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It wasn't too long after exams, and Jove had finally decided to stay at school for most of the summer. He was going to visit his caretaker for a short time, but he had so many things to do before he could feel ready for his second year. A letter from his proud keeper had given him the permissions he needed. All he needed was to make arrangements for his studies...

The pup had given it much thought before choosing a professor to write to, and then spent many hours composing and re-writing his important letter. It read:



It was surprisingly eloquent for the normally silent ghost, but he wrote letters to and from his caretaker all the time. It was only a matter of making it more formal.

Finally he stood outside Professor Malcom's office, the letter clutched in his hands as he tried to gather up the courage to knock on the door. He had never done anything like this before, and he couldn't keep his ears up, or his tail away from the back of his legs. Eventually he caved, and crouched down to slide the letter under the door rather than knocking.

Jove hadn't expected the raucous barking from inside the room the moment he slid the letter under the door, and he flailed backwards. He might have recovered had he not stepped on the mass of fluff behind him. The pup found himself sitting on the floor staring up at the professor when the door was opened.

He blushed, and scrambled up with a somewhat grumpy face. Of course, that was why he slid the letter under the door instead of knocking. And he would never admit otherwise. The blush might give it away, but those words would never pass his lips.

With the timidity slowly working it's way through the disgruntled attitude, he glanced back down at the floor and shuffled slightly. It would be easier if he had been able to get away, then he wouldn't have to stand and wait while the professor read his letter...

Jove followed the professor's gestures, closing the door, and then taking a seat as requested. He didn't seem comfortable though, his back was straight and his posture was tense. The pup was terribly anxious about what was about to happen, whether his request would be accepted or turned down. He hated to think of re-writing that letter for another professor, one who might be infinitely more frightening to approach...

The pup's tail curled around his knees as Professor Malcom looked over at him. Was that a good expression, or a bad one?

Jove listened keenly, his ears flipped backwards like a nervous hound until finally he nodded quite... energetically. That was exactly what he wanted, a rigorous training routine that would make him toughen up before the fall, and he knew it wouldn't be achieved easily. His nod was still showing a bit of fright, but there was some determination deep down inside the little pup.

The pup visibly relaxed. Did that mean the professor was going to help him out? Since there weren't as many classes to take during the summer he would be able to put his utmost effort into these lessons!

He frowned, and leaned forward himself to make a round, casket-ball-sized gesture above the desk. That small, and even smaller if he was honest with himself and stopped over-estimating the fluff... His natural form was ridiculously small considering there were dragons and gryphons and whatnot in attendance at the school. How could he ever hope to compete with something over twenty times his size?

Jove's fluffy ears drooped, and he slouched forward with a bit of defeat. He really needed these lessons...

Jove's little doggy face turned to a frown. It wasn't funny! He wasn't just a foxfire, but a foxfire puppy, small and fluffy enough to make any other student go "Awh, lookit the harmless little puffball."

Not exactly fear-inspiring.

He huffed in feigned exasperation, but his tail drooped, and he glowed faintly as he blushed under all the fur. This was exactly why he needed these lessons, and had even planned his summer so he could take them. "School," he said, in a very soft voice. He would be going to visit his caretaker for a week, but the rest of his vacation was dedicated to study.

Part of the little pup was disappointed, only four hours a week? He supposed it made sense, his summer courses would take up some time. And he would be able to practice really hard in between, maybe he would even be scarier by the time the summer break was over! Plus he was starting to sleep again on occasion, even only an hour here and there would be good for keeping his energy up. Finally he nodded in agreement. Moonday and Frightdays. Classroom 13.

All of a sudden he sat down on the desk, and stared at the professor with ears perked and attentive. Were they going to start now? It was a Frightday, if Jove recalled correctly, so hopefully he could start right away!

Jove only gave the professor's gesture a brief glance, before trotting over to pick up the pen in his tiny little teeth. He almost looked unbalanced as he stepped onto the paper. The pen was almost as long as the pup was tall, and he had to adjust his grip on the object and crane his head at an awkward angle to get any ink on the paper at all. But he couldn't change back now, that would be even worse...

But instead of writing right away, his ears flopped down, and he had to spend some time thinking. Who did he know of who could inspire fear in others? The pup wasn't very familiar with prominent members of the scaring society, but a number of names came to his mind anyway. His caretaker, his classmates. Any one of them was scarier than him. Except maybe Tomoko, but she was a ghoul and didn't have to be scary like that. She had cooties, after all.

After a great deal of thought, he started scrawling down a name. TyloAlT.

... So his writing in puppy form was terrible. The person he had in mind was perhaps his best choice for a frightful role model, a large black dog who was also ghostly and canine. Except he was bigger. And blacker, easier to blend in with the shadows to scare people. Not to mention bigger.

The pup started to write down his reasons, while paying little attention to how legible his writing was. loiggEP, STPolUgER, NoPE IlUTINIolAtiNg...

Jove's fluffy little ears turned to listen to the professor, and then flattened. So writing in this form wouldn't work...

He let the pen fall out of his mouth, surprisingly free of saliva, and then sat down with a perfectly shamed dog expression. Round puppy-eyes looked up at Malcom as if asking "Are you sure you can't read it? Are you sure you're not going to give it just one more try?"

Finally he realized there was no other option. He was going to have to change back. The ghostling turned and leaped onto the chair, and then onto the floor, almost looking like he was quitting and leaving. But instead of heading towards the door he shifted back to his human form. And suddenly instead of a fluffy little puppy in his office, Malcom would have a naked little boy, who's fluffy tail curled around to hide as much of his body as possible before he could pull his clothes back on. There would be no missing the giant discoloured bruise on the left side of his scrawny ribs, but the tail was more than enough to keep all the 'indecent' parts covered.

It was embarrassing for the pup, not just appearing without his fluff or artificial fluff covering him, but also revealing the bruises that tended to draw weird glances and awkward questions. His blush glowed brightly enough to rival any fellow wisp as he hurriedly re-dressed. At least it was a small office, and not a regular classroom...