Alpha and Omega: After Realization
Chapter 2: A Lost Reunion
The morning sun rose over the mountains of Jasper Park as a new day was about to start, with the sun's rays touching down in the valley and bringing light to all of the wolf dens. At the main den, Winston and Eve were inside their den still asleep in the total darkness, but sleeping near the entrance of the den was Lilly. Though she was lying down she was already awake, watching as the sun lit up the whole valley as it rose up into the sky and the light would soon reach her parent's den. It was now a new day, but Lilly's mind remained in the past as she could still recall what happened only the other day with her and Humphrey. She couldn't put the thought out of her mind and only tried to think about why she suddenly did what she did and if Humphrey cared about what happened.
"I just…just…" whispered Lilly.
She couldn't find her own answer as to why she did it, but her own mind already knew and was trying to tell her but with no prevail. She was going against herself in her own mind and she didn't know why she kept on denying the truth that she herself was trying to say. She couldn't take it anymore so she got up, stretched out some, and walked down the slope of the den to the lake close by. A distance way in another den was Humphrey and Kate, still sleeping together as the sun's rays had not yet reached their den. Kate was rolled up almost in a ball and Humphrey was sleeping laid out around her with his body, keeping both himself and her warm. Kate slowly opened her eyes and gave a small yawn, she lifted herself to her feet very carefully sot that she wouldn't wake up Humphrey and stepped out of Humphreys legs that surrounded her.
"Man…sun hasn't even reached us yet" said Kate.
She walked to the entrance of the den and looked outside, noticing that the sun hadn't reached them, but would pretty soon. She gave a quiet yawn once again and decided to walk out of the den.
"Might as well go and wash up"
Humphrey and Kate's den was made close to the lake so that it wouldn't take as long to get water and get a bath too. She reached the lake and looked at the water and saw her own reflection, which she gave a smile at.
"I look beautiful enough, don't you think?" asked Kate playfully at her own image.
"Probably, but everyone can always use a little touch up amiga"
Kate jumped and took an attack ready position when she heard a voice speak to her. She looked around and saw that no one was around; she had heard a voice talk to her.
"Who's there" she demanded.
She kept her eyes moving and scanning the area to make sure if anyone was there, then she heard footsteps coming from behind her and although she didn't know who it was, she took her chance. She turned around and leaped forward at whoever was coming and her attack sent her and her prey rolling and ending up splashing into the waters of the lake. Kate surfaced from the water and she was holding her intruder in her paws above the water, but she instantly let go when she realized who it was.
"Lilly?"
"Next time…don't…just…leap at…me" said Lilly as she coughed from having been pulled into the lake, trying to breathe again.
"Sorry, but I heard a voice talk to me" said Kate apologizing to her sister.
"And that's why you use your listening skill to be able to locate the source of said voice"
Kate and Lilly looked at each other and then frantically looked around to see who was speaking to them.
"Okay you, show yourself!" demanded Kate.
Lilly was too scared to say anything and thought it better to stay put in the lake than be on land at the moment.
"Calm down, I'm already here" said the voice.
Kate could tell that the intruder was a male from his voice, but was still looking around to see if she could spot him.
"Maybe if you look to the shore of the lake very closely, you'll see things better" said the voice again.
Kate didn't really want to respond to the intruder, but she decided to focus her eye sight to the shore of the lake and stared in that direction but her sight was somewhat limited due to the sunlight. She kept her gaze on the shore and it didn't take her long to finally see something. She could see a silhouette of a wolf coming into view and she saw that he was just standing there.
"See? Now was that so hard to do?" responded the wolf now that he saw that Kate had noticed him.
Without any delay, Kate sprang from the water and tackled the wolf to the ground. She kept her paws on his chest and pressed down, making it difficult for him to breathe out.
"You better start talking you"
"I would…love to…except…you're…crushing…my lungs" replied the wolf as he managed to talk under Kate's weight.
Kate eyed him suspiciously and didn't immediately let go, but because he seemed weak compared to her, she let go of her hold on him. The wolf slowly got up and gave out deep breaths as he tried to recover from the sudden attack. Lilly stepped out the water and shook herself to dry off as she joined Kate to see who the wolf was.
"Thank you…I thought I was going to die for a moment" said the wolf.
"Oh you'll still end up like that if you don't tell me who you are" said Kate.
"Okay, okay, a little grumpy I see"
"So who are you?"
"Well first off, I'm here to talk to the leaders of your pack Winston and Eve" responded the wolf.
