Harry didn't know for how long he had been walking through a world of trees, grasses and rocks but what even he could tell just by looking at the slowly descending sun that a few hours had passed since the accident that killed his relatives.

During his walk, he had seen plenty of small animals : squirrels, birds, mice, voles, and a few rabbits so far. So far, he didn't see bigger creatures but had seen prints left behind by either foxes or deers.

After another long walk, the raven haired boy stopped to take his breath.

"Maybe I should look for a shelter…" Harry said softy to himself as he gazed at the slowly darkening sky.

He knew perfectly, thanks to the books he read on survival, that being out in the forest at night was more dangerous than during the day. Because most predators were nocturnal such as cougars, foxes, wolves and even bears. Harry had nothing to fear from Owls or Bats that might live in the arena.

The problem was WHERE to shelter.

There were only trees around him. Worse, there were only PINE trees. While sleeping in a tree wasn't new for him (once he had to when Vernon forced him to sleep outside for having better grades than Dudley), he knew that pine branches wouldn't support him.

An oak tree, for example, would be perfect or at least one with large branches and high enough to not become an animal's snack.

Having a new objective, the raven haired child instantly walked again but this time, looked around, trying to look for a strong tree for him to sleep in… or a place high enough to be out of the predators' way.

As he passed, some animals looked at him from afar either in curiosity or to determine if he was a threat or not. But then once the boy's figure disappeared, they went back to their previous occupation as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly, voles, squirrels and rabbits all went into hiding when a strident screech echoed in the air. It was a Bald Eagle but any eagle, it was the same one that Harry saw hours ago. It had been there when the car almost run over a deer and the Noble Bird had also been there when Harry first entered the forest.

It had left for a few minutes before returning back to keep an eye on the boy.

Why ?

You will see later^^

However, the Bald Eagle will have to go back as night was slowly appearing. After all, bald eagles, like the other species of eagles all around the world, are diurnal birds and aren't made to stay out at night.

But maybe someone can…

Screeching one last time while memorizing where the boy was, our feathered friend flied away northwest from it current position. The magnificent bird flied for a long time but then stopped right above a wooden house standing in the middle of a hill.

The two-floored house was really spacious and really cozy in appearance. The structure was built with horizontal logs interlocked at the corners by notching. The logs used for the walls were flattened on the top and bottom.

A dovetail joint is cut on the end of a log, where it would rest in a corner; one to the right and one to the left; and this created a tight, interlocking corner.

Inside, there were at least 6 rooms : a bathroom, a living-room, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and finally a garage. On the front part of the house, we could see a terrace.

The Log House was rugged and rustic but it was welcoming.

But it wasn't the house that was interesting us : it was its owner. It was a woman in her late twenties with long light brown hair and dark green eyes. Her body was pretty muscular but also not too much and she was pretty tall : 6 feet 2 inches tall !

She was also the same woman who had the misfortune of being in the same plane that a little family we all love(d).

The light brown haired woman came back from New York after she went there to visit a friend of hers and was currently enjoying a bit of coffee on her terrace to enjoy the end of the afternoon when her green eyes locked on something in the sky.

A fond smile grew on her face when a Bald Eagle landed right in front of her. Gently, she extended her left hand forward, gently caressing the magnificent bird's feathery head who ruffled its feathers in appreciation.

"Welcome back Aspen… Did you have a good day ?~" she cooed affectionately to the white headed bird.

The Bald Eagle , whose name was apparently Aspen, screeched back at her and the smile she harbored on her face turned into a shocked one

"An accident ? Is there any survivors ?!"

The Noble Bird nodded its head before screeching again.

"A child ?! Can you describe him or her ?!"

The Bald Eagle nodded again before screeching softy while shaking its head in what could be described as sorrow. The woman listened to whatever the bird was telling her but then her eyes widened

"Wait ! You said this child had black hairs and green eyes ?!"

