Humphrey laid on the wooden floor of the train car, his paws dangling off the ledge as the wind ruffled the fur on his face. He watched mildly as the landscape flew past, his eyes gradually closing as the trains rumbling and chugging lulled him into sleep. Then his eyes would open once again to find the terrain had changed. Day turned into night and night to day, this cycle continuing for at least two whole days if he managed to piece together the fragmentations of wakefulness together correctly.
That meant two days of endless traveling, which also meant he was probably extremely far from Jasper Park Canada now.
Humphrey was immediately assaulted with a bought of anxiety as the realization he was well and truly alone now completely sunk in. He swallowed thickly and tried to relax and go back to sleep for a little longer, where he could dream about Kate again and of a world where stupid pack laws didn't keep them apart, but it was no use. He was unfortunately awake now and with wakefulness came reality and with reality came hunger and an unbelievable headache.
"Well, this stinks," Humphrey muttered irritably to himself. "Day one of Life as a Lone Wolf and I'm already half starved."
Humphrey snorted, "No wait, make that day three, right? We're off to a great start."
Sighing, the grey wolf sat up and stretched, his jaws widening with a huge yawn. He shook out the hay that clung to his bed-headed fur and looked around the new scenery. As far as he could tell, nothing major had changed. There were still tall, craggy, snowcapped mountains that reached for a bright blue cloudless sky, green pine trees and fields of grass. So, why did it feel like he was stepping onto the moon?
"Well, this seems as good as any place to get started." Humphrey mused, searching the ground for a good landing pad. He decided to jump off at a patch of tall, feathery grass that danced in the breeze like waves in a river. Alas, it did not feel like feathers or a river when he landed but at least he had survived mostly intact. His pride was probably the biggest victim of all of this.
"Good bye, Canada. Hello, foreign world who's name I have no idea."
Sitting up, Humphrey watched the train speed away from him until it was nothing but a dot on the horizon, a string of smoke billowing into the air.
"Looks like it's going to be on foot from here on out."
Humphrey rose to his paws and began his march towards the unknown. He walked alongside the tracks for a while in the direction the train had gone to as he worked up his courage to go deeper into the forest. If there was any food to be had, Humphrey knew it would be there. How stupid he was to wait so long before searching for food though. There was no way he would be able to hunt for anything substantial until he regained his strength, and to do that, he needed to eat. Without a pack to help though, he would need to hunt for something small.
"Wilderness, 1. Humphrey the Lone Wolf, 0." Humphrey muttered, staring at the iron train tracks crafted by the two-legged animals. He was surprisingly reluctant to leave it, for leaving it meant he was detaching himself from his one last connection to home.
Humphrey sighed, patting the cool steel with a paw, "Adios, tracks. Hopefully we won't see each other again because if you do, that means I coward and decided to go home."
Giving the man-made object one last forlorn glance, Humphrey turned and walked into the woods. Immediately, he noticed how little sun penetrated through the trees, so densely packed were they. Jasper Park must have pampered him, so used to it was he, lying in the open valley where the sun could find him and warm his fur.
Humphrey pushed through layers of twigs, leaves, and sharp thistles, his nose to the ground in search of a yummy smell.
He caught several hints of small creatures. Rats, birds, squirrels, and rabbits that had scurried through this area at one point or another. He was not in the least bit picky at the moment but he knew it would take a hundred squirrels to satisfy his insatiable appetite now. He chose to start off easy, knowing his hunting skills left much to be desired, and picked out a hare from the tangle of smells and began to follow it.
Time passed very quickly for Humphrey as he focused solely on tracking the animal down. He barely noticed the light dimming as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Tracking had never been his strong suite as was most useful jobs in the pack were, but Humphrey could see the appeal of it. There seemed to be a whole new world of stories that lingered under the brush just waiting for a sniffer like him to find and follow.
Multiple times, along his way, he spotted different animals milling about as if without a care in the world. He had tried to go after several, but most were quick and expectant and scurried up trees and into hiding places in the ground long before Humphrey could get to them. It was infuriating to say the least, especially now that his stomach had decided to take a voice of its own and constantly growled and moaned about how empty it was.
Humphrey patted his stomach with a paw, hoping to soothe the beast inside him. "Ssh, its okay. We'll find something soon. . . I hope."
He added that last part in a whisper, not wanting to tick off his stomach. He wondered briefly if he might already be going mad out here alone and hungry, but quickly dismissed it before he ended up tumbling down the wrong rabbit hole.
Eventually, the scent he had been locked on for hours, ended and when he looked up, he saw a rabbits hole, the right one, and judging by the smell, he knew they were home.