"Why do you need to meet our parents?" asked Lilly out of curiosity.
"Well, I know your parents but it's been quite some time since I last saw them and I also wanted to catch up with them"
"So you know them? From where" asked Kate, not really understanding the wolf.
"You could say I used to live here for a while and then left, but I think your parents will understand"
Kate and Lilly gave each other a rather confused look and then looked back at the wolf. Kate wasn't totally sure she could trust this wolf, but he didn't look threatening and even kind.
"Okay, we'll take you to our parents, let's just wait until they wake up" said Kate.
"That's fine by me" said the wolf with a friendly smile.
Kate turned to Lilly but kept an eye on the wolf just as a precaution.
"I'm going to go see if Humphrey is awake yet, stay here and watch him" whispered Kate.
"Are you sure?" asked Lilly.
"Don't worry, if he tries anything, just howl" reassured Kate.
Lilly didn't want to be left alone with a strange wolf, but she agreed and nodded her head to reply to Kate.
"Okay then, I'll be back in a minute, just wait here with her" said Kate to the wolf.
"If you're thinking that I'm going to hurt her, please don't. Why would I do that anyway?" replied the wolf.
Kate didn't give a response to the wolf's words and only walked away back to her den. She didn't think she would be told that by the wolf, but she couldn't bother with more questions or anything, so she just went on her way back to check on Humphrey. As she walked away, the wolf walked over to Lilly and sat down next to her and watched as Kate walked over to a den close by.
"Is she your sister?"asked the wolf leaning a little to Lilly.
Lilly didn't know if she should talk to the stranger, but so far he wasn't doing anything wrong, it was just a question.
"Yeah"
"Hmmm, I can tell she is an alpha"
"How do you know that?" asked Lilly.
"Well, in order to tell if a male or female is an alpha, I simply look to the eyes to tell me" said the wolf, leaning back from Lilly so as to not worry her.
"How do the eyes tell you if she's an alpha or not?"
Although he was a stranger, Lilly was already interested in how he could look at someone and tell them apart.
"When she was speaking to me, her eyes did not leave me for a second. That tells me that she has really strong focus for an alpha" said the wolf.
"Is it just her focus that tells you that?" asked Lilly again.
"Not really, the fact that she could hold me down and keep me still is enough to tell me she is an alpha" said the wolf with a smile.
"So you didn't really know if she was an alpha did you?" asked Lilly, her eyebrow raised.
The wolf only smiled and then chuckled at what Lilly said to him.
"Hey, you can't blame a wolf for trying can you?"
"I guess not"
The wolf noticed that Lilly's tone of voice changed and saw that her head was facing down, and he could tell she was feeling sad about something.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" asked the wolf, trying to see if he said something to make her sad.
"No it's just…just that…"
Before the wolf could respond to Lilly, he saw that Kate was sprinting back to them very quickly and with a worried face.
"What's wrong? Everything okay?" asked the wolf.
Lilly pushed away her saddened mood and focused on a worried Kate.
"Kate what's wrong?" asked Lilly.
Kate breathed heavily and finally answered as she caught her breath but still kept her majorly concerned mood.
"It's Humphrey…he won't wake up!" said Kate.
Meanwhile, Humphrey was laying down resting up, but then he felt a slight touch on his ear and though it was a light feeling, it still woke him up. He was still sleepy but he was able to stand up just fine without being dizzy or drowsy. He looked around the den that he and Kate had made for them both and only noticed that there was pure silence.
"Good morning Humphrey, hope you slept well and dreamt well too"
"Don't tell me you peeked again? You always do" responded Humphrey.
"I always take a look to make sure your healthy, now is that wrong?" spoke the female voice.
"Even you should know about respecting privacy" said Humphrey, realizing how not so tired he was.
"And I do respect privacy, everything I hear, see, or do stays locked up in my mind forever"
"Does it?" questioned Humphrey.
"You don't have to get all worked up about it, you know me, I would never tell anything"
"Whatever, so why are you here this time?" asked Humphrey.
"I just wanted to tell you some great news" responded the voice.
"What's the great news?"
"Your miracle has just flown in and I know it will help you out in all this" said the voice.
Humphrey only expressed a confused look and didn't really understand what he was being told.
"What do you mean by miracle?"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that you'll finally get some help with your problem, I've helped you realize it and talk about it, but now it's time to admit it"
"Look, I don't need help with anything, everything is fine and I'll be staying with Kate okay?" replied Humphrey.
