a/n: i am not the brilliant JK Rowling, and therefore do not own these characters, except for the ones I have created for myself. No copyright infringement is intended. M rating for adult situations, language and mild violence. I know it's been FAR too long since my last post, but with the summer comes more time to write, so as always, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 25: A Warning Sign
Remus had become used to the idea he was going to die. He could feel the life slipping away, like silk falling off the human form. He had resigned himself to the fact he would never again feel warm sunlight on his face; he would never watch Harry as he grew into the man he knew Lily and James would be proud of; he would never tell Nymphadora how truly sorry he was, and the real reasons behind his fears about the child she carried. Having had nothing but his own company for however long he had been in this godforsaken pit, he had time to mull things over. As much as he feared the potential monster growing inside of her, as much as he regretted not taking more precautions in preventing this situation from ever arising, he had promised to love, honor, and cherish his wife and would support her in sickness and in health. And if he was able to, however small that sliver of hope might be, that he would make sure that whatever the child may be, he would support and love it in anyway he could.
Suddenly, somewhere through the haze of starvation, hurried noise from far above could be heard. The sound, so foreign to the silence he had grown accustomed to, made Remus sit up and take notice, but everything was spinning. The noise, perhaps a voice, was so faint and it seemed to echo weakly in his brain, giving him the sensation that he might be hallucinating this phantom.
"Whose there?" he tried to shout to the ghostly sound above, but his voice, so hoarse and weak from dehydration, knew it would never reach whoever might be above him.
"Answer me!" he tried to shout, pathetic in its attempt at any kind of menacing threat. The voices stopped, as the shuffling of feet were becoming more distant as whoever had been there was now leaving him. "No, no! Please! Come back!" he pleaded, trying once more in vain to get to his feet, to attempt to stand, to try and scale the walls of his prison, but his broken ankle kept him crippled, and he cried out in pain from this sudden movement.
A sickening chuckle echoed throughout the cave, reverberating into the darkness of the pit.
"Fenrir!?" Remus called out. Remus was suddenly struck as an odd sensation of relief in hearing Greyback's menacing laugh swept over his entire being. This certainly was a feeling he did not think he could ever come to anticipate.
"Pathetic." Spat Greyback's voice, so sharp that it cut through the air like a knife, making Remus' ears ring with its force. "I have always found it fascinating that by simply adding deprivation of light and nourishment to an environment even the strongest of man and beast will become the most sniveling of creatures… No matter. I take it you are ready, Lupin to rejoin your brothers and sisters, to take your place once more among the pack?"
Remus swallowed what saliva he had left, thinking hard about what his mind, dulled with pain yet still alive with desires of revenge wanted to say and what the deep ache in the pit of his stomach was forcing him to say out of the desperation in wanting to stay alive.
"Yes." Was his quiet, simple reply.
"Very well," Greyback said, and even from a distance, Remus could here the self-satisfaction in his voice. He thought briefly of changing his initial response, as his own self-loathing was poking him that he should be so weak as to rejoin a pack of fellows with whom he had wanted nothing to do with. But his agony was too great. He needed medical attention, food, water; even warmer clothing as the torn shreds of the once cozy flannel shirt was worn thin and in tatters, and fall was creeping ever closer toward the countryside. Greyback, however, seemed in no hurry to grant Remus his freedom. More hushed whispers before he heard an all too familiar, yet unexpected, voice.
"Lupin, I'm going to let in a little light so you can see the ladder we are sending down for you," Caliban said, his low tone soothing after the harsh bite Greyback's had. Instantly, the smallest of shadows began creeping down the walls of the dirt hole, and Remus could faintly begin to register the pure squalor he had been living in. But he did not want to see any of it; he simply wanted to leave and never look back.
"Caliban, I can't climb, my ankle is shattered." Remus said, glad to hear a more friendly voice; however, his good feeling turned to one of apprehension since Lavinia's betrayal, he wasn't sure if he could trust anyone in these caves.
"You're going to have to try, there are strict enchantments which make magic impossible in the area. You're going to have to climb out on your own."
"How?" Remus moaned, as his voice cracked with emotion, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. It was maddening; he was almost free, he could quite literally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he could not manage his freedom due to the broken nature of his body and spirit. If he had the ability to pace, he would have been doing so, but contented instead to pulling at the ends of his hair, clumps of which, he could now see, were scattered on the ground, mixing gruesomely with the mud and excrement and his own rust colored blood. This was almost crueler than being put into the pit. Dangling something so instinctual and basic as the yearning of freedom in front of his face brought Remus right to his breaking point. "Stephan, I need to get out of here," he said, hearing the manic, crazed nature his voice had become.
