Silent Walk, Book 1 of the Vigilance Series

Chapter 4

        I awoke to Kinteera's hand on my shoulder. I awoke and looked at Irithea, who still lied unmoving. She looked paler and something was off about her. I shifted back to human form as I got off her bed. It was cold. Piun and Jacobin were standing in the doorframe, head bowed, hands clasped together as they hung down. Something was wrong. I looked at the girl and checked her pulse. Nothing. Kinteera said nothing as I crouched down by her bed and sobbed. Irithea was dead. Kinteera shooed Piun and Jacobin away from the room and he sat down beside of me. I asked him coldly "How long have you known?" "An hour at best." he rasped. I wrapped myself up, head on my knees, on the floor. I knew the protocol for dead pack members, but I never thought I would use it this early-or on someone this young.

        As we made our way outside with Irithea, I quietly avowed "She shouldn't have died like this. This was our fault." Kinteera brusquly replied "She was an Irid. There was nothing we could do, she was meant to die, be it now or in a bear attack." I nodded, trying not to let tears stream down my face for the 13-year-old girl. The sun barely peaked over the horizon, like nothing had happened. I let the other three pack members bury her as I spoke the words of the dead. I spoke her name, her cause of death, and the blessing of the High Monarch to grant her into the afterlife. i checked the time: 7:15. We had half of an hour before we went to school.

        We went on the bus, trying to hide our grief. It wouldn't work, we knew that all of the Irids would smell our grief-scent, but we at least acted ok. Kyr moved beside me after I sat down. He looked worried. "What's wrong with your pack? They seem... depressed." I glared at him "One of our own died this morning." I atoned. "Who?" "The girl you saw yesterday, Irithea." "Oh. How did she die?" He had no filters, this boy. "Hunting" I whispered and averted my gaze to the window. He scooted closer and I heard him soothe "Everything will be alright, it happens to every pack. We had three die last year and when I was born, there were only 3 in the pack-My father Nyrus, the beta Scorshlef, and the Omega-Slindel. I have seen many die and many live in my small fourteen years." I glanced up at him "My pack was trained in the orphanage for seven years until Shaneesha showed us the cabin. Irithea was thirteen when we took her in yesterday. She hadn't spent one day alone in the wilderness. We taught her to hunt and the doe got too wild and killed her." He cast a sidelong glance at Kinteera and his beta diagonel in front of us. "We were at the orphanage yesterday too. As always, there are tons of children in there waiting for us to take them in, but we are looking for hunters and fighters not younglings. Shaneesha must have felt sorry for you, because she said that she took a young female from our room and snuck her into yours. She wasn't meant to live with your pack, you must understand that. Once the Monarch assigns each pup a pack, they are to stay in that pack. Or else fate lets them die." I opened my mouth to say more, but the bus stopped and everyone stood up to go into the building. Kyr walked in front of me, but after a few minutes, I diverged from him and led my own pack into the building.

        The day flew by in a haze, the only difference being that Kyr and I were somewhat closer. Next thing I knew, my pack and I were back at the orphanage in our room. There were two people in there, one about the age of 6, and there was a boy who was 14-our age. Before Shaneesha walked away again, I grabbed her arm. I whispered in her ear "Are these another pack's or are they actually ours?" She turned ghost-white and said that they were ours this time. I let her go after I told her that Irithea died because of her. I heard her running away, sobbing. I glared at her as she left. I brought the two children out of the orphanage and brought them into the cabin. I gave them both rooms that weren't near Irithea's. I would preserve her spirit in that room for as long as I could. Alphas had to deal with this, I'm sure they all did. I learned that the boy was named Lonus Kampf and the girl was Silleca Kirse. I told Kinteera to train them when he saw fit, and that's when he put his hand on my shoulder "Listen, Enai, you need to learn to accept mistakes. You've been avoiding them since we got back from the orphanage. Speak to them, know them. They're not going to die, Enai. They will always be there when you need them-but only if you're there when they need you." and he waked off while it sank in. I strided into the kitchen after Kinteera, which alarmed the two members. I told them of the recent death and how it happened. It seemed as Silleca didn't care, but Lonus was nervous. Luckily, the cabin was stocked with two rooms designed for babies and younger children in the pack-that of which I was grateful for. I explained the basics to Lonus and let Jacobin speak and bond with Silleca. I seaerched through the cabinets and found a bottle of red wine. perfect. If I was human, this would be illegal, but hey, I'm not human. An hour later, I finished the bottle and Kinteera walked in just in time to see me collapse on the floor, drunk and passed out.