Chapter 40

Ron and Lupina celebrated their sixty-second wedding anniversary on 01 January 2075, surrounded by family and friends. Cormac and his wife/mate Annie, Sierra and her husband/mate Dakota, Chrys Ann and her husband/mate Steve, Violet and her husband/mate Viktor, Kenny and his wife/mate Sheila, Aurora and her husband/mate Conner, and Fionn, were all there along with many of their children and grand children. With help from Cormac, Ron stood to say a few words to all present.

"Well now, 'tis a grand thing, to have our family about us on this fine evening, cold as it is. Sixty-two years Lu an' I have been joined," Ron paused a moment, leaned down and kissed Lupina lovingly, to the cheers of all. "Of course, I canna forget me dear, sweet Rosie, who has been me mate and as much me wife as Lu for all this time." Ron gave Rosie a loving kiss as well, to more cheers. "A man couldn't ask for better mates, family, or friends as I've been blessed with, and I hope I've been at least as good in return." The words "hear, hear" were heard around the room. "'Tis been a long run we've had, and a good one, though what life gives it also takes, and...well," he paused for a moment, briefly holding both Lupina and Rosie's hand, he picked up his glass and held it up, his hand no longer quite as steady as it once was. "Many have been with us along the way, who...canna be here now, though I hope they know how much they've been appreciated, loved, and missed. To Lola, Atka, Sesi, Nunataq, Magnus, Darcy, Amaguq, Kapik...Iluq, Mumik, Rob...Willie--life wouldn't ha' been the same wi'out ye." Ron took a drink from his glass, as did everyone else, and spent a few moments in silent remembrance. When he set his glass down, Ron continued. "I told Lu once, 'where there's life, there's hope,' and there be plenty o' life in this family. Seven fine children Lu, Rosie, and Kapik have given me, and with all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren, I ha' t' say there be a lot o' hope in the family."

After Cormac helped his father sit down, Lupina and Rosie both put their arms around their mate, nuzzling him.

"I think we ought to blow those candles out, baby, before they melt any more," Lupina suggested, giving her husband/mate's hand a squeeze.

"Aye, luv, wi' t' amount o' rum Violet put in tha' cake, why, it'd erupt like a bloody volcano!" Ron said with a mischievous grin.

"Dad!" Violet exclaimed as a bit of laughter circulated around.

As was their tradition, after putting out the candles, Ron and Lupina cut the first three slices together, giving the first piece to Rosie, then to Lupina, and finaly to Ron. Violet then took over cutting the raisin-rum cake into servings for everyone else. Ron and Lupina exchanged the first bite of their pieces of cake with each other, and then with a bit of humor, licked the icing from around each other's mouth. Ron took another piece of cake on his fork and did the same with Rosie, who wrinkled her nose a little from the amount of rum soaked into the cake.

"Geez, Vi, ya sure this wasn't supposed to be one ya toss in...oh, what's the name of that one in Hawaii we saw years ago?"

"Kilauea," Ron reminded her.

"Yeah."

"Mom! It's not that strong, geez! I actually toned it down a little for ya," Violet said in mock indignation, with a few chuckles from the rest of the family.

"The guys on my boat sure love Vi's raisin-rum cake," Steve said with a big grin.

"I'm sure they do," Ron agreed with a knowing smile.

"All you ol' sailors are alike!" Rosie exclaimed cheerfully, giving Ron a pat on the arm," Drinkin' and chasin' pretty tail..."

"That's because we know a seriously hot babe when we see one, right dad?" Steve asked, giving Chrysie a hug.

Ron laughed, putting his arm around Rosie, he said, "Aye, lad, tha' we do."

Later, while everyone was talking and snacking, Rosie leaned over to Ron and asked, "Ron?"

"Yeah, Rozer?"

"Ya still think this ol' gal still looks good?"

"Rozer, you've always have been, and always will be, my seriously hot skunk babe," Ron sent, giving his mate a tender kiss.

