She was warm. Odd… I didn't expect Death to be warm. She felt as if she was lying on clouds, it was so soft and warm, as if the sun was just overhead, gently heating her as she slept. Am I in Heaven? She wondered. No wait, I can't be in Heaven… I'm not a good person, I've killed she reasoned. But it didn't feel like Hell, after all her image of Hell was cold unfeeling ice. Unless I'm in the heretics' circle, because I don't believe in an Afterlife. But weren't flames supposed to feel different? She didn't want to open her eyes, in fear that she in fact was in Hell. She wanted to stop thinking, to just drift back off into sleep.

Reluctantly Audra opened her eyes. What she saw was neither Heaven nor Hell; it was a sliver of warm red light peaking through a gap in heavily draped curtains. She waited for her eyes to focus, unconsciously noting that the curtains were thick dark velvet green with fine silver embroidery. There were two floor-to-ceiling windows, with a dark stained bookcase in between. Heavy leather bound books lined the shelves, along with a couple of interesting looking objects, from the looks of it there was a ring, golden goblet, and silver locket. She watched as the sun sank lower, threatening to sink below the horizon. She watched, waiting… and then she saw it: the fabled green flash as the last particles of visible light fought their way through the atmosphere. Tonight will be a good night Audra thought; that green flash always let her know that.

Looking next to her, there was a night stand also dark stained with a silver handle on the drawer. On top of the stand was a single candle, which was lit. Audra continued looking up, noting that the headboard was made of the same dark wood, with poles reaching up to support the velvet canopy above her. The pillow under her head was soft, made of down feathers, as was the mattress topper and comforter. The sheets were black satin and felt wonderful against Audra's bare body. She sighed, wanting nothing more than to remain where she was for the rest of her life.

"You're awake," a voice said from the foot of the bed. Startled, Audra quickly sat up and looked around, clutching the sheets to her chest. Pain shot through her body and she quickly regretted moving. "Lie back down, you're still healing," the Dark Lord said, walking to the side of the bed she was on.

Audra opened her mouth to speak, and found her throat sore. She took a risk; [I need water] she mind-flashed at Voldemort.

Mind-flashing was a technique that she, Lindsey, Gina and Amber developed. Because the four girls were literally each a quarter of the same soul, they found nonverbal communication easily achievable. They dubbed it mind-flashing, since they were projecting or "flashing" thoughts into each other's mind. Because they could all project, conversations were easy and foolproof against eavesdropping. The trick came when they wanted to mind-flash someone else. They could easily project into other's minds; the tricky part was receiving the comment back. It took years of concentration, learning the theory of Occlumency, meditation, and developing one's own inner eye. Gina was the first to achieve it, and thus could read people's thought (the break through happened when she became a vampire; that race was characteristic of mental powers, especially her lineage). Audra, Lindsey and Amber weren't too far behind Gina, though the three of them could only read the thoughts that the subject was thinking at that minute. It was like the thoughts were words floating in space, and while they could see the other ones, they couldn't read them; only the sentences in the foreground were sharp enough to read. Lily was the willing subject and thus the first one to achieve mind-flashing other than them. While Lily couldn't project, she thought her response and the other's could read, or really hear, it. Eventually James, Sirius and Remus joined in on the fun; Peter never could get the hang of keeping his response separate from the rest of his thoughts (Gina had fun prying through his mind), so they spoke aloud for him. Now she attempted mind-flashing with Voldemort, which could either be really good or really bad.

Voldemort stared, as if a brick wall had just materialized in front of Him and He had accidently run into it. Did I just hear her voice… in my head?... He questioned.

Audra was listening in on His thoughts. [Yes, you did just hear my voice in your head,] she said. [And yes I am reading your thoughts,] she confirmed before He asked.

The look on His face was the most intriguing mix of emotions Audra had ever seen: surprise, anger, curiosity and loathing all blended into one. None the less, He conjured a glass and filled it with water before handing it to her. She gingerly sat up, taking care to not move too fast, and accepted the drink while clutching the sheet with her other hand. She quickly gulped down the liquid, welcoming the burning sensation against her raw throat. Her voice was hoarse as she whispered "Thank you, Master."

"What is it that you just did?" He stated it as a question, though His tone implied that it was an order.

"I…" she coughed. The glass was empty but Voldemort refilled it, waiting for a response. She brought the cup to her lips, while flashing [It's called mind-flashing. Essentially, I'm projecting my thoughts into your head. And I can use a combination of Occlumency and Divination to read your thoughts.] She had tried to keep the explanation short, afraid that He'd ask too many questions.

"Are you the only one who can do this?" He asked.

[As far as I know, yes. I think it's because I'm a werewolf that this was even possible] she lied.

"Have you ever read my thoughts before?" He was twiddling His wand in His long fingers.

[Master, not before this moment, no. I can't just do it from a standstill; I have to basically open your mind with my insertion of a thought before I can read it,] she tried to explain. [And even then I can't read all of it, only the thoughts you are actively thinking about. Go ahead, think something.]

Voldemort seemed to contemplate before thinking Mary had a little lamb…

[Whose fleece was white as snow,] Audra finished.

Voldemort stopped and stared at the woman before Him. Audra sunk down against the headboard, her head down, bracing herself for punishment. A long, tense moment passed before He said, "Why are you now showing this to me? I want you to speak."

Audra's throat was still raw. She opened it, made a guttural noise, closed it, cleared her throat and tried again. "Master," she croaked, "I tried to do it last night… to beg for you to stop," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"It was two nights ago," Voldemort corrected. "You've been out for a day and a half now."

"I'm sorry, Master," she replied hoarsely. "I don't remember what happened… except I wanted to die." Unbeknown to Voldemort, tears began at the corner of her eyes and she hastily wiped them away.

