Robb wasn't sure he liked the way the man was looking at him, but he did know he was hungry, and he suddenly smelled food. That was enough to dull any wariness or resentment. He took a step towards Albus and sniffed eagerly, his tongue lolling.
Albus had no fear of the wolf-boy in and of himself. What he feared was what this new arrival might represent. He knew that there were furries out there whose fursuits chafed -- no, not like that; well, all right, that way too, but also in a metaphorical sense! -- who would undertake all sorts of experimental treatments to bring their flesh into greater conformation with what they believed to be their animal spirit. They generally clamored to become animagi, a goal beyond even most talented wizards, let alone weird poseurs. Then there were the ones who tattooed their faces, had odd facial implants inserted ... This boy, now, he'd gone above and beyond.
Would there be more, descending upon Hogwarts? Albus feared for his beloved school. He could imagine having to turn a hose on squirming furpiles around every corner. Merlin defend against it!
But for the wolf-boy as an individual Albus had no fear, no. He tossed the dog biscuit gaily into the air, arcing toward Robb.
If Robb knew -- and could understand -- what Dumbledore thought about his state, he would have been horrified. This wasn't exactly something he'd chosen; when he'd been made king he could hardly have expected that he would be slaughtered at his own wedding feast, that the murderers would chop his wolf's head off and stitch it on in place of his own. That really hadn't been in the cards.
So really, he would have been disgusted, but wolves felt little disgust and the part of him that was still Robb would have been too bewildered even if Dumbledore had explained. What he knew was hunger, and tasty smelling somethings, and when the biscuit flew through the air he lunged for it and shoved it awkwardly into his mouth, wolfing it down (so to speak) in a single bite.
Being a zombie tended to limit ones thought process. Had Ed been human, he might have been thinking with a little more scope - perhaps where to get a Cornetto, whether he should get high, or even pondering his next Mom joke. As it was, zombie!Ed had only thought on his mind.
Braaaaaiiiins.
Ed lumbered into the Sorting Room, and stopped at the sight of Robb. This was confusing. Were those brains? "Unnnggh," he said mournfully, waving a rotting hand at the wolf head.
Robb smelled... decay. Bad meat. He wrinkled his nose and whuffed, squinting his wolfish eyes at Ed. What was this that had walked in? He didn't think he'd ever seen anything like it... had he?
It-- it smelled bad, but seemed friendly, somehow. He took a tentative step forward and whined softly, then mimicked the gesture, raising a hand to Ed.
Ed dithered on the spot, blinking... mournfully. He couldn't really convey many other emotions on his face; it was a bit hard when all you wanted was brains and you couldn't get them. It was a very sad state of being.
Like Lindsay Lohan being denied drugs, Ed made an un-intelligent grunting sound and waved his hands some more. It was a dog, and a human - but the question was, were its brain tasty? Ed pointed at Robb's head, trying to look questioning. Surely he'd understand the question?
It was easier for Ed than it was for Robb, at least. He couldn't display much but wolf at the moment. He took another step closer and growled softly, the sound more curious than threatening. What Ed was, he still wasn't sure: he looked like man and smelled like death.
A word skittered across his fragmented memory, but it was gone before he could catch it. He made a soft sound of doggy frustration and flexed his hands in the air like claws. He moved warily closer still, trying to see if he could smell out the difference between Ed and a normal, every day corpse.
There was really only one word that could cross Lily's mind at this.
Awwww!
Sure, this might be a furry. Or some Animagus transfiguration gone wrong. But all she saw was some poor boy very lost and confused and injured. Steeler was by her side - they had been going on a run - and the husky now whined, low in his throat, and nudged her leg. Were they going or weren't they? This new person smelled very odd and had no cookies, so he'd rather be off.
But Lily simply scratched behind Steeler's ears to reassure him and stepped forward, cautiously, holding her hand out for Robb to sniff as you would in the presence of a new animal. "Hello," she said, in a quiet, reassuring voice. "I'm Lily."
