All in the Family

Chapter 128: Fight and Flight

Updating a day early because I'm just so excited to be almost done with this book!

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Remus nearly lost consciousness; he hit something so hard and a flare of pain raked his whole body, but he absolutely refused to let himself black out again. If he was doomed to transform now, he would do anything to lock himself up alone first.

Instead he pushed himself off something solid silver, the red patches from where it had contacted his skin leaving him looking as if he had a fresh sunburn on his forehead, his palms shiny around the edges. The item had been the flat edge of a sword, now slightly dented from his impact, gleaming faintly in the poor lighting in here and waiting at the bottom of a long row of daggers, broadswords, and cutlasses on a rack. There were even more weapons all around, bows and arrows, spears, even a mace and trident. Nothing had come loose and killed him when he'd fallen into here, but he got cautiously to his feet and turned uneasily about the armory to see no one else around him.

He made instantly for the door and was relieved to be let out, only to find himself in an even more strange environment. He'd stepped right out of a tree, and there were clusters of others all around with doors carved into them. Even stranger still, he felt he should vaguely recognize the air as he took uneasy breaths, he just didn't care enough to figure it out as he immediately went searching for Sirius.

The village would have been fascinating to explore any other time. He passed homes that each had a unique care to it and even another room that stored some odd contraptions he'd like to take a look at under other circumstances. There were deep hoof marks in the dusty worn trails serving as roadways along each entrance. As far as he knew, nobody in history had been to one of these.

He just kept searching desperately, ears pricked for even the smallest noise. He couldn't actually scent out Padfoot, but his senses were stronger than most people's and he'd swear he'd be able to smell at least blood in the air if that had been around, and it was where he managed to find him.

Sirius was standing next to a crackling fire, looking at a deer carcass with a blank face. It was barely identifiable as such, it had already been skinned, the entrails were clearly being packed into salt crates around them, the hooves and tail were clearly next on the chopping block. Large stocks of fruits and vegetables all native to their Forbidden Forest sat in wicker baskets in carefully sorted piles.

Remus really hadn't a care, he was just surprised James hadn't beaten him here as he pulled Sirius to his chest.

He allowed it, but only for a few moments before he tried to pull away again. Remus tried not to let the panic force him to pull Padfoot right back as he got a good look at his face, the haughty look about him once more was terrifying. It's all he'd seen of Sirius those long three weeks they hadn't been talking.

"Don't do that Sirius," he pleaded, reaching for his hand. Sirius averted his eyes but let their fingers tangle together, Remus squeezed. "Don't close yourself off like that, please."

"I'm not," he was doing a passable job of just sounding bored, but he flinched terribly when Evans's voice echoed around them for the book, Fight and Flight. "Relax Moony, just because I'm not snogging you right now doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you."

"I really hope you don't think I'm buying that," Remus snapped, fighting the impulse to grab his face and force him to meet his eyes. "Your libido isn't the point, don't act like you don't care."

Sirius did look at him then, finally meeting his eyes but snatching his hand away and taking a step back, he obviously felt something now. "Don't tell me how I feel!"