Taken Too Soon

"I'm Fine...I think." Eilonwy said wiping her tears on her dress. "It's just hard. Some of these heroes well...they were taken by some of the human villians right? It's hard to think that I was once apart of it. All the killing. I can't stand it." she shook her head. "But i have to stay, i can't run away from here...not when i have people i can protect."

"aye that they were" his gaze turns to look at Zazu's grave thinking back on how the hornbill had helped him in his battle with Nasira. "killin is part of war luv" Silver says resting his flesh hand firmly on the girl's shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze "yer gonna have to live with that fact" he said sadly his eyes now return to look at the girl's face. "you don't have to do it by yerself ya know" he gives her a warm smile "I'll be by yer side helping you protect yer friends no matter what"

Standing much further back from the graves than anyone present, Dr. Jumba Jookiba stood silently, looking over the stone markers in a far more solemn manner than normal. Meaty hands rested lightly against his prodigious girth as he pondered the strange customs of the Earth creatures. Crude stone markers? And they bury their dead in the ground? He thought. No such thing to be found on Keltikwan.

Their technology was much farther advanced than that of the Earthlings, and so was their knowledge of life. Those of his race lived very long lives, and those that did die were kept in highly specialized containers that were able to keep the bodies preserved as they were forever. Provided they opted to die a natural death, and didn't try drinking potions to extend their life cycle.

Do not these Earthlings know the secrets to elongated life cycles? he wondered. Wasn't it a universal secret, or were his people really so far advanced?

As Partner turned to see who was talking to him, it took a lot for him to keep his jaw from dropping a bit. The cocker sisters were, in his opinion, the prettiest girls around the camp, and while he certainly didn't harbour any particular feelings towards them, it was still rather a shock to find one of them talking to him. Recovering from that particular surprise, the male opened his mouth to acknowledge her. "Ann- no, wait, Coll- no..." he grimaced. "Which one are you again?"

Collecting his thoughts, Partner nodded. "You can say that again." One paw gestured back towards the gravestone. "This was the girl I... loved. It was months ago, but..." he trailed off, not really wanting to confide his feelings to an almost-complete stranger, although even he had to admit that talking was making him feel better to a degree.

A chherful voice shattered his thoughts and Partner almost jumped a foot into the air. Whipping around to face the disturbance, the male's irritated expression faded somewhat as he saw it was only Crescent, her head low, making her way over to him. Only somewhat, though; he was still a bit annoyed at her for her decision to wonder onto the battlefield earlier that week, although he assumed - or was that hoped - that she'd learnt her lesson there. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to the grave.

"It's One's headstone." he replied softly, not really looking at Crescent as he spoke. "She was buried here." He didn't make a move to say anything more, leaving it up to one of the girls to speak first.

"I'm Collette, though it's all right by me if you shorten it to Cole. It might be easier to remember." Collette offered. When Partner began to explain, the fluffy girl just listened politely. She may not have known Partner or Annabelle personally, but that didn't mean she couldn't offer a listening ear for Partner. He had trailed off, though, and it seemed their moment of seeking solace was interrupted by another of the dalmatians. This one was the one Collette had been with when she'd initially met Tipo earlier that month. What was her name again? ...Ah, yes. Crescent. It appeared that she hadn't been the only one that had wanted to offer comfort to Partner.

"I understand how you feel. My brother, Scamp, was... one of the ones that was killed a while back in the Outlands. It was so long ago, but I still miss him." she said at length. Her expression turned softer as she spoke. Why did everyone in the graveyard have to be taken so soon? Why hadn't they had more of a chance to live? "I guess it's only natural that we feel like this. Missing the ones close to us, I mean. I just wish... you know, that we could have had more time with them. I would have liked to meet... One, was it?" Collette asked.

"Ohhhhh...." Crescent nodded her head and lowered it again just as quickly. She placed a tiny paw on the headstone, then removed it quickly. She didn't want to disrespect Partner and his grieving. That much she understood. Tail drooping the femme looked from Partner to the headstone. "It says One," she said, softly, turning to Collette. When she said she would have liked to meet One, Crescent's head bobbed.

"One was...the best doggy ever ever," she said, "She rounded us up...kept track of us when we were with the Devil woman. She was..." A loud nasally sniff came from the puppy's nose. "I never got to meet her exactly...but...ya know...she was...uh..." Tongue lolling out of her mouth she turned to Partner with wide eyes as if seeking approval for what she had said, also pleading with him to say more nice things about One.

"She's right," Partner nodded, taking a moment to pat Crescent's shoulder. "One was... yeah, she was the best." He leant forward again, touching his forehead to the cold stone once more. "She was, like, everyone's big sister. Always looking after all the other pups when Pongo and Perdita were busy." He gave a sigh. Out of ninety-eight dalmatians, why her? And not just for his own sake either; while he had known Annabelle well enough to know that she would have felt horrible about the other deaths - Lucky's, Pongo's, and who knew how many others he hadn't heard about -, she was the sort of girl whose calming influence always made a difference amongst the other pups; and had been sorely missed of late.

