The lights had been off for a few minutes by the time I was able to open my eye and Phantom took his hand away from my head.

"Thanks, Phantom," I murmured, stifling a yawn. He said nothing, just nodded at me. He was still glaring at the Teen Titans, his eyes glowing an eerie green. I rested my cheek on his shoulder, aware that if the Teen Titans tried anything Phantom would be able to get us out of there. Getting hit on the head often messed with my abilities, and it'd be a few hours before I could access anything. The beanie shifted as I listened to the Titans talk, and Phantom absentmindedly fixed it for me.

"We can't trust them," the guy with the black spiky hair muttered to the others. I was beginning to realize that he was the leader. "They're vandals, thieves, and as far as we're aware they purposely cause as much chaos as they can."

"They also showed up when I asked them to," the cloaked girl deadpanned.

"They might have just been scared of you," the green dude countered. "I know we all are."

"They have agreed to be my friends," Starfire pouted. "Does that not mean that they will stop being destructive?"

A glimmer of light caught my eye and I instantly forgot about listening in on the Titans. Their attention turned to me when I stood up, transfixed with the almost-full moon. I stepped towards the window, my hand reached out for it.

"Oh come on," Phantom groaned. "It's not even the full moon yet..."

I ignored him and tried to catch the moonlight. Frustrated when I couldn't, I settled for trying to grab the moon in my hands. I was met with the cool glass on my fingertips, and I frowned. Contemplating, I tipped my head to one side. My beanie slid to the side a little, but I didn't notice. Suddenly making up my mind, I thumped down onto the ground to watch the moon rise.

"Phantom," I panted softly, "Phantom, look at the moon. It's so close to being full... And it's so pretty..."

"Yes," he chuckled, equally soft, "yes, the moon is almost full. We'll have to get you out to the forest then, back to that big clearing you like..."

I whimpered, shifting in irritation of being so far away from the moon. A tiny portion of the howl I was keeping locked inside of my chest escaped, and I pawed the glass in the hopes that it would somehow shift away for me. My powers would return soon, yes, but not soon enough. By the time my powers would come back, the moon would be sinking and I wouldn't have a chance to get closer to it.

"Dude," the green nub said in exasperation, "are you howling at the moon? What are you, a wolf?"

I took no notice of his words as the howl escaped again in a whimper, and I didn't bother looking at the Titan until I sensed another canine presence. I twisted my head around, growling already, my hair bristling. A green wolf was there, and I snarled at it in warning.

"Whoa, dude, calm down!" The wolf was replaced with the green Titan, his name something that started with a B... "It's just me, Beast Boy!"

Growling and snarling ceasing, I stared at him for a little longer before I decided he was of no importance and turned my attention to the moon. My tail wagged, escaping the confines of my shirt where it had previously been hidden. And then I couldn't hold it back anymore and I howled, a long, loud, melodious sound that was tribute to the moon.

Phantom was suddenly there, blocking me from view of the Teen Titans. He tucked my tail back in my shirt and pulled my beanie farther over my ears. My ears were flicking wildly, trying to take in all the sounds at once.

"Dude, he has a tail!" the deep voice said in a loud whisper.

"And if what we saw is any indication, he seems to have wolf ears as well," deadpanned the girl.

"He's like... part wolf, dudes! Awesome!" Beast Boy shouted, and my ears flicked down. I growled harshly.

"Uh, hey you, green nub. Shadow didn't appreciate your shouting." Phantom's voice, quiet and soothing and making my ears stop aching. Phantom tried to pull my attention away from the rising moon, but I fought him and he eventually stopped trying. "Try not to be loud. He might attack. Usually when the moon gets this close to being full, we go out to the forest. There's this big clearing that Shadow likes, and he'll just howl all night."

"Is Friend Shadow a wolf?" Starfire asked, looking interested and faintly curious.

"Uh, no," Phantom laughed. "No, he's not a wolf. He's like... half-wolf... We don't really know the entire story. As far as we remember, he's always been like this."

"You have amnesia?" the cloaked girl asked suddenly, effectively drawing my attention to her. The Titans flinched at the sight of my red glowing pupils, which were a side-effect of the moon's influence on me. I sensed something dark from her, and I growled low. Crouching, my arms and legs having shifted their anatomy to fit a more wolf-like body, I forced my white-haired boyfriend to the ground as I stood over him, ready to protect him.

"Whoa, Shadow... just... calm down..." Phantom tried, unable to look up at me because he was lying on his stomach. I growled at him and he fell silent.

The cloaked girl growled right back. "You want to fight, wolf?" Tendrils escaped from under her cloak. "Then I hope you aren't afraid of the dark."

I snarled louder, but it turned into a yelp as Phantom suddenly jumped up and pinned me. I couldn't bring myself to swipe at him, but I struggled as much as I could. This girl was dangerous; I didn't like the scent that was coming off of her. Phantom grabbed my arms and forced me to face the moon, but the moon wasn't working its magic the way it had earlier. My job was to protect my ghost companion at night, and this dark creature could make him fade if she got the chance! I, on the other hand, was not going to let her get that chance. The presence dwindled as the tendrils disappeared and I, breathing heavily, finally let my instincts go.

Immediately I slumped, exhausted but unwilling to sleep. The pretty gleaming silver light that filtered in through the window caught my attention again, and I just barely noticed the red tinge that appeared as I fixed my gaze on the moon.

"Dude... how does Raven not scare him?" the green boy whispered in awe.

"The dark doesn't scare him," Phantom answered as he made me lay down, fixing my beanie (which had begun to fall off in my struggling) and making sure that I would stay put. "It sure makes him angry, though. Last time he sensed something dark, he ripped it to shreds and used it as a warning to every other dark thing in the forest."