FxR Part I
He is cold. Cold and lost.
How has he ended up here?
He looked up to the blue sky from where he was laying the snow has falling for hours already in that deep forest.
Tall trees are around him, he might me somewhere near the mountain then.
It was full moon last night or is it last two nights, he might have fainted at some point.
The last thing he remember was he was wandering around a Muggle Village to seek a shelter for the night and took his Wolfsbane potion but some drunk Muggle knocked over him and broke the potion bottle Severus has kindly prepared for him, he looked at the remnants of the potion in horror before broke into a run towards the forest, scared that he would hurt the innocent Muggles if he stayed there. He ran and ran as far as possible, never stopping until the sun goes down and the full moon rises when the familiar pain came over him and darkness consumed his vision.
He sat up wincing at the remains of pain from the shift. His clothes were in tatters and he lost his bag somewhere, and his wand is in his bag. He should try going back to the Village if he could find some clothes, food and pain-relieving potion.
But the snows are falling hard hinting a snowstorm coming his way and he is already freezing despite his werewolf blood. He needs to find shelter fast before he died out in the cold. He gingerly trudged through the thick snow barefoot.
He walked for hours and he could hardly see anything of human settlement. He tripped on a rock and fall flat on the snow. He is too weak already to get up. He might die here, he regret that he would not have the chance to say goodbye to Harry, Sirius and Severus…
The winds getting stronger and the temperature dropping further, his eyes drooping and his vision blurring that he thought he is having hallucination now as he could see a large dog or wolf coming towards him. The wolf will be lucky to have him as meal, he thought last before he succumbed to darkness once again.
FxR Part II
Warm.
There is a heavy weight on his chest like a warm comforter.
His eyes fluttered open, his vision slowly come into focus when his eyes met the dark brown ceiling of what look like a cave.
I am not dead.
Although he basking in the pleasure from not being dead yet . He could not help but wonder how he ended up in a cave since the last thing he remembered was….
His eyes widen and he struggle to get up, pushing whatever is on his chest away from him.
A soft growl very near to his ears make him froze, the weight on his chest which now he realised is absolutely breathing and very much alive moved off him.
It is the wolf he saw before he lost consciousness to the cold and hunger. A larger than normal black as midnight wolf few grey flecks pattern on his back with its golden eyes now staring at him.
He sat up slowly, the wolf now observing his every move. Not to be a threat, he scooted away as possible from the wolf but his back only met with the cave wall. The two of them still having a staring contest before the wolf broke the contact to leave the cave.
Although puzzled, he let out the breath he did not know he has held. The blizzard seems to stop already but the snow is still thick when he peers from the mouth of the cave. Although he want to venture out there and find his way back but he is afraid that the wolf will attack him and maybe eat him this time. Not to mention he lost his wand, he can only do little wandless magic.
The cave grew cold and the wolf has not come back from wherever it is. He managed to spark a fire with some dry woods found inside the cave. He huddled near the fire to keep himself warm.
He did not know that he fell asleep when he woke to a noise at the entrance of the cave. The wolf came back with a dead rabbit dangling between its obvious feral teeth. The wolf dropped the rabbit by his feet and nudged the rabbit to him.
Although he is still afraid for his life he could not help but ask the wolf, "For me?" his voice came out hoarse.
The wolf nudged the rabbit again at him 'yes, it's for you' might what the wolf was trying to say.
He looked at the dead rabbit. He did eat rabbit before but that is only when he is unconscious during his shift where his other form hunts for food. But as human, he never eats raw rabbit. He looks at his small fire, he thought maybe he could cook the rabbit first but he has to skin it first.
After his meal, he feels sated and tired again. He flinched when the wolf moves, he wonders briefly if he's about to be eaten but the wolf only to settle around his back. The warmth from the wolf body heat comforts him and slowly he leans back into the mass of fur behind him. A soft rumble he could hear and felt the vibration from the wolf. Slowly the warmth and the feeling of safety wrapped around him lulled him to sleep...
FxR Part III
Remus awoke alone in the cave, the blizzard has died down. And, the wolf is nowhere to be seen. Remus thought he was not to be eaten while he was sleeping like a beauty. He decided to find a way to get out of the forest before the wolf come back and change its mind about not eating him.
