Hanako slept a lot lately, not out of laziness or even from just a lack of something pressing to do. Just exhaustion. She welcomed the void, the peace and quiet that came with it. And yet this place was far soften than the world of her nightmares, colourful like the magic that swirled around that statue. There was no pain here, as though such a thing couldn't pass through, so when Hanako pushed herself into an upright position it didn't hurt. But her tail was a mangled thing still, shorter than it used to be and when she swiped her tongue across her teeth she felt the uneven edge of her canine. Had she some water to look at her reflection she would have noticed the bruises that bloomed across the pink of her skin, blending in with the splodgy koi markings in a cruel mockery. Just to rub things in further.

And yet there was peace here,a soft voice on the wind she thought she recognised...

The afterlife has been good to Meadow. Where she had been sad and filled with doubts in life, here she has peace. She had been reunited with Resin and the pair roam the snow-covered mountains of their youth. Awareness is a strange thing here, with her mind often drifting along in the soft gray of slumbering peace. She knows that she is always with Resin and climbing the peaks of their homes but there is no way to measure the passage of time here. After all, that seems to be a construct that only the living need.

Meadow is racing across the frozen lake that is circled by the mountain faces when a gentle touch from a mind she knows brushes against the dead wolf’s presence. Stopping mid run, the woman turns in the direction of where she felt it originate from and gently calls, “Hanako.” A smile pulls at her lips as she pulls into a trot, moving to where the koi-marked wolf is. The world of her home land falls away and, in its place, a green meadow in early spring appears. She does not notice the shift but she can feel the sun on her pelt.

Soft pink petals flutter in a gentle breeze as she approaches her friend, and she hums a gentle song for Hanako as tons of bright flowers dance around them. Meadow sees Hanako push up into a seated position and the song dies as her steps falter. Bruises mar her friend’s skin; her tail is shorter and she looks… broken. Her heart breaks and the dead woman wastes no time in crossing the remaining distance to where her injured friend is. Pushing out a breath with Hana’s name on it, Meadow reaches the injured wolf and envelopes her in a gentle, loving embrace.

Instinctively, she holds her like a mother does a child who has scraped their knee, gently trying to soothe her while letting her know she is okay. Yes, she is smaller than Hanako but something tells her that the injured woman needs to be held… to be loved. A small paw lifts off the ground and comes to rest against the koi woman’s side where she gently rubs circles. With a sad sigh, Meadow lays her head on top of Hana’s and softly says, “Oh Hanako.” Words seem insufficient right now so she contents herself with holding her friend.



"Meadow Lark"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2020

To be lonely and then not was such a strange feeling. Meadow just had a way of being present, there and supportive without asking too many questions. Without pressing the whys so hard it was difficult to breathe. Hanako leaned into her embrace, her breathing a little shaky as a lump formed in her throat. She recognised that this place, ground littered with pink petals and gentle sunlight, wasn't real. Not real in the same way wounds hurt and hearts ached but...oh how she wished it could be.

"Why did you have to go?"  She whined softly, curling around the ghost of her best friend. Like enough love could bring her back.

Meadow holds onto her friend as if the koi-marked wolf’s life depends on it. Warmth blooms around them as she merely thinks of it and the area shifts to accommodate, rising until it feels like they are in the perfect summer day. The pink petals around them give off the gentle fragrance of cherry blooms as the dead wolf tries to shape her very world to comfort Hanako. Her embrace is strong, yet there is a gentleness to the way she rubs small circles into the hurting woman’s back. When her friend softly whines a question to her, the smaller woman softly shushes her and nuzzles her cheek in a show of comfort.

Why did she have to go? A million answers spring to mind but they all boil down to one thing. Without releasing Hanako, Meadow offers a small sigh and answers her, “Because that is where the wind took me. In life, I was restless and thought I didn’t belong anywhere. So, I wandered. It wasn’t until I had my children that I realized everything I had missed.” A knowing smile appears as she pulls back slightly, bring the paw that was rubbing circles on Hana’s back up to wipe away the tears on her friend’s face.

Love is something that Meadow felt so intensely in life and it does not seem that death can dull it. As she looks at her broken friend, the dead wolf softly says, “Life has a way of taking us where are needed. I touched a lot of lives after I left yours. But, I need you know this; I never stopped thinking about you, my friend.” She leans in, nuzzling the woman’s pale cheek once more while still embracing her. Catching her friend’s icy blue gaze, the woman gently adds, “What do you need me to do?”

Seeing Hanako in this state has Meadow feeling a stirring of something besides love and, if she could, she would go track down the wolf or wolves responsible and give them… a firm talking to.



"Meadow Lark"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2020