Written for the Hogwarts Talent Show.
Prompt picture chosen: "Flight and Sail" by Brooks Shane Salzwedel. (I can't link it, so just look it up.)

The picture made me think about the Forbidden Forest at night.

The wand-light wasn't enough. Sirius had fallen so many times as he walked through the forest, the dull light barely showing him a foot in front of him.

He needed to get out of there.

He glanced up, the thickness of the trees blocking any moonlight and stars from view, and sighed. How did he even get so far into the Forbidden Forest?

Snape.

He had followed the greasy Slytherin from the castle. James was supposed to be with him, but James had to serve detention with Peter - all Peter's fault! Snape had been talking about meeting in the forest that night, and Sirius couldn't pass up the chance to find out what the potential-junior-deatheater was up to.

It was his duty to make sure there was no Death Eater business happening.

But as he stumbled over a tree-branch, Sirius realised what a stupid idea it had been to go alone. He had to keep stopping and asking the wand to point him, before lighting it up again. The next time he stopped, it seemed as though he had turned around on himself and altered his course, but he couldn't seem to stay on track.

Then the howling started in the distance; the rustling nearby, pushing him further off course as he tried to get away from whatever creature was there. Sirius wasn't stupid, he knew if there was a pack of wolves or something, he'd be best avoiding them than trying to fight one. The pack would probably be quite large.

Another rustle and Sirius' heart was racing. He turned away from the noise, hoping he wasn't too far off-course. He didn't want to turn the light off in case anything came for him.

Maybe he should climb a tree?

It wasn't long before he realised he was heading deeper into the forest instead of out of it, but Sirius wasn't able to turn back now. There were at least three things following him, keeping him on a straight path.

As he walked, Sirius' heart pounded against his chest, and he was even more scared. The creatures - whatever they were - were herding him. They had been doing so since the first noise.

A crack of a twig just behind him had Sirius moving faster, listening carefully for a way out of the forest. Maybe if he ran for it...

Another rustle, a faint growl. He realised there were more creatures than he thought. There was no chance of running now.

Maybe the best bet would be to get them all together and use some spells when they weren't hidden? FiendFyre perhaps?

...oOo...

Sirius stumbled into a small clearing, his wand out and his eyes darting around. A figure lay on the ground, but he ignored it as he watched the wolves approach.

He heard the person shuffle and moved closer. Whoever it was, he hoped they had a wand because it might not be easy defending the both of them.

Until the man let out a small warning growl. Sirius' gaze flickered to him, and he did a double take. The man was sitting on the ground, his teeth bared, his amber eyes staring at Sirius.

Another growl.

Forgetting about the wolves for a moment, Sirius turned to the man that was growling at him. The man should be on his side, helping him after all.

He growled back.

A look of confusion covered the man's face and the wolves paused. Sirius watched carefully, listening for any indication that the wolves had started moving closer, but there was silence.

He watched as the man's eyes widened, his mouth in a curious frown as his head slowly, hesitantly tilted, his neck being revealed.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked.

The man stared up at him as a couple of wolves moved closer to the man. Sirius' wand raised, but the wolves didn't seem to care about him anymore - for some reason, the head tilt and showing his neck was some sort of signal to not attack.

The man nodded for Sirius to lay down as the wolves made themselves comfortable. A couple of them laying next to the man. The man himself lay down, curling into the fur.

"Do you live with them?" Sirius asked.

Amber eyes were on him again.

"Look, this is really strange. Do you need help? I can get you help if you want to come with me."

All he received was another curious look from the wolf-man.

"I need to go back to the castle. Can you show me the way there."

The man slowly stood up, looking unstable, before leaving the group. They walked in silence and quickly found the edge of the forest.

"That's my school," Sirius said, trying to break the silence. The wolf-man followed his gaze before turning amber eyes back on him. "I can get you help. You'll be with people, have clothes..." his gaze moved the the shredded trousers the man was wearing.

The man was frowning.

"Well, if you ever need help, I'm in there, though I'm sometimes out here," Sirius offered. "Thank you for your help."

He turned to walk to the castle, feeling eyes on him. He turned back to look, a slight movement in the forest catching his eye and he smiled.

A howl that sounded eerily like a human came from the trees. Sirius took a deep breath and howled in response.

...oOo...

It had been years since he had met another human. Ever since he was a child. It was fascinating when his pack brought one to him.

Strange too, as they went out looking to feed, but brought the human. Maybe it was because of the full-moon the night before. He was still recovering from that.

He saw the similarities in them and recognised some of the words - Centaurs spoke too, so he hadn't completely forgotten human language, he just preferred to interact with the wolves.

The human had growled at him and he could feel the power the man held, even without fighting him. He couldn't help but offer his neck and submit to this potential mate - the first human in the forest.

He wasn't an expert in these things, but this human would make a beautiful mate. He was very pleasing to observe.

But then his human was leaving. He didn't know what to do to call him back, so he done the only thing he could think of.

The call for his mate. Seconds passed and his heart pounded as he watched the human, hoping his human would accept the mating.

The human called back. The human had agreed to be his mate. He smiled as he watched his mate return to the castle. He would see him again, soon hopefully.

Maybe his mate already had a pack. He would have to change packs to be with him, but that was a normal thing to do for a mate.

I hope you like it. I'm definitely writing more of this. I clearly can't just write one-shots, can I?

Review please :)

Thanks to Firefly for the help :)