Chapter 28: Humphrey's Decision
It took two days for Kate and Humphrey to return to the valley and they were greeted happily when they arrived.
“You’re back!” víbora, viper exclaimed when she saw them.
“What happened with Viggo?” Oscar asked.
“He’s gone,” Humphrey replied, beginning to explain their entire ordeal.
“Viggo’s dead?” Stinky asked when Humphrey was finished.
“They’re all dead,” Kate replied. “Viggo, Robert, the survivors of the battle; they’re all gone.”
“It’s finally over,” Humphrey said, smiling a little.
Word quickly spread that Viggo and Robert were dead and for the siguiente día o two, the entire forest was alive with the sounds of celebratory howls from every pack in Jasper. The día after they got back, Humphrey went to visit Runt’s grave under the old den.
“Hey, Runt,” he said, looking down at the ground. “Viggo and Robert are gone and this nightmare is finally over. I really wish tu were here to celebrate with us. tu would’ve had fun. We all miss you, but we’re also very proud of the lobos tu and your brother and sister grew up to be.”
Humphrey stopped for a moment and looked around him.
“We did it, Runt. We did it.”
Late that night, Kate noticed that Humphrey hadn’t yet turned in, so she went out to look for him. She eventually found him in the forest just outside the border of the territory. He was standing outside of an old, worn-down tent.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing out here?” she asked him. “And what’s this tent doing here? It looks like it’s been here for years.”
“It was Viggo’s,” Humphrey replied. “He was spying on us from here ever since I was brought into the pack.”
Humphrey looked over through the trees and Kate followed his gaze. Through the trees, there was a perfect, unobstructed view of what remained of their old den. Humphrey looked back at the tent.
“It feels weird,” he said, “having Viggo gone. We learned so much from him. He spent so much time trying to kill me and manipulating my life that I’m not sure who o what I am now.”
“Humphrey,” Kate said, “Viggo didn’t make tu who tu are now. The lobo tu are now is because of your resilience to what Viggo has done to you. No matter what happened, tu always managed to stay true to the best parts of yourself. tu kept pushing adelante, hacia adelante and because of that, tu helped all of us to survive. That wasn’t him. That was all you.”
“Has anyone ever told tu that tu always know exactly what to say?” Humphrey asked.
“I have been told that,” Kate replied, smiling.
“You know, I can’t take too much credit,” Humphrey said. “Whenever I faltered, tu were always there to help get me back on my feet, and I can’t thank tu enough.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” a voice said.
Kate and Humphrey turned around to see Leyla standing behind them.
“No, it’s alright,” Humphrey replied.
“What are tu doing here?” Kate asked.
“I heard about what happened and I just wanted to see how tu guys were doing,” Leyla replied.
“We’re doing pretty good,” Humphrey told her. “A little shaken still, but otherwise fine.”
“Is that Viggo’s sword?” Kate asked, spotting something in Leyla’s hand.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Well, what’s left of it.”
She lifted it up and showed it to them. The blade had been broken in half and the metal was bent and misshapen from the explosion.
“I dug it out of the rubble,” Leyla continued. “He may have been a psycho, but he was still my brother and I wanted some kind of memento.”
“Leave it here,” Humphrey said.
“What?” Leyla asked.
“Leave it here,” he repeated, “as a reminder. Viggo was the worst-of-the-worst, and yet there was still some humanity inside of him. Leave it here as a reminder to all of us that anyone can change.”
“I like it, Humphrey,” Kate said. “What do tu think, Leyla?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Leyla replied.
She then walked over to the front of the tent and planted what was left of the sword into the ground, surrounding it with some small stones to help support it.
Two years passed and life mostly returned to normal. However, Kate noticed that something was off about Humphrey. He didn’t seem as happy as he had once been. Sure, he was much better emotionally than he was in the months after Runt died, but he still didn’t seem like he was one hundred percent again.
Sometime around late spring, Kate noticed that Humphrey was sneaking out in the middle of the night and was gone for hours at a time. She eventually started to secretly follow him to see what he was doing and he led her through the forest to many different places that held some kind of significance in his life.
He led her to what was left of the sandstone cliffs, to Shadow Forest, all the way back to the ruins of his old pack. Every time they got to wherever they were going, Humphrey simply sat down and stared into the forest. He would stay there for a few minutos to upwards of an hora before simply turning around and heading back to the valley. After about a mes of this, Kate finally confronted him about it.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing?” she asked.
