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

Ariel ran his thumb over the label. It was pale, brandless, and the name was written on it in delicate script. The nurse had given it to him, telling him it would be his last one. Ariel didn’t know what good it’d do. They hardly ever worked. The dog loved to run, to harass the centaurs and just have fun. It never really responded to the Wolfsbane. Ollie was convinced that it was because Ariel’s persona was so restricted while he was a human. It was because of that that the dog ran him amuck during the Full Moon. It just wanted a bit of excitement. It wanted to take the reins so it did. Ollie had a point. That didn’t mean Ariel was going to listen, though. He knew his friend was right but he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. He liked getting on over on Ariel a little too much. He’d live on that for weeks.

“Hey Ari you in here?” The doors of the Hospital Wing opened and Ariel looked up from the vial. Ollie walked down the aisle between the adjacent beds, his trademark dreamy expression on his face. He brightened when he found Ariel and the Slytherin lifted his hand to greet the Ravenclaw. Ollie parked himself on the bed beside Ariel’s and smiled, holding up a bag of what smelt like Chinese food. He’d been out it seemed. He had a thing about staying with Ariel in the last few days, just so Ariel had someone to lean on. The nurse wouldn’t do it and at home, Fiona couldn’t handle it. Ollie would always stay with his friend. Ariel thanked Merlin for him but sometimes he found his friend insufferable. Finding him at the bottom of a staircase was usually one of those times. “How’re you feeling?” Ollie asked.

He took out the boxes of food and set one on his lap. He took the tape off of the top and stuck it onto his leg before opening the box up. He reached into the bag and produced a couple of pairs of chopsticks and held them up for Ari to see. Ariel smiled a little and watched as Ollie took a pair apart and rubbed them against each other. He stabbed them into the noodles and held them out for Ariel who stared sceptically at the box. “Oh come on, Ari. Don’t be like that. You love this stuff as much as your Uncle’s spit-roast lamb. Eat. I went into London especially for you.” Ari nudged the box away and Ollie sighed. He reached over and set it down on the bedside table. “You’re such a twat, you know that? That’s my money for this month gone! That stuff is expensive you know! It’s not cheap!”

“Ollie calm down alright?” Ariel replied wearily. “I’m tired. The last thing I want to do is try and eat. It was a waste. I appreciate it, I really do, but you know where it’ll end up.” Ollie sighed again and opened his pot of food. Ariel spied the third pot in the bag and raised an eyebrow. “You’re really chowing down aren’t you?” Ollie shook his head and began to stab at the food. “What are you just going to ignore me now? Ollie I’m sorry.” The Ravenclaw slammed his pot of food down on the table and stood up. “Ollie please don’t do this now.” The Ravenclaw leaned over Ariel and placed his hand against his friend forehead. Ariel flinched at Ollie’s touch but the boy’s other hand reached out to grasp his shoulder. “Hey- what?”

Ollie pulled at the shirt that Ariel as nigh on drowning in and slipped his hand underneath. He placed it on top of the throbbing wound on Ariel’s side and a hiss came from the Slytherin. His hands grabbed Ollie’s forearms and Ariel squeezed his eyes shut. “Your fever hasn’t broken at all. What’s up with that, huh?” Ollie pushed Ariel’s shirt up and lifted it over Ariel’s head. He let it drop onto the floor and looked at the wound in the shape of teeth marks which never seemed to heal. It as red raw, angry and looked as if it needed some immediate relief. Ollie scowled and looked at Ariel’s face. It was contorted in pain. The Ravenclaw didn’t know whether to feel sorry for his friend or angry that he didn’t tell him. “You’re such a dick.”

“At least I have one,” was Ariel’s strained retort. Ollie smiled grimly and took his wand out of his pocket. He transfigured the lamp into a bowl and used a spell to fill it with water. He then picked up Ariel’s shirt and severed a bit of the material off. He chucked the shirt once more to the side and dipped the piece of material into the water. Ariel groaned and pushed Ollie’s approaching hand away. “Leave me be, Oll, please.” Ollie scowled and pressed his wand to the wound. Ariel arched his back and let out a wolf-like yelp. He swung his hand at Ollie and clipped his jaw. The Ravenclaw bowed his head and took his wand away from Ariel’s chest. He put his hand to his jaw and winced. Ariel opened his eyes wide and reached out to grasp Ollie’s wrist. “I’m sorry but you deserved it.” He smiled impishly and Ollie scowled again but made no move to inflict unnecessary pain on his friend.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ari, but you’re not making it any easier. You’re being a dick. Stop wallowing in self-pity and let me help you. Your fever hasn’t broken and I think it might have something to do with daddy dearest. What’s going on in your head, Ari?” When Ariel didn’t reply, Ollie leaned forward and gently pressed the water-soaked cloth to the wound. Ariel hissed and his back arched once more but he made no move to hit Ollie again. He was well muscled but that wasn’t his own doing, it was the dog’s muscles that did that. Ariel was thin, quite underweight usually, and always seemed to bulk out as the Full Moon drew in. His veins would strain against the rapidly developing muscles and they looked like ropes tightly bounding his body.

