1995-04-15B: Salem

Participants:

Siobhan_icon.gif Jack_icon.gif Chase_icon.gif Pete_icon.gif

Scene Title Salem
Synopsis It's time to find Holly…
Location CLASSIFIED
Date April 15, 1995
Watch For Werewolves!
Logger Holly

Port keys are interesting things that Muggles would probably kill for. Much like teleportation, it whisks people from one point to another in mere seconds. One moment, the trio is in Great Britain - the sun is setting and darkness is starting to fall - and the next - they're in a forest on the East Coast of the United States. The sun is still high in the sky, though the patches of snow on the ground don't seem to be affected too much.

Through the trees within walking distance, hidden from Muggle eyes, is the castle. It's probably a little smaller than Hogwarts, not nearly as old, and not quite as elaborate. Muggles could feasably find their way to it if they really wanted to, but they'd forget about it completely within a handful of hours.

A bald eagle sits on a signpost. Letters carved out of it long ago read 'Salem Academy —>'. The eagle trills - a delicate sound from such a large bird - and takes off through the trees toward the establishment. Perhaps this is the guide meant to bring them to the person they're seeking.

—-

Jack has never been to Salem. He's been to several other places in the U. S. However, coming to where his little brother teaches hadn't been an option up to this point. He gazes around and gives a low whistle. It's beautiful. He gazes for a long moment at the bird and frowns. "Should we follow him?" He makes a wild assumption that the bird is male.

Jack also gazes around at the two women who accompanied him. Are you alright, Rosie?" It's a careful tone, not wanting to imply any form of patronization. "Rowena, this place is pretty." He inhales, and waits to hear what they think about following the bird inside.

—-

"Hi Murgatroid, what's been—" Chase begins; only to watch the bird fly away - causing her to frown slightly, "Aloof little so-and-so."

To Jack, she simply blinks a couple of times before nodding her head, "Well, if we're going to start looking here then yeah - follow Murgatroid. He'll probably let people know we're coming, too."

—-

"I'm fine, Jack." Siobhan rolls her eyes. "Not the first time I've been by Portkey!" Pushing to her feet, she brushes herself off and grins hugely. There's a pretty bird and a castle and a piece of alien earth that she's never set foot on before. An excitement she thinks may very well be addictive settles into her bones and a laugh more carefree than any sound she's let slip in months slips from her lips. From a stop, she breaks into a dead run, chasing after that eagle as if she could follow him into the very air. "C'mon, you lot!" she calls over her shoulder. "Move your legs!"

—-

Apparently, Jack is the slowpoke here. He chases after his sister, giving a laugh that nearly matches her own. He's glad to see her enjoying herself, and they're here where Pete is and Holly's here somewhere. He follows the bird and heads down toward the school. "Murgatroid?" He asks Chase as he speeds past her. He whispers the name again. "Murgatroid." He shakes his head, narrowly avoiding a low branch.

—-

"Don't look at me like that," Chase adds a little snippily, apparently the Case of the Missing Holly has put her in a Mood despite the fact that she's back at her old stomping grounds, "I didn't name him." And then she takes off after Sio.

—-

Siobhan runs, she runs so far away; she ran, she ran all night and - oops, wrong song. Approaching the castle, Siobhan slows her pace, eventually coming to a complete stop to stare at the stone building with a big grin on her face. Door? Cool! A few more steps are jogged and then she reaches up and bangs. Loudly.

—-

Murgatroid nears the castle, turning his head only once to call over his shoulder as if to say 'are you still back there?' Though a bird cannot smile, it seems pleased to see the others keeping up.

Eventually, the castle is there in front of them, revealed from among the trees. Red and grey stone dominates the bulky structure, and a slightly upward-tapered design gives the castle the illusion of looking heavy. Gargoyles line the outer walls, looking down on the approaching visitors. Each has eyes made of gems or semi-precious stone. They seem interested, albeit silent.

The eagle circles the area, waiting until Siobhan knocks on the enormous door. Only then does it come to light on one of the stone arms of a gargoyle perched just above the door. The stone creature crawls down the wall, eagle still placidly perched on its arm, and looks at them with shining eyes of ruby, from one, to the other, to the last. "I will take you," it states, stepping clear off the wall and onto the stone-covered floor. The doors swing open. "Please, enter."

