25. Out of the Darkness

**A/N: Look up this song and play it when directed: Halo 4 OST - Green and Blue.**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**

**Forty-One Days after the Marker's Destruction**

Kala padded forward. She had nothing else that she could do anymore; just keep going forward. She had broken her promise to her father, however. When she reached the mountains, she looked back. She saw the ground crumble and ripple across the ruins of Jasper, turning into a massive, fiery crater. A maelstrom encircled the crater, obliterating the Marker. No one could have survived it. Not even her father. Her heart shattered once more, she collapsed on the mountain and cried for two days. It was now official: she was the last wolf of Jasper, the only one to survive the war between the armies of Fenrir and Saren. She was now completely alone. She stood up on the third day and walked north in the mountains, back to where her story truly began.

Across the planes she walked, find the Small Grounds where her earliest memories resided. The scents of the pack still faintly lingered in the moons they spent there. She slept there for the night, realizing as she drifted asleep that it was the same spot she'd slept in when she was a pup, Lily cuddling with her to keep Kala warm. She longed dearly for the touch of the beautiful white she-wolf. She stood up and walked forward again, the silence eerie. Every few days or so, they'd hear or see a human air vehicle flying high above. For the first time in her life, there was not a trace of humans…at all. It was strange to see them absent from the world.

She couldn't be bothered by it. She needed to go forward and not pay attention to humans and their whereabouts. She kept walking tirelessly, obeying her father's final command: to never look back. In the mountains, she laid on the ledge the pack had taken refuge in. The place she'd first come into contact with Humphrey's Spirit Guide, Sam, and met Kacey. She padded through the trees to the small pond, washing her fur clean of the blood and dust that had caked her body for weeks. It was difficult for her to properly groom herself; there were many places she could not reach herself. She peered into the water at her reflection. She half expected Humphrey to sit beside her, Kala once more looking at their similar features and realizing he was her father. No image appeared. She heard a snap and whirled around, barring her fangs and unsheathing her claws, ready to fight. It was nothing more than a hare, bounding back to its home. She sighed and padded forward once more. Some of the trees were knocked over, smashed by an inexplicable force. It was the aftermath of the Longfang that had pupknapped her that fateful night.

The Longfang was nothing more than bones and a rough, mutilated hide. Its eyeless skull gaped at her in its silent scream, the earth stained by its dark blood. She began to walk through the mountains the exact same way she had before with the pack. She stood on the mountainous cliffs high above, looking back at Jasper. She leapt down, finding the place she'd broken Firetail's leg. She scented the air and ran in the direction of the ocean, the salty air stinging her nostrils lightly. Her tongue lolled, and she began to run, never stopping save for water and food. She made more progress than ever before. The pack had stopped many times in their original journey, but Kala did not; she just kept running. She deliberately avoided the Jagged Ice Mountain Ĝarnaw, running through the mountain pass at press-paw speed. Never once did she even see a sign of Night Watchers or D'Tyoni. It was incredibly odd to see no other predatory animals as she continued. Save for a small family of foxes and what she believed was a stray coyote, she saw nothing in the form of bears or wolves. The thought that they'd been wiped out crossed her mind, but she quickly shook the thought away. That was impossible…wasn't it?

Day and night, she ran, evading the mountain that the war summit had occurred in. She did, however, return to the mountain of the Blue Marker. She had never truly mourned the death of her mate, and she felt it appropriate to pay her respects in his final resting place. She sat by the obliterated mountain and howled requiem for him. After several hours of howling, she turned and began to walk again.

It was no thirty-nine days since the final battle. Her belly was slightly larger, but it was not nearly as large as it should be. At first, she was about to panic; she thought there may be something wrong with her, perhaps even the possibility of a miscarriage or stillborn litter of pups. She calmed herself down by thinking of the possibility of only one to two pups being in her womb. It would be less than a moon before it would be time to give birth; she'd find out the results soon enough.

