~abc~ talking with their thoughts
Author's note: I would like to recommend that you read the earlier chapters of Nascor Denuo before you read the update, if it has been a while since you last read the story. Thank you.
And so time passed. Once Draco was done explaining, he lifted himself from his seated position and stretched. Crossing to the small stream he transformed two cups from some small rocks near the water and filled them with the cool liquid. Going back to Harry, Draco pushed one into the other child's lax hands.
"Drink, Potter."
Harry's head twisted to the side as he looked from the cup to Draco and sighed a heavy breath.
"So, we're basically on our own, is that what you're telling me?"
Harry's mouth thinned at Draco's nod and then relaxed, taking a deep drink of the stream water while contemplating the situation. Malfoy spoke again.
"We can ask for assistance from Treebeard, should we find ourselves in desperate straits. However, the world outside Fangorn is a treacherous place at the moment. Should we leave his borders, I fear we would find ourselves right back in the middle of a war, one far different from anything we know."
Finishing his water, Harry put the cup onto the mossy uneven ground and shrugged his shoulders.
"War we can handle, Malfoy, both of us have proven that by now."
"Maybe we can, Potter, but this is a different kind of war. And as we are now, trapped in these bodies, what do you think we could do? There is no way to change this, no way to grow instantaneously, no way to reverse the aging effect! We have to go through a second bloody childhood, and this one isn't going to be gone in the blink of an eye like ours was! It'll take centuries before our bodies will be fully grown, maybe longer!"
Harry brought up his hands in a placating gesture, motioning the blond haired child to calm down.
"I wasn't suggesting we get ourselves involved in the war, Malfoy, just stating the fact that we can handle danger should it crop. Anyway, even if our bodies do take that long to grow you said yourself our magic wasn't affected, yes?"
At Draco's nod he continued.
"Then we will be fine, whatever comes our way. After all, we defeated the Dark Lord, didn't we? Surviving a few thousand years together in a hostile enviroment should be a walk in the park for us."
Draco's lips twisted like he had bitten into a particularly ripe lemon for a moment till Harry thought the other child might be feeling ill. Then the pale mouth straightened and curved upwards. It wasn't a pleasant smile by any means, but then again compared to others Harry had seen it wasn't malicious either.
"I'll remind you of those words after the first five hundred years have passed, shall I?"
Harry smiled back.
"You do that, Malfoy."
Nearly four weeks had passed since the two wizards had first stepped foot into Arda. They had spent the days wandering the woods surrounding their small clearing and the nights going over their strange predicament and possible plans for the future. There had been awkward moments and even a few where the two thought they might come to blows, but soon they learned which subjects lead to bodily harm and avoided them accordingly.
The trees of Fangorn were mostly silent creatures unlike Treebeard, preferring to communicate through emotions and feelings more than words. Though, when the two elflings strayed towards the more dangerous residents of Fangorn or made to wander past the border of trees out into the open plains of Rohan, words sometimes filtered through.
Warning of orcs and marauding men made the two children content to watch the border from high above the ground, perched amongst the very tips of trees sometimes a hundred feet in height. A benefit of their new, flexible bodies made activities they hadn't done in years, thing like climbing trees and running for the sheer joy of it, easy and graceful.
A strange thing had occurred though. As easily as they could reach to the consciousness of the forest surrounding them, they could touch the thoughts of each other even more easily. Uncomfortable and unwanted as this new ability was, they each had enough experience with unscrupulously cast Legilimens to respect the boundaries of one another's minds. Of course, a lingering wariness enforced their unwillingness to delve into the mind of the other.
Though night had fallen the stars were yet young when Harry felt a thrill of cold run icy fingers down his neck. He paused, stilling the hand that had been turning a spitted rabbit over the flickering blue tongues of the fire. Harry looked around the small clearing in puzzlement, every instinct honed by battle quivering beneath his pale skin.
Draco was ensconced in his mossy blanket, made what seemed a life time ago, stirred and moaned low in his throat. Moved to action, Harry crossed the clearing quickly and settled close to the others side, murmuring his name quietly. Close quarters had taught Harry not to startle Draco awake with touch.
"Malfoy, wake up, now!"
Slow as a snake in full sun, grey eyes opened and blinked in confusion when confronted with stars instead of blue sky. Slanting over to Harry, they narrowed in annoyance. Before Draco could voice his displeasure, Harry placed a finger against his mouth to motion for quiet.
"Something is wrong."
Draco had been having a very lovely dream of chocolate liquors and roasted potatoes before Potter had so rudely awoken him, so he was quite justified in his annoyance and opened his mouth to deliver a verbal lashing to the brute. Potter's words, however, brought him out of post sleep sulk quickly. Looking around the clearing, Draco could see nothing to indicate what had prompted the other boy's words.
The fire crackled happily and the rabbit roasting on the flames sent out enticing aromas as the fat popped and spit. A warm wind was blowing so the temperature was relatively balmy and there were no clouds covering the stars. And for once those bloody owls and night insects weren't causing such a ruckus as to disturb his beauty sleep. Scrunching his nose up, Draco briefly remembered a class Hagrid had taught, long before the war had started for Draco…something about predators and the effect they had on the surrounding…prey.
