A/N: revamped and reeditted
-----CHAPTER FIVE-----
Harry walked into the kitchen, to see Ron pouring through the pantry; "Up and already eating," Harry mused, startling the jumpy redhead. When Ron did appear, he had several boxes in his hands and an apple in his mouth. He saw it was Harry, rolled his eyes and said something, spat the apple out, and then set the boxes down on the counter island.
"So, have a decent night tending to the 'king of ferrets'?" Ron asked idly with a chuckle, opening a small jar and pulling out what looked like a chocolate strawberry. He bit into it, then grimaced as he spat the item out; "Ugh, a trick jar!" he exclaimed, wiping his mouth.
Harry laughed, holding to his side as he sat down. Ron sneered and mimicked his laughter, putting the box away with the others; "The apple'll do me," he mused, picking the apple up from the island.
Harry wiped his eyes; "I can't stand Malfoy, and it was all I could do to not pounce and hex the life from him," he replied.
"Well, for a roof over your head, I suppose," Ron mused, finishing the apple; "Still, wouldn't hurt to put the git in his place."
"That's what I'm thinking," Harry said; "Come on, Ron. Let's get on our brooms and practice for Quidditch."
"What could we use as a snitch, then?" Ron asked, looking to his friend quizzically.
"You could use this possessed marble!"
Ron and Harry looked to the door to see Remus Lupin walk in, gritting his teeth as his hands clutched something until his knuckles turned white. His fisted hands jerked around, and he finally clutched whatever it was to his chest and sighed heavily.
"Let us help you, Professor," Harry said, then he paused; "Possessed marble?"
"Yes, a little ditty of a joke of Tonks'," Lupin said through gritted teeth. He muttered something, and his fist quit shaking slowly; "Oh, thank heaven," he sighed.
Ron stared at him oddly; "Sure you're alright, Professor?" he asked uneasily.
"Oh, splendid, now, anyways," Lupin replied smoothly, tossing a small, blue orb to Harry.
Harry snatched it out of the air, and looked at it. There were swirls of smoke in the marble, and Harry rolled it around in his palm as he watched he smoke seem to stay a cloud near the top and to the right.
"What's inside it?" Harry asked, looking at Lupin briefly.
"Ah, Dragon's breath, if Tonks told me correctly," Lupin, looking up thoughtfully; "Yes, dragon's smoke from an old Hungarian Horntail..." he looked over at the open pantry; "Already tried, Ron?" he asked, smirking, "Anestrothea jinxed it all this morning before he left. All food's to be delivered at meal times. Sorry, no snacking."
"Hey, I got an apple," Ron said.
"Who's to say it was an apple?" Lupin asked, an eyebrow raised mockingly as he half-grinned.
Ron suddenly looked pale and grim, and Lupin and Harry broke out laughing.
"I'm only joking, Ron," Lupin said, chuckling; "Go on now, before you two cause any trouble, though it follows you..."
"Alright, see you Professor," Harry said, and he and Ron left the kitchen.
"So, where are our brooms, Mate?" Ron asked, looking around.
"Well…" Harry said, snapping his finger before looking around.
Two house elves appeared seemingly out of no where, bearing two firebolts. Ron gazed at he elf that held on out to him, and Harry took the other; "It won't bite, Ron, it's just a broom," Harry said; "Oh, Anestrothea got them for us, kind of a peace gift or something."
Ron nodded, his mouth cracking into a giant of a smile as he took the broom; "Ooh, come on Harry, let's try 'em out!" he said excitedly, thanking the house elf then quickly before running out the front door. Harry laughed, and followed. Ron had already mounted his broom, and was off. Harry quickly followed.
"This is amazing!" Ron exclaimed, whooping as he did flips.
Harry hovered in the air, looking around. They were high enough to where they got a good view of everything. He squinted towards the forest, his eyes following the path; "Hey, where's that go?" Harry asked.
