21. The Betrayal

They burst through the trees, leaping over the river to the western territory. Humphrey never thought he'd truly love to see the West again; despite being gone only one day longer than he had when he and Kate were wolf napped, he was relieved to be home again. When he had Kate were journeying home, he had no intention to return to Jasper, only to be with Kate. Now that he was back from the East, he felt whole again; perhaps it was due to his being able to be reunited with Kate once more. They stopped, collapsing on the ground, heaving in exhaustion.

Their breathing came in short, ragged rasps as they gasped for air. Marcel lay on his back, hyperventilating from his lack of air. The slightly overweight goose was in no shape to have flown so fast and so far for nearly thirty hours. When they had left the Dark Heart, they had narrowly escaped the danger of the Longfangs, twisting, weaving, and evading the beasts throughout the nights. Humphrey's heart thudded in his chest; even Scourge was having trouble breathing.

Humphrey stumbled into the river, letting the cool water soak into his fur. He panted heavily before padding out and shaking himself dry. They stood there for several minutes, regaining their breath and normal pulse rate. Eventually, they began to breathe normally and Marcel lifted himself from the hard earth.

Scourge looked expectantly at Humphrey, Marcel doing the same. It took him a moment to figure out that for the first time, they were looking to him to lead them. Humphrey had never led anyone or anything anywhere; he was momentarily lost as to what to do. Finally, he decided it best to return to the valley and see if the wolves had returned to the Pack Den or if there was proof that the humans had left it alone. If there was the chance that the humans weren't going to use the west as a battlefield, Humphrey wanted to make sure that it was seized. He didn't want to move the wolves away from their only home if it wasn't necessary.

He led them through the solitary forest, noticing for the first time that it was completely silent. There was always the sound of birds, bugs, and other animals scurrying about, but now, it was utterly quiet. The unnerving feeling of silence began to spread paranoia to Humphrey's mind and he quickened his pace through the forest, Scourge and Marcel following close behind. He saw random flashes of a dark wolf through the trees; Sam was coming with them as well.

They rushed forward, finally making it to the far end of Humphrey and Kate's clearing. He ran up the trail that led to the ledge that looked out over the valley, the very path Kate and Winston had walked when leaving for Alpha School. He leapt over a fallen log and skidded to a halt at the ledge overlooking the valley. Humphrey was met with a heart-stopping, horrific, ghastly sight as Scourge and Marcel joined him to look down into the valley.

The ground was littered with the corpses of hundreds of caribou. Blood and gore was scattered about, torn limbs shredded and thrown about. They walked down cautiously, the strong scent of death flooding Humphrey's senses. There was also another smell amongst it all, the smell of the discharged human weapons. Massive holes penetrated the corpses of the caribou; dried blood matted the fur of the caribou, their eyes rolled in the back of their heads. Not even the bugs dared to touch the carnage that had occurred here. Humphrey had seen this before; he'd seen the caribou with the holes in them, the rot and decay hanging in the air.

He led the way through, respectfully avoiding the bodies, though their paws were still treading through the blood-stained ground. Marcel flew overhead, looking down sorrowfully at the massacre. There was an eerie stillness in area; there was no wind, no sound, no sun, just a cloudy day, the scent of rotten death hanging in the air. Marcel called over, standing beside a caribou. Humphrey and Scourge rushed over to see what Marcel had spotted. They gasped as they saw a wolf trapped underneath a dead caribou, struggling to get free.

They quickly shoved against the caribou, trying to help the wolf get out. The massive animal's weight was against them however, and the job was long and tedious as they tried to free the wolf. They pushed and heaved against the caribou, pushing it away as the wolf crawled out. Blood poured down as the wolf crawled out. Humphrey was perplexed as to where the blood was coming from, but he received his answer when he saw the newly freed wolf: its body had been severed down the middle, only leaving half of his torso, his forelegs, and his paws still attached. Scourge's eyes widened in shock and Marcel tried to keep himself from puking.

Humphrey stopped the survivor and turned him over onto his back, telling him to rest. The wolf's face was badly beaten and bloodied, many of his teeth shattered or missing from his mouth. His left paw was twisted backwards, the bone protruding from his flesh, yellow and purple flesh pulsing around the protruding shard of white. He coughed up blood and bits of his fangs. His left eye was missing, dried black liquid splattered across the side of his face, more of it crusted in the hollow socket.

"What happened here?" Humphrey asked him carefully. He heaved and spit more, bloody bits flying from his mouth and landing on his beaten chest.

