Remus woke slowly to something wet pressing insistently against his cheek.
A rough nose nudged him again.
His eyes cracked open blearily—and found himself staring directly into the face of a massive, shaggy, German shepherd.
Remus jerked back with a startled sound.
Beside him, Sirius blinked awake.
Not yelled. Not shouted. A full, high-pitched scream of absolute terror.
He thrashed violently inside the sleeping bag, instantly tangling himself deeper.
“Wild dog!” Sirius shrieked. “It’s going to eat us!”
The shepherd barked again excitedly and bounded in a happy circle around their campsite, tail wagging hard enough to shake its entire backside.
“Sirius!” Remus groaned, already crawling out of the sleeping bag. “It’s just a dog!”
“It is literally wagging its tail!”
The dog trotted over happily and shoved its nose directly into Sirius’ chest.
Sirius made another horrified noise. “Oh god... it’s chosen me.”
Remus laughed despite himself and pushed himself upright properly, brushing leaves from his clothes.
Morning light shone brightly through the trees now. Much brighter than it had any right to be. They’d clearly slept far later than intended.
The shepherd barked once more before suddenly sprinting toward the trail nearby. A moment later, boots crunched against gravel.
A man stepped through the trees holding a travel mug in one hand. He looked to be somewhere in his fifties, dressed in hiking gear with a faded baseball cap pulled low over graying hair.
The shepherd immediately returned to his side, still wagging furiously.
“Uh—no, sir,” he said perhaps too fast. “We’re just… hiking.”
The man’s eyes drifted over their setup.
Sirius finally untangled himself enough to sit upright, hair sticking out in every possible direction.
“We’re on a trip,” Remus added awkwardly.
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Most people hiking Appalachia bring more than one sleeping bag and a blanket.”
Sirius scrambled to his feet beside Remus immediately.
“Light packing,” he said confidently.
“Easier for us,” Sirius continued, nodding seriously. “Really roughing it.”
Sirius smiled brightly like he wasn’t visibly disheveled and sleeping in the woods with another teenage boy.
The man looked unconvinced.
The shepherd, meanwhile, had decided Remus was its new best friend and leaned heavily against his leg for attention. Remus scratched behind its ears automatically.
“You boys from 'round here?” the man asked carefully.
Every muscle in Remus’ body tightened.
Sirius answered before he could.
The man’s expression shifted subtly. Not suspicious exactly, but sharper now.
Sirius opened his mouth. Closed it.
The dog sat down heavily beside Remus, tongue lolling happily. Remus swallowed hard.
“We’re not going back,” he said quietly before he could stop himself.
Sirius glanced at him quickly.
The man studied them both for a long moment. Tired kids. Too little gear. Fear hiding beneath forced casualness.
Remus’ pulse hammered painfully.
The man crouched beside the dog instead of reaching for a phone.
“You know there’s shelters along the trail, right?”
“For hikers.” The man scratched the shepherd’s head. “Three-sided cabins every so often. Water pumps too if they’re working.” He glanced at their supplies again. “You boys won’t survive long out here without better planning.”
The man stood again and reached into his backpack.
Both boys tensed instantly.
But he only pulled out two granola bars and tossed them over.
Sirius caught one automatically.
“You should boil creek water before drinking it,” the man continued. “Hang your food higher than that if you don’t want raccoons in your face tonight.”
Sirius looked mildly horrified.
“And if you see a black bear,” the man added, “don’t run.”
“Oh good,” Sirius muttered. “Fantastic news.”
The man’s mouth twitched slightly like he was suppressing a smile, then he nodded once toward the trail.
“There’s a shelter about eight miles north.” He looked at Remus specifically. “Stay off the roads if you don’t want police spotting you.”
But the man simply whistled for his dog. The shepherd gave Remus one final hopeful look before trotting after his owner.
“Good luck, boys,” the man called without turning around.
Then they disappeared back down the trail.
Silence settled over the clearing again. Sirius stared after them for a long moment before exhaling hard.
“We almost got caught because you scream like a murder victim.”
