Chapter 1 – Leaving everything behind
The day was cold and bitter; the wind blew and whistled lightly through the sky with ease, gently blowing the frost covered leaves across the cold frozen ground. Grey clouds brew in the sky, covering the sun creating darkness in Jasper Park. A few autumn leaves blew across the paw of a slouching grey wolf, his blue eyes filled with water. As a tear drop hung off his eye lid, it fell to the ground, crashing into the leaves and creating a small puddle in this leaf shaped bowl.
In this small drop Humphrey could see his reflection and pondered into why she said yes. He looked at his chest and his body figure and knew that it didn't compare to an alpha's.
"Why him", he thought to himself, "what does he have which I don't. Ok he has an alpha's body, an alphas position, an alphas sense of humour, which is basically non-existent", a small chuckle emerged from his face, but slowly died back to his heartbroken state.
"Aghrrrrrrrrrrr", Humphrey yelled, "she doesn't even know him, she's known me our entire lives and she chooses him"
"Alphas and omegas can't be together", the quote kept repeating itself in his head, constantly reminding him of the age old law, which can never be broken. Humphrey's expression changed from sadness to anger as he got up and started walking north towards the train tracks, determined to leave and get out of this place.
"I'm leaving", he thought, "and I don't want to see this place again, or Kate, or that Barth"
As the thoughts, fears and doubts ran through his mind he arrived at the train track and sat there patiently waiting for the train to arrive. He thought that he was making a mistake because he knew deep down he was still in love with Kate.
"Just leave, leave and forget about it… forget about her", the thought of Humphrey leaving Kate welled tears in his eyes once again, and he broke down onto the floor crying. He covered his eyes with his paws, hoping that no one would see him.
Marcel and Paddy was flying through the air when they saw the distressed Humphrey in tears, they flew down and landed next to him.
"Bonjour, Why so upset friend" said marcel, "your friend is getting married, you should be happy for her, you both should be happy"
Paddy nudged Marcel motioning for him to stop due to Humphrey's state. "Ahhhhhhhh", said marcel after his realisation, "you were in love with the she wolf, and she has fallen for someone else, I'm sorry friend, but if there is anything we can do, just ask"
"She didn't fall for him, she didn't" Humphrey shouted from under his paws, "She's doing her duties towards the pack"
"There is no need for tears then Mr Wolf", replied marcel, "she could still be in love with you,"
"No" shouted Humphrey, "if she loved me she would have told me, but she didn't, she chose her alpha position over me"
"She doesn't love me" mumbled Humphrey under his breath
"I'm so sorry Humphrey" paddy said, "You have my condolences"
"Well like as before friend" said marcel, "if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know"
Humphrey lifted his head from his tear soaked paws and tilted it towards Marcel
"Well there is one thing" mentioned Humphrey
"Yes yes, anything good friend, what do you need" replied Marcel
"When's the next train coming" said Humphrey
Kate was walking up to the ceremonial rock with the thought that she was getting married, it scared her, the fact that she was marrying someone that she has only met once, it sent shivers through her spine.
"Are you ok Kate?" said Winston, "you look upset"
"Yeah I'm fine dad" replied Kate, "to unite the packs right, my duty comes first", putting a fake smile on her face.
"I'm so proud of you dear" said Eve, "and remember, if garth steps out of line remember to use those shiny curved claws to rip his throat out"
Kate and Winston looked at eve with disturbed stares on their faces, though they were used to Eve's bad temper, it still shocked them both.
"Just remember" said Winston, "we'll always love you no matter what you choose" with this Winston winked at Kate and walked off towards the ceremonial rock with Eve, waiting for the big event.
Kate remained silent and questioned why her father said that and why he winked, did he know something that she didn't, but Kate was interrupted mid thought by lily
"You're going to be late to your own wedding if you plan on sitting there" said lily, whilst walking in her parent's foot steps towards the rock. Lily was devastated that Kate and garth was getting married, her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying that she had been doing but she tried to cover it up with her hair, over her eyes.
"Hey lily, are you ok" asked Kate.
"Yeah I'm fine" replied lily with an unenthusiastic tone to her voice, with a mild bit of anger towards Kate for marrying garth. Lily continued walking towards the wedding rock trying to avoid eye contact with everyone and stay out of the way; she just wanted this to be over with.
Kate started walking once again towards the wedding, getting ever so closer to her future husband, and ever so far away from Humphrey.
Kate started to question in her head why she was doing this, why she was marrying garth, a wolf she had only known for one night.
"I shouldn't be doing this, I've only known him for one night, not even a night, I ended up spending the rest of it with Humphrey...", Humphrey, she thought about him, how he was always there, always making jokes and making her laugh, and how she was heartbroken when he told her he was leaving, "no, stop it Kate, your duties come first" she thought to herself, and with that she carried on.
