Extra Precautions Solo

Thursday | 4 December 2025 | Morning
Southampton, UK

Marcus' old stomping grounds in Southampton had certainly changed since he was last here. Although he had spent close to a decade in this very neighborhood, it really showed that progress continued on without him. That coffee shop definitely hadn't been there ten years ago, and it looked like his old barber had shut down. So many memories of his time here, rejecting the magical world he had been born into. Fighting his demons. He tried not to dwell - after all, he was here on a mission.

The former Hogwarts employee made his way into a gym on the corner of the next street, where the familiar stench of sweat and blood assaulted his senses. It was clear that despite his absence, Ray's could be counted on to reject progress. That same fighting cage, those same punching bags, that same scuff on the wall. Now Marcus couldn't hold back a slight grin at the sight of it all. Good times. He cracked his knuckles instinctively as he took it all in.

The namesake of the establishment was soon located, and a long-overdue reunion between trainer and fighter. Although his MMA days were long behind him, he still held a deep respect for Ray as his former mentor. After assuring the man was in good health and that his family was well, Marcus got into the reason for his visit. He wasn't one to beat around the bush, and he didn't have the time for it anyway.

"So, you still have that friend who works at the park?"

Thursday | 4 December 2025 | Evening
New Forest National Park, UK

The park was closed now, but that didn't mean some Muggles weren't hovering around. There had been one moon in his past where a group of teens had used the entrance of this cave to have a hangout, only deterred when Marcus snarled loudly enough in wolf form to spook them off. He also knew some nature enthusiasts liked to stay in parks like this overnight, even if he had bribed a certain employee to put out an alert about dangerous weather conditions.

"Colloportus," Marcus aimed his wand at the gate he had just gone through. The one designed to keep park visitors from going into the more dangerous areas of the cavern system. It shut firmly and magically locked, assuring the aforementioned nosy Muggles couldn't intrude. Hopefully no nosy wizards either, but Marcus knew there were spells that could break through that. He had done his best to shake off whoever was trailing him, but in all honesty - he might be out of his depth. It's not like he had been hunted before - at least, not to this degree. He was certainly rusty on the things to look out for, and had let himself fall into a false sense of security by operating overseas the last couple of months. Now that he was back in the UK, everything had him on edge.

He avoided returning to Hogsmeade as that's where they would expect him most. The lease on his home there doesn't expire until December, so he still lives there on paper. But it would be a rookie mistake to go back, and it would very likely endanger the friend who remained in that village. He had chosen Southampton specifically because he hadn't been here in so long - it's possible they would know to watch if they had really dug into his past, but still. It gave him a better shot than Hogsmeade or London areas.

So hopefully if that lock didn't keep the stalkers out, the idea of a very angry werewolf on the other side would deter them. The full moon would be out in full force soon. Marcus could feel it coming as he went further into the caves, far enough to find the old anchors drilled into the stone. He didn't have time to install new ones, but he had at least bought some new chain and shackles this afternoon. He setup quickly, his experienced hands securing chains to the anchors in the stone. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead as he worked - not just from the physical exertion and speed at which he was doing this, but because he could sense the moon was racing him. Taunting him.

As that all-too-familiar heat and pain began to bubble beneath his skin, he summoned just enough concentration to cast the unbreakable charm on his own restraints ("Aeternum Tutum"). His wolf form wouldn't be able to unlock these naturally, but it sure could break them if he didn't cast that spell. Then his wand was tossed aside, landing next to his go-bag in the corner.

A yell ripped from his throat as the first bone broke, signalling the start of a painful transformation. He could hold back his cries, but it was usually a good distraction. The sound of his own screams could sometimes dull the pain. But only a little. More bones breaking, shaping him into a new form. His face elongated, unpleasantly stretching while his skull painfully enlarged into that of a wolf. A yelp as claws formed through his fingernails and toenails, while clothing that he didn't have time to remove was shredded and left on the ground. It was a much faster process now than it used to be, but it didn't help in the long run. Time seemed to slow when you were the one whose body was being bent in ways that it shouldn't. A couple more bone-shattering, scream-filled minutes later, and a towering wolf form had replaced the human wizard.

You took the wolfsbane. You made it in time. You're in control. You took the wolfsbane. You made it in time. You're in control-

Unfortunately, Marcus' wishful thinking couldn't override the reality of the situation. Whether it was the timing of that one dose from yesterday, or one of the other doses being tampered with, it soon became clear that he was not in control. His senses were getting blurry as his wolf form stumbled in its chains, giving room for a bloodlust that started to consume him. A telltale sign that the wolf would be taking over for the night. But he had chained himself successfully, so-

"Alohomora."

That was the last thing the human in him remembered. Those words. His head swiveled to see who had said them, but it wasn't him looking out of the amber eyes. It was the wolf.

It had been a really long time since the wolf had full control of Marcus Iwasaki - and that meant it was ready to stretch its now-unshackled legs.

Friday | 5 December 2025 | Dawn
New Forest National Park, UK

One good thing about the wolf taking over? He didn't feel it as much when his body shifted back into a human. As Marcus regained consciousness and control, he felt the intense ache of post-transformation, but it was dulled by the fact he couldn't actually remember the pain. The Blasian man felt intensely tired, physically and mentally, but a more pressing matter was the darkness he found himself in. "Lumos," he whispered, holding onto hope that he was still in the cave.