Rosie smiled and sniffled a little, holding her hand on the side of his face. After eighty-three years, age and three children had taken their toll on her body, as it does with all eventually. The once shiny black fur on her face and ears had turned to a mostly dull gray color, and her gleaming white fur had taken on a yellowish tint. Her pads were no longer smooth and supple, and her figure had become less firm and curvaceous, though anyone could see that in her prime, Rosie was a beautiful woman. To her mate, who saw her through loving eyes, Rosie was still the "seriously hot" young skunk G.E.L.F. who jumped on him at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport when they met sixty-three years earlier.

Someone got some music going on the old media system, which Ron had insisted on keeping working, and found--what was to them--"ancient" music from over a hundred years ago.

"Feel up to a little dance, luv?" Ron asked Lupina with a grin.

"If I can get up..."

As soon as Cormac saw his parents start to get up, he rushed over to help them stand. Even though Ron was one hundred and fifteen years old--having the distinction of being among the three oldest living people at the time--he still looked younger than he was. Whenever his step faltered a bit, he would make a quip about having to "find his land legs again." With Cormac following close by, Ron and Lupina slowly made their way from the dining area to the great room.

"Isabel, would you find a song for me, please?" Ron asked his granddaughter.

"Sure, Grandpa, which one ya want?"

Ron sent privately to her the song he wanted. Shortly, after she found it, the music started.

"Remember this one, luv?" Ron asked Lupina with a mischievous grin.

Lu's eyes widened as the song, "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees started to play. While not exactly a song for slow dancing, they did their best to shuffle along to it. When the song came to the part right after the short bass guitar solo, Ron looked right into Lupina's eyes and did his best to sing the words to her.

"Then I saw her face

Now I'm a believer.

Not a trace

Of doubt in my mind.

I'm in love

I'm a believer!

I couldn't leave her if I tried."

There were cheers and applause as they hugged and kissed, and then they finished their little dance.

When the song was over, Lupina had to sit down, so room was made for her on the couch.

"Where's Rosie? I canna be without both me mates, an' so i' 'tis!" Ron called out, heading back to tha table.

"C'mon, Rozer, this ol' wolf still has enough in him for you, too," he said, holding his hands out to her.

"Aw, this is you and Lu's night...," she started to say.

"Rosie, ye know full well that if it wasn't for that blasted law, I'd ha' married ye right along with Lu. You've been as much a wife to me as she has, so this is our night, the three of us. Lu and I dinna leave ye out all those years ago, an' we're not leavin' ye out tonight," Ron sent to his mate, recalling and sending the memory to Rosie of the particular evening many years ago.

"You're still a stubborn ol' geezer!" Rosie said with a little grin.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Ron said back, sticking his tongue out playfully.

"I'd make ya use that ol' tongue, but...I don't think things work so well anymore," Rosie said wistfully.

"Well now, I s'pose we could at least give it a whirl...," Ron said mischievously.

"Ya don't give up, do ya?" Rosie asked, perking her ears up a little.

"It's not in my vocabulary, luv. Aye, I know the ol' plumbin's not wha' it used t' be for us, but I still got the hots for my sweet Rosie."

"Even though she's an ol' woman?"

"Rozer, you're still beautiful to me."

"Now I know you're as blind as I am!"

"Ah, but the heart sees more truly than the eye, luv, and you're more fair in me heart's eye today than you were yesterday, and tomorrow you'll be fairer still. C'mon, let's dance while the music still plays."

He helped Rosie up and they made their way into the great room with the rest of the family. Ron had Isabel put on another oldie song just for he and Rosie. They had fun with the song, "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies, though Rosie had a little trouble with the words.

Later that night, the "old wolf" proved to his mates that he still had a little of the old spark left in him.

Ron spent his days either writing or spending time with Lupina and Rosie. During the month of August, just after Sierra, Cormac, Chrys Ann, and Violet celebrated their sixty-second birthdays, Rosie's health began declining. Helga, now retired from active practice, stayed and helped tend to Rosie. Lupina and Ron both knew that their days were dwindling, and they made sure their affairs were in order. One day, during the first week of September, Ron slipped quietly out of the house and made his way to the glade, replying on his Irish blackthorn walking stick, and sheer determination, to get him there. He visited the graves of each of his friends and family, saying a little something to each. At Rob's grave, Ron reached into his coat and pulled out a stainless steel flask that he had for years.

