A/N: Well, longer chapter than usual. Hope you enjoy! :)
I also want to state that Terra is significantly older than Humphrey, by about a whole year in this AU.
Chapter 5
- - - Queen - - -
Banff; April 30th, 2018
"Terra?" Humphrey asked.
"You will bow before Queen!" Hench growled, then grabbed Humphrey by the scruff and pushed his face into the dirt.
"There's no need for violence, Hench." Terra said, then began circling around Humphrey.
"Hmm… a little scrawny, but I think with sufficient training, and feeding, he'll be perfect." She said.
"Uhh… perfect for what?" Humphrey asked, then Terra smiled.
"To be a soldier for my Empire." She answered, then he enlarged his eyes in shock, while Terra looked towards the guards.
"You are dismissed." She ordered, then they bowed and left. She nodded towards Hench, then turned around and entered the den, before Hench grabbed Humphrey by the scruff again. This time he dragged him into the den with Terra and dropped him on the ground.
"Leave us." Terra ordered, then he left. Humphrey stared at her in disbelief.
"Well? I'm sure you have a few questions for me." She said.
"The last time I saw you… I was hanging from a cliff face." Humphrey replied.
"Right… that." Terra muttered.
"You left me to die." Humphrey said, then she sighed.
"I had no choice, and if you were in my position at the time, you would understand." Terra replied.
"You did have a choice. You chose to be Princess and now I see you're Queen." Humphrey said.
"I knew you had survived, but I thought I would never see you again. Yet… here you are. Why?" She asked.
"I left the pack I was with, because for the second time in my life, my heart was broken by someone I loved." Humphrey said, then Terra looked down sadly.
"It's too bad though… I made some pretty good friends there." Humphrey added.
"But I have a question for you." Humphrey said, then Terra looked up with interest.
"How did you become Queen? I thought you didn't like the idea of it." He asked.
"That's a, uhh… long story. Two days ago, my father vanished…" Terra began.
Banff; Two Days Earlier
My father's pack of Rogues were finally ready to expand their territory.
"Alphas!" King roared, getting the attention of his entire pack, who were just arriving for their evening meal.
"Tonight! We feast in celebration! For tomorrow… our power will grow. We will expand our territory to encompass all of Banff, then we will be strong enough to take Jasper!" He announced, then the crowd of wolves howled in response.
I knew that once my father gained control of the rest of Banff, there would be nothing to stop him from taking the rest of the world. I had to do something.
"Father." Terra spoke up, then King turned around to face her.
"Yes, Princess?" He asked.
"Haven't you done enough? When is your rule going to end?" She asked, then King chuckled.
"It will never end. Not until the world is rid of these weak Omegas. Now, I realize that I won't be around to see that day, but that is why you must continue as Queen." He explained.
I wish I could have done something more, but I knew my father wouldn't listen. Though I didn't expect what happened next.
King turned back towards the crowd of wolves, who were now fighting over their meal. Terra sighed.
"It's so barbaric." She muttered.
"It's survival. Only the strong shall remain." King corrected. Quentin approached him and lowered his head in respect.
"What do you want?!" King growled.
"King, sir. We've located a small pack towards the-" He said, but was cut off when his lower jaw suddenly evaporated into dust.
"What in Fenrir?!" King shouted in shock, as the rest of Quentin's body turned a dark brown and fell apart, exploding into a cloud of dust as it fell to the ground. King looked towards the rest of his pack and gasped in shock. It was chaos. Wolves were fighting and blaming each other as they disappeared one by one.
"Enough! There will be order!" King shouted.
"Father…" Terra said, as she stared at him in shock. He looked towards her, fearing the worst, but instead he saw tiny dust particles floating off of his own body. He gasped, then collapsed to the ground and another wolf noticed.
"King is dying!" They shouted, then King snarled.
"No!" He growled, as he tried to stand up, but his front legs suddenly fell apart into dust and he fell back down. He looked up towards his daughter and slightly shook his head.
"No…" He muttered, before the rest of him turned a dark brown and he blew away with the wind.
Most of the pack decided to leave and they soon formed their own pack as a remnant. After that, it was a fight for power over the main pack.
