Thanks for those of you who reviewed, added as a favorite, followed, etc. Though double thanks to those who reviewed. :) Reviews make everyone happy! *hint hint!* I have been bunkered down with schoolwork and have finally found a time to just sit down and type . . . at school. Is that a bad thing? Hope not. Anyway, here is the next chapter of Spirit's Life, and hopefully now Spirit will GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
Spirit: *snickers* You only wish, She Who Writes For Me.
Me: *glares* Is that my name now? *shrugs and rolls eyes* Better than She Who Does Horrible Things With Me.
Spirit: Well you do!
Me: *growls* Just shut up and get back into the story where you belong. I'm tired of having you yapping at me in my head.
Spirit: *growls back* Better than listening to you complain about school.
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or any of their characters. I only own Spirit and any other OCs that may wish to appear.
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The month passed quickly. Quicker than what I would have belived it to. My life revolved around a schedule according to the sun positions.
In the early morning, when the sun was just about to touch the horizon, I would wake up and go for a quick lope around the woods to stretch my legs and make sure that there were no intruders in the small area that I had sectioned off as my own. Once the sun was halfway from noon, I would go hunting for breakfast, usually a rabbit; everything else was too big for me to take on by myself. At noon, when the sun was at its highest, I would head towards a small section of stream that I had included within my territory to go for a swim. Swimming made grooming much easier since everything washed out on its own, all I had to do was dry it. After my swim, I would head back to the den I had created for myself under a large oak tree for a nap. I would wake up with the sun halfway from going back into the horizon and go hunt again, though this was usually when I didn't manage to catch anything and would have to wait until morning. Once I finished with my meal, if I had one for the night, I would head towards the very edge of my territory on top of the hill before heading back to my den for the night.
I had included the hill in my territory for a reason: I could see the top of the Institute from there. As much as I enjoyed being on my own, I missed my pack. I had found out on the first night that my chest would ache, though I could find nothing wrong. The ache felt familiar, but I didn't know why. A few hours later, I remembered what the feeling was from. It was lonliness.
Once I had come to this realization, I went to the top of the highest hill that I could find, searching for the Institute. It had been easy to find, what with the outside lights and the faint whispers that were carried by the wind from the older students who would stay out late at night to play basketball or something. The impulse had taken me suddenly and I found my muzzle lifting towards the sky, lips pulling back slightly as I formed the traditional 'O'. My vocal cords flexed and I was howling, sending my music towards the Institute, only a few miles away. I had pitched the song higher, making it flow. Even to my ears, the song was beautiful, the wilderness inside of it enough to make a germophobe long for the outdoors. I soon let the song fade after a few minutes, tired and worn.
'I did promise the Professor a gift,' I thought with a sly smile, touching my nose to the diamond around my neck before heading back to my den.
I continued with the song every night since then, perfecting it, making it better. And every night, I would sing it to the Institute, to the pack that I was ready to be reunited with. Tonight was no different. The last night on my own.
As I approached the hill, I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the crisp smell of the night, filled with lavender and lily of the valley. The steep incline of the hill felt nice on my leg muscles, forcing them to stretch. During the month, I had thickened in muscle, even losing some weight (not that I could afford to lose much more, having already been underweight), and had become leaner, fitter than I had been in ages. A hundred years maybe? I rolled my eyes at my own sarcasm, not wanting to think about my age. Not that I knew what it was, but I had a good estimate. I picked up the pace, trotting up the hill with a practiced ease. The familiar lights met my eyes and I had to smile.
'Tomorrow,' I thought to myself, eyeing the full moon hanging heavily in the sky. 'Tomorrow, I can see them again.' And then I raised my head and howled my song.
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The next morning came quickly, almost as quickly as the month had passed. I slipped out from my den, beating the sun before it had even peaked. The morning was cool, hinting at the winter that was about to come, the sky grey, tinged with pink. I immediately trotted to the top of the hill, not wanting to bother with breakfast this morning. My paws tingled every time they touched the ground, anxious to get home and see the pack I had been missing. Thoughts of Rogue, Logan, the Professor, Scott, Jean, of everyone, flashed through my mind, causing me to pick up my pace, loping up the rest of the hill. The lights were off, but I could still just barely see the outline of the tallest tower of the Institute, seeming to beckon to the sun to touch it with its warm light. I threw my head back and gave an echoing howl before I ran down the hill in a full sprint, diamond necklace sparkling from around my neck. The present from the Professor had been my reminder that I was never alone, no matter where I was on my territory and even when I couldn't see the Institute, just like my song had been a reminder to them that I was always there.
The run back to the Institute took less time than it had for me to run out to my territory at the beginning on the month. In my mind, there were many theories for that, three of them being that either I had grown stronger during the time of my teerkera or I was just ready to be home and adrenaline was speeding me home or all of the above. The last theory was the one I felt was the best of the three. Once the Institute gates showed up in front of my, I howled in joy as I ran, bolting up to the front steps.
Eager shouts came from inside the mansion, one having a distinct Southern tone to it. I sat down on the front step, early morning sunlight giving some warmth to the chilly morning. I didn't have to wait long until the door was thrown open and a familiar brown- and white-haired girl ran over to me, wrapping glove covered arms around my neck.
