Hello! Sorry it's been such a wait; boy, I've been busy! This is a really, really short chapter, but I guarantee that the next one won't be!


Wild and Conquerable

"Jack," Elsa whispers. Jack feels her tugging at his cloak, her little pale hands brutal around the fabric. He doesn't feel complied to answer, though; his eyes are trained on the beautiful mottled black sky, watching the stars inch through the heavens on their ancient cycle. The diamond speckles over the black shadows is beautiful, beautiful in the way a fallen angel is beautiful. The snow-weighed pine trees scraping the clouds also add an inspirational touch to it, their towering branches climbing towards the stars and the wide, wide moon.

"Jack," insists Elsa again, her voice cracking. She tugs sharply at his cloak.

A jolt passes through Jack's veins, alarmed by the fearful quality causing Elsa's usually thick voice to rise in pitch by such a margin. Instinctively, Jack places an arm in front of Elsa, guarding her against anything that may be frightening the girl. His attention swivels from the masterpiece of a night sky, focusing instead on the amber eyes of a wolf.

It doesn't stand in a particularly frightening way. The mane of silver crowning its head quivers in the wind. Against the white of the snow, its grey fur is seemingly darkened, but against the black of the trees, the pelt of the wolf seems almost white itself. The wolf, slinking about in the shadows of the trees, if anything is merely curious. However, in the eyes of many, the low prowl and the fangs curling at the corners of those black lips could be considered threatening and evil. The vivid gold of its large eyes doesn't help the wolf's case in the slightest.

Jack relaxes, patting Elsa's arm with reassurance. "She won't hurt you," he scolds, watching as the wolf's gaze slides from his own.

"How do you know?" whispers Elsa, but the same curiosity harbored in the wolf's demeanor is nestled into her tone.

Jack shrugs. His eyes trace the wolf as it pads in the distance, still always looping back to the clearing. He rests Elsa on one knee, leaning his head down to her ear.

"Well, most people just assume that the wolf is a wild creature. Which it is, of course. As wild as wild can be. But most people assume that's a bad thing. No, wolves know respect, and they know dignity. Sounds weird, I know. But… once you show dominance to a wolf, it's never going to attack you or stab you in the back. They're loyal companions, like man's best friend. The wildness in their spirits just scares most people off. Understandably so. But still. It's prejudiced."

Elsa's blue eyes turn to him, the startlingly bright shade sending a shiver down Jack's spine. He shifts her weight, balancing Elsa on one knee and awaiting the inevitable questions.

"How do you know that?" she inquires, voice loud in the vacant forest. "It would've taken a fool to approach a wolf!"

"Well," chuckles Jack, "I act like a fool often, or so people tell me. I just like wolves. They're cool. They can see me, so… I find myself chilling around them."

"They can see you?" Elsa's tone is thoughtful, and her gaze lands on the wolf coming back around for another round. "Like I can see you?"

"Yeah," Jack agrees, nodding his head. "I suppose." After a second of thought, his fingers tap Elsa's forearm. Lowering his lips to Elsa's tiny ear, Jack whispers, "Do you want to meet the wolf?"

Elsa flinches. Her eyes are wide, like an owl's. "No!" Elsa exclaims, her voice abruptly loud in the silence of the peaceful forest. Somewhere, a bird lifts off suddenly from a branch, powdering snow on the startled wolf below and flapping off into the sky.

"Live a little!" Jack insists. He releases a slow breath, watching as it fogs before his face and drifts into the night, unreachably high in the sky. "Look, I'll be there right in front of you. If the wolf lunges, I'll scoop you up, and we'll never come to this part of the forest. But if you don't take this opportunity, you'll be wondering for the rest of your life what you're missing."

Elsa's hesitation is painful. At last, with the speed of a glacier, Elsa nods, her eyes still skeptical of the wolf.

"C'mon," Jack coaxes. He stands and grabs her small hand, lacing their fingers together. When he stands, Elsa seems petite, her head only reaching his hip. Her wide, expressive eyes turn to him, seeking comfort. Jack, stirred by her search for security, squeezes her fingers.

"Approach it slowly," orders Jack. "Slowly, not cautiously. Square your shoulders, lift your chin. Look it straight in the eye. That's the way! Remember, you're king – I mean princess – and this wolf is just an animal. An intelligent animal, maybe, but an animal all the same. You're at the top of the food chain, and it's still scrounging for scraps. Do not let it smell fear."

Elsa nods. He can feel the quiver in her muscles, but he can't see it; Elsa is remarkable at masking her fear in the presence of the wolf, and, by all logical purposes, she does not look like a princess before the beast.

She looks like a queen.

Jack's eyes are involuntarily drawn to Elsa. She stands with her head held high and her eyes filled with the very ice she knows so well. A battle takes place before him, a battle of wills, blue against gold. The wolf is not willing to submit, but Elsa is as stable as an icy wall.

Tension is thick in the air. Neither force is willing to break the wall of concentration, nor to break gazes.

At long last, the wolf lets out a submissive huff. Its tail droops and its ears slouch. In a gesture of submission, the wolf turns its eyes downcast and tilts away its head, refusing to meet Elsa's glare.

Elsa's surprise is evident over her pale face. "Was that all?" she wonders.

Jack neglects to mention that the wolf hadn't been all that interested in showing Elsa up, keeping positive. "Good job, Elsa!" he crows, exuberant pride swallowing the discontent resting at his heart. "You're getting braver and braver, each time we meet!"

"And you're getting nicer!" Elsa wraps her arms around Jack's legs, her grip strangling. "I wish everybody was like you, Jack."

Jack's heart flutters. He lays a hand on top of Elsa's blonde hair, gently stroking her locks and setting them into place as she rocks from side to side, his legs ensnared in her gentle embrace. Her arms make his knees cave slightly, but that seems to be a minor detail. A lump builds in his throat, though he'd never let Elsa see that.

"I wish everyone was more like wolves," admits Jack candidly. "That way, I'd always be able to understand them."

"I'm like a wolf," says Elsa quietly, her voice unreadable.

Jack smiles, lips quirking back. "Yeah, Elsa, I'd daresay you are."


Alright, so, those 20/30 followers I have on this story: leave a review, even if it's "Good story" or whatnot. I do notice that, y'know.

On my other stories, I put a poll at the end of the chapter to help hone my writing. POLL: Do you think Elsa's character as a child is believable, or am I off the mark?

Ciao,

~wolfluvermh