Karion enjoyed the coming decades with his family, the Wolves. Then one day….
A dark form enters the camp without making so much as a whisper. Six wimpers softly as he catches the familiar scent in the night air. The wolf sentry starts to bolt to the lowwer ground but stops abruptly, just wagging his tail.
The form moves past Grivel's Tree sliding a slender hand across the trunk. The slender form moves quickly from shadow to shadow towards the den proper, remaining unseen by any who may be around. At the opening, the figure pulls a bottle from somewhere beneath the flowing cloak. Upon drinking the potion the slender form begins to disappear.
Without so much as a whisper the invisible form moves quickly through the den to the Wolves' sleeping quarters. An ancient looking chest, covered in decades worth of dust, slowly opens. One by one, items begin to rise from the chest then vanish in thin air. First, a fine iron longsword, then a battered shield, many potion bottles, and two fine rapiers. As slowly as it opened the chest closes once again. A few moments later Six wimpers once again. A keen eye may have seen his fur flatten, momentarily, on the right side of his neck.
Suddenly, an arrow streaks through the air slamming into the target across the way. A dark, slender form appears to Six's left. The form sits on the ground allowing his feet to dangle over the ledge above the camp's entrance. Six promptly lays across the form's lap, enjoy the attention he so rarely receives anymore. The form looks down at the aging wolf and smiles. "Like you, my old friend, I too am getting too old for these games" the forms says in the melodic language of the elves. "The time of the old wolf has passed. The time of the cub is upon us." the melodic voice continues. "Even here, the safest place in all of Narfell, I can feel death's grip getting closer and closer", the voice proclaims sadly. "Now, I am too old and too tired to continue to run from it."
The sun rises and signs of life once again returns to the camp below. It doesn't take long before someone takes notice of the slender form seemingly asleep next to Six on the hill above. Upon closer investigation they realize that the form, dressed in black wizard's robes with twin rapiers on his hips, is actually Karion Silverbow ("The Old Wolf") is in fact sleeping the sleep of death. With no visible marks the cause of Karion's death in unknown though, in truth he had given up, Karion Silverbow, The Old Wolf, had simply given up his will to live.
Tala upon finding the body cries openly. She speaks softly as she lifts the old wolf gently holding him against her as if he were a baby and moves him towards Grivel's tree.
She speaks softly in the melodic language of the elves, "You can have the sword back."
Working carefully she removes his things from his body begining the process of preparing the body for burial. She sings what few elven mourning songs she has picked up as well as a smattering of other elven songs. She leaves him resting under the tree for others to come and say their goodbyes.
Jerrick comes by as he has been seen flitting in and out of the den often these days, and comes across the scene, slowing down from his fast trot to a complete stop with a look of surprise, then disappointment.
He sits on the rock that Grivel's tree sprouts from, while the wind blows his hair out of his face, and ruffles Karion's hair as well.
"I hope you feel that ours was time well spent, brother.", he tells him, patting the shoulder of his friend lightly.
Jerrick then turns thoughts to what his friend would want done with his form, once people have said their goodbyes. Stoneshape a place here in the den? Or interred in the ground under the sky? Yes... that seems more fitting.
A strange wind begins softly and picks up speed howling through the camp. The leaves on Grivel's tree shimmer and strain against the wind until one falls silently down to land on Karion's still form.
((Thanks to all of those who contributed to the story. A special thanks to the Wolves of Narfell for making my story worth telling. I love you all.))
