Wolves

Vulpe shot out of the forest, screaming insults at the black shadow that chased her. An immense black wolf flowed after the red spark, teeth gleaming in an outraged snarl. Flicker of form and Vulpe scrambled to the top of Hagrid’s hut. Fang inside howled and Hagrid opened the door. The wolf also shifted upwards into a tall lean man with a mane of black hair spilling down his back, face grim and uncompromising. Vulpe kicked her legs and snarled back as he rumbled a warning up at her.

“Leave me be, Malgaunt, yarp!”

“Ye tempt me o’ermuch. Come down here so I can spank your behind, impudent whelp,” the one she had named Malgaunt growled and his own plumed black tail swung restlessly. She threw her head back and trilled a laugh. He backed off slightly so he could see her better, furred and clawed feet stepping noiselessly over the litter. “Give me back my prey.”

“Can’t, eaten it already.”

“It is hard to hunt of late. Ye owe me, vixen.”

“Awww, is the poor ickle wolfie hungry? Poor wolfie, for he shall have no rabbit tonight.”

“No, I shan’t, because ye bloody well nicked it from my jaws!” He said in a tone of outraged dignity. She snickered. He swayed backwards and forwards on his feet, trying to decide if it was worth leaping for her throat from down here.

“Wolf at the door, gameskeeper do your duuuu-uuuty!” Vulpe caroled in an off-key melody. Hagrid watched the pair in dumb amazement, crossbow held loosely in one huge hand. Malgaunt spared him a glance, then dismissed him. “A wolf at the door in winter betides snow and storms and hunger!”

“A fox in summer means the farmer better watch his chickens,” Malgaunt hissed up at the grinning fox. “At least I am *feared*, oh thief.”

“Who wants to be feared? I just want to be fed. Sevvy!” She squealed with delight as Severus came down the path, grimacing slightly at both the nickname and the sunlight. Malgaunt eyed him with a bit more respect then he had the half-giant. He had the look of a wizard who knew how to use his wand. Malgaunt had great respect for wizards and their trapped captive magic. He raised his own hand and shimmering black fire crawled into it. Vulpe looked at it with trepidation as it flowed over Malgaunt’s hand until it appeared to be like a gauntlet made of a dark and fey metal. “Sorry, alright?”

“Sorry does not get me fed, vixen.” He lifted his hand and pointed it at Vulpe. “Come down here before I am forced to bring you down. Do not look to these two to prevent me.” The fire gleamed sullenly in the fading daylight as the wolf looked upwards at the trapped fox. She summoned her own fire bright magic, before leaping from the roof to the ground over Malgaunt’s head and hitting the earth with a skitter of black paws. Malgaunt wheeled, black fire flickering out of existence with a thought and catapulting after her. They ran across the lawns in front of the lake, bright red sparks hitting the ground in front of Malgaunt every so often. The wolf dodged them and kept going. He lifted his head and howled eerily. An answering howl rose from the Forbidden Forest as his mate sang back to him. He smiled and bounded on after the fleeing fox.

Vulpe ran on, heart in her throat. Her magic was not aiding her for the wolf had his own magic and also, he was not as tired as she. He had not the healing to go through that she did. She cut back and doubled her trail, using all those tricks foxes know to divert their hunters, but the grinning wolf flowed ever onwards. She dodged and fled towards the school. As the wolf and the fox entered the school, students started to scream and run out of the way as the red fox ran away from the snarling wolf. Brush streaming out behind her and feet striking the ground rapidly, Vulpe leapt for a place of safety. Scrabbling with her back legs, Vulpe moved upwards into the recess she had found. Malgaunt sat at the base of the alcove and snarled in dissatisfaction. She snickered and shifted back to her inbetween form.

“Yarp, yarp! Got ya fooled and covered, wolf!”

Malgaunt also shifted upwards. Vulpe drew in her legs. “Ye stole from me!”

“It’s what foxes do best, wolf!”

“Filthy little scavenger!”

“Aw, that’s not nice.” Vulpe pretended to sulk. Malgaunt tensed his legs and leapt upwards. His hands scraped just below where she was sitting and then he fell back, growling with impotent rage. Vulpe laughed. “Lalalala! Wolfie got no rabbits cos the fox stole it away!”

“You conniving little HUMAN!”

Vulpe frowned. “No need to go *that* far, Malgaunt.” The wolf snarled in reply and surged upwards again.

“I am going to rip your throat out! Ye do not understand how hard th’ Hunt has been of late! My mate needs to be fed. The spiders are taking over the Forest. My pups have had to leave the hunting grounds. It can barely support us twain.” Malgaunt leaned against the wall, his golden feral eyes showing his despair. He raised his head and howled mournfully, black light crackling over his skin. Vulpe began to feel shamed because of what she had done. If she had known it was as bad as all that. . . “And a Darkness is coming, singing of blood and fire. Something Dark and terrible as the night sky and just as filled with horror.” Vulpe’s heart stopped beating for a moment. If the wolves could sense it. . . oh Reynard.

“I, I have sensed it as well,” Vulpe whispered.

