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Chapter 4: Pressure

I apologize for any confusion that there may be about this story, because I never properly informed anybody who may not have already been aware that it was a sequel to another story. For any who may be confused about Miles or anything else that it going on, please read this story's predecessor, "In the Negative." Your questions will be answered there.

Kate lied alone in the den and tapped her tail agitatedly on the floor as she waited for Humphrey to return with Miles. She did not know exactly how long he had been gone, but she knew for sure that it was way longer than it took to fetch company, and she did not know what could possibly delay them for this long. She trusted her mate, so she knew that there was most likely some form of complication with Miles (after all, there always was) but in the back of her mind, she still considered the possibility that he had not gone to him at all.

She knew that he was hesitant about having Miles around the pups. The discussion they had about it prior to his departure was in fact their first major fight as a couple, so she did not discount the possibility that he said he would get Miles, but went elsewhere. Still, she hoped for his sake, and for the sake of their pups, that he hadn't lied to her. Their relationship so far had been based heavily upon mutual trust and understanding, especially after everything they had been through together last fall; but Kate was now beginning to suspect that Humphrey had begun questioning her judgement. This bothered her deeply, because she knew that mistrust was one of the key factors in a relationship's destruction, and she did not want what they had built to ever collapse, but her optimism told her that she had nothing to worry about. After all, Humphrey was well within his rights to distrust Miles, just as she was within hers to assume that the delay was somehow caused by Miles.

She sighed sharply and drummed her claws impatiently as she continued to wait for her mate to come back, but the wait had proven to be too much for her to tolerate. So, with as much caution as she could, she rose to her paws and began to hobble out of the den. However, before she even got three paces beyond the mouth of their home, she heard their voices echo in from the distance.

Quickly, but carefully, she turned and limped back into the den to lie down, because she knew that she would never hear the end of it if Humphrey caught her trying to leave, but in her hurry to settle herself down, she stumbled and fell hard to the floor. She tried to protect her damaged leg, but inevitably crashed down upon it, and a sharp yelp escaped her mouth.

She cursed and clutched her broken leg tightly as pain raced up and down her body and she blinked hot tears from her eyes. The pain she felt was so agonizing that she felt as though she would be sick, and even worse was the ill feeling which overtook her when she realized that she had fallen directly onto her stomach, where her pups currently dwelled. If this fall had injured, or killed them she would never be able to forgive herself.

The next thing she knew, Humphrey raced into the den, with Miles at his back.

"Kate, what happened!" he demanded as he slid to a stop.

"I got bored," she replied through a grimace as she tried to reposition herself, "remember, I'm an alpha. I can't stand to sit around all day."

Humphrey exhaled sharply as he gingerly helped her find a position of comfort then stepped away.

"What were you thinking, Kate?" he asked her in an elevated tone, "you could've hurt yourself even worse."

Kate sighed deeply and lowered her eyes.

"I know that," she replied dryly.

"And what of the-"

Miles placed a paw on the worry-stricken omega's shoulder, which caused him to fall silent as he turned to him.

"Humphrey, everything is fine," he consoled as the omega turned to him, "I think she's learned her lesson."

Humphrey sighed as his nerves slowly settled, and from behind him, Kate stuck out her tongue.

"Do you need Amina to come in and take a look at you?" he asked his mate, now calm, as he turned his head to her once more.

Kate shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she replied, "I just need to lie still for a while."

Humphrey scoffed.

"That's what I told you in the first place," he muttered bitterly under his breath.

"What was that?" Kate asked, as she could only hear unintelligible babble.

"Nothing," Humphrey replied quickly, "let's get back on track here. Miles?"

Miles stepped forward uncomfortably as Humphrey stepped back to give him some room, because he knew that he had no right to be in her presence, not after the way he had treated her lately. Who was he to just appear after so many weeks of pretending that she didn't exist? Guilt tugged violently at the back of his mind, but rather than dwell in the awkwardness which had claimed the atmosphere, he greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, sweetie, I heard you had yourself an accident," he teased in an attempt to take his mind off of the guilt, "were those little caribou just a little too tough for the big, bad alpha?"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled meekly.

"If you must know, there was an unexpected shift in the herd when I moved in to perform my spin-out and I wound up catching a hoof with my leg," she defended playfully, then added with a laugh, "I'm only five for ten with these dang caribou. I really gotta turn my luck around."

