Paradise Falls won't see you tonight {m}

- M for death. Cole's only post. AW for anyone in the falls.

She had been out, going about her routines as if it were any other day. While some as of late had been worse than others, she’d been managing.

Then Colette felt it again, though. The inside of her chest seized, and it hurt far worse than it had at any point previously. Simply breathing suddenly felt like she was trying to inhale through fire. It was like she was being choked, drowned, except from the inside. Worse even than when she’d tried, with the water, before…

A thin trail of saliva fell from her mouth and the ghost felt her body quickly contorting against her will, and crumpling to the ground. Lack of air had darkness quickly encroached along the edges of her vision. Pulling her away. There was no breath in her lungs, no ability to call out for any kind of help. She doubted they could've done much anyway - and she didn't want the last thing she saw to be the horrified face of somebody she cared about.

So the ghost lie back, rested her head against the frozen ground and relaxed as much as she could, accepting fate.

She deserved worse. Far worse. This was quicker, mercifully so. And the last couple of years had been better to her than anything she ever should've had.

If only it hadn't had to be so soon. But now? Now.. she would finally be free.

The second was not sure how long Colette had been laying there alone and cold in the snow. The smell of death hung heavy in the air long before Finley had stumbled on the scene, heart pounding in her ears. She wasn’t sure who she was going to find and she had visions of Jethro or one of the kids being the one who perished. So when she saw Colette, looking so peaceful she felt oddly calm.

Moving forward, Finley carefully brushed the hair on her friend’s crown down smooth and smiled softly. She wasn’t sure exactly what Colette would want at this moment so instead she just sat next to her so she wouldn’t be alone. After a couple of minutes she broke the silence to hum a song, the same one that she had used with her cubs when they were fussy and didn’t want to fall asleep.

When she was done, she whispered a quiet, private goodbye to the woman who was as much a mystery as she was a friend, and then called for the rest of the pack.

Chan's stomach dropped as he heard Finley's song. His first instinct was to run. Then he slowed, knowing it was futile. Guilt hit swiftly thereafter, what difference did it make? His legs pumped faster, sending him flying over the snowy ground. It wasn't until he smelled it, smelled her, that he could fully accept there was nothing to be done.

He stopped at a distance, emotion swelling in his chest at the sight. Tears quickly started to fall, and a deep, mournful whine seeped from his lungs. Chan had hoped this moment wouldn't hit him too fiercely, but the sadness he now felt was all-encompassing.

Cole had still deserved better.

Finley’s call was exactly the sort he had never wanted to hear. His heart had sank, but the dark one hadn’t wasted a moment in running towards it. The scent of death was present before he happened across the scene, and despite having buried two children almost a year ago, nothing could still quite prepare Jet for what he’d see.

The figure of one of their group’s most devoted providers, lying motionless. He hadn’t known her well, Jet still felt a lump of sadness growing in his throat. Her presence would be missed. If there was one consolation here, it was that Colette had at least had a chance to live. But it still felt like she was gone too soon. And as her former leader, he felt responsible - as if he should’ve been able to prevent it somehow.

He knew better, though. Tentatively venturing closer, Jet would first press against Finley briefly as he moved forth, then glance toward Chan on the outskirts. Then he would touch his nose to her neck fur, finding it stiff, cold. ”Thank you for all you’ve done for us. You’ll be missed,” he’d whisper to her. Lingering for only a moment, before pulling back to give anyone else that might wish to offer a goodbye the chance to do so.

Finley exit, still welcome to other PF wolves if we want to continue the thread, or we can fade with Chan.

Others began to arrive, their own whines and cries filling the air and the mother was acutely aware of them. Chan and Jethro. Nobody else was here yet and she felt the sudden urgency to hide the scene from the children. They were still too young to see this, even if it was just the way that life went and realistically this was the best way to go. Even still, she wanted to protect them from this hurt, if she could.

Standing and stepping gingerly around the woman still in the snow she spoke as evenly as she could, ”she deserves to be buried somewhere, maybe with… somewhere nice.” Inhaling sharply she forced a more pleasant look onto her face and continued, ”I’m going to go wrangle the cubs, keep them entertained for the time being.” Keep them away from here was what she really meant, but that much was implied. She waited for just a moment, paws frozen into the icy earth beneath her before nodding one more time and taking her leave.

Chan tried his best not to absorb too much of what was around him, but Finley's voice cut through when she spoke up, pulling him out of the little shell his grief was building for a moment. He blinked, silent, the voice deep down disagreeing with both accounts but his brain knowing it was all pointless. Selfish, even. He swallowed, and looked to Jethro.

"... I want to do it. Please."

He had never spoken of his connection with Colette from before, but he hoped that Jet would simply trust him and allow this. Chan wanted to take her somewhere remote, somewhere special as Fin had said, and he wanted to grieve on his own before leaving her a final time to nature's whims.

/Fade