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Chapter 11: The Bridge: Part 1/ A Farewell to Arms

Of all the places he had gone to in this strange... whatever this was, this had to be the most bizarre. He stood alone on the edge of what appeared to be a gorge, which from where he stood seemed almost endless because he could not see the other side, but he knew that there had to be another edge somewhere. For just beyond the wall of the cliff on which he stood, he could see hundreds of bare rocks which spanned on like a bridge for miles into the indefinite distance until they finally faded from view into the empty, grey sky.

There was something truly remarkable about these rocks, though, as they appeared to be suspended in mid air, almost as though held in place by some mysterious force or anomaly in the gravitational pull of this strange place, but he did not know for sure, nor did he think he ever would.

He chanced to move closer to the edge and hung his head timidly over the side, and then peered down into the gorge. Remarkably, he found that it, too, appeared to be bottomless, for he had no true way of telling just how far the walls ran until they finally bottomed out, as they disappeared after a depth of about a mile into a sea of an odd, green mist which rolled beneath him.

Curious, he allowed a drop of saliva to roll off of his tongue then watched as it traveled downward and was engulfed by the eerie mist, but he never did hear it hit anything.

Frightened, for he had always been afraid of heights, he drew himself away from the ledge and sat down so as to assure himself with a sense of security then ran his eyes out over the vast space before him, trying again to make sense out of what was going on, but, just as he had been in every place before, he was clueless.

"Humphrey," he heard a soft voice whisper over the wind.

Upon being addressed, he cocked his head and opened his ears wide, for he thought that he recognized the voice, but it had such a strange vibe to it that he could not know for sure.

"Humphrey," the wind called again as it swirled softly around his ears, then from out of the corner of his eye, he caught something move, but when he turned toward the area in which he had seen the movement, he found nothing.

"Humphrey."

He began to tremble as fear began to rise in his veins. His voice of reason told him to run, but he knew that he had nowhere to run to. About thirty feet behind him was a sheer rock face which towered about two hundred feet into the sky.

Then, from out of nowhere, she appeared, solidifying almost out of thin air on the third rock from the edge.

"Kate?" he called in excitement and relief, but just as soon as he had spoken her name, she turned and began to run away from him, leaping effortlessly from rock to rock.

"No, Kate, come back," Humphrey cried desperately and moved to chase her, but once he drew near to the edge of the gorge, he slammed his paws into the ground and slid to a stop as his fear of heights forbade him from making the leap.

However, just as soon as his his momentum was arrested, he heard a loud crack behind him and turned to find that the cliff on which he stood was beginning to crumble into the abyss.

He felt panic begin to rise inside of him and scrambled for a way out, but his body and mind locked up, restraining him entirely from engaging in any form of action whatsoever.

"Jump!" he heard a voice suddenly demand, causing him to turn.

"Huh?" he asked, but before he could find who it was that addressed him, he was kicked from behind, causing him to lurch forward.

"Hurry up!"

Humphrey was snapped out of his frightened trance by the kick and leapt in sheer desperation for first levitated rock just as the cliff began to crumble beneath him.

He was airborne for about two seconds before he finally, thankfully, landed on something solid, but he landed short, striking on his chest while his hind legs still hung over the edge.

He groaned in pain and struggled to pull himself up, but he could not get a grip with his claws and quickly began to slide backward.

"No, no, no, f***!" he cried, frightened, as he scrambled for a grip, but he only continued to slide.

However, just as his paws were about to slip completely and drop him into the abyss, he felt a searing pain in the tops of his wrists which caused him to scream.

He opened his eyes to find to pair of large, black paws on top of his whose claws had been dug into his skin so as to prevent him from falling, but he did not care about that. After all, the pain he felt was certainly better than the fate he would have met had he been allowed to fall.

"I could use some help here," the black wolf demanded with a strenuous groan as he dug his claws deeper into Humphrey's skin for better grip.

Humphrey winced and searched for leverage with his hind paws, then once he obtained a base, he began to push.

The wolf grunted and began to pull backward until finally Humphrey was hoisted to safety.

Humphrey lied on the rock, panting deeply, then opened his eyes, but when he did so, he found that the wolf was gone.

"Hello?" he called, lifting his head to search for him, but he could not find him anywhere.

