The meeting had come and gone with the new news. All was changing for the better now and Creek was content to take her leave. For the past three months the cream fae had been getting progressively sicker and thinner. Food didn't entice the fae and she hid her thinning frame by fluffing out her fur when others saw her. Hiding her cough and vomiting up bile also was easy enough to hide. She had confided in Jackle about her sickness and he told her of her fears. It was a deadly sickness and knew now that she had it and no herb would save her for much longer. Soon she would waste away, her insides giving out at her as the growing mass in her stomach grew, eating her from the inside out. Not wanting to plague the pack she had grown to love with her demise she drifted away from the meeting, a simple ghost in the background. Her paws led her far away from the pack lands to the very spot where a younger version of herself and Eclipse ran on the hot sand. This place brought her joy, something she would need for talking to her mate.

Creek had asked Eclipse to come speak with her, but he didn't know why. Creek would tell him of her fatal sickness and how she would rest here, never to return to the pack again. Refusing to slip away slowly Creek had brought along a small stash of red berries, sure to kill any who ingested them with a quick and painless death. Here would be her final resting place, here would be her last run with her mate and her last look at the sky. Now all she needed was Eclipse. Sitting on the hot sand Creek let her fur relax, exposing her thin frame and bony prominences to the world. She was wasting away more every day and knew she'd never make it to the winter months. Coughing and wincing as her sides ached her tail wrapped thinly around her body, offering little comfort as she prepared her speech to her mate in her mind.

After the gathering of the pack in the clearing had finished Eclipse noticed his mate make a swift exit. Creek had told the brute when she had arrived at the meeting that there was a matter to discuss with him and those few simple words had burdened his thoughts throughout the whole time that he had paid little attention to anything Azul and any of the others may have said. Instead of hanging around and listening for any opinions about the new changes in Helidos, the hunter exited the clearing as soon as he had hurriedly uttered a few polite hellos and goodbyes to the few wolves he knew, soon following the scent trail of his fae whom had weaved her way through the trees as quiet as the wind itself. Something felt unusual, and he knew for certain that something was troubling the beautiful female that was the mother to his pups.

Eclipse continued along until he realised where she had headed to neutral lands. As he eventually arrived at the destination his dark paws pressed through the warm sand, carrying himself straight towards the seated cream figure he spotted instantly in the fading light. Closing in on her from behind, he opened his maw to announce his presence. But he paused suddenly, freezing in place and staring silently at the wolf before him. For that moment he thought he had approached the wrong fae for he didn't recognise her. This wolf looked so frail, so thin; sick. The sight was far different from the Creek he had met in this very place only the year before. It worried him and scared him even to see her in such a fragile state. As he slowly moved around to see her face it fully confirmed to him that it truly was her. It all began to fall into place why she wanted to speak to him. He lowered his rump to sit by her side, his mahogany pelt mingling with her own pale coat as he curled his tail around her side as a way to support her at least physically while he could not find the right words to do so verbally. Away from the fragrance of her healing den he could now smell the sickness clearly, but somehow it didn't matter. Not wanting to make it any more difficult for her, he decided to cut to the chase. "You didn't have to hide this from me" The brute looked at her sincerely for a second and nuzzled her neck briefly before looking out to the calm ocean. "I just want to know what is wrong. Anything you want to say please say it, don't be afraid. I'm here to listen. " He didn't really know what had happened to her, or if she knew herself, and it made him uneasy.

The rhythmic sounds of the ocean lulled Creek into a dose while she remained sitting. Closing her eyes slightly she let the sounds and smells relax her and for a short time her bodily pain disappeared. She could only feel the sun warmed sand beneath her paws instead of the cramping in her side. Her nose filled with the salty sea air instead of the herbs she inhaled every morning to quiet her cough. Sighing Creek didn't even hear her mate approach before he was right behind her. Startled and dazed she gasped and nearly fell over in her weakened state as he came upon her, sorrow filling his face. His face pained her ten times more than her own body, why must she do this to him? "I didn't mean to hide this from you Eclipse," she started to say, her voice soft and strained. "I just wanted to be sure before I told you. I'm sick Eclipse, very sick. Jackle has told me of a sickness inside me that will slowly kill me. There is no herb that will stop this sickness. I doubt if I survive the winter." Her head then lowered as her lip quivered, raw emotion nipping at her throat.

The wind picked up and blew into Creek's fur giving a short amount of relief from the tears she fought back in her eyes. It hurt her so bad to make her mate feel this way. "I've already said my goodbyes in the pack. Jackle will care for them now for I won't be returning to Helidos. I plan on staying out here and ending my life before it is ripped from me." She said motioning to the small pile of yew berries by a rock. "Those will bring me a peaceful death, one that is quick and that I can control. I don't want the pups to see me like this. It will pain them, but it's better if I just slip away like this." She said, her voice becoming more sure by the second. "I do however want you to stay with me, run with me one last time and swim in the surf one last time, like we did when we first met." She said, her voice lifting as the memory came back to her. Wagging her tail a bit she rose to a standing position and pushed aside her fatigue. "Run with me Eclipse before I escape this world." She barked before leaping into the surf.

