Chimera Fields I only feel gravity and I wonder why

In the summer, this place was beautiful.

As June wandered drunkenly across the field, she remembered the flowers in bloom. She blinked hazily—were they still there? Between her paws there seemed to sprout tiny flowers, but it was all a figment of her imagination. There were no flowers. The locusts had taken care of all of the tender buds, and it would be another year before the flowers made a comeback here. But June was too far gone to notice that she was delusional, and she dropped her head to sniff at a nonexistent bulb peeking up from between her toes.

The yearling was gaunt in all the wrong ways. June had always been a slight thing who did not consume a lot of food, and now she was paying the price for it. She consumed little, but that didn't mean she was equipped for famine conditions. In fact, it was the opposite. As June did not feast in the same manner as other wolves, she had fewer reserves than other wolves. Starvation had set in long ago, and having eaten nothing in about a month, the Silvertip had lost over 30% of her body weight. Her fur hung limp on her frame, doing little to conceal the jut of ribs and hips. She no longer had the strength to hunt, and even if she did, she would selflessly have given it to someone else to consume.

June had done herself in, and never even realized it. As she attempted another shaky step, the youth lost her balance and collapsed. She would never rise again; all she could do was draw ragged breaths as her heart frantically fluttered in her chest, but her energy was gone. She would be conscious only a little while longer, during which her wild orange eyes would roll to the mountain in the distance. "Mase," she muttered weakly, but it was the last word her lips could form as the last of her energy was sapped and she lay still.

Several hours later, a crow hopped across the dead wolf's thin shoulders and plucked at a chocolate-tipped ear.

T_T


It was evening, several hours after the sun had went down, and Steady was searching for food. It wasn't often he went into the plains anymore since there was nothing there for anyone to eat. However, the activity from the crows had attracted his attention. Surely, something must have been there to eat if they were flying all over. So, he made his way. The night shielded whatever it was from him until he was right on it.

His breath stopped when he laid his eyes on the face of June. No, he said breathlessly. No, June. He nosed her neck, almost hoping it was an illusion. Her body was stiff with death, and the crows had shown no mercy on her. He lifted his head to the sky, calling out to @Mason, @Krypton, and @Zaria. He needed help to get her home. 

He laid down next to her, much as he had his brother, and laid his head down on her neck. He had every intention of protecting her body until his family came.

He heard Steady's familiar howl on the wind, and though his name was not included in the call, Phocion trotted down from the mountain anyway to peer at whatever the fuss was about. The cream-colored wolf trotted across the barren fields until he caught sight of Steady, laying down. His fur bristled. Something was wrong.

As he approached, the strange, pungent smell of new death hung lightly in the air, surrounding Steady like an aura. He saw that the dark beta was laying next to a still, pale form, his head on her neck. The dead female had the smell of Silvertip on her. My God, Phocion thought, shaken.

He had just learned of the old alpha's death, and now the famine had taken another from their ranks. He never had met this young wolf, didn't even know her name, but felt a small pain at the loss of one of their own. Surely Steady had called to the others to help carry her body away from the birds flying above, impatient to feast.

Wordlessly, Phocion laid next to Steady and the female's corpse, far away enough not to be intrusive but still close, so as to fight off any carrion-feeders that could swoop down. "I will watch her body with you while the others come," he said to Steady, his voice quiet and a bit choked.

The crying howl of Steady awoke Krypton to storm out of the mountain den. She thundered down, her paws letting everything know that she was there, and in a hurry. She had no meaning to be quiet, she quickly made her way over.

what lay before her was the body of one of FitzDutiful's children, the white ghost, June. Krypton didn't know her too well, but she still considered her a family member, though it could've been one-sided.

breaking from her gallop to a trot, she came closer until finally halting. She could feel her damns break, for the tears cascaded down her cheeks freely. Her ears laid flat against her skull as she approached, slowly and mournfully.

steady was there, resting against her. Phocion stood there as well, krypton looked at him with murky, swamp eyes. 

She tore her gaze away as tears dropped onto her large paws. Her scarred face released a gasp for air as she made her way over. It was such a shame to see a young face perish.

nudging steady gently with her shoulder, she settled next to him. She first laid her head against his shoulder, an act of comfort before removing herself.

Stepping close to the body, Krypton nuzzled the belly of the child and whispered a prayer in her native tongue. She soon settled down, her heavy paw, for once, light. Gently, it lay upon the ribs of the ghost. "Rest in peace, child of Silvertip, daughter of FitzDutiful, sister to us all" she said quietly and shakily. With a dip of her head, the tears landed upon the wiry hair and fur.