Unscrewing the cap he said, "Hey Rob, got a wee drop here for the both of us, old friend--the last batch of mead we made together."

Ron poured some out onto the grave and then took a drink himself.

"Not bad, for a couple old geezers, eh?"

He stood there for a moment in silence.

"It's been a long haul, but we did our share of kickin' ass and takin' names in our day, sloggin' all over this world, doin' what no one else could...or would. At least we found the loves of our lives, though, an' we made a tidy nest egg for the young 'uns to boot. Ah, but our part is done, me ol' friend, and so i' 'tis. Rozer's not got much left in her, and neither do me and Lu. Your Helga, bless her, is lookin' after me sweet Rosie as I speak, and I canna stay long for I ha' to be wi' her, too--ye understand, I'm s'posin'. Well, time enough later for runnin' and howlin' with the ol' pack, though there's enough left here for another wee drop."

Ron poured some more of the intoxicating golden liquid onto the grave of his longtime friend, and then swallowed the last of it himself. After he put the flask back into his coat pocket, Ron straightened himself up and crisply snapped a salute.

"Fair winds and following seas, ol' friend...until we meet again in the west, an' I reckon tha' won't be long."

After slowly lowering his arm, Ron bowed his head for several seconds before moving on to one grave in particular. Kneeling down, he placed his left hand over his heart for a moment, and then placed it on the grave.

"Kapik...I miss you, sweetie. Aurora and Fionn are doin' fine, and so are your grandkids and great grandkids. It looks like it won't be much longer that you and the pack will have to wait, This world is becoming dim, and soon I'll be hearin' your sweet voice callin' me an' Lu into the Wild Places. Rosie's gonna get there a bit sooner, I think...I fear she's not got much left in her, an' it's gonna be hard without her. Just like it's hard without you and your kin pokin' yer wet noses in me business."

Ron grinned a little, even as a tear rolled down his face.

*Sniff* "Your gift is spreadin' through the world, just thought you might like to know. Everythin's gonna be different now because of it, and I think for the better. I'd love to give ye a proper hug an' kiss, but this will have to do for now, luv."

He kissed his fingertips and then touched the soil. A little breeze swirled around him, and he felt something touch him. Smiling, Ron struggled onto his feet and brushed the knees of his pants.

"See ya soon, sweetie," he said with a tearful wave, and then slowly made his way back to the house.

"Grandpa, where've you been?" We started looking for ya!"

"I was just out for a wee walk, visitin' old friends, Iris," Ron told Chrys Ann's daughter.

"You should've had somebody go with ya...ya might have fallen or something," Iris gently admonished her grandfather.

"I may be an ol' man, luv, but I still know me way around a tree," he said, wagging a finger at his granddaughter. "Besides, it was somethin' I had to do alone, without anyone fussin' o'er me."

Iris helped him out of his coat and hung it up while he made his way to the bedroom. Lupina was sitting in the chair by the fireplace reading a magazine, and Helga was sitting by the bed with Rosie. He shuffled his way into the room, glancing down and to his right at the bed that used to be Kapik's, before continuing on to the bed.

"Oh, there you are," Lupina said, looking up over the top of her reading glasses. "Iris thought you had wandered off and got lost or something."

"Nah, I always know where I am," Ron said wit ha dismissive wave. "Besides," he added with a grin, "I canna be too far away from me two gorgeous babes."

Lupina smiled and made a kissing gesture towards him, which he returned with a grin. Sitting down on the padded rail of the old king-sized waterbed, Ron gently squeezed Rosie's hand.

"I'm here, luv," he sent to her.

When she opened her eyes, Rosie smiled.

"Hey...big guy, how ya doin'?"

"Better, now that I'm with me Rozer."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. How are ye feelin' luv?"

"So-so, I guess."

