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Chapter 37 - Funeral
In the morning, Kael found himself all alone in his stone bed, making him wonder if he had overslept. So, he stretched a little, rubbed his eyes, and walked outside the cave.
Only then did he realize that they had actually slept in the same cave within the valley that Steve had previously occupied.
'They must've been exhausted... and also worried, so they just decided to use this place.'
It was surprisingly clean, probably because it had only been used by the Fanged Lions to hide until Kiona would have fallen into their trap.
As he stepped out of the damp cave, the glaring sunlight hit his face and nearly blinded him. He had to raise his arm to shield his eyes before they gradually adjusted.
'It's almost noon? I slept that long?' Kael was genuinely surprised as he fully emerged into the open.
Fortunately, he didn't have to go searching for his subordinates. He spotted Seth sitting quietly on a boulder not far away. It took him a second to identify which twin it was, but he quickly remembered that Seth was the calmer one. That detail helped.
'All the lions looked the same to me... and now they're twins? How the hell am I supposed to tell them apart otherwise?'
He shook his head, amused by his own thoughts, and approached him, asking, "Morning. Where are the others?"
Seth jumped slightly at the sound of the voice. But seeing that it was Kael, he relaxed and let out a deep breath. "You really are fine, Master."
"That I am."
"Sister and Jon went to find the bodies of our deceased kin," Seth replied quietly. "She wants to give them a proper burial... even though it's... tough, considering their current state."
Kael nodded slowly. He understood the sentiment.
He looked around and noticed something else. The valley was much cleaner than he remembered. There were no signs of Flameclaw or Fanged Lion corpses anywhere.
As if reading his thoughts, Seth added, "She didn't like seeing them, so we moved all the bodies to another spot. You wanted to eat their meat, right, Master?"
Kael was left speechless, then he gave Seth a long look. "Did you seriously think I'd do that?"
"You wouldn't?" Seth blinked, genuinely puzzled.
"I usually don't eat the meat of intelligent races," Kael said, his gaze drifting toward the distance. "Especially if they were somehow related to me... even as enemies. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Unless it was necessary, he didn't like crossing that line.
Seth tilted his large head slightly in confusion. "Then... should we throw them away?"
"Of course not," Kael shook his head firmly. "Their bodies will be useful. We can make a lot of things from them."
Just then, Kiona appeared in his field of vision, running toward him. A soft smile lit up her face the moment her eyes landed on Kael.
She came to a stop before him and greeted, "Good morning, Master."
"Good morning," Kael smiled back. "How are you feeling?" 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Much better, thanks to you," she replied in a composed voice.
Kael raised an eyebrow. Her behavior was noticeably different, calmer, grounded. It seemed a single night of proper rest had lifted a huge burden from her heart.
'She's strong,' he thought to himself.
More importantly, she wasn't hiding behind a mask anymore. She was finally showing her real emotions in front of him. That alone brought him a deep sense of relief.
He smiled gently and reached out to pat her head. Kiona leaned into the touch, a blissful smile spreading across her face.
'Looks like she's also becoming honest with her desires. I did hear lionesses are social and clingy creatures. Guess that's true in every world.'
Not that he minded, of course.
"Seth told me you want to give them a proper burial?" Kael asked.
She nodded. Her smile turned faint, almost wistful. "They died because of me. This is the least I can do. I just... I hope they get a good next life."
She paused, letting out a slow breath. "But that's hard to say now... our God is gone. I don't even know what happens after death anymore. So, a proper burial feels like the only thing I can offer."
"Don't worry," Kael said, turning toward the path ahead. "They'll get their next life. Let's go."
The burial wasn't exactly what Kael had expected. According to the Sunmane Pride's traditions, the dead were cremated first, and then their ashes were buried beneath the ground alongside their skulls.
Sadly, the bodies had suffered greatly and weren't in any condition to follow such a ceremony perfectly. Kael sighed softly at the thought. Even he felt a twinge of sadness over their fate. They deserved better.
So, he used his [Beast Sense] to locate every last piece of them he could find and gathered all the remains near the Storm Great Tree. It was his idea to give them their farewell at the place where his future nation would rise.
It was a show of respect for the fallen and also a safeguard. If their remains were ever found by cults, there was always a risk they'd be turned into something monstrous.
But the Storm Great Tree would prevent that. According to Alpha, the potent lightning coursing through it was a bane to all such dark rituals.
After everything was gathered, Kiona stood solemnly in front of the mound of bones and mangled flesh. Her face betrayed the deep sadness swelling in her chest.
Yet, somewhere in her heart, she also felt relieved. At least these few from her Pride would get a dignified rest. Her father, and many others... never even got that much.
The realization stoked the fire in her heart. She ignited the pile and silently swore, she would become strong. Strong enough to never face this helplessness again.
She never wanted to feel this powerless ever again.
As the fire devoured the last remnants of the Lionkin, Kael stood by with a solemn look in his eyes, silently watching. Yet, he kept his senses active, alert to the surroundings.
'I wonder what happened to my body?' he thought to himself. 'I probably didn't get a funeral either. Heh... It'd be a miracle if Mom even found my body.'
The thought of his mother made his chest tighten. A familiar ache started to rise in his heart. He shook his head and forced a crooked smile.
'It's fine. At least this way, she'll have hope that I might return.'
He knew it was just him making fun of his own situation but it gave his heart a little comfort nonetheless.
As he looked at Kiona, he realized that he wasn't alone anymore. Not truly. He had someone walking beside him now.
Then his eyes moved to the twins. A light chuckle escaped him.
'No discrimination. I won't forget you two just because you're male.'
Once again, he masked his feelings in his signature bad humor.
