A/N: Well… here I am. Long story short, uhh… I don't know how to make it short. I guess I'll just start back in January. I did intend to post this chapter by the end of that month, I even wrote about half of this chapter at that point, but… I don't even remember exactly what I was doing the eight months after. After like eight years of no communication with our landlords, they suddenly decided to try and raise our rent, which was a whole… debacle in of itself for several reasons that I'm not going to get into here.
Anyway, eventually we got to moving, which happened over the last few months, which was stressful, because the aforementioned landlords kept trying to force us out without any notice, but that's done and dealt with. Now, I've downsized quite a bit and am trying to consolidate and still downsize all the shit we have. I didn't realize just how much there was until we started the actual move, but whatever.
Here's Chapter Two… long overdue. Pardon the rhyme.
P.S. In case any of you haven't noticed, I've replaced the second last scene in the first chapter with an entirely different one. Simply because the scene I had there prior wouldn't have worked with the plan I ultimately decided on for this story. I recommend you reread Chapter 1 anyway though.
Chapter 2
On the Run
Northern Jasper
"Run, Lilly!" Garth shouted. Eastern wolves had tracked their scent by the northern border and had managed to catch up to them. Garth was behind Lilly as they were chased by several Eastern wolves towards the southern border of the Northern Pack territory.
"Come on, Lilly! We're almost there. We just need to get past those trees." He said, as he ran up beside Lilly.
"Which trees?! Everywhere there's trees! I nearly ran into a few like my sister!" She exclaimed.
"Just stay with me, Lilly." Garth replied. They ran past the trees, but the Eastern wolves had caught up and quickly surrounded the pair. A black wolf with brown eyes approached Garth, whom he recognized.
"Quentin…" Garth growled under his breath.
"Your father wants you to come back, Garth. It's still possible to fix all this. There doesn't have to be any more conflict. You can come back, marry Kate, and we'll all forget this ever happened." Quentin said.
"From what I remember, Kate ran off. I can't exactly marry air." Garth remarked.
"She'll be found. It's only a matter of time before she returns like last time. Now come back with us and we'll settle this peacefully." Quentin replied, as the rest of the Alphas closed in on them.
"Somehow, I doubt that…" Garth muttered, as he glared at the other Alphas, prepared for a fight, while Quentin sighed.
"Fine. You come with us, peacefully, or we kill the Omega and drag you back to Ceremonial Rock to marry Kate. Which do you prefer?" He asked, as his Alphas closed in on them and Lilly gasped in fright before scooting ever closer to Garth.
"We prefer you get out of our territory. Tony's dogs are not welcome here." A gruff voice spoke, then Quentin turned around to see a brownish tan colored wolf flanked by several Northern Wolves.
"These two are our prisoners, Nars." Quentin said, sneering at his name.
"Not today. They are now under the Northern Pack's protection and as stated by the Jasper Treaty, you are to leave, unless…" Nars replied, as he got right up into Quentin's face.
"You wish to start another war, Quentin." He finished, then Quentin huffed and motioned to his Alphas to leave.
"A wise decision." Nars said, as Quentin and his Alphas crossed out of the territory, then Quentin turned towards Garth.
"Mark my words… you won't be safe there forever." He warned, then followed his Alphas back towards the Eastern Pack's territory.
"Consider them marked." Nars muttered, then turned towards Lilly and Garth before frowning.
"You're safe now, Lilly. Uhh… you can let go of Garth now, I think he may want to breathe." He said to Lilly, who was wrapped tightly around Garth. Garth's face was turning blue, because Lilly had a death grip around his chest. She quickly let go of him and stepped away as Garth collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Sorry, Garth." She apologized, then Garth looked up at Nars.
"Thank you, Nars." He said.
"Don't mention it. I'm glad to see that despite the previous allegations held against me by your father, it hasn't tainted our friendship." Nars replied, as Garth got up to his feet.
"Uh, what allegations?" Lilly asked.
"Payton and I had a disagreement. We had a fight… it resulted in me losing both Winston's and Tony's respect. You see, after the Civil War, unlike the Eastern and Western Packs, the Northern Pack was somewhat divided between ourselves. I will explain further, but we should move to a place where there's less ears." Nars explained, then motioned for them to follow. Lilly and Garth followed Nars, while the other Alphas flanked them in behind.