Ron heard the faint wheeze in his mate's breathing--it would only be a matter of time before the wheeze would become a dry, rattle, and the end wouldn't be far behind.

"I love you, Rosie," Ron sent gently.

She looked at him, even though her vision wasn't very good anymore, and smiled.

"I love you too, big guy," she sent back.

Ron leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips; when he finished, he gave Rosie a little lick on her ear.

"Still tastes like chicken," he sent with a smirk.

"Ooo...you!" Rosie sent back with a grin.

A short while later, after Rosie dozed off for a little bit, Ron asked Helga what she thought.

"A week or two at the most, I think...she could go nearly any day now," Helga sent to both Ron and Lupina. They looked at each other with sad faces and heavy hearts. Rosie was eating less and less these days as her body prepared itself for the end. Ron and Lupina also had not been eating well, and slept a lot more, some days barely getting out of bed for more than a few hours. Helga understood all too well, having lost her Rob and seeing Atka and Sesi's children each take the final journey. Cormac howled mournfully all night with their children and grandchildren, both two-footed and four-footed. As much as she loved him, Annie never quite understood her husband's wolf nature, though she did understand his grief. Even though it seemed like a strange relationship between the three of them, Annie loved Iluq in a sisterly way and helped to raise and teach her five children--one human, three G.E.L.F.s, and one part-human wolf like her mother. Helga remembered how hard Ron had taken the death of his wolf 'in-laws" as he had called them, and Kapik's was especially hard for him. With almost all of his friends gone, and the part-human wolves that had become family to him, Helga knew that when it was Rosie's time, it would be too much for both Ron and Lupina. Helga herself felt her own days growing short. Ron held Helga for a few moments, before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You've been a good friend, a dear friend...," Ron sent.

"As have you," Helga sent back, giving both Ron and Lupina a kiss on the cheek, purring softly.

That evening, Cormac called a family meeting.

"I remember dad doing this years ago when my sisters, brother, and I were all little," he started, glancing around the room, "and I remember the words he used." Cormac looked down at the floor for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "As dad...said once, there's no easy way to say this. Aunt Rosie...she's...," he paused to wipe his eye.

Sierra stood up and went to her twin brother, hugging him, and the looks on Chrys Ann, Violet, and Kenny's faces wrought with sadness. "...She's not...going to be with us much longer."

Sobs broke out among several of the family members.

"Aunt Helga says she...could go any day now--a week or two at most. Mom and dad...," Cormac himself had to stop to wipe his eyes and take a deep breath, "...probably won't be far behind."

More sobs could be heard around the room, including Sierra who had always been close to her father. He waited a little while before continuing.

"I guess we all need to spend some time with...Aunt Rosie, to let her know...ah, geez, this is hard! We need to tell her how much we love her and appreciate her."

*Sniff* "Yeah, just like we did with 'Grandpa' Atka and 'Grandma' Sesi," Sierra added tearfully.

For those who weren't there at the time, Sierra, Cormac, Chrys Ann, and Violet shared their memories with the help of Aurora and Fionn among their mates, children, and their grandchildren of when it was Atka and Sesi's time.

Over the next several days, one by one, the family and some of the other G.E.L.F.s living nearby came and visited with Rosie, Ron, and Lupina. Miki came too, along with her children and grandchildren. One evening, while she was remembering with Ron and Lupina, Miki pulled out the old MP3 player Ron had given Willie when he was recovering from his injuries.

"He never forgot the day you gave this thing to him. Heh, this belongs in a museum now, but it still plays, and I listen to the songs you gave him. It meant so much to Willie...and so did all the things you've done for the G.E.L.F.s over the years. He wanted me to tell you...thank you...for being his friends, and giving him the inspiration to keep going," she spoke softly and slowly, much as her grandfather Nunataq had.

"Sure now, Willie was a good man, an' we loved his music, didn't we, luv?" Ron said giving Lupina's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, he was...and we did, baby," she replied. "Miki, you've been a great friend, too. I don't know what I would have done in that ol' cabin if it wasn't for you," Lupina added while giving Miki a hug.