Humphrey paused to consider what to do next. This was the closest to food he had ever gotten, whatever he chose to do now would either make or break everything. His incompetence on the matter was frustrating to say the least to the young Omega. He was clearly very ill equipped for this adventure and should've at least joined a few hunting parties before leaving his pack.
"Oh well, C'est la vie." Humphrey muttered.
He looked around the area before deciding on a spot where he hoped he could keep a close eye on the rabbit's hole without being spotted if the rabbit decided to peek its head out.
"Eventually, you'll have to come out, little guy." Humphrey whispered to himself, resting his head between his paws. "And when you do. I'll be ready."
Kate returned to the den, not with a caribou in her jaws as would be expected of her, but a paper pamphlet she had snatched out of a compartment in the open door of a human's truck.
Unfortunately, Kate couldn't read a blasted thing on it, but she was hoping she knew someone who does. Or rather two someone's. Obviously, wolves had no need for pamphlets, but this was not just any pamphlet, this one had a picture of a train on the front and Kate was extremely interested in trains at the moment.
No one. Not even Kate's mother or sister, knew what her plans were. No one except a particular pair of birds.
Marcel and Patty had visited her a day after her supposed wedding where she told them of the devastating events that transpired after her confession to the pack. Once she admitted she had no intentions of marrying Garth, the two were delighted to assist in her secret mission to find Humphrey.
They had agreed to keep an eye on the grey wolf and return to update her periodically on his condition before they took off in flight without wasting any time.
They had yet to return though and she was getting more impatient as the time crawled by. It was hard to believe it had only been three days since she had been in a train car with Humphrey howling his song to her. It felt like an entirely different lifetime.
Kate sighed as she felt the familiar twang of guilt in her chest at the thought of leaving her pack to the Eastern wolves. While the peace had been established and their packs united with the marriage of her sister, Lily and her ex-fiancé, Garth. The western wolves still held some ill will for the death of one of their most beloved.
Once Kate left, there was no telling what kind of trouble it would stir up. Things were tenuous at best. Their truce as thin as ice and teetering on the needle point tip of a 2,000 ft tall mountaintop. Just one wrong step and everything would crumble and Kate could barely take the responsibility of possibly being the one to have to take that step.
It was often, Kate asked herself, what would Humphrey do in this situation? And she knew he would crack a joke, or do a funny little dance, or show off a neat trick he came up with that would have everyone doubled over in laughter. Humphrey wasn't good at a lot of things involved with the pack, but when it came to releasing tension, he was an expert Omega.
Her dad had been right. Omega's really were the backbone to any pack. If you took it away, the rest of the structure would fall and Humphrey made up eighty percent of that backbone, she was certain now.
Unfortunately, Kate was an Alpha and while she knew what Humphrey would do, she didn't have the ability to properly defuse an issue.
To think, she snorted to herself, that she used to look down on him for his unsightly behavior. Thinking of him as nothing more but a goofy guy who has yet to grow out of his puphood.
Too bad she had waited so long before apologizing. Now he was gone to God only knows where and she was left by herself with the crippling regret.
Kate entered the den where her mother was busy, tending to the nursing females. Now that spring was in full swing, almost every female had given birth to litters of pups; besides herself, a few of the older females, and her sister. If the Alphas of the pack fail to have an heir before they become sterile, the title would be passed on to the most capable beta.
Kate however, had no intention of providing the next heir anytime soon, so the responsibility now lied on Lily's shoulders. Her and Garth had not been married long, but Kate was aware that it never took much time after a ceremony for newly mated wolves to. . . well, mate.
Kate was silent as she passed through the activity of chattering females and yipping pups, to her corner bed of dried leaves and grasses where she stashed her pamphlet from view. Kate was aware she was old enough now to move out of the den and sleep with the wolves outside, but there was something so comforting and safe about the den that made her reluctant to ever leave it.
She laid down and watched the nursing unfold, the pups clinging to their mothers and wrestling clumsily with one another for the best spot to have their meal. Their little tummies plump with milk.
Kate had to get up and leave though, once the males came in, oohing and aahing over their younglings. Reminding her of the one thing she couldn't have. Well, without Humphrey she supposed that made two things. Humphrey and Humphrey's pups.
She couldn't help smiling over the image of having a litter of pups tucked in the curve of her belly. Their fur would be grey, like Humphrey's with her Alpha personality. Or maybe they would be golden yellow, like herself and have an Omega personality. It didn't seem to matter to her like it would the pack what variety of pups she had, as long as Humphrey would be in them somewhere.