"Oh Humphrey, Humphrey, don't be like that again. We both know the truth and no one likes a person who lies about it"
"I'm not lying…"
"Then just admit it to yourself"
Humphrey couldn't finish his statement as she cut him off, but he could tell she was telling the truth. She has never lied to him before and she wouldn't start now. Humphrey felt saddened for outburst towards her and laid himself back down where he was sleeping in the den.
"If you keep this locked up, how are you supposed to move on with the rest of your life?"
Humphrey gave no response and didn't even think about giving one anyway.
"Like I said, your miracle has finally come in and I'll still be there to help you out if you need it as always"
Humphrey only closed his eyes as he heard those last words and fell asleep, but for him it didn't feel like it. He started to feel like something was touching his shoulder and then his back, then he started to feel a small pain after a moment from it.
"I don't think its working"
"Nonsense, this is a good way to really make sure if someone is in a coma or dead"
"Don't say that!"
"Sorry"
Humphrey grunted a the pain he was feeling and slowly opened his eyes, only to find Lilly and Kate standing in front of him, but although he was glad to see them, he was still experiencing the pain on his back.
"Hey, he's waking up" said Lilly.
"Is he? Good, now I can stop kicking him, I'm already tired"
Humphrey finally got up and still groaned in pain as he stood up.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" asked Humphrey.
Kate only responded to him by embracing him in a tight hug that squeezed down on his body.
"You wouldn't wake up so…"
Humphrey could tell that Kate was worried about him and he returned her hug, but as he did he saw that Lilly was still standing in front watching. She began to look away and walk towards the den exit when she was stopped by a voice.
"Hold up girl, where are you going?"
Humphrey then saw as a black and grey wolf walked from behind him and went over to Lilly as she stopped when he spoke to her.
"Umm…Kate?"
"Yes Humphrey?" said Kate.
"Who is that?" asked Humphrey.
Kate let go of him from her hug and whispered into his ear.
"I have no idea; he just came out of nowhere"
"If you want to get that question out of the way, how about we go and meet your parents already"
Humphrey and Kate turned around and were stunned to learn that the wolf could hear what they were talking about.
"How did you…" spoke Kate.
"Trust me, I'm much better at listening and paying attention to almost everything that is said, whether it is a whisper or if it's said from a distance" replied the wolf with a sly smile.
"He was kicking your with his legs to make sure you weren't …you know?" said Kate.
"Well I'm not dead, but I don't see how kicking me would help" said Humphrey as he looked at the wolf.
"Kicking is my way of making sure, it's not to hurt you on purpose" replied the wolf.
The sun was now above the mountains of Jasper and the light started to shine inside the den that all four wolves were in. The guest wolf turned his head and looked outside as the sun's rays finally shined all through the valley.
"It's finally the start of a new day, how about we go meet your parents? I pretty sure that the sun in their eyes is enough to way them up" said the wolf as he walked towards the outside.
"He seems to know a lot about our parents" said Lilly.
"If he knows our parents, then he can't be that bad" said Kate.
Lilly decided to follow the wolf as she noticed he was heading up the slope to their den, with Kate following behind her. She turned back to look at Humphrey and saw that he was staring down at the ground and could almost see that he was murmuring to himself.
"Humphrey, are you okay?" asked Kate.
Humphrey still kept his head down as he stood still and just murmured for about another three seconds when he finally came out of it.
"Oh…yeah I'm fine, let's go see what that wolf wants to talk about with your parents" said Humphrey.
He walked up to Kate and gave her a small lick on the cheek and then continued on out of the den. Kate didn't know what to say to Humphrey about that moment of silence, but she put it out of her mind and focused on the wolf issue as she followed him out as well. The wolf and Lilly were already at the entrance of Winton and Eve's den waiting for Kate and Humphrey to arrive. Kate came up to the den and turned to the wolf.
"Me and Lilly will go in and tell our parents about this, just don't go off anywhere" said Kate.
"I'll be waiting right here, I swear on my life" spoke the wolf.
Kate nodded to Lilly to follow her in, leaving the wolf and Humphrey outside to wait.
"Maybe you shouldn't have sworn on your life" said Humphrey.
"I think your right amigo, Eve does tend to get really angry with strangers" responded the wolf.
"How do you know Winston and Eve again exactly?" asked Humphrey.
"All will be answered soon, trust me"
Inside the den, Kate was already in a conversation with her parents about what was going on with the mysterious wolf she and Lilly had met.
