"Do you have any idea what Sparrow would have liked for..." Tiquail's voice trailed away as she looked at Dot, Miki, and Marley. They all had tears streaming down their cheeks and Tiquail was finding it harder and harder to say what she had to say.

"...for her funeral?"

Miki wiped her eyes. "She liked roses." She said thickly. Tiquail nodded.

"Could we bury her dagger with her?" Marley asked. Tiquail nodded again.

"Dot, do you have any ideas?"

Dot looked up. "Sparrow loved her family, even though she barely knew them. I think it's only fair that we don't invite the whole of Trails. She wouldn't have wanted something huge, she liked to keep things small."

Tiquail purred. "That, I think, will mean a lot to her. Nothing extraordinary for the extraordinary girl."

***

Ainnya, newly healed from losing five of her nine remaining lives, sat in front of Sparrow's casket. Her fur was freshly groomed and her eyes were narrowed as she looked around to see if the small amount of people who had attended the funeral were seated.

The cheetah bowed her head. "A terrible loss...beyond a terrible loss. This girl, who was always so loyal, so forgiving, so strong, has given up her life to avoid killing her own family.

"May God rest her soul."

Ainnya paused. Everyone bowed their heads, saying their own prayers.

Ainnya raised her head. "Would anyone like to say a few words?"

Every hand (or tail) in the place went up. Ainnya widened her eyes. "Tiquail, you'll go first." She said.

Tiquail got out of her seat and walked up to the front, the smell of roses filling her nostrils.

She sat down and faced the small group.

"There's a lot of things I could say about Sparrow." She began. "Remember, I kept an eye on her for thirteen years. And, as I told her when she accused me of stalking her, I was merely observing."

She swallowed.

"Sparrow was outgoing. She was loyal, and in the end, it was her loyalty that killed her. But that's okay. I think that she'd rather die loyal than a traitor, or a killer."

Tiquail dipped her head and walked back to her seat.

"Thank you, Tiquail. Dot, Miki, Marley, I think you three can go together." Ainnya said.

Miki, Dot, and Marley all stood up. They were wearing plain black dresses, and Marley had done her best to smooth down her insane hair and make it look neater.

"You want to know what I thought of Sparrow?" Miki began, fresh tears dripping down her face.

"I think, if I had to chose one word to describe her, it would be confident. When you think about it, she had a lot of confidence in herself...and in the people she cared about. That's saying a lot, because confidence is a hard thing to find...at least sometimes it is. She never doubted for a second that something was going on, she never doubted her own eyes, and she stuck by herself. That, I think, is something wonderfully valuable about her personality."

Marley stepped up now, her two different colored eyes hard and emotionless. Tiquail knew she was trying to hide what she was really feeling.

"One word to describe Sparrow, you want?" She asked. "I'd say idiot."

There was soft laughter in the crowd.

"I mean, I don't think I'll ever understand why she decided to lay down and get herself killed, because she didn't have the guts to kill her family. Wouldn't the will to live be stronger?

"And hell yes, I'm talking bad about her, even after she's dead. But wherever the heck she is, whether in heaven or hanging with the devil, I want to slap some sense into her.

"I know loyalty is important and all that crap, but, God forgive me for saying this, dying isn't worth it."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd.

"I'm not Sparrow, and I'm never going to understand her impulses. But..."

Tears started to fall from Marley's eyes and she continued.

"You know what? I loved Sparrow, she was one of my best friends. I always admired her. And I know it wasn't all her choice to go and get herself killed, but I wish she would have fought!

"She never stopped herself, never held herself back, because she knew that bad things would happen to her! And look where holding herself back got her..."

Marley shook her head and bit her lip.

"It just hurts that I lost her so quickly."

Ainnya bowed her head as Marley stepped away.

"Dot, now you can go." She said quietly, not lifting her head.

Dot stepped forward, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes. "Sparrow was, in a sense, the glue. She kept us all together. How many times did the three of us argue and Sparrow break in and rescue us from leaving on a bad note?

"Sparrow had good intentions, no matter what she did. She always did it for someone else. She hated running away from a fight.

"That's why I'll never understand how she backed off and let this fight take place around her.

"I usually understood Sparrow very well. But now that she...now that she's gone...I can't understand her anymore."

Dot backed away.

With these words said, the three girls walked back to their seats, all crying softly at the loss of their confidence, their idiot, their glue.

Their friend.

"Sparrow's family can go next." Ainnya announced.

The four girls walked up to the casket, but Sparrow's father stayed seated, as if he didn't have the strength to be near his daughter's dead body.

"I'm speaking for all of us when I say this," Kayla, the oldest sister, murmured. "Sparrow was a wonderful child. We didn't know her for long...because...well you all know what happened. She was always happy though, always curious. I wish...we wish that we could have known her longer."

The girls all bowed their heads for a moment, then headed back to their seats.

"And lastly, Tony."

Tony was the only trainer that got invited to the funeral. Everyone had thought it best not to invite Vinny, Chase, or Theo, because they all knew Sparrow hadn't known them very well.

Tony stood before Sparrow's casket. Tears were already streaming from his green eyes.

That meant a lot, because everyone in Trails knew one thing for certain.

If Tony cried for you, you were important to him. You were beyond important to him.

You were part of his heart.

"Sparrow Mae Chole..." Tony whispered, so everyone had to lean forward to hear him. "I was training her...if I would have gone looking for her...she would probably still be alive, or better, I would be dead next to her.

"She was the only girl I had a serious amount of respect for. I respect all girls, but Sparrow was different. She didn't want to depend on anyone.

"I think that's what I appreciated most about her."

Tony turned and faced Sparrow's body. He raised his voice.

"And Sparrow Mae Chole, if you can hear me, I want you to know this:

"I appreciated you so much, and I still appreciate you in death. You, Stripes, are the only person that truly meant something to me.

"So hey, if you feel like it..."

His voice dropped again.

"Go ahead and slap me, right now, because that's all I would need to know that you appreciated me too."

Tony turned again and walked back to his seat, just as everyone else had done.

There was a moment of silence before Ainnya spoke again.

"And now that we've all shared our memories...it is time to say goodbye."

As the casket began to close, to lock away Sparrow's body, the unthinkable happened.

Her eyes opened.

***

A/N: I know, it was predictable and all that, blah, blah, blah. But hey, if you had been in Trails, would you have expected someone to wake up after ring dead for three days?

Didn't think so!

Anyway, love you guys! Thanks for reading!!! (And keep reading!)