The Silver Luna

THE FINAL GOODBYE

The majority of the day was very uneventful, Hreafn and his father were busy prepping for the funeral, and Dax was out running errands most of the day. I ate breakfast and lunch by myself, which was an unwelcome change, I didn't have much of an appetite all day. The day crawled by till it was around five o'clock. I decided I couldn't sit and twiddle my thumbs waiting for the day to go by. Instead, I told Marcus, the butler, I was heading to the guest room for a nap. I tossed and turned for a little bit and hummed myself a familiar tune, then fell asleep.

I woke up from my nap to a voice outside my door asking to enter the room, agreeing a young women eneterd. she looked to be around her late teens, she was a little taller than myself with a curvy figure, dark mocha skin, beautiful black spiral curles pulled into a bun on top of her head, full brown lips and a long slender noes, large round green eyes that stood out from her complection. She was dressed in a skin-tight lace black dress that hugged her curves perfectly and stopped just above her knees. It was paired with simple black high-heeled shoes and a thin gold chain with the letter Q hanging from the center. standing at the door, I could see she was holding a large white garment bag before slightly flustered, saying,

"My dad told me I was to deliver this to you... it's for the.... um... well... err"

"For the funeral," I finished getting out of the bed and heading over to take the bag from her.

"Thanks,"

"n-no problem... I... uhh... I'm really sorry about your mom... my dad told me about it this morning, " the girl said quietly.

"Thank you... truly." I gave her a soft smile I could tell she was very uncomfortable. unzipping the bag, I saw a black long sleved dress that had a modest V neck line, a small bow to singe in the waist, the pleated bottom flowing beautifully from the waist to the knees. Behind the dress was a black plush shawl with a gold clasp in the shape of a howling wolf. I brushed my fingers over the clasp and saw a name engraved into it. tracing over the letters i read them out,

"S...e...l...e....n....e. Selene.... mom." I smiled this was hers, and now they are passing it down to me. I brushed away a tear.

"The pain doesn't go away.... you... you just get stronger, " the girl said as she gently held my hand, her eyes full of sorrow, but her lips smiled.

"I lost my own mother two years ago... she got sick." she continued.

"I'm so sorry to hear that... it must have been so difficult."

"Yeah, it really was, but my father and I had each other, so we weren't truly alone, you know." she said, I knew she was trying to comfort me, and she probably didn't know that I actually didn't have my father, i didnt even know him. I nodded anyway. She squeezed my hand before turning to leave. When she got to the door, she turned quickly and said,

"If you ever need someone to talk to ill he here most weekends since my dad will be training with you. my name is Queenie, but you can call me Q if you wanted, " she smiled.

"Evaluna, you can call me Evie," she nodded before leaving the room.

it was then that it dawned on me that Queenie was Dax's daughter thinking about it they did look very much alike.

he probably thought I would appreciate having another young girl around, and honestly, he wasn't wrong. it was really nice to have someone close to my age to talk to. I pulled out the dress and layed it on the bed before heading into the ensuite bathroom. The shower was quick but warm. I slipped on the dress just about to zip it up when I got a wiff of chocolate and vinilla before there was a knock on the door

"Come in, Hreafn." I said loudly.

he opened the door and came in wearing an all back suit with a white shirt and black tie. he chuckled before asking. "How did you know it was me?"

"You have a very distinct scent, I smelt you."

"distinct, huh? well, I hope it's a good smell, at least, " he laughed before continuing." It looks like you're settling in well with your wolf,"

"we're getting there...." I tried to sound convincing.

"I just came by to let you know that we will be leaving in an half an hour. I'm just going to give you a heads-up that funerals here are a little different than what the mortals usually do. try not to be too shocked, " he said in the tender voice of his.

I loved that voice it made my ears burn. I smiled and told him I understood before he went to leave the room. Before he got to the door, the words slipped out my mouth without thought

"Could you zip me up before you go?" I asked shyly.

"Of course," he replied.

He walked up behind me as I pulled my hair over my shoulder, grasping it in my hands and waiting for him to move the zipper. I could feel the warmth of his breath on the back of my neck. with each breath he took. it sent shivers down my spine. His large fingers pinched the zipper that was placed just above my sacrum. I felt his other hand brush past the dimple on my lower back slide its way to my hip before he began to move the zipper up. His finger gently brushed my skin from the sacrum to the base of my neck. my body feeling teased by the touch yearned for more. releasing my hair, he then took his hands and brushed my hair back over my shoulder, caressing the side of my neck with his pinky as he did. I inhaled sharply and turned to face him. I could feel my cheeks and ears burn.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"You're welcome." he leaned down and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear before saying, "I'll be right downstairs." he let my silver hair fall through his fingers before he gave a final smile and left.

Slapping my cheecks lightly to get myself out of a daze. I took a deep breath and put on my moms shaw,l when I familiar fragrance entered my nose. Rose, I lifted the shawl closer,

"My mom always smelt like roses... the shawl still has her scent, " I whispered.

I hugged myself for a moment, feeling the warmth of the shawl made it feel as though my mom was hugging me.

"Evaluna, it's time... it's time we say goodbye, " my wolf said sweetly.

I plucked up my courage and made my way out the door and down the winding stairs until I met Hreafn and Queenie in the lobby. They both looked like they were very close.

'must be nice to have a friend,' I thought.

Hreafn extended his hand as my foot met the bottom step. I grasped it, and he pulled me close to his side. My eyes peered up to meet Queenies when I saw her eyebrows raised in shock. I wondered why, but before I could ask, Hreafn spoke

"Are you ready?" I nodded and followed Hreafn out the mansion and into a car. With Hreafn and myself in the back and Dax driving and Queenie in the front seat, then we were off.

watching the world go by, I couldn't help but think of my mom at my age driving down these same roads, and when she got her wolf, they both leaped and ran through the dense forests. we were on our way to her favorite place according to the alpha.

"I can't wait to see it. Maybe by standing where she stood, I will somehow feel closer to her," I told my wolf. she whimpered slightly before she said,

"I'll never get to meet mom."

It was then that I realized that even though she was apart of me she was right, she would never be able to run in the forest with my moms wolf's never be able to play and nip and her heals. she will never have that bond that I had. my heart felt heavy and full of regret. I wondered if there was any way I could let her see all the wonderful memories of my mother when the car came to a rocky stop.

we all got out of the car, and looking around, I saw a dull dirt road surrounded by trees, basked in an orange glow from the setting sun.

"This is her favorite spot?" I asked, slightly surprised. It wasn't anything special in terms of looks, but maybe it had a special meaning behind it.

"No, we still have a ways to go, but this is as far as the car can take us." Dax replied

both me and Queenie looked at each other, then to our feet staring at the black heeled shoes we were both wearing.

"You're joking, right! ... we can't trail through a mountain in heels, " Queenie said with a slight distain to her voice.

"Check your attitude, kid! don't forget you are in the presence of the hier," Dax shot at Queenie with a very serious tone.

"S-sorry dad... but it's just that our feet will kill us by the time we get there."

"Yeah, we thought about that, so don't worry, you'll ride on our backs until we get there," Hreafn interjected.

There was a wave of hot air and loud cracking noises as they morphed into very large wolves that towered over myself and Queenie. Hreafns wolf was majestic. Glossy black fur that reflected the orange glow ever so slightly. I walked closer towards him, extending my hand until it reached the silky fur of his snout. I felt his deep maroon eyes on me as I brushed my hand upwards. peering around him, I made my way over to Daxs wolf. He was slightly smaller than Hreafn but still very large his deep mocha fur covering his body with bright orange eyes that matched the sunset. he lowered his head as I approached. placing my hands on his back to lift myself up to ride, I felt something cold and wet poke my arm. Turning around, I saw Hreafns wolf laying flat. He poked me with his noes again and then moved his head to face his back.

"Oh, you want me with you," he snorted as a gesture for yes. Placing my hands on the scruff of his neck, I lifted myself up and swung my leg over, strandeling his warm back. Queenie jumped on to Daxs back, and both wolves set off, running through the forest with Hreafn leading the way.

I felt the wind in my hair and the tufts of fur between my grasped fingers. It felt like I was flying. The sun had set, and the full moon lit up the night sky when we came to a large clearing.

I brushed the windswept hair from my face and marveled in the enchanting scene in front of me.

A gigantic tree in full bloom with large snow white flowers, its large trunk was held up by hundreds of roots twisted into four pillars that deeply rooted into the soil below. The whole area was beaming woth moon light and sparks of green yellow lights floating through the air.

"It's.... beautiful, " I whispered. Hreans body lowered as I slid off his back, and my shoes met the ground. the cracking started again as both wolves turned back into humans.

we weren't there long before dozens of wolf's showed up different colours and sizes positioning themselves in a large circle surrounding the tree with a large opening at the far end. it didn't stay open when two wolves made their way through one was the largest I'd ever seen with black fur just like Hreafn, the other much smaller with sand coloured fur and bright green eyes. as they made their way past the other wolves, each wolf lowered their head as if bowing. I could tell one of them was Hreafns father, which could only mean the other was his mother. They both made their way over towards Hreafn and myself before shifting back into humans. It must have been a sign for all the rest because they also shifted back, displaying many different people of all shapes and sizes and ages above eighteen. Hreafns father bowed his head at me and stood by my side with his hand on my shoulder. His mother stood in front of me with a blank look.

she was pretty, not nearly as beautiful as my mother but still relatively attractive. She had light peach skin and sandy blonde hair that fell in front of her face. thin, narrow, hodded green eyes with long black eyelashes. high cheek bones, a small nose that came to a slight point at the end, and full red lips pulled into a constant pout. she was a very tall woman who towered over me with long slender legs and arms and a thin pear-shaped figure. she bowed her head to me as well, but it felt cold and insencenser, my wolf growled with anger, before hreafns mother took her place next to her husband. The Alpha howled, and the whole Forrest became still and quiet, and all eyes fell on him.

