Death's Saviour

Author's Song of the Chapter: On My Way by Phil Collins

I wake in the middle of the night with sweat dripping down my back, droplets formed on my hairline and upper lip. It is not hot, the sweat is from the dream I just had. I dreamed about my parents and the night I died only this time it was different. It was not Crane who killed me, it was myself. I killed my parents and my brother, then I killed the weaker form of myself. I have lost so much, I have sought revenge for so long that the dream almost as if it could become my future. Even though revenge is all I wanted I couldn’t bear to see my brother dead, to know that our war ended the same way it started, with one of us killing the other. If it ends that way nothing changes, nothing ever gets better. I move out of the bed slowly and quietly trying not to wake Noah as my breath comes out in shallow gasps. Steady rain has started as thunder begins to roll overhead, it is going to be quite the storm. I move through the house quietly as I go outside stepping into the rain allowing it to cleanse me of my sweat as tears fall from my eyes. Something in my soul stirs and it’s like I can sense Crane returning to where it all began. I should go to him, I should want to end him, yet I don’t. I don’t blame him for what he did to me anymore, how can I. The storm seems to be freeing my soul of its bitter anger, it’s like there is no longer any pain or bitterness within me. I feel light. We have lost so many already, but we have also gained many, things are changing. It’s time for me to stop losing and start forgiving, only then can I move forward. The forgiveness has to start between Crane and me, then we shall take over and make things right with everyone, together. There shall be peace among everyone because we can bring it. I sigh as rain pours down overhead and thunder crackles down through the sky, lightning flashing before my eyes as my tears dry.

“You aren’t going without me Dusk, where you go I go. We are doing this together.” Noah’s voice comes from behind me as he steps into me allowing him to hold me.

“You can’t go without us either, we are your pack.” Voices course from the porch as I swing around to look over Noah’s shoulder at our pack standing there watching us.

“I do not go to kill him, the time for death is over and the time for forgiveness needs to begin,” I claim loud enough for them all to hear me and take my words in.

“We know Dusk, we can feel it. The shift in the winds has begun. This needs to happen, even if Crane doesn’t deserve it.” Tucker exclaims from where he stands close to Carl.

“We are ready for peace, for no more fighting, no more death. We will be a pack properly and we shall have a life that can mix with the humans in a positive way. No more hurt.” Sicora states, her words are repeated until everyone but Lora agrees.

“Noah and I shall go, we shall fix this on this night and in the storm the way it should have never started. We shall return with Crane, with peace. From there we start to work on peace for us all. Crane is something I have to deal with, me and Noah alone.” I explain and my packmates accept this.

I notice Lora has thunder written on her face but I don’t have time to deal with it. Noah and I shift as we run, I don’t even need to use scent to find Crane, I can feel him within me. I know where he is and what he is doing. Fitting it seems, that this should all end in the very place that it began on a stormy night such as this one.