Author's Note: So why isn't Garth's Mom in the movie? Well…

Chapter Twenty-One

When he was outside, Garth looked around at the day's scenery. Apparently, while Garth had been conversing with his parents, the sky had become very ominous, dark and stormy. Thunder began to roll in the distance. Using his ears, Garth could detect the sound of distant rain somewhere off to the southwest.

"Seems like a storm is coming," Tony said. "We should hurry so we can beat it."

Walking swiftly, the Alpha Family checked the borders and made sure that there was no sign or smell of any intruders. The thunder continued to roll and before long lightning was flashing across the sky. Suddenly, it began to rain. The rain came down slowly at first, but within seconds there was so much rain falling from the sky that it was impossible to see fifty feet ahead! Mary halted the group.

"Tony, what do you think we should do," Mary shouted above the noise of the downpour.

"I think we should split up in order to cover more ground," Tony announced. "I'll cover the west side. Mary, you and Garth check the east side. Be sure that you don't take any chances, and meet me back at the den as soon as you finish."

The small group split apart and headed in their appropriate directions.

"Mom, are you sure it's safe to be out here?" Garth asked.

"No, not really, but we have to get this done. You never know when some crazed group of wolves could try to attack the pack," Mary answered. "We'll be fine."

"I sure hope so," Garth mumbled to himself.

As the rain continued to pelt down on Mary and Garth, the wind began to pick up. Before long, it had become so windy that rain was slamming into the two wolves from all around. The wind howled through the trees as the storm continued to rage through Jasper Park. Mary and Garth were now drenched with rainwater and fighting the constant gusts of wind that kept hitting their faces.

Eventually, Garth and Mary reached the edge of a cliff. This particular cliff marked the southeastern border of the Eastern Pack's territory. Garth and Mary were already half-way done! All that remained now was for them to turn to the north and walk up to the northeastern border of the territory. It would not be too long before Garth and Mary were safe and sound in their cozy den. They would both be very grateful to return.

Garth and Mary tried to keep from getting too close to the sudden drop-off of the cliff to their right. Growing stronger and stronger, however, the wind was blowing from west to east and was succeeding in slowly pushing Mary and Garth closer to the gaping cliff. Unfortunately, Mary and Garth could not see this. There was now so much rain and wind in their faces that they were forced to walk with their teeth gritted and their eyes closed. Because he was on the right side, Garth was closest to the cliff! Somehow, Mary sensed that her son was getting way too close to sudden death. She let Garth walk a bit in front of her and then moved to the right side of him, placing her body in between him and the cliff.

"You know what, Mom?" Garth said.

"What?" Mary yelled over the noise of the rain and wind.

"I have never been a fan of this cliff, and right now, I'm really hating it. Should we turn back?" Garth questioned.

"No, we're almost there. Just don't worry."

The wind continued to howl; the rain continued to come down. Suddenly, there was a crumbling sound. Garth managed to look over to his right. A small piece of the cliff had just plummeted down to the ground far below. The rain had loosened the soil, and as a result the cliff was now very unstable. Garth stopped and looked behind him. There were other parts of the cliff plummeting to their demise as well. Glancing ahead, Garth saw that Mary was far up in front of him. The rain slowly hid her from his view, although Garth tried to catch up.

Suddenly, there was a rather loud cracking and a crumbling sound. The was coming from where Garth thought Mary was! Although the ground was extremely slick and muddy, Garth ran up to where the sound was originating. The ground rattled back and forth under Garth. A wolf yelped ahead of Garth.

"GARTH! HELP!" Mary shouted directly in front of where Garth was standing.

Garth headed in the direction of the sound. Before long, he found his mom, hanging onto the edge of the cliff. The ground had sunk down right beneath her! She was now at least a mile above the ground! "Don't worry Mom! I'm right here!" Garth yelled frantically. Lowering himself so that he was sprawled out across the ground, Garth extended his front paws toward his mother. "Grab on!" he yelled desperately.

Mary placed both of her paws in her son's paws. Garth pulled with all his might, but the ground beneath him was too muddy. Slowly, Garth was sliding closer and closer towards the edge. Mary's paws were muddy too, and as a result, she was slipping out of Garth's grasp. Garth stopped and looked at his mom. "Don't worry! I'm going to get you out of this!" Deep down, Garth knew he was not strong enough to save himself and his mom. This thought hurt Garth's already broken heart.

"Garth, no," Mary sadly said. "The ground is just too slippery and the rest of this ledge could fall at any minute."

"NO MOM! WE CAN DO THIS!" Garth tried to convince himself. "WE'RE GETTING OUT OF THIS!"

Almost out of her son's tight grasp, Mary tried to calm Garth. "Garth, it's okay. Save yourself. I wish nothing but the best for you."

"Please don't talk like that Mom," Garth said with tears coming into his eyes. Mary continued to slip out of his paws.

"Garth, it's okay. Tell Tony that I love him."

"Please don't go Mom! Please don't! I can't lose Christina and you within a day! Please stay!"

"I love you, Garth." With those final powerful words, Mary slipped out of Garth's paws and plummeted down the edge of the cliff.

"NOOOOOO!" Garth screamed through tears. A gust of wind hit him in the face as he watched his mother falling down with the heavy rain.

Garth could not believe it. His Mom was gone! Just like that she had slipped out of his soft paws and down to her certain death! For the second time within the past twenty-four hours, Garth laid his head down on his paws and cried. The rain fell onto his head and ran down his furry face with his mournful tears. Eventually, Garth got up and returned to his den, crying the whole journey there.

Author's Note: Just a reminder, I really like reviews. I work from 8:30 to 4:30 daily and have play rehearsals from 5-7 every night. I have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. just to get a chance to even work on this story, so it makes me really really happy and I feel like it was worth the effort to do everything when I come home at the end of the day and see reviews. Thanks, it was just a reminder.