"Let me think of something, hold on," Caliban said. Closing his eyes against the light that was inching ever closer into complete illumination, Remus tried hard to steady his breathing, to try and relieve this utter panic and dread in thinking he would never leave this horrific place. His thoughts then turned to Nymphadora, as they always did when he needed help in soothing his addled mind. He began to think of the day she might be having, of the mundane rituals at work, the gossip from interdepartmental memos, coming home to her mother's good cooking, perhaps even joking with her father about something on his ludicrous television box; just the simple goodness he hoped her life had become in his absence. He thought, too, if she was missing him, if her thoughts ever turned toward what he might be doing, if she had realized that his absence from her was not of his own design.
"Lupin," Caliban finally called back, "I'm sending down a large rope. Tie yourself to it and I'll hoist you up."
Opening his eyes to the matted light, Remus saw a thick braided rope seemingly fall from heaven above. He was skeptical of this idea, but knowing how strong Caliban to be, and seeing how thin he had grown since his time down here, he figured the twelve feet or so would not be too terribly difficult for Caliban to achieve. He just worried about being jostled during this process and the result it would have on his ankle. But the thought of warmth and food and clean drinking water made any reality of more physical pain fly away. Just breathe, old boy, we'll get through this, he told himself, tying the rope as tightly as he dared twice around his midsection. "Alright, Stephan, easy does it."
The slack on the rope suddenly became taut as Caliban began pulling Remus up with almost supernatural strength. Bumping up against the side of the dirt walls, Remus inhaled sharply as fresh pain coursed from his ankle through his body, but he put his attention instead on the relief, the sheer, unadulterated relief he would feel in the release from his hellish prison and the potential for escape, for home, for Nymphadora.
As he scaled the wall, mostly aided by Caliban's strength in hoisting him upward, the light began to grow brighter and brighter, so much so that it made Remus' eyes sting and water having been so accustomed to the dark.
"You're nearly there, you're going to have to manage the last bit on your own I'm afraid, there's not much further I can go, and I've nothing to tie my end around."
Squinting, Remus could see the edge of the pit an arm's length away. He reached up, fingertips barely scraping the cold stone surface above, as he tried to hoist himself upwards. But the muscles in his arms, already underdeveloped from his lack of conditioning, had nearly disintegrated from his lack of nourishment. But something inside of him, perhaps the adrenaline of freedom, gave him the extra strength he needed to pull himself up and over the pit's massive walls. Panting, having all the strength, what little he had left, drain away from his body, he managed to raise his head to look up at the man who had helped him to freedom.
"Th-thanks," was all he managed to say.
"S'alright," Caliban said gruffly, pulling the rope up and out of the pit, winding it up.
"Greyback?" Remus asked, looking around as though to see the monster who had kept him imprisoned for so long.
"Probably with the rest of the pack by now." Caliban said, and Remus could see the pity on his face as he examined Remus' wasted body on the ground. "Let me take a look at your ankle."
Rolling over, with help from the brightly lit lantern, Remus could finally see the extent of the damage that had been done to his leg. It was not nearly as bad as he had imagined, but still a gruesome sight to behold. Blood had pooled inside the surface of his skin making the swollen area surrounding his ankle look hideously discolored, made all the worse by being so deeply contrasted to the pale, corpse like appearance the rest of his body had become. "This will need some magic." Caliban said lamely, clearly unprepared for the damage. Trying to help Remus to his feet proved to be a futile exercise, so Caliban expertly hoisted him into his arms. Remus felt shame burn patches onto his cheeks, thinking about the reaction the others in the pack would be when they saw him being carried like some long lost prince. It was true people had died in the pit, and all returned in a weaken state, disorientated yet so grateful to be out; still, Remus had never seen anyone being carried back.
"Stephan," Remus said, his lips so dried and cracked they hurt trying to form the syllables. "You don't need to carry me-"
"I'll put you down before we get to the rest of the group." Caliban said, understanding Remus' need for a little discretion in his return. "I'll have one of the females come back with some food and water, and I'll ask Greyback what we should do about your ankle. It's doubtful you'll be going out Monday night with the rest of us."
"Why, what's going on?" Remus asked, but he felt sure he knew what was to be taking place tomorrow evening. He had been feeling the restlessness start to agitate his bones, which meant only one thing.
