Lost Cub

Chapter Sixteen

Remus stirred. He vaguely remembered helping a werewolf cub last night; a hurt werewolf cub....

He sat up quickly, finding himself in the front yard. A pair of trousers were laid across his crotch. Other than that, the yard was empty.

"Cub?" he called out carefully as he put on the pants. A low hoot responded, and Remus spotted a white Snowy Owl eyeing him with sharp amber eyes. The owl hopped over to the front door, which was open, and hooted again.

"Is he inside?" Remus asked quietly, standing up. He blinked in surprise when he didn't feel nauseous or tired.

The owl hooted again. Remus limped up to the cottage and peeked inside.

There was a small boy, about thirteen, curled up on the couch, an empty, broken cage and an open trunk beside him. He wore only pants, showing scars and bruises on his chest and arms. But it didn't look like normal werewolf scars.

Remus carefully approached the boy, then froze. A lightning scar was just visible on the boy's forehead.

Cub!

Remus was about to go over and wake him when the owl hooted in a quiet but angry way, pecking at his hand. He glanced at Hunter again and realized the boy needed sleep.

"Sorry," he whispered to the owl, who gave him a superior look. "Can you tell me when he wakes up?"

The owl hooted derisively and flapped over to Hunter, landing delicately on the arm of the couch nearest his head. Remus chuckled quietly and went to the kitchen.

The quiet sizzling of bacon and eggs filled the house. Remus hummed as he flicked his wand, sending two plates over to the table, as well as a platter of toast. Then he went up the stairs to find a first-aid kit for Hunter.

The owl made a noise downstairs that almost sounded like a motherly coo. Remus realized Hunter was awake and put on a shirt before heading back down the stairs.

The child had an almost panicky look on his face when he arrived. "I'm sorry, Uncle Moony, I should've made breakfast-" he squeaked.

"It's all right, cub," Remus said gently, pulling Hunter into a warm hug. "You are my guest, not my servant. Besides, you looked like you needed sleep." He pulled away and said, "Let me get rid of your bruises, and then you can eat." He opened the first-aid kit as the child blushed.

"Thanks, Uncle Moony," he mumbled. The owl hooted again, very gently, and the child relaxed.

"How did you know I was your Uncle Moony?" Remus asked curiously as he began gently dabbing the bruise salve over Hunter's chest. He squeaked at the cold salve before answering.

"Uncle Paddy said I had to go to you," he replied.

Remus blanched and flinched. "You saw-? Did he try to hurt you?"

"No, he got mad when I told him Vernon Dursley hurt me, though," Hunter added. "I hope he didn't attack them," he added worriedly. "Dudley wouldn't hurt me, and Petunia was gentler than Vernon."

Remus let out a loud snarl, making Hunter jump. "That old fool gave you to Petunia? Is he out of his mind?"

"I, I think so," Hunter blushed. "Lady Hogwarts said that Dumbledore was a danger to me, and asked Uncle Tommy to protect me."

"Who's Uncle Tommy?" Remus questioned, fondly remembering Hogwarts' banter.

"Voldemort," Hunter said bluntly. Remus' jaw dropped.

"What?!"