"So there's someone who wants to meet us? Has he told you his name?" asked Winston.
"No"
"Well then, we should give him a proper welcome shouldn't we?" said Eve as she started to make her way to the entrance.
"Umm…mom, I don't think he will hurt us" said Lilly softy.
"You can't take chances with a lone wolf now can you?" replied Eve.
Her smile was very motherly, but Lilly could look passed her mother's loving side and see the vicious and violent side. Outside, Humphrey and the wolf were waiting for Winston and Eve to come outside to talk, but Humphrey didn't really feel so great about this whole position they were in.
"Have you ever had that feeling that something bad is about to happen?" asked Humphrey.
"Yes I have actually, and I'm feeling something right now. It feels like…"
"EVE!"
Humphrey responded with a shout as he saw Eve leap out of the darkness of the den and onto the wolf, making them both roll down the slope. They both rolled down until reaching flat ground and Eve finally had her claws on the wolf's chest to pin him down.
"Mom!"
Kate came running out the den and down the slope, with Lilly, Winston, and Humphrey running down to see what happened. As for Eve, she was beginning to apply pressure on the wolf's chest and slowly made him gasp and cough in a desperate attempt to breathe air.
"Okay…really…hard…to…breathe…"
"Eve, let the wolf get some air dear" said Winston.
"Sorry, but I don't take chances with wolves who come out nowhere, especially to end up meeting my daughters all mysterious like" said Eve.
Her voice sounded kind, but she was still in her anger mode as she increased the pressure she was putting on the wolf's body.
"I…knew…you…would…greet…me…back…like…"
The wolf was losing oxygen and could hardly speak as the air got pushed out of him. Winston couldn't really do much to stop his wife when she did stuff like this and he couldn't bear to watch the wolf die, but then he noticed something. He started to sniff the air and could smell something that he recognized, but he couldn't quite understand what it was. He kept on sniffing the air and he inhaled the scent more and more to better know what it was. He looked at Eve and then the wolf she was suffocating, but since he couldn't stop her, he walked up to her and spoke in her ear instead.
"Eve, don't you smell that?"
"Smell what?" asked Eve, maintaining her position.
"That scent" said Winston.
Eve couldn't tell what he was talking about, but she did pause to sniff the air and try to understand what Winston meant. She took in a whiff and although she didn't change her current situation, she did start to pick up something that felt familiar to her, something too familiar. She looked at Winston and he only nodded his head to tell her that he could recognize it too. She then turned her attention back to the wolf she was strangling and could see that he was not becoming pale, really pale, along with the fact that a small trail of blood was traveling down his chest to the ground from her claws that punctured his flesh.
"You?" said Eve.
The wolf only looked up at Eve and gave a smile and a nod.
"Hi m…"
The wolf did not finish his sentence and passed out, which then caused Eve to immediately let go of her hold on him.
"Let's get him into the den, Humphrey can you help me out?" said Winston.
"Yes sir"
Winston rolled the wolf over to have his back facing upwards and then picked him up from the scuff without hurting him more, while Humphrey sat down in front of the wolf as Winston placed the wolf on top of Humphrey's back. Humphrey used all his strength and carried the wolf back up the slope to the den, with Kate and Lilly offering their help by walking with Humphrey from both sides to keep the wolf from sliding off. Although Kate didn't have much of a problem being next to Humphrey, Lilly only helped Humphrey for the sake of the wolf, she didn't enjoy being next to Humphrey like this since the other day. As they carried the wolf into the den, Winston and Eve stayed outside for a moment and spoke to each other.
"It's possible that he's…"
"If he is, then I'll be the one responsible and that wouldn't make me a good mother would it?" said Eve as she cut off Winston.
"I'll check up on him and you go get the medicine" replied Winston as he sprinted up the slope.
Eve took off to the woods in search of some leaves and tree sap to treat the wounds that the wolf had received from her own claws. The rage in her eyes had been replaced with sadness and worry as she ran around the woods collecting the proper leaves and then frantically search every tree for any tree sap. Back in the den, Humphrey laid down so that Winston could slowly and carefully slide the wolf onto the ground. As for Humphrey, Kate, and Lilly, they didn't understand as to why Winston and Eve took a change of heart towards the wolf when he was being strangled, but they figured it was an important reason.
"Eve will be back shortly with some leaves and sap, you three better go outside and wait" said Winston.
None of them said a word and they walked out of the den silently leaving Winston to look after the wolf. Outside, Kate couldn't help but look at Lilly who was all depressed as they exited the den.