Feeling fear start to claw its way up his throat, Draco closed his eyes and thrust his magic out and into the surrounding area. Before coming here his magic had only been able to go so far as his weak body could handle such strain, but here a delightful quirk of his new physiology let him project that burden onto the colossal trees that formed Fangorn.
Slowly, mile by mile he let his magic pulse through the trees, searching for the feeling of danger that might have disturbed Potter. For a few moments only random feelings passed through his magic…contentment, leaf tips yearning for the sun and roots in their never ending search for water, the occasion rotten sour feeling of a Huorn brooding in a dark corner of the forest…there!
A rush of emotions and thoughts barreled through, with a clear picture forced into Draco's mind by the panicked trees along with garbled words.
~Fear! Anger! Crush! Kill! They come, with tooth and claw and fang! Rip and bite and tear and hunt! Hide little one, hide! They will eat you!
Draco opened his eyes to Potter's concerned face and could say only one thing.
"Fuck me."
Harry frowned at Malfoy's curse and poked the blond in the forehead roughly.
"Fuck me? What do you mean 'fuck me'? All I said was something was wrong. That sentence does not rank a 'Fuck me' in return, Malfoy."
Malfoy scrambled quickly onto his knees, pulling on one of the leaf brown shirts he had been using for a pillow without bothering to shake the dirt off it and throwing the other at Harry quickly. Sputtering, Harry pulled it on without complaint.
"Trust me, Potter, it really, really does."
Before Harry could answer, a sharp howl broke through the quiet night air. Then another, and another and another sounded off in a semi circle around the clearing. Looking over at Malfoy in silent question, the other nodded his small head grimly. Silvery blond hair blew over one shoulder as the balmy wind turned suddenly cold.
"Those aren't wolves, Potter. I suggest you start casting."
Wargs. The information imparted to Draco had been sparse concerning these creatures. More images of the things flashed quickly though Draco's mind. Standing neck and neck with his father's prize winning Belgian draft horses at around 71/2 feet, the creatures easily dwarfed the minute elflings. At the moment, his ribcage would be a small mouthful for an adolescent warg. Physically they could do nothing to hurt or maim such large creatures. Magically, however, there might be a chance they could survive the encounter.
"Protego! Tutelo!"
Quickly following Malfoy's example, Harry silently cast every shielding and repelling charm he could remember. Layering spell upon spell he wondered what could have scared the other so badly. Malfoy, a man who had seen the worst Voldemort had to offer after failing to kill Albus Dumbledore. Then again, the last time Malfoy had been in a battle the man had been half came with different priorities he imagined.
Done casting his spells, he looked over at Malfoy to see him murmuring quietly and moving his slender hands in a small circling motion.
"What spell is that, Malfoy?"
The other finished his spell and opened pale eyes.
"A spell to hide our scent from those creatures and their ilk."
Harry started and his breath caught in his chest.
"Our scent?"
At the others nod, he breathed deep and rubbed at an old scar on his chest, pressing hard.
"I didn't think this world had werewolves."
"They don't. These…things…are not werewolves. They are more like a wolfhound crossed with a hyena. They're cruel, they're viscous and if they get their teeth in us, they will take their time."
"Sounds like Greyback, Malfoy. How big are they?"
"The top of our heads don't reach their shins."
"Merlin."
Draco bared his teeth in a grimace.
"We need to get into the trees, Potter, the higher the better. They travel in packs and if they get close enough they will try to crush us. Not to kill us, just to keep us down so they can…play… with us."
With a quick nod, Potter grabbed the mossy blanket that had been thrown near the fire. Transfiguring it into a rope of sturdy, corded rope, he threw it over his shoulder and started to an old giant of tree. Banking the blue flames of the fire Draco followed quickly, pausing for a moment when more howls sounded out. This time there were more howls coming from more directions. They were now completely hemmed in by the creatures.
The gigantic tree was old enough that the lowest branch was a good 13 feet off the ground and would not be easily climbed. The higher the branches went the closer together they got. Near the top, there was a dark cluster of blue black leaves that would provide adequate cover against prying eyes.
Turning towards Draco, potter nodded towards the lowest branch.
"Put me close to the trunk."
Concentrating, Draco pointed his hand towards Potter.
"Wingardium Le-vi-o-sa."
Potter's weight was light enough that he barely felt any strain and safely levitated him to the lowest branch. Quickly Potter returned the favor. As soon as Draco's feet touched the hard bark of the branch the sound of howling returned, closer and louder than before.
"Climb!"
Potter started climbing to the next branch at the quiet hiss. With another quietly whispered spell from Draco to help him along, Potter made it to the second branch. Locking his legs around the wide thing, he levitated Draco up to rest beside him and scooted back to rest against the trunk while waiting for Draco to catch his breath. As his back touched bark, three large bodies crashed into the small clearing. Looking down, he echoed Draco's earlier comment.
"Fuck me…"
Hello everyone! Wow, over two years since I've read or worked on this story. It seems like a life time ago. For any new readers welcome to the universe of Nascor Denuo. To old hats, I welcome you back and thank you for your patience over the last two years. I know you most likely thought this story had been abandoned. But I am back and ready to send Draco and Harry on new adventures!