A/N: Apologies for late update but weekends always slow my thinking! Actually, I think that's the alcohol but then...that's another story. I think this may be the longest chapter yet, well maybe one of the longest... Thank you for your lovely reviews!!!
TO: Taiyourshoes, it would be cool if you told me the mistakes you spotted in the last chapter. It helps me to write and if anything I can either fix the mistakes or explain it if I've just taken some artistic license. Thank you!!! XXx
Lily ran until her breathing grew jagged and every breath she took came out a wheeze. She had never been an athletic person although she did enjoy a game of Quidditch every now and again and wasn't too bad overall, but enjoying a game on a broom occasionally was a far cry from sprinting at top speed for her life. Both James and Sirius were doing considerably better and James was virtually dragging her along.
"No...more!" she wheezed grinding to a halt.
"Where is he? Where is he?" James' eyes searched the darkened path behind them. It was now minutes after the first howl and they had heard nothing since.
"Chill!" Sirius hushed slightly breathless. James had never been one to flip like that; Remus as a werewolf had come across unsuspecting people before but James had always kept a cool head and made sure no one was hurt but never once had he reacted like he was now. "Maybe he's gone off to chase some rabbits or something. It is a forest after all. " He tried keeping his tone light.
James looked at Sirius pointedly. "He's a werewolf do you think he'd prefer chasing rabbit flesh or human flesh? In any case, if any thing we've seen in this forest is anything to go by then I'm sure it's going to be one mutant bunny. He's a werewolf, not stupid."
Uh oh. Sirius scratched his head. Maybe the recent pressure with his family and all had been building up too much and he was ready to snap. It was most unfortunate that it should happen now but Sirius wasn't about to cry over it, James was James; he'd pull through.
"Right, so the moon has complicated things." He said, taking charge. "But that doesn't stop us from looking for that hand."
James took in a deep breath realizing what an asshole he was being and released it trying to push out the pent up pressure along with it. He'd have to thank Sirius later but right now he needed to focus. "I think it's bout time we get changing."
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
James wondered how Sirius could be so clever yet miss the obvious. "Because we're like walking pork chops for Moony if we continue as humans."
"Uh, right." Sirius said feeling a bit silly for not having thought of that but then he pointed at Lily. "What are we going to do with Miss. Pork Chop then?"
"Lily Evans will be just fine." Lily replied not quite appreciating Sirius' new name for her. For his sake she hoped that he would continue to call her 'Evans' instead. "I'll just have to continue as I am, not that I have much choice." She added. "One pork chop is better than three." She concluded and backed away to give the guys enough space for their transformed animal shapes. James pointed his wand at his head unceremoniously but Sirius hesitated.
"Don't look! I'm changing!"
Unsure whether he was joking or not Lily turned her back to them all the same. She busied herself rubbing her cold arms and less than a minute later something warm nudged her neck making her jump. It was James in his stag form. Lily was taken aback at how tall and powerful looking he was and was surprised at how much detail she had failed to observe the first time she had seen him in this form. Proud antlers towered from the crown of his head and thick creamy fur lined his graceful neck almost like a rich lion's mane. Large liquid dark eyes glowed in the dim light and they watched her carefully as she studied him. Reaching out she touched her fingers to his velvety nose and then pressed her palm flat on it with a little stroke. It was a lot like petting a horse's nose except it was more furry and softer. James patiently stood still for her until Sirius the dog made a sound that sounded amazingly like ahem.
Flustered Lily withdrew her hand and stood back. Sirius' ears pricked and he held is wet nose up to sniff the air. With a barely audible growl he turned and started to pad away. James caught the loose end of Lily's cloak and began to pull her after Sirius.
"I think we're lost." Lily whispered some half an hour later. Neither James nor Sirius could reply but their presence was a great comfort in the eerie silence of the forest all the same. Were she by herself she knew that she would be thoroughly spooked out. The Forest had an uncanny way of filling one with dread with its lack of natural nocturnal noises and replacing it with inexplicable whispers and rustling.
She continued to walk her left hand buried in James' thick fur around the neck and her right holding a cautiously lit wand. Sirius wasn't doing her nerves any good neither. He constantly weaved in and out around them, his ears always alert and his nose sniffing the air tentatively. Lily knew he was watching out for them but his precise movements and darting eyes made her feel like that they were being stalked. Something was following them at a distance that would have otherwise escaped her notice but close enough for Sirius to be aware of the threat. It was a predator and prey feeling that she could not shake off. James was ever tense and together with Sirius' restless alertness, she knew that they were just waiting for something to happen-
All of a sudden it happen too quickly for Lily to react. James had done a full body turn to face the path they had just come through and had almost knocked her off her feet. Sirius was also turned in that direction his front quarters lowered and growling deeply.
A deep and guttural growl echoed somewhere from the darkness making Lily look around fearfully. There was nothing but the darkness of overgrowth and tree silhouettes for her to see but somewhere out there, there was a werewolf watching her. Somewhere back at the path they had just left something erupted-
-Leaves and dirt went flying as the werewolf launched itself at them. James lowered his great head prepared to attack as Sirius threw himself at the starved beast. Lily yelped and stumbled back at the sight of the grey snapping wide jaws that dripped with saliva. The canine dog collided into the lupine hulk with a heavy thud and glottal howls. Overcome with déjà vu caused by the same fear as last time, Lily froze like a petrified rabbit. A million commands crossed her mind including climbing up the nearest tree or just turning around and fleeing for her life but her body refused to listen in her blind panic.
