Hey everyone. I know this took me some time, but here is the next chapter of this story. I have been busy writing one of the later chapters (probably around 15 or 30) that I had some awesome ideas on and felt the need to get them down asap, before I forget them :))))
Anyway, rambling doesn't get us anywhere, so enjoy the chapter :D
Chapter 8 - The Dark Truth
The globe of gold that was the sun, began showing its face through the branches of the forest surrounding the ancient grounds of the Sentinels. Near the center of the main grounds, among the desolate amount of graves, on their feet, slept a couple of wolves. Each of them had their tail around the others back, making it look from above as if they formed a circle, a cycle of yin and yang. Their fur melted together, the colors complementing themselves perfectly. The male with his grey and blue coat, peaceful as the water, the female with her golden fur, shining brighter and stronger than the Sun.
The leaves of the forest began moving with a breeze of the early morning. Humphrey opened his eyes, but didn't move. The first look of the graves in the morning scared him. Only after a couple of seconds, it all came back to him. He spent most of the night crying, writing messages on the graves, giving his old pack the last honor he could.
The breeze kept blowing, cooling Humphrey's face. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. After a minute or two, he opened them again began gently nudging Kate's neck, trying to wake her up. It didn't take too much to make her stir and open her eyes. She looked around her, not moving her head from Humphrey's back.
"Looks like we fell asleep. Feeling better, sweetie?" Kate mumbled in his ear. She heard Humphrey give a small chuckle before saying:
"Yeah. A little better. But, we should already be at the training grounds... Sally might come looking for us... "
"Is it that late already? Okay then, let's go" Kate mumbled, her eyes half asleep. She turned her head to take it off Humphrey's shoulder but opened her eyes wide when she felt him connect his muzzle with hers for a morning kiss. After he broke the kiss, he said:
"I see you are awake now. Well then, let's go." She looked at him, a jokingly feeling inside her. However, he smiled the smile that melted her heart each and every time she saw it, his genuine, goofy grin that made her fall for him. The feeling grew inside her and together, walking side by side, leaning on each other, their tails brushing, they headed towards the training grounds.
They reached the training grounds about ten minutes later. Sally was already there, waiting for them. When they sat down in front of her, she said:
"You are late. When the sun rose, you should have already been here…"
Both Kate and Humphrey were about to protest but Sally said with a smile:
"But, compared to yesterday, you are improving your punctuality. Keep this up and by the end of the week, you should be on time. Now, what do you want to do first today? Swimming or running?" Humphrey looked at Kate and Kate looked at him, both of them already knowing the answer to that.
"Running" they both said turning to Sally and laughing.
"Very well. Of you go then. I'll be watching. Twenty laps…don't forget" Sally said as she sat down and looked towards the area they were supposed to run around. Humphrey and Kate left for the place they considered as the start line, which was a nice arcade made by two not very tall trees. They both stopped when they reached it.
"Ready?" Humphrey asked looking at her with a grin.
"You bet, though guy" she said grinning at him.
And they started running, the first few laps at full speed, the next of then in a normal running pace.
"You know, you look really sexy with the fur in the wind" Kate said to Humphrey as they ran side by side in their tenth lap. Humphrey was taken by surprise and blushed.
"Th…thanks. But we aren't really supposed to talk. We will tire fast" he said, his blush disappearing little by little.
"Wanna know a secret? I learned it in Alpha school" Kate asked with a grin.
"Sure" Humphrey said, turning his attention to where he was running, since he almost tripped over a root.
"Well, there is a breathing technique they teach us in alpha school. You breathe in every couple of paces and out the other couple of paces. But, make sure to make the breaths deep. And to eliminate air through your mouth, not your nose" Kate explained while Humphrey listened. He nodded and did what she told her. She nodded and said:
"You will last much longer when running and will tire much harder than a normal wolf, if you remember to do this kind of breathing. However, I am still unable to control my breathing for long periods of time…" Kate said, pouting a little. Humphrey frowned for a couple of seconds, before saying:
"Want me to help with that?" Kate looked at him confused.
"How could you help with such a thing? I know you want to do good, but how?"
"I have an idea…why don't you do it at the same time with me?" Humphrey said with a grin. Kate nodded and said:
"Okay, let's try…"
"Good. In…Out…In…Out…In…Out" Humphrey said and repeated for the next seven laps they had to complete. Each time he said it, he said it a little fainter, until he only mimicked it with his mouth. After Kate maintained the same breathing pace for the rest of the following seven laps, and as they were reaching the finish line of their twenty laps, Humphrey said:
"See? You did it."
"Not really. Only because you kept saying it for the last seven laps…" Kate mumbled, still pouting.
