Anya woke up and saw that Agatha was still sleeping. She was wondering if that was a dream or a memory. There were more questions she needed to ask, but she told herself to wait before she had a panic attack. She looked at Agatha still sleeping and checked on her. There were marks starting to show on her forehead, around her arms and some wrapping around her neck leading to her chest. Then she noticed her heartbeat was slow. Anya started feeling a nudge on her chest. She got scared he was about to lose someone she never knew she had waiting for her. She started giving her healing energy, but it didn't wake her up. Anya felt helpless and ran to find Misty to ask for help. Misty immediately went with her and asked others to go as well.
They picked her up and took her to the nearest unoccupied hut. Then laid her to rest on the hay bed. Anya's heart was so loud that Misty could hear it. That's when Misty grabbed her hand and said, "It's okay. Agatha has lived for a long time. Our elderly go through a state of slumber before their time arrives. It is a gift bestowed on us by the royals. It gives us time to prepare and gather all our relatives to give her our best wishes and send her off." Anya's eyebrows shot up, "what?" Misty took her hand and sat Anya down before continuing. "You see her smile and the marks starting to show? Her smile lets us know she fulfilled her heart's desire and the marks that are starting to show indicate the seal. It seals the last two hours of our time. The seal lasts for a week and then it breaks, allowing our elderly to wake up and say goodbye to all her loved ones." Anya's heart sank. But she just found her.
Misty gave Anya a hug and said, "I'll give you time with her, I know you two had grown close to each other. I have to make preparations to get the ceremonies ready for her going away." Then Misty left Anya to sit by Agatha's side.
There was silence for a while. Anya didn't know what she should do. She found someone who can guide her and teach her about her roots, but she is leaving her now. It was short lived for her. Then a younger wolfgirl arrived with a basket of flowers and a bucket of water with a sponge inside. She was looking down and didn't notice Anya sitting there quietly. Once she got to Agatha, she took the flowers and crushed them in her hand. Then she dropped the flowers in the bucket of water. After she was done tossing all the crushed flowers in, she began to take the sponge and swirl it all together. Then she twisted the sponge and began to sing a lullaby. With the sponge she began to clean her skin. The markings began to show more brighter and colorful, a sign of the royals trait.
The wolfgirl was done cleansing Agatha and was starting to leave, but halted at the sight of Anya. She was surprised by how silent Anya was that she completely missed her presence. Then she said, "I'm Ruby, I was just preparing for her. It's customary for the youngest of her bloodline to begin the process. You'll see more of us arrive with more to do. It's like a tribute to her for being the source of all of our generations." the wolfgirl paused, then kept going, "Misty mentioned that you might be here. You can participate on the last day. The last day is reserved for all the ones who lived, worked and ate with her. You don't have to be a relative for that."
Anya felt herself fall again into a hole, when the next sibling showed up. It was an older wolfwoman with long golden hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a dress and a thin cover over it. She said, "You should learn to read the room Ruby." The younger wolfgirl looked at her surprised and then lowered her head, "sorry," she said and left. The new wolfwoman turned to look at Anya and said, "I need to change her outfit. I have a dress for her. Can you help me?" Anya nodded and got up to help.
When Anya got close to Agatha, she could smell the rich aroma of the crushed flowers. They were fresh and pleasant. It was as if she landed on a meadow full of them. The wolfwoman introduced herself as she lifted Agatha up to remove her top layer, "I'm Sapphire, we believe she can still hear us and so we lather her in rich fragrances so that she can relax and enjoy her waiting period. We also sing or say what is on our hearts to her during this time. She may choose to acknowledge them or not, but we said what we needed to say." Then Sapphire and Anya removed Agatha's garments and changed her. Before laying her down, Sapphire took off her cover and placed it on Agatha. "This is a sign of our family cover. It is to let her know her family will cover and pass on everything she taught us. It's also a sign of respect that we are willing to take the clothes off our backs for them." Sapphire then kissed Agatha on the forehead and said, "I know you did the best you could and you prepared me. Rest assured grandma, I will continue to wait and when it's my time, I will update you if I succeed." Sapphire gave her a hug as tears dripped from her eyes and landed on Agatha's eyes.
"That cryptic thing you just said, what did you mean by it?" asked Anya. Sapphire got up and dried her tears with the back of her hands before answering. "It's something I cannot share with you. I must carry it alone," said Sapphire as she placed her hand on Anya's shoulder and patted her as she walked towards the exit. Anya wasn't sure about her dream, but she had to try. "Do you have the key or the horns?" asked Anya. Sapphire stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Anya with her eyes widened. Anya then knew she was on the right track and lifted her hair up. Then she turned her back towards her so Sapphire could see her birthmark. Sapphire plopped on the floor because her legs gave out at the sight of the paw on Anya's neck. Then Sapphire looked at Agatha's still body and her expression of a fulfilled life.
Sapphire started crying again, she knew that it was because her grandmother finally laid eyes on the princess and confirmed it was really her that she could finally rest. She had already entrusted the secret to Sapphire years ago and prepared her for everything she needed to know. Her chest felt like it was going to pop out of her and she tried to grab it. Then she started to take in deep breaths to calm herself. Her grandmother's long life wish was passed on and it was her duty to fulfil the rest. She got up from the floor and said, "the horns."