Chapter 11: The Third Event Part 2 (written on June 26th, 2017)
The event was about to start. After Kate's father wished good luck to his team, they headed to the start/finish line with the other animals. Kate could feel the ground become loose and squishy as she went onto the field.
"Oh, gosh, this is so gross," said Lilly. "Mom's gonna kill me if I come home dirty like I'm going to be."
"Relax, sis'," said Kate. "It's just wet dirt. That's all."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one born with white fur."
"Well," Humphrey interjected, "as the great wolf, Can-do, once said, 'Deal with it'." Everyone on the team except Lilly laughed.
Just as the team was approaching the start/finish line, one of the Northern wolves came over to Kate. She became puzzled as to why a Northerner of all wolves would come up to the team captain of the underdogs. Kate would've figured they would be too busy gloating under the spotlight.
"Hi! Kate, right?"
"Umm, yes. What do you want?"
"Woah, woah, woah! No need to be rude. I'd just thought we could talk for a bit before one of our teams takes the gold."
"I'm sorry. Continue."
"Let me introduce myself." He directed his right front paw towards his chest. "Nars here. Nice to meet you, future leader of the West. And she-wolf as a captain? Now I've seen everything. Ha, ha! I guess the requirements for captain have loosened." He bowed his head and lowered his tail in
"Um, nice to meet you too... Nars."
"Great, now that we know each other, I wanted to say something." Nars quickly glanced at his father, the coach, nodding at him from a distance.
"Which is...?" Nars grabbed Kate's shoulders which caught her by surprise.
"Look, just stay out of our way. We don't expect much from your team—in fact, we don't expect much at all; we both know this—but if there's even the slightest glimmer of hope that you see when you or whoever tries to pass us on those turns, just take it, chew it up, and make sure you swallow it because we Northerners will not tolerate a team full of weak Omegas and a couple of she-wolves even getting close to victory." Kate sat in her position in silence, looking back at Humphrey, Lilly, and Mooch. She even thought of Salty. "Know that we put our reputation on the line every time we play these Games. I know you and your team probably want to at least try, make a notable attempt, give a hundred ten percent, and all that nonsense, but we would appreciate it if you not waste your energy and tarnish the focus of this event. It should be no picnic. Your Omegas should love not having to do anything. It's not like they act different outside the Games anyway." Kate started smiling, then began laughing.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
"Wha—? What's so funny?" Nars tilted his head.
"Hey, Kate! Are you coming? The event is literally about to start!" yelled Humphrey in position on the start/finish line. Everyone on the team was in place except her. Before she left Nars, she said one last thing.
"Oh, nothing. Ha, ha! I'm just thinking how funny it is a little bit that a few Omegas have more heart and courage than a whole team of the great and powerful Northerners. I mean, it just sounds ironic, almost like it's true."
"Yeah... that would be funny," said Nars, confused.
Later…
The Junior-aged critters lined up to their preferred order for the relay race. Rose, the fox, and Lilly looked at the mess ahead of them. Lilly took a deep breath. She imagined the course with three turns as nothing but a slight wind to walk through.
"Do your worst, mother nature..." she whispered.
"Remember your training!" her father shouted.
The umpire then screeched, signaling the start if the event. Both Lilly and Rose ran above the mud. Lilly could feel the wet dirt crawling up in between her toes and pawpads. It was very uncomfortable, but she didn't let it distract her. She and the fox seemed to be neck and neck. Then the first turn was in view. The crowds gasped, wondering how the players were gonna cope with the turn now in a much harsher environment. At the turn, Rose stuck her special claws into the mud to get a grip. She nearly slipped, but she completed the turn better than expected. At the same time, Lilly did a similar thing, but unlike Rose who used all four paws to temporarily stop her movement to quickly change her velocity, Lilly didn't dig her front paws in which resulted in her front paws slipping inward and her face planting into the sludge. The audience and the teams winced. Luckily though, she managed to get up and complete the other turns adequately but slightly behind Rose. She came to her team and tapped Mooch who then began his leg against the Northern Alpha, Misty. When Lilly came back, she was bawling. Her face was utterly covered.
"*gasp!* I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry I let you guys down! *gasp!* I know; I'm terrible! I'm just a mess..." Kate hugged her sister and wiped the mud off her eyelids.
"No, no, no, Lilly. You did amazing!"
"I what? But I slipped!"
"So? I probably will slip too and doom us all. It's okay. You managed to catch up astoundingly to the Northerners and as the first player in this event, that's all we can ask you for. You did well, sis'!"
"Yeah, you did better than I did in the last two events!" added Humphrey while getting ready for his leg.
"Aw, thanks, guys."
Mooch came back around and tapped Humphrey. The Northern team was farther ahead.
"*pant* Sorry guys. I don't know what happened, but I was slow," said Mooch.
"It's your weight," Hutch informed. "You're heavier, so you sink in the mud deeper, and it takes a little longer for you to get your paws out and move forward."
"Oh..."
