The Blight Corps...
A name belongs to a threat that is bigger than anything else on Earth. A name that will terrorize Jasper Park. The first three victims who have seen one of the faces of the Blight Corps were Kate, Lilly, and Garth. They can barely walk on their own, and Sargent had to keep his eyes on the group's back. His wounds have finally healed from regenerative medicine, but that was his last chance to use it. "He" would come back for him and the others, and without a doubt, Sargent wouldn't stand a chance against him without his vest and tight spaces. He needs that vest to take hits on the ribs, so he won't go down easily after five hits and that toss. That toss nearly knocked him out. When it comes to tight spaces, that is when he will have the advantage.
Meanwhile, Humphrey was baring his fangs madly. Not only he's pissed about the Blight Corps impaling Sargent and killed him, but they also traumatized Kate. Kate was squeezing his tail to death and was shivering madly right behind him. He had enough and wanted to come up with a plan. As weak as he is along with other animals with zero chances against a human, there is a way to kill them, but it is very rare, almost impossible.
Of course, Sargent can kill them, but all that effort came from his former partner. He's the one who commands and trains him for years. It goes the same thing with other dogs in the police and the military force. They can't do anything unless they were told to do so. Now that he thinks about it, this could be his first step with his plan, but it would be complicated to explain it to the pack.
"Humphrey quit daydreaming dude. You almost ran into a tree" said Titan. Humphrey blinked his eyes and swooped around the tree.
"Thanks" he replied. Titan nodded his head and turn his gaze forward. Humphrey looked back at Kate, and she was still in that same state. He then looked at Jade who was clinging to his side with a huge smile on her face.
"Hey Jade," he asked, and Jade opened her eyes.
"Yes Humphrey" she responded with a slight high-pitched town.
"Uhh, I need to confront Kate. She's not feeling too well." Jade looked back and saw her state. She nodded immediately without arguing back even though she wanted to.
Jade stepped aside and watched him slowly walking at the same pace as her. Kate latched onto his side and planted her head on his chest, making Jade pout with jealousy. Humphrey looked back to see Lilly and Garth doing the same thing as him, but both of them were terrified. He knows that the Western Pack would have the same reaction as them. They would be completely helpless if they didn't do something about it.
As soon as they were about to exit the tree lines and enter the camp, Humphrey stopped walking along with Kate. He finally made up his mind.
"Guys, stop," he said, and they did. They turned back and was about to say something until the dogs noticed that Sargent was covered in dried up blood. They widened their eyes and ran up to them. At first, they didn't notice that he was covered in blood because he was hiding behind Kiana, Storm, and Lightning. They started asking him what happened to him, and Sargent was kind of scared to say the truth. Humphrey sighed and decided to be the one to tell them about earlier.
"Sargent fought with a human earlier, and it's not the hunter. It's someone from the Blight Corps" he finally said.
"Wait...THE BLIGHT CORPS!" Max screamed. Humphrey nodded his head while Kate let her head sink into Humphrey's fur after hearing that name.
"What are they doing here," Jade asked loudly. Lilly flattened her ears and covered her face by putting her head against his chest. Garth put his head on top of hers and closed his ears and eyes.
"The best guess that's very obvious that we all can come up with is something that is involved with money. It could be turning this place into a farmland or killing every animal on sight and selling them in the market. It could be both, and they could use that money to get people joining their side" Kiana explained, and everyone nodded their head without questioning or denying it. The wolves then widened their eyes when she said turning this place into something else and killing everything else around them. This sentence, this specific one, shook their bones...hard.
"What do you mean by that" Kate immediately asked her. Humphrey looked at her, and her eyes were shaking violently. He knew that if one of them answered her question; she's going to pass out, and it's going to be the same thing for Lilly and Garth.
"Kate, you don't want to know," Humphrey said to her, but Kate looked at him as her response. She was dying to know what that means, and she needs to know about it now.