The entrance hall of this castle is low compared to Hogwarts. The walls are lined with living vines, twining around somewhat modern decoration and the portraits of headmasters and headmistresses who have served the school. Since it's afternoon here, the hall is also full of American students heading to and from classes. Some of them seem curious, though others don't seem to particularly care. The gargoyle continues its steady pace toward a more open area off the hall.

—-

"Brilliant." Sounding ever so English, Jack steps into the room after the gargoyle. "He's probably still teaching, yeah?" Obvious question, more to direct his own thought than anything else. He grins cheekily at a passing girl and looks closer at the walls. "Nice greenery."

—-

Chase seems to be livening up now that she is back at the Academy. She practically skips down the corridor, looking here and there to see what might have changed, "So who're we looking for exactly? Besides Miss Maplewood?"

—-

Once in the hall, Siobhan head straight for that stone gargoyle. "Excuse me," she begins, because you never can tell with these old castles. The upholstery might be the doorman! And the gargoyle looks conspicuous enough, right? "Can you tell us where Professor Noble's classroom is? I rather need to tackle my brother for liftin' my Best of Queen cassette."

—-

"No," the Gargoyle says in its best impersonation of a snooty British accent. It manages to look annoyed as it glances over its shoulder at the young woman. "You can wait in the mess hall."

Because it's not for dining in America, it's for Messes.

It - possibly he? - shoulders open a door, and here it becomes clear that some of the very wizards who attended Hogwarts had a hand in designing this castle, too. The room is very similar, though situated quite differently. There are no house tables, simply numerous tables set in rows up and down the floor, and there are a few students sitting at them at the moment, eating.

There's one major difference, though. Up where the teachers' table would be, there's a booth. Behind it, there are several gargoyles who seem to be serving lunch. The menu for the day is emblazoned on their outstretched wings with a magical blue script.

"You can wait here," the ruby-eyed gargoyle says. The eagle chirrups again, and both turn to leave.

—-

"Sure it was Pete? Sure it wasn't Mick?" Jack asks, with a grin. He likes seeing his sister in this mood. Of course, it was probably Pete taking the cassette, but he needles his sister anyway. "That's different." He nods toward the serving table.

"Didn't say you did, mate. Just sayin' it's an interesting name." Of course, Hogwarts students have no room to talk, considering some of the names of the ghosts and houses there. "Does he come out here, you think? Do the teachers all eat in here?" That's not always the case.

—-

"They do, yeah," Chase pipes in, being the only one in their little group at the moment who actually went to Salem and knows these things, "They're not eating now, though." Statement of obvious.

—-

"Mess?" Siobhan's nose wrinkles up in confusion. "How come you've got a room just for messes - oh." Eating. Who'da thunkit? An entire country with table manners like Sio's. Neat! However, not relevant. Turni hips. "He's not down there an' Pete, he takes forever to get anywhere an' it's really rather urgent, so if you'd please direct me to his classroom, I'd be grateful."

—-

The ruby-eyed gargoyle rolls its eyes. It's kind of hard for a gargoyle with eyes made of gemstones to roll them, but this creature succeeds. "You Brits. I swear. Fine. Follow me, but if I get in trouble…" The gargoyle leaves the threat open-ended, continuing to grumble under its breath as it heads toward a staircase. It doesn't look back to see if they're following. It'll just assume that they are. Besides, the eagle is looking back at them, and Murga would certainly tell the gargoyle if they got lost.

Again, the 'borrowed' Hogwarts engineering is fairly prevalent. The grand staircase is somewhat similar in design, only the decor is much more modern. The stairs are covered with tile instead of stone, and the railing seem quite new - carved oak or something. The vines carved into them move now and then, though, and even if it's two-dimensional relief, one can feel them moving underhand as if the vines are affected by touch.

"His classroom is on the second floor. You know, it would have been easier if you'd just let me bring him to you." Grump, grump.

—-

"Yeah, but would it have been as fun? And we wouldn't've been able to see this place. It's nice." Jack puts on the charm again, although he really doesn't expect it to work on a gargoyle. Worth a shot, though. "Oh, I dunno, Rosie. I've seen 'im move quickly…" His grin doesn't bode well for Pete; the memory Jack has in mind is really embarrassing. "That one time…" Only the need for haste and the thought of getting to Holly quickly shut him up. "C'mon. Second floor, you say? S'his office there, too? Or…" Maybe that's different here, as well.

