Much to Kate's amazement, she actually did manage to catch a few hours of shut eye during the trip, for she found herself waking up to Agnes telling her they were getting ready to land. How the cow knew any of this, Kate had no idea.
Stretching, the golden wolf rose to her paws and glanced out the window to find themselves unbelievably high up in the sky. Yellow plains and craggy mountains that looked as tiny as a stone stretched out below as far as the eye could see. It was magnificent, breathtaking, and frightening all at once.
"Gorgeous, ain't it?" Agnes said with a smile, looking at Kate with a strange sort of paternal expression on her face. It was awkward yet heartwarming that the mammal had become so taken with her in such a short time. She would be lying if she said she hadn't felt the same though. "There'll never be anythang like it."
"I guess this is what Marcel and Patty feels all the time." Kate mused, suddenly envious of the feathered wings they had been blessed with. If she could fly like them, she would never touch the ground again.
Landing wasn't the most pleasant sensation however, luckily it was quick as the big machine slowed down and maneuvered into a section of the airport. Shortly after, the side hatch swung open and humans piled in to unload the cargo.
Kate glanced over to Agnes's crate who watched her with gentle eyes.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Agnes."
"Same to you, dear. I do hope you find your fellow."
"Me too."
"And don't forget what I told you." The brown cow named Clarissa shoved her nose through the slots. "Don't say I didn't warn ya."
"Didn't I tell you to hush it?" Agnes snapped, shouldering her fellow cattle away.
Kate shook her head as if deflecting Clarissa's advice, refusing to allow this to deter her. If the brown cow turned out to be right, well. . . that was a bridge she would cross when she got to it.
With a final farewell to the group of female livestock, Kate used the same tactic to get out as she did to get in, waiting on top of the cargo until the humans unloaded it. Once outside though, she didn't care if she were spotted as she leapt off the container and made a beeline for the open landscape and away from the airport.
Immediately, she noticed the obvious lack of trees everywhere. The sky was an endless, pure blue with not a single cloud to mar it. The sun, a permanent yellow ball of heat that perpetually beat down on the cold-climated wolf, drying up whatever fluid she had left, be it from her eyes, nose, or mouth.
Still, Kate kept running, knowing they could still see her without a single large enough object to hide behind. It was only until she made it over a hill that line of sight between her and the airport was cut off. She waited there on the hot, dusty ground for any sound of the humans coming after her, but thankfully, there was none.
Finally, the she-wolf took in her surroundings. Not that there was much to look at other than the dried shrubbery and miles upon miles of dirt and rock. In the distance to her left was an orange mountain pass and to the right was a human city, its tall, shiny buildings sparkling in the sun's reflection.
Now, here was an issue. The alpha had absolutely no idea which way Wyoming was and Marcel and Patty must've fallen behind for she had yet to see them anywhere. She hoped to God neither one of them had been eaten by a plane like poor Marcel's Uncle had been.
She considered sitting there and waiting for them, for getting lost was the last thing she needed. Then, she wondered if they had gotten lost along the way. How long would she have to sit there before deciding that's what happened? How far back would they be and how fast were they moving? She had no idea, and it was starting to worry her. However, when she started thinking about Humphrey again, she knew there was no way she could keep this up.
Kate tried to picture a human map.
She hadn't seen one since her trip to Sawtooth Idaho, but she was fairly certain Wyoming hadn't been too far from Nevada. East, or Northeast? She couldn't quite remember. If she could just catch a quick glimpse of a map, she would feel much better, but short of waltzing into a human city and very likely getting caught in the process would develop an even worse situation than the one she was in now.
No, she was just going to have to trust her instincts on this. Not that they ever let her down before.
Looking up to the cloudless sky, Kate saw the sun at mid-afternoon point, heading towards east. She headed in that direction, hoping she was getting closer rather than farther from Humphrey.
Humphrey awoke to an overcast sky. The smell of damp earth ever increasingly strong and there was an electric feeling in the air. The storm would be coming soon.
Looking across the lake that stretched out before him, Humphrey decided he was going to need to find a new place to camp tonight. From where he was, the water was only a couple feet below him. A strong storm could easily raise the water level just enough to flood his little crevasse.
Again, Humphrey thought about that perfect spot he had found beneath the maple tree. It was close to water, but not enough to risk a flood. It was downhill and faced away from the wind. He could spend the entirety of the storm hibernating in a den right there, completely safe and protected.