"I was King's second in command! If anyone should continue leading us, it's me!" Hench growled.
"You'll have to fight for it. Only the strong shall remain." Another wolf said. Hench snarled before lunging at the wolf, then quickly brought them to the ground. Before the wolf could get up, Hench grabbed the wolf's scruff and tossed him towards the crowd of wolves.
"Anyone else want to challenge me?!" Hench growled, but no one stepped forward.
"Cowards." Hench muttered in disgust.
"You want my father's pack, you must take it from me first." Terra said as she approached him, then Hench scoffed.
"We both know violence isn't your thi-" Hench said, but was suddenly cut off when Terra tackled him and grabbed his scruff in her jaws. Before he could regain his balance, Terra planted her feet firmly on the ground and flung him through the air. He landed on the ground, flat on his rear and he winced in pain.
"I am Queen. You will bow before me!" Terra roared in a tone that implied death if they didn't. The rest of the pack willingly bowed down before her and she smiled.
"From the ashes of my father's pack of Rogues… a new order has risen! A world order. An Alpha Empire!" Terra announced, then the group of wolves howled in agreement.
It wasn't long after that I was faced with a moral dilemma.
Terra watched the sunset from the Alpha Den as Hench approached her.
"I hope there's no hard feelings about what I did to you." She said without turning to face him, then he slightly winced at the memory.
"Uhh… no, Queen." He replied.
"Good. What is it you want?" Terra asked.
"What is your plan about the remnants?" He asked.
"Let them be. If they want to live separately, that's their choice." Terra answered.
"King would never-" Hench started.
"I am not my father!" Terra screamed at him, then he stepped back in fear.
"And unless you accept that, I will have no choice but to feed you to the rest of the pack. Understand?" She said calmly. Hench gulped.
"Y-Yes, Queen." He stuttered.
"Good. Get out of my sight." She ordered, then Hench left.
Banff; Present
"I know what you might be thinking." Terra said, while Humphrey listened.
"How could I be so… different from the last time you saw me?" She asked.
"To answer that question, I'm doing what's necessary to make sure that they follow me. If I'm not leading them, I can't prevent them from conquering packs and killing countless innocent Omegas." She explained.
"You did all that. Resorted to violence, the one thing you dislike most, just to protect Omegas like me?" Humphrey asked. Hench came into the den and Terra smiled.
"Hm, seems like our time is done here. Hench will show you to a den and if he gives you any trouble, he'll answer personally to me." Terra said, giving Hench a steely eyed glare as she said the last part.
"Of course, Queen." Hench replied.
"And he'll also answer any question you may have." Terra added, then turned back towards Humphrey.
"You'll start your training in a couple hours. Make sure you're ready by then." She said as Humphrey stood up, then nodded towards Hench and they both left the den. Hench led him away from the Alpha Den and towards another den towards the outskirts of the territory.
"Are you nervous?" Hench asked.
"It's been a while since I saw her last and she reminds me of someone else from my old pack." Humphrey answered, thinking of Eve.
"She can be mean at times, but it's only to enforce her authority when the going gets tough, so it doesn't get out of paw." Hench replied, then Humphrey nodded in understanding. They arrive at the den and Humphrey enters to find it large enough to fit a whole family.
"I've never seen a den this big other than the Alpha Den." He commented.
"Queen had this one reserved for you. Seems you hold a special place in her heart." Hench said.
"Oh, I don't know about that. If I did, wouldn't she have kept me with her?" Humphrey asked.
"Fair point." Hench replied, then turned to leave.
"Well, I'll let you get settled. I expect to find you in the feeding grounds in one hour. Don't be late." He added, then left before Humphrey could say anything. He looked around warily and thought to himself.
"Something isn't right…" He muttered, then shook off the feeling and looked around the den. The den was spacious with a small alcove towards the back to store food, but overall, it wasn't extraordinary.
"I'll let you get settled." Humphrey muttered, mimicking Hench.
"How am I supposed to get settled?" He wondered, then faced the entrance of the den.
"Guess I'll just head to the feeding grounds. Maybe I can get this training over with early." He said to himself, then stepped out of the den. As he made his way to the feeding grounds, he noticed many other wolves were looking at him strangely. On top of that, most wolves he crossed paths with, made a clear attempt to get out of his way.
