The Lost Wolf Pup

Chapter 38:The Aftermath

It's been a day since the war ended. We counted our deaths, mourning our losses. With the war over, many of us can go back to our lives, however, it seems Chris, and I have a lot of work on our hands. While the war didn't get over a mile past our borders, it seemed it still left quite a mess. Our once bright green grass is now stained with red, a tainting memory of those who lost their loved ones in the crossfire.

Chris and I's job was to get a clean-up crew to find some way to get rid of the stains. We meet up where the battle happened, and I can't help but cringe. The wound is still deep from the events that have happened. We look around, wondering what our next step should be. I look at the clean-up crew and walk over to them. "So, what do you guys suggest." Not expecting a voice from behind, one of the men jumps before turning around to answer. "It seems there is a lot of blood here; I don't think water will fix this. We will try it, but we might have to cut the grass and let it grow once more." I nod, knowing this is most likely a difficult task, and I should leave it up to them.

After figuring out that situation, Chris and I go to our offices to figure out the fallen soldiers' funerals. It seemed this was the most challenging part of the job and the speech we have to give today. I get my papers ready, grimacing as I look at all the fallen soldiers' names. It isn't easy, looking down, reading the names of old friends, colleagues, and others you knew but never got the chance to truly understand. I know this must be just as hard on Chris though; this is our family, and seeing so many lost is hard.  As I write I can't help but feel the tears falling down my face, this was real. We had lost so many friends, siblings, and parents. I set the papers down, needing a break from my thoughts; sadly, that only made it worse. I started to think about what my father would say at a moment like this; I knew I shouldn't think about him right now; I needed to be strong, not only for him but for our pack.

We had won, but to me, this war was a loss. It wasn't worth the life taken; now, he would never meet his grandkid. I felt my face become wet; no matter what I tried, I couldn't stop myself from crying. I looked up to see Chris; he looked tired, older. My mind became dark for a second, thinking about how he shouldn't be so tired; he's not the one who lost his dad. I shook my head, feeling awful for thinking that he might not have lost his father, but he lost his pack members, who are still our family.

I smile softly at him, wanting to forget about my sorrows. Walking over to him, I put my hand on his shoulder, knowing no words I could say could relieve his pain. While our casualties were low, seeing those we know and love dead still hurt us.

He nodded lightly, slumping as if he was keeping up a front. We stood like that for a minute before Chris broke down crying; I closed the door and sat on the couch with him, putting my arm around his shoulder and letting him cry it out, knowing I had nothing to say. We sat there for what felt like an hour before Chris ran out of tears; it became quiet with a couple of sniffles here and there. After a few more minutes, I hugged him before standing up, putting my hand out for him to take. "Ready to do this, man?" I said, knowing his answer. He rubbed his eyes before answering, "Ready as I'll ever be."

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We stood there on the stage, looking down at the entire pack, keeping our emotions in, knowing it wouldn't do good to be upset right now.

Chris walks up to the microphone, taking a deep breath before talking, "I gathered you all here today to discuss our fallen; though we won the war, this still is a great loss for us all, each of these soldiers worked hard for our victory, and we did prevail. I cannot put into words how much pain you all must feel; we all lost a part of our family. We will hold a funeral for all those who lost their lives in the war; I will be there to honor each and every one of our fallen, I know this doesn't solve the pain, but I hope that after today we can move on, remembering those who helped us through this war, not as the fallen soldiers they are but the people they were. May we all rest peacefully now; thanks to everyone who served. I give you all my condolences, but I hope from now on we can have a bright future".

The crowd was quiet, everyone taking in his words; this speech was the hardest part for everyone. For Chris, he had to give the speech; for others, this was a wake-up call that those gone are truly gone. Chris looks back at me, my eyes dull as it officially sinks in that I'll never see my father again. Chris smiled softly; he knew what I was thinking but didn't pry.

Everyone starts to whisper among each other as Chris, and I walk off the stage. Chris goes towards the crowd and starts talking to the families of the fallen. We had only lost thirty of our men, yet it felt like we lost a thousand.

I make my way back to the packhouse, hoping that no one will stop me; the last thing I need is someone to tell me they are sorry for my loss. As I get closer to the packhouse, I feel someone grab my arm. I looked back, getting ready to hear the words I dread so much, but once I turned around, I sighed in relief. I smile softly at Hailey, feeling better now. Hailey pulls me into a hug; I hold her close as I feel the tears form in my eyes. She pats my back as I cry; I didn't realize I needed this. We sat there for a while, just holding each other.

Sarah grabs my face with her hands before saying, "I know you don't want to hear this, but I am so sorry; I don't even know how much pain you must feel, but I hope we can move past this together" I nod, not having any words to say, which seems to be a common occurrence for me today. We go into the packhouse, walking up the stairs to our room. We sat on the bed, just holding each other. I started to feel better and think about Chris's words, we will have a bright future, even if it's dark right now. We stayed like that for the rest of the night.

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We held funerals for the fallen and rewards for those who showed great bravery for three weeks. After a while, the days seemed to have gotten brighter as we all look to better the pack. Eventually, Chris and I started to get back to our usual selves.

Now, there was a new problem I would face. Hailey and I had been together for so long, but we hadn't gotten married yet due to the war and everything else. I think it's about time I proposed to Hailey and made her my wife.