If only those stupid hunters traps didn't litter the area around it. While those strange humans had seemingly helped him out of the one, there was no telling if there were more around and if they belonged to them or an actual hunter. And, if Humphrey were to get captured yet again, there was no telling if the humans would come back to save him a second time.
No matter how perfect the spot may seem, the risk was just too great.
Looks like we're gonna have to improvise, boys. Humphrey thought as he crawled out of the crevasse before risking standing, trying to avoid banging his head on the low hanging rock ceiling like he did last night when he went to go pee. His judgements were already bad enough as is without a second concussion to add to the first.
The young wolf yawned and stretched and felt an itch on his neck. Twisting about, Humphrey used his hind paw to scratch when he came across the strip of thick leather and metal strapped around his neck.
Right. Humphrey sighed. Their little 'gift' to remember them by.
Hoping the collar hadn't been that secured, Humphrey tugged with his hind paw, shrugged his shoulders, and even rubbed against a tree trying to get it off. Alas, the thing stayed attached to him like a really big, annoying tick!
The ex-omega huffed with disgust, staring at his reflection in the lakes surface. It was thick and black with a little metal box attached to the side. He didn't like it one bit. Aside from it being bulky, itchy, and downright ugly, it was the most obvious sign he was marked by humans.
Had he been in a pack, this might've been catastrophic. As it was, it was a symbol of shame and a constant reminder of his biggest mistake that nearly cost him his life had he not gotten so lucky.
"Fantastic. . . Collared up like a dog." Humphrey harrumphed.
"I think it looks good on you." The familiar voice of the crow from last night broke through the peaceful morning silence. Humphrey stiffened, his eyes searching the trees till he spotted the black smudge resting in a circle of green.
"It gives you a sort of homey, disciplined look that speaks 'attach a leash to me and take me for a walk'." The bird flapped its inky wings. So black they were, they gave off an iridescent wave of color in the suns raise when it soared down and landed in front of Humphrey's paws.
The grey canine growled and tried to lunge for the bird but the raven flapped a few feet backwards until it was out of range of those hungry, drooling jaws.
"Were you seriously here all night waiting for me to die?"
"As a matter of fact, no. I was waiting for your lazy butt to get up."
"You really have nothing better to do than harass a wolf who wants nothing more than to be left alone?"
"I find it interesting that a young and inexperienced pup such as yourself would choose to become alone. Afterall, have you never heard' strength in numbers'?"
"First of all, I may be young and inexperienced but I'm not a pup. Second, I grew tired of my pack and its stupid politics. I'd rather starve out here than be apart of that. Not that it's any of your business, scavenger." Humphrey snapped, uncharacteristically irritable. While the ex-omega had always tried to be happy and friendly with strangers, even different critters, ravens were one of those that annoyed the hell outta him to no end.
"You have a problem with scavengers?" The raven asked, testily.
"Of course. Scavengers are the ones that like to pick off the leftovers from those that did the real work."
"Aren't omegas basically the same thing though?" The raven pointed out. "Scavenging the leftovers of the alphas hunt?"
"Omegas help with the hunt." Humphrey countered.
"You mean omegas pretend to help with the hunt by standing on the outskirts, out of the way and insisting they are blocking an escape route for the pray. Than once the pray has been got and the alphas have eaten their fill, the omegas swoop in to pick up the pieces, just like a scavenger. I've watched a lot of wolf hunts in my time. I know how they work."
Humphrey's lips curled in distaste. He hated the logic the pesky bird was using.
"But, you're no omega. Not anymore. Not an alpha. Not even a beta. You don't have a pack, therefore you don't have a rank, lone wolf."
"What are you getting at?" Humphrey asked, just wanting the conversation to end.
"I have a proposition for you."
"A what?"
"A proposition. A deal. A proposal."
"I get it."
"You're looking for game, yes? And not the little rabbits you've been hunting."
"Hare." Humphrey corrected. "So what?"
"So, we could help each other. I spot the game, lead you to it, you hunt it, and in payment, you leave me the scraps."
Humphrey pretended to think on it for a long moment before asking, "Why help me?"
"Why?"
"Yes, you said so yourself. Strength in numbers. Why put all your chips into a single wolf instead of a pack of them that have a greater chance of succeeding."
