Hey people…another update has arrived and this time with a smaller break than the breaks I used to have in the past time. I have managed to find the free time for it (a complete night) and wrote it all in one sitting. I hope I haven't missed anything as in typos and such. Enjoy :D
But first to answer some guest reviews:
To Guest(review on chapter 35): I am glad that you love this story. More chapters will be coming but life is keeping me quite busy. As I have said in an earlier chapter(chapter 25 I believe), this story will have 50 chapters and as you can see, it is still going. As for Humphrey winning the fight, I have no idea if he can battle the son of the wolf god and return from it unscathed, if at all. But we will see and let's hope his abilities are enough for him to do what he has to do.
To KH Lover: I know you would love to see more chapters. Believe me, I want nothing more than to write more, since I find it so relaxing, but I have to manage my time well, and currently college is taking most of it. Humphrey and Damian should indeed have been together more, but life had other plans, as did Malgaloth. I am glad that you are hyped about new chapters because it means you are going to enjoy seeing this :))
Now, for the story…
Oh, before that…this chapter is here to explain a bit of what is happening around the rest of the world in this story…not much of that around here…so not much Humphrey and Kate around either.
Okay, now I'm done. Enjoy :D
Chapter 36 – The Sentinel's tear
Courage. Perseveration. Justice. Self-sacrifice.
These are the most important character traits that define a hero. A hero is always brave enough to persevere through all the hardships of life and to sacrifice itself for the good of others, being it by helping them catch a deer to have something for dinner, or stopping an army of wolves from tearing the last spot of light to shreds.
More often than not, heroes don't realize that they are who the world perceives them to be. They just act according to their morality and, by doing so, help others. They don't think they should be thanked for what they do and, more often than not, they aren't appreciated until they are no more. That is, if anyone is left out there to appreciate them.
Those were the thoughts running through Alphonse's mind as he meditated on the situation he, Humphrey and the world was in. Fehenrir has given him a mission to accomplish, the reward for which will be total forgiveness for all the bad he had done in his life. An offer no wolf could easily refuse, if at all. It was interesting to him to realize just how much of his ideals he saw in Humphrey. When he heard what his plan was from Fehenrir, he begged the wolf god to do something, intervene in any way to not let something like that happen. And he did. Fehenrir has given him a mission that was more important than anything.
The mission. The only thing that has been on his mind in the past stretch of time. It asked so much of him but gave so much in return. And he was going to accomplish it perfectly. He had the skills necessary and the plan. He just hoped Humphrey would understand when he presented him his mission and solution. With this though in mind, he drifted off in a peaceful slumber, but not for long.
-Alphonse's dream-
Bright light. Alphonse closed his eyes. He had just fallen asleep and found himself in this bright light. He heard a voice from somewhere in front of him, but couldn't open his eyes to look.
"It's time…" the voice said, before everything turned pitch black around him.
-in Idaho, the evening of Damian's death-
Alphonse's eyes snapped open as he looked around his den. Everything was as usual as possible. However, he had a feeling things won't be like that for long. He got up, let out a yawn and stepped outside his den through the small tunnel.
Being near the top of the mountain had its perks, especially on a beautiful evening such as this one. One of them being he could see the entire park under him perfectly. Every tree, every stone, every mass of dark that moved through the forest.
His eyes suddenly focused on the dark mass of movement that was coming towards the mountain. It was like a sea of darkness engulfing everything.
"Oh mighty Fehenrir…" he gasped as he realized what it was. Hundreds upon hundreds of wolves, all black as night, moving at a fast pace towards him. Only they weren't moving towards him. They were moving past him…towards Jasper.
"Humphrey…" Alphonse said, as he looked in the direction of Jasper. He didn't lose another second and started towards his destination. It was no stopping now. Everything was in motion. His mission would soon be complete, and after that, he would know that he had righted everything that he did wrong. Fehenrir has called for him and he has answered.
-somewhere below, tens of miles away, the evening of Damian's death -
"Halt! We set camp here" a booming voice said. As if it were a big body, the mass of darkness completely stopped. Then it started breaking apart, wolves moving around to find things to eat and a place to rest. Malgaloth, whose voice gave the order, started walking deeper into the forest they were in. He remembered a clearing being here somewhere, from when he was younger…much younger. Sure enough, he soon found said clearing and stepped towards the middle. A gush of cold wind hit him as he sat in the middle.
