You don't want to watch me die, I just came to say...

The excitement of being in a new place would wear off soon, Ariel was vaguely sure. Once the dog discovered it was captive it would go spare. Ariel just wanted to be there when it realised that there was quite a bit of land separating him and the centaurs. Ariel could already hear the whines of indignation and they hadn’t even gotten up the stairs yet. Ariel sighed despairingly and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to listen to the puppy’s whining when it found out it couldn’t be chased by the female centaurs tonight. Poor baby, it really was a lady’s man. Not that centaurs could really be classed as ladies...could they?

The puppy bounced again and yipped once more, giving Ariel the opportune moment to thrust himself back into the driver’s seat of the body he was forced to occupy. Ariel strapped himself in so to speak and sat the puppy down on the steps. He looked at Jack carefully and stepped carefully down the stairs. He nudged her leg with his head before bouncing away and bounding up the stairs. The floorboards weren’t exactly sturdy underfoot but Ariel knew where to step. He was more concerned about Jack in that respect. He wasn’t sure when the floor was going to give in but Ariel didn’t want it to be any time soon; especially not if Jack was standing on it.

Ariel wished he could speak. The dog, however, didn’t care so much. It was shameless and wouldn’t hesitate in showing its affection for someone. Ariel didn’t think he could communicate anything remotely emotional whether that was verbally or not. He probably could if he cared to try. Ariel didn’t want to though. Not when everything rested on him being emotionally removed. Although what ‘everything’ was he wasn’t entirely sure. It was most likely his life, his mother’s life and Penny’s and Orion’s lives. Fenrir probably knew where his mother was right this second. That thought made Ariel’s blood run cold. That only made the wound thump harder against his ribs.

Glancing down at the wound, Ariel wished he hadn’t. He pushed himself forward; forcing himself to look away. Curiosity sent him and the dog, now working as a pair, into the room with the furniture. Ariel heard Jack’s whistle and he put her on hold for a second while he looked around the room. His eyes fell on a large, sheeted object in the corner of the room and he yipped at the open door, calling Jack. Ariel lumbered towards the object and caught the sheet between his teeth. He pulled at it and the dog growled in concentration. Ariel whipped his head to the side and the sheet fell away from the object which he could now identify as a grand piano.

Ariel sat back and blinked rapidly. It was truly beautiful. It was white wood. He could see the grain and he was yearning to run his fingers across it. He looked down at the paws and heard a chuckle in the back of his mind. Piano? it spoke now, Whose idea was that? Your mother’s? This time, Ariel’s blood really did run cold and he bolted from the room. He dived into the room Jack was in, whirling past her, and threw himself underneath one of the chairs still covered in its sheet. His tail was sticking out of the sheet, unbeknownst to the Slytherin. Fenrir get out of my head! he shouted inside his own mind, making the dog flinch within it. He heard the ghostly chuckle again and began to shake. He could hear him. Fenrir was close, in the forest perhaps, and he wanted Ari to come out to play.

Jack began to survey the room, walking along its outer edges and glancing at the torn up wallpaper and the banged up wood. The entire shack seemed to have been torn out, from the inside out. The poor house had taken a lot of abuse, a lot of torture. It had probably been really nice before, someone's dream home on a hill, where they planned to have family puttering around... Not rumors of ghosts. Not fluffy werewolves. Ah well. Jack would rather have the latter two than the puttering family as of now.

Jack wondered what was taking Arie and the pup. She knew Ari probably didn't like being whistled at, but it was easier to get the pup's attention that way. She walked over to the door and placed a hand on the frame, to see a glimpse of something white fluttering to the ground. One of the sheeted objects had been unveiled. She smiled and turned away, deciding to let the pup have his fun tearing the sheets down if that's what he wanted.

She turned and walked over to her knapsack, opening and wondering to herself what she had in it that may come in use to her that night. She heard a squeak of floorboards and she turned to glance at the door, opening to address the great white pup she was sure was approaching, but in a flash of blonde she found herself, instead, staring at an empty doorway.

