Author's Notes (AN):Well, I got my very first chapter up two days ago, I hope you liked it. It's kind of surprising how good it feels to get a review on the story, it tells me that someone read my story and liked it enough to say so. I would like to say thank you to 'Humphrey Loves Kate' for being my first ever review and being so encouraging.
Reaching Out
Chapter 2
Connor woke from his uneasy sleep to the rustling of leaves and the chirp of tiny, brightly colored birds high up in the dark green foliage surrounding the entrance to his den. After a few minutes of simply listening to the cheerful songs of the small animals, he decided to get up and walk outside. Spread out before the entrance was a small, flat, region devoid of rocks and covered in a thin layer of soft, new, bright green grass. No more than a couple of yards away, the grass abruptly ended in a steep drop off lined with protruding stones and tightly packed dirt.
As soon as he came to the entrance, Connor was greeted by a magnificent view, the sun, having just come up, had colored the long strips of cloud a mix of deep purple, and a yellowish orange. Walking out and sitting a mere few inches away from the cliff, Connor gazed out at the trees below him, the bright orange showing between the leaves and creating a dark silhouette of broad branches, clumped leaves, and a twinkling orange shimmer as the breeze rustled the leaves, letting light sparkle through like bright orange stars on an ever shifting sky. The shadow cast by the trees left a black shape stretched out across the hills, outlined by a faint orange-yellow glow.
Though this view had greeted him in the morning for as long as he could remember, it never failed to astound him that something so beautiful could ever exist and that he could be there to see it every day.
After marveling at the regal splendor of nature, Connor turned and walked down the small path cleverly hidden behind a bush that reached slightly up over his head. The path, though well used, was difficult to spot for anyone not already familiar with it, only visible if one was either on it, or looking very closely. Connor's den was one of his most dearly kept secrets, never letting anyone but Humphrey see it, even then requiring a solemn oath to never tell anyone where it was. In addition to hating crowds, Connor tried to avoid contact with others who weren't a part of his small group of friends, preferring solitude over strange company.
As Connor walked through the forest, his ears twitched, picking up the nearly inaudible whisper of distant conversation. His interest peaked, he began to walk toward a nearby clearing from which the voices were coming. As he approached, Connor recognized two of the voices and possible a third. The two, Humphrey and Kate, were talking animatedly to the third party who spoke far less, but with more intent. Though this voice seemed hauntingly familiar, He still couldn't pin down the identity of the unknown speaker.
As he approached the tree line, the conversation became clearer, Humphrey and Kate were talking about the wedding, happily describing every moment and detail as the silent other either listened or asked the occasional question.
As he left the trees behind and approached the group, Connor saw the third wolf, who he recognized as Natalie. She was very similar to Connor, The fur on her back a slightly darker shade of golden-brown which turned white as it came to her underbelly and paws, but somewhat later, changing color roughly half of the way down her legs, but without the lighter fur on the inside of the legs that Connor had. Her tail, more pointed than Connor's, was a darker brown and groomed so that all the fur ran cleanly to the tip. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, similar to the color of mature pine needles in winter, and shifted between Kate and Humphrey as they both took turns talking.
Because Connor walked so quietly, none of the three noticed him until he walked up behind Humphrey, sat down, and asked "What are you all talking about?"
At that, Humphrey jumped, letting out a muffled squeaky yip of surprise and whirling around to face Connor, his fur on end, his tail out straight, and a shocked and slightly scared expression on his face.
As if on cue, everyone cracked up, laughing hysterically at Humphrey's now ashamed and embarrassed expression, and puffed up fur.
"Oh yeah, very funny" Humphrey grumbled in a sarcastic and slightly irritated voice, making a 'not amused' face at Connor
"Wow that's great, and it wasn't even on purpose" Connor managed to get out between fits of laughter.
"You have to admit, that was funny" Kate said to Humphrey with small chuckle and smile.
