PLEASE READ IF YOU'RE COMING FROM THE AVENGERS COMMUNITY!
Before I say anything about this fic, I just want to say that if you're coming from the Avengers community of the site, this may or may not be a fic you may be interested in. Only reason this fic is classified as a crossover with Avengers, is because the events in this fic coincide with those in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, specifically when Thanos snaps his fingers in Infinity War and when Smart Hulk snaps his in Endgame. Basically this fic will show the disastrous effects of the Snap on wildlife throughout North America (possibly the world as well, but that may be too much for me to write out, so we'll see). Before you ask, yes, I did the research, and yes, the Snap affected plants and animals as well. This fic will be focused on North America's wolves through the animated movie Alpha and Omega with my own twist on the A&O fanfic universe that I've described on my profile.
I can't believe I actually got through that without cracking a smile, that sounded so…boring and informative. Lol.
Anyway, onto the actual Author's Note…
A/N: Quite a few of you have been waiting for this for a long time (myself included). I've been chatting with Troy Groomes, The Return of the Enclave, and KeithTheLoneWolf, who've each been helping me brainstorm ideas and how to write this thing. Even though it's written solely by myself, I just wanted to give them some credit, because they've really helped me a lot. I really hope you like how I did this first chapter and this is also how each of the chapters will be written for the most part of this crossover. Kinda like "episodes", so to speak. Don't be shy to give me some criticism on my writing either, I need it, spelling, grammar, anything. Please and Thank you.
Also, it took me a long time to finish this (about two weeks), not only because of the length (which is three times longer than I usually write per chapter), but also because I did a ton of editing many times, trying to get it right without much confusion…hopefully. This story will eventually be rated M, but that content won't be for a long, long, looooong time yet, so it's rated T for now.
Anyway, Italics mean dream, flashback, or Author's Note. You'll know which is which.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or Alpha and Omega, only my own OCs.
P.S. I am really excited to finally be writing this. Lol.
~WAKANDA, APRIL 2018~
Thanos held the Mind Stone between his thumb and forefinger after prying it from Vision's head and tossing his vibranium body aside. He raised the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand and turned it to reveal the final empty slot. Gripping the Mind Stone, Thanos moved it towards its rightful place on the Gauntlet, letting it hover for a few moments. Yellow energy began to pulse from the Infinity Stone to the empty slot, then Thanos let it drop. As soon as the Mind Stone made contact with the Infinity Gauntlet, extreme amounts of energy surged from the six Infinity Stones and coursed through Thanos' body. He roared in extreme pain, his entire body lit up with the different colors of the Infinity Stones' energy.
The energy died down and Thanos was able to relax long enough to admire his feat of collecting all six Infinity Stones, before a huge bolt of lightning struck him and sent him flying backwards. The lightning subsided, then Thanos stood up and closed his fist to fire a blast of pure energy towards Thor, who had summoned the powerful bolt of lightning. Thor swung Stormbreaker around and threw it at Thanos, as hard as he could, spinning down towards him. Stormbreaker impacted the beam of energy, but was unaffected, as it split the beam and continued straight towards Thanos. Thanos kept the energy beam going in the hopes it would stop Stormbreaker, then the axe struck him in the chest, creating a miniature explosion and bringing him down to one knee. Thor landed a few feet away from Thanos, then slowly walked up to him and grabbed Thanos' head.
"I told you…" Thor said, pausing for a brief moment to stare Thanos in the eye, "…you'd die for that."
Thor placed his right hand on the butt of Stormbreaker and pushed it further into Thanos' chest, causing him to scream in pain, as it made squelching noises, then Thor stopped pushing Stormbreaker.
"You…" Thanos muttered, weakly, "You should have…"
Thanos gripped Thor's left shoulder with his right hand, "You should…" He grunted, then took a deep breath and looked at Thor.
"You should have gone for the head." Thanos said, then raised his left hand, preparing to snap.
"No!" Thor shouted, just as Thanos snapped his fingers and everything went white.
The Infinity Gauntlet was extremely damaged with Thanos' left arm being scorched and covered in burn marks, while smoking. Thanos turned his left hand, examining the damaged glove with curiosity, as Thor stared at him in shock, "What did you do?!" he exclaimed.
Thanos didn't answer, instead he raised his left hand, while closing his fist, creating a portal behind him, and disappeared with the Infinity Gauntlet. Stormbreaker fell to the ground, its blade stained purple with Thanos' blood.
~JASPER VALLEY, APRIL 2018~
Kate was wearing a purple flower in her fur, as she approached the Ceremonial Rock with the entire Western Pack following behind her. Garth also approached with the entire Eastern Pack following behind him. The two packs met around the Ceremonial Rock, waiting for the ceremony to start. Eve and her daughter, Lilly, sat down beside each other with Winston, Eve's mate and Lilly's father.
Garth's father, Tony, approached the trio, "Winston." He said.
"Tony." Winston replied with respect, then Tony returned a courteous nod and he sat down beside his fellow Head Alpha. Both packs watched Winston and Eve's older daughter, Kate, and Tony's son, Garth, step up onto the Ceremonial Rock and smile nervously at each other.
"So…" Garth said, as every wolf in the valley watched them intently, "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Kate answered, reluctantly.
"Good." Garth replied, as he nervously shuffled his paws.
"Are you okay?" Kate asked, worriedly.
Garth chuckled, "You bet." He answered, "No problems on this end."
"Ready to go, go, go." He continued, as he crouched down and saw Tony motion to hurry things up from between Kate's legs.
Garth quickly stood back up, "So, you want to start this thing or me?" He asked.
"We'll start together." Kate answered.
"Start together." Garth muttered, "Yeah."
"So, what's happenin'?" Salty asked, as Kate and Garth slowly approached each other and started circling around each other.
"They're accepting each other's scent." Shakey answered, then Kate and Garth moved up to each other's ears, "And now, the nibble on the ears."
A dark gray wolf, with a lighter gray underbelly and icy blue eyes, was running alongside a stretch of train tracks, as a train rumbled by, "Do you think I can make it?" Humphrey asked the two waterfowl flying above him.
"Yes, Sir." The duck named Paddy said, "And just as you hit the tracks, you should see an open train car."
"Well, avoid truck stops, bears, and that hideous dessert." The goose named Marcel added, "What is it called?"
"Cupcakes, Sir." Paddy answered.
"Yes, cupcakes." Marcel said in disgust.
"I will. Thanks, guys." Humphrey replied.
"You know, you shouldn't be so judgmental about cupcakes." Paddy said, as they flew away, "They really are quite delicious."
"I wouldn't know." Marcel replied.
Humphrey ran towards the train tracks and saw the open car pass in front of him. The setting sun flashed through the open car as it passed and Humphrey saw a flashback of him and Kate sitting in the car, howling at the moon together in harmony. Humphrey blinked and the mirage disappeared, then he shook his head and kept running. Suddenly, he felt a breeze blow by and he turned his head towards the direction he came from, his instincts telling him something bad was going to happen.
"Kate!" He shouted in fear, then started running as fast as he could back towards the valley.
Marcel and Paddy were flying over the valley and they watched as Kate and Garth went through the wedding ritual. "Wolves are very mysterious creatures." Marcel said, "I thought for sure that Kate and Humphrey would end up together."
"Well, it seems the universe has other plans for them." Paddy replied, then he suddenly grunted.
"Hm, maybe we should come back at some point and teach them how to play golf." Marcel said, but didn't receive a reply from Paddy.
"Paddy?" Marcel asked, as he looked over to where his friend was flying, but didn't see him there, "Where are you?"
Marcel looked around in a panic trying to locate his caddy, "Paddy!" He shouted.
"And finally, they will rub noses to symbolize that they are…" Shakey said, as tears welled up in his eyes.
"…mates!" Shakey cried, then he held Sweet's tail and started blowing his nose into it, only for her to pull it away in disgust.
