《Druidification》Chapter 18
Advertisement
As Natalie was going around the standby room collecting gear and supplies, she could not help but notice Bryden's body laying on the dolly she deposited him on earlier. Leaving him there, and Angie's body out in the break room did not sit right with her. Grabbing a second dolly, she moved it down the hall and into the break room. There she carefully loaded Angie onto the dolly before rolling back to the standby room. She rolled the dolly up beside the one holding Bryden, before heading out into the enclosure. Picking an area clear of rocks and plant life, she started digging.
Bryden, who had been following her around and observing everything, raised a question to her, 'Digging hole. What for?' To him, he could not see a connection between collecting the two bodies and digging a hole in the ground.
"Well, in our culture, we show respect to our dead by burying them, and letting their bodies peacefully return to nature. It is mostly to avoid scavengers from picking apart those we care about." Nat replied in between digging and throwing dirt. "Usually, by custom, we bury them just a little deeper in the ground than I am tall. I am not sure if I am going to be able to dig that much though."
Bryden took a look at her working, before moving quickly into her Soulscape. Not a minute had passed and all of the wolves came out of the Soulscape, except for Kali. Before Nat could even ask what was going on, the wolves had started digging themselves. It was one thing to know that a wolf could dig a area of about three feet or one meter cubed in less than a day. It was another thing entirely to see it in person. The pace with which the holes were being dug was astounding. Seven pups went at one area, while two adult wolves helped her dig the hole she started on. Bryden had led the other two adult wolves to start digging another hole beside that one. When she noticed what he was doing, she looked over to him questioningly.
Advertisement
'Bury to respect. Bury separately to respect both equally.' Bryden responded. He may not have gotten as close with the other people working there, but he had spent time with his name sake. He knew the man was kind, caring, and deserving of respect and admiration. Upon hearing his response, Nat was touched. She had always gotten into arguments in university, debating with other aspiring veterinarians on which the best kind of animal to have by your side was. This just made her all the more happy that she had always vouched for canines. The fact that they had the empathy and ability to understand reasons they were unfamiliar with had always been astounding. The move that these wolves were doing made her realize that despite losing someone close to her, she had gained not just friends, but a valuable family that would stick together through thick and thin.
Many hands, or paws in this case, made light work. It only took about two hours to have two six foot deep graves dug into the ground. All the while, Natalie either talked about moments with either of the departed, or described what their grave would have looked like if they had passed when civilization was still prevalent. She went into detail about how Angie had frustrated her day after day, how Bryden would scold her for making a mistake but would always immediately show her how to do it better or safer. The wolves listened on in silence as she carried on and on with the stories, memories, and descriptions. For half of the time she digging, Natalie had tears running down her face. Unlike the grieving tears she had cried for them earlier, these were with a smile on her face. The memories now were not in mourning of their passing, but in celebration of their life. The more that she shared with the wolves, the more it felt like a weight was coming off her chest.
Advertisement
Thanks to the pups efforts, there was a small ramp leading into each grave making it easier to carefully deposit the two bodies to the bottom of each grave. Moving into the standby room, she rolled both dolly's out one by one. Carefully she lifted the corpses and carried them down into where would be their final resting spot. As she came out of the second grave, the wolves all sat around the graves. In their own sort of funeral, they all howled to the sky in unison sending off the souls of the departed in harmony with each other. The howls were followed by a moment of silence, before they started back on filling in the graves.
By the time that they finished filling in the two memorials, the once lustrous coats that all the wolves had were covered in dirt. They did not necessarily look happier with the dirt, but they did all seem more at ease than when they had started the digging. Just as they were finishing, Kali popped out of the Soulscape, bringing two rocks with her. They looked like a rougher version of the tombstones that Nat had described earlier. They were set up at the head of the graves after a quick hug between Kali and Nat, and left the whole situation feeling complete. They weren't carved, and nothing would be able to tell the two apart, but that did not matter. To Natalie, the two who had touched her life the most here in this park were respected and taken care of.
After taking a few minutes to thank every wolf for their help, she finally took a chance to notice the time. The sun was on the verge of setting, with the moon already sitting fairly high in the sky. Travelling would not be an option with how late it was, so it was decided that they would crash the night at her place before leaving in the morning. Heading back into the standby room, she did one final pass, making sure that any tools that would be useful and any medicines or supplies were all stored within the Soulscape. On her way out of the building, the last thing she took and stored in the Soulscape, was the picture of her and Bryden that he had kept sitting on his desk since she had started working with him, all those years ago.
