Where He Once Stood

A blur of dark red flashed through the city, not stopping for a single moment until the edge of the area was in clear sight. 
A small backpack rested on the owner tightly, holding who knows what inside. The soft, quiet footsteps were the only sound heard in this part of the outside world. 

Tala Lykaios stopped right on the bridge between city and forest grounding, gathering her thoughts about what she had just been given intel on. Her boss spoke of an incident the previous evening that transpired over the course of, what they could only guess at being an hour or two long. They offered no sympathies or apology for not finding out sooner about this battle that took place, and the horned female normally wouldn't have given it a second thought. 
However, a source got their hands on some details that sparked emotion in her normally cold, uncaring demeanor. 

A human had been spotted heading in this exact direction not long before the report had been timestamped on their official records. As soon as her superiors mentioned "green clad armour", she felt her heart skip a beat. It couldn't have been. There was no way. 

Not getting any further information from her people, she instead opted to check for herself. Better to be seen from the horses mouth, rather than be fed second hand knowledge that could be incorrect. 

The sun was still in the sky, but it was lowering ever so slowly, signalling that dusk was approaching soon. Tala took a deep breath, held onto the bag straps on her arms, and took her first steps into the clearing. This was something she needed to find out, it was never going to leave her mind if she didn't act upon it. 

The walk into the greenery was uneventful. The entire place was deathly silent, which was unusual. Normally the faint sounds of birds or other feral animals could be heard or even sensed as the journey in deeper drew to a close. But nothing was around. It was in a way, rather creepy and somber to the maroon female. She felt a tightness starting in her chest as faint waves of negative energy began to wash over her, only making the report more and more convincing in her mind.
This was not good. 

As she made it to where it was described to be, the left over battle was definitely more than apparent. Marks and liquids were evident, along with a large, unusual marking on the ground. It was as if the very shadows of the surroundings had been burned into the ground for the rest of eternity. Tala stopped right in front of the worst of the devastation, and felt her legs wobble slightly. That familiarity. That was definitely him. He had been here alright. Their info had been down to the wire as usual. 

Taking off the small backpack from her and pulling it open, Tala fumbled around in it for a moment before pulling out something others would raise an eyebrow at, especially in the middle of a forest like this. 
In her hands, she held a soft green candle and a box of matches. Taking a seat on the ground using her knees as a cushion, she placed these items into the ground in front of her before bringing out the last item she had brought with her. It wasn't anything special, but she knew it symbolized him well. A carefully wrapped four leaf clover was opened up and placed in front of the candle. 

Tala looked at the three objects, before taking the box of matches in her hand, only to light up a match in order to light the little green candle. The wick caught the flame as soon as the heat melted the wax, and it began burning brightly in front of her. She flicked her tail to wrap around the right side of her as she took a long look up to the sky, watching as the sun sank lower and lower down, taking the days light with it. She closed her blue eyes and took in a deep breath. 

"I cannot believe that this has happened, to you of all people. You were this striving force who never backed down, no matter what. Your unbelieveable fight for justice was never ending."

Tala felt her throat tightening slightly, but she swallowed it down as best as she could. She had to do this, for him. A rasyp, but melancholy laugh found its way out of her, surprising the canine herself a little. 

"Heh, look at me... I'm sitting here, lighting a candle for a human of all things, who would have seen that coming?"

Maroon ears lowered slowly as she realised just how much she wanted to see him one last time. To let him know just how much she valued what he did for her. 


"You... You gave me a life, Shrike. No amount of prayers, or candle lighting could ever make up for just how much that means. You freed me from the chains that held me down and kept me a prisoner for my whole life. I can never thank you enough for everything that you did. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you when you needed it the most. Nobody really knows what happened to you, but I can feel your presence lingering still, even if it is only slight." 

Tala re-opened her eyes and steadily stared up at the darkening sky. A smile, uncanny to appear on her white muzzle came out of nowhere. It was the most genuine smile she had ever openly shown, and it was solely for him. 

"I don't really have anything else that I could say to honour you. I never knew you on a deep personal level, and for that, I wish it could have been different. I guess at this point... It is best to say goodbye..."

Taking a few moments, Tala found her way back onto her feet slowly as she stood up straight once again. She simply stared into the flame of the candle for a few moments, before giving the clover one last look as well. She turned away, putting her now empty backpack on again and taking slow steps away from the small memorial she left behind. The candle will burn out, but the memory will live on. Where he once stood will be remembered always. 

A single tear rolled down her cheek.