"I did not. I only said it about ten times. Then, I mouthed it" Humphrey said licking her face with care. She lifted her head in disbelief and said:
"But…but I heard you every time." Humphrey chuckled and said:
"Either way, I did not talk. And you did it." Kate nodded slowly and gave a big smile as Sally approached them.
"You two seem to be in high spirits today. And you don't seem to be very tired after running twenty laps. Ready to go to the river?" Sally asked with a serious look.
"Yep. We could use a bath" Humphrey said as they began walking towards the river. When they reached the river bank, Humphrey jumped right in and began paddling against the flow of the river. Kate followed him and swam by him. Humphrey said with a grin:
"Do you want to try the breathing trick again?"
"Yeah, sure" Kate said with a smile. Humphrey nodded and said:
"Okay. Every couple of paddles. In…out…in…out…in…out…" They kept at it, Humphrey shutting up after a couple of minutes. They paddled for the next hour, trying their best to not tire down too fast. The water was cold and that made their muscles stiff. And the effort to keep afloat was quickly becoming bigger, their fur getting wetter and wetter. Humphrey paddled a little closer to Kate and whispered in her ear:
"I maybe look better with the wind in my fur, but you look better soaking wet." Kate blushed bright red at the comment, a big grin on her face.
Half an hour later, they got out of the water and Sally approached them.
"How are you two feeling?" she asked, looking at the two wolves now sitting in the warm sun.
"A little tired…and really soaked in icy water" Humphrey said with a smile.
"Good. I will give both of you ten minutes to warm up and dry, before we move to the next exercise" Sally said with a grin.
Kate sighed in relief and sat by Humphrey as they looked at the sky and enjoyed a small break. Suddenly, Humphrey's smile turned to a frown and he said:
"Kate...where do you think Marcel and Paddy are?" Kate put her head on his shoulder and kept looking at the sky.
"I am sure they are fine. In fact, maybe they are searching for us right now." Humphrey nodded slowly and put his head of Kate's.
"Humphrey…can I ask you something?" Kate asked not moving her head from under his, but concern filling her voice.
"Anything, Kate. Anything" Humphrey said, waiting to see what she wanted to know.
"How was your life here before…you know…"Kate said, almost in a whisper.
"I can't really say it in one word. I had fun…I was sad…I was happy…depends on the day. I used to play with some of the other cubs…but, most of them just were afraid because I was the leader's son. So, my best friends back then were the leaders of the Omegas…Tom and Jenny. Their graves were the last I wrote on last night. Tom was a very funny and lovable wolf. All the cubs loved him. He used to play tricks on us and let us play tricks on him. I never saw him angry or depressed. As for Jenny…well…she resembled Lilly in a way. She was shy but fun, she kept to herself most of the times but sometimes, she would help Tom or us with the pranks…"
Kate waited for Humphrey to continue, but saw his eyes looking in the horizon.
"Is something wrong?" Kate asked, her senses now on alert.
"No…I just remembered that Tom was about to have his own cub a couple of weeks after my pack was attacked…He wanted to name him something that I don't remember, but I liked the name" Humphrey said, a tear falling from his eye.
"Him?" Kate asked rather confused.
"Yes…Britney, the pack healer, could sometimes say what will the cub be…and I overheard her saying that it would have been a boy. That's when I heard the name, but I don't remember it…maybe I will someday…" Humphrey said, another tear falling from his eye. Kate licked his neck slowly a couple of times, before drying his tears with her paw.
"I am sorry I asked…I didn't want you to feel bad…" Kate said in his ear.
"Don't be…I like to remember about my old pack…makes me fell a connection to them…makes me understand the importance of who I am and what I am…makes me understand who I want to protect and what I want to achieve…makes me feel like a Sentinel…" Humphrey said in a calm voice, some happiness mixed with sadness palpable in his words. His words made Kate think. What is she loosed her pack and became pack-less, like Humphrey was at that time? What if she lost her parents and everything she loved? What is she lost Humphrey?
Only after these thoughts passed through her head, she understood what Humphrey meant. Connections to the past give you purpose, they make you realize who you are and what to do next. They make you understand who you want to protect and what you want to achieve. Even though the past is history, it teaches you so much. 'Maybe Humphrey is way smarter that I think he is…or maybe that was just a thing he said at the right moment' Kate thought as she lifted her head from Humphrey's shoulder. Humphrey turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face:
"I understand" Kate answered his look. "I really understand what all of this means to you. The past…your past…was always inside you…made you who you are today, even if you didn't remember it…Now, I really understand, and I am more driven than ever to help you."
Humphrey's expression changed from surprise to caring and he put a paw around her back, bringing her to his chest.