She turned, her eyes falling n the sheeted chair, one conspicuous puppy dig tail poking out of it from behind. The sheet was shaking pretty badly and Jack slowly approached, calling softly, "Ari? Pup?" She was not sure if Ariel was there, able to find comfort from her, but she was hoping. she crouched in front of the chair and said, "It's just me" before carefully lifting the sheet to reveal the shaking wolf. "What's wrong? No one's going to hurt you. That's why I'm here."

Although an idiotic place to hide, underneath a sheeted chair seemed to be Ariel’s best bet at present. Ariel was scared. The puppy was too although, bless him, he really didn’t understand. Fenrir around meant that the pack was around and if the pack was around, Jack was in danger.

When Ariel came to that confusion he stopped cowering. The sheet was pulled up and he lifted his head to look around at Jack. Ariel crawled out from underneath the chair and licked her cheek. Ariel looked at Jack curiously, as if the minutes before hand hadn’t happened, before licking her once more and nudging her shoulder with his head, hoping to make her fall over. Ariel sat down and turned his head towards the window. He got to his feet once more and bobbed over. Ariel poked his head over the side and peered out, only to see darkness. Returning to Jack, Ariel decided to settle down beside her and rested his head on his paws.

Not being able to talk was really beginning to wind Ariel up. He sighed wistfully and allowed the puppy to come back and have a little bit of control. It showed no desire to move, though which pleased Ariel greatly. They both seemed tired and troubled; the puppy more so because it realised Ariel was. They both seemed to want to keep Jack safe it seemed and if Fenrir was out and about with the pack then Ariel was going to have a job of it. He didn’t think they’d come for a visit, not unless they wanted a fight. Knowing them though, they probably did. That was the last thing Ariel wanted. Well, a fight and another opportunity for Fenrir to find him a mate. He didn’t want one of them either. Having someone give birth to children that were damned from the moment that they were conceived wasn’t what Ariel wanted. It was unavoidable though, whether it was a werewolf mate or human.

Ariel heard a howl and his ears pricked up. Well, the dogs’ did. The animal looked around and its golden gaze fell on the window. It scrambled to its feet and walked semi-confidently over to the window once more. It rose up onto its hind legs and only just managed to stop itself from hitting the ceiling. The puppy ducked its head and looked out of the window, seeking out the wolves that would stand out like sore thumbs among the thin array of trees. He caught some movement near a stream and a deer bolted from the area. Ariel frowned mentally and the puppy dropped back down onto all fours. What now?

The pup, or was Ariel in control now?, seemed to regather his composure and licker her cheek. Jack grinned and the great wolf did it again, knocking her over. She had been squatting on her haunches so she fell backwards and landed on her backside, and she let out a small laugh. The great wolf came and lied down next to her and she smiled, reaching out and putting a hand on his head, running her fingers through his fur as she scooted closer. He was warm and the Shack was not exactly the best insulated place around.

Jack watched the great wolf. Something had upset him, or the human inside him that Jack considered her friend and she was worried for them both, for all three. She concentrated instead on keeping a calm expression and demeanor, on running her hands through the fur atop the blonde pup's head, on concentrating on what she did best. Being the one that was there when no one else would be.

The pup's ears pricked and she strained her own. A howl. A chill and understanding ran through her. "Oh, we have company," she whispered knowingly. She was not afraid of many things. Werewolves were no different from anything else to her, she found no reason to fear them. The difference was while she trusted Ariel, she did not know what others were roaming the forests tonight.

The pup had went to the window and stared out intently. Jack moved up and walked over to the window, though she stayed out of view. If there was a werewolf watching, whether or not she could see it did not mean whether it could see her or not. She crouched at the window and pulled out her her wand, beginning to cast protective spells around the shack. She was not sure if they protected against werewolves, but it was better safe than sorry. She knew she should be worrying about herself, but she did not want Ari and the pup tormented. "Sounds like the puppies are bored, huh? Maybe they'll entertain themselves."

Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest was that podgy Ravenclaw. Somewhere else in the forest there was that Hufflepuff that was connected to the Lupins. Somewhere in the forest, Zack was wandering around, looking for Ariel. The puppy recognised the scent of the gangly, tattooed mongrel. It was a stench like no other. Ariel often wondered why his father kept him around. He did know why, though. Out of all of them, Zack had the best sight. Ariel’s was fair but if you wanted someone found, Zack was your man. Ariel knew the werewolf had probably already spotted him, it was just a case of sniffing him out before Gary and Trent decided to join the fold.

The latter two were difficult to throw off when Zack had a scent. When Zack caught what he wanted, Gary found it and then Trent soon after. They were fast, too fast, and would catch up with the target before he or she had a chance to run away. Ariel wanted, no, he needed to avoid them; for his sake as much as Jack’s. Trent and Gary may have been fast but they weren’t smart; not like Zack was or rather, pretended to be. Ariel was worried. The pup had never gotten on with the trio of men. That wasn’t likely to change either. The bastards never went anywhere without Fenrir’s go ahead. If they weren’t looking for Ariel then what were they after? They couldn’t possibly be going for the town could they?

Ariel doubted it.

Huffing, Ariel walked over to Jack and sat down beside her. He watched as she set up some spells and felt at a complete loss. He licked her hand again and nuzzled it with his nose before looking up at the redheaded Gryffindor. There were so many things he needed to say right now. He had no words, though. No ability to say words. That’s what aggravated Ariel the most. When another howl sounded, the werewolf bounded back towards the window. He pulled the curtains across; blocking the sight Zack had and looked over at the knapsack Jack had put down. He dropped his nose to the floor and began to sniff, working his way over to it before picking the bag up and shaking it.

Jack watched the pup carefully. She could see that beneath the fluffy exterior was Ariel thinking about something, worrying over something. She bit her lip but what could she say? What could she ask? All of it would go unanswered, unsaid, forgotten. Jack instead finished up her spells and moved away, walking towards the center or the room.

A cold touch alerted her and she looked down at the great pup that had taken a seat next to her and nuzzled and licked her hand. Again, he reacted before she identified the distraction as a howl, but she did not follow him to the window. If they knew he was here, it would only be bad to reveal that he was not alone, that a scrawny redhead was here too.

The pup trotted over to her bag and began to nose through it. Suddenly he picked it up and began to shake it. Jack hopped up- she did have things in it and went over to it. "Hey," she said, snickering despite herself. "I need that, thank you." She sat down across from the dog, reached out and seized the bag and pulled with her might. "Let go, pup!" She said, grinning. "I don't need a new bag. Ari, you better not be getting a kick out of this."

(sorry, Hell Week, so posting is eh)

The pup wasn’t happy and neither was Ariel. Both were waiting for Gary, Trent and Zack. The pup was feeling more destructive though and was gearing itself up for a fight yet was still managing to keep its cool. What was aggravating Ariel was that he couldn’t just listen out for the trio. He had to focus on Jack and on what the pup was doing. He had a feeling the pup knew where they were anyway, it just wasn’t letting on. Ariel sighed mentally and looked at Jack. The pup was still pulling on the bag while his mind was reeling. The wards wouldn’t work. Unless Jack knew wards that were specific enough to keep them out then the pup was going to get his fight. Ariel was worried. They didn’t play fair. It would be him on his own trying to keep them at bay – away from Jack.

