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The Labors of Lily Marks--Part 1

Lily Marks strolled through the lovely forest in the part of the afterlife that she inhabited. Though some time had passed since she first arrived here, there was still plenty for her to think about.

Was she still a Marks? Her family name was McKay. Lily could see both families from where she was. Her parents, well, they were so disconnected from pure positive energy that they were nearly unrecognizable to her now. Her sister, on the other paw, showed promise now that Lily could see her from this perspective. She'd provided intel to Nathanial while he assisted a group fighting terrorists at the airport. No, with the exception of her sister, the McKays were nothing special.

The Markses, however... Garret was actually being a parent now, with research in books, and tutoring from Nathianial. His parents were anything but squeaky clean, but they truly cared for their grandchildren and were helping them with some problems, thanks to Nathanial's influence. Lily decided she would gladly call herself a Marks.

She looked more closely at Nathianial. Everything seemed to focus on him. The day she died, his magic, not to mention his resolve, had begun to strengthen. No, it had been growing before that. His new friends had helped too. He'd never had friends before, other than his brothers. Or a family, either, other than his brothers.

Lily sighed. Her oldest boy had not learned what it was really like to have friends and a family until he was almost sixteen. And he'd found out what a real set of parents was like from his friends' parents before Garret even came back on the scene and pledged to do his job.

Then there was her own motherly influence. Lily stifled a snort at that. Nathanial was so powerful now because, or more likely in spite of, what she had done to him, and the rest of the family.

From her enlightened perspective, Lily was proud of how her family had grown. Nathanial had friends, a real family, and even a lover. Nicholas and Micah were flourishing too. Garret had improved beyond recognition. Wait a minute, was he flirting with her sister? One thing hadn't changed. Oh, well, she certainly wasn't in a position to be jealous now.

Nathanial's friends and their relatives were growing as beings, too. It all seemed to have something to do with Nathanial. He was such a bright, handsome, charming...how could she have--

Lily rose from the log where she'd been pondering. With renewed sense of purpose, she made her way to a part of the forest that was even more beautiful than the rest. "Sacred" was the word she'd decided upon. She stood in a small clearing where a sunbeam illuminated a low, flat rock. Lily let recent events run through her mind and gathered her resolve. She knew what she had to do.

Lily took a few breaths to put her mind in order. Then she began.

"What's done is done," Lily said aloud. "If I've learned anything from my time here, it's that the purpose of life is to grow forward. Therefore, I make this pledge from the core of my true being. I swear that as long as I exist, I will, to the best of my ability, protect and nurture anyone entrusted to my care. I swear this before God, before the Universe, and before all beings who are committed to self improvement. May I remember and fulfill this pledge for as long as I exist."

Lily sank to her knees in the clearing, clasped her paws in front of her, and bowed her head. She couldn't have said how long she stayed that way, but a fluctuation in the breeze brought her out of her reverie. Lily pushed herself to her hindpaws, took a deep breath, then turned and walked from the glade. She had a feeling that it took her a moment to place. She finally decided that she felt as though she had accomplished something truly worthwhile.

* * *

Lily strolled through the forest. A deep sense of peace had come upon her. She didn't know what the lasting results of her pledge might be, but she felt she'd done something worth far move than any sum of money she'd given as a mortal.

Almost without realizing it, Lily found herself walking near where the forest started to thicken. She remembered finding herself deep within it in despair soon after arriving in the afterlife. Sorting out her new perspective had coincided with her leaving the dark, oppressive trees there and reaching the part where she was now. As she pondered that personal journey, Lily heard a sound.

Her ears perked up and started scanning, trying to locate it. She heard it again. It seemed to be coming from the dense trees. A third time confirmed it. The sound was coming from the deep forest, and unless Lily was very much mistaken, someone was crying.