Work Text:
Friends
by Pirate Turner
It was a beautiful Fall afternoon. Rahne Sinclair was taking a walk in the forest near her home. She had decided to take this excursion into nature in order to get away from the commotion at home so that she could concentrate on the situation with Doug Ramsey/Douglock. She had talked with Douglock earlier in order to try and discover some of her departed friends, Warlock, and Doug Ramsey. She had been devastated to discover that Douglock was a whole new person without a trace of either Doug or Warlock in him. Yes, he was a new friend, but at what price had he been born? The death of Doug and Warlock. She sighed. She really had been hoping to find some of Doug in him, but there was only one trace of him and it was faint - the "Doug" in Douglock's name. Rahne kept thinking that maybe . . . Maybe if she had done something differently, Doug might still be alive. Maybe his death was her fault. Maybe . . .
Suddenly, there was a crunch of leaves behind Rahne. Rahne twirled around and positioned herself in a fighting stance.
Shadowcat held out her hands. "Hey, hey, hey! It's just me, Rahne!"
Rahne relaxed when she saw who it was. "Och, it's ye. Sorry. Ye startled me."
"It's okay, Rahne. You looked like you were concentrating on something important." Kitty reached up and scratched Lockheed's head.
"Aye, I was," Rahne replied. She looked down at the ground.
"Mind if I ask you what?" Kitty asked.
Lockheed, Kitty's pet dragon, purred and rubbed his head against Kitty's cheek.
"Nae, I di nae mind," Wolfsbane replied. She looked up at her friend. "I talked tae Douglock earlier," she began her confession. "I wanted tae find out if there was any o' Dougie left in him."
Kitty waited patiently for Rahne to continue.
Rahne sighed. "The only thing o' Dougie left in him is the "Doug" in his name. I mean, di nae, get me wrong, I'm grateful tae have Douglock as a friend."
"I know. So am I." Kitty stroked Lockheed's chin.
"But I miss Dougie," Rahne sighed.
"So do I," Kitty replied. Lockheed bobbed his head up and down as if in agreement.
"And I keep wondering that maybe if I had done something different he might have lived. That maybe his death was ma fault." Rahne could hold back her tears no longer. She started to cry.
Lockheed flew up into the air and flew over to Rahne. He circled just above her head. He wanted to help, but he didn't know what he could do.
"Rahne, Doug's death wasn't your fault. It was his time to go. Nothing you could have possibly done could have changed that. He's in a better place now. He hasn't forgotten us and he doesn't want us to forget him. And we won't." Kitty hugged Rahne. "But he does want us to get on with our lives." Kitty hugged Rahne.
"Ye're right," Rahne agreed. "Thanks." Rahne rubbed her eyes and stopped crying.
"No problem. Any time. After all, that's what friends are for!" Kitty smiled.
Arm in arm, the girls turned towards home to go and find their new friend, Douglock.
The End