Broken

Chap30~Too Close to Home

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, dread filled me. My head moved side to side. No, no, no. My whole body started to shake. A slightly un-lionlike whine replied.
"It's... it's Katie. Wren took her to the infirmary but..." Lily's voice cracked, a tear rolling down her cheek. I padded over to her and she knelt down, throwing her arms around my neck. Amy continued where Lily left off.
"They couldn't save her."
Wren burst into the room then. My head snapped up and Lily let me go. I ran to him, not caring about my shoulder. I jumped into him, knocking him to the ground.
"I thought it was you."
I haven't tried my telepathy yet, but I needed him to know. He wrapped his arms around me when he sat up.
"It'll never be me." He whispered.
~•~
I've been stuck as this stupid lion for three days now. The doc said I'll be this way for a week, so four more days. Normally I'd be fine by now, but the damn knife was made of silver. Today, we are having a funeral. For Katie, her brother, and everybody else we lost. I felt bad that I would have to attend as a lion. I couldn't even say any words for one of my best friends. Lily and Amy we're both wearing black dresses. Lily's was long-sleeved, the sleeves were made of a lacy material while the dress itself was just solid black and went past her knees. Amy's had straps- think like a tank top- and stopped just above the knee with a little bow in the middle. Wren was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt and black tie. Millennium got us all this of course. He would have gotten me a dress too but lions can't wear dresses. He also made the three of them wear jewellery. Wren was wearing a very fancy, expensive-looking watch, Lily had a pearl necklace and matching earrings, and Amy had a necklace with a diamond pendant hanging from it with diamond earrings with a little black square in the middle. Lily had put her hair in a braided bun and Amy had curled her hair and put it in a ponytail. We were sitting in our room, nobody talking. Wren checked his watch.
"It's time," He said solemnly. He stood and opened the door, holding it for the girls and me, then closing it behind us. We made our way through the halls of the castle, sticking together. We finally made it outside and to the back of the castle. Across the yard was a huge pile of wood, the bodies on top. They were wrapped in cloth. In front of the pyre, facing it, were rows of black foldable chairs. Most were filled but the first few rows were for the people who had lost someone- family and friends. Us. They took the three seats next to the isle and I sat down next to them on the ground. After a minute or so, Millennium appeared in front of everybody.
"Hello everyone. We are here to mourn our fallen brothers and sisters today. They died protecting us and fighting for our cause. They died heroes. I'm going to step away now and leave the floor open for loved ones who would like to say a few words." Millennium stepped away from the pyre and walked in our direction. He knelt down in front of me.
"Follow me." With that, he stood and walked back to the castle, me following behind him. We walked around the side of the castle and he stopped and turned to me.
"I have a way to momentarily turn you into your human form and pause your wound." He put air quotes around pause. I nodded my head eagerly. He flicked his fingers and suddenly I was standing on my own two human feet. My hair was cascading down my shoulders in a waterfall of curls. My dress was solid black with a slightly lace pattern over it on the top half, the back of it had see through parts on the outside by my arms with lace in it.(Pictures of dresses will come soon. Sorry I'm bad at describing them.)
"Oh my god! Thank you." I said, now able to speak for my fallen friend.
"Meet me here after you go up and speak. You have twenty minutes tops." He shooed me off. I quickly returned to my friends.
"Come on guys, lets go speak." They we're all shocked, but I would explain later. I didn't want to miss my chance to say one last goodbye to Katie. We walked up to a podium with a mic on it. I spoke first.
"I'm here to say goodbye to one of my best friends, Kaitlyn Anders. We were as close as sisters. Just before we left America, she found out her older brother was killed in the war. I'm not a big believer in God but I hope that wherever you are Katie, you get to see him again. Goodbye Kat. I love you." My voice cracked on the last word and I stepped down. I went back around the side of the castle and found Millennium waiting for me.
"Good speech. I'm sorry for your loss. Now, this might hurt a little." He snapped his fingers and I shrunk down to four legs. Pain shot through my shoulder, almost as bad as when I first got stabbed. I turned my head, looking at my pelt. My tawny fur has returned. I ran back to where I had been laying earlier to listen to my friends speak. They all had good speeches. Lily and Amy came away crying, like I had. I went over to them and sat between the two girls. Everybody in the first two or three rows, the loved ones of the dead, had gone to speak. It was dusk out, the sun quickly setting. Millennium motioned for everyone to get up and walk behind the large pyre. Five Weapons stood in a row, each holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. They were the kind of arrows you light on fire. They all loaded the arrows in unison, raising the bows to shooting position. Millennium went down the line and lit the arrows one by one. He stepped back and all at once five arrows flew into the logs and the pyre ignited. They were gone now, to their final resting place.
Goodbye Kaitlyn Anders.