Fae Graveyard
Fae Graveyard:2490words
Update Time:2024-11-01 09:40:44
[Rock]Once everyone was up, fed, and dressed, we bundled up Willow’s body in some sheets. The cat rode on the bundle I carried and the dog walked next to Austin. Carmen was between Austin and Gemma. People on the street watched as we walked past. A lot of them knew, from the direction we were headed and the shape of the bundle, where we were going. Heads were lowered in respect for the dead. We walked in silence, which was only interrupted by the sound of our feet and the tapping of the dog’s paws on the ground. The air around us was heavy. Gemma was holding Carmen’s hand tightly, trying to give her some comfort. My mate was a very sensitive woman when it came to things like this. As we entered the forest, the trees swayed in the gentle breeze, the leaves rustling in a somber symphony. We followed the narrow path that was carved through the woods, walking deeper and deeper into the heart of nature.We didn’t use coffins or caskets. We didn’t embalm the dead. Most of them weren’t even dressed when we buried them. We would bury Willow in clothing, though. Carmen donated her dress to the cause. It seemed that werewolves had some sense of propriety when it came to the dead. Not that fae didn’t respect those who had died. In fact, the fae graveyard was a revered place to us. No one went there unless it was to commune with someone who had passed. It wasn’t a place to hang out. Teens didn’t mess around there. It was disrespectful to the dead. Fae were big on respect. The path to the cemetery was well-beaten. It was as if nature knew not to grow over it, no matter how long it had been since the last visitor. I couldn’t help but think about how unfair it was for Willow to die so young. She had her whole life ahead of her, and now she was just a bundle in my arms. I could feel the weight of her body against my chest, and it made my heart feel heavy. I’d had such a long life, but there were people out there dying before their time all over the world. Eventually, the tree line broke and we reached the cemetery. There were no headstones or cenotaphs. Will-o-wisps gathered here, their job was to guide humans away from the cemetery. They were hard to see in the light of day, but I could feel them there. As we entered the cemetery, I looked around. Though there was no wind, a tree was waving at us. It was a globe willow. I smiled. Queen Maeve had picked a great spot. Willow would become part of this tree as time went on. I led the group over to the tree. The queen was standing near it. She looked over at us, her eyes sliding to the bundle the cat was sitting on. The cat was sitting as if it was guarding the bundle. The dog had moved up to my side as we approached Queen Maeve. “Is this your human?” she asked when we stopped in front of her. “It is,” I replied. “I’ve convinced the tree to move its roots away from this area for now. Can you get the earth to accept her, or do we need to get a dark elf or full troll?” That was a good question. I had never tried it, but I could summon the rocks and chips from troll bodies after they had been knocked off. It should mean that I could do that. “We’ll give it a shot and, if not, we can get someone to come out,” I told her. She nodded and moved aside. I went to the spot that had been marked out by surface roots of the tree and laid out my bundle. The cat jumped off and I unwrapped her. Stone trolls had some earth magic. It wasn’t as strong as the magic of an earth witch, but it was enough for what we did with it. Some were stronger with it and could fight with earth magic, but they were few and far between. Everyone moved to stand around Willow’s body. The cat and dog sat next to each other, watching over their owner. They looked like they were sad, but animals were kind of hard to read. “Though we didn’t know you, we honor your life, Willow. Be at peace. Your pain is over and eternity stands before you. Goddess, care for this lost child and treat her as your own. Earth, accept this human into your embrace and let her become a part of you,” I said solemnly. The ground started to shift and move, and I could feel Willow’s body sinking into the earth. I opened my eyes and watched as the earth swallowed her up. I could feel the magic pulsating around us, the earth accepting her into its bosom. The air around us seemed to grow heavier, as if the earth itself was mourning the loss of a young life.It was all part of the goddess’ plan and the great cycle. Sadness was understandable, but it would pass. I looked over at the werewolves. They kept their head bowed for a little longer, then looked up. Both of the animals were the same. They watched as Willow was taken beneath the earth and didn’t look away until it stopped moving. Once the ground was stable again, they walked over to me and head-butted my legs. “It seems they’re thanking you for taking care of their mistress,” Queen Maeve told me. I crouched down and petted both of them. We still had to figure out what to do with them. I didn’t want them to go back out on the streets and I didn’t want to put them in a shelter, but having pets was rare for most supernaturals. “Looks like I have to fight these ladies off if I want my mate back,” Carmen joked. “Ladies?” I asked. “The dog and cat are females. They like you,” she replied and moved closer. Neither one of the animals seemed agitated when Carmen knelt down next to me and started petting them, too. I remembered how much she liked Echo’s cat. I also remembered something about werewolves feeling odd around domesticated dogs. “Would it be weird for you if we took them in?” I asked her. Carmen turned to me with wide eyes. “Are you sure?” “They don’t have anywhere to go. We have a house with a yard and the dog can even go running with you when you’re in wolf form. I know dogs are weird for werewolves to deal with, but I think it would be okay. She seems like a smart dog,” I said. Carmen looked back at the dog, who was wagging her tail and leaning into Carmen’s pets. “I’d love that, Rock,” she said with a smile.I nodded and stood up, brushing off my pants. “Okay, then it’s settled. We’ll take them home with us.”