Alright, this is the tenth chapter in the story, Right now I'm trying to pump out as many chapters as possible before I'm shipped off to basic training. I recently joined the Army Guard and I'm going to be shipped to basic in October of this year. So I want to get some chapters in for the fans of the story so I don't leave you all with a small story for the 18 weeks I'll be gone. Well now let's get back to the story, the begging is going to be a time skip after Humphrey started training, and Kate may have her chance to get to Russia, and we learn the past of one more character.
(3 months later, Humphrey's POV)
It has been three months since I started my training and I must say I turned out great. I'm just as muscular as Garth, still smaller than the majority of the wolves here in Russia. I'm faster than Kate and with Vladimir's help I'm getting ready to start my trial here in the next week. I also knew some strategies, over the months the Cossack Pack had developed more with new members leaving nearby packs and joining ours or they joined the Bolshevik's.
The Bolshevik's had been making requests for more meetings a lot more now from what I've heard. They were our rivals, in order to be prepared Vlad had re-designated the army into the what the humans of Russia had many years ago, the Red Army, I'm a Corporal in the army and proud of my rank. Aleksandr had been acting sketchy over the months and always looked at me with a sinister smile and glare. Over the months I had nearly been seriously injured or killed by trees, boulders, or animals.
I don't know what is going on with General Aleksandr, but I don't like it, neither does Vlad. Vlad has had some wolves watch the general over the months and report on his whereabouts and strange occurrences and meetings. Some of the scouts had reported him meeting an unknown wolf, but Vlad couldn't use that as any kind of evidence if Aleksandr was the one responsible. I still remember two days after the close call with the bear.
Vlad had the men leave the body there rather than move it in case more bears showed up. Me and Ana were walking back to the corpse and when we entered some bushes we found a dead cub. We suspected that the cub was killed and planted for the mother to find it and me and Ana were there and we would end up dead. Whoever did I swore I would make them pay for the needless death of the cub and its mother and for nearly killing me and Ana.
I was to patrol the western border with Reznov, Boray, and Markov. The border was to be patrolled at all times in case the unknown wolf and Aleksandr met up again. Sergei was never notified as to not hinder the black ops as they called it. The teams were me and Reznov would patrol the northern part and Markov and Boray patrol the southern part. Reznov had been acting weird over the months too, I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was wrong with him.
I pushed the thought out and got back to our mission. We had been walking back and forth for three hours with nothing going on. On the sixth lap up and down the border we heard something, "Reznov, did you hear that." Reznov looked at me, "No, it probably a bird come on let's move." He started walking and I followed then there was talking. I got down on my stomach and crawled over to where the noise was coming from. I peeked over a hill to see Aleksandr with the unknown wolf. I then heard something about an attack on the Cossack Pack.
As I was getting ready to go tell Vlad I was hit in the face and knocked down. I looked up to see Reznov, "Sorry Humphrey." He hit me again knocking me out.
I woke up in a den all tied up. I looked to see Reznov, Aleksandr and the wolf. "What the hell Reznov." Reznov looked at me, "I'm sorry Humphrey I like you, but you are an outsider and can't be allowed to become the next leader if you marry Ana." I knew that Aleksandr was against any non-Russian becoming the leader of the pack, but I didn't know Reznov was to. "So you were the one responsible for all the attempts on my life." Aleksandr smiled, "Yes I was, sadly none of them worked for three months that was the irritating part." I looked at the unknown wolf, "And you are?" The wolf snickered, "The name is Buk, and I will make sure they never find you." Aleksandr looked at Buk, "Keep him here, at night move to the Bolshevik's territory, Vladimir will never find him there." I gave Aleksandr a death glare and he and Reznov left leaving me with Buk who went outside. I took the opportunity and began to gnaw at my restraints carefully and quietly. I got them off and went to the entrance Buk wasn't very smart leaving me alone. I grabbed him dragged inside and slit his throat I then ran outside and found Vlad, Boray, Markov and four other wolves running this way, "Humphrey what happened!?"
I looked at Vlad, "It was Aleksandr who was responsible for everything, he and Reznov." Vlad looked at me with a sad expression, "No, not Reznov." I felt sad too Reznov became a close friend and now he is a traitor. Vlad then became furious, "Aleksandr and Reznov will pay for their treason come on!" We ran off in search for them, "They also spoke of an attack." Vlad looked at me, "Then they have sided with the Bolshevik's, war is upon us comrades and we must ready the troops for the war that is coming." We ran over to the feeding grounds to find Sergei talking to Aleksandr and Reznov. Vlad stopped and yelled, "Reznov, General Aleksandr you are under arrest for treason step away from Sergei now!" Sergei looked at us confused, "Vladimir what is the meaning of this?" Vlad stepped in front of Sergei and the rest of us pushed Reznov and Aleksandr away.
"Sir these two are traitors and plan to attack us with the Bolshevik's!" Sergei looked at the two, "Is this true?" Aleksandr was clearly pissed, "Yes, I will not allow an outsider to become the leader of the pack!" Him and Reznov then took off at lightning speed, Reznov looked back to see Vlad look away from him clearly heartbroken for his closest friend's betrayal, I could've sworn I saw Reznov shed a tear.
Sergei spoke up, "Prepare the troops for combat, the Bolshevik's might attack at any moment." Vlad looked at Sergei, "Sir we should enlist the help of the Drakon and the Voron packs in order to crush the Bolshevik's." Sergei nodded his head and went back up the mountain to his den then he suddenly stopped, "General Vladimir, I want you to take personal command of the Red Army." Sergei continued his walk up the mountain. Vlad stood there frozen from his sudden promotion, "Yes sir." Vlad turned to us, "You heard Sergei, move out and assemble the army, Humphrey come with me." We all saluted the new general and I followed him, "Congrats on the promotion, what do you want to talk about?"
