Chapter 2: An Un-forgetful Night
Opening his eyes, again, Alfa came to see night was already closing in, a perfect, beautiful, orange sky skinning outside and over his home. In his younger youth and shortly after he learned of his adoption, he used to wonder if his real parents lived under the same sky or lived in a far away place and couldn't see it. But he didn't care for them no longer, Eve and Winston were his parents now; they deserved to be called his parents, not a couple of wolves that would leave a freshly born pup on the outskirts of the territory to die. It was luck that Winston and Eve found him, so he couldn't wish for better parents, whether they genuinely were his or not. But anyway, the view was perfect, a wonderful night sky he would enjoy looking up at in a moment.
First, he rolled back onto his front, lifting his rear into the air and reaching out his front paws out and groaning before letting out a high pitched yawn. A girl giggled just to his left, and as he stretched he gazed over to see Lily wit her tail over her head and playing with it. Blowing it and tickling the end of her own nose. Man, her tail was abnormally long, as was her pure white fur. Was she adopted too or something? He'd usually wake up to her doing something goofy. Omegas, they're always being so goofy. Hopefully Alpha school would help him toughen up and be able to talk to girls or come out of his shyness. What kind of Alpha can't talk to girls? He'll admit, he wasn't the bravest, or the strongest, but Winston always told him he was the instincts of one, so he was to go to Alpha school with Kate this season and the other potential future Alphas.
He dropped his back end again and looked around his home. It was just Lily this afternoon, nobody else. "Finally, you're awake!" Lily exclaimed. "I was worried I might chew my tail off in boredom soon."
"Then why didn't you wake me up?" He asked while she flicked her tail back behind "Mom said no because you were going to have a busy night tonight and that you'd need all the sleep." He tilted his head.
"I'm not doing anything, what's going on tonight?"
"The moonlight howl remember!" She answered obviously. "I didn't know you had a date?" She added with a playful wink. He shook his head and sighed.
"I don't. The whole howling, girlfriend thing just isn't for me. I'm…"
"…Useless around girls." She added, she knew and had heard this before. "That's the same excuse you use every month."
"I'm seven months old, why rush? I mean, I don't see you finding a date." He added and walking outside with Lily just behind him.
"Mom and dad say it's because wolves mate for life, so if you find your mate early then you can prepare for the rest of your lives." She answered as they sate down above that rise outside their home to look up at the sun set and the Valley. "But that's just gross, I agree with you to be honest."
"You do?" He asked puzzled.
"Totally, I mean, there's no rush. I don't plan on finding someone to love right now. Besides, with how things are with the Eastern pack I don't think things will be very safe around here pretty soon." She had a point. The Eastern pack wanted to start a war with the Western Pack because this pack had more food sources. Apparently, some kind of deal had been made between the two pack leaders, but they were told they were too young to understand. But it was also why their father wanted to get Kate trained up pretty quickly and had even been teaching her a few things already. For some reason, his enhanced instants told him it had something to do with her. But he couldn't be sure.
He shrugged, thinking and understanding the same thing. "But you know what; while you were asleep I got to thinking something." Lily then added.
"What's that? He asked.
"Well, Kate and Humphrey are going to spy on the really bad howlers tonight, I didn't want to do that so I was…kinda thinking…did you want to go, you know, with me?" She asked nervously and worried of his answer. She too didn't think she was much of a howler, but many who had heard and found her singing to herself out in the forest thought they were hearing an angel singing. For her age, her voice was incredible. She, of course, refused to believe it. But others reckoned she'd make one hell of a singing teacher or something. But either way, when she finds a mate he'll be in for one hell of a surprise. He went wide eyed and looked to her, did she really just ask him that?
"What?" He mumbled.
"The howl, do you want to go with me?"
"Ahh…Lily, I'm not…I can't howl."
"Oh please, I've never really howled with anyone and I want to howl with my brother." She pleaded with her best, lavender puppy eyes.
"But what…" Immediately, and like it normally does in stressful situations, his mind started to come up with as many reasons not to. "Others will laugh." He pointed out. "A brother and sister howling together doesn't look cool."
"It'll be fine." She giggled, seeing his attempts and knowing them from the past.
"I can't howl freight." He insisted. "The only howl I can do is a calling howl."
"You're a wolf aren't you?" He laughed again. "All wolves can sing and howl dummy. Or did you forget?"
"I, err…I'm getting a cold." He then started his best attempt at trying to cough. It wasn't working.
