Chapter 22 A happy ending

I trudged along the path tiredly helping Kate along the path looking desperately for any signs of Jasher. The trail seemed endless and the only signs of passage were specks of fur and some blood on the rocks ahead. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and whispered, "What if we can't find him." Kate licked me on the cheek and said, "We will, and we can all make it out alive."

I sighed to myself and looked besides us to stare into the deep crevice that lead to complete darkness. Kate nipped my ear and said, "Humphrey we can find him, I know we can." I nodded and suddenly saw a paw sticking out of some rocks. I raced over and saw Jasher lying on the ground next to a large boulder.

I desperately searched for a heart beat but found none. I was about to pull away when I heard a small thumping in his chest. I breathed sigh of relief and said, "He's ok, just unconscious." Kate joined me and asked, "How did this happen." I looked at the bloodied boulder and Jashers forehead and whispered, "It looks like something slammed his head into the boulder."

Kate nodded and propped Jasher up against the rocks and whispered, "Jasher, wake up." Jashers eyes fluttered but he gave no sign of comprehension. I crouched down and whispered fiercly, "Jasher, you need to get up now!" Jasher slowly opened his eyes and asked, "What the hell happened?"

I shrugged and said, "You tell me." He shook his head and answered, "I'm not sure, I… Wait! I remember now, some kind of shadow attacked me and slammed me against the rocks. It must have been a griever." I nodded and said, "Yea, you should rest though." Jasher shook his head and said, "We need to push that boulder into the crevice or the grievers will escape after your friends." I nodded and pushed against the boulder and the sticky blood on it caused me to shudder violently.

Jasher groaned and got to his feet and slammed against the boulder causing it to shift closer to the edge. I pushed harder and Kate came to my side and groaned as she helped us push the massive rock. The edge came closer and closer with each push and the boulder began to teeter and slip towards the darkness. With one final heave the boulder violently slid of the edge and crashed against the crevice walls and I saw it slowly become lost to the darkness.

Jasher quickly grabbed me and yelled, "RUN, WE HAVE SECONDS BEFORE IT HITS THE BOTTOM." I scrambled away from the edge when a massive blast of force erupted from the chasm and I started slipping towards the edge. Kate quickly jumped and grabbed my paw and with a tremendous effort dragged me to safety.

I felt numb and cold as Kate and I sat on the ground hugging on another and whispering, "I love you." Jasher quickly dragged us to our feet and pushed us back towards the exit and said, "We have to move! Or were dead." I nodded and limped towards the forest and Jasher and Kate followed behind me.

We crept through the desolate place and the eruptions worsened every second causing the ground to violently shake. Jasher pushed us forward and said, "We can't walk anymore, if we waste another minute the ground will collapse beneath us." I nodded and we started to run through the forest when suddenly a geyser of rock erupted behind us. I looked back and yelped as I saw molten hot magma ooze out of the crack and begin to set the trees aflame.

I pumped my legs harder and the shadows were lost behind us. The ground began to crack and shift beneath my paws and I heard the earth collapsing behind us and the tremendous force of the shockwave pushing us foreword.

The trees began to become uprooted and Kate and I followed Jasher as he darted through the fallen trees and over the steaming pools of killer magma. The smoke and heat was beginning to disorient me and I coughed violently as I followed Kate through the thick smoke and steam. The rocks crumbled beneath me and my paw crashed through the rocks and I quickly scrambled to safety as I stared at the rising magma just below my paws.

Kate quickly grabbed my paw and hauled me away from the growing crevice and yelled, "We need to get to the portal now!" I nodded and shakily stood up and followed her and Jasher. We burst free of the flaming forest and ran across the barren landscape as the rocks crashed and crumbled beneath and around us.

My mouth went dry with fear as I observed an entire section of the grievers land collapse and disappear beneath the molten lava. I gulped and cleared my mind as I raced around the cragged rocks staring at the massive cliff walls that held the portal. I yelled out, "Where almost there! Just a little further." Kate silently nodded and panted as she drew ahead of me.

I sighed in relief as the cliff was a mere fifty feet away when suddenly the ground erupted spilling magma all around us. The massive cliff walls began to fall into the magma beneath us and the last few rocks that supported the massive cliffs began to give away.

Jasher looked at me and yelled, "JUMP!" I shook my head as I watched him jump the gap and land with a thud on the cliff face and begin to climb. Kate took a breath and quickly jumped after him. I stared in horror as she hit the rock face and began to slide down.