—-

Chase seems to be trotting ahead a bit, although she always falls back to follow along behind the gargoyle from time to time in order to not get lost. At present she's standing by a large, particularly grand portrait and chatting at such speed that one could be forgiven for thinking they're both going 'Eeeeeeee!'

—-

When the collection of witches and wizards do get to his room, (Last on the left don't you know), It would be easy to tell where Professor Noble's room is. As from the great oaken door one can already hear the tunes blaring, even if muted, and the small pane of window indicates easily enough. The black board has various incantations written out, as well as, the wand movements drawn out in that hand that screams of Peter's own unique font. The room itself seems to be tiered as an auditorium with the rows of oak desks are lined evenly so all the students can see and he seen.

As you come closer, dear wizards, the song is clear as day: "The Sweetest Thing" by U2. Blaring out from the old look victrola in the corner as the instructor is now in view via the window, a chair being levitated- showing off? Yes. But it seems he is working on levitation charms with first years at the moment. As it is, a brilliant time to knock

—-

Following the gargoyle, Siobhan rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "You can't get in trouble, you're The Gargoyle." She says this, of course, as if it is common knowledge and that even the Brits get it. Brown eyes narrowed slightly, she gives the stone guardian another once over. "Your eyes are really pretty," she notes in an aside. "Are they garnets?"

Oh look, short trip! That song is nearly a dead giveaway. Well, at least, it is if one knows Pete. Siobhan, however, doesn't bother with such things as knocking. Instead, she charges right in the door and hops up to sit on the corner of his desk, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap. It's the utter Picture Of Innocence; which, of course, means that she is Anything But. Still, she doesn't really interrupt, she just smiles widely and watches her older brother attentively, seeming almost genuinely interested in the floating chair.

—-

The gargoyle actually facepalms. "Rubies. Professor, I tried to tell them to wait for you in the cafeteria. They insisted on following me here. Sorry to interrupt your class." And that seems like all the gargoyle has to say on the matter. It doesn't seem as if this one will be flattered by Siobhan's persistence.

And before these British invaders can make it do anything else, he rushes down the hall as it its tail is on fire. IT HAS A DOOR TO GUARD, DAMMIT.

—-

"Sounds like our brother, Rosie." Jack grins widely and watches her dash across the hall and straight into his classroom. Hopefully no little firsties are smashed by the charm failing. He rolls his eyes at his sister's antics. "Thank you!" He calls to the gargoyle as he flies past like an acromantula from a basilisk. "P — he begins, and then remembers where he is. He pulls his professional demeanor around him and tones his grin to a mild smile. "Professor Noble, I'm sorry to interrupt your class but…" He steps forward, the facade falling quickly. He moves to give his brother a hug and to whisper fiercely to him. "I missed you, you prat." And then, he turns and perches himself against the edge of the desk near his sister.

—-

Chase hangs back by the doorway since she's not a Noble so she doesn't get to hug professors. She adjusts her robes a little to look slightly more professional and takes a subtle look around the classroom.

—-

Door is just burst open which does bring Pete out of what bit of reverie that he was holding. A look as the chair almost begins to falter, then fall as Pete's concentration is clearly broken. Head looks from the door to the blonde sitting on his desk-before he is quickly remembering said falling chair, which is stopped inches from the floor. A look back towards the gargoyle before he is clearing his throat "Quite alright..I-er. Thank you." A smile given back, but it seems the stony guardian has flitted off. If stone can flit off. Anyway, There's a look to his young class as he moves to turn down the music "Class dismissed early-remember your papers on Wingardium Leviosa. And remember to practice, practice, practice-but not on your friends." a smile and he steps back to regard his younger sister. "I say S…Quite a bloody-" entrance was the word he was looking for

Instead he is turning to see "Jack!" called out before he is returning the embrace and snickering slightly. "Missed you too-"given out before he is looking to the hallway and then back to the Nobles in the room. "Sorry, Class wasn't quite over, and I did not expect you-well any of you.." And Pete is taking time to smooth out his brown sweater. "Did Mum an Da' come too? Or Mickey?"

There's a turn of his head again perhaps as to make sure he did indeed see a blonde woman out by his door. A finger raised slightly "Umm. Hello there?" anything that he can do you for: is what the tone and faint raising of a brow should hopefully communicate to Miss Chase.

