Love Hurts

Chapter 53

"Veronica?" Humphrey whimpered, as he slowly moved towards the now lifeless body that lay beneath him.

He fell to his haunches, next to the lifeless body. Tears began to pour out of his eyes as he nuzzled her, begging her to breathe, begging her to get up, begging her to live. But it was like pleading with a brick wall.

_HANTAWEE'S P.O.V._

She stood on top of the highest point in Jasper, thinking about that horrible day.

The wind flowed through her fur and her black and white furred coat gleamed in the sunlight. As she stood there grieving, reminiscing; a howl echoed throughout the sky.

The emotion in the howl were that of one who was sad and hurt, but it's voice was pure and true, straight from the soul, much like her own.

The hurt and sadness that filled the voice matched her own. It was at that moment, she knew she had finally found someone.

She sprinted off in that direction, refusing to let anyone experience the hurt and pain that she herself felt.

_HUMPHREY'S P.O.V._

Humphrey, now overflowing with sadness as well as tears, howled his pain to the world.

For what seemed like hours, he sat there, howling his pain to the world, speaking in his perfect language to the only one who would listen, himself.

"Hey, what's wrong?" said an unfamiliar voice from behind him.

Now, with eyes that were dry from all of the crying, Humphrey looked up and saw a powerful female alpha standing before him.

She was a beautiful alpha female. Her fur was a Jet Black and a Snowy White. Her eyes were a vibrant and sparkling fluorescent pink. A feather hung from the side of her head, just below her ear.

Her tail was very furry and long, and around her left eye, a white circle, and a two short, thick mahogany strokes.

She was very beautiful, but her beauty still fell short of Veronica's own beauty.

The sadness he felt left him at a loss for words when he locked eyes with her. Humphrey said nothing, and turned back to Veronica's now lifeless body and continued to weep.

This gave Hantawee a pretty good idea of just how hurt Humphrey really was.

Being the kind and compassionate wolf she was, Hantawee found herself unable to just leave him be. A warm fuzzy feeling in which she had never before felt flowed through her, telling her to help him, to comfort him, to befriend him.

She cantered over next to him and fell back on her haunches. It was then that she noticed the lifeless wolf that he tightly embraced. She then realized why he was hurting; he had lost the one he loved.

"That was your mate, wasn't it?" she asked.

Humphrey shook his head. "No, but I was going to ask her today." He said, in between sobs.

Hantawee hugged him tightly and gave him a pleasant smile. "Don't worry, it will be okay." She said warmly.

When he heard her say this, he knew he would be able to turn to her for help in the future, he knew they would be fast friends, he knew he could trust her.

Hantawee gently picked up Veronica's deceased body and headed into the forest, gesturing for Humphrey to follow her.

Humphrey, not yet wanting to part with Veronica's body, followed her.

Though no longer living, its heart no longer beating, soulless, cold and no longer breathing, Humphrey still felt that Veronica's lifeless body, still served as a connection between their souls that had been bound together by an unbreakable bond that even death itself could not break it.

After about five or ten minutes of walking, the clouds had grown dark. They too seemed saddened by this freak accident that had ended in tragedy, as it began to weep. It's tears much greater than Humphrey's.

The dark clouds tinted the world, making it gloomy and gray.

After another five minutes of walking, Hantawee led him into a clearing where the rain never once soaked the trees or flowers or grass that thrived in it. Nor were the bright and warm rays of the sun that shined down over the clearing dulled by the dark, dull tint of the clouds that seemed to consume everything else.

The clearing was large, open and filled with thousands of different flowers, each one different and special in its own way, much like Veronica.

"Why did you bring me here?" Humphrey asked, observing his surroundings.

Hantawee just smiled and carried the soulless body to the middle of the clearing where she gently placed the body; she then left for only a second before returning with three large rocks.

Hantawee placed the rocks just above the unmoving body's head.

Now Humphrey understood what Hantawee had intended and picked about fifty flowers, each one different in both appearance and color. Not one of them was the same in any way. He placed each one of them on Veronica's body, and they covered every bit of her body like a blanket of flowers.

Humphrey turned to leave and saw a large, bright fluorescent pink flower that had large pedals that faded to a yellow at the tip that stood up above all others.

Humphrey gently picked up the flower and softly slid it into her fur.

For the next few minutes he just stood there admiring her unmatched beauty and elegance. In his mind, the gaps in his memory began to fill as his mind flooded with images and familiar faces.

In the blink of any eye, he could remember everything, all of it.

He could remember that Veronica was Kate, he could remember Hutch, Eve, Lilly, Shakey, Salty, Mooch, Winston, everyone. He could remember the trip he and Kate shared over a few months ago when they traveled home from Idaho. He could remember all the fun and all the laughs he and Kate shared as pups. He could now remember everything he couldn't before.

He took one last look at the lifeless body that was once his best friend and whom he hoped could have been his mate. "A fitting tribute for you." he whispered, tears once more welling up in his already bone-dry eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to drag you into this. Rest well, and I love you."

Hatnawee turned and began to leave heading back to Jasper. "Come on let's go."

Humphrey dried his eyes and followed Hantawee back to the pack.

"What's your name?" he asked her, the hurt and pain still tangled up in his voice.

She just looked at him and smiled warmly. "Hantawee. It's Native American for 'Faithful." She answered. "And what is yours?"

"Humphrey." he answered in between sobs.

WELL, SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT, I WAS BUSY. HOPE YOU ENJOYED.

TITAN OUT.