"The moon," Caliban said darkly. "You really must be out of it to not feel the pull of the next full moon."
Remus had indeed been feeling the effects, however, his basic need for survival overpowered any sense of foreshadowing. "Is Greyback still making people go out with him? To hunt?"
"Sure, but I think he has a little more common sense than to send you out with him. You'll only slow the rest of us down with that bum leg of yours."
"Why would he pull me out of the pit at all, if he didn't want me coming along?" Remus asked.
"I'm sure he didn't realize what a state you'd be in," Caliban said. "And I have to say, Lupin, you're going to need all the rest you can get between now and then. It looks like one transformation might take you out for good."
"How long was I gone?" Remus asked quietly. It was the question he really did not want an answer to, but he was caught off guard that so much time had gone by he was able to forget the lunar calendar.
"I think it was close to ten or twelve days; the most I've ever seen anyone survive down there."
And Remus knew this to be true. Most punishments would last between three days to a week and by that point, hunger had the power to weaken anyone's defiance to submitting to Greyback's will. But he had seen the times when Greyback simply would forget someone was down in the pit and the smell would be the only reminder that someone was still down there, albeit deceased. It certainly was a testament to his will to live or perhaps some divine intervention that Remus was still conscious and breathing. But his body, he knew, was not going to last much longer and he feared what a transformation would do.
"Here's where I'll leave you," Caliban said, putting Remus gently back down on the ground. "I'll have someone come around to look at that ankle."
"Thanks…" Remus said, barely getting the words as exhaustion overpowered him, as he fell into dreamless sleep.
Waking what felt like moments later, Remus found himself cleaned, bandaged, and in a dilapidated sleeping bag. Thinking this all to be some bizarre dream, Remus shook his head to clear the hallucination, but it would not pass. In waves, reality began to sink in. He really was out of the pit, he really did not have to spend another moment down in that nightmare underground, and even more than that, someone had taken care of him.
"Morning, sunshine," said a friendly voice. Remus looked over to see Thailard, walking cover toward him with a bowl of soup and a glass of water.
"How did you-" he started, sitting up in the makeshift bed.
"I heard they had finally gotten you out of that dreadful place and I offered to take you in, seeing as no one was volunteering to help you out."
"I thought you weren't allowed near the caves?"
"Caliban was able to work some magic." Thaliard said with a wink. "You should try and sip some of this broth. You look like even Thasia could knock you down."
"I don't doubt it," Remus said, looking over to the steaming hot broth. His stomach appropriately grumbled loudly, the most noise it had made in a days. Thaliard handed him the bowl and Remus gratefully bought it to his lips, blowing on it gently, and took one big gulp. It was scalding hot, but he hardly noticed, as he had never had anything more delicious in his entire life. Not even Molly's cooking could compare to the absolute joy he had in this simple, watered down soup. Tears began to well in the corners of his eyes as he bought the bowl down on his lap.
"Well, don't go all weepy on me now, it's just some soup. And not very good soup at that." Thaliard said, looking thoroughly confused by Remus' sudden flood of emotion.
"Thank you," was all he could manage to say.
"You're welcome, mate," Thaliard said. "Why don't you rest up some more, we've got a big night tomorrow."
"How long have I been asleep?" Remus asked, startled that the full moon was almost already upon them.
"Almost a full day, not nearly long enough I'd say. But it's good you're up and eating something, you're going to need all the strength you can get between now and tomorrow night. Make sure you keep drinking that water and broth. I'll be back in a bit to check on you and change your bandages. You're lucky you got out of the pit when you did, any longer down there and we would have had to amputate your leg."
Remus just smiled gratefully at Thaliard, emotion making it hard for him to say anything. He was so grateful that he had at least a few decent people in his corner, a few good souls who were willing to help him through his hell. But this brought his thoughts back to Lavinia.
"Jack, wait a moment," he said just as Thaliard was about to leave.
"What?"
"Lavinia," Remus began, but Thaliard seemed to know where he was going with this train of thought.
"She was taken the same night you were. I don't know how they tracked her to her mum's."
"No, no, it was Liv who turned me in, I'm sure of it," Reemus said. He had replayed the entire encounter between the two of them over and over in his mind, trying to pin point every moment when she had been deceiving him, as though he were to go to trial and convict her of treachery.
