Good Black Family.

Book Club: How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

Prompts:

(setting) forest

Word Count: 1600

"Psst! Hey, Reg, you up?" Sirius whispered from inside his sleeping bag. Regulus scowled as he rolled over and glared at him in reply. Sirius grinned and said, "Yeah, I couldn't sleep either. Father's idea was brilliant! It's so exciting, isn't it? Camping in the forest like Muggles!"

"You know what else is exciting? Sleeping," Regulus deadpanned. Sirius rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at him. "Go to sleep, Sirius, and let me sleep, too. It's the middle of the night."

"Exactly! We're here camping, aren't we? We should go outside and explore the wilderness," Sirius declared, reaching a hand out to yank on the zip of the sleeping bag. Tugging it down, he quickly extracted himself from it and got on his hands and knees. "Come on, Reggie, let's go explore! Maybe we'll find some flowers to surprise Mother in the morning!"

Regulus sighed but nodded. He knew Sirius wouldn't stop pestering him until he had his way, so it was better for Regulus to just go along with him. He slipped out of his sleeping bag, crouched low, and followed Sirius out of the small tent.

The forest arched high, thickets thatched closely together as if to keep outsiders out. Even the trees seemed more foreboding, hollowed and bare, and the wintry air whistled ominously through their empty branches. The moon hung high up in the sky, but even its light wasn't enough to illuminate the path in front of them. Regulus could feel the darkness creeping up around him, and he had half a mind to go running back to the tent. But only the thought of Sirius' taunts kept him at bay. Their eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, and they were barely able to make out the trail they were on.

As he walked through the forest, Sirius hummed and sang a little song under his breath. Regulus looked around, worried they would get lost. The trees all looked the same, and he asked Sirius what his plan was.

Sirius simply grinned and said, "We're here to explore. That's all."

"That's your plan? What about making sure we know our way back?" Regulus may have been only eight years old, but he was far more mature and responsible for his age. Sirius, on the other hand, preferred to take life one day at a time.

"Oh, that won't be that difficult. We'll just follow our hearts," Sirius said with a grin.

Regulus shook his head and immediately looked around to find something sharp. He picked up a rock and began scratching at the trunk of a tree. Sirius rolled his eyes and said, "Really, Reg, we'll be fine. Come on."

"Mother says to never trust your words," Regulus deadpanned, and Sirius let out a loud laugh, shaking his head.

"Mother says a lot of things, but that doesn't mean she's always right."

"But that doesn't mean she's always wrong," Regulus said pointedly. "Better be safe than sorry, anyway."

"Fine, mark the trees, but we need to hurry. We don't want Mother or Father to find out what we're up to."

Regulus rolled his eyes but did as Sirius said. He used the rock to make little arrows on the trunks as Sirius ran up ahead.

Everything was going as normal as could be for two boys roaming through the forest at night. They saw a handful of squirrels darting up the trees and even a couple of foxes slinking into the bushes, their rough tails causing the hedge to rustle. Sirius excitedly pointed out a burrow and tried to shove his arm into it to see what animal lived inside. Fortunately for him, it was just a rabbit's burrow.

A few minutes later, they reached a stream winding through the forest. The rush of the water sounded thunderous in the dead of night. The moon offered them enough light to see the waves crashing against the bank. A wolf howled close by, and Regulus' ears pricked up at the sound.

A pair of dark yellow eyes slowly rose from the bushes on the other side of the stream. Regulus caught sight of them and knew instantly that they were in trouble. It was a large wolf with silver-grey fur.

"Uh, Sirius?" Regulus whispered, his heart now pounding fearfully in his chest. He reached forward and tugged on Sirius' sleeve. Sirius was bent over inspecting some plants growing by the side of the stream.

"Reggie, look at these! I don't know what these are, but I bet Mother will appreciate them," Sirius said, pointing at the little flowers. Regulus' tugs became even more urgent. "What is it? Can't you see I'm picking flowers for Mother?" He looked over his shoulder at Regulus.