Kate and Garth closed their eyes, as they inched closer together, until Kate suddenly grunted. She felt weird and looked down to see her front paw turn a dark shade of brown and fall apart into dust. With her leg missing, Kate fell to the ground from lack of balance, causing the purple flower in her mane to fall off from the sudden movement. Kate's entire body turned a dark shade of brown before she landed on the rock and fell apart into dust, which the wind had quickly blown away.
The entire crowd of wolves gasped after watching the strange event take place. Garth wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion from not feeling Kate's nose against his, then waved his paw in front of him in an attempt to find Kate. He opened his eyes to see Kate gone with only the purple flower left behind, laying where she stood only seconds earlier.
"What is this?!" Tony demanded, then he gasped, "Son?"
Garth looked behind him to see his tail falling apart into dust, "Oh, Dad." He muttered. He collapsed, as his body turned a dark shade of brown, then fell apart into dust and blew away with the wind.
Some wolves started to panic, "Fenrir is punishing us!" One shouted.
"No!" Winston shouted, as he stood up, "Everyone remain calm, we'll figure…this…"
Winston groaned, then suddenly turned a dark shade of brown and collapsed into a cloud of dust, causing more major panic from the crowd of wolves.
Humphrey was panting, as he ran towards the valley with as much speed as he could muster. He arrived at the edge of the valley and saw the crowd of wolves at the bottom, surrounding the Ceremonial Rock. After examining the situation, Humphrey wasn't able to see any immediate danger to the group, which left him confused. Humphrey suddenly felt a rumble in the earth and saw a stampede of caribou, rapidly approaching the group. He quickly turned to find the Valley Lookout, who was supposed to watch for stampedes and howl to warn any hunting groups, or the entire pack in this case, of the danger.
Unfortunately, Humphrey only found floating particles of dust hanging in the air, where the Valley Lookout was supposed to be, and the stampede was getting closer. "Ohh, I'm going to get in so much trouble for this." Humphrey muttered, then let out a loud howl that echoed across the valley.
Lilly looked around in terror, as she watched more and more wolves disappear in clouds of dust. Eve was standing in front of her in a protective manner, as an attempt to calm Lilly's nerves, if she believed that her mother would be able to protect her from the dust. Scar suddenly turned to dust nearby and his mate, Claws, shouted his name, before breaking down at the spot where he was standing only moments before. "It'll be alright, Sweetie." Eve soothed, "We'll make it out of this aliv…"
Eve grunted, then she too fell in a cloud of dust, "Mom!" Lilly shouted. A howl was suddenly heard and every wolf still alive immediately turned their attention to the other side of the valley to see a stampede approaching.
Lilly gasped, "Run!" She shouted, as she bolted towards the side of the valley, "To the sides of the valley!"
All the wolves followed her command and narrowly escaped the stampede before being trampled. Some wolves were caught by the stampede, but they had quickly turned to dust right before being hit. Both packs hesitantly gathered around the Ceremonial Rock and looked around in confusion. Hutch and Candu approached Lilly, "Lilly?" Hutch asked.
"Yes?" Lilly whimpered with her paws over her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Hutch asked.
"No." Lilly answered, her body shaking from fear.
Hutch sighed, "Well, we need a leader." He said, "You need-"
"I-I'm not a leader, H-Hutch." Lilly replied, then shook her head, "I'm not. I'm sorry."
Candu suddenly groaned, then Hutch turned towards him, "You alright?" Hutch asked, worried about his friend.
Candu nodded, as his face held an expression of pain, "I'm fine, Hutch." He answered, "I just need to…lie down."
Candu gasped, then fell to the ground and disappeared in a cloud of dust that blew away with the wind. "Candu!" Hutch exclaimed, then shook his head, "No…"
Lilly whimpered, as Humphrey jumped down into the valley and approached her, "You alright, Lilly?" He asked.
Lilly shook her head, then Humphrey turned towards Hutch, "What happened?" He asked.
"We have…no idea." Hutch answered, politely, "One minute, we were all gathered around the Ceremonial Rock, watching the ceremony, and the next…"
"Dust." Lilly muttered.
"What?" Humphrey asked, shocked.
"Hey, why are you giving that Omega the respect of a Pack Leader?!" Claws shouted, then other Eastern Pack wolves muttered in agreement.
"Because Winston made him our backup leader in case something like this happened." Hutch answered, trying to hold back his anger, "Granted, I don't think Winston ever thought that something like this would ever actually happen, no offense to you of course, Humphrey."
Humphrey shook his head, "None taken." He replied, then widened his eyes in realization, "Wait, then that means…"
Hutch nodded, then lowered his head solemnly, "Winston, Eve, and Kate, have disappeared." He said, solemnly, "You're the only one left with any actual leadership status."
"What about Lilly?" Humphrey asked, "She is Winston and Eve's daughter, after all."
"I'm not a leader, Humphrey." Lilly said with her paws still over her eyes.
"What does the law dictate for this type of situation?" Humphrey asked Hutch.
Hutch frowned, "Nothing." He answered, "Nothing like this has ever come up in Wolf History."
Humphrey sighed, "Alright, get everyone in their dens and gather a census of who's still around." He replied, "I'll take care of Lilly."
Hutch nodded, "Yes, Sir." He said, then left to carry out his orders.
Humphrey laid down beside Lilly, "I never should've left." He muttered, "Now, Kate is who-knows-where."
"Humphrey…" Lilly said, "How do you know so much about Pack Law?"
"Winston taught me while…Kate was at Alpha School." He explained, "He didn't train me to be an Alpha, just how to lead, if it ever came down to it."
"Although, I never thought I would actually have to put that knowledge to use." Humphrey finished.
Shakey ran towards Humphrey and jumped him, crying into his fur, "Humphrey, you're still here!" He cried.
"Shakey!" Humphrey exclaimed, then noticed his tears, "What's wrong?"
"Salty and Mooch are gone." Shakey sniffed, "As are Reba, Candy, and Sweets."
Humphrey down onto his haunches, as a look of shock and disbelief formed on his face, then sighed, "That's…most of the Omegas…and all our friends." He muttered.
Humphrey looked over at something, then looked back at Shakey, "Shakey." He said, "How about you go talk to Janice, I think she needs a friend right about now."
Shakey turned to see Janice pawing the ground, where Reba was sitting only moments before she vanished. He gulped, "Umm, sure." He replied, nervously, then sauntered over to Janice.
"Hey, Janice?" Shakey asked, after he sat down.
Janice looked up at Shakey in confusion, "Where did she go?" She asked.
Shakey sighed, "I don't know." He said, "Salty and Mooch are gone too."
"They just…poofed." Janice muttered, "How?"
"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Shakey said, then a howl echoed throughout the valley, "Sounds like Hutch wants us to go back to our dens."
Janice nodded, then Shakey started to leave, but was stopped by Janice. "Umm, wait." She called after him, "Can you, umm, stay in my den with me? I don't want to be alone right now."
Shakey turned back towards Janice, "Sure." He answered, then Janice walked beside him, as both packs gradually returned to their dens. Humphrey nudged Lilly to get up, then she shakily stood up and followed Humphrey to the Alpha Den. The remainder of the Eastern Wolves headed back to their territory, while the remainder of the Western Wolves went into their dens. Humphrey escorted Lilly to the Alpha Den, "You going to be alright?" He asked, after they reached the slope.
"Umm…" Lilly muttered, as she stared at the huge den at the top of the hill, then turned back towards Humphrey, "Do you mind staying with me? I don't feel comfortable being in such a large den without my family."
Hutch came up to Humphrey, "I gathered a census, Sir." He said, "Seems about half of the pack has vanished into dust."
"Uhh, it…uhh…" Humphrey stuttered, unsure of what to say, then took a deep breath, "Don't call me Sir, Hutch. I'm not a leader."
