Title: Morning Wolf
Author: LupinLovesTonks
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: There was this one time, in my dreams, that I owned everything JK did. Unfortunately, that was just a dream. So are the millions of dollars I make on writing this fic.
Summary: While on a journey of self-discovery, Remus J. Lupin finds himself in danger in America, then finds salvation in the most unlikely place.
Pairing: RLOC

Chapter Three
He felt for the pouch that he'd been keeping around his neck and opened it. Almost instantly the handle of his wand slowly eased out of the opening. He removed his wand and closed the pouch up again. Out of boredom, he started making the sand make different shapes and images that came to his mind. His leg was still throbbing with a dull pain. Part of him wanted to do a spell to go ahead and mend the bone and heal the scar, but he was by no means a skilled medi-wizard so he decided against it. With his luck he would make the bones explode instead of completely mend.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been making the little sand images, when he heard a small yap behind him followed almost instantly by the little wolf cub diving into them. With a slight smile, he conjured a little sand wolf somewhat bigger than the cub and watched in amusement, as the two play fought. Though, for some reason, it didn't surprise him that the little three-legged wolf cub effectively pinned the sand wolf to the ground several times.

"She is strong for a cub with such a disadvantage."

Remus startled slightly, making the sand wolf collapse, as his concentration was broken. Cookie yelped as her snout collided with the ground. In retaliation, Cookie grabbed his pants leg with her teeth and growled as she tugged on it.

Morning Wolf had returned. Four children, who looked in their early teens, were at her sides. The two boys were shirtless and dusty, orange dirt covered lads from their bare feet to the tops of their heads. The girls were neat and tidy except for the dark dirt stains on the knees of their jeans and hands.

"Excuse the state of the boys. For some reason they thought it would be fun to try and catch an unbroken horse, instead of practising their transfiguring," Morning Wolf chuckled.

The tallest boy grinned broadly. The other one started snickering. "Moon Wolf and I wanted to see if we could transfigure that mean one into a snake since he acts like one," the shorter boy managed.

Morning Wolf closed her eyes to fight a smile and took in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "Remus," she said gently. She placed her hands on the shoulders of the teller young boy with sandy blond hair. "This is Moon Wolf."

"And how did he get that name pray tell?" Remus asked, half expecting her to say that boy just went by a nickname.

"It is his tribe name because he's a werewolf," Morning Wolf replied smoothly. "He sees his name as a title of honour so no other name will suit him." She nudged the boy forward and he made gave a mock stumble as if she had shoved him, causing the two girls to giggle.

Moon Wolf straightened his poise with a debonair smile and strode over to Remus and held out his hand solidly. When Remus, apparently, had not responded quick enough the boy reached down and took his hand and gave it one firm shake. The boy's eyes were bright and playful, as if he'd never had to experience the heartache and troubles Remus had been forced to feel most of his own life. The boy also bore many scars on his skin, just as Remus did. Moon Wolf bowed and scurried back over to the other children.

"Moon Wolf is sixteen in a few weeks. He has been a werewolf for almost ten years," Morning Wolf explained. She stroked the boy's blond hair affectionately, as if he were a prized child and she was his proud adoring mother. "If there's anything you need to know about this place, ask him, he can show you every last shortcut and nook there is to find things." She gave the other boy a light nudge.

The smallish, dark haired Indian boy approached, but not as boldly as Moon Wolf had done. "This is Jeremy. He sometimes goes by Little Fish for now. But in a few months he will be asking the Great Ones if he has earned a new name. He's soon to be fourteen and loves to swim and get in trouble with his twin brother, Moon Wolf." Morning Wolf gave the boy an encouraging smile.

"Moon Wolf and I were born on the same day, just a couple of years apart," Jeremy stated, shaking Remus' hand. The boy leaned in so he could whisper in Remus' ear. "If Moon Wolf doesn't know something... Ask me, I know everything he doesn't know."

"Thank you, Jeremy," Remus muttered and the boy hopped back over to his fellow classmates, tripping over his own feet in the process.

"You're so stupid, Jeremy," one of the young girls groaned. "Calm down a little why don't you?"

Morning Wolf barked out a solitary word and the girl that had spoken quickly lowered her eyes and apologized. Once the softness returned to Morning Wolf's eyes she motioned for the girls to approach. The two girls, both Indian, walked in perfect step and hand-in-hand.

"Melissa," the one Morning Wolf had scolded said sweetly, giving a curtsey.

"Melinda," the other said quietly, also curtseying. "We are very pleased to have you at our reservation."

"We hope you enjoy it here," Melissa said with a plastered on smile.

Remus looked between the two girls. Though they looked almost identical, the twin named "Melinda" had a certain darkness to her eyes that "Melissa" did not. Melissa looked almost as carefree as Moon Wolf, but Melinda seemed to be burdened with a lifetime's worth of troubles. It was the kind of look Remus would have expected to see in a young werewolf's eyes.

