Learn to Howl {Alex Vreeke | Jumanji}

16; gold & freedom

They're all on the ground. The sky is clear. Van Pelt is gone.

They're all on the ground. Everyone's laughing with disbelief, side by side. There's static in Tetra's ears and all she can see is Alex's smiling face. He looks at her with relief. He's lost her so many times. He's never going to lose her again. He's never going to lose her again. He kisses her like his life depends on it, which is a little ironic now.

The sky is clear. The jewel shines at the top of the jaguar stone and she can hear birds chirping happily from the tops of trees. It takes her a moment, Tetra's lightheaded after a truly life changing feeling kiss, but she can't feel her wolves anymore. Stepping back, she presses a hand to the left side of her chest and watches the display come up. Dark purple, shining in the light.

Strengths; Ranged Weaponry; Canine Respect; Animal Companion [STEVIE]

Weakness; Heights

Her Beast Form was gone, as was her ability to control all wolves and other canines. She had their respect, but she was no longer their alpha. The jewel was gone from her weaknesses too, something she was immediately grateful for.

"Stevie?" She asked, turning to Alex as she turned off the display. With a slight frown, she let out a loud whistle, but nothing came, she couldn't help the sinking disappointment she felt in her stomach. In the distance, there was the rumble of a truck, the beeping of a horn, and Tetra clutched at Alex's hand as she saw Nigel's trusty vehicle heading their way.

"We won." Alex breathed, and Tetra looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"We're going-" she got choked up, the word caught in her throat, Alex pressed a kiss to her lips, smiling as he did so.

"Home." He finished, and she gave a watery laugh, pressing her face to his shoulder.

"We're going home!" She repeated, the words still sinking in. The others ran to Nigel's truck as it arrived, but Tetra and Alex stayed put, Tetra crying, sobbing, overwhelmed at the meaning of what they had just achieved. "Go." She told him, wiping her eyes, "I'll catch up." She let him go, and sunk to the ground, bawling with her hand pressed to her mouth to muffle the sound.

"Well done, intrepid adventurers! You lifted the curse! All of Jumanji thanks you!" She heard Nigel say, which only made her cry harder. "Your work here is done, so sadly, this is where we part."

"I don't wanna go." Tetra whimpered to herself, not that the others could hear. She chanted it like a mantra.

"Seaplane McDonough, let me shake your hand." Nigel said, and there was a long pause.

"Get back to me, Nigel, I'm not leaving without Tetra." He said, and Nigel made a knowing noise. After a moment, Tetra hears footsteps and feels a hand on her shoulder. After a moment, she also feels the rough brush of a dog's tongue on her knee.

"Somebody came to say goodbye." Alex's voice soft, but his words only cause Tetra to sob harder as she looks up into Stevie's big, brown eyes. The wolf licks at her tears and she holds his muzzle in her hands.

"He made it?" She asked, eyes trained on the wolf she and Alex had raised from a pup. The fur around his muzzle is graying, and his eyes are cloudy enough for him to be blind. Despite this, his whole body wiggles as he wags his tail.

"He made it." Alex confirmed. Behind them, the others are leaving the game, one by one. Stevie stepped back when Alex offered her his hand. "Please come home with me." His voice was soft. Tetra wiped her eyes.

"But here I'm Tetra, I'm powerful and beautiful and-" Alex knelt down, cupping her jaw with his hands.

"But I love you, Connie. I've loved you for thirty years, and I'll love you for at least thirty more." He paused. "Connie, I want to see the future with you, not with Tetra, not with the Wolf Queen, you."

"I love you too, Alex." Tetra murmurs back, giving him a soft smile. They both get to their feet, kissing each other one last time in this world they've called their home for so long. They're the only too left. The only two players. "Let's go home."

Connie, Alex, and Stevie all walked to meet Nigel, the ginger smiling brightly at them. Alex is the first to go, and with his disappearance, Stevie walks to sit by Nigel's car. He waits. He watches.

"Tetra." The NPC says. He doesn't extend his arm, and she's scared for a moment, but then she sees the tears in Nigel's eyes. "You've come so far." He said, voice suddenly watery. "You've seen so much." He steps forwards, wrapping his arms around her. "You've survived, and I'm going to miss you most of all." With the NPC's arms around her, she felt herself begin to melt away.

It was the same ethereal feeling as the first time, like floating, like flying. Everything's so bright, and she doesn't really know what's going to happen. Is she going to find herself in 1993? 1996? 2017? Somewhere in between? She's not sure. It makes her a little queasy. Just as the feeling begins to wash over her, the world around her, she herself, begins to solidify. The lava lamp in the corner, the history textbook open on the desk, a fish swimming idly on the dresser. Jumanji is open before her, a board game, she's just taken her third turn and rolled a five. She's wearing pyjamas; they're so soft, she's freshly showered, her hair up in a pony tail, radio playing from another room, something that sounds like jazz. Her mother likes jazz. Her mother. She's downstairs, just walked in the door if the click of the lock is to be believed. Her mother. She's home. It's 1993.

"Connie! Dinner's ready!"