studiobondurri 197: Poachers
197: Poachers
197: Poachers
Since John had heard the description from Luna, John thought that maybe he hadn't created this new beast but had made it come to reality...?
Luna called it a Crumple-Horned Snorkack and John's naming sense was never good so he decisively changed its name from Crooked Horned Snorebeast to Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
The Crumple-Horned Snorkack seemed to adore Luna, showing her an unusual level of affection.
John speculated that this might be due to the intentions behind its creation. @@@@
Magic is deeply mysterious—sometimes, a single word or even a fleeting thought could become the foundation of a spell.
Luna was a clever witch. As Ravenclaw once said, wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.
Just as John was preparing to escort Luna back, a commotion came from the forest ahead.
It sounded like a large animal was charging through the woods.
"Stay back."
John stepped in front of Luna protectively and drew his wand.
He fixed his gaze on the source of the noise, which was growing louder by the second.
To their astonishment, a massive magical creature burst out from the trees. Its fur resembled a tiger's but was unkempt and wild, and it swung its long, peony-like tail with vigor.
The beast leaped into the air, landing briefly on a tree before crashing heavily to the ground.
John's eyes were wide with surprise as he muttered, "Eh? What is that?"
Before he could get a closer look, the creature, which had lain motionless for a moment after its fall, suddenly sprang up and darted away with incredible speed.
It moved so quickly that all John could do was point a finger in its direction.
In an instant, the creature disappeared into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
John saw it clearly—the large magical creature had a collar around its neck, with spikes that pierced into its fur, and it radiated fear and panic.
"An escapee?"
The collar was a tool used by poachers to prevent animals from escaping and to facilitate their taming.
"Luna, I'm taking you back."
John spoke seriously; something was clearly wrong.
Poachers had entered the Forbidden Forest.
These were ruthless people, and if they were discovered, the outcome wouldn't be good.
"But—"
"Ssh."
Without another word, John grabbed Luna's hand and quickly headed back the way they had come.
Not long after they left, a group of wizards emerged in pursuit. A thin man with a thick beard stared at the bloodstains on the ground and cursed loudly, "Damn beast, don't let it die out here!"
They continued their chase.
...
John and Luna made it out of the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid found them.
Hagrid, with a stern expression, shouted, "John, you shouldn't sneak into the Forbidden Forest! It's very dangerous in there!"
John, his ears ringing from Hagrid's loud voice, raised his hand to stop him from continuing.
"Hagrid, there are poachers in the Forbidden Forest," John said, turning to Luna. "Luna, it's very dangerous here."
"But aren't you scared?" Luna asked curiously.
John froze for a moment. Should he tell her he planned to capture those poachers?
The Forbidden Forest was home to a herd of unicorns, and Weiwei was still in there. John didn't want anything to happen to her.
"It's fine. Hagrid will be with me," John said, patting Hagrid's belly.
Hagrid, now thoroughly alarmed by John's words, looked anxious.
The three spells shot through empty air without any resistance. Just as they were about to shout out a warning, a scream erupted from one of them.
Turning around, they saw one of their companions clutching his hands, which were twisted and hanging limp, clearly broken.
A wand floated ominously in midair, and without a moment's hesitation, the two remaining poachers launched their attacks in that direction.
The wand, however, was flung straight at one of them, striking him square on the forehead.
Before he could react, his vision went dark, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The last remaining poacher was now drenched in sweat. Panicking, he shouted, "Who's there? Come out! Come out!"
His cries were answered only by the rustling of the trees in the gathering twilight.
From the shadows, he could feel a pair of eyes watching him.
He fired spell after spell in that direction, but fear overtook him, and he turned to run.
Instead, he slammed into something solid.
No, it wasn't a wall.
"Fuck..."
It wasn't a wall at all.
Looking up, the remaining poacher saw Hagrid gripping his shoulders. With a swift motion, Hagrid hurled the man through the air.
The poacher collided with a tree and promptly passed out.
John deactivated his Disillusionment Charm and thought to himself that if he had just let Hagrid charge in earlier, none of this would've been so complicated.
He collected the wands from the four poachers and conjured ropes to tie them up securely.
With the poachers dealt with, John found a compass-like object on the bearded man.
"A tracker, huh," he muttered.
Suddenly, the pointer on the tracker began to spin wildly. Before John could react, a tunnel-like portal materialized before his eyes.
From within the portal, a massive head leapt out—it was the Zouwu.
Its enormous maw, full of sharp teeth, lunged directly at John.
If not for his quick casting of a Shield Charm, John was certain he would've been devoured.
"Hey, hey, over here!" Hagrid shouted in alarm. He charged at the Zouwu, tackling it to the side.
Holding his crossbow, Hagrid tried to soothe the frenzied creature.
"It must be that collar those blasted poachers put on it," he said.
Hagrid attempted to calm the Zouwu, but it was utterly enraged and continued thrashing about violently.
It leaped continuously between the trees, like a hunting lion.
Hagrid wasn't afraid of the Zouwu itself, but he was deeply concerned about John getting hurt.
John drew his wand, intending to immobilize the creature.
"It's no use; it's too fast," Hagrid warned, frustration evident after several failed attempts to communicate with the Zouwu.
If John used a spell, it might only make things worse by further enraging the already panicked creature.
He needed a different approach.
An idea struck John, and he decided to try using mental magic to communicate.
Tuning into the creature's emotions, he sensed an overwhelming fear dominating its thoughts.
Seizing an opportunity, John activated the speed of his enchanted meteor boots, propelling himself towards the Zouwu.
In mid-air, he grabbed hold of its thick mane and channeled his mental magic.
"Big guy, we're not going to hurt you."
___________
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