"Birds," he gasped. "Birds killed the caribou and started a stampede. My hunting group and I, we-we were caught in it. I felt something cut i-into m-m-my back and then I fell, I couldn't move. Then the caribou fell on me and I've been trying to get free for days."

"Hasn't anyone come looking for you?" Scourge asked him, shocked that no one had come to his aide.

"No, and if anyone did, then they couldn't hear me crying out for help." Humphrey looked down in sorrow and pity for the poor wolf; he'd been reduced to nothing, trampled and shot by the humans, literally torn to pieces by their evil weapons. "Is there anyone else that survived?"

"We haven't seen anyone, no," Humphrey told him.

"My-my mate," he murmured. "Her name is Nicole. T-tell her…"

"Yeah?" Humphrey persisted as the wolf struggled for words.

"Tell her…" He looked at them, struggling to form words. Blood gurgled in his throat and his eyes went dull, glazing over with the look of death. Just before he died, he faintly whispered out his mate's name. Humphrey knew not who the wolf was, but a pang went through him when he saw the wolf die. He looked away, unable to look at another dead being. Scourge lifted his tail and drew it over the wolf's eyes, closing them.

He placed his paw in the blood and drew three lines down his forehead. He placed his paw on the chest of the wolf, closed his eyes, and murmured quietly in a language that Humphrey did not understand. Humphrey felt Marcel's wing brush against him, looking down at the dead wolf sadly. Humphrey hadn't heard Marcel speak a word since they left the Dark Heart; he couldn't even begin to fathom how Paddy's death had affected him. Humphrey nudged Marcel's head. Marcel looked at him, his old eyes bearing the look of pain and misery in them. Humphrey gave a reassuring smile to him, patting his back.

They departed from the carnage, leaving to the Pack Den. They went immediately to the large cave underneath it on the valley floor. If they had returned, the cave would be the first place they'd go to for safety. The cave was vacant, the stale trace of the pack lingering from the time of the Mad Wolf's arrival. They padded up the sloping hills and investigated the dens, making sure that no one had been left behind. Scattered food and small bones that were given to pups to play with had been scattered around the Pack Den, indicating that they'd left in a hurry. The scent was stale and old, meaning that the wolves had left the area many days ago.

Finally, Humphrey knew that he had to check one last place. He quickened his pace to a trot and went to the den he had shared with Kate. When they arrived, Humphrey told them to hang back. He clambered into the den, looking about. He scented the air, calling out to see if Kate was inside. There was no response from inside and the scent was even staler. When he turned around, he saw the flower he'd left for her there. Another flower had been left there crossing over his flower. He looked about the den; he'd lived in there since he was a pup, and when he and Kate became mates, he shared it with her and created new memories. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of their den. A tear leaked from his eye and dried into his fur. He blinked away the misery and left the den behind, joining Marcel and Scourge just outside.

They left the Pack den behind, going into the highlands where the wolves had sought refuge. Humphrey took one last look back at the rocks where their den was, then turned back. Unbeknownst to him, he would never look back at those rocks again.

**Two Hours Later**

It was dusk when they finally arrived in the large forest clearing that the New Pack had settled in. They cautiously made their way down the hills towards them, receiving wary looks from the wolves. Humphrey looked at them; their bodies had begun to grow thin, their matted fur hanging from their skeletal forms. Four days without much food had certainly taken its toll on the wolves. They glared at Humphrey as he led Scourge and Marcel into the clearing.

He saw mothers and fathers caring for their small pups; they were nothing more than small scraps of fur desperately trying to feed from their mothers' milk, but without food, they couldn't produce enough milk for the pups. They were beginning to shrink, their gaunt forms disturbing Humphrey. The poor pups were lying next to their parents, shivering as they fought for their lives. He knew how the other wolves must have seen them: they had left and caught enough food to keep themselves well-fed and healthy, but the New Pack was starving without the food they required. They despised Humphrey for leaving.

Salty and Sweets were laying together, their already-lean bodies becoming frail and weak from the lack of food. Salty opened his eyes and spotted Humphrey. He shakily rose to his paws and padded up to his friend.

"Humphrey, you came back," he rasped.

"Yeah, I did, Salty," Humphrey replied. "I had to find some answers."

"Mooch went missing, dude," he informed him. "I can't find him anywhere. I was hoping you saw him on your way back…"

"He's gone, Salty," Humphrey said, downcast. "He's gone." Salty looked down in sadness, nodding in grim understanding. Humphrey told him to go back with Sweets and he did, seeking the consonance of his new mate.

"Humphrey," a voice said. He turned to see Winston's old, frail form standing behind him.

