The Lion and The Hare

[Speed Stark]

With a quick flick of his tail, Speed dashed off into the forest as the sun began to break through the trees. It was early morning, the plants still had the early morning dew, which brushed onto his coat as he dashed past. Pausing for a breath when he heard something snap, Speed's long ears turned towards the sound, while his eyes took note of what was around him. In these woods, there was very little that could bring him harm. While a small hare, with nothing to use weapons wise but his teeth, Speed only looked completely powerless. He liked this place because of its distinct lack of creatures that could do him harm - except perhaps the odd large bird that would see him as a meal, but morphing back to his regular self often stopped such plans from happening. Occasionally a feral cat or dog would show up, but he could easily escape such creatures. He was, after all, a wizard and perfectly capable of protecting himself. Otherwise he may as well stop teaching safety in school and become a hermit.

He returned to his run, deciding that nothing was dangerous that he could see. The wind running through his short fur was what he liked best about the run. Rarely he would ever actually run into people out here, but if he did, he simply ran between their feet or jumped over their lounging bodies and continued. Finding that someone was now in his way, Speed quickly jumped around them, narrowly avoiding being kicked by the person's feet. It was close, but his powerful back legs pushed him further away from the person and left a little trail of upturned leaves and dirt behind him. It was still very early, but it seemed that he was not the only one out for a run, which was surprising but not unheard of.

He ran through the hollow log of a fallen tree, and paused when he reached the end. He flicked his head around, and made his ears orbit slightly. Once again, he felt that something was following him. He hoped it wasn't person - specifically, someone he knew that would recognise his form. It would not be the first time a friend or relative took the time to 'hunt' him when on a run to scare him. He took a few test steps, seeing if anything would break from the trees and run at him. Silence fell, and all he could hear was the calls of birds, and his own hurried breathing from his run. Upon hearing a crack, his ear flinched to the source and he found himself in the presence of a predator that, while not exactly faster, caught him off guard because it really should not be in this area. What in Merlin's name was a lion doing out here? Finding himself in a panic and tumbling down a hill, Speed changed back to his usual form, landing hard on the ground, with a white lion looming over him. 'Sh!t'.
​

 

[Gregory White]

Being in the forest did nothing for Gregory's camouflage skills as a white lion, but being conspicuous and odd-smelling to the surrounding wildlife made him think on his feet(paws). With the body of one of the biggest cats on planet Earth, as well as the mind and magic of wizards and goblins combined, his hunting skills were unmatched by any predator he had yet to face. There was a distinct lack of non-native mammals abiding in New Zealand, except those that could swim, and Greg wasn't likely to bother with them in either his human or animagus form.
The British wizard had a habit of scaring the life out of neighbouring magical folk just trying to take a nice walk in the countryside behind their houses. He'd taken to hunting deeper and deeper into the forest to avoid another of the copious warnings and fines from the Ministry he'd accrued. Now, hunting took him on trips that verged on weeks and sometimes months, though he never took them without notifying Audel. His territory was spreading past the forest and into the plains surrounding the mountains, where copious introduced game such as wild cats, pigs, foxes, rabbits, hares and other warm-blooded creatures lived to tempt his palate.
As a human, Greg would have been shivering if he'd lain in the dew belly-down all night as he had, but though his thick fur was covered in dew, it failed to penetrate his top coat and helped him blend into his frosty surroundings. His cerulean eyes moved slowly from one landmark to another, seeing little but smelling all. That tree stump - wild dog puppies in a large den beneath it. Not worth the digging. That stand of trees - often hid rabbits, but they were small for the season and often disease ridden. There! Far in the distance, his weak eyes could just spy two twitching ears at the end of a fallen tree. Greg As Lion began the infamous cat's belly-crawl across the grass until the hare's outline became solid. A step or two, and he would be within the optimum distance for-
The hare was off! Greg As Lion leapt into pursuit, even as his wizard's brain catalogued the hare's presence as marked and interesting. The hare was fast, and inwardly Greg knew his pursuit was literally a hair(hare)'s breadth away from failing. He lost sight of the lagomorph as it sprung over a hill, yet Greg As Lion took one final leap simply to finish the chase. His mouth caught the heel of the hare as a flash of sun hit his eyes, blinding him but permitting a victory nonetheless. He had no time to celebrate as, right before his eyes, his open grip on the leg became tighter and tighter until his teeth broke the skin of the creature.
The instinct of the Lion was to hold on until the prey was dead and so he did, but his alarm grew greater as the hare morphed beneath his lips. Its panic was catching until he, too, was changing from Greg As Lion to just Greg.
His mouth was bloody and his teeth were filled with the flesh of a young man, such as he was with his (now human) teeth still locked around his ankle. Limbs were flying, and Gregory hacked and spit his way onto his back, releasing him.
"Lord have mercy!" he gasped, locking eyes with his injured counterpart. The shock was immense. He'd come across humans whilst in lion form many a time, but never in the midst of a hunt. It was the first time that he'd injured anyone. A trickle of blood ran from his lips but Gregory did not wipe it as he'd scrambled forward again to assist.
"My God, I ... Sir, I'm so sorry." So mortified was he that tears came to his eyes, which he held back to look closer at the man's legs. "Can I ... should I call for a Healer? Christ."​

