Years had gone by since the last of the Family Pack passed away.
Adam and Xael decided to take a walk through the town they had called home, one last time. Due to it's now protected state, the entire area was declared a national park, even the neighboring towns had died off and been consumed into one huge preserve. No construction was allowed and now one was granted permission to live or even camp there any more.
Native or Wolf.
The last resident, an 80 year old woman, had moved away a long time ago. Walking in from the edge along what was the road they road into town on, what was left of the police station had a huge tree growing out of it. The diner suffered the same fate as nature slowly reclaimed it. The moonflower her Grams had planted was growing up the remnants of the covered deck, the sign, barely hanging on to the store front. Instead of moving heaving machines in and spending the time, money and manpower to tear things down, the town was just left abandoned.
"Race ya!" Xael nudged her Mate.
Adam had to silently laugh at her. Even though they were rarely in human form anymore. She was still her same old silly self.
"You're on, Omega!"
"Let's hope you can keep up, Alpha."
The two large wolves took off, running down the now crumbled road they used to drive back and forth on daily. Their cabin was nothing but a huge mound. It had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground years ago after they had transitioned into Spirit Wolves.
Huge paws pounded the ground as they ran through town and made their way towards what was once Cutler's Pass. The Pass had turned to a dirt path now; how many decades had passed since a vehicle drove down it?
Xael would always remember that section of now nonexistent road. It was where she met the Alpha that completely changed her life forever. As they ran through town, all of the memories Xael allowed to flow through.
A lot of the town was like that, disappearing into the forest, any trace of human or Wolven being erased. No humans had ventured out there in ages. Occasionally, young Wolven Natives would sneak out for a night or two in what was left of the town to reconnect with nature. The wolves would always keep a distant but keen eye on them.
Soon, they reached their target, a path woven in the dense woods. That path was now maintained by the deer and other wildlife that were the occupants of the area. It was all that was left of the road that led to the house. This is where it all started, happened and where it would end. Xael slowed down and came to a leisurely pace. Adam walked alongside her, both enjoying the beautiful day. The large Alpha wolf raised his head to take in a deep breath. They hadn't been here in a long time. Xael finally wanted to give thanks and to say goodbye as her and her beloved Mate took the next steps in what was now their continued life together as full fledged Spirit Wolves.
Slowly yet surely, their loved ones had began to die decades ago. It was all part of the natural cycle of life but that didn't make anyone's passing easier. Xael knew that if she and Adam chose to, they could have their souls reborn but they saw no point in it, at least for now. If they really wanted to, shifting back into human form was an option as well. They were together and to them, that's all that mattered.
Each death hit Xael particularly hard but not as hard as loosing her Gramma Emma. Xael's Grandma Emma had been her entire world. As a Spirit Wolf, Adam and Xael could appear to others at will, but rarely did. Once, Xael had visited her Grammy when she was about 5yrs old after being reincarnated and still retained her lovely and peaceful nature along with her memories of her previous life. Xael wanted to let her know how much she had meant to her and that one day they would be together again. In a few years her Grammy, now called Dariul, would lose all memory of her previous life to make way for her new one. It happened to all of them.
Adam stopped and waited for his Mate to catch up to him. Once Adam had come into his true self, his wolf became bigger than Xael's. He was even bigger than her Grandfather and Taza. As Taza had done for GG, Adam and Xael was present when each of their loved ones took their last breath. Even their kids had past and their Grandchildren were now Elders.
They temporarily shifted into their human forms. The cool earth felt refreshing under their feet. Their long hair flowing around them in the light breeze that was present. Adam embraced his Mate in a hug.
"You going to be okay with this?"
"I'll be fine hon. It's time for me to say goodbye in order to move on. Everyone has already been reborn, it's just ruins now. I'll always have my memories."
"Come on babe."
Walking down the last section of the road, the structure came into view. The only things left standing were the fireplace chimney and section of flooring. A few posts remained but soon they too would be reclaimed by the forest. Around the side they walked to what was the back of the house. So many wonderful memories had been made here. Xael could see their bedroom, where all of her Pups had been born. Each one delivered by her Grandmothers. She could see everyone sitting around the dinner table, her young Pups running through the house with Skylar or Grams chasing after them. Xael saw images of her and Adam, snuggled lovingly in the bed that they shared there. Turning to where her Grandmothers chair used to sit, Xael closed her eyes. Opening them, the tears slowly fell as she saw her Grammy working away on her beadwork. Grams looked up and gave a loving smile before disappearing into nothingness.
Adam gave her a few moments alone and disappeared into the dark woods along what was once the trail to the sweat lodge. Xael stood there, taking it all in. She threw her head back and let out a loud and resounding howl; her final goodbye to the life that had brought her so much joy. With a shake, she returned to her wolf form and released whatever strings were still holding her to her past. She turned and trotted to her Alpha, both great wolves returning to the forest. Xael had but one final thought as they went deeper into the woods...
....Goodbye, Grandma's House.
Thank you everyone for following this story to the end. A special THANK YOU to all of you who have stuck with this story since the beginning, it is greatly appreciated. I never intended for this story to go past 50 chapters but more of their story just kept coming.
Ignore the mistakes, I don't edit my last chapters.
Hopefully you have enjoyed the journey and life of Xael, Adam and the others.
I'm not sure how long I'll leave this story up for some reason it doesn't feel right to just let the story sit here for how ever long...we'll see.
Thank You - JuLynda