"We had some fun times, though, didn't we?" Miki asked.

"Yeah. Miki...will...we see each other again?" Lupina asked, a tear running down her cheek.

"We will, Lu...Grandfather told me before he died that we're all bound together, and we'll always be able to recognize each other," Miki replied, tears flowing down her own face.

Chrys Ann, Violet, and their brother Kenny J., went together to spend some time with their mother.

"Momma...?"

"I'm here, Chrysie."

"I'm here, too, Momma," Violet sent.

"Me, too, Mom," Kenny added.

"My beautiful kits."

"Momma, we wanted you to know...we love you so much!" Chrysie sent tearfully.

"I love you, too! My babies are all grown up with kits and grandkits of their own..."

"Yeah, Momma, you're a great grandma now...you and daddy and Auntie Lu raised us right."

"You three have made your momma proud and happy. Oh, you three were a pawfull when you were little kits, but you turned out better than I hoped."

They spent the better part of an hour talking and sharing thoughts and memories until finally Rosie was getting tired.

"I...need to get a little nap kids...we should do this again."

"Okay, Momma, you take it easy and get your rest," Chrysie sent.

"I love you, all three of you," Rosie sent to her kits.

"I love you, too," they each sent in return.

After they left the bedroom, Chrysie, Vi, and Kenny J. hugged each other tightly, tears flowing freely down their faces.

"Momma's leaving us...," Vi sent to her sister and brother.

"I know...I felt it, too. It won't be long before Daddy and Auntie Lu leave us, too. You know how much they both love Momma...they can't be without her," Chrysie sent back.

"This ol' house won't be the same--I'll be expectin' dad to sneak up on us or momma cookin' up somethin' good, or Auntie Lu to greet us at the door, or Aunt Kapik checkin' on us at night," Violet sent.

"Yeah, the old ones are just about all gone."

"Chrysie...I'm...I'm really going to miss momma...and daddy, and Auntie Lu."

"I know, Vi...me, too."

Ron and Lupina settled into bed on either side of Rosie, with the help of Cormac and Sierra, in the evening of 22 September 2075. Ron stroked Rosie's fur with a trembling hand, for he knew his mate was fading rapidly. Her breathing had become what is known as the "death rattle"--it would not be long. He and Lupina kept constant mind contact with each other and with Rosie, sharing as much as they could, while they could.

Sometime before midnight, Rosie said, "Ron? I...feel...oh, my...I'm scared!"

"I'm right here, Rozer, Lu and I both are. We've got you, luv...you're safe."

"Ron...Lu...I-I love ya!"

"Oh, Rosie, I love you, too!" Lupina sent to her.

"I love you, too, my sweet Rosie...gods how I love you!"

"Ron? I-I see...Atka, and...Sesi, too. And Kapik...they...they're calling...my name. Geez, I...don't wanna leave ya!"

"I Know, Rozer. Atka and Sesi said they'd wait for us."

"Ron? Lu? I...love...ya..."

Ron kissed Rosie on the lips and held his mouth there as she let out a slow deep breath. He inhaled, taking in her last breath in this life.

"I love you, too, Rosie...wait for us...we'll be along soon."

Ron and Lupina felt the life leave Rosie's body--her heart slowed and stopped, and the link between her mind and theirs faded.

"She's gone, baby," Lupina sent, resting her head on Rosie's shoulder, crying.

Closing Rosie's eyes, he kissed her one more time, "Rest now, my sweet Rosie_..._," he spoke quietly, holding her still body and Lupina's hand.

Sierra, Cormac, Chrys Ann, Violet, and Kenny J. were sitting in the great room with their mates and their children when they heard it--two voices howling mournfully from the master bedroom. They quickly jumped up and rushed into the room, gathering around the bed.

"Rosie's gone...my dear, sweet Rosie...," he sent to all, sobbing quietly.

"Momma!" Chrysie and Vi cried, as they sat on side of the bed, reaching across their father to touch their mother's body. Kenny J. stood next to his sisters, hugging them both.