Another howl met Ariel’s ears and the pup released the bag. It bounded over to the window and pulled the curtains down, no longer caring about whether Zack could see or not. Ariel formulated a plan in his mind, passing it through to the pup. If they-

There was a bang and the pup froze. Its ears twitched and Ariel listened to the paw-falls as the dogs walked across the floorboards. Ariel looked out of the window and met the golden gaze of Zack who looked like the cat that had gotten the cream. He’d caught Ariel. He was in for a payday. Perhaps Fenrir would give him a mate in exchanged. Maybe he’d give Jack to the bastard. That thought made Ariel’s blood boil. Certainly they’d turn her as soon as they had him. She shouldn’t have been here. Why had he allowed her to stay? Cursing his own idiocy, Ariel pushed himself away from the window, taking over the dog, and sprinted to the door.

Ariel heard a growl and his eyes flicked to the staircase where he could see a pair of golden orbs glistening in the shadows. Another pair joined those and Ariel heard a snarl. He saw a flash of black and found himself pinned down; his neck caught between Trent’s teeth. The werewolf bit down on Ariel’s neck and the pup squirmed uncomfortably. Ariel saw the delight in Trent’s eyes and found a resolve. He thrust his legs upwards and kicked the werewolf away, sending him flying towards one of the wooden walls. The wood split as Trent hit it and he went through, disappearing into the next room.

Glancing towards the doorway, Ariel watched as Gary sank further back into the shadows. Ariel turned his attention back to the hole in the wall and he waited for Trent to show his face. When he did, it was only momentarily as he ducked down and burst through the wooden boards below where he’d fallen through the wall. He coursed towards Ariel and the blonde Werewolf lowered his head. Trent pounced and Ariel lifted his head, rising up on his hind legs. He sent Trent over his shoulders and slammed back down onto his paws. Ariel turned around and watched the other werewolf crash through the wall opposite the last.

Ariel, keeping his eyes on both the hole in which Trent disappeared and the staircase, slowly walked back towards Jack. He heard the unmistakable growl that belonged to Zack and he glared at the staircase. Trent hadn’t moved, Ariel’s ears had told him that. He was bleeding though. Trent’s teeth had broken the skin much to Ariel’s dismay. That would be a b*tch to heal. Jack needed protecting. Gary would be distracted by Trent. Zack, on the other hand, wouldn’t be. That’s who Ari’d have to be worried about. Ariel growled at Gary who was advancing slowly towards where Trent was and the werewolf sprang back, scared of Fenrir’s heir. As he rightly should’ have been. Ariel didn’t pick his parents but Fenrir’s influence really was coming in handy.

Zack crept forward, his arrogance making him forget his place and Ariel glared at the long-haired, ebony wolf. Zack’s golden eyes danced over Jack and he licked his lips. Ariel barked possessively and glared at Zack who gave a wolfish smile. Ariel lifted his head high and turned his nose up at Zack who bowed his head mockingly. Zack’s voice dance around in Ariel’s mind, let me have a bit of her, Ariel. Daddy-dearest would never approve would he? Humans...so very overrated. A growl ripped form Ariel’s throat and Zack’s laughter echoed in his mind. I want a mate too, Ariel....you can’t keep that for yourself. How selfish... Ariel growled again and Zack sat back on his haunches. He wasn’t taking him seriously.

Ariel reached out and swiped Zack across the face with his claws, digging them in to his face. Zack recoiled and Gary sprang through the hole in the wall there Trent was. He tackled Ariel and bit down on Ariel’s thigh. Ariel kicked Gary away and sank his teeth into Gary’s shoulder. The werewolf yipped and sprang away, retreating to the doorway. Zack turned his golden gaze on Ariel and glared. Ariel barked threateningly at Zack and rose up proudly, his chest puffing out slightly. Mine, he sent the word to Zack and watched in interest as the shock seeped through onto his face.
Your mate? Zack questioned. Ariel lowered his head in a half nod and Zack huffed. Your mate is dead meat walking. Zack told him. Ariel growled and the ebony werewolf regarded him calmly, flipping his fringe out of the eyes of the wolf as he did so. It’s an eye for an eye Ariel, he reminded him, casting a look over to the hole in the wall. Trent was dead.