This caused Miles and Humphrey to chuckle.

"Well, this'll be over soon and you'll be right back at it same as always," he assured, "though, hopefully with a better track record."

Kate laughed.

"Yup, I'm due for a break sooner or later," she agreed.

"You mean other than-"

"Don't say it," Kate snapped playfully.

This caused Miles to laugh and for a moment after his laughter ceased, silence moved once more into the den. However, the lightness which had filled the atmosphere had strengthened his courage, and he released a short sigh.

"So, what else has been up with you lately?" he asked, now confident enough to engage in small talk, "and whatever happened to that pretty necklace that Humphrey gave you?"

Kate turned her head and pointed to the back wall with her nose, where it hung from a root in the den.

"I only wear it on special occasions now," she replied, "because it is much too special to me to just wear around. If it got lost or broken, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Miles nodded.

"And what of you?" Kate asked him, though, based off of his appearance, she knew the answer, "how have you been holding up?"

Miles sighed and flattened his ears.

"I've been better," he admitted, because he knew that there was no sense in lying to her, "truth be known, I fear that I may not live to see my tenth birthday."

Kate, for a moment, remained silent, because this was the answer she had expected, but she was surprised to find that he was more sober than she was used to seeing. Lately, nearly every time he said anything, he could hardly speak coherently.

"What have I told you since the beginning?" she asked him sympathetically, which caused him to lower his eyes, "I've told you before that those things were bad for you and that you need to quit."

"I know," Miles replied shamefully, "I've been messed up for a really long time; I've done so many things I'm not proud of, including hurting those I care about, and for that I'm sorry." He flattened his ears as a deep sigh passed his lips. "But I'm gonna change all of that," he continued firmly, "and I swear that I'll never let you down again."

Kate smiled meekly to humor her friend, but in her mind, she still had severe doubt. However, rather than dwell in the depressing topic of her dearest friend's addiction, she turned her gaze over to her mate.

"Well, that's good to hear," she began as she turned to face her friend once more, "because there's something we would like to tell you."

Miles had expected this moment, because Humphrey had already informed him of the situation, but he knew how important this would be for Kate, so he pretended to be clueless.

"What's that?" he asked her inquisitively.

"Well... Humphrey and I," she began with a bright smile, "are gonna have pups!"

Miles smiled broadly.

"Kate, that's great," he said excitedly, "congratulations!"

Kate smiled and attempted to rise. Humphrey noticed and rushed immediately to her side then used his shoulder to help her to her paws, and once she was steady, he stepped away.

Kate acknowledged his assistance with a nod of appreciation, then stepped forward and embraced Miles in a hug.

"How far along are you?" Miles asked as he pulled slowly away.

"Amina says three weeks," Kate replied excitedly.

Miles chuckled.

"And to think I thought that you were just getting fat," he joked, which drew a soft laugh from Humphrey.

Kate scowled and flattened her ears.

"If I wasn't gimp, I'd punch you right in the nose," she warned playfully.

Miles chuckled as well.

"Then I guess that makes me a lucky guy," he replied, "so have you thought of any names yet?"

"Not yet," Kate replied.

"Yeah, we don't even know how many we'll have," Humphrey continued, "but Kate and I have decided on one thing."

Miles continued to pretend that he was unaware of the news.

"What's that?" he asked.

Kate and Humphrey looked at one another briefly then turned to him once more.

"We have decided that we would like for you to be their godfather," Kate said with a smile.

"Me?" Miles asked in a feigned sense of surprise.

Kate and Humphrey nodded.

"But... why me?" he asked her, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm honored that you would ask, but I'm not exactly a model citizen."

Kate sighed.

"Well that's the thing," she began slowly, "Humphrey and I have decided that, in the best interest of the pups, you will only be allowed near them if you can kick your... habit."

Miles had heard this already from Humphrey, but it still hurt to hear it a second time, and especially from Kate, so when he lowered his eyes and sighed, the emotion conveyed was entirely authentic.

"I understand," he replied, "but you don't have to worry about one thing, Kate. It's time I fulfilled a promise I made to an old friend a long time ago. I'm getting off the things for good."

Kate smiled.

"Good," she replied with a single nod, "I'm glad to hear it."

Miles nodded and tried to bury the nagging sense of uncertainty which tugged at the back of his mind.