The rest of the team turned their attention to Humphrey who was trying to catch up to the she-wolf named Paige. At that moment, she slipped on the second turn as the Omega approached from behind. From the sidelines, the Northern coach, Flynn, made a slow but threatening growl at Paige. She stood back up, but while that occurred, she kicked the mud behind her into the air. The mud got right into Humphrey's eyes, and he slipped and fell instantly. He slipped so off course that it seemed that he would never catch up to her now.
"Oh, no..." said Lilly, covering her eyes with her front paws. "That's it. It's over."
"Ugh, I can't watch," moaned Winston. "Humphrey! Get up now!"
"I knew it! Just pathetic!" Can-do remarked on the sidelines beside Winston.
"*sigh* Great. How is that not a foul?" Humphrey whispered to himself. He picked his head up from the ground and looked at the course ahead. Paige was almost already to the third turn. He could hear the Northern she-wolf snickering. He had slid and seriously messed things up for the Western team. That's when an idea popped in the Omega's brain.
"Umm, what is he doing?" said Lilly, peeking through her paws.
"*gasp!* He's sliding!" yelled Mouch. Hutch shook his head.
"Are you serious?" said Kate. A smile crept up on her face.
The Omega had gotten on his back and was sliding through the mud like it was nothing. He easily passed Paige, and once he made it to the third turn, he stopped himself by planting his paws down, stood up, and went around the rock with ease. Stunned, Flynn growled at the umpire.
"THAT'S... THAT'S NOT ALLOWED!" he shouted.
"Well, sir, that might not be necessarily true," said Sanja. "I've never ever seen sliding, and it's not mentioned in the rules, so, unfortunately, it's allowed. Even if it's unfair, I can't change the rules while in the middle of an event nor can anyone change the rules unless a team that represents them wins three times in a row and—"
"Okay! Okay! I get it..." said Flynn, sitting down. "Drat..."
Having the lead, Humphrey tapped Hutch. Winston became worried. Hutch had suffered a near serious injury in his early puppyhood where he could've broken his back and died or become paralyzed. The pack healers had recommended a while ago that Hutch should heal under the care of Winston, perhaps even should become a second-in-command which Winston did not have. The pack leader saw him as the son he never had.
Thankfully though, Hutch kept his own in the race despite the fact that he lost a lot of Humphrey's lead to the Northern she-wolf, Star, who was quick and able to use Hutch's inability to turn his back very well as an advantage. Nonetheless, it was Kate's turn now. Hutch tapped her paw, and she took off like a speeding train. At the same moment, Nars did the same immediately afterward and was gaining on her.
"Go Kate!" yelled Humphrey before he jumped in the air with his arms brandishing.
"You know, if it wasn't for that illegal slide from the Omega, your team would've lost by now," said Nars, trying to taunt her. "I have to admit, you have luck on your side."
"It's not illegal. Didn't you hear the bird?"
"I hear what I want to hear." Kate shook her head.
"*sigh* If only I could do that right now..."
"Ha, ha. Very funny, but we'll see who's laughing by the end of this."
The first turn went into full view of the pups. They were running side-by-side now. That's when Nars bolted forward and did his turn. He wasn't particularly good on turns, but he was better at it than most wolves. With his strategy, he leaned his body inside the turn as he changed velocity. He slid a bit, but it wasn't anything major. Kate was next.
"Thank you again, you silly Omega," she whispered in reference to Humphrey.
Before actually making it to the turn, she leaped in the air. It caught the attention of everybody except Humphrey as jumping before a turn never happened. When she landed, she planted her right front paw into the mud and leaned her weight to her left side until she faced at the angle she needed. When she did, she had the energy and her body in a good position to zoom from the turn in just two seconds. Her move allowed her to come from turns at a much quicker pace and she passed Nars on the second straightaway. It greatly surprised everyone, and spectators began cheering.
"Western Pack! Western Pack! Western Pack!" they cheered. The wolves howled, the bears stomped the ground, and the squirrels squeaked immensely. Flynn, Sanja, and Winston dropped their mouths. Even Smokey who watched the event was shocked. Nars couldn't believe it either.
"Are you cutting corners?!"
"Not at all, Nars," Kate replied, smiling. "I'm just really curious on who's gonna laugh at the end of this so I wanna hurry."
"I won't let it happen again. I got my eye on you."
In the next turn, the same exact thing happened. First, Kate waited for Nars to turn. Then, second, she did her amazing move and zoomed passed him. Another cheer came from the crowd, and the umpire, coaches, and pups at the start/finish line were stunned once more.
"Too bad you weren't born with a third eye," she giggled.
"Okay, this time, for real, you are not getting past me!"
Then, at the third turn, the exact same thing happened except Kate gained even more of a lead. Nars was starting to lose his mind.
"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!" he barked.
"It's called brainpower. You should use it sometime," she replied, looking back at him with a smirk.