The raven snorted. "Because a whole pack only takes down one large game. By the time the pack finishes feeding, there's hardly anything left and there are many other ravens and scavengers alike to compete with. So yes, it's indeed a higher risk to waste my time with you, but the reward if you succeed is far too rich not to at least try."
"But you also said I'm inexperienced."
"True, but you're determined and you're one luck son-of-a-bitch. Those two qualities give you a much greater chance than some of these big brutes and hot shot studs."
Humphrey paused to consider, really consider this time. While rabbits were reasonable prey for one wolf to catch by himself, they weren't something that could last for more than a day. With the storm coming soon and having no way of knowing how long it will last, Humphrey would much prefer to hunker away from the storm with a full stomach than to get hungry throughout it and possibly have to go out in it in search of food. A very difficult task considering the rains would wash away most of the scents.
Finally, the grey wolf sighed, "Fine. If you lead me to prey, I'll let you have the remains."
"Good to know you have some brains tucked in that small head of yours."
"Watch it, pipsqueak, or you're going to be my lunch instead."
"Come on, tough guy. Follow me."
As the raven took off into the sky, Humphrey followed at a brisk pace. It was possible the bird could be leading him into an ambush, having made the same deal with another animal twice his size and was planning on picking off the remains of his corpse instead. Animals desperate for their next meal was not beyond a little manipulation. So, Humphrey kept his eyes, ears, and nose open for any signs of danger. If he caught even the slightest whiff of danger, he would turn tail and run.
He may be determined and lucky as the raven so stated, but he was in no position to hold his own in a fight. Not yet at least.
To his surprise though, he smelled not a predator as he expected, but a doe.
Instinctively, Humphrey crouched down into the brush, not wanting to startle her. Creeping forward, he followed the scent until he spotted the beautiful creature standing in the raise of sunlight between the tree like a holy grail. The doe raised her head momentarily, white tail twitching as she searched for threats before resuming her dining on some grass.
She was completely alone. No sight or smell of a deer companion anywhere. It was too good to be true!
Son of a gun actually told the truth!
Humphrey didn't know where the raven was, nor did he care. His attention solely fixed onto the platter that was placed under his nose like a gift. Since he jumped off the train, the young canine hadn't seen a single sign of any deer in the area. He had no idea if he would ever see another again if he let this one slip through his paws.
Cool down, Humphrey. Don't do anything Kate wouldn't do. It's time to think like an alpha.
While he never participated in hunts, he had watched a lot of them. . . well, mostly he watched Kate, but surely he could remember a few things they had done.
Drawing forth his memories of previous hunts, he was disappointed in himself when all he could recall were snapshots of Kate being her gorgeous alpha self.
"Damn hormones." Humphrey muttered to himself, disgusted. He shook his head, "Ah well, I learn better on the fly, anyway."
He crept closer to the unsuspecting animal. Every paw carefully feeling the ground before placing his weight on it, having already learned his first lesson with the hare. He searched the area, calculating his future moves. He needed to approach from the left. If the doe decides to run, she would go towards the water, effectively trapping her. However, she could very easily escape from both the north and south without another pack member to drive her in the direction he wanted. He would have to be quick and play all the roles to herd her where he wanted and pray she wasn't smart enough to figure out what he was doing.
Humphrey circled around until he was in the right position before lunging, managing to sink his claws and fangs into her hindquarters.
The doe gave a squeal of pain and terror as she kicked out with her hind hooves.
Humphrey, too focused on attacking with everything he had, failed to react in time and was throw backward through the air until he collided with a tree, yet again. But, he got the doe running in the direction he wanted, and she was leaving behind a trail of blood droplets, stomped leaves, and broken twigs to follow.
Gritting his teeth, Humphrey pushed himself up and ran after his prey.
The doe was fast too, but not nearly as fast as the hare and Humphrey managed to catch up with minimal effort.
The lone wolf switched back and forth on each side of the doe. Every time she tried to escape one way, he went in front of her, driving her the other way in a sort of zigzag motion until they were coming close to where he needed her to be. Once she was cornered, he could see about getting his jaws around her fragile neck where her life force pumped hard beneath the surface.
That was, until the doe suddenly whirled around on him, standing on her hind legs, her front hooves rising in the air overtop Humphrey's head. Humphrey jumped to the side before those powerful feet could slam back down and turn his head into brain soup. The doe huffed at him. White steam puffing from her nostrils and mouth, her black eyes narrowed angrily at him, startling him backwards until his rump hit a trunk. He had not calculated the prey fighting back!
