Fen walked into the new Soul Garden and paused at the center of the memorial plot. Empty pillars stood waist high before him. Amber eyes dropped to them. Each one had a circular recess for cradling a soul gem. The Soul Garden had several of these pillars among the shrubs and trees.

He gave a brief, forced smile. Fleet did well to recreate the practices Lupinoss had for honoring the dead.

He waved that thought away. He was here for a reason. Diego was too busy and grieving still for his mates lost. Fen was asked to enshrine the first souls in the Soul Garden.

His brown paw went to a black satin pouch that was hanging from his waist. Opening the draw strings, a crystalline chime could be hear, and light spilled out. He took out the first soul gem.

It was a beautiful sea green and glowed with warmth. He set in a center recess on the pedestal. He removed the other three gems, tiny, marble sized, and translucent. Tears came to his eyes. He arranged them in a semi circle around the sea green gem.

"Soultre Restro Til Nuun Etrone. Frogravne En Falna Se Livres." Fen spoke to the gems. They shined brightly, and it made him cry more.

Fen turned away from them and left the Soul Garden, closing the gate behind with an unearthly clank to it.

Today Tammany and 3 unborn pups have been laid to rest.

Fleet walked along the main street of the Den. He was alone, solitary, a dark silver shadow walking in the night. He was destined for one place in the Den. It was stark and quiet. No one had returned yet. The village was finally cleansed of the Lupanecrosis and in the morning, the Lupes will return home.

He approached the Soul Garden with intent. He clutched to his heart a bag of soul gems. The felt like a heavy weight on his soul. He had lost count of the names of the souls in the bag. 56 Lupes died of the plague, another 20 onboard the ship when his daughter was being kidnapped, another 10 died when trying to stop them.

Fleet opened the wrought iron gate with a squeak. He stepped in and noted how empty the garden felt. So many empty pillars and resting births for the gems. All saved one, the first pillar dedicated to those souls he and Fen lost to a birthing accident. Now the garden would glow tonight.

Fleet took a deep breath and opened the bag. He began chanting softly and with sadness. His paw reached in and pulled a glowing gem out. He would lightly kiss it, hold it to the moon, and place it on one of the many recesses on the pillar. On and on he kept repeating this ritual through the night. 5 hours pass, and the sky begins to lose it's ebony diamond cloak for a lighter dress of pink.

Fleet stood in the center of the Soul Garden once more. His bag empty. Half of the Soul Garden now glowed and sparkled with the first rays of sunlight. His task was complete. He dropped to his knees on the ground, clasped paws together, and made himself small. His voice was muffled and soft, but he was asking, no begging for the lost souls of the past day to forgive him and rest in peace.

He would remain in the Soul Garden for the entire day to be found exhausted and cold by Ammy.

Fleet pushed the metal gate open with a creak that made his ears fold back. Pausing, he removed a small bottle of oil and swung the gate as he worked the oil in. The creaking soon vanished. That taken care of, he walked in to the Soul Garden.

He only had one Soul gem to lay to rest today. He was thankful as well. He walked the rows of the pillars stopping to stoop down pull a few weeds here and there. The Soul Garden was communal and taken care of by all. He found the pillar he wanted. It had 4 soul gems in place already. He set the gem in his cupped paw in the middle and smiled a little.

"You're daughter is now with you. A complete family in slumber. She was very brave and kept other from being hurt. She died honorably and she will be missed by all of us. The line of Salinka-Wallam has come to an end." his voice was rough. 350 years of laying the dead to rest never lost its edge. When it did, he would move on to something else.

He walked out of the Soul Garden and closed the gate on one more life in this community. He was headed to unify the lives of two others now.

Fleet stepped into the Soul Garden. It had been months since anyone was laid to their final slumber. A few of the Lupe females from the Den came by every day to tend the flowers, and to make sure the Soul Gems were safe from harm.

The gate didn't even creak as he opened it. Since the devastation months ago, the number of Soul Gems had tripled. Fleet walked the rows, a slight feeling of sadness touched him. He could no longer hear the souls. Gone was that power. Gone was the days of leading a people forward. He was just left with his life and the shell of his body.

His clawed fingers lightly caressed a few soul gems he had placed himself. Old friends, patients, and there in the center of the garden, was one crimson red soul gem. It was darker than the others. Why? The soul it housed was not longer there. That soul was among the living. Some day Ammy may return to it, and when she does, his will be next to hers waiting.

Fleet stood silently. He wasn't deluding himself. He knew his time was coming quicker with every tick of the clock. He had outlived any known Lupe. He was ancient. But those thoughts didn't belong here today. No, today was the beginning of a special season. A season of hope and celebration. The Celebration of Life and Soul would start tomorrow, and something most Lupes haven't seen in over a millennium will happen.