"So… what civil war are we talking about?" Lilly asked.
"You don't know?" Nars asked, confused, then Lilly shook her head.
"Yeah, I'll be honest… I don't quite know what you're talking about either. I do know that the East, West, and North had fought a wolf who went rogue and gained followers to help him take over Jasper." Garth said, then Nars sighed.
"Tell me, do you know who Luna is?" He asked, then Garth looked at Lilly, who shrugged.
"No, why?" Garth answered, then Nars turned to the Alphas following them.
"Leave us." He ordered and they went off in their own directions, while the three of them continued further into the territory.
"There is more that went on than you were told… a wolf named Anthon started the Civil War, he's the wolf who you know went rogue as you said." Nars said.
"Except… he did not go rogue. It started when the caribou herds stopped grazing in the Eastern Pack's territory, food was scarce and war threatened to destroy both the Eastern and Western Packs." He continued.
"Wait… this just happened a couple weeks ago. There wasn't any war. Kate prevented it… until she didn't." Lilly said, muttering the last few words.
"History tends to repeat itself, Lilly. What I speak of occurred several years ago." Nars replied, then took a deep breath.
"Both packs were ready to kill each other over the valley, starvation and desperation can cloud the better judgment. The Eastern Pack was a lot larger at this time and was led by Tony's father, while the Western Pack was led by Eve's mother. The Northern Pack got involved when Eve approached Winston and Payton's father and pleaded to him to help. She was willing to do whatever was necessary… even marry Winston to unite the packs." He explained, then Lilly moved closer to Garth for comfort, while he sighed.
"Well… that explains a few things about her. I thought she was just being overprotective at times." He muttered.
"One wolf, named Vincent, approached the packs in the valley before they fought each other. He said he was a representative of a coalition led by a white she-wolf named Luna, and that he had a way to resolve the food issue… if we were willing to listen. We accepted, because we saw no other alternative other than war. It proved beneficial, the East never went hungry again and we found a peace that had not been seen in Jasper in history. So… we chose to unite with the Southern Pack and be formally accepted into Luna's coalition.
"It was almost too good to be true… Jasper was the largest pack in the continent to have joined the Coalition. Some may say that Luna was a charlatan and wasn't up to the task she found herself in… others say the new leaders in Jasper simply didn't trust her… I say, Anthon wanted to manipulate her and take over. He persuaded Tony, his own brother, to take charge and defy Luna and the other leaders in Jasper. Anthon spread rumors and lies to invalidate her integrity and some of us believed them. By the time we realized that Anthon was playing us and we had banished him, the damage had already been done… dozens dead and the packs split further than ever. It was the worst war in Jasper's history… the Northern Pack managed to retain some alliance with the Western and Southern Packs, but none of us are part of the Coalition any longer." Nars finished as they approached a den.
"You can stay here for the night, then tomorrow we'll discuss an arrangement to escort you two out of Jasper." He stated, as Garth and Lilly inspected the den.
"Thank you, Nars." Lilly said.
"Don't mention it." He replied, then headed towards the main dens.
Morning came in Jasper, as the sun rose over the mountains and illuminated the valley. Near the Ceremonial Rock, Eve was sitting on it with the rest of the Western Pack gathered behind her. Some Eastern wolves emerged from the cliffs, as a few of the Western Alphas growled at the sight of them. Tony appeared from behind some rocks and approached Eve on the Ceremonial Rock. She immediately noticed some fresh scars on his face and body.
"Where's my son, Evelyn?" Tony asked, then Eve scoffed.
"Knowing you, you probably pushed him away, Anthony." She snipped, as the other Eastern wolves closed in around them, while Tony smirked.
"I'm a nice wolf... so, I'm going to give you, and the rest of your pack, one last chance." He said, then turned to address the Western wolves.
"In case you haven't already heard... Winston is dead." Tony explained, eliciting expressions of shock and surprise from most of the gathered wolves.
"Now..." He spoke, silencing their commotion.
"I'm offering this one opportunity for you to join my pack. Refuse, and... well, you can either leave, or stay here and die. You no longer have a leader, so this is entirely your own choice." Tony explained, as some of the Western wolves murmured amongst themselves.
"You're right about one thing: Winston is dead... but they're not without a leader." Eve spoke up, then Tony glared at her.
"Who? You and I both know that you're not your mother, Eve." He snarled, then Eve smirked.