She watched in horror as Sirius jumped back and James charged forward, his antlers catching the werewolf off guard. He tossed Remus up into the air into a nearby bush but Remus was not discouraged and came flying back. With a heavy swipe he knocked Sirius away and confronted James. It circled him, wary of the lowered antlers. Course hair bristled on its arched back and it darted forwards taking James by surprise when he dived under his long legs instead of at him. James stamped his feet alarmed at not being able to see underneath himself. Dust and dirt clouded up around his hooves and Remus dodged under his stampeding legs unable to escape from the inescapable footwork prison. With one vicious and well place swing Remus raked his sharp claws on the underside of the stag. With a sharp nay James kicked upwards and away giving the werewolf enough time to escape and left him face to face with Lily-
-A second passed as the werewolf seemed to take glory at reaching its prey before it readied itself to pounce on her. In the very same instant that it was air borne Lily realized the one advantage she had as a human-
"Stupefy!!" Remus knocked her over and landed heavily on her. Winded and pinned down Lily watched as its mouth widened and white teeth flashed in preparation to snap her neck. A force rammed into the werewolf and it was gone. James had knocked him off but the werewolf was hunched ready to leap again. Sirius was back in, this time snapping even more ferociously-
Stunned, Lily rolled over and scrambled to her feet. It hadn't worked! Her spell hadn't worked! Heart pounding she could see Remus attacking again spurred on by his near victory. Lily pointed her wand. "Stupefy!" The werewolf didn't so much as twitch. "Stupefy!" she shouted again and again until it became almost like a chant. She knew she wasn't saying it wrong. It had to work!
Lily clenched her eyes shut briefly knowing that unless she got a control over herself then no spell would ever work. Opening them again she steadied her shaking hand. "STUPEFY!" The effect was instantaneous and bolts of red hurled out of her wand and smashed into Remus. Thrown back Remus let out a yelp and landed on the ground unconscious.
Hurrying to him she pointed her wand again. "Homorphus!" she croaked. The hair on Remus molted away gradually revealing skin and ripped shirt and trousers. Limbs unlocked and cracked as the bones of the werewolf joints collapsed to form human ones.
If only they had used this charm when he was first transforming this would have never happened, she thought. Although thoroughly shaken Lily was mentally kicking herself for not having remembered or reacted earlier. Similarly Sirus had also collapsed in human form on the ground with his head in his arms. They had spent lunch leaning such spells yet they had plain forgotten about them when the need for it arose.
"James!" Lily crawled over to where he lay panting on the ground clutching his stomach. "James! Oh my-!"
"It's never as bad as it looks, Lily." He said comfortingly. He had an awful feeling that she was going to cry. Lily lifted his shredded shirt up her expression still horrified. Five claw marks reached from almost neck to waist but it wasn't bleeding as much as she was expecting, nonetheless she bit down on her lower lip at the sight of the raw flesh. "I wouldn't look like that if I were you, it almost looks like you care!" he said good-naturedly.
It was then that Lily did cry. "Shut UP POTTER!" she slapped his hand away and wiped at her face furiously before turning to Sirius. "Are you okay?" she ventured with a sniff. He nodded and continued to stare at unconscious Remus with guilt. Lily could see that he was not okay. Claw marks lined his neck and shoulders and there was a gash across his cheek.
Sirius flinched when Lily pressed a handkerchief to a particular burning spot on his cheek but accepted it gratefully. "You all right there mate?" he asked James in the most casual of tones. Lily was amazed at his ability to act out normality and even more amazed by the reply he received when she herself was pretty close to hysterics.
James waved his hand from where he still lay. "Had a bit of a rough night." He replied conversationally. With a grunt of effort he heaved himself up to his elbows and looked around. "Padfoot, I rekon someone might still smile upon us."
"Pfft...some smile." Sirius winced and dabbed the bloodied hankie to his face again.
"We've found the clearing."
Surprised Sirius and Lily looked around. Some time amidst their fight with Remus they had rolled into the undergrowth to emerge at the very same clearing where they had had marshmallows. Their happiness at having achieved something that was near impossible (although none of them had wanted to admit it when they started) was short lived because despite their thorough searching the hand was nowhere to found. Lily searched and re-searched the patch of tall grass where she had sworn the hand had landed but there was nothing there. Soon they broadened their search to the whole area but still there was nothing.
"Trust our luck, I bet Moony is lying right on top of it!" James said finally.
"No...that would be a blessing." Sirus corrected. As unlikely as it was the guys still rolled their friend over just to double check but there was nothing except flattened grass.
"I can't believe it's gone." Lily sighed and sat down.
"Not gone, taken." Sirius said thoughtfully.
High above them leaves rustled signaling the awakening of certain little friends. "Shoot one piece of your yellow shit at me and I'll burn your damn tree down!" Sirius threatened.
All the same, they hurried top their feet and James pulled Remus up balancing him on his shoulder with difficulty because of his wounds.
Sirius quickly decided that he would lead the way in his animagi form because of his keen sense of smell and he was positive he could lead them out using it. However, James was convinced he decided this simply because it meant that he would get out of taking his turn on carrying Remus. In answer to his suspicion Sirius gave a happy bark and led them away even as a shower of porps smattered the clearing they were leaving behind.
A/N: have been a better chapter but I enjoyed writing it nonetheless. So where has the hand gone? Damn...I've gotta stop calling it the "hand" because it sounds kinda stupid. Maybe I'll give it an official name or something in the next chapter.
To sum up the last few chapters, the guys have gone back in believing that finding the "hand" would give them some answers to who or what is trying to control them through dreams and what significance it may have. Of course things got a bit complicated and they come out empty handed but Sirius is convinced that it has been "taken".
I hope I haven't bored you guys silly with a complicated plot! xXx