"I never doubted you, Kate. Thank you…"Humphrey said closing his eyes for s couple of moments, savoring the hug and the feelings that it passed between them. Their bond became stronger and their determination bigger.
Humphrey broke the hug and turned around to see Sally coming towards them. He no longer felt tired and, in fact, he felt refreshed. Kate too got up and looked at Sally approaching them. Sally's eyes stopped on her and wanted to say something, but she decided against it.
"Is something wrong, Sally?" Humphrey asked looking at Sally and then following her gaze towards Kate.
"No, nothing wrong…let's continue with your training for today. Come with me" Sally said, turning her back to them and walking towards the running track where they trained before. Humphrey and Kate followed him, but stayed a little behind so that they could talk without being heard.
"What was all the about?" Humphrey asked Kate with a smile.
"I…don't know. Did I do something?" Kate asked confused. Humphrey shrugged and they kept walking, wondering what training they were going to do now. They soon caught up with Sally at the training grounds.
"Humphrey, take Kate and fetch that fallen log over there" Sally said pointing somewhere near the edge of the clearing. Humphrey and Kate went after the log and brought it to Sally. Sally nodded and said:
"Now Humphrey lay on your stomach, but in a pounce position." Humphrey was a little confused by this request but did. Sally nodded and turned to Kate:
"Help me with the log, will you? We are going to put the log on Humphrey's back."
"But it is kind of heavy…" Kate said looking at Humphrey, who was looking with a little panic towards the log.
"We won't let it fall on him. Humphrey, you will do push-ups. Start with ten. We are going to hold the log to make it seem a little lighter. However, we will let you push it. We will be here only to make sure it doesn't squash you like a bug. After that, Kate will take your place and you will take hers" Sally explained to both of them. Humphrey gulped and nodded, some sweat already visible on his muzzle. Sally grabbed one end of the log and Kate the other, and together they put the log on Humphrey's back. When Humphrey saw that the two of them stopped moving, he pushed with all he had upwards. Inch by inch, the log began lifting, until Humphrey was back on his legs. Then, he slowly dropped himself back in the starting position. In the meantime, Sally summoned her copy and put the copy to look at Humphrey and count his push-ups.
When Humphrey tried to push for his second time, he couldn't do more than half a push-up, before he had to go back in the pounce position.
The copy of Sally said:
"That is all you can do?"
"This log is kind of heavy" Humphrey panted as he stood there, in the pounce position, preparing to try again.
"That log is heavy? That log is heavy?! The Wretches have double the size and weight of this log. And they won't jump you one by one if they have the chance. Once one of them will jump on your back, what will you do? That will be your end" the copy of Sally said with fierce eyes. Humphrey greeted his teeth and strained every piece of muscle he could and he managed to do another complete one. While he was going back down, preparing for a third one, the ghost of Sally said:
"You managed to take one of…But two of them ambushed Kate...and they are going to kill her." Humphrey's face turned from a face meant for exercise to one meant for killing. He barred his teeth and pushed again, doing a third push-up. Then he pushed again, doing the forth. Then the fifth. He didn't stop, until he reached the eight one. The copy of Sally said:
"You have two more. Do them without stopping."
"I can't. This log is too heavy…" Humphrey said, on the brink of exhaustion.
"Is the log heavier than the amount of graves that you visited last night? Is the log heavier than the memory of your parents and pack that are now gone?" The copy of Sally said without any piece of remorse for the words that cut right through Humphrey's heart. She could see tears beginning to fall from his eyes, but his face still one for killing…only it was not for killing anymore…not normal killing anyway. It was a calm face that, except the tears falling from his eyes, betrayed no emotions…the same stare she saw on his father's face when he faced the twenty Wretches alone. 'Maybe I went a little too far…' she thought as Humphrey did the last two push-ups without stopping. When he was done, Kate and Sally took the log off from his back and Kate looked at Humphrey in shock. His face betrayed no emotions, as if someone stole them from his heart.
Sally looked at Humphrey too. She looked him straight in the eyes. The intensity of his stare made her feel fear. Something happened to Humphrey and she didn't know what. So she did the only thing she knew that could break a trance or a state of complete ager someone had and that would take them completely by surprise. She slapped him hard across the face, careful to not leave any marks with her claws. Kate was now on the brink of tears and anger at what Sally had done. She was about to attack her, when she saw Humphrey's face relax and tears beginning to fall from his eyes.