It scared Ollie when he was like this. In a few hours, if the fever didn’t break, which it usually didn’t, Ariel would start begging for death. Adrenaline would take over his body and he’d writhe in pain. Then the screaming would start. Ollie didn’t know why it happened to Ariel or what was happening to his friend. He knew it was something to do with the werewolf but that didn’t happen to them. They suffered from exhaustion and showed signs of physical power but never this. No this was just Ariel. This was Ariel’s body fighting against the dog in a vain attempt to keep it out. He was doing it to himself and he didn’t realise. It brought Fiona to tears. Ollie could only just withstand it. Even the nurse seemed terrified.

Every time the two bodies and the two minds were forced to mould. Ollie didn’t want to imagine what would happen if the dog won.

Ariel slipped into unconsciousness and Ollie ripped part of the shirt again. He dunked it into the water and draped it over his friend’s forehead. This was killing him. This had always been killing him. In his effort to stay human, the werewolf was gripping him hard and fast to keep control. “We’re losing you aren’t we?” Ollie whispered, sitting down on the bed beside Ariel’s. He took his pot of Chinese off of the side and took the chopsticks out of the piece of chicken he’d stabbed them into. Ollie slipped off of the bed and moved towards Ariel. He rested his head on the Slytherin’s arm and sighed. Ollie pushed the cloth off of the wound and stared at it. Fenrir was calling him. With every throb, more of the words would make sense in Ariel’s mind. Ollie knew what it was though. The pack wanted their heir home. For the first time, Ollie felt at a loss of what to do. He’d seen it thump once or twice but never with such vigour. He looked up at Ariel’s face and even as he slept he was clearly in pain.

The door of the nurse’s office opened and Ollie looked up. He wiped his eyes, not realising he’d started to cry, and rubbed his cheeks with the cuff of his shirt, spreading ink across his flushed cheeks. There’d been an incident with ink earlier that day; he looked like a member of a tribe now. The nurse walked over to Ariel’s bed and picked his chart up. She looked at it carefully before looking over the clipboard at the Slytherin. “He can’t be this weight and look like that.” She said, her finger moving to point out his weight on the chart. He’d really bulked out now and Ollie could see she was embarrassed. She looked at the Ravenclaw kneeling beside Ariel’s bed and then at the strips of shirt which were strewn across the floor. “Oliver-”

Ollie shook his head and dropped it into his hands. “I should be used to this now,” his voice was raw with emotion that made the nurse flinch. “I should be so used to this. It’s been what, nigh on nine years now? Every time I see Ariel getting weaker and weaker. I am watching him die! What am I supposed to do? I’m useless!” His voice broke and his hands reached out to grip Ariel’s swollen arm. He turned it over and touched the elephant tattoo on his wrist. “He’s my best friend; my only friend. He’s always asking for death from me or from his mother. ‘End it,’ he says, ‘before you have the chance to think twice’. One day he’s not going to have to ask. He’ll just let go.” A tear leaked from Ollie’s eye and danced down his cheek. He dripped onto the elephant and he rubbed it away before it had chance to travel. “I’m not ready to let him go. He makes it sound like it’s the easiest thing in the world, like it’s the right thing to kill him before it does. I know its right but I’m selfish, you know? We all are! We don’t want to lose him but he’s slipping through our fingers like water.” Ollie closed his eyes as sobs began to wrack his body. It was finally becoming all too much for him. “I’m losing him,” he whispered.

Jack had been up late, thinking and staring at one of her books. She had changed into some pajama bottoms and was sitting comfortably on her bed, but she could not concentrate. So she shoved her books off her bed and grabbed her bag, beginning to dig through it for entertainment. Something was bothering her though and she could not place it. She stopped and stared across the room out the window at the sky... Hm... It was supposed to be a full moon tonight...

That was it.

