WHAT. WHAT IS THIS. COULD IT BE... AN UPDATE!? *GASP*

So I'm back :) and I'm here to say.

Chapter Eight: Howl (Part 4)

Rating: K

Genre: Family/Friendship

Warning: None

Time Period: !***Six months after "Howl Part 3" ***!

Characters: Jack, Azure, Erion, Lumi, Xue, the Guardians

Summary: Jack is starting to push his past into the back of his mind and enjoy the present.

After Xue and Lumi had taken care of the Polar Bear, Lumi stripped it of its fur and gave it to Jack, since the boy no longer had a shirt or hoodie. Jack didn't get cold, but it was nice to have something on so he didn't feel as vulnerable. Jack sewed and adjusted the fur so that it would fit on him like a shirt, his left arm going through a hole in the white fur like a tank top while his right shoulder stayed exposed, the fur crossing from his left shoulder to under his right arm and covering his torso, and the three scars that were there.

Now, about six months after the attack, the fur had been worn, was easy to move in and was very soft and comfortable. Jack had been sleeping when the two pups had suddenly jumped on the winter spirit to wake him up.

"Jack! Jack! Come run with us!" Azure said excitedly.

Jack laughed and playfully pushed the two off of him. Even though they were small, they were still pretty heavy. The white haired boy stood up, noticing that Xue and Lumi were gone, probably out hunting or searching the area to keep it safe. "All right, where are we racing today?"

Erion spoke up before his brother could, saying, "From the den to the oak!"

That was one of Erion's favorite paths; there was a huge oak out in the middle of the forest next to their den and to get to it you had to be fast and light on your feet,to avoid fallen trees and brush, which Erion was good at.

The three lined up at the den entrance, Jack on his hands and feet, his knees bent. The race started with a bark from Azure, and the boys took off running. Since Azure and Erion were still young, Jack could keep up with them, but Erion was in the lead. Jack had learned a while back that he could run just as fast on four legs, so he alternated between running like one of the pups and running like himself.

Erion let out a happy howl when they reached the halfway mark, and two howls followed from Jack and Azure. Jack learned how to howl from Xue, who taught him to howl loudly in case of danger, like the polar bear, and Xue would recognize it as one of the wolves. If someone heard Jack howl who didn't know better, they would probably mistake it for a wolf.

Jack got down on all fours, his feet and hands digging into the snow as he ran, he knees slightly bent, giving himself more speed. He jumped off a tree and got the higher ground, passing Erion and Azure, but his leg got stuck on a branch sticking out of the snow and the two young wolves passed him again. He pulled his leg from the branch and caught up with the other two, but it was obvious Erion was going to win anyways, the oak tree being only a few yards away.

Erion jumped and spun, his hind legs hitting off of the oak tree. He barked happily, his light grey tail wagging while Azure let a whine escape his throat. Jack panted to catch his breath.

"You always win on this track, Eri," Azure complained. "That's the only reason you picked it."

"Yeah, so?" Erion replied, sitting in the snow.

"Don't argue, guys," Jack said, composing himself finally. He knew if they continued they would fight again. "Next time I'll pick, okay?"

They both agreed. "You lost your breath easily, Jack," Azure noted. "We'll practice more, and I can show you what wolves do so they don't lose their breath as easily."

"Okay," Jack shrugged in agreement. He enjoyed playing with the pups anyways, and he didn't have anything else to do.

**Meanwhile, with the Guardians**

It was one of their usual check ins that happened every couple of months and everything was quiet. Today was the anniversary of when Jack left, exactly three years ago. That was the day the Guardians had said horrible things, and drove Jack away, and hasn't been seen since. The four of them sat at a table in the north pole, food laid out before them, but no one was eating. They all felt sick. Jack was gone, and it was their fault. They had searched, but the only trace of him was his staff, discarded in a cave in Antarctica. Nothing else.

Everyone missed him, even Bunny. Bunny has said some of the harshest things and regretted them the most. Never had he ever thought what he said would drive the boy away forever. He felt so much guilt, it was affecting his work, and the others were noticing. Theses past Easters just hadn't been the same.

This was when Tooth decided things need to change. "Okay, everyone, listen." She said suddenly, and everyone looked up with their sad expressions. "This sulking thing obviously isn't helping anyone."

"Then what do you suggest, Tooth? Jack is gone, he was our joy." Bunny said quietly, North and Sandy nodding in agreement.

She huffed, but continued. "We need to accept they we may never see Jack again, and we need to move on," She ignored the looked the other three gave her and continued. "I know we'll never forget him, but our sadness is affecting our jobs, so it needs to stop."

"What do you have in mind?" North spoke up, sounding tired and heartbroken, an odd emotion from such a happy man.

"We put Jack out of our minds," Tooth said bluntly. "We'll focus on our work, and one day of every year - this day - we'll search for Jack."

Everyone shared looks with each other, deciding this would be best. They would continue their lives, spreading belief and happiness to children, and try to move on from Jack. He would still be there, in the back of their minds, haunting them, but they wouldn't linger on it. But one day a year, they would put everything they had into finding that boy. Their boy.

I'm going to do Howl part 5 next! This arc is going to start moving faster and get more interesting soon too!