The evening following the battle was solemn. Quiet Ocean assisted the other wolves as they buried the dead, her mother being included in one of them. She and Snow Fall had talked briefly, trying to sort out their feelings, but both felt very little grief for the passing of Lily Petal. She had never been much of a mother to them to begin with, but they both hoped she was happy in the afterlife, at least.

Thankfully, all of Quiet Ocean's adoptive family had survived. She was thrilled to be reunited with Small Fox, Golden Sun, and Daffodil Bloom and find out that, like her and Snow Fall, they only had minor injuries. Small Fox had showered her in affection, admitting that she had been so worried that something had happened to her and her brother.

Though Quiet Ocean hadn't admitted it, in those moments she had chosen to forgive Small Fox for lying to her. Even more amazingly, she began referring to Small Fox as "Mom" again.

As Quiet Ocean finished getting her wounds tended to, she noticed Dandelion Puff sitting outside the omega den, staring up at the stars. Quiet Ocean quickly rushed over to her. She hadn't been able to see the she-wolf yet since the battle's end.

"Dandelion Puff?" Quiet Ocean asked as she approached her.

Dandelion Puff turned and smiled at her. "Oh, hey, Quiet Ocean! Glad to see you're looking well!" There was a large scratch down Dandelion Puff's leg, but she didn't seem bothered by it.

"How are you doing?" Quiet Ocean asked. 

"It all still feels unreal," Dandelion Puff explained. "I guess I don't have to sleep in the omega den tonight, but it still feels strange. It's been my home so long."

"Why don't you come and greet the others?"

"In a little bit. I was looking up at the stars and praying that Lily Petal is up there now. I know my sister and her mate are taking good care of her. It's hard losing another sister. I'm glad my brother was okay," Dandelion Puff admitted. "I'll come and join him and our parents in a little bit. I was worried, you know. Some of these wolves have some severe injuries that may prevent them from hunting, but I've already heard that they won't be made omegas. That must be so nice for them."

"That is good news," Quiet Ocean said. "Are you excited to train? You and Gentle Breeze will get to train for a little while with me, at least."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it," Dandelion Puff said. "It's strange. I never got to dream about training that much because it was already clear I wasn't ever going to get the chance. But now I get that chance."

"I'm happy for you," Quiet Ocean said. 

"I'm sorry about Lily Petal, by the way. I don't know if I should have told you that she had no parting words. It made it seem like she didn't love you--"

"It's okay. I know she didn't--"

"That's not true. I know she didn't show it, but I know she loved you and your brother. I visited her when she gave birth. She was licking you two and speaking fondly to the both of you. Just for a moment, I thought she was back to normal, but that wasn't the case. Her grieving nature returned too quickly after that. I think it didn't help having her pups stripped from her, but she knew it was the right thing to do. I'm sure watching you two grow from afar wasn't easy for her. I know I'm not her, but please believe me when I say she loved you," Dandelion Puff said.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Quiet Ocean murmured. For the first time since she had learned of her mother's passing, tears began to sting her eyes.

"Looks like Moon's Shine is making an announcement," Dandelion Puff said. "Let's go and listen."

Quiet Ocean nodded, walking with her aunt back to the crowd. Since the alphas' passing, many of the wolves were still unsure of who would take over. Would Moon's Shine, the previous beta, take over? Would Silver Snowflake end up being alpha after all? Quiet Ocean still wasn't quite sure which direction the pack would be going in.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Moon's Shine asked loudly. Slowly, the crowd began to quiet down.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you all for your bravery earlier today. Thank you for the sacrifices you made for the pack. We defeated the rogues, and we'll all hope for some much-needed peace for seasons to come. In keeping with the vision that Raven's Wing shared with me earlier today, I have some announcements. The first is, for the tie being, I will serve as your interim alpha."

Chatter began to resound from among the crowd. 

"Quiet, please," Moon's Shine said. "With the loss of Brown Owl, one of our betas, and Silver Snowflake's severe injuries, new alphas are needed. I had a discussion with Silver Snowflake earlier today, and we both decided that with her injuries and her misguided vision of the pack, she was not fit to lead and will be stripped of her title as beta. She will be directly under our supervision, as will her daughter, Shining River, whose vision also does not align with what Raven's Wing had in line for the pack. For those of you staunchly opposed to no longer having an omega system or allowing the dogs and wolves to intermingle, you can take your leave whenever you wish. No one will force you to stay."

From below, no one moved. Quiet Ocean took this as a good sign that every wolf wanted to remain in the pack.

"Because I was previously interim alpha, I will resume the role for the time being, but know this. Cold Blizzard and I already decided long ago not to become alphas. This time we will again not be taking on the role. In the meantime, Cold Blizzard and I will be on the lookout for someone who we think will be fit to be alpha. It will be hard to find pack members that fit the role that Maple Leaf and Raven's Wing held, but we know there are many competent members who could very well take on the role.

"In the meantime, those not seriously injured will continue to go on patrol to be sure the rogues have left the area. We will continue healing and rebound stronger than before. Omegas will be moved to the training den to begin their training as soon as tomorrow, and no restrictions will be imposed on the dogs of the pack. With this, hopefully Raven's Wing vision will be realized, and we can finally celebrate a unified pack. In the meantime though, we mourn for our alphas, some of my closest friends. Please, let's howl for their souls, as well as those others who we lost today, including Copper Rock, Night Sky, Bright Sunshine, White Crane, Lily Petal, and Strong Boulder."

Quiet Ocean joined in howling with the others, hoping that the souls of their fallen pack members were shining in the stars, just as Dandelion Puff had described.