Into the Shadows

Here's the next!
Thanks for all your patience!

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Harry flung himself to the side when the werewolf lunged at him. The beast was large and thick and even when Harry hadn't exactly seen a lot of werewolves, he knew that this one wasn't like the magical type. Remus was much lankier and built more for running and hunting his food than the werewolves closing in around them. These werewolves looked more ready to fight and tear than to actually hunt.

Harry swiftly changed back into his wolf form, growling out a warning to the beast getting too near to Remus. Remus still had several minutes before he completed the change and Harry couldn't count fast enough.

~~~

Michael felt it before he saw it. The feeling of utter wrongness, of dark lycan presence, of evil mixing with his mate's magic. He could Selene casting him worried glances out of the corner of his eye when he felt the hybrid rise to the surface.

They heard the brawl before they saw it. Michael caught Selene's eyes and motioned for them to split up. The two of them hit a small clearing and Michael tensed instantly at what he saw.

In the center was the older man halfway through what looked to be a very painful lycan transformation. Along side him was a black wolf, while not large, practically screamed power and familiarity. Michael's already tense muscles stiffened further when he realized that the wolf held the same scent as the young man across the street. However, the young man was gone, and in his place stood a wolf that moved with such a liquid grace that Michael was sure wasn't purely wolf.

A sharp crack of bones had Michael snapping out of the daze that the calming presence had swept him into and focusing on what was happening fifty feet away from him.

The black wolf had lunged and locked his jaws around a lycan's neck and had twisted. After hearing the lycan's neck snap, the black wolf turned quickly, growling and snapping at the other lycans. Obviously trying to protect the man transforming behind him, the black wolf was more preoccupied with defending rather than attacking and it showed... he was tiring fast.

A strangled half- human, half- werewolf howl sent Selene flying into the fight. The lycans, who hadn't even noticed the two hybrids until now, charged toward Selene. She ripped the nearest one's throat out before moving to the second and gutting it also.

Michael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Selene's passion. Normally, an aloof, somewhat detached, fighter, Selene was anything but right at the moment. But before he could delve any deeper into his former lover's sudden desire to destroy, a sharp, high- pitched yelp caught his attention. Scanning the area, the hybrid immediately spotted the black wolf trying valiantly to gain the upper hand on a large lycan, but he was tiring and Michael knew that the lycans knew it.

Michael was halfway to the black wolf's aid when he was abruptly halted by the most eerie howl he had ever heard.

There, at the edge of the clearing was a fully transformed werewolf. From what Michael could tell, it looked to be more like an overly large, emaciated dog than the thick, rangy lycans he knew. The werewolf's jaws were larger though, made for bigger prey, judging by the locked hold the werewolf had around one lycan's neck.
Quickly taking down several lycans that had been hoping for a bite of him, Michael only fought harder when he heard another high- pitched yelp and this time Michael threw himself at the lycan attacking the wolf. With a very satisfying twist, the beast's neck snapped and Michael turned, snarling, challenging any of the more daring lycans to come closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Selene pierce a lycan's skull with one of her daggers, and the werewolf mauling two more, but he was more focused on the injured wolf curled at his feet. Casting a quick, concerned glance toward the mangled back leg of the black wolf, Michael was just about to charge one of the few remaining lycans that was still in the clearing when the werewolf intercepted it.

Tearing its way through the lycan's neck, the werewolf turned dark eyes on Michael, before dropping it's meal and baring it teeth.

~~~

Harry wasn't sure what had happened. One minute he was getting his leg gnawed on and the next he was cowering at his protector's feet.

The raven- haired man didn't know who the stranger was, but he didn't feel like a stranger to him. It was like Harry had been waiting for this handsome creature his whole life. It was sort of weird, but he trusted the man standing over him... completely.

So when Harry saw Mooney advance, ready to protect his "cub", Harry didn't think, he just reacted.
Quickly but unsteadily sitting up, careful not to bump his gnarled hind leg, Harry first tentively nudged his protector's hand and then licked it gently. The creature above him broke Mooney's gaze, surprised at Harry's actions. The Boy-Who-Lived watched as the colorless eyes softened as the creature cautiously raised a blue hand and laid it gently atop Harry's head, stroking soothingly.

Harry's eyes closed in contentment, but open almost immediately after he heard Mooney's questioning growl. Harry let out a gently "Woof" before leaning into his protector's touch. Mooney lowered his lanky body until his belly touched the ground and his nose touched and nuzzled Harry's wound in concern. Harry whined gently to the werewolf, letting him know that he was fine, before Harry raised his eyes to peer up into the obsidian eyes still watching him.

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