Regulus pointed a shaky finger at the pair of eyes watching them, and Sirius turned to look. And his whole body went ramrod straight. Sirius whispered, "Reg, whatever you do… don't scream, and don't run."

Regulus' heart was in his throat as he stared at the animal, hoping desperately for a miracle to save them. Neither of the brothers knew any real spells, and they'd learned to control their accidental magic, so that option was down the drain too.

Sirius slowly rose to his feet, his arm stretched behind him to keep Regulus protected. He murmured, "Reg, take a small step back and don't make any noises."

Regulus almost whimpered as the eyes shifted lower a bit, but he did as Sirius commanded. Slowly taking a step back, he thought, 'Please, Merlin, don't let us die!'

Sirius kept on gently guiding him backwards, whispering words of encouragement to him. Regulus was almost in tears as he reached the trees. All his instincts told him to run, but Sirius' hand was on his wrist.

The wolf cocked his head and stared at them until a squirrel darted up a tree and broke his concentration. Sirius took the opportunity to grab Regulus' arm and run as fast as he could, panting loudly. The wolf howled behind them, but neither of them looked back to see if it was following them.

When Regulus stumbled over a fallen tree trunk and almost fell flat on his face, Sirius yanked on his arm harder. "We can't stop, Reg! Come on!" Regulus didn't hear anything following them, so he took a risk and looked over his shoulder.

The forest was still once more.

"Sirius, it's gone!" Regulus tugged on Sirius' arm, and they both slowed down to a halt. Tears streamed down Regulus' face, and he sobbed, "I want to go back to Father!"

Sirius swallowed and said, "Hey, don't be a baby. We'll be fine, all right? See, the wolf's gone, and we're—" He patted the trees, looking for a marker but not finding any.

"Lost? Are we lost?" Regulus croaked out, his grey eyes widening with fright. "Please, say we're not lost!"

"No, no, we're fine," Sirius said, but Regulus could hear the panic in his tone.

"We're lost in the woods! And there's a wolf out there! And it's dark!" Regulus wailed, losing his composure. He threw his arms around Sirius' waist and sobbed, "What do we do?"

Sirius, for once, was at a loss for words. But not for long. He had a plan, and even though it wasn't the best plan he'd ever had, it would do.

"Climb the tree."

Regulus didn't hesitate. He quickly wrapped his arms around the nearest tree and began to slither his way up to the branches. Sirius waited for him to reach the branches and then climbed up himself. When they were carefully perched on the thick limb, Regulus questioned, "What do we do now?"

"Yell for help." Sirius turned his head and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Father! We're here! Help!"

"That's your plan? To cry for help?" Regulus asked, his terror turning into disbelief. "And besides, we're too far away! Father won't be able to hear us."

"Just do it. Either we get gobbled up by the wolf—or Father scolds us for leaving our tent," Sirius said, giving him an ultimatum.

"Or we could get Kreacher to come and take us back to the tent," Regulus said pointedly. Now that Sirius was coming up with terrible ideas again, Regulus' own mind came up with rational proposals.

"I forgot that elf," Sirius said sheepishly. He called out, "Kreacher, Regulus and I need you! Come!"

"Be polite, Sirius," Regulus said, furrowing his brow in annoyance. "He's my friend. Here, let me…" Clearing his throat, he called out, "Kreacher, please come help us."

With a soft pop, Kreacher appeared under the tree, disgruntled yet aiming to please his young masters. Sirius whooped in delight and slid down the trunk, and Regulus was quick to follow him. Sirius wailed, "We're saved! Thank Merlin!"

Kreacher was surprised to see where they were, but he didn't ask them and neither boy opted to explain their situation. He took their hands and popped them back into the tent in just a second.

Regulus slid into his sleeping bag and almost sobbed in relief at how good it felt to be back inside. Safe and sound. He closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when Sirius said, "Tomorrow, we should go find those flowe—"

Regulus whipped around and glared at Sirius. "NO!" With that being said, he rolled over, covered his head with the blanket, and promptly fell asleep.