☽ 008 [ Waxing ] - - Action / Dictated / The morning after the Full / First Loss.

[lupinotuum]

 [ There's a rather horrible, gut-wrenching howl being broadcast through the journals this morning. A pained, frightened noise from a creature who had only been bounding through the forest, yipping and howling for joy just mere hours before. What had started out as a rather enjoyable night under the moon had turned into one of Remus' worst nightmares. Waking up to find himself still a wolf -- still Moony -- was something that had only existed in his dreams; a fear that had plagued him since he was very young. To have it become reality, well...

Let's just say he wasn't taking it too well at all.

The castle is responsible for this, that much he is certain of. He is lucky enough to have his full mind intact still, but the panic and the fear clouds his mind, impairs his judgement. Without any regard to Sirius -- nor any warning for that matter -- he bolts, tail between his legs and the whites of his eyes showing as he races through the pines toward the Castle. His heart is beating a million miles a second, all sorts of thoughts screaming and buzzing inside his skull like a swarm of angry hornets. He's beyond scared at this point.

Please, no no no ... not this!

Before long, he finds himself at the steps, and he stumbles as his paws scrabble over the melting snow and ice still covering the stone. If he can just get to his room before anyone sees him... ]



(ooc: anybody is welcome to either confront him in the forest or in the castle. He's safe to approach -- mostly.)

Comments

[courageous_wit]

[oh no that isn't a good sound] Remus? If you can understand me, bark once!

[lupinotuum]

[ Oh, now there is a welcome voice! Remus pauses, ears pricking as he looks around for his journal. He finds it laying open on the steps a foot away and he reaches for it, a claw snagging the page and ripping it a little as he drags it over.

He barks once, low and a bit pitiful. It sounds almost like a plea. ]

[courageous_wit]

Good, you still have your mind. I'll come find you. Try to stay out of sight until I get there.

[heirofficium]

Remus...? [ Sirius is confused to wake up without a certain tawny-haired wizard curled up nearby. Sitting up, he looks around. ]

Remus?

[ And then he hears the howl. Shit. ]

Remus! [ He's scrambling to his feet, only to shift back into Padfoot so he can find him faster. He lets out a few loud barks as he breaks into a sprint.

Moony where Padfoot find Moony ]

[fanstheflame]

[now that the snow had gone, Gale was up at the crack of dawn, gathering up his tools and supplies to head out to the woods and start setting fresh snares. the wild creatures would be stirring, and he wanted a head start. living in a house with so many people meant catching a lot of game, even if it was just to augment the things they could get in town. he was in the process of stretching a low wire through some underbrush when he heard the howl and froze, listening. whatever that was, it wasn't anything he remembered from last spring's hunting, and it sounded far too much like a mutt for his tastes. he reached into the pocket at his hip for a piece of chalk and marked a tree nearby. if anything happened, Katniss and Ino knew his spots, and they could follow a trail...

for now, though, he waited and listened. maybe it was headed in another direction.]

[lupinotuum]

[ Oh thank goodness, someone who knows what she's doing, hopefully. He lets out a soft whine in response and grabs his journal in his mouth as gently as possible. With one last glance at the castle doors, he turns and sprints back the way he came, intending to hide in the cover of the trees until Hermione finds him. ]

[courageous_wit]

[she's faced him as a full werewolf before. Compared to that, this is nothing. She Apparates close by and lights her and so he can see her]

[lupinotuum]

[ Remus skids to a halt the moment he hears Sirius barking somewhere nearby and starts to pace rather frantically. His mind is torn between finding refuge in his room or finding refuge in one of Sirius' comforting embraces and eventually, the need for it becomes to great for him.

He turns and races back the way he came, following Sirius' calls.

Padfoot! ]

[silentrunning]

[As it happens, there's a Chell wandering down the steps that poor Remus is trying to scrabble up. in fact, he possibly slams into her...]

[lupinotuum]

[ Lucky for Remus, he'd caught a whiff of Gale's scent ahead of time and he had enough conscience of mind to skirt around him, attempting to stay well out of sight. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't as accustomed to this body as Moony was and thus, he wasn't nearly as careful about where he placed his paws.

He freezes suddenly when he steps on a small branch, his weight causing it to snap with a loud CRUNCH. He has enough instinct to lower himself to the ground, hoping that Gale hadn't seen him. ]

[lupinotuum]

[ The moment he hears the distinctive CRACK of apparition and sees the wandlight, Remus knows it's her. He sticks his head out from the bushes he's hidden behind and lets out a small chuffing noise, trying to call her over. ]

[lupinotuum]

[ Remus would have sincerely apologized for running into her, really. He was, unfortunately, rather incapable of doing so right now. Instead he yelps and tries to scramble away before she can even see what just bumped into her. His paws, however, slip over the stone and he trips before he can get away fast enough.

Yep, definitely not as graceful as Moony usually is... ]

[heirofficium]

[ Moony! Padfoot skids to a halt as Remus comes barrelling toward him.

Moony human head? he warbles out, staring up at him nervously. This is bad, this is really bad... ]

[lupinotuum]

[ Remus puts on the brakes the moment he sees Sirius and lowers his head to show him he means no harm. He whimpers, ears flat against his skull.

Remus human head. Padfoot help... please ...

