When at last I thought I had him forever, he slipped through my fingers again.
When at last I thought I could find that ray of sunshine in the sudden storm, it disappeared behind even darker storm clouds.
There was no way I could continue chasing th...
It wasn't the first time I trekked into the Forbidden Forest as the sun set below the horizon. With the sleepwalking curse prevailing over the student population in my fourth year came multiple trips into the Forest to not only locate the Vault, but also interact with some of the most dangerous and tame beasts that lived there. I should have been used to the prospect of going into the Forest every time we encountered trouble, but I was halted at one point by Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Filch, and was even delivered a year-long detention which put a damper on the triumph. I didn't want this trip to go to waste--especially since my life, my siblings' lives, and the lives of innocent agents were now at risk--and so I timed my excursion accordingly, glancing over my shoulder every so often to avoid getting caught.
The normal howling winds now brushed past in faint whispers, the hard-packed dirt beneath my feet concealed with leaves that had only begun to fall. The dense white fog greeted me as I delved deeper into the forest's open arms, and I tried to imagine that the tall trees were just providing a common shelter, protecting all that called the forest its home. Before long, the school faded out of sight, hidden behind the mist...and that was when I heard the sound of familiar hooves approaching me, trotting over the ground.
I didn't have to rub my eyes to recognize the all-too-familiar Centaur.
"Thanks for meeting me, Torvus," I greeted him with a wave.
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Torvus grinned upon seeing me, his eyes brightening. "I am happy to indulge the human who returned my herd's arrowhead and helped bring an end to my exile," he simply told me, nodding. "Were you able to defeat the dragon in the Cursed Vault and break the curse trapping the students in the portraits?"
I haven't forgotten how Torvus helped train me and Merula to fight a beast as strong as the Hungarian Horntail in the Vault. Honestly, I was happy I was able to return alive, though I knew the child that wondered about Jacob's whereabouts had been all but left behind, brutally destroyed.
"Yes. Thanks to your advice about working together, we were able to subdue the dragon and break the curse," I answered. "Unfortunately, none of us were prepared for our professor, Rakepick, betraying us in the Vault. We managed to make it out, but..."
Teamwork wasn't always what made the dream work. Trust could only go so far before someone decided to reveal their true intentions, destroying what trust we had.
A family, Rakepick called us. A family that tore apart so mercilessly at the seams.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Torvus finally said.
Even that sounded weak to my ears.
"What of your brother? Did you manage to find him?" Torvus eventually asked.
"I did, but he left shortly after to chase after Rakepick," I explained. "I hardly got to speak with him. In a way, it seemed less painful when he was stuck in the portrait, back in the buried Vault. At least then he didn't have the choice of avoiding me if he ever saw me." I sighed and buried my hands in my pockets. "Now I don't know if I'll ever see him the same way again, or bring him back to our family."
