze. It hadn't progressed much beyond that, except for the occasional times when Remus got affectionate.
An ache for freedom had grown in his pup's chest, and Fenrir could feel that ache through their pack-link. It tore at him and nagged at him to make a decision. The answer for it was clear, but nothing could stop all of his fear for his pup. But it had to be done. So, he grabbed onto his pup's arm as he paced by him once more and pulled him down into his lap. Burying his face in his pup's hair and wrapping his arms firmly around his pup's torso, he whispered into his ear. His fears and doubts fled for a short moment at the feeling of child-like joy from his pup, he'd made the right choice.
"How would you like to go outside?"
Remus couldn't stop the excitement bubbling up within him, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Fenrir led him through the ward and into the forest. He knew he was acting much like a child, which was rather redundant for a man of his age, but he couldn't help it. That'd been happening a lot more; Remus acted more and more like a child, he was much more easily excited. And he'd noticed it had been happening mostly around Fenrir, but Remus decided to just ignore that and enjoy the bursts of happiness. Remus wasn't allowed away from Fenrir's side, that was a condition of leaving the camp, but it didn't stop his joy, happily taking deep breaths of the air outside. One of Fenrir's arms stayed firmly placed around his waist, but Remus didn't mind so much, the incident of what happened the last time he left the camp without Fenrir was still stuck deep in his mind. Remus still felt frightened when he thought about his confrontation with that other werewolf, and Fenrir being as overprotective as he was helped to soothe that fear. Remus was held tightly enough to Fenrir that he found it slightly difficult to walk, but he felt it was a fair price to pay for security, and it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.
The landscape passed by them at a slow and steady pace. The smell of the fresh greenery filled him and seemed to give him energy. Though his shoes prevented it, he could imagine what the grass would feel like on his bare feet. The light shone down through the canopy, lighting their path. The sound of gently lapping water hit his ears and, before long, they reached a small, gentle river. The pace of it was slow, about walking speed. It had to be connected to the river the Remus had encountered in his escape attempt several days ago, but this section of it was much calmer and much more peaceful, clear enough to see the pebbly bottom as they reached the bank. Remus knelt down, removing himself from Fenrir's grip but not from his side, and dunked his hand in the water. The temperature was only slightly cool, and felt rather nice. Despite that it was growing closer and closer to winter, today was rather warm. The water was a much-appreciated coolness. Fenrir leaned down and nuzzled his hair, like he had done many times before.
"Be careful pup. You'll fall in if you go any closer." He felt Fenrir pull away slightly. "Then again, that might not be a bad thing. You need a bath." Remus felt his face heating up. Yes, it had been some days since he'd had the chance to wash, but he couldn't smell that bad, could he? Then again, he revised as he recoiled from sniffing a tuft of his hair, maybe he could. He pulled away from Fenrir before turning around to face him.
"Turn around." He mumbled to the alpha, his face had to be the colour of ripe cherries by then. The amused smirk on the other werewolf's face only made him blush even more.
"What for? We're both men." By that point, Remus felt his face could have been on fire. He shuffled uncomfortably before muttering again.
"Just turn around." Fenrir responded to this by leaning down and nuzzling his face into Remus' hair once more. Remus could feel the older male's breath on his ear.
"So shy." But Fenrir seemed to respect his wish and turned around, leaving Remus with most of his dignity intact and his face returning to normal colour. Quickly shuffling out of his clothes, he slipped into the water of the river. He shivered at the drop in temperature but continued to sink until the water reached his shoulders. Feeling the water drift gently over his skin, he sighed in contentment as the water seemed to ease aches he didn't know he had. He jumped slightly when a pair of hands poured water over his head and buried their fingers deep into his hair, working it lightly. Before long, he relaxed into the hands which were drawing patterns on his scalp. He continued to relax until he remembered something the Fenrir had told him once.
Unmated.
