Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D Today's chapter is a short one, but I still think it's sweet as I do with most. XD

I hope you guys enjoy it! =D

~ XLI ~

Unique Sounds

Words on the wind

The song of chimes

The soft sound of water

As rivers rush by

Sounds so small

Short

Almost inaudible

Jack could hear them all

No matter how soft or small

...

Being a snow sprite, Jack had pointed ears that allowed him to hear things that others couldn't. The faintest, lightest of sounds were audible to him. Sometimes, he'd note them to others, and they'd stare at him, confused. They didn't hear anything, but Jack did clear as day.

It was like a mini superpower, though many were aware of it. Jack didn't alert the noises he heard to others anymore, though. When he was feeling overwhelmed or distressed, he'd sit outside on the fence and listen to the sounds of Santoff Claussen until he felt at peace.

Jack wasn't feeling upset, and nor was he stressed, but he was in the mood for catching up on what Santoff Claussen had to offer. He balanced himself on the edge of the fence (a feat that Jack never struggled with), and he closed his eyes, letting out a soft breath as he tunned out all the extra noises, and saw not with his eyes, but his ears.

He heard the Wind whistle a pleasant melody; she was in a good mood today. He heard the other children playing, their laughter ringing like windchimes on the Wind's soft gales. He heard the leaves rustling in the woods, the light chittering of the chipmunks and squirrels, who had suddenly joined the children in their game of tag.

Like crystals, Jack could hear the distant shimmering of the Spirit of the Forest, though he couldn't see her. She was an ephemeral being and only appeared when most needed, but she watched over the children as if they were her own. Jack whispered a soft hello; she wasn't too far away. She didn't verbally respond, but Jack felt the breeze shift as she brushed his hair gently.

Jack felt like he could hear everything, and he could even focus on one sound at a time if he wanted. He sometimes would allow them to blend into each other, creating an interesting jumble of sound that wasn't noise, but just the natural atmosphere of Santoff Claussen.

Jack had always felt a little self-conscious about his ears. They didn't look like anyone else's, and he thought that they stuck out too much. But no one made a fuss about them, and he had only been teased a little in his youth. Jack loved being able to hear things others couldn't. When he was troubled or worried, he'd just close his eyes and listen to the soothing sounds of the wind, night, or even North snoring in his bedroom on restless nights.

"Oi, Frostbite."

Jack slowly opened his eyes. All the separate sounds blended into one. Aster stood in front of him, a light smirk on his face. The young snow sprite returned to grin.

"Hi, Bunny," he said. "What brings you here?"

"I was just passin' by when I saw ya zoned out here on the fence," the Pooka replied. "What are ya up ta?"

"Just listening," said Jack, sharing with Aster his previous thoughts. The Poka was probably the only other person who understood what Jack meant. He had sharp hearing too.

Aster nodded once Jack finished explaining. "It's nice just ta sit down in listen. Although I do wish sometimes that my hearing was so sensitive."

"Yeah," said Jack, slipping off the fence. He remembered how he'd sometimes wake up to small noises when he was little and his hearing started becoming sharper.

But still, he took pleasure in hearing the world's sounds. Jack joined Aster on his walk, chatting as they entered the village.

Author's Note: So...this is completely off-topic, but my Mom bought me this really cool writing software called Scrivener on Saturday (well, I kind of begged her for it, but pfft, whatever XD). For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically this super organized, super awesome writing tool specifically designed for authors, scriptwriters, and writers of all kinds. =D You can have your outlines, character sheets, and the story itself all in one place versus switching from doc to doc as I do with Google Docs. =')

I'm so happy because I've been looking for a better way to write my stories for a while. I mean, Google Docs is fine, but when you want to start writing big, lengthy fanfics (or original stories), say organized and have everything accessible at your fingertips...Scrivener is ten thousand times better. XD

I was fiddling around with it over the weekend, and I finally started getting the official outline and stuff down for an original book series that I'm planning! =D I'm planning to start writing it in July during Camp Nanowrimo (since I don't have the time to write an entire novel next month, haha XD). I'm doing all of the planning in these few months, and I'm really looking forward to diving into it. It'll be my first original story featuring wholly original characters...and yeah. XD I'll stop fangirling about my own personal project now, hehe. X)

For those of you interested, the series is going to be called "The Lunarian Chronicles." And by the title, you can probably take a guess about what it'll be about. XD I may post it on Fiction Press when it starts to kick off, and I'll let you guys know if that happens or not.

...Of course...if you're interested in reading it anyway. XD

I'll officially make the switch over to Scrivener for my next fanfic (which is also an AU...for HTTYD *wink wink*). =D I'm still writing "The Winter Child" in Google Docs (and one-shots as well since they don't take that long for me to write/plan. I just go with the flow for those XD), but yeah...I kind of just felt like sharing with you all. XD

If you guys are thinking about using Scrivener...it's sixty bucks. =') It ain't free, but it's definitely worth the money, mates (I'm not being paid to say this, I swear XD).

Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading this drabble, and I'll see you in the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203