“I will contact your neighbors to inform them that a cat will be joining the neighborhood and not to eat it. I will contact one of the fae who works as a veterinarian to come to your home and look them over,” Queen Maeve told us. We agreed. The cat climbed on my shoulder as I stood and I took Carmen’s hand, guiding everyone back out of the burial grounds. The dog was wagging her tail next to us and trotting alongside Carmen. She didn’t seem to be wary of my mate, so I was hoping it was a good sign. The walk back didn’t seem to take as long as the walk out to the burial grounds. I would have to do research on these animals so we could take the best care of them possible. As we approached our house, the cat on my shoulder started to purr. I couldn’t help but smile at the small creature’s contentment. When we got inside, the dog immediately started exploring the new surroundings, sniffing everything in sight. The cat, on the other hand, jumped off my shoulder and made her way to the couch, curling up into a ball.It seemed that they knew this was their home now. Carmen hugged me, then went to sit next to the cat and started scratching her and cooing at her. Orella had said that we would have two children. I liked the idea of them having pets to play with. For now, it would make Carmen happy while we were waiting to start our family. I went to the room where Willow’s body had rested and got the food bowls. I wanted to make sure there was enough food for the animals. We would make sure they had a permanent place to eat and a drinking place with fresh water. The day was quiet and calm. Almost somber. I know a burial wasn’t exactly the best way to start the day. It put a damper on everything. Around one in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it. The dog and cat were on high alert. The dog wasn’t growling or barking, just watching warily. The cat moved from Carmen’s lap, where it had been enjoying her attention, and went to the arm of the couch, where it looked like it was preparing to attack. With their reactions, I was cautious when I opened the door. A man stood on the other side. He looked fairly average for a fae. He was tall and thin with pointed ears, but they didn’t look like normal fae ears, they were closer to the top of his head and had short hair on them, like an animal. His face was angular and he had sharp features. Perhaps the most notable thing about him was the way his hair wasn’t a single color, like most people’s. It was a mottled mix of browns, blacks, and tans. It reminded me of the cat’s fur. Actually, he kind of looked like a mix of a man and a cat. “Who are you?” I asked suspiciously. “Levan Steele. Queen Maeve sent me to see to your animals,” he replied. I let him in. It was unlikely that he would have gotten past Wylder if he were a threat. “Take off your shoes,” I told him. He stopped and looked up at me incredulously. “Really?” “That is a rule in my home. You can follow it or visit with the animals outside,” I replied. Levan sighed but complied, taking off his shoes and leaving them by the door. The dog watched him warily, but the cat climbed across the furniture to get closer to the door. “We don’t know much about them, aside from the fact that they’re both female,” I said. “You haven’t attempted to name them?” I shook my head. “They weren’t really ours until their human was buried. Then we said we would take them in and they seemed to accept us. It was like they understood what we were saying.” He picked up the cat and looked into her eyes. They stared at each other for a while before he set her back down. He went over to where the dog was and repeated the process. “Yes, well they did understand you. They were also protecting that human because they saw she was innocent and trusting, even though she had been harmed so much. They are both descendants of fae animals and human realm animals. They tend to be smarter than other animals,” Levan replied. “How is their health?” Carmen asked. Levan turned to look at her. His eyes slid up and down my mate. I fought the urge to growl at him. He wasn’t looking at her as if he were attracted to her. It was more like she was an interesting specimen. “Female werewolf. You’re blind,” he said. Carmen cocked her head at him. “I don’t know what that has to do with anything.” He shrugged and turned back to the dog. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, though. The dog was paying attention to Carmen. The cat walked over to Carmen and started tapping her leg with its paw. “Answer her question, please,” I managed to say without snarling at him for brushing off my mate. “They seem in good enough health. They’re a little malnourished, but, from what they tell me, you have been feeding them well in the time they’ve been here. The dog has some injuries she has been masking. She said you saved her from being hurt even worse. She is very grateful to you for that.” “We appreciate you coming out and checking on them for us. Do they really want to stay with us?” Carmen asked. “They do. Your mate tried to save their human and didn’t leave her with the vampire when it was discovered that she was going to die. All of you treated her as if she were an important person to you,” Levan said softly. For the first time, he looked at Carmen with something other than mild intellectual interest. He looked over at me and nodded with a tight-lipped smile. “What can you tell us about them?” I asked. “The dog is a black lab, border collie mix. She is descended from fae shuck. Some of them can become evil, but her blood is diluted enough that I don’t foresee that happening. The human called her Pepper. She wants to keep her name. “The cat is descended from a fae forest cat. She is larger than a Maine Coon, but has the facial features of a skogkatt, or Norwegian forest cat. She has a mix of several different breeds, but the forest cat gene is strong enough to overpower them. The human called her Madam Fluffbottom. She would like a new name,” he told us with a slightly disappointed look on his face. I looked at the cat, who was now sitting on Carmen’s lap and purring loudly. “What name do you think suits her?” I asked.“How about we keep the food theme going and call her Butterscotch?” Carmen said. Levan raised an eyebrow. “You are going with a theme instead of giving her a name that suits her?” “The name expresses warmth, sweetness, and a cozy feel. It suits a cat with a friendly and affectionate demeanor like hers. The theme just makes it make sense in another way,” Carmen replied. He nodded. The cat head-butted Carmen’s hand, insisting on more pets and cuddles. It looked like the cat liked the name.After giving us some instructions and a list of things to get, plus setting an appointment for us in his office to get their shots, Levan left. It seemed that our family had grown without us trying. I was glad to see Carmen so happy.