Beasts Within Us | Newt Scamander

07. Shell shock.

Newt and Jacob pass her, scattering food for the creatures. Newt watches her intently. A small plump bird apparates it's way under the rock of the Nondu. Those are Diriawls.

She hikes up the grassy, steep embankment leading up to a large rock that the moon shines over. The mooncalves poke their heads out, too bashful to walk up to the stranger. Their bulging eyes take up most of their faces as they watch her toss pellets into the air floating above them.

"Hello, sweeties. Are you hungry?" She calls to them.

With empty stomachs, one by one they hop to her with hopeful eyes.

"Alright, alright. There's more than enough for all of you."

She can't help but giggle at the cute creatures while the pellets she throws float in mid-air. The animals bob for them as if they're playing. She feels her heart almost burst from joy. Being with magical beasts is the greatest feeling in the world.

She searches for Newt. A luminescent creature is cradling in his arms like an infant feeding it with a bottle. It's tendrils resemble ones of a squid. His eyes follow hers as a faint smile sprouts. Maybe he's wrong about her. A kindred spirit.

Her attention draws back to the mooncalves, hand feeding them this time.

"Sweet things... Here you go." She says as she outstretched her arm to stroke one of them.

In her delight, she halts to an eery sound. Goosebumps form on her backside. The spectral sound echoes. The source is in a covered enclosure. The chilly breeze opens the flaps of the curtains. The bucket of feed slides out of her hand.

"Newt..." She says under her breath.

A ghastly sound reverberates from the enclosure. The sound compels her as if it's calling for her. She steps inside into a tundra where a translucent, oily black mass hovers over a frozen puddle. Memories of her wretched past creep into her mind once more... Horror flows within her. She tries with all her might to draw her wand, but her arm won't allow her. She gasps for air. Her vision skews into a haze. She's slipping into a haze.

She finds herself in the same eerie forest as before. Trapped. 'No. Not again.. ' She thinks. The creature levitates in front of her. Its body is translucent. Black ribbons of oil rotate throughout the gaseous form. Its whispy voice grows stronger. Her body impulsively trembles. This is not a dementor that she originally thought. What does it want? Will, it hurt her? Kill her, even?

"No..." She commands.

Her fear melts away and anger boils in her blood. "Don't come any closer! Expecto Patronum!" She shouts at the being.

The tip of her wand illuminates a blinding light. From that light, a Bassett hound radiates and circles her. The sleek mass roars. A young girl's face emerges from it. She staggers backward and falls on her back, frightened. Ears ringing... She reaches to cover her ears, but her arms convulse unable to. She's now realizing the jeopardy she put herself in. And Newts creatures... She closes her eyes finding comfort in her darkness. Warm tears form, prickling down her cheeks. She refuses to run again. She pushes herself up, fighting to control her shaking.

Two figures wade through the creaking trees. The shadowy beings enter the clearing. She turns to them, tightening her grip on her wand, ready to attack. "Step back!" She warns. Her teeth grind together. The tension thickens the air around her. One of the figure's arms rises.

"Stupefy."

'Newt?' she says hearing his familiar voice.  Suddenly, her body goes limp, falling on the snow. Her mind grows dark.

"What did you do?! She needs help!" Jacob protests the wizard's actions.

Newt pulls him back. "Don't touch her. Step back. Accio. Now, step back." He casts. Her body gravitates to him.

"It looks like she has a case of shell shock. We need to get her out of here." Jacob says. His mind races of ways to help.

"I said step away. This is all I can do for now. She could have been killed." The wizard orders. He moves slowly, avoiding to upset the being. He picks up the witch's unconscious body, cradling her just like the baby marmite moments before.

"Come now." Newt directs leaving the enclosure.

He takes her to his hut and carefully lays her on a cot. Jacob's concern grows.

"What did you do?" Jacob repeats.

Newt paces next to the cot, coming up with scenarios of how the ordeal happened.

"I made her unconscious. She can't suffer when she's asleep." He replies. His eyes bounce off the walls of the hut. He huffs and rubs the back of his neck. Humans are far more complicated. This completely derails finding his niffler. Niffler? Who can be thinking about a niffler at a time like this?

"I've got it." He announces.

Jacob stares at him with the hope of helping Ms.Burns.

"We'll wait for her to wake up. Until then, we'll stay here. We'll take a gander to see who else has gone missing and go from there." He decides.