Zaria looked up when a mournful howl filled the air. Instantly she panicked because maybe it was one of her own young. The skinny female rushed forward towards the sound, but once she got there, which took her longer than she liked to admit, it was not the body of her young that had left this life. It was June. Zaria looked a bit unstable herself as she approached.

No, another death. Zaria looked sour. Not really wanting to deal with this type of things. Why was everyone dying? Zaria knew pretty well why June had died, because she, unlike herself, had given meals to her young. It worried the female that others might die too in their loyalty towards Fitz' pups. The female walked closer, looking terribly grim. Most had said there goodbyes but Zaria was not sure what to say or think.

Phocion arrive first, and Steady realized he should have included him in the call. He honestly didn't know why he hadn't, though maybe subconsciously he knew Phocion didn't yet have the ties to the pack wolves as time took, and maybe wouldn't care. The other male, however, understood, and offered to help watch the body. Steady wanted to thank him, and but words would not come. 

Krypton and Zaria arrived. He accepted the Gamma's show of support, and attempted to offer his own as he touched his muzzle to hers. Zaria was quiet, not that it surprised him. June's loss was a shock, one that hit hard. 

The black Beta lifted his head, his gaze going between Krypton and Phocion. His voice crackled as he spoke. Krypton, Phocion, put her on my back, he instructed. She deserves to go home, he said softly, moving to place his body parallel to June's. If they draped her across his back, her head on his neck, her body going along his own, he would be able to carry her home.

The others' grief hit him hard, and he lowered his head, silently mourning for the wolf he never knew. Zaria in particular seemed absolutely flattened by this death revelation; she stood silently, eyes staring down at the corpse. Silvertip's ranks had been reduced by one.

Steady's command reached his ears, and Phocion nodded in response. He slid his head, neck and shoulders underneath the girl's limp body and waited for Krypton to do the same on the other end. Small and malnourished, she would be light cargo for Steady traveling up the mountainside.

"Ready to lift when you are," he said to Krypton, his eyes still fixed on the ground.

With the reassuring touch from Steady, Krypton could only look over June with marshy eyes. What a shame, to see such a young face die. Her ears perked up when Steady spoke. It was time to take her home to rest with her father. He would carry her little frame up the mountain for burial while the others would hoist her onto the beta's back. Nodding silently, she slid her head underneath the small girl and looked to Phocion. "On three. One...two...three" she said, soon hoisting June up to rest against the back of her uncle.

Gentle, she laied her down and looked to Steady.

Zaria watched them lift the pale female's body. The young mother herself was not strong enough to help them. Her green eyes just watched with her typical glare. She disliked when she was not in control of her life, and she most definitely didn't like the fact that one of Fitz's children had died. Yet, one part of her did reason that it was not her child. Hence why she probably kept the scowl and was not making a fuss.

The female did however follow them at a calm pace until she realized that they were going to bring her to Fitz' resting place. The female froze. Zaria then went the other way, not wanting to see where Fitz was. She could not deal with that yet, she first needed to survive. So she went back to her young without giving anyone a reasoning.

- Zaria out -

Last from me! Do we want to do a quick burial thread, or play that behind the scenes?

Krypton and Phocion helped gather June onto his back, and he lifted himself into a standing position. June hadn't been heavy to begin with, and she was even lighter now. It would make getting her home easier on the large wolf. 

He began a steady pace back home, but made sure to conserve his energy. There was no need to rush. With the other three with him, no one should be stupid enough to try and attack them for her carcass.

I'm fine with either!

They placed June's body on Steady's broad back, gently as if she were a child. Well, she pretty much was, Phocion noted, taking in her youthful appearance, now ravaged by the crows.

Zaria had since walked away, her eyes devoid of feeling. She had said nothing. It must have been her mate, the alpha male, who had perished so suddenly, leaving his pack in the throes of grief. Now this girl was gone, and the pack was left to mourn again.

Phocion touched his muzzle gently to the flank of a wolf he would never meet. "Rest in peace, dear," he murmured, breath stirring her fur, then pulled away. Steady began to pad toward the mountain, and Phocion followed in his wake. They would bury the female in her mountain home, where she belonged.

ooc: I'm good with anything!

Seeing that Zaria was speechless and had already left, Krypton decided it was best to just stay quiet as well. After hoisting up June into her Uncle's back, she merely followed the rest of her family back up to the mountain for burial.