First Fatality And Funeral
#3 of The Blazewood Pack Saga
First Fatality and Funeral by Nightcatcher Blackwolf BOOM BOOM BOOM! Echoed the iron-clad giant's footsteps through the clearing. Thornpaw looked up from where he had been thrown against a tree, battered and bloodied. Through the haze, he saw the giant turn to face Fleetstrike where the cheetah had been tied against a tree by some form of vine, and begin walking towards him. "FLEET!" The wolf's cry brought the feline's head around to look at him, eyes wide with helplessness and fear. Thornpaw gathered his strength, pulling himself up to his feet.... gaining only his knees. BOOM BOOM BOOM! The giant's relentless footsteps pounded against Thornpaw's skull, railing against his thoughts... The black-furred alpha pushed it out, forcing himself to his feet to make one last attack on the juggernaut, even though he knew it was futile, the giant was invincible... He tried to walk forward... and tripped, his foot tangled in something. He pulled, then looked down, to see with horror the same type of sharp-thorned vine that had trapped Fleet against the tree wrapping itself around his neck and pulling itself upwards. BOOM BOOM BOOM! And through the echoes of the heavy footfalls, a dark laugh, darker than Thornpaw could even think possible. He tried to yank his foot free, but the vine would not release him... Turning his head, he saw the giant rearing back, a shining silver sword appearing out of nowhere in its hands, preparing for the strike that would sever his mate's head from his body as surely as a reaper would sever a stalk of grain... and there was nothing Thornpaw could do, and the vine was creeping up his leg, and the giant brought its sword across and the laughter came again and brought with it a darkness that even the endless void of space could not match... and Thornpaw, blinded, screamed.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And screamed, and screamed, the echoes of his screams rebounding off the walls of the well-furnished room he was in. He stopped, panting, the last echoes dying away... his fur was soaked with sweat to the point where it actually dripped in some places.... He slowly relaxed, feeling his mate under him, breathing slowly, still asleep. Just a dream.... what a horrid, hellish dream... BOOM BOOM BOOM! Thornpaw's heart leaped into his throat as the sound chased him from dreamworld to reality... then collapsed in relief as he realized what it was. He got up, his shaft having long ago retreated from inside his mate to inside his sheath, tossed a blanket over Fleetstrike's slumbering body, and walked to the door, opening it. And was forced to cover his ears as Darkwind, who was on the other side, yelled "OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR THIS INSTANT!", not realizing until he finished that the door WAS open. Groggily, Thornpaw glared at Darkwind. "YOu're not supposed to disturb me down here...." "Yes, well, you were SUPPOSED to be back at camp hours ago, and Summerwind is NOT supposed to be in a bloody coma, and Riverwood is NOT supposed to be laying in the middle of the woods 50 feet from his bloody HEAD!" Darkwind snapped. "W...What? Riverwood's dead?" Thornpaw's knees gave out, and dumped the shocked wolf to the floor. "Yes, Riverwood's dead! SOMETHING killed him, and with silver no less! Come on, we have no time to waste around here!" Darkwind looked past his sprawled alpha to see Fleetstrike still in bed. His gaze flicked back to his alpha's. "I'll... give you a few minutes. I'll be waiting upstairs." "Yeah... we'll be there soon." The black-furred wolf pushed the heavy door shut, leaned against it a moment, then turned and walked over to Fleetstrike. He gently shook the feline awake. "Love, we have a problem..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darkwind led the two to the site of Riverwood's death. "One of the pack hunters found him here. And here too." He pointed from the huge pool of dried blood in the middle of the path to the smaller patch a small distance away. Thornpaw stared a moment, then looked to Darkwind. "Have you any idea what happened?" "No. All I could tell was that there was silver involved. There was some left on him.. in the form of a dagger through his leg... Along with this, attached to it." Darkwind produced a small piece of paper from the pouch he carried on a belt 'round his waist. Thornpaw took the note and opened it. "Consider this a speeding ticket, and beware." Fleetstrike muttered something. Both wolves turned to look at him. "I said, obviously they don't like me." Darkwind nodded, and Thornpaw looked at him quizzically. "Why do you say that?" "I'm a cheetah. What are we renowned for?" "Oh. Good point." The alpha turned to Darkwind. "The body...?" The magus gestured back towards the camp. "We'll perform the rites tonight. There's another matter, though..." Thornpaw frowned. "Yes. Has there been any change for the better?" "Not that I've heard." The shaman's eyebrows came together, and it was clear he was upset. "He's simply not there. It's like