Vlad looked at me, "Humphrey what happened earlier wasn't what was supposed to happen, we were going to surprise you and hold your trial, but what you did to that wolf was enough to convince me that you are willing to defend the pack, which is why you are now my new second-in-command, congratulations, Commander Humphrey." I looked at him shocked that I just completed my trial by accident and got promoted to commander in the same sentence. "Now go report to the front line and take command of setting up our defenses, you have personal command of Raptor battalion our most elite task force, I will arrive shortly with my Red Army."
I saluted and took off with my orders, Raptor battalion was assembled shortly after the Red Army was formed, Raptor is a separate task force from the Red Army to move up and make way for the Red Army to come in for back up. Being put in charge of second best force in our pack I was honored, Raptor is mostly made up of new comers from other packs such as the Bolshevik Pack and a few others whose leaders were either killed or overthrown and the members would join our pack or the Bolshevik's. Drakon and Voron Packs are close allies of ours and they despise the Bolshevik's as much as we do, in fact we have some members of their packs here with us for a long time, Markov is from the Drakon Pack and Boray is from the Voron Pack.
They joined the Cossack Pack two years before I showed up. Vlad said that they have one member of the pack who was from the Bolshevik Pack, but he never told me. I figured I would ask him to tell me when he arrived at the front lines. For now I must focus on preparing the defenses for war was inevitable.
(Kate's POV)
It has been three months since I left Jasper to make my journey to find Humphrey, the ship hadn't arrived when it was supposed to and I got very upset. I decided if the ship wasn't in harbor when I woke up in the morning I was going to head home hoping he would return someday. I got up stretched my muscles and took a drink from a creek that ran right past my den, I was taking my time hoping that the ship would be there. I decided that I spent enough time preoccupying myself and left to look at the harbor.
I was clearing the woods that overlooked Nome, as I exited I looked at the ships, behind them was heavy fog, I looked at them all for the Sulanka and sadly I didn't see it. Upset I decided I should head home, as I turned and started walking I heard the sound of a ship's horn that I learned over my time here that one was entering the port, I looked over my shoulder tears in my eyes. I looked at the ship that was entering the harbor, I suddenly got happy for the name on the ship said 'Sulanka' I began jumping and cheering.
I began to run towards Nome hoping to sneak onto the ship, until I was tackled by someone. I turned over to see Hutch on top of me, "I found her over her!" I pushed him off and began running again till I was tackled by someone even bigger and stronger, I looked to see Garth with what I guessed were tears of happiness. I tried to get out of his grip, but he was just too damn strong, "Let me go I need to get on that ship to find Humphrey!" Then someone else spoke, "No way Kate you are coming home with us, we've been worried for the past three months, if it wasn't for your cheering we might never have found you, luckily Hutch was close by to stop you." My father had come with the search party and they were taking me home. They had tied my up and Garth was carrying me on his back, I looked to see the Sulanka slowly vanishing from my sight I began to cry and scream for them to let me go.
They carried me to a train that was heading back to Jasper, they carefully put me on then got on themselves they kept me away from the door. The train then started leaving, every foot the train made away from Nome my heart would hurt, it hurt so bad that I passed out.
(Humphrey's POV)
I arrived to the Western border where Raptor battalion was setting up the defenses for the upcoming war. I walked up to a wolf who was ordering the others to work faster, "Who's in charge here?" I spoke with confidence and a demand for respect, the wolf turned to me, "I am the name is Lieutenant Dmitri, who are you?" I looked Dmitri in the eyes, "My name is Commander Humphrey, I'm now in command of Raptor battalion, orders from General Vladimir himself." The wolves all stood at attention and saluted, "Yes commander sir." I looked at them they were digging trenches close to the border my guess was they were setting up spiked traps for the enemy, "Continue setting up the defenses you have planned." I walked off farther away from the border to our base camp located four miles from the border.
As I neared the base camp I saw Vlad there, "General, I wasn't expecting you for some time." Vlad turned to me, Vlad looked to be a better general than Aleksandr, Vlad's black fur with silver streaks and his scars made him look more like an imposing foe. Vlad smiled at me, "Well I got the Red Army readied faster than I thought so we decided to make our way here to assist in the defense, Boray and Markov are heading back to their old packs to enlist their aid in the war." I smiled, "Good now I want to ask you something." He smiled even wider, "Of course Humphrey what is it?" I looked at him with a serious look, "Who is the wolf in our pack that is from the Bolshevik Pack?" His smile instantly faded, "Come with me." I followed Vlad out of the camp and farther away from the front lines.
We reached a small pond about two miles away from camp, "Ok you want to know who the wolf is from the Bolshevik Pack I need to know why you want to know." I looked Vlad in the eyes, "Because the wolf might now the locations of their military forces and where the leader lives." Vlad nodded his head, "Indeed she does." I looked at him shocked, "The wolf is a she, who is she?" Vlad sighed, "The wolf from the Bolshevik Pack is the daughter of the leader Joseph, the wolf is Natasha."
Well there you go the wolf from the Bolshevik Pack living with the Cossack Pack. The next chapter will be describing the life of Natasha and how she met Vladimir. Hope you all liked the chapter and like I said I'm going to pump out as many chapters as I can before I go to basic for 18 weeks. As always Read and Review.