Steeler, after a moment of hesitation, stepped forward and chuffed softly. If Lily said it was okay, then the likelihood of them both getting bit was only about half!
Robb hesitated as she came towards him, his lips raising in a nervous snarl -- not at her, but at Steeler. Human, something told him, was okay, especially human female. But the dog had to know he was superior. He drew himself up to his full height and loomed over Steeler for a moment, until the other animal seemed to get the idea and lowered his head to his paws.
Robb gave a snarl of satisfaction and crouched down to sniff at Steeler, then at Lily's outstretched hand. There was nothing to offend about either. He looked up at Lily and barked out a sound that might have been 'Robb,' but was really more like 'aroo?'
Watching the little domination contest with a cocked eyebrow and vague amusement, Lily considered Robb. The difference between a transfiguration gone wrong and any sort of Animagus transformation was that the former was an animal, with animal instincts and responses. The latter was a human wrapped in animal flesh; with the instincts of said animal, yes, but the human intelligence was present as well. If she had to guess, Lily would say that Robb was leaning more towards the latter than the former.
Stepping closer with a smile, she cautiously reached out to scratch behind Robb's ears. Hey, even if it was a boy inside there, Padfoot sure as hell enjoyed a scritch now and again. If there was one thing Lily knew how to do, it was be around Animagi. James, Sirius... Even Peter. You couldn't ignore the animal side no more than you could the human
( ... )
Robb stiffened when Lily touched him and very nearly jerked away, but then oh she did this thing with her fingernails and oh by the gods that felt good. He closed his eyes and shoved his head into the touch, making a low sound in his half-human throat. His foot twitched, tapping against the floorstones. It was perhaps a little undignified, particularly for a boy who had once ruled armies, but even in his current state Robb was dimly aware that dignity was going to be a little hard to come by right now. And pleasure, real pleasure, might be too.
When Lily pulled away to look at his wounds, he let out a whine that also couldn't have sounded very regal, opening his eyes to glare at her. He let out a sharp breath as her hand skirted one of the blood-rimmed holes, pulling back sharply. It didn't hurt, not really, but it did feel strange, and he wanted her to go back to his ears.
GIR looked blankly up at the boy for a moment before shrieking excitedly. "I can be a dog toooo!" He opens his head, pulls out a green fursuit doggy-disguise, and gets into it quickly. "Look!"
For further emphasis, he emits a noise that's something between a howl, a giggle, and a scratched record. See? Totally like a dog!
Robb's senses of right and wrong and up and down and everything else were all a little muddled, but this was just wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong. He jumped at the shriek and snarled, his hackles rising. He sank back slightly and bared his teeth at GIR.
Reilly was not one who often let discomfort or surprise show. But he was taken aback by the latest applicant's - condition.
To make things easier on himself, he averted his eyes from the - boy's? - face and studied his more human aspects. Even tattered as it was, the style of his clothing seemed familiar, though he couldn't place it. The wounds were alarming. Reilly's own fatal wounds had disappeared when the Room brought him here; did these marks mean the boy had already come back from death before arriving here, like Catelyn?
Finally he tried to make eye contact, and gestured toward the punctures. "Do those hurt? Can we help?"
Something in him recognized the intonation of a question. He cocked an ear and tried to work out what he'd heard. Hurt... help. Hurt. He looked down at himself, at his torn body. There was no pain, now, not really; a slight stiffness at the joints and a kind of funny numb feeling around the holes and at his neck. Death had taken the pain.
Reilly rubbed his templed and wished Dr. Grant were here. Perhaps his experience being a wolf would help interpret this one's nonverbal communication...
Robb blinked at Reilly, looked down again. Fatal. Dead. Yes, he must have died, certainly... A shudder ran through him and he closed his eyes, swallowing reflexively. It was all he could do (literally) to nod.