"That's true... but I don't need to be my mother, I only need to be a leader. So, if you wish to keep your pelt the way it is on your body, I suggest you leave." Eve said, firmly, as the Western Wolves closed in around her. Tony glanced around at them, then huffed.
"Enjoy this respite while you can... this valley won't be yours for much longer." He warned, then left with the Eastern wolves following.
Once they crossed the creek, Tony found Quentin waiting for him.
"Have you found them?" Tony demanded, as Quentin sighed.
"We tracked them and managed to catch them at the northern border, but we were told off by the Northern Pack's patrols." Quentin explained, then Tony huffed in exasperation before stomping off with Quentin following.
"Sir, may I speak freely?" He asked.
"If you must." Tony muttered, then Quentin inhaled heavily.
"Sir... the Northern Pack is too strong. We can't afford a direct confrontation with them, but..." He said, as Tony turned towards him.
"Maybe it's time you asked your brother for help?" Quentin suggested, then Tony snarled at him.
"I will never ask my traitorous brother for anything! Never will I stoop to a level as low as him!" He growled in Quentin's face.
"With all due respect, Sir... what do you have left to lose?" He asked, as Tony fell silent. They approached the Alpha Den, as Tony reminisced about a happier time...
Tony emerged from the Alpha Den during the early hours of the morning before starting off towards the feeding grounds to give the Alphas their daily duties. A small reddish critter suddenly brushed past him from out of the Alpha Den and ran off.
"Garth! You get back here this instant!" A red furred she-wolf with a white underbelly and emerald green eyes shouted, as she came out of the Alpha Den as well. Tony chuckled at his own son's antics.
"Don't worry, Kat, I'll get him." He said, then bounded after Garth, who giggled as he ran off.
Tony stared longingly into the distance as the memory ended, then he turned back towards Quentin and sighed in defeat.
"Alright. Go to Banff and find my brother... it's time for this conflict to end." He said.
Lilly grunted while she stretched after waking up, then she noticed Garth was gone and she was alone. She immediately heard someone approaching the den and Garth appeared in the entrance with another gray furred wolf. He had a white underbelly and flecks of white in his gray coat with blue eyes.
"Oh, you're awake, Lilly." The stranger said, then Garth cleared his throat.
"Uh, Lilly, this is John. He's Payton and Lisa's son, they're the pack leaders here. I've explained to him our situation and we've just been discussing what we're going to do next." He explained, as Lilly frowned.
"What do you mean? I thought we planned to keep going and get as far away from Jasper as possible?" She asked, then Garth sighed.
"Yes, but..." He started, then John interrupted.
"Then I told him that Tony is no match against the strength of our Alphas. I assure you, Lilly, you are absolutely safe here, and... you are welcome to stay for as long as you wish." John explained, relieving Lilly's nerves.
"Oh... well, no offense, but Tony knows where we are, I'd personally feel safer if he didn't. If you don't mind, I'd actually like to keep moving and get as far away from here as possible." She explained, then John nodded.
"Understood. In that case, we'd be willing to escort you, and your mate, as far as you want to go." John replied, then Lilly sat up nervously.
"Uhh... I'm not, I mean... we're not, uhh..." Lilly stumbled for words, as John looked at her, then Garth, who was also a little nervous, then back again.
"I see. I'm sorry, I assumed what wasn't truth. Forgive me, I'm quick with assumptions, but not so much with questions." He said, then Lilly smiled.
"It's okay." She replied, as she moved closer to Garth.
"So, anyway..." Garth started, as John nodded.
"I'll make the necessary arrangements with my father. I'm sure he can spare an Alpha or two for a couple weeks." He said.
"You don't need to help us any more. It's probably better that my father doesn't find out you've helped us. You can't imagine what he's capable of." Garth pointed out, but John merely smirked.
"Spoken like a true Eastern wolf, your pack's pride will one day be your downfall. I assure you, Garth, your father is of no threat to us. He may find out we helped you, but he won't be able to reach you." He said, then Lilly shrugged.
"I guess it's okay, I mean... it might be best to have someone else come along with us." She said, then Garth sighed.
"Alright." He agreed, then John smiled.
"Great! I'll go speak with my father straight away." He said, then left the den. John headed towards the Alpha Den, but just as he approached it, he heard voices inside.
