The Weight: Chapter 12
#12 of The Weight
Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Deliverance
Humphrey did not know why it felt so good to tell his story, but as he wrote, he could feel an immense weight begin to lift from his shoulders. With each word that he etched into the dirt, he felt something begin to rise inside the likes of which he had not felt for a long time- a sense of deliverance from all of his pain, like the sun was finally beginning to rise over the once dark horizon and cast out all of the shadows of his past to shine light upon the path which would lead him to a new opportunity and a new life. He had kept everything bottled up inside of him for so long that it had begun to eat him alive, but now he finally had the opportunity to give his soul the release for which it so desperately longed. To him there was no better feeling in the world.
'If I were to start from the beginning the tale would be too long to tell,' Humphrey began, but the wolf stopped him.
'I've got time.'
Humphrey pondered over the statement then erased his previous sentence and started over.
'I was born in a time of promise,' he wrote, 'the land was fertile, food was plentiful, and relations with our neighbors to the East were good, but regardless of this, it seems as though my entire life has been filled with nothing but disappointments. The first came in the form of my parents. They always wanted the best for me, and the life of an alpha was the path that they saw fit, but it was not the life I desired. I cared more about relationships with other people rather than building my body to its physical peak, than being a leader or a great fighter, and I could see in their eyes that I was letting them down, but the alpha lifestyle just wasn't for me.
But that all changed when I met her.
Kate, quite possibly the most beautiful girl to have ever been placed on this earth. She was like a Godsend, an angel who was always so kind to me. Her fur was gold, her eyes burned an amber so bright that the sun itself could have lived inside of her irises, and that smile of hers was enough to just melt my heart. It may seem a little bit cliche, but it was love at first sight, and I knew from the moment I met her that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, but, unfortunately, my dreams were dashed just as quickly as my heart could create them. I was soon to discover that she was destined to be an alpha, and I, an omega, which, back in Jasper where I come from, meant that if we were to remain of different classes, being together would be impossible, but my love for her would not allow me to accept this reality. I decided that the only way to ever be truly happy in this life would be to abandon my previous ways of friendship and folly and become an alpha like her, so that's what I did. Time was of the essence. I had only a month before ranks were assigned, so I knew that I had to work fast. I worked and pushed my body beyond its breaking point in an attempt to become strong enough, to become fast enough. I studied every adult I could. Hell sometimes I wouldn't sleep for days as I tried to build my body into one which would be acceptable to the leaders as alpha material, but it just wasn't enough. I was still too little and too weak. The day that my parents were told that I would be assigned as an omega was the day that I knew I had lost her forever, but in spite of this, I would not stop trying. And God bless her heart for remaining a loyal friend to me, but three weeks later, she was gone, leaving me with nothing but a fleeting hope that when she returned, she would still care about me as she did before. For four long months I awaited her return. There was not a day that went by where I did not think of her.
Then, as winter blended into spring, she was there- a strong, fully recognized alpha. No more was she a cocky pup, but a proud, mature woman, such a beautiful, yet saddening sight to behold, because as it always does, time had changed everything. In our time apart, her heart was not plagued with woe as mine was. In fact, it seemed she had completely forgotten about me. No longer were we friends. We were now more so acquaintances, and more than anything my presence seemed to annoy her, but my heart was still set, even though my head told me that I was a fool for even trying anymore, and it could not be swayed. I guess I just wasn't strong enough to walk away.
Then, on the night of the Moonlight Howl, an event where we wolves gather to sing to the heavens above, I knew I had a chance, but somebody had other plans.
As I found out, Kate had a date with a wolf from our rival pack to the east, which was odd to begin with. Then, when they met they were all wrong for each other. One would have to be blind to see that chemistry was entirely absent between them, which would make one wonder even more why they were even together in the first place. I could see that she was not happy, any fool could, but for some odd reason, she insisted on staying at his side. And I could not figure out why.
