Safety in Secrecy

[Kynthia Boulais]

Cherry yawned and let her head fall to one side. She was tired, but knew it would be foolish to nap outside as dirty and drenched as she was. It may have been that Cherry was tired or that she was simply slow. But she was confused now about Alaric's sleep problem. She did not want to show her confusion however so she bent to hide her face. Her hair hung across her eyes. She picked up her own bag and threw it over her shoulder. She grasped the bag's strap to keep it from rocking across her shoulder.

Cherry stood up, trying to grin through a yawn. She was not very keen on replacing the wand her father had made her, but she had dreamed of a wand that worked. "Uh. . ," Cherry blinked and then shrugged. "I hope so, I couldn't lie if he asked." There was a trace of doubt in her tone. Cherry rubbed her eyes wearily again. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up with him as tired as she felt. "Sure. Let's go." Cherry followed him, doing her best to walk straight.

[alariclarsstouner]

Alaric could see that she was beginning to get confused with his sleeping problem. He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled right at her. He knew that it would be pretty useless to explain to her since he didn’t want to burden her further about it. He then continued to stretch his body and he just sighed when he felt the stiffness disappear from his muscles. “Well, I’ve got to apologize for confusing you with my problems. I didn’t really mean to make you tired of thinking,” he then said.

Upon seeing her expression, he knew that she would want to take his offer to see a wandmaker since it would practically hard for her to manage at school without a useful wand. He was then interested on what kind of wand she had. “Don’t worry about that, he’s a good person and I don’t think he would be asking you such personal stuff,” he then assured her. He then noticed that as she walked, her gait seemed unsteady so he walked back to her and took her arm. “You seemed very tired, I’ll help you walk,” he then said, hoping that it was okay with her.

[Kynthia Boulais]

Cherry shrugged wearily. She had been afraid Alaric would take notice of her incomprehension. Cherry wasn't very intelligent but she tried her best at things. When Alaric began to stretch, she watch him closely. When he sighed, Cherry was startled. She realized she had been staring at him and was quite ashamed of herself. "It isn't your fault. I am not very sharp, you see?' Cherry cringed with the confession. "I can be forgetful and others usually make me feel stupid. Professor Slytherin and his students remind me how foolish I am all the time. I can mess up alot. I try my best though,"

Cherry had never expected to be treated so pleasantly by another student. She had not met many other students and thought that no one would have much time for her. She appreciated the gesture that Alaric proposed but Cherry was sure that she could mess things up somewhere along the way. Cherry nodded to Alaric's reassurance. She nearly collapsed onto him when he turned back to help guide her. Cherry let him take her hand. "I am very tired. It's okay. You can leave me behind if I slow you down." Cherry yawned, turned her head away from Alaric. She had made the trek to the Hufflepuff common room many times before now. "I wont mind."

[alariclarsstouner]

Alaric just smiled and turned to gaze at her. “Don’t worry about that. In fact, I feel guilty for making you think too much. I’m really sorry about that,” he then said. He knew that it was really hard for her to think straight, let alone with so many things happening to her. “I guess it’s not really nice of them to actually taunt such a good-natured student as you are,” he then added, through gritted teeth. He hated it whenever people judge their peers. “I know you are trying your best so please just keep it up.”

Upon keen observation, it seemed that Cherry found him to be a good person. Deep down, he was glad to help her. He was really affected by her situation and he knew that she needed all the help she could get. “Don’t worry I’ll be giving the wand as a gift for helping me,” he then said, smiling. He was glad that she didn’t make a move to resist him when he held her arm to help her steady herself. “I don’t mind, I will help you get back to the castle.” He then made a move to lift her on his back. “Is it okay if I carry you? It would be much easier and faster,” he then asked, knowing that she might not consent if he did it suddenly without informing her.

