Shelter • wolfstar au

10 ; return

Chapter Ten: Return

10 January, 1982

It wasn't until Remus had returned home and continued working in the shelter that he realised how much he actually missed the German Shepherd. None of the other dogs were particularly close to him, and he didn't enjoy their presence when he took them outside to play. Every second he spent at the shelter, he wondered where the dog may have gone and what may have caused him to react the way he did, but he came up with no answer.

After about a week, when he had nearly given up searching, he came upon the strange dog by pure chance.

Caspar's house was quite a great distance away from the shelter, but as Remus passed by the place one morning on his way to a marketplace, he noticed a familiar figure crouching behind a tree - a large body with dense black fur and a tail that wagged back and forth behind him. For a moment, he was stunned, not having imagined that he would come across the dog so suddenly like this. When he came out of his reverie, he slowly walked towards him, unable to keep his cautiousness at bay, because as much as he wanted to believe that the dog wouldn't hurt him, the deep scars on his chest said otherwise.

The dog sensed his presence when he was only a few metres away and his ears perked up before he turned his head to look at him. He looked surprised for a moment, an odd expression to see on a dog's face and Remus almost laughed. Kneeling down next to him, he gently put a hand on his back. The dog didn't move.

"Hi," he said with an amused smile, noticing the way the dog sat - just out of sight of Caspar's owners should they look out of a window, but he himself having a clear view of the house. "Why did you run away?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

It may have been his imagination, but he was certain he saw the dog's eyes trail down him to land on his chest for a brief second. Now completely sure that the dog wouldn't have a sudden breakdown and attack him, Remus tucked his legs under him and sat down, running his hand gently over his back.

"You feel bad for this?" he asked, pointing to his chest. "You don't have to, because I forgive you."

Once again, the dog looked at him, his dark grey eyes boring into him, and Remus couldn't keep the thoughts away - how could a dog be like this? But he decided not to think about it and looked at the being that sat in front of him, back straight and ears stiff, as though alert of something happening. "Let's take you back to the shelter."

Immediately, his mood changed and he stood up, causing Remus to flinch back. He looked panicked as he ruffled around, fidgeting his legs and looking here and there. "Hey," he said softly, holding onto him and trying to calm him down. "What's wrong? Why don't you want to go back?"

But of course, he didn't answer and continued moving restlessly around. Unable to figure out what to do, Remus sighed and pulled the dog close to him, embracing him in a tight hug. He stopped moving as Remus's hand stroked his head, and lowered his back legs to sit down on the ground, his muzzle resting on Remus's shoulder.