Chapter 20 : A Delivery To The North(Part 2)

Humphrey was awakened by the sound of the cool breeze and he opened his eyes to find himself staring at the night sky instead of the ceiling of the cave. Curiosity grip hold of him and he got onto his four feet, stepping on the grass that he weren't on initially. He looked around and found himself in a dense forest with no sign of the cave he was in nor the others. His worries grew as he tried to call out for them.

'Kate! Lilly! Garth! Eve! Tony! Winston! Sam! Rad! Candy! Sweets! Reba! Janice! Where are you guys!'

Silence was the only reply he received and he began to tremble in fear as he doesn't know where he is nor any creature that might be up in search for their meal. Knowing that standing at where he is and calling out for help isn't gonna change anything, he began to explore around his surroundings, marking his trail by creating claw marks on the trees, only to find himself walking in circles as he found his first mark.

Dammit. I hope the others are alright, especially Kate who worries me most. This forest must be really big that caused me to walk in circles, and yet there's something different about this air, something strange that I've never experienced it before. I better keep looking for them. He thought as he kept his eyes peeled for any unknown enemy or ally who might come out from the shadows.

Before he could continue roaming around the dark woods, a dark silhouette began to form infront of him and he overcome his fears and fell into his fighting stance, ready for the approaching enemy and recalling everything that Rex had taught him. But he stood in shock when the silver moonlight bathed upon the stranger. It was his mentor, Rex.

'Rex?!' He said in shock as Rex strolled towards him with a smirk.

'Hello, Humphrey. I see that you're fine?' He greeted and sat infront of him.

'W-where's Kate? And the others? And y-y-you're-' He halted his stuttering when Rex raised his paw.

'They're fine, and I know what had happened, but there's something that I need to let you know, something important that relates to Lucas's burial.'

'Or you mean Lust.' And Rex gave him a stare that indicates Lucas's burial is a serious manner.

'I don't judge about his new or old identity and persisted because I have a very valid reason for this action, and I hope you can respect that.' He stated.

'Sorry. I'll take my words back.'

'Anyways, do you know where to bury him?'

'In the cave where Katrina's buried, like you told me.'

'And do you know where that cave is?' He asked with an eyebrow raised.

'Yes it's… no, I don't.' He shook his head in disappointment upon coming to his realization. 'So, are you here to tell me its location?'

'Not quite. I believe my parents can lead you to where Lucas and Lex's parent's den are, but you'll have to search for the cave yourself.'

Humphrey felt shocked upon hearing what he had said, understanding that he has no clue on where the cave is in a huge forest; it is like searching for a special ant in a dense forest. He scratched his head in difficulty as he tried to come up with a solution, which he gave in the end eventually.

'I give up; my mind's too shocked by your appearance to be able to think anything right now.' He said as he tapped his head a few times to get it thinking again.

'Maybe I have an idea that might help you out, but it requires a special ability to accomplish it.' Rex said and Humphrey looked back with curiosity as he continues. 'All you have to do is to look for anywhere that glows bright in the dark.'

Humphrey was extremely puzzled by his solution as he tilted his head to one side. He knows what a rainbow is as he's seen it before, but he never seen it during night time.

'I don't get your catch.' He said with an eyebrow raised.

'I've already expected your reaction, so I'll just let you know my reason for that.' Re replied with a smirk before beginning his explanation. 'Do you still remember when… Lucas told us that he saw shiny stones in Kat's den?' Humphrey nodded and he proceeds. 'Well, from what I've heard from the humans before, those shiny gems will glow when light reflects upon them.'

'And you believed in that?'

'Yes, because I happened to come across one before.'

There was one night when Rose and I were on our way back to our den after our Moonlight Howl, and we played around at the Feeding Ground before that. I guess Lust was asleep at that time. Anyway, we were playing hide-and-seek, which Rose was continuously winning all the time as I wasn't very skilled during that time.