"The twins are fifteen and are our resident herbal experts. Well, Melinda is, Melissa is just better at being able to make the herbs stay healthy and grow. Melinda is more versed in their uses and the more potion oriented qualities," Morning Wolf explained. "Melinda is also an expert on the behavioural patterns of wolves and werewolves, though she is not yet allowed to be outside with them on the full moon. With me, she oversees the making of the Wolfsbane potions for all the monthly visitors."

Remus noticed each of the children had something that resembled a wand in their hands. "I thought you didn't believe in 'silly wand waving' Morning Wolf?"

"We don't depend on them for spell casting," Jeremy huffed, but then cringed slightly and blushed. "Sir. For now we use them to learn how to center our magic. Next year we learn how to do the same spells without them."

"How did you become a werewolf," Melinda asked.

"Did it hurt?" Melissa echoed.

"I got bit when I was little," Remus commented. "And..." It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't remember when he actually got bitten. All he knew was what his parents had explained to him when he was old enough to understand what he was. "I was... too young to actually remember it. But my mum told me that I was hurt fairly bad." He looked at Morning Wolf. "Are all Americans so accepting or am I just lucky?"

"No," Morning Wolf replied. She lightly stroked Moon Wolf's hair. "Moon Wolf's father is actually a werewolf hunter. Him and his mother fled to the reservations after his hunts became more than just – hunts. He became obsessed and it polluted the man's mind. Moon Wolf prefers going by his tribe name for that reason. He doesn't like being reminded of the one his father gave him."

"So, we have... Melissa and Melinda," Remus said. "Jeremy. Moon Wolf. Morning Wolf. And how did you get your tribe name if you're not a werewolf?"

Morning Wolf said something to the children and they scampered off excitedly, completely ignoring his question. "And stay away from that gelding boys!"

"I think the boys are --"

"You don't have to tell me. I already know they're going right back to the horses," Morning interrupted. She took a seat beside him. Cookie bounced over and got into her lap. "I know my little 'school' is probably nothing like the Salem Witches' or where you came from, but my family has always been proud of its students."

"Moon Wolf," Remus said quietly. "He doesn't say much, does he? Seemed like a nice lad though."

"He is a very kindred spirit." She sighed softly. "Sometimes I wish I could find his father and kill him for what he put the boy through."

"Why is that?" Remus asked.

"The man and I have crossed paths times before," she replied shortly. "Each time I would prefer to forget. Very vile man, eyes clouded with such hatred that he hunts children and men and women that turn into wolves every full moon. So, he is not one of my favourite people."

Remus looked out across the flat lands and wondered if the ones in the hunting party had been Moon Wolf's father. And if it was, what kind of things was the man capable of? How far was he willing to go in order to wipe werewolves off the face of the Earth? Would the man find out who the people were and hunt them down on the other days of the week? Even though he had only been there for a short time and had only known Morning Wolf for an even shorter amount of time, she didn't strike him as being the kind of person to want to outright kill someone unless she had a very substantial reason.

"He made a habit of locking Moon Wolf in his basement on full moons with – with silver cuffs and chains" Morning Wolf continued quietly. "– And then he would lash him with a whip made of finely made straps of silver. He did it for about half a year before his mother found out. His father had been drinking and forgot to release the boy one night and his mother went into the basement to do the laundry and found the poor boy there. According to her he hasn't spoken since leaving the house."

"When did he get bitten?" Remus asked curiously.

"When he was very young, about six years old I think. His father had taken him along on one of his nasty hunts. They had just made a kill but the creature wasn't completely dead when his father told him to take its head. So, as he was about to grab some of its fur to hold onto it while cutting off its head, the wolf turned and bit him in the arm. Moon Wolf came here because none of the magical schools would accept him because of his condition. His mother asked me if I would. He has felt at peace with his condition since coming here. Like you, he was taught to hate what he had become."

"So, it was his own father's fault he was bitten," Remus sighed heavily. Remus felt fortunate that his parents had actually loved him even after he'd been bitten; he had no idea what he would have done if he had a father like Moon Wolf's. It was enough to make Remus feel sorry for the boy.

Morning Wolf looked at him and shook her head. "No. He does not want pity for his condition because he treasures it. He knows that the wolf did it as a defence and that it was not his own fault he was bitten."

Remus looked at her with confusion. "How do you know since he doesn't speak?"

"I have ways of knowing what are on people's minds and also because the wolf has thanked me several times. I can speak to them because they are my spirit animal. That is why wolves come to me when they are in need. That's why your wolf found me."

Remus blinked several times. "My wolf didn't find you, you found the wolf. And it probably wanted nothing more than to kill you. I was starting to come back around to myself when you found me... If you hadn't had that other wolf with you, telling it that you could help him. You would either be dead or a werewolf yourself."

A slow smile crept across Morning Wolf's lips as she got back to her feet. "I had no wolves with me that night. I will let you get some fresh air, feel free to walk about if you feel up to it. I will be back in a few minutes."

Remus was stunned to silence, looking at her perplexed. Then she just walked away with her hands in her back pockets.