On the fortieth day, she found train tracks. She was wary of them at first, worried that a train may come at her from either direction. A long bridge stretched out over the mountains beyond, heading north. If a train came at the wrong moment, she'd be forced to leap off to her certain death or be hit by the train. About halfway over the bridge, she discovered the wreckage of the train over a mile below, burn marks on its metallic hull. She continued to follow the tracks until they ended at a human settlement. She cautiously snuck around, but nothing stirred. Piles of ash littered buildings and streets. The only things walking around were a few stray dogs clawing at the doors of their humans' homes, begging for food. She pitied them; dogs were too far gone to be intelligent enough to hunt for themselves. They'd all die within a matter of days. One of them, however, growled at her, foam flecking its lips. It was a Mad Dog. She bolted north, the dog chasing her for leagues before attacking another dog wandering the fields. She looked back in contempt at the poor whelp that couldn't outrun the Mad Dog, its flank being torn open by the Mad Dog. It whimpered and the light fading from its eyes. Kala shook her head and ran north. She had done what her father told her not to do once again. The mountains were crawling with prey, enough for her to eat like a wolf goddess. The air was fresh and cool, the golden sunlight warming her pelt. Two incredibly massive mountains stood in the distance, snow capping them. She decided to head for them, hoping to find a cave nearby or plains with caribou or deer ready for her to hunt.

She eyed, on that night, an enormous elk. It was nearly thrice the size of a normal elk, two more appearing. One was significantly smaller than the other two, but still the same size as a normal elk. This one, she noticed was nothing more than offspring of the two massive elk. She thought hard, trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly, it came to her: they were elkryn, the enormous ancestors of the current elk. She stared at them in awe and watched them move into the valley. She saw to yellow eyes peering from the brush near the elkryn and recognized them instantly as wolf eyes. Suddenly, a massive wolf with a slightly shorter muzzle leapt out with a vicious snarl, grabbing the elkryn female by the leg. It yelled and bucked, signaling to the male for it to take away the offspring. The male dutifully complied, putting the safety of the offspring before the female. The large wolf whipped its head sideways, ripping the leg of the elkryn female in two. It bayed in agony and collapsed. The wolf took no time to leap upon the elkryn and tear out its Life Blood. It was the most incredible thing that Kala had ever seen! Still, it left questions: why were they so large?

It was now the forty first day, Kala scaling the mountains. They were too rugged, the terrain too dangerous to traverse. She padded into the hills, hoping for better paths to the large mountains in the distance. Suddenly, she heard a howl – it was close. Her ears pricked, and her guard hairs stood on end. She knew that howl anywhere. She whipped around and howled back, her voice carrying on the wind through the mountains. Yet another howl responded to her call – it was much closer this time. Tears welled in her eyes as she ran down the mountain pass on the hills, running toward the sound. She howled again, her voice cracked by sobs. She skidded to a halt on the dirt trail, looking down the hill to see a rugged, beaten, and injured grey wolf. His bracelet was missing, but his blue eyes shined when he looked upon her. She cried out and rushed toward him, the grey running toward her as fast as his injured, tired legs would allow. She slammed into his chest, crying and clutching him tightly, the grey returning the embrace.

"I looked back!" She sobbed. "I'm sorry, Dad, I looked back! I looked back!" Humphrey looked down at his daughter warmly, flashing her a soft smile. A tear fell from his eye, running down his scarred cheek.

"It's okay, Kala," he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay, pup." She sobbed into his chest, her claws digging into his shoulder blades, never wanting to leave his grasp. When she finally began to calm down, she looked up at him.

"Where's Scourge?" She whispered. His eyes flickered downward, softly shaking his head. Her heart felt heavy; she thought for sure that he would survive…but even the strongest of wolves could be overwhelmed by those forces. It was a miracle in itself that Humphrey had survived! She nodded solemnly and poked his leg above his right paw. "What about your bracelet?" Again, he shook his head.

"Oh well," he said, looking at her with a wry smile. "Damn thing always itched anyway." She laughed a bit, her tears drying. He looked up the path, Kala looking with him. "I think this is it, Kala."

"What do you mean?" She inquired. He grinned.

"What we've been looking for this whole time," he replied. Her eyes widened, and his smile grew. She licked his cheek. "Race you to the top!" She laughed.

