A/N: This is the first chapter to the rewrite of my one-shot New Pack Leaders. This one will have a better plot than the one-shot. Let me know what you think.
This is also the first story of the four regular fics I'm gonna write through to the end of the year. I posted this one early though to announce my return to writing after being in the hospital for nearly a week, after a whole month of having troubles with my hip and leg. If you want details, PM me, or contact me on Discord.
Note: If you're familiar with the events of the movie, you can skip the first section in italics.
Chapter 1
New Pack Leaders
Jasper West
After many years of famine and tension between the two packs, the East and West had finally united and peace came to the valley. Kate and Humphrey had been relocated to Sawtooth National Park, Idaho, to repopulate the wolf population there. While they were finding a way back home and having an adventure along the way, Lilly and Garth grew fond of each other and she eventually taught him how to howl.
The lost wolves returned home in time before the East and West went to war, then Kate got ready to marry Garth. At the last second, before she touched noses with Garth, Kate backed out of the marriage. The East attacked after their leader, Tony, found out Kate had fallen in love with the Omega, Humphrey. A herd of caribou was startled by the commotion and stampeded through the valley, catching Winston and Tony. Kate and Humphrey rescued them, but she was trampled and Humphrey used his own body to protect her.
Kate woke up after the pack believed she was lost, then Winston and Tony, with a little persuasion from Eve, abolished the law separating Alphas and Omegas. Soon after, the four wolves, Kate, Humphrey, Lilly, and Garth, were married to their respective mates and a Moonlight Howl was held in honor of the new couples. Winston, Eve, and Tony retired from being the leaders of the pack, but before they took their time off, they decided to give the new Alpha/Omega couples a day to themselves.
Kate decided to teach Humphrey how to hunt…
A lone gray wolf ran through the trees, panting from exhaustion as he clearly tried to run away from something chasing him. Another golden-tan furred she-wolf ran up behind him and pounced on him, sending the pair rolling through the thicket. Before he could react, she had him pinned to the ground as soon as they stopped rolling.
"Ha! Gotcha again! Alpha: 86, Omega: 1." Kate exclaimed, then Humphrey chuckled.
"At least I know you can count." He replied with a smile, then Kate bopped him on the nose in a playful manner at that comment.
"Anyway… uhh… how is this supposed to teach me how to hunt?" Humphrey asked with a confused expression, as Kate got off him and helped him up.
"It makes you the prey." Kate answered, then Humphrey frowned.
"I don't get it." Humphrey said, then Kate sighed.
"I'll explain it like this… Prey, our food, uses their senses to examine their surroundings for threats such as us. Learning to hunt as the prey teaches you exactly what senses they use at what given time. Like, sight after hearing a noise to look at your surroundings." Kate explained, as Humphrey rubbed his chin with his paw in thought.
"So, this is pretty much to teach me to remove myself from sight after I make a noise while hunting, if I do, correct?" Humphrey asked, then Kate nodded.
"That's an example, but yes." Kate answered.
"Alright, but don't you think I've learned enough? My body is getting a little sore from being pounced on so many times." Humphrey asked, then Kate chuckled.
"Of course, Humphrey, but first we're going to do something else before we go home, and I know you're going to like it." Kate said, then Humphrey's tail began wagging, making her chuckle some more. Kate led Humphrey to a nearby clearing and she sat down in the middle with Humphrey standing a few feet away.
"Hunt me." Kate said, then Humphrey cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"What?" He asked.
"Hunt me." Kate said again, but Humphrey continued staring at her in confusion and she sighed.
"Pretend I'm a caribou and sneak up to me and pounce." Kate clarified.
"Oh, alright. You're sure about this?" Humphrey asked, then Kate glared at him and pointed towards a nearby bush, a clear indication for him to get ready. Humphrey gulped, then scurried over to the bush and crouched down. He had watched the Alphas hunt caribou plenty of times, so he's not a stranger to how it's done, but he's never practiced before now.
Kate was watching the bush nearby, thinking Humphrey was still close by, but he had snuck around to the opposite side. Humphrey spotted a rock by his feet, then he picked it up and tossed it across the clearing into the bush Kate was staring at. She chuckled to herself as she approached the bush.