I abandoned my fear and jumped over the massive pool of lava far below me and yelled, "Hold on Kate!" I crashed into the rocks and clawed my way to her. My paws began to hurt and I yelped as a sharp rock tore into my flesh. I grimly gritted my teeth and jumped down and grabbed Kate's paws. I sighed in relief as I began to pull her to safety when the ground began to crack beneath me. Kate's paws began to slip and she yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE!" I shook my head and croaked, "I can't Kate, you're the only reason I exist."

She smiled and she slipped out of my grasp further and further. A sudden iron determination gripped me and I yanked her up towards the rocks growling, "YOU WILL NOT FALL!" I pulled her into a hug and whispered, "I love you far too much to ever let you go." She hugged me back and whispered, "Thank you."

I nodded and was oblivious to the chaos around us as I leaned in to kiss Kate. She gladly accepted and we shared our feelings for what seemed like hours as I saw rocks and magma spewing and falling all around us.

Suddenly I was lifted to my feet as Jasher yelled, "LET'S GO!" He shoved me up the cliff face and helped Kate begin to climb up after me. I groaned as I struggled to get up one rock after another as magma spilled all around me. I narrowly dodged a falling rock that flew past my head and smashed into the river of lava far below is. I stared in horror as it was sucked up and obliterated.

I calmed myself and began to climb once more up the steep cliff face. I saw Jasher and Kate haul themselves over the side and I scrambled up the last of the rocks after them. I blinked and through the dust and smoke saw Kate yelling, "Humphrey, come on!" I limped towards her and crawled through the cave opening and saw Jasher sitting on the floor breathing heavily.

He got to his feet groaning and pointed at the darkened hole in the cave wall and said, "You go first." I shook my head and helped him to the portal and said, "Go, I'll make sure nothing follows." Jasher tried to stop me but I pushed him down into the gloomy hole and saw him disappear down the ramp. I trudged back over to Kate and whispered, "We did it." She nodded and whispered back, "We did." We walked towards the portal and I helped Kate through. I saw her disappear into the darkness and I yelled, "I'll meet you on the other side!"

I was about to jump in when suddenly the cave shifted violently to one side. I yelped as I hit a rock and fell to the floor. I blinked trying to clear my vision when I saw the thin outline of the massive griever king. I croaked, "Your dead." It cocked its skull to one side and said in my mind, "Wrong, I cannot die here; but you may have killed my minions and my land so I shall do the same to yours."

I shook my head and suddenly magma spilled into the cave and I saw the griever laughing vanish through the portal. I pulled myself to my feet and pushed myself down the steep incline and suddenly I was falling. The darkness was so complete that I felt as if my very soul was being sucked out. I heard screaming and idly thought it was my own.

I suddenly hit rock and slid down the steep slope and saw a bright light at the bottom. My body was bruised and battered by the time I reached the end of the slope and I hit the ground with a crash. I stared up at the sun and thought, "I'm still alive." I blinked and suddenly saw a face above me. I croaked, "Kate, are you here?" I heard a voice reply, "Yes Humphrey, I'm here." I rolled over and the earth seemed to sway beneath me. I barely kept my balance and saw that Kate was standing over me with a worried look on her face. I smiled and asked, "Where's Jasher?" Kate quickly responded, "He went back to Jasper to find the rest of the group and his son."

I nodded and suddenly remembered my encounter with the griever. I whirled around and said, "A griever followed me through." Kate gasped and asked, "Was it the one that attacked you before?" I nodded and answered, "Yea and it said it would kill everyone."

Kate steadied me and said, "We need to get to Jasper." I nodded and trotted towards out home and I whispered, "I know we can beat it, we have to." Kate nodded and said, "We will, I promise." I followed her through the trees and looked around surprised at the calmness of it all; the trees swayed and seemed to welcome me while the birds flew through the branches chirping happily.

I spoke up and told Kate, "It all seems so normal." She looked over her shoulder and said, "Yea, I can't wait to get home to Jasper." I nodded vigorously and said, "Me neither, I miss the few moments of peace we had together." Kate giggled and said, "Well we have the rest of our lives for that." I chuckled and said, "I guess so."