Remus trudged through the thick snow, after what seems like half an hour blindly wandering around, Remus knew he will not be out of the forest if he has no idea on where the hell he's going in the first place. He leaned against a tree to rest for a bit when he saw it.
The wolf.
It has been following him silently! Remus panicked but he noticed something hanging between the wolf's teeth. His bag!
The wolf trudged towards him slowly as if not to spook him and dropped his bag a feet from him. Remus could see his wand poking out of his bag, his hand itched to grab it but the wolf now has his attention. Remus could not stop wondering why this wolf has been helping him all this time, saving him from the blizzard, providing him food (read: rabbit) and now found his lost bag and bringing it back to him.
" T...thank you…" Remus said as he grabs his bag, the wolf sitting on his hind legs watching him with his golden eyes. "I don't know why you would do this for me…" Hopefully it is not for making him to be kind hearted to sacrifice himself to the wolf to pay his debt, Remus thought.
The wolf huffed. Remus wondered if the wolf was scoffing at him.
" Well…it's nice to meet you, I hope we see each other again but I must go…WOAH!"
Remus caught in surprise when the wolf bound on him in a flash. "Repulso!" Remus threw the spell in panic that the wolf was pushed away from him and hit the tree hard.
Remus dropped his wand, and rushed towards the wolf in guilt despite knowing the wolf might attack him back. "I'm sorry! I thought you were finally going to eat me, it's my reflex, oh Merlin I'm terribly sorry…are you…"
Remus gasped as he saw the wolf lying there slowly morphed into a human body. A fully naked human, Remus staggered back, eyes wide in shock.
" That's quite a blow you gave me, Lupin." The wolf-turned-human grinned at him where he gets up back onto his two feet.
" Greyback…"
" In flesh"
Remus immediately scrambled for his wand, but Greyback is faster than him as he pinned Remus down, his hand an inch away from his wand. Remus cursed himself for dropping his guard earlier.
" Down pup, I'm not going to hurt you." Greyback said from behind him.
" Oh I beg to differ." Remus snapped.
Greyback tutted. "Believe me, harming you never cross my mind."
Remus saw red. "Oh yeah, biting me in the first place already putting my life in harm in the first place! You bastard!"
Remus felt Greyback tensed above him. Slowly the weight left him. Remus grabbed his wand quickly and pointed it towards Greyback who seems pained.
" If you want me to apologise for that…"
" It's more than apologise! You ruined my life! I am now a monstrous creature!"
Greyback growled, "You are far from that, Lupin!"
Remus scoffed, "Oh now you're a saint!"
" And you? You keep running away, Lupin. That foul thing you called wolfsbane is killing you from inside! It's killing your wolf."
" I'm better dead anyway! I have suffered so much all this time. I have no place in this world, you robbed it from it the moment you bite me that night!"
" I have my reason!" Greyback roared.
" Oh really, would you be so kind to tell me your bloody reason!"
" Not now."
Remus laughed. "Funny. Should I ask you to send me an owl whenever you are ready to tell me?"
" Remu-" Greyback hit the tree again when Remus threw another curse.
" Never ever call me by my name again! You're lucky, I'm not like you, I'm not a killer or you'll be nothing but ashes" Remus picked up his bag and stormed off.
Greyback spit out blood from his mouth and watched Remus disappeared among the trees. He sniffed the air and growled.
Remus was beyond pissed as he stomped through the snow heedless of his way. Meeting Greyback was the last thing he would want. Not to mention Greyback is the wolf that had provide him shelter, food and retrieve his things. He even slept with him, Remus realised, feeling sick in his stomach.
A branch cracked somewhere to his left, Remus rolled his eyes and ready to berate the wolf for following him. But the wolf that appears is not Greyback's, this one is different, although it is not as big as Greyback's but it look dangerous all the same, it even followed by two other wolves and they don't look friendly at all.
Remus raised his wand in defence, the three wolves snarled viciously before pounce on him. Remus managed to repel two of the wolves but one missed and bites his arm in return, Remus cried out in pain and threw another spell causing the wolf rebound away from him. The other two closing in as Remus dropped to his knees, his arm bleeding.
A roar sounded through the forest and the two wolves were knocked off their feet, the one wolf left growled at the new wolf which Remus familiar with. Greyback changed back to his human form and stood between Remus and the three wolves. To Remus's surprise the three wolves also slowly morphed into their human form. 'Great more werewolves,' Remus thought sarcastically.
