There was a rumor going around that you could summon and talk to wolves who were dead. In fact, according to his brother Corbin, his younger sibling had done just that! Alex had to admit - he was pretty impressed that Cor had managed such a thing. Especially when his brother had managed to summon Melanthios, his father’s cousin, and get to speak to them. From what Gavroche had told them Mela was a hero, standing up for the right thing, even when they had gotten hurt for it, banished, and lost their future. It was a lesson that sometimes standing up for the right thing could be the hardest thing, and Alexander could understand that. That was why, when he woke one morning before anyone else, he decided that he was going to try and summon Melanthios too! Maybe they were still around?

The sun had just barely begun rising above the horizon when Alexander stepped out from behind the waterfall. Spring had come to Auster and thus things were starting to become more lively, or that was how he understood it anyway. The grass had become green, more leaves were growing, and insects came back in full force. The boy liked the bugs, but that wasn’t what he was doing today. Corbin had said he managed to summon Melanthios from the pool around the falls but… what if they had started to move around? He came to stop in front of the pool of water, his green gaze thoughtful.

“Melanthios?” The boy questioned, staring at the area of the pool where the water was the calmest. “Can you hear me? I heard that you had talked with my brother, Corbin, and I was hoping that maybe I… maybe I could talk to you too. You sound like a real hero, the type of person you expect to come to save the day when everything becomes scary and seems hopeless…” The boy furrowed his brow. Was that how you summoned a ghost? Hmm… he moved closer to the pool of water and tried to gaze deep down into it. Maybe they were under the water? But wouldn’t that make them a fish? Corbin had said that they had taken the form of a frog last time.

“My dad says he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you. You’ve done a lot for him, and he’s sad that he can’t do the same for you. I’ve heard him mention you sometimes in private, you know. I think he misses you. How come you haven’t shown yourself to him, too?” The pup asked, tilting his head to the side. It seemed strange. Out of all of them, Melanthios had the closest bond with his father, so wouldn’t it make sense that they would try to contact him instead? Or maybe Mela really had to be summoned before they could speak to anyone? So if he could summon them, then maybe Melanthios would be able to speak to his dad after all! Alexander’s chest puffed up as he got to his paws.

Now, how on earth did you properly summon a spirit? Could Melanthios hear him now, but just couldn’t get through? The boy paced back and forth in front of the pool of water, gaze shifting to how it fell from the rocks and furrowed his brow. If he was a spirit, he’d come back if someone offered his favorite things… but what did Melanthios like? The boy wasn’t sure. They had been gone before he was born so he’d be shooting in the dark. Maybe candy? There was plenty of the sugary stuff in the cave they called their home. Eagerly Alexander darted back into the cave, careful to not disturb his sleeping parents or his siblings.

Once Alexander got to where he was going he set to breaking a piece of the rock candy away, mainly by licking the base of where he wanted to break it off. It took a while but he finally managed to get it off. Then, taking the rock candy in his maw, he raced back outside and tossed it into the pool where he believed Melanthios to be resting for some reason. His gaze widened a little as he saw bubbles start to show where he tossed the candy, believing that Melanthios was receiving the offering he had tossed into the water.

“Melanthios!” Alexander cried, his green eyes shining with excitement. “If you are receiving my gift then please, come out and join me on the land! I want to be able to talk to you, just like you talked to my brother. Please!” The child wiggled on his paws and looked around, hoping to see a sign of the tri-color wolf he was trying to reach. Would they take the form of some other creature? Or would their spirit be able to pull through this time?

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Word Count: 815 Words

"Family"

It seemed that another pup was attempting to summon her. Goodness, Gavroche had certainly brought some adventurous little kids into this world, hadn’t he? Melathios couldn’t help but find amusement in the fact another of his sons was trying to summon them, looking up to them as if they were some great hero. Ah, but to a kid, she supposed doing the right thing could seem like the biggest thing in the world. Melanthios never took saving Gavroche as more than doing the right thing. But these kids did… was it really a good idea to encourage them to do the same, if it came down to it? Maybe. In the end, how they lived their lives was up to them.

This time, when Melanthios pulled through, they took the form of a squirrel that had been passing by. The kid was so entranced by the water that they had to chuckle, even seeing how he tossed in some sort of candy. “You young ones sure are eager to meet me. Is doing the right thing truly so fascinating?” The squirrel-wolf raced over to the boy, the squirrel’s eyes now shining with their fiery hues. “Well I’m here now, young one. Ask away, while we have the time to talk.”

He waited, but nothing else came from the water. What did arrive, however, was a chittering squirrel with a gaze he’d never before seen in the species. So they had taken the form of a squirrel this time? Neat! The boy grinned eagerly, turning toward Melanthios with his tail wagging back and forth. “Melanthios! You came!” The squirrel gave a nod of confirmation at his exclamation. He flopped down on the earth, hoping to be more on eye level with them as he started to talk again.

“I wanted to know how you got to be so strong, and how you were able to overcome your fear to help my dad. I want to be strong but… I’m worried there might be times I’m just so afraid I won’t be able to do much.” Alex offered a sheepish smile. “Mom and her companions are teaching me everything they can, though! I’m really grateful that they’ve been trying so hard for us. She has to take a trip soon… I wish she didn’t have to go.” A lot of things spilled from him in his eagerness. Hopefully, Melanthios would be able to keep up!

"Family"

He was eager, not that Melanthios expected anything different from the youngster. They could practically feel the energy that radiated off his body. The once proud wolf chuckled softly. “Training every day is a good start. Listen to your mother, and her companions, and work on your skills even when you’re not in a lesson.” Melanthios told him. “You need to discipline your body as well as your mind if you are to become a strong wolf, one that can defend your family no matter what.” In the squirrel’s body they twitched their tail. There was more to it than that, sure, but did they really need to get into that with a kid?

“Don’t be afraid of doing what you can, and accepting what you can’t either. Sometimes there will be obstacles to face you are not ready to face yet.” There was a mention that his mother would be going on a trip soon, and she noticed the sadness in his tone. “Then you will need to be strong for her, so that when she returns you and your family are safe. Trust in her, and let her do what she needs to do. She’ll come back to you.” Mleanthios told him.

Alexander quietly listened to the advice that Melanthios had to give, frowning a little as they said that training every day, and listening to his mother and her companions was the first step. He had to work on his skills even when he wasn’t in a lesson too. Didn’t that leave less time for playing? But he wanted to be strong for his family, pack, and self. He wanted to help them when it was needed, and protect Ethne just like his mom would. So if that was what it took then Alexander was willing to buckle down some more.

He gave a small nod, listening to Melanthios go on to say do what he could and accept when he wasn’t at a spot where he could do something yet. He didn’t ever want to be in that position. He frowned, lowering his gaze as she continued to say he needed to be strong while his mother was gone. He did trust his mom, it was the other creatures in the world that might hurt her that he was worried about. The boy gave a little nod, and a quiet “okay”.

“I’m going to talk to my mom before she leaves.” Alexander told them. “Thank you for talking with me!” The pup turned away from them, racing back toward the cave and his mother’s side, leaving Melanthios alone and forgetting that he had wanted them and his dad to talk.

/End

"Family"