This unsettled him slightly. Call it superstitious, but he felt almost as though he had been rescued by a ghost, but that could not be. His wrists throbbed from where the claws had once latched into his skin, and when he looked down at them he could see six gashes, three on each, which slowly seeped blood to the rock beneath him. Logic told him that if he could do this then he should be real, so where in the hell did he go?

"Hello, Humphrey," a voice said behind him.

Startled, Humphrey jumped to his paws and whirled around to face who had addressed him, finding the black wolf to now be standing in the exact spot where he had once lain.

"O-oh," he stammered, "it's you."

The wolf nodded, gazing upon him with wistful, golden eyes.

"Um... thank you," Humphrey began slowly in the black wolf's presence, "for saving my life."

"Don't thank me," he replied, "thank yourself."

Then without another word, he disappeared, fading slowly into the air.

"Wait, hold on!" Humphrey called, "what does that mean?"

"Go to them," his voice echoed around him, "they await you on the other side."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" he demanded, "who's waiting for me, dammit? Tell me!"

But he received no further answer and was left alone yet again.

He sighed in bitter defeat and lowered his head, unsure as to what he should do now. He contemplated going back, but turned to find that the cliff upon which he once stood was completely gone and would not regenerate as other structures had done in places previous, so he knew that going back was no longer an option. However, his fears and the uncertainty of what his future may hold forbade him from continuing. What if he were to slip and fall again? Would he be saved this time, or would he plunge into the murky sea to meet his death? Who or what waited for him on the other side of this bridge? Was this maybe his way out? Would he find her waiting for him on the other side, or was this the bridge that would lead him to his death? If that was so, who waited for him there? His mother? His sister? God? Angels? The Devil? Demons? Or an empty, black void?

Another loud crack sounded, which cut his thoughts short and nearly stopped his heart.

"Sh*t, not again," he cried and began to run, but this time as he drew near to the edge he did not stop.

He closed his eyes, prayed that he landed on something solid then threw himself up into space. Time slowed as his body sailed forward through the air until his upward momentum met a crest and gravity began to take control and draw him once more toward the ground.

This was it.

He tensed involuntarily as he prepared himself for the worst, but when he felt his paws strike firm ground, he opened his eyes to find that he had made it.

Relieved, he released a breath and began to pant as he fought to regain control of himself, but his adrenaline flowed rapidly through his veins, perking deep excitement in his body.

"Ha!" he laughed aloud, turning behind him, "omega one, heights-"

"Proud of yourself?" a familiar voice interrupted, causing him to lock up.

"You," he growled as he turned to find the black wolf.

The black wolf lifted his head upon acknowledgement.

"Start talking," Humphrey demanded, "I know you know something, so spill it. Who are you? What is going on?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, plainly.

Humphrey cocked his head.

"No?" the wolf continued in his silence, "Maybe this will help."

Like flipping a switch, Humphrey found himself back at home in his den, alone.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, for at first he did not believe what he saw, but when he opened his eyes once more and found himself still there, he knew that it was real.

"Kate!" he called happily, leaping to his feet and beginning to bound out into the world, "Kate, I'm- OOF!"

Humphrey was interrupted when something struck him and he tumbled to the ground.

"Ugh," he groaned, lifting his head to find Lilly lying on the ground about six feet away, "Lilly? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she groaned as she pressed herself to her paws, "but you've gotta come now," she continued now with urgency, "it's Kate."

Humphrey's eyes became saucers and he took Lilly's shoulders roughly into his paws.

"Where is she?" he asked frantically, "what's wrong?"

"She's in the healer's den," Lilly explained, "she went into labor about ten minutes ago, but... something went wrong."

Humphrey was on his way past her just as soon as he learned her location and did not care to listen to the rest. If Kate needed him, he would surely be there for her no matter what.

He panted, his paws hardly touching the ground as he tore across the valley, and he did not slow down until he was inside of the den.

He slid to a stop to find Winston standing before him with sadness evident on his face.

"Where is she?" Humphrey asked him urgently.

"Humphrey, I think it would be best of you waited outside," he advised in a voice wrought with grief.

"No," Humphrey argued, "I have to see her."

Winston tried to stop him, but he simply shoved his way past to find Kate lying on the floor with Amina holding her paw. Behind her, Humphrey could see a pool of blood and off to the side, the tiny pink body of a pup... his pup... their pup, but he could tell that something was wrong, really wrong. The pup appeared to be fine, but Kate was bleeding far too much for a simple child birth.

