9. Humphrey's Solution
Humphrey ran relentlessly through the forest. His eyes burned with fury and his mind was set on one thing: vengeance. He had been wounded by Sam in his nightmares as well, but this was going too far. This was his daughter; this was his pup that was almost three moons of age. Sam had absolutely no right to ever do harm to her and Humphrey would see to it that he got the message through his head. Sam could do whatever he wanted to Humphrey, but when he touches his daughter or anyone else in his pack, it would mean an immediate blood feud between the two. He didn't care if Sam was a Spirit Guide or not; scaring his daughter half to death and then dealing a heavy wound to her was not tolerable. He wouldn't stand for it!
He knew that Sam would only appear if he knew that Humphrey was alone and in the right place for a meeting with him. This usually consisted of finding a solitary clearing of sorts to ensure absolute silence from any spying ears. The forest in these mountains was incredibly dense, unwilling to give him the right place he required for a summoning with the Dark Wolf. His paws bled as he opened up the wounds he had inflicted upon himself. He snarled and ignored the pain, continuing on nevertheless. Suddenly, a tree branch fell in front of him. Before he had time to react, he slammed headlong into the branch, tumbling forward into the ground.
Looking back, he saw that the branch had not naturally fallen by force or other sources; it had been thrown at him from an otherworldly force. Sam was near. Humphrey growled, looking around in the darkness of the forest in anger. He knew that trying to scent the Dark Wolf was futile; he produced no distinct smell, nor did he make any sounds save for when he talked, growled, or snarled, all of which would be transmitted telepathically to him unless Sam decided otherwise.
"Come out!" Humphrey snarled, his eyes darting about. "Get out of your shadows you coward! Sam! Get out now!"
"Do you always find it necessary to raise your voice in petty circumstances?" A voice asked him. He whipped around to see Sam sitting atop a large tree branch, glaring down at him with his crimson eyes. Humphrey snarled at him.
"'Petty circumstances?' Is that what you call this, Sam?" Humphrey demanded. "Just what the fuck was that back there, huh?"
"Please, do elaborate, Young Grey," Sam said with smug smile. "I know not of what you speak unless you dive into greater detail."
"You know damn well what I mean!" Humphrey yelled at him. "You have no right to harm her! None! You're a heartless, soulless bastard! Come down!"
"Ah, we have an intelligent enthusiast here," Sam said sarcastically. "What, you didn't figure that I had no heart or soul before you knew I was simply a spirit?" He faded away, dissipating into the air. Darkness began to come together and form into the form of the Dark Wolf before Humphrey.
"Why did you attack her?" Humphrey growled.
"I meant no harm," Sam replied innocently.
"You meant no harm?" Humphrey roared. "She was scared to death and blood was falling from her leg like a flood, yet you have the audacity to say that you 'meant no harm?' What the hell are you playing at, Sam?"
"I do not like to play games," Sam said. "Especially not physical games; I always feel left out because I am not technically solid matter."
"Your fangs beg to differ," Humphrey spat.
"I do not fully control the world of dreams, I can only express my concerns in them and give a plausible way to gain the attention of the beings I wish to make contact with. If that means that I must prove that the dream was more than just a dream and on the latter side of an omen, I will make sure that there is always a souvenir left over."
"Then why not just haunt me again, huh?" Humphrey asked. "Why target Kala?"
"Unlike you, Young Grey, she is not being haunted by a demon already. You should be grateful; I decided to be nice to you and not give you any more nightmares."
"No, fuck that!" Humphrey snarled. "I'm not being haunted by anyone or anything! Kala didn't deserve that!"
"Ah, but you are being haunted, Young Grey," Sam said with a glare. He walked away, Humphrey trailing him. They walked steadily through the forest, Sam leading Humphrey deeper into the darkness of the mountains.
Humphrey's mind whirred with questions: what did Sam mean that he was being haunted? Why did he choose to attack Kala and not him? Why was he here now after abandoning them for almost three moons after the Great War?
"All questions will be answered when we arrive at our destination," Sam said.
'Great,' Humphrey thought bitterly. 'Now he's in my head.'
"Yes, now you have three presences within your quite dilapidated mind, Young Grey: your conscience, my influence, and your demon."
"Why don't you just let me have my mind to myself?" Humphrey growled. "Can't I have the luxury of my thoughts being my own?"
"Your mind is quite cluttered and interesting, Young Grey," Sam said as they began to ascend up a hill. "I enjoy studying its contents. You are atypical, Young Grey; a quite interesting specimen of wolf. You have quite the mind to look into."
Finally, they arrived at the top of a hill overlooking endless leagues of forest and mountains. Humphrey's jaw dropped like a stone as he stared into the vast wild spread out before him. He had hoped that they would be out of the mountains within a week or two, but this expanse…this could take them moons, maybe even years to cross! His heart sank at the thought of staying in the mountains for that long; how would they find the Pack of the Winter Mountains if they were trapped in the mountains?
"Your journey is far longer than you think, Young Grey," Sam said, sitting beside him. "You are a foolish wolf to have ever believed that you could traverse this terrain in such a short period of time."