“Then ye know what we are to do?” Malgaunt asked almost plaintively, heavy plumed tail sweeping restlessly about his feet. “I Hunt, I stalk, I kill. Magic is not my strength. Nor is foretelling. But even Nuala has felt it. My beautiful white one. . .” He stared upwards at her, red eyes meeting gold ones. He turned swiftly and snarled at the students. “Get ye hence! This has naught to do with wizards! This is Wild Folk business. Ye have brought ye doom to your own heads. Go deal with your snake, and leave the coming night to us. We know it best.”

“For we were born in midnight hours when the sun saw us not,” Vulpe said, a fey look falling over her features. “And the light has not shed its warming strength to show what had been hidden.” She lifted her pointed face slightly. “You are children of sunlight. Leave this to us of midnight.”

“Untamed and terrible, it comes. With bloodlust and a ravening hunger. It will devour all.” Malgaunt sighed and sank down onto his haunches, resting his head in his hands. “Fox, tell me this. Can we run from it?”

“No. No. There is no running. And for a fox, that is a hard admission to make.” Vulpe closed her eyes briefly, feeling the familiar flame of foretelling settling over. She threw her head back with a halfpained cry and slowly crumpled out of her aerie. Malgaunt reacted quickly and caught her. Nonsense syllables spilled from her lips and her eyelids fluttered as her body jerked in his arms. The wolf cradled her, showing more then a hint of teeth to the humans around him as he warned them soundlessly away.

“Vulpe!” Draco cried out and rushed to Malgaunt’s side. The black wolf growled at him. “I’m her friend. What’s going on?” Malgaunt eyed him suspiciously then leant forward over Vulpe’s body to scent Draco.

“You’re hers, alright. Can smell her all over ye.” The wolf sneezed in disgust, then Vulpe arched her back and screamed, the high tones ringing through the hall. An answering howl echoed in on its heels as a white wolf padded up through the hallways of the school, golden eyes gleaming. Malgaunt howled back at her, thin lips curling back from sharp teeth. Draco eyed the wolf as it stalked over to Vulpe and Malgaunt before between one step and the next it became a woman with long white hair merging into her downy white fur, yellow wolfish eyes and a heavy plumed tail. Her face and hands held more then a hint of her animal nature. “Nuala.”

“Malgaunt my black hearted love.” Nuala sat easily down on her haunches next to the quickly panting fox and her mate. She looked at Draco coolly. “What, a wizard my love?” She put a hand on Vulpe’s face and sighing, closed her golden eyes. “Calm little flame. This will pass as all does.”

“It is coming!” Vulpe shot upright and wailed in a high scream. Any students who had not already left did so now. Draco watched grimly, and Malgaunt spared him a glance of amber-eyed respect. The fox’s voice spiraled upwards in a keening yowl, harmonics chasing each other in harsh ear shattering tones. The wolves flinched, then raised their own voices in eerie song. Somehow, the two wolves complemented the fox’s harsh screaming so a new and more true song emerged. Draco spared a glance for the teachers as red, black and white fire twined together in a three strong twist of gleaming magic. Snape seemed to be taking it in his stride, Flitwick looked astounded, McGonagall’s face looked as it always did, Dumbledore was watching calmly as the three fires chased over Draco’s form, Hooch’s golden eyes always looked as if they belonged on a hawk anyway so maybe this wasn’t so new to her, Binns hadn’t left his classroom, and neither had Pomfrey or Sprout. Filch had his cat as his feet, the cat’s eyes gleaming in the rippled light of the twined fires. “Blood, oh Reynard, so much blood!”

“Show us, little flame, tell us, lead us,” Nuala whispered. “It is always the fox’s place to tell what comes next. The wolves to HUNT!”

“Ah, my love, we HUNT!” They howled together as the fox in their arms subsided into shuddering breaths and whining pants. Malgaunt tilted his head to stare at Hooch. “Hawk. . . do you fly here? Do we hunt? You the sky and we the grounds?”

“Perhaps, wolf. Or perhaps I leave you to your Pack, and you leave me to my aerie,” Hooch replied crisply.

Malgaunt barked a laugh. “Ah, I remember you know. I know your lineage. How’s the old hawk?”

“He’s fine.” Hooch’s eyes shuttered briefly. “Why have you come out of the Forest, wolf?”

“The fox stole from me.” He cocked his head. “But I think I won’t be leaving just yet.”

“Whyfor we stay, my love?” Nuala inquired, stretching lazily. “The fox can find us if she needs us. And the dragon can look after her just fine.”

“Aye, I suppose. . .” Malgaunt nuzzled her neck briefly. “We need to hunt, my mate.”

“That is true.” Nuala stood. “Give the fox to him, and let us leave. The captive magic here plucks at my senses. Makes me want to bite and rend and free it. . .” She bared her teeth. “It wants to scream.”

“And screams resounding there shall be.” Malgaunt gave the unconscious Vulpe into Draco’s arms. “Guard her well, for she knows what is to come. In half glimpses and confusion to be sure, but it’s more then anyone else is seeing these days. Even the centaurs.” The two wolves shifted and fled the stone halls, singing to each other of hunt and pain and blood. . .

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