Light! A dim, precious light appeared in his peripheral vision. As he let his amber eyes find their focus on the cave ceiling, he had a brief moment of respite from what was to come. A realization that he was still in the cave he had been shackled in; the hope that he had been imagining the voice; the prayer that even though he didn't have control, the wolf had been safely contained here through the night. He took a deep breath, holding onto it longer than he normally would. Then he chanced a look at his surroundings.

Marcus was indeed in the same cave he had entered last night, but he quickly noticed the fact that he was not shackled. The restraints lay on the floor around him, unlocked. Someone had been in here last night, there was no other explanation.

He had really and truly messed up. Not once in 27 years of his lycanthropy had he been both un-Wolfsbaned and unrestrained. There was always at least one of those in play, and that was something Marcus took great pride in. So this specific brand of fear was a first for the 41-year-old wizard. The fear that he may have gotten out and done something unforgivable.

He started to get dressed, and all he could do was chastise himself. Marcus knew there were people watching him the last few months, keeping tabs on his conversations and his deals. Meetings with sympathetic Ministry officials, donations to "charities" that could make an impact, a conversation or two with rumored (but unproven) members of SCARAB. Educational reform was something he wanted, as well as [REDACTED], but he had pissed off the wrong people. Stepping away from Hogwarts was meant to appease them.

He had tried to lay low during his cursebreaking the last couple months, but he had stupidly risked sending some letters last week. Marcus knew they wanted to scare him, to keep him on his toes, but the vandalizing of Melanie's shop back in October had been the most physical thing they had done. To think they would go this far? Even when his Wolfsbane had been messed with on Tuesday, he thought it was more scare tactics. A message saying "We can still get close to you."

He was a fool for underestimating how far they would go. He should've just stopped when he left Hogwarts. Clearly his own confidence and pride had gotten in his way. Marcus' bravado and his resolve were melting away as he tied his shoes. Maybe it was time to truly drop this. If they were willing to resort to this, it meant they were willing to take it further with his family. Maddie was safe at Beauxbatons for now, but Christmas break was around the corner. He couldn't have his eye on her the whole time.

As Marcus put on his to-go bag and gripped his lit wand, his eyes caught sight of something... devastating. Was that... dried blood? It could've been mistaken for dirt, but the scent suddenly hit him. That was definitely a pile of blood flecks on the floor, the kind that might fall off a wolf's fur as it transformed. All other thoughts ceased and Marcus felt the hairs on his arms stand up. He had already taken note while getting dressed - he had no new wounds, no new scars. And if it was his blood, he'd recognize the scent. Which he didn't.

That first-time fear reared its ugly head, gripping Marcus from the inside. Had he actually gotten out of the cave? Had he hurt someone? In his wolf form he could've made it the 100 miles to the other side of the park and still had energy to spare, all in an effort to hunt down a human. Waking up here made him hope that although his shackles were loose, the barred door partway down the cave system would keep him at bay. But- now that he thought about it, he hadn't made that unbreakable. I have to check.

Marcus' complete focus became about following the flecks of blood - the scent of the blood - to find out who was hurt. Maybe he had walked through the blood of an animal? He wasn't familiar enough to tell apart human and animal blood. Werewolves didn't hunt animals, just humans, but there were plenty of other animals fighting in these woods. Maybe he had gotten caught up in such a situation.

When he reached the gate that led to the main part of the cave, it confirmed his fears. The broken hinges and bent bars meant he had definitely broken through in the night. He picked up his pace, sprinting to the entrance. He should gather some of the blood on a cloth and use it to help track the source. He wet a cloth with some water and wiped some of the blood from the floor, grimacing when he saw wolf prints not far away. Imprinted where the stone turned back into the soil of the surrounding forest.

He had barely taken a step out of the cave, nose studying the handkerchief, when he heard them. Voices. Many, many voices heading his way. He stepped back into the cover of the rock, wondering if it was early morning Muggles come for a run. But there was an urgency to the voices that led him to believe otherwise. Should he-

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Protego," the spell was instinctual, and Marcus just barely got his shield up in time to block the incoming beam of light. His head swiveled to the far left where a woman stood with her wand pointed at him. She looked angry, distraught even.

"Drop your wand. I am Auror Ruthwell, and you're under arrest on suspicion of murder," she announced, her wand never wavering from its position aimed at Marcus. She used her other hand, though, to reveal the badge that had been hidden by her curls. Marcus had no time to process her words before backup arrived. The voices he heard before? Through a thicket of trees, Marcus' peripheral vision noticed several figures appear and start running over. More shouting, more demands for him to drop his wand. He was outnumbered and complied with their demands, tossing his wand and dropping the handkerchief as he allowed them to restrain him. Then it hit him.

"Wait, did you say- murder? Someone was murdered?"

Marcus had no time to prepare for the right hook that sidelined his face. There was a sickening crack that he recognized as his cheekbone fracturing. As an MMA fighter, Marcus knew how to take a punch, but it was certainly different when he wasn't prepared. Hands bound behind his back, there was nothing he could do about it. Not that he had the will to do so. He could hear several of the other Aurors had jumped to his defense - well, maybe not to his defense, but to keep the guy who hit him from continuing on. But he couldn't be bothered by any of it.

The blood had drained from his face, and a roar in his ears drowned out their conversation. As Marcus was searched by the Aurors and read his rights, he felt his world turning upside down. The only two words he clearly heard in the chaos around him were "Murder. Werewolf."