He continues to whimper as he leans in to give Padfoot's nose a tentative lick, the sound almost mimicking that of a human crying. His body is still shaking and its clear he's still frightened. ]

[heirofficium]

[ Padfoot shifts back into Sirius and rushes forward to hold his head between both hands. It's an odd feeling, the thinly-hairy skin under his fingers. He's never gotten to touch it like this before. ]

There there... I'm here, Remus, don't worry...

[ Without thinking, he touches his forehead to Remus'. He distantly remembers seeing people do it to crying children, as an effort to soothe them. ]

I'm right here.

[silentrunning]

[Chell would've giggled, had the situation not seemed so dire... Reaching out a hand, she catches onto him in an attempt to keep him from falling tail over nose back down the steps. And then she speaks. Hey. He's a wolf. Sure. Wolves have sharp teeth and claws. But she's always found people that aren't human to be way less of a threat.]

Hang on. You don't have to run away. But if you're going to, be careful? I wouldn't want you tumbling down the steps. That'd be painful. Hm. I'd imagine you're not usually in that form, are you? Because if you were, you'd be more graceful about it. So... what happened? I'm not sure if I could help... But I'd offer you company till someone who can shows up.

[She's got a good heart, she does. And she knows how the Castle fucks people up. She just figures this is someone on a loss. She has noooo clue she's dealing with a werewolf, and if she did, she'd probably just be fascinated and ask a billion questions... er when he was back n human form anyhow heh.

When she's sure he won't tumble down the steps though, she lets go. If he wants to run, he can.]

[lupinotuum]

[ The moment Sirius is close to him, has his hands on him, Remus' body seems to sag and he leans into him. He's still whimpering and shaking, his tail still tucked between his legs, but he seems much less frantic and panicked now that Sirius is here.

When Sirius touches their foreheads together, Remus croons and tries to nuzzle him. He's here. Sirius is here... ]

[lupinotuum]

[ He flinches slightly when she touches him, but otherwise allows to her to help him; if only so he can get back on his paws again. Her reaction does, however, give him pause. As scared and as frightened as he is, it isn't enough for him to ignore the fact that she seems to be completely unafraid of him. That's curious.

Remus comes from a world where his kind are persecuted and feared. He didn't even think of the possibility that some here wouldn't look at him and think Werewolf. Sure, he was much bigger and much more fearsome-looking than any wolf he'd seen, but he was still just that. A wolf.

Though he's obviously still upset and nervous, he plants his rump down and sits, deciding for the moment to take a little breather and try to calm himself down. When she asks what happened, he growls lightly and points his nose toward the Castle. ]

[silentrunning]

[She follows the point of his nose with her eyes and lets out a sigh.]

I thought the castle probably had something to do with this. I'm so sorry. Are you on a loss then? If I were on a loss, I think a wolf would be a nice thing to be.

[A soft chuckle]

The last loss I was on, I got stuck as a cat and wound up shredding every piece of furniture I could get my claws on in retalliation. Didn't do me much good but it did make me feel better.

[Nope. He's not the first wolf she's met. And not the first wolf who is something other than a wolf. She actually had a wolf friend here once, so this is nice. Brings back memories that does. She directs a smile in his direction.]

You remind me of a friend I had here once before the Castle sent her home, insomuch as you are both wolves. That's part of why I'm not afraid. The other part is you were just trying to get away and you looked terrified.

[She lapses into silence then for a minute, just calmly sitting next to him on the Castle steps. Maybe her calmness will help him calm too.]

[wizard_redfive]

[Unfortunately for Remus, Dairine was on her way to breakfast when she hears the scrabbling noise of claws. She pauses, turning towards the source of the sound. 'What on earth...?']

[courageous_wit]

Remus! Hold on a moment! Protego! Muffliato! [and a bunch of other protective spells the mun can't remember off the top of her head]

There, that should help a bit.

[lightbranded]

[Will was out early in the woods this morning. It was spring, finally. And even if the trees had not yet begun to bud he had not been able to resist the urge to seek out the quiet of the forest. His hand slowly trails along the bark of the nearest trunk as he casts his thoughts back to the lore of trees. He murmurs the words to himself.]

Willow, the enchanter's tree. Pliant to the touch, yet bitter to the taste. As all magic in the end must be.

[Suddenly the boy's head jerks up as he hears the sounds of footsteps approaching.]

Hullo? Is someone there?

[wolfchild]

[ She had not expected to see the wolf again.

Arya freezes. Nymeria is with Grey Wind and they are both in Robb's chambers. She had felt waking them only to have them wait outside the stables while she fed Aemon. Now she regrets not doing it.

Arya does not scream. Does not run. She keeps still, hoping the strange wolf will ignore her. ]

[lupinotuum]

[ Remus pauses and waits when she tells him to, before he very cautiously steps out from the cover of the bushes. He chuffs again, sitting down in front of her and looking really quite pitiful. ]

[lupinotuum]

[ Her talking actually seems to calm him somewhat. His mind is still whirring, but he's less likely to simply bolt and more likely to think before acting. He huffs and growls softly at her comment, pinning his ears back against his skull.

If you were in his shoes, Chell, a wolf was the last thing you'd want to be. And to be stuck in this body, for Merlin knows how long --

His ears perk up suddenly when she mentions having a wolf-friend once and he tilts his head at her, studying her. It's still strange to hear someone say that they aren't afraid of him. ]