A Son of Wolves
Chapter 4: A Life of Confusion
Kate and Humphrey never knew that raising a pup was harder then they thought, let alone a human. They had Sahara who seemed to have a supernatural gift for knowing a scary let alone terrifying amount about humans. She knew they couldn't eat meat like they could, so Leo was fed on berries most of the time, but also the odd Salmon that could apparently be eaten by humans as it was. But when I say most of the time, that carried on for four years. Leo was the age of four, four years he remained in the pack and slowly and day by day he earned the other wolves trust as he grew. His mother and father loved him with all their heart, but they even began to fear not him, but what was happening to them. Leo wasn't growing fast enough; he was still only a child, whereas Kate and Humphrey were now five years old, a year older then their son in human years. It made them question, how much time would they have with him before their time came. According to Sahara, humans aged slower, some living to even reach the age of one hundred years old, ten times then that of a wolf. But she assured them something, something that could solve not only this problem, but the entire packs. Something she had been working on since she first met him.
That was a thought they'd rather not dwell on, they wanted to live a full and a happy ten years with their son while they had the chance and not think about what will happy in the distant future. Leo grew quickly, for a human; he was now the size of his mother and father, possibly a little bit taller. He had long black waving hair and blue eyes, something that Humphrey saw that made him really think of him as his son. Humphrey's gang Salty, Shaky and Mooch greeted the human and were happy to have him in the gang and as an Omega. Kate and Humphrey weren't sure what they were going to raise him as, an Alpha like his mother, or an Omega like his father. They looked for characteristics in him that determined what he could be, they didn't know if humans had Alpha's and Omega's but they surely must have. But they looked to find out what he could be. He was strong, like all humans were, he was alert, but what he wasn't, was fast or acrobatic like his mother. The things he missed out on were what an Alpha depended on. He was fun loving, caring, funny over all, the characteristics that showed he was supposed to be an Omega, something that made Humphrey love him all the more. But they decided they weren't going to make any hasty decisions. Sahara confirmed for them that they'd have to wait for his real personality to come out and show what he was.
Sahara always liked to come and see him, as she put it, her "prophesised one". She liked to come and visit the one that was supposed to save them from the humans, Kate and Humphrey were happy to have her around nearly everyday, because they needed her expertise on humans and what they require. Leo's human "clothes" they came to learn had started to smell and become filthy. So they were removed, but his lower garments remained on his as to keep his male gender parts concealed. They were torn and ripped and the bottom, but as he and they aged, they stretched with him in length. They remained dirty, but his mother insisted he bathed every few days to keep him and his clothing clean.
As the years went on, he became one of not only the family, but also the pack. Wolves started approaching him and no longer afraid to walk passed him closer then three yards whereas before they'd make a massive detour to avoid him. But now he was shining through his loving and caring side, even at the age he was. The one person he loved not quite as much, but very nearly then his parents, was his Aunt Lily. He'd run towards her unsuspectingly and jump on her back; the two would run and play around all day long. She loved him just as much, as did Garth after a few more weeks of getting his head around Kate constantly calling him "Uncle Garth". She did the same to her parents, only she called them Grandma Eve and Grandpa Winston, so therefore he did as well. Sahara was right on how he was able to understand them as he grew up, for his imagination was strong, so he remained able to understand them. He loved his entire family and friends, but it was his friends that made him start that "questioning everything" phase.
His friends who he knew to be pups from when he could first remember and played with, were now the size of his parents and other grownup wolves around, some even had pups of their own already. Never had he been so confused. Was he supposed be to married and have pups with someone? He didn't know or understand. He just wanted to have fun.
Humphrey took him out on his first log sledding run at the age of four, when he had an understanding of danger and risks. First just a simply slope with no hazards. Leo loved it, and as the days, weeks and months pressed on, he was conquering hills nearly to the standards his father and his friends do, just not with the ramps and jumps of that size. Kate liked to take him out on long walks, for they helped to roughen his feet and he was able to run off some steam. She tried to teach him how to hunt, but he never seemed to sit still long enough to stalk a simply hare. He just wanted to run, so she had no objections to that and they played in the forest together. Her being five years old hadn't begun to faze her yet, she was a middle aged wolf, but she still had the composure and fitness that she did when she came back form Alpha School. They'd bound around playing tag and hide and seek, in which Leo would climb a tree as so she couldn't see or reach him. But there was one other thing that made Kate sure that Leo was not only destined to be her son, but was to be a wolf.
