I'm updating super-fast using Dragon, I love this system! This'll be my fourth update in only 3 days! But all whack jobs side, I really need to pick a story and finish it. And all honesty, it'll probably be this one. So as you remember from the last chapter, Winston was dying, but from what…well if you've been reading this story at all you should able to figure it out. I tried to make this as emotional as possible, so read and try to imagine yourself being there.

Better Than This

Chapter 15

A Leader's Speech

Whether this was another trick by J-Dog or whether Winston really was dying, Kate and Humphrey along with all the other members of their takedown strike team, didn't want to take any chances. They rushed along as fast as they could, getting several splinters and roots in their paws and legs as they made their way through the underbrush. Hutch was definitely feeling down about this, Winston was his Alpha all his life, from the time that Hutch was a pup, to when he went to his Alpha training, and then even after, Hutch always answered to Winston and no one else. So if he really was about to say goodbye to Winston, it would be the first time he showed any sort of emotion in a long time. As they hurried toward the Alpha den the only thought going through Age's mind was that J-Dog must've somehow been behind this, and if not, he probably split itself into two halves again and let Blood do his dirty work for him. Either way J-Dog was going to pay for this if they were about to lose Winston forever, and Kate had a hard time running back to the den, once they got there the tears were flooding her eyes.

When they ran in they were surprised they didn't throw up, blood, probably Winston's, was scattered, spewed, over all the walls and ceiling. One of his rib bones was sticking out of him, and his chest had been torn open. it was amazing that he was alive. "Daddy…!" Kate cried out to see if her dad could hear her, his ear twitched and his head moved very slightly, it was obvious that he was still there, but not by much.

"Kate…" He breathed out, he never picked up his head, and he moved what looked like to be less than a centimeter, and even when he managed to, his mouth leaked more blood and trailed its way out and added itself to the pond on the floor, "It was J-Dog…"

Age heard Winston say that any automatically knew who he was gonna find today. As Age turned to walk away, Hutch stopped him by padding on his back, and when he looked to see what Hutch wanted, Hutch pointed back to Winston. Age then looked back inside the den, and Kate was looking at Age as well, apparently Winston wanted to talk to him, about what, he had no idea.

He walked over to Winston, or what was left Winston, and spoke to him and the gentle, most quiet voice he could muster, "Yes sir?" He asked him.

"Look Age…" He tried speaking, but only a cough came out, and of course more blood, "I want you to ensure the safety of my pack. Tony is still out there and he's in charge, but until J-Dog is stopped, I want you to lead the hunt team. I know you you're the only one who can stop him."

Age didn't know what to think. The head Alpha asked him to stop his own brother, how could he do that? But it was Winston's last wish, and J-Dog was threatening everybody that he'd come to care about, "I'll do it sir…for you…for Jasper…"

Winston smiled the best he could and laid his head back, he stole a last look back at the Kate, "I love you sweetie…make me proud…" Kate's eyes were no longer watering, now she really was crying as her father then died right there in front of her. Garth hadn't said anything but he was there inside the cave, he stood up tall and proud, trying to hold his feelings in and walked over to the five members of the team. He looked directly at Age and said,

"He put you in charge, take down your brother, now…"

"I know, and I will…" Age replied, the time was drawing near, Age held his head down, Tony was the other head Alpha of this pack, but as of right now he was in charge. With nothing left to do, leaving his head down, he inhaled, closed his eyes, stood back up, turned towards the exit and left.

He reopened his eyes when he felt the light of the moon hit, and there was still a slight drizzle in the air, enough to make the mood very melancholy. It wasn't a full moon, but in one more night it would be. Every wolf from both sides of the pack was outside the den with hopeful looks on their faces, this was the time Hayley came out of the den, and joined him by his side. Neither of them sat down, and they were followed by Humphrey, Garth, Hutch, and a red-eyed Kate. Age stepped forward and was ready.

"Where's Winston?" A wolf from the gathering asked, everyone looked in anticipation of the answer.

Age didn't know how to respond to the question, Hayley nudged him and gave him a whisper in the ear. "All leaders are confident and strong, show them you are…show them what I already know." Hayley smiled and then a strong wind blew as he looked at her. With her fur blowing like this, she looked like the voice of reason. He nodded to her and stepped up to take Winston's place, at least for now.

"A leader…is chosen by the people he knows, and by the people who respect him. And once they are chosen, they have to prove themselves. Winston did this for all of you…" After that, all the listeners knew he was dead, but with pride and burden, Age continued, "He was great, and for reasons I can't understand, he's chosen me to take his place, at least until Joe is stopped. I know that every wolf here barely knows me, except for a few, but as I said, a leader is chosen by their people. So if you all want me to be the huntsman for now, say otherwise." No one moved, but Humphrey stepped in front of him and faced him.