"Please Alfa; all I want is to howl with my big brother." She pleaded again. "Please, can't you just howl once with me?" This was going against everything he has lived by in his life. He doesn't howl, he doesn't talk to girls, he doesn't get in the way of other wolves, basically, he gets seen and never heard, and preferably never even seen. That's how he sees it anyway. He was shy, he gets embarrassed easily, he doesn't make himself the centre of attention. He just lives a low life and doesn't stand out.
But this was his sister, and her pleading, puppy eyes seemed to be, for once, having an affect on him. He felt entranced by them, a hypnotising sensation sweeping over him as he felt his sister's gaze working on him. This was going against his instincts; it was defying everything he thought. The gut feeling in his stomach told him not to do this, that this just wasn't right and he should just have an early night at home tonight. But her eyes also sent him that obliging feeling over him. So, with great regret and feeling this would end badly, no sighed and nodded his head.
"Ok, fine. I'll go with you." She yipped and pulled him as tight as she could while squealing excitedly.
"Thank you Alfa, thank you so much." He wasn't happy about this. He knew this was going to end badly.
"Yeah, ok, now get off me." He tried his hardest to seem excited, be he couldn't escape that horrid feeling.
Lily didn't know much about beauty and grooming, usually her mother would help her, but she wanted to try by herself first. Licking down her fur, that's what her mother did to her for special occasions and after taking a bath. It felt, and afterwards, looked alright, her fur brushed down by the bristles of her tongue and those odd parts sticking up were flattened. For some reason, a blue flower behind her left ear seemed appropriate, even more so because it was a lily, the only flower that grows outside the den so it wasn't hard to find. Alfa sat by and watched her efforts, finding it all rather amusing. Why did girls all try so hard to make themselves look good for occasions like this? It was ridiculous; he didn't put any effort into himself, he looked fine just how he was. But to be honest, and this is something he'd never admit. When she was done he did feel some what slightly attracted to her, a small desire to be close to her seeing as she was a she-wolf. He loved her like a brother would a sister, nothing more. This was a brotherly-sisterly howl together for a bit of fun, nothing more. And soon that time to go was upon then.
Night had set over the Valley, The full moon was high in the sky, Kate and Humphrey were in their hiding spot watching and waiting and Alfa and Lily walked through the forest together towards howling rock. He was shaking with worry of how tonight would turn out, but he had a plan. Get there, howl, then go home, nothing more. Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone and everything will be fine. But still, this could go disastrously wrong should someone who didn't like him see them together.
Howls of wolves could be heard across the valley, and it wasn't far to get there. On the jagged platforms and ledges naturally built into the rock, couples howled, families howled with their pups, friends with friends, lovers with lovers. Kate and Humphrey should be having a blast, because there were a number of wolves whose howl didn't match and partners argued and walked away embarrassed. That is, wherever it was they were. "Nervous?" Lily asked as they began to step out of the trees.
"Are you kissing me?" He gulped as the daunting rock neared.
"This is a big leap for you; think of it as a way of helping you get over it."
"I don't think its working." He replied. "Right now I want to go home and go to sleep."
"It'll be good for you, don't worry, nothing will happen." His wide, worried eyes suddenly set on something and he instantly froze. "What is it?" Lily followed his gaze, guessing at what the problem must be. A group of four wolves, known to be Alfa's bullies in a way. Richard, leader of the group and potential Alpha to be going to Alpha school with him and Kate. Brown fur on top and grey underneath, his yellow eyes piercing enough to scare Alfa into keeping his distance from him. Then there's his right hand wolf, the second in command. Lewis, his twin brother, a slightly lighter brown on top and a muddier grey on his underside with the same eyes. An Omega at heart, but he was one you didn't want to mess with, but he was the joker of the group nonetheless. There's also James, a black and white Alpha-to-be like Jake, a lethal bite filled with piercing teeth to match his piercing blue eyes, and one good fighter. And finally there's David, a mixture of black and brown all over, a dirty combination really to go with his muddy, brown eyes. Also a soon to be Alpha. There may be one Omega in the group, but they all treated each other fairly and respectfully. Shame they didn't have those as aspects for others. They were bullies to others young wolves, out of control even, don't get in their way and they won't bother you. Winston knew about them and had already spoken with them countless times. He seemed to be the only one who could have some control over them, being Alpha Leader and all, they had to obey him.
Still, Alfa became frozen when he saw them in their group laughing at the bottom of the slope, blocking the way up. "Come on, everything will be fine." Lily insisted and nudging him to move on. He was starting to panic.
