That night, Karma watched as two of the wolves of the Lupine tribe carried an open, white casket to the temple of the god of death. "She should be in Ylva's temple. She was Ylva's child." She thought, bowing her head. Silk, black slacks and a gray tunic over a black shirt with plain brown boots. Clothes of mourning, of death; she had hoped never to wear such colors, be at a funeral—her own mother's! But Fate hadn't been kind to her.
The princess saw the wyvern queen stand to address her people. "Today we mourn the loss of my cousin and the Alphess of the Lupine tribe…"
As Chu'si continued, Nyesh watched as Karma walked toward her mother's casket, falling away from the cluster of black and gray. He saw her take small, tentative steps and wordlessly urged her on.
Without thinking, Karma continued walking, until she reached the casket. No tears fell in mourning but her heart tightened in her chest as she looked on. Her mother's face was serene and Karma would have mistook it for sleep if not for the cold, pale skin. The healers had dressed her in a gown with a dark earthen brown bodice and full green skirts with her arms crossed over her chest. The princess remembered when her mother had worn the gown on her 37th birthday, only three years ago and Karma smiled at the memory.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. Looking up, she saw her father's violet eyes sparkling with tears. "They're going to bury her now." He whispered. His daughter watched as he took one side of the casket and balanced it on his shoulder.
Karma went to take the other and two others—Yrel and Senka— took the other two sides. Bialas took hold of his spear and Branwyn crossed spears with him, the blades in the shape of an X as they walked from the chapel. Two flag-bearers followed: The flags were of a wyvern, symbolizing the Court, and another of a crescent moon shaped as a bow with a shooting star as the arrow: The Lupine flag.
The crowd of mourners followed, some praying, others weeping. Karma carried the casket to the grave where her father, Yrel, and Senka placed it in the grave and covered it. A priestess blessed the grave and the crowd dispersed back into the Court.
Karma and Nyesh, however, remained. Dark clouds overhead dumped rain upon them but father and daughter stayed silently giving their final respects. Nyesh felt himself collapse to the ground, in sobs. "Why?" he whispered, "Why, gods, why did she leave?"
The princess gazed at her father as he wept, a broken man struggling to survive. Wolves mated for life and Nyesh knew Rose's death was part of Ahnleh.
"It wasn't her time, you hear me! It wasn't her time to go!" Nyesh cried his voice choked by tears. "Not yet…" His voice had been reduced to a whisper as he buried his head in his hands
Karma reached out but her hand closed on air and she felt her bottled up emotion finally break. The young princess felt so cold to the bone with the rain soaking her, and she welcomed the numbness that embraced her body, watching as her father cursed the gods. Walking over to him she fell to her knees tears falling down her cheeks, the wind whipping at her clothing. The young tri-blood raised her head to the sky, and she closed her eyes, not caring if she was wet, and cold. The only thing she felt was a numbness that throbbed in her stomach and chest and a rage of thoughts that she submersed herself in, forgetting everything else around her. Her mother was dead.
Dead…gone…never to return.
Those thoughts droned in her mind, never letting go. If doubt was the feeling you feel after someone has died, she felt it now. But right now, father and daughter sat in the rain, mourning the loss of the woman that had died that day: Rose Kai Halthor, Alphess of the Lupine, beloved mate and mother.