The Grate Escape

Students were cover in food as more flew from their hands to hit another. Professors were trying to contain the riot to no avail. No one was paying attention as she slipped out of the Grate Hall and running toward the quidditch pitch where she had stashed a bag full of her belongings and her beloved broom. Everything she owned had been stuffed inside with an expansion charm. The spell reminded her of Mary Poppins a movie she had gotten one day in London. The Nanny in the movie had a bag in which she held everything including a hat wrack and a house plant. It had baffled the kids in the movie.
At the pitch Adel ditched her school cloths in exchange for a pair of short shorts in a dark wash and a black cotton tee with a deep neck line. Though she wore dark cloths it wasn’t hard to spot her in the night that was lit by a full moon. The dim sun light that was reflected off of the surface of the moon that was so far away bounced off Adela’s blonde hair and pale legs as she snuck across the ground toward the forbidden forest. If she was going to make it out of here she had to go on ground until she was sure no one would notice her flying through the air and find it odd that a student was outside after permitted times. After dinner students were to go to their dorms not strolling about the grounds.
At the edge of the forest she stopped and looked up at the castle one last time. This was the last time she intended to see this place. “Good bye.” The castle felt more like home than her home did. Well Noah’s home. She no longer had a home after leaving with Quincy. Though he must have changed his mind about finishing school as she had not seen him. He had to have left too. If he didn’t need to finish school, then neither did she. The trek would have been easier if the path beneath the whomping willow to the shirking sack had not been destroyed. Or even if she had choose to run during the day on a Hogsmeed weekend. She could have just skipped the forest all together. That didn’t matter now. Addie need to leave, and now was the time. She would eventually reach the other side right?
Adela didn’t know how long she had been walking when she had started hearing the call of the wolves. Fear creeping through her. Reminding her of the full moon that loomed above. She had to be quiet. Her bag hanging from her shoulders she mounted her broom. Flying would be quieter and faster.

Gabby had been hungover all day in Hogsmeade, leaving him no choice but the forest. To be fair, he could have chosen the Shrieking Shack, but he tried to leave that to wolves who trusted themselves less than he did. With wolfsbane in his system, he knew he wasn’t Gabby, but he was basically just the puppy version of himself – which wasn’t far off from who he was anyway. The full moon really was just his time of the month - a time to air out some hidden emotions, and wake up aching everywhere.

Charlie Dyllan found him, because she had a knack for it, and they took their potion with a glass of Butterbeer to help it go down. After that, they made their way into the forest, a duffel bag swinging from each of them as night began to fall. They watched the stars shift and then gave their goodbyes for the night, parting ways to strip down so as to not ruin two perfectly good outfits. Clothes were zipped safely away up in the duffel bags, and then thrown up into trees so they would not be torn up.

And then, the pair waited. Waited for their limbs to break, their internal organs to split and reform, hair to burst from every follicle, mind to undergo rapid chemical changes. The conscious of the human receded, bowing to the dominance of the wolf’s instincts.

A long howl, the bright moon shining down on two beautiful coats.

A large sandy-colored wolf was romping about as his slender, ginger counterpart sniffed the area. The sandy wolf was always more exuberant, always excited to gnaw on sticks and hunt rabbits. The ginger moved slowly, fluidly, enjoying the sense of the forest.

Suddenly, the ginger wolf froze, staring about. The sandy wolf was gnawing on the carcass of a fallen bird, but finally lifted its head to check in with its companion. And that was when he smelled it, as well. A large, hulking wolf, a reject of the Greybacks that they had once run into before. But worse than that… the smell of a young female.

A human female.

They were immediately in pursuit.

The great grey wolf was stalking the girl, yellow eyes trained on her back. The wolf certainly wanted to taste her flesh, see her fall, watch blood spill. But she wasn’t one to take her prey down from behind. She wanted a fight.

She let out a small growl and stepped into the light. Run, little girl, run.