"Father," Humphrey said. "I came back."

"So, I see, and I'm glad," he replied with a smile. "I'm guessing this is the wolf you were telling me about?" He was referring to Scourge, nodding to the dark wolf. Scourge nodded back in respect to an elder and clearly superior Alpha wolf.

"Not exactly," Humphrey told him with a wry smile. "Remind me to tell you again some other time."

"I'll keep that in mind; I assume you saw what happened to the Pack Den?"

"Yeah, we saw," Humphrey replied. "Look, I have things to tell you that are really important, but I need to find Kate first. Where is she?"

"I'm not sure it'll be wise to look for her," Winston said.

"I need to," Humphrey pleaded. "Please, where is she?" Winston looked down and then sighed.

"She's back over there," he replied, motioning towards a grove of trees further back. "She's not happy for you leaving."

"I wouldn't expect her to be," Humphrey said. "Gather everyone up in five minutes; I have important things to say." He nodded and Humphrey padded forward towards the trees. Garth dipped his head in acknowledgement as he entered the trees, Humphrey returning the gesture. Scourge and Marcel remained outside while Humphrey entered.

He saw three wolves inside; Reeba, Eve, and Lily were looking down at the ground where a tawny-furred wolf laid. He assumed that she had given birth already and that they were witnessing it. He cleared his throat, gaining their attention. Eve glared at Humphrey, Lily and Reeba smiling weakly at him. Without any words, they got up and left him alone with Kate. He breathed shakily as she got up weakly, her rear to him. He scented neither pups nor milk, so he assumed that the other three had been in there to talk to her.

She turned to him and he saw her state; she was still large in the belly, her womb swelling with the pups inside. Her fur hung limply, the color beginning to dull. She was more fit than the other wolves, but not by much. A dull light remained in her amber eyes, her fur unkempt and hanging down. She saw him and they stood there for a few moments, silent, simply staring into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, she lashed out at him with a vicious snarl, sinking her claws into the right side of his face, leaving three jagged, bloody marks under his eye. He didn't flinch, didn't cry out, he simply blinked away the pain, his jaw clenching. Blood fell from the wounds as they began to form into scars. She gave a feral growl, bearing her fangs at him. He looked her in the eyes, refusing to back away from her. She circled him slowly, her claws clicking on the rock beneath them. She growled at him savagely. He looked forward, motionless. She snarled and bit into his right shoulder, tearing fur away and causing blood to flow from a gash wound. Still, he did not respond or resist. He deserved this for what he did to her.

She sank her claws into the left side of his flank, causing more blood to flow. Despite the extent of the wounds, only the cuts under his eyes would remain permanently scarred. She faced him directly, growling at him. He let the blood fall from his wounds and dry into his fur. Her eyes were icy, hardened, and filled with anger. Finally, a startling sob broke from her and she broke down in front of him.

Her face quickly buried itself in his chest fur and he embraced her tightly, gritting his teeth as tears fell from his eyes. She cried hysterically into his fur, tears soaking into his fur. He had broken her down and turned her into a bitter shell of her former self by leaving; he deserved every bit of hate and abuse that she could inflict upon him.

"Why did you leave me?" She wailed hopelessly. The sound of her cries broke Humphrey's heart.

"To find answers, my love," he replied.

"Don't ever leave me again!" She snarled. "Don't ever leave me again, Humphrey!" He nodded and nuzzled her, sharing his love and affection with her. She pulled away and circled him, licking the blood away from his fur, cleaning his wounds. She realized that she had torn into his scabbed shoulder after he had received physical pain from one of his nightmares, causing blistering puss to fall from it.

She continued to clean his wounds and organize his fur in a way that would hide her inflictions, though she couldn't hide the claw marks under his eye. He smiled at her and told her, "I'll wear it with honor." She smiled as they heard Winston's summoning howl. She looked at him in confusion, but Humphrey gave her a look that told her that he knew what he was calling for.

They walked out together and he introduced her to Scourge, briefly explaining how they met and their journey to the Dark Heart. He didn't elaborate as to what they found in the Dark Heart or the east, but she assumed that he'd tell her soon enough. When she saw Marcel, she instantly asked him how he was and how Paddy and Iris were doing. Tears fell from his eyes when she asked.

"They didn't make it," Marcel said, his voice quivering. Kate's eyes turned glassy and she hugged her friend, Marcel hugging her back. They walked into the slowly assembling crowd of wolves, Humphrey and Scourge leaping to the rock pile where Winston stood. Garth and Lily sat nearby, Tony next to Garth. Everyone whispered, not understanding who Scourge was, where Humphrey came from, or what they were being called to for.

