"Do you think I can still make it?" The young, grey wolf shouted between pants to the duck flying a few feet above his head. He could already hear the howl of the trains whistle, the smell of the burning coals, and feel the rumbling of the powerful engine through the ground. It was very close indeed.
"Yes sir," Paddy confirmed in that English accent of his, swooping down so he was inches on his right. "And just as you hit the tracks, you should see an open train car!"
"Well, avoid truck stops, bears, and that hideous dessert, what is it called?"
"Cupcakes, sir." Paddy clarified for his French/Canadian goose companion, Marcel.
"I will. Thanks, guys." Humphrey shouted above the roar of the train. Hoping his feathered friends wouldn't lead him astray. They haven't so far, right?
The two birds gave him a feathered, thumbs up as they flew off into the sky and to God only knows where now. Probably another golfing game. The conversation concerning cupcakes growing faint. Humphrey quickened his pace as the large metal carts went rolling into his sights between the branches of trees.
Humphrey ignored the sudden urge to turn back home, to go back to where everything was sure and safe. Sure and safe wouldn't be enough for him this time. Not after the one thing he truly desired walked away from him, leaving him alone with a broken heart to contend with. For the good pack, she had said.
Well, for the good of him, he needed this trip. He needed to discover what else the world had to offer him, because he refused to be satisfied by what fate dealt him.
Then, maybe one day, in the very distant future, he will be healed enough to return. Maybe. . .
Do not turn around. Do not turn around. Don't you dare turn around, Humphrey.
Humphrey repeated this mantra over and over, the open car now in sight just as Paddy had promised.
A memory flashed into his mind right then. One he would forever cherish for as long as he lived. Kate, sitting with Humphrey in a similar train car, howling together to the moon. A feat Humphrey hadn't thought possible with the rule stickler wolf until it happened and the hope he remembered feeling that she might've felt a similar way as he.
Maybe she did, maybe she didn't, but Humphrey could not compete with her duties as an Alpha.
Humphrey almost stopped. Almost turned around. Almost went back to try to beg the beautiful Alpha wolf to give up her responsibilities and pack and war to be with him, but knew it was wasted effort. Kate had never been the type to live on dumb ambitions like he was. That was the unfortunate contrast between Alphas and Omegas. He had done his part as a loyal pack member. He had brought home the love of his life to marry another to reunite competing packs and bring peace. In that sense, he should be considered a hero, but he felt far from that title. Now it was time for him to move on to something else. Something bigger.
Shaking away the painful thoughts, Humphrey focused his efforts into making that powerful leap into what he hoped would be freedom from the burdens he carried.
Kate walked up to the ceremony rock at the bottom of the valley in the middle of a patch of wildflowers where her soon-to-be husband, Garth, awaited her. His large and fit form was still undeniably impressive, but in the span of a month since the first time she saw him during the Full Moon Howl, Kate could barely spare the energy to appreciate him. Not with her heart sinking deeper and deeper into her paws the closer she came.
She had to force herself to look up into the crimson wolves' green eyes and was disappointed to find them terribly lacking when compared to a certain pair of sky blue eyes occupying her thoughts.
Stop it. Kate instructed herself. Stop thinking about him. Focus.
She stretched her lips and gave Garth a big, toothy obviously fake smile, but he didn't seem to notice. Busy he was with his own nervousness as uncharacteristic as it seemed of him.
"So, uhm, are you ready?"
She laughed breathlessly, a 'no' in her brain but what came out was a resigned 'yes'.
"Good."
Kate noticed Garth's attention drift off to the side and wondered if he had gotten enough rest last night. Lord knows she didn't.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
Garth's eyes swiftly jerked back to her as if shaken from a trance. He gave her an awkward smile, "You bet! No problems on this end. Ready to go, go, go!"
Kate watched in confusion as the wolf sunk into a crouch, rotating his shoulders in such a way she compared to an athlete stretching before a marathon. She assumed she was supposed to find this attractive, so she acted nonplussed as he popped back up a second later.
"So uh, you want to start this thing or me?"
"We'll start together," She offered.
"Start together, yeah."
With that, they leaned in as one and sniffed the others scent, accepting it. Once again, Kate found it severely lacking compared to Humph. . .
Stop! Don't do that to yourself. He's probably already halfway across Idaho now.
They parted only for a moment before leaning in again to nibble on each other's ear. A sign of affection and trust. Loyalty and control. Kate knew none of these things with Garth, having only spent a handful of minutes with him really. She knew of only one wolf that she would put her whole trust and loyalty into.
Kate closed her eyes, her mind inadvertently imagining Humphrey's ear beneath her teeth instead of Garth's.
Oh God. Kate thought with dismay. She truly was a lost cause, wasn't she? He had ruined her for any other possible mates. How on Earth was she expected to put up with this for the rest of her life?
An unsettled feeling rested heavily in Kate's stomach as that thought processed for the duration of the ceremony, barely registering Garth's or her movements as she tried to imagine not only working with Garth at her side, but living with him, eating, sleeping with Garth and inevitably having to mate with him. Eventually, the pack would expect them to have their own pups to pass the Alpha title to and she would have no choice but to comply.
Kate could hardly suppress the shudder as Garth closed his eyes and leaned in for the final stage of the wedding ceremony. She took a deep breath and decided to close her eyes too, hoping that would help get her through this one last milestone.
It didn't.
If anything, it made it so much worse as another image of Humphrey popped in her mind in all his grey, goofy, fun-loving Omega glory. Oh, what she wouldn't give to see his big, adorable smile again.
Kate's eyes popped open in panic, her nose just inches from touching Garth's. From making possibly the worst mistake of her life.
Quickly, she pulled back before Garth could close the gap for her. Murmurs from the surrounding pack members erupted.
Garth's nose twitched in search of Kate's scent, but it had oddly disappeared. He raised a paw to feel for her but when he felt nothing but empty air, his eyes opened, and he stared quizzically across the distance at her.
"Uh, Kate?" He whispered. "What are you doing?"
"I. . ." Kate searched for an explanation for her behavior. She glanced behind her to her parents concerned faces, then looked back to Garth. The entire valley silent and tense, awaiting her answer.
"I. . . can't."
"She can't!" Garth laughed unexpectedly, then seemed to catch himself. Clearing his throat and repeating much more calmly, "Uh, you can't?"
"What is this, Winston? Why can't she marry Garth?" Garth's father, Tony demanded.
"Quiet!" Winston snapped at the wolf before he walked over to his daughter's side, whispering, "Kate, Kate, why can't you marry Garth?"
"Because, I. . ." Kate laughed awkwardly. This was not going to go over well, she could feel it, but it was too late to go back now. "I uh, fell in love with an Omega?"
Gasps and more whispers came from their audience. Her father stood frozen in shock and her mother, who had just walked up to catch the last of the exchange, fainted. Humphrey's three friends were whooping and giving each other high fives while Tony's eyes slowly narrowed farther and farther as agitation grew more and more in the air and Kate knew chaos was about to ensue.
Alpha and Omega, while certainly wasn't the best cartoon children's movies out there; strangely enough charmed me when I was little. Recently, the movie popped back up in my head for some reason and I decided to dig it out and watch it again, and, of course, my mind couldn't stop conjuring a new ending. This is just a sliver cut out of the movie to show where in the timeline we are. Everything after this will branch off quite dramatically. Hope yall are ready for an adventure!