Alpha and Omega

The Twists of Fate

001

"'Twisting in the Wind"

It was a sunny day for the Omegas of the Western Wolf Pack of Jasper Park. They had all woken up early, for they had no responsibilities. An omega's task was not to hunt down game for the pack, nor to stand sentry at key points. Their only actual task, if it could have been called that, was to have fun and brighten everyone's day. Every omega had their own unique way of doing this; however, one cluster stood above the rest. Some had claimed they were fearless and others claimed they were morons. Luckily, their leader was definitely everything mentioned and more, for he was Humphrey.

Humphrey wasn't the leader of the omega wolves, but he had much influence between them all. He had three wolves in particular that were more loyal to him than the very pack leader. The wolves had dubbed the names: Shaky, Salty, and Mooch. Like their friend, they were all easily distinguishable from other wolves. Mooch was impressively large, despite most of his size being the result of over eating. Salty was a large and lanky wolf that probably could have been an alpha if it weren't for his omega mentality. The last was Shakey who was near midnight black and surprisingly small for a wolf, his pelt around his head had looked like it had been combed back.

All three wolves were sitting inside a hollowed log with Humphrey at the top of a very steep hill. The journey up and down the hill was littered with boulders, trees, and various kinds of debris. The prospect of sliding down this cluttered hillside in nothing but a mere log would frighten most men. Fortunately, the occupants were not men but wolves and stupid ones at that. If one was forced to slide down this, they would hope luck was on their side, yet not the wolves. They had preformed this stunt on many a hill prior to this, including this one its self.

"... Mooch your the brakes, everyone set?" The young wolf looked over his shoulder at his childhood friends. They all seemed as determined and ready as he had always been. He faced downhill and signaled for Mooch to push them over, which would start their ride. "Alright Mooch, let's do this."

As the group and the log went over the hill, they threw their arms up. They gained speed very quickly. With little time to react, they buckled down and began steering. They had decided on using their paws to steer by planting them simultaneously to avoid injury. It proved effective as they managed to escape crashes and even go off of smaller hills for some stunts. At one particular moment, Salty had stood up and did something called a "T-pose" before a flying insect flew into his mouth. If they had to summarize their experience, they would claim it was a blast; however, for every up there is a inevitable down.

"Um Humphrey!" The wolf called Shakey pointed his paw directly ahead of the group. In the rush and laughter, Humphrey had failed at noticing the sudden drop off they were sliding to.

"Oh no." His lack of enthusiasm brought Salty and Mooch up to speed. Everyone in their group braced for the crash.

They flew over the edge and felt butterflies in the stomach, their grips slipped and one by one they were separated from their ride. The wolves each let out a scream of excitement mixed with fear as they approached the ground. While falling, Humphrey had noticed some commotion in a valley of sorts. He couldn't ponder it, for he smacked into the ground. This didn't kill him or even injure him more than some bruises.

When Humphrey recovered, he had noticed his friends were some distance away from himself. Rather than go reunite, he chose to investigate the valley. He found a group of caribou and was going to call his friends over until he'd seen the hunting party below. They were slowly stalking towards the game in tall grass. He would have given them more attention if he didn't hear the steps behind him. He turned his head and saw his three friends approaching.

"Wow, thanks for making sure we're okay Humphrey." Salty spoke to him with irritation evident in his voice.

"Ah, I knew you guys would be fine." He looked back into the valley below and noticed the hunting party ready to pounce. "Besides, look what I found. Looks like we're eating caribou tonight boys." They smiled at the thought, but it was dashed away by what occurred next.

A brown wolf leaped at the caribou from the opposite side of the hunting pack. It was followed quickly by a tan wolf which attacked another; however, the caribou shook the wolves off and made haste away. The hunting pack wasted no time and gave chase with the new wolves in pursuit as well. Unfortunately, a member of the hunting pack was lagging behind. They were golden and their fur seemed to shimmer whenever the sunlight streaked across them. This didn't last as all four of the faster wolves raced the other direction, confusing even the omegas. The rumble in the ground solved the question on all of their minds, for their was a heard of caribou stampeding.

The golden wolf, Kate as Humphrey remembered her, was quickly surrounded as forced to follow the stampede's current, lest she be trampled. As the situation became increasingly dangerous she did something that awed all the wolves present. In an amazing display of agility, she leapt up and jumped off the back of a stampeding caribou, caught a branch in her mouth and twirled around it before leaping from it and landing safely behind the stampede. Every wolf was speechless until a small wolf raced up to her. It was incredibly muscular but sported multiple scars.

