TimberHumphrey for the idea that Winston and Eve took him in.
jhilton0907 for the idea that Humphrey was relocated as a pup.
Chidori1334 for idea to bring Hutch back, the idea that Humphrey was an orphan, the idea to bring Daria back, and for the idea that Cando and Hutch found Humphrey.
Chapter 2: Pack Meeting
That night, Humphrey didn't sleep too well. He was continuing to think about his parents and was talking in his sleep as he did so.
"Mom. Dad. No, don't leave. Help!"
Outside the den, Kate and Winston were quietly talking.
"We can't keep it a secret any longer," Winston detto to Kate. "He has to know the truth." Winston turned around and looked into the den, seeing Humphrey who was still tossing and turning.
"I agree," Kate said, following her father's gaze. She had never seen him like this before, and she hated it. She hated seeing the one she loved turn into someone she didn't recognize. It was like he had become a whole new wolf, not the Humphrey she knew and loved, but someone completely different. She wanted the old Humphrey back.
The successivo day, Winston called a pack meeting in the center of the valley, just outside the den. As everyone gathered around, Humphrey sat at the very back of the assembly, hoping to not be noticed. Winston stood on a rock with Cando and Hutch on either side of him.
"Do te really think we should tell him, sir?" Hutch asked Winston.
"He has to know," he replied before addressing the large assembly before him.
"Everyone," he shouted, his loud voice echoing off the valley sides. "We are faced with a time we all knew would come, a time we all knew would be hard on this pack. But as difficult as it will be, it will not be as difficult for us, as it will be for Humphrey."
Everyone turned to look at Humphrey who was sitting at the back, disappointed that this meeting was going to be centered on him, when all he wanted was to stay out of it as much as possible.
"Humphrey," Winston said. "Come here. We have something we need to discuss that is of the utmost importance."
Humphrey reluctantly walked up to the front where he sat down and stared at the ground.
"It's time te learned how te got here," Winston said. "How te came to be in this pack."
There was a silence that followed his words.
"When we first found you, te were still quite young, but it was obvious te had been on your own for a long time," Winston began.
"What happened?" Humphrey asked.
Winston turned to Cando and Hutch.
"I think te two should take it from here," he detto as he stepped down from the rock and Cando and Hutch took his place.
"The giorno we found te started off like any other day," Cando began, recalling that fateful giorno that brought Humphrey into the pack.
"We were on a routine patrol through the woods around the outer edges of the territory that morning," Cando continued.
"We were about to turn back when we noticed a small shape appear through the morning mist," Hutch said. "I called out to you, but te didn't say anything. Soon enough, we could see that it was a young lupo pup, much too young to be out wandering around on his own like te were."
They paused as Humphrey started remembering a little bit.
"We didn't recognize te from the Western o Eastern pack," Hutch went on. "So, we decided to take te to Winston."
Winston joined Cando and Hutch on the rock.
"When they first brought te to me," he said. "It was very apparent that te weren't from either pack. Kate wasn't much older than te were at the time, and Lilly hadn't even been born yet. When Kate heard us talking, she became very curious and wanted to know what was going on, but I just told her that it wasn't anything she needed to know and to go back to her mother. As we talked, we decided to leave te with me for the giorno and that we would decide what to do with te in the morning. te were quite rambunctious that giorno and it quickly became clear that te were an omega. te also became fast Friends with Kate, mostly because she couldn't contain her curiosity of you."
Humphrey looked over at Kate.
"I remember," he said. "She wouldn't stop following me and asking domande for the first couple of days."
Kate turned away, a little embarrassed, and smiled as she remembered that first week she had known Humphrey all those years ago.
"After we decided to accept te into the pack," Winston continued. "It wasn't long before te met your other Friends and formed your own little omega group. Over the first couple of years that te were part of the pack, te lot were quite the troublemakers, but it wasn't long before te all grew into the mostly responsible Lupi te are today."
Humphrey opened his mouth to say something, but struggled to speak, the thoughts of what he was going to say weighing down on his mind. Finally, with much effort, he was able to get it out.
"But what...what about my...parents?" This last word had to be strongly forced out.
Winston sighed, knowing full well that he couldn't answer this question.
"No one here really knows what happened the giorno te Lost your parents. Only te can tell us that," he said.
"But all I remember are immagini in my head," Humphrey said. But then Humphrey stopped, and very slowly, a look came on his face like he had just remembered something. And he had.
"And my parents," he said, slowly. "Running after the truck. There was someone else with me. There was another cage right successivo to me, but I can't remember who was in it. The last thing I remember was my dad yelling that he would find me. That was the last time I saw them."
Once again, there was utter silence in the valley.
"Humphrey," Winston said. "We know your parents might still be alive somewhere. And if they are, we wouldn't want to keep te from them. So, I've decided to let te go and cerca for them. I've assembled a team to go with you, if you'd like."
Humphrey suddenly looked up, surprised at what was happening.
"Really?" he asked.
"Of course," Winston said. "If they're out there, te have to find them. Now, as I said, I've assembled a team to go with te if te want them."
"I'll take them," Humphrey said, eagerly. He couldn't believe that after all these years, he might actually find his parents. He thought he would never see them again, but this could be his chance.
"Good," Winston said. "Cando and Hutch will take te to the edge of the territory where they found you. te can start there. I'll also be sending Daria with you. If there's anything out there, she'll hear it. And," Winston hesitated.
"Although there's about a million things telling me otherwise, I'm sending your pups with you, too."
"I'll take Stinky," Humphrey said. "But Claudette and Runt stay."
"Humphrey," Winston said. "I think te know as well as I do that if te take one, it's not going to be long before te find the other two following you. You'd be better off with all three."
"All right," Humphrey said, reluctantly.
"We're going, too," Marcel said.
"Yes, if there's anything to see from the air, you'll hear it from us," Paddy agreed.
"I'm going, too," Kate said.
"And so are we," Garth detto with Lilly sitting successivo to him.
"Very well," Winston agreed. You'll leave tomorrow morning. Now, try and get a good rest tonight."
As the pack began to depart, Winston called out to Humphrey.
"Humphrey."
Humphrey turned around to face him.
"Don't get your hopes up. There is a possibility that te might not like what te find."
Humphrey paused as he thought about this. It wasn't something he wanted, but he had to make room for the possibility that his parents were dead.
"And good luck."