“Okay,” Humphrey said, “and just so we’re talking about the same thing-“
“Every night for the past month, I’ve seen tu getting up late at night and leaving for hours,” she clarified.
“Oh, that,” Humphrey said.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing?” she asked again. “I’ve been following tu and tu just sit there until tu decide to go home.”
“I’m…revisiting all those places,” he replied.
“But why?”
“Kate, if I’m being perfectly honest…this place just hasn’t felt the same ever since Viggo died,” Humphrey admitted. “I’ve done my best to try and go back to the way things were but every time I look around, I’m just reminded of all the bad that happened. Winston, Eve, Tony, Runt, all the lobos that died down in that valley. Even Runt’s wedding when Viggo tricked us and blew a crater in the side of the valley. I can’t even look at my own grandpup without thinking of Runt.”
Humphrey let out a deep sigh.
“I just don’t feel happy here anymore.”
“So what are going to do?” Kate asked.
“I’m gonna go back to Leyla’s,” he replied.
“You’re leaving?” she said, surprised.
“I spent nine years there,” Humphrey explained, “and they were some of the best years of my life. I was happy and at peace. Life was simple. tu didn’t have to hunt for food, it was always warm and comfortable. And after everything, I just want to settle down and relax and I can’t do that here. That’s why I’ve been going back to all those places. They all hold special memories and I wanted to see them one last time before I left.”
“When are tu leaving?” Kate asked a little sadly.
“I was going to go tonight,” he answered.
“And were tu ever going to tell us, or-“
“I…don’t know.”
Kate and Humphrey stood in silence for a moment before Humphrey continued.
“You guys don’t need me anymore,” he said. “Stinky is a very capable leader and he’s proven that he can take care of himself and the pack. They’ll be fine without me.”
“Without us.”
“Us?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You are?”
“You’re right,” Kate said. “They’ll be fine. The pack is safe. Humphrey, we’re both old and have seen más than enough action to last a lifetime. I’m ready to settle down and live out my days with you.”
“Man, how are we going to tell everyone?” Humphrey wondered.
“How are tu going to tell everyone what?” Stinky suddenly asked as he and the others walked up to Kate and Humphrey.
“Oh, boy,” Humphrey said.
“Humphrey and I have made a decision,” Kate began, “and, well, we’re leaving.”
“What?” Claudette exclaimed.
“We’re leaving the pack,” Humphrey repeated. “You guys don’t need us anymore. The pack is safe, and you’re a very capable leader, Stinky.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean tu have to leave,” Stinky said.
“Where will tu go?” Steven asked.
“We’re going to go live with Leyla,” Humphrey replied.
“Where does she live?” Kenya asked.
“Just outside of Shadow Forest,” Humphrey replied, “due west from the Central Region.”
“When are tu guys leaving?” Stinky asked.
“Well, we were going to leave fairly soon,” Humphrey answered.
“No,” Stinky said. “You’re not getting away from us that easily. Dad, tu saved this pack and the park. tu deserve a proper sendoff.”
“It wasn’t just me, Stinky,” Humphrey replied.
“I know. All the más reason for us to take a whole día for ourselves,” Stinky countered. “We can all just relax, tell some stories, and reminisce about the good old days. Jax, Jonas, and Martin can get the chance to know their uncle.”
“Plus,” Adam chimed in suggestively, “it is your fiftieth birthday tomorrow.
“Thanks guys,” Humphrey dicho smiling. “That would be nice.”
It took two days for Kate and Humphrey to return to the valley and they were greeted happily when they arrived.
“You’re back!” víbora, viper exclaimed when she saw them.
“What happened with Viggo?” Oscar asked.
“He’s gone,” Humphrey replied, beginning to explain their entire ordeal.
“Viggo’s dead?” Stinky asked when Humphrey was finished.
“They’re all dead,” Kate replied. “Viggo, Robert, the survivors of the battle; they’re all gone.”
“It’s finally over,” Humphrey said, smiling a little.
Word quickly spread that Viggo and Robert were dead and for the siguiente día o two, the entire forest was alive with the sounds of celebratory howls from every pack in Jasper. The día after they got back, Humphrey went to visit Runt’s grave under the old den.
“Hey, Runt,” he said, looking down at the ground. “Viggo and Robert are gone and this nightmare is finally over. I really wish tu were here to celebrate with us. tu would’ve had fun. We all miss you, but we’re also very proud of the lobos tu and your brother and sister grew up to be.”