"Come on out, Humphrey. I know you're there. I think we need to work on your stealth skills… and maybe your bush-avoiding skills." She said with a smile. Humphrey mentally chuckled to himself, then silently crawled out of the bushes and crept towards his mate. Once he was within a couple feet, Humphrey pounced. Kate glanced behind her just in time to enlarge her eyes in surprise before she was tackled by the gray furred Omega. Humphrey stood over her with a victorious smile plastered on his face.
"Gotcha… Omega: 2, Alpha: 86." He said in a playful manner.
"Okay, you got me…" Kate replied, then Humphrey climbed off of her and helped her up.
"But how did you do that? How did you get from one side of the clearing to the other that fast without making a sound?" Kate asked, then Humphrey chuckled.
"I was never there in the first place, Kate. I tossed a rock into the bush to distract you." He explained.
"Hm… Well, you can't do that while hunting caribou or you'll scare them off." Kate said, then Humphrey smiled.
"I know, Kate. I just wanted to get you at least once." He replied.
"But you have, Humphrey… you got me twice." Kate pointed out, then Humphrey scoffed.
"No, you let me win the first time." Humphrey corrected, then Kate furled her brow in thought.
"Oh, yeah… that's right…" She muttered, then chuckled.
"Anyway… what you want to do is always downwind of your prey. You were lucky you were the last time, or I would've smelled you long before you threw that rock." Kate explained.
"Are you saying I stink?" Humphrey asked, then Kate giggled and rubbed his ears with her paw.
"Only… a lot." Kate answered, then Humphrey frowned.
"But we'll have a bath later, you and I, before we go home." Kate added in a sensuous voice, making Humphrey wag his tail in anticipation, and she chuckled.
"Now, don't get too excited, or you won't be able to focus." Kate said, trying to hold back her giggles.
"Alright." Humphrey replied, then Kate went on to explain what to do when hunting.
"Now, once you're downwind, you crouch as low as you can to the ground, preferably in the long grass, so your prey doesn't see you approaching. Always watch how the grass moves, because the wind can change direction before you even know it." She explained, as Humphrey tried to understand what she was saying.
"Care to try it out?" She asked.
"Sure. What can go wrong?" He joked.
"Well, show me what you got." Kate said. Humphrey moved to the edge of the clearing and got ready, while Kate repositioned herself in the center. He crouched down until his belly was only an inch off the ground, then he watched the grass to check the direction of the wind. It was blowing towards him from Kate's direction, which meant he was downwind, so he started to carefully crawl towards his mate without a sound. When he was about twenty feet away, the wind suddenly changed direction and he was now upwind of Kate. Kate could smell his strong scent, then looked in his direction and carefully approached.
Humphrey quickly, but silently, moved away to the side until he was downwind again and Kate looked around, examining the area in an attempt to spot him, after she couldn't pick up his scent anymore. He continued approaching her, staying as low to the ground as he could, until he was only a few feet away. While he got ready to pounce, Kate sat back down and looked around, still trying to spot her mate. Before she realized what happened, she was suddenly knocked to the ground and Humphrey had pinned her legs.
"I never thought the greatest Alpha ever would let a fun-loving Omega beat her." Humphrey mocked. He got off of Kate, then she rolled over onto her paws before standing up and she chuckled.
"Looks like you're learning fast." Kate said.
"Well, you're a great teacher." Humphrey replied with a smile, making her chuckle.
"Yeah… I guess I am." Kate muttered, wistfully. She noticed Humphrey was staring at her curiously, then she snapped herself out of her trance.
"Anyway… how about we go have our bath now, then we'll meet Mom and Dad for supper. Sound good?" She asked.
"Sounds like a plan." Humphrey said, then the couple began making their way through the trees and towards the river. They were walking with their tails intertwined, a visual indication to show they were mates. Humphrey was thinking of new ways to entertain the pack or just have fun with his friends, while Kate quietly humed to herself as they walked. Thoughts were actually running through Kate's mind as well and there was something she wanted to ask her mate, but… she was a little nervous about it.
"Erm… Humphrey? Can I talk to you?" Kate asked.
"You already are." Humphrey pointed out with a smirk and she chuckled.
"Sure, what is it?" Humphrey asked, after a few moments.
"Uhh… I'm not sure how to tell you this…" Kate muttered.