However, that fantasy would only remain a fantasy if she didn't take action and soon.
"Kate, dear."
Kate stiffened at the sound of her mother's voice. The perfect family picture fading from her mind. She sensed the other wolf coming over to join her at her side, overlooking the valley below where their fellow pack members milled about, either napping or playing.
The valley had always been a wonderous sight to behold ever since she was a pup herself, but recently the landscape had been failing to take her breathe away like it used to. Somehow, in the blink of an eye everything felt dull, gray, and gloomy. As if, when Humphrey left, he had stolen the colors and vibrancy with him.
She concluded that she was the only one who felt this way.
Wait. . . no. That wasn't entirely true.
She had bothered to take her head out of her own behind, long enough to notice the lack of energy and laughter in Humphrey's friends. They continued to joke and play, but it all seemed half-hearted to her. As if they really didn't want to, but they still did to keep up appearances.
Unlike her, who had practically abandoned all of her duties in favor of either sulking or planning her escape. It was shameful of her as a Leader of the pack, she knew this as well as anyone, but the motivation had abandoned her just as surely as she did her duties.
She blamed Humphrey for it, of course, but she could not bring herself to be mad at him. She tried quite a few times. Tried to spit his name and curse him for giving up on her and leaving her behind, for being adorable and making her love him. Not that she could really blame him. She doubted she would've acted any different honestly, had their roles been switched.
"I see you're back from your little expedition. How did it go? Did you catch anything?" Kate's mother, Eve asked gently. Reminding Kate that she was not alone anymore.
Kate cleared her throat and tried to sit up a little straighter. "Uhm, yes. I caught something, but I don't think it's very useful to the pack."
"That's alright dear, not every hunt can be successful. Although I did hear that your sister and that boy Garth had returned from a hunting trip with a moose. . . or was it an elk? Either way, it's quite impressive for an Omega. Garth is so sweet for teaching her how to hunt."
Kate desperately tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that kept squeezing her heart, but it just seemed so unfair sometimes that her sister got to spend her life with the wolf she loved while Kate had to sit here alone and miserable.
"You should go down and eat something, honey. You're looking a little pale." Eve nudged her daughter with her nose affectionately.
Kate sighed, "I just. . . haven't been feeling very hungry lately. I'm fine, though. I promise."
Eve quirked a brow, clearly unconvinced. "Well, if you're not going to look for him then you should at least work on becoming a better Alpha Leader."
Kate blinked, surprised by the stern tone her mother's usually docile voice took. " I. . . I was just. . . I'm sorry, mom." The golden wolf seemed to wilt, like the flower Humphrey gave her on her wedding day. "I know I shouldn't be shirking my responsibilities like this over some boy."
Eve huffed, rolling her eyes. "One of the most admirable traits about you, my dear Kate, is your dedication to your duties, but it also can be one of your downfalls."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you often are so focused on your obligations that you tend to forget you need to take care of yourself as well."
Kate shrugged, looking down at the ground. "I told you, I'm fine, mom. I'll eat something in a little while."
"That's not what I meant."
Kate looked up. "Then what?"
"I meant, if you wish to go look for him, which I know you do, you have my knowledge and blessing to do so."
Kate's eyes widened with surprise. "B-but. . . the pack—"
"Will survive without you. It has so far anyway."
Kate winced a little at the jab. "I'm sorry, mom—"
"Oh, stop that. You don't think mommy wasn't stupid and in love once? I know what its like to have a broken heart."
Kate sighed. Of course her mother does. She was going through it right now as they speak. While Kate mourned the loss of Humphrey, at least she knew he was still alive somewhere. Hopefully. Eve, however, had to live on, knowing her husband Winston was never coming back.
"It's all my fault." Kate whispered, shakily. "If I had just married Garth. Dad would still be alive."
"If you had married, Garth, what do you think would have happened to your sister?"
Kate stayed silent, knowing that she couldn't justify her sister's misery either.
"Your father never wanted this for either of you. More than anything he wanted you two to be happy. I believe he was more than okay to give up his life to ensure the safety of yours." Her mother said soothingly, her own voice shaky with sorrow.
"He shouldn't have had to though. I should've moved faster. I should've gotten to cover in time before that caribou kicked me. He wouldn't have had to throw himself in danger to protect me, otherwise."
"You cannot guarantee that, honey."
Kate shook her head. "He's probably so disappointed in me."
"I doubt that very much." Her mother said assuredly.
"How could he not? His own daughter went against pack law. Compromising their own safety and for what? Because I love an Omega?" Kate cried out. "He's probably rolling in his grave now because his daughter can't even think about anybody but herself!"