The Bald Eagle nodded its head while titling its head on the side in curiosity. Sadly for the bird, the light brown haired woman

"Could it be..." she whispered to herself before looking back at the bird with narrowed eyes.

"Describe me the child's family now !"

The Bald Eagle, seemingly surprised by the tone, quickly let out

high-pitched whistling.

The woman's face went stoic but her eyes showed nothing but concern.

"A walrus man, a horse woman and a pig child… There is no doubt…" she grumbled to herself in anger as she remembered them pretty well.

She, like many people in that plane, had been disturbed by how those people acted with one another : the fat child was nothing but a brat and when he bothered the other boy, not once did his parents tried to discipline him. Instead, the thin woman gave him chocolate !

The walrus was no better. When he sat next to the fat child's victim, he hadn't stopped glaring down at him. She had seen the child when they embarked on the plane but sadly was too far to fully take a good look at him.

But it was the last thing that her feathery friend said that almost caused her to snap : about the walrus beating the poor dear AND abandoning him ! Her concern grew at this part as the poor dear was in the forest, alone and without a doubt injured… or at least bruised.

He won't last long in the woods alone… and seeing that the night was coming. His chances of survival are limited !

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the light brown haired woman looked back at the eagle.

"Can you lead me to the crash site?" she asked the bird who nodded its head with a small whistling.

Eyes filled with determination, the light brown haired woman swiftly went toward the garage where laid a green four-wheel drive.

She had no time to waste… She had a child to rescue !

At the same time, Harry, after minutes of research, found a clearing where, in the middle of it, stood a majestic Cedar tree. It was the biggest one he had seen and he couldn't help but looking at it with wide eyes of amazement. He silently wondered how this cedar tree came here.

But then he flinched when he heard growls echoing from behind him and, gulping slightly in nervousness, he slowly turned around… only to come face to face with a pack of Timber wolves !

Known as one of the largest subspecies of wolves and one of the longest, Timber wolves was among the apex predators you can find in America alongside Bears (brown or black), cougars, bobcats and wolverines.

What were they doing here ?

Simple, as the night was slowly approaching, the wolves went out to hunt the poor animals who had the misfortune to be in their paths !

Unfortunately, Harry had unconsciously entered their hunting grounds !

"Dammit ! It had to be wolves !" the raven haired child inquired in a soft tone as his green eyes went back and forth between the 8 wolves in front of him.

He wasn't a dog person at all. In fact, he grew to dislike them a lot as Dogs reminded him of Sirius Orion Black whose Animagus Form was a Black Dog.

Before being abandoned to the Dursleys, he loved his godfather but now… things had changed. Sirius had left him (or so he thought) to hell on heart. While he could understand, it still pained him.

As for the wolves, it reminded him of Remus Lupin, one of his father's friend and a Werewolf. He was kind to the raven haired child but Harry remembered very well how reluctant he wanted to play with him when he was younger.

Now that he remembered it, Remus would only accept to play with him when SIRIUS was present… or when William wanted him to join them.

Back to present, Harry slowly backed away from the growling and snarling canines while thinking about how to get out of this situation. Sure he had the knife he borrowed from the Dursleys but it would not be enough against 8 wolves at once !

But then he remembered something : just behind him, there was a tree and Wolves can't climb trees… right ? After all, Dogs don't climb them ! The Cedarwas his only chance and he could use the knife when one of the canines was too close to his liking.

Now he only had to find a way to distract them from him… As if someone whispered into his ears, an idea formed into his young mind.

The backpack !

Pulling out the bag from his back, Harry quickly but secretly pulled out the knife before tossing the bag toward the pack. It landed right in front a rather big gray wolf who growled at the strange object in front of it. But then a strange smell reached its nostril and soon, the wolf started to tear the backpack.

The gray wolf must have been an alpha because as soon as it started to focus on the bag, the other wolves joined it. Soon their whole attention was focused on the backpack, completely ignoring Harry who sighed in relief that his plan worked.

However, he had to be quick so without wasting more time, the young child started to climb the Cedar three.