"Please Humphrey...I need to know" she begged him. Humphrey widened his eyes before looking down at the ground. He didn't want to argue with her and giving her nightmares about it. He looked at Kate one more time, and she was begging for him to tell her. As much as he hated and regret it for telling her, it's not going to stop her if he didn't answer her question.
"It means that they are going to destroy everything. The trees, the rivers, everything to the point where they can transform this place to nothing but flat grassy terrain, and soon after that; this territory will be in their hands." When he said that, it shook Kate. She started to have a mini heart attack and began stumbling around. Humphrey caught before she had the chance to fall on the ground.
"I told you, Kate," he said, feeling extreme guilt after witnessing Kate's reaction. Kate then looked at Humphrey with extreme fear in her eyes.
"We need to go back and warned the others" she whispered harshly. Humphrey can see everything in her eyes. Her pupils were as tiny as an atom as they were rapidly spinning in small circles. "Please Humphrey...we need to go back and bring them here. Please Humphrey...please tell your dad to protect us." Humphrey then looked at his friends who were starting to feel sympathy for them. They can't escape from the living hell, and they were completely powerless against the Blight Corps. Of course, Humphrey wanted to tell his dad about it, hopefully, he understands it. On the other hand, he also wanted to give them a chance to defend themselves. It sounds crazy, but it's better to learn than nothing.
Humphrey began walking towards his friends, and they all sat in a circle.
"Guys, I got a crazy idea but we need to go back and tell the others."
"I think right now is probably not the right time, but maybe tomorrow morning. If we leave, our parents will notice that we're missing" Sargent claimed and everyone nodded their head, agreeing with him. Humphrey looked at the ground and let his thoughts process before he spoke up.
"Maybe if we bring them here near the camp, we might be safe from the Blight Corps, and you guys would be able to transition back and forth easily" Humphrey explained.
"Sounds like a good plan," said Hummer.
"But they need to be hidden. We all know how sharp my dad's eyes are, and he's a hunter" Kiana added. Everyone agreed with her. Her dad is an undeniable great hunter, and if he finds them hanging out with the wolves; it will be another threat for them if he brings his guns with him. But for now, he will most likely move their camps away from them and wasting their time when the clock is ticking.
"Humphrey..." Jade called his name with a dark shakey voice. She slowly looked at him dead in the eyes and was inching her face towards his. "Please stay safe." Humphrey smiled and nodded his head. Jade then wrapped her arms around him, and Humphrey hugged her back before she broke the embrace and slowly walking away with her friends.
She kept her eyes on him until she got into the motor home with her mom. Sargent was cleaning himself up as quickly as possible before turning around the corner of the RV and sat down next to his mom who was enjoying the view. Humphrey looked around to find his dad inside the truck camper watching TV and at the same time working on his stuff for his job. He then smiled before walking back to the pack with the wolves. Well...more like leading them to their safety.
He had never thought that both genders would cling to him. Garth was holding his tail while the girls were holding both of his sides. Humphrey tried his best not to laugh at them at the wrong time. It's funny to see a strong beefy boy right behind him was clinging and hiding his face with his tail. Well, he couldn't blame him. Deep down in his heart, Humphrey was just as scared as they are or maybe more than that. Their enemies are out for blood, and the rumors about them would spread faster than a wildfire throughout the park.
The three wolves were too scared to open their eyes as Humphrey walked down the path. This is probably the only time yet where he is focusing on his surroundings so hard. His ears were like rotating satellite dishes and his eyes were locked straight ahead. He walked very silently to make sure he doesn't make any noises to attract them. This moment was very intense. One of them could've possibly jumped on them from the bushes or jump down from the trees. Anything is possible.
However, Humphrey was getting tired of three wolves clinging to him. He was dragging them to here without stopping, and they haven't made a single move until they got to the main area of the territory. Garth jumped off his back and began kissing the ground, knowing that he's safe for good. The girls let out a sighed in relief before collapsing on the ground along with Humphrey who almost passed out from exhaustion.
"Thank god we're safe...maybe," said Kate still looking around.
"We're...We're fine Kate" Humphrey replied to her.
"Are you sure Humphrey?" she asked him.
