Sirius felt most alone somewhere around five in the morning. That was when the night was the darkest, the coldest, and the Forbidden Forest was the most foreboding. That was the time when he most felt not like a wild dog, but like a lost man completely alone in the world for the first time ever. In Azkaban he knew at least that he would have food and shelter. When he'd left his family, it was the companionship of his friends that gave him the courage and confidence to know that he would not be alone. Now, though- now he was alone. As a teenager, the Forbidden Forest had never been the least bit frightening. He was realizing now that might have been because the dangerous animals here had been scared off by the presence an even more dangerous animal- Remus Lupin- in their midst. Alone as a dog, every rustle of the leaves made him jump, every sound made his hackles rise. But where else could he go? Here, he was sufficiently close to Hogwarts to plan his moves, but far enough away to avoid detection- and Dementors.

Sirius was thus lamenting his fate, dwelling on his loneliness and shivering in the dead leaves, when a particularly nearby rustle made him jump. He barred his canine teeth in the direction of the sound, expecting any possible things. Was it true there were Acromantula in this forest?

This, Sirius was quite surprised when the animal that emerged was not a man-eating spider. Far from it, before him stood a rather plump and domestic-looking cat (though did its tail betray some kneazle heritage?). In fact, a collar stood out on its neck, confirming his suspicions that this was no wild animal. Despite his show of aggression, the cat didn't run from him. Instead, it watched him with wide and curious eyes.

Sirius, with very little idea of what he was doing, barked what he felt should have been a welcome. The cat meowed back. Did he imagine words in that sound? Well, not words so much as... emotions? Wasn't it a curious and welcoming sound.

Three hours later, when he and the fluffy cat had wrapped up their clandestine conversations, he barked goodbye and watched as the bottle-brush tail disappeared last into the underbrush. He was no longer alone!

He also worried that he might not be altogether sane...