Forbidden Forest

"Thank you." Eglantine muttered. In truth, she almost wanted Kiara to stay. It was almost maddening to be alone. Thoughts, images, memories all condensed into one when she was by herself. The remnants of Tom Riddle were deeply imbedded in her mind and soul. Of course the latter was something she would never tell Kiara or Viper... they would not understand and she didn't want them to.

She rose to her feet and morphed into her animagus form. The cream coloured tabby wandered through the under brush and trees, careful paws making no sound. Eglantine could see better in her cat-form and her acute hearing made it difficult for her not to note the life teeming about her.

Kiara looked behind her in time to see Eglantine morph in to her cat form, for good messure she turned yelled over her shoulder.

"Don't go to deep into forest Eglantine, dangerous creatures lurk beyond the wards"

Eglantine smiled. That was exactly what she needed, she thought. Something to hurt, kill. The more dangerous the better. The sensible part of her mind was silent for once and she hurried deeper into the forest.

Kiara was busy feeding the Hippogrif when she felt the silent alarm go off in her head.

Gasping she looked into the forest, someone had penitrated the protective barriers around the darker part of the forbidden forest. There was only one person in the forest and it was Eglantine.

"Eglantine I warned you.."

Said Kiara as she broke into a run into the forest.

Once deeper in the forest, Eglantine morphed back into her human form, carefully sliding through the wards Kiara had set up to protect the students. Wand in shaking hand, she reached out with her mind to find life near her.

Walking further on she began to feel excitement rush through her. With her animagus abilities she could sense the large wolf that was prowling through the forest. Tucking herself behind a tree, she closed her eyes. Using her magic and nothing else, she reached out until her mind could see the large Alpha male, rooting though the grass with his nose. He was following the scent of a hare no doubt. Her mind easily curled around his own, forcing him to bend to her wishes.
Concentrating on the wolf, Eglantine slipped into his body and watched in horror and fascination as her own body fell lifeless against the tree. Then all went black as the animal instinct of the wolf overtook her mind and she began to hunt for something to kill.

((err sorry it took so long I have it all typed out but my internet lost it for a minute))

Once Kiara arrived at the area where the wards touched the ground she slipped beyond the ward.

Taking out her wand she scanned through the forest, trying to take in as much as she could.

Then she saw something by a tree, moving closer it was Eglantine.

"Eglantine? What did you think you were...."

She stopped, when the woman didn't respond to her.

"Eglantine? are you al..." Kiara crouched down in front her and checked her pulse.

Nothing.... she was dead.

"No..no..Please no.... Eglantine why did could here I warned you not to go to deep... I...I....I shouldn't have left you alone. Why was I so stupid?!" she yelled.

The wolf's bloody fangs continued to rip apart a deer it had attacked in the forest. It could feel the strange presence about it, as if an intruder was trying to sneak up on him, but he could not smell or see it. At times he slept, unaware that a woman had taken over his mind.

Eglantine's conscious returned and she startled back. A dead deer carcass next to several other slain creatures. How? Why? Then it all came back to her and she looked down at her grey paws. She had to return to her own body.

Running through the forest, ignoring the alien beat of the wolf heart. She came to the tree where she had left her body and stopped. Kiara had found her. Stopping to stare at the woman, who looked smaller now that Eglantine was in a large wolf's body, she whimpered.

Gasping and tears still running down her face she turned around and saw the wolf. She looked at it with no fear in her eyes just saddness and guilt.

"Sorry"

Then she allowed her self to morph into her panther form.

The black panther seeing the wolf in front of her hissed and growled.

"Kiara." The wolf's voice was deep and powerful, but sounded softer than normal. Stepping closer to the panther, she attempted to go around her to get to her body.

The panther looked confused for a moment but quickly blocked the wolfs access and growled again. The wild look in the large cats eyes was nothing human.

"Stand down, she-cat." the wolf thundered, baring his bloody fangs. The panther was smaller and was female, making the chance higher for Eglantine to win a fight...but she didn't want to fight. A thought entered her mind...if she could take the wolf's mind? Could she take or at least aid Kiara's?