"Sorry, Si-" Hutch replied, then caught himself, "…Humphrey, but you're the only one with any leadership experience."
"You said that already." Humphrey muttered.
"What about yourself?" Lilly asked.
"I'm a follower." Hutch said, "I do not wish to be a leader of any sorts."
"Yet, you're the Alpha Leader of the pack and my father's most trusted advisor." Lilly said, confused, "Why?"
"Winston and I are…or were, great friends, since long before he became the Pack Leader." Hutch explained.
"Oh." Lilly replied, "I guess that makes sense."
"Do we have any idea how this happened?" Humphrey asked.
Lilly shrugged, "I have a theory." Hutch said, "I know a thing or two about Dark Magic, maybe some of our enemies used a weapon against us?"
"Dark Magic?" Humphrey asked, confused, "And you know a thing or two about this?"
Hutch shrugged, "Let's just say, my family has a history with it." He said, then frowned, "But I'm not proud of it."
"Alright, I won't ask." Humphrey replied.
"What do you want to happen now?" Hutch asked.
"Nothing." Humphrey answered, "It's late, we should get some sleep…or as much as we can anyway, after today."
Hutch nodded, then started to leave until Humphrey stopped him, "By the way, Hutch…" He said, "I know you see me as a leader that Winston made in the event of something like this…but I'm not cut out for this."
Hutch smiled, "I'm sure my friend would've had a good reason to make you our backup leader…Sir." He replied, then walked away to his den.
Humphrey turned back towards Lilly, "Is he…always like that?" He asked her, "I swear he did that on purpose."
"You'll get used to it." Lilly said, then shuffled her paws nervously, "So…are you going to stay with me?"
"If you need my company, then sure." Humphrey answered, then he followed Lilly into the Alpha Den. Lilly laid down in the back of the den, while Humphrey laid down by the den's entrance, looking out towards the sunset.
"Umm, Humphrey?" Lilly called out to him, nervously, "Would you mind sleeping beside me? Mom usually does, to help me fall asleep."
Humphrey didn't answer, as he continued staring out at the sunset, "You know what the last thing I said to Kate was?" He asked, "I told her I was leaving Jasper to become a lone wolf. Now, I'll give anything just to get another moment with her and tell her I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Lilly asked, confused, "For what?"
Lilly noticed the setting sun reflect off of a tear that fell down Humphrey's cheek, "I…" He choked, "I wanted to tell her that I'm sorry. I never should have left. Maybe if I hadn't, then…"
Humphrey collapsed onto the den floor from the weight of his depression, "They're gone." He muttered, as he tried to hold back his tears, but failed, "All gone. Almost all of my friends…gone in an instant."
Lilly moved beside Humphrey and started to feel her own tears well up in her eyes. "H-Humphrey…I…" Lilly choked, "I don't know what to say."
Humphrey mustered the strength to crawl out of the den and sit up. He slowly raised his muzzle to the sky and let out a mournful howl. Lilly came up beside him and did the same, while the members of the pack joined in as soon as they heard it. Humphrey lowered his muzzle and sniffed, "We better go to sleep." He muttered towards Lilly, "We have a busy day tomorrow with all this."
Lilly nodded, then they went back inside the den and laid down, Humphrey on one side of the den, Lilly on the other. "I've asked this already, but…" Lilly started, "…do you mind sleeping beside me?"
"What if your mother comes back and sees us?" Humphrey asked, "I don't want her to kill me."
"She'll understand, Humphrey." Lilly said, "Can you…come here…please?"
Humphrey nodded, then scooted over towards her to lay beside her and she wrapped herself up in her abnormally long tail. "Better?" He asked.
Lilly smiled slightly, "Thank you, Humphrey." She said, as she laid her head down. Marcel suddenly crashed into the den with a loud honk, startling the two wolves.
"Marcel!" Humprhey exclaimed, as he stood up, "What are you doing?!"
Marcel stood up and straightened out his feathers, "What?" He asked, "You think I crashed on purpose?"
"Umm, you know this goose?" Lilly asked.
"Yes." Humphrey answered, "Him and Paddy-"
"Wait…where's Paddy?" Humphrey asked, confused.
"That's what I came here for." Marcel explained, "We were flying above your valley, just having a conversation, when he suddenly disappeared on me. I know he's said that I can be a pain sometimes, but I never thought that he would leave me."
Humphrey looked back towards Lilly, who was thinking the same thing, "I guess we're not the only ones that this happened to." He said, then looked back towards Marcel, "Marcel, Paddy has disappeared, along with half of our pack members. We have a theory that it could've been caused by some form of Dark Magic, but by who is a different question."
"That would make sense…" Marcel muttered, "…if there was a logical reason for that!"
"Marcel-!" Humphrey protested, but Marcel cut him off.
"No, no." Marcel interrupted, "I must speak with Kate, because she clearly has the brains and the sanity to come up with a better theory of what happened than Dark Magic."
"My sister's gone." Lilly said, "She was one of the Vanished. I saw it with my own eyes."
"As did dozens of other wolves down there." Humphrey added, gesturing towards the dens outside.
Marcel grunted, "I still don't believe that they would just go poof, without a logical reason." He replied.
"Says the goose, whose golf game doesn't follow basic logic." Humphrey retorted, "You nearly castrated me in Idaho!"
"And that was my fault?" Marcel asked, innocently, "You, Sir, should not have been in the playing field at that time."
"You-" Humphrey growled, but Lilly cut them off.
"Guys, stop!" She snapped, making them look at her in surprise, "This isn't helping!"
Humphrey sighed, "She's right." He said, "I'm sorry, Marcel."
Marcel shook his head, "No, it is I who should be sorry." He replied.
Lilly groaned in annoyance, "Oh, Fenrir." She muttered.
"How about you stay with us, Marcel." Humphrey suggested, "Tomorrow, we're going to figure out what happened and we could use your help."
"That sounds like a good plan." Marcel said, "But if you don't mind, I'm going to go find a tree to sleep in, because I don't feel comfortable sleeping in an area full of wolves."
Marcel then spread his wings and took off into the evening sky, "He sleeps in a tree?" Lilly asked, "I thought being a goose, he would sleep beside a pond with the turtles."
Humphrey shrugged, "Yeah, something's wrong with that goose, but…" He said, "…I owe him a favor for helping Kate and I get home."
"Can we just sleep now?" Lilly asked, "I want this day to be over."
Humphrey nodded, then retreated back into the den and laid down beside Lilly. She laid her head down onto the back of Humphrey's neck, taking him by surprise, and closed her eyes.
"Umm, Lilly?" Humphrey asked, but was answered with light snoring, making him smile, "Good night, Lilly."
Lilly found herself sitting in the valley, watching Kate and Garth approach the Ceremonial Rock for their arranged marriage. She sniffed, as she watched her one true love begin the wedding ceremony with her sister. Black mist suddenly started seeping up from the center of the Ceremonial Rock and instantly turned Kate and Garth into dust as soon as it made contact with them. Lilly watched in horror, as the black mist spread throughout the valley, turning half of the wolves into dust, while leaving others unaffected. The mist died down and gradually disappeared, then the remaining wolves looked around in a panic from what just occurred.
Lilly was approached by Humphrey, who pulled her into a hug to comfort her, then a black wolf entered the scene. He smiled viciously, as he raised his paw engulfed in dark purple energy. Dark Magic. The evil wolf used his Dark Magic to turn a couple more wolves into dust. Lilly whimpered in fright, as he approached her. Humphrey stepped in front of him in an attempt to stop him, but the wolf only turned him to dust, causing Lilly to shake in fear and cry over watching her best friend vaporize before her eyes. The evil wolf smiled, then Lilly watched, as the Dark Magic slowly engulfed her body and she began to lose feeling in her limbs from them turning to dust.
