Changing Rain

The Healing

" You are too good a friend to me Joesph. " 

" I only do what I can. " Elih nodded, beginning his walk back to the hillside. Joesph fell in step beside him.  

" Ive been thinking," he said " Maybe we should get a headstone for Eric as well. " 

" But we never found the body." 

" I'm aware, but he had a good soul. And I want the others to remember that. " Joesph said as Elih mulled it over for a moment as his feet crunched then snow below.  

" I would like that, thank you. " The humble man shrugged like it was nothing, but Elih knew that It would just mean more work. He was extremely grateful for Joesph's offer.  

They were cresting the small hill just elow the wall of tents when they saw Raiyne. She was in wolf form limping on her front leg back towards the tents, coming from the forest. In her mouth dangled a fat rabbit. Joesph blinked.  

" Did you know she left camp?" Elih shook his head, picking up his pace to catch up to her. Quincy's young son sprinted out from the tents and beat him to her. He hung on Raiyne's neck fondly as she snorted in surprise. A few other young children could be seen peeking timidly out from behind the tents, uncertain. Elih stopped to watch, curious to see what would happen. 

Two of Christina's children, the twins Ralph and Rebbecca slowly emerged, as timid as the rabbit Raiyne clenched her jaws around. When they reached her side, they shyly reached out to pet her back, their small faces full of wonder. Elih watched, his amusement bubbling up and helping to clear the dimming cobwebs from his mind. These children had never even seen a dog, Raiyne's wolf form must have looked very odd to them.  

More children started to pop out from the line of tents, each wanting to touch and feel Raiyne, make sure she was real. Raiyne dropped the rabbit and tried to limp away, but she was too slow. It left Elih wondering how she had caught it in the first place. The children easily overcame her sorry pace, trailing their small hands along her upright ears and long waving tail.  

A small girl began to giggle as she grabbed the tail, Raiyne jumped a little and looked back to see her smiling. Gently she flipped her tail out of the girls hands, brushing the girls face and making her sneeze. Giggling again she kept trying to nab Raiyne's tail, who kept twirling it out of reach. Pretty soon all the children were pushing each other aside to try and nab the tail.  

Raiyne began to relax, waveing her tail harder, turning it into a game.  

" That's something I never expected to see." Joesph mildly stated as he came to stand next to Elih. With a leap into the air, Raiyne twisted about so she landed facing the children in the strangest pose he had ever seen. Her front legs were splayed out in front of her while her chest just barley touched the ground with her back legs still upright and standing. It looked like a playful bow, especially with her jaws agape and her red tongue lolling out in an in an unmistakable grin. The children gleefully began to chase after her, and her stiff muscles seemed to loosen enough for her to playfully run away, twirling out of their reach at last moment. 

Elih grinned as he stepped forward to pick up the dropped rabbit. Raiyne let out a pair of excited barks as the children continued to chase her back and forth across the small field adjacent to the village tents. A crunching of snow behind them made him look over his shoulder to see Christina watching with a small smile on her face. She blushed when she saw that Elih had caught her spying.  

" It really is Raiyne, isn't it." She said her voice vibrant with an undercurrent of happiness. Elih folded his arms and went back to watching the play as she came to stand next to them.