"Is it a, uhh… personal problem?" Humphrey asked, then Kate shrugged.
"I guess you could say that." Kate said.
"Then wouldn't it be better to talk to your mother about it? Whatever it is…" Humphrey asked, then Kate shook her head.
"No, this I need to talk to you about." Kate said, then Humphrey frowned.
Hmm… could she be…? No… that can't be. Well, maybe… she hasn't been getting sick in the mornings… at least as far as I know. We also haven't done that in our relationship yet… unless it was during that time I had too many fermented berries. No… if it was a result of that, Eve would've surely massacred me as soon as she found out. I would already be long dead. Humphrey's thoughts ran through his mind.
"Humphrey? Are you alright?" Kate asked, snapping him out of his trance.
"Uhh… yeah, I'm fine." Humphrey answered, then he spotted the river only a few yards away.
"Oh, look! We're here." He said. The main river was too strong for them to bathe in, but there was a short section that split into a smaller river that led through a series of pools before merging back with the main river. Kate and Humphrey approached one of the larger pools and Humphrey bent down to take a drink. A mischievous smile formed on Kate's face as she quietly moved behind her mate. Humphrey let out a yelp of surprise as he was suddenly pushed into the water by the golden-tan she-wolf. He resurfaced, spitting out the water that went into his mouth, as his mate was by the riverside, laughing her head off.
"Oh, you want to be like that, do you?" Humphrey asked, then lunged out of the water and grabbed Kate's paw. Kate had only a brief second to realize what was going on before she was pulled head first into the pool. She burst out of the water and gasped for air, then glared at the gray Omega, who was laughing his own head off. His laughter began to make her chuckle until they were both laughing out of fun.
After a few moments, they both calmed down and swam back towards each other. The two mates began to wash their fur, getting everywhere they could and helping each other get to hard-to-reach areas like their backs. Because it's been nearly a week since either of them had a bath, which was the same night they were relocated to Sawtooth, they were both quite dirty and grimy. Not to mention the smell that gradually diminished as they washed.
"So… what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Humphrey asked, once they were finished washing their bodies. They were now just sitting on the shore, brushing out any tangles and knots in their pelts. Kate mumbled to herself before speaking.
"I, uhh… was just thinking… that's all. It was nothing important." Kate answered, hoping Humphrey would believe her.
"Kate, if it wasn't important, you wouldn't be such a nervous wreck." Humphrey pointed out, then sighed.
"I've never seen you like this before, Kate. What's wrong?" He asked, then Kate sighed.
"Promise you won't get mad?" Kate asked, then Humphrey blinked as he stared at her in shock.
"W-Why would I…?" He stammered, but was suddenly cut off when Kate snapped.
"I'vebeenthinkingabouthavingpups!" Kate exclaimed, speaking so fast that Humphrey could barely understand her.
"What? Slow down." Humphrey said, then Kate sighed.
"Well… we're mates now… and it's getting to be that time of year… I-I was just… thinking… I've seen how you are with pups, so… I-I'll understand… if you don't want… them, but… I'm sorry, Humphrey." Kate stammered, the last bit spoken between sobs. Kate began crying silently, then Humphrey moved beside her and wrapped his paw around her.
"I think I know what you're trying to say, Kate." Humphrey said, then Kate sniffed.
"You do?" Kate asked, while she rubbed her eye with her paw, then he nodded. Humphrey raised his other paw and brought Kate's muzzle to his own and they shared a passionate kiss. They broke apart after a few moments and Humphrey smiled.
"I love you, Kate… with all my heart. If you want to have pups, I'll be there with you every step of the way." He said in a caring tone, then she smiled and nuzzled his cheek before snuggling up to his chest.
"Thank you, Humphrey." She replied with her eyes closed, as they sat there with their pelts pressed together. She had her head rested under his chin as they snuggled together. The sun was beginning to fall behind the mountains and Humphrey pulled away from Kate.
"We better get going. Your parents are probably waiting for us by now." He said, then he began walking towards the tree line. Kate followed after him and quickly caught up to him before falling by his side. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Kate spoke up.
"Are you sure you're alright with having a family with me? I don't want to force you into something you don't want." Kate asked, taking Humphrey off-guard.
