Saying Goodbye

The ambient sounds of the forest always scared tourists who walked too far from the seashore at Point Reyes. But to Aisling, those howls, snarls and roars had been the sounds of home since she had moved from the Carpathian Mountains.

She enjoyed being in a quiet place far away from the hustle and the bustle of the city. For her, the repulsion was more than the sights and smells of cities. It was about the whispers around her and what they said.

In Point Reyes, she could still hear the whispers. But it was different.

They were mostly whispers of the trivial things happening in the rich forests.

It was not that the area did not have human activities.

After all, the woods were the home of multiple large changeling communities. But learning about their lives did not bother her much. After all, changelings were in touch with nature, perhaps as much as herself. And she could say she was wired to the earth.

Instead of going to her isolated home on the seaside cliff, she drove her vehicle towards the jubilant sounds of a rowdy party. In the deep night, she could hear laughter, teasing and playful screaming.

The wolf changelings did know how to party.

When she drove in, the drunk people cheered with enthusiasm. She had been long used to their antics, so she did not take it to heart. They would probably scream for anyone at their stage of inebriation.

A group of younger men whistled when she stepped out of the vehicle. Her long beautiful dress which shimmered in the light of the bonfire did deserve a few whistles. But again, they would probably have whistled even if she was wearing old jeans.

The crowd was always lively during a party.

"I did not think that you would come." A smiling man appeared before Aisling.

The young men did not dare to whistle again when their alpha appeared. The open secret in the pack was the deep interest their alpha had for Aisling. The only problem was the lack of interest from the young woman.

She ignored the intimate welcome with her usual polite smile which she had towards everyone. The pack could not help feeling sorry for the man. Even their rivals, the annoying group of miscellaneous cats, had a sympathetic look towards Kitchi when Aisling was mentioned.

"Tonight is the night," Aisling said with a rare look of seriousness.

"What?" Kitchi's mind was elsewhere and had the thought that the woman had finally been enlightened.

"Mimiteh will depart tonight." She said.

Kitchi was disappointed for a flicker of a second before the sadness overwhelmed him. No one knew how old Mimiteh was, but she had been a fixture in the community. He had found her when he had moved to start a pack in the area.

She had helped him handle everything. It was through her guidance that the new pack had become one of the most peaceful and popular on the West Coast.

"Should I stop them?" He looked at the rowdy crowd with a frown.

"No. This is the sound of the pack. It will comfort her." Aisling hesitated. "Can I go in and see her?"

Kitchi nodded and led the way. The only building that conformed to the norms of modernity was the central communal area. All the other houses attempted to blend with nature by using the old living trees and the vines as part of their structure.

The alpha allowed Aisling to enter the beautiful hut with the living roof alone.

Aisling found what she expected, a bright-eyed old woman with grey and wrinkles. But she looked peaceful as she enjoyed the noise and the peace of the pack.

"Aisling, why have you come?"

"I came to say goodbye."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, I am leaving. Someone is looking for me."

The old woman laughed before coughing for a while. "Kitchi will be heartbroken."

Aisling smiled. "Perhaps, but this person needs my help. I have to go, or bad things will happen."

There was silence in the room.

"How old are you?" Aisling asked.

Mimiteh was surprised at the question. "I do not know. A lot of time has passed since I thought of my age."

"You could have kept living if you wanted," Aisling said as a statement of fact.

"I could have. But it was time." She paused. "We are blessed with long lives, but no one wants to leave forever. Trust me."

She looked at the window. "Every experience leaves a mark, a weight. We hold on to the good, we try to forget the bad, we think about our glory days. No one can bear the burden for too long, especially if they do not have a reason to live."

She sighed. "Those who live for too long without a worldly attachment eventually give in to the madness."

Aisling had a curiosity toward all things, especially those relating to life and death. "What do you mean?"

The old woman seemed lost in her mind for a while. "When I was just a girl, I heard stories. Legends about some rituals that used to be performed long ago." Her eyes seemed to light up again. "The otherworldly beings that gave rise to people like us were immortal, but they did not go mad."

Aisling nodded. She knew that most subhuman species had long lifespans, but many chose to die when they felt that they had lived long enough. The reason was the madness that plagued those who remained on earth for too long.

Perhaps it was the marks and the weight of life, as Mimiteh said.

These people were always eliminated by the Sentinels. It was a necessary and even kind act because those who were left for too long would always lose themselves. The madness would erode their minds, and they would commit heinous acts.

"Their secret was in something called Tethering. The immortals would find a lifelong love, and they would bind their hearts or souls together. I don't know if it is true or how it worked. Later, the Consortium declared it a barbaric practice."

Mimiteh sighed with exhaustion. "I am tired. Let me rest for a while."

Aisling could hear the whispers get louder, and she knew that it was time. Long ago, she would have screamed. But the impulse was under control. Mostly…

"Can I stay?" She asked. If there is anything she had learnt, no one liked dying alone.

Mimiteh smiled and reached to hold her hand. "Sing me a song."

As death drew near, the old woman could see Aisling for who she was. The platinum hair and silver eyes against the pale skin gave her an eerie look, but her presence was like a fortifying power.

Aisling opened her mouth and a ballad flowed out. The notes combined a mournful quality with a slight sense of freedom. The notes became amplified by the unembodied whispers like a gentle echoed and surrounded the entire pack.

The rowdy party stopped as their Mimiteh rose, enveloped by the soft hums of her people.

Aisling could not see ghosts or the spirits of the dead. But she felt when the old woman left.

She did not cry.

But she felt sad.