"I loved her," he stated, so quiet as to be almost inaudible, his head still pressed against Annabelle's gravestone. Whether this was news to Crescent or not, he hardly cared, too lost in allowing his mind to dwell on memories of One in the ensuing silence.

It went straight over her head. Crescent was sure Partner loved One like she loved him. An admiration and a care that the pup didn't recognize as being in love with someone. Maybe someday she'd realize it but at this moment there were flies buzzing around in her head instead of synapses which would clue her in on her own feelings as well as Partner's.

She placed a paw on Partner's back an gave him a warm, empty brained smile. She was trying to make him feel better. "It's okay Partner," she said, "Remember what I said? She's up there playin' with Lucky n' Penny n' Rebecca. Finally takin' a rest from all that responsibility."

This wasn't the first time Ray had felt more than a little out of place. Since he had been brought back from death once before, he didn't even know if he really had any right to be there. At the same time, he felt like he should be there. Ray had his own reason for dropping by, and it wasn't to pay his respects to the lost dalmatians, Scamp, or anyone of that nature. The little firefly moved past everyone else that had gathered, farther back to a more secluded portion of the graveyard, and stopped in front of a marker that seemed forgotten. Although her body wasn't there, Rapunzel had been one of their own; she'd been one of Ray's friends, after all. It only felt right that they at least have a marker to acknowledge the fact that she had passed on.

"...Hey, Rapunzel. Ah know ah ain't been 'round here recently, but... ya know. Things been real busy 'round here these days. It ain't been de same without ya, though." Ray said. He knew he wasn't really accomplishing much, especially when she had been buried elsewhere, but he still felt the need to get that much off of his chest. Melancholy little firefly sniffled slightly and descended toward the marker before him. He gently placed the little yellow flower in front of it and ascended again before offering a sort of halfhearted smile. "Ah got dat fer ya. Thought ya might like it. It's yella... 'cause you was always cheerful an' sunny." Ray said. He was met with more silence, but he had expected it. After that, Ray didn't move. He just kept fluttering there before the marker and seemed to lose himself in thought.

(ooc: Anyone can come up to Ray. I don't want him to be a sadsack this entire thread. ^^; )

The young spotted puppy walked around the graveyard with her head held down, placing flowers in front of the graves of her loved ones. She didn't make an eye contact with anyone, only walked past everyone, only leaving a few white lilies beside the cold markers of the certain dalmatians graves.
Oh, Penny... Sister, I hope you are feeling well where... where ever you are, she thought, leaving her silent goodbyes to everyone.
...Lucky... I'm so sorry... Even though I wasn't here, I hope you know that I loved - and I still do - everyone of my siblings... I wish you well, brother.
Penelope lifted her gaze to the clouds as she made her way deeper into the graveyard, where wasn't so many mourning heroes.
Dad... Dad, I love you... I wish you were still here, somehow..., she thought with tearful eyes and sighed silently. And those of my adopted family I didn't know so well personally... Annabelle, and everyone else we might've lost... I hope you are feeling better where ever you are now.

The dalmatian walked among the graves distracted by her thoughts, her paws were cold and her heart hurt. Penelope lifted her head when she saw a firefly, and politely she greeted him silently. "Hello." Her words were cut off with a little sob.

The greeting was enough to get Ray out of his admittedly melancholy thoughts. He turned around and looked to Penelope, only to offer a half-hearted smile to at least try and show he was all right. "Hey there, darlin'." Ray said. He didn't know which dalmatian this was, but he was glad to have some company. It was better than him being left alone to mope over how Rapunzel was gone. "Ah was just payin' a visit to a friend. Her name was Rapunzel." he explained. Talking did seem to help some. He wasn't feeling quite as melancholy as he had been a few moments before.

(ooc: Bah. Short post is short.)

The small smile Ray gave to Penelope was enough to make her feel comfortable enough to sit down - of course respectable lenght away from the marker and Ray.
"Rapunzel?", she repeated and smiled melancholicly. "That's a beautiful name..."
The dalmatian didn't remember seeing Ray before, but she sure wouldn't like to be alone now, when all this grief tried to suffocate them all. There was a lump in Penelope's throat which she couldn't seem to swallow away, and it felt like her blue collar would be choking her. The female dog knew better, though. Roger and Anita would've never made them wear collars that were too tight.
Penelope blinked few tears from her eyes before speaking again. "I'm sorry about your friend.", she said silently, but sincerely. For a moment she worried that Ray would get even more upset, but she remained silent and respectful towards the other hero.

The rat's pace was slow and his head hung down. Remy wasn't very good with trying to find flowers- however, he was confident with the ones he had picked. An exotic red one "peppered" with black spots, a brilliant blue one, and a pale pink one. He had also found a few white lilies, which he lay at the graves of the fallen Dalmatians: Pongo, Penny, Rebecca, Lucky and Annabelle. All except for one: Pepper. With a sniffle Remy placed the red-and-black flower down at the once-hyper puppy's headstone. That day...it felt so distant to the rat and yet he refused to believe that it was only eleven days ago since the tragic accident. He gave a sad sigh.