"So…" he said to himself as if someone was listening. "He activated that curse I put there. But it took longer than I expected. And so, my best assassin has died…a shame indeed. He was good at what he had been trained for, and always a loyal wolf, even when it came to his family's death. But, at least now I know for certain who and what the last Sentinel is. The Sentinel that calls himself Humphrey is indeed Arthy's son. And that means, that just like his father before him, he will have a couple of tricks with him when I'll face him." A crazy grin spread across his face as he said the next words: "But this will only make it more entertaining…" His eyes turned completely black as he gave in to his madness.
"You hear me father? He will fail. He will fail you, he will fail his pack, he will fail his mate and he will fail himself. And then, he will die a painful and miserable death. That is where the Sentinels end. No more heroes, no more evil…no more pain…no more suffering. Every wolf will live peacefully and, under my command, no other evil will befall them" he bellowed towards the sky. As if answering, another gust of wind hit him in the face. He just smiled to himself for a couple of seconds before he let out a powerful howl of confidence. His howl died in the quickly approaching night. However, he gave another one, somewhat weaker, before he decided it was time to stop. He didn't want to bring unwanted attention towards himself and his army.
-somewhere in Idaho, the evening of Damian's death -
"Paddy, did you hear that?" Marcel said as he was about to hit another golf ball when a terrible howl shook the evening.
"I sure did sir. What do you think it was?" Paddy said as he approached Marcel, who had now dropped his golf club and looked in the direction of the howl.
"I don't know, but it doesn't seem to be Humphrey's or his lady's howl…nor it is the howl of that wolf on the mountain top…"
"The wolf on the mountain top, sir?" Paddy asked confused. Marcel turned to him.
"The white wolf on the mountain top. Oh, come now Paddy…you saw him too" Marcel said.
"I can't say I did sir, but I do remember hearing an unfamiliar howl several times" Paddy said.
Another howl split the night.
"There it is again. Let's go see who it is. Maybe they require help" Marcel said as he flew up into the air.
"Are you quite sure it is a good idea, sir?" Paddy asked, following him.
"Of course" Marcel said as they slowly approached the forest where Malgaloth's wolves were camping. Suddenly Paddy started hovering just above and Marcel turned to him, confused.
"What's the matter, Paddy?" Marcel asked in bewilderment.
"Sir…look below you" Paddy whispered. Marcel did as he was told to and saw hundreds of black forms moving through the forest. His feathers almost turned white from fear.
"Heavens Paddy. This is…this is them…" Marcel said, hovering near Paddy.
"We have to tell Humphrey. By the looks of it, they are going towards Jasper" Paddy said with concern.
"Right you are. And night is falling. We better go before we can no longer see in the dark" Marcel said as he began the journey towards Jasper with Paddy behind him.
-down below, in the forest, the evening of Damian's death -
"Damn it, Steve. Told you not to move. Now that goose and duck won't land for our meal" a rather chubby black wolf said to another dark wolf.
"Oh, shut up Jim. Go snack on a root or something" the other wolf said with a growl.
-with Alphonse, the evening of Damian's death -
Alphonse was sneaking down the mountain in the cover of the trees. His task was going to be a difficult one. He had to follow the Wretched until they reached Jasper and then act his mission when the time was right. And being the completely white wolf he was, it will be difficult to remain unnoticed in the darkness. That and the wind was blowing towards the Wretched from his position, carrying his smell. He had to do something, before he was discovered. He remembered that some days ago it rained and that meant there was going to be a lot of mud around the river. Perfect for hiding color and smell in the night. He quickly changed his direction towards the river.
-half an hour later-
He had heard two howls quite some time ago. He wasn't sure who howled, but it didn't seem natural and made his fur stand on end. He was now covered in smelly mud and he was no longer white. He no longer had a smell of his own.
"Now that this is taken care of, it's time to get back to work" Alphonse said as he started back towards the forest. On the way to his observation point some meters above the forest, he rolled in several patches of grass and leaves that remained from the last fall, to mask his smell even better. After all it would have been weird to smell of fresh mud when the river was almost a mile away.