"What?" Ron asked, flying to beside him.
Harry pointed down the path, then streaked off towards it, "Wait Harry, this normally isn't a good thing!" Ron shouted, then, groaning, flew after his friend.
Harry landed by the bench, and picked up the abandoned mug. Ron landed beside him, and crossed his arms; "Is that all?" he asked; "A mug, Harry? Really...!"
"No, this is Brenna's," Harry said, looking it over; "This doesn't seem like her," he mused, looking around. Brenna was no where in sight.
"Harry, maybe she had to find something and figured she'd come back and get it," Ron said; "Come on, we can look for her on our firebolts!"
Harry rolled his eyes; "Something doesn't feel right, Ron," he said uneasily, his eyes roaming the wide grass fields, "We need to get in the air..." He slowly mounted his broom.
Ron did the same, and soon both were once more high up and looking around; "You're starting to freak me out, Harry," Ron said worriedly, jerking around.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, eyes fixed on the forest; "Look! A centaur! Look, look what it's got on its back, a deer!"
Ron looked as well, and exclaimed, "Blimey, that's no ordinary stag! Come on, let's check it out!"
But Harry was already jetting off toward the centaur.
Brice halted when he saw the two teens jet over and hovered a few feet from him. He stood still, looking from one to the other. The redheaded was tense and nervous, staring at the stag, horrified by its injuries and fantasizing upon its demise. The raven-haired one, with the scar, was staring intently at Brice. Brice sensed something about the human, something powerfully unnatural that made his blood run cold out of fear induced respect.
"What happened?" Harry asked, still gazing at Brice.
Brice made no move to reply, only stood still. "Ah, Harry, it can't understand you anyway," Ron said; "He's probably too young..."
"I am of age," Brice said, stomping his foot; "What brings two wizards here? Unless you are guests of the Elf-Wizard, your presence is forbidden..." his gaze steadily grew to a glare as he became bolder and braver.
"Yeah, we're guests here," Ron said; "Seen a girl anywhere? She left her mug."
Harry waved the mug in the air, but stopped and froze when they all heard a low, mournful call of an Aurgurey (A/N: an Aurgurey is a greenish-black vulture that's undersized and follows carnivorous creatures. It calls just as the carnivore is on the prowl, or about to make a kill).
Brice suddenly turned around, setting the stag down in the grass; "What was that?" Ron asked, looking around.
"The Death Bird," Brice gasped. He looked to the teens, then back at the forest. Biting his lip, he shouted and charged, plowing through the underbrush to find why the alarm had risen.
"After him!" Harry said.
Harry easily dodged amongst the trees, but Ron soon found himself skimming the tops of the forest, barely keeping track of both Harry and the centaur.
Harry followed after Brice, the centaur glancing back. Brice never the less ran to the river, skidding and slipping on the rocks. He jumped to the other side, and still the wizards tailed after him, Ron having found a clearing and joining Harry in the pursuit at near-ground level.
Harry heard the Aurgurey call out again, long and hollow sounding. He inwardly cringed, but continued thinking on flying as he made a direct sharp turn.
Brice stopped, his hoofs leaving indentations in the ground. Ron and Harry had to pull back in wide arches to stop, and flew up to beside Brice on either side of the centaur.
Before them, in the muddy river bank, was a single, large footprint of what Harry believed to be a large cat. Brice bent down, carefully tracing it. He stood up, and looked at Harry intently.
"We're coming," Harry said, "Our friend could be in trouble."
"What... made that?" Ron asked, hovering over the footprint.
"An Inundu," Brice said grimly, "A giant panther cat."
Harry and Ron exchanged looks of horror and fear; "Okay, Ron," Harry said after a silence, "we need to find Brenna. We'll take the North. And," he paused; "Um, sorry, your name?"
"Brice," Brice said; "And I must warn my herd. Safety to you both," and with that, the centaur was gone.
"Eamnonn, look out! BEHIND YOU!"