She hurriedly dug through her bag and pulled out what must have been calling to her. She yanked out the Marauder's Map and quickly opened it before telling herself to calm down. Cecily was staring at Jack like she was a madwoman, a expression that Jack had become familiar with seeing on the girl's countenance. It had been a whole three hours since she had last seen that look.

Jack turned her back to Cecily and her eyes scanned the map and that's when she saw the hospital wing. Three dots were there. The nurse, Olliver, and Ariel. Without even thinking, Jack closed the map and tucked it into her knapsack, which she bright with her everywhere and retrieved her Komboloi, turning them over in her hands. She yanked on her sneakers and made her way towards the hospital wing.

Jack was not sure what she was doing or why she was doing this. What she did know, was she wanted to see Ariel. She could not explain her reasons, why she thought she could make anything any better. But she wanted to see him. He had said she could join him and she was still planning on it. She was not afraid, she was not going to change her mind. Unless Ariel begged her not to, she was planning on staying with the puppy in the Shrieking Shack.

She neared the hospital wing and wondered if it would even be open. She then realized Olliver had been there, so she would be allowed in to... So she finally got to meet Ollie. She pulled her knapsack on higher and strode into the hospital wing, making her way over to where it had looked like Ariel would be, according to the map. She was not prepared...

He sat there in a bed, torn pieces of his shirt, wounds evident. Ollie was slumped near his bed, looking as though he was crying. Jack faltered and slowly approached the bed, giving the nurse a small nod as her heart hammered. She dropped the knapsack and stared at Ollie, feeling horrible for coming. What would her presence do that Ollie's couldn't?

And Ariel... She had been comfortable with him because he and her were strong, they did not like to admit weakness. And here he was, face contorted in pain. The coward in Jack wanted to run. But Jack rarely let that part of her control her. She dropped the knapsack on the ground by the foot of the bed and forced herself forward, standing next to Ollie. She did not know what to say to Ollie or if he even wanted her to try, so she didn't. Instead, she reached out and brushed some of Ariel's hair out of his eyes. She held out the beads which reflected the light and spotted color onto both their faces. "Bad case of dragon pox?" She touched a dot of red on his his chin.

There was no movement from the Slytherin. Ollie sighed and sat back on his haunches. He wiped his eyes again and pulled the covers up over Ariel. He sighed in frustration and rubbed his temples. He looked down at this watch and then out of the window. They were running out of time. They had a little under two hours left until the moon rose. Ollie had a feeling that if he could just get him to take the Wolfsbane and get him down to the Shrieking Shack where the girl was supposed to be then everything would be alright. He’d spent the day with her. It’d be a bad move on Ariel’s part. He’d wanted to though. Ollie couldn’t deny him that. It was some small joy before he collapsed from exhaustion. That had been earlier that afternoon. He’d been bedridden since then.

Ollie sniffed and lifted his head to look at Ariel. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness, the pain too much to allow him to sleep and the exhaustion putting him back under. Ollie looked at his friend curiously and covered Ariel’s hand with his own. He felt Ariel’s fingers lace with his own and he looked at Ariel’s face hopefully. He met pale blue gaze he knew so well and smiled a watery smile at Ariel. Ariel returned the smiled wryly and Ollie choked out a laugh. “Hungry now?” Ollie asked, watching Ariel’s face for any sign of pain. He didn’t know. He couldn’t read Ariel’s body as well as he could his face. The adrenaline hadn’t set in yet though, thank Merlin. Ariel shook his head and Ollie exhaled slowly. “Well okay. You really scared me there buddy,” he said laughing uneasily. “I thought you’d buggered off to hell without me.”

Ariel snorted and squeezed Ollie’s hand. He closed his eyes and sighed out a few words, “I’m okay, Oll...go bed.” Ariel’s grip on Ollie’s hand fell slack and Ollie sighed once more. He was just glad that Ariel’s mother wasn’t there with them. He hadn’t the heart to tell her that it was worse than the month before although it was probably Ariel’s own fault. He knew that as happy as she would have been that her son was having fun and not being a bitter old dog, she would be heartbroken to learn of his pain. Ollie didn’t think she could handle much more. She was ageing faster than all of them put together. Worrying about Ariel was giving her grey hairs and her hair was a beautiful colour. It was a sharp contrast to the near-white of Ariel’s. Hers was ebony, nigh on black. It was as soft as silk, too.