Sally looked at him too and then said, seeing he avoided her face:
"Humphrey, look at me." Humphrey raised his head and looked with teary eyes straight at her. "I am sorry for what I said…I, who never suffered such a loss, didn't understand what this meant to you…and the remarks I made were harsh, even from me…I am sorry if I hurt your feelings and if I made you question my allegiance. I will help you become a Sentinel, but that will take dedication and a will of iron…I will not let you fail, even if that changes you…and Kate…" Sally turned to Kate as she spoke:
"Next time you see me tell things like these, slap me hard…I have my moments when I…well…say what shouldn't be said…You two will have the rest of the day off. I took the liberty to go hunting earlier when you two were running. The kill is waiting in front of the den you slept in last night…I'll see you tomorrow at dawn…" And without another word, Sally turned and left. After she was well out of earshot, Kate came closer to Humphrey and said in a little scared tone:
"Are you okay?" He shook his head and said:
"Come with me. I want to share something with you. But not here. I remember a place close by that I used to go to with my dad…"
He got up and started walking towards the training grounds. On the other side of the training grounds, somewhere close to them was a big wall of rock. Humphrey took Kate through a small passage that he remembered going through when he was younger. He then stopped in the middle of a cave which had no ceiling. The grass inside the cave was not a normal green. It was a dark green, the kind of green grass has in moonlight, only it was day now. Humphrey sat down and looked through the opening at the sky. Kate sat down beside him, but kept silent. She didn't want to push him to say what he wanted to.
"Kate…you asked me if I am fine…the truth is…I am not…" Humphrey said, looking in the ground.
"What do you mean? Tell me what hurts you" Kate said in a calm and caring voice.
"I…I…don't know how to express it…but what Sally said today made me very angry…so angry, that I wanted to…to do something that I would never do to any friend. Kate, I wanted to kill Sally…" Humphrey managed to say before tears began falling from his eyes again, making him look at the sky again. Kate dried his tears and he continued to speak:
"I wanted to kill her because her words hurt me…very much…they were all truth…if the situation happened right now and we were to be attacked, I will already be dead, and so would you, but that is beyond the point, because this is a truth I accept…the truth I don't accept is what she said after…about my pack…and the problem is I know why they hurt…and that is because it was my fault my pack was killed…"
Kate's breathing stopped for a second, before Humphrey could continue:
"The month before the attack, I made a mistake by trusting a wolf I have never met before…and that lead to me helping him by making my father accept him in our pack, even though he was a stranger. He learned all our customs and the hours the guards changed. He was a spy from the Wretches…a young pup like I was at the time…and he reported to his father, the leader of Wretches at that time…and they ambushed my pack…and all because I helped an unknown wolf that wasn't even injured, but faked it…"
Humphrey lifted his eyes to look at a shocked Kate and said:
"You probably hate me right now…I can understand if you do… I'd hate myself for this…I can understand if you want to leave…"
What happened next, made Humphrey eat his words. Kate slapped him across the face, minding her claws.
"I suppose I deserved that for what I did to my pack…after all…" Humphrey said before Kate interrupted him:
"Humphrey, shut it and listen! I. DO. NOT. HATE. YOU! Get it through your thick head" Kate said in tears. She dried them off and then continued:
"I could never hate you. I love you and you are my mate. And you are not at fault for what you did. You helped a pup, even though he was not injured. I do not believe for a single second that you are to blame for what happened…I will never leave you. Never…" Kate said kissing the place she just hit.
"You love me? Even though I am at fault for what happened?" Humphrey asked confused.
"I love you, yes. But, understand this…you are not at fault for what you did…remember the Sentinels Code? It said to help anyone in need. That is what you did. You followed the Sentinel's Code. It was not your fault" Kate said putting a paw around him and hugging him. Humphrey began crying again on her shoulder. After a couple of minutes, he said:
"Thank you, Kate. You are the only one that can keep me sane in this mess of life I live at the moment. You understand me better than I understand myself…and I thank you for that. I just wish I could do something about the situation…"
"You can. You can train. You can stop this. All of it. You have to have a will of iron. Can you do it, if not for your old pack, or for my pack, or for you…can you do it for me? Can you end all of this mess we both live so that we can return to the days when it was just about the two of us?" Kate said in a hopeful voice.
"I can and I will. For you" Humphrey said with a caring smile and hugging her.
"Thanks. Now, how about that meal Sally talked about?" Kate asked.
"Sounds good" Humphrey grinned.
-several hours later, at night, in the main den-
Two wolves were sleeping together, keeping each other safe and warm. One was dark blue and grey, the other was golden like the sun. Her time was the day, and his time was the night. They formed the perfect cycle, the cycle that may someday change the world that they live in.
Aaaaaand….scene. Here ends chapter eight of this story. It took some time but it is done. I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review to tell me what you think. Also, I just returned from watching the last Hobbit movie and I highly suggest the whole series to anyone interested. It was awesome :D
Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.