"Uhh…" He muttered, then Kate gave him a peck on the cheek to calm him.
"Thanks, Kate. I've always dreamed of becoming your mate and having a family with you, but at the time I knew it wouldn't become reality because of the Law. Though, now that it's abolished, half of that dream is now a reality." Humphrey said.
"Then why are you so worried about the second half?" Kate asked, then Humphrey sighed.
"I could never fool you, could I?" He asked, then chuckled.
"I'm worried about your mother. I can give you a family, but I'm fairly certain she would make sure I don't live to see them." He explained, then Kate chuckled and pressed her body against his.
"We're mates, Humphrey. My mother knows that every mated couple will want pups at some point in their lives. Though if worse comes to worse, I'll protect you, okay?" Kate assured Humphrey.
"Alright, Kate. Though I do hope it doesn't come to that." Humphrey replied. They were getting close to the tree line and they could see the whole pack gathered in the feeding grounds. Kate and Humphrey were confused, because it was quite unusual to see the entire pack gathered in one place, even at the feeding grounds. The wolves closest to the outside noticed Kate and Humphrey approaching and they moved aside to let them by. They were quietly muttering to themselves and each other as the two mates passed by and made their way to the other side of the crowd. They reached the other side and what they saw… they were not expecting.
Lilly was sitting beside her own mate, Garth, but she was clinging to him as she sobbed into his chest. Garth had tears in his own eyes, but he was noticeably trying to stay strong for Lilly. Kate spotted Hutch sitting nearby with Candu close by. They both had their heads lowered in a somber mood. Her and Humphrey approached the two and they lifted their heads up as they got closer.
"K-Kate? Y-You're alive?" Candu asked, shocked, then Kate frowned.
"Yeah… why wouldn't I be?" She asked, confused.
"We thought the Rogues had killed you too." Hutch said, then Kate enlarged her eyes in shock.
"What?! What Rogues?!" Kate exclaimed, getting the attention of Lilly and Garth. The snow white she-wolf gasped once she laid eyes on her sister and bolted towards her. Kate had only a few seconds before she was tackled to the ground and covered in white fur.
"Kate! You're alive!" She exclaimed. Kate pushed her sister off and snapped.
"Will someone please explain to me what is going on?! Now!" She shouted with a similar fury as her mother. Some of the pack members cowered in fear and whimpered, while Hutch cleared his throat.
"Tony, Winston and Eve had gone out to the valley to wait for you four to share an evening meal." He said.
"We know that. That's why we're here, but we were running a little late." Kate replied, then Hutch sighed.
"It's a good thing you did. About an hour ago, Rogue Wolves descended into the valley and took them off-guard." Hutch explained, then looked down sadly.
"There was nothing anyone could do. By the time we got there… they were gone." Candu finished, solemnly. The realization immediately set in and Kate gasped.
"No…" She muttered, then began sobbing into Humphrey's fur while he attempted to comfort his mate.
"We thought they had gotten the two of you as well, because you're usually quite punctual, but Garth and I were running late as well." Lilly said, then sniffed as she rubbed her eyes with her paw, while Hutch approached the four of them.
"I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but…" He started.
"Don't say it…" Kate muttered.
"…with the pack's leaders gone, you four have to take their place." Hutch finished.
"Us four? I thought Kate and Humphrey were going to lead the pack?" Garth asked, confused, then Hutch shook his head.
"The pack needs leaders from both packs. Kate and Humphrey have the leadership skills, while you and Lilly have the bloodline." Hutch explained, then Garth frowned.
"I have leadership skills. What makes you say I don't?" Garth asked.
"I wasn't talking about you. I meant Lilly." Hutch clarified, then he frowned.
"Of course, there's the other matter…" He muttered.
"What other matter?" Humphrey asked.
"Your offspring. The Pack Leader after you must be borne of the Alphas from each pack." Hutch explained.
"Wait… you mean…" Garth said, then groaned in disgust.
"Ugh… why did you have to bring that up, Hutch?" Kate asked, then Hutch sighed.
"It is what must be done, according to Pack Law." Hutch said.
"Well, then we'll just change it to allow one of Lilly and Garth's pups to lead." Kate replied, but Hutch shook his head.
"Your first act as a Pack Leader cannot be to change one of the Old Wolf Laws. They must always be followed." Hutch explained, then Kate sighed.
