Cerulean Cape And maybe then we'll talk

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This was Thresher’s first real experience with death, apart from prey animals. She’d not lost any family members, and those packmates who had left, had simply gone away and hadn’t died. The concept had been explained to her, but she hadn’t yet seen it happen...And though she had killed crabs and small prey animals herself, there was something different about those deaths that made them almost devoid of any emotional triggers. It was the way that predators had to be, and she possessed the trait necessary for her own survival. She could take a life it meant furthering her own, as long as it was something widely acknowledged as prey. Wolves, of course, and several other predators weren’t ever in question- they were not to be killed. They were not to die; thus, Thresher had never seen another wolf die, or another predator of the likes of her.

She understood enough to know that the whale was dead; that it was gone and that it would never come back. But there was something about seeing such a majestic creature pass away from such an uncomfortable death that saddened Thresher, and this was something she hadn’t expected. She’d listened to a description of what it was like when another wolf died, but having never experienced it, she hadn’t expected the cutting edge of pain. The whale, just like her, had been alone, and no other whales had been nearby when it passed. Her song had been the last thing it had heard, and something about that fact pulled on her heartstrings and made her whimper sadly as she looked at the now lifeless mass upon the shore.

When she turned her face to look up at Renier, his words made her whimper even more. She’d sung it to sleep...Only it wasn’t sleeping. The analogy wasn’t lost on her, and it was nice to hear death put into those terms...It was also nice to be reassured that she’d done something nice for the whale before it had passed away, but it didn’t take the pain away completely. She felt slightly foolish for a moment- but Renier had validated her pain, and she had needed that very much. She sniffed slightly, and turned away from the whale, finally, trying her best to wave her tail in a friendly way when he introduced himself. Thresher, an ever-impressionable youth, was extremely taken by the fact that he thought she was special, and though her heart still stung, she mustered up a sad, shakey smile that faltered somewhat. ”Treasure.” She said. Of course, she- like her mother- often mispronounced her name, but it had happened so often that the nickname had stuck. She bobbed her head, sniffling again, slightly. ”Thank you.” She whispered quietly, casting one more regretful look at the whale, and heaving a shaky sigh. She felt unstable, and wasn’t sure what else to do with herself, so she let her head hang a bit, admitting to the fact that she was just like the whale- lost, and losing hope.

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