"Why are they avoiding me? Is it because I'm an Omega?" He wondered to himself. He arrived at the feeding grounds just in time to see a group of four Alphas bring in a Caribou for the midday's meal.
"Do you guys need any help?" Humphrey asked.
"Why would we need help from a worthless Omega?!" One of the Alphas said coldly.
"Yeah. Why would we work with a worthless Omega like you?!" Another growled, and Humphrey eyed the second one suspiciously.
"Do you… always copy what he says?" He asked, then they snarled.
"I should kill you where you stand." He threatened, then Humphrey backed up a little.
"But I won't." He finished, then the group continued dragging the caribou towards the feeding grounds. Shortly after, Hench approached the lone Omega.
"You're early. I wasn't expecting you for another hour." He said.
"But that would be after the time you told me to be here." Humphrey pointed out.
"Exactly." Hench replied, then he motioned for Humphrey to follow him. He led him to a small clearing in the woods, where he motioned for Humphrey to sit in the middle.
"What do you want me to do?" Humphrey asked.
"Survive." Hench answered, then he disappeared into the thicket.
"Uhh, okay." Humphrey muttered, confused.
A couple hours passed and so far nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Humphrey had become extremely bored and he was now laying in the center of the field, sleeping. A butterfly fluttered by and landed on his nose, then he wrinkled his nose at the intruder. It flew off as Humphrey opened his eyes and sat up, before he turned his head to watch it fly away.
"Well, this is boring." He muttered to himself, then an idea occurred to him.
"I think I'll explore the area, maybe there's something I have to find, or something." He said, then stood up and headed into the trees. After a short distance of walking, Humphrey spotted a group of wolves a short distance away. Soon after, he went around the entire area and found he was surrounded by wolves closing in on his position.
Hench's answer, from when he asked what he was supposed to do, replayed in his head, Survive.
"Aw… man." Humphrey groaned.
- He then looked around and tried to find a place to hide, then he remembered that he climbed trees. "Ah. I know where to hide!" He said to himself. He then started to climb and then waited for the first wolf to come into view.
Something then clicked in his mind as his instincts turned on. "I have you in my sights." He muttered to himself. Humphrey then slid down the tree and went around behind the wolf quietly. He then jumped out from the brush and tackled the wolf and then knocked him out without fatally hurting him. "Got ya." He then laughed menacingly to himself. Humphrey's ears then picked up sound to his left and he pounced on another wolf. This time being female. She then tried to howl for help, but then he put a paw over her mouth and then put a vine in her mouth and tied her to a tree.
Humphrey then backed away from the she wolf and snuck around to the left of two strong buff looking Alphas as they were talking about where Humphrey could be.
"Where is that wireless Omega!" One said. "When I find him, I am going to knock some sense into him. Before you say anything, I know that Queen wants him alive." The other said. "I think that we should break one of his legs." The first one said." Humphrey then snuck behind them, grabbed a big branch that was laying down to his right, and knocked the two Alpha's out with one blow.
"Got you, you pieces of shits!" Humphrey said out loud. He then snuck away with his belly low to the ground as two female Alpha's approached him from the east.
One had red fur (Garth's color), green eyes, and had a white tip on her tail. Her hair stretched all the way down to half way up her front legs. The other looked almost like a split image of Kate. Same color fur, same eye color, same size, everything. The only difference was that she was fluffier and her fur was halfway down her chest. A third Alpha female joined the group and was almost a splitting image of Terra. Humphrey then suddenly had a headache and then collapsed from exhaustion and shock to what he was seeing. The three female Alpha's then found him five minutes later.
"Quick! Help me get him to the den!" The red furred one said. The other two didn't hesitate and picked him up and carried him back to the Alpha den. -
"Humphrey? Where are you?" Terra called. She looked around the small den, but didn't find the small gray pup anywhere.
"Bonzai!" Humphrey shouted, then Terra immediately looked up to see him falling from a tree with his paws out from his body. She panicked and Humphrey belly flopped on the ground in front of her.