The reason he was so caring and worried about his friends and family and always liked to them happy for someone of his age, was because he was very empathic. Wolves were very good at seeing and sensing the moods changing around them and when someone lying, whereas Leo could sense that as well, and he was human! To everyone he's met, from the day they first brought him home, he's always had a thing he does when meeting now wolves. He liked to place his hand on their cheek and look into their eyes, he could sense what they were really feeling, much like a wolf could. It was like he was looking into their soul and seeing if they were really a nice person. Leo himself felt like it was his way to see if someone was nasty or a bully, or they could be nice and friendly, much like his Aunt Lily. He could see what they were really feeling by looking into their eyes and reading their body language. And he was four! But there was one wolf who he knew he should never try it on or even go near.
Tony never wanted anything to do with the human, he always kept his distance. He was one of only a few wolves in the pack who hated the human and believes it should be cast out to fend for itself. That all humans belong either in their dens or in the ground after they've buried them. Tony couldn't see how something so small and pathetic was going to save them from something that rarely ever bothers them. The last they heard of humans was years ago when Humphrey and Kate were taken away, they haven't even seen one since then. Tony would look at it, but he'd never return the smiles and waves it gave to him, he'd just growl in its direction and stalk away. Whenever there was a family dinner, he'd never come, not if the human was there not even if his son or his mate came to beg him to come. Not even Winston could make him see that Leo was a permanent part of the pack. It nearly got to the point were Tony was going to kill the human while it slept, literally. He couldn't see how he was destined to save them from something that wasn't much of a threat to them any longer. He just wanted the human gone, he couldn't move on in his life until he felt safe and it was gone.
Today, Leo was undergoing something he hated, something many pups hated at his age, bathing. He sat in a stream with his mother while she scrubbed away at his skin, careful not to use her claws. He was a tough pup, he was good at dealing with pain, but she didn't want to hurt him. She always washed him before they went out on a family dinner, she wanted him to look presentable as did she was herself to be. There was a small pond they'd use to wash in not far from their den, and Leo sat around just wanting it to be over. Which a final brush of her paw, Kate was satisfied he looked down. "Ok, you're all done, wanna hope out so I can get in?"
"Ok mommy." He said jumping out before she could grab and pull him back if she had that planned. She walked the rest of the way in and started washing herself while Leo shook himself dry like he grew up seeing Kate and his father do.
"Remember; be polite to grandma and grandpa, you now she hasn't been feeling well lately and grandpa's backs playing up again." Kate warned him again while submerging herself and soaking her fur. "So no rough and tumble games ok?"
"Ok." He said before turning around and walking back inside. But he froze when he heard an attention seeking cough behind him. He looked back at his mother, who tapped her cheek.
"Forgetting something? She asked. He ran back over to her and kissed her cheek. "That's my boy." She giggled. "Now go see what your dad's up to." He spun back around and ran inside before she could stop him again. Humphrey lay inside, already washed and just laying around to wait for his family. Leo ran straight up to him and jumped on his back, taking him by surprise and shock. But they both started laughing it off and rolled around with one another.
"Have a good bath?" Humphrey chuckled and jumping out of his son's reach.
"It was cold." He said.
"Ahh yes, winter's coming around again so we'll have to do something about that." He said and knocking Leo over and tickling him all over. He screamed in laughter and tried to fight off his father as Kate came walking in after shaking dry.
"Now, now boys, you both just washed so don't get dirty." She giggled. She loved coming in to see this.
"Tell daddy to stop!" He pleaded.
"You heard the pup Humphrey; don't make me come over there."
"Ok, ok." Humphrey chuckled and stepping away from his son. "Are we going now?"