Zack approached Ariel calmly and hit him across the face, digging his own claws in and extracting blood. He stepped away, placing his paw on the floor and watched as the blood mingled in with the white-blonde fur. I shall go and tell Fenrir you’re alive, he said, casting a wary looking in Trent’s direction before turning his back on Ariel. Don’t forget. It’s an eye for an eye...and that doesn’t always mean death. Ariel exhaled in relief when Zack disappeared down the stairs and dropped himself down onto the floor. Ariel growled in frustration and dropped his head onto his paws. He was right. An eye for an eye didn’t always mean death. Death didn’t always hurt as much as people believed it did.

Jack pulled the bag away and then fell backward slightly. A howl sent her standing up straight, eyes wide. That was closer... Suddenly, she heard footsteps... She glanced at the big pup who had noticed already, and suddenly there were eyes staring at her from the darkness. The werewolf slipped closer into the room, and then two more were behind him. Jack trusted Ariel. Not them...

She raised her wand, setting her jaw. Suddenly, the pup was pinned by one of the werewolves and Jack raised her wand, but there was no way to ensure she wouldn't hit Ariel. She glanced up at the others and pointed her wand tat them, doing the only thing she could to keep Ariel safe. She suddenly realized she was defending herself against three wolves with a stick. Her confidence seemed somewhat silly...

Suddenly, the pup threw the other werewolf off of him and Jack could not help but wince as the creature flew through the wall. Not long after the wolf pulled himself from the wreckage of the hole in the wall and ran towards Ari. He threw the him over his shoulder and he went crashing against the wall, making Jack move, raising her wand just in case, but there was no sign of movement from the wolf that had been sent flying.

Ariel moved back towards her and she glanced, wincing slightly when she saw some blood in the thick of his blond fur. A new wolf slipped into the open, his shiny black coat gleaming against the moonlight and she saw his gaze was fixed on her. She felt her jaw set and her eyes narrow, almost a challenge to him. Ariel let out a bark and she watched the other wolf. They seemed to be sizing each other up, messing with each other...

Ariel suddenly growled and swiped at the black wolf and suddenly, one of the wolves that had disappeared was jumping through the air towards Ariel. Jack sent a blasting curse towards him but it hit the wall as he landed on Ari. They struggled before the other retreated and watched as Ariel managed to stand again, letting out a loud bark.

She knew she was missing something. They were watching each other, conversating probably, but she had no clue about what. The black wolf swiped at Ari again, drawing blood, and then he was gone, leaving Ari and Jack alone. She lowered her wand and crept over to the hole where the other werewolf had disappeared. She did not even have to cast Lumos. She could tell in the dim lighting that he was dead.

She turned and saw Ariel on the ground, head on his paws. She glanced at his wounds. She had never been great at Healing, but she had a first aid kit. She went over to her discarded knapsack and fished around until she found the kit. She strode over to the blond wolf and dropped to her knees beside him, pulling out anti-sting wipes and cleaning the bleeding wounds on his face and side. She tossed the pink wipe away and cradled the blonde head, closing her eyes. “Thank you. You did well.”

The wounds were angry and Ariel could feel the tell-tale burn of the disease coarse through him. Lycanthropy was the disease; his disease. It was terminal. One way or another, the host always died. The disease was a poison. The host would always lose themselves in some way or another. Some lost their mates and in turn, lost the better half of themselves – their human half. Some lost their sanity, living in the wild driving them over the edge. And some, like Ariel no doubt, would just slip away no longer wanting to fight the curse. Some saw the silver lining, though. Some survived. Ariel didn’t know how and he didn’t know why but there was always talk among the pack, stories in the stars, tales in the runes...people did survive. How was the greatest mystery and it was probably the simplest of things.

