Chapter 2
The Hunt
The chilly November wind picked up a bit as the father and son walked into the woods just beyond the small neighborhood in which they lived, sending vibrant colored dead leaves flying through the air to dace around them. Remus laughed happily, the light , giddy sound seeming quite the contradiction to the dark woods, and attempted to catch some. Xavier smiled a little at his son's antics, but in the back of his mind he wondered if they would really stay out that late this time. It was getting colder rapidly, and their breaths were making soft white frost clouds on the air now. Besides, it wasn't beast to test your luck with the woods that late at night. No telling what lived there. No wild turkeys for sure. Which was why Clara already had a goose going in the oven. Remus never wondered how come there was a goose on the table when they didn't bring home any sort of fowl, he was far too elated from just getting to outside and have fun with his father. A little pang of guilt struck Xavier, he should really try to spend more time at home.
"Remember Rem, if you think you see one, tell me and I'll stun it. Then we can bring it back to your Mum." he heard himself, as was par for the course.
Remus nodded enthusiastically and his keen tawny eyes watched the surrounding brushes for signs for approximately five seconds before they were wandering again. Xavier held back a grin. Typical for a young boy to be easily distracted. Soon enough he was talking to his son about the past week, and what had gone on.
"Mandi got in trouble with his mum and almost couldn't come tonight. Something about breaking one of his Da's things.." Remus said, very much trying to make himself sound older and impress his father.
Mandi, Xavier knew, was one of Remus' good friends. and happened to know the young boy's father was in the Ministry. Breaking one of his fathers things could very well wind him in deep trouble depending on the item. Walking along a well trod path, the conversation went on, past what assignments his mother had given him to do, and other items of interest of a child that wanted desperately to be close to his father. Xavier himself, listened very well, quietly to all his son had to say, laughing or patting his shoulder at the appropriate times, realizing how much time he'd missed.
Soon, the full moon was being their torch, and they hadn't seen so much as a feather of a turkey. Xavier put an arm in front of his son to stop him and he looked around quizzically. They hadn't gone this far before. A scowl crossed his face for being so absent minded and he immediately took to looking around the area for the appropriate direction.
"Da, look!" came his son's slightly breathless voice. He turned to see his son hunched by a tree, fingers tracing something in the bark. Xavier went up behind him to see and at what he did indeed see, he grasped his son's shoulders and pulled him back sharply away from the tree. Along the trunk of the tree, were long, deep claw marks.
"I think you're mum'll be in a right state soon, we should head back." he said, keeping his voice as level as he could, for Remus' sake.
His son looked at him slightly bemused, and then at the claw marks. Xavier only knew one creature that could make those marks on a tree: a werewolf. As if to solidify this, a rustling came from the hedges and foliage behind them, and Xavier spun around, keeping Remus behind him.
A pair of yellow, predatory eyes shone out of the dark leaves at him.
Xavier pulled his wand slowly, speaking in a low voice to Remus. "Be very quiet Rem, very quiet. Your Da will try and see if he can get this fellow to go on his way..." it was the easies way to put it for the young boy, so that he understood and didn't panic. Even a boy as bright as Remus needed to be soothed sometimes, especially when something he didn't understand was about. Xavier took a few steps away from his son, putting himself closer to the eyes.
The eyes soon grew to be a large head and soon the even larger body of a male wolf. But no normal wolf could be this size: his back was nearly at the waist of Xavier and Xavier was not a small man. Remus' eyes grew large at the sight of the huge, awe striking creature. A low growl purred from the creatures throat as he glared at the man in front of him.
With no warning, as Xavier slowly rose his wand to stun the creature, the massive wolf launched itself at the man, teeth bared. Sheer instinct saved Xavier as the weight of the creature knocked him backwards, into a tree, as he curled into a ball, sparing him several broken bones. Remus was shoved violently away as his father's body knocked into him and the were's tail slapped him across the head, spending the world spinning. Xavier was uncurling himself and his eyes focusing slowly on the retreating form of the werewolf when it became apparent what was about to happen.
"No you bastard!" he growled at the creature, picking himself up hastily, preparing to hex the creature, but Remus' anguished scream beat him to it.
Remus had been corned to a point where besides his spinning vision and terrified nature, he was unarmed and unable to defend himself. He kicked a branch that had fallen from the nearby tree at the creature, but this only irked the creature more. Scared whimpers came from the young boy, not knowing what to do and only wanting his father or his mother to wake him up, because apparently this was some kind of horrible nightmare. He did the only thing his frightened mind could think of. As the were progressed toward him, Remus threw his arm out, trying to scare it off as he had done to many of the stray dogs he'd come across that began to growl at him. This made no difference to the wolf who snapped out and caught the boys wrist in his strong jaw.