Realization hit him like a rock to his stomach and nearly caused him to be sick.

She was dying.

Kate's eyes were closed, but she must have sensed his presence somewhere near because they slowly opened

"H-Humphrey?" she called weakly.

Amina turned to him then backed away, allowing the two of them to have some privacy to make their final goodbyes.

"Yes, Kate," he said softly, taking a seat by her side, "I'm here."

She smiled as a tear began to roll through the fur on her cheeks.

"I didn't... think that... you would... make it," she joked with a small laugh.

He smiled softly and gently nuzzled the side of her head.

"Are you kidding?" he asked as tears began to sting his eyes, "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Kate smiled and laid her head down for a moment, inviting silence to fill the void, but after about a minute, she spoke.

"Do you remember... that time you made me make... a promise before you would... tell me what it was?" she asked him weakly.

He nodded, fighting back tears.

"Well... now... it's my turn," she continued, "promise me, Humphrey."

He choked and began to sob softly.

"I promise, Kate," he answered, taking her paw into his.

"Promise me... that you'll... take good care of our pup," Kate panted, "give her the life that she deserves. Promise me, Humphrey... promise me."

Her eyes slowly closed and her paw became limp in his as the life in her body faded and her soul's fire was extinguished.

Humphrey collapsed and pulled her lifeless body in close to his.

"Kate!" he cried, burying his head into the fur on her shoulder, "K-a-ate!"

A&?

Humphrey was now the only one who remained before the mound of freshly lain dirt. Silently he stood and stared down upon the flat stone which marked her burial site. In his mouth he held a single pink flower, which had until this point hung upside down inside of their den for preservation since she wore it on the day of their wedding. For the entire service he did not say a word, shed not a single tear, and he never moved from this spot, almost as though time had left him behind. He was aware of the reason why he held the flower, but he just could not find the courage to step forward and place it before the stone, for he felt almost as though if he were to disturb even a single grain of dirt, he will have desecrated her grave.

"Have courage, Humphrey," a familiar voice said behind him.

Shocked, Humphrey allowed the flower to drop to the ground and turned to see the black wolf standing before him.

"You," he growled, "what the hell is this!"

"Don't you recognize this?" the wolf asked him quizzically.

Humphrey scowled, now confused.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, "what is this, tell me."

The wolf shook his head softly.

"The subconscious mind is a funny thing," he mused, "fleeting thoughts and memories which are quickly forgotten remain locked away which nag and tease like a scab we cannot chew."

Humphrey jerked his head back slightly.

"What?" he asked, bewildered.

"You dream this dream often," the wolf began again, "but you wish not to think about this because it scares you to think that she could be taken from you in an instant, so you block it out. You make yourself forget."

Humphrey could not believe what he was hearing. How could this wolf know so much about him when they had never met?

"Who are you?" he asked softly.

"I have no name," the wolf answered, "I have no past, no future, and only one job."

"And what job would that be?" Humphrey asked testily, "can you answer me that?"

The black wolf sighed and flattened his ears.

"I can't," he replied slowly.

"Can't or won't?" Humphrey asked bitterly.

"Both," the wolf answered dryly, "this is something that you must figure out on your own."

Humphrey's jaw locked as anger rose inside of him again.

"How the hell am I supposed to do this if I don't even know what is going on!" he yelled as he stepped closer to the wolf.

"You've already been given the answer," the wolf replied flatly then began to fade into the air, "think, and you will know what it is that you are supposed to do."

"Wait!" Humphrey called, attempting to stop him, but the wolf was gone.

"Damn it," Humphrey muttered under his breath then lifted his head, "you bastard!"

His voice echoed off of the land around him then slowly faded away, casting him into silence yet again.

A&?

Miles sighed as he stood outside of the camp's medical den and searched for the courage to enter. He did not know if he could face them after what had happened. He blamed himself entirely for what had befallen Humphrey and would not be surprised if Kate did as well, as he was certain she knew of his roll in her mate's current condition.

It was because of this that he had previously made it a point to stay away from the medical den entirely, but now things were different. He knew now that he needed to face what he had caused and apologize because he knew that after today, he would either never get the chance or it would be too late. Even still, though, he found it difficult to find the words that he should say. After all, words alone meant nothing when a man's life hung in the balance.