"Are you okay?" They spoke in a frantic manner, one uncommon for that particular wolf. This particular wolf was known as Candu, a highly aggressive beta.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kate's reply had calmed him down long enough to remember the interlopers. He didn't waste time when he rushed to the center of the valley and growled at them.

"Hey, what's your problem eastern dog!?" The title he gave them flared their tempers.

"Watch your mouth, western mutt!" The brown wolf bared his fangs at the much smaller wolf.

"What was that?!" Candu probably would have attacked if a friendly wolf hadn't interrupted. He was Hutch, a black and white furred wolf with on long scar across his snout and a beta as well.

"Calm down Candu." Hutch focused on the other wolves. "Besides what are you even doing here? This is is part of the Western Pack's territory."

"We had to hunt here, we were starving. We have just as much right to this food as you!" They had practical snarled every word. The response had Candu growling his deepest growl and even Hutch become weary of them. When the tanned wolf accompanying the eastern wolves snapped its jaws, the wolves charged each other. They never managed to bite each other, only snarl and bark, for the western pack's leader had interrupted. He was an older wolf by the name of Winston. He was primarily dark grey with hints of silver, hinting at his age.

"Enough!" His voice was strong and deep, the true voice of a commander. He looked pointedly at the eastern wolves. "Go home, now. I'll be having words with your pack leader over this." When they turned and shuffled off, his frustration focused back on the hunting pack. "Western wolves, return to your dens." The wolves weren't pleased with their hunt or the way Winston had acted to them. Fortunately, they had enough respect for Winston that they didn't dare challenge his orders.

The members passed by him one after another until Kate got close. When the golden wolf made to pass him, Winston nudged her. He offered a reassuring smile to her, a silent sign of understanding. The gesture seemed odd to anyone out of the loop. Luckily any bystanders witnessing knew that they held a close relationship, Winston was her father.

"How you doing baby?" Winston's voice had changed between his commands and when he addressed his daughter. Now it was a partially dry, whisper like, voice.

"It's those stupid eastern wolves, they ruined my first hunt." Kate's focus had shifted to her paws. The wolves had indeed ruined the hunt; however, her under performance had also thrown her off balance, mentally that is.

"It's alright baby girl, I'm going to have a discussion with Tony about the eastern wolves' actions anyways." He gave her a comforting smile before looking over his shoulder. "Now go say high to your sister and your mother. They're waiting for you at the den." A series of nods signaled Winston to lead the way home.

When the elder and younger wolf walked away from the valley, they didn't notice the omega watching them intently, or rather one of them intently. His stares lingered on a particular golden colored wolf. He watched her fur glisten and reveal the curves of her body, all with satisfaction, His ogling only ceased when a paw slapped the back of his head. He turned around and glared at his friends; however, the smugness they wore melted his frustrations away. They knew as well as him that he had had a crush on her since they were pups. Age had done little to dissuade his intentions.

"Don't even think about it." Shakey had said, he was followed by Salty adding on to his warning.

"Yeah, you know the rules. She's and alpha and your an omega." The third wolf, Mooch, had offered no words, only a nod of agreement. With all three of his closest friends staring at him, Humphrey quickly caved in to their reasoning.

"Guys, guys, guys. You have nothing to worry about." After saying such things, his friend Mooch rolled his eyes; although, Humphrey ignored the action and continued. "I know the rules, alphas and omegas can't mix." Humphrey looked back to where he'd last seen Kate and Winston, both of them were long gone by then, before finishing. "Besides, no harm in daydreaming."

"Right dreaming, because there's no way you could be with Kate, Pack law forbids it." Mooch had finally spoken and, as one would assume, his words definitely weren't supportive.

"Maybe you should set your sites on some on else, like the berry twins!" The wolves Shakey had mentioned actually cause Humphrey to grimace. The were vegetarians and only ate wild berries, but one would be wise to wait until they finished their meal. The two had little in the way of table manners.

"I think I'll pass Shakes." Humphrey walked away from his friends and began looking for a way down. He wanted to get a head start on sleep for the sun was setting. The next day was filled with importance, for that would be the day the moonlight howl would occur. Despite the warnings and pressure from friends and pack alike, Humphrey had every intention of asking Kate out. He was felt certain that he and Kate were meant to be together, he felt it in his soul.