"Where's your friends little coyote?" The doe asked.
Humphrey, having no other cards to play, said, "They're here. They're just further back, but they are coming."
"Is that so? How foolish of you to attack before they show up."
Humphrey did not like how haughty the doe was. Deer were usually very skittish, dumb creatures. He never saw a deer actually hold its ground to a wolf before unless it had children with them, and he wasn't sure what he should do if one did. So, he just bared his fangs and growled a low growl, similar to the one he discovered he was capable of with the humans.
He was dismayed by the doe's uninterested look. Then again, the humans hadn't been that intimidated either.
"You must still be a pup. Only a pup would be so rash and impatient."
Humphrey scowled. He could tell the doe was trying to work him up, but he couldn't seem to help falling for the bait anyway. "I'm not a pup!"
"Really?" She smirked with amusement. "Could've fooled me."
The grey wolf snarled with uncontrollable anger and tried to attack from the side, hoping to nip the carotid artery and bleed that smug look off the animals face, but the doe stomped her feet again, driving Humphrey back.
"A little word of advice, young wolf. Never approach from the front where I can still see you."
"Shut up!" Humphrey snapped. "I don't need advice from my food."
The doe rolled her eyes. "Tch, teenagers."
Humphrey paced back and forth, trying to find an opening but the doe kept her sights locked on him, her back to the water, her sharp hooves ready to lift in the air anytime he came an inch closer.
"Your pack is taking an awfully long time to get here. I sure hope they didn't get lost. Why don't you give them a howl? Let them know where you are?"
A frustrated huff puffed out of Humphrey's nose. "Come on, enough with the antics. Give up now and I promise we'll make your death swift."
The deer chortled. "Yes, I agree, little wolf that it's time to give up the antics. I'm afraid I cannot spend all day playing with you like this. Run along home now and next time why don't you bring your mommy and daddy with you?"
Humphrey yelped when the doe suddenly charged him, her hooves stomping the ground and spraying dirt, the vibration travelling up his legs and into his teeth.
Tucking his tail, the ex-omega ran back into the woods. When he turned back around, the doe was prancing away, completely unconcerned even while his teeth marks on her thigh still bled.
Humphrey couldn't believe it. A deer. . . a stupid deer had scared him off! Had turned and fought him, the big, bad wolf!
"Wow, that was pathetic."
Humphrey scowled at the sound of the raven's voice. He should not be surprised the bird had followed from above, witnessing his humiliating failure.
"I would like to see you do better."
"I probably could if I had teeth and claws like yours."
Humphrey snorted. "Yeah, in your dreams."
The raven shook his head. "Maybe the lass was right. You should go home. You're just a pup. You need someone to teach you to hunt."
"Buzz off!" Humphrey shouted, snapping his teeth at the bird and startling him into flight. He spat out a mouthful of feathers, missing his target as was on brand.
"I'm not going home. I don't need a friggin pack! I'm doing just fine one my own." Humphrey ignored the itch under the damn collar he wore. Ignored the poke it brought to his pride.
"So I lost one hunt! So what? Not even alphas always catch their prey." Humphrey yelled into the trees. He wasn't sure who he was saying this to. The raven if he chose to still stick around or maybe the other critters that might've also witnessed that little comedy show. Or maybe just the universe in general and the powers that be. Either way, he wasn't ready to give up yet. He doubted Garth would've been able to take that doe down by himself first try either and he wasn't going to let it get him down.
Besides, there was no way he could show his face to his pack after that embarrassing bust anyway.
With that, Humphrey started walking, nose downwards in search of another scent. He could still smell the doe and considered following her again. Maybe he had weakened her. But, he decided against it. Other than being hurt himself, she was probably back home to her family and there was no way Humphrey could take all of them.
Looks like its rabbits again tonight.
What's this? An update? Horray!
Honestly, I'm ashamed of how long it took me to get back to this. I have a lot of chapters already written out that just need to be typed and posted. Funny enough what got me back into this was a werewolf romance novel I stumbled across, just as cringy with a bit of adult content that could make a sailor blush, but it got me thinking about my own wolf romance. My actual wolf romance and thought, eh why not, and began to read it from the beginning and decided I wanted to do more! So, after quickly rewatching the movie I got back to work and here we are! Hope you enjoy!