"You almost did," Voldemort stated. "You began to bleed internally. It took some quick thinking on Snape's part to heal those wounds, but you had lost a lot of blood. You have been out cold since." Audra was silent, digesting the information. "Here, drink this," He said, offering a goblet full of a foul looking liquid. Audra eyed it suspiciously, but drank it anyway; it was a goblet of blood. The sweet liquid warmed her from the inside out, instantly improving her health and mood. The nectar of life, required for all living creatures. She drank it down gratefully, welcoming the primal hunger that ruled her animalist mind every moon. She lowered the goblet, her lips and teeth stained red, as if the sun lent its dying rays to her.

Voldemort accepted the goblet back, before asking "How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Can you move?"

Audra tried bending her legs; they felt stiff yet weak, the muscles were sore and the bones ached. She grit her teeth, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She pulled the sheet with her, wrapping it around her before setting her bare feet on the cold floor. Cautiously, she put weight on her feet very slowly, waiting for her muscles to accept the stress. She took a deep breath and stood very shakily. She took a cautious step, and her legs crumbled; Voldemort reached out and caught her. He held her by the upper arms, helping her get her feet back underneath her. "You're still weak," He commented, supporting most her weight.

"Master, would it be alright if I walked on four legs tonight?" she asked tentatively. "I'm a tad bit stronger in wolf form." He thought about it, and then nodded. Still clutching the sheet, she morphed, so that a white wolf's nose poked out from the black satin. She was still unsteady on her feet, but the distribution of weight was better and easier to deal with. She sat on the ground, looking to her master for her instructions.

"You are not required to carry out your normal duties tonight," He stated. "You need rest. However, I do not want you to stay here in my room, nor do I want you to freeze in your cell. You will remain with me tonight, quiet and invisible wherever I am. Understood?" The wolf nodded. "Good. Come," He ordered, and she trotted behind Him out the room and to His study.

Once inside the study, she walked to the fire side, before curling up into a ball, resting her head on her paws. She watched as Voldemort sat behind His desk and began flipping through pieces of parchment. She closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the fire on her fur and the gentle rustle of Voldemort working.

Time passed and Audra dozed beside the fire. There was a knock on the door, and Audra snapped her head up, completely alert. She sniffed the air, identified the scent, and laid her head back down. [It's Lucius] she informed Voldemort, without looking at Him.

He smiled, adjusting to this new form of communication. "Enter," He said, looking towards the door. Audra had correctly identified the man, and Malfoy strode in to the room, not even pausing to bow to Him. "My Lord," Malfoy addressed, before sitting in the chair opposite the desk.

"My friend Lucius," said Voldemort, "what bring you here tonight?"

"Mulciber has been arrested. Crouch sentenced him without trial." Voldemort cursed. "A couple of aurors cornered him earlier in the day," Malfoy explained. "What is she doing here?" he sneered; for he had just taken notice of Audra, who had perked up at the news.

Without looking towards her Voldemort held His hand down from the chair, much the same as an owner does with their dog. Just like her domesticated cousin, Audra trotted over to the hand and nuzzled it, sliding it over her head until His fingers scratched right behind her ears. She sat placing her chin on His lap, and allowed Him to pet her. [You should see the look on his face] Audra heard inside her head; Voldemort had achieved in mind-flashing her as well.

[You managed to mind-flash] she replied, while sneaking a peak at the unreadable and yet loathing expression on the other man's face. [You're a quick learner.]

"I think I like her more as a mutt," Malfoy said aloud, "she talks less; a wonderful attribute in a pet."

"A pet," Voldemort mused, moving His fingers to under her chin while still scratching. "And what shall I call you?" He questioned, looking down at her. He continued to scratch while He pondered. "The founders of Rome… Romolus and Remus… according to legend were raised by a wolf…"

"Accalia," Malfoy answered, recalling the myth.

"Accalia…" mused Voldemort; Audra smiled slightly, approving of any name other than mudblood. "Accalia it shall be," He stated.

There was a crash downstairs, as if someone had just caused something to fall over. Both men looked towards the door, already holding their wands. Audra barked, and was on the other side of the room opening the door. She managed the feat without thumbs in a matter of seconds, and took off down the stairs, flying over each step barely touching them. Ignoring her still healing body, she rebounded off of the wall at the bottom, and flew down the hall towards the source of the commotion.

At the end of the hall nearest the kitchen stood a person clad in all black. Tight long sleeves and pants accentuated the woman's curvy figures, and a face mask hid the delicate features. Crimson eyes with gold around the pupil were all that was exposed, and they flooded with relief upon seeing the wolf.

[Gina! What are you doing here?] Audra mind-flashed while growling, just in case Voldemort and Malfoy were behind her.

Gina kept her defensive stance, wand in one hand while the other held a throwing star. [We got your message, and you've missed meetings] Gina flashed back. [We started to fear the worse.]

[Gina you can't be here,] Audra pleaded.

[That's Him?] she asked, her eyes flickering to someone standing behind the wolf.

Audra snarled, barring her teeth; Gina kept up the act and threw a curse at her. Audra dodged, smashing her shoulder into the wall. [Make it look believable,] Audra instructed, narrowly avoiding the star that was launched at her. Audra ran and jumped, launching into the air, her lips pulled back and aiming to bite down hard. Gina countered, side stepping the beast while bringing up a dagger, just barely avoiding fatally wounding Audra. Audra rolled in mid-air, keeping the blade from touching her soft underside; instead it cut into her side. Audra hit the ground hard, her feet not willing to catch the falling weight. She heard the pop of Gina Disapperated, followed by noise as Voldemort scrambled to her side.

Seeing that she was already healing from the wound, He bent down next to her and scratched her on the head. "Good dog," He said, "good dog."