"I can't do this Lily; I just want to go home." He said, refusing to take his eyes off them.
"Please, we've come this far, don't make me howl by myself." He couldn't fight her against this; he saw it wouldn't be fair to leave her on the first part of the slope. He nodded. "Just walk the other side of me, you'll be fine." He moved to the other side of her and they continued to walk towards the slope, Alfa watching Richard and his group intently. But suddenly, Jake looked directly at him, so he quickly averted his eyes.
"Well, well, well." He mocked. "Look what the coyote dragged in."
"Take a hike Jake." Lily snapped as they started to walk around them.
"Don't back chat to me Omega." He growled back. "Know your place." He then looked to Alfa. "And you, if I wanted you here I'd tell you personally." Alfa was about to nod and turn back when Lily stopped him and made him walk on. He was quickly laughed at.
"Look." James laughed. "He needs to sister to protect him."
"What kind of Alpha are you?" Lewis added. "You don't deserve to be here if you can't get a real date."
"Well at least he's got one." Lily argued back as they passed and walked up the slope.
"What kind of a date is a brother?" Richard asked as they started to follow them up. "You can't even get a real date Alfa, so you have to go with your sister, the only girl besides your mother that loves you."
"Lily, please just let me go home." Alfa then started to plead. She shook her head.
"Just ignore them." She replied. "One howl and we'll both go home."
They found an empty platform, deserted and not in use, perfect. They walked towards side by side towards the edge where the massive full moon hung overhead. Alfa glanced back to see the gang sitting with smug and victorious grins on their faces, waiting to see what would happen. He looked back to Lily who started to compose herself. She knew little about howling with someone, she had only learned about howling from doing it with her family previously and from watching her mother and father doing it. She copied what she remembers Eve doing one night not too long ago, pushing out her chest and sitting up straight before looking back to her brother.
"Come on Alfa." She smiled. "This'll be fun." He gulped again and walked closer to her, a niggling feeling digging in the back of his head. He looked to his left, a group of three girls watching him, giggling and muttering while pretending not to watch him. To his right and up on another platform, two adults watching with happy smiles at the couple, even if they were brother and sister it was a lovely thing to see. Behind him Richard's gang still sat watching and waiting. To his left and passed the young she-wolves, Humphrey and Kate stepped out of a grouping of bushes, bewildered as to what Alfa was going to do. Alfa, howling, it just didn't make sense. Behind him again and up on another ledge to his left a bit, two young boys, friends, watched him like the giggling girls, pretending they weren't.
He sat beside Lily, his breaths shaky and feeble. "So…ahh." He muttered. "How shall we start?" He kept his eye on all those around him, he was being watched, he was the centre of attention.
"Beats me?" Lily shrugged. "How about we I start and then you can?" She suggested. He quickly nodded. "Let's just get this over with and everything will be ok." He thought. Before he knew it, Lily had her head back and her muzzle pointed towards the moon, an angelic tone and smooth harmony escaping her lips. All rumours were try, she did sound like an angel, even more so because of her age. Her voice was just as beautiful as her looks. Sadly for Alfa, it didn't last long and after a while she lowered her head and looked to him. "Now your turn." She smiled. Humphrey and Kate still looked up at them, watching and waiting, a few couples around had stopped to listen to Lily's voice, wondering if Alfa's would be any different or just as powerful. He looked up to the moon, hoping for some inspiration, he got nothing. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched out of his head for all sides. He was being watched, he was the centre of attention. His throat began to close up, his eyes starting to water and his legs ready to run. He reached his hearing back towards Richard and the others, hearing them mutter small insults and snicker between themselves at him. Then to the girls, who giggled at him being a hopeless howler and partner. He was being watched, he was the centre of attention, he was being mocked and teased, he was under pressure. He tried to howl, but all that escaped were a few gaps of air. He couldn't howl, this was his hell. He looked Lily in the eye; she still waited patiently and with a smile. But he shook his head.
"I'm sorry." He then took off behind her, down another way off the rock. Richard's gang the girls and other youthful wolves who witnessed it started laughing and mocking him all the more. Humphrey and Kate started to run towards the ending of the slope, only he was now faster, he had a reason to be. He had to get out of here, he couldn't be here anymore. He wanted to find a hole, dig it deeper and never come out.
"Alfa!" Humphrey yelled as they tried to catch him as he jumped off a platform and back onto the real floor and made for the forest. "Alfa wait!" Lily was struggling to follow the same path he made down. She wasn't built for speed or agility like the Alphas. He ran into a thick bush and pushed through it, jumping over and log and into a river. All this wasn't far from the rock at all; he could lose anyone's scent using the river. He ran through the shallow edges, that way he could be fast and wouldn't leave anything that would allow them to follow.
