Blood and Fears [Conall]

Cabhan was furious. He had been fairly upset ever since Rose decided to kiss Zi at midnight. He also walked in on Conall and Lorin doing things that he never wanted to see them doing. He was pissed, annoyed, upset and well, to be honest, extremely heartbroken. He loved both Rose and Conall and they both chose someone different to be with. Cabhan wasn't worth either of them and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get anywhere with either of them. Although he was sure that Conall had been flirting with him before Christmas....or maybe he had just wanted him to be. Either way, he had been heartbroken even if he wasn't willing to admit that. Ever since that night, he hadn't spoke to Conall or Rose. He had been hurt and that was where he was sitting with himself in the current moment.

He was trying to forget about everything that had happened that night. He didn't want the image of that night burned into his head like it had been. When he got back to school he ignored pretty much everyone and it was to class and then straight back to his dorm where he kept to himself. But tonight had been different, he left the school and actually went out on his own. He went to a pub and got a few drinks before going to head back to school. He needed something to drown in sorrows in.

As he left the pub, he was confronted by two larger gentleman in dark hoods and beedy little eyes. They were muttering something about his father not being happy about his behavior. Cabhan sort of rolled his eyes at the men. "Oh yeah? What else is new?" With that comment the two men pulled out their wands and started throwing spells at him. He was knocked backwards and the unforgivable curse was used on him by one of the men while other sort of beat him in the face with this foot. Blood poured from his nose and his back started to ache. Pain traveled through his body as the curse took over. The foot connected with his chest and felt a rib bone crack as he pulled back. He let out a groan and tried to cover his face but it was no use. The curse was leaving him helpless as the two men went to town on him.

The wind rustled through his gray fur coat as Conall walked around the woods near the shrieking shack. He wasn't bothered by the cold in his wolf form. It actually felt quite comfortable and it was one of the reasons why Conall had transformed. Well that and he wanted some more practice trying to blend in with actual wolves...if he ever finds them out here. Perhaps there was a pack somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. Hopefully not a werewolf pack because Conall wasn't sure he would be able to beat them in a fight.

As he walked by the Hogsmeade village on the outskirts near the woods, Conall shifted his gaze towards a pub where he saw Cabhan enter. For a moment he considered shifting back and going to talk to his best mate. They haven't spoken in weeks. Cabh was angry at him after walking in on Lorin and him becoming intimate on New Years. Conall knew why and would've gone after him if it wasn't for the fact that it was Lorin he was with. The younger Slytherin had confessed his feelings towards Conall earlier in the school term. It didn't make things awkward or change their friendship - until now. Cabhan wouldn't even look his way when Conall called out to him. So he had given up and decided that when the boy was ready to talk to him then he will be waiting.

That didn't mean he shouldn't keep an eye on his best mate.

It was a good thing he did as about an hour later Cabhan came out of the pub, and two strange men in dark hoods came up to him. Conall's maw pulled back into a snarl when he saw the wands being pulled out. Reacting quickly, he sprinted full force towards the two men. A large growl escaped from his throat, causing the men to turn towards his direction suddenly. Fear spread across their face and before they could react Conall attacked. Knocking out the wands from their hands, he bit into the right leg of the first man - who began to scream loudly. The second man began to run off (stupid idiot could've apparated) but he was no match for Conall's speed in his wolf form. His maw got contact with the man's left leg, pulling the attacker towards the pub. Bright, red blood spilled onto the white snow as the man tried to fight his way free.

He didn't let go until he dragged the man back to his other companion, who couldn't move his leg as he laid there in the snow. Snarling at both of them, Conall got in front of Cabhan as he prepared for anything else the men were going to do. However, they were really just a bunch of pansies and the pair of them managed to apparate away before getting seriously maimed. What a bunch of idiots. Shaking his head, Conall turned towards Cabh to see if he was badly hurt.

Cabh tried to pull his hands to his face but the curse was causing his body to go rigid. If this was what Dwyer went through, he really didn't understand why the boy stayed with him for so long. The pain was beyond horrible and he didn't know how long he was going to be able to endure it. Yells of pain escaped his lips with each kick and twist of the pain within his body. In a moment, it all stopped, as if they had disappeared. But that wasn't the case, instead he heard a low growl and Cabh raised his head as much as he could. He saw some sort of wolf attack the two men and Cabh pushed himself backwards with his feet. He had to get away, what if the wolf then turned on him. He watched as it took off after the man that tried to run. He caught him and sank his razor sharp teeth into his leg. Cabh cringed, but the man had deserved it, he did far worse to Cabh.