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This was a sort of furry Albus had never dreamed could exist.
"Well, hello there," he said, conjuring a dog biscuit out of thin air, approaching the wolf-headed boy with a pitying smile.
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Would there be more, descending upon Hogwarts? Albus feared for his beloved school. He could imagine having to turn a hose on squirming furpiles around every corner. Merlin defend against it!
But for the wolf-boy as an individual Albus had no fear, no. He tossed the dog biscuit gaily into the air, arcing toward Robb.
Reply
So really, he would have been disgusted, but wolves felt little disgust and the part of him that was still Robb would have been too bewildered even if Dumbledore had explained. What he knew was hunger, and tasty smelling somethings, and when the biscuit flew through the air he lunged for it and shoved it awkwardly into his mouth, wolfing it down (so to speak) in a single bite.
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Braaaaaiiiins.
Ed lumbered into the Sorting Room, and stopped at the sight of Robb. This was confusing. Were those brains? "Unnnggh," he said mournfully, waving a rotting hand at the wolf head.
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It-- it smelled bad, but seemed friendly, somehow. He took a tentative step forward and whined softly, then mimicked the gesture, raising a hand to Ed.
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Like Lindsay Lohan being denied drugs, Ed made an un-intelligent grunting sound and waved his hands some more. It was a dog, and a human - but the question was, were its brain tasty? Ed pointed at Robb's head, trying to look questioning. Surely he'd understand the question?
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A word skittered across his fragmented memory, but it was gone before he could catch it. He made a soft sound of doggy frustration and flexed his hands in the air like claws. He moved warily closer still, trying to see if he could smell out the difference between Ed and a normal, every day corpse.
Reply
Awwww!
Sure, this might be a furry. Or some Animagus transfiguration gone wrong. But all she saw was some poor boy very lost and confused and injured. Steeler was by her side - they had been going on a run - and the husky now whined, low in his throat, and nudged her leg. Were they going or weren't they? This new person smelled very odd and had no cookies, so he'd rather be off.
But Lily simply scratched behind Steeler's ears to reassure him and stepped forward, cautiously, holding her hand out for Robb to sniff as you would in the presence of a new animal. "Hello," she said, in a quiet, reassuring voice. "I'm Lily."
Steeler, after a moment of hesitation, stepped forward and chuffed softly. If Lily said it was okay, then the likelihood of them both getting bit was only about half!
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Robb gave a snarl of satisfaction and crouched down to sniff at Steeler, then at Lily's outstretched hand. There was nothing to offend about either. He looked up at Lily and barked out a sound that might have been 'Robb,' but was really more like 'aroo?'
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Stepping closer with a smile, she cautiously reached out to scratch behind Robb's ears. Hey, even if it was a boy inside there, Padfoot sure as hell enjoyed a scritch now and again. If there was one thing Lily knew how to do, it was be around Animagi. James, Sirius... Even Peter. You couldn't ignore the animal side no more than you could the human ( ... )
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When Lily pulled away to look at his wounds, he let out a whine that also couldn't have sounded very regal, opening his eyes to glare at her. He let out a sharp breath as her hand skirted one of the blood-rimmed holes, pulling back sharply. It didn't hurt, not really, but it did feel strange, and he wanted her to go back to his ears.
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For further emphasis, he emits a noise that's something between a howl, a giggle, and a scratched record. See? Totally like a dog!
Reply
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To make things easier on himself, he averted his eyes from the - boy's? - face and studied his more human aspects. Even tattered as it was, the style of his clothing seemed familiar, though he couldn't place it. The wounds were alarming. Reilly's own fatal wounds had disappeared when the Room brought him here; did these marks mean the boy had already come back from death before arriving here, like Catelyn?
Finally he tried to make eye contact, and gestured toward the punctures. "Do those hurt? Can we help?"
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He looked up at Reilly and panted.
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"Those wounds - were they fatal?"
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