The start/finish line was directly ahead. Kate was closing in on victory for the Western Pack. Because of the dominance of the Northern and Eastern teams, the Westerns have not won in many many years. Kate would change all of that, and she would keep the Games out of Alpha Wolf Club and open to all Junior-aged critters qualified. At least that would happen if Kate made it. Right before the start/finish line, one of her front paws slipped and she fell. Shock waves were felt throughout the audience. Nars immediately seized his opportunity and past Kate and finally crossed the start/finish line. Silence instantaneously took over the audience as Nars cheered.
"I WON! YESSSSSSSSS! I WON! WHOO-HOO! WHOO-HOO!" Sanja swooped down to the field.
"She-wolves and gentlewolves! Bears and squirrels! And others! I am proud to announce that... the Western Region has won the Great Wolf Games!" Nars grew immediately confused while the crowds went nuts.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU GUYS FRICKIN' BLIND?! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TELLING ME THAT OUT OF THE TWO OF US, THE ONE WHO CROSSED THE LINE WAS... Kate...?" he looked to his right and saw Kate on her back in the mud. She just barely had her whole body over the line. Apparently, just like Humphrey, she had slid on her back at the last second and had her whole body cross before Nars did. She won.
The crowd came out of the seating area and carried the Western team. Before that though, Humphrey and the team gave Kate a big hug. They were all covered in mud, and they didn't care. They embraced it. Even Winston came over and gave them a hug. They deserved it. Through thick and thin, this team, this rag-tag team somehow won over the two-time defending champ, the Northern team. They are the first team to win with Omegas. Can-do couldn't help but mope on the sidelines while his teammates were carried around.
"*gasp!* Mom!" said Kate. Her mother came.
"I'm so proud of you!" They gave a warm hug. "My finest Alpha. My daughter."
"How did you do that, Kate?!" asked Mooch frantically. "You like jumped, then you spun around, then you went out and went zoom! It was amazing! You killed them!"
"Well, yeah, I made a new move when I was studying the course and practicing. You just spin and go out. A spin-out! That's what I should call it. Ha, ha!" Her family and friends laughed with her. "But I couldn't do it without my teammates, especially the Omegas. I didn't do it for myself. I didn't really do it for the Western Pack even though I'm proud to represent it. I did it for Salty who couldn't join us today."
"That's actually not true," said Eve. She moved away and revealed Salty behind her wearing a splint.
"Saw the whole thing. No need to tell me. I appreciate it a lot, Kate!"
"Salty!" said Humphrey. "How you been?"
"Heyyy! Doc said I'll be alright in a few weeks. It wasn't too bad, thank goodness." Humphrey then gave his best friend a hug.
"Ughhh, Humphrey... You realize you're covered in mud, right?"
"Yep!" he said proudly. "You were with us on that field whether you like it or not. In heart! So it only figures we share some of our souvenirs!"
The wolves then turned their attention to Mooch.
"What is it?" he asked. They stared at him.
"Looks like we have to take you back," said Humphrey.
"Take me back where?"
"To Shadow Forest, remember? You said as soon as the Games were over, you would return to your place where your parents died."
"Oh, right. Nahhh."
"What?"
"I don't think I should go back. I think my parents would've wanted me to stay here."
"What's going on?" asked Winston.
"I'll explain it to you later, Dad," Kate assured. Humphrey and Hutch exchanged glances.
"I'll show you around the pack!" said Lilly, raising her paw with excitement. "I can show you Rabbit Poo Mountain!"
"Hey!" said a high-pitched voice behind Humphrey and Mooch. They looked behind their backs and saw a pup shaking uncontrollably with anxiety. His smile was huge.
"Who are you?" Mooch asked.
"Hi, my name is Shakey! I'm an Omega like you and a huge fan of your performance in these Games! You don't understand what kind of impact you have on little Omegas like me! Trust me, I was cheering and clapping for you guys all the way! May I have an autograph?"
"Ugh, great, we have a fanboy," said Humphrey. "Here." With the mud on his paw, Humphrey put a pawprint on Shakey's forehead.
"Pawesome!" he cheered.
That night, elsewhere…
That night, at the Northern Pack, Nars stood before his father who was very furious. Nars had his tail lowered all the way to the ground and his ears down. Flynn walked around him in circles as the moonlight shined on his son.
"I'm sorry, Father. I don't know how many times I can say that."
"Don't give me your pathetic excuses! You humiliated the Northern Kingdom! And worst of all you humiliated me in front of the entire United Regions! We could've had the Alpha Wolf Club in place by now if it weren't for you fooling around! You dishonored me, you dishonored our family, our pack, our Region! And you dishonored yourself over a bunch of Omegas and especially a she-wolf as fricking captain!" Nars closed his eyes and broke into tears.
"Father... I tried to win it for you! I really tried!" he sobbed. "I did! I did... Father... I mean... she's a girl, I know, but... it was the best that I could do!"
"If that's the best that you could do, you are not my son!" Nars continued crying uncontrollably under the beaming moonlight. All emotions were exposed, and Flynn could only look at his son with disgust. "Get out of my sight..."
"What...?"
"NOW!" he growled. Nars slowly walked away. Flynn sat down and shook his head. "Disgrace..."
Next - Chapter 12: Friendships (The Last Chapter)