"Hey Pepper...you were just such a joy, you know that? I-I know we didn't know each other very well but...I'd seen you in the Mess Hall so many times, you just bouncing around with your brothers and sisters a-and with Mooch...and I'm sorry I couldn't do much more to try to save you. I hope it's fun where you are, and you get to bounce around and be happy once more."

Remy continued on to his next stop, a grave with a headstone that read "Skippy Rabbit". He put the blue flower down, the awful memories of the plague that hit the camp months earlier flooding back into his mind. The plague had killed off the poor little rabbit, who was nothing more than a budding young soldier. It wasn't fair.

"Skippy...I'm n-not very good with words," Remy started, wiping away a tear, "but I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to try and help you feel better. I know how much Sis misses you, and I know the rest of your family misses you too. I-I just hope that wherever you are, you're shooting the bow and arrow like a pro."

He started off once more, more slowly than before, to a headstone where a few people were crowded around. Rapunzel's. He could see Ray and another Dalmatian puppy, one he was not acquainted with, and gave a solemn acknowledgement to both. "H-hi," he squeaked, placing the flower down next to the brilliant yellow one Ray had found and turning to face the headstone.

"A-a-and hi to you too, Rapunzel. I...we didn't know each other that well, but you were really kind. You made a great medic. You definitely had helped out the camp greatly and you just brightened up everyone's day...I hope you're happy, wherever you may be. You deserve it." The rat sat down, burying his face into his pink paws, non-audible sobs racking his body. It wasn't like the rat to cry, but all these heroes lost...he couldn't help but flash back to the thoughts of his mother and her death.
---
Toughy sighed, a brimming bouquet of flowers clenched between his jaws. Only recently had he found out about Lady's death, and now, he couldn't have felt guiltier. That poor little lady had probably been through so much, and Toughy couldn't even see her...he couldn't apologize to her for being such a jerk back in the pound.

He lay the bouquet down, trying to withhold his tears. "Listen Miss Pa-I mean L-Lady...'m sorry 'bout teasin' ya like taht back a while...I felt so bad 'bout it an' I jus' wanted ya ta know taht I r'lly 'm sorry. I can only hope taht yer content, wher'ver ya are. Ya deserve it, lil' Lady. Ya deserve it."

"She really was somethin'. Ah remember de first time ah met her. She didn't know much 'bout the camp, so ah showed her around. We just sorta... bonded after dat." Ray said, nodding a little before really allowing himself to reminisce. He still remembered her ever-present smile, those brilliant green eyes, and how she worked hard as a medic. She'd been his friend, a very good friend at that, and he hadn't really had the chance to let her know he appreciated her friendship.

"Some nights, she'd come out an' talk with me an'... well, another friend of mine. Rapunzel was de sweetest, nicest person ah coulda ever hoped ta know. Ah'm sure she's happy wherever she is, but ah sure do miss her." he admitted. He really wished that he had been there when she had died. He wished he had been able to convince her to not join Eugene in protecting the other heroes. Most of all, Ray wished he had gotten the chance to say goodbye. He sniffled a little, but otherwise seemed okay. He did feel a little bit better talking about Rapunzel. He'd kept his thoughts about her since her death bottled up for the most part, and so he appreciated Penelope being there to talk to.

Remy's arrival didn't go unnoticed. The rat was another friend of Ray's, and so he waved a little in greeting to him. A more genuine smile appeared on his face after a moment, and Ray nodded as Remy spoke about Rapunzel. What he'd said was true, and seemed to echo what Ray had said. When Remy finally did break down in tears, Ray flitted closer to him and gently put his hand on the little rat's shoulder in an attempt to help comfort him.

The small puppy remained quiet when Ray told her about his friend. She felt really bad for the firefly, it must've been horrible to lose a friend. Especially a close friend, it must be hard for him every single day. Penelope looked at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes and thought of any encouraging words she could say to Ray. She couldn't think of anything and she settled for the common condolence. "I... I am so sorry."

The little dalmatian sobbed silently, the thought of someone goodhearted had died in this brutal war was enough for her, but now when she had learned that there were so many fallen heroes, she couldn't help but cry silently. She tried to hold back her tears, and suddenly she noticed Remy, the little grey rat, arriving.
"Hello", she sniffled and listened to Remy's words for Rapunzel. The girl was loved, that was sure, and Penelope was sure that she was - like Ray said - happy wherever she was.

When Remy started to cry, the dalmatian was startled a bit, for she didn't know what to do. Penelope looked at Ray trying to comfort his friend, and then the puppy walked next to them with considerate, silent steps. "Are you alright, mister? I-I'm sorry for your loss.", she said with a wobbly tone in her voice.