King Elk Forest The End of Burke Rochester.

Burke's days were limited. He had known it and he had been very verbal about it. Though when it was time for him to go it still came as a surprise to the old male. Perhaps, secretly so, he wanted a few more minutes, a few more seconds. His life as a workaholic had worn his body too much, so much so that those extra minutes weren't granted. Naturally, Burke hadn't waited on his death inside the comforts of his den. No, the male always had been active in his own ways.

Today, while the pack was called together, Burke didn't feel like joining the festivities. The old guardian took it as his duty to patrol the borders while the others were enjoying themselves. As he walked towards the outskirts of their territory, he noticed an ache in his chest. He didn't pay much attention to it until a stab of pain took him down. What he didn't know was that his aorta just ruptured. The elder landed in the soft snow on his side but he didn't feel the cold of the snow seeping through his thin coat. His face turned to the bright super moon. The last thing he looked at before his eyes fell closed.

In his last moments, Burke thought about Malice. He hoped she would be alright without him. He drifted away until his soul left his body. Burke was not known as a good father but there was deep down someone who cared inside of the grumpy male. He just had a weird way of showing it throughout his life. There were many others that had an effect on his life and perhaps, he had some effect on their lives of others as well.

But Burke wouldn't be Burke as he didn't care about that shit at all.

Thank you, my wonderful Burke <3

This will be my only post here, feel free to go after him or smth!

 

The ex-soldier had slipped away from the pack event, driven by a sudden need for isolation. Subconsciously he followed his father's trail through the territory. He wasn't sure what he'd do; maybe ask him why he hadn't shown up at all.
But when he approached, he realized something was wrong. The Rochester patriarch lay on the ground, motionless. Nathaniel's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he could only stare. Burke was dead.
He sent up a call for their leader, for @Delight, and then turned. The younger Rochester would be gone before any others arrived, leaving only his warning and his scent.

tags for ref but feel free 2 jump innn

delight is still riding the high from sharing stories with his packmates, feeling like, for once, he's got a hand on the wheel of this morwinyon thing. the moon is soft and red above and maybe that should have been a warning, but when nathaniel's call goes out the androgyne's heart stops. he doesn't know what that call means but he has a feeling.

the little group is in the midst of dispersing as delight pulls away, following the call through the snowy forest. the snow-covered body does not shock him -- burke's time had been so, so close -- but a lump crawls into his throat anyway. nathaniel is not there as far as he can tell. did he call for delight and then vanish? why? fuck. he should have brought @Mato with him -- he calls for him now, short and fumbling, and then calls again for anyone else nearby - hoping for @Queenie or @Jomyo. they need to do something with the body, bury it, move it somewhere to be properly decomposed. and they'll need to mourn, too.

Most of Queenie's attention had been on the stretch of border which she'd planned to guard through sunrise, but once the fervent call reached her ears, it shifted to Delight. The nature of the call peaked her curiousity, though she wasn't quite sure what he could have been alluding to. The pack meeting had only just ended not long ago and she had been hoping for an easy night, but it didn't seem like things would be going as planned.

As she trotted up to the Morwinyon, giving a bark to announce her arrival, Queenie was immediately aware of what had caused all of the ruckus. Oh, God, she whispered, turning her head away from the corpse. It wasn't a wolf who she had known personally, but she could tell that it was someone who Delight did, so she spared him of any potentially offensive comments. What happened?

She had been preparing to head off for a good nighttime roaming when Delight's call jerked her right out of that mindset. Scrunching her brow with a hint of confusion--the note wasn't particularly detailed anyway--she turned and trotted towards the source. When she was almost there, she was able to trail after the mottled-coat packmate, and soon found her way upon the scene.

The scent of death, fresh and acrid, struck her noticeably above all else. Instinctive worry narrowed her eyes, but little more than that needed be said, for starters, at least. As soon as she could, she peered through the small collection of others on the way closer, looking to confirm that it really was the tailless old male she had seen trudging around. Since he had always appeared to be knocking on death's doorstep to her, she had stayed away--wanting no part of that inevitable end.. so, it did not surprise her that his time had come. This bitter cold had to be no good on old bones.

Wearing her ears folded back, Jomyo slipped in with a soft whine and halted herself next to Queenie by the Morwinyon. She keyed in just in time to hear more, hopefully.

 he hears mato's arrival, the short exhale of grandfather from over his shoulder but he doesn't look yet, mind running a mile a minute. right now he knows the look of sorrow on the prince's face will break him so he keeps his gaze averted as jomyo and queenie arrive, swallowing as he finally looks up from the snow-covered body. "old age," the morwinyon explains for queenie and jomyo, since they hadn't known burke. "the winter must've finally caught up with him."

finally, finally, he steals a glance at mato, recognizing the way his mournful eyes start hardening. right. they can mourn later -- burke wouldn't have exactly wanted them to stand around eulogizing him for kicks, and the body's still fresh. "we should pick a spot and bury him," delight suggests. "yes," mato echoes, "i've a spot in mind." he moves to burke's front as delight moves to his side, nodding at the girls to help lift the old man's stiffening form and carry him a little ways into the territory to be buried.

Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know why, didn't want to know why the icy wind of winter suddenly felt more bitter than ever. She had just been thinking of how lucky a life she had had together with her Burke, her babies and her friends. Sure, it was no Arthendal anymore, but wherever her family went... she'd follow. How she loved to return their love, spent time with them and share stories of the past. She still remembered the night skies of their travels, their set-ups and hiccups. But now, there was something wrong.

She felt it when Nathaniel let out a call. Distress. Shock. Her yellow eyes widened and she rushed to the scene where others were already gathering. They blocked her view, but she could sense it... She could smell it. She pushed the others aside without a pardon, falling at her mate's side with disbelief written all over her scarred face. She frowned, nudged his face and paws and prodded at his side. B-Burke?... She asked hoarsely.

She licked his cheek with a soft whimper. Was this the time you were talking about? His time of passing... She hadn't planned on it being so soon. What would she do without him? She had never loved someone as much as she had Burke and their two little sons. Could she truly not rewind? Her heart broke and broke again as she looked at her sweet man's lifeless body - the rising and falling of his chest stilled and no longer there. She rubbed her face alongside his scruff, a desperate attempt to get her loved one back, but she knew it was useless. He wasn't coming back, no matter how badly she was hurting and wishing and praying. I'll see you another time, right? I'll see you up there and we'll be together again... She cried softly at his side, mourning as if no one was watching.

The disgust and shock gradually faded from Queenie's mind as she was given her first direction. As she rounded the corpse, another wolf appeared in a clearly mournful state. It's useless, Queenie thought with a hidden roll of her eyes; it wasn't in her nature to be outwardly disrespectful during such a sensitive time, but this wolfess was making sensitivity a bit difficult. 

Unsure of what to do, Queenie's eyes moved to those of Delight's before trailing to Jomyo. It seemed rude to try moving him, but they didn't have much time before he became a lot more difficult to handle.

The mood here is somber--thick, heavy, and she cannot quite get comfortable in it. She is quiet and mindful, although very glad Delight gives her and Queenie both the abbreviated version of what they needed to know. As she found out more, that it is old age to blame here, her pale gaze wandered back to the fallen wolf. Thankfully, nothing to worry about, nothing.. contagious, nothing volatile.. But still. She can tell there was an impact left behind by this life gone. A newly arrived face seemed the most stricken, whimpering, tears and all. Jomyo didn't know to receive that, nor did she know much about the mourning woman either; she had nothing to say.

Her ears stayed back and she waited for the proper time to help them prepare his final resting place..

malice's arrival does not shock him, although he has not seen her in some time. she must have been staying close to burke's side through the end, he thinks, and looks away, wanting to grant her a moment of privacy. but unfortunately time is not on any of their sides, and after a beat he clears his throat. "we should move him," delight says, "before the snow gets much worse." the morwinyon moves and gives malice an awkward pat with his nose, not really the comforting sort. he points jomyo and queenie to one side of the body, and takes up position with mato on the other to begin to lift the body, if malice will allow them.

She whimpered at his side for a bit more, chocolate ears nestled in her neck and paw still rubbing her deceased mate. Cold. Lifeless. It was also how she felt deep inside right now. She wanted to be happy with only him... How was she supposed to live without his comforting presence? One ear flicked up and around at Delight's voice, her face lifting to see the gathering clearer. She was broken, that was clear to see, but she wanted to grant Burke's final wish at last.

He... He wished to be buried on pack grounds. She told the others, trying to keep her voice steady as she watched the love of her life lay there. She reached her paw out, stroking his eyes shut if they weren't already. The pat put her on edge and she was nearly at another breaking point, but she sucked her sadness up.

Let me help... She somewhat asked and somewhat demanded.

There was continuous silence from Queenie; there didn't seem to be much for her to say, if she'd even wanted to say something at all. This was going to be a group effort, it seemed. From what she'd gathered, the four of them would be moving the poor old man's body to some elusive spot that only his lady had known about.

Did she plan on telling them or were they expected to move on instinct? Queenie's thoughts almost drew a poorly timed giggle from her maw, but she was able to subdue the incredibly disrespectful urge.

Her gaze was raised to the sparkling eyes of the widow, to whom she gave a solemn nod. Where? she asked, her voice low and as soft as she could manage, though there was still an element of cold behind her words.

Delight's words made her look skyward and although she was no practiced skywatcher, she didn't trust these days lately to hold off on snow just for them. They had a little while to get this done, at least, and she withheld a sad sigh when she sized up the weight of the task to come--not only physically, but mentally as well, even without her own attachments to the male. It was still a weighty sorrow over the whole pack.

Queenie asked where it was to be done, thankfully, and Jomyo backed her up with a quick nod. In silence, with her head hung down low and ears back, she waited for Malice's answer and slipped closer to Burke, so she could begin to help them with the next difficult step.

this could probably be my last post with her here, and if you need, feel free to pp her helping <3

we can probably fade here! last post from me

his heart ached for malice and mato and himself. he's glad she's able to pass on burke's final wishes (not that he would have done anything else, anyway) and easily makes space for her to help with carrying the body. burke is not exactly a small man -- the extra paws are more help than hindrance. 

with his body positioned between them, delight considers queenie's question. "i have a place in mind," he says, thinking of the deeper reach of the eastern side of the forest. he gives malice a questioning glance -- unless you want to decide -- but assuming she's willing to follow his lead, delight'll have them begin the careful trek to the place he pictures, where they can bury the elder rochester and pay final respects.