Winston nodded at Humphrey and stepped back, joining Tony. Eve weakly padded next to Winston, everyone's eyes on Humphrey and Scourge. He took a shaky breath and walked forward.

"About five days ago, I left to the Eastern Territory to find answers to nightmares I've been having for a while now," Humphrey began. "I needed answers as to what the nightmares meant, and I met Scourge here who was on a similar journey from the Southern Pack."

Wolves began to perk up in respect and admiration for the Southern wolf; the Great Pack of South Jasper was revered, and to discover that he had accompanied Humphrey on his journey was a shock and legend on its own. Humphrey continued.

"What we found in the East and the Dark Heart beyond it was something that was terrorizing the South for years now; creatures that are called 'Longfangs.'" Shocked and fearful whispering sparked in the crowd at the mention of the despised, horrific, nightmarish creatures. "We also found a large group of humans in the Dark Heart; you have all seen their Fighter Jets, the large birds that came to the valley and killed the caribou.

"The humans are here for war. They destroyed the south and Scourge is the only survivor from the battle. The humans are fighting each other and using Jasper as their battlefield. They won't stop in the south, either; they're going to destroy whatever's left of our homes and kill us as well. We've been lied to; Tony, why don't you explain to everyone why you decided to betray us?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Tony. Tony looked about in surprise and shock, then back at Humphrey and Scourge. He growled at the two.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tony snarled.

"Have you told everyone about the dead wolves in the back of your den, Tony?" Humphrey demanded. "Did you tell Garth how his mother and siblings died? Where are they, Tony?"

"Dad?" Garth asked. "What the hell's he talking about?"

"He's lying!" Tony growled. "The Omega speaks nothing but LIES!"

"Tony has been sacrificing wolves of the East to the Longfangs," Humphrey told them, horrified gasps emitting from the crowd. "I saw the corpses in the back of his den myself. The humans made them to kill their enemies and the Longfangs inhabited the East. The humans were what forced them back, and that's why they tried to take the Western territory! Tony has betrayed us!"

"NO!" Tony howled, leaping up to Humphrey. "You will all believe the word of an Omega? He does not know what he's talking about!"

"I saw it to," Scourge growled. "Humphrey's not lying."

"As have I!" Marcel cried out, flying down next to him. "I have lost two of my friends to the humans when we were searching for Humphrey!"

"Great," Tony smirked. "So you're going to believe our prey, an Omega, and a lone wolf that claims he was part of the Southern Pack? Have your minds all become addled? These are lies meant to deceive you! There is no human threat, nor are there any Longfangs; they are simply a myth!"

"I have known Humphrey for a long time," Winston spoke up, defending his son in law. "He is many things; he's an Omega, a hunter, and adventurer, my daughter's lover and mate, and my son, but he is not and never will be a liar."

"What do you suppose we do if these lies were true, Omega?" Tony spat. "Leave the territory? Die with it? Attack the humans?"

"We leave," Humphrey replied darkly. "Jasper is going to be destroyed by the humans very soon, and we need to leave as soon as we can. We'll head north…and to the Pack of the Winter Mountains." Shouts, howls, and incredulous remarks sounded from within the crowd of wolves. Tony laughed terribly at Humphrey, even Winston looked embarrassed by Humphrey's response.

"The Pack of the Winter Mountains?" Tony snarled. "That old myth? First you speak these lies, and then you say that we search for something that doesn't exist? Is this the wolf whose word you'll believe? Nothing will happen, and I have seen the valley myself these past days; there are no humans and prey to be collected down there! I say we return to our home and feast on what will be the most easy and glorious prey we have ever seen!"

Howls of agreement sounded from within the crowd and wolves began to get up and howl to the sky. Humphrey looked through the crowd and saw Winston and his sad, disapproving eyes. He saw Salty, turning away, refusing to look at his friend. He sighted Kate, staring at him with sad eyes. Humphrey's heart sank as Scourge and Marcel tried to gain their attention and make them think otherwise, but it was a lost cause. They didn't believe him. Tony was about to lead them into the darkness…and to their deaths.

**A/N: There it is, everyone! Well, that didn't go too well! What's it going to take for Humphrey to convince the New Pack that they have to leave, and how will he protect his mate and friends if they won't listen to him? Find out in the next chapter! Thanks to imjustlikehumphrey, Alexander, humphreyandkate together, the dark shadow, and the silver wolf for reviewing my last chapters! Glad to see that you guys are all reading my story and enjoying it thus far as we near the climactic end! Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**