"Yep, let's get going." Kate replied and heading towards the door. Leo was fast and starting running down the slope before they saw him leave, but he was brought to an immediate halt when Humphrey called him back and for him to stay close. It maybe the Valley, but there are bears, caribou, snakes and less friendly wolves around that could hurt him. Reluctantly, he walked by their side all the way, be so bored that he had to do so. He just wanted to run, to run and be the wolf that he was. Wolves were born to run free, and that's what he wanted to do.
They walked down the slope and across the Valley, passing some friends wolves along the way and greeting them a good evening. They padded along the length of the Valley and finally up the slope, where Leo knew he could run and into the den. He started laughing, knowing his favourite Aunt was there. But suddenly, he came to a grinding halt when he looked inside the den. Tony sat talking to Winston, but when he heard Leo, he turned to see him standing there. He bid his goodnights to Winston before walking towards the den entrance. Leo grew up learning never back down and away from your fears, so he stood at the entrance but averted his eyes from Tony, it was a sign he learnt from his father to show respect and submission to Alpha's and elders. Tony just snickered as he walked by and down the slope. Leo chanced it and looked back as he disappeared down the hill and his parents came up, Humphrey proud to see he was learning to not back away and hide from Tony like he did. Leo looked back into the den and saw his favourite person other then his parents and ran over to her. She opened her paws for him and caught him in an embrace. "How's my favourite nephew." She giggled.
"I'm your only nephew Aunt Lily." He giggled as well and hugging her tighter. He turned his head to the left to see his uncle and grandmother sat with smile. Eve had less of one, but she was trying to put on a brave face. Leo looked into her eyes, once again somehow senses using some sort of sense it was only believed for wolves to possess, that she wasn't herself. He remembered back to what his mother told him, that she wasn't well. He walked up to her and hugged her, as she did back. "I hope you get better soon grandma." He said hugging her gently.
"Thank you Leo." She giggled lightly. He repeated the process with his uncle and grandfather before the night was quick to start off with conversation and reports which Leo only found boring. So he quietly played with Lily while his family spoke and she tried to listen in to what she could. When it came to dinner, Garth dragged in a caribou carcass, freshly caught only moments before they arrived and a salmon he caught especially for Leo. Sahara looked back onto what she knew; she heard that humans were able to eat some forms of meat, salmon being one of them. She knew at some point he'd become bored of eating berries, and soon enough he did. Leo grabbed his fish and using a sharp rock in the den, he went outside to spill its guts in a bush in which his grandparents told him to use a while back and then remove the scales. He'd then walk back inside and gorge on the succulent meat while his family feasted on the carcass. He picked clean the bones and left it as only the head, ribs and spine. He loved the taste of fish; it was his favourite thing other then berries.
The rest of the night was made up of good family conversations and teasing Leo about anything the grownups could come up with. Something they all did, even his parents. Getting into the night, the temperature dropped, so they knew it was time to get home and warm up before sleeping. So Kate, Humphrey and Leo all bid their goodnights before heading home, back across the Valley and up the slope towards their den.
But first they sat outside their den for a little while due to Leo not really feeling the cold much yet or that he was tired. They sat and overlooked the valley and up at the shining stars that shone in the clear sky. The parents couldn't keep their eyes off the ones they knew were to do with their child. The small and dim constellations that shone right above their heads. It was made up of what they could make out to be around fourteen stars, that according to Sahara was the make out the shape of a wolf and human shaking paws or something like that.
Leo just liked the look of them; he found it so mysterious that something so big looked so small. He started singing one of the only few songs he knew, tinkle, tinkle little star. He had one of those adorable voices that all children have when they sang. Kate and Humphrey looked at one another out the corner of their eyes and then to their son in-between them before smoothly joining in with him, all three wolves singing together. They all looked up into the night's sky singing the same song three times over and enjoying the night that the world gave them.