"Mom...," he spoke softly, the tears flowing down his face.

Ron howled again, with everyone joining him--even Helga yeowed mournfully. Some while later the coroner was called and he came to the house so that Rosie's death could be properly recorded. The Family took her body from the bed and washed it in the bathroom. Phone calls were made, despite the late hour, and preparations began for the funeral the next day.

They gathered around the grave for the service, performed by an Ovate from the local Druid grove. When it was time, Cormac and Sierra helped their father stand, and walked him the few paces arm-in-arm. It was a simple burial, natural, the way she had wanted it, in the place where Ron had indicated years earlier where he had wanted to be buried. He knelt down beside Rosie's body before it was put into the ground, pulled back the part of the shroud that covered her face, and kissed her one last time.

He placed a single red rose in the wrapping and said, "My dear, sweet Rosie...I love you...," was all that he could say before he howled his goodbye.

When he finished, Cormac and Sierra helped their father back to his seat, and then helped their mother over to say her last words.

"Rosie...my sister, my friend, my co-mate...I...*sob!*...love you!"

Lupina also tucked a single red rose in the wrapping, kissed her friend's lips, and howled her own goodbye. After helping their mother back t oher seat, each of their children, including Aurora and Fionn, all gave Rosie a last kiss before the shroud was placed back over her face. After the traditional three boughs of evergreen was placed on top, Rosie's body was lowered into the earth. Everyone else present filed by, dropping in a flower, and paying their final respects.

After Rosie's death, the log house in the wilderness seemed to have lost a certain warmth--Rosie's cheerful voice was no longer heard, though something of her remained that could be sensed. In the following weeks, it seemed as if the house waited for the silent wings of death to come once more on its errand. When Ron's one hundred-sixteenth birthday came at the beginning of October, he insisted that a plate be placed on the table before the empty chair that was his beloved Rosie's place beside him.

Ron and Lupina didn't speak much openly, ate precious little, and spent most of their remaining time side-by-side. Their kids knew it wouldn't be long before it would their time to leave this life. Ron and Lupina did spend as much time as they could with their great grandchildren, imparting memories of events that happened before they were born, and gave to them what knowledge and wisdom as they had of their own. Ron and Lupina wished for them to continue what they had started--not only the family business, but also concerning the G.E.L.F.s taking their place alongside the humans, and living together in peace, harmony, and balance with each other, the land, and with all living things. They shared with their great grandchildren Edgar's speech at The Center, and said, "Don't let the flame die."

"We won't!" they all sent, causing a smile to appear on Ron and Lupina's faces.

The last week of October came, and the house made ready to celebrate Samhuinn--the Celtic New Year, the Three Days of No Time...the Festival for the Dead, when the veil that separates this world from the next is at its thinnest. Ron and Lupina retired early, for they both felt tired. Sierra and Cormac tucked them into bed, and quietly shut the door to their bedroom.

"Do you feel it, sis?" Cormac asked his twin sister mentally.

"Yeah...there's a heaviness...," she agreed pensively.

"Like with Aunt Rosie..."

"Yeah."

Ron and Lupina lie in their bed, both holding an old plush toy skunk that they had for years. There were other plush toys, too--three little skunks, a momma wolf and two cubs, and a human man dressed in a sailor uniform, though this night they held the larger plush toy skunk between them in a loving embrace. They each said their goodnights to the other with a kiss, and they both kissed the toy skunk saying, "Goodnight, Rosie."

Sometime during the night, Lupina suddenly woke up.

"Ron?"

"Aye, luv?"

"I...feel heavy...I-I'm scared!"

"I'm...here...luv, I've...got you."

"Ron? You...too?"

"We...go together...remember?"

Lupina was surprised that she remembered the words he spoke long ago to her in the glade, "...when our days are done, my love, we will take The Journey together."

"The oath...I remember."

Lupina felt the heaviness in her chest eventually give way to a floating sensation.

"Ron? I see...is that...?"

"Rosie! And...and...Kapik!"

"Ron? Are we...?"

