Charlie silently allowed his brothers to slip ahead of him without any protest, light brown eyes contemplating their backs for a moment before going back to studying the surrounding forest with a faint smile. He enjoyed their ambition and eagerness , would probably go as far as saying he encouraged it, and could think of no one else he would rather have on this search and rescue mission. Readjusting the straps of his backpack that were beginning to cut into his shoulders, the red headed wizard focused his attention on the forest floor, looking for any hints of broken foliage or impressions in the dirt as they drew closer to the sound of running water. Crouching down, he lightly brushed his fingertips over a broken branch of one of the low growing bushes, pulling away an almost indiscernible thread from a dark material. With a thoughtful expression, he rolled the string between his thumb and forefinger, running his free hand over the stubble that had started growing on his cheek.
A low growl rumbling from the direction of the river suddenly brought his head up sharply, Charlie's hand diving into his pocket to withdraw his wand. The wood beneath his fingers grew warm, feeling almost as if it had been left out in the sunlight, responding to its Masters touch and prepared to cast any spells called upon. Surging onto his feet and into a run the next instant later, he was out of the trees and barreling like a bull to defend his brothers before he found himself coming up short at the site of a darker than black wolf, stumbling to a halt as the Beautiful creature unexpectedly shifted into a young woman with tangled gray hair and a defensive expression upon her face.
'Bloody Hell.'
Charlie felt his stomach clench with the jolt of his surprise. Nothing in the information that they had received had hinted at the fact that one of the girls they were searching for was able to change into a wolf. Though The feeling quickly diminished into a milder version as his initial shock was replaced with satisfaction is he recognized the distinctive features on the young woman's face from the pictures they discovered, he couldn't quite relaxed that last bit as she quickk fired a couple questions towards the twins while keeping her wand trained on them, obviously ready to fire off spells should the need arise. Slowly and carefully, Charlie put his own wand back into his pocket, making the motion as obvious as he could manage to help the woman relax further. Fred mentioning the Order of the Pheonix had had a surprisingly positive effect on the woman's countenance. That was a good sign. Making sure to keep his hands away from where he had stowed his wand, Charlie began to walk obediently in the direction indicated, casting a reassuring look towards his brothers and giving his head a nod.
As the cave loomed into sight, Charlie risked A quick glance towards... he thought her name was Emily, and found himself saying in a low voice, "I promise that we aren't here to hurt you. Though I don't expect you to Believe me just because I say so." He gave her A slightly crooked smile. "Dumbledore seems to think that you are important enough to mention you personally."
'Staying in a cave is a little cliché.' Abigail Hawthorn found herself thinking wryly is she briskly rubbed the palms of her hands against the skin of her forearms beneath the tattered sleeves of her robes and glanced gloomily around at the rough stone. Her light blue eyes were, if possible, even more tired as she returned her gaze to the fire. After a moment's consideration, she scooted forward a few inches, crossing her arms across her knees and resting her chin against one of her fists. She then released a heavy sigh, closing her eyes as she allowed the flames to wash little shivering waves of heat over her aching body.
Emily's voice a moment later cost her to open her eyes, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips. At least no matter how bad she felt, she still had her best friend and sister with her. "Be safe." She murmured a moment before the which changed her shape into a lithe she wolf, reaching out and brushing her fingertips along the soft fur on her flank before Emily wheeled around and trotted out of their little shelter. As the tip of her black tail whipped out of sight, Abigail found herself sighing again, giving a matted tuft of her dark brown hair a rueful tug. She somewhat envied the casual ease with which her friend was able to change forms, her own shape shifting capabilities on the fritz. She was also finding it taxing to use her normal Animorphmagi abilities, the natural color of her hair and eyes attesting to that. But almost at once, Abby shrugged off any feelings of jealousy, simply happy that Emily was comfortable enough around her to even show her the change. Dropping the clump of hair from her fingers, she fiddled with the end of her wand as she went back to studying the dance of the flames, contemplating where they were going to find their next meal.
It felt like only seconds later when she heard Emily calling her name once again, approaching the cave in her human form by the sound of it. And by what she said, she wasn't alone. The idea had a stab of panic shooting through her limbs, Momentarily rooting her to the spot. And then Abigail sprang to her feet, pulling her wand swiftly out of her pocket and rushing towards the entrance of the cave with it held out in front of her. Concern creased her forehead as she caught sight of Emily stalking behind three redheaded men, two of which appeared to be identical twins. She bit The inside of her cheek with worry, eying each person in turn, looking for signs of a struggle. If this trio were snatchers, they were in big trouble. But if they had laid even a finger on Emily, these men would be in even bigger trouble.
"...What's going on?" She asked sharply, frowning at the nearest of the twins.
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