"Hutch, you have my word that Tony's son and Lilly are not in my territory. If we find them here, we'll send them back your way. I won't do anything that'll jeopardize the relations I have with my brother." John heard his father speak.
"Now, as for the other matter... you shall have my support. Whatever reinforcements you need, we'll provide. I won't let my brother's pack fall due to Tony's mistakes." His father added, as John peeked inside.
"Of course, Sir... and thank you. Hopefully we're not already too late." Hutch said.
"Hopefully not... but even if so, we'll avenge your pack, if necessary." Payton replied, then Hutch bowed in respect before leaving the den. He passed by John and nodded in his direction.
"Sir." He said, then continued on his way. John entered the Alpha Den and found both his parents inside.
"Ah, son. Any news from the patrols?" Payton asked, then John blinked before thinking of a response.
"None, Father. Everything is normal." He informed, then his father nodded.
"Good. Tell them to keep an eye out for Tony's son, apparently he freed a she-wolf named Lilly from captivity, who was due for execution. If they cross our borders, we want to send them back. They're our only way to appease Tony, otherwise war with the Eastern wolves is inevitable. Understood?" Payton explained, then John nodded.
"Yes, Sir." He replied, then left the den. On his way back to the den Lilly and Garth were in, he found Nars wandering in the brush.
"Nars!" John called out, then the brown wolf turned in his direction.
"Something wrong, Sir?" Nars asked, as John padded up beside him.
"Lilly and Garth. What have they told you about why they ran away?" John asked, then Nars sighed.
"Nothing, Sir. Garth sent a raven telling me he was trying to escape with a friend and that his father was hunting them." He explained, as John took a deep breath.
"I will say this, Sir... whatever they're running from. I'm certain they have good reason. You and I both know how Tony tends to overreact and Winston tends to follow suit." Nars added, then things began to click in John's mind and he nodded.
"Alright... Here's what I want you to do: All the Alphas who were with you when you found Garth and Lilly, make sure they stay quiet. They were never here, understand? Bribe them, blackmail them if you have to, but make sure they don't tell a soul that they were here, got it?" John explained, as Nars stared at him incredulously.
"Yes, Sir, but... why?" He asked.
"'Cause if my father finds out they're here, he'll send them back, which... you and I both know is not what she wants." John explained, then Nars nodded.
"Understood, Sir. What are you going to do?" He asked.
"Well... I promised that I would find an Alpha to escort them out of Jasper. I might as well volunteer myself. In the meantime, I trust you to act in my stead... and to notify me of anything that happens." John said.
"Yes, Sir." Nars replied, then headed off. John continued towards where Garth and Lilly were and found them still waiting inside.
"We need to go. Now!" John exclaimed, then they followed him out of the den.
"What's going on?" Garth asked.
"Hutch came by and told him Tony's lies before I could explain the situation first. Now, if my father finds out you're here, you'll both be sent back, which means getting an Alpha to escort you is now impossible... so, I'm going to escort you two out of Jasper, while Nars will keep me informed on what goes on via raven. Some good news out of this is my father will aid the Western Pack and provide reinforcements. " John quickly explained, as he led them towards the Northern border.
"Why would Hutch do that? I always thought he was loyal to my father." Lilly wondered.
"He probably only knows what he's been told, Lilly. Besides, we're runaways now. I doubt anyone we knew in our former respective packs would be willing to help us." Garth explained, then Lilly sighed.
"Well... I guess, once again, we're just running away from another pack who wants to hunt us down." She muttered, then Garth nuzzled her.
"Cheer up, Lilly. We're together, which as long as we are, we'll be fine. I promise." He said, causing Lilly to smile.
"Okay, Garth. I trust you." She replied.
A/N: So, that's that. This chapter actually didn't take too long to finish, surprisingly… which brings me to this next bit. I've been writing each "scene" (I don't know what else to call it) separately, then just sharing them on my Discord server. Surprisingly, it allowed me to focus on the story itself, "What's going to happen next?", rather than trying to write enough for an entire chapter, which was daunting for me for some reason. So, now I'm writing again, and once there's enough for a chapter, I'm gonna post it, simple as that. If you'd like "early access", I guess... you're gonna have to send me a friend request on Discord, because I can't get server invite links to work on the site here for some reason I can't figure out.
Till next time,
~Demonwolf102