"I'd never been this far north before," Humphrey breathed, aghast. "I've never heard of any wolves that had crossed it before."
"That is solely because all of the wolves that attempted to cross these mountains alone didn't make it this far. You must understand that there are many dangers in these mountains, more than just the Longfangs."
"Great, there's Longfangs in here too?" Humphrey grumbled in resentment. "This day just gets better and better."
"The Longfangs will be the least of your worries, Young Grey; they will seem like-as your society would call them today-as though they are merely push-overs compared to the perils you will face in these mountains."
"Perfect," Humphrey muttered sarcastically. "I suppose you're going to neglect to tell me what those 'perils' are as well?"
"Where would the fun be in informing you of them?"
"Where would the survival part be in not telling us?" Humphrey retorted.
"Touché," Sam said with a grin.
"Look, I need to get back to my pack, Sam," Humphrey growled. "I'll ask my other questions later, so I'll just come out and ask you one for now."
"Well, there's a surprise," Sam said with a mocking smile. "Since when have you not wanted to talk overzealously with me?"
"Cut the shit, Sam," Humphrey growled. "What are the demons you're talking about and why did you choose to attack Kala to tell me?"
"I decided to warn your daughter as a clear sign to you; I am quite shocked that you have not seen the sign already. Otherwise, allow me to elaborate as to my grand design of your pandemic. You are haunted by a Demon Spirit that you have created deep within the recesses of your muddled conscience derived from the death of your mate," Humphrey flinched at the last part and Sam continued. "Your mind lingers and dwells in the shadows of the past rather than that of the future, and it is beginning to affect any possibility of a relationship with the only one that you have left. You cannot remain trapped in the past; you must focus on the future and realize that your daughter needs you. You must learn to let go of your mate, and only then shall you be free."
"But if I let her go," Humphrey told him in sorrow. "Then I'll have nothing left. I don't care if she haunts me; in fact, I welcome it! I love it! It means that I can still see her! Don't you see, Sam? This isn't a curse, this is a blessing! I can still see her, Sam! I can still see her!" Humphrey's eyes were beginning to show signs of clear, insatiable madness. Sam looked down at Humphrey, studying him.
"Beware, Young Grey," Sam growled. "The path you walk is a path of darkness and everlasting despair and agony. Many a wolf before you have succumbed to the madness that you are welcoming with open paws. If you are not weary, you will become a Mad Wolf, and you will kill your pack just as your friend, Shakey, was killed in the grasslands of Jasper."
"That's impossible," Humphrey said with a smirk. "Mad Wolves are created when the animal inflicted with the foaming mouth disease bites you."
"That is one way to tread the path of darkness," Sam warned him. "I have witnessed enough wolves drive themselves into insanity by doing exactly what you're doing now. Do you wish to become a Mad Wolf? Do you wish to kill your daughter?" Humphrey looked at him, beginning to realize the severity of the situation at his paws. No, he couldn't kill Kala. He couldn't hurt her, he could never do that!
"What do I do?" Humphrey asked him pleadingly. Sam turned away and began to walk into the forest. "Sam, Sam wait! I need help!"
"Let go of your mate and let your heart give way to retribution," Sam responded. "Tell the Silver Pup what she needs to know." With that, he dissipated into the air, leaving Humphrey standing alone on the hill. He had given Kala up to protect her, to keep her safe; he did it because he thought that what he had done was the right thing to do. Now, he realized that he couldn't keep that up anymore. He had to tell Kala the truth. He could do that, and he could only hope that the repercussions of his actions would not come back to bite him, and he could only hope that Kala would forgive him and understand what he had done. But he could not let go of Kate. He couldn't let her go, no matter what Sam or any other wolf said. Not now, not ever.
**Kala**
Kala was intrigued by the brown she-wolf that had happened upon the pack. She had never seen another wolf outside of the pack before, and she was quite interested in Kacey. The wolf was well into her second year of life and was exceptionally beautiful. Kala was jealous of Kacey's looks in that sense. She wanted desperately to talk to her, but Lily forbade her from having contact with the she-wolf at all.
Humphrey had been gone the whole day and Kacey was most definitely not happy about it. She obviously wanted to talk to him as he was the leader of the pack, but he wasn't around to do that. She refused to give anyone any information about herself or why she had been following them. This agitated Scourge and Garth, the rest of the pack remaining incredibly weary of her. They didn't trust her, and they had good reason not to. She had come out of nowhere, a complete stranger and a lone wolf at that simply barging in on their pack demanding to speak with the Leader Wolf. Who did she think she was to act like that?
Still, Kala found herself oddly drawn to the she-wolf and wanted more than anything at the moment to speak with her. Kala was beginning to cope with her newfound injury, though she still feared the recesses of her mind, terrified of another encounter with the Dark Wolf. She thought it best that she simply would not sleep ever again, but in her best interests, Lily explained that doing so was not quite possible, nor was it a particularly good thing to do in the first place as it could lead to health problems, exhaustion, and make her incredibly cranky.