Ollie rubbed his hands over his face and groaned loudly, not sure what to do with himself. Ariel opened an eye and looked at his friend. Ariel didn’t want Ollie to do this anymore. He was pushing himself too far with it all. He needed to sleep and eat and just do normal teenage things again. He needed to fall down a set of stairs or something! He was running himself ragged and it was Ariel’s fault. He never should have gone out with Jack this afternoon. He’d enjoyed himself though and that was the main thing. He knew he’d had to pay for it. He’d been hoping for a burst of strength and he’d gotten it alright. Now he was paying for it and would do until the puppy decided to rear its ugly head.

“I’m sorry,” Ariel murmured, shifting slightly. Ollie lifted his head and looked hopefully at the Slytherin who was once again wincing in pain. Ollie got up and leaned over Ariel. He pushed the cloth away and looked at the throbbing bite once more. Ollie shook his head. “I really am,” Ariel added, “Sorry I mean.”

“Don’t worry yourself so much,” Ollie whispered back, a small smile taking his lips, “You can’t control what that bastard did to you, can you? You also can’t control how it affects you. I’m sure visions of Richard pointing a gun at you can’t be too pleasant, eh?”

Ariel chuckled and shook his head. That was when the coughing began. He lurched forward and bark-like coughs rose from his chest. His eyes watered and the nurse ran to them. Ollie pushed Ariel back against the pillows and nurse administered the potion that was required. He swallowed and made a face. The two waited in bated breath to see if it would stay down and they thanked Merlin it had. “Perhaps that day out has done you some good after all.” The nurse laughed before looking over at the door that had opened. “It seems you have another visitor too, aren’t you the lucky one?”

Ariel’s eyes flicked open and he felt a hand on his head, pushing his hair away. He looked up at Jack and managed a smile for her. He kept down the laugh that wanted to resound around the room and smiled at her once more, a grimace of pain ruining it much to the dismay of Ollie who rarely saw his friend smile. “Something like that,” he whispered to Jack. He brought his arm up, making the damp cloth fall off of the throbbing wound, and ran his thumb over her cheekbone before coming to rest on the dot, “I see you’ve nearly beaten your affliction,” he murmured. “I’ve missed you,” he admitted although it was difficult for Ollie to be sure whether Ariel meant it or whether it was the potion talking. Then again, some people said some interesting things on their death beds.

Jack felt her heart pounding. Ariel was really ill. She had never seen him looking so small, so hurt, so weak. She was used to seeing him smirking, used to the two of them outsmarting teachers, or talking about how they terrified teachers. They made big plans- plans to go flying, plans to release zoo animals. Ariel had told Jack he got weak but Jack had imagined a little tired, maybe. She had not imagined potions and hospital beds, bandages and upset friends.

Jack felt her mouth twitch as his hand came up to her face, blocking out the dots like he had done on Christmas, when they had accidentally become friends, because neither would have guessed that the two of them- who had dueled to prepare for the tournament- would be able to stand each other's company, let alone hang out, exchange gifts, tell secrets, grow closer... It was weird how two people used to pushing people away, could push into each other's life.

Jack was not sure if she loved or hated that he said things like 'I missed you.' It made her feel awful for having pushed him, for having been ignorant to just how bad his condition was. It made her feel terrible that she felt a little glad to hear him say that, in this moment of all moments. She nodded, and said, "Same here... You're a tough pup to forget." She grinned, always hoping to lighten the mood, because when things got serious, she got scared.

She glanced over at Ollie, and felt the need to say something to him. In that moment, she respected him more than anyone else in Hogwarts, because she knew, firsthand, what it felt like to feel like you were watching someone close to you just fall from your fingers, and no matter how hard you held on, you could not hold on strong enough. She knew. She gave him a bracing grimace and said, "Ariel says you're a hard friend to get rid of. That's the best kind." She smiled. "Keep it up, seems like he needs you."

Yes, she was pretty sure she understood Ollie.

She looked back at Ariel and that's when she noticed the scars on Ariel's chest. Her eyes stared at them for a second and then traveled up to Ariel's face. She lifted her hair and reveleded the thin scars the protruded from her hair line, that crossed. One from Nerezza. One from Vito. From foe and 'friend.' "Look. We match." She dropped her hair again and shivered slightly. She had tried not to think about those scars for a long time.

She glanced down at her watch and then out the window. She did not think they had much time, and she did not want to be pushy. She wanted to be with him, but if he did not think he could take that, she would respectfully back down. She just... did not want him to be alone. Then again, what did she know, right? She was beginning to realize she had a lot to learn. "So... What's the plan?" she asked him.