someone just removed his mind from his body." Fleetstrike looked up sharply. "I've heard of that happening before." Darkwind glanced to the feline. "Yes, but it's almost impossible. I've never heard of an actually witnessed and proven case of it happening before. Look... we've got to figure out what's going on here. That Summerwind should fall so suddenly ill, and then that the messenger to you was killed so quickly... It isn't a coincidence." Thornpaw looked thoughtful a moment, then shook his head. "No... I don't think it is. Let's take care of Riverwood's body... then see what we can do about Summerwind... Dammit. Why can't we simply have a peaceful time?" Darkwind looked at Thornpaw with such piercing sharpness that Thornpaw shivered. "Because that would be too easy." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The funeral was a difficult affair indeed. The Blazewood pack, being a very old pack, had developed a very special, personal form of rite for the dead that nonetheless involved the entire pack. Riverwood's body laid on the funeral bed in such a way that it was impossible to tell the way he was killed. Surrounding his body were logs of cedar, and at five points in the circle were large, dome-shaped stones. Behind each of these stones lay a small altar. Upon four of them were symbols of air, earth, fire and water; a cone of incense (Wolf Spirit incense, bought by one of the few pack members who had integrated himself into human society); a vial of salt and dirt, freshly dug from the ground that would house Riverwood's remains; a torch, filled with sage, chamomile, and pine; and a bowl of water from a special cave, hidden high up in the mountain. At the fifth point, nearest to Riverwood's head, lay an open book, in which had been written, throughout the day, parting words to his soul. Even as the pack gathered to watch the ceremony, Darkwind was writing his own entry into the book. Summerwind lay propped up on a pallet near to the site, able to see everything that was going on, should his eyes open. Taking his place as bard was a younger wolf, one whose skills at the traditional songs exceeded the rest of the pack. His songs, though sung and played feelingly, lacked Summerwind's improvisation and talent. Few seemed to really notice in their grief. Once Darkwind had finished writing his entry in the book, Thornpaw came to stand before it, addressing the wolves of the pack that had formed a larger circle around the ceremonial one. "Today, my friends, we have lost one of our own..." Thornpaw took a deep breath to continue... and catastrophe erupted. The vial of sand and dirt shattered, as did the bowl holding the cave-water; the torch was blown out, then blown entirely off its stand onto the ground; the cone of incense simply went out. The pages of the book ruffled in the sudden chill wind that blew throughout the pack's clearing, but did not turn. Darkwind stood up warily, as did Fleetstrike, a third around the circle each; but nothing could be seen in any direction that would cause such interference. Thornpaw looked about him, then continued... but what he said next broke the ritual wording, and all eyes turned to him. "Riverwood was not killed in battle; nor did he die of sickness. He was murdered, killed by someone as yet unknown to us. We honor him now, in his death, for the glory of his life. And to the killer, and to the one who disturbs this rite, we will accord no honor, no glory; for they have wronged not only Riverwood, but our pack... and me personally in taking the life of one of those who stand with me." The entire clearing was silent. Thornpaw closed his eyes, and returned to the ritual ending. "And so now we bid farewell to the soul of this wolf, Riverwood... and though, in time, we flawed mortals will forget, the immortal souls within us never will." Thornpaw gently closed the book in front of him. All the wolves threw back their heads, and howled, not the usual dissonant sound of the hunting wolf, but a harmonic sound, as if from one voice. Fleetstrike was silent. Riverwood's body burst into flame. The intensity of the minor explosion knocked Thornpaw backwards and off his feet, still holding the book in his paw-hands. He got up, and called for water, but Darkwind's voice swiftly cut through the roar of the flames. "No! Let him burn. If those who had done this had stopped to think about it, there is no more fitting end. His ashes will ride the wind, and he will watch over us all from there." Thornpaw hesitated, then nodded his agreement. The circle of wolves (and one cheetah) stared into their flames, and bid their friend and packmate farewell. The sound of dark laughter echoed through the clearing, but only Thornpaw seemed to hear it... and he knew that if he did not act quickly, Riverwood would only be the first of many deaths to come... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, another chapter ended... Poor Riverwind... We didn't know you at all because you died so quickly... Comments, requests, yes, flames, even complaints, send 'em on to [email protected]