Fleet just smiled thinking of the past celebrations he had held. Then he heard someone behind him. He turned slowly and saw Sean standing in front of him. The human Vet looked about the place as if he was home.

"Even more elegant in reality than on paper. Such a sight. The collection of souls all resting after their long journey's in life. I may have been harsh with you Fleet. I am sorry for the anger I have had, but the reality of you being alive was too much for me at the time. I have come to apologize." Sean said a bit quietly. His tone held a not of solemness and respect in the garden.

Fleet just smiled lightly. "You have nothing to apologize for Sean. I was not very nice jumping on you like I did. I was a reckless, desperate Lupe nearing the end of his life. Will you forgive me?"

Sean just chuckled lightly. "We truly are mirrors of each other. You have no need to apologize either. I have given thought to your request Fleet, and I know how to turn back your time."

Fleet looked awed. "You do?"

Sean just nodded. From his old denim jacket he pulled out a cobalt blue solid glass sphere. It was etched intricately.

"What is that?" Fleet asked curiously.

"This, my dear friend, is the original Soul Gem that started the existence of the Lupes. Locked within is the histories, stories, dreams, and futures of the Lupinossi. It is the Libre Fenris Codexus. Every thing I have drawn, written, and dreamed about lie within. Now then, with the souls as witness, I shall do you a favor." Sean held the gem to his lips and began to whisper to it.

The Libre Fenris Codexus began to glow an electric blue. The soul gems in the garden all started glowing every hue of color. Fleet looked about in amazement. He could hear the soul gems. They were chanting and singing.

"Fleet Wolf, soul brother of my soul. Avatar of my life, my dreams, my founding principles, I offer you a portion of my living soul." Sean spoke solemnly, his glasses and eyes flaring briefly and he held a spark of life in his free hand. "Take this spark of life, cling to it, merge it with your heart, your passions, your dreams so we may be as one. One in mind, one in heart, one in soul. Your life is mine, mine life is yours. This is the pact of awakening. The pact of bonding. The pact of new beginnings."

Sean stepped forward and placed the spark to Fleet's chest. Energy arced and crawled over Fleet's body. The soul gems went quite as if watching this sacred pact never before seen. Sean stepped back and held his hands out. The soul gem Sean held began to float between him and Fleet. It caught stray arcs from energy crawling around Fleet.

Fleet felt like he stepped into an electrical storm. Every nerve was firing and he felt both pain and pleasure. Below his paws, water was forming under him. Soon it rose molding into a perfect sphere and filled up. Fleet could breath though the sphere was full of crystalline water. Sean spoke though his words were a bit garbled.

"To remake you into the younger you, I am subjecting you to something not created since the birth of Canis and Lupis."

"The Creation Matrix of Dameon the Champion." Fleet breathed out in awe and shock.

Sean just nodded. "Souls departed from this mortal realm, bear witness. I freely step forward and merge with the Creation Matrix. May the Trinity have mercy on my soul."

Fleet watched Sean step into the Creation Matrix and felt a surge of raw power slam through him. He closed his eyes and things went black. Then he felt his shoulder being shook. He opened his eyes. He saw Sean kneeling above him.

"Quite a ride soul brother." Sean said. His voice was a little deeper.

Fleet looked closer. Sean had canine fangs barely seen in the low light. His hair was short and tinged dark gray. Not the gray of age, but the dark gray of Fleet's coat in the early years. Fleet sat up with a jolt as he saw Sean's eyes. One was the normal hazel the Vet had, the other was electric blue and glowed.

Sean just grinned, showing the canid teeth, gave Fleets hair a ruffle. "Blue hair with red highlights. I think I like it. Like the eye color too." Sean smirked and held out a compact mirror.

Fleet had one hazel and one electric blue eye that glowed. Everything else was the same. "How?"

"The Creation Matrix is old world magic Fleet. It took our essences and mixed them. Thankfully I am not furry, but I did get a few of your genes and vice versa." Sean laughed and stood offering Fleet a hand up.

Fleet stood and was a bit shocked. His right arm and leg were normal once more. He took the mirror and looked himself completely over. He looked like he did the first day he joined the army. Young. "I...I..." he couldn't speak. He was in shock.

"You can thank me over a drink soul brother. You and I are now linked permanently. What you feel, I feel. Now let's go relax and let the souls rest. They have a whole month of festivities to enjoy." Sean put his arm around the Lupe and walked Fleet out of the Soul Garden and into Rhydin.