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Chapter 15: Leap of Faith

It was difficult for Humphrey to describe what it was that he felt mere moments after diving into the light. In fact, at first, he had to take a moment to try and figure out if he was actually feeling, and if what it was that he was feeling was indeed real. His head throbbed and his ears rang so loud that such a ring was the only sound he could hear. He felt a presence, like his body was somewhere near him, but was not him. He felt a spinning sensation in his stomach which seemed to drag him to the ground like he weighed a thousand pounds. His mind was not yet capable of processing what was happening to him, but instinct told him that the pain he felt was real and signified that he had managed to claw his way out of that hellish nightmare into which he had fallen. But he could not open his eyes.

He swallowed at the bile which rose in his throat and focused all of his will upon trying to force his eyes to open, or to make any part of his body move at all, but his limbs and his eyes simply could not shake the weight which pinned them down.

Dim light passed in through the thin membranes of skin which were his eyelids and the ringing in his ears began to fade slowly. At first, all he could hear was the faint, distant sound of a voice, but whose voice was it? It sounded so familiar. Humphrey panted weakly and attempted to find his own voice so as to cry out for the assistance of the owner of the voice that he heard, but the only sound he could muster was a series of dry, mute whispers.

"Help me," he cried inaudibly as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

He was so overwhelmed by all that had happened that these silent tears were all he could muster as he lied there on the ground.

His great spirit burst from his body like a ray of brilliant light, and with it came an incredible sense of relief the likes of which he could not even hope to explain, but with it were the bitter remnants of the memories which he had to relive, and a great sense of self the likes of which he had never felt before; and he was damn proud of it. He was alive.

He lied there for a moment longer, trying to regain control of himself and seeking the strength to move. All the while, the ringing in his ears droned, drowning out the commotion around him.

After a few minutes, strength began to slowly return to his body and the ring in his ears dimmed slightly further, and it was at this point that he could recognize the voice as Winston's. With this realization, came the resurrection of further cognizance which had previously been lost as other sounds began to fill his ears. More voices, female, found purchase on his ears and began to tug at his sense of familiarity, and in chorus with these voices, came the sound of struggle.

He was so close to finding aid. He could feel it. All he had to do was dig deep and keep trying.

He swallowed hard as he attempted to find his voice yet again, but again could only muster another dry whisper.

His aching head pounded harder as the sounds became more and more enhanced, and he felt a twitch in his eyelids.

"Movement," he thought joyously, as he would take any sign of progress he could.

He was almost there. He had to be. His head pounded like a drum, seeking to the quell his spirit's will to fight, and persuade his body to give up, but in spite of all of this, Humphrey refused to give in. With nothing but the power of pure will, he began focusing all of his attention on finding his voice and opening his eyes.

The sound of voices grew louder and he heard a crash, then a growl.

"Help!" Humphrey cried out in his mind.

"... it... -own!"

He swallowed and drew in a shaky breath.

"Help!" he called again, trying to find his voice, but only produced a whisper.

"... -as... -t been..."

Humphrey grunted and tapped into the deepest reserves of his strength, then tried for the last time to cry out for help.

"Help!" Humphrey screamed weakly as his eyes slowly peeled themselves open.

For a moment, there was absolute silence, as if time had suddenly paused, then the voices and crashes returned, more violently this time.

Humphrey's eyes, though open, were still blinded by two large, black spots, around which only thin rims of light bled.

There was another clamor of voices followed by a final crash, then there was a rush of footfalls.

"Oh my god, Humphrey!" his mother cried exuberantly, racing through the now open mouth of the den to embrace her son.

"Wait, don't touch him," Mary, the healer, warned from behind her, "too much motion too quickly could throw him into shock."

Mary, his mother, nodded and backed away.

"How is this-" Winston began shocked, but then his eyes fell upon something which lied near the back wall of the den, "oh my god, Kate!"

"What is it?" Eve cried concerned.

Winston made no reply.

Quickly he leapt over Humphrey and raced to the back wall with Eve and the healer close at his tail, leaving Jack and Mary to tend to their reeling son.

Winston paused beside the form of his daughter and gazed down upon her, worriedly, finding an empty bowl to be lying about a foot away from her body.

"Kate," he called under close eye from Eve and the healer as he shook her with his paw, but found her to be unresponsive, "Kate!" he tried again, shaking her harder this time, but still there was nothing.

"Winston, stand clear," Mary instructed, stepping forward and moving him back so she could look Kate over.

From behind, Jack and Mary were speaking softly to their son, whose strength and voice was slowly beginning to return.

"Humphrey, we were so scared," Mary, his mother, cried, stroking his head as her tears snaked through the fur on her cheeks.

"Where... where's Kate?" he asked hoarsely, "I-"

"Shh," his mother comforted, "don't worry about her. She's fine."

However, she cast an anxious gaze toward Winston and the others.

"What is going on, Mary," Eve demanded, "what is wrong with our daughter?"

Mary wordlessly placed her paw on the side of Kate's neck just beneath her jaw in search of a pulse, and found one, though it was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect.

Once she was certain that Kate was alive, she addressed the bowl which lied at her side. Quickly, she reached over with her paw and slid it to herself, then sniffed it.

"Oh no," she muttered, feeling her heart sink.

"What?" Winston demanded, "is she okay!"

"We need to empty her stomach," Mary informed frantically, "now!"

"Wha-" Eve began to question, but Mary interrupted her.

"Go to the far wall," she instructed, "on the left and get my emetic."

"Your what?"

Mary growled in frustration

"Here, just hold her mouth open," she ordered as she rose to her feet and hurried over to the wall.

"What's happening?" Humphrey asked weakly, as he could hear the commotion in the background and began to move so he could see, "I... I hear yelling. What's wrong?"

"Humphrey, you need to lie still," his father insisted, but Humphrey wouldn't listen.

With weak muscles, he continued to turn his body, but he was arrested by his mother before he could see what was happening in the back.

"Humphrey-"

"No," Humphrey argued as he tried to break free, "what... are you hiding from me?"

His mother sighed and looked over to Jack for counsel, and received only a nod.

"It's Kate," she admitted softly, "something's going on with her and we are not sure what."

Hearing these words caused Humphrey's stomach to turn a flip and he felt like he was going to vomit.

"I- I have to..." he began frantically and began to attempt to reach her, "I have... to help- her."

Though his body was weak, his determination to help his mate drove him to reach her at all costs. With trembling muscles, he attempted to rise to his feet, but again his mother stopped him.

"Humphrey please," she begged, "y-"

"No," he refused firmly, though his voice had not yet returned fully, "I have to get to her!"

Mary arrived at Kate's side with her emetic ready and ushered Eve aside with her paw.

"What is that?" the concerned mother questioned.

"You'll find out," Mary replied dryly, as time was of the essence and she had not the time to answer any questions.

Eve's right eye twitched as anger flooded the banks of her mind, but Winston checked her by placing his paw on her shoulder, which caused her rage to subside.

They watched as Mary dumped a strange liquid into Kate's open mouth, which she forced her to swallow by gently massaging her throat and her esophagus, and once she finished, she turned to the afflicted's parents.

"You'll want to stand back," she advised as she turned Kate's head to face away from her.

Mere seconds after she issued this warning, and before the two parents could process what they were being told, Kate's body lurched violently and a volley of vomit shot from her mouth.

Humphrey was too weak to walk, but that was no concern of his. With forelegs which trembled like gelatin, he began to drag his body along the floor of the den, until finally his parents relented and gently picked him up from each side and carried him to her.

Kate, though unconscious, coughed and groaned as she continued to vomit, then finally, once it was all over, she lied still.

Jack and Mary arrived and placed their son gently down at Kate's side.

"What is wrong with her?" Humphrey demanded as he dragged himself up to his mate's back and pulled her in close.

"The liquid she drank is a mixture of herbs I have that helps wolves sleep," the healer explained.

"So, she'll be okay, right?" Humphrey asked weakly, worry stitched into every fur on his face.

Mary, the healer, sighed.

"Normally, when someone overdoses on this, they'll be sick, but will usually recover after about a day," she replied in a tone which foreshadowed the "but" to follow, "but the amount she drank was at least three times the recommended dose. This level of consumption could very likely kill her."

This news struck everybody like a ten pound hammer to their hearts.

"No," Humphrey cried as tears filled his eyes, "no, she's gonna be fine!" he choked, "wake up, Kate, please."

Winston met this situation with calm reserve, but Eve was frantic.

"There has to be something we can do," she blurted, "Mary, do something!"

Tears began to brim in the old healer's eyes.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," she replied in shame, "it's up to her. All we can do is wait and-"

Humphrey's tears ceased to flow and a low growl rumbled down in his throat which rose until he cut Mary off mid-sentence.

"But there is something that I can do," he interrupted firmly, new strength beginning to overpower his body.

All eyes fell upon him.

"Humphrey-" his mother began, but he would not allow her to speak.

"You have to send me back," Humphrey demanded.

"Back?" Mary questioned, flabbergasted, "you mean back to sleep?"

Humphrey's scowl deepened and he nodded slowly.

"Humphrey no," his mother cried

Mary's eyes darted about rapidly.

"Humphrey, it's a miracle that you are even speaking to us right now!" she argued, "Why on earth would we put you back to sleep?"

"Because if you do, I can find her and lead her back to us," Humphrey insisted, "I've been to that realm. I saw for myself what lies in the shadow of death. I've passed God's tests. I know how to bring her back safely."

Mary was so overwhelmed with stress and frustration that she did not know what to do with her paws. She shuffled them, then ran one over the top of her head, and finally slammed it.

"Humphrey, where it is that you went and whatever you experienced was a creation of your own mind," she rebutted, "there is no universal place where we go or thing that we see when we are on the brink of death. There is no test. There is no God. It doesn't exist. You can't just save her life by simply falling asleep; it's impossible."

"I'm standing here arguing with you right now," Humphrey replied, "by that standpoint, anything is possible."

Mary was fuming to the point where she could not find words anymore and henceforth babbled over her tongue.

"Humphrey it's not worth the risk," his mother insisted, "I'm sure everything will be fine if-"

"Dammit, no!" Humphrey yelled, rising to his paws.

So blinded was he and the rest of the group by passion that none realized the great feat which he had just accomplished and they all continued to bicker amongst themselves, oblivious.

"She is my mate, and I am going to do whatever I can to save her," Humphrey persisted.

"And you're our son!" his mother argued, "we-"

"And she's their daughter," Humphrey interrupted, "not even a few minutes ago, you stood where they stand now. Would you not have done everything you could have done to save me? What makes her any different?"

Her eyes fell to the floor, as did everybody else's, because nobody had the heart to tell him that they had considered cutting the line, and finally, she sighed.

"Are you sure this will work?" his father asked, causing his mate to whip quickly around to face him.

"It has to," Humphrey replied confidently.

"Jack, you can't really be considering this," Mary, the healer scoffed, "Winston, talk some sense into them. Order them to use their heads for crying out loud!"

Eve turned to her husband, who looked to her, then out over the rest of the occupants, and finally his eyes fell upon Humphrey and his daughter.

"It can't hurt to try," he replied hesitantly, "right?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Mary blurted, "I can't believe that you are actually considering risking his life to save her!" She turned to Jack and his mate. "Do you not get it?" she demanded, "If your son goes under sedation now, he's got maybe a ten percent chance of waking up again, and that's with generous rounding. You cannot do this. It's beyond unethical, and I refuse under threat of my resignation to take part in this."