We broke through the last of the trees and I spotted the head alphas den up ahead. Kate trotted ahead of me and I saw Jasher and Dillon happily conversing. Dillon smiled and happily waved at me. I laughed and waved back. Kate tugged my arm and said, "Look, its Kona and Jake." I turned and was relieved to see my two friends had survived the ordeal." Kate giggled and asked, "I wonder what there arguing about now?" I chuckled and replied, "I have no idea but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

I nodded and followed Kate up the steep slope of dirt that lead to her father's den. I gulped and thought, "I really hope the whole Kate and I being mate's thing has blown over for now." Kate vanished into the den and I tentatively followed her inside. The darkness momentarily blinded me and my eyes slowly adjusted and I gasped as I saw Tony and Garth arguing in the corner with Winston sitting to the side with Lilly.

Kate sat down and said, "Were back." Tony whirled around and said, "Kate?" Kate nodded and said, "Yes, were all still alive." Tony stuttered and asked, "But, but how?" I stood up and answered we fell into another dimension." Tony scoffed and asked, "Do you really expect me to believe that?" I nodded and Garth yelled, "WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE US?" I cut in and said, "He doesn't have to, a griever escaped and he'll be here soon." Tony rolled his eyes and said, "Ridiculous."

Winston spoke up and said, "I think we should listen Tony, they seem to have been through too much to not give them any credit." Tony sneered and asked, "Are you listening to them Winston, falling for this nonsense." Winston sighed and said, "No, but we need to at least consider it." Lilly nodded and said, "Were telling the truth and if Humphrey is right and one of those things is out there we need to be careful." Kate shuddered and croaked, "That won't be a problem."

Shivers went down my spine as I turned and stared at the nightmarish griever at the entrance to the den. It glided along the ground and the terrible voice whispered, "Well, it looks like you all saved me the trouble of finding you." I stuttered and shouted, "Get back, you can't hurt us!" The griever seemed to consider this and it replied, "Yes, for now at least, but I can hurt them." The griever dashed forwards at Winston and Tony the darkness sliced through them.

Tony fell to the ground in agony and Garth yelled, "NOOOOO!" Winston stood unhurt and the griever turned and asked, "So you do love someone?" Winston grimly nodded and said, "Yes I do, I have a mate and two beautiful daughters." The griever shrugged and said, "No matter, when there dead I can kill you."

Winston growled and said, "Not going to happen." The griever laughed and replied, "I'm not going to give you a choice, I'll make their deaths quick though." Suddenly the griever was thrown against the wall and an even more terrifying creature began to tear it to shreds. I saw Eve growl, "No one hurts my daughters."

She bit deep into it and the griever wailed in pain. Eve tore of the skull and the griever dissipated into the shadows. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and said, "Well, that's much better." Tony groaned and Winston asked, "Are you ok?" Tony nodded and looked at Eve and said, "Thank you." Eve nodded and said, "I want a favor."

Tony nodded and in a pained voice asked, "What?" Eve calmly replied, "I want you to leave my daughter alone and unite the packs under Garth and Lilly." Tony growled and said, "I can't." Eve growled and said, "YES, I believe you can…" Tony's look turned fearful and he slowly nodded his head and said, "Fine, but I just want you to know I don't approve."

I shook my head and smiled as Lilly tackled Garth and kissed him lovingly. Kate pulled me out of the den and whispered, "I'm glad that's over." I chuckled and told her, "Yea but remind me never to upset your mother." Kate giggled and said, "I won't, believe me." She pulled me into a hug and suddenly I was hit by a flying ball of fur.

I laughed and said, "Hello Grace." She snuggled into my arms and silently fell asleep. Kate smiled and whispered, "I'm glad you found me." I nodded and silently thought to myself, "I am to, and now we can finally live our lives together in peace." We continued to stare out into the distance watching the sun slowly set and our friends chat and play below us.

Epilogue: It's been a year now and Grace is all grown up, Kate and I are happy together and the valley has been at peace. Kona and Jake had their pups many months ago and are happy with their new lives. We all are, Artyom and Dawn have taken over many of the pack duties and have kept the valley safe from any new dangers and have started training new stalkers for missions that require more skill. Jasher and Dillon have left the valley seeking out new lives and I hope they find what their looking for. It's been one huge adventure for me and Kate but I can't help but feel that it's not over yet.

NEW STORY Alpha and Omega Falling in Love

Well, thats my first ever completed story so what did you think? Reviews are greatly appreciated and it really helps me know what I can do better so thank you. My new story called Alpha and Omega falling in love is out now so if you want more then thats the place to look! Enjoy guys and thanks for reading, it means the world to me :)