The tiny Timber woman halted, at a complete loss for where she was going.  Since settling down in Kingsfall the loyal Second had remained inseparable from her pregnant Queen, wanting to be ready to assist her when her delivery time came. As a result, woods that the scout should have already known like the back of her paw were strange to her. Naia bent down and released from her jaws two tiny, lifeless bodies, stillborn no doubt as a result of the pack’s difficult trek to Kingsfall. Raising the live cubs in safety was of course worth the sacrifice, a fact Kisla no doubt had decided upon before ever leaving the Cedarwoods. Even so, the slight woman felt tears welling behind her honey eyes as she looked upon the tiny pair, lying so still and so cold on a bed of wild lavender.

Naia couldn’t help but see more than dead pups before her. Cut off from life before even given a chance to live, within each cold body Naia recognized a tragedy from her own experience. One male pup, with dark fur not unlike that of the deceased Pitch Pine Trail King, represented Shade, whose death marked the end of a pack that was only just beginning to form. The other pup, clearly a female, was more developed and had died either very soon before or during the birth. She was most certainly a symbol of her mateship with Inali—Gods keep her safe—  their love cut abruptly short by distance and pack politics.

Naia blinked her tears away as another entered the clearing. Honey eyes tracked the man as he approached—small for a male but a good deal larger than the petite scout herself. His scent had preceded his appearance and so the scout was relaxed, knowing from his smell that he was the new recruit that Kisla had accepted while the pack was on the road. The man’s golden eye winked in the sunlight as he appraised her and the stillborns lying in the lavender patch, and Naia understood then why this man had been selected to tutor their visually-impaired princess. He must have been taking his charge very seriously, because Naia really never saw Kjors or Karina at all, apart from pack-wide functions. “Yes.. yes, I suppose so,” she answered the swarthy man, a wry half-grin forming across her features. She imagined she looked like a crazy woman, sitting here ogling Kisla’s dead offspring.

“Why I took them?” the scout repeated, catching only the end of what her companion said. His accent was something to get used to, wasn’t it? “I just.. I couldn’t stand for the children to see them. They’re so young.. they shouldn’t have to know.” Naia knew she was being a little ridiculous, shielding the yearlings—who were closer to adulthood than she cared to admit-- from the facts of life. As Orren’s mentor, she delighted in his successes but also wished to see him grow up as slowly as possible. And imagine how that poor, softhearted princess would have reacted! “You know Karina,” she said softly, ..she can hardly stand to see her own meal dead.” The agouti tore herself away from the stillborns, taking a few steps toward Kjors. For the first time she noticed the scenery all around—she had stumbled upon quite a beautiful little clearing.

He was exactly right. “Yes, you’re right,” Naia agreed with a sigh, nothing good ever came of over-sheltering a child.. and certainly not one who wished to be a healer at that. No matter how skilled and talented a healer the little princess became, there would no doubt come a day when she faced a challenge she could not overcome. Even the best medical treatment could stay death’s bite only so long. Naia’s gaze returned to the stillborns, and her resolve hardened. Kjors was correct in theory; the pups would have to learn to handle the death of a loved one eventually, but not today—today would be remembered solely as a day of happiness for the Baranskis, and Naia would never regret her part in making that happen.

Jynx appeared then—Naia thought she had heard someone back at the birthing den say they were going to help her—and the scout realized that she had been subconsciously awaiting the arrival of this helper in order to select the burial site. Jynx introduced herself to Kjors, claiming to welcome any new recruit, but for some reason the warmth wasn’t discernable in her tone or expression. Likely the heaviness of their task was weighing on the young lady. It surprised Naia that the two of them didn’t yet know each other’s names, considering that Kjors had been traveling with the River wolves since they passed through the palisade. Naia had to remind herself that it was her job to know everything that went on in and around the pack, and other packmates had other responsibilities that kept them busy. Both Kjors and Jynx in particular had been scarce during the traveling, so it made sense that they hadn’t met formally.  

One wordless nod was all the reply she gave to Jynx, who Naia had noticed was always quick to speak her mind aloud. It was the reality that they all understood and therefore Naia didn’t desire to dwell upon; the lives of these two had been sacrificed in order to assure the safety of the rest of the family. Naia approached the burial site that her packmates selected, and seeing the peculiar shape of the roots she let a small smile form on her muzzle. “It’s beautiful,” she agreed, knowing that the site would be easy to find again when she brought the Baranskis here to show them the grave.  The whole clearing was beautiful, truth be told, and Naia let her honey gaze sweep once more over the quiet glade, blanketed in lavender and ringed by ancient redwoods. Eyes falling once more on the two bodies still lying exposed in the grass, Naia focused back on her task. She began scratching at the soil, finding it loose and loamy between her toes.

The other two seemed to be looking to her to lead the group’s efforts—where and how the stillborns ought to be laid to rest—and the weight of the situation was beginning to fluster the normally calm and collected Second. How was she to know these things? She had never buried anyone, old, young, or otherwise, what good was her word over the next wolf’s? Thankfully Jynx, who could always be counted on to throw in her two cents, piped up about settling the bodies together, which Naia only had to think about for a split second before realizing that it was by far the better of the two options. “Yes, they would have known nothing else,” Naia agreed, shaking her pelt to rid herself of that panicky feeling, so uncharacteristic for the laid-back agouti.

Naia left her packmates to finish digging, knowing such a small hole would take mere seconds to complete. She approached the little bodies and grasped their two limp forms in her jaws, awed once more by how small they were to be able to fit so easily in her maw. She arranged them delicately in the grave, pushing their bodies with her nose so they were cuddled up against one another snugly. She and her packmates set to refilling the grave, and with the stillborns at last out of sight Naia could finally spare a thought for the living pups. “Did you hear about the others?” The scout questioned Jynx, realizing she had left Kisla’s den so quickly that she hadn’t even heard the birth announcement. How many living pups were there? Were they boys or girls? Naia felt along with her curiosity a twinge of some lighter, happier feeling. As they finished refilling the grave, Naia pressed her paws into the loamy dirt, packing it down and leaving her scent to ward off any curious scavengers. The dirty work finished, Naia knew it was time to give the children their verbal sendoff.

“Children of Kisla Tainn and Maksim Baranski..” Naia began, sad to realize she had no other way to identify the deceased children, “They did not live long enough to be named, but they were loved and will be missed.” Naia swallowed, unsure of what else there was to say. The traditional funeral words from the religion of her birthpack sprung quickly to mind, and Naia drew a breath to continue. “May the Fates guide and protect their Chosen..” Feeling it needed a just little more she added, ”.. and bless their immense sacrifice." Finished, she looked to her companions in case they had anything from their own religions that they wished to include.