Chapter 15: The Escape Part 2 (written on October 1st, 2022)
"Waterfall... Huhhh, pretty waterfall..." The Omega dreamt of riding a log. Rather than down a slope, it was down a stream in the depths of a gorge where sparkling cascades entranced him. He was too late to notice the crooked corners speeding past. At the end of the canyon, the water rushed towards a pit that led straight to the center of the Earth. "Major waterfall..." He finally freed his eyes. The discomfort was hard to ignore—he needed to pee!
On his way out, he tiptoed over Stinky and Claudette. Seeing them sleep kindled his intuition. Could it be true? Indeed, from the corner of his right eye, the vacancy blazed. Why would Runt disappear at this hour? He and the Alpha agreed to give the pups more independence, but leaving the family without a word was discourteous. He had to get to the bottom of Runt's fixation with Shadow Forest, and he wasn't going to do it alone.
"Kate!" he whispered. His mate stretched a yawn.
"Humphrey, wha... what is it?" The Alpha had taken sleep aids before the night, fermented berries from Humprey's cache. The effects had yet to wear off. "Ohhh, full moon," she said seductively. She assumed Humphrey had something romantic planned. That was usually the case whenever he surprised her, but the Omega quickly shattered these thoughts. He directed her attention to the vacant spot. "Runt? Where'd he go?!" Her mate gestured to the woodlands. "Hmph. I'll get Lilly to watch Stinky and Claudette."
Later. . .
"Don't you wolves know when to quit?" Fran said rhetorically. The two porcupines had been resting on a tall boulder near Shadow Forest's eastern limits. Unlike previous visitors, Humphrey and Kate approached the porcupines willingly.
"Have you seen a small wolf? Runt?"
"Yeahhh," Freida replied, her eyes rolling at the Alpha.
"Well, where is he?" asked Humphrey.
"He's fine," answered Fran. "He's on a mission." The wolves' interest inflated. This confirmed that something bigger than them was at play.
"What kind of a mission? Where?!" Kate questioned.
"Can't say."
"This... is our son!" Kate informed.
"Not our problem," said Freida. The Alpha struggled to avoid snarling. The porcupines' casual indifference peeved her.
"You two better pipe up, or you're going to be our future APPETIZER!"
"Oh, now we see where the daughter got her obnoxious personality."
"Mm-hmm," Frieda agreed with a nod. The Omega stepped closer to the boulder and took his shot.
"Look, I get it. You're bitter because you have quills, and no one wants to touch you... but... we need to find our pup. NOW!"
"First of all, Runt is not a pup. He is a stand-up wolf," Fran corrected, wiping off the Omega's flung saliva.
"And he is helping a friend of ours," Freida added. "Okay?"
"Okay," said Kate as her irritation subsided. "We want to help him... and help his friend. I promise... We both promise..." The porcupines exchanged a smirk.
"Oh, girlfriend, we are close to seeing the two dogs beg."
"Let's see it! Come on now."
"What?!" Kate could hardly entertain the thought. "Beg?! I will never!" Promptly, the Alpha shut her eyes and mouth. She swung her muzzle away to formally highlight her refusal. Then she remembered her mate was not an Alpha. The sound of mewling pried her eyes back open. Before long, Humphrey became completely submissive. He sat with his spine vertical and his forepaws hungrily stroking the air. Although it was just for show, the whines had Kate mortified. Humphrey wasn't afraid to lose his dignity.
The porcupines smiled again and nodded. They agreed to tell the couple what they needed to know.
December 14th, 2012 - 3:00 AM
On the other end of the territory Runt, Daria, and Floyd were exhausted. They had hiked nonstop for hours.
"We've gotta keep going," said Runt.
"I can't... even feel my legs!" said Daria.
"Runt, get me a leaf to chew on," Floyd suggested. He, in particular, had never walked so far in his life. He was several feet behind the wolves, dragging their rear.
Eventually, the porcupine came to a stop as they crossed a small, manmade, wooden bridge. "My energy is plummeting." Next, he appeared to faint. The pup turned around.
"Hey, wake up! Wake up. You can't rest here."
"This surface is so warm," he replied. Floyd then splayed his legs.
"Yeah, and it'll be even warmer when you're roadkill."
"Just a twig... and maybe... throw in a few pine needles."
Runt sighed. He had to get him to move. He peered down both ends of the road to make sure there were no cars in sight. If he hurried, he could make it to the berry bushes and return within a few minutes.
"Okay, coming up. Daria, I'll be right there." The pup dashed into the forest.
"I'm not going anywhere," the she-wolf replied with a chuckle. "Hey, you are okay, right?" Floyd rolled over until he was upside down. A soothing vibration crept through him.
"Yeah, I can feel it on my back."
"Feel what?" The vibration crawled up her legs. She placed her right ear on the bridge's surface and listened. Something huge was approaching. "Move off the road! Move off!" Daria urged.
"You're no fun. It feels soooo good." He had surrendered to the shaking.
"Floyd, RIGHT NOW! We have to move! Oh, where are you?!" The vibration interfered with her sense of direction. She walked in disordered circles, trying to search for him with a paw stretched out.
"Oh, baby, that is one strong back pounding."
"Keep talking! I need to follow your voice!"
Suddenly, Daria felt a subtle wave of heat on one side of her body. Unbeknownst to her, a truck was turning towards them, now heading for the bridge.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Runt screamed. He ran back to Daria in the nick of time and leaped into her flank. She was thrust away from the front of the vehicle just before the bumper hit her in the face. After the truck passed, Runt scanned the bridge for Daria's caretaker. "FLOYD!" Luckily, the porcupine was unharmed. He had been in the center of the bridge where the wheels missed him.
"What the...?" His eyes reopened. "Whoa! I just had a dream I was run over." He then noticed the truck's tail lights speeding ahead. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"