"Humphrey? Humphrey!" Terra exclaimed, as she ran to his side.
"Please say something!" She cried, then a few moments passed without movement.
"Boo!" Humphrey shouted, as he jumped onto his feet, causing her to jump back in fright.
"Oh, Humphrey. Don't do that." She said, as she tried to calm herself. Humphrey noticed her worried expression and began to pout.
"I'm sorry, Terra. I didn't mean to scare you like that." He muttered, sadly, then she sat down beside him and curled her tail around him.
"Oh, it's alright. It just shows you're getting better at your training. I didn't even know you were up there." Terra soothed.
"I still don't understand why I have to." Humphrey whined.
"It's getting more and more difficult for me to sneak away to come see you. Eventually, I may not be able to at all, and I don't want to leave you defenseless. That's why you have to." She explained.
"But you wouldn't have to sneak away if we just ran away together." Humphrey replied, then Terra chuckled.
"I wish I could, but my father would hunt us down to the ends of the earth." She said.
"Well, there is one place he wouldn't follow us." Humphrey said.
"Where's that?" Terra asked.
"With my family." Humphrey answered, confidently, then a frown crept onto his face.
"Wherever they are. I don't remember." He muttered, then Terra nudged him and he looked up at her.
"Yes?" He asked, making her chuckle.
"Time for bed, little one." She said, then picked up Humphrey by the scruff of his neck and carried him into the den. She placed him inside a little alcove, hidden away from sight.
"I don't want to go to sleep." Humphrey whined, then Terra pushed him over onto his side.
"You must, if you want to be big and strong. Every wolf needs their rest." Terra said.
"Can I ask you something?" Humphrey asked.
"You just did." Terra said, then smiled.
"Sure." She answered.
"What am I supposed to do if you don't come one day?" He asked, causing her to frown.
"Uhh…" Terra muttered, then sighed.
"If that day comes, I want you to run north. There's four different packs up there in a place called Jasper. Find Winston and Eve in the Western Pack, but don't tell them anything about me." She explained.
"Why?" Humphrey asked.
"That's a… long story. Just trust me on that." Terra answered.
"Okay." Humphrey replied.
"Maybe one day, I'll come visit you up there." She said, then smiled as she started tickling Humphrey's belly, making him laugh.
"Ha! Ha! Stop that!" He cried.
"I'll find you all grown up. A strong, handsome wolf. Maybe with a family of your own. …who loves you." Terra said, muttering the last part.
"Don't go, Terra." Humphrey pleaded, as he jumped up and placed his paws on her muzzle, making her smile.
"I won't ever leave you." She said, soothingly.
Banff; May 1st, 2018
The next morning, Terra was sitting atop a cliff that overlooked a small valley, where Humphrey was now training with another Alpha on a few more advanced fighting techniques. He had done quite well during the first testing the day before, so she had gotten one of the best fighters in the pack to teach him today. From what she could tell, Humphrey had remembered the lessons she gave him when he was just a pup. She let out a huff of exasperation when she heard pawsteps approaching.
"What is it, Hench?" She asked, as the wolf in question sat down a few feet away from her.
"Why are we wasting our time training a useless Omega? The pack is beginning to question your intentions." Hench asked, then Terra quickly pushed him up against a tree with her claws resting on his throat.
"What my intentions are… is my business. Yours is to keep the pack under control. Is that clear?" Terra asked in a firm tone.
"Crystal." He answered, then Terra let him go and she continued watching Humphrey down in the valley.
"My father was strong, but with his strength, came great weakness." She said, as Hench moved back beside her.
"He never trusted anyone and that was what never got us anywhere. I trust you, Hench, to trust me that I know what I'm doing." She explained.
"I understand, Queen." Hench replied.
"The reason we're training him is because he is the one thing my father lacked." Terra continued, then Hench frowned in confusion.
"He is the key to everything we're wanting to achieve." Terra said.
"How so?" Hench asked.
"He has the potential for great power. He just doesn't know it yet." She answered, then she turned to look at him.
"When Humphrey is finished with his training today, tell him to meet me at the cove." Terra said.
"What are you going to do?" Hench asked.
"That's my own personal business." She answered.