"Aye, luv...do you hear? The wolves...they...they're calling us."

They both heard--or felt--the howls of Atka, Sesi, Amaguq, Kapik, Iluq, and Mumik, calling to them. The saw the moon shining brightly, and in the moonlight, Rosie hugged and kissed them both. With Atka and Sesi leading the way, Ron, Lupina, Rosie, and Kapik went side-by-side into the moonlight.

* * * * *

The next morning, Isabel, the daughter of Cormac and Annie, sent her youngest son Niall to check and see if his great grandparents were awake, in hope that they might eat a little breakfast. Little Niall opened the door to their bedroom and stepped inside.

"Room smell funny," he thought to himself as he padded quietly over to the side of the bed.

He lightly shook his great grandpa's shoulder and said, "Momma says time for breakfast...Great Grandpa? Are you 'wake?"

He tried a couple more times, and then he tried sending to them.

"Great Grandpa? Great Grandma? Momma says time to eat."

When he couldn't get any kind of response at all, he became scared.

"Great Grandpa! Wake up!" he sent again, shaking his shoulder a little more, and still there was no response.

He couldn't feel their minds, and he couldn't hear any breathing. Little Niall backed out of the room, and slowly walked back to the kitchen. When the other family members saw the little one with tears streaming down his face, Isabel asked her son what was wrong.

Sniffling, Niall said, "Great Grandpa and Great Grandma won't wake up."

"MOM! DAD!" Isabel cried out as she rushed to the master bedroom. The rest of the family was alerted, and they gathered around the bed. Ron and Lupina looked as if they were peacefully asleep, holding each other lovingly...and between them, an old plush toy skunk. Sierra checked first her father and then her mother for a pulse. Their bodies were cooler than normal and stiff, with no pulse to be found. With tears flowing from her eyes, Sierra looked up at her twin brother.

"They're with Aunt Rosie now, Mackie."

At that moment, outside and off to the north, they all heard the voices of two wolves howling. Soon the whole family, human, wolf, and skunk, two-footed and four-footed alike, all closed their eyes and lifted their faces in a long, mournful, goodbye howl.

Along with the family, the druids from the local grove, Miki and the other elders of her tribe, friends both G.E.L.F. and human, came and held the simple burial rites according to Ron and Lupina's wishes. After the ceremony, they were laid to rest beside their dear beloved Rosie as requested, in a natural burial with only a simple little stone marker. A small ceramsteel plate read,

DAUGHERTY

Kapik - Rosie - Ron - Lupina

"Always together in, by, and for love"

After everyone had said their last farewells and left, others came to say their own goodbyes. The animals of the forest gathered quietly, even the wolves, who were the descendants of Atka and Sesi, came and they all sat peacefully together for a time. Edgar Corvus, the first true G.E.L.F., appeared and joined the animals, after living a reclusive life for several years. Standing next to the freshly covered grave, Edgar spoke.

"And now it comes to it, my friends. The light of your candles has gone out, yet the timeless flame of your love endures beyond all boundaries, a welcoming hearth of sheltering home against storm and frosty night. Foe to none, and by virtue of gift, you are family to all. I shall see you again my friends, when it is time for us to walk this Earth once more."

And with that, Edgar launched himself into the air. He circled the glade calling out, "Caw! Caw! Caw!" and wheeled off to the north, never to be seen again in living memory.

Eventually, the animals of the forest turned to leave, each going in their own direction--all but one. She was a shy, quiet wolf, a descendant of Kapik. She lay there at the gravesite all night, and for the next two nights as well. One of the great grandchildren, a "near human" boy named Mendor--the son of Iris, who is a G.E.L.F. daughter of Chrys Ann, and Dan, the human son of Rob and Helga's son Arthur--saw the young female wolf and brought some food and water out to her. She refused at first, but with gentle coaxing, she eventually accepted the offering. She and Mendor became fast friends, and she stayed nearby for the rest of her days keeping watch. For as long as anyone could remember many, many years later on every Samhuinn, the voices of two wolves could always be heard in the distance to the north, howling in joy.