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Harry was lost.
At some point in the hike, Harry had fallen behind, weighed down by Dudley's backpack. The tall trees of the forest towered over him, the dirt path seemed to disappear as dusk began to fall, and golden light broke through the blanket of treetops, But none of that mattered because Harry was seven years old and very much quite lost.
He stumbled to a large tree and sat down on the root. He hugged Dudley's bag closer, fearing how angry the Dursleys would be should he lose it. Maybe if he waited here for a while, the tour group and his aunt and uncle would find him and take him home.
He waited a bit and played with the zipper on Dudley's bag. It was taking the Dursleys a long time to find him, so maybe he should see what snacks Dudley had packed. Harry had always thought that Dudley was the size of a whale, so he was sure his cousin had packed plenty to eat--enough to feed both of them but had Dudley been here, he would never have shared any with Harry.
Harry found prepackaged crackers with peanut butter and nibbled on them. It was nice not to have to cook. The Dursleys always made him cook his own meals, and he wasn't allowed any of Dudley's snacks. He wished Aunt Petunia had packed one of Dudley's flavorful bags of crisps that he was always eating. Harry had always been curious about the taste.
For the time it took to finish the crackers, Harry tried his best not to panic. Instead, he tried to focus on the nice things around him. The woods were quite beautiful, and he wasn't often allowed to come on outings usually. This way he got a moment to enjoy the trees, even if he was only sitting on a root and not climbing up branches. Eating the peanut butter crackers was nice, he never would have been allowed that had he stayed home. Mrs. Figg, who often looked after him, usually fed him raisins as snacks, yuck! He was only here since Mrs. Figg was sick and they had been forced to bring him along for their forest hike. Their hand had been forced because Dudley needed this trip to collect his last ranger badge. Though, Harry had been surprised that both his aunt and uncle had come along and even more so that Harry had lost sight of them at all. Both Dudley and Uncle Vernon were quite large after all. He shuffled through the backpack some more and excitedly realized that Dudley's Walkman had been packed. Harry had never touched the walkman before and grew excited. He placed the headphones on and hit play.
'…Sir Harry had ridden the entire evening atop his loyal Steed, Garrison, towards the abandoned Tower of Gremlock, the moon rising with a wicked smile on its face--a telling sign that told Sir Harry that he had little time to reach shelter before true nightfall and the Wonderers With No Faces awoke to scavenge the earth…'
It wasn't music that greeted his ears but one of Dudley's adventure stories. It sounded a bit scary, but Harry was intrigued and a bit bored (and had always been secretly jealous of the stories that Dudley got to listen to).
Harry let the deep voice rumble in his ear. Hypnotic and enticing, Harry let himself get lost in the odd adventure. The knight was surely brave to face the Wonderers with no faces, creatures described as having the ability to suck out a person's soul. He felt a little more relaxed hearing the voice speak in his ear, especially now that it was getting dark. Dudley would be most definitely mad that Harry had touched his Walkman and eaten his crackers. But Harry was lost and they were certainly taking their time to find him.
Harry let the story sink in. He liked it because it had magic and a knight with Harry’s own name. Harry had always liked stories with magic, but the Dursleys had told him that it was fantasy rubbish and if Harry hoped to ever amount to anything in the real world, he should try to adjust to reality. That was before Harry was locked away in the cupboard. Uncle Vernon would never have bought this fantasy cassette if it wasn't for Dudley's whining.
The story took a turn where the brave knight, Sir Harry—Harry had been ecstatic when Dudley had complained loudly how no one named Harry could be strong and brave—had to travel through a deep, dark woods filled with beasts and trials...
There was a lull in the cassette, and Harry was able to hear his true environment. It sounded like a twig snapping. Harry froze fearfully. He hoped it was the Dursleys who come to find him but then dreaded that very happening as he was worried at being caught touching Dudley's belongings would result in the next few days locked in his cupboard. Harry crawled off the root and hid in a bush nervously. He ripped the headphones off his ears and peered through some foliage.
He heard the crunching of weight moving across dead leaves and woods. He held his breath. The crunching became louder and then a nose broke through the leaves and bumped against Harry's own: Big black and cold. Harry blinked and fell backwards. Well, that certainly wasn't any one of the Dursleys.
The nose pulled back from the bush, and the leaves quickly moved back into place. Harry blinked again then stuck his head through the bush and looked up with a tiny gasp in awe.
