𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 : 𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙭 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣:𝘼 𝙎𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧: 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙏𝙬𝙤

"I found him," He whispered without looking up. "After all these years I finally found the one..my soulmate."
He looked up and let his fingers trace the name engraved on the stone. "Are you proud of me now?" He looked at the stone in question with his head cocked a little to the side "Are you happy I found love?...YOUR love?...We didn't know...that it was you he had loved all those years ago... but i love him...so so much."
He stared at the stone as if expecting an answer or reaction, but the graveyard stayed still and he let out a heavy sigh. "Are you proud of Wolf?" A sob escaped him again and he slammed his hand on the ground in frustration. Once again he became lost in bewildering thoughts, as the rain fell upon him, soaking his clothes and fur.
"I'm sorry," He whispered after a while, then he sighed and looked up again. "I'm sorry," He said a little louder. "If it hadn't been for Wolf you would still be alive. You wouldn't be dead....but he didn't know." He lowered his head again. "You wouldn't have left us..." He whispered. "I'm so sorry... for what I said. But I wish I could talk to you... learn why you kept secrets." He cried and the tears fell with new-born strength down his cheeks.

A soft breeze flew over the still graveyard, between the stones and past Fox. He closed his eyes and turned his face towards the sky and let the rain wash away the tears. Letting it cleanse him of his agony.
"Did you know how much he loved you?" He asked without opening his eyes or turning his face down. "Did you know what you meant to him? Did you know what your death would do to me and Wolf?" He opened his eyes and stared up at the sky. "Did you know it hurt so much I could hardly breathe? When he said those words... that he was your lover." He whispered and looked down on the stone in front of him. "Did you know that I hated you? In that moment I hated you. I hated Wolf. I hated myself.
I hated you for being so careless, for not telling Mom and me and Samuel that you had found someone else... and for putting your life at risk when there were so many other people that could have left in your place. But that's not the type of man you were. You couldn't let someone else risk their life for you." He said as his eyes stared ahead of him, not seeing the stone but something that wasn't there anymore, something far away. "I hated you for caring more about Wolf then you did for yourself, for not understanding what you meant to us, but most of all I hated you for leaving." The tears fell down his cheeks but he didn't notice; He just stared at that something that he could never see again.
The image of his father that became less and less clear with every passing year.
"I was so lost. I didn't know what to do anymore. Mom was gone...then you were gone and left me behind with a burden I couldn't hold." His eyes went into focus again as he looked at the engraved name. "Wolf said you never told him, why didn't you? I know you wouldn't ...because if you had then you would have told me , Samuel and Mom. Even if you knew it would hurt us all."
A strained chuckle came from Fox before his face went serious again. "For a while I thought you were abandoning me because you would always leave for missions... that you had to sacrifice yourself for everyone else. You sacrificed yourself for me, Samuel... for Mom... for Wolf." He finished in a whisper as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
The graveyard was still as Fox cried in silence for everything that he once had and then lost, as he cried for everything that had been. As he cried for everything that would never be. The rain fell gently on the ground as if it didn't want to disturb him in his grief and instead tried to comfort him, stroking his fur and cheeks, shoulders and arms.

After what could have been an eternity or only a minute he looked up again. "I don't want this anymore." He said in a clear voice. "I've done what I've had to do, what everyone needed me to do. Now it's time for me to live my own life..."

He reached into a pocket and took out a small but sharp knife and held it out in front of him. "I don't want to be alone any more....so..I will love Wolf just like you once did...but this time... I won't leave him alone.." He whispered as he looked at it, at the engraving.
'To the best Daddy ever,
Love Fox and Samuel'

He placed the knife on the grave stone. "I miss you. I miss Mom and you so much... I miss everyone.."

He sat in silence for a few minutes thinking about everyone he lost in the short years of his life, and, not for the first time, wondered if things would have been better if he hadn't been the one forced to carry the burden of the entire world in order to continue his fathers legacy.

"But it ends here." He said in a clear, strong voice. "I don't want to be alone anymore and I don't want to make Wolf upset...we just want to be with you again" He said. "I know you probably wouldn't like what I'm going to do, but I need you to know that this is the only way. I can't live like this anymore." He whispered. "I love Wolf...your mate...My mate...Please, understand that. This is all for the best."

He placed a photo of James and Wolf together and placed his mothers photo next to it.

"We'll be together again Dad..one day. Then we can all talk and figure out this crazy ride that was our lives." He whispered. "And this time you won't be able to leave us."

The rain fell down on the graveyard, washing away all of Fox's tears as he looked back at his ship, which sat a few hundred yards away. His Dad's ship. He smiled softly and stood, walking over to the ship and opened the ramp, taking his final step on Papetoonian soil. "I'm going home."

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Word Count: 1,796
Song: In Loving Memory by Alter Bridge