Shortly later, he reached his observation point. It was a cave inside a dark brown type of rock. With his now brown fur and forest smell, he could camouflage pretty well, especially given that it was night. And he was close enough that he could watch over every move of the Wretched.
"And so…my watch begins…" Alphonse said, giving a small chuckle to himself. "I always wanted to say that when it seemed proper…such a silly thing…"he added as he focused on the wolves under him.
-with Malgaloth-
Malgaloth was still sitting in the middle of the clearing. He now was on his back, his face pointed at the clear sky. He seemed to be meditating, but his eyes were open. And no longer red or black as they usually were during his life as a Wretched. They were actually blue. He was looking at the stars and patterns. He sighed and said:
"Brother…if you were in my place…what would you do?"
He chuckled to himself as he answered his own question:
"A much better job, probably."
His expression suddenly changed and his eyes turned back red. He added:
"But we won't find that out now, will we?"
He then let go of a maniacal laugh that seemed to be carried several miles into the distance. His laugh died as abruptly as it started as his eyes turned back to blue.
"I really wish you were here though. It's been a lot of time since I talked to you or saw you…your image is kind of fading from my memory…and your terrible jokes as well…"
Malgaloth let a tear escape his blue eyes, before they turned red again.
"Weak wolf!" he snarled at himself, moving from the place, crying tears of anger.
"I must be stronger if I want to win this fight. Not dwell on the past and what could be."
He walked towards the forest, a path of dead grass forming behind him where his tears fell. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked towards the center of the clearing where his first tear has fallen. A ghostly figure with a calm face and a warm smile was sitting with a paw outstretched towards the place the tear in question had fallen.
"I'm sorry…brother" Malgaloth whispered as he turned back towards the forest and disappeared through the trees in the cover of darkness.
The ghostly figure just shook his head, seeming to chuckle as he looked at the small pure gold flower that was growing in the spot where the first tear fell. It seemed to glow with energy as the grass around it began regenerating and becoming greener than ever.
Then the ghostly figure disappeared, leaving the small flower, known as the Sentinel's tear, behind.
-with Humphrey and Kate, the following morning-
The two of them were walking through the feeding grounds, reaching the place where Humphrey had saved Kate after their first real meeting with the Wretched. In the exact spot where Humphrey stood then, a small golden flower with a soft glow stood. Several wolves pointed it out to Humphrey and he answered them that it was a flower called the Sentinel's tear.
Kate stopped in front of the flower for the hundredth time. Humphrey stopped with her and said:
"Admiring it again, sweetie?"
Kate turned to him with a smile and said:
"How could I not. It's so beautiful and full of energy."
Humphrey asked, with a loving smile, as Kate took a step back from the flower:
"Kate…have I ever told you the story of the Sentinel's tear?"
She turned to Humphrey as they started walking towards the part of the forest where Humphrey was going to train for the day and where she would continue the work on their new sledge. She was going to add Damian's face today.
"No, you haven't. Please do" Kate said, nuzzling his neck. He chuckled and said:
"Well, this flower only grows from the tears of a Sentinel that lost almost everything and is crying out of desperation and fear. It is full of energy and can revitalize nature around it. It is said that, when one of Fehenrir's sons died at the paws of the Wretched, his brother had cried so much that an entire field was covered by these flowers. However, no evidence of this has been found by any of the Sentinels before, so it remains a story. The only thing that is known for certain is how these flowers appear."
"So…that means…" Kate said, the gears in her mind working in overtime.
"Yes…" Humphrey answered, confirming her suspicions of him at that time when he almost lost her.
"Oh Humphrey…I'm sorry I put you through that…" Kate said with sadness in her voice.
"It's okay. It's in the past and you had no say in it" Humphrey said with a warm smile. Kate kissed his cheek as they continued walking. Humphrey wanted to add something else to the story, based on some of the stories he remembered from his father, but decided against it since it was all they were…just stories. But according to those stories, there was only one line of wolves that ever managed to make the Sentinel's tears grow. His direct bloodline.
Aaaaaand…scene. I really hoped you did enjoy this. Short, I know, but it explained a bit more about the world Humphrey lives in and the mystery of who Malgaloth is and what his reasons are and his personality. Anyway, I'll be waiting for your reviews to let me know what you liked or didn't like.
Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.