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“Like this?” Hunter asked, trying for the fifth time in a row. No matter what he did, he couldn’t manage to howl as loud as Eber did.
“Feel sound in nose,” Eber said, pointing towards their snout and demonstrating the majestic howl Hunter wanted to achieve.
“How does sound even feel?”
Eber figured their diagrams hadn’t been much help if the boy hadn’t understood it yet.
Suddenly, they had an idea.
Carefully, they grabbed Hunter’s hand and placed his index finger on the very top of their snout. While Hunter shuddered because of how cold and slimy their nose felt, he seemed to understand he had to keep the position.
And Eber howled.
“See? Cub feel sound in nose.”
Suddenly, Hunter’s eyes widened with realization.
“It- It vibrates!” he yelled excitedly.
Now feel rumble in cub’s nose.
Hunter tried again. This time, instead of the guttural sound he had been making that already had his throat feeling slightly sore on top of the chilly breeze that came from the window next to them, he tried a different place. The sound extended as it changed positions, switching from the throat to somewhere in between, granting a little more vibration to his face rather than the chest.
He turned to Eber, searching for their approval. A single glance was enough for him to feel the encouragement.
And Hunter tried again.
This time, Eber placed a single finger on his nose just like he had done on theirs, and almost like magic the sound was there. Instead of the faint rumble the last attempt made him feel, the sound slid into a higher note, reverberating inside his skull so hard it made his vision blurry.
The brightness of the moon outside the window turned into a shudder as the sound grew deep within his bones, extending onto Eber through their finger and every object around.
Every color turned brighter, every fiber of his being feeling as alive as he had when Flapjack’s essence reawakened him.
The howl made him feel alive.
Unexpectedly, Hunter sensed a third presence in the room.
Darius stood in the hallway, eyes open with awe.
“Now I see why combining Bard and Beastkeeping magic was so strictly forbidden. That was… amazing to say the least, Little Prince.”
Eber looked up at the man, beaming with pride. ”See? I teach cub myself. One of best students I had.”
Darius chuckled lightly, knowing Eber was serious when it came to naming a student their best.
“I see, Hunter does have talent.” Turning to him, he asked. “How are you feeling?”
Hunter didn’t even try to speak, recognizing the sudden invisible obstruction in his throat obstructing words, and simply limited himself to use one of the Beastish signs Eber had taught him a while ago, meaning “amazing”.
He radiated pride and excitement.
“I think he could make great strides with your lessons, Eber. Next time, though, make sure it is not the night of a workday. I’m going to have to call in, three hours of sleep is not something I am used to running on.”