"You're on!" The two began to run quickly, Kala take an adjacent path. Humphrey found it difficult to breathe, but he still managed to run.

"Give up, Kala; you'll never outrun me!" He panted. He looked back but did not see her. He stopped and looked back. "Kala?" He felt an acorn hit the back of his head and he rubbed it, looking back to see his laughing daughter.

"Ha!" She cheered. "Alpha: one, Omega: zero!" He smiled and padded up to her.

"Since when were you an Alpha?" He asked her.

"Since I killed Saren," she said smugly. He looked at her with a smile and the two continued walking up the path. Sunlight streamed in from the trees above, the two climbing up the hill. They passed the trees and made it into a large clearing, a path leading downward.

It was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Kala gasped, looking out with wide eyes. An enormous valley stretched for as far as the eye could see on all sides. Two massive mountains stood high in the distance, the clouds brushing their peaks. More of the large wolves below ran about, chasing elkryn and caribou herds. They were dire wolves. Kala took a small step forward and smiled widely.

"Dad, we did it!" Kala exclaimed. "It's the Pack of the Winter Mountains!"

**A/N: Play the song now**

Humphrey smiled but did not follow her. He sat in the clearing, his limbs tired and weak. He watched his daughter with a grin. She was awestruck with amazement at the sight of the dire wolves. Humphrey, however, had already seen them before. She howled to them, some of the dire wolves turning to look at her. They grinned and returned the howl, then began to run back to the main group of dire wolves, most likely to inform the Leaderwolves of their arrival. Kala's heart raced, her amber eyes beaming.

"Come on, Dad, they're letting us in!" She called back. "Let's go!" Humphrey let a tear slide down his face as he watched his daughter. She ran to the edge of the hill and looked back at him. He was still sitting in the clearing. She tilted her head and padded back to him. He had such a sad, sad smile on his face. She didn't understand it. 'Perhaps,' she thought. 'He's thinking of everyone else.'

"Have I ever told you how much you remind me of your mother?" He asked her. It was an odd question, but she shrugged it off and smiled, sitting in front of him. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Only about a million times," she giggled. He laughed at her response.

"Well, I guess you've heard it a million and one times now," he replied. She laughed too.

"Yeah," she said with a grin. "I guess I have." Humphrey nosed her muzzle and smiled at her. Kala closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. She pulled away, giving him a strange look. "Your scent…it's gone…" He looked down, shuffling his paws on the ground. She shook her head and smiled. "Come on, let's go!"

"I'm not coming with you this time," he said softly. She looked at him quizzically, not understanding. She padded to him, not saying a word. He was scentless…he wasn't coming with her…what was going on? He looked at her and she began to think he was nervous. He'd been nervous before, after all. She went into to nuzzle him, but she passed right through his body. She pulled back and saw his muzzle shimmer. She put a paw to his chest, but it passed through his body once more. She recoiled, her mouth agape.

"Dad, what…what's going on?" She was clearly fearful, her heart racing and her eyes flickering on him. He smiled, closing his eyes as he released a small chuckle.

"Lupus and Lupa didn't give me too much time to stay solidified," he said. That wasn't an answer to her question. She looked at him again, her bottom lip quivering. He looked at her, his fur seeming to have some kind of shining aura. He was even faintly transparent. "I'm dead, Kala." She took two steps back, shaking her head.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no!"

"Kala…" he murmured.

"No, Dad! You're not dead, I know you're not!" He looked down, his smile fading. She ran at him and dove at him to hug him, for him to embrace her as they did only minutes ago. She passed through his body. Before he could turn, she did it again, passing through his body each time. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "No, you're alive! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"I died when the Black Marker was destroyed, Kala," he whispered. "I didn't even know I was dead until I got out of Jasper. I've been clinging to life so desperately that Lupus and Lupa took pity on me and allowed me a form until I found you."

"No, they gave me a second chance and they can give you one, too!"

"It's already done," Humphrey gave her a sad smile, Kala looking about frantically, whining and whimpering, her tail beginning to tuck in between her legs. She had never been alone before; she couldn't be alone!