"Yeah, besides we're not going to be here by the next ten minutes or so, but it depends if your pack trusts me or not" he explained, making Kate remembered the time that Humphrey argued with most of the packmates, including his dad. Kate knew that it's going to be hard for them to trust Humphrey, but they need to. There is a threat out there that is bigger than the hunters they experienced before. She has seen them in action, and they are bold enough to fight animals with their bare hands. Or at least one of them. But nothing is more terrifying than seeing the dogs scared of them and the strongest one getting beat down. They can turn Jasper into a living hell and can wipe out any living thing on sight. Could this be poachers that Humphrey was talking about?
"Humphrey" Kate called out his name softly. "Are the Blight Corps poachers that you're talking about back in your place?" Humphrey shook his head as a response before he spoke up.
"Poachers are like the hunters, but the Blight Corps is far more deadly than they are. The only way to describe it for you guys to understand it is that they are the Alpha humans." The wolves widened their eyes when he said Alpha humans. Humphrey was right. If he said terrorists, none of them would understand what that meant nor knowing their strengths.
While the other animals who did not know their real name, he would say Alpha monsters. For the animals that have colonies, most likely insects, he would say a different term like soldiers. Ants, Termites, Wasps, and Bees have colonies just like humans once had, but the problem is that they never had a king before. That term would be the best fit for the leader of the Blight Corps.
Kate, Lilly, and Garth just got chills running through their spine. An alpha human. That's on a whole complete level. Of course, it would make sense because the human back then was bolder than the hunters. Or maybe he felt like he was bored and wanted to kill something without even trying. "Let's not think about it too much. Right now, we need to find your dad and get the heck out of here."
The wolves shook their head and nodded their head before following Humphrey as they went through the hunting grounds. When they reach the feeding grounds, there were more wolves than usual before. Garth started to recognized most of them, and so did Kate and Lilly. Most of them came from the Eastern and the Southern pack, and the pack leaders were outside of Winston's den.
"What's going on here," Humphrey asked before they walked through the crowds. The wolves stopped talking and they looked at Humphrey. Some of them looked at him disgust, some looked at him angrily and even the fathers were standing right in front of their family and growling at him. The others, mostly girls were gossiping about him being a hero. Humphrey sighed and knowing that they knew who he is. The southern pack seems to be the one who slightly has trusted him the most rather than the Western and the Eastern pack.
Humphrey then spotted his dad across the feeding grounds. He was looking down at the ground and not paying any attention to him nor his family like he was in deep thought. But to Humphrey, he was probably ignoring him and accepting the fact that he's not his son. He hasn't talked to his mom or his brother. Heather seems to be the only family member that talks and apologizes to him.
As the group was walking closer to the pack leaders, they started to notice them before Eve started to call out her daughters' name.
"Kate, Lilly. Where were you, girls?" She asked while running up to them
"Oh, we were uhhh taking a walk" Kate lied to her, not wanting her to know that they went to a human's camp. Eve then wrapped both of her arms around her daughters and squeezed them tightly while softly crying on their shoulders. Kate and Lilly looked at each other and was confused by her actions.
"Uhh, mom, why are you crying," Lilly asked her. Eve didn't respond to her. She broke the embrace and lead her daughters to the pack leaders. Garth and Humphrey followed them, but Eve turned around and only growled loudly at Humphrey. Garth yelped and jumped towards Lilly while Humphrey shrunk to the ground with Eve barring her teeth in front of his face.
"Mom" Kate shouted at her, but she paid no attention to her.
"I should've killed you back then, and now I'm going to do that now," she said getting ready to pounce on him and killing him right where he was.
"Mom wait" Kate screamed, jumping right in between her mother and Humphrey. "You can't just kill him."
"Yes, I can! He's the one who leads those crazy strong-looking humans into this park and terrorized everyone's life!" Kate was about to say something that Humphrey's dad already deal with them until she realized what she was talking about.
"Is that why everyone is here?"
"Yes! And it's Humphrey's fault for bringing them here" she said angrily looking at him, and Humphrey flinched from her glare.
