So Age and Hayley are finally engaged, and Kate and Humphrey are falling even more in love. Just in case you missed something, Humphrey keen senses are still there, but he hasn't really had to use them, until now. This chapter will be more about Kate and Humphrey than Age and Hayley. Hutch has been brought into this, and it seems as though Blood has his next target.

Better Than This

Chapter 13

Fang V.S. Heart

Blood slowly lingered his way towards the unsuspecting Omega. She was so busy talking to Kate about wedding plans and snuggling with Age that there was no way she could've seen him sneaking through the brush and slinking his way past the other wolves who were returning to their duties and games. If she would've seen, the outcome wouldn't have been much different, but Blood didn't wanna take any chances. Being sly enough, he snuck all the way to the rocks and shot a glare at the four young dogs talking amongst themselves. He let out a very, very low pitched growl, and this was his fatal mistake. Humphrey's ear twitched at the sudden noise, as slight as it was and quickly stood up and walked about a little.

"Humphrey…what's wrong?" Kate asked him, following after him. Humphrey put his nose to the ground and started sniffing.

"I smell something, and I could've sworn I heard a noise. But…I wasn't really sure what it was." Seconds after, Humphrey guts told him to move Hayley out of the way of where she was sitting, for a dangerous force was about to strike at her from the northern set of rocks, at about 30 degrees, central throat attack.

And he did just that, time slowed down and Humphrey back-flipped over his head and knocked Hayley off her feet and then side stepped to move out of the way. Just as Humphrey jumped, Blood charged out and bore his fangs, sharp and leaking venomous blood, wide open maw, with teeth yearning to latch on to Hayley's throat. Blood watched as Humphrey jumped up and pushed her out of the way and moved aside to watch himself fall as he lost his balance when he gripped nothing and fell on his face. Blood skidded across the canyon floor, both Humphrey and Hayley breathing heavily, and out of pure shock, and the fact that he was impressed, Blood got up and laughed. Age stood in awe and in anger, he wasn't quite sure what Blood just tried to do, but he wasn't about to stand for it.

"Blood…" Age yelled, and every wolf nearby turned their heads and saw the red wolf standing in the center of the canyon, everyone gasped, this was the first time anyone besides Age, Humphrey, Hutch, and Hayley saw the killer. They all hid and continued to watch from a safe, or what they thought was a safe distance, and Winston ran to the edge with Garth and stared down at the confrontation. "So, the killer finally shows his ugly, blood stained face."

"Why thank you…I take pride in the blood in my fur, it's a symbol of how many useless dogs I've ridded the world of." Blood exclaimed, proud of what he considered an achievement, "And there would have been more blood on the fur here if your wolf friend over there didn't pushing your lovely fiancée out of the way." Age was sickened by Blood, yet again. But then he stopped and realized the two things that Blood just said.

"You…wait, did you just called Humphrey a wolf?" Age asked in surprise, and Blood nodded as confident as he was, "And did you call Hayley…lovely?" Blood smiled and nodded again.

"Your friend here is a wolf just like I am, and just like how you used to be, before you lost yours. And yes, your love is very stunning, it's a shame such a beautiful young wolf has to die." Blood said and walked up to Hayley and brushed along her side, Age was powerless to do anything, he was still weak.

"Leave her alone Blood, I could care less if I'm not a real wolf anymore, if you mess with her you'll be in the river!" Age threatened.

Blood was about to respond when the world stopped, and he saw a glow behind him, and swiftly did a barrel roll under the glow to see Humphrey try to pounce on him. Humphrey then charged at Blood, and Blood ran at him too, unable to avoid confrontation, Blood bore his fangs and ran at Humphrey howling, and Humphrey sneered at blood and growling, it was a side of him that no one had seen before. Humphrey leaped into the air and bore his own fangs and tried to get a grip on Blood as soon as he was close enough, but their instincts go in the way and made them both evade their foe's plan and they rolled out of the way.

"You've violated pack law by attacking one of your own, now your pure blood will be given to me, just like Age." Blood reminded him, and then cackled very loudly so everyone could see Humphrey's mistake. As he finished dark clouds began to swirl in around the two foes, thunder boomed in the sky and lightning struck the ground around them, like it was being attracted to something. Blood boasted out laughing his bloody head off, but no one was paying attention, everyone was so concerned and amazed with the clouds and the transfer that was about to go down. Kate shot a look to Humphrey and yelled at him over the now shearing winds.

"Humphrey…what's happening?" Kate screamed with her fur blowing over in her face and pushing her to the side, almost making her fall. Humphrey stood his ground like the Alpha he now was, and held fast against the oncoming 'storm'.

"I'm not sure, but if the same thing is happening to me as it is to Age, we are in a lot of trouble." He managed to make her hear over the gusting winds which whipped through his fur and pierced his ears. Hayley found the courage to run over to Age and grabbed him with both of her fore paws and held him close, she was starting to cry, but in this case, what Omega wolf wouldn't?

"Age…what's going on? Is Blood gonna gain Humphrey's power?" She asked fully knowing that that's how Age lost his abilities. Age noticed there was a voice tearing through the winds and hitting his ears like the beating of a human drum, it fired with the sound of a gun, and then he saw Humphrey twitch, he'd heard it too. Age didn't fully understand what the voice had told them, but they both knew that Blood was in for a real surprise.