It wasn't the first time he climbed in a tree so he knew how to it properly : finding the right branches to step on, having your fingers find the right grip… and the most important rule : never looking down.

After all, he had climbed trees to escape Dudley and his clowns back in England many times, knowing that his dear cousin was to far to ever climb the tree.

Ignoring the growls and snarls from the wolves tearing down his backpack, the young boy kept climbing the tree but sadly for him, when he was barely 3 meters high from the ground that one of the wolves turned its head away from the bag to stare at him with its pale yellow eyes.

The canine instantly charged with barred teeth and once it reached the tree's base, the canine jumped as high as it could. Wolves may not be climbers but they were jumpers. The Wolf's jaws almost got Harry's right foot before he landed back on the ground, growling in disappointment to have caught its prey.

The other wolves, having lost interest in the backpack (or what remained of it) started to surrounded the tree, looking up at the raven haired child with hunger as the latter climbed higher in the tree.

Harry stopped his ascension after another minute and was now sitting on a branch, looking down at the wolves whose eyes were locked on him. Some of them were even laying down on their stomachs.

Wolves were intelligent creatures but also really patient. They knew that Harry will have to come down sooner or later. They only have to wait for their meal to fall right in their jaws !

The raven haired child's eyes fell on his backpack and was a bit sad at having his food and stuff, scattered around or destroyed thanks to the wolves. Because of this, he had one more reason to dislike them… as much as he understand how hungry they must be.

When his eyes landed back on the hungry pack, Harry wondered how long it would take before they lost interest in him. Now he was regretting even entering this forest.

Meanwhile, a green four wheel-drive stopped right in front of the destroyed vehicle of the Dursleys. Stepping out of it was the still unnamed light brown haired woman who looked at the scene in shock : after all it wasn't every day you came upon such a sight.

Shaking her head to focus back on the reason of her presence here, she turned her head toward the Bald Eagle who had landed on her car.

"Thank you girl… You can go back home now… I can take it from here~" She inquired affectionately to her feathered friend who released a couple of piping notes before flying away from there, screeching loudly to announce 'her' departure.

The still unnamed woman watched her friend flying away before looking back at the destroyed car. Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, she closed her eyes for a few seconds while… smelling the air ? When she re-opened her eyes, they weren't human-like anymore but more feral because of how dilated her irises were.

"I got you now..." a deep feminine voice escaped the woman's lips as her entire body started to pulsate. It was as if something was shifting inside her.

Her muscles started to bulges and harden as light brown fur appeared on her skin. The woman fell on her hands as her body seemed to grow in size and her clothes seemed to melt into her skin !

Soon, thick round ears formed at the top of her slowly turning broadening head as claws replaced her sails. On her face, a large muzzle sprouted from it along with sharp teeth. Her hands and feet turned into large clawed paws. Lastly, from her pelvis grew a tiny tail.

Where a young woman in her late twenties stood a few seconds ago, was now a massive Brown Bear. The Ursine stood at least 7 foot tall on its four legs. But when the massive mammal got up to stand on its hind-legs, it now 15 feet tall !

The gigantic woman-turned-Brown Bear sniffed the air again and soon went back on her paws as she dashed deeper into the forest. In her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about the young boy she came for.

["Hold on kiddo I'm coming !"] she growled to herself as her massive form went through the woods.

At the same time, Harry was still perched in his tree, looking down at the wolves who hadn't moved much from their spots around the tree base.

"Can't you go look for something else ?! I'm too thin for you !" the raven haired boy hissed at the wolves and some of them snarled or growled at him in response. One of them though licked its chops while looking up at him.

Harry sighed deeply before looking up at the sky : night will be there in a moment and he didn't know how long he could stay like this. If he dares to sleep, he might accidentally fall from the branch and right to the wolves !

"Is this how I die ? As a chew toy for wolves ?" the raven haired child whispered to himself as he looked down at the ground in slight defeat.

But then he shook his head as a fierce look soon appeared on his face.