The next morning, Leo yawned and stretched himself awake, seeing what he usually did when he woke up. The dirt ceiling of the den he lived in and the fur tails and bodies of his parents either side of him. He always slept in-between them, the nights he didn't were mostly in the summer when it was too hot for sleeping together and he'd sleep a little to the side against his mother or father. But it was the winter, so he slept usually in-between them to keep warm. He sat up and looked outside, it was the early morning. He wasn't going to go back to sleep, he wanted to play and run around. But then he looked down to his parents, remembering a rule they gave him which was not to leave the den until one of them wakes up. He may use the back if he needed to "go", but other then that, he had to remain inside. But then he had a nice thought, what if he went outside to get some breakfast, surly that was a nice thought and something they wouldn't mind. Surly they'd like to wake up to breakfast for the first time instead of catching it themselves. Surly they won't mind that, if anything, it would show he can look after himself and earn the independents to go out alone.
He carefully moved their tails out the way, and crawled away without waking them. He was always accused by other pups and adults for being different, for not looking like a wolf. He didn't have as much fur, he couldn't howl, but neither could the rest of the pups at their age, he didn't have strong senses like they did, so he was always teased. But now it was time to show them that he could look after himself. He knew of a stream at the bottom of the slope and a little walk into the forest where he could catch some salmon using a technique he came up with himself. He wasn't any good at hunting with his mother, but this was something he was good at he believed. He'd find a stick on the way, either already pointed or he'd snap it to try and make it that way for a spear, the it was a case of hitting the fish.
He found both a pointed stick and the stream not far away. He was warned not to come here because of bears in the spring season when they're the most riled up and around this area. He had never seen a bear before, but he heard his parents came across one when they told him one of their stories of a big adventure they had and fell in love and they met some. They were massive creatures, five times the size of a wolf with giant claws and teeth that could kill a wolf in seconds. But the wolves and bears had a sort of agreement that they leave each other alone. But he thought that if any were there then he'd turn back around and go home before his parents woke up. Luckily, there weren't any bears; he had the stream all to himself. He looked all around, just making sure, the only sight and sound he saw and heard was the stream. So he walked right up to it and peered into the crystal clear depths of the water waiting for his prey to come his way and close enough.
He leaned over, he hated waiting, but he was determined to catch breakfast and get back before his mother and father woke up. Fish came his way, he slowly raised his make shift spear and waited for the perfect moment. He knew from watching his mother hunt there was a moment for everything, and it was more important in the striking. He waited for the fish to drift close enough, then he stabbed. He pulled his spear out the water, a large squirming salmon on the end of it. He pulled it, happy that one of them was going to eat this morning. He stabbed the spear through the head and putting it to sleep like his mom could do to a full sized caribou. He repeated the process two more times, being successful each time.
He scooped up his three prizes in his arms and turned to walk back to the forest. But suddenly, there was a growl and a deep roar of something to his right. He looked right, a giant creature the size of five wolves, with claws the size of twigs and fangs the size of tree branches came slowly plodding towards him. His first reaction was to do as his mother and father taught him, to stand his ground and submit to it. But he also knew that these "bears" were a threat, so his next thought was to stare it in the eye and show his teeth. But it was the final thought he did do. He remembered when his parents told him when they were attacked by bears on their adventure and that they can hurt and kill a wolf, even more easily a pup like himself.
The bear stood not far from him, eyes only on one thing. Leo followed its gaze down to his arms that in them held the fish. But it was a gift to his mother and father, he couldn't. But he knew to do what he had to do get away from the bear. He slowly lowered the fish to the ground and picked up his stick in two paws before slowly walking backwards but continuing to stare it in the eyes and bare his teeth as he did so. The bear moved that last few feet towards the fish and scented them, only then to look back up to Leo who continued to back up into the forest. Now the bear had his eye on another prize, the biggest salmon he'd ever seen. Leo looked back down to him, seeing his arms and chest covered in the odd fish scale and grease, but also he reeked of fish. The bear trundled passed the three fish at its paws and release a deep growled directed at Leo. He knew he was in trouble; he should never have left the den. So he did the last thing he did that he remembers his mother and father telling him to do in this situation, run.
He ran with all his might into the forest, the bear still plodding along after him, but not breaking out into a run. It wanted to play with its food, wanting to think it was going to get away. It had always wondered what human tasted like. Leo ran with all his might, as far and fast as his little legs could carry him. The Valley wasn't far away, and neither was the slope that led him to his den. He looked back. Suddenly the bear was beginning its charge, now seeing Leo had a head start. Playtime was over.