I was hiding in a thick brush that was next to a tree, scouting for any signs of Rose and was sure that I could beat her for once, but she always proves me wrong by standing behind me and yelled my name by surprise which made me jump and her rolling on the floor laughing in joy. I didn't make the same mistake again as I do check my back, but only prove to be wrong when I turned back to the front and my muzzle touches something warm, and that was when our muzzles and eyes met.

'Hello, darling.' She said playfully and I jumped back in shock, panting heavily as she rolled on the floor once again laughing.

'You-almost-gave-me-a-heart attack.' I said in between breaths.

She managed to catch a few breaths before getting on her four feet and looked at me with a smirk.

'That expression of yours always gets me, even though I've seen it lots of times. It was priceless.' She said as she giggled a little.

I was pretty depressed about the sudden drop of confidence in winning for once and lowered my head in sadness. She noticed and held my head back up and gave me a passionate kiss which I accepted it well. Our eyes met when we broke apart and she smiled expressed a smirk.

'I'm sorry about that, sweetie. I should've thought about your feelings.' She apologized.

'Nah, it's alright. It's just that you always win in every match, unlike me who always lose. But it's fine, as long as I have a kiss from you, I'm back as happy as usual.' I winked and she giggled.

'Oh, you sly little fox.' She shared another passionate kiss with me and our eyes met when she pulled away. 'You'll win one day, trust me. I know you can.'

'Yeah. I hope so.'

'Alright. It's your turn to seek now.' She jumped around in excitement for the next match.

Here comes another loss as usual. I thought sadly.

'Come on. Face towards the tree and start counting.' She said giggling.

I did what I was told; I never refused in anything she commands me to do, and my courageous spirit drags my surrendering body to the closest tree. I knocked my head on the tree, producing a 'thud' and began the countdown slowly without hearing any sounds of running or breathing; she must've sneaked away like a ghost, with my voice as the only sound echoing in the woods, and it grew louder upon coming to an end.

3…2…1…

I turned around to begin my hunt, but there was no clue to aid me to her location; she didn't make any footprints or claw marks on the ground, as if she was never here with me.

Come on Rex. You can do this. I thought as I gathered up my winning spirit.

Letting out a breath that formed a small fog infront of me, I began to inspect my surroundings for any clues even though I know there isn't any, and it lasted for a few minutes until a glowing object caught my attention. I paced slowly towards it as it came from a thick brush and feared that it could be those shiny exploding sticks that those humans use. Curiosity took over me and my heartbeat rate increases as I got closer, feeling the adrenaline in my body ready to be deployed. I stopped a few inches away and called out.

'Is anybody there? It's okay, I'm a friendly.'

There was no response from the brush and with all my might, I moved towards it and placed my paw a bit deep into it, feeling only the leaves brushing my paw. I stopped and made a deep swallow as I fastened my eyes on the glowing spot.

How I wish Rose is here instead of still playing our game; I would've felt a bit braver. Well, may the spirit of the White Wolf protect me. I thought and pushed half of the brush to one side.

To my surprise, the strange glow came from a dirty stone with a part of it poking out of the ground. I tilted my head as I tried to make head or tails out of it, then dug it out of the ground to have a view of its full form. It revealed to be irregular in shape and still glows even though it's on my paws. I gave it a few scrubs with my fur to remove the dirt and it glows brighter under the moonlight, but what amazes me was that it was emitting rainbows around it. I stared in awe at the beauty of it and was about to call out for Rose in excitement when I heard a female voice beside my ear.

'Wow.'

I jumped in fright, dropping the stone without notice, and landed hard on the ground. I groaned in pain as I looked up and found out that it was Rose, giggling at my hilarious reaction. I got on my four feet slowly and stroked my right shoulder muscle which landed on the ground first.

'Next time, try not to whisper in my ear and confront me directly.' I said, looking at my injury.

'Sorry darling. I will next time.' She replied with a smile and turned towards the colourless stone which lied infront of her. 'But what is that thing? It's glowing rainbows out of it.' She stared in awe.