The panther growled again and looked ready to pounce, It had but one thought in it's head

"I must protect"

Eglantine increased her control over the wolf until her mind had completely consumed its. She shocked herself by thinking about killing it, but was able to restrain her desire. A moment later the wolf slumped to the forest floor, asleep. And Eglantine reached out to the panther.

The mind was very different and thus more difficult to see. But through the Legilimency powers; both her own and Lord Voldemort's she was able to slip into the Kiara's mind. Unlike the wolf, she did not establish herself in the mind. Instead she began to gentle coax it back into its human form, looking for Kiara's human thoughts.

((Okay this is weird we are in Kiara's mind,))

Because of her dispare over Eglantines "death" Kiara locked her self in the subconcious mind to the panther.

"Why Eglantine?? I specificly told you not to go to deep.... I...I... why did I leave you alone"

Crying and feeling desperatley guilty Kiara hide herself deep in a dark forest simlar to the real one and drowned in it.

Eglantine slipped around the trees in Kiara's haven and sunk down next to Kiara.
"I am alright." she assured her. Her mental self inside Kiara's mind looked as she did in physical form. "Take my hands, trust me."

Kiara looked up when she heard the voice, jumped back ward and flames appeared around her.

"How? I..I saw you dead...How....why?"

She asked the last question desperately through the flames of her protective fire.

"Trust me." she entreated, her mind reaching out to pull Kiara from the haven. She could have simply pulled the younger woman out, but she preferred gently coaxing her out. "I am alive. You only saw an allusion."

Kiara hesitated, a little bit of her trust had been broken and she was very confused as how Eglantine was even there.

"But..." she said stareing at Eglantine's hand.

Sighing she said.

"Alright"

With that she dropped her flames and held on to Eglantine's hand.

Eglantine pulled Kiara back into reality and helped coax her body back into her human form. Thankful that Kiara had finally allowed her to help, Eglantine looked at her own body.
She did not want to re-enter it. It was weak and there was so much pain. Perhaps she could stay non-corporeal; but then again she had Edwin to take care of and her students to teach.

With reluctance, Eglantine reentered her body. It was as if slipping in a tight dress; her mind took over and anchored itself and within minutes, she opened her green eyes to find herself a prisoner once again.

Blood dripped from her nose and mouth due to the extreme trauma of being dead for almost thirty minutes, but she ignored it as she knelt down next to Kiara.
"Kiara." she whispered.

Looking over at Eglantine her eyes widened for a moment at her bloodied face.

Reaching in to her pocket she pulled out a vile of her pheonix healing potion, handing it to Eglantine she said although alittle coldly.

"Drink it, it will repair what ever damage was done when you were....dead. After you drink it you can explain to me what the hell you thinking coming in here, and why you were dead"

Eglantine refused the vial. "It is internal. And it would be best to heal naturally." Then she took the vial, as if changing her mind and downed it in a single swallow.

"Obviously I wasn't thinking." she muttered, leaning back against the tree. "I just wanted to feel something and then I wanted to... kill, hurt... but the feelings are gone now." she chuckled. "All that is left of Tom Riddle in is me, trying to manifest itself. Ironic, no?"

Kiara closed her eyes.

"Tom Riddle again?"

Looking over at the wolf which appeared to be sleeping not far way.

"I take the wolf was your weapon of choice?" she said looking at the great animal.

Eglantine paled and dropped her eyes. "Kiara...Headmistress. I am sorry." Sadness and self-disgust dripped from each word. "I will draft my letter of resignation."

Kiara shook her head, aiming her wand at the wolf she said.

"Imperio"

The wolf opened its eyes and stared blankly at Kiara.

"Return to your pack great beast"

And the wolf took off deeper in the forest.

Then Kiara walked over to Eglantine and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Eglantine as your friend I can't let you give up, not when we have come this far. I need you at hogwarts, I can't run it without you, you offer me advice, support, and you continue to amaze me with what you are capable of. I believe we can beat this, as I told you earlier you are not alone."

"That may be the problem." Eglantine responded, greatly comforted by Kiara's words. "I'm not alone, in here." she tapped her forehead and sighed.
"What if I lose control again?" she sounded terrified.