By now, I was beginning to watch the video play on the screen as if the people in them were strangers. I mean, those people looked like us, but they couldn't be.
I watched as Onscreen-Ben smirked with deceptive handsomeness. He answered something to the beautiful blue-haired princess. Her blue eyes widened innocently when she spoke. I wondered what they were saying? Onscreen-Ben must have answered something incredibly witty or suave (and nothing snarky at all). Wait, no - actually, I knew exactly what he said! I was there!
I was just realizing what a walkabout was. I looked at very-normal-and-unhandsome Ben (I'm sure the panic was on my face), "What? Now?"
Very-normal-and-unhandsome Ben smirked, "No, Sam. At your leisure."
Apparently, my memory was all wrong. Just as Ben didn't look snarky, I didn't look panicked at all. Just very cute and innocent. Wow. Movie magic.
Back to the movie, the Onscreen Playboy Beta (Ki, in case you didn't recognize him either) tilted his head and gestured for me to walk ahead with the gentlest smile. He moved with every Lorent sophistication and looked very worldly with a polished veneer of professionalism, but only in a way that suggested that he owned many other veneers.
I had to look away to see Ki in real life, just to remind myself that it was just a trick of the lens. You really can't believe anything you see on TV nowadays.
After that, the Alpha Princess was carefully guided across the stone pathways like she was the goddess herself. You couldn't see Onscreen-Ben pushing me at all. Onscreen-Ben even looked like he was taking care to keep in step the Alpha Princess… almost as if he was being considerate of her. Oh the LIES!
Maybe by the magic of movie making, they replaced us with actors. Actors that were probably picked more for their good looks than acting skills. And then I realized this was a news reel, not a movie. Still you couldn't blame me for finding the whole thing ridiculously out of touch with reality.
The warriors who I had thought were squinting from the afternoon sun or just looking really grim now looked like elite warriors seriously carrying out their duties. I glanced out of the window, but those same warriors were now with helmets and visors on because they were on the road. I can't believe they were the same guys who had to debate how not to say arse or cheered over a can of free beer.
Maybe it was better this way. I mean, it could've gone either way, so I was quite lucky that the footage looked better and not worse than reality.
I was quite sure I had sulked all the way to Grandpa Alpha's grave, but on camera, all I saw was a slender young girl with dark long hair that shone blue under the afternoon sun. Her white top and wide dark skirt swayed gracefully with her steps. Her expression, was hard to read, neither happy nor sad… like the white roses in her arms, very beautiful, very pure.
Wow, that was some camera trick!
Meanwhile, the LNC had kindly provided a "local expert" to give commentary to their audience around the continent. Ki had taken off his earbuds and increased the volume so we could all hear it.
Today, we were at the Warrior's Resting Place to witness a significant moment. The Alpha Princess was visiting her Grandfather Alpha Silas' grave. This was her first time to pay her respects since his funeral.
She was here in Night Forest for official duties on behalf of Night Leaf in the Green Packlands.
(They always had to add that Night Leaf was in the Green Packlands because everyone knew Night Forest as "the grand old Night Forest", and Night Leaf as "one of the barbarian packs in the Green Packlands.")
According to the LNC commentator, it was a moving moment for the Alpha Princess to return to her grandfather's resting place.
They were very close. In fact, sources say that despite being born in a different pack, the Alpha Princess had always been Alpha Silas' favorite grandchild. His passing had been a heartfelt loss to all of us here, but it must be even more so for the princess.
It has been said among those who ran closest to the late alpha, "There are only two moments when our Alpha smiles: when his luna smiles and when his granddaughter is present."
Just a quick fact check: my Grandma Luna NEVER smiles, and Grandpa Alpha had more than one granddaughter - two of them (my cousins) lived under the same roof.
In fact, there was a well-known story among local wolves about how Alpha Silas had insisted that his son bring the little Alpha Princess to visit at least once a year. He had called his eldest son and told him in no uncertain terms, "I don't care if you never come back, but I want to see my granddaughter."
Fact check: My Grandpa Silas would never say something like that. It didn't even match his speech pattern. Grandma Luna, yes. Actually, not that I had ever heard her say anything like this, but if the LNC had credited the quote to Grandma Luna, I would have believed it.
Anyway, that was why the Alpha Princess would be brought to Night Forest every year. (Never mind that I only became the "Alpha Princess" this year.)
Talk about drawing their own conclusions! Oh well, I should be used to the LNC by now.
Now the Alpha Princess had stopped in front of Alpha Silas' grave. She was taking a moment to admire the monument marking her Grandfather's grave. This majestic black wolf had been commissioned especially to honor the late Alpha Silas of Night Forest. It took 60 years to carve and was completed just this year.
Hahaha. I felt sure I must have heard wrong. So they commissioned his gravestone like... on his Alpha inauguration day? They made it sound like fate that he died this year.
Part of me did think he should have chosen something that would take longer to produce. Then maybe he would still be with us, but that was silly. It's not like he meant the monument to be completed exactly the year his life ended. I mean, who would know the span of their life?
And then I remembered the time travelling cats. Oh. DID GRANDPA ALPHA KNOW?
He promised me a boat ride on the lake this year! WTH! I felt angry at him all over again. How dare he lie to me? Don't promise things you never meant to do like that!
I had to remind myself I was jumping in conclusions. That was the LNC's job, not mine. I should give Grandpa Alpha the benefit of the doubt. He might not have known. It could've been a coincidence. The gravestone monuments were tradition here - all the other dead alphas in this memorial had one.
Meanwhile, the LNC continued stringing the story about how poignant this scene was. They juxtaposed it with scenes from the recent Ceremony for the Departed held in Night Leaf and talked about how Night Leaf had deep-rooted traditions in respecting those who had passed on before them.
Back to a far short of the late Spring afternoon at the Warrior's Final Resting Place.
I watched my betas, agents, and warriors take their turns to bow their respect to their Alpha Princess' late grandfather. Even the sunlight filtered across the scene was bowed. It was a very solemn scene.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered how I did feel it was fitting when I was there. Next time I come, I would bring Bell too (and not invite the press).
I wished Grandpa Alpha could have met Bell. I dunno, I just felt they would have gotten along.
The video ended just as the next one finished downloading, "Alpha Princess Walkabout at Night Forest's Warrior's Resting Place."
"I want to see that." I told Ki.
Tbh, I just wanted to see how the local expert at the LNC explained the crazy crowd.