That evening, Hench had given Humphrey directions on how to reach a secluded cove, where Terra said she was going to meet him. He was now standing in front of a small waterfall that fed a small pond before it went to a nearby river. Humphrey figured this was the place, so he sat down to wait. A few minutes passed, then he immediately heard pawsteps approaching and stood up to greet whoever it was, but blinked in surprise once he laid eyes on her.
Terra had groomed her fur and cleaned herself up, leaving Humphrey speechless. The moonlight shone upon her fur in a way that made her glow.
"Well? What do you think?" She asked.
"I'm thinking you're trying to seduce me." Humphrey answered, then she frowned.
"Now, why would I do that?" She asked, confused.
"I don't know. You tell me." Humphrey said, then she chuckled.
"I'm not trying to seduce you, Humphrey. Especially since you probably think of me more as your mother than a friend." Terra said.
"Well, that's not entirely true." He replied.
"What do you mean?" She asked, as she got closer to him.
"I mean, I've thought of you more as a sister, than a mother. Though I know you're neither." Humphrey explained, then stared into her eyes.
"Oh! Now look who's trying to seduce who." Terra said.
"What?! I wasn't-" Humphrey protested, then she chuckled.
"I'm just teasing you, Humphrey." She said, then moved even closer to him.
"Now, there's a small cave behind that waterfall… I figured, we could spend some quality time together without any prying eyes." Terra suggested.
"And what makes you think I'll trust you after the last time? As far as I know, you're loyal only to yourself and those who follow you with the same loyalty." Humphrey asked, then she sighed.
"Humphrey! I'm trying to make amends! Can't you see that?" Terra protested.
"I wish I could, Terra… but what you did to me was unforgivable." Humphrey answered, then she laid her ears against her head.
"I know…" She muttered, then he chuckled.
"You're convincing, I'll give you that… but until you give me proof that you're telling the truth, I'm going to continue assuming that you don't care about me." Humphrey said.
"I do care about you! I do!" Terra protested, then she lowered her head.
"I realize that what I did is unforgivable…" She started.
"I was a pup!" Humphrey suddenly snapped, making Terra flinch from the surprise.
"It's one thing to do what you did to a fully grown wolf, but to a pup?! There is no forgiveness for that!" He scolded, then Terra opened her mouth to speak.
"No! You don't get to speak. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." Humphrey said, then turned to leave.
"My father was going to kill you." Terra muttered, making Humphrey stop in his tracks.
"He thought you were a bad influence on me, but… he just doesn't understand a pup's behavior when they're as young as you were." She continued, then sighed.
"I did what I could to keep you safe, even before… that, but I do wish there was something more I could've done at that time, because I've regretted what I did ever since. Even though I knew you most likely hated me for what I did, I knew you were alive and that knowledge was enough for me." She explained, then took a step towards Humphrey.
"I wish there's something I could do, or say, or… something, to convince you that I had no choice." She said, then Humphrey turned around.
"You don't need to do anything, Terra." He replied, then she looked at him in confusion.
"What?" She asked.
"Yeah, I realize I might have been a bit harsh about the whole thing. From what I heard about King while I was in the Western Pack… I know you're telling the truth about him wanting to kill me." Humphrey explained, while she listened.
"And I've thought about it… at the time, I felt like you betrayed me, abandoned me, but if you hadn't, your father would've most likely killed you, whether I survived the fall or not. Now, while that does not excuse the fact that you left a pup to die, I do know that you also delayed them long enough so I could escape." He continued, then she gasped.
"How did you-" She started, but Humphrey held up a paw to silence her.
"Winston and Eve told me that shortly after I arrived Rogues had come to the pack looking for me. After they found out that I was now being protected by the Western Pack, Winston and Eve told me that they overheard them talk about punishing a bitch… their words, not mine… that prevented them from going after me earlier." He explained, then she chuckled.
"Yeah…" She muttered in reminiscence.
"They were ready to pounce on me, but my father prevented them. Instead, I didn't have any food privileges, I only got whatever was left, which was usually nothing." Terra said as she lifted up her tail from the excitement of the memory.
