AllIsCalm

Part 3 of the Christmas Cards 1999 Series

Disclaimer: The characters and situations from �Buffy the Vampire Slayer� and �Angel� aren�t mine and never were mine. The are and remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB Network. The author has received NO monetary recompense of any kind whatsoever.

Archive- Sure, but email me and let me know where it�s going.

Feedback- Absolutely.

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True Item (according to an email I received, anyway):
In 1999 there will be a full moon occurring on the winter solstice, Dec. 22, commonly called the first day of winter.

Since a full moon on the winter solstice occurs in conjunction with a lunar perigee (point in the moon's orbit that is closest to Earth) the moon will appear about 14% larger than it does at apogee (the point in its elliptical orbit that is farthest from the Earth). And since the Earth is also several million miles closer to the sun at this time of the year than in the summer, sunlight striking the moon is about 7% stronger making it brighter.

Also, this will be the closest perigee of the Moon of the year since the moon's orbit is constantly deforming. If the weather is clear and there is a snow cover where you live, it is believed that even car headlights will be superfluous.

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Oz poked his campfire, sending a cascade of sparks up towards the dark sky, then sat back and ate deviled ham and peaches out of cans, staring into the shifting colors of the coals. He was halfway through his hike back to civilization after spending the past three nights roaming the mountains as a werewolf. He had wanted to abandon himself completely to the beast, hoping that by leaving his human self behind and racing headlong into the darkness, he might at last emerge from the other side.

His hoped-for epiphany had not come about, though the wolf felt closer to his conscious self than it ever had before, and his memories seemed less disjointed, less obscure. And he was glad he had decided to hike so deeply into the wilderness for this vision quest, since each morning he had awoken to find his hands and face smeared with gore.

Now he was on his way back, and he moved closer to the fire. He looked into the dying flames, and realized he hadn't built a fire on the way into the mountains. He hadn't given it any thought at the time, but maybe it had been a way to set aside him human trappings. And now he was putting them back on.

He poked the fire again, and his gaze followed the sparks upward until they faded against the stars. The sun would be coming up in a few hours, he thought, and it would be Christmas. This time last year, he and Willow had been watching in delighted wonder as snow fell from the sky over Sunnydale.

Willow, he thought, with a sudden, sharp pang, like a stab through his heart. He missed her suddenly and desperately, the wound from his separation from her re-opened and raw. He stretched out on his blanket, staring up at the brightly blazing stars, and the cool, distant moon.

His world had been turned around in the past two years, that he knew. He had gone from being a fairly average young man, to learning his world was even more dangerous than he had ever believed. His hometown was filled with supernatural killers. His friends were slayers and wizards, his own girlfriend a witch. And a bite from his own small cousin had transformed him, plunged him into depths he hadn't even known existed.

He tossed himself restlessly onto his side, looking into the dying fire again. What was he searching for, he wondered. Control? Integration of his separate selves? A way to kill off the wolf once and for all? How can I save myself, he thought angrily, I can't even get to sleep.

He sat up again, and stirred the coals, which were fading now, only small ribbons of dark red playing over them. Maybe I'm just nervous about leaving the fire burning while I sleep, he thought reasonably. I'll cover it with dirt, and then I'll be fine. But he sat still, his mind turning.

Just then a movement in the corner of his vision caught his eye. He turned his head slowly and saw two wolves, their pale fur gleaming in the moonlight, loping one behind the other at the edge of the meadow where he was camped. Suddenly the second, a young male, Oz guessed, stopped and turned towards the young man, sniffing the air. He took a tentative step in Oz's direction, sniffing curiously.

The first wolf, which had kept going, turned back and joined the second. She regarded Oz more dubiously, then pressed her muzzle into the male's throat. He turned to her, nuzzling her back, and with one last look over his shoulder at Oz, the two disappeared into the darkness between the trees.

When they had gone, Oz found that he was trembling. The whole encounter had taken only a moment, but Oz began to gasp for air as though he had held his breath for several minutes. How beautiful they were, he thought, how graceful. He was moved by their gentle affection for one another, and their acknowledgement of him, his nature, moved him in a way that truly surprised him.

Slowly, he lay back onto his blanket, and sleep closed over him, like a shroud.

Part 4- An Apple, A Pear, A Plum, A Cherry
Main Menu ~ Christmas Cards 1999