"Hey Lilly?" asked Kate.
"Yes Kate?"
"Are you okay? You look depressed and sad"
Humphrey looked at Lilly as she was asked the question and she only lowered her head down a bit more when he stared in his direction. Before Kate could ask anymore, they heard someone call out to them.
"Hey guys"
They all turned around and saw that it was Garth coming over to the den.
"Hey Garth" said Humphrey.
He walked up to him and gave him a high five with both paws.
"Good to see you Humphrey" said Garth.
He looked passed Humphrey and walked over to Lilly and Kate, but he greeted Lilly first beforehand.
"How's my Lilly today?" asked Garth.
Garth walked up to Lilly and caressed her, with her caressing him back in response.
"Pretty good" replied Lilly.
They caressed each other for a moment while Kate and Humphrey stood by to watch the touching scene.
"Ouch, that really hurts"
"Quit it" whispered Humphrey.
Garth ended his caress with a lick to Lilly's cheek, and then turned his attention to what was going on.
"So what's going on? I heard some commotion coming from the den, is everything alright?" asked Garth.
"Yeah, my mom just tackled a wolf that we met this morning and now he's in the den, we're just waiting for my mom to come back with some medicine" said Kate.
Suddenly, Eve came running from the forest in a hurry and ran passed all of them without stopping and entered the den.
"Must be something serious" said Garth.
"He couldn't breathe because she had been choking him and he's bleeding a little since she used her claws" said Humphrey.
"My dad told us to wait outside until he was healed" said Kate.
Time went by and still they waited outside of the den, still wanting to know what had happened to the wolf. Garth had decided to stay and took the opportunity to lay down next to Lilly and talk with her, and the same went for Humphrey and Kate, except Humphrey had laid down while Kate curled up next to him and rested a little. The whole time that Garth and Lilly were talking to each other, Humphrey just couldn't help but focus on everything they were saying and trying not to miss a word.
"Is that healthy?"
"Can't I have a moment alone without you pointing everything out" whispered Humphrey as he got annoyed.
"It's all about helping you and helping means talking to you about this kind of stuff"
Humphrey didn't even want to go on speaking and just hushed up.
"Do you at least want to know what they're saying?"
If it wasn't for the fact that Kate was coiled up next to him he would have gotten up and left. It was only after a while longer did Humphrey hear footsteps coming from the den and saw that Winston was walking out.
"Kate, wake up" whispered Humphrey to Kate.
Kate stretched out her body and legs as Humphrey told her to wake up and she noticed that her dad was now in front of them. Lilly and Garth had stopped their conversation and stepped over to be in front of Winston to hear the news on the wolf.
"So, how's he doing?" asked Lilly.
"He's fine, he'll just need some rest and it's a good thing that the cuts weren't that deep, he just couldn't breathe in oxygen" said Winston, glad to tell some good news.
They all gave a sigh of relief now knowing that no one died from Eve's little rage attack, but Winston did show an expression that told Kate there was more he wanted to say.
"Uh dad? Is there anything else you need to tell us?" asked Kate.
Winston cleared his throat at Kate's question and then responded.
"I…I think it's best that your mother tell you what's going on" said Winston.
Winston extended his paw towards the den and was telling them to go into the den to talk to Eve. They all showed concern over how Winston had explain the situation to them, but they didn't want to question him and just walked into the den to find out for themselves.
"The miracle"
They all made their way to the back of the den and saw that Eve was sitting down, but she also looked like she was speaking. When they had all gotten closer to her, she took notice of them and turned to them.
"Oh good, you're here, I was actually going to go get you but it's better this way" said Eve.
"So what's going on mom?" asked Kate.
"Well, I have really good news for both you and Lilly" said Eve, her voice full of happiness as she spoke.
"What do you mean?" asked Lilly, her curiosity wanting to know what the news was.
"You see…the wolf…"
"Come on, I have a name don't I?" came a raspy voice from behind Eve.
They all turned their attention to the wolf, who had spoken out even though he was laying on the ground with a few leaves covering his chest injury from Eve's claws.
"Sorry if I burst out…but I do have a name don't I?" asked the wolf.
Eve turned her attention to the wolf and walked over to him and gave him a small pat on his head.
"Of course you do, I was going to tell them right now" said Eve.
"Tell us what?" asked Humphrey.
"Sorry, I'm getting there" apologized Eve.
Eve turned around to face them and kept her paw on the wolf's head.
