Blackfeather Woods Farewell

Xan’s question was met with silence, managing to both annoy and worry him. Deep down, he knew the answer, but refused to accept it. He didn’t want to accept it, to accept that the Queen had fallen. When his father moved, he followed suit, but did not enter the den right away. He hung back, something in the back of his mind telling him not to intrude. The reasoning behind it was a mystery, but he did not question it. For once, he accepted something right away, and kept himself back until the ghostly form of the elder reemerged from the darkness. With him came the scent of death, confirming what the boy refused to acknowledge, and tugging at his stomach. He felt ill from sorrow, but even so, did not deny himself the opportunity to give his own goodbyes. It took him a second to get his body to move, and when it finally did, his legs were stiff and movements rigid. Still, he managed to enter the space and set his gaze upon the woman’s remains, eyes wide and tail hanging low.

Slowly, and carefully, he approached her, then settled onto his haunches once close enough. He could do little more than stare at her, having been sent into a shocked state. “Painnguk,” he said, voice hardly anything above a whisper. “Taima, Atanik Meldresi.” With that, the boy turned and exited the space, head low as he moved towards his father. He did not know how to react just yet, and so for the remainder of the time he stayed silent. Xan still didn’t want to believe that she was actually dead, but he was not one to deny facts, and he’d seen her lifeless body just moments ago. Things would be different without her around, he was sure of that. For better or for worse, however, he did not know.