The brute's ears perked up to their full height as her voice poured like the sweetest honey into his ears, listening to her every word as he nodded along to what she said. He hoped he hadn't sounded as if he was annoyed or accusing her for concealing her condition. It was understandable, he realised she probably hadn't wanted to worry anyone before she knew what it was that affected her health and whether it was worth telling any wolf if it was just something minor. She was always thinking of others even during her own worst moments. Reality struck him then as he realised that it must be something major. On the exterior he seemed quietly calm but slowly he began to breakdown on the inside. The saliva welled up in his throat and he felt as if he was starting to choke. He didn't dare to blink. When she finally explained the truth he had not anticipated it, although he hadn't anticipated any of this. All the thoughts that had been in his head had now vanished and been replaced with a blank state of shock. If it wasn't an involuntary process he would surely have forgotten to breathe. Her sickness was terminal. No plant could cure it. His stiff-legged posture started to tremble, but he was frozen so he did not fall. Eclipse's eyes no longer contained the reflection of lapping waves as he averted his gaze to her. It was clear from the pain in her voice that it was so difficult for her to tell him all this and she was being very brave. He wished at that moment to just say something, anything to make it easier. But he simply could not speak.

Everything after that just got worse. His orbs were golden pools of sorrow and despair and his ears pinned back while she continued to describe her plans. Not only was she going to die before winter ended, but she wished to end her life that very day. His eyes trailed along to where she had indicated and he stared coldly at the poisonous berries. The idea of destroying them, throwing them out to sea or anything else he could to get them away from her surfaced in his mind. However he was obliged to listen first as she persisted to explain her reasons for the suicide, making him come to terms with the fact that maybe it was more dignified and less painful than slowly getting weaker. Also he didn’t want to be so selfish as to try and keep her alive against her wishes and perhaps it would save him, the pups and the pack members any extra pain of seeing her gradually waste away. It was evident in her tone that she was decided, and he could do nothing but support the decision. Her last request was to run with him and he would not deny her that wish even if he didn’t exactly feel strong enough to run. Picking himself up, he followed his mate and loped closely alongside her as she bounded into the water. It was his turn to be brave. He cleared his throat gently and looked to the fae. “Creek, I want you to know that you're a wonderful wolf who is admired by many and that I am honored you chose me as your mate. That I am very glad I ever met you and for all the great memories I have with you...” His voice began to grow hoarse with the emotion so he silenced himself. He was too numb to feel his paws, moving freely as a wild spirit as he cantered by default through the surf. Everything seemed to slow down. He couldn’t enjoy the feel of the wind through his fur, the salty breeze or the water between his pads because he just felt nothing. But it was just the two of them again like it was at the start when they first met, and he would appreciate the final moments they had together. To just enjoy being with her.

Creek was free, simply free. Running in the surf she could feel the months of pain and nausea slip away from her. Water sprayed against her fur to relieve her of the smells of the herbs that quelled her pain for now, she was clean of all of that. Her body became one with the ocean, it's salty water soaking deep into her thin coat. With fur plastered against her weak and frail body she dove into the water, breaking it's surface and rolling in the waves. For a short moment her world stopped and she felt frozen in time. There was only here and now. It was just her and Eclipse, her love. Nothing else mattered, her sickness, the pack, or their short time together. Oh how she wished she could have been spared this fate, that their world together could have lasted longer. Stopping short Creek doubled back and crashed into her mate, pressing deep into his fur. She had so much to thank him for, so much to tell him, but words failed her. Her nose and muzzle buried itself into his chest and shoulder, feeling his newly grown muscles and strength. As the Elite he would train hard and she was proud of him for doing so well. He was everything to her and it pained her to leave him so soon. He was strong in both mind and body, but loss weakened even the strongest, could he make it through.

The sun was setting both in reality and in Creek's heart. A darkness was unfolding around her and she could feel her moment of courage coming soon. Today had been perfect, there would be none other like it. She stayed pressed against her mate for a long time, trying to permanently keep the feeling in her mind before she made her walk to the shore. The feeling of closeness and the smell of the salt in his fur, it would be with her forever. In turn she wanted him to remember her own smell, now void of the sickness and replaced with salt and sun. Finally she pulled back, knowing she could do no more. Her pale blue eyes flickered with a new life inside her and rose to meet his. Her muzzle reached out and licked his own in a gesture that needed no words to be said. Creek then stood from the waist deep water and started to walk to the beach, her tail wagging softly behind her. Cresting the hot sand her head looked behind her to look at him one last time before her eyes looked to her stash of poison behind a large rock. Looking back to Eclipse she smiled and dipped her head to him.