Bet no one thought this was getting updated! Honestly, I wasn't actually planning on it after I lost all my notes for this story a few years back when my laptop had an episode. But I've been reinspired and by popular demand, I will finish this story. You're welcome!
The air hung still and cold, the only sound the gentle rustle of heather against the wind. Eithne, her tawny coat blending seamlessly with the rough terrain, crouched low. Her eyes, a piercing amber, scanned the ground, her gaze sharp and focused. She moved with a liquid grace, her paws barely disturbing the dew-laden grass.
A faint twitch in the undergrowth caught her attention. A small, grey mouse, its whiskers twitching, emerged from beneath a clump of heather, its tiny nose testing the air. Eithne's muscles tensed, her body coiling like a spring. She held her breath, her chest barely moving.
The mouse, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby, began to nibble at a stray seed. Eithne's tail, held low, twitched slightly, betraying her focused intensity. She shifted her weight, her hind legs gathering power.
Then, in a blur of tawny fur and lightning-fast reflexes, she struck. There was a brief, high-pitched squeak, quickly silenced. Eithne emerged from the undergrowth, the mouse held firmly in her jaws. She shook her head once, a quick, efficient movement, before returning to Faolan, the small offering clutched securely. Her movements were economical, every step precise, a testament to her honed hunting skills. She dropped the mouse at Faolan's paws.
"Eww," Faolan said, making a face at the little rodent.
Eithne's ears flattened.
"Are ye hungry or not, cub?" she snapped, her voice edged with impatience. "This is the wilds, not some fancy restaurant. Ye eat what ye can get."
"I know, I know," Faolan grumbled, using his paw to turn the mouse over a couple times. "I'm just not used to the . . . tiny mice."
"Well, what did ye want, a Full Breakfast?" Eithne asked.
"Actually, that sounds even better," Faolan said, perking up a bit, his tail flicking.
"Yer funny. Eat."
Faolan hesitated, his stomach rumbling again. He looked at Eithne's stern face, then back at the mouse. He sighed, remembering her kindness in offering to help him. He couldn't be ungrateful. He gingerly picked up the mouse, his large paws clumsy compared to Eithne's delicate ones. He chewed slowly, his nose twitching as he tasted the wild, earthy flavor, nothing like the gamey taste of rabbit or venison.
He swallowed the last bit, a slight grimace on his face.
"Thank you, Eithne," he mumbled, his voice a little softer. "It was . . . something."
Eithne's expression softened slightly.
"Aye, 'something' that will keep ye going. Now, we've a long trek ahead of us. We need to be moving if we're to reach the lowlands before nightfall." She turned, her tail held high, and began to pick her way through the heather, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. Faolan, his belly still rumbling slightly, followed after her.
"So," Eithne began after a few minutes of walking, "if yer an animagus, why don't ye shift back into human? Might be lot easier to get back home."
"My magic's too young to do it on my own," Faolan said. "I need to be near my dad so my magic can feel his magic during the change and copy it. It's how I'll learn to shift on my own eventually."
"Interesting," Eithne said. "So ye were born wit the gift?"
"Yeah. I was." Faolan frowned, then ran to catch up to Eithne when he realized he was falling behind slightly. "Hey, how do you know so much about animagi? Or even what a Full Breakfast was?"
"I've bin around the block, laddie," Eithne said. "Ye learn as ye go along."
The rolling hills gave way to a stark, grey ribbon of tarmac, a stark contrast to the natural beauty they'd traversed. The road stretched out before them, a seemingly endless, flat expanse. Faolan, his eyes wide, stopped abruptly at the edge of the shrubbery, his paws digging into the soft earth. A car went zooming by and he could feel the vibrations of it as it passed.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"A road," Eithne replied, her tone impatient. "We need to cross it."
Faolan stared at the grey surface, his gaze fixed on the faint, dark lines running along its length. Another few cars zipped by, and Faolan looked both ways as his father taught him, and he could see that cars were coming from both directions.
"It's a busy one," Eithne said, "but once we cross here, it'll be forest fer miles and a straight shot towards England. I've always wanted to visit."
"Isn't there another way around?" Faolan asked as another car zoomed by.
"Notta," Eithne said. "There's a small break in cars, we go now."
Eithne stepped onto the tarmac, her paws making a soft, almost inaudible patter. She looked back at Faolan, her eyes narrowed.
"Come on!"
She began to walk forward, her pace quickening. Faolan, his muscles tense, took a hesitant step onto the tarmac, his paws feeling the hard surface beneath tremble the slightest. He moved slowly, his eyes darting from side to side, his body trembling. He never really crossed a road without holding his father's paw—err, hand. He could do this. Just a straight shot across.
Suddenly, a distant rumble grew into a roar. Two bright, piercing lights appeared in the distance, rapidly growing larger. Faolan froze, his eyes wide with terror as his ears flattened against his head. His brain screamed at him to move but every fiber in his body was somehow locked in place.
Eithne gasped when she looked back, then lunged for Faolan, her shoulder slamming into Faolan's flank. The force of the impact sent him stumbling back, his paws scrambling for purchase on the smooth surface. The vehicle, a large, dark car, roared past, its wind whipping Faolan's fur. The sound was deafening, the air thick with the smell of hot metal and fumes.
