The girl frowned as she did the oh-so-familiar motions of splitting the paper. For many years, she had succeeded, but today was different, Alex could feel it.
"Shakyra?" She called into the edge. No answer. "Shakyra?" Alex bit her lip, as she tried again.
"She... no longer lives here..." came a small reply. Alex's dark brown hair swayed in the wind as she scrambled to give the creature room. It was a young-looking dog, a sheltie to be exact.
"Good to see you Alex. Shakyra would have wanted you here..."
"Whaddya mean, would have? Renga, where is Shakyra?"
"We didn't want yo--"
"WHERE IS SHE?! ANSWER THE QUESTION!"
"Come into the paper Alex. Shakyra was old, even for a paper-creature, and would have wanted to go this way anyways. She was... killed in a battle... with... the Grouts. Defending her best friend, you. The Grouts were about to escape into Earth and possibly could've killed you first. Shakyra was protecting you whe--" a flash of light interrupted her sentence, as the two were sucked into the paper, and then Alex viewed the scene unfolding in front of her.
"SHAKYRA! NO!" The brown haired girl ran t her friend, and pressed her face into the harmless flaming mane. "You're not allowed to die! No! You can't die!"
"Alex? Is that you? Don't cry, please don't cry... I'll miss you but remember the good times not the bad okay?"
"No! No, you can't do this!"
"Remember the good times, not the bad... okay?" Shakyra's breath was getting shakier with every word.
"I-- okay... don't go, please!"
But before another word could be spoken, Shakyra's flames died out, and the creature lay on the ground limply, dead. Alex curled up, and buried herself into her friend's fur, crying and sobbing. It seemed like hours before Alex was led away, for the funeral preparations to begin, but it was only half an hour.
"Come on Alex, we must prepare for her burial. The entire Paperworld will sit vigil, for Shakyra was not only a great warrior, but she was a friend to all." And with that, Renga led Alex away, and the only noises that remained were the sounds of crunching footprints, for what the dog had said was true. Shakyra had been a friend to all of the Paperworld.