—-

"Nope, no Mum or Da. Nobody here but us chickens!" Siobhan's grin widens at that bit of silliness, her legs swinging beneath her very much like a child's. Her attitude sobers, however, when Pete calls attention to Chase once more. "'fraid we're not here for a fun visit, anyway. We need your help Pete-y old man, an' it's not a fun errand." She gestures from Jack to Pete. "Show 'im the letter, Cap'n Flash." Uh oh, That Nickname. A surefire sign that this is Serious Business.

—-

Jack pulls the letter out of his pocket and shows it to Pete. "S' Holly." The way he says this lets anyone with any amount of perception know that she means something to him. "She's in one of the camps, and …" He falls silent, letting the other man read the letter. Sio's use of his nickname gets a small smile: more than was on his face before, but definitely less than it normally merits. "You know where they are, right?" He can't resist asking that. His protective instincts have kicked into high gear.

—-

Chase cranes her neck to get a better look at the person who intends to help them, listening keenly for anything that may lead to finding Holly which is the reason they're here after all, right?

—-

"Of course, why would we dare visit Pete with fun news or fun in mind.." Murmured before he is pulled back from looking at Chase in order to see this letter that Jack has. One long finger moves to rub at the side of his nose before he is taking time to to skim over the contents of the letter. "They've taken over th' Camp.." muttered and his brow is furrowing. Well it seems short and to the point-a sniff to the paper, before Pete's looking back to his older brother and younger sister. "I do-though it isn't easy…And taking you might get me in trouble-but if someone or something has taken over a camp.." And his brow furrows "Right allow my to change and get my things. We'll leave immediately."

—-

Jack nods, though he's taking offense at the first sentence out of his brother's mouth. "Hey! We would…" He purses his lips. "It's just that 'fun' hasn't been in any of our vocabularies much lately." He rolls his eyes. Whe Pete starts talking about the danger, Jack pauses. "I hate risking you like this, bro, but …" It's important. She's important. "Thank you." It's sincere and heartfelt. He gives Siobhan a worried look — he can't help being protective of his siblings — but quashes it quickly. She's made of stern enough stuff.

—-

Chase looks for a moment as though she'll open her mouth and start to protest at the idea that they might not be going, but then it turns out they are going and her yap is shut firmly. She's already ready to go, so she just heads out into the hallway to let the family Noble plan things out.

—-

Pete looks back over his shoulder "We're going to have to apparate well out of the camp's perimeter, and hike the rest of the way in. Its not going to be easy-and if this is an internal thing..Well." A frown for a second before he is shaking his head. "I do not know what to say.. but maybe let me go in first before we burst through the forest with wands drawn like jackboot wearing fascists.." A joke, but at this time perhaps not the best. "Come now, let me get my coat-even in April it will be freezing.."

—-

"I'll go with you, Pete." Siobhan hops down from the desk and straightens her conspicuous magenta cloak. Jack gets a glare before he can so much as squeak a protest. "He needs someone ta watch 'is back just in case, and I'm a lot more…subtle than you are, Jack. You're too close to this." She gives Jack her best Please Don't Argue look then turns to Pete. "Can we apparate from here or will the wards block it?"

—-

Jack is about to protest, and loudly, when he's stopped by The Glare. "Alright. Just be careful." Yes, he's worried. "And …" He's about to start saying more, but he nods, just accepting the situation. "Rowena and I will wait… can you give us some sort of coordinates, and a signal? Maybe Ed would do?" He gazes over at Siobhan. "if it's not too far from here."

—-

"It's several states away.." Pete murmurs as he is moving to the hallway. Well, Squeezing by Chase, then moving for the door across from his, his office "We'll have to go out off the grounds for this. Just outside the gate should do-Some minor stops.." And there's a nod to Jack "Well I thought we all would be going.. I just need to walk in, before you all do…They're quite-mm-Tetchy about wizards and witches walking in. It is a place where they are free to be themselves. But, enough chit chat.. We need to be off."

—-

Chase draws her wand, maybe jumping the gun a little but Holly must be rescued and she isn't going to just peek inside and ask if everybody is feeling happy. Well, maybe she will but THEN SHE WILL CURSE THINGS! She is worked up, true, but she does her best not to show it - just nodding her head and making for 'outside the grounds'. The faster the better.