Everything had been going fine as Addie drifted slowly through the woods floating just above the ground on her broom as to not step on a stick or something and alerting someone, or something to her presence. But that didn’t matter when a low growl came from behind her. She knew what was happening. Adela froze at the sound that came from behind her. She didn’t dare turn around. She was being hunted. She could feel it. The hair on her arms standing on end.
What had Quincy told her to do if she had ever ended up in a situation like this? What was she supposed to do? All the memories of her life lessons with Quincy evaporated from her mind’s eye leaving her with only one thing she knew how to do, and that was to fly. Leaning forward she urged her broom to move faster pulling up ever so slightly so it would climb higher in the sky. Her only hope was to get high enough that the were behind her wouldn’t be able to reach, no matter what she tried.
Her heart was beating hard, it threatened to beat right out of her chest, as she swerved in and out of the trees as fast as she could. Which way was she supposed to be going? Which way had she come? She couldn’t remember. Did she dare to look behind her? The trees were becoming denser as she flew deeper into the forest. And she glanced over her shoulder quickly but it was too long. She collided with a tree becoming entangled in some of its branches. And her broom falling to the ground.
Crap! How was she going to get out now? If she waited until daylight when the werewolves would transform back into humans. One she could be attacked. Two if the odds were with her she could make it until morning. Three if she did survive until morning a professor could find she was missing and come looking for her.

The wolf didn't know how the little girl was managing to fly like a bird, but the wolf had snatched birds out of the air before - smaller, faster birds. She wasn't worried about swatting the misshapen little thing out of the sky.

The sandy wolf was running quickly, the ginger eager to slip ahead but deferring to the strength of the elder.

The little bird fell from the sky and collapsed into a tree. The grey she-wolf paused only briefly, and then began to move. Slowly, surely. Moonlight bathed her broad body as she entered the clearing, snuffling quietly in the night air. The little fallen bird could try to make an escape but it would not last long. She was stronger, faster, hungrier.

She leaned back, settling back onto her haunches, ready to launch herself forward and take the bird for her own. Her legs extended and left the ground. The little bird was getting closer, she could almost taste her.

Something solid slammed into the grey wolf, and air rushed out of her lungs. She and the sandy wolf collapsed. The ginger wolf had been commanded to wait on the the treeline and she whined impatiently, wishing to help as the other two wolves wrestled and bit at each other. The ginger wolf whined towards the girl, trying to call her towards her.

Though short as it was Adela's life seemed to flash before her eyes. She remembered all the days spent playing with Quincy the nanny close by. The lessons where she had been taught how to read and write, at the dinning room table. The time Quincy taught her to fly. When she was being taught to swim and her brother jumped in to save her because he thought she was drowning. She remembered stopping at her Fathers study yearning for his love. worst of all she remembered the day her father hurt her the most. Just as always Quincy had come to save her. They ran away together to build a happier life.
Just when she thought it was all over another wolf appeared knocking the first out of the way. were they fighting over her? She could hear another whining from amongst the trees. Why was it staying there. didn't it also want to eat her? But, the sound of the animals cries beckoned her. Was it a trick?
Addie looked back at the other two who were still fighting. Strangely she hoped that the one with the sandy colored fur didn't get hurt. He seemed different. Carefully as not to draw attention to herself Adel climbed down and dropped from the bottom most branch her nerves lighting up red from pain. Brushing it off she backed away from quarrel not brave enough to run.

The sandy wolf immediately grappled with the grey, snouts biting and hind legs kicking. Deep inside the wolf's conscious, Gabby could sense the fight and struggle. Worry was faint, as the wolf was as clever as he was at staying alive, leaving room for the excitement of some sort of cathartic experience. Gabby would totally feel this during the following days, on top of the usual aches of coming back from the transformation. But he didn't care. Tonight, he was wild and free.

The girl was moving towards the ginger wolf, who was watching in preparation for an attack. The gray wolf rolled away from the sandy, sinking her teeth into his back leg, causing him to collapse briefly. Immediately, the ginger sprung into action, sprinting past the human and hurtling towards the grey wolf.

The two she-wolves clashes, all gnashing teeth and flailing limbs. The ginger managed to get ahold of the grey's neck, hoping to pull her into a submissive state, but the grey suddenly flipped, ramming the ginger onto the ground, crushing the ginger, causing a whimpered cry.

The grey stood and trained her eyes on the human. No more games. She let out a howl and lept forward, crossing the distance in a second and a half, a milisecond from tackling the child.

The sandy wolf, once again, hurtled into the grey wolf, sending her sprawling. But the grey managed to swipe out and she felt the tear of flesh beneath her claws. The ginger wolf rolled over, skin dancing under the pain, and the smell of blood filled her nose. Oh no.