4. Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Collette walked away from Nicholas angrily, back towards her pack. She could hear his pained, desperate whimpers from behind her, but she ignored him. She felt a soft kick in her womb, the clear indication that their pups were growing. She had been pregnant for nearly a full moon, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the pups. It was so close it seemed, to her transition from more than just Leader She-Wolf, but to mother of proud, beautiful pups. They would look like her and bear her strength and courage, her ferocity and loyalty, and her charm and even her intimidation. She padded to the river and began to wade through the water until it became too deep and she began to swim. She shook herself dry as she reached the shoreline and stretched her lithe, beautiful body, the sunlight gleaming off of the droplets in her luxurious fur. She did not know what made her do so, but she turned back and looked in the direction that she had left Nicholas, her mate, at. He was gone. Shrugging in discontent and not so much caring for the Beta wolf, Collette padded swiftly and gracefully into the Pack Den, looking about.
Finally, her eyes were drawn to a particularly handsome black-furred wolf with vertical scars over his eyes. John was always the strong yet silent wolf of the pack, the perfect father of her pups. Nicholas may have been the biological body father, but he was not worthy of the father of her pups. She slyly walked up to John and ran her body underneath his chin, her tail lightly dragging across his face. As all seduced wolves did, he followed her back to her den. She did not turn; she did not meet his gaze. She simply lay down and closed her eyes as he mounted her, sliding his wolfhood into her rear and thrusting into her. She did not make a sound, she did not move; though it may have seemed a disappointment and worry to most males as though they weren't pleasing the she-wolf enough, the reason Collette refrained from doing so was to prove her strength. He released into her and they became tied, Collette's rump burning from the feeling of the mating. Upon his becoming untied, Collette ordered that he pull out of her. For the first time in her life, however, he disobeyed her orders.
He continued to thrust into her, harder and faster as she barked and snarled at him to get off. He grabbed her scruff and slammed her head into the stone ground of her den. Her jaw released an audible crack as it connected with the ground and John pulled out, shoving himself into her she-wolfhood. She gasped in pain and horror; no, she was already pregnant! Mating in this way could hurt her pups. She scrambled to get away, to fight back, but he sank his claws into her legs and slammed into her with insatiable force. She groaned and coughed, trying to escape his stone-hard grasp, but he would not allow her to do so until he'd released into her. She cried out to her pack, but they did not come to her aid. John was a ruthless monster of a wolf; no one would help her fight him, even if she was their Leader She-Wolf. Collette began to cry softly, broken and ravaged by the scarred wolf. She was helpless as he took advantage of her body and did as he so pleased. When he was finished, he left the den, Collette curling up tightly to cry heavily.
It wasn't long before she could hear the sounds of humans attacking, her mind flashing back to what Nicholas had told her of his dreams. She cried out to him, regretting not listening to him before. In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes, and she hated herself for the wrongs she'd committed. How could she cast out Nicholas like she had? He was her best friend for Lupus' sake! They had been friends since they were pups, and she'd fantasized of them becoming mates in her early years. How could she call him a scourge on her life? How could she be so terrible? And then to do what she'd done and allow another male to take her after she'd sworn loyalty to her mate as he'd done for her? What kind of sick, horrible, hideous monster of a she-wolf was she? This wasn't what she wanted to become, this wasn't the she-wolf that she wanted to be when-or rather, if-she was to mother her pups! She dragged herself up, intent on finding him. She stumbled to the front of the den and was suddenly thrown against the wall when a massive ball of flame exploded next to her.
She groaned as she forced herself to her paws, the forested island burning as wolves ran past her to escape the inferno. She shook her head, clearing her senses as she sprinted after the wolves, getting away from the horrible slaughter and annihilation of her pack. Humans began rushing into the forest, firing their weapons at the wolves when they passed and shooting at other humans on the other side. Collette ducked and dodged the bullets, narrowly evading their piercing edges. Her tongue lolled out as she strained herself to escape the fire and destruction of her pack, her home.
She swam across the river and did not stop running south until her legs collapsed from underneath her. She panted heavily, the survivors-and there were many-standing about, looking back in horror and misery at their home. Collette stared back and saw the fires eat away at the island, the human obliterating their entire world for their damned, hell-spawn war. She let a tear fall as rain pattered on the ground and on their pelts. She had cast out the only one that would ever truly love her, she had wronged her pack, and their home was gone. She'd failed.
Kala opened her eyes and looked at her father and uncle. The three were lying in a dark forest, Sam sitting atop a rise nearby, watching them with his keen, crimson eyes. Slowly, Humphrey and Scourge woke, stretching their limbs and standing beside Kala. None of them spoke, the silence between the three unnerving. Kala shuffled her paws in nervousness, Humphrey looked away. Scourge, however, stared blankly at the ground. He was clearly heartbroken by what Collette had done. How could any she-wolf do that to his heart? He had been such a kind, caring, compassionate wolf and she'd cast him out. What kind of horrible witch was she?