Humphrey woke up, just as the sky was turning orange, to Lilly whimpering and gently nudged her awake. After a few failed attempts, Lilly snapped awake and screamed loud enough that she woke up Frank, who was sitting in a tree on the other side of the park. "Calm down, Lilly." Humphrey soothed, "It was just a nightmare."
Lilly calmed down slightly, but was still shaking with fear and whimpering quietly. Humphrey started stroking her back with his paw in an attempt to calm her nerves, until she finally relaxed. "Thank you, Humphrey." She said, "I feel better now."
Humphrey smiled, "You're welcome, Lilly." He replied. The two of them stared into each other's eyes, entranced, until they heard a wolf clear his throat at the entrance of the den. They looked over to see Hutch standing there with an embarrassed look.
"Uhh, sorry to interrupt…" He said, "…but what's our duties for the day?"
"Uhh…" Humphrey stammered, "No offense, but what do you usually do?"
"Usually, Winston would order Candu and I to patrol the border, while a few other Alphas go hunt for breakfast." Hutch explained, "Unfortunately, half of our Alphas have disappeared and no one's in the mood to do anything."
"And half of the Omegas have also disappeared, so they're not going to be cheering up the Alphas anytime soon either." Humphrey added, "I see the predicament, Hutch. Umm…do you have any suggestions?"
Hutch sighed, "I do not." He answered, reluctantly, "As I've said yesterday, there's nothing that Pack Law states for us to do in this situation. It's…unheard of."
"Well, see if you can get anyone to hunt for breakfast." Humphrey said, "That's all I can say for now."
"Of course, Sir." Hutch replied, "But what about the border?"
Humphrey looked around in thought, then laid his eyes on Lilly, "Lilly and I could do it." He said, "Two Omegas are better than nothing."
Hutch nodded, "Understood, Sir." He replied, then left the Alpha Den to round up a few Alphas for the morning hunt.
Lilly looked at Humphrey like he was crazy, "What do you know about patrolling the border?" She asked.
"Only what's common sense, really." Humphrey answered, "You know, mark the border, smell out foreign scents, shouldn't be too hard."
"And…what if we come across an intruder?" Lilly asked, nervously, "What do we do then?"
"Umm…run?" Humphrey suggested, "And hope they don't kill us before we get to an Alpha?"
Humphrey noticed Lilly's unsure expression and frowned, "You can stay here if you want too." He added, "You don't have to come."
"Well, you shouldn't go alone." Lilly said, as she stood up, "I don't know what I would do if I lost you as well. I already lost my family, I don't want to lose my best friend too."
Humphrey smiled, "Alright, Lilly." He replied, then turned around to leave the den, "We might as well get going."
"Right behind you." Lilly said, then followed Humphrey out of the Alpha Den and down the slope.
Hutch looked all over the territory until he finally found an Alpha he knew well enough to help him on the morning hunt. He found one of Kate's friends sitting by a stream, silently crying by herself. She sniffed, as tears trailed down her muzzle and dripped onto the ground below her. Hutch hesitantly approached her, "Hey, umm…Ashley?" He called.
Ashley quickly wiped the tears away from her face, hoping Hutch wouldn't notice, then looked over to face him. "Oh, hey…Hutch." She said, sadly, "What's up?"
Hutch sighed, "I would like your help on the hunt this morning." He answered.
Ashley nodded in understanding, "Okay…" She choked.
"Are you…alright?" Hutch asked.
Ashley chuckled, "I'm perfectly fine, Hutch." She said, "Everything is just…great."
Hutch moved over towards Ashley and sat down beside her, "It's alright to be upset, Ashley." He said, "Everyone lost someone yesterday."
"Kate was my best friend." Ashley cried, "I know she wouldn't want to see me like this, but…I just can't help it."
"I doubt she wouldn't want to see you like this." Hutch replied, "Because it shows that you care."
Ashley raised an eyebrow at him and he frowned, "Okay, that didn't come out right, but you get the point." Hutch said.
"What about you?" Ashley asked, "Did you not lose someone close to you?"
"I did, Ashley." He answered, "Winston and Candu were my best friends. We were closer than anything, and when Winston had his family, they became my family as well."
"Kate and Lilly's weird uncle?" Ashley asked, cracking a small smile.
Hutch chuckled, "Possibly." He answered with a slight smile, then the two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes afterwards.
Ashley sniffed, "Well, we better go get breakfast for the pack before they start complaining." She said, as she stood up, "By the way, who's doing the border patrol?"
"Believe it or not, but Humphrey and Lilly are." Hutch answered, as he too stood up to follow Ashley to the hunting grounds.
"Humphrey and Lilly?" Asjley asked, surprised, "Why them?"
"They're the only ones available at the moment and they're better than nothing." Hutch explained.
"True point." Ashley replied, then shrugged, "Still…they didn't have to do it."
Humphrey and Lilly were somewhere to the north of the territory, as they continued walking along the border, marking it and sniffing out foreign scents.
"Now I know why the Alphas are so grumpy every day." Lilly said, while she had her back turned towards Humphrey, who had raised his leg to mark a tree, "This is so boring."
Humphrey shook his leg after marking the tree, then lowered it back down, "Okay, you can look now, Lilly." He said.
Lilly turned back around to face him, while Humphrey started walking away, following the border. She jumped after him and slightly jogged to catch up to him.
"On the bright side though…" Lilly added, after she caught up to Humphrey and was now walking beside him, "…it does give a little privacy for thoughts…or even young couples wanting some time alone."
Humphrey gave her a look that said 'What?', "What?" Lilly asked, confused, "It's an honest observation. Sometimes I see Alpha couples come back and they seem…relieved."
"Okay then." Humphrey said, then continued walking, "That's something that I did not need to know."
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't been thinking about taking my sister's-" Lilly said, but Humphrey suddenly clamped his paw over her mouth, effectively cutting her off.
"Hmmhhm?" Lilly mumbled, unintelligibly.
Humphrey held his other paw up to his muzzle, putting a claw in front of his mouth, telling her to be silent. Lilly widened her eyes, then Humphrey lowered his paw from her mouth and continued walking along the northern border. She looked around in fear, thinking something may be listening, as she slowly followed Humphrey. After a few moments, something clicked in Lilly's brain, "Hey, wait a minute." She said.
Lilly elbowed Humphrey in the side and he grunted in pain, "Ow! What was that for?!" He exclaimed.
"Ha! I knew it." Lilly said, "If there was danger, you wouldn't have shouted like a big crybaby."
Humphrey stared at her in shock, then she just smirked and continued walking along the border. He shook himself out of his shock and hesitantly followed after her.
A little further north from them was a group of wolves of around twenty Alphas. They were gathered in a small clearing, as a gray wolf with a white underbelly and flecks of white in his overcoat stepped up onto a rock in front of the crowd.
"My pack!" He shouted, then the pack looked up at him, as he stared back with his icy blue eyes.
"Yesterday, we lost half of our pack, all of which were our friends and loved ones…even family members from our youngest pup to our oldest elder." He said, as a few wolves in the crowd leaned up against each other in sadness. Parents who have lost their pups.
"We, Northerns, are strong and proud. We never back down from a fight." He announced, "But Fenrir has punished us for staying on the side lines, while those Eastern dogs threaten our allies! No more! We will march in there, aid the Westerns, and destroy the Easterns, once and for all. Then, hopefully Fenrir will forgive us for our actions and return those who have vanished."
The Northern Pack howled in agreement, "John. John. John. John." They chanted in unison.
"Sir?" A brown wolf asked.
"Yes, Nars?" John asked, "What is it?"
"We've scouted their territory, but didn't see any patrols by the border." Nars reported.
"Odd." John muttered, then nodded, "Alright, thank you, Nars. That'll be all."
Nars bowed his head in respect, then walked off to rejoin the group in the clearing below, who were still chanting his name, "John. John. John. John."
The chanting of his name made John have a flashback of his parents shortly before they disappeared…
"John." A female voice said, "Have you found a girlfriend yet?"