The clouds stopped circling around the wolves in the canyon and they faded completely allowing the sun to shine its wonderful, illuminant rays once more. Blood ceased to laugh and stepped closer to Humphrey, feeling more powerful than ever, but Humphrey stood him ground and didn't move a muscle. Blood grinned without his teeth for once and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't you run? It's over…your power, your history, it's all mine now…"

"WRONG SNAKE!" Age yelled at him and let Hayley go and ran up to him. Blood turned around and Age stopped about three meters in front of him. Humphrey then began to assist Age in encircling their common enemy and the three growled.

"You are the most persistent dog I've ever seen, I respect that Age. You and your cousin over here are without a doubt the two most formidable foes I've faced in a long, long time. This however, doesn't excuse the fact that both of you are going to die on this day." Blood told them, him constantly checking his surroundings for a possible move, not that it mattered, he could always see it coming and dodge it. Age snorted with his leaking nose, leaking with sweat and anger that is.

"The only one dying today is you Blood, this is the last time you say, and the last time you break anyone."

"But I possess the skills required to beat me, and you have no such things, not anymore anyway. You lost yours yesterday, Humphrey lost his just now."

"Wrong…!" Humphrey interrupted, "I didn't lose a thing, I'm still as much a wolf as Age is, and believe me when I say, I'm also as much a wolf…as you…" Blood never felt fear, but this scared him for reasons he couldn't explain.

"What…this isn't possible!" Blood said as he felt himself suddenly grow weaker; his extra portions of power were fading, draining away, and guess who they were going to? The essence of the energy was coming off of Blood and evaporating into the air, not claiming anybody, just vanishing. "The power…! What have you done to it you mongrel?" Blood accused Humphrey of committing his treachery.

"I didn't do a thing Blood, it's all on you. You've doomed yourself." Humphrey shot back at him, in that moment, Age felt his old strength come back to him, his muscles stopped aching, his head didn't feel so heavy, and his pride as a real wolf came back in an instant. Age lifted up his head and grinned to Hayley, and she was aware of his transformation. The feeling of joy was overwhelming her, and it felt even better than the two of them pleasuring each other the other night. Fearing for his life while at the same however, Hayley's nervous face returned.

"How can this be? You attacked me! You should've lost your power, you broke pack law, and you should be the one suffering!" Blood yelled as everyone watching suddenly became very interested. "This is fair!" Blood kept yelling to the sky and to the dogs around him.

"Guess who's back and better than ever you fuck head…" Age stated loud and clear to his rival. Blood spun around and was shocked as anyone to see the sudden muscle to Age's limbs and body, his fur was not as light and shriveled up as it was, it had returned to its very sleek light gray color, with pure white forelegs and a black tip on the end of his tail. His black nose and angry face shown in the now shining sunlight, and anyone nearby could tell that he was pissed. He stalked up to Blood with blood-rage in his eyes, now Blood was wasn't the only wolf there out for….well, blood. He would've pounced upon Blood's head right then and there, but he didn't wanna make it so easy. There was a look of dumbfounded-ness on Blood's face, it was understood that he didn't know why he had lost his extra power. Age saw this, and gladly stepped in.

"Still clueless huh?" Blood turned back to him after still gazing around, even though he had been robbed of his bonus abilities, the wolf senses he possessed on his own still made him a dangerous opponent. "Well to me honest my friend," Age started, turning the tables on him and making it sound nonchalant, "I'm as ignorant as the rest of them, but in my best guess…" He began to start speaking sarcastically, "You got my attributes, but the thing is, since you abused them and used them for evil and blood-shed, the ancestors…" He said with a lot of emphasis, "Must've not approved of this, and have restored things to the way they were. Satisfied with yourself?" But another voice broke out, and this one was one that no one expected to hear.

"Yes…I am." Everyone turned to the crowd, and a single dark brownish wolf was strutting through the pack and looking around as he did. He came out and walked past Age and Humphrey right up to Blood and the two grinned at each other. Age had a look of abomination and violation on his face.

"J-Dog…I should've guessed." Age said deeply and slowly. Hutch ran up beside Hayley and yelled,

"How is that possible? We were monitoring that dog the whole time; in those days he never went anywhere, how could he have collaborated with the killer?" Hutch was right in his question, even Winston came down from his perch and walked next to Age,

"Psst…Age…Hutch is right, your brother was under constant surveillance, he was the first one we suspected of being the killer and he never did anything." Age shot Winston a look of disappointment and gross under-satisfaction.

"He's a wolf, I'm sure he can do that kind of stuff, make a doppelganger of himself to trick us."

"How right you are little brother…" J-Dog said and he looked at Blood, he then grinned to himself, and tried to step into himself.

He placed his front paws into Blood's and then got his head into the right place and once something lined up with its corresponding part, it locked in place and shook around as one body, J-Dog worked his back legs and tail into the proper places and once they were in they were locked. This new wolf, which to everyone was actually just J-Dog, the real J-Dog, had combined features from both of the maniacal wolves it was made from. It had Blood's dripping fangs and his blood-stained fur, and it had J-Dog's naturally brown fur color and his New York accent. To everyone's surprise, he wasn't speaking in his really goofy/stupid voice anymore, they all assumed it was just a con to try and fool them.

"And…I'm off…" J-Dog said and his body turned into a dark mist that faded into the ground and was gone. Age was the most stunned, but no one knew what to say or think.

Please tell me someone guessed it! Of course J-Dog was the killer, in case you missed something, J-Dog is the same wolf as Blood, Blood is just another version created from J-Dog using his abilities as a real wolf. Humphrey is a real wolf too, yes, that's right. And of course, Age got his real power back, I think I over used the word "blood" in this chapter. Oh, and in case any questions are asked,

Ignorant – The state of not knowing or not being informed.

Use the word right people…!