The boy tried to sit up, to get away from it all. The wolf sort of shook and then turned to Cabh. His eyes widened for a brief moment as his body shook in fear. The wolf's eyes however, he would know them from anywhere. He furrowed a brow and sat up. Pain racked his body as he moved in the snow. A groan escaped his lips and he bit into his cheek. "Conall?" He muttered. As he tried to speak, he used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the blood away. Tears were streaming down his face and when he touched his broken nose and cringed again. He hurt all over, granted they hadn't been there very long, but he knew that the men were there to kill him. His father wanted him dead. He felt his heart sink and more pain took hold of his body. He felt as though his heart was literally breaking. It hurt so badly and a loud, hard sob escaped his mouth. The sob hurt his ribs which only made him cry out louder.

"They want me dead...." He looked up at the wolf and bit into his lip. "Conall, my family....they want me dead." He blinked a few times before wrapping his arms around his body. The cold bit into his flesh but it didn't hurt as much as the emotional pain he was going through. The rest of his body went numb as he leaned back and smacked his head on the wall behind him.

There was no question that Cabhan would've recognized him. Conall knew that in his Animagus form his identifying mark was his blue eyes. Anybody who knew him well enough couldn't miss that - especially Cabh who had proclaimed his love for Conall at the beginning of the term. His best mate looked badly hurt and it appeared nobody was going to stop and help him. Luckily the woods were close enough nearby that Conall could change back into his human form. Listening to Cabhan talk caused anger to rile up inside of Conall as he let out a low rumble in his throat. The Daley family wasn't a very supporting one when it came to their members doing things that was out of the question. Why they wanted their own son dead could be a couple of reasons. Either because he loved boys or he refused to marry someone they had set up for him. It was one of the reasons Conall was glad that his own family wasn't like that.

Moving his four legs forward, Conall pushed his maw under Cabh's head to get him to stop hurting himself even more. The only bad thing about being an Animagus was he couldn't speak like he would as a Human. He nudged Cabhan again and then pointed his nose over towards the woods. Hoping that his best mate would understand his intent. Can you walk to the woods? Merlin he was going to have to learn how to write words in the snow if Cabhan didn't understand him.

As the pain racked Cabhan's body he thought about all the horrible things he had done in the name of his family. He would still be held accountable for everything he had done, the only difference now being, he was no longer considered a Daley. Hi family had written him off, he wouldn't be allowed to come home after the term was over. He had no money, nowhere to go and a long list of people who didn't like him. He tried to hold back a sob as the emotional pain got to him. He knew that his parents weren't proud of him, they didn't think he would make much for himself, but he thought that maybe deep down they till loved him. But after today, he knew that was untrue. He now started to wonder if they ever loved him.

Cabhan stopped smacking his head against the wall as soon as Conall placed his muzzle behind it. He looked at the gorgeous wolf that stood next to hi and as he motioned for the woods, Cabh nodded slowly. He hurt like hell but he knew that Conall wanted to get into the woods to change back. He slowly pushed himself up to his feet, he realized that he had at least a few broken ribs, probably several fractures and who was to know what sort of mental damage this was going to cause. He started limping towards the woods, a few cringes and winces later they were far into the woods. He rested his back against a tree and practically fell back down to his bottom.

A groan escaped his lips and he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Just as he did so a loud and painful cough erupted and he turned to spit out blood. "Fuck." He muttered before opening his eyes slightly to look at his friend. "Thanks mate, I mean that. Seriously, thank you. Y-" He coughed again and spit out more blood. "You saved my life."

Thank Merlin Cabhan understood what he was asking without Conall having to change back out in the open. Heading towards the woods alongside his best mate, with his body pressed against Cabhan in case the boy lost his balance, Conall kept his senses focused around them in case there were any more attackers. Anyone who wanted to take their chance up against a wolf was welcome to. If they were stupid enough. Luckily they didn't know that he was an Animagus. Which was to the eighteen year old advantage and why he wanted to keep his new skills a secret. Even if it meant risking time in Azkaban because he didn't register. It was a risk he was willing to take in order to provide the protection to his family and friends like he was doing right now for Cabhan.