"I know it won't be easy, but I'll have you and your pups to motivate me," he assured, "there's no way I'm gonna let any of you down."

Kate smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Miles," she commended, "and if ever you feel like you need help, all you have to do is ask, and we'll be there for you."

"I will," Miles replied brightly.

"Good," Kate said conclusively.

For a moment, a silence flooded the den and awkwardness filled the atmosphere, but this moment ended when Miles cleared his throat.

"Hey, are you two hungry?" he asked them.

Kate and Humphrey turned to each other and as their eyes met, both of their stomachs growled loudly.

"Actually, yeah," Kate replied with a chuckle.

"We've been so busy with all of this baby and injury stuff that I guess we completely forgot to eat," Humphrey explained.

Miles nodded with a smile.

"Well then, allow me to treat you to some supper," he offered.

Both of them nodded.

"That would be great," Kate replied.

"Anything in particular?" Miles asked.

"I'm not picky," Humphrey assured, "I'll eat whatever you bring, as long as it has meat on it."

"And you already know what I like," Kate stated with a smile.

"Caribou ham with extra blood," Miles replied quickly.

"You got it," Kate laughed.

"Alright," Miles began with a curt nod, "I'll be back in a few."

"Thanks, Miles," Kate thanked as he turned and walked out of the den.

Once they were alone, a brief silence ensued, then Kate turned slowly to face Humphrey.

"He already knew about the pups, didn't he?" she inquired dryly.

Humphrey sighed.

"What gave it away?" he asked her flatly.

"Let's just say he's no actor," Kate replied.

Humphrey lowered his eyes to his paws.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he apologized as he flattened his ears, "but it was the only way that I could get him to come."

Kate nodded slowly and kept her eyes fixed on the mouth of their den.

"So do you think he's serious about this?" she asked him quizzically.

"About the berries?" Humphrey inquired as he lifted his eyes to her.

Kate nodded.

Humphrey shrugged and turned to face the mouth of the den once more.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Humphrey admitted, "I guess only time will tell."

A&?

"I don't like it," Winston mused through a sigh as he took a seat beside his Beta, "Gauge is a dangerous wolf, and thanks to his uncle, he roams free through the park."

Hutch turned to him.

"Victor is keeping a watchful eye on him," he assured, "I can assure you that Gauge's actions are under close moderation."

Winston flattened his ears.

"I don't trust Victor," he said dryly, "he's always had an unsettling ambition for power."

"Victor is a noble man," Hutch argued respectfully, "and he's the best damn Chief of Justice we've had in this pack for a long time."

Winston grunted and shifted on his haunches as his ears erected once more.

"But do you recall the odd circumstances which placed him in that position?" Winston asked, "to this day, I still find it curious how a wolf, maybe a few months younger than myself at the time can suddenly turn up dead in a fashion which leaves the healers completely baffled."

Hutch nodded slowly as he listened.

"You know we had every means to suspect that Victor somehow played a roll in his death," Winston continued.

"But we had no way to prove it," Hutch reasoned.

"I know that, so there's no way that we'll ever know for sure," Winston stated dryly, "we could have been wrong to even suspect him in the first place," he continued as his ears folded onto the top of his head, "but even when we went to school together, he had his eyes set on a position of power, and I have a hard time doubting that he would kill to get it."

As Winston finished, the pair stared out at the park inquisitively, and a silence ensued which was finally whisked away by the troubled alpha's partner.

"Remember, the Victor Navarro you refused as your Beta all those years ago has changed," Hutch reminded, "He's matured in his years as this pack's judiciary leader, not to mention his beautiful wife, God rest her soul, and precious daughter."

"He still abused his power when he granted Gauge partial amnesty for his attempted murder on my son-in-law," Winston stated, "that action should have been overruled by majority vote in the remaining Justices, because by law only Eve and I should have the power to pass executive pardons, but for some inexplicable reason they were all on his side."

Hutch sighed.

"Look, I know it all seems a little screwy, but at the end of the day, he's just looking out for his family," he reasoned, "would you not have done the same for your daughters?"

Winston lowered his eyes.

"Yes," he replied, then scowled, "still, I believe that they should have at least given Gauge jail time rather than just putting him on extended probation. We have more pertinent matters at hand that require our focus," he continued, "we don't have time to babysit a psychopath."