"Kate…Lilly" started Eve, with Kate and Lilly giving their attention to her.
"He's...he's..."
Eve couldn't really seem to finish what she was trying to say as a series of tears started to form in her eyes.
"He's your brother" said Eve at last.
There was a long moment of silence, with Kate, Lilly, Humphrey, and Garth having their jaws hanging in awe and surprise. Kate and Lilly didn't even say a word when Eve had told them the truth but they were finally able to understand why she had let go of her hold of the wolf when she had him pinned down.
"Bro…brother?" spoke Lilly.
"Yes, he's your brother" confirmed Eve.
"But…how? I mean…how?" said Kate, not able to grasp what she had just been told.
"He's your lost older brother Kate"
Winston spoke to Kate as he made his way in to join Eve and inform them.
"When did they have a brother?" asked Humphrey.
"Well…" said Eve.
Eve glanced at Winston and he gave her the same glance, because they both could remember that day from so long ago. It was during a summer in Jasper Park when Winston and Eve were in their den trying to stay in the shade as much as possible to avoid direct sunlight. Winston would periodically open one of his eyes and look outside and he only smiled, knowing that their pup was outside running and chasing a butterfly fluttering in the air. He closed his eye and returned to his nap laying next to Eve, he had already told the other wolves in the pack to make sure they were to keep an eye on their pup while he was outside. It was only after a while when both Winston and Eve suddenly woke up as they heard a loud sound from outside. An alpha came running to the entrance of the den and scared.
"Sir!"
"What is it? What's going on?" asked Winston.
"There are humans in the valley, their shooting in our direction!" said the alpha.
"What's happening out there? Why are they shooting?" said Winston, demanding an answer.
"We're trying to stop them from getting out of the territory"
"Why?" replied Winston.
"Sir…they have your pup"
"What?"
Winston leaped up and ran out of the den without waiting on Eve to join him and ran off. The human shooters were now heading towards a truck they had parked at the end of the valley.
"Okay, we have long trip, we're heading out so pack him up" said one of the rangers holding a rifle in his hands.
His friend was carrying a small metal cage in his hands and inside was a small pup clawing frantically at the bars. Suddenly, without warning, the ranger turned around and got pounced on by Winston as he viciously tore at his arms with his teeth. The ranger had dropped his rifle from the attack and struggled on Winston's weight as he continued his efforts to defend himself. Winston was all in a rage and would not stop sinking his teeth into the man's arms, causing blood to bleed from his wounds. Winston raised his eyes up as he kept on attacking the ranger and noticed the other man holding the cage with his pup. He let go of the ranger and ran towards the man, seeing his poor pup crying in the cage. The man proceeded to put the cage in the back of the truck just before he was taken down to the ground by Winston. Now Winston was tearing away at the other man's arms and focused on getting him out of the way to recover his pup, but he wouldn't get the chance. Winston then felt a slight pain on his back and it stung so bad that he had no choice but to let go of his prey.
Winston stuttered backwards and could still feel the pain in his back, but then he began to feel very drowsy and could hardly keep his eyes open to face the human he had just attacked. Before he could do anything else, he dropped to the ground, but he still fought to keep his eyes open. The feeling was too strong for him to overcome and he finally dropped down and fell into a deep sleep, but the last thing he heard were the yelps and screaming of his pup from the truck.
"Daddy!"
It was only later when he woke up that he noticed he was in his den and he couldn't remember how he had gotten there, but he saw Eve crying at the back of the den and every so often, she would give out a scream of agony for the loss of her pup. Winston had asked her how he got back to the den and was told that she dragged him back with the help of two other alphas. That was a day that they both would never forget and after all that, they decided it be best not to have another pup until they were sure they could defend themselves from the humans that entered Jasper. But now they were full of joy, they could still remember the scent of their own pup after so long and they never would have guessed that their lost son would come back to them after so long.
"Two humans came to Jasper one day and took him from us when he was a pup. Your father tried to get him back, but he was put to sleep by a dart that was shot at his back" explained Eve.
"I tried to get him back, but I just couldn't" said Winston.
"I got there too late, by that time the humans had gotten away and we couldn't chase after them in their truck" said Eve.
Eve was revealing tears in her eyes and so was Winston, along with Kate and Lilly who began to slowly cry at knowing that their own brother, a lost brother, had been taken away from them long ago. Humphrey and Garth stood by Lilly and Kate to comfort them as they cried out silently, then the moment was broken.
