Aurora finally got back to her bookshop and her house that was nearby, she sighed. So much had happened and she knew that she could never tell anyone what had really happened, she could never write about what really happened, it felt like she was going to be lying for the rest of her life. Aurora unlocked the door to her bookshop and went into it was a mess it felt like they were gone longer than they should have been and her shop needed to be dusted. So that's what Aurora did, she did have any children or family she needed to check in with, Aurora was a cashe grimm, she didn't even really have a pack she had bonded with just yet. Aurora cleaned up the shop and then grabbed one of her many books and locked the door, heading back to her house. Aurora curled up in a chair, she made herself a cup of tea and sat down to read for awhile. Aurora was sad that they had to leave Tomoe behind, she really liked him, it seemed so sweet and like he needed protection, love, care. Someone to have his back, Aurora wished she could have brought him home with her and taken care of him like a son, but she couldn't fight the elders, none of them could, no matter how much they wanted to protect Tomoe. Aurora sighed as she felt tears roll down her cheek, for all she knew they had killed Tomoe for the crimes they accused him of. Then some day who knew how long from now the Kumiho people would be no more. Aurora went back to her old life, selling books, she was haunted by memories of those she had met unable to forget about them. Wishing she could have said something, done something to change their minds. Clearly that wasn't the case since after weeks there was no word from Claire or the kumiho. It seemed they would not come out of hiding, Aurora wished she could go back to the Above and wander through the forest again, bang on that darn barrier and tell them they should change their minds. Perhaps there were other parts of the Above Aurora could research and write about, she couldn't let this ruin her life. She had to get over this and move on with her life. She thought of the kids wondering if they would always pick on others, wondering if they would ever learn kindness. Aurora sighed and shook her head, it wasn't her business, she couldn't talk about it write about it, nothing. If she kept holding so tightly to this she would go mad, she took a deep breath trying to let it go, but the hamster on the wheel kept running. She wondered if her mind would ever have peace, perhaps not. It was the end of the tale though, so their wasn't much else that could be said.
Maybe all that should be said was "The End." Aurora laughed at the silly thought, it would never end, this it would live in the memories of everyone who had been on the trip. She wondered how her friends from the trip were handling getting back to normal life.