He would go home and sleep with marry an idea of the strings being pulled around him. That night he would sleep the most comfortable he had in years. Dreams of his childhood and his life long crush Kate danced in his head. This would be his last moment of reprieve, a gift from heaven, for soon his world would end. The first of many blows would occur fairly soon and the instigator behind the misery was preparing that very night, far away from the dens of the wolves from the western Jasper pack.

xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx

Night had swept across Jasper Park bringing with it the frozen breath from evil's very own lungs. It was dense and cold to the touch, making one mistake it for common fog. It was not simple fog because it knowingly masked the evil deeds that occurred at night. It circled a clearing deep in the woods of Jasper Park. The dirt had been smoothed from decades of creatures traversing it and cut through the middle by a trail of water run off from the waterfall nearby. Only two beings came to such an area a night, two wolves. The leaders of the Western Pack and the Eastern Pack, Winston and Tony. Their purpose is most wicked, to decide the destiny of one wolf and unconsciously change the destiny of another.

"Winston..." Called a chestnut brown wolf, his voice betraying his age.

"Tony..." The Western leader greeted him with a friendly tone. The tone was justified because the were childhood friends. They had even been trained at the same time; however, this all held little weight at the time. Their respective fathers had had a major dispute and the result was the entire pack splitting into the eastern and western portions. This only added to the tension between the packs, forcing Tony and Winston to try and quell the fires their predecessors left behind.

"It's a now night tonight." Tony was calm and careful in his wording. They were so close to pulling off their plan, neither could afford it all to fall apart. They were running on borrowed time and it only made things worse for them. In truth, neither was entirely committed to the plan, but until better means show their self it was their best shot. They needed to combine the packs again to prevent a war.

"It is a nice night, how are you by the way?"

"Oh you know, the disc keeps slipping in my back, it's been a real pain lately." Tony hunched his back to show it was his lower back in particular that had been hurting.

"Huh, how weird. Well, you know something else that's weird? A pair of eastern wolves interrupting a hunt." In the seconds it took for him to finish his sentence, it became all to apparent the kid gloves were off.

"You know there's no caribou in the east!" Tony verbally bit back with scowl on his face.

"Hmm, sounds like you got a problem." Winston had returned his glare. The conversation was leading to a touchy subject for both of them.

"Winston, what are you waiting for? My pack's starving, I can't keep the war off forever. Unite the packs like we promised each other." The wolves had been circling during their conversation, buts topped to stare each other down. "Have Kate marry Garth, that was the agreement wasn't it?" The statement alone was enough to bring doubt and hesitation into Winston. "We're keeping up our end of the agreement, now it's time to keep up yours."

"What would you recommend I do Tony? Tell her the truth? She doesn't even know your son. How can she be expected to-" Winston never finished his sentence as Tony had interrupted him with glee.

"Have them meet tomorrow night at the moonlight howl, it'd be the perfect moment to familiarize herself with Garth." Tony was beginning to tire from the long stretches he spent awake. He would enjoy his coming slumber, so he ended their conversation with one subtle threat. "We both love our packs, but if it comes to starvation then we'll fight for the valley..."

Tony quickly retreated into the dense dog at the end of the clearing. Winston found himself sitting there trapped in his thoughts. He pondered how the situation had become so strained, so intense. He would continue on the subject of the cold night air hadn't begun nipping at his tail. If he was certain about anything at all from that night's meeting, then it was the fact that he had run out of time.

xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx

The sun was setting over the beautiful mountains of Jasper Park, a young man stood outside a log cabin in the woods do said park. Brown hair and eyes complimented his stand and green attire. He was waiting for a fellow man to meet him. He had a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder and a green cap on his head. He was a forest ranger and he was going to get a wolf for relocation. The sound of a truck engine pulled his attention to a faded red pick up truck. His fellow park ranger had finally arrived at their meeting point.

The truck sputtered when slowing and gave a loud backfire. It concerned the young ranger whether it was ideal to take such a clumsy vehicle on the mission they had. Unfortunately, they had little choice in the matter. It was the only car available in time and the only one with enough space to hold the wolf cages in the back. He climbed in as soon as possible and greeted the driver.

"Hey Earnie, how's it hanging?" The man in question wore the same attire as him; however, he wore a hunting hat and sunglasses instead of a plain green cap. His hair was orange along with his motorcycle mustache. He man only responded in grunts, for as long as the younger one had known him, and it hadn't changed. They opted to turn the radio on, the silence was boring after all.

They drove past many a trees and boulders before they slowed. The dirt road they'd been traveling on had become uneven and it made the truck bounce from the potholes. Eventually the jumping and jerking subsided; although, the rest of the road had been blocked off by a gate. Earnie turned the truck off in order to save gasoline, they wouldn't be back to the truck for some time. The rest of their journey was a mile long trek into wolf country.

