FALLING HEART

77

I was sitting in my garden .I inspected the brooch once more to find out any clue from it.

There has to be something that could help me identify its owner.What am I missing..?

"Hey, what are you doing with that.?" I jerked back the brooch,hiding it from the intruder.Clasping it tightly in my hands.

Dane.

"What are you doing here..?" I asked, miffed at his presence.

"Hey come on now,you know I love pestering you.You are the only one here for me as well." He  joked to hide the painful truth.

I sighed and relaxed.

"Come here and sit down." No matter what had transpired these last few weeks.He was excluded from any animosity I held in my heart.He was like a brother to me.Some one I had to protect.No one had been there for me.I had wished for it so many times.So being there for him helped me.It calmed me.It felt good knowing I could provide that safety to someone.

He sat beside me."So what were you looking at earlier..?"

No reason to shy away from him.I pulled the brooch up for him to inspect.May be he knows who it belongs to.

"Wow,it's beautiful.Is that your brooch for the Ceremony.?"

I looked at him confused."What..?"

"The brooch that you'll wear for the Ceremony tomorrow.Is this it..?Hm..I thought it would be much more than this.It lacks something.It is too plain.Will they really make you wear this thing among-st all others..?" 

Hunh.?

"Dane,I don't understand.What are you talking about..?Do you know anything about this brooch..?"

He looked at me as if I had lost my head.Sighing he handed the piece back to me."You know you seriously need to acquaint yourself with the Pack's happenings and traditions asap.I don't want you embarrassing yourself in front of others as the Luna of the Pack.It'll really be bad for the Packs' reputation ,if others came to know that the Luna of The Kranis Clan is this ignorant."

"Stop babbling and tell me what you know." I asked peeved at the truth behind his words.

He sighed heavily as if he was too burdened to share this small information.

"Well,the pack tradition states that all the members of the Pack are supposed to attend functions and ceremonies.If you have found your mate,both of you have to be there and if you still haven't found the one,then you alone have to attend.But attend you must.No one can miss it."

I listened carefully as he droned on .

"Most of the times other Packs are also invited.We have to be at our very best behaviors. Elder Kurona  always insists that we being the top Pack, in regards to wealth and prosperity , have to maintain our status as such so that no one can find any faults in us .We need to set examples for others.This tradition of dressing formally started under the guidance of Alpha Marcus.You see he was a well mannered man.The brooch became a part of the dress code as suggested by him and then it continued on.All the Clan Elders have different brooches to identify their standing in the Pack.The  rest of the members are refrained from such customs.It helps in differentiating between the level of power ,held in hands of the various Elders so that they are not confused and disrespected by the other Pack members and as such."

The wheels in my head started turning.So the brooch is only carried by the Elders.And each Elder has his own specific brooch.

I looked at the piece in my hands again.This means that this brooch belongs to someone specific from the Pack.Tomorrow is the Initiation Ceremony,everyone will be supposed to wear their respective brooches.And the one missing his/her would be.....