Humphrey stopped for a moment and looked around him.
“We did it, Runt. We did it.”
Late that night, Kate noticed that Humphrey hadn’t yet turned in, so she went out to look for him. She eventually found him in the forest just outside the border of the territory. He was standing outside of an old, worn-down tent.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing out here?” she asked him. “And what’s this tent doing here? It looks like it’s been here for years.”
“It was Viggo’s,” Humphrey replied. “He was spying on us from here ever since I was brought into the pack.”
Humphrey looked over through the trees and Kate followed his gaze. Through the trees, there was a perfect, unobstructed view of what remained of their old den. Humphrey looked back at the tent.
“It feels weird,” he said, “having Viggo gone. We learned so much from him. He spent so much time trying to kill me and manipulating my life that I’m not sure who o what I am now.”
“Humphrey,” Kate said, “Viggo didn’t make tu who tu are now. The lobo tu are now is because of your resilience to what Viggo has done to you. No matter what happened, tu always managed to stay true to the best parts of yourself. tu kept pushing adelante, hacia adelante and because of that, tu helped all of us to survive. That wasn’t him. That was all you.”
“Has anyone ever told tu that tu always know exactly what to say?” Humphrey asked.
“I have been told that,” Kate replied, smiling.
“You know, I can’t take too much credit,” Humphrey said. “Whenever I faltered, tu were always there to help get me back on my feet, and I can’t thank tu enough.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” a voice said.
Kate and Humphrey turned around to see Leyla standing behind them.
“No, it’s alright,” Humphrey replied.
“What are tu doing here?” Kate asked.
“I heard about what happened and I just wanted to see how tu guys were doing,” Leyla replied.
“We’re doing pretty good,” Humphrey told her. “A little shaken still, but otherwise fine.”
“Is that Viggo’s sword?” Kate asked, spotting something in Leyla’s hand.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Well, what’s left of it.”
She lifted it up and showed it to them. The blade had been broken in half and the metal was bent and misshapen from the explosion.
“I dug it out of the rubble,” Leyla continued. “He may have been a psycho, but he was still my brother and I wanted some kind of memento.”
“Leave it here,” Humphrey said.
“What?” Leyla asked.
“Leave it here,” he repeated, “as a reminder. Viggo was the worst-of-the-worst, and yet there was still some humanity inside of him. Leave it here as a reminder to all of us that anyone can change.”
“I like it, Humphrey,” Kate said. “What do tu think, Leyla?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Leyla replied.
She then walked over to the front of the tent and planted what was left of the sword into the ground, surrounding it with some small stones to help support it.
Two years passed and life mostly returned to normal. However, Kate noticed that something was off about Humphrey. He didn’t seem as happy as he had once been. Sure, he was much better emotionally than he was in the months after Runt died, but he still didn’t seem like he was one hundred percent again.
Sometime around late spring, Kate noticed that Humphrey was sneaking out in the middle of the night and was gone for hours at a time. She eventually started to secretly follow him to see what he was doing and he led her through the forest to many different places that held some kind of significance in his life.
He led her to what was left of the sandstone cliffs, to Shadow Forest, all the way back to the ruins of his old pack. Every time they got to wherever they were going, Humphrey simply sat down and stared into the forest. He would stay there for a few minutos to upwards of an hora before simply turning around and heading back to the valley. After about a mes of this, Kate finally confronted him about it.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing?” she asked.
“Okay,” Humphrey said, “and just so we’re talking about the same thing-“
“Every night for the past month, I’ve seen tu getting up late at night and leaving for hours,” she clarified.
“Oh, that,” Humphrey said.
“Humphrey, what are tu doing?” she asked again. “I’ve been following tu and tu just sit there until tu decide to go home.”
“I’m…revisiting all those places,” he replied.
“But why?”
“Kate, if I’m being perfectly honest…this place just hasn’t felt the same ever since Viggo died,” Humphrey admitted. “I’ve done my best to try and go back to the way things were but every time I look around, I’m just reminded of all the bad that happened. Winston, Eve, Tony, Runt, all the lobos that died down in that valley. Even Runt’s wedding when Viggo tricked us and blew a crater in the side of the valley. I can’t even look at my own grandpup without thinking of Runt.”
Humphrey let out a deep sigh.