"Hey, hey, hey guys, let's not cry about the past. The past is all water floating down a stream now" said the wolf, having heard his story of being a pup being told.
Eve and Winston turned around to look at their newly found son and talked to him.
"I'm sorry, I just can't…can't believe it's really you after so long, just look how much you've grown" said Eve as she walked over to him and hugged him despite his injury.
Her son accepted the hug since he knew himself that it had been a really long time since he could remember seeing his mother and father, especially back when he was a pup.
"I've missed you both after all this time…"
The wolf looked over to Kate and Lilly.
"And it's nice to know that I have two sisters too" said the wolf.
Kate and Lilly walked away from both Humphrey and Garth's comforting and went over to the wolf who was their brother.
"It's…it's…it's nice to meet you bro" said Kate.
She and Lilly lowered themselves and both gave their brother a big hug as they cried with joy. Their hug though proved to be a little strong and caused some pain on their brother's body.
"Okay…I'm loving the love…but I guess love does bring some pain. Come on girls, poor ol' Jack needs some space to heal please"
"Jack?" asked Kate.
"Jack? Your name is Jack?" asked Winston, sharing Kate's confusion.
Kate and Lilly let go of Jack to allow him to breathe.
"Well…I was only a pup at the time, but I never remembered being called by an actual name" said Jack.
"He didn't have a name?" said Lilly.
"That's true…when he was born me and Winston couldn't decide on a name for him, so we never named him and then he was taken away from us" replied Eve.
"How were you named Jack?" asked Winston.
"When I was taken away…I was eventually put into a different wolf pack that was to take care of me. The alpha female leader of that pack took me in since she said she felt bad for a pup like me and because I didn't have a name, she just named me Jack" explained Jack.
"Were sorry you never knew your real family…but there is one question I would like to ask you, how did you know about us and found your way back here after so long?" asked Eve.
Jack took a moment to ponder at the question his mom just asked and couldn't really find a definite answer, but he answered back with his own knowledge.
"Something just told me that I didn't belong with the other pack…or it could have been that I was the only black and white wolf since everyone else was white in fur color" said Jack.
"So you were in an Arctic wolf pack?" asked Winston.
"That could be it, it was rather cold the whole time I grew up with the pack and it always occasionally snowed" replied Jack.
"That definitely sounds like an Arctic pack to me" said Humphrey.
"But how did you know about us though?" asked Winston.
"The alpha leader, whose name was Krystal by the way, told me later on how I was brought to them, but that she was caring enough the take me in. Sooner or later I picked up a scent and…" said Jack as he ventured back in time through his memory.
He could still remember the strong and caring Arctic female wolf that took care of him. Krystal took him in as her own pup even though some wolves didn't like the idea. She always looked after him every minute of his young life until he started to mature and that's when Jack started to smell something strange, a scent he couldn't ignore. He asked Krystal about it one day while she was watching over the pack from her den in the snow.
"Ma'am" asked Jack.
"What is it Jack?" said Krystal.
"I always smell this strange…scent. I smell it in the air and even…on me. Does that mean there's something wrong with me?" asked Jack.
"No Jack there's nothing wrong with you, it just means you're ready to know the truth" said Krystal, her voice commanding but motherly.
"The truth about what?" said Jack.
Krystal turned to Jack and sat down in front of him as she started to explain to him the truth about him.
"You see Jack, you're not really part of my family"
"What?"
Jack was shocked to hear that Krystal would tell him something like that.
"You were taken away from a faraway place and two humans left you here in our pack" responded Krystal.
"So…Am I just…not one of you?"
Jack was beginning to show tears as he became sad from what he had heard, but Krystal looked at him sad as well and put her paw on his shoulder.
"Jack, you've always been one of us. You're a wolf, you may look different in color, but being a wolf is what counts. I took you in because you were alone, I don't let anyone stay alone in this pack" said Krystal.
Jack didn't respond to Krystal, but he wasn't feeling anger, instead he was feeling sadness for not being able to know his true family.
"The scent you smell is the scent of your real family"
Jack then looked at Krystal at what she had told him.
"The scent…of my real family?" said Jack.
"Few wolves can keep the scent of their family with them for a long time and you seem to have had it with you for a very long time" explained Krystal.
Jack remained silent for a while with Krystal as she kept her eye on the whole pack from her den, but also staying focused on Jack for what he might say.
"Ummm…Krystal ma'am?" asked Jack.
"Yes?" said Krystal.
