Two Tails

Chapter Eighteen- "Winter"

I sighed, and looked at Winter. Her eyes has purple bags underneath them. She hasn't been eating for a week. Her hair was messy. She looked dreadfully terrible.

It's been two months since Mikhail's been reported dead.

Roughes even set his clothes on the border.

My hatred to the rouges has grown farther. Winter has grown worse since then. When she sleeps, she whimpers his name over and over again. I've been watching over her in the Yin-Yang room.

How's Winter doing? Aatu asks through the mind-link. She's still looking as bad as ever. She keeps telling me to eat her food. And she never eats. She won't even try and eat. It's like she wants to starve herself. I tell Aatu. She lost her mate. It's like that song you sang. The one with the half of a whole. The roughes took away her half. Now she's just a torn sail fluttering in the wind waiting for the pain of ripping to end. Aatu says. You got all of that from a song? I ask. Yup. Aatu says. Clever.

Thank you. Then he cuts off the link. I look back at Winter as Vesta comes in. Kassana and a few of the others are in here with me, watching over Winter. "Hey guys!" Vesta says. Winter takes no notice of Vesta. Which I half expected.

"What's her problem?" Vesta whispers to me. "She's dying." I whisper to Vesta. "Who is?" She asks. I pointo to whisper. "Mr. Servant boy?" Vesta asks. I turn my head to see one of the young servants grabbing Winter's milk that would've probably been stale by now. "No!" I say.

"Then who?" Vesta asks. I point to Winter. "Kassana?" Vesta asks. I look at Kassana. "No!" I hiss and point to Winter once Kassana leaves to room.  "Oh! her!" Vesta says. She looks at me. "Who is she again?" She asks. I facepalm myself. "That's the Beta Female... Winter." I tell Vesta. "Oooh..." Vesta says. There's the cracking of someone shifting as Winter shifts. Everyone in the room turns to see Winter writhing on the ground in her pale grey wolf. I frown and walk over to her as she stops. My calming aura soothes her. I look aroynd at everyone in the room. "Leave us." I tell them. They nod. "Yes Luna." They say and one "Okay Petra." From Vesta as they all walk out. I go behind one of the couches to strip and shift. Once I'm in my tiger form I pad over to Winter. I lay down next to her. She looks at me with afraid eyes.

I don't want to go Luna. I want to see him... but I dont want to leave my pack behind. She whimpers through the mind-link. It's okay Winter. I tell her with a smile. You can let go now. I say. Winter frowns with a whine. I-I dont and do at the same time...

Winter... it doesn't help to keep feeling pain. Sometimes you just have to let go of the pain and join those you love. I tell her. I lick her shoulder soothingly. But the pack... Winter mutters. The pack will be fine Winter. I assure her and lick her forehead. It's okay to let go. I tell her. Winter's breath has already become raspy and shakey. B-but... I have to b-be strong... Winter whimpers. I lick her ear soothingly repeating It's okay to let go. over and over again until I hear a last whimper from Winter then I can feel her breath.stop completly. I frown and I soon realize I'd somehow shifted into Zara while I was soothing her.

But now she was gone.

Isa slowly creeps back and I go back into my tiger form. I nudges her cooling body and somehow manage to get her limp body onto my back. I pad over and scratch at the metal door. It swings open, gasps come from the crowds surrounding it. "The Luna?" "Alpha said Luna was a werecat... but i didn't beleuve him." "Look at that fur!" "Her eyes are beautiful" "Is that Winter's wolf on her back" "Did Luna kill Winter?" "The Luna Wouldn't do that Josh! Shush!" Voices echoed around me as I shoved past them and down the stairs. Can I use the pack link real quick? I ask Aatu. Sure thing sweetie! What's wromg? You sound distressed... Aatu says worridly. Winter is dead. Can I call a pack meeting to celebrate her life?  I ask. Uh... sure? Aatu says hesitaltly. I cut off the mind link and pad towards what Aatu showed me as the usuall meeting area. It was a large meadow with a large tree in the center. I padded over near the tree and dropped Winter's body gently onto the ground before climbing up the sturdy tree.