Neither of the two would admit to being on edge, not in the presence of friends at least. Wolf country was notoriously dangerous, especially for humans as the wolves across the park had shown signs of being agitated and aggressive. They had armed themselves with semi automatic dart guns, for killing wolves in the sanctioned territory wasn't allowed. The hoped the semi automatic weapons would give them enough time to escape if something went wrong. In addition the the guns' added safety, they hoped the cover of darkness would help too.

When they arrived at their intended location, they both felt a breath of relief wash over them, metaphorically that is. It was now night time and dusk had just ended, giving them the perfect opportunity to spy on the wolves gathering at the large, rocky, formation. They both took a brief moment to rest before beginning the stealthy and dangerous journey closer to the rock. They stilled their bodies multiple times when a wolf got to close for come fort on many occasions. They were wise enough to mask their scent, which inevitably saved their lives on more than one occasion.

The eventually arrive at the base of the formation. The took shelter behind bushes of the trail that the wolves seemed to be pouring in through. The dozens of howls had shaken both men, but neither ran from cover. To do so would draw attention and sign one's immediate death warrant. Instead they readied their rifles and leveled the barrels. They had to be patient and wait for one of the elves to wander away from the trail. If they had attempted to snatch one on the pathway, all the wolves would have been alerted to their presence and, fit as they may have been, the two rangers would have been run down.

Luckily, fortunate smiles on the prepared. The patience had allowed two wolves to get close. They silver one appeared to be playing with the golden one; however, a yip and a bark caused the silver one to stop. Some growling rumbled deep from the chest of the golden one, proving that no matter how beautiful these creatures were, they were still beasts. When the silver haired wolf began backing up closer to the concealed rangers, both tensed. Their lives couldn't end so easily, they wouldn't. The golden one turned and quickly rejoined the others, leaving the Lone wolf to sit there and pout.

An sigh escaped it before the quickest yip it ever had arrived. The hunters had ceased the opportunity and tagged him with a tranquilizer. They allowed the wolf to drop before swooping up its limp form. After doing such, the hunters made haste back to their truck, hiding only when necessary. They had seen enough close calls to last a life time on that trip alone. They quickly loaded the wolf into a cage before sliding into their seats. A slam and click followed, allowing them to relax.

"Hey Earnie, let's get the hell home before the wolves catch on." He let loose a hollow laugh and Ben caught a smile on Earnie's face. This was short lived as a second later a wolf was banging against the glass window of the passenger seat. Large teeth snapped at the glass as drool flicked onto the window. The wolf pawed at the glass and scratched, even barking. More wolves joined its cause and the truck actually rocked side to side. "Fuck! Drive Earnie!"

the large man needed no other encouragement. He slammed into reverse and peeled out. Another wolf came from the woods and leaped at the window, the impact had caused small cracks. Earnie needed no more incentive to hasten his pace. His motivation was keeping his life. The two sped off and kept doing so until a minute after the wolves had lost them. They had escaped unscathed, but now with a fear of wolves and very frightened. A sigh escaped Earnie when he let off the gas peddle.

"Jesus Christ man, this payment better be worth it." No more words were traded between them for the rest of that night. They had nothing more to say on the subject now that their adrenaline rush had faded. The two made their way to a small airstrip and met two other rangers. One was in the normal attire while the other wore piloting equipment. The pilot approached them and waved.

"Is that the wolf?" His mask muffled his voice, but not enough to make it illegible.

"Yeah, nearly got killed nabbing it." The youngest ranger exclaimed in frustration.

"Good, load it into the plane." Earnie attempted to load it, but the other ranger intercepted and did the task.

"Now, about the payment?" The young ranger rubbed his hands together, partially to warm them and partially to prove he was ready.

"Yes! Your payment." The pilot walked back to the plane and began digging into the passenger side. As he did so, the two rangers couldn't help the smile coming across their face. Everything had been working out and after they would go to their respective homes to get some well deserved sleep. This would never happen as a loud bang went off before echoing in the hanger. One thud later another bang was heard. The bodies of the rangers lied dead on the floor of the hanger. The pilot placed the pistol back into the cockpit and climbed into the plane. His associate was already inside and strapped in.

"Is it secure back there?"

"Yep..."

"Good..." The pilot flipped some switches before strapping himself in. The plane's propeller engine sputtered to life and the craft began moving. "Let's get the fuck out of here."