Humphrey, Lily and Kate came sliding to a stop after reaching the nearby river. "He must have gone into it." Kate panted. She couldn't see any tracks, or smell anything to say where he went. He certainly was to be a good alpha one day.
"You're an Alpha aren't you?" Humphrey complained. "Can't you find him?"
"I haven't gone to Alpha school yet, I don't know how to find him." She retaliated. "Lily run home and get mom and dad, tell them everything and we've gone to find him."
"Where are you going?" Lily asked as she started to run in the direction of home.
"We'll head up river; he must have gone that way."
Wrong, Alfa had gone down river, following the flow of it towards wherever it was it ended up. He cried as he ran, his tears streaking down and across his cheeks. He was so humiliated; he knew he shouldn't have left the den. He doesn't howl, he doesn't talk to girls, he's meant for a lonely life, not one with girlfriends or even girls just as friends! Lily and Kate should be the only girls in his life, sisters, that's it! But no, it didn't work like that. He tries to do something nice for his sister and it turns around and blows in his face. Nothing ever goes right!
He banked left; now running alongside the river and into what he was told was a forbidden area to the territory for pups and young wolves who couldn't look after himself. But he didn't care, eh had to get away. He tree branch slapped him across the face, then anther and another. He jumped through a bush, a gap of just plain grass expanded before him until he had to come to a complete stop. The river flowed off and over a small drop, making a little waterfall before it landed and flowed into another river. He looked over into the distance, seeing why this was forbidden. Human's had settled here, using their contraptions that spewed smoke and toxic fumes into their area to dig this giant hole into the earth. Massive human dens and structures only one hundred metres away, humans walking with lights and smaller, faster moving machines moved not too far away either. Black, hardened earth covered the ground just beneath him
He sat by this ledge and looked down, the drop was only about ten feet, so not life threatening, but it was certainly hurt. Any trained Alpha would know how to jump down that with ease. He was no trained Alpha, so it would sure hurt should it happen. But luckily, he had no intention of going down there. Or so he thought. "SHOVE!" Richard bellowed behind him, not only causing him to jump, but slip over the edge after he pushed him over. He reached to try and grab him, but he wasn't quick enough and soon he fell, quickly gaining speed and therefore quickly hitting the floor beside the river and nearly falling in. He landed with a brief cry and loud groan of pain as he slammed into the small patch of grass just before the humans' effort at making ground. It reeked of humans and their waste. His head spun in circles, his eyes blurred and his body racking with pain, and all Richard could chuckle from above was… "Opps." And soon his friends came snickering in behind him to look down at Alfa trying to sit up. His head hurt, his whole body hurt, so he gave up and lay on his side.
Meanwhile, Kate and Humphrey were still running upriver, they hadn't come across anything to show he had come this way, so maybe they were wrong. It hit Kate like a brick to the face so she slid to a stop. "We're going the wrong way." She panted out of breath. "He must have gone downstream." She added and looking back the way they came.
"You go after him, I'll wait here for Lily and your parents and we'll come after you." She nodded and pushed herself to go on; she had to find her brother.
"Looking good down there Alfa!" James called down as he and the others laughed down at his attempts to stand back up. He groaned and lightly cried as he got one paw underneath himself and held himself there.
"You know, it's rather fitting." Richard said, Alfa finally daring to look up at him. "It feels natural for you to look up to me. How can you be the son on the Alpha Leaders?"
"I'm not, I'm adopted." Alfa groaned as he got another paw underneath him and readied to push himself up.
"Ha, that's rich!" Lewis laughed. "The Alpha Leaders son isn't even his son!" Soon the gang were laughing at him again, but at east he was able to get up to his paws.
"I think I'm much rather suited to be the next leader of the pack then you are cur-tail." Richard added threateningly. A youth insult, being called a "curtail" was one of the biggest insults a young wolf could be called. "You low life wolf, you don't belong in this pack. This is a pack for strong wolves, you aren't strong, you can't even talk to a girl. You have to get your own sister to come as your date to a howl." He mocked again, and Alfa dipped his head. In a way, it was all true. He wasn't brave, he wasn't strong, he didn't deserve anything. "With this being the realistic point, why don't you just run along into the human territory and stay away." He suggested and waving him off. "Go on, off you go now." He didn't move, the words ripping him inside piece by piece.
