Chapter X - Howl

This night was the first night of the moon phase. The forest was dark and dense around Jack. The light from the moon, large and round, ascended high above the darkish gray clouds. And the night creatures were running around spend the time without rush - enjoying every minute.

A lot of people would normally be especially scared and unwilling to traveling the woods so late. But Jack was accustomed to late-night sounds and atmosphere.

Since the weather was early fall, he felt comfortable to take a walk across the forest after returning from a trip to the North Pole.

He just walked slowly with a staff, leaving a trail of frost everywhere, and all of a sudden a chilling howl pierced the air.

The winter spirit stopped for a moment on his way.

The other howl came again, a lot nearer this time, and Jack thought he recognized something within the tone that made him think of person it could be coming from.

Every time I hear that, you guys sound like you're having a pretty good time. We'll see if I'm right or not. And get a V.I.P. seat to the concert of Wolves and the Night.

Jack smiled a little as he thought. He skirted the fallen tree and made for the a forest cliff , on the edge of which an impressive oak tree grew, together with a few young trees.

His eyes immediately fell on the three figures; Raijū, Hati and Sköll.

They sat there, their head raised to the sky as the low tone escaped from them. The pack lifted their head once more, letting out the same high pitched howl they had uttered before, letting it fall to a small drone and finally fade.

Jack applaud this.

Sköll's and Hati's ears twitched, but wolves didn't turn to look behind them. Raijū was just staring at where Jack was standing, smiling with his ears lowered, eyes blown wide. Though that last part might've been because the only light was the moon shining through the clouds.

"Hey, Jack." The man greeted in his usual nice voice as the boy came closer. "How was your trip?"

"I almost succeeded in sneak into North's Workshop, but I ran into a yeti. I think his name is Phil." Jack admitted. "Well, I'll try again next week."

"Do you know that you could ask North about a small tour of the workshop for you?" Raijū asked, a small touch of humor in his voice.

Jack gave him a trickster smile. "But where's the fun in that?"

A hint of a smile chased across a werewolf's lips before his ears perked up as picking up the sound in the distance. He looked at the dense forest line.

Sköll and Hati gripped their claws into the ground for a moment and then Raijū shut his eyes and rose his voice before three of them even began the emotional howl to follow in the ring of the deeper tone .

Jack looked over at them, his eyes filled with curiosity. He have seen and heard many times how werewolf and wolves do it. But the white-haired teenage has never understood this.

They howled for a minute and 12 seconds. Then the man and both wolves just stopped... and went quiet again.

"Can I ask a question, Raijū?"

The werewolf turned to look back at boy, a w look in his bright gaze. "You just did, but don't hesitate to ask me the next question."

"Explain to me, why do you do this?"

"Just feels amazing when I do." Raijū replied, flicking an ear. "All wolves love to howling at the moon."

As if on cue, a howl sounded in the distance. Hati and Sköll called back.

"Okay, so you're saying that you're singing serenade for Man in the Moon because that makes you feel exceptionally well." Jack wasn't hiding his amusement.

"Well first of all it isn't serenade. Secondly, MiM isn't the moon. He is person who lived on the moon. And thirdly, that feeling is something we cannot full understand."

"And... It's still sound a bit weird to me."

"You have to try it."

"Are you kidding me or are you serious?" Jack asked even though he knew an answer to the question.

"You ought to know when I'm serious."

"I'm not a wolf like you." A teenage boy points out.

Raijū smiled and lightly pressed his forehead against Jack's causing the boy to stiffen up.

"But you're part of the pack. No matter where you come from, you are one of us."

The werewolf smile before he pulled away while Jack had a small embarrassed blue blush on his face. The boy still not used to press their foreheads together*. The affectionate gesture that Raijū and both wolves give him from time to time.

Jack understands what he's saying but replies, "I have never done this before."

"Just give it a chance." A man said, voice gentle. "That's all we are asking. We'll howl at the moon in unison. "

They padded to the edge of the cliff, turning and looking up at the sky. Now it was bright and clear, a beautiful shade of midnight with stars dotted across it. The galaxies seemed to reflect behind the glow of the full moon, bright and clear in the darkness. The moon bathed them with a heavenly light.

"Let's get started." Raijū shut his eyes and tilted his head slightly higher so he could let out the low howl that he'd been holding. Hati and Sköll couldn't help but join into the howl. Their voices bounced off each other within it, a chorus of howls mixed together into the night.

The winter spirit close his eyes and focus on sound of their howls. He feel foolish breathe in hold, and slowly let it out, howling very calmly and quietly.

But then there was this little... inside him.

That little spark of something more, something hidden, something wild…something that might make him forget everything and just enjoy himself, if he let that spark grow. And he let it.

Jack's eyes only opened halfway, and he looked back up to the moon, seeing that it was now directly above their heads.

He lifted his head and let out a long howl to the full moon high above cliff. His voice slowly fit into the pack's howl tone. And soon their voices were loud and clear, like an echo endlessly reverberated inside the area of the forest.

Jack must confess howling was just unbelievably liberating.

Author Note and other information:

Thanks for reading. I'm open to constructive criticism if you have free to leave a comment

* Headbutt of Love