He flattened his ears against the top of his skull and took in a breath of collection before stepping forward into the den, but he did not dare move another inch once his entire body was inside, for he knew that he had no right to be near them after what happened.

Kate was alerted to his presence and lifted her head slowly to face him with moist, tired eyes, which caused his gaze to travel to the floor.

"Oh... hey, Miles," she greeted as warmly as she was capable then wiped her nose with the side of her paw, "what brings you here?"

Miles hesitantly lifted his eyes, but could not bring himself to lock his gaze with Kate's so he averted it imperceptibly to the left.

"I... just wanted to apologize for all of this," he stated slowly as he again moved his eyes to the floor.

"Apologize?" Kate asked him with a cock of her head, "for what? You've done nothing wrong."

Miles sighed deeply and lowered his chin slightly.

"If only you knew," he mused softly under his breath, "then it would make this goodbye a lot easier."

Kate was beginning to grow concerned and expressed it as she stepped toward him.

"Goodbye?" she asked, "Miles you're not making any sense. What am I supposed to know?"

"I was relieved of my post this afternoon," he replied, ashamed.

"Relieved?" Kate asked, surprised, "but... why?"

Miles swallowed and lowered his head.

"In order to drown my guilt, I did as I always do," he began, "but it just wasn't enough because justice still needed to be done, so I attacked the one whom I thought was responsible."

"But... who?" Kate asked, still trying to grasp what she was being told.

"Gauge," he replied, a trace of venom in his tone.

Kate lowered her eyes slightly.

"But what guilt would you feel which would bring this up in the first place?" she inquired, returning her gaze to him.

Miles remained silent for a moment then slowly lifted his head to reveal a thin veil of tears in his eyes.

"It's my fault Humphrey was attacked," he confessed, "and it's my fault that he's in a coma."

Kate did not know how to process what she was being told and therefore began to fumble over her words.

"I was supposed to watch him," Miles continued, interrupting her babble, "but I abandoned my post to entertain my... sick addiction and left your mate unprotected against his enemies. If I had just-"

"Alright, stop," Kate interrupted, her voice beginning to choke, "just stop it right now. I don't want to hear you blame yourself for what happened."

Miles lifted his head slightly.

"What?" he asked her in a strained voice, perking his ears.

"You're a good wolf, Miles," she began again, "don't you try to take that away from yourself. I won't stand for it."

Miles was reeling, as this contradicted his expectations entirely. Here he was being told not to blame himself when he thought surely she would attempt to rip his head off, and he did not understand why.

"I am the one who allowed this to happen," she continued, softly in his silence, "I was the one who left him alone."

"But-"

She cut him off by placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Miles, I don't blame you," she said, "so please don't blame yourself. You're better than that."

He sighed, folding his ears flat once more.

"But how can you say that when I've messed so many things up?" he asked her, now on the brink of tears, "I abandon my post frequently, I've blown hunts, I beat a pup. Kate, I am a god damned alcoholic for crying out loud. What is there about me that is even honorable, let alone forgivable, and why are you so willing to overlook everything I've done?"

"Because mistakes are what make us wolves" Kate replied, "you've made some blunders, and yes, you do have a problem, but no matter what it is that you do, you always do everything in your power to fix it, just like you're doing right now."

He drew his head away slightly.

"You feel guilty, and came here to try to make things right," Kate continued, "because it's the right thing to do, because you're a good man, Miles Neiman."

Miles felt tears begin to sting his eyes, but he refused to allow them to fall.

"Thank you," he thanked, "that means a lot to me."

Kate smiled.

"Don't mention it," she replied, "and if you still feel like you need to make it up to me, just do one thing."

Miles cocked his head.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Live your life," she replied, "get sober. Find a girl. Settle down, and just live. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Miles opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and replied only with a nod.

Kate smiled and stepped forward, embracing him.

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling away.

Miles nodded curtly as a large smile spread across his lips.

"I guess I'll see you around," he said, "that is, if you can ever find time for an old omega like me."

Kate smiled.

"Of course," she replied, "give the others my greeting."

"Can do," he beamed, "and be sure to give Humphrey my best just as soon as he gets better."

"I will," Kate smiled as he turned and walked out, but when he was gone, her smile faded as she turned her eyes down to Humphrey once more, "if he ever wakes up."