Status: Finally finished. :)
The Nagual
A Final Good-bye
--That very afternoon--
"It was my fault, wasn't it?" Sohrab asked.
Shortly after Sohrab had released the fire through his mouth, he fell to the ground while simultaneously morphing back to his original self. The fire had spread and there wasn't much time to be wasted. Boeden wanted some sign of hope for Felia but he knew his wish wouldn't be granted. Instead he found Sohrab's body and carried him away from the fire and down the path to Wren's home. He called for the Naguals who stayed to follow him and they did. Wren had helped the people towards the back of the traveling group get on track.
"She's dead because of me, isn't she?" the dying man asked.
When the group of people reached Wren's cottage, Boeden had set Sohrab down on the first chair he saw in the woman's home. It was cushioned and made of a soft material so Sohrab sort of sank into it, finally reaching some sort of comfortable state.
"No." Boeden said. "It was my fault. I let her go."
"But you're not the one who caused the fire." Sohrab said, holding onto his side. Boeden called out for more bandages but Sohrab placed his other hand on the man's arm. "Don't bother." he said. "You'll be wasting them on a dead man."
"You're not dead yet, Sohrab." Boeden said.
There's was a silence between the two friends until another Nagual, a woman with short blond hair, approached them with a long white cloth. "It was all that we could find." she said.
"It will do just fine. Thank you." Boeden said, nodding to her. As the woman left, Boeden tried to pull him forward as lightly as he could in order to wrap the make-shift bandage across his abdomen.
Some of the Naguals in Wren's kitchen were talking. "There was no chance Kahili lived." one of them said in a low voice. "The wound was too deep. There's a good chance she died before the fire even took place."
The two of them sat there for a while. Boeden stole glances every once in a while at a window that looked out towards the rest of Norden. He could still see the tops of the trees aflame but it was starting to die down. It would be over soon.
"You loved her, didn't you?" Sohrab asked.
Boeden sighed through his nose. "I wonder if it's even possible to love someone after only knowing them for less than three days."
Sohrab smiled and said, "Looks like it."
Boeden looked at him and smiled sadly. "Then I guess so."
Sohrab nodded and leaned his head back. "You'll be okay." He started to close his eyes.
Boeden grasped onto his friend's hand and said, "Maybe."
Sohrab whispered, "You will." and then nothing more.
---
Outside of Wren's cottage, every Nagual, including those who had previously ran, had gathered in the back of her house where a funeral of sorts took place.
"We lost four people today." Boeden addressed the crowd. "Fraus, Kahili . . ." He paused, letting the crowd cough and stir just a little. " . . . Sohrab, and Felia." At the last two names, there was a respectful silence. Those who knew Sohrab before started to silently weep.
"I know many of you feel that we should really only mourn two people today. But listen to me when I say this: are we any better than them if we do not mourn them? Who were they, anyway, Fraus and Kahili? They were just two people. Were they so different than us? Sure, we didn't kill anyone. But are we better? Is anyone?
"We are all flawed; each and every one of us. We do things we are ashamed of. Everyone has a dark secret or a skeleton in their closet. Yet, we also do things that we can be proud of; whether it be standing up for someone or sacrificing your life to save a village of strangers.
This, my friends, is what we must remember. Keep in your hearts the good of people around you. After all, if all you keep in your heart are the things that eat you up inside, then you won't have much of a heart left."
A great wind blew through the area and someone started to sing. It was Wren. As tears rolled down her cheeks, a melodic and uplifting pattern of notes fell from her lips. It wasn't a song that anyone there recognized but they all felt like it was just right. Everyone stopped to listen. In fact, it felt like the whole world listened.
"It was my fault, wasn't it?" Sohrab asked.
Shortly after Sohrab had released the fire through his mouth, he fell to the ground while simultaneously morphing back to his original self. The fire had spread and there wasn't much time to be wasted. Boeden wanted some sign of hope for Felia but he knew his wish wouldn't be granted. Instead he found Sohrab's body and carried him away from the fire and down the path to Wren's home. He called for the Naguals who stayed to follow him and they did. Wren had helped the people towards the back of the traveling group get on track.
"She's dead because of me, isn't she?" the dying man asked.
When the group of people reached Wren's cottage, Boeden had set Sohrab down on the first chair he saw in the woman's home. It was cushioned and made of a soft material so Sohrab sort of sank into it, finally reaching some sort of comfortable state.
"No." Boeden said. "It was my fault. I let her go."
"But you're not the one who caused the fire." Sohrab said, holding onto his side. Boeden called out for more bandages but Sohrab placed his other hand on the man's arm. "Don't bother." he said. "You'll be wasting them on a dead man."
"You're not dead yet, Sohrab." Boeden said.
There's was a silence between the two friends until another Nagual, a woman with short blond hair, approached them with a long white cloth. "It was all that we could find." she said.
"It will do just fine. Thank you." Boeden said, nodding to her. As the woman left, Boeden tried to pull him forward as lightly as he could in order to wrap the make-shift bandage across his abdomen.
Some of the Naguals in Wren's kitchen were talking. "There was no chance Kahili lived." one of them said in a low voice. "The wound was too deep. There's a good chance she died before the fire even took place."
The two of them sat there for a while. Boeden stole glances every once in a while at a window that looked out towards the rest of Norden. He could still see the tops of the trees aflame but it was starting to die down. It would be over soon.
"You loved her, didn't you?" Sohrab asked.
Boeden sighed through his nose. "I wonder if it's even possible to love someone after only knowing them for less than three days."
Sohrab smiled and said, "Looks like it."
Boeden looked at him and smiled sadly. "Then I guess so."
Sohrab nodded and leaned his head back. "You'll be okay." He started to close his eyes.
Boeden grasped onto his friend's hand and said, "Maybe."
Sohrab whispered, "You will." and then nothing more.
---
Outside of Wren's cottage, every Nagual, including those who had previously ran, had gathered in the back of her house where a funeral of sorts took place.
"We lost four people today." Boeden addressed the crowd. "Fraus, Kahili . . ." He paused, letting the crowd cough and stir just a little. " . . . Sohrab, and Felia." At the last two names, there was a respectful silence. Those who knew Sohrab before started to silently weep.
"I know many of you feel that we should really only mourn two people today. But listen to me when I say this: are we any better than them if we do not mourn them? Who were they, anyway, Fraus and Kahili? They were just two people. Were they so different than us? Sure, we didn't kill anyone. But are we better? Is anyone?
"We are all flawed; each and every one of us. We do things we are ashamed of. Everyone has a dark secret or a skeleton in their closet. Yet, we also do things that we can be proud of; whether it be standing up for someone or sacrificing your life to save a village of strangers.
This, my friends, is what we must remember. Keep in your hearts the good of people around you. After all, if all you keep in your heart are the things that eat you up inside, then you won't have much of a heart left."
A great wind blew through the area and someone started to sing. It was Wren. As tears rolled down her cheeks, a melodic and uplifting pattern of notes fell from her lips. It wasn't a song that anyone there recognized but they all felt like it was just right. Everyone stopped to listen. In fact, it felt like the whole world listened.