"No… If I have to die… at least it will be honorable… even if no one's watching !" Harry declared to himself as he pulled out his knife.

Then he looked down at the wolves whose attention was still on him. However, when he revealed his knife, some of the canines growled at him. Harry took one deep breath… before jumping. The small child landed right on the back of a large gray and white wolf who howled in surprise at the unexpected weight on its back.

Once the surprise was over, the canine growled as it tried to dislodge the intruder by shaking its body but Harry had a firm grip on its fur. The raven haired boy grunted as he raised a hand, the one holding the knife, before descending it with a battle cry.

The other wolves, at first stunned by the sudden attack, had charged forward to help their pack-mate only to stop when the wolf in question yipped in pain. After a second, it fell on the ground before laying there, unmoving.

Harry then pushed himself away from the dead body before going back on his feet. His green eyes looked back and forth between the lifeless wolf and the blood-covered knife in his right hand, his face showing nothing but disbelief by the fact he managed to kill a full grown wolf.

The wolves looked just as stunned but then they growled again as their eyes locked once again on the human boy. Their prey wasn't as weak as he looked… meaning this hunt will not be so easy.

The canines were now cautious of the raven haired child as they started to surround him to prevent their prey to escape… not that Harry planned to.

In fact, the thin boy looked ready to defend himself, his bloody weapon shining slightly in preparation. He waited for one of them to attack him. While he knew they could easily kill him, he didn't care.

He had lived as a weak boy for too long !

NO MORE !

THIS TIME HE WILL FIGHT !

For a moment, the two parties stared at one another, wondering who will make the first move as we could hear nothing but silence as if the whole forest had stopped breathing. But then, they heard it : footsteps… heavy ones at that.

Harry's bravado fell a bit at the sound : whatever was approaching was without a doubt much bigger than the wolves currently surrounding him.

Speaking of the wolves, their attention was no more on the boy who killed one of their own but on whatever was approaching. Of the 7 remaining canines, 3 of them had their ears lowered down in slight fear. Regardless, all of them had their teeth barred, ready to confront whoever was heading their way while Harry also readied his knife.

For a minute, the footsteps kept coming closer, becoming heavier and heavier by the seconds. Some of the wolves looked less motivated in facing this foe and even Harry glanced at his knife with worry.

Then the footsteps miraculously stopped and silence followed. A large gray wolf, the alpha, took a step forward , barring its teeth in challenge. Behind it, 3 of its pack-mates whimpered in fright while the others growled or snarled at something.

A guttural growl then echoed in the air, answering the alpha's challenge before a massive shape appeared in the clearing. Harry's eyes bulged in shock : it was the biggest bear he had never seen ! The wolves backed away from their gigantic foe, their ears against their skulls to clearly show their fear of it.

["Annoying mutts ! Get out of here !"] Harry heard a deep feminine voice echoing and he quickly realized that it came from the gigantic bear.

As growled this, the large Brown Bear had taken another big step forward (and Harry could swear he felt the ground shaking slightly) before swiping the ground with 'her' right fore-paw.

The action caused some wolves to whimper in fear but because their alpha was still there, they staid even if their ears were still pressed against their skulls.

["I said… GET LOST !"] the Brown Bear roared to the wolves while standing on her back-legs.

The roar along with their foe's appearance was enough to scare even the alpha who was the first one to leave the clearing with its tail between its legs. His pack soon followed, no wanting to stay near the gigantic Bear.

Once the wolves were gone, the massive Ursine fell back on all four, huffing loudly in satisfaction.

["Damn wolves… Now… Are you alright littl-"] she grumbled to herself before turning her large head toward a certain raven haired boy whose emerald eyes were locked on her.

Her question froze when her eyes locked with his : this little one got the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to shine like pure emeralds.

Then she took in another details : the dead wolf at his feet and the blood-covered knife in his hand.

Putting two and two together, she looked at the tiny child with amazement.

