Phoenix of Dawn

Hymn

Seated in the midst of such peace and joy had it's effects on the soul. Like osmosis it drifted in the air I breathed and filled my lungs. I'd come to the conclusion that the golden pack was a bunch of joy seeking fools. The best kind of fools. They sang, they dances, they joked and no matter who you were or where you came from, they accepted all. I couldn't expect any less from a group of shadow wolves who's essence was tethered to the sun. What a contradiction they all were and it was beautiful in it's own unique way. 

I felt like a bystander to their exuberant gathering. My own personal brand of bitter was better left isolated anyways.

For a while I'd hung around Bex but there was only so much lovey dovey action a cynic could take and I was at my max intake. 

So instead I occupied the small space near the shadows, my eyes to the heavens above counting stars. For a moment I was lost, wandering the vast sea of glittering lights in search of something familiar. I'd always been thrown into change but this was culture shock. 

Where did I even fit here? 

I watched the others laugh and dance with envy. I wanted to be free like them. The expectation crushed me from every angle. I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be doing. 

All my life I'd been trained to lead but leadership in Draco came from strength, out here it came from respect. What did I have to respect? A list of dead that was too long to count and a violent temper I struggled to handle even on my best days. 

"Hey," Sam plopped in the grass beside me, "You seem a little out of your element."

I winced, "That obvious?"

"Axel was the same," He explained, "He still is. That's why you don't see him around right now. People come out and he shrinks back."

I thought about what he said. Axel did seem to keep away from the hype of the party every time. He avoided attention like it was the plague. 

"I can't presume to know what you guys have been through but I do know you have more in common than you're willing to admit," He continued, his destination a mystery, "Maybe it's not a bad thing you care about him."

I blanched at the accusation, "I don't--"

Sam's face said it all. It was pointless to argue with him. Here I thought Bex would be the one to expose me, to force me to own up to my feelings and instead it was Sam. 

Sneaky bastard.

I'd spent so much time worrying about Bex I hadn't noticed Sam sneaking up behind with all the insight.

"I..." I began slowly, "I don't want to care about him."

"I know."

We sat in silence, monitoring the unfolding of the party before us. Was it a celebration of some sort? Did they even need a reason to celebrate?

Off to the left the children were running around catching what appeared to be fireflies in their hands. I studied them closer, something off in the glow of the floating insects. A few of the older kids were stopping every once in a while, spreading across the open grass and standing there. After a few moments more fireflies would float up from the ground around them before flitting through the air. 

"What are they doing," I nodded towards the kids.

"Oh, it's one of the basics of essence training. We call it soul projection but the kids call it soul dust."

"Soul dust?"

"The older ones," He pointed out the three I'd noticed, "They've embraced. They're basically just tapping into their ancestral line from around them. When your ancestors die they leave an imprint on the land, a source of energy you can tap into. You can try it if you want."