In a dense forest, under the moonlight, the top layer of leaves seemed to be coated with a silver glow. But the branches grew too lush, blocking all the moonlight, leaving the trunks in pitch-black darkness, with only sporadic coin-sized light appearing intermittently with the breeze.
This is also the origin of the name "Dark Forest."
And it's not just at night, even during the day it appears quite gloomy here.
However, on this night, a sudden rustling sound came from the silent Dark Forest, as if someone stepped on the thick fallen leaves and then snapped a dry branch.
This sudden noise startled some birds and small animals that wandered at night, causing them to scurry out from their hiding spots and run to other places they deemed safe... The silent Dark Forest suddenly had a brief moment of vitality.
"The path here is really difficult to walk," Kael said, pulling his foot out of the soft pile of fallen leaves, unable to resist complaining.
"It's always like this; once you get used to it, you won't get stuck anymore," Newt's voice came from beside him.
He seemed very familiar with the Dark Forest, always able to walk on clean, solid ground, swiftly navigating between trees.
Unlike Kael, who not only got his foot stuck in piles of fallen leaves but also almost bumped into trees a few times.
"I don't like it here!" Kael sighed.
"Most wizards don't like it," Newt said. "The dense trees greatly affect the accuracy of charms, reducing the threat of charms to a minimum. And no matter how many people come, it's useless. But precisely because of this, it has become a favorite stronghold for some dark creatures."
"So, are there really werewolves here?" Kael asked.
"Not only are there werewolves, but there are many," Newt said. "Because it's safe enough; unless a wizard is willing to spend a lot of effort clearing these trees, no one can catch werewolves here. Gradually, the Dark Forest has become a werewolf stronghold."
As they talked, Newt seemed to step on something and slowly squatted down to pick up a bone hidden under the leaves, left by some unknown animal.
The bone wasn't large, seemingly belonging to a wild rabbit or some bird.
Newt wiped off the dirt outside, revealing bite marks inside.
"Oh, look at this, these are werewolf bite marks," Newt said.
Kael leaned in to look as well.
But it was too dark around them, and Newt didn't allow the use of a Lighting Spell, so he could barely see there were indeed bite marks, nothing more.
"Are you sure it's a werewolf?" Kael asked, "Could it be some other animal?"
"No, it wouldn't," Newt shook his head. "These are marks left by werewolves in their human form, completely different from animals. It looks like we've entered their hunting area."
Newt tossed the bone aside, cautiously raised his head, and observed the surroundings.
Kael suddenly got excited.
About a week had passed since they arrived in the Dark Forest, and finally, there was some progress.
It all began half a month ago.
It was roughly two weeks after Kael returned to Grimmauld Place when they received word that Lupin was severely injured and urgently sent to St Mungo's.
And the culprits were the werewolves.
Everyone knew there were werewolves among the Death Eaters; ever since Fenrir Greyback was captured during an unsuccessful move at Hogwarts, the werewolf community experienced several major divisions.
Later, part of the werewolves chose to leave in response to Lupin's persistent persuasion, exiting the war; while the more radical and savage ones joined forces, seriously injured Lupin and fled, entirely siding with Voldemort.
Recently, during every full moon night, they would appear; either in wizard-inhabited villages or on Muggle Streets, these werewolves would attack anyone they saw indiscriminately.
Their strong bodies and thick fur allowed them to ignore most magic; sometimes, in one night, a dozen wizards would be captured or bitten by them.
As for Muggles, the number would be even higher.
Moreover, these werewolves are cunning, only acting on full moon nights, and their appearance locations are completely random. The Order of the Phoenix has tried to set traps for them in advance but hasn't succeeded.
Perhaps for revenge, half a month ago, these werewolves planned a sneak attack on Lupin, whom they viewed as a werewolf traitor.
If it hadn't been for Tonks noticing something was amiss and immediately rushing over with people, Lupin wouldn't even have had a chance to be sent to St Mungo's.
Kael still recalls Lupin's appearance when he saw him at St Mungo's... wrapped in bandages all over, with a noticeable depression on his shoulder, clearly from a bite.
Sirius was furious, shouting that he would find werewolves for revenge, but was stopped by everyone.
Because Sirius was alone, even though his Animagus form wasn't afraid of werewolf bites, he couldn't handle the sheer numbers.
Not to mention that the Animagus form couldn't use magic, even Lupin, a real werewolf, couldn't manage, so a single dog solving them was practically a pipe dream.
However, just when everyone was debating and discussing how to avenge Lupin, to everyone's surprise, Newt suddenly appeared.
When he leisurely pushed open the door to No. 12 Grimmauld Place, the people inside were startled, but thankfully Mrs. Weasley had seen Newt at King's Cross Station last year, preventing any embarrassment.
The renowned Newt Scamander, everyone was curious as to why this legendary wizard who'd been gone for so long suddenly showed up here.