Chapter 5: The Bear Cub (written from October 23rd to October 24th, 2022)

"We should get ready," said King. "They'll be here at any moment. Assume positions!"

At the highest ledge of Killers' Hill, Princess and Smith were tasked with guarding Runt. King, Blader, and Shaun situated themselves near the bottom. King planned to distract the incoming rescue brigade by faking a negotiation. On the south side of the hill, the rest of the Rogues consolidated into an army five hundred strong, an invasion force of wolves unseen in the history of Canada. They intended to circumvent the rescue brigade and head straight for the Grand Pack through Eclipse Pass. Since a large portion of Grand Pack Alphas, including the most skilled, would be in the brigade, the territory of the Grand Pack was vulnerable. Before Garth, Winston, or Tony will know what's happening, it would already be too late. After the territory collapses, the Rogues will use the natural defenses of the land to secure an advantage before any surviving Alphas of the rescue brigade return. The Valley was full of areas of strategic value, and it was this fact that necessitated a plan to draw at least some of the Grand Pack's forces out since attacking directly would've been suicide.

King wanted the Valley to become his new headquarters. Mt. Victory will be the jewel of his empire. In fact, if his plan succeeded, he would declare himself Emperor of the Imperial Pack; however, it was not going to be a role more powerful than his daughter. At the same time, Princess would succeed him as Queen, and she would be the actual supreme leader while the title of Emporer would be a religious role. Rogues will submit to the Queen, but they will worship and adhere to the Emporer and his teachings. It will be a society bent on eradicating Omegas throughout Canada and beyond, and once the last Omega is killed and all the wolves left are Alphas, the concept of an Alpha will disappear. They will be no ranks, no discrimination thereof. The entirety of the wolf world would be socially equal for the first time in thousands of years.

The Rogue leader salivated at the thought of this potential future. Because there would be no more discrimination, King viewed the death of Omegas as their salvation. Omegas that resisted were ignorant. Alphas that resisted were misguided. He needed to make examples of them. He hoped his daughter remembered that she needed to have the pup die where Humphrey and Kate could watch. Kate, in particular, needed to witness in full view the consequences of her betrayal.

His daughter hadn't forgotten...

"Wow, what a way to spend the holidays... away from my family," said Runt. "I guess it's possible I won't see them again, but as they say, a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. Oh, how time flies."

"Always does," said Princess. The pup swung around.

"Are you gonna eat me?"

"Eat you?" The she-wolf chuckled. "I'm sure you would taste very badly." She then frowned. When was the last time she had a genuine laugh?

His daughter hadn't forgotten, but unbeknownst to King, a mysterious hesitancy bloomed and Princess found it utterly baffling. It didn't make sense to her at all, yet it took root and sprouted, growing with every passing hour. Was it guilt that she was feeling? How was that even possible? She was a killer and a good one at that. She couldn't afford feelings... But this pup, this miniature wolf, was unlike anything the Rogue had ever associated with. Whenever his bulging blue eyes stared at her, she experienced unusual activity in her chest... and it felt good, a weird kind of good, and it threatened to be more than a nuisance.

As the future leader of the Rogues, Princess had privileges. She was the only Rogue who could question her father but altering the master plan couldn't be possible. Her father spent months gathering his army. No, it had to be done. The pup had to die. Her father would disown her if she didn't follow through, but why was she even contemplating? A radical thought then presented itself. Could it be that a pup's innocence was so profound that it was purer than the Alphaness of a Rogue? But why? She had killed scores of Omegas without feeling. What made a pup so different? What made a pup judgment-proof?

She continued to ponder as a goose and a duck flew in circles high above Runt.

"Even the birds smell death," said Smith, hinting at Runt's projected demise as a means to frighten, but it allowed the pup to make a cutting rejoinder.

"Yeah? I think they're smelling you!"

The offended Rogue raised his arm, claws splayed as he intended to disfigure the pup's face; however, Princess moved in between, challenging his growl with her own.

"Back away," she quietly ordered.

"Let me at that smart aleck Omega!"

"Nice. Did I cause this?" said Runt.