 

[Speed Stark]

Finding a lion in the midst of the New Zealand woods was surprising, but finding out that this particular lion, who had done quite a number on his leg, was not a lion at all left Speed speechless and with his mouth hanging open. The man looked about as surprised as Speed felt. In his years running around as a hare, he had never actually been hunted by another animagus, nor had he ever actually been injured by any creature. There was always a time for firsts. He watched the man carefully, taking note of every moment he made just in case he did something Speed didn't like. However, when the stranger seemed to trip over his own words and look about ready to cry, Speed was not too sure on how to act himself. The man looked nothing if not sorry for what he had done, but the realisation that his blood was on the man's face - was in the man's mouth, made Speed uncomfortable and very, very aware of the threat that the man still posed him. Who went around hunting in a forest anyway? Then again, he could have just as easily been shot or something, but that was irrelevant.

The blond's heart jumped as the brunette man approached him a little too quickly for his liking. Not bothering to wait to see whether this was a friendly gesture or not, Speed focused enough to perform a successful transformation and, with a flick of his tail, scurried behind a nearby tree - ignoring the extreme pain he felt in his hind leg. He turned back and, travelling on all-fours, poked his head out from behind the trunk of the tree to continue observing his attacker. His grey eyes examined the man for all threats, but found very fewthat were immediate at this distance."I-I'd prefer you to not move so quickly, Sir," he said, taking note of where his wand was just in case the man didn't leave him alone.

Being skittish in normal situations, finding himself mauled by an animagus that had a tendency to move much too fast for his liking - especially whilst wearing his blood on his face - really made Speed hit the Flight of 'Fight or Flight'. Unfortunately, potions were more Speed's forte, yet he couldn't very well brew one right here now could he? He sighed and relaxed to the forest floor, realising that he couldn't apparate back home because he doubted he would get there in one piece since apparating with a clear mind was a serious call for him. He was going to have to ask for help, or get an infection. And the only person nearby that he knew was a magical person that could actually help him, was the man that had done this to him in the first place. "Could you, um." He smiled sheepishly, just wishing that this all would end. "Can you get a healer or something? But move slowly."
​

 

[Gregory White]

Greg scrubbed his arm over his face, which removed most of the blood and a few escaped tears. His other arm went palm up in mollification.
"Aye. Moving slowly."
What started out as a perfect dawn break was turning into his worst nightmare. He did not fear the lion that dominated his senses as an animagus, but he feared what it could do when it was out of control. The battle between instinct and reason was swift and merciless. She who taught him to run wild with her, those many years ago, had cared nothing for the consequences of training another in her art without a license. In the end, it hadn't helped her when she needed it most, and she was likely long dead. Where was she when he needed her most? She'd always been so controlled As Leopard. What Greg had done As Lion ... it was inexcusable.
Gregory sank back onto his heels and shuffled forward slowly. As a wizard, he was much less impressive. His sun-bleached curls had turned into tangles and failed to hide the tapered points of his ears. Everything about Greg As Lion was power and grace. As Wizard, he was hands-too-big, voice-too-soft, nose-too-upturned and altogether far too awkward to make it through this situation.
"Look, I'll be honest," said Greg as the last of the blood was wiped from his face and mouth. The copper tang of it was making him sick. "I don't think we're going t' be able t' get a Healer out here. If ye'll permit me, I could make sure ye're stable and then ... take 'ye t' where 'ye want t' be? At least, let me stop the bleeding," he pleaded.
Greg could wait no longer as his true conscientious nature wouldn't let him stay idle. In his pocket lay a few anti-bacterial salves and some a pot of burn healing paste, the latter of which was useless to him, but he pulled out one of the salves and held it up so that the label met Speed's eyes.
"If I may ..." The vial was upended over the leg wound, still outstretched and within reach without having to get too close. Greg didn't even blink and pulled his shirt over his head, with which he began methodically tearing into a half-serviceable bandage. "This should suffice. My name is Gregory Yearling, by the way," he introduced himself as he shook out the shirt. His chest and back were soon sprinkled with dew, and suddenly he was feeling the morning chill. "I'm so sorry t' meet 'ye in such unfortunate, and frankly ridiculous, circumstances." He was moments from wrapping his makeshift bandage around Speed's leg, but Greg noticed the wet and held it up sheepishly.
"Sorry again. I'm rotten at drying charms. D'ye mind?"​