The nose most certainly belonged to a large stag, huge antlers and all. He had never seen a real life stag before and yet here was one standing before him looking down. Should Harry be afraid, he wondered. He crawled out from the bush and the stag stepped back to accommodate him. Harry slowly stood up afraid sharp movements might startle the large creature. He had visions of the stag standing on its hind legs, neighing viciously like horses do sometimes, but he thought the stag was too calm to ever respond like that.
Harry reached out to brush his hand against the stags head and was honored when the stag lowered it to within his reach. Harry thought the stag became rather affectionate at that point, even going as far as head butting Harry's chest and allowing him to wrap his arms around his neck. Harry relaxed, feeling elated and safe.
The stag stepped back and straightened up to his full height which was much taller than Harry. The stag moved as if to walk away and Harry panicked at the thought of being alone again, but then the stag jerked his head at Harry and he eagerly scrambled after him. They began walking through the woods and Harry kept a hand resting against the stag's sides as if he could lose him as well.
The stag led him away from the dirt path and kept at a slow pace for Harry. He used his antlers to rush branches out of the way and used his head to help push Harry over large logs that blocked whatever forest path they were following. They eventually came across a clearing with grass so tall Harry could barely see over it. Harry took a few steps into it, excitedly, eager to play but the stag grunted. Harry turned back and saw the stag moving towards a doe.
She was smaller than the stag yet still larger than Harry. Harry also thought she was quite pretty and feminine. He felt shy and hung back as he watched the stag nuzzle her head. She responded affectionately than became confused when the stag raised his head to look a Harry. Harry wondered what to do and became nervous when the doe became stiff. Had he scared her. He hadn't meant to. He glanced at the stag nervously. He didn't want to lose his new friend. Then he'd be alone again and so far from the path where he might be found.
The doe took a few steps toward him nervously and Harry stayed still. When the doe reached him, she seemed to observe him with clear emotion in her eyes that he had never seen in an animal. She then began to nuzzle him much like the stag had done earlier. Harry relaxed feeling welcomed again and allowed the doe to push him this way and that way. He liked her and could tell that she was excited to meet him. The three of them eventually settled down under some branches which was all well and good as Harry was very tired. The stag let the doe and Harry sit closer to the large tree while he took the exterior. Harry thought his antlers looked extra pointy among the branches and figured any large animals would be scared of him. Harry yawned and laid on the ground beside the doe and curled up as close to her as he could.
"Good night, Mr. Stag. Good night, Mrs. Doe," he yawned. The doe licked his ear affectionately.
Harry woke up a few hours later, it was still dark and he was still tired but he was hungry and his belly wouldn't let him sleep. He reached for Dudley's back pack and pulled out some more crackers. He cringed at the noise the plastic made and blushed when the stag, who may have been sleeping turned his resting head towards Harry.
Harry felt bad that he was eating the crackers and he had not seen either the stag or doe eat anything. He held the cracker out to the stag who leaned in to smell it than licked it.
Harry giggled, "You're supposed to bite it, silly. See?" Harry took a small bite and held it out to the stag again. The stag leaned over and took a small bite.
"Good, huh?" Harry asked. The stag sneezed in response. Harry giggled and turned to the doe who was watching them. "You try!"
The doe leaned over and took a small bite before head butting Harry's hand so that cracker smacked him lightly in the face.
"My turn," Harry said and finished the cracker off. He had a few left which he offered to share but the two seemed to enjoy head butting Harry so that he would eat. He ended up eating all of the crackers in that pack. He had two more packs thanks to Dudley's appetite but Harry knew he should spread those out. He used Dudley back pack as a pillow and tried to curl up next to the doe again but now he was too wound up.
He wondered if he would ever be found. Or would he become like Mowgli from the jungle book. He thought Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe would make great parents. They were much kinder than the Dursleys.
The light began to shine through the tree tops and though Harry was tired he never could sleep during the day. Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe though seemed to fall asleep so Harry pulled out Dudley's Walkman.
The story continued with sir. Harry. The good knight had to come face to face with his first trial of the woods. He needed to outsmart and out hunt a talking wolf pack. Harry thought Sir Harry was smart but so were the wolf pack. They went back and forth and eventually Sir Harry was able to catch the golden hare that had eluded both for so long.