"You're my cousin bro, and in the very short time I have known you, you've proven more worth to be a leader than anyone else I know. If Winston's last wish, besides for Kate to make him proud, was to ensure you take J-Dog down, then I can't think of a better wolf for the job. Me and my Alpha skills, are yours to command…sir…" Humphrey finished, and everyone gazed at him. And then Hutch came to,

"He's right sir…" And Age looked at him too. "Even when we went to hunt that New York trash, he got me, but he didn't kill me. That was because you directed him off of me, you put yourself in harm's way to protect a fellow wolf, that's what a true leader does." Hutch also agreed in the decision.

"Thanks guys…but I…" Age was cut off by Kate.

"Age…if there's one thing my dad taught me about leadership, is that it's never who's the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest. What makes a real leader, is their heart. How they think about everyone's well being, how they would take the blame all on themselves if something were to go wrong. These are all qualities I know you have, I've seen them."

Everyone in the current circle nodded their heads, they knew it was true too. Hayley circled around him and sat in the circle as well, she really didn't need to say anything, and Age knew it. With everyone's support, the time was finally here, this would be the day that Age finally breaks out of his shell.

"Alright, if what you all say is true, and that the leader is made not born, and it's in everybody's honest opinion, I'll assume this position just temporarily. Then, I would have no higher honor than serving as Jasper park's head Alpha until we find this threat and cut it down by any means. But before we do anything, I want to tell you all something. When I first arrived in Jasper, I was scared as a newborn pup. Terrified to do anything, shaking like a tree in the wind, Garth would know he was there and so was Humphrey. If had known what Joe was going to do then, I would've cut him down then and there, but I lost my chance, and now half the pack is dead, and that's my fault. But I promise you, I'll make up for it somehow. Before we go out to hunt him, because I already know he's set up traps for us, I want you all to think back to a time, a time when you were so scared you couldn't do anything. You were frozen, petrified even, but you had to move at some point. So what made you move? Something had to make you, what was that something? Ask yourself that."

They thought, and he could tell from the fire in all of their eyes, they had their reason, he was proud of them and he was sure Winston was too. Though he still wasn't sure where Eve and Tony were, he had they whole pack on his side, there was no way J-Dog could stand up to all of these wolves.

Far away in the deep forests of Jasper, J-Dog was pacing back and forth getting nothing but aggravation from his two prisoners. Eve was dangling from one of her back legs like Candu was, and Tony was tied down so tight to the ground he couldn't even move his head without something popping, his back being the worst. Eve kept yacking at him to stop moving and Tony kept ranting on about how he has to keep trying soon J-Dog got tired of this, and so he split into two wolves again, just to make them both shut up.

"You take the whiner, I'll handle limn and bent." (Limn-to portray in words; describe) J-Dog walked over to Tony while Blood stalked up to Eve. "What the hell are you doing?" J-Dog asked Tony as he found him bending his head back like a rotating rubber pole.

"I'm trying to itch my back, this disk I really couldn't care less about." J-Dog huffed and snorted out a lugi on Tony's nose. He walked away fed up with him and feeling no need to kill him, he was trying to save his energy. Thanks…! Now I can't get that off!" J-Dog breathed heavily and walked back to Blood, he looked as though he hadn't done anything. J-Dog was about to say something, but Blood stopped him.

"Don't bother going over there…" Both sighed and re-combined.

Back with Kate and Humphrey, she had returned to his father's side, the thought of him being gone was still new and frightening to her, but she had Humphrey, maybe that was going to be enough to see her to be okay. All her life, she'd learned practically everything she knew from her dad, and now she had to put all those skills to the test against a problem bigger than the rivalry between the two packs. All in all, she felt very lost without Winston. Humphrey came in and saw that she was still lapping over her father, but he was here to get her for the upcoming struggle.

"Kate…?" She turned around and saw him. "It's time to go, Age has assigned everyone a job, and were with him. I'm sorry, but you have to leave him."

"I know Humphrey…" She sighed as she got up and stole a last look at Winston's body.

As they walked out they saw Age directing the other wolves. "And lastly I want the nurturing Omegas and pups back in the dens, all able bodied Omegas and Alphas are coming with me, we stay together." Two Alphas ran off to give the order through and he turned to Kate and Humphrey. "Are you guys ready to go?" They nodded, "Alright, looks like the final battle is about to begin."

He's right, the last battle is going to start. The original song for the story will be in the next chapter, can you guess who it'll be sung by? But the last fight may be soon, but the story is far from over.