—-

With a sharp nod, Siobhan follows Chase. "We'll meet you down at the gate!" she calls back to her brothers, then jogs to catch up with the spastic blonde. "Never did get a chance to say Sorry for that knockin' you out business…"

—-

Jack eyes Chase as she pulls out her wand. "Little early for that, y'think? Just don't hex us by mistake." He's teasing. "Oh. That makes sense." Siobhan is right. Jack's too focused on getting his woman back to really think this through properly. Luckily, he has a sneaky sister and intelligent brother to help him out. "Thank you." He repeats this again to Pete, then gallantly offers his arm to Rowena in an overdramatic gesture. "Shall we?"

—-

Once coat and robe have been changed there's a flurry of movement from the Professor Noble. It won't be long it seems before he is leading the way through the castle, that mimics much of what Hogwarts itself is like, and so-for those well acquainted, it wouldn't be too terribly hard to get along. Still the family is lead out to the grounds through a lovely side door, and out towards the main entrance where the family would have had to have come through anyway to get here. Wand drawn arm held out for Siobhan. "Ready, lovely?" He'll wait for the affirmative, before popping them out.


Later…


It's been hours since leaving Salem, and the forests are getting cold as the sun starts to set. This area isn't the safest place to be, either. Far too many places for vicious creatures to hide, for example, and the fact that the leaves that have begun to appear on the trees block out what light there is makes the forest a dark place.

—-

Jack is tired, but holding up, and he's extremely wary. This isn't his part of the world and the critters are very different here. He finds himself moving over to Pete to ask him about something, and ends up stepping on a stick, cracking it very loudly. Needless to say, stealth is not the fine art form for the Gryffindor Noble. He swears under his breath and steps up to his brother. "What's out here that we should know about, other than the main attraction?" He doesn't mention the werewolves by name. Just for safety's sake.

—-

"I came out here a lot when I was a student," Chase begins, talking almost to herself, "Well, near enough to here anyway. I don't remember it being this creepy." She hugs her arms, rubbing them feverishly and looking into a particularly solid shadow.

—-

To the snapping of the twig Pete whirls around with his wand out, but, then lowers it before shaking his head to jack. "Well, there are mountain lions- trolls.. You know your various sundry of magical and mundane creatures as would be in any woods not often interrupted by either wizard or muggle.." Pete's voice is a bit softer, as he nods, moving to lead the group on. "And out there- well Werewolves..And…werewolves.." A swallow for a second. "They are not keen on visitors Jack-this could go badly, if we're not careful."

—-

"Alright." Jack says to the first part of his brother's commentary. He gives Chase a nod and then frowns. "I thought you lot got on better with them than we did?" Jack is an optimist, apparently. "Well, that's just…" He frowns and turns to Chase again, about to ask another question, but he decides against it. "C'mon." Let's just get there. He plods along.

—-

"You put them in cages and use them on people," Chase says, a touch of bitter-defensivitis affecting her words, "Werewolf hunters could be considered to get along with them better than you people do." Maybe she's pushing it, there, but she's cranky about this whole situation. She does not like werewolves.

—-

"Well, we do and don't. You see relations between Werewolves and Wizards have come a long time from the hunts in the early centuries in America, as well as prejudice seen in the late seventies. Still- that being said- some places are sacred. This is one of those places.." Pete intones before he is pushing through the brambles and stopping. A slight sigh before he's moving to unsling the pack at his back.. "Alright, we'll make camp here-" Said as he crouches down, "Hike in presently after. We're a good ways off that we won't be considered as invading.."

—-

It's not too long after that that darkness invades the forest. It's hard to see in the twilight as eyes start adjusting to the darkness. However, as the full moon rises above the horizon, some of its light makes its way through the trees. It would almost be expected that in such close proximity to a camp full of werewolves, the pained cries of people changing would be heard, but there's an eerie, tense silence instead. Even the birds in the trees seem to stop their chirping for many long moments.

—-

"Sounds brill." Jack is slumping down, starting to do what he needs to do to set up camp. He frowns, and glances around, making sure he can see where everyon is, just for his own sake. However, when the eerie silence falls, he tenses up. He grabs his wand and pulls it out, readying for anything. He frowns over at Pete and glances around significantly, and then looks over to where Rowena is. He can't make eye contact with her, but he watches that direction for a long while.