" Well what do we have here boys, if it's not the Great Alpha, Greyback," The werewolf that look like the leader of the three said, licking his bloody teeth from where he bite Remus' arm earlier. Greyback noticed this and growled deeply in his throat.
" You rogues have trespassed into my territory, I'll ask for you to leave if you still like to live."
The three werewolves chuckled, "What if we don't want to leave?" the leader mocked.
Slowly, Greyback morphed into a half-human and half-wolf form, "Then I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth" he growled.
The other werewolves also shifted into half-human half-wolf form and fought with the alpha. Remus scurried to a safety behind a tree and when one of the rogues aiming for him Greyback immediately seize the wolf and tear it apart. Remus's stomach lurched at the bloody sight.
The other two werewolves saw their friend become a mangled corpse decide to flee with tails between their legs.
Remus slowly came out of his hiding place, Greyback still stood over the corpse, slowly morphed back to his human form covered in blood. "These rogue always a pain in the ass."
Greyback waited for snarky response from Remus, but the man did not say anything. Greyback glance at Remus, who directed his wand at Greyback, unreadable expression in his amber eyes.
Greyback felt a tingling sensation all over his body when he realised all the bloods on his body vanished. Remus casted a cleaning spell on him.
" Err... thanks?" Greyback said.
Remus lowered his wand and pocketed it. "You know, I could handle the rogues myself. I am a wizard."
Greyback snorted. "I can totally see that. Where are you going anyway? I could show you the way. That is... if you want my help"
" It's none of your business." Remus continues on his way in the direction he was going before the rogues attacked him.
Remus rolled his eyes, when he saw from the corner of his eyes Greyback transformed back into his wolf form and followed Remus. He did not stop nor snap at the wolf.
The man and the wolf keep trudging through the snow until the sun is setting, Remus decided to stop for the night. He set up a tent he found in his bag. He packed many things in the bag and with simple expansion spell on the interior of the bag. He casted a warming spell in the tent to keep him warm throughout the night. Greyback the wolf settled outside of his tent from the silhouette he saw from inside the tent.
" You know you can come inside." Remus said after some time.
The silhouette of the wolf transformed into those of man, Greyback stepped into the tent and get hit on the face by a pair of pants Remus procured from his bag.
Greyback grinned and put on the pants and sat across from Remus.
" Still pissed off at me?" Greyback asked.
" For your information, the event with the rogues earlier does not make it even."
Greyback shrugged, "Guess, I'll try harder next time."
" Or you could tell me the bloody reason."
Remus glared hard at the werewolf across from him. There is amusement in those golden eyes which irked him.
" I'll take the other option then. Do you mind if I retire earlier tonight? Saving your ass really beat me. You are welcome to join me anytime"
" No one asked you to save me," Remus said tersely back at the now dozing werewolf curled on the ground. Remus sighed and decides he too needs to rest his eyes and his tired body.
FxR Part IV
Remus woke up trapped with arms around his waist and his head is on a hard breathing chest. Remus cursed and tries not to go into panic mode. He wondered how they ended up in this position since he knew he slept at the opposite side of the tent from where Greyback was. He squirmed slowly but a growl comes from the other and the muscled arms tighten around him pulling him closer. Remus huffed and nudged hard his head against the chin above him.
" Greyback!" He hissed.
Another growl before the body tensed as the man woke up. "…oh!"
Remus restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Yes 'oh', now would you get off me, you big lug."
" Why? This is comfortable." Fenrir smirked.
" I have my wand, and I am not afraid to hex your balls off."
Fenrir immediately get his arms off with great reflex from Remus in an instant. Remus could not hide his smug smirk.
" You know, you can do magic without that little stick." Fenrir yawned as he watched Remus packed the tent back into his backpack.
" I know, it's called wandless magic but it put a strain to my magical core, I got tired easily."
" That is because you've been doing it wrong. You're a werewolf. You can draw your magic from the earth without waving that little stick around."
" Is it some kind of Earth magic? I never heard of it."
" Only magical creatures like us know about it and its better stay like that. Wizard and Witch will flip and start to hunt all of us if they know how powerful we really are."
