The Order of Events: The Red Wolf by C.J. Haines

sun from her eyes.
              Hoosun flapped his wings, tiredly. Below he saw Samana, and felt his sorrow within growing even greater with each flap of his great, white wings. How could he face the young girl? He so longed not to disappoint her, but it seemed it was impossible not to.
              The owl landed before the young girl as Amen and Henk appeared from the tower steps.
              Tears slipped from the streaky-haired girl’s eyes as she bit her lip knowing that the great owl had not returned with her sister in possession. The owl stooped lowly, his wings frayed, and worn out from his long and constant flight, to and from the sands.
              He spoke sadly, feeling great disappointment in himself for not being able to bring the child back to her twin, even if it was to the request of Daimana that she was to stay with her father. “I’m sorry, young one…I could not bring her back. The sands have taken her, your father, the Dawn Bringers, the Elushu…all of them…I failed.”
              Though sorrow gripped her heart steadfastly, Samana wiped her tears aside, and looked back at Henk, and then back to the great, white owl standing above her. “I know you tried…she wanted to be there, with father. In a way, I kind of did too, but I didn’t go, and now I’m here to make the best of it. Things have happened this way for a reason. Perhaps it is fate that she was there while I stood here. It is what she wanted, and I will not regret her decision.”
              Samana smiled and looked at the sorry owl, and ran her fingers through his torn arm feathers. “I do not fault you.”
              The owl breathed in, and looked at the young girl. She was of a unique kind, and had a forgiving and understanding heart, a rarity in this world.
              Samana hugged the owl’s arm, and then her attention was brought to his shoulder. A great iron shaft was stuck through it, reaching outwards through his back.
              Henk came over to investigate the wound, and felt the dry blood on her fingertips as she looked it over. “Hoosun, this looks bad, but I think it could’ve been far worse. You’re lucky it dodged through anything too important, and just took a chunk of flesh and not your lung. We should get it removed though.”
              The owl swayed from Henk’s hand, and shook his head, explaining to the children who stood before him, Samana, Amen, and Henk. “I will keep it in my shoulder, young one. It shall stay as a memory, to remind me of this time of hardship.”
              Samana nodded her head in agreement at her friend’s proposition, and patted his feathers. Henk enjoyed the idea of the notation coming from the wound. In a way, it sat as a remembrance of Daimana herself. Amen stood silently as usual, even if he could speak, he probably wouldn’t have known quite what to say, so he bowed his head to the owl.
              Hoosun took his spectacles from a pocket on the breast of his cloak, and mounted them on his beak, clearing his throat as he saw the Mother produce herself from the tower stairwell.               “Mother Dhahn…I have come back. The child is lost to the sands, along with the Dawn Bringers and Elushu. It was her wish to be with them in battle.”
              The Mother looked at Samana with an eye of acceptance. “It was fate, my friend, Hoosun. Nobody could take that from her which she so longed to do, not even I could have.”
              The owl bowed before the Mother as she looked upon his torn and worn wears. “As you say, Mother Dhahn, as you say.”
              Samana patted the owl on the back, and looked at the Mother, as she and Henk grabbed the owl, hand in hand. “I accept her decision, Mother. We are