"Oh, so now you're on his side. Great, my new mate has turned against me" Humphrey said with a slight chuckle and a voice dripping with humorous sarcasm.
Humphrey turned to Connor and asked "How long were you sitting there?"
"Not long, just long enough to sit down and, apparently, scare your fur off" Connor replied with a slight smirk.
"Yeah, well… you suck" Humphrey replied grudgingly, whacking Connor lightly on the shoulder.
"Hey Connor, I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?" Natalie asked, leaning to the side to see around Humphrey get a good view of Connor.
"Um, ok I guess," Connor said, shifting to the side so neither of them had to look around Humphrey, "Nothing special, but not bad."
"So, what did you think of the wedding?" Natalie said, wanting to hear something from someone other than Humphrey or Kate.
"Actually, I wasn't at the wedding, per-se. I was over on top of my hill when it all happened, but I could see it just fine." Connor replied, shrugging.
"That's a pity, Kate and Humphrey told me it was really nice." Natalie replied in a sad tone.
"Well, you know how I feel about crowds, and that was a pretty big crowd" Connor replied in a slightly depressed voice.
"Yeah, just imagine how it feels being in the middle with everyone looking at you" Humphrey added.
Connor shivered at the thought and looked down with a slight frown etched on his face. Noticing his distress, Natalie walked over and sat down next to him, lightly bumping her shoulder to his companionably, making Connor's head lift and, glancing at Natalie, bumping her back , his face still tilted down, but with a slight smile.
"Aw, how cute" Kate said, breaking the silence.
Now thoroughly embarrassed, Connor stared intently at ground in front of him, his paws fidgeting in the dust, trying to distract himself from the hot sensation in his face and ears as he blushed, though his fur did a good job of hiding it. Backing up with his head still down, Connor muttered "I think I'll go home now." With that, he turned and ran back to the woods with his tail listlessly hanging just behind his legs and his ears flattened to the back of his head.
"Aw, you made him feel bad" Natalie said, getting up and chasing after him. Connor disappeared as he entered the trees and, when Natalie reached where she had last seen him, he had vanished. Even when Natalie managed to pick up his scent, it seemed to stop at some particularly strong smelling bushes, overpowering his scent and stumping any attempt to follow.
"Wow, I feel terrible, I didn't think he'd react like that." Kate said glancing ashamedly at Humphrey.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine soon." Humphrey replied, leaning over and nosing Kate.
"Ok, I just hope I didn't upset him too much" Kate replied as Natalie returned from the trees.
"He just disappeared, I don't get it" Natalie said in an amazed voice, glancing over her shoulder at where Connor had run back into the forest.
"Yeah, he's pretty good at that" Humphrey said, also glancing behind Natalie at where he had last seen Connor.
After running for a good four or five minute, Connor slowed to a light trot and made his way to the bottom of the trail leading to his den. As leaves rustled and crunched under his paws, he thought about what had just happened. He didn't understand why Kate's remark had had such a strong effect on him. Love had always been somewhat mysterious to him, and any conversation about it that involved him either made him depressed or slightly uncomfortable, but never that much. Also strange was how he had felt when Natalie had touched his shoulder, but he shrugged it off as comfort from Natalie being nice. Even odder was how he felt when he left, most of him had wanted to run, find a safe and empty place with no one around, but a small part of him had been sad about leaving, particularly about leaving Natalie.
Connor took his time walking back, the ambiance of forest around him, the soft rustle of leaves disturbed by a constant breeze, calming him and letting him think. By the time he got back to his den, the sun was already setting, illuminating the entrance to his den with a soft orange light which entered his den and left an interesting pattern of light and dark as rocks and small protrusions from the uneven walls blocked parts of the light, leaving long, sharp streaks of shadow behind them.
The sight, though stunning, failed to gain Connor's attention, as he was far too distracted by his own thoughts to notice. These thoughts jockeyed for his attention as he lay down, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep.