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Chapter 12: The Bridge: Part 2: No Closer to Heaven.

Humphrey I don't understand why you won't tell me where you're taking me," Kate whined even though a chuckle forced its way through the cracks in her voice.

"Because if I told you it would ruin the surprise," he replied with a mischievous sneer, "now pipe down and don't peek."

Kate huffed indignantly and continued to walk, leaning in close to his body for guidance, for even though she could not feel his mortal form, the strength of his presence gave her a sense of his position no matter where he was and just so long as she remained within a brief distance of him, she knew his exact whereabouts even though her eyes were closed.

"Watch your head," Humphrey warned, ducking underneath a log which slanted toward the ground at a steep angle.

Kate heeded his advice and ducked beneath the log then continued on, following close at his side so as to not lose track of him.

"Alright, we're here," Humphrey informed slowing to a halt, "open your eyes."

Kate smiled excitedly and allowed her eyes to slowly peel themselves open.

When her vision became clear, she found herself to be standing in a place the likes of which she did not even know existed. Beneath her paws was a fine, white substance, much like dirt, but quite different, still, for it had its own unique sensation as it passed between her toes the likes of which dirt could never provide. She relished in the blissful sensation, flexing her toes slowly and feeling her paws sink further and further into it with each motion she made, but this was nothing in comparison to what lied before her. Only a distance of about fifteen feet from where she stood, she could see a body of water, no bigger than a lake which was as clear and beautiful as one formed from glacial run-off, but this was not what captivated her, because clear lakes were common where she came from; here there was something more. In this particular lake, the water near its edges was a color which nearly matched the sky above, but as it drew closer to the center, the increasing depths caused it to darken from hues of green and turquoise to the deepest of blue, a truly remarkable spectacle.

"Come on, Kate," Humphrey chimed, drawing her attention to him once more, "let's go for a swim. Last one in is a rotten carcass."

With that said, he took off and began to run toward the water, then as he neared its edge he whooped loudly and jumped then landed in the pool with a large splash.

Kate, for the moment hesitated.

"Come on in, Kate," Humphrey encouraged, "the water is fine."

Kate was still a bit skeptical as this water had an odd smell to it, one which differed severely from that which she was used to smelling, so it made her slightly uncomfortable to think about plunging into something she knew nothing about.

"Oh don't tell me the big bad alpha is a chicken," Humphrey teased, flopping over and disappearing for a moment before resurfacing.

Kate sighed then lifted her head.

"Eh, screw it," she said with a smile and began to sprint toward the pool.

("Heaven", by Brian Adams plays.)

There was a great splash as Kate's body plunged into the water, one so large that it splashed some of it into Humphrey's face, causing him to laugh.

Kate resurfaced a moment later, spitting the salty water softly between her lips, then turned to Humphrey, only to be greeted by a wall of water.

"Gah!" she cried in distaste, turning to him and wiping her eyes indignantly, "Humphrey!"

Humphrey laughed and paddled away from her, urging her to chase him.

She cleared what remained of the watery veil from her eyes then growled softly as she saw him retreating.

"Come back here," she demanded and began to swim in pursuit.

"Never," he replied, veering to the left, but Kate was a strong swimmer and steadily began to gain on him.

Humphrey sensed that he was in trouble, but made no effort to escape, for getting caught was all part of the fun.

"Gotcha!" Kate yelled, closing the gap and leaping upon his shoulders, dunking him under.

Bubbles rose to the surface as Humphrey's body sank, then after a moment, he resurfaced and turned to Kate, who now took her turn to laugh.

Humphrey grinned evilly and then moved to splash her, but as he flung water in her direction, Kate ducked under the surface then came up again and shot a wave of her own at him. Thinking quickly, Humphrey advanced forward and blocked the splash with one of his own, now beginning to gain ground on her.

Kate gasped with a laugh as he drew near and began to propel herself backward, sending volleys of water at him, all of which hit their target.

Humphrey laughed as the water struck his face, and continued to advance, regardless of the liquid the splashed into his eyes and mouth, then sent out a retaliatory strike of his own as he drew near.

Kate attempted to escape, but was rendered helpless. The water made contact with her face, causing her to close her eyes, then when she opened them again, they found Humphrey to have closed the gap completely.

She screamed and attempted to swim away, but he caught her and pulled her in close.

Knowing that escape was impossible, she ceased to struggle and turned her eyes up to his, losing herself in his gaze, then closed her eyes as their muzzles began to draw closer together.

Moments later their lips connected in what would be the most passionate kiss the two had ever shared. Their lips pressed firmly together, then separated slightly as Kate opened her mouth to grant her mate access with his tongue, which he gained by sliding it gently into her muzzle. He reached in as far as he could then slowly retreated as her own tongue slowly began to follow his. Each of them poured the entirety of their hearts and souls into the kiss, loving each other with everything that they were worth, and like this the two remained, locked in a passionate display of lips and tongue which lasted for a full five minutes before they finally separated.

"I love you, Kate," Humphrey whispered, staring down into her eyes.

"I love you, too," she replied, placing a paw gently on his cheek.

For a moment, the two remained, grasped lightly in each other's arms before Humphrey pulled away.

"Come on, let's get dry," he suggested, turning toward the land.

Kate nodded as he began to wade through the water then began to follow. However, as soon as they were up on dry land, she leapt upon his shoulders and took him down onto his back. Humphrey was taken by surprise at first, but when she laid across his chest and locked muzzles with him again, he quickly relaxed and melted into the kiss.

After another three minutes of passionate caressing, Kate pulled away and laid her head down upon his chest.

"I wish this moment could last forever," she whispered, nuzzling herself deeper into his fur.

Humphrey smiled and wrapped his forelegs tightly around her waist, pulling her as close to his body as possible.

"As do I, my love,"

Kate crooned softly in his embrace and closed her eyes. This was what she loved the most, when he held her close in his arms. It soothed her, even on her worst days, and made her feel safe, like nothing in the world was wrong even as it fell apart around them. Her body became one with his as the two melded into the embrace and she began to feel herself succumbing to the tranquility, then before she knew it, she drifted away into sleep.

?&?

Kate's eyes shot open and she lifted her head only to find that she was in her den.

Distraught, for her dreams seemed so real, she sighed and lowered her head to her paws, but when her chin was deposited upon her wrists she noticed something odd. They were wet.

And it was at this moment that she realized that her entire body was wet, almost as though she had been swimming recently.

She began to feel her body all over just to make sure that what she was feeling was indeed as she perceived it to be, then when her assumptions were confirmed, she turned her eyes over the den to find that everything was where it should be. Relieved, she turned to look behind her to check on her mate, but when her eyes fell upon the vacant spot where Humphrey had once lain, her heart jumped into her throat.

A&?

Time seemed to progress without him as he stood before the burial sight of his recently departed mate. Already the sun had completed its journey across the sky and had begun to make its descent, taking with it what remained of its light as it prepared to dip behind the mountains to the west. Wolves from all over the park collected themselves from their various tasks and began to make their way home for the night while others, still, dispersed for night watch, but Humphrey remained frozen, a statue which stood inert in the ceaseless sands of time.

The only thing that he could bring himself to do was stand silently before the grave, as by this point all thought had been eradicated and his energy spent, but he still remained standing, almost as though his legs had been turned to stone. So lost was he that he did not hear the wolf who approached him until he was addressed.

"Humphrey," he heard Winston say softly as he felt a paw land gently on his shoulder, "you should go and get some rest."

Humphrey sighed and turned to him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied dismally, lacking the energy to offer any resistance.

With a gentle push on his shoulder, Winston invoked motion into the omega, who began to walk mechanically beside him.

Motion seemed to bring his body back to life and everything which he had blocked out of his mind while he stood before her grave began to circulate once more through the membranes of his mind, resurrecting the pain, the guilt, the sadness, and the anger which he had felt before his body had shut itself down. This tangled web of emotions was overwhelming, and almost caused him to begin to sob once more, but no tears would fall, for he had already spent them all.

The progression to his den was painstakingly slow, for in Humphrey's zombified state, he shuffled along like a drunkard, dragging his paws clumsily across the ground.

Finally his den came into view and they paused just beyond its walls.

"Try to get some sleep, Humphrey," he said softly.

"But what about-"

"The pup will be fine," Winston assured, "she is still with the healer. She would like to place her under her care until she is strong enough to come home, but since you're the father, we would first need your consent to keep her that long."

Humphrey nodded, comforted by at least knowing that she was in able paws.

"Yes," he replied flatly, "she can keep her as long as she feels necessary."

Winston nodded once then allowed a silence to fall between them.

"Humphrey... I know you probably think that this is on you," Winston began slowly, reading the omega's facial expression and posture like an open book, "but believe me it is not your fault."

Humphrey nodded silently, though truthfully he was not convinced, for somehow he always knew that this would happen, but he had allowed himself to forget this fear, and now that it had become a reality. He saw no blame fit to be placed upon anybody but himself.

His mother had died giving birth to him, and now his mate died giving birth to his pup. After so long, and after he thought he could finally let it all go, his curse caught up with him and once again took away everything that meant anything at all to him.

Maybe he just was not meant to have a family. Maybe he was always meant to be alone.

He sighed inwardly and closed his eyes.

Maybe this was why he had come here- to learn what it would feel like if he were to lose everything again. Maybe that was what he was supposed to do.

"I'll leave you alone now," Winston said, beginning to turn away, "try to get some sleep."

Humphrey nodded and turned forward to face his empty den once more. He dreaded going inside as he knew what would happen as soon as he did.

He would enter and still feel her presence inside. He would still smell her sweet scent in the air, but she would not be there. Only a memory would remain amidst the cold, callous shadow of death and desolation.

But he had to accept this, because it was now a part of his life that he would have to face. He could not try to hide from it any longer.

He hesitated for a moment longer, reaching deep inside of himself for the courage to go on, then entered.

A&?

Winston sat silently in the den amidst the remaining instructors, awaiting the arrival of the one for whom they were sent. Silence surrounded them. No words needed to be exchanged between them at this point. They were all on the same page here. All they needed to do now was wait.

"You sent for me, sir?" Gauge asked as he stepped into the den, drawing all eyes to him.

Winston turned his eyes between the group then rose to greet him.

"Ah, yes," he replied warmly, "so glad you could make it out on such short notice, especially after everything that happened yesterday. I see your wounds have been properly attended to."

Gauge scoffed inwardly and approached, taking a seat before the group.

"So what is this about?" he asked testily, "is there something wrong?"

Winston retook his original seat in the middle and his once friendly gaze turned to stone.

"Not if you answer all of our questions truthfully," he said firmly.

Gauge felt fear overtake him, but covered it up quickly with a scowl.

"I don't have to sit through an interrogation," he growled, "I know my rights."

Winston's scowl deepened

"And as leader of this pack I have the right to strip you of those when it is a matter of our pack's security," he retorted sternly, "and if I have to in order to get to the bottom of this, I will."

Gauge swallowed.

"Fine," he said shakily, "I have nothing to hide."

Winston nodded then turned behind him.

"Dakota?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, rising.

"Why don't you enlighten him on the accusations which Miles charged him with yesterday evening?"

She nodded.

"Miles Neiman believes that you are the one who is responsible for Humphrey's current condition," she informed, causing Gauge to scoff.

"Please, tell me something I don't know," he said defiantly, "everybody suspects that it is me." A pause. "And anyway, why am I on trial here? Why not do something about the drunk who beat me to a pulp yesterday?"

"Miles has been dealt with accordingly and is no longer any concern of yours," Winston said flatly.

Gauge smiled.

"Ah, so he got canned, eh?" he asked through the cracks of a laugh, "bout time. That worthless drunk was a mistake from the get-go."

Dakota growled.

"How dare you. Miles-" she seethed and stepped forward, but Erik rose and intercepted her, silently convincing her to stand down.

"We're getting off track here," Winston said, calming things down once more, "Gauge, you are aware of the allegations. What do you have to say about it?"

He felt a chuckle tickle the base of his throat then turned his eyes up so they looked directly into the Alpha's.

"Yeah, I did it," he admitted, almost pridefully, "and I have not lost any sleep over it." A pause. "You know? My only regret is that I did not finish the job when I had the chance."

Winston felt fear flicker momentarily into his heart as he gazed down into the eyes of the young trainee, as he knew now that he was looking directly into the eyes of evil. For in his eyes he saw nothing- no soul, no life- there was only darkness, deep and cunning behind those faded, green irises.

"So this is a confession?" Winston asked, pulling himself away.

Gauge nodded, but offered no further remark.

Without a word, Winston turned to Cail and Dakota.

"Take him to solitary while I think of a punishment," he instructed.

There was a simultaneous nod between the two of them and they rose, fell in on each side of Gauge, then began to lead him away.

"Do as you will to me, Winston," Gauge called over his shoulder, "but it still won't change anything. The omega is as good as dead."

Winston's scowl deepened as those damning words found purchase on his ears, but faded with a sigh as Gauge was finally escorted out of the den, leaving only him and Erik.

"Can you believe it?" Erik asked in bewilderment, "how did we not see that coming?"

Winston flattened his ears and took a seat with his back to Erik.

"We did," he replied dryly, "we all did, but-"

A scramble of paws and a flurry of dirt interrupted him and drew his attention once more to the mouth of the den where he found his daughter to be standing, heaving heavily.

"Kate, what's-"

"Where is he?" she asked quickly.

Winston cocked his head.

"Where's who? And why are you all wet?"

"Never mind that. It's Humphrey," Kate replied, struggling to regain control of her breath, "he's gone."

Winston rose to his feet.

"Gone?" he asked, "what do you mean he's gone?"

"I woke up this morning and he wasn't there," she said.

"Then why are you here instead of looking for him?" He asked frantically, rising to his paws and beginning to move toward the mouth of the den.

"I thought maybe you knew something about it," she replied, turning to follow him.

"Wait," Erik called, causing them to pause and turn to him, "I can help. What do you want me to do?"

"Go find any available wolf you can," he instructed, "students and staff alike. We haven't much time."

He nodded and followed them out of the den then took off in search for any who could aid them.

"Did you see anything?" Winston asked Kate as they ran back toward their den, "any paw prints? Anything unusual?"

"I didn't take the time to look," Kate replied quickly, "I just saw that he was gone and assumed the worst."

Winston sighed inwardly as he ran, but offered no further reply.

The den rushed to greet them as they sped swiftly toward it, then, as they closed in at fifty yards they allowed a slow trot to carry them another twenty. Silence overtook them save the dry heaves of their breaths as they paused to assay the area. From what they could see from their current position, nothing was out of the ordinary, so they chanced to move closer. Kate moved first, walking straight up to the den, but when she got there, she was in for another surprise. Humphrey was back, lying in the same position in which he had lied since the day of his injury like nothing had happened.

Upon seeing this, she collapsed to her haunches and buried her head into her paw.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" she yelled, slamming her paw down into the dirt.

Winston arrived behind her and altered his gaze between the den and his daughter.

"Kate-"

"Why?" she asked, frustrated, "why did he have to still be here!"

Winston, afraid to intervene, remained distant.

"Every time something incredible happens, I am the only one to see it," Kate growled, rising to her paws and storming into the den.

Winston reluctantly followed, fearful of igniting the bomb which now ticked away inside of his daughter, but as he entered the den, he found something that she had missed.

She sat down once again, facing the wall.

"Ha-I'm losing it," she laughed hysterically as tears began to sting her eyes, "I'm hallucinating, I believe-"

"Kate," Winston interrupted.

"What!" she demanded, whipping around to face him.

"Look," he said, pointing down to the ground.

Kate did as she was told and moved her eyes to the floor, and when she did, she discovered something quite incredible. Leading directly from the mouth of the den to the spot where Humphrey lied, was a set of muddy paw prints which had been left only moments ago due to the fact that the water inside of them had barely begun to dry, but what was truly remarkable was that there were no prints leading out and no prints anywhere else. Just to be sure, she looked quickly all around and checked her own paws because they had been wet before, but found that they had since dried, so it was impossible that those prints belonged to her.

Humphrey was the only one who could have left these prints, but that, too, was impossible, because he was in a coma.

But they could not deny the possibility until they got all the facts.

They followed the tracks with their eyes once more from the entrance to the omega, then Kate moved closer to inspect him and found that he, too, was soaking wet, which meant that unless this was all in her head or somebody was playing a cruel joke on her, something strange was happening to her mate.

However, just to be absolutely certain that the tracks were indeed his, she sampled them with her nose and found without a doubt that they were.

"Dad, go find the others and tell them everything is alright," Kate said, lifting her head, "I have to follow these and see where they go."

Winston, knowing that he would not be able to tell her otherwise, nodded.

"Just be careful," he said to her as he turned to take his leave.

"I will," Kate replied then looked down at the tracks once more.

"I don't know what it is that you are trying to tell me," Kate thought, turning her eyes to her mate, "but if the answer lies somewhere at the end of this track, I will find it."

A&?

As Humphrey entered the den, he found something which severely differed from that which he had expected.

Inside the den was a small, grey furred pup who sat alone near the back wall, and upon closer inspection, he realized that it looked a lot like he used to in the days of his youth, but he knew that it couldn't be him. This pup bore a black patch between its shoulders.

Intrigue enticed him to approach, so, taking only a moment longer to watch, he then took a step toward it.

"Hey," he called, causing the pup to jump in alarm and turn around.

"Dad," the pup cried fearfully in a female voice and turned to him, "it... um... it was an accident," she stammered, "I'm really sorry."

'Dad?' Humphrey thought, disregarding the latter part of the statement all together, 'then that means... this is my daughter.'

He was overwhelmed, but before he had the chance to think on the matter any further, she spoke again.

"Please don't be mad," she whimpered, "I- I-"

Humphrey smiled as he gazed down upon her. There was no way at all that he could be mad at her, but as he opened up his mouth to speak, his eyes moved past her and to the shattered remains of his and Kate's wedding portrait.

He could not explain the feeling that suddenly crept over his body or why it had suddenly arose, but the next thing he knew, a growl rose into his throat.

"What have I told you about playing inside of the den!" he yelled, causing the pup to shrivel, "now look what you've done!"

"I'm sorry, dad," she cried, "it was an accident."

"S-horry?" Humphrey laughed, "you destroy everything you touch!"

She lowered her head and began to cry.

"You killed your mother, and now you've gone and broken the only picture I had of her," he continued, standing and moving closer, "and all you can say to me is you're sorry. Look at me!"

He grabbed the pup by the back of her scruff and wrenched her head upward so that her teary, blue eyes gazed back sorrowfully into his, and that's when he realized what he had done.

"Oh my god," he said in disbelief, slowly releasing the pup's neck, "I've become my father."

"Very good, Humphrey," the familiar voice piped behind him, "that was quite the performance."

"You again," Humphrey grumbled and turned to him with a roll of his eyes.

The wolf smiled.

"So have you figured it out yet?" he asked, though in the back of his mind, he already knew.

Humphrey remained silent, glaring pointedly across at him.

The wolf saw this and his smile broadened.

"I'll give you a hint," he began, "look around at what you've seen. What does it resemble?"

Humphrey thought deeply on the question for a moment, recollecting everything that he had seen and done since his arrival in this strange place.

First there was the monster in the fog. Then he watched as his meadow became a battlefield. After that, he found himself stranded on a barren tundra cliff. Then he found himself leaping from rock to rock over a bottomless chasm. Then he bore witness to Kate's death, and finally he had become the same monster that his father was.

But what could it all mean? It did not seem to form any sort of pattern, so what significance could such random scenarios possibly possess?

Hmm...

Humphrey flattened his ears as he dug deeper and deeper into his process of thought, then as the pieces all began to come together to form the big picture, he slapped himself on the forehead with his paw as the answer became clear in his mind.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, "I can't believe I didn't see it before! It's so obvious!"

The wolf remained silent, watching as Humphrey began to unravel the mystery.

"All this is, is a dream! And everything that I've seen and done has symbolized my greatest fears," he deduced, "the monster in the fog- that was my fear of losing my way. And my meadow- that represented the fear I have of myself! Then the glacier- that resembled my fear of being alone! The bridge represented my indecision! I mean the rest is pretty self-explanatory, but this entire time, I've done nothing but face and conquer my greatest fears!"

Silence encased them as he finished and he took the time it provided to recapture his breath, as he soon realized that he never once stopped to breathe during his rant.

A slow clap drew his eyes over to the wolf, who sat on his haunches and gave him a proud ovation.

"Good job, Humphrey," he congratulated.

Humphrey smiled proudly.

"So what happens now?" he asked, thinking that since he had finally figured it out, he would finally get out of this hellish place and wake up to find himself in his mate's arms, but that, unfortunately, would not be the case as he would soon find out.

"Now, we move on," the black wolf replied, causing Humphrey's smile to melt.

"Move on?" he asked, feeling a sense of betrayal overcome him, "but I've solved your stupid riddle. Why can't I go home?"

The wolf shook his head.

"You do not understand," he said, "this is not something that you can simply get out of by solving a riddle. You must fight your way out."

"And just how exactly am I supposed to do that?" he demanded.

"Keep going until you've reached the other side of the bridge," the wolf replied calmly, "don't give into your fears and don't die. I've saved you thrice already. I'll not interfere any further."

Humphrey scoffed.

"Don't you usually wake up if you die in a dream?" he asked testily, taking a bold step toward the black wolf, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were intentionally trying to keep me here."

The wolf took a step back.

"You don't understand," he said, a hint of fright in his tone, "this is not just a dream."

Humphrey's eyes narrowed into suspicion.

"Then just what is really going on?" he demanded firmly, taking another step toward him.

The wolf sighed and locked eyes with him.

"You're dying, Humphrey," the wolf admitted.

The news punched Humphrey in the stomach so hard that he thought he would be sick.

"Wh-what do you mean I'm dying?" he asked shakily.

"You're in a coma," the wolf replied, "and with each day that passes you are growing weaker and weaker; and-"

He trailed off.

"I don't have much time left," Humphrey finished.

The wolf nodded as a deep sigh passed through his nostrils.

Humphrey felt his body begin to grow faint and his legs began to quiver as though they were made of rubber. A lump began to form in his throat which he swallowed at rigorously, but no matter how he tried, he could not force it down.

"I see," he choked, battling back a veil of tears.

"Humphrey I'm sorry," the wolf said softly, trying to comfort him, "I-"

"How do you know all of this?" Humphrey demanded, turning quickly to face him, "who are you really? An angel? A demon? A reaper?" The hot tears began to trickle through the fur on his cheeks as he glared at the wolf. "Come on, dammit, you at least owe me that much."

The wolf released a breath and eased himself down onto his haunches, but as he began to sit, something inexplicable happened. His broad shoulders began to shrink, his coal colored fur began to lighten and his fiery, golden eyes turned aqua blue.

Humphrey's scowl melted from a look of suspicion to one of complete shock and awe as he gazed across at whom he now saw.

"I'm you," the wolf replied, speaking now in his own voice.

Humphrey's head began to spin and it seemed as though the world around him was getting smaller. He felt an immense weight sink into the pit of his stomach which threatened to pull him to the ground and he felt his heart begin to palpitate. His breaths became choked and a void began to close in around the rims of his eyes, threatening to pull him into the abyss of unconsciousness.

"Please," the doppelgänger implored, stepping forward, "you must get a hold of yourself."

"You- me- I- but-" Humphrey stammered incoherently, staggering back a pace.

"Listen to me, Humphrey," the clone began, "this whole thing is all inside of your head. The monsters, the memories, me- all of it. A part of you knew that you were dying deep down and that's why I am here. I am a creation of your imagination to represent the part of your subconscious that is able to recognize the severity of your situation and I alone represent that which fights off death. Humphrey, I am what represents your will to live."

Humphrey reeled back onto his haunches, breathing heavily, fighting to keep himself from fainting.

"So... all of those times I nearly died in here, I was dying for real?" Humphrey asked, still trying to wrap his head around everything that he was being told.

The other Humphrey nodded.

"So... all of those times I nearly died in here... what was happening... out there?"

The doppelgänger sighed.

"I do not know," he answered.

Humphrey allowed a nervous chuckle to tickle the base of his throat.

"H-whadya mean you don't know?" he asked desperately, "you seem to know everything else."

"Humphrey, I am merely a figment of your imagination," his clone answered regretfully, "I only know what you know, and if you think really hard, you know what I know. Collectively we know everything that we can and have seen, but since neither you or I can see the real world, we can never truly know what is happening beyond this twisted realm."

Humphrey sighed as the gravity of his situation finally settled upon him.

"So this is it," he muttered to himself, a new film of tears beginning to blur his vision, "I'm done for."

There was a moment of silence then a sigh.

"Humphrey listen, there may be a chance that we could yet survive," the other Humphrey answered, causing Humphrey's head to shoot into attention.

"How?" he asked immediately, lifting his rear a few inches off of the ground.

The other Humphrey remained silent, seemingly hesitant to answer.

"Well?" Humphrey demanded, "come on, I know I'm supposed to know the answer, but since you resemble life, then I clearly resemble that part of my mind which is beginning to fade if you're trying to save me." A pause. "Look, I want out of here almost as badly as you want me to get out, but I can't see the answers clearly like you can, so could you please throw me a bone here? Do your job and help me."

The clone lowered his eyes then moved them up so they locked with Humphrey's.

"To be completely honest, I don't know for sure if we can get out of here" he answered, "I'm as desperate for an answer as you are, but I haven't found anything yet that has told me for sure that we can make it through, so I figure this may be our best shot."

Humphrey scowled.

"So what you're saying is that you just want for me to keep doing what I've been doing and hope for the best?" Humphrey asked skeptically, "some plan that is."

The doppelgänger returned the scowl.

"Well do you have any other suggestions?" he demanded, "because so far this is the best plan we've got."

Humphrey scoffed, but to it the clone took no heed and continued.

"Look, I don't know if there really is a way out or not, but looking for it is better than simply giving up."

Humphrey rose to his feet.

"And what happens if what we seek is not to be found?" he yelled, "what happens then?"

"Then we keep trying," the clone replied calmly, "there has to be a way out somewhere. Why else would you be having these dreams?"

Humphrey scrambled for a rebuttal, but his image spoke before he could formulate a response.

"I feel like the further we move along the stronger your real body gets," he continued, "that's why I've been pushing you so hard to keep going. I've been pushing you across this bridge because I feel like your life lies somewhere on the other side."

Humphrey laughed, wiping sweat from his brow with the side of his paw.

"Okay, answer me this," he began, "if this was your intention this whole time, then why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I know us, Humphrey," the second wolf answered, "tell me honestly. Would you have listened to me if I were to just tell you straight out?"

"Of course I would have," he replied firmly.

"Humphrey you can't lie to me," the clone said, "I'm you. I know you too well."

Humphrey opened his mouth to offer an argument, but closed it once more when he discovered that he could not think of anything to say and conceded.

"Fine," he digressed, "we'll try it your way."

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