"Mate, she is no where to be found, we thought she might have been thrown into the pit with you. She's probably being held captive somewhere. I've tried looking for her, tried even getting Caliban involved, but she's gone. Just up and vanished. I've been having to look after her mum, I figure she would want someone to do that."
"How is she?"
"To be honest, she doesn't do much, just lies there sleeping most of the time. Liv had her pretty sedated with potions."
"You don't think she's dead, do you?"
"Who? Her mum or Liv?"
"Liv," Remus said, his stomach growling again for food and for the satisfaction in fulfilling his hunger for vengeance.
"I don't know," Thaliard said running a hand through his hair. "I've tried all I could, but you know how she's been lately. So unpredictable. If Greyback didn't take her away, she's probably gone off on some holiday and has expected us to just pick up the pieces in her absence, the dotty cow. But I'll tell you one thing, no way would she ever betray you. She cares about you too much to just hand you over to Greyback like that."
"It was weird, when we saw each other she seemed like her old self. And then she said some things that sounded odd, or suspicious and next thing I know, I'm being knocked unconscious and waking up in the caves."
"That is shifty, mate, but I doubt it was Liv. She was getting her life together, and I've known her longer than you have. It's not in her nature to just double cross someone like that. Especially not someone she was so fond of."
"Maybe, but I'm still not ruling her out about why I was left in that hellhole for almost two weeks."
"Blimey, two weeks? I don't know how you're alive, RJ. You got a real guardian angel on your side, I'd say."
"Well, I just hope whoever is watching out for me is keeping an eye on Dora and her family. I'm worried that if they were able to find Liv, they'll have no trouble finding her folks."
"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's Ministry, right? With the way things are at the moment, I think she might have a little bit of protection."
"She illegally married a Dark Creature, she's a known member of a group actively trying to bring down Vol-"
"Oh, don't say the name!" Thaliard said quickly, waving his arms in the air as though he was trying to flag down a jet plane. "His name has been tabooed!"
"Oh, right, well, needless to say she's not the Ministry's favorite person at the moment. I think they would like nothing more than to see her conveniently taken out of the picture."
"She'll be alright, mate. Honestly, what you need to be focused on is getting rest, you'll need your strength for tomorrow night."
"It's hard not to worry, Thaliard, she's my wife, and she's-"
"I know, I know." Thaliard said with a sigh. "But you need to build your strength so you can live long enough to see that baby of yours."
"I'm still not sure about this whole baby thing," Remus said, shifting under is blankets, as he felt his body wanting to drift back off to sleep.
"Why don't we talk about this later when you're not about to collapse on me."
"Alright, mum," Remus said with a small smile, as his eyes closed automatically, and he fell into a deep sleep.
He woke periodically throughout the day and night, Thaliard always there with a comforting cup of tea, or some clean drinking water. But Remus was never awake more than a few minutes to really discuss what was going on, what Greyback's movements were, or how he was going to cope with the thought of another human being in his life relying on him.
Finally, about midday with the coming of the full moon, Remus woke up fully, his body finally feeling rested, perhaps not in fighting form, but better than it had been in weeks. His only concern now was moon, and the toll it would take on his mangled body. Although Thaliard was diligent with his ministrations to his ankle, Remus could tell it wasn't healing properly. If only I had my wand, I might be able to perform some healing spells, he thought as he carefully unwrapped the bandages to see what damage had been done.
The swelling had gone down significantly, but the discoloration was still gruesome and clearly not the way it should look. He gingerly tried to move it by flexing and pointing his foot, but the pain was too great; it was still stubbornly broken. He tried again with wandless magic to see if that might do something, but the harder he tried to perform the spell, the more and more he could feel the energy he had been so careful to build up drain away. It would have to be another project for another time when he was a little more rested. He had the briefest of thoughts about Disapperating away from the caves but that was out of the question; he ran a very high chance of splinching himself and that damage could be more permanent than a broken ankle.
Lying back into the worn sleeping bag, he looked around to see where he was. It was some small out cove in the caves, away from the rest of the pack. However, he could hear the loud chatter, and even children's cries, echoing from the distance. He worried about their reaction if he was to join them out in the main circle, where the large fire would be blazing, where trading would take place, where the children would gather to play, still under the watchful eye of their mothers, who were busily washing clothes and gossiping. If it wasn't for the fact that magic was frowned upon, and the less than sanitary living conditions, and Greyback was using this community for his own depraved purposes, it was a wonderful pack to be involved with. They had a real sense of unity and family, of loyalty and protecting each and every member. Even for the time Remus had been with them before, and even as wary as they were to fully accept an outsider who had tried so hard to assimilate with the wizards, there was an unspoken understanding that any one would protect Remus like he was one of their own immediate family.
