The Tiger Within Chapter 39

Verone walked quietly into the yard . It was a bit overgrown now, since Kyera's workload had tripled and she had less time to come home and tend the garden . So many years had pa.s.sed, but she still put effort into taking care of her brothers final resting place . The beautiful garden had always been the pride of the Middle brother . The siblings had spent many hours making it into something to be proud of it only seemed right to lay them to rest here . A pang of guilt stabbed into him as he realized how far behind the care of this place had gotten . Just too much work for one person alone .

He could see where branches had been trimmed and weeds had been pulled recently . It was obvious someone worked in the gardens mere hours ago . Evidence that she had been here through the night . The pulled weeds were still fresh and the soil had not settled . He made a mental not to come back and tidy up when when they were done with training .
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Walking toward the stones, he stopped at the feet of the graves, kneeling down and bowing his head . With eyes closed he made another promise to the fallen . He could almost feel them standing at his side in the place they once played . Memories of picking herbs and eating fruits danced through his mind's eye . It felt so long ago, a simpler time . The melody's of laughter he sorely missed would never grace this yard again .

Rising from his knelt position, he met a pair of golden pools watching him from mere feet away, Kyera looking back at him from her nest between the stones . There was a soft vulnerableness to her face . It was easy to see she had just woken up, and judging by the youthful innocence of her expression, he was glad he had Talis wait beyond the garden's edge . She didn't show this side to very many people, and it would not have done to have him intrude on her private moments . Verone tilted his head a bit and offered her a soft questioning smile, hoping to invite her to speak .

On the other hand, Kyera looked out from between the stones . Having heard a muttered prayer she had awoken from her slumber, surprised to see the moon high in the sky . She had only meant to rest for a few hours . Her body however and the stress of the last few days had other ideas . The nearness of her brothers had soothed her enough to rest . The winds of Change were dancing across the night sky, a warning from her father's realm . She wondered for a moment if these warnings were a blessing or a curse…

She stretched her arms high over her head, fingertips brushing cold stone as her pointed toes reached for the stone below her . The familiar feel of shadow energy forming a thin shield over the head stone was as comforting to her as it was frightening to others . As she finished, Kyera looked up at the stone her fingers were caressing a small smile curved the corners of her lips . The letters spelling Keenan were carved in a child's hand . Her fingers ached remembering how many times she had struck them while chiseling their names into each stone . Some of her own blood still left in small smears near the edges . She sat up, peeking out from the gap between two stones .

She was less surprised to see a familiar figure kneeling nearby paying his respects to the soldiers that protected her dreams . As Verone lifted his head, their gazes met and she was lost in his eyes . The ageing of his features from the 13 year old little boy of her dreams to the 24 year old man of today was startling . Not for the first time, she felt a pain in her chest, wondering what her brothers would have looked like, Kendrick was his age…

"Hey Kyera, I didn't wake you did I?" Verone asked after a few moments, realizing she was lost in thought once again . Not that he could blame her . She snapped out of it, flashing him a warm smile .

"Yea, I guess I was more sleepy than I thought . Why did you come looking for me?" Kyera asked standing up and dusting her dress off . She ran her hands through her hair to remove any sticks or debris that might have twisted into her hair . He chuckled walking over, taking her by the shoulders and gently turning her around .

Once she complied, Verone began picking stuff out of her hair, taking the ribbon from her hair and letting the braid unravel from its messy confines . A sigh and light chuckle escaped his lips as he began reweaving her hair .