John chuckled at the snow white she-wolf, who had dark blue streaks in her fur with blue eyes, "For the thousandth time you've asked me today. No, I haven't, Mom." He answered.
Lisa smiled, "Your father and I aren't getting any younger, you know." She pointed out, "And I'd like to see some grandpups before I pass."
John smiled at his mother, "You're still quite young, Mom." He said.
"Why thank you, Son." Lisa replied, then pulled him into a hug, as a gray wolf, with a white underbelly and blue eyes, entered the den.
"Son." Payton said, then saw his mate hugging their son, making him smile, "You know what? It can wait."
John pulled away from his mother, "What is it, Father?" He asked.
Payton chuckled, "Nothing extremely important." He answered, as he sat down beside Lisa, "And don't worry about finding a mate so soon. They may be fun in the beginning, but after you're married, they bring nothing but pain and misery."
Lisa punched him in the shoulder at that remark, making him chuckle, "See what I mean?" Payton asked with a light chuckle.
Lisa stood up, then flicked her tail in Payton's face, as she walked by, and exited the den. Payton sighed, "She's right though…" He said, then paused, "We're not getting any younger."
John chuckled, then Payton sighed, "Oh, right!" He exclaimed, "Your mother and I wanted to give you something."
"Hey, Liz?" Payton called, but there was no answer, making him frown, "Lisa?"
John frowned as well, then the two of them exited the den, but didn't see Lisa anywhere. Only tiny dust particles floating in midair. "She can't have gotten far." Payton said, "Where did she go?"
John widened his eyes, as he watched his father's back leg almost instantly turn to dust, "Dad!" He shouted.
Payton suddenly fell backwards from lack of balance with his leg gone and grunted from the impact. "No…" He muttered, as the rest of his body slowly turned to dust and blew away, "Son. Under…the Eye."
Payton sighed, then his body completely turned to dust and vanished. John gasped, "No…" He muttered.
He suddenly heard screams come from the nearby dens and quickly ran towards them to find half of the entire pack turning to dust. Parents held each other and their pups close, only for them to turn to dust and vanish as if they were never there. Pups wandered around calling for their parents, before they too, turned to dust. A she-wolf came up to John and grabbed hold of him.
"Have you seen my so-" She asked, but was cut off when her face turned to dust, followed by the rest of her body. John just stood there in horror, unsure of what to do, while he watched more and more wolves disappear. After a few minutes, the disappearing act seemed to stop and everyone still around looked around in confusion of what just happened. John looked down towards the ground, as the shock of witnessing half the pack disappear hit him.
"Under the eye." He muttered, then turned back towards his den. When he got there, he found a hole in the den wall that he drew an oval shape around as a pup to make it look like an eye. He started digging underneath the Eye and found a small rock, which was very shiny and silver in color. John pulled it out of the ground and found writing on it, that said:
To my one and only love,
Lisa
John smiled, then flipped it over to find a sketch of his parents, when they were his age, carved into it. A brown wolf entered the den, "Sir?" He asked.
"Nars?" John asked, "What are you doing here?"
"The pack wants to know what happened." Nars answered, "What should I tell them?"
John frowned, thinking of something, then his eyes lit up when something came to mind. He stood up with a determined expression and turned towards Nars, "Tell them we march to war." He ordered, "We never should've abandoned our allies in the West, so Fenrir took our loved ones away as punishment."
Nars nodded, "Yes, Sir." He replied, then ran out of the den.
John sighed, then looked back towards the rock, "I know you said that war is never the answer, Dad." He muttered, "But it seems Fenrir says otherwise."
John stepped down from the rock he was standing on and found the rock his parents had left for him. He stared at the sketch of his parents and sighed, "You'll be back soon." He muttered, "…I hope."
"So…how long until we're done here?" Lilly asked, "My paws are killing me."
Humphrey suddenly picked the sound of voices nearby, "Hey, you listening to me?" Lilly asked, "How long-"
Humphrey covered Lilly's mouth with his paw again and Lilly let out a frustrated sigh, as he motioned for her to be silent. He removed his paw and Lilly huffed, "I'm not falling for that trick aga-" She started, but Humphrey immediately clamped his paw over her mouth.
"This time, I'm serious." Humphrey whispered, "There's someone talking nearby."
Lilly widened her eyes in shock, then Humphrey slowly lowered his paw in case she started shouting again. She glared at him, as he moved his paw painstaking slowly, then huffed and slammed his paw onto the ground. Humphrey whimpered in pain, trying to muffle his scream, but failed. "OW!" He shouted.
"Sorry, Humphrey." Lilly said, as she laid her ears against her head.
"What was that?" A voice asked from nearby, causing both Humphrey's and Lilly's ears perk up, "Let's go check it out."
Humphrey and Lilly looked around in fear, trying to find a place to hide, but two Alphas suddenly burst out of the bushes, snarling at them. "Who are you?!" One of them growled.
"Don't tell them anything." Humphrey whispered to Lilly.
"I'm Lilly, he's Humphrey." Lilly greeted the two Alphas, cheerfully, "We're Omegas in the Western Pack."
Humphrey facepalmed himself, "What are two Omegas doing so far away from their pack?" The other Alpha asked, confused.
"Doing a boring border patrol." Lilly said, making Humphrey sigh, "My paws are killing me too."
"What about your Alphas?" The first Alpha asked.
Humphrey groaned, "Stop talking, Lilly." He said, "We don't know who they are."
"Let's just take them back with us." The second Alpha said.
The first Alpha groaned, "Stop talking!" He snapped at him, then faced Humphrey and Lilly again, "Alright, you're coming with us."
"Where are we going?" Lilly asked, curiously.
She's so naive. The first Alpha thought.
"We just want you to meet our leader." The first Alpha said, "Now, come along."
The second Alpha had gotten behind Humphrey and Lilly and was now pushing them towards the first Alpha to follow him. They escorted Humphrey and Lilly north to the clearing, where the remainder of the Northern Pack was staying. Humphrey saw a gray furred wolf climb on top of a large rock, staring at him and Lilly with a stern expression, and he gulped. The pack let the group of four pass through and stop at the base of the rock the gray wolf was standing upon.
He jumped down and landed in front of Humphrey and Lilly, who were now sitting on the ground, being closely watched by the pack to make sure they didn't do anything. "Who are you?" John asked.
"Who are you?" Humphrey asked back.
John sighed, "If you are from the Western Pack, you have nothing to fear." John said, "We're here to help you."
Lilly opened her mouth to speak, but Humphrey stopped her, "Don't." He said, "It could be a trick."
"Ah, so you are from the Western Pack." John said, taking Humphrey by surprise, "Not to worry friends, my father was your Pack Leader's brother. I would never attack my uncle's pack…unless I absolutely had to."
"Uhh…" Humphrey muttered, nervously, "Who are you?"
John smiled, "The name's John." He answered, "Payton's son and now leader of the Northern Pack."
"You said your father was our Pack Leader's brother." Humphrey said, "Do you mean Winston? And what happened to him?"
John sighed, "Winston is my uncle, yes." He answered, "As for my father…and my mother, you would not believe me if I told you."
"Did they disappear into dust?" Lilly asked, causing many wolves to gasp in surprise.
John frowned, "How did you know that?" He asked.
"The same thing happened to us." Humphrey answered, "Most of our Alphas have disappeared…including Winston."
John nodded in understanding, as a small tear fell down his face, "And what of Tony?" He asked.
"Gone." Lilly answered, then sniffed, "Garth too."
John squinted his eyes at her, "Are you…? Did you…have feelings for him?" He asked, causing all the wolves in attendance to stare at her with curiosity.
Lilly shuffled her paws nervously, "Umm…" She muttered, "I…guess so…"
John smiled, while most of the Northern Pack started muttering to themselves, "Finally…after nearly four years, Winston and Tony's decree comes back to bite them in the rear." He said with a light chuckle.