Ollie didn’t know what was aggravating him more, Ariel and the dog or the fact that they were running out of daylight. Actually, looking outside, there was none left. They were running out of time to get him outside. He was going to end up roaming the grounds if they left it too late. The exchange of physical power never took this long. Ollie would have been a liar if he’d said he wasn’t worried. He had complete faith in Ariel but it didn’t look like much was going to happen. He needed to get the Wolfsbane down him and they needed to get him out. Another glance at his watch told him this and he growled in frustration, much to the obvious amusement of his friend.

Ariel clicked his toes and wiggled them under the sheets, he was bored now. He was feeling quite put together which was bizarre considering the time. The dog wasn’t acting up as much as usual and Ariel wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. Ollie clearly wasn’t handling it as well as he could have done. He seemed to be falling apart inside his own head. There was nothing new there. They all fell apart. They being Ollie, Ariel and their mothers. Ollie’s mother, Laura, would stay up all night worrying about her son and Fiona hit the bottle, as per usual. Or she’d go and visit Richard in prison. He had yet to really prove that it was Ariel laying down the tracks that got him arrested, charged and sentenced.

“His bark is worse than his bite,” Ollie grinned, poking Ariel in the thigh. The blonde hissed and turned to glare at his friend who continued to grin. “Unless of course the puppy bites you. We wouldn’t want you to end up like daddy, would we Ari?” Ollie pinched Ariel’s cheek before smirking and pulling away. “I’m going to go and get you some blankets. We’ve got to get you out of here soon.”

When Ollie was gone, Ariel pushed himself up a little bit. He was feeling a lot stronger in himself, more so than he should have been. He leaned heavily against the pillows and looked at the scars Jack showed him. He looked down at his own and bit his lip, sighing in frustration. His hand went to the bite and he pressed his index finger against it. A high-pitched howl rattled around inside his head and he took his finger away as if it had been burned. “M-mine were self-inflicted though,” he said with a wince. “The dog...he doesn’t like being confined. Never did take it well. Loved it when my step-dad would point the rifle at him though. He’d hop from side to side to see if he could catch him out. Wouldn’t get too close though. I think even he knew that Richard would shoot him. Bloody Muggle. He’s everything Wizards are scared of in them.”

Ariel chucked but as he did so, his lungs seemed to dry up of air. He leaned forward, his eyes widening as he began to choke. No sound left his mouth though, not until the air invaded his lungs once more and a blazing trail of agony whipped through his body. A strangled cry left his mouth and he curled in on himself. Ollie, who had been returning, threw the blankets to the side and pushed Ariel down onto his back. Ariel’s eyes opened once more and Ollie lost his countenance and Ariel clipped him around the side of the head. He slammed his hand down onto the bite and Ariel let out a feral snarl of anger mixed with pain. He glared at Ollie who smirked down at his friend. “’ello there, puppy,” he murmured, “come to see old Uncle Ollie already? My, my...aren’t you early? Daddy lose did he? Well we best get you what you want; it’s not time yet though. Best let him have his body back. He’ll be mighty pissed off if you don’t..”

The dog looked sceptical and it was disorientating for Ollie to see the golden orbs in Ariel’s body. His eyes were usually so prominent, just like the dog’s. There was no way he could mistake him. The eyes swirled back into the bluey-grey and Ollie breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Jack. “Plan?” he questioned. “This bloody idiot should have been like this five hours ago. Not with the dog minor-transformation, that happens around now when it starts getting tetchy. We have got to get him out before the moon decides to rear its ugly head. It’s cloudy tonight but not windy. We’ll still have to be quick about it though. No telling when she’ll show herself and no telling when he’ll want to come out and play. You don’t happen to have a bouncy ball of some sort do you?”

Ollie grabbed the Wolfsbane off of the table and opened up Ariel’s mouth. He tipped the contents in, not worrying about whether he swallowed it or not. He was pouring the stuff into everything this month hoping it would work. One last try wouldn’t harm him. “Ari,” Ollie slapped Ariel lightly on the cheeks before tugging roughly at his hair, “Alrighty glamour-puss, time to get a move on. If only your bloody mother could see you, eh? Next summer you’re getting a tattoo to cover up that bloody wound regardless of how much it hurts.” Ollie smirked and looked at Jack. “Right, how do you want him? Sunny side up or face down?” he chuckled. “We haven’t got long, a spell to get him down there would be good. I am afraid my wand is...lost,” he shrugged unhelpfully.

(You may godmod, m’dear! Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. I was so tired. D:)

Jack hated feeling helpless, and that was exactly how she felt right now. Ollie seemed to know what to do, to an extent and was able to keep himself busy and moving about, doing things that were productive, but Jack had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to be doing, so she just ensured that she was out of Ollie and he nurse's way.

