Chapter Eleven

Rose

One of the surviving elders, with the assistance of Matt, performed the ceremony. It was short, but it echoed in all of our hearts. We had a graveyard, but it was not large enough to accommodate everyone we lost. The new cemetery was now where one of our flower and herb gardens used to be. It was the only place that had enough space and was not on top of the village. One by one, we walked by, each one saying goodbye and thanking them for their contribution to our pack. My dad, Matt, Harriet, a few warriors, and a couple of regular pack members covered each body with my dirt as the last pack members said goodbye to them. My mom trailed behind, placing wildflowers on each of the graves.

Heather stood beside me with her finger intertwined with mine while we watched the depressing repetition. She squeezed my hand and pulled me to walk away. I let her lead me. I knew she wanted to get away from there. After all, she could have died and then been buried in that field i