"Mom, it's not his fault. He didn't bring them here, and he's here to help you guys."
"He did bring them here!"
"No, he did not. Do you see him bringing them here with your own eyes or you're just making up stuff to get my boyfriend killed? Do you think that's a better idea? Cause if you do, you will have not only one but two threats" Kate explained, talking some sense into her. Eve was about to talk her back until she said something about Humphrey being her boyfriend.
"D-Did you just say that...Humphrey's your boyfriend" she asked in shock.
"Yes, and you're not going to do anything to him when he's here to HELP YOU GUYS OUT!" Eve took a step back after witnessing her daughter's aggressive defensive mode. She looked over her shoulders and saw Humphrey gulped.
"Alright" Eve replied, taking Kate's words before walking back to her mate. Kate looked back and giggled when she heard Humphrey sighed heavily. As they walked towards the pack leaders, Winston immediately turned his attention to Humphrey first before other pack leaders.
"Humphrey, thank god you're here," he said smiling.
"What's going on here," Kate asked her father.
"Well, we got a big problem in the park. Some crazy strong monsters-I mean humans are roaming around throughout Jasper Park. My pack had no choice but to seek shelters from other packs" Alex explained.
"Yeah, and we are starting to hear rumors about six powerful humans from other animals and the way they describe it is extremely different than the others. Also, sorry about that time Humphrey" Tony apologized to him.
"It's okay. I forgive you" he replied to him. "By the way, what do you mean six powerful humans?"
"Well, the first one that we heard from them is called the Phantom. It's very similar to the hunters a month ago, but it showed no signs of its appearance. Only the sounds of his strange object" Alex explained. Humphrey looked down at the ground. Humans with camo clothing can hide extremely well within the environment, but the only thing that crosses his mind when it comes to the Blight Corps is one of them is wearing a ghillie suit.
"Then, we have the Silver Giant. A human that is big and tall as a bear, but it is very agile and strong with a silver coat that he's wearing all the time. The Coyote King is known for his teamwork with his dogs" Tony added. Humphrey had to agree with the Coyote King. Without a doubt, humans have extremely effective teamwork when they work together or with their dogs.
"This human is called the Thunder King. He is extremely aggressive, extremely fast, and strong. He is the boldest out of the six and seems to be only fighting his prey without his strange-looking objects until they are weakened" Alex informed. Humphrey, Kate, Lilly, and Garth already know who he is. He's the one that fought Sargent and almost killing him.
"Now, the last two is the scariest one we have ever seen that place their footstep in this park. The Jasper Devil is a sadistic human and loves to trick someone and toying their prey" Winston stated. Humphrey sighed, knowing that how messed up the Blight Corps are. That one little detail shows that this human is probably the worst out of all of them when it comes to emotions.
Winston kept shooting his eyes at his fellow pack leaders, but none of them would say the last one. Humphrey gulped. He knew who is the last one, and that had to be the leader of the Blight Corps. Kate had never seen her father frightened this much before. This is something new, and if Humphrey knew who this is; it's going to be extremely tough to face against him.
"Well...this last one is known for its destruction. He's extremely smarter than the rest, deadlier than the rest, and one truly a number one nightmare." Eve continued before she gulped heavily. "It's like he's a combination with the other five and other humans, but the weird part about him is that every time the animals looked at him; they have bad luck in their lives. Not only that, he kills predators only and seems to attract one particular bird species." Eve took a couple of deep breaths, and Kate was scared to hear the last one. Even her mother is not brave enough to say its name.
"His name is...the Raven Mocker."
Ohhhh, have you ever seen an author using himself as the final antagonist of its own story? This is something creative that I've been wanting to do that is very different from other authors. Don't worry, I love animals so much, and hoping that this is not a misunderstood concept for you readers. Anyways, what did you guys think? What will happen next? I'm TheRavenMocker. Be a raven, mock the ravens. We'll see you guys on the next flight. HAPPY NEW YEAR BOYS AND GIRLS!
