Silvershore

Chapter Thirty || ACT I FINALE

It was about noon. Wood, Loki, Misa, Daruk, Stormjay, Bright Moon, and Calvin had left early for the ocean to set off Kiara. Kaia and Nyla were too young to leave the Main Territory, so they had been left for Perlina to take care of.

When Stormjay had seen wolves set off in the past, it had always been a bittersweet memory. Adira, Evelyn...it had been hard to say goodbye, but he hadn't been particularly close to either of them in his life.

But today, something he never expected to happen so early was in motion. Kiara, one of the sweetest wolves he'd ever met in his life, who would never hurt a soul, had been murdered in an agonizing and horrible way. Stormjay didn't know much about battle, but he knew it was common sense to not go after shamans, as most of them cannot fight back.

Kiara had recently had pups, as well. They now had to grow up motherless. In fact, it was so early in their life that this happened, that they may not even remember her. She didn't deserve this - no one deserved this. This was supposed to be a bittersweet moment. But now, when Stormjay would look back on this, it would fill him with rage.

"She suffered a fate that never should've happened to her." Loki sighed. "I can't believe this is really it..."

"My god, I mean, she had pups..." Bright Moon growled under her breath. "...How could The Pack of the Stars let her end up like this...?"

"There's no need to blame The Pack of the Stars." Wood comforted her. "Kiara is going to a place where she never has to suffer again."

"The only ones we have to blame is The Pack of the Fire." Calvin snarled. "Someone in that pack did this to her. We have to put them in the same agony she was in."

"This is not a place of anger." Misa gently reminded him. "There is no room for hatred in this sacred place."

"She's right..." Wood nodded, closing his eyes. "...Are we ready to send her off?"

"Ready as we'll ever be." Stormjay and Daruk said simultaneously. Stormjay pointed his muzzle to Daruk, who gave a melancholy smile.

"Sleep well." Stormjay heard Wood whisper to Kiara's empty vessel her soul formerly resided in.

Loki and Misa then stepped forward, and began to push Kiara into the ocean. It was at this moment that Stormjay finally understood the meaning of "you don't know what you got 'till it's gone."

The ocean immediately carried Kiara north, the waves pushing her further and further into the ocean, her body floating atop.

They were all there to honor her life, but Stormjay just couldn't put his anger and hatred aside. It was painful, feeling so much anger towards one wolf in particular. Aries and his pack had taken so much from him.

If he saw Aries in trouble, Stormjay just didn't know if he would even try to help. He imagined him dangling from a high-rise cliff and the only thing between Aries and death was Stormjay's paw. Aries had taken so much away from not just Stormjay, but everyone, as if it were a prize to be won. He constantly made everyone miserable, slowly stealing every ounce of purity from their souls. Everyone in The Pack of the Earth was thankfully able to stick together, throughout the good times and bad, and Stormjay was very forgiving to everyone who had ever wronged him, but there was no forgiveness in his heart for Aries. He knows what he's doing, he rode that demon dragon inside of him into new highs of cruelty and clearly enjoyed it. The more Stormjay dwelled on it, the more he saw him falling off the cliff to his final demise.

"...Is everyone ready to go home?" Wood sighed.

"I'm ready." Loki sniffled.

"Me too." Daruk flattened his ears.