Attention. This is your Luna speaking. I'm calling a full pack meeting at the meadow, come in your wolf forms. Uh... thank you and have a good day. I say and cut off the mind link.

I'm up there for a while, flicking my tail from the tree branch that I'm laying on when I spot Kassana, Vesta, and Aatu's wolf first and foremost. Vesta's wolf is almost fully grown and Kassana's wolf looked like the pink socks had gotten brighter. And Aatu's wolf looked as dashing as ever. I stayed up in the tree as everone arived. I could hear them speak aloud this time. It wasn't through the link. "Where's Luna?" "Shouldn't she be here?" A young wolf I'd earlier made friends with named Alana asked. Once I was sure everyone was here, I roared loudly. Everypne looked up at the tree. I jumped down and next to Aatu and Winter's body.

"Oooh! She has pretty fur!" One of the wolves woofed. I smiled at them, then nudged Aatu. "Your Luna gathered you all here today to celebrate the life of Winter who has recently died of loss." Aatu woofed.

"Winter, the Beta female, has left us to be with the moon goddess and her pack.

"Let us celebra--"

"Luna!" "What happened to your tiger!?" "She has a wolf too?!"

Aatu growled to everyone would be quiet. "Now if you can all stop fanticizing about my mate being cat and wolf, which you must tell no one about, then let's get back to the ceremony." Aatu snapped.

"Let us celebrate Winter's life with a group howl to the moon goddess." Aatu said.

I blinked my different colored eyes, and looked down at my paws. Somehow being around so many wolves must've activated Zara.

Everyone looked at me as if waiting for me to say or, rather, do something. I glance at Aatu.

Shouldn't he be the one starting the howl?

I rose my head and gave a sad howl, Aatu soon joined in, followed by Cole, Vesta, Kassana, and the rest of the pack.

But you couldn't hear the howls. They were silent. But as the howl grew stronger and everyone was joined in one, you could hear the sound of a pack howl.

I closed my eyes, took a breath, then continued howling.

Images appeared in front of me as I howled, the images of Winter, both of her forms running side by side. I could swear I heard the words "Thank you". Then someone, a guy, raced up with a wolf by his side. So he must be a werewolf too I guess? And he hugged Winter, the wolves frolicked and tackled the other, licking each other's nose and nuzzling each other. I smiled between the howl.

They were together.

Mission accomplished.

As the howl came to an end, we all looked at each other. Did you see anything? Aatu asks through a private mind link. Uh... yeah? Why'd you ask?

Only those with a close bond to the moon goddess and/or sun god can see things of spirits through their howl. Like we're Alphas. Usually Alphas have a strong connection to the god or goddess. Thus, we'd see something. But it will not be the same thing. Aatu explains. Oh. I say and turn off the mind-link. I stand up and look around the pack, "I want some of the servants to start digging Winter's grave at the pack's graveyard. Make sure she's in the Beta side of it, seeing as she was a Beta." Aatu said. Several of the servants nodded then turned and darted off, two held Winter's body between them and began to walk off.

"Alpha. Are we going to sleep the night outside?" One of the wolves asked. Aatu nodded. "Those that are positive that you can sleep the whole night without shifting... then, stay. The others, go. You have a bed waiting for you." Aatu says. Several wolves leave, but several remain. Most that left were servants and those new to their new form. But I was surprised to see Vesta here. She padded over to me. "Sooo. How's the Luna?" Vesta asks. "She's fine." I reply. "Why didn't you go?" I ask. "Because... I can control my wolf now. No more lessons for me!" Vesta exclaims. I chuckle. "Once your wolf is fully grown we'll decide that." I tell her. Vesta pouts "Fiiine." She woofs. I smile at her, then turn to Aatu. "What did you see?" I ask him. The pack is beggining to settle down. It was a crescent moon, so there was not much light. But the stars were still shining. "This might sound crazy... But I think I saw our future..." Aatu woofed. "Aaand?"

"I can't really tell you. The future has to be a surprise." Aatu says. "And until maybe two years from now.... I think it'll stay as future." Aatu smiles. I flick his forehead, but I lay down. Aatu lays down next to me and pulls me closer to his wolf. I sigh, and rest ny head on my paws before falling asleep.