[Kynthia Boulais]

Cherry expected Alaric to leave her there. There were very few people who even glanced twice at her without glaring or worse. She was not pure blood or rich. She found Alaric's decisions highly confusing so far. But she preferred not to think on it too much. "O- Okay. Thank you." Cherry finally accepted Alaric's apology, being a bit too exhausted and embarassed to argue her own ineptitude further. "I don't like them. Sometimes I think about hurting people. I never think like that. It is very uncomfortable. So, I just cry instead. Like how you found me. But that was about something else, as you know."

Cherry was more than a little confused by Alaric's question. But she was not prepared enough to stage a defence or alternative against the reasoning that Alaric provided. So she nodded her head nervously in response. "Sure." Cherry wondered if she was really so slow that she needed to be carried. "And you probably shouldn't, I don't know what I'd do if I had to carry a wand everywhere to be able to do anything. Its likely best if I just continue as I am now."

[alariclarsstouner]

Deep inside, Lars knew that she was the type of person who would rather struggle on her own than ask people for help. He knew that werewolves were loners in nature and for him, it was rather natural for her to act like that. However, he also realized that not all the time, they must face their problems alone. “You know, I guess it’s already your nature to be rather reclusive and secretive and I respect that. However, you cannot just rely on yourself all the time. You also need friends who can help you. And I consider you my friend now,” he then said, smiling at her.

Now knowing her true nature, he now understood that she would really want to keep herself that way, that she would be able to survive studying at Hogwarts without a proper wand. He knew better than to argue with her regarding that issue. The best recourse for him at that moment was to let her decide on whether she would accept his offer or not. Studying her expression carefully, he could see that she didn’t want to accept. He sighed but he had no choice. “It’s fine for as long as you have at least a functional wand, you would at least be more prepared. You ought to know by now that full moons were unpredictable and only lasts for a short period of time. It would be difficult on your part to rely on it.” Seeing as she would not seem to like being carried, he walked right beside her, so that he would be able to support her walking.

(I'm really, really sorry for the late reply. )

[Kynthia Boulais]

OOC: Do not worry. I don't mind. =D

IC: Cherry leaned against Lars as they went along toward the castle. She smiled nervously. Glad he hadn't decided to leave her as she'd suggested. After a full moon, it was typical of her to fall into a schedule of several short naps throughout the next few days. So short a time after having been under the full moon, she frequently had nightmares that woke her from sleep. Cherry figured it was normal for werewolves so that occurence had never registered as a problem to her.

Cherry began to yawn and set the side of her face up against Lars' chest. She could smell him clearly, his scent woke her for awhile. She closed her mouth finally having finally finished with the yawn. Her eyes widened for a second. "I'm sorry. I would be happy to recieve any gift you would like to give me. I'm just a little anxious right now." Cherry put an arm around his back so that she wouldn't seem dead in her tired state. "Sorry again. I just find this day very surreal. I can hardly tell if I'm dreaming or not."

Cherry closed her eyes and yawned again. She was always wary about people seeing her with other boys, Cherry had always feared being envied by stronger spellcasters. She wondered if getting a new wand would really help her cast spells better though and smiled at the thought. She was now quite excited about the prospect.

[alariclarsstouner]

As they were making their way back to the castle, Lars felt Cherry lean on him and he figured out that she must be feeling very weak now that her ordeal was over. He then wondered whether she always experiences these changes whenever she transforms into a werewolf. He knew that if he had been on her situation, he would have felt the same. As he saw her face up against his chest, his curiosity was aroused as to whether his scent could be appealing to her. Brushing the thought aside, he then placed an arm around her back also to support her. “I know you’re just anxious, and I understand that. For now, just conserve your strength. You’ll be needing it for the days to come,” he then said. “I’ll be sending an owl over to inform you when will we go to the wandmaker’s shop.”

As he gazed at her, he was rather surprised by what she said about the day being very surreal. Although he had no clue on what could have made it surreal, he was glad that she was beginning to be more optimistic, if not happy. However, he then wondered whether she was not used to be seen around with boys as he noticed the rather anxious expression on her face. His thoughts were then interrupted because as he was looking around, he suddenly saw someone watching them. Judging by what he could see, the person was wearing what looked like to be typical attire for a woodsman. Thinking that he may just be dreaming, he blinked several times and when he could already see clearly, the person was already gone. Lars then wondered who that person might be and what he could be doing at the forest at that time.