 

[Speed Stark]

Even Speed realised that this was an unfortunately, and downright ridiculous situation. He should never have gotten himself into this situation, and he could just see Abbigale now - foaming at the mouth, telling him off. He'd have to return to that school knowing that she'd be right there, judging him. He nodded to acknowledge what the man said, and felt his racing heart slowing down. At least the man realised that it was best to adhere to Speed's wishes, and not rush him like that. Speed was not prepared to survive a heart attack, if he could avoid it he would be eternally grateful. The professor watched his fellow animagus clean his face of blood and tears which, once accomplished, made it easier for Speed to actually look at him and take note of features. Which was far more interesting than Speed initially realised because... were those pointed ears? A part-goblin perhaps? He dropped eye-contact for a moment as he pulled himself a little closer to make it easier for the man to help him. Now that he had cleaned himself up and registered a little less as a threat, Speed was willing to allow him some trust.

Speed looked at his leg, and knew that the man was right. Where would they get a healer? Speed didn't exactly have his friend Andrew on speed-dial and if he did he doubted Andrew even knew how to hold a phone. "I agree," he said, attempting to sit up and roll over from the forest floor. He read the label carefully, and nodded. Giving the man permission to help him. He took the vial from the man's hands and began tending to his injury. Fortunately, it looked nastier than it was, especially with the knowledge that the man had medical help with him. He wasn't sure if the tearing of the shirt was necessary, as he didn't like having people ruin their things, especially clothes. But he needed the leg bandaged, and he wasn't about to tear his own shirt up. He loved this shirt. Speed took note of the name, and smiled gently, trying to give some comfort to Gregory, who seemed to be suffering from a huge bout of guilt. He didn't blame Gregory, as he knew that if their situation were flipped, he would be dying with guilt - in fact, he'd probably be crying more than Gregory was previously.

"I suppose it's... well, I want to say okay," His eyes lingered on his leg. "But that'd be lying, wouldn't I?" He smiled slightly, ignoring the pain in his leg, in order to assure Gregory that he wasn't about to hold this against him for the rest of existence. Perhaps Speed was a little too forgiving, but it never hurt him. Well, maybe a few times, but nothing too serious. "Thank you, Gregory." Speed watched as his leg was tended to, and then focused his eyes on the shirt. With a wave of his hand (which he had managed to stop shaking horrendously from adrenalin) and the appropriate incantation, the shirt was clear of dew and dried. "There you go." Being accustomed to bandaging, he was prepared to assist with the bandaging of his leg if it was needed, and he sat up a little further in order to elevate his leg slightly to make it easier. "Oh, and um, my name's Speed. Speed Stark, by the way."
​

 

[Gregory White]