"It was worth it. Knowing you were alive was enough to keep me going through each day." She added, then a sweet scent began to fill the air and Humphrey's muzzle twitched.
"Umm… Terra?" He asked.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Uhh… are you…? How do I put it?" He muttered, then Terra suddenly blushed and instinctively lowered her tail.
"Oh, sorry. I guess it must've just started while we were talking. Umm… if you want me to go…" She said.
"Uhh… it's not too bad, but I think I should go back to my den for the night." Humphrey replied, as he started to leave.
"Good night, Terra. I'll see you in the morning." He said, then disappeared into the trees.
"Good night, Humphrey." Terra muttered.
Banff; May 2nd, 2018
The next day, Terra was once again watching Humphrey in the valley below, but this time he was getting ready with the other Alphas to go on a trip to a neighboring remnant. Hench walked up beside her and sat down.
"How did it go last night?" He asked.
"Since when do you care about me?" Terra asked.
"Since yesterday when you told me that Humphrey was the key to everything we want." He answered.
"Oh, so you don't care about me, you just care about the progress I'm making with him." Terra surmised.
"If that's what you want to believe." Hench replied.
"Our past has been dealt with. He now believes that I've regretted what I've done and I've made amends with him." Terra explained.
"How did you manage that?" Hench asked.
"To explain that would take more time than we have, nor do you have the brain to understand." Terra answered, then Hench frowned.
"Now, this is important. I want you to go with them and make sure that Humphrey comes back in one piece and alive. Understood?" She asked.
"Understood… but why?" He asked.
"As of right now, you're the only one I trust to be around Humphrey. I'm not willing to take the chance that someone will mess things up by killing him while they're gone. It's too easy to play ignorance amongst a group when they all share the same idea." Terra explained.
"You're saying that they could kill him and blame it on the remnant." Hench replied.
"Precisely. Can I trust you to make sure that doesn't happen?" She asked, then he nodded.
"Good. Now get down there before they leave." Terra ordered.
"Just one thing, I can't guarantee his safety unless I know why you want him alive so badly." Hench said.
"I told you yesterday. In time, he'll be more powerful than any Head Alpha in all of North America." Terra replied.
"And how does that help us?" Hench asked, then she chuckled.
"Because I'll be right there at his side." Terra answered.
"Let's just get one thing clear." One of the Alphas said, as he stepped up to Humphrey.
"If you get in trouble out there, don't expect us to save your ass." He said, then Hench approached the group.
"What's going on here?" He asked.
"Just telling this piece of shit that we're not going to help him out there if he gets in trouble." The Alpha explained.
"All I did was ask where it was we're going." Humphrey said.
"Give us a minute, Humphrey." Hench said, then Humphrey left before Hench turned towards the three Alphas.
"Queen is soft, Sir." A second Alpha said.
"We should've killed him the way King would've done." The third one added.
"We believe we should do things King's way and remove Queen from power." The first one suggested, then Hench nodded.
"Okay… but let's just make one thing clear…" Hench said, then pounced on the first Alpha and pressed his paw against their throat before he had time to react.
"Queen has a much larger vision for us all than King ever did, and Humphrey is the key to it all. All we have to do is keep him alive. Is that clear?!" Hench said firmly.
"Of course, Sir." The Alpha said, then Hench got off of him and he sat up, breathing heavily.
"Just what is Queen's plan?" The second Alpha asked.
"King wanted Jasper… Queen wants something bigger." Hench said.
A/N: Well, that's Chapter 5. Also, I didn't entirely write this whole chapter…
- Hi. My name is katethesingingalpha on the site. I helped Demonwolf102 co-write this chapter. I wrote the part about Humphrey's training. Feel free to give any helpful criticism. I am fairly new to this site as well. Nice to meet you all! -
Demonwofl102: His writing is marked by [-] marks at the beginning and end.
Now that Chapter 5 has been posted, I'll be continuing For Better or Worse until it's finished, which I plan to be by the end of the year. In the meantime, katethesingingalpha will be continuing writing chapters for this crossover with my direction, but they won't be posted until the New Year.
Please Review and give as much criticism as possible, if not for me, then for katethesingingalpha.
Till next time,
~Demonwolf102
~katethesingingalpha