Then, from out of nowhere, our unexpected, but incredible journey began.
I guess I have the humans to thank for sending us on such an adventure, and I guess I have them to thank for where I am now, because had they not interfered, none of this would have ever happened.
Had they not been there on that night, we would have never been drugged and taken to Idaho, we would have never met Marcel and Paddy, whom I will tell you about if you like.'
Upon offering the suggestion, Humphrey lifted his head to the wolf, but he dismissed it with a shrug, figuring that he would get the general idea of their significance in the end.
Humphrey understood the gesture and nodded then continued to write.
'Had we not met them, we would have never snuck into the back of that camper, we would have never stopped at that gas station, I would have never attempted to eat that cupcake which caused us to lose contact with our means of transport and almost got us killed. Had this not happened, she would have never gone off on her own and ventured into that flooded gorge and I would not have saved her life. Everything that happened, the kiss she gave to me that night after I had saved her, discovering that there was a train which we could catch which would take us home, meeting that bear cub who nearly got us killed by its angry parents, escaping down the mountain on a thrilling ride which landed us perfectly inside of the train; all of it led up to the moment when I thought that I had made her mine.
That night, everything was perfect, almost like everything that had happened was orchestrated so as to assure that we would be right there in that spot at that perfect time when the boundless beauty of the night would cast its alluring spell upon us and drive us to entertain the deepest passions of our souls.
The air was cool and invigorating, the stars above twinkled in the voids of the night like the luminous luster of a billion angels, and the moon, full and beautiful, hovered close to the horizon, almost beckoning us into song.
I found myself mesmerized by its enchanting trance and before I could stop myself, I rose to my paws and walked to the opening of the car, seated myself once more then turned my nose to the stars.
I'm not sure if she ever felt the same way as I did in that moment, but it was one that I wished so dearly to share with her, so that she could hear for herself the sweet song of the land as it harmonized itself with that which we offered.
I tempted her by asking her to join then turned away and continued my song, trying with everything that lied within my soul to dash the bars around her heart which forbade her from letting her spirit soar.'
He paused, almost as though trying to think about how he would word his thoughts into the next sentence, then nodded and continued.
'And I don't know how it happened,' he wrote, 'but the next thing I knew, she was sitting beside me and we two, an alpha and an omega, two souls divided by class, began to howl together in a harmony the likes of which no other pair had ever created. Our notes seemed to blend flawlessly into one another, almost as though our voices were designed to be complimentary when they came together in the soulful art of song, and as our melody melded into the chorus of the night around us, I swear to you that I felt our hearts break down the barriers of class and connect in a way that they had never done before. I could feel it through every word she said, sense it radiating out of every move she made, but, as I think back upon it now, not a single word she said passed her lips without a hint of uncertainty. And I guess I know now why I never saw it- because I didn't want to. These complicated things which were happening inside of the train car I simplified and saw only what I wanted to see, while the signs which warned me of the imminent moment when my pleasant dream would come to an end I ignored or allowed to sail over my head.
And to think back on it now, I realize just how much of a fool I had been, because there was nothing I could have done to prevent what happened next.
As the night train rumbled through the park and we returned once more to our home, I was thrust headlong once more into the world of reality and was slapped with the cruelest blow it was capable of inflicting upon me.
In spite of everything that I thought, and everything I felt in my heart, she still cast me aside without so much as a second glance, and proved to me once and for all that my efforts had all been in vain.
So, unable to face what I found upon waking from my pleasant fantasy, I picked up what remained of my shattered heart and on the morning of the latter day, I jumped onto the train and swore to never return.
There has not been a day since where I have not thought about her, or thought that if I had just turned around then she would have been mine, and the constant plague of not knowing what could have been has made my heart heavy with grief and regret'
Again he paused, almost as though reflecting upon everything which he had written, then, as he felt his heart finally break free from the chains which bound it, he lifted his paw to conclude his tale and cast the weight from his tormented soul once and for all.