It made his heart rate increase slightly. Sure, he had found he didn't mind the other werewolf, but, being mated to him? Remus wasn't sure he wanted to be mated to anyone. The thought of his alpha, someone who his future depended on, attempting to court him brought a shiver up his spine. He flinched when the hands removed themselves from his hair and their arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders.
"What's the matter, pup? You're tense." Fenrir whispered right above his ear, Remus felt his face return to its red state. Remus fiddled with his fingers whilst he tried to find the right words.
"You know how I'm...unmated?" Remus felt the nod against the back of his head. "Well, you wouldn't be...You, um...you know..." Remus stumbled as he tried to find the words, his face growing redder by the second. Thankfully, Fenrir seemed to understand and chuckled, ruffling Remus' hair.
"No, pup. I'm not interested. I already have a mate." Remus felt himself relax once more, the blush that had engulfed his face was receding and he leant back into Fenrir's hold. "There are several types of bonds between mates, pup. Some only hold them slightly together, loose enough so that should they change their minds, they can 'divorce'. Others are parted only through death, these are rather dangerous. This bond invokes a strange reaction in werewolves, in that, if the pair is separated, through rejection or other causes, the submissive will be put through agony and will eventually die from the separation. Then there is the bond in which the pair can't be separated by anything, not even death. This is the bond that I have with my mate. Under no circumstances would I love another, not even death can destroy it."
Remus couldn't help but chuckle at how much Fenrir sounded like a romantic sap. Fenrir seemed to guess what he was thinking and leaned in to whisper once more
"Think I'm funny, do you?" Remus let out a shriek at the cold water that was dumped onto his head, laughing as Fenrir began mussing up his hair. Remus calmed down soon enough, focusing instead on cleaning himself whilst Fenrir seemed fixated on washing his hair. His eyes locked onto the bandages that were on his hands, remembering the panic fit Fenrir threw when he realised Remus had burnt himself during his escape from the ward. The older werewolf had quickly cleaned and bandaged the wounds for him, mumbling the entire time about stupid pups. Now, Remus unravelled the bandages, realising that the burns had almost completely healed. Remus leant into the fingers on his scalp, enjoying the contact with the other werewolf. He still couldn't believe how much he'd gown to enjoy contact with the other werewolf, though he wasn't quite comfortable with telling him some things yet.
Too soon though, the hands were removed and Fenrir turned around once more as Remus climbed out of the river and shook the water off himself before shrugging back into his clothes. The water caught the clothing and made it stick uncomfortably to his skin, making him wish he had brought a towel or something else to dry himself off with. He wrestled with the clothes a bit more, also wishing that he had more than the one set of clothes, before allowing himself to be pulled back towards Fenrir and led back to the camp.
Remus flopped down onto the fur that Fenrir had placed in front of the fire, which he was currently building up again, enjoying the feeling of the water on his skin drying. He snuggled into the fur, enjoying the warmth, his stomach comfortably full. He felt his clothes drying, releasing his skin from their grip, making it easier to twist and turn on the fur to get the heat right where he wanted it. Running his face over his bare arm, he marvelled silently at how his face was still cleanly shaven, even though it had been about two weeks since he'd shaved.
"It must be your magic." Remus jumped at Fenrir's input; he hadn't even realised that the alpha had gotten so close, let alone knew what he was thinking. He twisted slightly until he could clearly see the alpha werewolf and stared up at him. "It's done more than just keep your face clean, pup. Why wouldn't it be the reason?"
Remus chose not to answer, instead burrowing back into the fur, pleased with the warmth. He heard the flump of more furs being dropped behind him as Fenrir lay down behind him. He didn't turn to face the alpha, too comfy to think of moving even slightly, and continued starring at the darkening sky. It was only when the sun had completely set did he turn around and face the other werewolf. The fire lit up the alpha's face, highlighting the old scars and hard lines on his face. It made him seem cold-hearted and cruel, the Fenrir he had met in his nightmares. It felt strange to think now that he'd once thought that the Fenrir he'd met in his nightmares was the exact same as the Fenrir in real life. Now, having met the true Fenrir, not the one portrayed in horror stories, he felt ashamed to have made such an assumption without meeting the man. He burrowed into his alpha's hold, a silent apology that wouldn't be understood but eased some of the guilt Remus had over doubting his alpha. It eased even more, and was put to the back of his mind, when Fenrir wrapped his arms around him.