Harry paused his tape and turned towards the doe that began to wake. He packed the Walkman away and looked to the stag who stumbled to his feet. He stretched and so did the doe. Harry scrambled to his feet and tried to copy him. The stag grunted and soon the trio set off into the forests. They took breaks to graze on grass. Harry tried to eat grass too but it tasted nasty. Mrs. Doe tugged on his sleeve and took him to some bushes. There were flowers and black berries. Harry smiled at her gratefully and was about to reach out to them but she sneezed on them first. He looked at her and she shook her head. She then tugged him towards another bush with red berries and nodded. Harry looked between the two berries and figured he should never eat the black ones. He looked to the doe and gently plucked the red ones. He put them in his Mouth and found them to be delicious. He smiled and ate few more.
They set off again. Harry attached himself to Mrs. Doe as the stag took off ahead to clear paths. He made sure to not leave the doe's side as she seemed to get agitated if he wondered too far. Harry was fine with that because he didn't want to get lost again.
They took another break and napped. It was still day and so Harry was a little put off. He also really needed to pee. He watched as the stag and doe nodded off and thought he find a place to go while they slept. That way they wouldn't get upset when he wondered off. He thought that was a good idea,
He took Dudley's bag in case he needed something from it. He stumbled down a slight dirt hill and found a tree he could stand behind. He remembered one of Dudley's camping lessons which instructed him to dig a hole and then go in the hole. Harry did just that, getting dirt under his nails.
"Yuck," he mumbled, and clapped his hands to remove as much dirt as he could. He went really quick and then decided to find his way back to the deer.
He was trying to climb up the hill when he noticed something take over the environment. The sunlight seemed to dim and so did happiness. He felt odd, and frightened and sad. He shivered and tried to climb up higher but he couldn't get a grip. Instead he fell backwards down the hill and collapsed on the ground. He shivered as the coldness intensified. He didn't think he could crawl up the hill, so Harry found a large root to hide under. He stayed there for a moment before he gathered his courage to peek over the top of the root. He saw a dark cloaked figure floating off the ground drifting between the trees. He whimpered and clamped a hand over his mouth and dropped back behind the root.
He had never felt anything so cold. He felt like his heart was about to be sucked out of his chest. Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and pressed his face to his knees. He wished his stag was here. He wished he was cuddled up against the doe.
The coldness settled in and Harry felt whisks of smoke like tendrils brush across the tips of his hair and the world around Harry disappeared. He heard a woman screaming and then all went black.
Harry woke up and found himself nestled between both stag and doe. He didn't move but blinked his eyes tiredly. He didn't feel so good, and due to the uncomfortable moisture on his chin and shirt, he suspected those crackers and berries had come back up. He tiredly reached up and wiped his face. He had tears as well. The doe leaned over and licked his forehead, affectionately. That was all it took for Harry to gather his energy and launch himself at her. He wrapped his arms around her and wept.
He stayed against her for a while, long enough for him to recognize the familiar warmth creep through his body. The dark veil that had shrouded over him, thick like water was gone and he wondered what had happened to it.
Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe couldn't speak so he couldn't get any answers from them. Sneaking a look at Mr. Stag's antlers, he knew that might have scared off the cloaked figure. Mr. Stag could be quite scary, Harry thought. After a while, Harry let go of Mrs. Doe and gathered Dudley's back pack. The other two stood as well and they began to travel more through the woods. The two now walked on either side of him, no longer taking the risk that he'll wonder away again. Harry thought that was fine as the cloaked creature he saw earlier was scary enough as it was. Also, he liked that they cared. Harry couldn't imagine the Dursley's showing much concern for him. Plus, considering he woke sandwiched between the two, he knew they came looking for him.
And found him.
Harry smiled at that and felt more tears spring forth from his eyes. He felt loved and wanted which was something he had never experienced before. With that realization, Harry wondered if ever wanted to see the Dursleys again. Maybe he could stay and live with Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe. They liked him and Mrs. Doe taught him what berries to eat.
He felt Mrs. Doe lick him again on the ear.
"I wanna stay with you," Harry mumbled. "I don't wanna go back to them."
He felt more licks and then Mr. Stag rubbing his back with his head. Harry felt the slight gracing of antlers but still he felt safe.
Eventually they had to move and so they quickly set off. Mr. Stag led them to a small creak and Harry took the opportunity to wash his face and get a sip of water.
He felt refreshed now and ready to start a new. What he really wanted to do was play in the water but he saw A fish fly out and it frightened him. He ran to Mr. Stag and then giggled. He couldn't be scared of a fish could he? He ran back to the water and let his feet dangle over the rushing water. He saw another fish and was determined not to run. He felt Mr. Stag come up beside him. The two sat on the creek side. Feeling confident now that the stag sat beside him, Harry slowly let his feet dip into the water. No fish came near him but he did see another one jump out of the water.