At Ariel's words she bit her lip, not sure what she could say about the scars. All of her scars had come with a heavy price, having little to do with the actually pain they caused, but the dreadful memory that they left behind, the reminder of her weakness. She nodded slowly and at his words on his muggle stepfather, said, "Sounds like my mother. Muggles will never be appreciated with people like her around."

She could have hit herself in the head. She as talking calmly and casually about muggle relations while Ariel was stuggling with a transformation.Wow. She sighed slightly and watched him suddenly look out of breath. He let out a cry and curled up. Jack's hand jerked as though to take his, but Ollie was there and she quickly moved to straighten out the bed sheet.

Suddenly, Ari was not quite Ari. He hit Ollie and let out a snarl that did not sound like any human should be able to utter. Jack stayed where she was, refusing to pull away or flinch or register any signs of fear or surprise. She was not going to. She needed to be strong. She watched it all transpire and that's when she noticed his eyes... She felt her breath catch in her throat but made no other reaction. Gone were the blue eyes she was used to. Here were the eyes of a wolf.

Jack managed a grimace at Ollie's words and said, "No, but I have a squeaky pork chop." She smiled weakly at him and watched as the boy continued to take care of Ari. He forced a potion down his throat and then turned to Jack. She shrugged, "Either will do." he suggested a spell and thought it over, pulling out her wand. "Locomoter Ariel." He rose into the air and she gently maneuvered him out of bed and then so he was standing vertically rather than lying in the air.

She glanced at Ollie and tugged on Ariel's wrist, gently pulling him out of the hospital wing. As she walked, she fished out her Marauder's Map, not caring who saw it- Ariel already had. She skimmed the map for the quickest route with the least people. She led them through a trick wall and down a small flight of stairs that led to a portrait. They clambered through and came out near the Grand Staircase. She pulled him along and then outside onto the grounds. She took a deep breath. "Look, fresh air." She led them to the Whomping Willow, standing on the outskirts of the branches's reach. She picked up a rock and threw it at the knot. The branches froze and she grinned. "Took a few irritated spells to figure that out. Ready?"

As always, Ollie was sceptical about letting Ariel go. When they were at home he’d stay around, walk the dogs, knowing that Ariel would come and go when he was hungry or just wanted someone else to play with. They’d never, ever had a problem. He was always so joyful when he was out in the air doing what he wanted to. He hadn’t been confined in the basement, or anywhere, since Richard had gone to prison. Ollie didn’t know how the puppy was going to deal with it. He was interested in Jack, too, as to what she’d bring into the ring if anything. He had faith in her but in the dog, not so much. He did believe that the dog and Ariel were closely connected whether either of them liked it or not. If Ariel had identified her within the dog’s mind then the puppy would a) know who she was and b) want to be around her. That was one thing the puppy did do, it trusted Ariel’s judgement, and if Ariel trusted Jack, the puppy would too.

There were so many things Ollie could say, so many things he could help Jack out with. Mentioning not to let the dog eat anything was a good thing. The memory of Ariel after the puppy ate wild mushrooms was still vivid in his memory. The last thing Ollie wanted to see was Ariel throwing up his guts again. Ollie didn’t want him to lose as much weight as he did again. That had been foul. Then, when the Full Moon came around it literally tore him apart. It took weeks and weeks to get Ariel back to a healthy weight. It had been necessary. The danger was real. He’d never seen Fiona so scared. She honestly thought she was going to lose Ariel. He was her world. It was horrible to think but really, Penelope and Orion weren’t on the same par that Ariel was on. Fiona adored him. She would move heaven and earth for him no matter what the Gods had to say about it. She’d fallen to pieces those months. It took another month for her to realise that her baby boy really was alive and that he wasn’t just going to disappear on her.

He checked over Ariel once more, making sure he was alive and so on, before stepping back and allowing Jack to levitate him. He ran his hand through his dirty-blonde hair and bent down to pick up the scraps of t-shirt that were strewn across the tiles. He bunched them up in his hands. “Good luck,” he said with a small smile and wary eye cast in Ariel’s direction.