A shot of pain scored its way through one of the teeth marks and Ariel hissed. He looked up and saw Jack knelt beside him, dabbing the antiseptic wipes against the wounds. Ariel hated that smell. He wrinkled his nose and the pup whined despairingly. It allowed her to cradle its head while Ariel’s mind whirled. Zack was always right when it came to the pack traditions. That was a family thing. To them, their Lycanthropy was important. When the children were old enough – five or six – they’d be bitten. Ariel couldn’t do that to his own children. Fenrir was late. He’d been pressured by the pack, Ariel didn’t doubt that. Getting back at Fiona was just a convenient cover. Spiting someone or feeling the pressure of being an alpha with no heir regardless, Ariel still couldn’t do that to his children. Not that he’d be foolish enough to pro-create. He didn’t even want to pass the genes on; the genes that would make them prey to other werewolves.

Despite all their flaws; werewolves would protect their cubs regardless of the cost. Ariel was just disappointed that this general trait didn’t extend to his own father. He was lonely. The one person he could relate too wanted nothing to do with him unless it suited.

Sighing, Ariel nuzzled Jack’s hands. He licked her fingers and closed his eyes before letting his head rest back in her lap. He was listening to the retreating steps that Zack and Gary were taking. Gary was retracing his steps and turning around. He was reluctant to leave. Ariel lifted his head abruptly and looked over at the hole in the wall. He whined pitifully and dropped his head back down once more. Trent was dead. Now Jack was in danger. Ariel didn’t think Gary had the backbone. Well, he didn’t think so anyway. Gary was more of a mate to Trent than Helena was. Together they were dangerous. It would be alright. He hoped so anyway. No, he knew it would. Ariel had faith in the pup, in himself and in Jack. Not that she’d know that revenge-seeking wolves were going to try and avenge their friend and mate.

Perhaps Ariel would have to go and see daddy after all. For advice at the very least.

Ariel lifted his head again and looked at Jack, a sad look in his eyes. He looked down at his paws and sighed. He was voiceless and he had so many things to say. Ariel took his eyes off of the redhead and looked at the window. The moon was still high in the sky. The night was young, child-like. Ariel turned his head back and nudged Jack before lying down on the floor. Sleep. Sleep would help. Sleep would be wonderful. It would aid the healing process. Ariel rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes, sparing a look at Jack before dropping the lids.

Jack watched carefully as the last werewolf retreated and then allowed herself to relax, though she put her wand in her show so that the handle poked out. If need be, she could withdraw it in a matter of milliseconds. She did not think Ari needed to waste any more energy tonight being the hero, the protector. She would take this shift...

She felt a tongue touch her hand and she looked down to see the pup rest his head in Jack's lap. She let out a sigh and dropped her hands, one hand tangling into the fur on the pup's next, the other cupping his ear calmly, trying to comfort him. She had expected a lot of things of the night, she had not been expecting a lot as well, and it seemed the worst had happened. She would have been less afraid if somehow the Wolfsbane did not work, because she knew that still, Ariel was there.

Suddenly the pup raised his head and Jack looked down at him, meeting his gaze, and saw sadness swimming in his eyes. She brushed the area between his eyes and offered him a small smile. "Its okay." He let out a doggy sigh and rested his head on his paws. For a minute there was silence, before the pup met her gaze again and then lowered his head. She sat next to him and felt his breathing getting deeper and knew he was asleep.

She slowly stood and and crossed to the window, daring to peer inside. She glanced out and saw a figure darting towards the forest which she took to be one of the wolves. She walked over to her bag and fished out of one of the cheap Sneakoscopes she had begun to stock at Wheezes. She set it out on the ground and dropped her knapsack, picking up one of the pillows and pulling out her wand to clean it.

She strode back over to the slumbering pup and dropped the pillow at his shoulder blades before lying down next to him and turning over so she was back to back with him, absorbing his warmth. She curled up slightly, pulling her knees up and lying her head on the pillow. She could feel the adrenaline from the attack wearing off ad she scooted closer to the figure next to her, wanting to stay awake but finally allowing herself to fall into a light sleep, ready to jump up at the slightest disturbance...