Howl Fest

"I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone.

I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.

I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs.

I crashed my car into the bridge."

Bruce sighed heavily.

"Diana, what's up with all the singing? You know you're not supposed to even know these human songs," He scolds and she jumps in front of him.

"I don't care, I love it!" She shouts and bursts into laughter. Bruce is not amused as he steps on her tail with his massive paw.

"Ow! Hey! Don't be a meanie!" She growls, but it's a pitiful little growl. One of the ways he could tell she was not Alpha material.

"I just don't want you getting into trouble," he says and she sniffs.

"I know, but I found this music thing and the songs on it are so cool! At first I didn't think it was going to work cause it looked like something from post extinction, but after it was in the sun for a few hours it worked!" Diana barked happily as she jumped around. They were heading to the neutral grounds. Their superiors were walking ahead of them while they stayed as far back as they could.

As they neared their destination they could already hear wolves howling. Diana seemed to get even more excited as she was by now bouncing all the way there. Bruce could only shake his head and smile at his best friend.

The place was packed with all different kinds of wolves and the vibe was amazing. Diana was darting around greeting everyone like she's known them all her life. One had to give her credit for how friendly she was. It was something that came easy to most Omegas.

"Diana? Why aren't you howling with the rest?" Bruce asked once he had caught up to her. Diana's ears were pulled back as her tail curled around her paws.

"I'm scared it's not good, I know I've practiced it enough times, but some of the others here are really good! They are powerful and you can hear the authority in their voices. I'm just an Omega, we're not supposed to howl all that well," Diana rambled and Bruce sighed.

"Diana I bet your howl is amazing, the night is still young, you have time, you just have stage fright," he smiles and she smiles back as her tail starts to wag slightly.

"Thanks Bruce, I think I'm going to go take a breather, warm up my voice a bit?" She hums and stands.

"You mean it's not after all your talking?" He asked, tilting his head, a slight smile forming on his face.

"Oh, ha-ha," Diana sticks her tongue out to him and walks off into the woods.

~*~

"Victoria dear, you haven't said a word all night nor howled," Victoria's father says as he sits beside his daughter.

"I just don't feel like it, father," she whispers as her eyes roam over the laughing and mingling wolves. It was the same as every year for the past three years now. She wished she could stay at home like some of the Omegas, but no, she had to be an Alpha. She'd rather watch after the pups than be here.

"At least just one howl? Just one and you don't have to the rest of the night," he smiled to her and she took a deep breath.

"Maybe a little later, I should warm up my voice first," she says and stands. He follows and tilts his head.

"I'm just going to take a breather father, I will howl with you as soon as I get back," she hums and he nods to her. Victoria walks past a few howling wolves. She pulls her ears flat. They were awfully off key.

She had seen a familiar red-brown she wolf running around all night, but couldn't locate her after a while. If her calculations were right, this year would be Diana's time to start coming to Howl Fest. She wondered what the girls rank was. The brief while she met her when they were pups the girl was rather energetic, maybe not Alpha material, but a Beta might work.

Victoria sighed as she neared a small stream that separated from the lake nearby. To her surprise there was already some wolf there. She was about to turn away and find a new place when she heard a soft howl start from the loner. It grew a little louder and was slightly pleasant. Victoria turned to look to the wolf as the howl followed some kind of tune. She tilted her head and walked closer as the howl morphed into words.

"Oh, her eyes, her eyes

Make the stars look like they're not shinin'

Her hair, her hair

Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful

And I tell her everyday

Yeah

I know, I know

When I compliment her she won't believe me

And it's so, it's so

Sad to think that she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me, "Do I look okay?"

I say,

When I see your face

There's not a thing that I would change

'Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile

The whole world stops and stares for a while

'Cause, girl-"

Victoria cursed herself as she stepped on a twig. It snapped and the singer turned to look at her. Victoria's breath hitched at seeing none other than Diana. The brown flecks on her snout and under her eyes gave her away. Her fur was rather ruffled, but it suited her and she was a little on the skinny side.

Both were stunned at seeing the other. It had been years and now finally they faced the one person they wanted to see most tonight. Here alone at a stream, the woods circling them and the night sky above them with stars circling the moon that shone on them.

It would come off as a rather romantic setting to anyone outside watching in.