Humphrey looked to the sky and begged for at least partial solidification. His wish was granted, and he padded to his daughter, pressing his nose into her cheek. He could, with effort, push into her body and pass through her, but for now, he was solid. She took a shaky breath and looked at him. He saw her mother in those beautiful amber eyes. He couldn't image a world without her. She couldn't imagine a world without him. It was cruel to do this to her, to rip away her entire world, yet she had to be forced into this destiny. The fate of all wolves was decided before they were even born. She was destined to have this fate, to lose everyone she'd ever known. He nosed her belly and she smiled gently.

"Make sure to tell them stories about their grandfather," he said. "They'd love to hear some good stories; all pups do."

"You can tell them yourself," she choked. "You'll be the new storyteller, even better than Grandpa Winston."

"No one is better than he was," Humphrey chuckled. "But I could be as close as possible if I was alive."

Kala sniffed, tears running down her muzzle and dripping off her nose into the dirt below. Humphrey nuzzled her and wiped the tears away, hating to see his daughter cry. His heart panged, and he wished he could stay with her, yet he could not. She was to walk the earth with the Pack of the Winter Mountains; not with him.

"I remember the night you were born, Kala," he said, Kala shuddering. "You were the most precious thing I ever had, the most important wolf in my life. You still are. I couldn't be prouder to call you my daughter, and I am honored to have known such a strong and beautiful she-wolf. I love you so much Kala."

"I love you too, Dad," she cried, her body trembling as she tried to stifle her sobs. He licked her cheek.

"I want to show you something, Kala…will you see?" She looked into his eyes and nodded slightly. He pressed his nose to hers and the world sent dark, a bright light shining off in the distance. He sat beside her, their tails intertwining as they stared off into the light. She rested her head on her father's shoulder and took a deep breath as he embraced her. The two stared off into the distant light, memories beginning to flash through her mind…

She sat by the edge of a slow-moving river, playing in the water. She was still but a pup, but she was big enough to pad about the Small Grounds. This, Kala recalled, was the first time Humphrey had ever shown affection to her. She splashed the water and recoiled, squealing in delight. Humphrey sat nearby, watching her intently. As a pup, she did not know that he was her father, nor what he felt inside for her.

Kala padded forward and splashed him from the shore. He winced and broke out into a huge grin, padding toward the water. He mischievously splashed her back, Kala squeaking and rolling about in happiness. He padded over and tickled her belly, causing her to laugh and giggle in glee. She playfully bit his paw and batted at him with her tiny, feeble paws and rolled back up. She barked at him and he pressed his nose to hers, smiling.

She pulled back and growled at him, bopping his nose with her paws before scampering off. He grinned and ran after her, the two playing in the sunlight of the Small Grounds, the rest of the pack watching them with smiles plastered on their faces.

Kala looked at her father, Humphrey returning his gaze to hers. He licked her nose and they turned their gazes to the light, another memory flashing forward into their minds. It was the night they first howled together…

"So, what's your howl like?" She looked away in embarrassment.

"It's not very good, sir," she replied.

"First of all, you don't have to call me 'Leader Wolf' or 'Sir;' you can just call me Humphrey," he told her kindly. "Second of all, let me hear your howl!" She nervously nodded and tilted back her head and released an attempt at a howl. Her voice shook and cracked. She coughed and looked away in disappointment.

"It's not that bad, pup," Humphrey told her softly.

"Yes, it is," she whined pitifully. "I'm a terrible howler!" Humphrey looked at her sympathetically.

"You know," he said. "I wasn't very good a howling when I was your age either. Then, I learned the secret to howling." He said the last part with a wry smile and a wink. She looked at him in excitement, her tail wagging furiously.

"What's the secret?" She asked him, hopeful.

"I'm not so sure you're ready for the secret just yet," Humphrey said, grinning. "You may not be able to take the truth of the secret."

"Oh, please, Humphrey!" Kala pleaded. "I really want to know the secret!"

"The secret," he whispered softly, tapping her heart with his paw. "Is to sing from right here, okay? Don't worry about how you sound, just let your voice flow from your heart, alright? When you start, I'll join in." She nodded and closed her eyes, lifted back her head, and howled from her heart. As soon as she began, Humphrey joined in, their voices mingling and joining into one glorious howl.

