Deep In The Woods

6 ~ Lycanthropy

Hagrid was quick to leave his hut. You, now having abandoned the prospect of staying dry, led him boldly into the rain and off towards the path that Butterscotch had dashed into.

"Hol' on just a sec'!" Hagrid bellowed over the rain. He stepped quickly ahead of you, the lantern swaying hopefully towards the woods. "Yeh'll be stayin' behind me. The woods are dangerous!"

Not having the time to argue, you simply followed as he foraged on. Seeing Mary crying like she had triggered something in you. She was your friend, one of the first people to be nice to you in ages. You couldn't let her cry all night, you had to do something, even if that had meant running blindly into the night.

The path was slick, and your boots provided little traction. Hagrid, who had more experience with the forest, was doing perfectly fine. You did have a tendency to be an unexpected mountain goat in the woods, though, it was just something odd you had always been good at, and was proving useful as you climbed over mossy rocks and crossed tiny streams. It was shocking how much you were coming across so close to the school. Wolves continued to howl deep in the forest. Once, hearing a bird-like cry, you looked at the trees above you. Nothing was there save for the full moon peeking out from behind the storm clouds.

"There-" A flash of lightning followed shortly by a clap of thunder cut Hagrid off. "In that clearing!"

You looked off to the right of the path. There, his ears flicking at the numerous sounds from both the storm and the woods, was a tiny bengal cat in the midst of the outcropping.

"Butterscotch!" You called, trekking through the brush. Your pajama pants caught on spare brambles that ripped off strands of fabric. Pausing only once as a pricker nicked your skin, you made it to the clearing quickly. You dropped instantly, staying propped on your feet to avoid kneeling in the mud. "Come here, boy!"

Surprisingly, the kitten jumped into your arms. He curled up for a moment, but his head turned at a weird angle as Hagrid stomped up behind you. Naturally, you looked off in the direction Butterscotch was turned to.

There, it's pale white eyes watching you intently, was a horse; it resembled one. At least. It's black coat was clinging to its bones and bat like wings protruded from its body. At its sharp hooves rested a dead rabbit that you could vaguely make out in the bushes.

"Just a Thestral," said Hagrid, putting a hand on your shoulder. "Don' worry, they won' hurt yeh if yeh don' touch their food."

There was plenty of food around it. Something disturbingly red was seeping from the brush. They ate raw meat, it seemed.

"Les' get back te' the school."

You stood, cradling Butterscotch as you turned from the beast whose hair was the core of your wand.

"I'm sorry yeh can see 'em, (Y/n)." Hagrid said after a few moments of walking. You were not even out of the clearing. Pausing, you looked back to the Thestral in confusion; the trees between which it once stood were now a gaping chasm into the deepest part of the forest.

"What do you mean?"

Hagrid, stopping with you, looked to see that the creature was gone. His twinkling black eyes brimmed with tears, which confused you at the least.

"Yeh' can only see Thestrals if yeh've seen death," he clarified.

"Oh, it's alright," you answered as the storm calmed down enough to speak. "I don't even know when I have. I must've forgotten."

"Doesn' seem like somethin' yeh'd forget, does it? I suppose-"

Hagrid's concern was interrupted by a piercing howl from the other end of the clearing. It sent a shiver down your spine, and after the storm had dwindled to nothing as the clouds vanished in the distance, you suddenly longed for the wind that masked the sound of the forest. Everything was much too quiet now.