Still Wondering
By the March Hare
Briar Rose always did wonder. Why do the birds sing, why does the wolf howl, why does the pale Moon hide her shining face? "They do so, and it is good. Nothing more needs to be said. Now help me clean this mess you made." did her aunts perpetually say. She knew now, though, that her dears did not know all the answers in life, but children are children, and they question until they know. "Why does the Sun shine, why does the Wind dance, must the Heavens always be blue?"
"Why did she have to die?"
Aunt Fauna stood suddenly still over the bread she was making, not quite sure how to best answer this question. "Rose," she spoke softly as she turned around to face her dear, her normally pale little "niece" rubicund in the face from all her crying and snot. She was just a six year old cutie, too young to understand the hardships of the world. "All things die. It is just the will of God."
Briar's countenance turned from mournful to animus . "Then I hate God for what he has done,"
Poor Fauna nearly had a heart attack. "No child, don't!" she grasped Briar's head, firmly but softly, by her hands and forced to look into her large, elderly eyes. Briar Rose, in retrospect, recalls this being one of the few times Aunt Fauna had ever been this stern (with her at least).
"Rose, don't you ever say that again! God's will may be a mystery to us, but we must be remember that what he does he does for our greater good! Worse, letting anger control your mind will make you as mean and cold-hearted as Male-." She stopped right then.
"Who's Male?" asked the ever wondering dreamer.
Aunt Fauna took a deep breath, bracing her mental state for the next answer. "Dear, I know you loved that creature like no other could but we mustn't let her memory be spoiled by her loss. Do you understand?"
The dreamer rubbed the sides of her arms and gazed at the floor, her young thoughts trying to grasp the meaning of this lesson. "I," she hesitated "guess."
Fauna felt her sternness melt at this sight. She went to her knees, embracing Briar Rose with her two old arms. The child returned the love, letting a new stream of tears fall down as the pain came back. "I miss her so much, Auntie" the little dreamer grieved.
"I know Rose, I know."
Later that day Briar, after finishing her chores and checking to make sure no one would need anymore help, slid out to a little tree with a basket to where a pile of recently disturbed pile of dirt laid. Briar Rose took from the basket a handful of roses and place them upon the grave. It was only a day old but the grass was already growing on it. So was the way of a magical forest. Briar felt a sting of pain enter her, the pain of losing a friend forever to Time and its passing. The little dreamer sighed, but took renewed strength in her lessons. Her friend would not be forgotten, for as long as there was a God in Heaven she would not be forgotten, for Rose still remembered so her friend. Her lessons on the ways of the wood, her beautiful smile, her loving kisses.
Briar gazed upon the pile and closed her eyes. The wind howled through the woods, stirring the leaves like a band of minstrels, like an old Moon-song.
No, she would not be forgotten. And she would always be loved.
"Good-bye Wolfie."
She turned around and, with tears in her eyes, made her way back to the Path.
In the distance, a chorus of Wolves sang their mournful song.
Just a simple one-shot. Nothing to complex about it. If you like, say so and why, if you do not, say so and why. Kind criticism is always welcomed.