The boy screamed in fright and pain, the soft skin around his wrist punctured and bleeding into the creatures mouth and his body immediately pulling his arm away from the pain. The wolf responded with a growl and firm tug back, pulling the boy down on his chest, still crying out in pain, and proceeding to pull the small boy along with him, away from his father and into the deeper brambles. Remus struggled as much as a little boy terrified beyond his mind and in horrible pain could, but this only got him sharp reprimands from the were, one ending in the brittle snap of his frail little wrist bone.
"STUPIFY!" roared Xavier, mind finally settled and on his feet. He would have thrown a far more deadly curse at the creature if it hadn't been for his son's body being so close by and his fear he might hit the boy rather then the were.
The light hit the were full on the side, sending the creature flying. It released Remus' wrist only after its paws left the ground, and the boy was tossed into a nearby thicket. By then, Remus was already shifting, changing. Shocked sobs tore their way from the boy's chest as he watched his hands twist and reform into paws, his spine lengthen into a tail. Another shrill scream came from him as his knees popped to face the opposite direction.
"REMUS! Remus!!!" Xavier yelled, madly trying to get through the thick, knee high foliage and getting no where rather slowly. "Remus!" again his furtive cries rang out, only to fall on his son's deaf ears.
The were growled as it rose to it's feet, the spell only strong enough to keep it down but a minute and it's yellow eyes quickly assessed the situation. He was about to up and leave the wizard where he was, when he caught wind of another wolf.
A young, wiry wolf limped out of the brambles, whimpering and favoring it's left forepaw. The elder were growled at it, only to receive a snapping bark in reply. His ears perked up and he trotted over to the other were. Deep down something told him to be territorial and just kill the pup, but another sense told him this was his child in a sense, he'd turned him after all. He herded the younger were in front of him as he made his way to his den, leaving the wizard to bellow and cry out his lost child's name.
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"Clara? You want me to go get your boys? They've been out a while, and it's bloody cold out there." Fred McDougal asked his hostess as she laid out plates.
Clara looked out the window, the edges of the glass in the panes frosted and the wind slowly picking up. There was no sign of the two returning soon. She gave a sigh and nodded.
"Please. Xavier said he should be back with Remus before sundown.." she said, sounding more worried then she had a few minutes ago when asked where her husband and son were.
The man nodded and patted her arm reassuringly, leaving his wife and the other couple to chat with Clara and make her relax. He threw on his heavy cloak and stepped out the back door. No sooner had he shut the door then were his ears lashed by the wind carrying a boy's high pitched scream, and Fred needed no other encouragement to set out at a dead run, wand out, towards the forest.
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"Remus!!!" Xavier's voice cracked hoarsely as he called his son's name frantically.
It had been more then twenty minutes since the were left and Xavier was beginning to grow numb to the biting cold but not numb to the sick feeling in his stomach.
"Xavier?" a cautiously, concerned voice asked. Xavier nearly fell over.
"Who is it?" he hissed as he spun around to find himself face-to-face with one of his friends and neighbors, Fred MacDougal. "Fred," he breathed, feeling as he could almost faint with relief. "what are you doing here?"
"Came to get you and the boy, Clara's worried, Xav, what's the matter?" he asked, his friends pale face highlighted with red-raw cheeks and dried blood on his temple, his hair in disarray and his robes no better.
Xavier's hand tightedned around his wand. "Remus...he's...We were attacked and.. It took Remus." he said painfully, looking to his friend for some kind of solace.
Fred's face fell, and Xavier knew there was no solace to be found there. The two resumed scouting the dark and frigid woods, calling the boy's name to no avail. Fred finally came to a stop in a patch of bramble, on their way back towards the house and had to shout to be heard over the other man's calls.
"Xavier! Get over here, think I found..." he started but immediately regretted it. He bent down to pick up what had caught his eye and then righted himself. Xavier's hard footfalls and the sound of the crunching of leaves rose until Xavier stopped behind him.
"What did you find, man?" he asked, slightly out of breath.
Fred cursed himself mentally as he turned around, looking at his friend's hopeful eyes that he might have found some sign, any sign that his son was still alive. He held up what he had picked up, a small jumper torn and rent, covered in cold, drying blood, leaves sticking to the coagulated blood.
A choking sob cracked from Xavier as he took the jumper and his knees unhinged, slamming him full force to his knees on the ground. Fred knelt in front of his friend, hands on his shoulders.
"Come on old friend, let's get you home... break the news to the missus." he said in a tight voice, and helped Xavier to his feet, and the two made their way to the house, icy wind freezing the tears on Xavier's face.
Author's Note: Bwhaha! I'm a monster a'int I? XD Well, now, to find out what has happened to poor Remmie, next chapter pwease.. and pwease r/r.. ^_^ Fi Cariad Chi?
