Craved By The Beast They Fear

Rosella Pov. “The patient brought in last night, your daughter…” for a second, the doctor paused as if what she was about to say next carried so much weight and it was acting as some sort of burden on her and I leaned in, my breath catching as I waited for the final news that would tell her that my baby was fine. But the healer exhaled slowly and continued. “...is dead. She died during surgery early this morning.” My head spinned into a mess as I stared blankly at the healer in front of me. “Wh—what did you just say?” I asked, my voice soft as I tried to know exactly what my brain was having trouble processing. “.... unfortunately, there is nothing else we can do about her condition. We suggest you start arranging for her funeral. And please know that you have our deepest condolences, Luna Rosella. W—” My heart stuttered the longer I stood there, spine straight like it always was, hands clasped in front of me as always. For a long moment, I forgot how to breathe. ….we suggest you start arranging for her funeral… Those words felt incomprehensible even to my own ears and somehow, my brain instantly forgot how to process information. The words felt like gilberish to me but it also did not and to be certain of what I was hearing, I cleared my throat once again and asked, my voice low this time. “Healer Gray, what do you mean by that?” Her eyes softened a fraction, pity filling them as she stepped forward and raised her hands up to touch my face but she stopped herself and resorted to patting my shoulders instead. “We're truly sorry, Luna. During the procedure, her heart suddenly stopped beating and all efforts to restart her heart proved futile…she simply…gave up.” Healer Gray finished with pain in her eyes as she stared at me and I staggered as I finally understood what she was saying. No. “No, Claire is fine. I…I held her this morning, she was fine when I got here!” I choked out, tears spilling down my cheeks as I grabbed a hold of her collar, denial clinging to me like a heavy burden I couldn't shake off. “I….she was fine, tell me she's fine…please.” I begged her and she slowly peeled my hands away from her collars before holding onto them and speaking in a low voice. “I'm truly…sorry for your loss.” A sound slipped past my lips as I fell to my knees, it was not a scream or a sob…it was a wail of pain. The sound tore through me like nothing else had ever done as pictures, memories of Claire filled my teary eyes. They kept playing over and over again like some broken record I could never begin to fix. No, she couldn't be gone…she couldn't be de…..no, I refuse to believe that as the truth. I surged to my feet and rushed forward, pushing past the oak doors and straight into her hospital room and that was the exact same time a white sheet was being pulled over her pale face. She looked so cold…so pale…she looked so different from the memories I have of her. Claire was a bright star, the brightest in my life and for three years. I had thought since she survived past the age of one as the healer had said, she would be okay. And I kept coming for checkups, making sure her heart was better each week and each month…last night had just started with a fever and some bleeding and I had quickly rushed her to the hospital in fear. The healers had worked all night on her, trying to figure out what was wrong with her and when they did, they tried to operate on her but…. I fell to my knees, tears rushing down my face as sobs of misery racked through my very being. I crawled forward on my knees, raising my hands to touch her but stopping myself before I could. “I…I didn't…I didn't protect you..”I pushed through the mind link once again, trying to send a message across to him but a huge wall slammed right in front of my link. The wall instantly cutting me off and pain gripped my heart anew as I tried again and again but the same thing kept stopping me. Viktor had blocked me once again, and on this day… I had tried to reach him the night before but all to no avail and when the mind link connecting me to him finally opened and my messages went through, his response had been cold and brief, telling me to take care of Claire and not disturb him with my petty schemes. Stopping myself from continuing, I finally moved forward and cradled my child in my arms, tears trailing down my face and into my clothes as sob after sob racked through my body. It took me hours, a whole day of staying beside her lifeless body before I was pried away from her and she was taken away to the burial site. Children along the ages 0-5 were always buried the exact same day they died, it was an old belief but it wasn't without its merits. No mother or father wanted to hold their lifeless child past a day or they would go mad and I was on the brink of going crazy myself. I followed behind her, stopping the procession as I slowly lifted her into my arms and began to walk there myself. Everywhere I passed, humans and wolves alike followed behind me…each of them seeing the misery their beloved Luna was in. Yes, humans…We all coexisted in a world together, Valedorn…it was a home to both humans and wolves alike. I reached the ceremonial site just as the last of the blazing sun began its descent, bathing the entire meadow in hues of gold and crimson. I had walked towards it the moment I got here, it reminded me of just how vibrant and cheerful my Claire always was. I fell to my knees with her still in my arms and a wail tore through my lips again, raw and filled with pain…she looked so small in my arms…she looked so…how could you take her away from me? “Luna…” “Leave me alone!!” I screeched loudly and the woman sighed softly as she stepped back without any other words. Let me grieve… “Claire…please don't go,” I choked out, cradling her closer as I gently touched her cheeks…so cold…they were so cold to the touch and that only sent another painful blow to my chest. “Please…d-don’t leave me.” I begged as I stared at her, kissing her cheeks and her forehead and her jaws and nose, everywhere I could touch. But she did not respond to me. “Luna, please..” my grip loosened a fraction and they took that as an opening to slowly remove her out of my hands. I said nothing as I watched, my tears running down as they dug up a few inches into the ground and began to lay her down into it. She just celebrated her birthday yesterday.. I was so happy that she was three and finally out of the danger zone and then to mock me, she had gotten a fever late into the night…bleeding through her nose and mouth and if I hadn't gone to check on her as I normally do, I would never have noticed and my child…my child would have died there…all alone. The shovels were lifted and dirt was soon being pushed into the small grave, that was when I snapped out my reverie and surged forward with a sharp cry. “Claire!!!” Hands wrapped around my waist and I was pulled back. I struggled and thrashed in the hold as they got to her face…half expecting her to wake up and tell me something…say something to me. But even as the last of the dirt was poured all over her face, she made no move at all and that was when it began to sink deep into my head. Claire was gone.