She arrived at the ceremonial rock where there were dozens of wolves from the eastern and western packs, some she recognised and some she didn't. All the faces turned towards her and started to cheer calling her "their saviour", and applauding her. She carried on walking towards the rock which lied in the centre of the valley, separating the eastern and western territories. As she climbed onto the rock she saw garth standing there with a weak and forced smile on his face, for he was going through the same thing Kate was going through.
"Shall we begin" said garth, "I guess" replied Kate, neither one really making eye contact.
The clergy wolf stepped onto the rock and started to perform the wedding rituals and telling the new couple what to do. Kates mind drifted whilst this was happening, not really paying attention. She was thinking about Humphrey, how he danced around pretending to play guitar in the van, how he played with the bear cub, how he saved her life multiple times.
"I'm in love with Humphrey" she thought to herself, "it's taken me this long to realise, I love Humphrey"
As the final part of the wedding ritual was about to take place, garth leaned in to touch noses with Kate but found nothing, he reached his paw out to try to find Kate but she had stepped back and gasps came from all around the valley in shock of what happened.
"Kate, what are you doing" yelled tony from the eastern side of the valley
"I'm sorry I can't marry garth" replied Kate
All the wolves were in shock from what has been said and were speechless with surprised looks on their faces; accept garth that had a smile on his
"Why not" said Eve
"Because I fell in love with an omega" shouted Kate. Everyone gasped and started to talk amongst the crowd at what had been said, eve was in shock along with tony, however Winston stood as if he expected this with a small smirk on his face.
Kate had finally realised that she had loved Humphrey all along and that she should never put her duties before her feelings and with this she looked over towards Winston who just nodded. A huge smile grew on Kates face as she darted off the rock and was running towards the train track, in hopes of catching Humphrey.
A loud and high pitch whistle blew as the train approached where Humphrey sat.
"It's here" yelled marcel "good luck Humphrey and we wish you the best of luck"
"Thanks guys" Humphrey shouted up to marcel.
The train came alongside Humphrey, as he started to run alongside the track, he spotted an open carriage and decided to go for that. He picked up his pace and was running at the fastest speed his legs would take him, finally he lept forwards using all his strength to jump into the carriage. He successfully made it in but landed on his belly as an omega would and slid to the other side of the carriage hitting the wall.
"Ow" said Humphrey, "that hurt"
He got up and walked back over to the open door to look back at jasper, realising that he is leaving behind his life, his home, his friends, and his love. He lay down with his paws hanging out of the door watching the world go by, trying not to think about what had happened. He was about to begin a new chapter in his life, which frightened him to the point he was about to jump out the carriage.
Humphrey was hearing two voices in his head, one telling him to leave and another telling him to stay.
"I can't do this, I'm just an omega, I won't last a day" he thought
"No, you can do it; I'll just pick up the rest whilst I'm out there"
"But I can't hunt, there's no way I can catch a caribou or something like that"
"I can start small, rabbits and squirrels first, that'll feed me for the time being"
"Oh my, what if I run into a rival pack, they could kill me"
Humphrey thought about everything bad that could happen to him in making this decision, and once more he thought of Kate, not believing that he could really leave the one he truly loved.
"No, stop it" thought Humphrey once he came back to reality, "I've made my choice, I'm leaving, and I never want to see this place again"
With this Humphrey watched as the trees flew by as brown and green blurs, drifting off into his thoughts and dreams, he was traveling further up north, into the cold reaches of Alaska.
Kate was running as fast as her alpha legs would carry her, flying through the forest, breathing heavily she was determined to catch Humphrey. She came alongside the track but did not see the train, and worse, she didn't see Humphrey. She saw marcel and paddy sitting on a log talking to one another, so she approached them.
"Hey, have you guys seen Humphrey" Kate panted
"Ahhhh yes madam, we just put him on a train" replied marcel, "he is gone"
"What, he's gone" asked Kate as tears started to fill her eyes
"Yes gone, bye bye" replies marcel
Kate began to cry and she pushed everything aside and blocked out everyone as she fell to the floor in tears.
"It's all my fault" she said, "I should never had said those things, it's my fault Humphreys gone, now I'm never going to see him again, I've lost the only one I ever truly loved, I shouldn't have said we can't be together"
Marcel and paddy were both there trying to comfort Kate and be good friends, but Kate was to upset and was blocking out everything that went on around her, not taking any notice of the two birds
As they both lie there on the floor upset about their separation only one thought filled both of their heads.
"Alphas and omegas can't be together"