Changing back was easier than changing into the wolf. Grabbing his coat out of some bushes nearby, he pulled it against him and walked over to where Cabhan was sitting. "Of course. You're my best mate, I would do anything for you." Well almost anything, but saving his life was definitely at the top of that list. Pulling out his wand, Conall did some minor healing spells he knew to help alleviate the pain somewhat. "I didn't bring any potions, so we'll have to get you to the Hospital Wing." Putting his wand back in his pocket, Conall placed his arm gently around Cabhan to help him up.

"Why does your family want you dead? What did you do to piss them off?" With the Daley family it could be anything. Unlike his own, they were a bit more dark and unforgiving with certain things. Cross them the wrong way and it was off with one's head it seemed. Conall wished that Cabhan was a Regan instead because of what had just happened to him. There was no way he could always be there for his best mate. He just got lucky that Conall was in the area, otherwise he would be dead. Walking out of the woods, Conall slowly led his best mate to the path that took them to Hogwarts. "We'll have to tell the mediwitch that you were beat up by some random blokes. I'm sure she won't believe us if we say your family is trying to hunt you down." Conall wouldn't have believed it himself if he hadn't known the Daley family personally or seen it first hand.

"Are you doing okay?" He referred to his pain as they kept walking, hoping that he wasn't holding Cabhan in the wrong place where a broken bone might be. If he was he will quickly switch positions in order to alleviate some of that pain.

Cabhan and Conall made their way into the forest where Conall would change back to himself. His best mate saved his life and as much as he was mad at him before, he couldn't even fathom the idea of staying mad at him now. He felt the weight of the large wolf pressing his body into his own legs. He was a bit wobbly and he hurt all over. Conall was keeping him steady as they walked. He felt his knees give slightly, but with Conall there, he regained his balance rather quickly. He looked down at the large furry creature that stood next to him. Conall hadn't told him about his animagus form, but it didn't matter to Cabhan, he was sure he had a reason for not telling him. Now he could see what it was, he wanted to protect those he cared about. Even with Cabh being as cold to him as he had been over past few days, Conall was still there to help him. Guilt struck Cabh in the chest as they stopped just inside the tree line.

The younger boy fell back down to the ground when Conall stepped away from him to change back into his human form. Cabh didn't raise his head as his mate walked away to grab his coat. He would do anything for him. Pain struck him hard in the chest again and he doubled over and let out a groan. He could tell he had a few broken bones and all he wanted to do now was curl up and sleep for the next three years. "Yeah, well...I haven't been the nicest person to you lately. I wasn't sure-" He started coughing and blood came up. He spit it out and looked back at Conall. "That you'd still want to be friends." Some of the smaller abrasions were taken care of when Conall raised his wand, some of the pain was taken away. But nothing would help fix the emotional pain he was suffering from. "It's o-okay Conall. Thank you." He gritted his teeth as Conall helped him to his feet.

His heart ached when Conall asked the obvious question. "Why? I don't know, I was born or something." He shrugged his shoulders but immediately regretted it when the sharp pain traveled down his body. "I think it stems from a lifetime of hate and suspicion. I am pretty sure my Grandfather knew all along that I was a homo. He used to have 'talks' with me. Plus, I didn't want to marry some twit of a girl that they wanted me to. I guess I give them a stain on their perfect record." He groaned as they walked away from the woods and back towards Hogwarts. He ached, he felt nothing but pain and soon he hoped his body would just go numb. He blinked away a few tears and looked ahead of him as they made their way back. "Yeah, can't really tell them that my family wants me dead." He scoffed and then a thought entered his mind. The school year would come to an end soon, where the hell was he going to go? He sighed trying not to think of that now.

"I'm not sure Okay is the word I would use. But I'll live." He chuckled slightly and then winced in pain. "I think I'll feel better when I'm sleeping." He groaned and gripped onto Conall tight. He wanted to be back now, he couldn't believe how much the body could handle in pain. He let out a small whimper when he took a step forward and his knee sort of crunched. Life was falling apart around him and it took all he could to try to pick up some of the pieces as he crashed down with it.