Harry was still a little afraid of them, but Mr. Stag seemed nonplussed. Harry wanted to be like Mr. Stag and Mr. Stag didn't seem afraid of anything.
After a bit, they took off again. Harry vaguely wondered where they were going. Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe seem to be determined to take him somewhere. He truly didn't think they were wondering aimlessly. He wondered if the Dursleys missed him or if they only worried about the safety of Dudley's back pack.
Harry had paused to pull out his walkman and let the cassette play in his ear. He still held one hand to Mrs. Doe's side but he let himself get swept away in the adventure.
The knight outsmarted the wolves by leading them to the end of the woods. The pack had thought him trapped but at the end of the woods lived a family of trolls: A family of trolls that ate wolves. Harry made a face at that. Trolls were scary and when the wolves ran away, the trolls turned on Sir Harry.
They crossed through foliage and tiny puddles. Creeks ran through the forest and the more Harry saw and experienced, the more he wished he could stay and be a family with the deer couple. They took mini breaks and Harry decided to give the Walkman a break before the battery died. When evening swept over the trees, Harry grabbed the second to last cracker pack and huddled against a tree. Mrs. Doe was grazing, but every once in a while, she glanced over at Harry. He brushed the crumbs off his shirt and decided to wait for her to return. Mr. Stag had wondered off and Harry hoped he wouldn't get lost. Getting lost was scary and Harry was lucky to have been found. But if Mr. Stag did get lost, he and Mrs. Doe would go find him. That's what you did for someone you loved right? You don't let them stayed lost.
Mr. Stag suddenly burst into view and slid to a dusty stop. He seemed scared and agitated as he violently jerked his head and let out a deep bellow. Harry felt scared again but not at Mr. Stag but at what could have frightened Mr. Stag.
Mrs. Doe, who had come to lie at Harry’s side, woke up and came quickly to her feet. Harry followed but more clumsily.
The three began to move through the woods, both Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe faster than Harry. He stumbled behind but whenever he felt in fear of falling behind, Mrs. Doe came for him and encouraged him forward while Mr. Stag struck an aggressive pose as if to defend them.
That is when Harry felt it. The cold crept upon him heavy like a blanket. He felt his body shudder and it took all his strength to keep from gasping. He felt a bit numb and that, in some way, by simply opening his mouth, the wind would blow his soul right out.
Mrs. Doe nudged him and he continued on with Mr. Stag acting as sentinel. The cold became stronger and Harry thought he could hear a woman crying out in his mind.
Harry couldn’t help it, and cried out, “Mummy.” That was the voice. He felt Mrs. Doe nudge him and he held on to her, crying for his mother. He blearily opened his eyes and saw Mr. Stag charging at the Shadowed figure come through the trees towards them and Harry closed his eyes again. He heard his mother cry out again. He had heard her before, the last time the hooded figure was around. He didn't have many thoughts after the realization because everything quickly went black.
Harry woke again. He felt as crummy as the last time he had seen the cloaked figure. His chin felt crusty and he still felt wobbly as he tried to stand. His bearings came quickly and he realized Mrs. Doe was beside him and was watching him carefully as he tried to stand.
He stood on shaky knees but did not falter and was rewarded with a lick to his cheek from the doe. That brought a smile to his face and warmth comforted his body from the simple gesture. He liked being around Mrs. Doe and Mr. Stag because they were kind to him like this. He couldn't remember if his aunt and uncle had ever hugged him. He was sure if Mrs. Doe and Mr. Stag could hug they would hug him. But Harry could hug and so he did, he wrapped his arms around Mrs. Doe’s neck. She waited patiently and nuzzled his back with her nose.
"That tickles," he giggles. That seemed to encourage her as she began to nuzzle him and he couldn’t help but let out peals of laughter. He felt a lot better and was thankful for Mrs. Stag. He thought she might be laughing too. He couldn’t help but feel special that he was coming to understand Deer-talk. Dudley would be so jealous if he knew, though Harry wouldn’t tell him. This was for him only…though he might not get the chance. There was a part of him that thought he might not ever leave the woods, but would that be so bad? He liked Mr. and Mrs. Stag and they were so much nicer to him then the Dursleys.
Feeling hungry, Harry reached over to Dudley’s pack and looked around for more snacks but after a moment of searching he realized he was out of food. He looked up at Mrs. Doe and she was watching him.
“I’m out of food,” He explained. She stood up and Harry matched her. He placed a hand on her side and let her lead him into the woods. They came upon some berries that were edible. He snacked on those and then found a creek. Mr. Stag found them and they settled by the creek for a while.