Gregory smiled sheepishly as he tied off his ruined shirt over the bite mark.
"Thank 'ye. Some proper bandages would have been in order, aye, but let's just say that neither Charms nor Transfig were my fortes." he sighed. "Don't ask me how I managed t' get through animagus training." No seriously, thought Greg. Don't ask. The poor man he'd bitten, Speed, would have had ample grounds to toss his arse into Azkaban for being the unregistered, dangerous, animagus who injured him.
Greg sat back onto his heels and he and Speed looked at each other for a moment. The wet dew was seeping into the back of his jeans but he couldn't bring himself to move in case he scared Speed again. There was no juxtaposition with the man or his animagus form. His name, the swiftness of the hare, and his nervous tendencies (not that Greg blamed him) made a perfectly married image in his mind of a man with a gentle nature.
He was trying to think of some way to make it up to him when his mobile phone buzzed in his pocket. Greg still had trouble using the muggle device, which Audel had insisted he use (being a more modern wizard than he), but he knew when to press the big green button.
"Sorry," Greg mouthed to Speed, and put the phone to his ear.
"-and don't lick the spoon, then put it back in! Greg, hi, sorry! Damide, what did I just say?! Where are you, mate?"
"Audel!" Greg replied in alarm, looking between Speed and the phone.
"Yes, fuzzbrain. It's been six days now, and Damide wants to show you the cake he's baking. Stop eating the icing."
"Yes, of course, sorry." said Greg, making apologetic gestures to Speed.
"You alright?"
"Aye."
"Mm hm, well, you've got two hours until the cake is done. It's vanilla. Oh, and your Da Flooed."
Gregory's brain went from processing sluggishly to running at full capacity. His father! Still practicing in St. Mungo's, Great Britain, his father was a renowned Healer and would be Speed's best chance of a proper look-over. Anti-bacterial potions were all well and good, but the store-bought premades were usually only for superficial wounds and not the festering bites of lions. Considering what Greg had eaten (and attempted to eat) in the last six days, it wasn't worth the risk.
"Okay mate, thanks for the call. I'll be home in an hour or so! Thanks, bye!"
"Hang on, Damide wants to-" *click*
Gregory shoved the phone back into his pocket and shuffled over to Speed till they were only a foot apart.
"I know 'ye probably don't trust me," he began, placing his hands on the grass non-confrontationally. "But I can't help but feel obliged t' offer 'ye some more help. My Da, over in Britain, see, he's a Healer. I know lion bites aren't good in the first place, but seeing as I'm an animagus and magical to boot, I really don't want t' take any chances. My roommate, Audel, he's got an international Floo. I was wondering ..." Greg bit his lip and looked at Speed hopefully. "Would 'ye let me take 'ye there?" Slowly and gently, he removed his wand from its sewn-in pocket and placed it on the grass between them with his hand over it. He met Speed's eyes.
"On my wand, as a wizard. No harm will come t' 'ye."​

 

[Speed Stark]

Though Speed was curious as to what the man meant, he decided that pestering the man about his personal life whilst injured in a forest probably wasn't wise. His main priority had to be his leg. But the thought did stay in his mind, perhaps to be addressed at a later date, if there was one. And as Gregory sat back, Speed could not help but wonder what he was doing here. With a clearer and calmer mind running his thoughts, Speed could not see a physically dangerous person, in the way of facial expressions. Gregory did not look cruel, and he had not looked cruel previously. Yet here Speed was, currently on his butt with a leg injury. But it could have been much worse, and he had suffered through much worse, so he was trying to glaze over it a little and not get caught up in the honestly shocking past.

This assumption was further supported by the mobile phone call he was witnessing. He could hear someone on the other end, although what they were saying was unknown. He had not expected Gregory to have a mobile, although it was becoming more and more common, even Speed had a mobile. Although he continued to forget it. With Gregory's conversation on the phone influencing his thoughts, Speed began to think of Sloane, and what she might be doing. He hoped that Lucifer, his bald eagle, was not giving Sloane trouble - especially with his tendency to try and eat Elvera and Ebony. He brought his attention back to the apologetic Gregory, as the older man spoke with 'Audel' and seemed to finish his conversation. The blond nodded slowly as Gregory returned to speaking with him, and he was right. Lion bites were not good. Usually because of the bacteria, and while Speed would have often thought that, seeing as Gregory was not a real lion, his mouth would not carry the same things, the man had tried to eat him while he was a hare. He didn't think he wanted to know what else the older man had eaten. However, the prospect of actually going to Gregory's home was still surprising. Speed's sister was still at his place, while he knew that he brother would probably show up there soon, and he had no way of contacting them long distance, as he had not expected to be injured.

"Umm." He chewed on he inside of his mouth as Gregory continued. He watched him place his wand on the grass, and sighed inwardly. He couldn't stay here, and he could not go back home to Sloane with his leg still a mess. "Okay." He slowly attempted to get up, using the tree as an anchor. "Let's go," he added. 'Before I change my mind.' There was nothing else he could do. It was either find this healer father of Gregory's, or face his sister, who would tell his other sister and his mother. Gregory seemed the better choice over going to Stephanie and Sloane. He really couldn't handle Sloane.
​

 

[Gregory White]

Greg couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him as Speed acquiesced. If the other wizard had refused his help and insisted that he be apparated to a place of his choosing, the lion animagus might have found himself face to face with a squadron of aurors.
He scooped his wand up and moved to assist Speed to his feet. Side by side, Speed was half a foot taller than Greg, although more slender. The half-goblin had no trouble supporting the injured man, though, as even a hint of goblin blood could boost a regular man's strength tend fold. The sly, greedy creatures were deceptively strong and could crush a man's hand with a simple shake. Fortunately they were not often inclined to do so, preferring to leave wizards and muggles well alone unless they could get their knotted hands on their gold.
Greg met Speed's eyes for the cue to apparate, and when they were well situated, he placed his hand on the wand inside his pocket and took Speed for a side-along.</COLOR></FONT>

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The air in his lungs seemed to come back slowly. Apparation always left him feeling winded, and if he was feeling off-balance then Speed must have felt even worse. They were standing on the gravel pathway leading up to a row house, which alerted them to the presence of his cousin and roommate, Audel, with crunching footsteps.