"Then why don't you place him under psychiatric supervision and send him in for analysis a few times a week?" Hutch suggested, "you are the Alpha after all. You have that right."

Winston lowered his head as he thought.

"I just fear that it would be a waste of time," he replied, "Gauge isn't exactly the type to do as he is told."

Hutch nodded and lowered his eyes.

"That is true," he agreed.

"Plus, under the laws of this pack, he's no longer a minor," Winston continued, "so I can't force him to do anything against his will without violating his rights as a citizen of this pack. I could call for a lawful order from the judge, but something tells me Victor would decline the request. My paws are tied. The only thing we can do is keep an eye on him and hope like hell he doesn't try to hurt anyone else."

Hutch nodded slowly.

"But if he does, you'll be able to put him away for good this time," he reasoned.

"I don't want it to come to that," Winston stated firmly, "last time, he nearly killed my son-in-law. I don't even want to think about what he is truly capable of."

A&?

Even on their walk home, Garth could tell that Lilly was experiencing more than pride and joy for her sister, and as time wore on following their arrival back at their den, the more apparent it became that something was bothering her. Garth wanted to pick her mind so that he could potentially help her, but with the way she clicked her teeth and aimlessly attempted to organize the den, even after she had dug out all the old bones, swept the leaves out with her tail, and there was nothing more to organize, he knew that she was in the process of biting back rage. He knew better than to push her when she was like this, because she bore more of her mother than many realized, but he also knew that he could not allow this to continue to build unless he wanted it to explode violently. So, silently, he had begun to help her straighten up the den, but he made sure to begin on the opposite side of their home to give her a moment of space. However, as time wore on, he migrated steadily closer until the two of them stood side by side near the back wall of their den, where Lilly had begun to cut away roots which protruded through into their living space. Garth found content with simply watching her cut the roots for the time-being, but the reason for her sudden desire to remove them eluded him, because they wouldn't hurt anybody or anything.

Lilly continued to work without once taking heed to her mate, and without once expressing any emotion whatsoever, but when she found one root in particular which proved more difficult to remove than the rest her patience began to quickly wear thin; and once her patience had finally run out, she unleashed her frustration upon it. She yanked at the root violently with her paws, and when that didn't work, she growled and took it between her teeth and attempted to chew through it. However, her jaws just weren't strong enough to cut through the root, so eventually her anger burnt itself out, and she released it then sat down, breathing heavily.

Garth still stood silently aside and watched her for a moment.

"Well, go ahead," Lilly snapped in a strained voice as she lowered her chin to her chest, "you've been wanting to know what was wrong since we got back, so go ahead and ask me."

Garth still said nothing, because he was never good with words, and now he had an exceptionally difficult time wrestling them into place. Lilly interpreted his silence as apathy and countered it with her own.

"Fine," she seethed as she rose to her paws and sauntered a short distance away, "if you won't ask, then I won't tell." She then paused and turned to him. "I won't tell you about the months we wasted trying and waiting for pups that never came. I won't tell you how frustrating it is to fail at the one thing I thought I would be good at; and I certainly won't tell you about how infuriating it is to watch everybody else live my f***ing dreams!"

She stood, panting heavily for a moment, then collapsed to her haunches as tears began to sting her eyes.

Quickly, Garth moved to her side and pulled her in close.

"I'm so sorry, Garth," she cried, "I don't know what came over me just now."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Garth crooned as he stroked the back of her neck.

It was at this point that Lilly lost control of her emotions and her tears began to flow like two rivers down her cheeks.

"What are we doing wrong?" she cried as she buried her face into his chest, "why is it that no matter what we try, it still doesn't work?"

Garth wrapped her tighter in his arms and placed his lips on the crown of her head.

"I don't know, Lilly," he replied, "but I think I might have an idea."

Lilly scoffed and pulled away from him.

"And what might that be?" she asked him skeptically.

"Look at us," he began, "We're turning into a disaster. We fight way too much. We constantly bump elbows and get under each other's fur." He lowered his eyes as Lilly lifted her head to him. "I sometimes feel like we're starting to lose our connection."

Lilly's eyes widened.

"Garth, don't say that," she said in disbelief, "we're just going through a rough patch."

"Then it's certainly been one hell of a large patch," he replied.

"Well, what are we gonna do about it, Garth?" Lilly demanded as she rose to her paws, "you tell me what we should do and we'll work on it together."