He looked up to the ceiling of the cave, so dark and far away from where he was, and his mind began to wander to what Nymphadora might be doing with her day. Was she thinking of him? Was she even aware of the fact that his life might end this very night? Or was she so resentful towards the way he had left with no hint of remorse that she might even be relieved not to have the association with him anymore?
"There you are," Thaliard said, a worried note to his voice.
"Where did you think I was? I'm not exactly going to be walking soon." Remus said, indicating his ankle
"Greyback is looking for you." Thaliard said, his tone ominous, and Remus could tell Greyback wasn't looking for a social chat.
"Do you know why he might want to see me so urgently?"
"Well, he doesn't believe that you really are injured and shouldn't go out with the pack tonight."
"He can take one look at me and he can see that there is no way I'm going to be able to move, let alone keep up."
"Just be ready for his temper, you know how he gets right before a full moon."
"I wonder why he's so desperate to keep me around?" Remus wondered aloud.
"I don't know, RJ, but if I were you I'd feign being asleep or try to look as pathetic as possible. Otherwise, you'll be out hunting tonight."
"Are you going with them?"
"As part of my new agreement with Greyback I am requited to make the rounds with them. I'm not happy about it, but it's better than being on the outside."
"What about Thasia?"
"She'll be with a group of cubs and their mums. One of the women have really taken her under her wing, so much so I trust that in her wolf state she won't try to eat Thasia."
"I thought all the children were being held together so that wouldn't happen anymore?"
"Nah, Greyback thought we were coddling them too much, that it was better to have the weaker ones weeded out, survival of the fittest and all that. He's certifiable, but then, we couldn't possible survive without him."
"There are ways, Thaliard, you know there are. You were living just fine in a community until Liv made you leave."
"Liv didn't make me leave," Thaliard said defensively, handing Remus a new glass of water. "I wanted to come here. But honestly, Lupin, for as much as Greyback is a nutter, he has done a lot for the lycanthrope community."
"I think you might be the one who's certifiable," Remus said, gratefully gulping down the cool water.
"I'm serious. Yes, I know his methods are a little… medieval, and yes, conditions here could be a lot better. But think about some of these kids who were kicked out of their homes because of what they had become. Think about the bonds of community here. I have never been to any town or village or city where there was such a powerful sense of community."
"I suppose that's a fair point." Remus said, and he thought about his own family and how if they had kicked him out at the tender age he was bitten, a large family settlement of his fellows would have been the place he'd have naturally gravitated towards.
"Anyway, Greyback will probably be in hot pursuit, I don't know why he's taken such a fancy to you, Lupin. Must be your gentlemanly charm and rugged good looks."
"Or maybe," said a sneering voice and Remus felt the delicate little hairs on the back of his neck rise with panic and dread, "he might just be one of the most important members of this pack right now."
"Fenrir," Thaliard said, his head bowed low in respect and fear of the pack leader.
"Thaliard, you'd do well to hold your tongue, or your precious little cub will have to grow up with a father who no longer has the ability to speak."
"Of course, Fenrir, my apologizes," Thaliard said, stepping backwards, head still held low, moving towards the cove's exit.
"Leave us, Thaliard, I need a word with the 'invalid'."
"Of course, happy hunting, Fenrir, Lupin." Thaliard said with a small panicked look towards Lupin as he made to exit quickly.
"Happy hunting, Thaliard," Lupin said, returning the old expression.
Greyback was slow in his studied examination of Remus' condition, his cold sneer never leaving his face.
"So, you're too injured come out with us tonight, is this true?"
"I'd only slow you down, Fenrir," Remus said showing the menacing figure his injured foot.
"So if I were to squeeze," Greyback said, grabbing Remus' ankle roughly making Remus cry out in pain, "ever so gently, I would feel this bone broken?"
Remus, panting in pain, his eyes watering, watched as Greyback's claw like fingernails make their way into his inflamed skin. He was in too much shock and pain to even give him a reply.
"Hmm, I am wondering why you have not fixed this bone yourself, Lupin."
"I don't have my wand," he said through gritted teeth.
"And yet, I've heard our little professor was exceptionally gifted at the wandless arts." Greyback said, applying a little more pressure to his ankle, making Remus writhe a little more in pain.