Eamnonn barely dodged the Inundu, and Brenna braced herself, staff in her hands. The large panther was brown like the forest foliage; it's even browner eyes glistening with the thrill of the hunt. Its large head turned slowly to face Cathmor and her. Cathmor took a step back, getting into the water. Cathmor walked over to Brenna, bracing himself and breathing through his nose. His hoof pawed at the shallows, and his shoulders dropped with his head as he spread his arms out and fingers spread. With a shout, Eamnonn charged.
And in an instant, he was struck down.
"Cathmor!" Eamnonn shouted.
Brenna screamed, stifling it with her hand
The Aurgurey called again, the morose bird finally making its appearance by taking its perch in one of the conifer trees.
Cathmor's chest was opened with one swiped of the Inundu's claws. Gasping, his four legs buckled, and the centaur fell amidst leaves and his own blood.
The Inundu let out a low, pleased growl, its fangs glistening with saliva as it hungrily gazed around.
"Eamnonn, get help!" Brenna exclaimed; "'Urry, go!"
Eamnonn looked at her, but the urgency of her voice told him otherwise. Against his own wishes, he left.
The Inundu watched the centaur gallop away, eager to chase. But its reddening eyes saw Brenna, the frail looking girl bending and gripping the staff. Her eyes shown with fear and untold worry, but courage fueled the fire. She smirked, and the Inundu turned fully to face her, tail swishing back and forth as it panted with wanting. It had not eaten in a long time, and the girl would be an added bonus.
"Come on, ya filthy cat," Brenna breathed, gripping the pole. She shouted, and throwing the staff out she ran for the panther.
The Inundu snarled, whipping his claws at her. Brenna jumped, the pole crashing over the giant cat's left shoulder. The Inundu snarled again, its claws lashing out and cutting Brenna across her back. Brenna shouted, and lost her balance. She fell on her side, and slowly rose.
The smell of blood wafted through the air and the Inundu was sent into a frenzy of bloodlust. Growling, it turned to her again, eyes a crazed crimson and fangs dripping with blood from its bleeding gums. Claws dug into leaf litter, and a low growl filled the clearing.
Brenna stared at the maddened animal, adjusting her grip. Ah wilna win at thess rate. She thought. Grandda'll kill me, but I gotta… Sighing, Brenna closed her eyes.
The Inundu was near striking when it froze in curiosity. Brenna's body took on a faint glow, like coming from the ground, traveling up her legs and finally through her hands. The pole glowed, the tips lighting up in white flames. Brenna opened her eyes. They were blue-ice, cold, piercing blue.
The Inundu charged with a snarl, lunging. Brenna threw the staff out just in time, and the paws came down upon it. Brenna found herself beneath the beast, the Inundu trying to get to her neck with its fangs. Brenna fought it off, the glow on her flickering. She rolled away, and jumped up. Again, the Inundu turned and charged for her. She dodged, but the claws slashed down her leg, leaving a long, jagged cut from the middle of her thigh to halfway down her calf. Brenna screamed, falling in front of a tree. She bent down on her good leg, and held the staff up as the Inundu walked back, readying for another charge. The beast growled, then did. Brenna bowed her head and closed her eyes, the flame on the outstretched end changing into a spear point.
It ripped into the Inundu's breast just as it came within a breath's distance. The Inundu let out a gurgled moan, and then fell. It fell onto Brenna, who allowed the pole to fall from her hands as it penetrated the beast. Too tired, she went down beneath the body of Inundu, quickly falling unconscious as she returned to normal and the pole was once more a normal pole.
Harry and Ron rounded the bend; "Good God Almighty!" Ron exclaimed in shock, landing. Harry jumped from his broom, and while Ron ran to the centaur, he went to the dead Inundu. He looked around, and saw the Aurgurey. It let out another soft call, then silently flew away. Harry then saw Brenna's arm, from her elbow up covered by the panther.