The other wolves began to cease their howling and listen, watching Kala and Humphrey howl together in shock, disbelief, and true happiness. They thought he had told Kala who he was, and she had accepted. Though they were wrong, there was one thing that could be made clearly certain: Humphrey and Kala were finally getting along and bonding with one another as father and daughter. Kala's howl began to grow in strength and her voice began to sing in the glory and beauty of her mother.

Kala released a choked laugh, Humphrey smiling at the memory as well. He looked down at her again and nuzzled her. It was time for the final memory: the night he declared her as his daughter…

"Kala…I'm your father."

Her eyes widened when she heard him say that. No, no it couldn't be true…he had to be lying! No, no this was true…she saw the truth in his eyes; she heard it in his voice. She looked so much like him…he knew her mother…It was true, he was her father. She was stunned, aghast, and unable to speak at all. Humphrey looked down in shame, his ears drooping, his eyes swimming in a lake of tears. Her mind was spinning with millions of thoughts swarming her conscience at once.

It made sense now; it all made so much sense. He was her father, Kate was her mother. That was why no one would ever tell her who her father was: he had told them not to tell Kala because he wanted to protect her from himself. She could see the pain that he tried so hard to bury deep within himself, the hurt that he felt every time he looked at her. It was the truth, ever last word of it. This wasn't some twisted lie to her, this was the truth. She padded slowly up to him, looking into his eyes. She looked at his grey fur, his blue eyes, and the jagged scars under his right eye. She knew he was telling the truth now; this was not a lie, this was her father.

A part of her hated him with all of her being. She wanted to bite him, to hit him, to scream at him to never come back and leave her alone. She wanted to run far away and never come back; this was what he had done to her. These were the repercussions of his actions. She hated him so much, she wanted him to die!

Yet, those feelings made less than a single percentage of what she truly felt. Her heart beat with a deep intensity that she had never felt before, her mind swimming with questions and possible answers, but only one thought rose to the surface, one thought that consumed all the rest. It was simple yet bore so much meaning for her. She looked deep into his eyes, tears beginning to fall down her face. Then, she voiced her thought to him.

"DAD!" She screamed, her voice coming out as a choking sob, and she slammed into him, crying into his chest fur. Humphrey held her tightly to him, crying with her. Despite her newfound hatred for the Leader Wolf, her heart beat with an intensity of love for her father as they embraced one another, their tears soaking into their fur pelts. Humphrey gritted his teeth as he cried, Kala sobbing in hysterics into his chest.

Then, she let her anger run lose and she struck his chest with her paw feebly. He hugged her tighter as she did so, accepting the blows wholeheartedly. She screamed at him and hit him harder, Humphrey not caring that she was hitting him. He had deserved these blows, and he had deserved all of the hatred she felt towards him.

"Don't leave me again, Dad!" She sobbed. "Please, don't leave again!"

"I won't, Kala," he said, nuzzling her flank affectionately. "I'll never leave you again, pup. I'm here, Kala, I'm here."

Humphrey looked at his daughter, the world returning to normal around them. She returned her gaze to him, the two wolves nuzzling one another. He pulled away, his body shining a bright blue. The apparition of her mother, Kate, stood beside him and smiled at Kala. Kala blinked away tears, looking at the two wolves, her parents. Behind them, every wolf she'd ever known stood, staring at her with smiles. Her heart panged, and she sobbed more, Humphrey and Kate nuzzling her. Suddenly, they turned into bright, colorful lights, streaming into the skies, becoming one with the spirits.

"I love you, Kala," Humphrey whispered. Sparkling lights fluttered around her as they left the earth, leaving Kala alone. The world turned darker again, the normal ambient light flooding the area. A questioning howl sounded from the valley behind her. She looked back, tears in her eyes. She had finally found her true home.

She looked to the skies, the lights traveling into the stars above. The evil had been defeated and peace had returned to the world. She had come out of the darkness, the sole survivor…the last wolf of Jasper Park. She turned back to the Pack of the Winter Mountains and began to pad toward them.

"I love you too, Dad."