I Gave It All I Had
Avalon's Death Thread
11-01-2020, 08:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-02-2020, 12:30 AM by Avalon.)
ooc//kids post first then the pack can post
The summer sun was just barely rising from its slumber, paving the way for dawns approach. Avalon lay curled in her den, stirring slightly as she started to wake. For so long she had slept, her body weakened by age and the long life she had lived. Amber gaze still remained bright, however, but today...that brightness would fade. Her den was dark as her old bones stirred, the Ancoran matriarch stiffly and slowly pulling herself to stand as each painful breath raggedly echoed in the silence. What should have only taken a moment and a few steps to reach outside had taken her a painfully long time. Her legs didn't want to work the way they should, and each step took an exceptionally long time as her limbs shook and protested. She knew her time was coming someday...and she had the sense that one of the days would be her last. She could feel it, not just in her bones but in her very soul. After what felt like an eternity, Avalon had finally made it to the mouth of her den where she stood and leaned against its opening, eyes blinking to adjust to the pre-dawn light as the sun started to make its way over Boreas. She remained there for a minute or two so she could catch her breath before shuffling further out. She wanted to watch the sunrise today, something she hadn't done for a while since she'd been too weak, but she missed the rays of the sun on her body. With great effort, she climbed into a position atop her den that would allow her the full view of the sun rising between the trees, and there she slowly and ungracefully laid down once again. Her breath was hard, her chest pounding from the effort it took to get her here despite it only being a few short feet. Nobody else was awake at this hour. It seemed even the world itself was still sleeping, and the only ones awake now were her and the sun. Closing her eyes, Avalon began to think back on her life. She remembered her family from when she was a child. Her father...her mother...her brothers and sisters. Her cousins, aunts, and uncles...she had so much then...and even after she lost it all, she had more or less tried to rebuild it with children of her own. And while she hadn't seen some of her children in ages, she didn't love them any less. She was grateful for the time she did have with them. Before life pulled them all onto their own paths. The faces of each of her children flashed in her mind. Some she hadn't seen in quite some time...and her heart broke, wondering where they were. What they were up to. If they were okay...she wished she could see them all together at least once, but she knew that would be nothing but a wishful dream. She wished she could tell each and every one of them how much she loved them. Even to her older children who might have felt like she didn't... Would they know that she loved them no matter what? She had tried so hard for them all...even in her old age, she tried hard for the youngest. Even on days when her bones screamed for rest, she tried. Granted, she spent a lot of the past year resting or dealing with pain, she still tried to get up and teach them what she could when she was able to. Her throat tightened then...would her youngest forgive her for not being able to do all that a younger mother might have been able to do? She felt bad...but there was nothing she could do about it now. She had taken care of Chrystelle the best she could while she was ill, and she had done the best she could for her other children while also trying to let them find their own paths as she tried to guide them. She never claimed she was the best mother in the world, but she tried the best she could. As the sun began to rise, Avalon's breathing lessened. She felt tired...although she had woken up not too long ago, she felt like she wanted to sleep again. Not a stranger to life and how it worked, she knew her time was nearing. She was too weak to go back into her den, however, and even if she did have the chance to return to the warmth of her den, she was likely to remain outside where she could see the sun one last time. Her eyes fluttered open as the sun rose over the horizon. The sky turning from varying shades of darkness to golds and blues as the sun made its way into the sky. She could feel its warmth touching her fur. Her view was unblocked by the trees and mountains...the sun's rays perfectly aligning on her old, frail body. To others, it would have been the perfect day. And for her...it still was. Even if she was on death's door, she wouldn't have asked for a better scene. "Avalon..." A voice both familiar yet unfamiliar echoed in her ears. She turned her head slightly as she searched for the source, but saw no one. "Avalon..." Her attention was pulled back to the sun, and there she swore she saw what looked like an apparition. Brows knit together a bit as her gaze tried to focus. Bit by bit the silhouette grew more solid, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Father...?" There, standing before her, was none other than the man she missed most. Gargoyle stood before in all his strength and glory. Just like in the days of old from when she was a child. "Avalon...we've missed you. It's time for you to come home," He stepped forward until their noses touched. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and it was exactly as she remembered. Even though she hadn't seen them since she was a pup, no tears came. She felt...at peace. "Avalon!" Peering past her father's hulking figure, she spotted her mother's delicate frame standing behind him, a gentle smile on her face as always. More voices followed, all just as familiar as the last as one by one, her littermates appeared. Her heart swelled with happiness as she recognized each one, their faces clear as if they were as real as the world she lived in. But...she knew it wasn't real. She knew what was happening. She felt almost...guilty...at what she'd be leaving behind. "Father...I...I don't know if I can leave them behind..." Her children...what would they do without her? "It's okay, Avalon. They will be fine. They will understand you did your best for them, and that you loved them. They will be well looked after by our kin." She swallowed back the uncertainty...wishing she could tell them all she loved them one last time. But she knew she'd never be able to find them all in time...even most certainly not now considering...well...if she could see her family that she hadn't seen in years, she knew what all of this meant. Whether she liked it or not, she was beginning to pass on. It was something she had accepted long before it actually happened, and although it saddened her to leave her children behind, she hoped they knew how much she loved them all. Turning back to her father, she nodded. "I am ready." Her heart pounded as Gargoyle reached forward to touch her again, and when he did, she felt a warmth spread through her body. The pain and aches that she had been dealing with died away. Her fur returned to its former pristine and fluffy self, and she no longer felt like the tired old woman she had been. She felt...young again. Energetic. Full of life. She rose to her paws, her limbs steady and strong once again. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward to join her father's side, the way things should have been so many years ago. She walked with him back to the family she had lost, hugging her mother and her siblings. Feeling their warmth and love all over again. As the family turned towards the sun, Avalon stopped and gazed back towards the pines. She whispered. This was where she had taken her first breath...and where she'd take her last... "I love you all, my dears..." -Exit Avalon via Death- "Talk" "You" Think |
Current time: 11-21-2024, 05:07 PM
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