"Alright… Well, it's not like we're in a hurry or anything for that, uhh… right?" Kate asked.
"That's… not for me to decide." Hutch said, as Kate and Garth kept their thoughts to themselves.
"Anyway… I guess we should go home now." Lilly said, then Kate nodded.
"Yeah… good night, Sis." She said, then the four split ways. Kate and Humphrey headed off towards the Alpha Den, which was now theirs with the death of Winston and Eve, while Lilly and Garth headed back to the Eastern territory. They stepped inside the den and Kate laid down on one side. Humphrey was about to lay down beside her, but she spoke up.
"I want to be left alone tonight, Humphrey. I need to… think things over. You understand, right?" Kate asked, then Humphrey nodded before laying down on the opposite side of the den.
"I understand, Kate. And I'll still love you, no matter what you decide." Humphrey said, then Kate smiled.
"Thank you, Humphrey. Now let's get some sleep." She replied, then laid down before closing her eyes.
"Uhh, yeah." Humphrey muttered, then followed his mate into the land of dreams.
Humphrey groaned as he covered his eyes with his paws to block out the sun that was invading the den. He tried to move around to avoid the sun, but to no avail, then he sighed in annoyance.
"Ugh, remind me to put some leaves over the den to keep the sun out in the mornings, Kate." He said, but there was no answer. He frowned, then opened his eyes and stood up to find his mate gone. Humphrey just shrugged and lay back down to go to sleep.
"She's probably out with the morning hunt." He muttered to himself. A gentle breeze blew into the den and his nose twitched as he picked up a foreign scent. He opened his eyes and stood up again, then looked over to where Kate was sleeping and widened his eyes in shock. Scuffle marks covered the den floor and pieces of fur were scattered all over the place. Humphrey began sniffing the fur and while he was relieved that none of it was Kate's, a low growl began to emanate from his throat as he realized what happened…
Rogues had invaded his home and wolfnapped his mate. Lilly suddenly came running into the den, panting from exhaustion.
"Humphrey!" She screamed, as she tackled him to the ground. Lilly began whimpering in his fur as he tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Wait, why are you here? I thought you were with Garth?" He asked, then Lilly sniffed.
"They took him!" She cried, then Humphrey frowned.
"What? Who took him? Calm down… and speak slowly." He said, then Lilly took a deep breath before speaking.
"Garth woke me up in the middle of the night and got me to hide in the back of our den. A couple minutes later, these wolves came in and Garth tried to fight them off, but they were too many." Lilly explained, as Humphrey began to growl again.
"Rogues…" He muttered, then Lilly began sniffling.
"They beat him up and then they… took him. I-I don't know why! Why would they want to wolfnap my Garth?!" Lilly cried, then Humphrey pulled her into a hug to try and calm her down.
"I don't know, Lilly. I don't know." He muttered, then an idea hit him.
"I'm going to go find Hutch. You stay right here, Lilly." He said, then was about to leave, but a voice stopped him.
"No need." The voice said, then Humphrey and Lilly looked up to see a black furred wolf with brown eyes standing in the entrance of the den.
"Who are you?" Humphrey asked, confused.
"My name's Quentin. And in accordance with Pack Law, all Pack Leader duties are to be transferred to the Beta of the pack, in this case… me." The wolf said, then Humphrey and Lilly stared at each other in shock.
A/N: Uh, oh… something's happening here. I have the beginning of Chapter 2 written, which was actually originally going to be a part of this chapter, but it got to the point where it was getting too long and I didn't see a good spot to end it anytime soon. If you like this, please Review, Follow, Favorite, or all of the above.
This is one of four regular fics (I'm not including the Cats & Dogs one) that I'm now currently writing and I'll update them according to popularity (more or less). Basically, the more Reviews, Follows, and Favorites the story gets, the sooner it'll get an update. Only reason I'm really doing it this way is because I've got a lot of fics to write, but I do expect them all to be finished (excluding the majority of my crossovers, especially The Snap) by the end of the year.
Let me know what you think! Also, what happened to Hutch? Isn't he the pack's Beta? Hmm… maybe that'll be explained in Chapter 2… What will happen next?
Till next time,
~Demonwolf102