Scourge had told Humphrey of what he'd learned, but unbeknownst to the two, Kala had been listening in as well and requested that she be allowed to come along with them. They had been initially reluctant and refused to allow her what she wished, but Kala had a stubborn tendency inherited by her mother to not back down so easily, incessantly pestering them to allow her to see Sam until they complied. They had traveled far down the river and at twilight, laid underneath the moon and the stars, their minds connecting as Sam reached out to them to show them what truly happened to the Southern Pack in its supposed 'complete and total annihilation.'
"I can't believe that she did that to you, Scourge!" Kala cried, running to her uncle. "What kind of a horrible, ugly, disgusting, disgraceful, terrible, whorish-" Humphrey growled, giving her a stern glare. Kala's ears flattened to her skull and she sheepishly shied away, remembering that Scourge still very much loved his former mate.
"Becoming Alpha changed her," Scourge murmured. "She wasn't always like that…and now I know that she's still alive. She could be held captive by Saren right now; I have to go find her!"
"Wait, Scourge!" Humphrey said. Scourge flashed him a deadly glare from his yellow eyes. "We can't just rush headlong into what could be a trap. It's been three years since you've seen her, things may have changed. She may not even be alive right now, and if she is, then she's with Saren. She's the enemy!"
"How can you say that?" Scourge snarled at him. "She's not the enemy, she's my mate!"
"She betrayed you in your final hours together," Humphrey growled. "She's not your mate anymore. If she's still alive, it's up to you to figure out where your loyalties truly lie: with us, or with her and Saren. It's your choice, Scourge."
"You can't make me choose."
"Watch me."
"Both of you are bickering of the most simplistic of things," Sam said, the three wolves looking at him. "When you should be focusing your efforts on the true problem at hand. The only way you can save those you love is to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains, yet the only way you can save life as you know it is to destroy the Markers, of which both Saren and John are closing in on."
"He's right," Kala sighed. "If we don't focus on what the real problem is, we're as good as dead." Humphrey glared at Scourge and they were transported out of the vision and back to reality.
**Later**
Kala was lying beside Faolan, her head resting in his forepaws as he gently licked her fur, her tail swishing back and forth slowly. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, letting her exhaustion take hold of her. Humphrey was on first watch, sitting atop a rise and watching the planes. Winston was lying beside an old log, Lily and Garth curled together several meters away. Salty was looking hollowly back to the south, longing for the companionship of his mate. Sweets was killed by several necromorphs in the rising of the Red Marker. Kala felt a pang of sympathy for him when thinking of how he'd lost the one he loved.
Across the way were Taylor and Kerrigan. The she-wolf had eventually cried herself to sleep, Taylor laying his head atop her back in comfort. The beautiful white she-wolf's face was stricken with dried tears that had run into her fur. Kala was sad, pitying Kerrigan for the loss of her wolf friend. She couldn't imagine losing Faolan, not when she was so close to him now. Humphrey had talked to them and allowed them to stay in the pack, but under constant surveillance. Kala was glad that her father had done so; no wolf-at least in Kala's eyes-deserved to be alone. Faolan nibbled the tip of her right ear and Kala giggled lightly. She opened her amber eyes-the eyes of her mother-and stared into Faolan's brilliant jade-green eyes. He smiled warmly at her and she smiled back slyly. She rolled on her side and Faolan started to lick her chest fur. Almost immediately, however, they heard a growl from behind.
Faolan whipped around to see that the growl had come from the small she-pup that Kala had named, Luna. Her fur bristled as she glared at Faolan. Kala tried her best to not laugh at Luna's defensiveness over her older sister and got up, stretching her limbs and licking the side of Faolan's face playfully. He grinned and nuzzled her, walking away as Kala beckoned to Luna. Luna's dark blue eyes blinked, and she tilted her head as she began to follow Kala into the planes.
"Tag, you're it!" Kala yelled, bopping Luna on the nose. Luna reeled back in initial surprise, but quickly regained herself and grinned happily, bounding happily after Kala. In the moonlight they played about, the two rolling around in glee when they caught one another. Unbeknownst to them, Humphrey was watching from afar, smiling at the two. In the morning, they would move out, and they would head for the Winter Mountains. They had to reach the range before the Summer Solstice or he'd risk the deaths of his pack.
"Don't be afraid, my love," a sweet voice whispered to him. Humphrey turned, scenting the sweet scent of his mate. What he saw, however, was his daughter, Kate, pressed against him. Humphrey smiled, remembering what she'd told him. This was Kate's second chance-the conjoined personalities of his mate and his daughter to give her a second chance at life after her untimely death. Humphrey bent over and nuzzled the she-pup.
"I will protect you, Kate," he whispered. "I promise."
**A/N: Thanks to Alexander, the dark shadow, imjustlikehumphrey, LilyAndMe, and The-crazy-lone-wolf77 for reviewing my last chapter. Until next time.**
**-The Dishonored Wolf**