" And that's why you joined Voldemort?"
Fenrir scoffed, "I didn't join him. I just support his cause for my pack's benefit. I want a safe place for my pack to grew and live in peace."
" Pack?" Remus adjusts his backpack on his shoulder as he finished packing and turned towards the other werewolf lounging on top of fallen log. Fenrir glanced away subtly pretending that he was not staring at Remus's behind just a moment ago.
" Werewolves that are under my care and recognize me as their Alpha are my pack. We built a village not far from here. I could take you there…that is if you want?"
" Thanks but no. Now you can go back to your pack and let me be on my merry way." Although he is tad bit curious about werewolf pack and village, Remus thought it better if he does not spend any more time with Greyback. Who knows what might happen next?
" Come on, Lupin. How about you come and see how werewolves live in pack? The village is rather nice…"
" Why should I? The next thing I know, you're going to order your pack to rip my throat out."
" No, no I'm not going to do that. Why would I? And I'm not going to force you it's your choice I just think that you might want to see others that are like… you and me, werewolves. And maybe you won't hate me that much after."
Remus raised his eyebrow on that. "I don't hate you, I despise you."
" Been spending your time with Snape eh? He's rubbing off you." Remus is getting used to the other werewolf's wolfish grin.
" Severus is a smart man."
" Well he should resolve his issue with Black then. Their… tension irked my nose."
Remus blinked questioningly. "Tension?"
" Their unresolved sexual tension"
Remus decided to drop the topic he has no need to discuss his best friend and Severus sexual life.
FxR FxR FxR FxR FxR
" So how far is this pack village again?" He asked as they again trudged through the snow.
Remus reasoned with himself that he just went with Greyback to satisfy his curiosity about werewolf community and nothing else.
" Are you tired already? I can always carry you." Fenrir gave his usual teasing grin.
" Try and you lose your balls."
" What is with you and my balls?" The grin got even wider.
That turns Remus into red tomato in less than a second. "Shut up, Greyback."
Fenrir hide his snickers well. "You know if you just shift to your wolf form it will be easier."
" I thought we only shift during full moon?"
" No, that's not true. Full moon is where we are the strongest. That's why sometimes werewolves lost control during that time, as they would be high like a drunk. But no we could change anytime. You saw I shifted even the rogue werewolves shifted."
Remus digested the new information he ever heard of werewolves. "I don't think I can ever shift."
" You can, you just have to make peace with your inner self. You could try meditation."
Fenrir Greyback talking about meditation, Remus swears house elves flying among the clouds right now in pink tutu.
" You mean with my wolf?"
" Your wolf and you are the same entity it's not separate like other idiots think. If you reject your wolf per se, means you reject your own self."
" I—"
" Shh!" Fenrir held his hand in front of Remus to stop him in his track all of sudden, Remus looked at him questioningly and alarmed at the same time. He strained his ears to hear anything, afraid that other rogue werewolves will attack them again but he didn't hear anything suspicious.
" What is it-"
Fenrir who have been still for the past minutes, shift into his wolf form and pounce towards the bush on their left. Remus stayed froze, perplexed by the turn of events, he heard commotion and some shrill noise then silent.
" Greyback?" He called out.
The bush moved, Remus grabbed his wand tight in front of him in defense. Fenrir emerged from the bush in his wolf form, dragging what's like a buck, its throat torn bloodily.
Remus lowered his wand in relief. "You idiot, I though I'll have a heart attack."
The wolf huffed in amusement and dragged the buck nearer to the man before changing back to his human form. Remus looked away quickly as Fenrir once again naked since he dropped his pants when he shifted earlier.
" You can look now," Fenrir sound amused. Remus glared his best that could rivalled Severus's one. "You still blush like a virgin." Fenrir cursed when a stinging hex hit his thigh.
" Next time I won't miss." Remus warned him before pocketing his wand. "So why did you decide to slaughter this poor innocent animal?"
" This poor innocent animal is going to be our dinner. I need to bring something for the pack." And you. But Fenrir did not say that aloud.
They continue on their journey with Fenrir hoisted the dead buck on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Remus feel something washed over him, before he could ask, Fenrir said, "Don't fret, it's just the ward I put to alert me of trespasser."
" Am I not?"
" You're with me."
TBC...