[Kynthia Boulais]

Cherry nodded her head, more to keep herself awake than to affirm anything. She stifled a yawn and tried to convince herself that she was not so tired. "Thank you," she uttered softly after Lars put an arm around her. She had usually been able to make it to the Hufflepuff common room on the energy she got from the food in her supply packages, but waiting against the tree had invited her to rest early. "I will wait for your word patiently. Thank you again." Lars explanation made her feel like a child and she grinned to herself with the reminder that she was a child still. Cherry yawned again and was unable to prevent it this time around.

Cherry pat her stomach with her free hand softly. She could smell food and her stomach had churned in anticipation. Cherry suddenly stood upright, she was always aware that there were a few people out this early. Cherry looked at Alaric and witnessed him take notice of someone else. She released him and looked in the direction Lars had been gazing in. But what ever was there seemed to have moved before she could see it herself. She wondered if there had been anything there at all or if Lars just happened to enjoy the scenery. "What is it?"

[alariclarsstouner]

As they continued walking, Lars kept his arm on her back as he tried to steady her body. It was a good thing she managed to rest up before they made the trek back. He just nodded as he heard her tell him that she would patiently wait for his word about the upcoming wand shop visit and she once again thanked him. “No problem. It’s my pleasure helping you,” he said, smiling at her. As he watched her yawn, he figured that she really must need some sleep after what she went through.

At this point, Lars suddenly felt very hungry. It was a good thing that he managed to eat some food Cherry gave him so he had some strength to walk. However, he really felt that he had to eat a proper meal or else he would collapse. However, he was still shaken by the sudden appearance of the woodsman or was it a student? He wasn’t so sure. He then noticed that Cherry released her hand and looked also at the direction of which he last saw the man. He then placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “Nothing. I thought I saw someone but I guess I was just imagining things.” Lars then wondered whether the figure could really move that fast and disappear from their sight just like that.

[Kynthia Boulais]

Kynthia looked back at Alaric as he gave her his excuse for being so nosy. Cherry would have preferred he didn't know she was a freak but she could not avoid the truth of things. She liked the attention anyway. Cherry wished more people were as bold as Lars. "I understand. Your aid is appreciated." Cherry smiled sweetly. She had very little and did not know how else to thank Lars. "Just try not to tell anyone. I think I'd have to leave Hogwarts if they knew."

Kynthia suddenly detected a strong scent of what she had smelled earlier. She looked around as a paranoid would have. Seeming to forget that Alaric was there, Kynthia made a mad dash in the direction of Lars' ghost. She ignored what he said about it being nothing. Though not because she wanted to, she was unable to control herself properly. She ran away so quickly that she was soon on her own under a tree. The wind blew and the scent was lost to her again. Kynthia snapped out of her trance and looked around curiously. She tried to detect and sounds, sights or smells but all that she could sense was the calm nature around her. Cherry forgot about Lars, that seemed like so long ago. Despite having been only a few moments. She leaned against the tree and reached up to pull a leaf from it. Kynthia was unsure if she could make a run back the other way. Since her fatigue returned in double after the spell dissipated.

Kynthia let the wind take the leaf. She shrugged and resolved to hunt for food after a nap. She fell to her knees and began to pull up grass to construct a small bed. She grew curious and put a blade of the grass into her mouth and chewed it. She found the narrow plant difficult to chew. She spat it out though the wind blew it back and the saliva-covered grass stuck to her fore arm. Kynthia peeled it off and threw it away. She was never good a spitting things. Kynthia spotted a few purple flowers and took the petals off them and ate those instead. They were sweet, but hardly filling. Kynthia yawned and was about sprawled out on the bed she'd constructed in just a few minutes that merely consisted of a thin layer of pulled grass that she could really only lay her torso on.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars then gazed right at her again and realized that Cherry was beginning to get anxious again. He could sense that there was something worrying her. He then decided that he wouldn’t ask her about it, which meant that he would not be getting all nosy. He just nodded when she told him not to tell anyone about her being a werewolf. “I understand very well. Your secret is safe with me,” he then said. “You don’t need to thank me, I only did what I am supposed to do: to help others,” he added, smiling.

