My W Unit

Two days and very little sleep later, I received the call that Dr. Samara managed to create a vaccine and an antidote for the virus. I sighed in relief as she told me that she and the other doctor was in the middle of making mass quantities of it to send out. After hanging up, I looked over the group I was with. Two of the wolves were pacing, getting worse with each passing hour. Even Zane was looking a bit haggard trying to fight the feral urge the virus induced.
"They've created a vaccine and antidote, so just hang tight and you'll be getting it hopefully soon." I called out to everyone, although I knew most had heard my conversation. A sigh of relief spread throughout the camp we set up and the tension seemed to deflate a little. After a few minutes I got up from my seat and walked over to Zane. "Hey Zane?" He looked up but didn't say anything. "What do you want to do with Marco?" My eyes fell on Marco's body before looking away. "We could try to get him back to the ship, but he's already starting to... I know wolves prefer natural instead of being preserved. We can bury him here if you want."
Zane didn't answer right away, but after thinking a moment he replied, "We'll bury him here and bring his personal items back for the Cimenterium."
I nodded and turned, but before walking away I whispered, "I'm sorry." Then I walked into the surrounding forest. Without a word, Deklyn followed after me and jogged to catch up.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm looking for wolfsbane. It's tradition to wrap a wolf in it after death to keep them permanently shifted in thier wolf's form."
Deklyn hesitated as he asked, "Did... Was Jay wrapped in it?"
"Yes, but I had to fight for it. Just like everything else." I whispered the latter part so quietly I wasn't sure if even Deklyn's super hearing caught it. We spend twenty minutes searching for the purple flower and finally found it a mile from our camp site. As Deklyn kept a distance, I picked the flowers and stuffed them in my pack. Once satisfied with the amount collected, we headed back and waited for the medicine to arrive.

Another day passed and the comm finally called again. "Hello?" I answered, already knowing who it was.
"Hi, just wanted to let you know that shuttles will be flying overhead to dispatch the medicine. Boxes should be dropped near you within the day." Dr. Samara smiled.
"You're the best. You and your team." I smiled back.
"Only doing our jobs. I will talk to you later."
"Okay, bye and thank you." I signed off, a smile still plastered to my face. Five hours later, a shuttle was heard and we watched as packages were dropped. "Alright, those who are fine come with me. Everyone else, hang tight and we'll be back." Those non infected or carriers, followed after me as we headed to the drop site. It took us about a half an hour to reach the two packages and another ten to sort through everything.
"Alright everyone," I said after we had neat piles. "Line up, I'm going to vax you and then we'll head back to the camp to pass out the meds to everyone." The wolves easily lines up and I carefully vaccinated each of them so they could go near their fellow wolves.
We were gone a total of an hour and a half when we reentered the encampment. The wolves that were stuck behind all stood up and looked anxiously at us. "I going to do the infected first, starting with those of you who are farther along and then I'll help the carriers. Those of you infected will receive a vaccine and then pills that you will have to take three times a day for the next week. You have to make sure you take them or else the virus might come back with vengeance. Understood?" The wolves nodded. "Okay, let's set things up and everyone create lines." As I vaccinated everyone, Deklyn and a few other wolves separated the pills and handed them out. It was a bit slow at first, but once we got into a rhythm, everything went smoothly.
That night everyone crowded around a deep long hole. It was solemn as Zane, Killian, and Jasper places Marco on a blanket someone had given up for this occasion. I carefully wrapped a wolfsbane entwined rope around him, knowing it was more for ritual purposes than practicality. Any other time, Marco would have been wrapped immediately, but with what the previous days entailed we could not tamper with his body. I placed my hand over his heart before standing up and taking my place next to Deklyn and Rory. Zane finished wrapping Marco and then the three wolves carefully lowered him into the ground. Without talking the group walked in a clockwise rotation to sprinkle some dirt over his body. Once everyone went a few words were said over him and then the rest of the dirt was shoveled back into the hole. Everyone watched silently as Marco's body disappeared and the hole filled.
After a moment of silence, Zane let out a mournful howl which was quickly followed by every other wolf. A traditional burial ritual that my brother never got the honor of having. I felt numb as the reality of everything started baring down on me. I couldn't even cry as I stared at the newly filled in grave of the man that had taken care of me, sang with me, and did his best to protect me; the man I shot. Without thinking and as the wolves howled, I sang:
Tempus est noster
Ut iremus in noctem aeternam
Sequi aeternam lunæ
Currere cum lupis.

Vitae est finis noster
Et alius incipit.
Siluescit et solvo
Cum magnis luna
Ubi non est dolor.

Ultima sunt domum tuam
Sit ventus flaret vobiscum in aeternum.
Respirent in aeternum, amice
Quoniam in aeternum vestra nunc est.

Nos ululabit nocte, amice
Nos ululabit nocte hac pro vobis.
Memorandum,
In luctum,
In acceptatione.

Pack vestris, vestris carorum
Te requiro sed nulla.
Iam estis nos sanguinem fratris
Et non obliviscar tui mea.

Tempus est noster
Ut iremus in noctem aeternam
Sequi aeternam lunæ
Currere cum lupis

The wolves finished halfway through the song, but listened intently. My words made know sense to them for it was in a language long since forgotten and dead, but they were powerful; they were haunting. Finally when I stopped, I turned to go. I couldn't stay, it would have been my brother's funeral all over again where I had to be forcibly taken away. I felt someone follow me, but neither of us said a word.
It wasn't until later that night when most had gone to bed and I was staring blankly at nothing, that Rory scooted over to me. "Hey Rai?" Rory asked. A few of our unit mates and wolves still awake slightly turned their heads to listen.
"Yeah?" I replied, shifting my head so I could see him in my peripherals.
"That song you sang, where did you hear it?"
I didn't answer right away, my mind going back to that day. "My brother sang it when a packmate of his died. He told me it was an old song wolves use to sing when another wolf died."
"What language is it in? I've never heard it before."
"Latin, a language long dead."
"What are the lyrics?" I turned my head fully to see Lyla sitting up from her bedroll.
"They are:
It is now time, my friend
To walk in the eternal night,
To follow the eternal moon,
To run with the wolves.

Your life has ended, my friend
And another life begins.
Run wild and free
With the great moon
Where there is no pain.

The wilds are now your home
Let the breeze forever blow with you.
Breathe in eternity, my friend
For forever is now yours.

We shall howl tonight, my friend
We shall howl tonight for you.
In remembrance,
In mourning,
In acceptance.

Your pack, your loved ones
Will miss you, but never forget.
You are our blood brother
And we shall never forget you, my friend.

Then it repeats a few times and you can change 'brother' to 'sister' depending on the actual gender of the wolf."
"Clara Tunglþræll wrote that song when her brother died in the first great war." Sebastian informed, startling a few of the wolves. "After that, it became tradition to sing it for wolves that died in battle."
"You know a lot about the Tunglþræll line." Trina stared at him. Over the last few days together, Sebastian talk about the founding family of the werewolves a lot.
"I'm fascinated by them. They managed to do things no one else has ever been able to do. Don't you find them interesting, Rai?" His silver eyes shone in the dark for a second. I didn't reply as I returned to staring at nothing.