Settling into the hold of his alpha, he only half-listened to the pack story that his alpha was telling him, tiredness governing most of his mind. He faded in and out of listening, allowing the voice of his alpha to flow over him, not caring about the words being spoken. It was only when Fenrir had stopped speaking that he lifted his head to make eye contact. The alpha was watching him with an expectant gaze, waiting for his questions, but Remus had only the one thing he was curious about currently.
"What is your mate like?"
Silence governed their camp, only the sounds of nocturnal animals and the occasional breeze disturbed it. Fenrir, for one of the few times in his life, was unable to grasp the words he needed to speak, unsure of how to proceed. He stayed trapped in his thoughts, determining what he should and shouldn't say, before pulling back out when he felt his pup stiffen in fear of asking something he shouldn't have.
"Coraline was," Fenrir felt his throat clog for a brief moment before continuing; "She was the kindest person you could have ever met. She knew me even before I was turned, and she stuck by me after. She loved me before I was a werewolf, and she loved me afterwards. She didn't have to follow me when I left to join a pack, she had every right and chance to have a normal life, but she chose instead to follow me. No matter what, no matter when, she always put others before herself, and she was loved by everyone in the pack."
"Wait…wait," Remus seemed hesitant, pausing for several moments after his interruption, before continuing. "…Was? You mean, she's…"
"Gone?" Fenrir felt his clog return but swallowed it back. "Yes…she was killed many years ago."
"So when you said that your bond meant…that you love her so much…even death couldn't break it…you really meant…"
"That I still love her, and will never stop loving her, even though she is gone." Silence descended upon the clearing once more, this one more uncomfortable than previous.
"It's time to sleep, pup." Remus nodded distractedly, his mind obviously swirling with thoughts, and quickly settled down without much fuss. Soon, he was fast asleep, and it was only after Fenrir was certain that Remus was deep in slumber, did he allow himself to succumb to sleep.
It was dark, so dark that it was almost impossible to make out anything. But it didn't hide fear.
Remus could feel himself trembling, eyes growing wider, his heart rate increasing, as he stared at the dark figure towering above him. No features could be distinguished, other than the fact it was human-shaped, but it didn't have to, he knew in the centre of his fear what, or who, it was. The heartless cackling reached his ears and tears sprang to his eyes. Curling in on himself, he prayed that it would have pity, just once. The wish was for naught as the figure backhanded him hard enough to send him flying into a wall, winding him and bruising his back.
He let out a chocked sob or horror as a second figure joined the first, joining in with the heartless laughter as they stared with glee at the damaged boy. He let out a scream of pain as the second figure's silver knife drew a deep line from his elbow to his wrist, slicing the softer inner arm. He curled up once more as the red liquid flooded out of the gash. Tears flowed freely as the tormenters attacked again and again, their cackling ringing in his ears. Just leave me be, he buried his face into his knees, begging for it to stop.
Something shaking him, someone shouting 'Remus, Remus'…
Remus woke with a start, tear tracks on his face and hyperventilating. A familiar, calming scent hit his nose as arms wrapped around him. Recognising his alpha, he fell into the embrace with no argument, still crying from his nightmare. The whispered comforts never registered in his mind, too entrapped in the remnants of the dream. Without realising it, one of his hands slowly travelled down the other arm, tracing a scar in the same shape and location as the gash in the nightmare.
Neither slept for the rest of the night.
Sorry this took so long. It kept going on and on and then there was writer's block in the middle of it and things kept coming up. But it's finally done, so please, review?
Nightwisp.