But after realizing that she was staring (which was impolite), she shook her large head before focusing back on the reason of her presence here.

[" Are you okay kiddo ?"] she asked him in a gentle tone despite how deep it was.

However, she quickly wanted to slap herself : of course he cannot understand her ! But then to her shock, the raven haired child opened his mouth to say

["I'm fine miss..."]

Swiftly, the gigantic Brown Bear's head turned back toward the child who seemed surprised by such a quick action as he yelped in surprise.

["You… You understand me ?"] she asked him with disbelief but her dark green eyes shining with curiosity.

["Y-Yes..."] Harry inquired shyly as he looked down at the ground, finding it pretty interesting all of a sudden.

The Brown Bear had to admit that he was pretty cute and couldn't help but smiling fondly at the raven haired child in front of her. Sitting on her rear, she gently used her forepaws to pick up the tiny boy who squeaked in surprise before carefully holding him as if he was a newborn baby.

Now she got a good look at him she had to say that he was a really cute kid… albeit too thin to her liking. And his clothes looked much to big for him. But his most striking features were his eyes. In her mind, this little one will become a handsome young man in the future.

Harry, who had started to struggled soon calmed down when the large Bear rocked him back and forth, shushing him gently

["Don't be scared little one… I won't hurt you~"] she inquired in a maternal tone as she looked down at him.

Harry shyly hid his face behind his hands, not used to being talked like this. The She-Bear, seeing this, growled in amusement before her expression turned serious again

["Little one where's your family ?"]

She knew the answer but wanted to hear it from him. The raven haired boy hesitated for a second but after seeing the caring look in her dark green eyes, he felt like he could trust her so he opened his mouth to say in a soft tone.

"They are dead… killed in a car crash..."

Nodding her large head, the she-bear then opened inquired him gently, wanting more answers

["What about your parents ?"]

The gigantic She-Bear was a bit taken aback by the anger shining in those emerald green eyes of his before it turned into sorrow.

["They abandoned me…"] he answered in a pained tone which broke the bear's heart.

["Awwww you poor thing~"] she cooed at him in sympathy as she lowered her head down to gently nuzzle his face in an attempt to comfort him.

Harry, touched by how caring this bear was, instinctively hugged her muzzle which almost caused her heart to stop beating because of how cute this gesture was.

Giggling, the she-bear slightly opened her mouth to lick his right cheek eliciting a yelp of surprise from the tiny boy in her forepaws (or should I say arms ? ). This action caused her to smile down at him tenderly.

He was just to cute.

Then her mind went back to something else.

["Sweetie… Since when can you talk to bears ?"] she asked him in a curious tone.

["I don't know… I discovered it during a trip at the zoo two years ago with my fami-"] Harry began to say before stopping as a flash of pain passed in his eyes

["I see…Anything else ?"] she asked with softly while giving him another big lick on the cheek.

["Well… the old bear at the zoo said I was marked…but he didn't have the time to tell me more..."] Harry inquired after a few seconds of thoughts.

Frowning, the She-Bear pulled her head away from the tiny boy in her paws to inspect him. Her dark green eyes scanned his whole body… before landing on his birthmark. Seeing it, her eyes widened in shock

["By the Great Bear..."] she whispered to herself but the little one in her forepaws heard her.

["What ? Are you okay ?"] Harry asked her with some concern.

The fact he cared for her well-being despite having met her only a few moments ago was both cute and adorable. She gave him a gently lick at the top of his head for this and he whined a bit at having saliva again on his face, amusing her a bit.

["I'm fine little one… Now I think I should take you home..."] she inquired him gently while carefully putting him down.

Harry titled his head at her with surprise at those words.

["Why ?"]

["Because I would be heartless to let such a cute little one alone in those woods !"] the She-bear responded with a gentle but firm tone.

Harry, once again, was touched by the attention as he looked at the Brown Bear who was now crouched down on the ground, laying on stomach.

["Climb on little one ! I will carry you !"] she inquired him gently.