Princess asserted her dominance by scratching the rock underneath. Smith attempted to strike the pup again. Suddenly, Princess had a superfluous reaction. She walked towards Smith who subsequently walked backward. Princess knew he was unwilling to break his threatening stare against hers. He wouldn't look back to notice the hazard behind him. The Alpha clumsily stepped off the shelf and plunged fifty feet. Runt looked down and saw the wolf motionless where he landed. Smith was dead!

"Walk it off!" the pup sneered. Runt had no sympathy for the Rogues except for Princess. She was the only one who wasn't a complete psycho. "You're just like my mom!" he commented as she returned to her position, but before she could, her father was already there full of rage and confusion.

"Why did you DO THAT?!"

"He was going to attack our—"

"If the rescue brigade doesn't arrive by sundown, the runt is of no use to us! Do you understand me?!"

Princess bowed her head.

"Yes, Father. It won't happen again."

Later...

Humphrey, Kate, Stinky, and Claudette finished traversing Eclipse Pass when the golf birds returned to them. Marcel and Paddy had flown ahead to scout out the King Pack, so a strategy could possibly be made before there was contact.

"He's alive!" Marcel informed. The two birds alighted.

"But he is surrounded by a pack... even larger than your own!" Paddy added.

"How fast can we get there?!" asked Kate.

"At your top speed, you can make it within thirty minutes," the duck replied. "We'll fly ahead again to acquire more information. Meet us at the point where you can get the closest to the Rogues without them smelling you."

"Got it!" the Alpha acknowledged.

Ten minutes later, the group of wolves slowed to a walk. Their paws ached. Traveler's fatigue was beginning to set in. Soon, Stinky and Claudette failed to keep pace with their parents.

Suddenly, Stinky's energy returned... in the form of his nose wiggling around.

"Ya smell any bears?" asked his sister.

"Yeah... Kind of."

His sister was surprised that she guessed correctly, though his reply was somewhat confusing.

"What do you mean, 'kind of'? Your snout is never wrong."

"This one is different. Only a small whiff of a bear... and it's right on our tails."

"Hi, guys!" said a feminine voice.

"A very small whiff!" Stinky emphasized. "Mom! Dad! Come look at this!"

It was a bear cub smaller than the pups. She had just caught up with them.

"How cute!" Claudette exclaimed. "Uhh, for a future predator."

"No. No, no, no, no, no. Keep going, kids. We don't deal with bears outside the Valley," said Humphrey. "They're all really cute and cuddly when they're that age."

"Come on, pups," Kate agreed. "Your father and I had ourselves a bad experience after HE played with a cub."

"It wasn't pretty. And neither was her breath." He nudged Stinky and Claudette away.

The cub approached the Omega and introduced herself.

"My name is Kahnyue. Hey, can I come with?"

The Omega lifted a forelimb up to Kahnyue's face.

"Talk to the paw. Go home." The bear ignored him and walked by, trying to follow his pups. The Omega quickly blocked her. "What is this, a parade?"

Then, out of nowhere, a porcupine came.

"So you're just gonna leave that cub alone, in the forest?"

"Who are you?" Humphrey asked.

"Do you know what will happen... *gulp* to that cute and adorable little cub?"

"What are you, his agent? You get ten percent of his cuddliness? Come on."

"You know the rules of the forest."

"I know the rules of survival. Eh, why am I having this discussion with you?!" The wolves continued down the trail. Suddenly, Humphrey felt a sharp pain and screamed. "OWWW!" He looked back and discovered a quill that had been ejected.

"Sorry. It was a reflex. Karma, my friend." The porcupine just as quickly disappeared.

"Okay. Time to move on. And fast," said Humphrey.

"But... But I'm lost," said the bear.

"Look for gigantic bear tracks. You'll be reunited with your grizzly mama in no time."

"I haven't seen her in days! I've looked everywhere."

"Well... look harder."

"I can't. If the mean wolves see me, I'm a goner."

Humphrey sighed. He couldn't argue any longer. The grey wolf grabbed the bear by her nape.

"Humphrey, what are you doing?" said Kate.

"Yeah, Dad. Stinky and I had our fill with a bear yesterday!"

"I do believe the cub poses a danger to us all," said Stinky.

"What if this were Runt?" Humphrey replied rhetorically. It made Kate rethink. The wolves didn't want to be hypocrites.

"Okay... She can come, but we have to get moving."

"Awesome!" Kahnyue exclaimed. "I've never spent the holidays with wolves before."