Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR and the people at WB, I'm just a fan

Chapter Two, Part I

Thick drops of rain plopped onto the leaf litter in front of Remus as he sat against the cave wall looking out at the freedom of the forest. Not until he came up to the mouth of the cave had he noticed the oppressive thickness of the air inside the underground colony. He remembered when he had first come through the woods; the trunks had seemed like the bars on a cage, closing in around him, as if they, rather than his duty were keeping him from turning around and fleeing. Now they seemed open and inviting, calling him towards his freedom. With a great sigh Remus tamed the captive creature in his chest, got up and wiped his hands on his slacks before turning to head back inside.

Only a hundred feet in the tunnel the sent of clean rain and damp pine could no longer find his nose. The heavy odors of the overpopulated colony had wrestled them and won and were getting stronger by the step. Remus made to turn his head and look out the cave mouth one last time but snapped it back forward at the sound of several pattering feet. A small girl with midnight black hair that streamed out behind her as she sped past him, and shrieked with laughter. After her came a boy with bowl cut hair, the same color as the girl's, his grey eyes wide as he pumped his arms to catch up with her.

Remus closed his eyes and shivered as the wind that stirred in their wake whipped around him. When he opened his eyes again it was all he could do not to jump back with fright as two savage, glowing orbs that reminded Remus more of nightmares than eyes fixing their gaze on him. The heavy, balmy breaths that landed somewhere around Remus's ear gave passage to a second chill, and let it dance merrily up his spine.

"Lupin," Fenrir rasped, his face twisting obscenely into what he must have thought was a smile. "I've been looking for you."

"R-really? You have?" Remus felt his voice falter but couldn't stop it.

"Yes," Greyback hissed. "I just recently realized that you haven't been out raiding since you came. You have to provide to be a member of the pack." He spit the last word at Remus so it almost sounded like a bark.

Remus regained his self-control as quickly as he could manage before he spoke. "Really? I thought I went on one last week."

"You signed up Lupin, but you didn't show." A toothy grin crawled up Greyback's features, exposing his stained, razor-like teeth.

He's watching me, Remus realized, he must think I'm a threat. That revelation evoked not only fear but some kind of sick pleasure in him. "Well then, when can I sign up for the next one?"

"Now," Greyback answered smugly, raising his grubby left eyebrow up a few millimeters on his forehead. He also slowly shifted his hands that were formerly hugging his elbows to now grabbing his upper arms right above the elbow joint, leaving marks in his skin with his claw-like nails. "We'll leave now, up through the mother-wolf's throat." Greyback referred to the cave system as 'the mother-wolf', to him the colony meeting area literally was the belly of the beast.

"Alright, after you," Remus said, looking as confident at possible he made a swooping gesture towards the woods above.

Grunting, Greyback nodded curtly and prowled up the tunnel towards the soft clunking of the drizzling rain. As Remus followed he studied Fenrir's back, as if it would tell him the answer to a question that had been floating in his head for some time but he dared not ask. He desperately wanted to know how Greyback felt towards the werewolf who had bitten him; Remus felt sorry for whoever bit him but he didn't think Greyback capable of feeling sympathy for someone. Remus had yet to figure out if it was the crazy man's love or hate of what he was to drive him to his current extreme.

A cold droplet plopping onto his eyelid made Remus aware that he was outside. Out of habit, he filled his lungs as completely as he could with the fresh air of outside and savored the added taste of rain in his nose. As he let the breath out, loudly, the little girl from before giggled and whispered something to her brother who has now acquired a pike on which he was leaning. The boy obviously fancied himself as imposing with the long weapon grasped between his all too small fingers. Remus was appalled, two children were being brought on a raid, and not only that, one of them was given a weapon. It took all of his self control to stop himself from ripping the pike from the boy's hands and telling him and his sister to go home to their mother.

Slowly people started coming out of the cave, most in small clusters. Conan Dougall came by himself; he strolled up and stood next to Remus, making no sign that he remembered their strife. One of the last people to emerge from the depths of the cave was Robert Stark.

When he walked the mangled, rusty saber swung on his hip, threatening to maul someone with its scabbardless blade. Stark made a show of swinging it dangerously near Dougall with a mocking grin. The Irishman snorted and pulled a hunting knife out from his boot while rolling his eyes. He then displayed the knife proudly to Stark whose eyes grew wide for a second but then he suddenly gained an unimpressed expression.

Other men and women came over and began comparing weapons with Stark and Dougall while they waited for the completely stock still Greyback to say something. Remus slowly inched away from the forming crowed, making his way towards the children who were now standing all alone. The boy's pike was resting in the leaf litter at his feet and a worn faded- blue blanket had replaced its position in the child's clutches.

"You breathe funny," the girl told Remus when she saw him. "Like this." She scrunched her eyes, got up on her tip-toes and with exaggerated arm movements sucked as much air into her lungs as possible before falling back down to her normal size and letting it all out in one large gust.

"That was very well done little miss." Remus smiled. "I like the fresh air, it makes me feel free," he told her.

"It smells weird," the little boy said, wrinkling his nose.

These children were most likely born in the colony, or else moved there when they were too small to remember the smell of fresh air or any life outside the colony at all. Both of them were much too young to even have been thought about when Greyback wasn't in power. They intrigued Remus; they made him wonder if that because they were born into this life did they think it acceptable or did they want something more.

"Sir?" the little boy asked. "The boys my mummy said we're goanna bring back with us, will they get hurt?"

"Boys?" Remus asked, he thought that the raid was for food.

The girl nodded. "Yes Sir, the boys Greyback said the You-know-who gave us."

Remus swore loudly and quickly excused himself.

"Dougall!" he called out to his fellow spy. "Dougall," he said again, this time into his ear. "I need to talk to you."

Seeing the traumatized look on Remus's face Conan slipped his knife back in its ornamental horn sheath and shoved it back into his boot. He placed his hand on Remus's right shoulder blade and led him over to a tree.

"Yes?" he asked

"Did you know that this raid party intends to kidnap a pair of innocent children? It's outrageous; I thought it was going to be a food raid. They are bad enough but at least they are necessary," Remus blurted and a rough whisper.

"Of course, you must be really naive to think that old Fenrir would give up the chance to get two new recruits just because it's not morally sound. That's why I signed up. I brought the knife along incase I need to subdue someone who is putting those boys in danger for their lives," Dougall answered. "A good idea you had there looking after those other pups over there." He motioned his head towards the little girl and her brother. "You should keep an eye on them; make sure they aren't too scarred when this is all over."

Thanks for the reviews Vilya0, FireChildSlytherin5, and Reggie. All of you made my life. Thanks to anyone who read. I'll get Part II up when I can.