Wolf Heart

Chapter Two

Harry slowly began to stir as a sunbeam brushed across his eyes. With a groan he rolled over only to his and spring up as his shoulder erupted in pain. Gasping he gripped below it till the pain slowly subsided into a dull throbbing ache.

Looking around he noticed many of the male wolves where gone while the women and children were still lying within their furs peacefully.

He smiled gently as one cub began to dream nuzzling into his mother's stomach as his back right paw began to twitch.

Laughing softly he slowly stretched as much as he could his shoulder pretty much out of commission the stitches still needing to set. Sighing he looked around hoping to spot Kouga near to him. It wasn't until a cold nose touched his leg did he look down to see a small white cub with bright blue eyes looking up at him its tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Harry smiled and gently picked up the small cub and frowned as he took in the large paws. The cub's front right paw seemed a lot smaller than the other paws. Shrugging he drew the cub closer to him allowing the little bundle of fur to lick his chin.

"Well seems you have made a friend", a deep voice said from beside him.

Looking up he smiled at Kouga lightly, "I'm sorry Alpha Kouga I just love cubs I often found myself babysitting for my Godfathers pack. He jokes that I would make a wonderful wife more so than not."

Kouga nods lightly, "yes I can see why he would say such things. You would make a wonderful Alpha Female or Beta one day."

The smaller wizard blushed lightly hugging the small cub to his chest.

The Alpha smiled slightly down at the sight before nodding, "You may have him if you wish. His mother died in child labour and his father has shunned him. The cub has survived thus far but he will never be fully accepted into the pack with his lame paw."

Harry smiled down at the cub gently nuzzling into the sweet smelling fur, "Would you like that little one?"

The small wolf cub looked up at him titling his head to the side before yipping playfully.

Laughing the young brunette smiled, "I guess that's a yes!"

Kouga nods politely, "As you are of wolf kind you may stay within the den till you can return to your own pack. Going to a human village would be an almost complete waste of time on both our parts."

The wizard sighs and nods, "Yes it would be a waste. May I use one of your wolves to see if he can find them?"

The alpha thought momentarily his pointed ears twitching, "Yes you may use two. I am sure it will not hurt the pack to do so."

Harry smiled brightly and nodded in approval, "Thank you Alpha Kouga."

The mentioned man scoffed lightly, "Please call me Kouga."

Harry nodded before standing careful walking towards the entrance the small pup trailing after him, "I wish to greet the sun Thank you for allowing me to stay."

Kouga simply shrugged before slipping from site mumbling something about having to check the borders.

It was not long before Harry had set up the two wolves and one demon male to go to the area he had first arrived to see if they noticed anything strange. A letter with them if they could find Remus. Wishing them safety he pointed them in the correct direction watching as they sped off into the distance.

Slipping back into the den he was quickly greeted by four small children ranging from 5 to 10 years of age in human years, three boys and one small little girl.

Smiling he knelt in front of them, "Well hello, my name is Harry and you fine young cubs?"

The largest boy smirked and pointed at his chest, "I'm Kota! These are my friends!"

The cute little blonde boy spoke up next, "I'm Kiba and this is my twin brother Zeni."

The small girl tugged at a lock of his hair whispering, "I'm Keeta."

Laughing lightly he nodded, "Want to hear a story?"

All four kids smiled brightly, "YA!"

Laughing he sat the children down on a smaller gathering rug placing the little girl in his lap gently being careful, "Have you heard the story of Cinderella?"

All four heads tilted to the side and Harry laughed lightly, "Alright little ones get comfy and I will tell you this tale."

The three boys spread out around him as the little girl shifted in his lap laying her head on his shoulder, his small cub curling up at his side panting in excitement. He smiled when a few of the younger teens also came over and gathered around, Shiver ducking in close as well.

Harry smiled at his crowd of now ten and cleared his throat, "Among the people of the south there is a tradition that before the Ch'in and Han dynasties there lived a cave-master called Wu. People called the place the Wu cave. He had two wives. One wife died. She had a daughter called Yeh-hsien, who from childhood was intelligent and good at making pottery on the wheel. Her father loved her. After some years the father died, and she was ill-treated by her stepmother, who would always order her to collect firewood in dangerous places and draw water from deep pools. Once Yeh-hsein caught a fish about two inches long, with red fins and golden eyes. She put it into a bowl of water. It grew bigger every day, and after she had changed the bowl several times, she could find no bowl big enough for it, so she threw it back into the pond. Whatever food was left over from meals she put into the water to feed it. When Yeh-hsien came to the pond, the fish always swam up and rested its head on the bank, but when anyone else came, it would not come out.

The stepmother watched for the fish, but it did not once appear. So she tricked the girl, saying, 'Haven't you worked hard! I am going to give you a new dress.' She then made the girl change out of her tattered clothing. Afterwards she sent her to get water from a spring that was very far away. The stepmother put on Yeh-hsien's clothes, hid a sharp knife up her sleeve, and went to the pond. She called to the fish. The fish at once put its head out, and she chopped it off and killed it. The fish was now more than ten feet long. She cooked it, and when she served it up, it tasted twice as good as an ordinary fish. She hid the bones under the dung-hill.