'But now I'm beginning to think that I can let it all go,' he wrote, a small smile birthing upon his lips, 'I'm here now. I made it. I've been given a second chance, and I have you to thank for that, Jeriko. You made this all possible. You saved my life.'
As Jeriko finished reading Humphrey's story, he took a moment to allow everything to sink in. He could tell that his new companion was the owner of a lonely and broken heart, but he did not realize until now just how much she had meant to him. Back before things had gone for the worst for him, he would have laughed and told him that he needed to grow up, but in his day and age, he had grown to understand the pain of losing someone who was precious to him, and had learned the wisdom which suffering had to teach, so he only stared silently down upon the injured wolf, seeing him now as a new man.
But he would never say such things aloud even if he could, because now that everything had been brought out into the open and his heart was at its most fragile, he knew that it was best to sit aside and allow the shadows of the past to fade into the light which now shone through the voids and cleansed the heart of sadness and replaced it with the purest forms of joy and promise, so that it may begin the slow process of healing.
At this point, few words needed to be spoken, but those that were, were no less important than those which had led them to this point. After all, they would be what drove them beyond it and set them headlong down the road which the future now paved for them.
'I only did as I am sure you would have done for me if our roles were reversed,' he wrote plainly, 'you need not to thank me.'
Humphrey read his response and nodded then moved his paw to write again.
'Well regardless, I will one day find a way to make it up to you,' he began, then raised his paw when Jeriko attempted to write what he assumed would more than likely be an argument, 'And I will not take no for an answer.'
Jeriko lingered on the thought for a moment then replied only with a nod.
A&O
The three of them crept through the territory on paws as quiet as the breeze which whispered softly around them, but inside their voices screamed with excitement and rage. Since the day they were attacked, the entire pack had been uncontrollably vociferous in their demand for blood, but Tony would not deploy them, regardless. Despite their unanimous outcry for vengeance, he continued to implore that his wolves employ patience and promised that justice would be done when the time was right, but patience was a virtue which none of them seemed willing to learn. The longer they waited, the angrier they became. It was a tedious time for them as they waited for Tony to draw out his plan, and when he finally came forward with the blueprint for how they would destroy the West, it was met with much unrest, because the over-eager pack wanted nothing more than to form a mass and slaughter every wolf that remained in that shattered territory, but in the end logic beat the thirst for blood when the economics of his plan were brought before them. This plan, however, was not inclusive of all willing parties. Those who were not selected to administer the first strike were mildly disappointed that they would not be the first to spill Western blood, but they took solace in the fact that their time would eventually come when they could take justice into their own fangs, even if it meant killing only one enemy at a time.
The preemptive strikers stalked through the territory in a tight pattern, only about two feet between each wolf. They kept their eyes, ears, and noses on high alert as they prepared to breech enemy lines, for this was their chance to make a statement, and they were not about to mess it up.
Slowly they walked, making sure that not one detail was overlooked as they drew near to the border, for they knew that it would likely be heavily guarded in an attempt to prevent them from penetrating their defenses. Then, as the dismal trees under which they walked began to thin out, and the shadows were beaten back by the day, they paused to observe the situation and found only a single wolf to be manning the front. They all smiled with delight, for to them he was a sitting duck, a perfect way for them to begin their raid.
However, a question began to rise as they continued to think on the subject.
How would they get the drop on this wolf? The distance between the trees and their target was nothing but open space. Perhaps this would not be as easy as they thought.
After assaying the situation for about a minute, the tan furred leader of their group turned and began to slowly retreat further into the cloak of the trees, gesturing silently for the others to follow. Though they were reluctant, they followed through fear of disobeying orders. Then, once he was at a distance where he was sure the Western guard would not hear, he paused and turned to them.
"We are gonna need a plan," he began, though he kept his voice low, "has anyone got any suggestions?"