Ava

I buried my face in Cooper's shoulder, tears streaming down my cheeks. He wrapped his arms around me, his bandages rubbing my skin.

Cooper, Stella, her relatives, some of Dylan's old friends, and I stood around three tombstones; one was Doug's, one was Rose's, the other was Dylan's. I looked around. Where were my parents?

"Cooper, can I use your phone and call my parents?"

"Sure." He handed me his Samsung and I walked a little ways from the group.

First, I dialed my mom's cell, then my dad's. Neither of them picked up, causing uneasiness to stir in my stomach. I decided to call their home phone.

There was a beep, and an automated voice came through. "We're sorry, but this line has been disconnected," it stated in a stuck up voice.

"Cooper, I'm going to Central Moonshadow to find my parents. Do you wanna come?"

He turned, startled. "Sure, but...during a funeral?"

"Yes."

I turned and walked toward a stand of trees and he followed. When we got there,  we stripped behind trees and shifted.

"Lead the way," he told me.

I nodded and took off, skirting the cemetery. He followed hard on my paws. I reveled in the amazing feeling of wind whipping through my fur. It felt amazing to run with Borealis; he had been released from the hospital a few hours ago, and was unable to do any kind of 'active' activity in his beat up human form until the scars formed.

When we reached my old home, I paused in the lawn, unsure. What if I found...nothing? What if nobody was there?

Borealis sensed my uneasiness through our connection. "I'm right behind you, every step of the way."

We walked up to the door and stood there awkwardly. "How will we open the door?" Borealis wondered.

"Wolves are taller when they sit, so you sit behind me to block me from 'public view,' and I'll shift and open the door."

He nodded and positioned himself. I went behind him and shifted. As soon as I opened the door, I shifted back into cat form.

We walked through the doorway and I emitted a sharp cat version of a gasp. The halls were empty, spare for a few dust bunnies.

"Where's everything?" Borealis asked.

We padded around the house and eventually came to the kitchen. In the kitchen, there was a note. I read in my head, and Borealis read over my shoulder. It said:

March 17, 2015

I gasped. That was only four days ago! Quickly, I read on:

Our dearest Ava,

I don't know if you will ever read this, but I have to get it off my mind before it's too late.
When you ran away, your mother and I sank into a depression so deep that we could barely function. We tried to hold on, but when I woke up this morning, your mother was dead. When I realized I lost her forever, I knew I had to write you a letter in case you came back and found the house empty.
As I hold this pistol in my hand, I can't help but wonder, why did you run? Why did you break contact with us completely? I will never know the answer to this, because my will to live is completely gone; my soulmate died in her sleep, you ran away, and Dylan is lost in a criminal lifestyle and won't change no matter what I say.
If you are reading this, I'm so sorry I couldn't stick around to see your wedding or your kids. I wish you the best of blessings though, and there is one piece of advice I want to leave you with.

It's okay not to be okay. The greatest struggles in life are given to the strongest of people.

Lots of love,

Dad

I choked on a sob and stumbled back into Bo. He caught me, pressing against my side with his warm fur.

In a daze, I stumbled into my room; everything was as it had been when I'd left, but I nothing here felt right or familiar. I lay face down in the softness, pressing my whiskers into the mattress. A crushing torrent of hopelessness engulfed me. Borealis curled up next to me and lapped at my neck.

He held me close and I sobbed. "Bo, my whole family is dead. What am I gonna do without them?"

He hesitated."I don't know, Ava. I don't know if this makes a difference, but when you need me, I'll be there."

"It does make a difference," I murmured.

My whole world was crumbling around me, and all I could do was watch. Every time I picked up a piece to glue back, it burned my hand. I had to escape this chaos for a second. I had to forget these tragedies just for half an hour, and I knew exactly where to go.

"Do you wanna go to Rose Falls, Cooper? And just...sit? I need to escape all of this chaos and death." I asked, wiping away my tears. I didn't want to be rude to Doug, Rose, or Dylan, but I had to be strong. "If I spend another minute here in my world that's tearing itself apart, I'm going to scream."

He paused. "I don't know, Ava. I can't swim till all of my injuries scar over."

"Then we aren't going to swim," I choked, swiping at some fresh tears.

"Let's do it then," he declared, trying and failing to force a smile.

I shifted into cat form and sprinted out of the house, desperate to escape the sudden tide of grief that threatened to engulf me. It rose like a wall in my mind's eye, blocking out the light. I had to run away, but no matter how far or fast I ran, I couldn't get the darkness out of my vision or my heart. I was dimly aware of Bo following, as I wove through the trees to find my clothes, but didn't slow down or wait for him. Emotionally broken, I stumbled to a clumsy halt behind my tree and changed back into my human form and pulled my clothes back on.

Cooper raced up to me, still pulling his shirt over his head. "Are you okay?"

I looked down at my feet. "No."

"Did you change your mind about Rose Falls?" He gazed at me, his eyes filled with concern.

"No, but I don't...I just...I...wish that...why...me?"

My mate steered me out of Moonshadow, in the direction of Rose Falls, his shoulder a nice and welcome shelter from my internal storm.

When we got to Rose Falls, we lay on the sandy bank, touching. I turned to Cooper and he rolled over so he was facing me. "I don't know what to do now, Cooper," I whispered.

He didn't respond, but wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer until we were pressed against each other. I froze slightly, but I loosened and arched my back, pushing him closer. His body against mine seemed to erase some of the pain, sending warm bursts of light shooting through me. He leaned toward me, brushing our lips together.

I froze, shocked. I didn't pull away. Slowly, I wrapped my arm around his neck and kissed back softly, and thrn passionately, our mouths making oerfect magic to the sound of the waterfall.

"Now he's fully mine," I thought, energy coursing through my veins.

Through this, a phrase kept running through my mind.

It's okay not to be okay. The greatest struggles in life are given to the strongest of people.