When Ariel came to, they were already at the mouth of the Whomping Willow. He blinked blearily up at the motionless tree and squinted slightly as his changed vision came into focus. The clouds were covering the moon. She was already out it seemed. Ariel groaned quietly and lifted his hand up to touch his forehead. He rubbed his eyes with both hands before wiggling out of the spell. Ariel dropped towards the ground, landing on his feet and only just managing to keep his balance. He pushed himself up, straightening his stance and stretched. He was unsteady on his feet but it felt good to put weight on them. The dog always changed the muscles before it broke the bones. It was considerate really but it was agony for the muscles to have to fold over the bones. It would have been easier to have them grow as the bones fused together in changed positions. Ariel shook his arms out and stared up at the tree before glancing warily at the concealed moon.

Ariel took a tentative step forward, watching his feet carefully in case they faltered. He bit his lip and sighed in frustration. Helpless wasn’t his thing. Helpless was Ollie’s thing. Yet despite this, Ariel always found himself in the helpless position. He would profess that it wasn’t his fault. His father would be keen to mention that it was his rejection of what he was that made him suffer. Ariel didn’t know who he was anymore. It was an identity crisis. Between Fiona telling him that he was a good man, Richard telling him he was a conniving bastard that should rot in hell, everyone else more or less on the same line, Ollie telling him he was a good friend and Fenrir reminding him he wasn’t human every month...Ariel was no longer sure who he was or what his personality was like or what he cared about. He hated everyone generally and he didn’t hold back from showing it. Sifting through that hoard and finding those few people he cared about wouldn’t take long. There wasn’t many. He just wasn’t ready to admit it.

Glancing up at the moon once more, Ariel found himself eager to get inside, “I haven’t been putting Wolfsbane in my food this month just to turn around and morph into a monster in front of the school. Come on...” Ariel tugged at the belt on his jeans which Ollie had been nice enough to leave on. He’d ruined his shirt, something he’d pay for, but Ariel had no intention of keeping his modesty when a pair of five-hundred pound jeans were on the line. He unbuckled it and pulled it out of the belt loops before idly throwing it over one of his shoulders. “Time to go inside?” He suggested, cocking his head towards the entrance and giving Jack a tired smile.

Ariel seemed to stir just as they reached the Whomping Willow and she watched with a weary, wary eyes as he touched to the ground, but she did not rush to his side. Jack understood being helpless when you were a person unaccustomed to it. A person who like to seem strong and confident at all times. Sometimes you had to do things on your own and prove things to yourself, to remind yourself you were still there. And she would not take that from Ari unless it was against his safety.

He took a step forward and Jack watched him, his hair shining like a ghost against the dark backdrop of the dark shrouded grounds. She heard his sigh and she felt the small flicker or a smile. Yep. She knew that sigh all too well. He said he would rather not transform in front of everyone and she nodded, moving forward so she was standing next to him, and glancing up at the moon as well.

He asked her if it was time and she nodded, returning his smile. "Remember. I'm strong, okay?" She would not assume he needed help- she personally hated when people did that- but she was letting him know he did not need to hold up an facades of strength. Hell, she could probably drag him up to the house, but she figured she could at least let him use her for support. She did not mind in the least.

She crawled into the tunnel and began walking until it got larger, where it was tall enough that Ari should not have to much trouble and they could easily walk side by side. Being the vertically challenged person she was, Jack had no worries about bumping her head. There was something calming about the tunnel, but it also was eerie. She thought all they needed was swinging lamps above their heads and it would look like a mine shaft or a makeshift underground bunker.

The tunnel was pretty long and she slowed when it reached an incline, not wanting to lose Ariel. Soon, however, she was slipping into the house, glancing around and surveying the rooms. The bottom floor was covered in a lot of glass and mostly full of dirt and grime. She was also not sure she wanted him close to the door. She locked it- just in case- and glanced up the stairs. "I think there are some bedrooms up there. It might be better. Less glass. More room for fetch." She offered Ariel a small smile.

When Jack disappeared into the tunnel, Ariel took a moment to look up at the tree. She was magnificent, even if she was a bad tempered piece of wood. He had to admit that he admired the plant. Ariel’s eyes tore across the sky towards the moon and the irises swirled gold once more as another connection with the dog’s brain and his, linked up. Ariel brought his hand up to his head and placed his palm against his forehead. He was warm, warmer than he should have been. Ariel’s eyebrows came together and he looked once more up at the moon, watching as the clouds began to clear. The wind ran her fingers across the back of his neck and Ariel shuddered, pulling himself out of the trance-like state he’d been in. He cast a wary look up at the moon before crouching down and scrabbling into the tunnel.