—-

"This is weird," Chase states the obvious, looking up towards the moon and trudging towards the edge of their makeshift campsight, "I'm going to see if I can find somewhere to uh … see whats going on better." No, she cannot tell the two brave and dashing wizards that she needs to go to the bathroom. She grumbles, looking for somewhere as far away from them as possible that is also as far away from the werewolves as possible.

—-

'Don't stray too far, Miss Chase." Pete calls out, before he is looking right back towards Chase has disappeared for a moment. And there's a slight look up to the moon, before the younger Noble is looking to the eldest. "Interesting girl.." And with that he is doing the finishing touches with a bit of wand flicking and direction via silent incantation. Tent set up he is looking back to his brother "Now Jack-when we get in there, let me talk before you whip out your wand and start throwing hexes… If we're going to have a shot at figuring this out- we can't bloody blast everyone we see."

—-

With the werewolf sense of smell, it was easy enough to track them even before he changed. There was no mistake that it was, again, painful, but he bit his lip and dealt with it silently. As a result, he'll have a new scar to add, but it's not like he didn't have plenty of them anyway.

The wolf licks his lips as he approaches, blood dripping to the forest floor. Cam didn't anticipate that there would be more than Jack… in retrospect, he should have. At least they're here, though; through the trees, he can see two of them, both male, and he listens long enough to determine which of the two he needs to kill. Destroy. He's had his potion, so he's well-aware of what he's doing, and that makes him all the more dangerous.

It's not Jack that he attacks first, though. The other - well, Holly didn't mention any other, and someone will need to clean up the mess when everything's said and done. Cam will have to leave him alive.

When it comes into view… It can hardly be called a wolf at all. Gangly, with patches of hair growing between a blossom of horrible scars. One front leg drags uselessly on the ground, though there are three perfectly capable ones that propel him forward. Hand-like paws dig into the dirt moments before he leaps at Pete, with the intent to knock him into a nearby tree.

—-

"Awww, you spoil my fun — " Jack begins, and then, there's a werewolf jumping through the air. He knows they're resistant to most magics, so he attempts to cast a stupefy to at least distract the bedraggled critter away from his brother. "Are you sure? Sure I can't just start…" Stupefy. Damn. Missed again. "… throwing hexes?"

—-

"I do try, brother dea-" but the words don't have time to come out. Even as Pete is moving to set his wand on the creature with a Stupefy, the blighter leaps and lobs him into a nearbye tree. No moment further to react as down Pete Noble goes, like a sack of right potatoes. And by the sound Ol' Pete's noggin made on the wood- he might not be getting up any time soon.

—-

Chase continues to prod around at the ground out of earshot, nudging at some twigs and stones with a look of distaste, "There ought to be a charm for this."

—-

There's a scent in the air that Cam detects. He sniffs around Pete's head, can smell the trauma, the bleed just under the surface, and he can hear the hollow breathing that suggests unconsciousness. The wolf smiles… It's a disturbing sight, and turns his eyes to Jack.

A sharp snarl emits from the mouth, split lip opening and spraying both blood and spit all over the immediate area. He's fast - at least this form gives him that advantage - and easily dodges those Stupefy spells flung his way. There's something about this creature that suggests that it knows its thoughts, that it's perfectly capable of making decisions. In fact, it circles rather than immediately attacking, continuing to smile. You're alone now, Jack? What on earth are you going to do?

—-

Jack is fairly fast. He can dodge well, especially now that he doesn't have to worry about stealth. He attempts to move to one side to get out of the circle that the wolf makes. He's partially successful, moving a little ways away to keep him moving. He also continues to fire hexes, attempting to hit the werewolf, but not having much luck with that. At least it'll keep him moving too, maybe?

—-

He just waits for an opening, dodging out of the way of the flung spells like he's done all this before. He hasn't… But he's prepared for it. He knew they wouldn't come unarmed. He can sense the tenseness, and can hear the moment weight shifts just before Jack casts a spell. He'll rip the man apart. Maybe even drag the body back to camp so Holly can see it.

Elsewhere in the forest… Another wolf runs as fast as she can. She'd been after Cam for awhile, but couldn't risk getting too close. After all, he would smell her, or hear her. Now she wishes she would have cut him off before the sun set. Now it's too late, and she can smell the others in the forest, too. Cam's going to kill them…

The wolf sees an opening at takes it, leaping at Jack with the intent to wrap his sharp teeth around the man's throat.