["Really ?!"] Harry asked her with excitement clear in his voice and eyes.

The large Brown Bear laughed in amusement at the child's excitement as It was extremely cute but nodded her head.

["Of course ! Now come on the train is ready to leave~"] she joked at him and he giggled a bit before carefully climbing her.

The She-Bear patiently waited for him to be positioned before going back on her paws. Once she felt him sitting right behind the hump of her back she asked him

["Ready little one ?~"]

["YES !"]

His little cry caused her to smile in amusement as she slowly went back on her paws before heading toward where her car was. As she walked through the woods with her precious cargo, she blinked : she didn't asked for his name !

Wanting to slap herself for forgetting such an easy question, the she-bear decided to rectify this by asking

["Little one… What is your name ?"]

["Harry…"] the raven haired child responded from his spot.

["No surname ?"]

["I don't want to use it..."] was his response.

Understanding the reason, the she-bear gave him a look of sympathy before looking back forward. For a few minutes, they walked in silence but it was interrupted by Harry who opened his mouth to ask in a soft tone filled with childish curiosity

["What is your name miss ?"]

Smiling, the Brown Bear gave him a sideway glance to answer gently

["Astrid… Astrid Anderson~"]

["How come you have a surname ?"] Harry asked her curiously while frowning in confusion.

After all, only Humans had surnames not animals !

["I will explain once we are at my car~"] was her cryptic answer

Despite his growing confusion and curiosity, Harry decided to wait and see while enjoying the ride.

00/(Time Skip)/00

It took them almost 30 minutes to reach the road and the sky was now dark as the moon shining in all its glory.

Still laying on the gigantic bear's back, Harry looked toward the destroyed car of his relatives with an expression of indifference. Astrid noticed it but didn't say anything as she walked toward her green four-wheel drive.

["You can climb down now dear~"] she inquired him gently.

Blinking, the raven haired child carefully did what he was told and once his feet touched the hard ground of the road, he turned his emerald green eyes toward the bear.

["What now miss ?"] he asked her with titled head.

Astrid smiled down at him in response but said nothing as she closed her eyes. At first, he thought she was sleeping but then, she started to shrink. The light brown fir covered her body slowly went back into her skin as her clawed paws turned into hands and feet. Her muzzle turned into a humanoid face and the round ears at the top of her head disappeared.

Harry's eyes were wide in shock as she watched the large she-bear becoming a tall woman with some muscles. Her hairs were light brown and when she re-opened her eyes, they were dark green.

For a few seconds, there was only silence as Harry's mind was still processing what he just saw.

"Miss Astrid ?" he asked her tentatively.

"Yes dear~" the light brown haired woman answered in a gentle tone as she looked down at him with nothing but affection.

"How can you-" Harry began to ask with curiosity only to be shushed by the pretty woman.

"Later dear… Let's take you home~" Astrid whispered motherly to him as she caressing his cheek with a hand.

The raven haired boy looked into her eyes and nodded in response. She smiled as she picked him up before approaching her vehicle. The light brown haired woman placed Harry at the back before climbing on the driver's seat. After making sure that Harry had his seatbelt on, Astrid started the car before driving away from there.

The raven haired child looked at his savior as his little mind was filled with unanswered questions but as he opened his mouth to ask them, a cute yawn escaped his lips instead.

Hearing this, Astrid giggled a bit before inquiring in a maternal tone "You are free to take a small nap dear if you want~"

"I'm not *yawn* tired…" he tried to protest only for another yawn to escape his mouth.

"For some reason I don't believe you little one~" Astrid commented with a smirk of triumph.

Pouting slightly, Harry tried to fight against his exhaustion (the adrenaline he felt with the wolves and what happened afterwards was gone) but in the end, had to accept defeat as he slowly fell asleep.

A small giggle escaped Astrid's lips as she looked at him through the rear-view mirror.

"Sleep well little one~" she whispered gently to him before focusing back on the road, heading back to her home but this time with a special little guest.

(To be continue…)