Faolan, his heart pounding in his chest, scrambled to the side of the road, his paws slipping on the tarmac. He collapsed onto the soft verge, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Eithne, her fur bristling, stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the retreating car.
"Are ye alright?" Eithne asked.
Faolan shook his head as he buried his head in his paws. He really just wanted to be home with his father. Why hadn't his daddy come looking for him yet?
Remus and Sirius had slowly levitated the massive tiger back into the house, laying him down on the couch for comfort before they spent the night searching for Faolan. When they came up empty handed as dawn approached, they returned to the house. Freyr was still acting as if he had drank three bottles of firewhiskey, his head lifting now and then, only to swing around wildly before flopping back down. Sirius immediately called the Auror department to report Harry missing while Remus ran his wand over the big cat, searching for a cause of the strange behavior. Freyr panted slightly, and Remus frowned as his wand turned yellow. That meant some kind of venom was working its way through the big cat.
"Ugh, I wish I know Legilimency as you do, Severus," Remus said. "I could see Freyr's memories of what happened yesterday."
Freyr moaned as he stretched out uncomfortably on the couch, breathing harder.
"Let me see if I can't find your stock of anti-venoms," Remus said. "One is bound to work, right?"
Remus searched Severus's potion supplies for his anti-venoms, and as he found them, they all had different labels. Some were for different kinds of snakes, some for spiders, some for fish, and one was even for an exotic insect. He scratched his head as he debated which one would be most effective. He really couldn't give each one to Freyr and hope for the best. That might overwhelm the tiger's system, not to mention the countereffects of the potions against each other. No, he needed to figure out what exactly the venom was that was hurting Freyr.
That meant more searching the yard. In the meantime, he would see if he could get a magizoologist to the house. Perhaps they had tricks to figure out what was hurting Severus. That might do the trick. While Sirius finished his floo call, Remus stepped back outside, searching the yard while he waited his turn for the fireplace.
He moved slowly, keeping an eye out for any movement in the grass. If this was some kind of insects doing, he could be there all day searching until he keeled over from exhaustion. Who knew what the bugs generally did or how they went about their days, what they ate, so on and so on. He might never see the critter again. He would have better luck if the culprit was anything but a tiny bug, and more luck if it was something that didn't travel far. He and Sirius had not seen anything unusual last night while searching for Harry, but they had also not been paying close attention to the critters in the area unless it looked like a small tiger.
As he walked closer to the trees, he saw several thorny bushes with wild berries growing on them, and at first glance, it almost looked as if the branches and twigs were shuffling around, and he peered closer at it.
His breath nearly caught in his throat.
Several little Firethorn Flickers—rat-sized, greenish-brown, spiky dragons—were scurrying around the thorny bushes, munching on the poisonous berries happily. They had long spiky tails with a scorpion like stinger at the very end, a stinger that carried a very strung venom that the dragons used for self-defense. They were invasive little creatures from tropical islands that found themselves hitchhiking on travelers' luggage and ships, and Magical Creatures Control was having a hard time containing them as they thrived in just about any environment except cold. Winter months were a welcome time for the MCC in their attempts at extermination.
Well, at least he knew what culprit had rendered Freyr completely out of it. Now, he just needed to figure out the anti-venom for these little blighters. Looked like he'd be calling a magizoologist after all.
The road receded behind them, replaced by the rough, uneven terrain of the Scottish Highlands. After a short trek, the land began to rise sharply, revealing a formidable mountain. Faolan's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on the towering peak.
"We're going up that?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Aye," Eithne replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "It's the quickest way." She began to ascend, her paws finding purchase on the rocky slope with ease.
Faolan hesitated, his fear growing with each step. The steep incline, the loose rocks, and the dizzying heights made his stomach churn. He climbed up a few ledges, urging himself in his head not to look down. I can do this, he thought. Just don't look back. Keep moving forward.
Faolan swallowed dryly as he leaped up to another ledge, only for his paws to slip slightly, rocks crumbling beneath him. He clung to the stone, breathing heavy as his eyes drifted downward, and he gasped at how high up he already was, and he wasn't even halfway up! Nope, can't do this! Where the balloon basket had offered safety, this was not safe at all.
"Eithne, I-I can't," he stammered, his paws trembling as he crouched on the rock he was clutching too, his claws gripping the stone. "It's too high."
"Nonsense," Eithne said from a ledge higher up. She was crouched on it as she looked back at Faolan. "Ye've climbed this far, haven't ye? Don't tell me a tiger's afraid of a bit of rock." She gave him a sharp look. "Look, cub, I ken it's not like the small woodlands ye're used to. But the wilds aren't meant to be easy. If ye want to get back to yer home, ye'll have to face yer fears."
"I don't want to," Faolan mewled. "I want my dad. I just want to go home."
Eithne sighed, looking up the mountain, then back down at Faolan.
"I understand . . . how unsettling it is, to find yerself in a place ye don't know, where everything feels so different. Where the world turns upside down. It's a shock, aye, a terrifying one. But ye can't let that fear hold ye back. Ye've got to keep moving, keep climbing, even when everythin' inside ye is telling ye to stop."