“I just don’t feel happy here anymore.”
“So what are going to do?” Kate asked.
“I’m gonna go back to Leyla’s,” he replied.
“You’re leaving?” she said, surprised.
“I spent nine years there,” Humphrey explained, “and they were some of the best years of my life. I was happy and at peace. Life was simple. tu didn’t have to hunt for food, it was always warm and comfortable. And after everything, I just want to settle down and relax and I can’t do that here. That’s why I’ve been going back to all those places. They all hold special memories and I wanted to see them one last time before I left.”
“When are tu leaving?” Kate asked a little sadly.
“I was going to go tonight,” he answered.
“And were tu ever going to tell us, or-“
“I…don’t know.”
Kate and Humphrey stood in silence for a moment before Humphrey continued.
“You guys don’t need me anymore,” he said. “Stinky is a very capable leader and he’s proven that he can take care of himself and the pack. They’ll be fine without me.”
“Without us.”
“Us?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You are?”
“You’re right,” Kate said. “They’ll be fine. The pack is safe. Humphrey, we’re both old and have seen más than enough action to last a lifetime. I’m ready to settle down and live out my days with you.”
“Man, how are we going to tell everyone?” Humphrey wondered.
“How are tu going to tell everyone what?” Stinky suddenly asked as he and the others walked up to Kate and Humphrey.
“Oh, boy,” Humphrey said.
“Humphrey and I have made a decision,” Kate began, “and, well, we’re leaving.”
“What?” Claudette exclaimed.
“We’re leaving the pack,” Humphrey repeated. “You guys don’t need us anymore. The pack is safe, and you’re a very capable leader, Stinky.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean tu have to leave,” Stinky said.
“Where will tu go?” Steven asked.
“We’re going to go live with Leyla,” Humphrey replied.
“Where does she live?” Kenya asked.
“Just outside of Shadow Forest,” Humphrey replied, “due west from the Central Region.”
“When are tu guys leaving?” Stinky asked.
“Well, we were going to leave fairly soon,” Humphrey answered.
“No,” Stinky said. “You’re not getting away from us that easily. Dad, tu saved this pack and the park. tu deserve a proper sendoff.”
“It wasn’t just me, Stinky,” Humphrey replied.
“I know. All the más reason for us to take a whole día for ourselves,” Stinky countered. “We can all just relax, tell some stories, and reminisce about the good old days. Jax, Jonas, and Martin can get the chance to know their uncle.”
“Plus,” Adam chimed in suggestively, “it is your fiftieth birthday tomorrow.
“Thanks guys,” Humphrey dicho smiling. “That would be nice.”
Note that the songs will not line up with the chapters, so don't try to read and listen because it won't line up. This is mainly to mostrar the tone of different parts in the story, whether it be an intense battle o some mysterious meeting, a relaxing calm, o a sad death.
1. In the Midst of Battle (Chapter 1: A New Beginning)
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2 .A New Beginning (Chapter 1: A New Beginning)
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3. Rise of the Crimson Pack (Chapter 3: Rise of the Crimson Pack)
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4. Hammond (Chapter 5: Captured)
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5. Oscar's Rescue (Chapter 6: Oscar's Rescue)
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6. The First Battle of Jasper Park (Chapter 9: The First Battle of Jasper Park)
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1. In the Midst of Battle (Chapter 1: A New Beginning)
link
2 .A New Beginning (Chapter 1: A New Beginning)
link
3. Rise of the Crimson Pack (Chapter 3: Rise of the Crimson Pack)
link
4. Hammond (Chapter 5: Captured)
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5. Oscar's Rescue (Chapter 6: Oscar's Rescue)
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6. The First Battle of Jasper Park (Chapter 9: The First Battle of Jasper Park)
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I really hope they come out with más A&O cine o at least an A&O T.V mostrar because according to "Timber Humphrey" they could have alot of potential and i see it because In A&O 4 how the f*** does Lilly know what they're planning then she predicts the d*mn weather!? that's some toro if tu ask me unless she like Daria except shes not blind! Like if tu teamed Lilly, Kate, Daria, and Humphery together and teamed Claudette, Stinky, Runt, The Bear, The Porcupine, (srry i forgot their names) and Fleet together and then put the teams together to fight the rogues and the bears again THEY WOULD BE SCREWED o if tu teamed together to hunt THE CARIBOU WOULD BE SCREWED. like this if tu agree 1% o more.