—-

When Cam jumps toward Jack, he steps back behind a nearby tree, and leans into the bark, away from the snarling wolf. He continues to fire spells, unaware of the wolf's ability to read his tells. However, it makes him keep moving. This is still a good thing.

—-

Chase pauses by a shrup to prod at it experimentally, counting the leaves before she hisses "Frick!" and continues to trudge back towards the camp.

—-

The claws dig into the tree, and, frustrated, the creature tears a line in it from five feet up all the way down to the roots. The scent of sap lingers in the air, pungent in the crisp air. It's fresh, the smell of the coming spring. Cam doesn't care, though. He'll only be happy when he's made everyone else miserable. That's his lot in life, it seems.

Claws reach around the tree to grab whatever of Jack's clothing that he can. The intent is to give a tug and bring him down.

—-

The claws get close enough to tear at his shirt, ripping it almost in half, though, miraculously, the claw doesn't break his skin. He swears, loudly, and takes the moment to aim his wand at the werewolf's face and fire off a conjunctivitus curse. With the movement, though, it doesn't hit the wolf's eye. Damn.

—-

"Jaaaaaack," Chase calls, still frowning as she stomps through the trees towards where she left the pair of them, "I think I might have to apparate back to the Academy."

—-

The curse still hurts, though, creeping up scarred blood vessles and arteries until he can feel the sting in his eyes. What's that to a wolf, though. Scent is easy enough to follow, as is his ability to hear. Disentangling the shirt from his claws, he wonders if perhaps it would be far worse for Jack if he was made into a werewolf as well. Perhaps, but then he and Holly would be able to share their misery together…

There's someone else! Crap. He forgot about the girl. He'll just have to incapacitate her, too. Jack isn't going to go anywhere, and if he does, he'll be easily tracked. Surely Chase can't be too difficult to take out, and so Cam makes a beeline for her.

—-

Jack is no longer in immediate danger. "You bloody well do not, Rowena." Jack barks. He moves again, unsure of what the strange wolf is going to do, so he's prepped to move away from another lunge. The cold air makes him shiver, but he sees the young werewolf move in the moonlight. "Watch out, Rowena! Werewolf on the loose."

—-

"Isn't that the whole point of coming he—?" Chase blinks frantically as she indeed spots a werewolf charging at her, luckily having her wand in her hand as she was going to use it to create a bathroom out of thin air, "Oh! Jack! Werewolf! JACK! WEREWOLF!"

She lifts her wand, closes her eyes and waves it frantically in the direction of the nasty creature!

—-

Some people refer to it as inherant magic, which is the stuff that all wizards can cast, regardless of age or skill, in times of duress. In this case, whatever Chase has managed to come up with in this exceptionally frightening time sends the werewolf sailing away, crashing into a tree, which rains branches down on him as he hits the forest floor with a crash of sticks and leaves. It looks like he's out cold - or dead. Either way, he's not moving any time soon.

—-

"Bloody HELL, Rowena. Watch where you're pointing that thing!!" Having said that, and getting the exclamation out of his system, Jack goes into gear and moves toward the woman. "You alright?" He sighs, and moves over to look at Pete. "Damn. He's out. I don't know whether I should ennervate him, or take him back to the school before I do…" It might be better for him to remain as immoble as one can be being carried by one's older brother. He's also unsure of what to do now. Pete was their contact. "How do we find her now?" His mind is working, but it's clear a good portion of his attention is focused on his sibling. Truth be told, on both siblings involved. Since Rosie went back after her momentary panic attack.

—-

"Huh?"

Chase blinks repeatedly at the stricken werewolf, tilting her head to one side and pocketing her wand. She cannot help but bob her head a little bit, swaying her shoulders from side to side. When she realizes that nobody is looking at her, she extends her arms in a continuation of her dance. She doesn't tell anybody she was trying to conjure up some water since that was the first spell that came to mind.

—-

The sound of some creature viciously crashing through the underbrush can be heard as yet another werewolf appears at the top of a rise in the immediate area. This one looks much healthier than the other one did. Her coat is a light golden brown and white, eyes a bright yellow-green. She can smell the scent of… Well, she's not sure. It was definitely some sort of confrontation, but the blood she smells isn't Jack's. Her first reaction is to go to the body of the werewolf.