She limped about the open stone ledge clearing, trying to keep her weight off of her leg. She didn't want to accidentally make it bleed again; she had found a phobia in the sight of blood. It unnerved her that she was so frightened by the sight, but then again, the only blood she'd seen prior was the blood of prey-food, not her own blood. She hadn't ever truly put thought into the meaning of death, but she began to realize what it meant. She knew now that it wasn't just a long sleep, and knowing that it happened to her mother and siblings, she was both saddened and horrified, knowing that she could very well have died from the blood loss.
Bored, Kala began to exercise her limbs by walking around the clearing, careful not to put too much weight on her injured leg. She felt better from doing so, but still found little interest in the action. Garth watched the forest, Scourge and two of the Eastern wolves out hunting for food. The other two were basking in the sunlight together. Winston was staring out over the forest, lost in his own thoughts, and Lily was tending to Firetail, grooming his fur which-to Lily's dismay and annoyance-Firetail was quite resistant towards.
"Hey, pup," the she-wolf said. Kala turned to see Kacey lying down, staring at her through her gorgeous dark-pink eyes. Kala looked back wearily at Lily, making sure she wasn't looking, and then approached Kacey. She flicked her tail at Kala's wound. "What happened?"
"I got bit," Kala whispered. "By a mean Dark Wolf."
"Aw, you poor thing," she said affectionately. Kala was caught off guard by Kacey's reaction; it was motherly, caring, exactly like Lily would react to Kala's injuries in the past. She was confused by her response, yet she was also thankful for it and felt warm inside. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Aunt Lily said I'll be fine," Kala said with a smile, sitting down one tail-length from Kacey. "But she said I can't walk on my leg for a while or I'll hurt myself again."
"You have a smart aunt," Kacey told her. "You should be gracious that she was able to help you."
"I am, she's the best!" Kala said. She realized she raised her voice and looked around, but none of the other wolves took notice of her.
"I'm Kacey," the she-wolf said to Kala, flashing her a warm smile. "What's your name?"
"I'm Kala," she replied quietly. Kacey smiled at her.
"That's a beautiful name, it really fits for you," she said. Kala's smile broadened at the compliment. "You know what the name means, right?" Kala cocked her head, confused. She shook her head no and Kacey smiled.
"It means Wolf of the Stars," Kacey informed her. "So that makes you Kala of the Stars."
"That's cool!" Kala said enthusiastically, liking her title. "What's yours?"
"My name means Brave Wolf, so I'm Kacey of the Brave," she replied.
"I like your name, Kacey," Kala said.
"KALA!" Lily screamed. Kala's ears flattened against her skull and her tail tucked tightly between her legs. She looked shamefully back at her aunt as Lily stalked over to her. She batted her against the head with her paw. "What did I tell you, pup? What did I say?"
"You told me not to talk to the she-wolf," Kala replied miserably. "I'm sorry, Aunt Lily, I'm sorry…"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, pup!" Lily growled. "I never took you to be the kind of pup to deliberately disobey me. Get over to Firetail now; you're not leaving my side until this she-wolf is gone!"
"It wasn't her fault," Kacey growled, rising to her paws. "I called her over because I wanted someone to talk to. Don't beat her up over it, I'm the one to blame."
"I'd gladly beat you for associating yourself with my niece!" Lily snarled. "Stay away from her!" Lily shoved Kala back toward Firetail, Kala whimpering sadly. Firetail smirked at her, Winston giving her a sympathetic look. Kala hung her head low as she was led back to their resting place. Lily lectured Kala for a long while as the sun began to set until suddenly, Humphrey burst from the forest.
"Humphrey!" Winston greeted with a smile. "It's good to see you!"
"Yeah, good to see you too," Humphrey said. "Look, I have to talk to-" suddenly, he saw Kacey looking at him. He looked at Winston. "Who's this?"
"She's been stalking us ever since we entered the mountains," Garth told him. "She won't tell us anything and said she'd only speak to you." Humphrey looked at her quizzically, but before she could say anything, Humphrey turned to Garth.
"Look, I'll deal with her later, but I have to talk with Kala right now," Humphrey said. Kala lifted her head, her ears perking up. What did Humphrey want with her? All of the wolves looked at Kala, an odd gleam in their eyes as they looked between her and Humphrey. There was something in Humphrey's eyes as well, something she couldn't quite place her paw on. He had to tell her something, but she couldn't understand what that 'something' was. "Come with me, pup." Humphrey said, walking into the forest. Kala looked up at Lily, her aunt nodding solemnly to her. She began to follow the Leader Wolf into the forest. What did Humphrey want with her?
**A/N: Well, there you have it everyone! There's not much to say about this chapter because I'm sure you're all bursting with excitement and apprehension; after all, we all know what's coming in the next chapter! Or…DO WE? (Evil Laugh) Well, I guess we'll find out what happens next soon! I'll do my best to update tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to because I have a doctor's appointment and I'm helping a friend with a chemistry project tomorrow afternoon so I might be hard-pressed for time with the next update, and I won't be able to update as much next week because of exams, but after that things should return to their regular schedule with me sending out frequent updates. Thanks to imjustlikehumphrey, Alexander, the dark shadow, and the silver wolf for reviewing my last chapter! Once again, special thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf for suggesting the OC of Kacey! Until next time!**
**-The Dishonored Wolf**
