A feather-light dark sable ferret awoke from a deep winter's dream to find herself at the end of a long striped narrow expanse. It took her tired mind a few moments to put a name to this location, different from where she had lain to doze, and even longer for her to rise on her old bird bones, but she soon began her crossing of the Rainbow Bridge. For every pawstep Holly placed toward her destination, her fur grew in more glossy and long over bare patches of skin, her muscles moved supple and strong, where tissue had since wasted away. The years fell behind her, as did any lingering pain and suffering. All the memories Holly need carry across to be with the ferrets gone before were of love and trust, hope and happiness, of the humans who paved her path to play and dreams, and of the ferrets she claimed as her family along life's journey. She put down the burden of having been a DMK breeder living in deplorable conditions. She put down the burden of later protecting a blind cagemate against abuse. Just as Holly reached half-way along the Bridge's arching length and was ready to release her burdens of assuming harm would come from anyone new whom she met and the knowledge that she rewarded kindness with violence on many occasions, Holly came to a sudden halt. She fluffed up her fur in surprise and trepidation. A large ferret waited there, unhappy and alone. Holly knew him of old, and their history was not that which she remembered fondly. He wasn't rushing for her. Holly began to doubt her senses and wondered if perhaps this ferret was a creation of her imagination, until Rhys asked, "Hows is she?" "Whats?" Holly bounced with sudden alarm, as the figment of her imagination resolved into her longtime nemesis from Holly's days in the ferret shelter. "How is da Mama" Holly saw the longing in Rhys' eyes, but his yearning was not directed toward her. Rhys craving was for a human far away and out of reach. With the wisdom of years, Holly reached out to sooth a ferret seemingly more in need of help than she. "Rhys, da Mama is gonna bes fine. Shes gots lots of lils ferrets to bes wid her ifs shes needs luvs." "Me misses da Mama. Mes tried to stay, but mes dust wasn stong enuf," whined the melancholy hunter."Shes always tries sos hards tos makes us ferrets betters." "Yous musts has seen Chester and Nibbs pass over," the tiny old lady knodded to herself. "Yous has gots to go on. Stayn here doesn help da Mama. Ifn shes knews yous was sads cause uvs hers, shed cry; yous knows id da truf." Rhys took his head off his paws and stared consideringly at Holly. Holly, of course, backed up a few ferret lengths and re-fluffed her fur a bit in warning at Rhys' more alert posture. With a heaving sigh, Rhys pulled his bulk to a standing position. Angling his body to face the way Holly had been traveling from the first, Rhys said, "Lets us gos den." With an impish tilt of her head, but a very serious show of a fang, just to remind Rhys that she was not to be trifled with, Holly suggested, "Yous firsts." At the end of the Rainbow Bridge, many, many ferrets were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the two newcomers, but each of the happenstance pair had eyes at first only for a single best friend. For Holly, A shy well-rounded black and tan ferret scooted forward, coyly hiding a special something behind his back. "Charlie, yous can sees mes!" squeaked the mite of a ferret called Holly. "Yeps," he replied with a bashful grin. "Mes has sumtins fors yous, Olly-gurl." "Mes sees! Mes sees!" cried the joyful dancing Holly - joyful to be healed of her ailments, joyful to be among friends, and joyful to maybe have something to stash in a hidey-hole. Charlie could not keep his gift a secret for but a few moments. Holly spied her unique wings of amethyst purple with onyx trim. Friends helped her put them on - Lilly, Becky, baby Abby, and Barney. Holly may have been one of the smallest adult ferrets to grace the Rainbow Bridge, but her elegance in her wings was a sight to behold! Holly took a few running steps and flew! A lanky albino slithered forth to rub sides with Rhys. Many years had passed, since Rhys and Frost had caused trouble together. Frost nipped Rhys sharply on the ear. "Dats for snots comn ons cross da Bridge wens yous was posed tos!" Rhys bowled Frost over with his massive paw. "Ands dis is fors leavns mes tos soons, Frost!" Suspicious moisture lurked in the eyes of both combatants, but the other ferrets pretended not to notice and turned their attention to a clap of wings. Codo and Ayla presented Rhys with his glory of crimson flying feathers which, just in the right light, showed hints of emerald green and black. Rhys bowed to the two angel ferrets, who had his respect for surviving many an earthly trial. Then, with business to finish, Rhys flew after a tiny new angel ferret he could see winging away far in the distance. Much the same as a misunderstood cartoon skunk, he'd had an unrequited love for this obviously bashful hard-to-get feisty Holly ferret for years. Holly left Ferrets at Heart on 1/11/2013, well passed her eighth birthday. She had survived being a DMK breeder. Thank you to all who helped insure her rescue and who granted me the care of the last three years of her precious life. Rhys had watched his shelter mom from the Rainbow Bridge since 5/3/2012. He was more than seven-years-old. Never was a ferret more loyal and trusted. You waited, because I couldn't bear to say good-bye. Some losses just cut so deep. Lori of Ferrets at Heart [Posted in FML 7672]