"My fellow pack members, thank you all who could join us on such a short time frame! as many of you know our pack sister Selene was taken from us all too soon. leaving her beloved daughter in our care.... I will live by my final promise to you Selene my pack will take her in and care for her as one of our own. I hope you all can help me fulfill that promise... Now I believe that her daughter Evaluna has something she has prepared as a special tribute to her mother... Evaluna, my dear, please step forward. "

I felt all the eyes shift towards me as I stepped forward, I looked around at all these strange faces, all strangers to me, but faces that my mom most likely knew in her younger days.

"good evening all, if I'm going to be honest my mom never really talked much about her past, but just knowing who my mom was, I know that she would have loved everyone with all her heart. I wanted to share with my mom the same lullaby she sang me to sleep with throughout the years. I hope this brings peace to your everlasting slumber, mom." It was at this time that four men came forward carrying a beautiful deep sapphire blue tarp rolled around something, and it was all tied together with silver silk ribbon. They made their way towards the gigantic tree and lowered the blue rolled tarp into the ground. it was my moms body. Each man bowed there head before picking up a peace of wood placed in a basket just next to the one of the pillars and threw them on top before shifting into a wolf and making there way back into the formed circle. one by one person after person did the same thing. I felt a hand on my shoulder looking up. I saw the alpha give me a gentle smile before gesturing for me to continue. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and opened my mouth.

"This is for you, mom. I love you with all I am and all I shall be to the moon and stars and back again... I sing this for you....

In the moon's silver glow,

A wolf pup dances to and fro.

With paws so small and fur soft

It's a joy to watch, oh how aloft!

Through the meadows, the pup does roam,

In the wilderness, it finds its home.

Under the stars, it sings a tune,

A lullaby for the crescent moon.

So close your eyes, my dear friend,

Let this lullaby gently send,

You to dreamland,

where you'll play, night and day.

With the wolf pup, you shall stay."

as I sang I felt the warm droplets of my tears fall down my cheeks as i let the memories of my mom flooded my brain all the laughter we shared the arguments we had and she smiles she gave, I remembered it all.

"she was one of a kind Evaluna. Thank you for letting me get to know her, even just a little bit. I can't thank you enough, " my wolf whimpered

the circle kept moving as each person bowed their heads and placed wood atop her body until it was Queenies turn, then Daxs, then Hreafns mom, then his dad then Hreafn and finally me. I stood over a hole with the mound of sticks. I lowered myself to my knees and lay my arms out in front of me, and placed my forehead to the dirt as I bowed with as much respect as I could give. I felt the energy of the area change before hearing the sound of whimpering wolves. I couldn't bring myself to rise. If I did, it would mean that was it she truly unequivocally was gone. I felt a warm fur next to me before I felt a warm wet tongue lick my arm. lifting my body upwards, I saw Hreafns wolf next to me. using his body, I pulled myself up, walked over to the basket and picked up the very last bit of wood, and threw it atop all the rest before following Hreafn to join the circle. Queenie quickly made her way over towards me and grasped my hand while placing a piece of paper inside it.

"The alpha wants you to be the one to release her spirit back to the moon goddess. these are the words you will need. I'll be right here!" She said

I opened the slip of paper and read the words allowed to the many wolves that surrounded me

"From the earth we come... to the earth we now belong... let the light of the moon land the heat of the sun cleanse the spirit now its journey is done. goddess of the moon... take her under your care.... until the day I meet her there... give her wings so she may live free...as I lay her to rest under the tree. " I chocked on the tears when a large yellow glow came from the hole under the tree. they were crematin her body. as the fire crackled, the Alpha let out a long and sorrowful howl, followed by Hreafn, and then they all joined in.

"I wish I could join them," I said to my wolf.

"You can... you gave the gift of being able to get to know your mom through the memories you shared. I will share my howl with you,"

I felt a warm tickle in my throat, took a deep breath, and let out a loud howl. I kept howling with everyone when I felt my skin bask in the light of the full moon, followed by a warm gust of wind that wrapped itself around me, embracing me in a hug. I smelt the fragrance of Rose as I heard my moms voice ring through my ears

"I love you, my little pup," the embrace tightened as the tears fell as I said my final goodbye.

"Goodbye... mom."