Dislaimer: JKR's Remus
Moony
Chapter 1 "I was very young when I received the bite."
The forest summoned me one evening in late winter. The trees were lightly frosted and they welcomed me. The ground was laden with slowly melting snow.
A peculiar air was about the woods this evening – almost suspicious. Something mysterious and new was there. Something remained undiscovered.
Being the brave young boy that I was, this just would not do.
The wind seemed to carry clues of the mystery's whereabouts. I followed the faintest hint of an unfamiliar sound, every shadow of a movement that my simple human eyes could detect.
I traveled daringly farther into the woods than I had ever gone on my traditional visits. Everything here seemed darker, but not just because so much time had passed in my wandering – it was as though a curious shadow had befallen the trees. The tranquility of the forest which I adored vanished in these parts. But it was not disorder that destroyed the calm; it was an unnerving stillness... Everything was still, waiting, anticipating an invasion of some sort.
I walked as stealthily as any human could hope to. I suddenly noticed a crunching noise, pressure on the snow as I weaved cautiously through the trees. Were they my footsteps? They seemed not in rhythm with my pace... Or did they?
Adrenaline was rising inside me as I knew I was reaching my target.
The footsteps were growing faster. But then, so was I in excitement, was I not? I stopped to be certain. There was a shuffle, a skid; something had stopped abruptly. I then realized that the tables had turned. It was stalking me.
This altered the game completely. I hastened to the next tree and crouched low behind it, peering around, examining every figure remotely resembling a solid creature. The footsteps resumed, louder... heavier. The creature approached. Closer and closer, I could feel it coming to my right, but I dared not look. My courage had melted away and I was left with cowardice.
I felt its massive presence beside me, its breath steady as you please – this was a routine.
Before I could regain an ounce of courage, its giant paw was shoving me back, down to the ground, its one sharp-clawed paw covering my chest. I had half a second to attempt to fathom its speed before its fangs were deep in my shoulder. I screamed in desperate fear rather than pain, as it quickly withdrew. It was then that I saw its face: A long snout; alert, pointed ears; sharp, curved fangs drenched in blood – my blood... a wolf's face... but fierce, tormented, human eyes. These eyes befuddled me. Human eyes? On this great wolven beast? Then I noticed why it had withdrawn, what these human eyes were doing. It was surveying a row of trees, It had obviously seen or heard something that I could not.
It still had me pinned with its monstrous... hand... a human hand... hugely oversized and covered in dark fur, but clearly human, at least initially.
Then it spotted what it had been searching for and leapt to a standing position. It looked to the small boy, bleeding and crying, gave me a last snarling glare, and sprinted off into the trees opposite where I now could hear a voice, very distant.
It was so dark, so late.
Did I just hear my name?
I lay there, motionless, confused, freezing... for how long, I'm not certain. I seemed to slip in and out of consciousness periodically. Dreams of a monster... I wondered if it was still nighttime, or if my eyes were just closed.
"Remus?"
A shining light blinded me.
Was it morning? Was I dreaming?
"Remus!"
That's me...
I felt drunk and helpless.
"Remus, boy!"
Now I was certain I was awake. A tall man stood over me with a lantern, a blinding light.
I was running. Or was I flying? I was moving somehow.
"Hold on, boy, hold on."
The light disappeared. The cold vanished. The voice faded.
It was very dark again.