Chapter 26: Alpha Henry (written possibly in March, 2013)

He woke up. He had been following some wolf pawprinrs. He was sleeping next to a tree where the prints ended. It was nothing but a dead-end. Now he wanted to go home. But which way was the den?

"The trail, of course," he exclaimed while hitting his head. "I'll just follow it back."

On his way back, he started to feel hungry. What's to eat? There were a few berry bushes. Maybe he could eat some. Wasn't there something his father told about berries. Oh, yes, he said to only eat the blue ones, not the red ones usually found near water. Sadly, they were all red. He then went on.

As he walked, an average-sized field mouse crossed his path. Henry pounced on it, killing it instantly under Henry's weight. He quickly ate it. It didn't taste as good as he thought.

Suddenly, he heard his name. It was a faint whisper down the trail. He quickly swallowed and followed the voice... only to see... Stormfast, laying on his face, asleep, and covered in mud. "Dad!" he yelled. But he didn't move. He licked his face. His father woke up with a cough.

"Henry?" he whispered softly.

"It is me, dad," his son said.

"Oh... I am so glad to see you. *cough!*"

"Are you alright? You seem ill."

"That's because I am. I think it's from this dirty mud."

"Do not worry, dad. I'll get us to the den." Henry got under him and tried to carry him. Meanwhile, Stormfast tried to stand up. They slowly walked the trail back home.

"Dad? If I may ask, what is an... Alpha?"

"An Alpha *cough!* is a wolf who hunts, teaches, and reports. They are very essential for a pack."

"Do you think I'm an Alpha?"

"Sure. That's why I picked you to become one."

"I do not feel like one. I feel like some dumb Omega."

"First of all, Henry, let's not be mean. Omegas are not dumb. They're just as important as Alphas. Your mother was an Omega, you know. They represent peace and give dating advice."

"What is "dating advice?" he asked. His father knew he was too young to know that.

"Something I shouldn't tell you- *cough!* until you're old enough." His constant coughing seemed to be getting worse.

"Oh... okay then."

"Second of all, look at what you're doing right now! You're helping me stand up and walk. It's something we Alphas do all the time." Henry thought for a moment. He looked at his father's fur. What he thought before was wrong.

"So you did not pick me because of my fur; because i looked almost exactly like you?"

"What? No! Ranks are not picked by how you look like but by who you are; how you think."

"Oh, I did not know that. I think because I am helping you, it does make me an Alpha."

"You know Henry, you're a good wolf... just confused, that's all. But don't worry. We just learning."

"We?"

"Yes. Even I learn from you." Henry smiled.

Just then, after a frenzy of coughing, Henry started to feel the real weight of Stormfast. He ran from under before he got crushed in which his father dropped to ground. He had just passed out.

"Dad? Dad?!" Using his head, Henry started pushing him. "Do not worry, dad. I will get us home." Though moving would take forever, he didn't care. But he didn't like seeing rocks, sticks, and other debris scrape against Stormfast. He felt reborn with the information he had received; a brave, new wolf. He will not make a mistake like following some stupid, random prints again. Now he realized it. This was his fault. He started it. Now he must end it. He started to cry. Was he an Alpha or some dumb wolf?

Next: Chapter 27: Stone's Fury Part 2

(I know these chapters seem to be getting shorter but don't worry. The longest chapter in the book is coming.)