"I can't," he panted, willing with all his might that Greyback would release his poor body.
"Can't?"
"Can't, too weak," Remus said, finally looking up to the pack leader, who hopefully saw just how physically weak his body had become after his experience in the pit.
"Hmm," Greyback said, finally releasing Remus' leg with a flourish. "I wonder if I made a mistake in bringing you back here, Lupin. I had hoped that such a wizard, a Hogwarts professor, would have had the ability to fix a little broken bone, let alone all the things I have planned for him."
"What-" Remus began, but he saw Greyback's eyes flash dangerously, and he knew he should not be peppering him with questions.
"If you prove yourself, Lupin, to be the wizard everyone has claimed you to be, I'll include you on my plans. If you really are as weak and useless as the flobberworm I see before me, I'll have you thrown back in the pit, or better yet, make you a little meal for our cubs to enjoy on the next moon."
"Of course," Remus said, bowing his head slightly in reverence for Greyback's mercy. This gesture seemed to placate Greyback as he grinned, his yellowing teeth even visible in the darken cavern.
"That's the kind of servitude I like to see. I'm just glad time in the pit has taught you your place among the pack."
"I'm at your mercy, Fenrir, I only hope to prove myself a valuable member."
"We shall see," he said, and Remus was still aware of the fact all of this was simply an elaborate threat on his life; a test to see just how far Remus was willing to flagellate himself for a cause Greyback knew perfectly well that he would never support. So Remus tipped his head even further into a low bow, which seemed to satisfy Greyback.
"Try not to die tonight, Lupin, I'd hate to see my mercy go to waste." Greyback said as he left Remus alone.
Remus collapsed backward onto his pillow, grateful to still be breathing, his ankle his throbbing from having Greyback so roughly handle it. Thaliard came hurriedly in, looking skittish, as though he believe Greyback to be hiding in every shadow.
"Well, I'm glad you're still among the living," Thaliard said, surveying Remus up and down as though he were expecting to find a corpse.
"Just barely," he said, sitting up once more to examine his battered ankle.
"There must be something greater planned for you, mate. No way would he have let you live this long without a bigger scheme at work."
"I know, he all but told me what he wanted from me, yet he was as cryptic as ever."
"Well, just count your blessings he hasn't done something worse. Well, other than bring you to the brink of death."
"I'm just worried about Nymphadora. With You-Know-Who in power, I doubt he's going to be keeping Greyback on a tight leash, and if he was willing to bring me to the 'brink of death', as you say, there is no telling what he'll do to her, someone who has no significance to him except as a means at getting back at me."
"I'm sure she's fine, mate. Like I keep saying, you just worry about you tonight and getting better so you can get the fuck out of here and get back to her."
"You're right, I really do get need to make it through the night." Remus said, stretching his limbs a little, already beginning to feel the pull of the moon.
"You can feel it too?" Thaliard said, massaging out his shoulder.
"Yeah, can't be too long now."
"Yeah, probably just a few more hours. Well, I'm going to get Thasia and me all settled. Do you think you're going to be alright by yourself?"
"Better being alone than with someone I could potentially maim."
"Good point," Thaliard said with a definitive nod and a small smile. "Alright, things go to plan, I'll be back tomorrow morning to either give you some new bandages or to wrap up your corpse."
"Thanks," Remus said. "Happy hunting, Jack."
"Be safe, RJ." Thaliard said leaving Remus alone as they both began to feel the restless pull of the coming moon. Remus wished he had the ability to get up and pace, to move around, and he did not know what his wolf would do not having the ability to use all four limbs.
So, he waited. Waited for the inevitable undertow the moon would have over his human form, transforming him into the full fledge monster he had warned Tonks about so many times. And without having taken the Wolfsbane Potion this month, he would be every bit of the beast he knew himself capable of. Suddenly, time seemed to stand still, and Remus knew the agonizing pain would soon begin. But through the haze of searing pain as his limbs began to contort themselves, in the shadows of the cave, he saw a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at him...
a/n: to my lovely lovely faithful readers (and to all my new readers), all I can do is apologize for this incredibly LONG absence! I have not given up on this story, nor any of my other stories, simply life and my final year of college had taken precedence and I haven't had too much time to write. But fear not, Remus and Tonks and all of these characters are still alive and well (for now...) and hopefully chapters will be updated in a more timely fashion. So until next time, let me know what you think and click the review button below!