Chapter 2: Understand

Kate's POV

I awoke with a start realizing that I had fallen asleep and it was just a flashback and a dream, or was it. As I was pondering the recent dream I noticed that my surroundings had changed. I was no longer outside on the ground near the main den; no I was in the main den, my parent's den, and I didn't have any recollection of how I got here. Many questions were going through my mind at the moment, so much so I wanted to pass out. My mind stopped all of a sudden when I heard voices outside the den. The voices were familiar but distant as well like a memory. The voices were getting louder but no less any clearer. They got close enough that I could distinguish what they were saying.

The first wolf spoke with a light voice saying. "I don't know how this would happen to her or what caused her to do this." The other wolf, a deeper voice, responded with.

"It may have something to do with Humphrey…" The rest of the sentence was a blur as the name 'Humphrey' caused me to wince in pain, as tears stung at my eyes. However, I couldn't remember why 'Humphrey' would cause me pain. Just thana phrase came up that frightened me,"Lost memories." I realized I didn't know who this wolf was. Another word also popped into the conversation and it was "amnesia."

That was a reasonable explanation as to why I didn't know who these wolves were. A single question popped into my head. "How did this happen?"

Humphrey's POV

Clickety-Clack, Clickety-Clack. I awoke with a bright awakening of the sun, and the noise of the train. I lifted my head from my paws to look out the open train car. The scenery was rolling by at a steady rate and it was beautiful. A smile grew on my face and from a distance I looked happy and content, but my eyes gave it away. They were bloodshot and my fur was stained with tears. This was all because of my recent activities that had happened on this very train car. I shivered as I thought about it. While the outside area was at peace my internal self was in hell and locked in an evergoing struggle. My heart wanted to go back to the one that I love, but this was a losing battle; whereas my other emotions said she had betrayed, used, and broke my heart. Nevertheless the battle kept going between love and the ever growing anger toward my love.

Pondering wasn't something I liked to do, being and omega and all. Boredom quickly overcame me and my mind went astray from what my 'running away' plan is. I saw the clouds, sun, and many types of foliage all surrounding me. I was in a clearing filled the prettiest of flowers, glistening in the sun's rays. No wolf was around me, or so I thought. With me being a carefree omega I started to run through the flowers enjoying their sweet scent. However, I stopped abruptly because I felt a chill run down my back, almost as if I was being watched. I turned toward where I felt I was being watched, a single tree stood alone in a sea of flowers. My instincts told me to run, but my curiosity was peaked. Slowly I approached the ominous tree.

A familiar connection soon arouse, but I have never seen this field of flowers before much less this tree. As I got closer a slight scent of honeysuckle hit my nose. The tree had very familiar characteristics that I couldn't quite put my paw on. I was no longer walking I noticed. I was now running at a slow pace. No matter how fast I went the tree kept getting farther and farther away. I soon was bent over panting in exhaustion. When I looked back up at the tree it started to change colors.

The bark became a soft amber and the leaves a tannish-yellow. I now felt like the tree was calling to me. It was so irresistible that I couldn't help myself, I took off at a dead sprint looking and feeling like a mad wolf. This time the tree didn't move away. What happened next shocked me. The tree started glowing, a white glow impossible to look at. I was paralyzed from from fear, shook, and fatigue. So I just stood there looking away from the brightness. When the brightness left and I could move, the first thing I did was shiver. The next action I did was look back at the tree. Except there was no tree anymore. Everything I had felt before had changed into very dark and disturbing feelings. Before me stood none other than Kate.

I took up a fighting stance and growled. I may still love her deep done but hatred was taking over. Nothing moved for what felt like hours. Kate wouldn't look into me stone cold gaze. She looked flustered and depressed, her fur was in a mess, her eyes bloodshot, and her paws crippled. Despite all this I felt no immediate change. That is until she met my gaze. Her eyes told a story of sorrow and suffering. A part of me wanted to comfort her, another wanted me to harm her. My options were limited, but I did neither. I just remained the same way I did, immobile. All the while staring back into her gaze.

She looked away for a moment as if checking her surroundings. I took the time to do the same and realized the scenery had changed drastically. The flowers had turned black as if charred by fire. The sun was no a black circle with a white ring, fog had descended on the area. The temperature dropped dramatically in the past seconds and I could now see my breath. I turned to look back at Kate. Panic swelled in my chest as I saw what she had become. She had morphed into a wretched creature. Her beautiful fur was now gray, her mane was black, and her eyes resembled the color of blood. These eyes could have scared the devil himself. As soon as it happened it was over. But, not entirely over. Whatever this was, it was designed to torture and torment me.

As the too worlds gradually went back and forth. Each time faster and faster until it merged into one image. The first thing I noticed was that Kate was back to normal and the world too. I did however, notice slight details of change. Kate's fur and mane had changed to their original color, but her eyes were still red; the grass was green and the flowers stained with a rainbow, but the sun was still bright with a white ring. "Think Humphrey, think." I repeated over and over quietly to myself. In this moment of clarity I hadn't noticed Kate start to move around me, she wasn't exactly stalking me though. I was alarmed at her sudden change of motion. She then started to speak in a raspy voice.

"You have seen your sides of love, fear, happiness, hate, and anger as well as felt them." She continued on, "Some are good together and bad alone." Her voice changed back to it's luscious tender normality. "Humphrey, what you've failed to see is that they all need each to keep a balance in this world. Each sets limits for the other." And with the last word, she reached her paw out and touched my heart, both literally and figuratively. The moment she let go I woke up.