Chapter 43

Normal P.O.V.

The fire crackles as Natsu feeds the flames another stick. He leans back onto his bedroll, the silence over the campsite a part of the calm before the storm.

On the opposite side of the fire Wendy sits in between Carla and Crystal, her eyes focused on a fifty foot tall boulder sitting straight up a distance from the fire. The sides of the boulder are steep, with no visible handholds to allow someone a way up, and yet a certain shifter sits at the very top.

One leg dangles over the side, her bare foot finding no purchase on the smooth stone. Her other leg is bent at the knee and held up by her arms wrapped around the limb. Her chin is set on top of her knee and her eyes are focused on the sky where a bright white moon hides behind a thin layer of clouds.

At the fire Crystal follows Wendy's line of sight to her friend then looks to the sky as well, deciding to break the silence. "It's a Howler's Moon tonight."

Gajeel looks up from where he plays with a piece of metal on top of his bedroll and arches an eyebrow at the Lupus shifter. "What about it, Wolf? The moon's just a bit brighter than usual."

Crystal frowns, catching the way her friend's shoulders tense. "The Howler's Moon is much more than you think. It's an important part of Lupus and Draco culture."

This gains the slayer's attention because all four sit up, looking at the shifter with interest. She frowns, looking at each slayer in turn. "Did your parents not tell you about the importance of the Howler's Moon?"

All four look sheepish and Wendy clears her throat grabbing Crystal's attention. "Our parents only told us a little about shifters, mainly the basic history of how the Dracos came to be and how to avoid angering Lupus packs. If anything we've learned more from having Kuma and you around then anything our parents told us."

The Lupus shifter nods and looks back at the fire. "The Howler's Moon is important because it's the one night out of the year when shifters can see their deceased loved ones once more. The one night when the shifters dance with the dead."

While her statement confuses the slayers the men lean in, curious to find out more. "What do you mean 'dance with the dead?"

Wendy looks up at the stone, curious what Kuma thinks, only to have her breath stolen when she sees the shifter coated in the light of the moon. Her normally tan skin takes on a look of frosted glass, her dark hair looks like snow and the tank top and capris she wears resembles that of a gown meant for the dead.

The sky dragon tears her eyes away, the ghostly image sending a shiver down her spine. Instead she looks back at Crystal, wanting to hear the explanation herself.

"The night of the Howler's Moon shifters will dress in their finest doeskin, bring a gift for their departed loved ones and travel to their graveyard. There they build a bonfire and when the moon reaches its zenith they start their dance. When the step of the living echoes through the forest the deceased will join the dance as well."

"Why?" Crystal looks at Natsu. "Why do the dance at all?"

She frowns and looks back down at her hands. "The tradition of the Howler's dance as it's sometimes called is for us to remember that dead or alive we are one species. That even if it looks like we walk alone we are never truly alone."

An echo of a howl passes through the camp, driving a shiver down the spine of everyone around the fire as she finishes her explanation.

They fall silent, reflecting on everything the wolf told them until Natsu looks up at Crystal.

"Can you tell us a legend?"

She tilts her head, looking at him curiously. "About the Howler's Moon?"

He nods and she looks around the campfire, surprised to see all three males looking at her intently. She chuckles and looks to the sky, digging through her memories to find a story.

When she does she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath before looking back at them. "On a night like this when the moon was full and shined it's light down on the forest the spirits awoke for it was time to dance. They wandered through the trees waiting for the echo that would draw them to the fire, that would draw them to their loved ones."

Her voice is entrancing but Wendy pulls away, looking up at the boulder to look at Kuma. When she sees the shifter isn't there any more she frowns and climbs to her feet.

"The cry came and the spirits began to meander closer to the bright red light echoing off the trees around them."

As Wendy walks away the group doesn't notice, entranced in the story the wolf shifter weaves.

Wendy walks across the flat ground, her night vision and the light of the Howler's Moon working together to keep her from tripping when she finds Kuma's scent. She follows it around yearling trees until she stumbles upon a trail.

She starts to follow the trail and shivers when she sees a patch of fog clinging near a cluster of trees.

"When the spirits approached the fire they were dismayed for around the blaze none were living. The cries they heard were from their blood being spilled upon the sacred dirt."

As she walks the trail the fog builds around her. Then she hears them, whispers on the wind similar to the gems she keeps at her side.

"That was not the end, though, for more cries were heard. The spirits, unable to help those whose hearts no longer beat but their blood still held warmth passed on, trying to find the living to complete their dance."

The longer she walks on the trail the more the fog begins to clear until the sky dragon can make out hair flowing in a ghostly wind, jewelry waving as a handful of spirits rush past her, some even running through her. Some begin to shift and the fog that clings to their heels falls away in clouds as they continue on their way.

"When the spirits found the living they cried at the sight of the battle being waged. Men in cloaks swarmed the dens, defending against attacking males, attacking mothers."

Wendy reaches the end of the trail and has to cover her mouth at the sight she sees before her.


Grizzly out for the night.