Leo came bursting through the trees and bushes and turned left to start going up the slope, only then to be blocked by the bear. He looked back, it was only just behind him. But then the bear came charging out and into the Valley cutting off his exit. There were two. He remembered what his mother said once, that if there's one bear, the rest of them aren't far behind. He ran right as they charged at one another and down a small drop. He stumbled, but quickly he jumped up to his paws and ran away. The bears collided with one another, but after roaring at one another, they charged down and after their prey. Leo didn't know what else to do, other then run, but he couldn't run fast enough. One of the bears tripped over its own paw and stumbled to the ground and giving the other an opportunity to claim its breakfast.
Humphrey shot his eyes open after hearing what he thought was something that he thought weren't in these parts very often. He lifted his head up and little, the abrupt movement caused his mate to shift around and also to wake up. She didn't open her eyes. She shuffled closer to her mate and mover her head under his chin. "What's wrong?" She asked with a tired sigh.
"I thought I heard something, it was nothing." He sighed as well and pulling her closer. "Don't worry about it, go back to sleep." She didn't reply, she only sighed again as she started to drift back to sleep listening to his heart beat. But there it was again, another roar. Both of them widened their eyes and shot their heads up but remained on their sides. They looked out into the entrance and at the light. "You heard that right?" Humphrey asked.
"Yeah, I heard it." She quickly whipped her head down to her chest and then around. Fear and concern built up in her. When Humphrey didn't see what she couldn't, he too felt the same.
"Oh no." He gasped. "Leo."
Leo ran for his life once more, the first bear closing in quickly. He suddenly tripped over a stick, causing him to stumble and fall. He groaned, but quickly turned over only to have the face of the bear in his growling and dribbling down on him. The bear raised its right paw to strike. But then, out of nowhere, a red blur came charging through and slamming with all his might and into the bear's side, causing it to fall over. "Uncle Garth!" Leo yelled.
"Leo, run!" He yelled back just as he dodged a blow from the second bear that had caught up. Leo turned to run away, but then he heard a loud yelp. He spun back around to see Garth sliding along the ground and away from the bears which then stared to thud towards him. Something he remembered was that family are the most important thing a wolf has and that he must stand up to his fears and enemies. So he ran back towards the bears and jumped in front of his Uncle who looked up with pained and weary eyes. He had three cuts running down his ribs, not deep, but enough to bleed a fair amount. He took his stick in his hands and lashed them out at the bears, making them stop.
"Leave him alone!" He screamed and lashing it out at them again. The first bear grabbed it in its mouth and simply snapped it without even trying. Leo walked back and crouched a little as to try and scare them off.
"Leo, get out of here, run." Garth groaned as he tried to push himself up. Before the bear was just about to strike, there was a long, daunting howl in the air. Leo looked back to see his mother and father standing with their heads back and howling for help. It was soon joined as Winston followed by Eve and Tony came walking out and joined in with their howl. Lily came running out the forest from her den and gasped when seeing her mate and nephew in danger, so she too joined in the threat. More wolves stepped out of dens and the trees to howl and slowly walk towards the bears. They looked and growled as they saw the masses of wolves closing in on them in a howl. Leo turned back to Garth and held his paws over the bleeding wounds on his side to try and stop them. Kate and Humphrey ran passed them to stand protectively and to attack. But the bears were the cowardly type when it came to numbers. They slowly backed away, snarling and growling as if not quitting. But they were. The whirled around and bolted back into the tree line as the wolves brought down their muzzles and Lily came running over to tend to her mate.
"Garth what happened?" She gasped and moving Leo's paws away so she could stop them. Eve came running over, still looking ill and doing the same.
"Where's Leo?" He seethed. "Is he ok?"
"He's fine." Kate replied. "Leo what were you thinking?" She snapped.
"It wasn't my fault." He cried.
"Where were you this morning?" Humphrey asked sternly.
"I went to get you some breakfast, but the bears found me."