'I'm not sure.' My mind was processing from the appearance of the stone and somehow recalled something. 'I think it's called 'Diamond'.'

'Diamond?' She looked at me puzzled.

'Yeah, what the humans called it. I've overheard their conversation once and they said that this colourless stone is rare and cost lots of money, and it is able to emit rainbows just like this one.'

'Wow. So today's our lucky day, huh?' She picked up the diamond and examined it.

'Yeah.' I grew a smirk as she inspected it with a beautiful smile which charms me most.

'So, what should we do with it?'

We thought silently for a while till I came up with my decision first before her.

'Why don't we bury it somewhere to mark it as our lucky charm?' I said and her face lit up.

'Great idea! You're such a smart omega.' She said gleefully and licked my cheek.

'And a great mate.' I smiled. How I regretted saying that complement from this day…

We buried it beneath the tree where I was counting and marked on the tree to indicate where we had buried it; it was a heart-shape with our names in it. We smiled when we're done and headed back to our den, walking with our bodies close and nuzzling each other.

Humphrey was pretty silent during the whole story and also when he ended it, looking at Rex with eyes full of sorrow upon hearing a part of his wonderful life. Rex noticed it and only smiled to try to lighten up the conversation.

'So if those shiny stones in Kat's den are Diamonds, then you are one lucky wolf. Those Diamonds will glow as bright as the sun, and I'm sure when you entered it to have a view on those crystals, you'll be able to see lots of rainbows as if you're in heaven.' Rex said with the smile that was exactly same as his corpse. 'Also, could you do another favor for me by digging that Diamond up and give it to my parents? Let them know that I'm sorry I'm unable to pass down our family history, and that Diamond as me and Rose's gift of apology.'

'I see. I will. Thank you for letting me know about this important information, but…' Humphrey said as a sudden question popped up in his mind.

'Hm?' Rex looked at him curiously.

'But, how am I going to find it? Now that you gave me a good suggestion to look for the glowing light, and Lucas did say the lake was a kilometer away from his parent's den, but he didn't give us anything about the address of the cave, which was the exact question that I asked more than twenty five minutes ago.'

'Ah. That's where that 'special ability comes in.' Rex's face lit up and Humphrey's mind returns back to its curiosity state. 'Humphrey, I know this is gonna be shocking for you to hear, but you're gonna have to rely on your instincts in order to accomplish this task.'

Humphrey widened his eyes and sat in shock as he didn't see that coming, and he clearly understood how far his skill level is. Finally, he managed to snap out of it and let out an awkward laugh.

'You're joking, right? Come on, you can joke with something else, but not this.' He came to a halt when he received a serious glance from Rex.

'I'm not fooling around with this, Humphrey. You ARE going to rely on that instinct of yours.'

'But, I have no idea on how to use my instincts, even if I have one.'

'I believe you can, Humphrey. All you have to do is to place your full trust in it, and let it guide you.'

Upon hearing Rex's words of wisdom, he felt a newborn strength surging within him and a confidence that he had never felt before. He looked back at him and nodded.

'Alright. I'll try my best.'

'Good. Let this be a test for you, and good luck on completing it. I have faith in you.' He beamed with pride upon his successful training with his student.

Silent descended upon them for a few seconds until Humphrey broke it.

'So… how am I going to get back?' His vision began to blur slowly and he stood up dizzily. 'Wha- what's happ-ening?'

'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just lie down and go to sleep.' Rex watched as he lied down and his eyelids began to descend.

'Wha- abou-' His lips were too weak to move and began to lose consciousness.

'Don't forget this conversation between us, Humphrey. Good luck…' Was the last words from Rex that echoed in Humphrey's ears before his vision went black.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself staring at the ceiling of the cave that he was originally in and not at the night stars. He got on his four feet slowly and looked at his surrounding, and found Kate sleeping separated from him and the group still asleep, except for Rad and Eve who were already awake and checking on the two corpses. He was totally confused about what had happened a few minutes ago.