Humphrey looked at him with a confused expression, "What are you talking about?" He asked.
John chuckled, "Only the Pack Law that states that Alphas and Omegas can't mate." He answered, "Winston and Tony put that in place just to separate themselves from the Southern Pack and her. Also to put a barrier between us and them, because it prevented us from peacefully passing through their territory."
"Umm, excuse me…her?" Lilly asked, confused, "Who's her?"
"Long story." John said, "Anyway, we originally came here to aid the Western Pack in a possible war with the Easterns, but…now hearing that Tony and his son are gone, then maybe there doesn't have to be bloodshed."
He turned towards the pack, "All in favor?!" He shouted, then they howled in agreement and he smiled, as he turned back towards Humphrey and Lilly, "There. You've just gained an ally."
Hutch and Ashley arrived at the hunting grounds in the valley and spotted a tiny herd of caribou grazing.
"Is it just me? Or do the caribou herds seem smaller than usual?" Ashley asked.
Hutch shrugged, "I guess they were affected by…whatever that was yesterday, as well." He said, "Now, how are we going to do this with only two wolves?"
"Mind if I join you?" A female voice asked, politely. Hutch and Ashley looked over to see Claws approaching them.
"What are you doing here?" Ashley asked, "I thought you Easterns hated us."
Claws shrugged, "Our Pack Leader, Tony, is gone. As is his son, Garth." She said, "Which means we don't have anyone to lead us, so if you don't mind, I'd like to join in the morning hunt for breakfast."
"Well, three is always better than two." Hutch replied.
"Haven't you heard the phrase, 'two is company, but three is a crowd'?" Ashley asked.
"What does that even mean?" Claws asked.
"No idea." Ashley answered with a slight smile.
"Anyway, what's the plan?" Hutch asked.
"I can scare the herd towards you two and you can take down as many as you can." Claws suggested, "I'm pretty good at scaring caribou."
Hutch scoffed, "you got that right." He muttered, referring to Kate's ruined hunt a few days ago.
Ashley elbowed him in the side, "Hey! What was that for?!" He exclaimed.
"Be nice." Ashley said with a light growl.
"It's quite alright. He has every right to be grouchy after my…mate and I ruined your hunt." Claws said, referring to Scar, "Shall we get going?"
Hutch nodded, then started heading down into the valley, crouching low to hide in the tall grass, as he approached the caribou. Ashley followed beside him, while Claws went around to the other side to scare the herd. Once Claws was in position, she raised her tail to signal Hutch that she was ready. Hutch raised his own tail to signal to Claws and she quickly jumped out of her hiding spot, snapping her jaws at the caribou, who started running towards Hutch and Ashley. When the caribou were close enough, Hutch and Ashley jumped up and latched their jaws around the necks of two caribou, while they tried to climb up onto the caribou's backs with their claws.
Hutch and Ashley succeeded in climbing onto the caribou's backs and locked their jaws around their necks. Blood gushed out and the caribou gradually slowed down until they collapsed onto the ground and accepted their fate. The two Alphas climbed off of their backs and smiled at each other with their blood covered muzzles, then grabbed a caribou each and started dragging them towards the feeding grounds. Claws caught up to them and helped Ashley drag one of the caribou.
"Well, that was fun." Claws said, her voice muffled from the caribou antler in her mouth.
Hutch noticed a tear fall down Ashley's face, "Are you alright, Ashley?" He asked, his voice muffled as well, "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine." Ashley answered, sadness evident in her voice.
"Ashley…" Claws started, "I can tell when a she-wolf is in distress, what's wrong?"
"Just some memories." Ashley answered, then let go of the caribou, so she could speak more clearly, "That hunting method reminded me of when Logan and I would hunt. He disappeared as well. I-I had…feelings for him, but I could never…muster the…courage to tell him. And now…I don't think I'll ever get the chance to."
Claws let go of the caribou as well and placed her paw on Ashley's shoulder, "I know how you feel, Ashley." She said, "My mate…Scar also disappeared. Now…I don't know what I'll do without him."
Ashley sniffed, then her and Claws grabbed the caribou again and continued dragging it to the feeding grounds. When the three of them got there, the sun had risen into the sky and the pack was gathered in the feeding grounds, waiting for breakfast to arrive. Apparently, the Eastern Pack decided to let bygones be bygones and join the Western Pack for breakfast, because there were a few Easterns hanging about, waiting for food. Hutch dropped his caribou, while Ashley and Claws did the same, then the pack began to dig in. Ashley looked around in confusion, "Hey, where's Humphrey and Lilly?" She asked, "Shouldn't they be back by now?"
"You have to remember that they're Omegas." Hutch explained, "They're not as experienced in patrolling the border as the Alphas are, so they take longer. Simple as that."
"Fair point." Ashley replied, then motioned her towards something in the trees with her head, "But how do you explain that?"
Hutch turned to see what she was motioning at and saw Humphrey and Lilly emerge from the trees with a gray furred wolf walking beside them.
"Who's that with them?" Hutch asked, as the three wolves approached, then widened his eyes when he saw an entire pack also emerge from the trees, "Is that…?"
Ashley nodded, "That's the Northern Pack." She confirmed, "Led by John."
John approached Hutch with Humphrey and Lilly by his side, "Are you the Acting Pack Leader?" He asked him.
Hutch gestured towards Humphrey, making John widen his eyes in surprise, "The Omega?" He asked, "Why him?"
"Being the Omega Leader, he's the only one with any sort of leadership status." Hutch explained, "Also, Lilly, beside him, is Winston and Eve's daughter."
John narrowed his eyes at Hutch, "I didn't know that my uncle sired another daughter." He said, then turned towards Lilly and smiled, "How old are you?"
"I turn a year old in a month." Lilly answered, shyly.
John chuckled, "That explains it." He said, as he turned back towards Hutch, "The last time I was here was over a year ago before I, myself, turned one."
"And may I ask how you became the Northern Pack Leader?" Hutch asked.
"My parents disappeared into dust, similar to how I heard your pack…" He said, then trailed off when he noticed Claws within the crowd of wolves, "…packs were affected."
"I'm sure you also heard that the Eastern Pack Leader and his son have vanished as well?" Ashley asked.
"Tony and Garth have vanished, leaving the Eastern Pack without any form of a leader." John said, "Yes, I've heard."
"Just what are you doing here anyway?" Ashley asked.
"Originally, we thought that the dust was our punishment by Fenrir for taking the sidelines in the coming war between the East and West." John explained, "…until…we heard that it happened to you as well. So, either Fenrir has punished us all for reasons unknown, or something else is at play."
"Caribou herds were affected too." Hutch pointed out.
"As were Marcel and Paddy." Humphrey added, "they're a goose and duck, who helped Kate and I get home."
"If our species wasn't the only ones affected…" John surmised, "Then maybe Jasper wasn't the only place affected either."
By now, the packs had finished eating their fill and were heading back to their dens for the day. "I see no one is doing their duties." John observed, "But I don't blame them, losing half their pack in an instant would make anyone depressed."
"Is your pack not grieving?" Ashley asked.
John sighed, "As I said, we believed that this was Fenrir's doing." He explained, "now, I see that this could very well be something else…something powerful. We also believed that Fenrir would return those who had vanished, but…"
"You think they're still alive?" Humphrey asked, hopefully.
"I…didn't say that." John said, "But…maybe…"
Humphrey smiled for the first time since yesterday after he found out Kate had vanished, Kate could still be out there somewhere. He thought to himself.
"Anyway." Hutch said, interrupting everyone's thoughts, "I'm assuming we have an alliance between our packs?"
"Never lost it." John said, then shook Hutch's paw with a smile, "We'll work together to make our packs strong again."