Ariel raised his arms and began to walk, back arched over, down the tunnel. As the ceiling began to let up, Ariel rose with it. He was allowed to raise himself up to his full height when they found themselves in the shack and Ariel placed his palm up against the wall as a brace to keep himself from falling. He didn’t think his legs could last much longer under his weight, however much that was. It couldn’t have been a lot, not at the moment. He exhaled slowly and looked around. There was glass coating the floor. It was a sea of shards that he didn’t want to get near. With the reflection from the moon he could almost see himself. Wait, the reflection from the moon?

The irises of Ariel’s eyes darkened considerably as his pupils dilated. A gasp left Ariel’s mouth as his body became riddled with pain. Ariel hissed upon hearing the crack of his shoulders as the sockets cracked and began to move underneath the skin and muscle. The moon seemed to be straining for him, in an attempt to keep her grasp firmly on her target. Ariel’s breathing became laboured and he blamed himself for his own suffering. He felt his jeans begin to stretch as his thighs and calves grew in size and he heard the rip of the socks on his feet as the claws and elongated feet grew out of them. The dog’s muscles took over and started to soothe the process. Ariel was forced down onto his front by a sudden burst of weakness in his hind legs and fell onto the paws that his hands had been reduced to. Ariel shook his head and the lower half of his face grew out and the muzzle formed.

The door shut on Ariel and he was reduced to nothing but the angel and the devil that was going to sit on the dog’s shoulder. He’d have to fight tonight, especially if the dog took a liking to Jack. Ariel wanted to save himself embarrassment as well as the dog. Ariel growled mentally at the animal when he heard it whine sadly and he peered through the animal’s eyes to see that it was looking sceptically at Jack and at the glass that covered the floor. Ariel resigned himself to the fact that once again he was taking a backseat. The dog was promising to behave though. It was fluffier than usual and seemed uncertain on its feet. It was probably down to all of the potions Ollie had loaded Ariel up with. It was a different body but they were the same veins.

The puppy stepped onto the floor boards that the moon had bathed her light in and lifted its blonde head to look around. It stopped scanning the room when he found Jack and he peered at her curiously, as if seeing whether she was safe to be around or not. He didn’t like to bite but he would if provoked. Ariel wondered idly how this would go and watched curiously as the puppy moved closer to Jack and sniffed her. He yipped happily and licked her hand before bouncing lightly on his paws and hopping up the first few steps. The dog yipped again and continued to bounce on the stairs. Ariel tried in vain to reel the animal in, not wanting to have to fall through a set of rotted stairs. He knew that puppy wanted. Puppy wanted to play.

As Jack turned back to look at Ariel, she saw his eye drop to look at the glass she had pointed out and his eyes widened. She glanced out the window again and found moonlight was streaming in from the window. She felt her veins run cold. Here it was. When she looked back at Ariel, he was mid transformation. She moved back, watching the painful transition with a brave face, though she felt a strange weight drop into her stomach.

Hopelessness. Helplessness. Again.

Finally, a large, blonde wolf stood in front of her. She held her bag on her shoulder firmly as she surveyed him, letting him get used to the shift. Jack couldn't help but think it... He is fluffy. The wolf let out a whine and Jack thought of all the experiencing she had had with dogs. She had always been a dog person as it was... She had a natural intuition. The social procedures of a dog were clear, though very people understood it. It was a balance between being strong but nonthreatening, dominant without violent, submissive without weak.

She hitched up her knapsack again and crouched, holding out her arm straight out, her hand limp at the wrist as she faced the big, white pup. Her eyes stayed on his, soft but unfaltering, obviously not a challenge. The pup saw her and stared before slowly walking forward, picking his way around the glass. Good, Jack did not need to heal puppy paws. He finally reached her and sniffed her hand.

Suddenly, he let out a yip and licked her hand, causing her to let out a laugh. She wished those idiots who feared werewolves could see this... She understand this may be a little different then the werewolves they feared, but the discrimination was so unfair when she looked into the eyes of the happy pup that she could still sort of find Ariel in.

He scrambled for the stairs and bounded up a few. Jack stood up, her legs straightening out and drawing herself up as she smiled. "Hang on, pup. I'm not as agile as you." She grinned and hurried after him, bounding past him onto the stairs, knowing if they collapsed beneath her, the pup would stop and she could save herself.

She reached the second floor and walked into the hallways. There were two main rooms, an old bedroom with a dusty, four poster bed and random other covered furniture. She glanced into the other room and saw there was a lot more space there, the only furniture there being a chair and a sofa. She walked into the emptier room and dropped her bag onto the armchair. She turned and whistled in case the pup had decided to explore. People, she was awkward around. Pups, she could work with.