"Ron, Ron, Brenna's underneath this thing!" Harry exclaimed; "Forget the centaur, it's dead, so get over here!" He began shoving against the shoulder, but all he could do was get the panther to roll over slightly.
Ron rushed over, and together the two managed to roll the beast from their friend. Ron saw the poll jutting from the panther's breast, and turned away to gag. Harry too grimaced, but swallowed as he bent to check Brenna. Her front was covered in the panther's blood, but some was her own.
"Brenna?" Harry asked, lifting her up. Brenna limply rolled into his arms, and Harry stood, cradling her; "Oh man, what do I do?" Harry mumbled, "Ron! She's bleeding everywhere!"
Ron gagged again, a dry heave, wiped his mouth, sighed, then came over; "Ah man, look at that!" he exclaimed; "All along her leg, too! Oy, and her back!" he paused, "We can't take her between the brooms, can we?"
"Too risky," Harry said, kicking the dead Inundu and walking away; "Damn it where's Brice? We need him now!"
"I'll get help, Harry," Ron said, "That is, if you're able to-"
"Go, and hurry!" Harry said, bending down. He laid Brenna down on a stone by the river, and watched as Ron flew away. Harry returned his attention to Brenna, "What do I do, what do I do?" he asked himself, looking around.
"... Use... the water... clean her... wounds..."
Harry's head snapped over to the centaur they thought for dead. Cathmor's head was turned towards Harry, a slight smile on his bloodied face. Cathmor tried to rise onto his side, but found it impossible.
"Wha... what?" Harry asked shakily.
"The water," Cathmor said, coughing, "From the... pools... where the fish reside... clean her wounds with it..." he coughed again, a blood bubble popping at the corner of his mouth.
"You... you're..."
Cathmor shook his head; "Death is but a second step, wizard," he said, taking in a raspy breath; "It's just... a second... step... remember... water where... the fish... re...side..." he drew a weary breath, and his eyes closed.
Harry stared at Cathmor, unsure of what he was seeing. A light formed form no where, green sunrays coming from above, landing around Cathmor. Beings Harry could place came from the forests, shadowy ghosts who left no mark of their comings. They encircled the centaur, the beams grew brighter. Harry was forced to cover his eyes and look away, and when he did look back... there was nothing but a dead Inundu and signs of a scuffle.
Harry got up, and went over to the first inhabited pool he could find. Taking his shirt off, he soak it, then rushed back over to Brenna. He dabbed at her forehead and face, gently and slowly cleaning the blood away. He cleaned her arms, and delicately ran over her back. He nervously cleaned her leg, then ran and slung the soaked shirt on a rock. He then went back to Brenna. She was breathing better now, and a flicker of hope dashed across Harry's face.
Harry looked around. The Inundu was still lying on its back, spread-eagled with the pole jutting from it grimly. To think Brenna had it in her to do such a violent thing, even if it were in self defense. Though people changed when acting out on desperation. Harry shuddered, but turned immediately back to Brenna as he heard a cough. Brenna coughed violently, and Harry patted her back as he supported her; "Easy Brenna, please, easy," he said.
Brenna coughed again, then looked up at Harry with hooded eyes; "Harry?" she asked, "Wha... wha' happened?"
"Um, let's see, finding you under a giant cat and a dead centaur was a surprise," he said, smiling slightly; "Gave me a scare, anyway."
"I'm fine," Brenna said, coughing.
"Yes, of course you are," Harry said sarcastically; "Ron's getting help."
"I sent Eamnonn..."
"Who?"
"A centaur... oh no, tha tawny one, Cathmor, 'e's not tha one who died, was 'e?" she looked at Harry fearfully.
Harry shrugged; "Dunno any names, but a blonde one just got whisked away."
"Oh no," Brenna said, covering her face.
"What?"
"Oh, nothin', Harry..."
"...What?"
"... Where's your shirt, anyway?"