Finally, Kate found Alfa's scent, but also of four other wolves. She wasn't far they were hear somewhere. She was whipped and slapped by trees and bushes as she ran, she was close.
A rack landed beside Alfa's front paw, then another, quickly followed by another. He looked up just as a small pebble hit his back, making a slight stinging sensation ping there. The gang above started throwing rocks, small branches and pebbles down at him, laughing, mocking and teasing him more. They hit him several time, but they also missed, their accuracy wasn't exactly great. "Wait, stop, ow…please, don't…ah, just stop…ouch, please don't…" He pleaded and trying to dodge each object they through at him. They laughed; this was of the greatest games they had ever played. They watched as he started to step back closer to the human's territory, back onto that black, flat earth the humans had made. What was he to do? He couldn't go in there, he'd die! But it seems he didn't have much of a choice. His back left paw touch it, and quickly he pulled it back with a brief cry of pain. It burned. It burnt him yet it wasn't hot and it didn't look hot. What on earth. Richard threw on final acorn, this one striking his head and forcing him completely onto that black surface, his paw steps starting something.
With each step back he took, his paw steps left a trail of smoke behind them, and with each one he took he seethed more and more. This puzzled the gang who stopped. "What's he doing?" Lewis wondered out loud. Suddenly, a high pitch squeal and ringing echoed loudly in his head, like that of one of Lily's high pitched howls, only a thousand times louder and intense. He screamed loud and fell to the floor, his body burning on contact with the surface. But it wasn't hot, what has happening!
"Let's get out of here!" Richard ordered and pulling his gang back away with him.
Alfa cried and cried, his body burning as if thunder had struck him, his head screaming and ringing. His body racked and vibrated with intense pain with the feeling his bones were being shattered, his muscles torn, his nerves shredded, his organs ripped, his skin stretched, everything inside and outside of his body being destroyed all at once. What's happening?
Kate continued to run; she could sense something was wrong with Alfa. Suddenly, a loud shriek and cry of pain and help echoed around her, and quickly slowed to hear it and then see Richard, Lewis, James and David running towards her. "Hey have you seen…?" She never got to finish. They ran straight passed her and onwards back towards the Valley, but the smell of worry and fear on them was evident. She could see Humphrey, Lily and her parents coming up behind her. Did they do something to Alfa.
Meanwhile, Alfa wanted to die, everything and anything on him was hurting. He couldn't describe the pain, not the strange green light that seemed to have grown around him and blocked out everything. He cried, curling up as best he could as the pain still flowed around him, but not as much. It was more like the aftermath. The light dimmed and he cried and cried at the sudden rush of pain and the immense pins and needles feeling all over his body. His vision was left blurred after the light dimmed and disappeared, his grip on reality fading fast and sweating covering his body.
Kate came bursting out of the bushes, frantic and fearful after knowing that cry belonged to Alfa. "Alfa!" She called out. He didn't answer, but he had to be around here somewhere. She looked towards the edge of the rise and looked down it. Astounded to see not Alfa, but a human laid on his side. But he was different then from what her mother and father described him as. She could sense it was a male, but it was different to see one first paw. What was wrong with him, why did he look wet?
"Kate!" Winston called.
"I'm over here dad!" Quickly, the others came dashing through the bushes and ran towards her.
"Where's Alfa, is he here?" Eve asked worried to death for him.
"No, but there's…"Winston saw the human first and grabbed and her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back while sticking out his paw and stopping Humphrey.
"Everyone, get away from the edge."
"But it looks hurt dad." She insisted. "Can't we help it?"
Alfa looked up, hearing those familiar voices and seeing the coloured but still familiar shapes.
"We leave it Kate." Eve answered. "We can't help humans."
"Alfa might have gone someplace else." Humphrey added.
"Let's go back to the river, we can find his tracks again." Kate struggled to keep her eyes off the human, but her father quickly pulled her away and forced her to move.
"Mom…" Alfa groaned, making Eve look back at him for a moment. It held his human paw up to her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What a delusional human." She had her son to find, she couldn't waste time with humans.
He watched her run away after the others and he let his hand fall. His world started to grow darker, light fading into darkness until he fell into a deep sleep.
And we're back again guys! I think we're going to make a habit of updating every Monday if we can. So Alfa gone through a big change, and i'm not talking about puberty, if wolves even go through that... :S Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it, it's god to see the regulars and some new faces as well. Is this reaching your expectations yet? Keep the reviews coming. Until next time. :()
The FalconWolf and Bastard from North
