Lament of A Broken Heart

Oh Gods.

Shooting up right, I held my chest and looked out the window as Alistair's arm fell into my lap.

Just like the clouds, my insides were in chaos. A mess. Something bothered me. My heart was hurting. My heart ached. Everything felt so wrong, so invalid but I couldn't tell what.

I tried to pinpoint the cause for this unexplained pain but failed. I tried to reason with this unbearable burning but failed. Everything felt so confusing, much like a dead end of a labyrinth.

My head was pounding. Between the drunken haze from all of the night's festivities to this, I sat confused and in pain.

My soul felt detached.

Then a scream pierced the night outside of what should of the compounds of my comfort causing me to instantly react.

Triaa.

The sound jolted Alistair awake as I flung myself from the bed and ran out of the room, down the corridor and out the home.

The pain intensified as I raced barefoot down the beaten cobblestone path until I saw two figures, one on their hands and knees, the other crouched down, a hand on their shoulder.

Dropping to my knees, I skidded across the rough stone and crashed into my sister who looked up at me with a tear stained face.

"What's going on," I asked, wrapping her in a tight embrace, trying to ignore the pain.

When Triaa looked at me however, somehow I knew.

Mother? Father?

Looking around, all I saw was Triaa and Valenner.

Then it hit, like the jagged end of a blade.

Even though we had been initiated into Dark Wood and no longer could mindlink to anyone in Moon Rock, including our parents, Triaa and I still had the spirit bond between our parents. One of the links of that bond was severed.

Triaa also realized this as we stared at one another before looking off in the direction in which the familial pull was coming from.

Without warning, Kiba and River pushed through, forcing a shift and took off running in the direction.

River and Kiba ran like the breeze colliding into inanimate objects as they raced through the verdant woods.

The further they ran, a wave of bestial aggressiveness washed over River. I don't know where she is heading but I knew at the end of this, we would see one of our parents.

Both wolves looked at one another then shot off in different directions, Kiba to the right, River to the left.

"What are you doing," I finally asked but all I got in response was a whine.

"Triaa, why did you run off," I linked but all I could hear was whines from Kiba.

Before I could ask any further questions, River skidded to a stop at the base of a large bluff, her whines getting louder as they echoed off the rocks.

Looking up, I saw it.

A body.

A woman.

A woman bloodied and impaled by a deformed rock.

No.

River slowly climbed what rocks she could before stretching her neck so she could imbed her muzzle into the woman's hair that fell loosely.

The scent of pine, lilac and iron engulfed us.

I knew the scent. We knew this scent.

Mother.

Climbing further, River whined as she nudged our mother's head then arm then side but our mother's body didn't budge, limp against the earth.

The pain in my chest was too much as River's ears dropped before tossing her head back, howling.

It was a heartbreaking howl that echoed off the rocks and through the woodland.

Pain. Agony. Loss. Death.

No emotion could summarize the anguish we both felt as River released her voice to the sky.

She wasn't done when another howl reached her ears from the direction Triaa went then another and another until the entire area exploded in mournful song.

Howls and whines ricocheted off of every tree, rock, animal and body of water before River shifted, throwing me into her place.

Her howl blended and faded as it was replaced with my cries of pain and sorrow which was followed by another's a way off.

I forced myself to climb the few extra steps and snatch my mother's body into a tight embrace, weeping into her hollowed chest as her head lolled back.

"River...."

Nothing.

"If I put her on my back and you take over, will she be on your back?"

Still nothing but I saw her nod.

Silently crying, I placed my mother on my back and let River take control.

She was careful climbing back down and instead of running like before, she walked.

I sat back and let her lead but I could feel the sorrow weighing down her body as she walked, head so low that her snout almost raked across the forest's floor.

She stopped after a while and lowered herself to the ground.

"River?..."

River laid there, her massive head to the side and whined more.

We weren't laying long before a damp nose nudged into the side of River's head causing her to look up.

Rune.

"Noir... let me help you," Alistair spoke but River shook her head before standing, Rune helping her.

"It's okay, Noir," another voice spoke and looking to our left stood Eskil.

"I have her," I finally spoke, River sighing.

Just then a howl broke through the brief moment of silence as River's head whipped around to Rune whose ears were twitching before looking back at her.

"They have your father."

I could feel River rotate her shoulders at this news before Rune gently nuzzled her neck.

"He is injured but alive. Wait."

After thinking it over, River nodded. We had mother. Triaa had father.

With that acceptance, we slowly made our way back to the village.