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<FONT font="Arial"><COLOR color="#650335">"Greg!" shouted Audel, who ran to take Speed's other arm. Gregory's cousin was taller again than the two of them, and he practically lifted both wizards off of their feet with his enthusiasm to help. Greg was impressed by the response, since he'd not been courteous enough to warn him of a visitor, much less and injured one.
"Hi, I'm Audel, pleased to meet you, Greg-what-the-hell-have-you-done?!" said Audel in one breath.
"I resent the immediate assumption that I caused this-" Greg countered irritably.
"You'd have to be blind not to know that you caused this!"
Gregory went from miffed to mollified in zero-point-five seconds. "It really was an accident ... wasn't it?" he said with a pleading look towards Speed. Together they began walking the man up the path and beyond, to the steps.
Audel scowled at his roommate. "How do you bite someone by accident, Greg? Did you mistake him for a rabbit, or something?" he scoffed. Gregory stared at him. "Are you serious?"
"Look, it's not important. I just want t' get him t' Da so we can sort his leg out," said Greg, looking more distressed by the minute. Audel seemed to know when he'd said enough, and simply opened the door to help the other two men in. They nearly tripped on the delighted nine-year-old boy sitting on the indoor welcome mat, cake bowl in hand and spoon in his mouth.
"Hiya!"
"Dami, get that bowl back into the kitchen! Over here, mate," said Audel to Speed, not knowing the other wizard's name and, frankly, not wishing to know in case he became further embroiled in Gregory's troubles. A large fireplace dominated the front hallway, with a pot of silvery Floo powder on the mantel piece.
"The address is the Yearling York house," said Gregory, looking up at Speed. "Do 'ye want t' go first, or shall I?"​

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[Speed Stark]

Speed felt a little light-headed from the apparition, not being one that apparated often. It had never agreed with him, and having to tag along on someone else's was even worse. He lent on Gregory for support, finding it fortunate that the older man was able to support him well enough. He was certainly stronger than he appeared, but, according to his pointed ears of his, Speed was certain he had the blood of a goblin within him in some capacity, which could help with his strength. Still, he did try to not just lay all over him, as there was no excuse for that. Another man soon came to his aid, and from then on everything was a little overwhelming. Under different circumstances, Speed was sure he would be laughing at this, and he was sure that if everything worked out for the better, he would look back on that with irony. However, he simply nodded at Audel's greeting and quickly threw his name to the air, not even sure if Audel caught it or not. "Speed." The conversation that played between Audel and Gregory confirmed to Speed that they knew each other well - and that this possibly wasn't the first time Gregory had gotten into trouble on other occasions. At the pleading look that Gregory gave him, Speed quickly turned his head to look at Audel, and nodded quickly. He was pretty sure it wasn't intentional at this point. "A huge misunderstanding," he explained, but he paused for a moment at the comment of him being mistaken for a rabbit. This man had no idea how close he was to guessing what happened. "A hare, actually," he pointed out delicately. because, in the end, it really didn't matter now, did it?

They reached the door - only to narrowly avoid stepping on a young boy that had decided to sit right in the way of the door - just like Speed's own son, Ezra, enjoyed doing. However, this boy was much older than his own son. Speed smiled awkwardly, trying to hide his injured leg from the boy so he wouldn't see the wound. "Hi?" The boy was sent away, and Speed was led to the large fireplace in the hallway, where a pot of Floo powder was situated on the mantel piece. He looked at Gregory and took a mental note of the address, however, he shook his head at going first. He didn't like the idea of showing up unannounced to a stranger's house, and he was notoriously terrible at flooing anywhere and would probably fall over and break his face on appearing. He'd need someone there to stop him from breaking anything - and to stop him from surprising the robes off the owner of the house. Unless Gregory frequently sent people over with injuries - but what were the chances of that? "I think it'd be best if you went first - if only to explain the situation. I'll be right behind you." And, after Gregory went, Speed was prepared to leave himself.

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Fin

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