Harry put the walkman on and as the audio story began to play, it suddenly stopped. He looked at the walkman and frowned. He pressed play and it still remained silent. Nothing lit up either. He flipped it over and popped out the battery: Dead. He sighed and dropped the walkman by his pack and Mrs. Doe who was residing be a tree. He didn’t want to complain to her that he was bored; there was nothing she could do, so he turned and watched the creek. Mr. Doe was standing by it and Harry wanted to join him.
He walked over to Mr. Stag and touched his side. Mr. Stag made a grunting noise and gently nuzzled him, mindful of his large antlers. Harry enjoyed the attention. Eventually, he wanted to run around. Harry found a frog and tried to catch it. The creek was shallow enough that he was able to walk ankle deep. He found a stick and drew in some mud. He found a wiggly worm and touched it. He squeaked and tossed it away from him. He moved back to Mrs. Doe and lay down by her side. She licked his hair and he closed his eyes, feeling comfortable. He wished Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were this nice to him.
…But, he didn’t think he’d see them again. The woods would be his home. It already was, actually. It was open, the exact opposite of his cupboard, and neither Mr. Stag nor Mrs. Doe got mad when he wanted to eat, and he didn’t have to worry about cleaning up after himself. The woods were so dirty to begin with. Most importantly, he thought, Mr. Stage and Mrs. Doe seemed to like him.
He sleepily drifted off.
Mrs. Doe liked to eat flowers. Harry tried it but it tasted like greens covered in perfume. He didn’t like it and much preferred berries that she still gathered for him. He had his own little pile before him and with sticky hands, he ate them one by one. Mrs. Doe licked his cheek which he became familiar with. He held a berry out to her which she ate from his hand.
He liked to play in the Forrest. He learned to mimic a bird that had a trill he liked. He had woken from a nap by a bush with me and mrs stag and thought this must be what it was like to have a family. They were both sleeping. They didn't wake up usually till dawn.
"I want to call you mum," he said softly. Her ear twitches. "I want to call you papa," he said to mr. Stag.
Mr. Stag blinked his eyes and Harry gasped. He hoped mr. Stag wasn't mad at him. Mr. Stag licked him. Harry supposed he didn't mind.
But as Harry was familiar with, all good things must come to an end. He was familiar with the feeling of dread when it came over him again. He didn’t dare open his eyes, fearing the dark figure that brought forth the cold feeling in him. Not again. He hated this feeling and he hated the creature that woke it in him. He could hear the screaming and Harry, for the life of him, couldn’t grasp where he was.
“Mum,” He whimpered. He was sure that it was her screaming. “Mum!” He screamed louder. Why was it that he only remembered his mother suffering. He felt fat tears slide down his cheeks. “Mummy,” He whimpered. He felt Mrs. Doe lick his cheeks like so many times before.
Suddenly a blast of warmth filled him and light burst through his shut eyelids. He snapped his eyes open and saw that the light was coming from him. The bright force flowed outward and seemed to form a shield around him, pushing the dark creature away. Harry was nearly blind and even the barrier formed from squeezing his eyes shut couldn't dim the light.
But the light wasn't dangerous. It was kind and warm and felt like a toasty blanket wrapped around him. The coldness that came with the shadowed creature was gone and when the light dimmed, Harry felt confident enough to open his eyes. The shadowed creature was weakened against a tree. Though Harry couldn't see it's face he felt they were locked in a gaze then suddenly the creature burst into butterflies and was gone For good this time.
"Harry!"
"Harry!"
Harry woke up to the sound of his name. He wasn't where he last was when he last shut his eyes, but instead where it all began. He had Dudley’s back pack in his lap and he was leaning against a tree trunk. It was dark but he could see the he first vestiges of light breaking through the tree canopy.
Where were Mr. and Mrs. Deer, he wondered. How did he get back here and who was calling his name? He dropped the back pack as he stood to his feet. He called to them, not to his aunt and uncle he surely did not care that he was gone all this time, and not Dudley who would get furious he ate his crackers. He called to the deer that fed him berries and lay beside him comfortingly during the nights. The stag whose antlers provided shelter.
"I hear him!" The voice that called his name said and from the trees he saw his aunt uncle, cousin and hike guide take shape.
He wanted his family but he feared he must've dreamt them up. The creature of his nightmares was gone but with it was the cost of Mr. Stag and Mrs. Doe. He cried. He couldn't help himself so he fell to his knees and let the tears fall.