Suddenly, Lars was startled when Cherry started running towards the alleged woodsman/student he just saw earlier. Maybe she was able to detect his scent and was making a run towards him. When he realized that she wouldn’t turn back at all, he decided to run after her. As he was running, he could see that she was indeed a very fast runner; he just could not keep up with her. He then decided that maybe it was instinct that made her move like that. He then realized that in her haste, she must have forgotten all about him. Sighing, he nimbly climbed the tall tree nearest him and surveyed the environment around him. The dense trees made the sighting very difficult. Sighing once again, he then went down from the tree and just stood there, waiting to see if she would reappear once again. He decided that he would keep on waiting until she shows up.

[henrycozart]

(OOC: Cozart will just make his presence brief but this is to shed light into who was the ghost Lars saw in the forest.)

Cozart was sitting on a wide branch of a tall tree, currently deep in meditation. He just came back into his senses after his transformation last night. He was glad that he wasn't able to harm anyone during that time, although he has the ability to still think clearly despite being transformed. In his case, it was just like being an Animagus, only in wolf form. However, he could feel that he would be involved in a much more difficult situation when the next full moon comes. That is why he had to prepare himself physically and mentally when that time comes.

Suddenly, his nose caught the scent of two people about to approach his direction. Apparently curious, he jumped off the tree and walked towards their position and waited. After a few minutes, he could now see the two people, a guy and a girl walking along the forest. For some reason, he could sense that the girl was someone just like him, but he just didn't know yet what it could be. Suddenly, the guy looked towards him and he was consequently spotted. As if on cue, he slipped into the trees to avoid being found. Watching from the sidelines, he knew that the guy seemed flustered because he couldn't find him. However, he was alarmed when suddenly, the girl sprang up on action and began running towards his position. Surprised, he then began running also at a great speed, to avoid being caught. He then jumped on the tree nearest him, and climbed up so that she wouldn't think of chasing him up there. From his position, he merely watched as she moved about. It was then that he managed to confirm that she was also a werewolf like him.

When he saw her fast asleep, he then came down cautiously from the tree. He then approached her sleeping figure and looked at her. To him, she was indeed very beautiful and he felt his heart skip a beat for a strange reason. He then removed his red cloak and draped it over her like a blanket. He then crouched down and stroked her hair absently. After a few minutes, he then silently walked away from her, knowing that she would wake up a few minutes later.

[Kynthia Boulais]

OOC: Okay. I'll just apologize to Alaric and end it quickly then. =D

IC: Kynthia had remembered Lars as her eyes grew heavy. She thought of getting up to get back to him. The fatigue was something she had felt many times before. She knew she had people to meet, classes to attend and a bed for sleeping. But the wear of her transformation was far too much for her. She had guessed for some time now that she retained some semblance of control as a wolf, since she woke after a spell hungry. Cherry suspected that she was forcing herself to keep from feeding as a wolf. She had dreams of such possibilities at any rate. She'd never know if they were true or merely hopefulness however.

Kynthia woke though she was warm under the red cloak. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt as though she'd slept for quite some time but knew it had only been for a little while. Even though she could not remember the dream, Kynthia knew it had been the real reason she had wakened. She stood, wrapping the cloak around her shoulders. Kynthia started on her way back to the castle. The thought of who the cloak belonged to did not even cross her mind. She did not even take note of the fact that she had lost her bag somewhere in her haste.

When Kynthia saw Alaric standing under a tree, she waved at him. She felt quite ashamed for having taken off on him without a word. She had recovered enough energy to jog the way back to him though. She realized how dirty she must be and was further ashamed. She was really not used to entertaining people during the days surrounding the full moon. It would still be some time before she could look at him without feeling foolish. She chose to keep her gaze away from Alaric.

OOC: End thread. I suppose. =D