"First things first…" Hutch said, then howled to call the packs to the feeding grounds for an announcement. Within a few minutes, all three packs had gathered in the feeding grounds, totaling around forty wolves between the three different packs. A little more than half of what it should be. Hutch stepped up onto the slope in front of the Alpha Den, so the crowd of wolves could see him.
"Yesterday, we lost about half of our pack. Alphas and Omegas alike. So, to ensure our survival, due to a limited number of viable mates, the Alpha/Omega Mating Laws will be abolished." He announced, causing many wolves, most of which from the Western and Eastern Packs, to mutter in surprise, "none of us were expecting this, but it needs to be done to ensure the survivability of the next generation."
There were murmurs of agreement at what was just explained, then Hutch stepped down.
"Some wolves may be unhappy with that, but it had to be done." He said to John, after he climbed back down the slope.
John nodded, "And I fully agree with you." He said.
"I don't get it." Lilly said, "Like, I'm all for the abolishment of that stupid law, but what is it going to do to ensure our survival?"
"If you went to Alpha School, you would understand." Hutch said.
"What he means to say is…there are more male Alphas still around than females." Ashley explained, shooting Hutch a dirty look, "And the opposite with the Omegas."
"Oh, I get it now. Abolish the law, more possible couples." Lilly replied, then nodded, "Gotcha."
Lilly noticed Humphrey trying to sneak away towards the Alpha Den, "Um, excuse me. I'm going to make sure Humphrey doesn't do anything crazy." She said, then followed after Humphrey.
Humphrey grabbed a leftover piece of caribou from the feeding grounds, as he passed, then headed up the slope the Alpha Den. Lilly followed after him and watched him sit down in the den and start eating.
Lilly smiled, "Making yourself at home, are we?" She asked, jokingly, as she entered.
Humphrey looked up at her in shock, "Uhh, no. Sorry." He said, "I just…"
Lilly nodded, "I know, Humphrey." She replied, "You want to go off in search of Kate."
Humphrey widened his eyes and stared at her, incredulously, making Lilly giggle, "You look funny when you do that." She commented.
"How did you know?" Humphrey asked.
Lilly chuckled, "I can see your face, can't I?" She asked.
Humphrey shook his head, "No, how did you know that I wanted to go look for Kate?" He asked.
Lilly smiled, "I can tell." She answered, "I know you've had a crush on my sister ever since you met her, or did you forget that you confided in me about that?"
Humphrey sighed, "If there's any chance that she's still alive and out there somewhere…" He started, then sighed, "The humans could have made a new way to relocate us, after all."
"True, but why would they take half the packs?" Lilly asked.
Humphrey shrugged, "Who knows." He said, "Humans are crazy."
Lilly chuckled, "You got a point there." She replied, then they sat in silence, as Humphrey continued eating with Lilly grabbing a morsel or two every so often as well.
Humphrey swallowed his last bite of caribou, then sighed, "I have to go, Lilly." He said, "If there's a chance she's still alive…then I have to find her."
"How?" Lilly asked, "You have no idea where they could've been taken. Where are you going to start?"
"If this was the humans, then they would've relocated some of us to Sawtooth, like they did with Kate and I before." Humphrey explained, "It's the best place to start."
"Well…" Lilly muttered, "You're not going alone, Humphrey."
"Lilly…" Humphrey said, "You need to stay here. The pack needs you. You're the only one left to lead the pack."
"Humphrey…" Lilly replied, "I'm an Omega, not a leader. The pack can do without me. Besides, who said I was meaning myself?"
"Well, I assumed that since you brought it up-" Humphrey started, but Lilly placed her paw on his mouth.
She chuckled, "Okay, you're right." She said, "I was meaning myself."
"Two Omegas can't survive out there on their own." Hutch said, as she entered the den with John and Ashley behind him, "You're going to need an Alpha, who knows how to hunt."
"You?" Lilly asked.
Hutch chuckled, "No." He answered, "I'm needed here."
"And so are you, Lilly." Ashley added, "The pack needs some form of a leader."
"John can do it." Lilly replied, taking the wolf in question by surprise.
"Me?" John asked, "I have my own pack to lead."
"Then merge the two." Lilly said, "The West and East have already done it, why not add in the North as well?"
Ashley raised an eyebrow at John, "She has a point." She said.
John sighed, "I guess that could work." He replied, "Then who's going with you?"
Humphrey shrugged, "We could ask around…" He said, "…but I don't think anyone will want to come."
"I have nothing left here." Ashley replied, "My parents are dead, my best friend disappeared, also my one chance at love disappeared too."
"So, what are you saying?" Hutch asked.
Ashley faced Hutch, "I want to go with them." Ashley answered, then faced Humphrey again, "If you believe they're still alive, then I want to help find them."
"If they're even out there." Hutch pointed out, "You may be just going on a wild goose chase."
"I resent that comment!" Marcel exclaimed, as he flew in with his bag of golf clubs strapped around his body.
"What are you doing here, Marcel?" Humphrey asked.
"I can't play a good golf game without my caddy." Marcel explained, "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to join you to find Paddy, so I can…"
He pulled out a golf club and made a swinging motion, taking the wolves in attendance by surprise. "…have a better golf game." Marcel finished.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, we could use some eyes in the sky." Lilly said, then Humphrey nodded, "You're in."
"Splendid!" Marcel exclaimed, "When do we leave?"
"This afternoon." Humphrey said, "I, umm…need to do something first. Meet me in the valley in a couple hours."
Humphrey stood up, then left the Alpha Den and headed down the slope.
"I'm going to go with him." Lilly said, then left the den to follow him. She followed Humphrey to a hill near the Western border of the territory and watched him sit down by an empty log-sled.
Humphrey sighed, as he thought of the fun times he had with his friends in the past, as well as with Kate. He smiled, as he remembered that time with the bears, then he realized something. Kate could've left him to the bears and went after the train, but instead, she went back to save him and even risked missing her ticket home to do so. A small tear trailed down his cheek and fell onto the log-sled.
"I shouldn't have left." He muttered, "She had feelings for me. That's why she saved me from the bears. Maybe if I had confessed my feelings, then…maybe…"
Humphrey sighed, "Ah, forget it, Humphrey." He scolded himself, "It's in the past and what's done is done."
Lilly lowered her ears onto her head after hearing him say that, then felt a tear fall down her face. Humphrey and Lilly heard a twig snap nearby and she ducked down to hide, while Humphrey turned to see Shakey and Janice approaching.
"Oh, sorry, Humphrey." Shakey said, "We weren't expecting to find you here."
"What are you doing out here for?" Humphrey asked, "I thought you would be back at the feeding grounds."
Shakey shrugged, "I just thought that I'd bring Janice to the hill we log-sled at." He explained, "Maybe go for a run or two to take our mind off of…things."
"You maybe want to join us?" Shakey asked.
Humphrey shook his head, "No." He answered, "It…wouldn't be the same without…the rest of the guys."
Too many memories of Kate. He thought to himself.
Shakey nodded, "I understand, Humphrey." He replied, "So, what are you going to do?"
A determined expression grew on Humphrey's face, "I'm leaving." He said.
"Humphrey…" Shakey said, "Just let it go."
"No." Humphrey replied, sternly, "If there's even a small chance that Ka…the others are still alive, then I have to take it."
Shakey sighed, "We may have to accept the fact that may not be coming back." He said, "but…I wish you the best."
Humphrey smiled, then placed a paw on Shakey's shoulder, "I'll be back, Shakey." He said, "I don't know when, or how, but I will return one day."
Shakey smiled back at him, then placed his own paw on Humphrey's shoulder, "It was…" He choked, as tears started to fall down his face, "Nice…knowing you, Humphrey. You…were a great friend."
"Right back at you, Shakey." Humphrey replied, then pulled each other into a bro-hug with a pawshake. A tear fell down Lilly's face, as she watched the two lifelong friends say their farewells. Shakey lowered his paw, while Humphrey did the same, then him and Janice started walking away.
