fading away

Maybe a year had passed since Haiku had felt right in his own skin. Not long after parting with Bowen for the last time he had begun to grow ill. Hardly noticeable at first the sickness had taken its time in making itself known, now there could be no doubt that the once impressive man's health was failing. He was sickly and his fur didn’t hold any luster. Looking almost as if every hair was covered in a fine powder. His eyes were yellowed and looked dry, no matter how much water he drank he always seemed to be dehydrated.

His once dark paws carried him home now, to the lands that had once been claimed by his family A pack so great he had thought that it would never fall, and yet for many years now it was gone. He had once been invincible just like Abaven, but now it was gone and he was following. He was weak and hadn’t eaten much more than the scraps that sweet Prose had brought to him. Not that he could even really keep that much down. He knew that his life was short, that was why he returned to his home now. There was no one left to bury him, so he would just hope that Prose would protect his bones as he faded away near his Father’s grave.

He slowly walked the paths he had once known so well as a child, a stark reminder of what had been and the past that he would soon join.

"Bowen & Haiku"