She looked away, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon for a moment, then back at Faolan.
"Think of it this way. Every paw-step ye take up this mountain is one step closer to yer dad ye're missin'. Now, are ye going to let a few stones stop ye, or are ye going to show me that tiger spirit?" She gave a small flick of her tail.
Faolan moaned fearfully as he refused to look up at Eithne. He remained clinging to the ledge. Eithne sighed once more.
"Ye had yer maps drawn," Eithne began to sing, her voice a low, soothing melody, "Ye had other plans to hang yer hopes on."
Faolan slowly lifted his head and met Eithne's eyes, his ears perking up.
"Every road they led ye down felt so wrong . . ." She continued, walking along the rocky slope and leaping for another ledge just above Faolan. "So ye found another way…"
Faolan sat up a bit as he watched Eithne walk along the mountain as if it was the easiest thing in the world. She paused on a ledge across from him now, crouching slightly so she was face to face with him, and he lowered his ears once more.
"Ye've got a big heart," She sang, using a paw to nudge him in the shoulder, "the way ye see the world, it got ye this far . . ."
She walked away now, and seeing her confidence on the ledge, Faolan jumped up to it and followed her, his tail tucked but Eithne's words giving him more confidence to follow after her. She paused as she looked down the mountain sadly with her next lines.
"Ye might have some bruises, and a few of scars." Eithne looked at Faolan as he caught up to her, and she smiled at him. "But ye know ye're gonna be okay."
Eithne leaped for a higher ledge, zigzagging quickly to another and another, leading higher up the mountain, and Faolan gulped before following her steps exactly, managing to stay right behind her.
"And even though ye're scared, ye're stronger than ye know . . ." Eithne sang as they quickly reached the summit. Faolan's eyes widened at the sight before him, a breathtaking view of the forest and mountains around him, a beautiful, picturesque landscape he had only ever seen on TV or in paintings. Eithne grinned at him before leaping down the mountain quickly, and Faolan leaped after her, feeling much more confident with the descent.
"If ye're lost out where the lights are blinding," Eithne sang, smiling back at Faolan, "caught and all the stars are hiding, that's when something wild calls ye home, home . . ."
They reached the bottom of the mountain where a creek cut through their path, but Eithne jumped across steppingstones with grace, and Faolan followed each step she took, gripping the moss-covered rocks with each leap.
"If ye face the fear that keeps ye frozen, chase the sky into the ocean, that's when something wild calls ye home, home . . ."
Eithne landed on the dry land, Faolan landing next to her a second later, and she gave his forehead a lick before running off into the trees. Faolan shook himself indignantly, but he smiled as he chased after her, and they playfully zigzagged through the trees, a herd of red deer joining them in their leaps through the air before they turned down a hill while Eithne led them toward a waterfall, and they walked across a bridge above it to get across.
"Sometimes the past can," Eithne continued her song as she looked down at the waterfall, leaning over the edge of the bridge, "make the ground beneath ye feel like quicksand . . ."
Faolan also stuck his head under the rail to look down at the waterfall, feeling the mist spray his face. His claws did not grip the slippery bridge well, though, and he felt himself falling forward, and he scrambled to hold on to the bridge as he fell over, his front claws catching grip at last as he hung precariously over the edge.
"Ye don't have to worry, reach for my hand," Eithne sang, holding her paw out for Faolan, and she pulled him up to safety. She nodded at him. "Yeah, I know ye're gonna be okay. Ye're gonna be okay."
They entered a dense forest, the trees forming a dark, green canopy overhead. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Eithne moved through the trees with ease, her senses alert as several rabbits darted around them, catching Faolan's attention and he tried to pounce on one, but it vanished into a burrow.
"And even if ye're scared," Eithne laughed, shaking her head in amusement "ye're stronger than ye know . . ."
As Faolan walked over to Eithne, she jerked her head for him to follow her, and they were off once more. The wind whipped through Faolan's fur as he sprinted across the vast expanse of the Scottish Highlands, his paws pounding against the soft earth, Eithne keeping pace with him. The sun was high above them, shining above the mountains, warming their fur. They raced through fields of wildflowers, their paws kicking up clouds of dust.
"If ye're lost out where the lights are blinding," Eithne sang, Faolan joining her this time "caught and all the stars are hiding, that's when something wild calls ye home, home. If you face the fear that keeps ye frozen, chase the sky into the ocean, that's when something wild calls ye home, home . . ."
The pair trotted through the fields, slowing down from all the energy they had expended.
"That's when something wild calls ye home," Eithne ended her song, nuzzling against Faolan briefly as they walked toward the mountains before them.
"Hey, Eithne?" Faolan asked.
"Aye?"
"When can we eat again? I'm starving."
"Of course ye are."
So Disneyfied the story just a little bit, but I love the song, and I felt it fit the situation and a bit of Eithne's backstory. I will be wrapping this story up probably in a couple chapters, so I'll have it done within the month. Thanks to all those truly dedicated to this one little short, I've had many requests to finish it. Also, the song is Something Wild by Lindsey Stirling.