Take care of him. Humphrey mouthed to Janice, who nodded in response, then he left as well. Lilly stealthily followed after him, until he arrived at the valley. He descended down into the valley and stepped up towards the Ceremonial Rock. He reached out to grab the purple flower that he gave to Kate the last time he saw her and examined it closely, "I'm sorry, Kate." He muttered, as a small tear fell down his face, "...but wherever you are...I'll find you."
There wasn't anywhere for Lilly to hide, so she just silently sat down behind him, "I know you've been following me." Humphrey said, taking Lilly by surprise, "And I'm glad for the company."
Lilly hesitantly approached Humphrey, then sat down beside him. She saw his tears had stained the fur on his face and she nervously licked them off. Humphrey chuckled, as she did so, then smiled when she stopped, "Thank you." He muttered.
Lilly smiled back at him, "She used to talk about you, you know." She said, "You seemed to make quite an impression on her."
Humphrey sighed, "I wish I could've just mustered the courage to confess my feelings for her, while on the train home." He muttered.
Lilly leaned against Humphrey, "I'm the only one left of my family." She muttered, "Now I know how you feel. The pain of losing everyone close to you…it doesn't go away, does it?"
Humphrey shook his head, "I don't remember my parents, I only remember feeling safe around them." He said, then chuckled lightly, "I used to have fantasies that my parents were part of the most powerful pack in North America, if not the world."
Humphrey sighed, "Of course, that's…just crazy." He added.
"Crazy…" Lilly muttered, "Crazy is everyone turning to dust in seconds."
"Crazy is the possibility of it being caused by Dark Magic." Humphrey replied.
Lilly sighed, "What do you think, Hutch?" She asked.
Humphrey widened his eyes, then looked behind him to see Hutch standing behind them. Hutch frowned, "As I said last night, my family has had a history with Dark Magic." He explained, "Most of which, I'm not proud of."
"You said that, but what do you mean?" Humphrey asked.
"It's better that you don't know." Hutch said, "But I know of ways to make others disappear in a similar fashion as what we've witnessed. Although, at this huge of a scale…not even I could do something like this."
Humphrey's ears perked at what he just said, "What did you say?" He asked.
Hutch sighed, "Like I said…" He said, sternly, "…it's better that you don't know."
Hutch turned around and headed back to the dens before Humphrey could say anything more. A few moments later, Ashley arrived with Marcel sitting on her back.
"Just what do you think you are doing, Marcel?" Humphrey asked.
"I offered to give him a ride." Ashley explained, "He's actually quite fun once you get to know him."
"Marcel can fly." Humphrey said, then raised an eyebrow at Ashley, "You know that, right?"
"So?" Ashley asked, "In return, he gives me a good back massage."
"While I may not be as good as Paddy when giving massages…" Marcel said, "I still know how to relax those tense muscles."
"Okay then." Humphrey muttered, then turned towards Lilly, "You ready to go?"
Lilly looked up towards the dens, the only home that she's known her whole life, then sighed, "As ready as I'll ever be." She answered.
Humphrey nodded, then looked towards Ashley, "Are you-" He started.
"Oh, stop it." Ashley said, interrupting him, "Let's just get going."
Ashley huffed, "Omegas." She muttered, then turned around and started heading south. Humphrey shrugged, then, placing the purple flower in his fur, he and Lilly followed after Ashley towards the train tracks and eventually…Sawtooth.
A/N: Wow. I'd say that turned out quite well, and now I'm sure you know why it took so long to write. Lol. I really want to know what you thought of this first "chapter/episode", so don't be afraid to Review. Also, if there's any questions, feel free to contact me through PM or Discord. (My Discord tag is on my profile.)
Since this story will take place over five whole years (and then some with what I have planned), I would like to know if anyone would like to see their own OCs make a cameo appearance. They can be a part of any pack you want (list of all the packs I have, somewhere around ten different packs, and who is part of them is on my profile) or even as a lone wolf character, just keep in mind, I need OCs for the packs that have very few characters in them. As I collect OCs, I'll list them on that list as well, only as a name and whose OC it is though, (all other info on the OC I'll keep for my own reference). Also, if you want them with the packs outside Jasper: the farther away from Jasper, the longer it'll be before you see your OC in the story, basically.
One thing though, I will only accept OCs through PM or Discord (my Discord tag is posted on my profile). I will NOT accept OCs through Reviews, whether they're from a guest or a registered user. Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Also, I will do my best to bring in all the characters I have (my own OCs or not), but I can't promise anything as of right now, especially if I end up getting dozens upon dozens of characters. Since this story will go over five plus years, I can easily kill a bunch of them off. Keep in mind, if your OC gets put in, it'll most likely be as a cameo a couple times throughout, or a major character in one or two chapters out of a hundred or more. Depends on the OC's character really. If there's something specific you want your OC to be, don't be shy to ask if I can do that, I may not be able to work it in exactly, but I might be able to do something.
When you're giving me an OC, here's what I would like:
[~] means it's optional.
[Name]
~[Age] This one will tell me how long they may live through the story, so I would appreciate an approximate age for the OC, but it's not required.
[Physical Characteristics] Fur color/patterns, eye color, birthmark(s), etc…
[Personality] Likes, dislikes, beliefs, etc…
~[Background] This one is not needed at all if the OC is a pup (under 2 years old), if the OC is 2 to 3 years old, it's recommended, but not required. If the OC is over 4 years old, then it isn't required, but STRONGLY recommended, because I can do more with the older characters and I would like a background for the older OCs.
*OCs that don't have a background will most likely be used as "cannon fodder" in any battles they may partake in, meaning they could be introduced and killed off in a single chapter.*
Pop Quiz! Lol.
You don't need to do this, but I thought it would be a fun thing to do, both for me and for you, the readers, to remember what happened in each chapter.
Who was the first one to disappear?
Who lasted the longest before disappearing?
What did John's parents leave for him?
Why did Hutch remove the Alpha/Omega Mating Laws?
Why did Humphrey and Lilly leave Jasper?
Answers will be posted at the beginning of the next "chapter/episode", whenever that'll be. I have to put together character paths for each character, at least up to the point where the vanished return and plan the whole thing to that point before I write more of this. And that will take time.
I think that's about it, but if there's any questions, feel free to PM me or contact me through Discord, I'll always answer unless I'm sleeping. Lol.
Before you ask (and I know someone will), this last bit is NOT part of this chapter, which is why it's after the A/N, but it IS part of the story (more or less). The story can be read just fine without reading these last end scenes. These end scenes will be random, they may, or may not, be in chronological order with the story, but they will all take place AFTER the Vanished return. Doing this to have Kate and Garth somewhat still in the story, even though they'll be back in 3 - 5yrs (real time). That is all.
Dust particles appeared above the Ceremonial Rock and slowly came together into the form of a golden-tan furred she-wolf. Kate gasped, after she took form, then collapsed onto the rock and slowly opened her eyes. Other wolves slowly formed around the Ceremonial Rock, starting with Garth, then Tony, Winston, Eve, and eventually the rest of the Vanished took form.
Kate groaned, as she stood up, "what happened?" She wondered, looking around at the gathered wolves, "oh, right, the wedding."
Garth stood up, then looked at Kate, "umm, where were we?" He asked.
"Hmm, we were about to rub noses." Kate answered, as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, right, right, right." Garth replied, then looked around with a confused expression, "hey, where's-"
"Hold it right there!" A booming voice echoed across the valley. Everyone in the valley looked up to pinpoint where the voice came from, until they saw two older wolves climb down the slope from the den area. They appeared to be older than Winston and Tony, the male had gray fur with hints of white, showing his age, while the female was all white with lavender eyes.
"Is that…?" Some wolves muttered, as the two elders approached, "what is she doing here?"
Kate eyed the two wolves, until she recognized one of them from the stories in Alpha School.
"Luna." She muttered.
Till next time,
~Demonwolf102