Could that be a dream? I don't know, but it felt so real… He thought as he stretched his muscle and groaned which caught the two Delta's attention.

'Wow, you're up early.' Rad said as he was done checking the corpse.

'Is the sun out yet?' Humphrey asked as he licked his paw and cleaned his face and eyes.

'Barely. I couldn't even see a single light out there.' Eve said as she looked at the darkness that shrouded the sky. 'Anyway, did we wake you when checking on the corpses?' She looked back at him with a frown.

'Oh, no, you didn't. I woke up myself, so don't worry.' He said with a smile.

'Alright. In that case, the others should be awake soon because the sun's coming out a few minutes later and we'll be heading out when that happens.' Eve said.

'I'll go and hunt for the group. Can't leave with a hungry tummy, right?' Rad said and Humphrey and Eve let out a chuckle.

'Yeah. I'll hunt with you.' Humphrey volunteered and Rad nodded.

'Make it quick. If it takes too long, I'll be hunting for them myself.' Eve said before they head out.

'Yes ma'am.' They both chorused and begin their hunt.

They dashed through the shadows under the moonlight of the setting crescent moon, and stood on a rock that has a clear view over the dark green land and began to scan for any nearby prey with their fur glowing under the moonlight. Luckily, they caught sight of two Caribous sleeping under a tree that was not so far from the cave. They looked at each other and exchanged a smile.

'Just what we need. Let's go.' Humphrey whispered and Rad nodded before following him towards their prey.

They hid behind the tree and lucky for them, both Caribous turned a little to the side as they were swimming in their dreams, away from the two wolves and they smiled. Humphrey gave a nod and they began to prone towards their prey silently. Rad was amazed by how fast Humphrey was moving even though he was crouching, and didn't make a single sound while doing it.

Wow. Rex must've taught him well. He thought as he tried to catch up with him.

Humphrey's mind was a hundred percent concentrated on his prey, staring at its neck which was about to be ripped open. They stopped infront of them and without hesitation, both of them pounced and landed on both Caribou's back, and sank their teeth into their throat. They then pounced off of them once they tasted blood from the open wound to let them bleed to death. They gave each other a high-five and complemented for their great teamwork.

'That was amazing, Humphrey. You were moving like a ghost and killed that Caribou in a professional way.' Rad said in amazement.

'Oh, that was nothing. You did pretty well too.' He replied with a smirk.

I guess Rex's training really paid off. He thought as he looked away for a moment.

'Come on. Let's get these Caribous back to the group.' Rad said and gripped the Caribou he killed by the scruff. 'Let's drag this one first.'

'Why don't we each drag a Caribou? That'll be faster.' Humphrey said and gripped his kill by the scruff.

'Are you sure about that? You know this thing weights a ton, right?'

'Of course I do.'

'But I-' Rad's eyes widened as Humphrey was able to drag the Caribou without much difficulty, and watched as he began to drag it further before halting and looked back at him.

'Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go. The cave isn't far from here; it's like a few meters away. You can do it.' He said through muffled jaws and continued dragging.

'-I'm not strong enough for this.' Rad finished his sentence before snapping out of his stare and tried to drag his kill back to the cave with all his might…

I hope I wrote this chapter well; I'm not sure if I've done it perfectly or not even though I did my best here. Seems like this story's gonna be a bit longer than expected; it should end around Chapter 23 or 24, and I apologize for updating late; I had to deal with my homework first before finishing up the chapters. Anyways, thank you all for the supports so far. I love you guys for letting me achieve 100 reviews, but what I loved most was reading your wonderful reviews. As usual, leave a review/follow/favourite. It helps me out a lot and you can favourite me if you want to be notified of the next update, but it's your choice so I'm not forcing you; just a suggestion. I'll be off to bed now. Peace out. -LoverWolfs1121