The next day, when the girl came to the pond, no fish appeared. The girl ran out into the fields, howling with grief. Suddenly there appeared a man with his hair loose over his shoulders, dressed in coarse clothes. He descended from the sky, and he consoled her, saying, "Don't cry so! Your stepmother has killed the fish and its bones are under the dung-heap. Go back, take the fish's bones and hide them in your room. Whatever you want, you have only to ask the fish bones for it." The girl followed his advice, and from then on she was able to provide herself with gold, pearls, dresses, and food whenever she wanted them. When the time came for the cave festival, the stepmother took her own daughter with her, and left Yeh-hsien to keep watch over the fruit trees in the garden. The girl waited until they were far away, and then she followed them, wearing a cloak of material spun from kingfisher feathers and shoes of gold. Her stepsister saw her and said to the stepmother, "That girl looks like my sister." The stepmother suspected the same thing. The girl was aware of this and went away in such a hurry that she lost one shoe. It was picked up by one of the people of the cave. When the stepmother got home, she found the girl asleep, with her arms round one of the trees in the garden, and thought no more about it.

The cave was near an island in the sea, and on this island was a kingdom called T'ohan. The man who had picked up the gold shoe sold it in T'o-han, and it was brought to the king. He ordered all the women of the court to put it on, but it was too small even for the one among them that had the smallest foot. He then ordered all the women in his kingdom to try it on, but there was not one that it fitted. It was as light as down, and it made no noise even when treading on stone. His search finally took him to the place where Yeh-hsien lived with her stepmother, and the shoe fitted her perfectly. She put on the other shoe, and her cape of feathers, and she was as beautiful as a heavenly being. Taking the fish bones with her, she returned with the king to T'o-han and became his chief wife. The first year, the king was very greedy and asked the fish bones for jade and pearls without limit. The next year, the fish bones no longer granted his requests. He buried them by the sea shore and covered them with a hundred bushels of pearls, and after a while they were washed away by the tide. The stepmother and stepsister were struck by flying rocks, and died. The cave people buried them in a stone pit, which was called the Tomb of the Two Women. Men would come there and make offerings, and the girl they prayed for would become their wife."

As he stopped he looked around at the wide eyed teens and children around him. Chuckling lightly he finished with a small wink to Shiver, "So remember Kindness is always best and greed brings nothing but death."

Some of the older children clapped before thanking him and helping the smaller ones up and away back to their parents. Shiver slipped forward removing the little girl from his lap so that he could stand and stretch.

Stifling a yawn he turned only to come face to chest with Kouga.

Blushing he looked up and stepped back politely, "My apologies I had not known you were there."

Kouga simply shrugged, "It's alright Harry, come the wolves have returned."

Harry smiled and picked up his small white cub walking swiftly behind Kouga to where the male demon and two wolves sat drinking some water to recover. In the demons hand was a blue envelope with a small gold paw on the back. Stepping forward he was handed the letter and quickly opened it.

Harry,
Thank the Gods you are alright everyone has been searching for you. Fenrir and I were even summoned from the pack to search the woods. It was rather startling to find your three messengers. We think the meadow will work for you again and will continue to do so. This is just a theory. Ask them how they made it through and come home for now. I wish to see how you are and wish to hear more of this Kouga. I also have some really good news but I will wait to tell you in person. Look the Transition of here to there and vice versa seem's harmless. Tell Alpha Kouga if it would be alright to establish a temporary alliance that will allow you to be within his Territory. I think it would be a good idea for you to stay there when things get heated here. Look I don't want to alarm you but it's getting rough in the past few days. I think the end is coming it makes my fur stand on end. Good luck getting back hope to see you soon.
Remus and Fenrir Lupin-Greyback

Harry sighed, "So I can get home and looks like home is getting worse. I didn't think my disappearance would spur him into moving so fast. Kouga I'm afraid I will have to leave sooner than is probably healthy."

The Alpha frowned, "I don't understand, what problems?"

Harry looked to the ground, "We are currently at war that's all there you need to know."

Nodding, Kouga simply turns, "You will leave at the end of the week and no sooner. You must let your body heal. They will be fine till then. Come Shiver wishes to examine your stitches. I will inform the pack of what is going on."

The smaller wizard groans and slips over to where Shiver was sitting by the Hot spring his hands already digging into the medical basket.

Plopping down in front of the tall red head he was immediately man handled into sitting with his back to the healer having the green gunk smeared across his shoulder once more.

Shiver gently laid his head against his back, "I heard you where leaving by the end of the week to go to war. I don't like it. You are not the war type I can tell. You are too motherly I can tell by how you treated the children. Why do you fight?"

Harry mumbled softly, "I don't have a choice. It's my job."

The red head frowned, "Fine but you aren't leaving till you are healthy."

Harry snorted, "Kouga already kind of said that."

He heard laughing behind him before he felt a hand carefully pick up his hair, "You should let one of the women take care of your hair."

Nodding he simply stood and slipped back into the cave only to be quickly being confronted by several children; smiling he laughed and followed them, a yipping ball of fur right behind him.

TBC