Oracle of Wolves

XVIII

It's funny how the death of someone can knock the feeling out of you, yet fill you with every one imaginable at the same exact time. Milly's death brought that sense to me, it was twice as intense as it should have been because of my being the Oracle. 

That also meant that it was me that was in charge of taking care of everything through my own grief.

The next few days were bleak to say the least. The pain was felt through the pack bond. It got to the point where almost member showed up to Milly's funeral. It was a sea of black on a day of clear, bright blue when the small coffin was lowered into the ground. The fourth white stone, each with a small child forever lying beneath it as a result of a disease that we still can't stop and we still can't name.

I stood a few feet from where they would bury Milly in the ground, an empty grave that echoed with the grief that we all felt. Faye stands on my right with Tyler on my left, both dressed in black and solemn. Faye's face was streaked with the tears she had shed and her eyes stared emptily at the crowd. They all watched me.

"Today," I begin," Is the day we say good bye to yet another wolf. Another child. Melinda was so- so happy. She couldn't go a day with out breaking out into a song at least once, some cute little nursery rhyme she had learned, a random tune she had heard a scout wolf humming as they walked by.

"She was the kind of soul that you won't soon forget, the kind that brings a special feeling into your day like those flowers she was so fond of," I looked at the casket that was covered in daisies of various sizes and colors and smiled," I won't forget her. I promise you all that this will be that last one. This child will be the only other one to ever die from this sickness.

"I will find a cure, I promise you and," I put my hand over my heart and tilted my head to look at the sky," And I promise Milly."

The entire crowd lightened a bit at my final words, I even received a small applause from the otherwise respectably silent crowd.

I turned to Faye.

"You okay," I asked her.

"No," was all she managed to croak out before another set of tears began to well up in her tired eyes.

My hand found its way to Faye's shoulder, she looked up at me and tried to smile. It didn't work.

____

Later on, at the wake, we all stood by the door of the house and greeted the attenders of Milly's funeral with kind smiles but sad eyes. Faye had retired almost as soon as the last shovel of dirt was piled onto Milly's grave, muttering about how the children were tired and needed to be put to bed early from the emotional strain of the day.

There was one child that had refused to go; Georgiana. For some reason she's taken a strong liking to Tyler and refuses to leave his side for long now that he's come back. We agreed to watch over her for the night.

Another guest came in, this one was a dignitary from one of the neighboring packs; the Redwood Pack. His name was Alpha Stewart, not an ugly man. Actually, one would say that he's very handsome. His long, black-brown hair went down to brush his shoulders and he had dark, black eyes that seemed to be much wiser than his 25 years would allow with dimples to add innocence. He dressed in proper morning clothes, a black suit with a poppy in his lapel. He smiled a dazzling smile at me and gently shook my hand.

"Evening, Oracle."

"Evening, Alpha Stewart. How are you doing lately? Any luck in finding your Luna?"

"I haven't," he looked at his shoes bashfully before looking back up," I heard that you have caught yourself a mate, however. Might I ask his name?"

"Tyler."

"See, I can tell you're telling the truth by the pink in your cheeks. Tell me, where is this Tyler?"

"Over there," I said, looking over my shoulder to see Tyler swing-dancing with Georgiana, long after her bedtime might I add. From the smiles on their faces, I couldn't find it in me to call him out on it. I found myself smiling as well.

"Let's go talk to them."

I turned back around to argue but found that he'd already started to walk towards them. I groaned before following him to the grinning couple.

"Well, don't you two look like Cheshire cats," Alpha Stewart commented. Tyler looked up and stopped smiling, pulling Georgiana into him as he faced the man. She peeked out at him from under the large arm holding her in place.

"Tyler," I interjected before he could over-react," This is Alpha Stewart, the Alpha of the Redwood Pack and a good friend of mine."

He stared at me for a second. Like he was trying to get something through our bond that wouldn't quite travel to me. When he realized that I wasn't getting it he just grunted at Alpha Stewart, causing both him and Georgiana to laugh.

Then the good Alpha made a fatal mistake.

He bent down to talk to Georgiana, tucking a strand behind her ear which caused the girls shyness to rear it's head. She whimpered and tucked her head into Tyler even further.

Immediately, Tyler's eyes flashed yellow.

I didn't have time to react before he threw Stewart against the nearby wall, pinning him arm against his neck the same way he had done to Mike a few days ago. Everything started to happen so fast.

Georgiana started crying and Holly raced over to comfort her, Kian hot on her heels. Mike went to Tyler to pull him away but Tyler just growled and shook him off. I tried my luck and ran over to the pair, pulling on Tyler's shoulder in an attempt to loosen his grip while pushing my calming feelings through our bond with full force.

Tyler looked at me for a brief second and his yellow eyes started to get black, vein-like lines into them from the pupil out. I gasped but didn't let go, Mike came back to move me away but accidently scratched me in the process. He drew blood.

The howl was so loud it vibrated our house from the ground up.