"Your father never wanted you to marry a wolf you did not love." Her mother confessed.
"Maybe not, but it was for the good of the pack."
"Which was why he had come up with that solution, however, he was always reluctant to go through with it. Why do you think he never mentioned it to you until you followed him into that meeting with Tony?"
Kate shrugged. "There was no other way."
"I doubt that too."
Kate stared at her mother quizzically, but the older wolf didn't offer anymore. "I believe if your father were here now Kate, he would also tell you to go. Wolves take care of their own. Even the Leader of the pack."
"He still never approved of relationships between Alphas and Omegas." Kate pointed out.
Eve snorted derisively. "Centuries of tradition will do that to you, sweetheart, but don't let his tough guy demeanor fool you. He had always been a huge romantic."
Kate gave her mother a skeptical look, unable to picture the great Alpha wolf Winston with a rose in his mouth trying to woo his mother. Eve chuckled, "It may not have seemed like it, but I assure you, when we first met, he always tried to impress me. I doubt his mind ever considered ranks at that time."
"You really think so?"
Eve nodded confidently. "Kate, look around you. The packs are healthy, safe, and all in all, happy. That is all that mattered. Now that it's taken care of, you're allowed to focus on yourself. You must remember sweetie, you're not getting any younger."
"Real funny, mom."
"I'm just saying, I wouldn't mind seeing some grandpups in my lifetime."
Eve smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement as her daughter groaned, "Mom!"
"Oh, but before you do anything. Please promise mommy you will eat beforehand. You need your strength for whatever it is you decide to do."
Kate nodded. "Do you think he's okay out there, mom?"
Eve sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. . . The wilderness is a very cruel place, my dear. Even the most trained Alphas are challenged with facing the wild on their own and your Omega hasn't had that kind of training."
Kate frowned, her gut tightening with concern for Humphrey. After they had been wolfnapped and they struggled to find their way home, Humphrey never once concerned himself with their own survival. He helped where he could, but Kate had been the one to mostly provide food for them. Well, when Humphrey wasn't digging in dumpsters for wrapped cupcakes anyway.
"Still, I wouldn't worry about that too much. I strongly believe every wolf is breaded with a survival instinct. Some stronger than others but it is always there. His mentality, however, might be more difficult to keep preserved."
"What do you mean?"
Her mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, Kate saw that Eve was in a different place. A different time. "Wolves aren't in packs just because it makes hunting easier. A wolf on his own is a very lonely creature whose sole concern is his own safety. Concentrating so much on his survival, a lone wolf can easily forget who he is. He'll forget how to laugh, how to love. How to live."
"But. . . he's an Omega. That's what he does."
Eve smiled gently at her daughter. "Honey, if a jester doesn't have a court to listen to him, does he still jest?"
Kate had a difficult time digesting what her mother was telling her. That the grey wolf that left her could still be alive and well, but Humphrey could be gone. The thought was too preposterous to even consider.
Eve must have seen the denial on her daughters face because she said, "I've seen it before. An injured wolf had crossed our territory in search of help. He had left his pack years ago. We welcomed him into our home, and he treated everyone kindly, but there was always something off about him. Like there was something missing."
"Did you figure out what?"
"He was so. . . empty. He never smiled. Never played. Never mingled with the other wolves except on a hunt or to eat. It was as if the world had sucked the very life out of him and left behind a hollow shell."
"What happened to him?" Kate asked. Expecting a tragic ending to this sorrowful tale.
Eve smirked, "Oh, don't worry. He's still here."
Kate was startled. "Wait, really? I don't remember ever meeting him."
"Oh, you have. Many times. He's improved quite a lot since we first found him, but there is still something missing about him. I'm sure you would notice if you paid enough attention."
Kate tried to think of all the influential wolves in her childhood, but none seemed to stick out like a sore thumb as her mother was suggesting. Every wolf seemed as normal if not, a little quirky as one could expect.
"Who is he?"
"Unfortunately, he made me promise to keep his history a secret. The only reason I told you this story is to warn you, my dear. The longer he is out there. The harder it will be for him to hold onto who he is."
Kate didn't say anything as her mother dismissed herself to go tend to the females in the den. She just continued to sit there, overlooking the valley as she replayed Humphrey's last words to her. "So, I'll be a fun-loving lone wolf."
She was suddenly doubting it now. She was doubting it very much.
Tune in for more Humphrey in the next chapter! Also, I would like to hear your opinions! Do you think the true threat on Humphrey is physical or psychological survival? There have been people who had to survive in the wild but the state of the brain and thought process can be a crucial turning point.