There's a branch through it.

She sniffs, prods with her nose, but Cam isn't getting up again. She can't say she's not sorry for the poor bastard, but he had death on his mind when he came here. Maybe he can at least rest in peace now.

That's when she turns to the other two - Chase and Jack. There's something specifically recognisable about this one - namely, the scars that run across both front legs, and down one shoulder. Jack will have definitely seen them before.

Holly hasn't ever seen humans when she's transformed. This is only the third time, of course, but it's something strange that she can sense at the back of her mind. A strong, pressing instinct to kill and attack. She's afraid of that, but she can control it. Shuddering as she realises what her next course of action would be if she hadn't had the potion, she hesitates, not approaching just yet.

—-

"No," Chase says quietly, taking the brave position of hiding behind a tree and sneakily peeking around it.

—-

She can't convey who she is in voice at the moment, nor can she really convey anything else. Looking back toward the body of the werewolf for just a moment, she finally steps toward Jack and Chase, trying to figure out how…

Oh. Right.

The tufted tail waves back and forth like a banner. A peaceful gesture - at least, she hopes it is. And when Jack asks if she's Holly, she nods. Stopping a short distance away, she'll allow them to approach her if they want to. She has to figure out how to tell them that things aren't safe here… That they have to get back to the camp. The other werewolves won't be there until morning anyway.

—-

Jack is brave. Sometimes foolishly so, as Pete was cautioning him earlier. So, he eases himself forward, and strokes Holly's fur. "We'll get you out of here. Come hell or high water, we'll get you…" His voice breaks, as he considers what has run through his mind since he got the letter. "We got your letter and …" He closes his eyes. "I was so afraid."

—-

It's actually really hard to keep her lip from curling back when he touches her. She'd feel so much better if he… wouldn't do that, but she's afraid to move. As it is, she's clenching her teeth, forcing them to stay closed, because she's afraid of what might happen… Training, meditation, it's all she can do to remember it all and to remain calm, because even now, she knows she's dangerous.

It's the idea of a letter that distracts her, and she's thankful for it. Taking a step back, she tilts her head, starts to ask 'what letter,' but obviously, it's not something anyone would be able to understand. It's pretty obvious she's confused, though.

—-

Chase gives the werewolf Holly a wide berth because she's still scared of the things, making a point of not looking at the dead one as she moves over to try and help Pete out since … there's a reunion going on and all and she doesn't really want to get in biting range.

—-

Jack watches her back up, and his common sense returns. "Dumbass," he chides himself, shaking his head. He thinks he correctly interprets the movement. "We got a letter from you saying that they were hurting you. It's the whole reason we came." He gestures to Chase. "Rowena knew some, and Pete knew some." He doesn't mention Siobhan. She'll find out soon enough. A frown crosses his features. "Did you write the letter?" It looked like it came from her.

—-

At this distance, she doesn't feel so inclined to bite, and so she relaxes, breathing coming easier. She doesn't want to hurt them - and she won't. But the temptation is so strong to do so that at some short intervals, she's not sure she's in control. Distance is good. Distance helps her focus.

Letter… She can't say she wrote anything of the sort. Not since the initial one she sent to Jack over a month ago. Cam had been acting strangely, though. Avoiding her. It's the whole reason she followed him tonight… But that's a story for when she can actually speak. At present, she just shakes her head. No, she hadn't written any letter.

And they can't stay here. Other werewolves aren't in control of themselves as much as Holly is. She chances a step closer to Jack, points to his heel, and starts off toward the camp. Let it not be said that she isn't without some sense of humour.

—-

Chase prods him with her wand a couple of times, having done not so well at healing charms and not quite game to test them out right now. She takes a careful look at WolfHolly before she clears her throat, "I can … hang on." She stands up, waves her wand and in a show of competency not unusual to her when it comes to transfiguration, a smaller but sturdier tree hefts Pete up and proceeds to follow Chase where she would go. Instant Ent.

—-

"Thank you, Rowena." He smiles, and sighs. "Alright, let's go, luv." She may be in her lupine form, but she's still his Holly. And he's missed her. He does her the favor of not touching her again, but follows her as well as he's able. However, by this time, his legs are tired, and he's shaking slightly. Oh. And half his shirt is gone.

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