A lone, cold howl went out into the deep forest night. The blood moon hung there like a crimson stone amongst the black velvet sky. Rain began to fall from the sky in big drops, as if it were crying for a lost friend. A lone wolf, the mother, along with the rest of the pack sat in a circle. One of its own in the center lay unmoving. The mother wolf went to nudge the young wolf lying on the cold wet ground, and she whimpered quietly, but the fallen wolf did not move. Mother wolf let out a long lament, and slowly, one by one, the other wolves brothers and sisters, along with the rest of the pack, gave voice to their pain, with the wailing of their howls becoming an homage to the one motionless on the ground.

Slowly, one by one, the other wolves joined in, creating a cacophony of cries, and at its peak, lightning struck the center of the circle, setting it on fire. The wolves scattered about, but they would not leave their beloved. For it was their sister. They knew that they would never again be able to run with her on the paths, or lay in the sun speaking in their tongue.

The fire reflected in their eyes. They then slowly moved about the fallen one in a great circle, some from her pack, some from others. Then slowly they started to turn. Their paws became hands, and their fur fell off until finally they looked like you and me.

Then there appeared in one of the wolf’s hands a drum, and he began to beat out a dirge upon it, and the fire in the circle blazed an azure blue. The rain started to come down, and the lightning began to strike. They all started to chant and began to dance around her,/ their feet stomping to the beat of the drum, sending water and earth spraying into the air.

All the while the wind and rain was buffeting them from all directions, but the blue fire hissed and flared and refused to go out until its presence was no longer needed, and it spiraled skyward so high that it looked like a tornado of blue fire.

Off in the distance, a cry arose. A raven flew out of the fury of the storm and laid a black rose in the fire to be consumed. As it sat there cawing in pain, it began to change, just as the wolves had; its beak formed into a mouth and nose, his feathers fell from his body, and all that was left was a young man with three scars. He began to dance with the others, but he was the one who danced closest to the flames, for he feared them not.
 
While the young man danced he thought back to his sister wolf, and how they would never get to speak again, and how they could never come complete the circle.

Suddenly a crushing memory slammed through his brain, cutting him to the core of his being. For he had already lost two brothers when he was but a fledgling himself, and was only now realizing and understanding the agony of that time. It was then that he felt the full, horrific impact of the loss of yet another ,so beloved. But now, here he stands, with no choice, and gives her to the mother and the fire. And he cried as he danced to her short life, his tears mixing with the earth , the rain, the fire.
 
Then they all began to dance in honor of, in celebration of, their lost beloved. Despite the cold that had raged in from the north, turning the rain to ice and snow, they continued their long lament into the frigid night. Ever louder their cries went, and the wolves and brother raven did not stop dancing, nor drumming, nor singing until the morning when the fire had faded and the sun had begun to crest over the distant mountains.
 
Suddenly they stopped and looked to where the newborn sun, with all its golds, pinks, and reds had merged with the earth. They looked, and it was there that they saw sister wolf; her long golden hair and fair skin glistening in the light of a new day. She smiled and the wolf half of her let out a great cry and then she let go of this earth and began her next journey in the great beyond.

Slowly, one by one, the wolves from the other packs left, and all that remained were the ones from her pack and brother Raven. They all embraced as tears fell from their eyes to the ground were she was, until the tears could come no more. Then they all embraced one last time, and brother raven left to ride the winds of fate to wherever destiny would take him. The pack then slowly retreated to the forest , fading slowly back to their original forms.

Memories run rampant in my head as my soul breaks. I always thought I’d have a chance to get to know the real you. You worried about me in Iraq and I never knew. You were so afraid of losing another brother, of having to bury another one. But here I am burying you, and here I am alive and living life to the fullest. There were so many things I wanted to say to you but now I’ll never get the chance to do so. You were a gift, and I don’t know what it was about you, but you touched everyone around you. Even me. A person that had given up on goodness. Our lives are parallel. We both wanted to love and be loved in return we didn’t care if it was good love or not. I sit her with tears in my eyes as I write ‘cause I can’t believe that you’re gone. I had hoped so much that when we were in our late twenties we would get together and talk about our past and all we had gone through. But now I’ll never get the chance and that’s the hardest blow of all. our hearts beat to the same drum. Damn the gods for making us brother and sister, damn them all. But I’ll see you again in this life or the next. And it will be better, I promise you that...

Farewell, Athena; Until we meet again in the next life or world. I wish I could have been there for you.

memories run