Advertisement
- In Serial14 Chapters
Durgen the Bardbarian
Durgen, being the smallest orc in the village, was naturally near the bottom of the totem pole. Day in and day out, he's tasked with daily monotonous "quests" that offered nothing and only got experience points from killing things outside the village. Of coarse, this wouldnt be a good story if something didnt happen while out hunting one day that changed his life forever. Developing as much skills as possible, he sets out to forge his own path. "Dis story gud!" -Some git "Read dis book!" -Warboss
8 211 - In Serial9 Chapters
Ember in the Ashes
During the Fall of the Kingdoms, two royal siblings torn apart. Kale and Melody Lione were stolen from their futures as keepers of the Lione Kingdom and split down two different paths. Kael finds himself hurried away across the AlBlu Sea to a remote place hidden by mountains where men and women dedicate themselves to murder for the “greater good.” A new destiny is forced upon him by his saviors/captors and he is trained to use his blade to unmake rulers rather than become one himself. After a fiery betrayal from a man he trusted that cost him a second home and a second chance at stability, Kael becomes lost once more without a future so he clings to the only thing he knows; vengeance against the one responsible for his misfortune. Melody is raised in a remote village by people loyal to her lost parents. It is from these people that she learns to see the beauty that lies within every part of existence, especially in music. Music becomes her escape and her happiness. After a dear friend and mentor is taken from her by the ignorance of the same people from whom she once learned kindness, she leaves to find something more and to share her love for music on the other side of the Alblu Sea. With kingdoms becoming obsolete to the modern world of Embre, her choice to be a musician over trying to get back the royal life stolen from her leads her to dark places in a big and dangerous city. When they meet again, Kael has the chance to learn forgiveness from his long-lost sister and Melody has the chance to be corrupted by Kael’s need for revenge. Kael has the army Melody needs and Melody had the home Kael needs, but they cannot both have what they want. For Melody to surive a dark threat, she would have to accept the path of violence. For Kael return to the life he lost, he’d have to abandon the strength to keep his sister safe.
8 185 - In Serial8 Chapters
Become Human
NA42I399 is not where he is supposed to be, where he is supposed to be is dead. He wakes up encased underground still in his exo skeleton combat suit. He emerges into a world that is wildly different than the world he knew, and they are unprepared for him. [Updates whenever I feel like it]
8 140 - In Serial16 Chapters
The Storytellers
Myra Kahani lives in a world of gods and prayers. People around her constantly reach out to the gods for advice and suggestions at critical times in their life. But Myra has a problem. No matter what she does, she can't talk to the gods. When Myra meets Roam, an old, enigmatic Storyteller, she finally gets some answers. She learns of the origins of the Universe, the divide between mankind and their deities, and the important role that Storytellers play in her world. But the truth for Myra is just the beginning of her story. The Storytellers is a story that I began to develop from a series of shorter stories that I wrote for a mythology and folklore class. As such, they have a strong basis in the myths and folklore of various cultures and religions. Join me as I try my best to integrate these stories into my own and develop the world of the Storytellers and Myra herself. This is my first attempt at any sort of longer-form fiction so helpful advice is greatly appreciated!
8 80 - In Serial11 Chapters
The Crimson Castle
This is a LitRPG that follows Claire Woodward, A somewhat nerdy high school senior, who finds herself trapped in a video game, The Crimson Castle, she had just booted up for the first time. The Low Magic Fantasy World of The Crimson Castle is unlike any other. The world consists of only two things, the walled city of Dal and the wilderness that surrounds it. Each night, the wilderness outside of the city disappears and for five minutes the world trembles. Once the five minutes are up, the wilderness reappears, but it is always different from any previous' day wilderness. This means each day the city of Dal is surrounded by something new and exciting. Sometimes, the city of Dal finds itself on top of a snowy mountain, the next day in a foggy swamp, the next day after that on a tropical island, and so on. Inhabitants of Dal that go out into the wilderness are called adventurers. The further adventurers get from city of Dal, the rarer the loot they will find, but also the more treacherous their travels will become. Do not worry though, it is impossible to die in the wilderness. If your health reaches zero you will transported back to the city of Dal alive and well. Will Claire be able to figure out why she was transported into this world, and better yet, will she be able to escape it?
8 136 - In Serial80 Chapters
ꨄTrainee A~ imagines/ff♡︎
Trainee A? Or is it ALoners Association? 🤔Here's your Trainee A fan fiction and imagine book! I hope all fans read this book! All fluff💕🌸#traineea #trainee_a #alonersassociation #leesangwon#leeleo#yorchyongsin#james#hanjihoon#jayjay#justinjay#jowoochanStarted: 5/27/2022End:
8 231