"Spirit!" Rogue cried out happily.
I gave a whine of joy, licking Rogue's ear in greeting, tail wagging a mile a minute.
'Hello, Rogue,' I said, sharing my thoughts with her. 'It's been a while, has it not?'
"Too long," she mumbled against my fur before standing, a boy standing next to her, placing an arm around her waist.
"Good to see ya, Spirit," the boy said, giving a grin. I took an experimental snip and noted that this was the icy smelling boy from earlier. Bobby was his name, if I remembered correctly.
'And you as well,' I replied with a hint of a smile on my black lips. I stood and trotted inside, taking in the bombardment of greeting that I got from the other students. Apparently, I had been missed by quite a few people. I noted that there were a few newcomers within the school, ones that were stumbling down the stairs half asleep to find out what was going on. One little girl, around 6 seasons old, took one look at me and gave a giggling squeal, running over.
"Doggie!" she cried out, coming over to stroke my nose. I flicked my ears back slightly, but tolerated the pup as she stroked me before running off again. Rogue just watched with barely contained amusement at my newfound fan.
"That's Heather," she explained. "She was dropped off here by her parents a few days after you left. They didn't want to deal with havin' a mutant in their household." Her voice darkened slightly when she spoke the last sentence before it brightened again. "She's only five, but she'll be turning six in about two weeks."
'What is her power?' I asked, now curious about the pup.
"The Professor says that she has control over shadows. Strange, I know, but that's not even the weirdest part. He's even said that she can talk to ghosts like some kind of necromancer or somethin'. So don't be surprised if you come across her talkin' to the walls or anything like that; she's just talking to ghosts," Rogue explained. My ears shot forward at this.
'She can talk to those in the eternal hunting grounds?' I asked, confused. Rogue gave a slow nod, probably trying to decipher my stranger terminology.
"Somethin' like that, ya," she said before looking up at Bobby. "Wanna go get some breakfast?"
Bobby nodded and gave me a parting smile before heading off to the kitchen with Rogue. I wagged my tail back at them before trotting up the stairs, letting the other students go about their business and get ready for their classes for the day.
Even after being gone for a month, it was easy to find the Professor's office. I pricked my ears forward, hoping that my thoughts weren't traveling too loudly from my excitement. Voices came from inside the office, all of which I recognized. Not able to wait a second longer, I reared up onto my hind legs and opened the door with my jaws, darting into the room as soon as it had opened. The first person I ran to was Jean, who was closest. She stopped talking mid-sentence and her mouth dropped open slightly before she knelt, wrapping me in a hug.
"Spirit!" she exclaimed, pulling back to look at my lean, muscular frame. "You're back! And you look fantastic. Must be all that raw food." She chuckled and hugged me again before letting me go, allowing me to get a good look at her. She looked the same, though her hair had been cut shorter.
The next person I went to was Storm, who's hair was also shortened, and received the same greeting. Scott, looking the same as always, just gave me a warm smile, though I knew that it would be awkward for a man like him to want to be hugging a wolf on the floor. Most of the greetings done, I looked over towards the Professor, icy blue eyes bright with my happiness at being home.
"Welcome home, Spirit. I've been wondering when you'd return," he said kindly as I trotted over to him, resting my front paws on the edge of his wheelchair.
'I would have come sooner, but I had to wait until the moon was at her fullest and was sleeping before I could return,' I told him, eyes narrowed slightly in pleasure as he rubbed one of my ears. Man I missed human contact! At least, from my packmates that is. I could live without the touch of a scientist.
"I understand," the Professor said, giving an apologetic smile to the others in the room who were lost on the meaning of my words. "And I must thank you for the nightly song. It was most beautiful. I know that a lot of the students will miss hearing it at night, if not all of them."
'I can still sing, if that is what people wish,' I said with a slight wag of my tail, taking a few steps back before shifting into my human form. I winced slightly, the change a bit painful. Probably because I hadn't changed forms in a month. Once I had finally changed fully, I ran a hand through my long, dark auburn hair, like the color of dried blood. Throughout the month, it had grown, even if I hadn't shifted into my human form, and now went down to my lower waist in a cascading waterfall.
"I have a feeling that is what they will wish for," he said with a smile. "Your things are still in your room, by the way, and, in case you didn't know, Logan left a while after you did and is still out. Hopefully he will be back within a few days. Until then, I have arranged for a field trip to a local museum in three days if you wish to join us."
Confused by the concept of a museum, I nodded, now curious more than ever. Always good to learn new things, as I faintly remember my mother saying. I didn't remember much of her, but I did remember. Pushing those thoughts aside, I smiled towards everyone in the room, giving a slight bow of my head, before leaving and heading up to my room to "freshen up" as I've heard over humans call it.
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Sorry for the wait guys! Thanksgiving and all that fun stuff was there, and . . . yeah. So, hopefully this chapter will bring smiles to everyone's faces and I hope that I get some reviews. Please.
By the way, this chapter takes place right before the second movie begins if you didn't pick that up from the last two paragraphs. Thanks again for reading! Please review!