A silence fell upon them which droned as she turned her piercing glare over each individual in the den.

"Then you're finished," Winston replied firmly, "if there is even a chance that my daughter can be saved, I'll take it."

Mary's jaw locked, and she growled.

"You'll be sorry," she warned, "do this and by the end of the day, you'll be burying both of them."

Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the den, leaving them to do what she knew would result in the death of both Humphrey and his mate.

In her wake, there was silence, which lingered until finally Winston cleared his throat.

"I want to be absolutely sure that this is what everybody wants," he stated as he ran his eyes out over the den, but when they fell upon Humphrey, he allowed them to remain until the omega gave him a nod.

He then turned to Jack and Mary.

"We cannot commence without your consent," he informed, "the choice is entirely yours."

Mary glared and lowered her eyes.

"I won't let him," she replied firmly, "I almost lost him once. I'll not lose him now."

Winston sighed, flattening his ears.

"Alright," he said, though inside he felt like his heart had been crushed.

Behind him, Eve was stirring and fighting to keep herself composed, because the only thing she cared about now was saving her daughter, and she was willing to try anything she could to get her back- even if that meant risking Humphrey's life on something that may not even work.

She was on the brink of exploding, and taking matters into her own paws, but before she had time to act, Humphrey stepped forward.

"Mom, dad, I know this is difficult for you," he said as he paused before them, "but you've gotta let me at least try.

"But Humphrey, what you're doing is suicide," Mary, his mother argued, on the brink of tears, "how could we live with ourselves knowing that we allowed you to kill yourself?"

There was a silence as Humphrey lowered his eyes to the floor. He knew the risks behind what he was about to attempt, and fear of failure weighed heavily upon his shoulders, because if the healer was right and he did fail, he would have died in vain and he would wrongfully take away nearly all of that which his parents cherished. But he had to try.

She meant the whole damn world to him, and he just could not imagine living in one without her in it. So even if it may have been a selfish act, disguised by selflessness on his behalf, he was going to do whatever he could, even if that meant that only one of them could come back.

"Because of what I would have died for," Humphrey replied, "I remember the words of the Tablets well, because you taught them to me."

They lowered their eyes.

"You know the words I mean," Humphrey accused calmly.

Jack sighed.

"No greater gift have we-"

"Than to lay down our lives for love," his mother joined in softly to conclude the verse then closed her eyes as tears began to fill their brims.

"Now, I'm not trying to be some kind of hero," Humphrey began as he turned his eyes out over the other occupants in the den, "I'm afraid to die, but if I can save her, then that will be enough for me."

"But it won't be enough for me!" his mother bellowed as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I can't bury my son! I won't!"

Humphrey sighed softly and stepped forward to embrace her.

"It'll be alright," he crooned, "I promise I won't let anything happen."

In reality, though, he was not at all certain that he could make it back from this. The odds were scarcely in his favor, and were probably working against him more and more as time wore on, but he was desperate.

Mary sniffled and nuzzled her tear-soaked cheek into the fur on his shoulder.

"I just don't want to lose you," she cried.

"You won't," Humphrey swore, "I promise."

Mary sniffed and pulled away then used the side of her paw to wipe her nose.

"Okay," she digressed, because she knew that she could never stop him.

The only thing that she could do now was pray for him.

Humphrey took in a deep breath and turned to his father, who only nodded once, then allowed his eyes to float over to Winston.

"I'll give you one hour," he said, "do whatever you can."

Humphrey nodded.

"But... how is this going to work without a healer?" Eve chimed, expressing concerns of her own, "How will we revive you?"

"You'll just have to do whatever you can," Humphrey answered.

Eve and the others nodded as Humphrey turned his eyes down to the form of his mate, then collected the bowl, inside of which a small dose of the remedy remained, and took in a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Kate," he said, then raised the bowl up to his lips, "I'm coming."