"Would it be okay if…I le…lef…you know to…"
"You want to know if it's okay for you to leave and go find your family right?" said Krystal.
Jack couldn't respond since he thought he was being selfish in just leaving the one person who looked after him just to see his real family. When he didn't respond, he noticed Krystal lean forward and gave Jack a hug.
"You've grown so much since you were a pup Jack and you would always go for something, even if it's impossible to reach. Now, you can finally go after something that matters to you" said Krystal.
"But…I don't just want to leave you and the pack so suddenly" said Jack, tears beginning to appear in his eyes.
"I've taken care of you and taught all that I know, now it's time you know the truth and that means you need to know your true family" said Krystal.
With that said Jack said his final goodbyes to Krystal the next day and began his long journey and follow the scent he smelled. Jack was leaving in the early morning and said his final goodbye to Krystal, but not before she also gave her last words to him.
"Just remember Jack, everyone here will always still be like your family. I hope you find your true place where you belong, but we will always remember you"
Jack felt touched by her for all that she has done and he couldn't express any words, so he gave her his strongest hug he could give. He didn't want to let go of the person who had cared for him, but he had to know who his real family is. And from that moment onward, Jack left on his journey to find his family. That was the last thing Jack remembered when he finally left the Arctic wolf territory and wandered through the harsh wilderness to get to Jasper Park, all while following the scent of his family.
"Wow, that must have been dangerous to travel all alone in the wild" said Garth, impressed that Jack was able to make it without getting hurt.
"It was really dangerous mate, trying to survive bears and finding food isn't really an easy thing for a wolf to do" said Jack.
"But you made it through, that's what really matters" said Humphrey.
Jack pointed his paw at Humphrey and smiled.
"Exactly amigo, my survival is what counts, aside from all the danger" agreed Jack.
"Well then, I think there needs to be a celebration to welcome back Jack to our pack" said Winston.
Everyone only watched as Winston walked to the entrance of the den before stopping and then gave a summoning howl to all of the wolves; even his howl was able to reach the Eastern Pack from afar. Everyone waited for about twenty minutes before the whole feeding grounds were filled a large crowd of wolves from both of the territories, which Garth needed to explain to them as to why they had received the call. Everyone quieted down as Winston stood at the entrance of his den with Kate, Humphrey, Lilly, Garth, and Eve stood next to him, but he was also joined by a standing Jack as he held onto Eve's shoulder just to make sure he didn't lose his balance while standing.
"I've called you all here for an important matter because I have great news to tell everyone" announced Winston.
Everyone began to whisper as to what the news would be and then quieted down to let the Western Pack leader speak onward.
"Some of you remember that I lost a pup a long time ago when two humans came to our territory and took him away, well, I'm glad to say that that pup has come back to our pack"
Winston pointed to Jack as he stood next to Eve for support and was a little shy when he was pointed out to the whole pack.
"His name is Jack and he's the pup that our pack lost, I want us all to welcome him back into our pack again!"
There were many gasps and awes among all the wolves and they couldn't believe that a wolf that had been away from his home could still come back. The whole crowd started howling and cheering at the thought that Winston and Eve's lost son had finally come back.
"To celebrate his welcoming back, we will have a Moonlight Howl tonight" confirmed Eve for Winston.
"So all of you go back to your dens and start getting ready for tonight. That is all, you're dismissed" finished Winston.
The crowd of wolves dispersed and they all went back to their dens to get ready for the coming night of celebration.
"Awe, you didn't have to go and plan a sudden celebration dad" said Jack.
"It's all about celebrating your coming back and to get you to celebrate your first Moonlight Howl too" said Winston.
"A Moonlight Howl! This is going to be exciting!" said Kate.
"Let's all go and get ready too" said Humphrey.
"Good idea" said Lilly.
"I'll go back into the den and rest up for tonight then" said Jack.
Eve helped Jack walk back into the den and as the others started to leave, Winston spoke again.
"Wait a moment"
"What's wrong dad?" asked Lilly.
"You and Humphrey can go, I need to talk to Kate and Garth" answered Winston.
Everyone looked at each other and decided to follow his orders.
"We'll catch up later Humphrey" said Kate as she licked his muzzle.
Garth did the same and licked Lilly on her muzzle before they waved to each other and left. Garth and Kate sat down in front of Winston as he started to speak.
"So, here's what I need to say"
So like I said, it WILL take TIME to update this, but at least I didn't make the update come a month later. That's something good to know right? Anyway, enjoy the chapter and the next is already in the making.