"I don't know what we're gonna do about it," Garth replied bitterly.

Lilly scoffed.

"See, that's the problem," she accused, "you are always so quick to point out a problem, but you never try to find any solutions."

"Well, I can't ever think of a way how," Garth retorted, "and you never seem willing to offer up any suggestions, so I don't know where you're coming from with this blame game of yours."

"Don't you dare," Lilly growled, "you know damn well I would try to help if I knew that you would listen, but you always shoot down my ideas before I can even finish my thought."

Garth growled, on the verge of losing his temper entirely, but he suppressed his anger and released a sigh.

"See, Lilly?" he said morosely, "this is exactly what I'm talking about. We used to be able to just talk to one another. Now we can barely say anything without yelling anymore."

Lilly sighed as her own anger slowly faltered.

"I'm sorry, Garth," she apologized, "I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

"No, Lilly, you had every reason to be upset," Garth replied, "I shouldn't have said what I said."

Lilly sighed again and lowered her head and a long silence filled the atmosphere.

The two of them felt the heaviness which the silence brought into the den pressing down upon their shoulders, and soon, eye contact was lost as they both pretended to take interest in their paws.

"So what happens now?" Garth asked finally as he lifted his head.

Lilly's ears perked as the question registered in her mind and she lifted her attention to her mate once more.

"I don't know," she replied, then sighed and flattened her ears, "sometimes I wish we could just get

away from it all."

Garth nodded slowly, because he agreed with her completely. The atmosphere, the den, it all just put so much weight on their shoulders, and stress on their relationship. He could tell by how cold things had gotten between them that they simply weren't enjoying each other's company anymore. They needed a change. They needed an escape.

"You know what, Lilly?" Garth began, catching Lilly's attention once more, "Lets just abandon this den all together and start over out in the grass."

Lilly cocked her head to the side.

"In the grass?" she asked him, slightly confused.

Garth nodded.

"Think about it, Lilly," he began, "you and I are both incredibly independent wolves, and we need our space. This den keeps us right on top of each other constantly. When was the last time you and I weren't simply going through the motions? We need a fresh start, away from the binding walls of a den, and where is there a better place to start a new, simpler life than out in the grass?"

Lilly lowered her eyes, hesitant.

"But Garth, how would we ever be able to raise a family out in the grass?" she asked him, "What about the winter?"

Garth smiled.

"Leave that one to me," he assured, but by simply gauging his mate's face, he could tell she was still uncertain, "aw, come on, Lilly," he began again, "what have we got to lose?"

Lilly sighed and flattened her ears.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to try it," she said slowly as she lifted her eyes to him.

"There ya go," Garth replied brightly.

Lilly allowed a chuckle to tickle her throat, but then her face grew firm.

"But if I don't like it, we're moving straight back in," she informed.

Garth laughed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a smile as he stepped in close to her once more.

Lilly nodded once and allowed her eyes to fall down to the left.

"So, when should we leave?" she asked him slowly.

She couldn't understand why she was so hesitant to leave this den when only moments ago she spoke passionately about her longing to escape. She guessed that maybe she was just afraid of change. Or maybe she feared the judgement of the other wolves in the park. What would her parents say?

Garth spoke before she had time to think on the subject any longer.

"Whenever you're ready," he replied, "there's really nothing here that I want to take with me besides you."

Lilly nodded slowly.

"Well, alright then," she digressed as she rose to her paws.

Garth smiled as he trotted up to her.

"Now don't be so glum," he said with a smile as he paused beside her, "this may be the best decision we ever make."

Lilly allowed a faint smile to form on her lips as Garth padded out of the den, but once he was gone, she lowered her head with a sigh.

"Or one of the worst," she muttered under her breath then rose to her feet.

Garth, impatient to get on with his plan, poked his head around the corner.

"You comin'?" he asked her.

Lilly nodded as she turned around then began to walk out of the den.

Garth met her at its entrance with a smile and followed her away, but as she walked, she cast one more long look at her home, because she knew that she may never again set foot inside.

She would miss the memories they shared together in that den, be they good, bad, pleasurable or painful, but perhaps this was for the best. After all, she did not want to add a divorce to her list of memories, so she would swallow this pill as she had all others before and give it a shot, because who knew; it may just be the gateway to the good life.