"I jumped in front of him, it wasn't his fault, they followed him back." Garth seethed as Eve pushed down on the wounds.
"Oh really…?" Tony yelled and stepping through the crowd of wolves that had gathered around them. Leo hid himself behind his father, knowing he was defiantly in trouble this time. "Then how can you explain how they came here?"
"Tony…" Winston started but was then cut off again.
"Not this time Winston, I want to hear it from the human's mouth. Tell me!" He snarled again. Leo didn't answer, he couldn't, he was nearly in tears from how terrified he was of the wolf snarling at him. Tony scented the air around him, catching one in particular, one of fish, and it radiated from Leo. Kate and Humphrey mimicked his actions, also smelling the smell coming from their son as did the rest of the wolves. It didn't take a genius to see what had happened. "The human smells of fish, and as we all know, bears love fish. He led them here, he did this to my son, he nearly cost Garth his life and that of the pack!" He yelled for all to hear. Nearly every wolf gasped, it was so obvious.
"Tony, that's enough!" Winston snapped. But Tony wasn't done; he had planned out an entire speech ready form this moment which he has waited years to use.
"The human is a danger to us all and has been from the start! The day he was brought here was the start of the end to this pack!" He yelled and eliciting a gasp and murmurs of agreement from most of the crowd. "He's supposed to be the one who save us from the ones who barely pose a threat, the humans! But he can't even do that right. He can't hunt, he can't track, he can't provide for the pack, he's of no use to this pack!" Kate and Humphrey weren't believing what they were hearing, nor Garth, Lily, Eve or Winston. The crowd only started to agree with him further, seeing that this was a problem from the very start. A mistake. "How can we let this human be part of the pack when it can't even take care of his pack mates? How is something this pathetic supposed to be our saviour from something that no longer posses a threat?"
"Shut up you bastard!" Kate screamed at him and lunging out for him. As much as Humphrey also wanted to watch her do it, he couldn't let her. He grabbed her and stopped her from moving. Tony snickered and started to circle them.
Leo didn't understand what was happening, was this all his fault? It must have been. Everyone was looking and glaring at him, even his father's friends who he thought were his as well stared at him menacingly. It was his entire fault that this was happening, that his uncle was hurt, that the pack hate him, that he nearly died. If only he had listened to his parents and stayed inside the den. "See what this human has done to us?" Tony continued. "He had brought the beloved daughter of your other leader to become a disgrace to herself, her family and her pack. She tried to mother something that wasn't hers and failed. The Omega did what he did best, only brought disappointment to his pack." He said glaring at the two. "Their problems that didn't allow them to have their own pups only brought this on themselves and us. It has made nature itself turn upside down. It has allowed us to take in a human, something that is responsible for the deaths of many of our loved ones in the past and present. But now we allow one to sleep in our dens, to share our food and water, to be given protection, only to get in return shame, disappointment and bears."
The crowd started cheering for him, even Salty, Shaky, Mooch, the other omegas and Alpha's started cheering with him. Nearly all but the family and Sahara weren't cheering and howling in agreement. Kate and Humphrey looked around in tears, and Garth wanting to do and say something, but he could hardly move. Tony smiled and looked back to the human, for the first time in a while. Leo didn't look at him. "Run along Human, you don't belong here." A tear fell down Leo's face, he didn't understand but he knew it was his fault everything was like this.
He turned and ran backwards, the wolves split to the sides to allow him through and snarl at him along the way. Kate and Humphrey didn't notice he was gone until he was in the trees.
One of my good old cliffhangers, a dun dun dun moment. To those that are new to my stories, check out my other ones or have a word with Lonelywithbadenglish2 about my cliffhangers, it drives him crazy, literally. So what happens now? The pack hate him and now he's run away. Will Kate and Humphrey get their pup back, and will the pack ever see they have chased away their only chance at survival? If there even was a threat. Maybe it wasn't Leo, but maybe another human and they have the wrong one. Read and review to find out. Until then check out my other stories, they might not be an Alpha and Omega fanfic, but i think everyone who's reviewed this story and the others I've done will say that it's good. But until next time guys. :P
The FalconWolf