Friend or Foe?

Chapter 1-Mark of the Black Assassins

Humphrey sat outside his and Kate's den, thinking. He was happy, for he loved Kate, being with her. He loved everything about her. Her eyes, her laugh, her personality.

Jasper Park had seen a lot since the joining of the two packs. Humphrey had always been there when he was needed, for Kate and the park.

There was one thing Humphrey had never told Kate, about his temporary involvement in terrorist group a little while back. He felt it would scare and upset her, and he didn't want that. Yet it kept biting at him, begging for him to reveal his secret to the world. He always kept it to himself, but it was getting harder and harder every day. Something would have to be done about it eventually.

"Hey."

Humphrey turned and saw Kate walking toward him.

"Hi, Kate."

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Humphrey said.

"You seem down today. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm just…thinking."

"About what?"

He looked into her eyes. Should he tell her? He hesitated. Finally, he said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly, a scream sounded from over near the den. Humphrey jumped up and ran over to see what was going on, Kate following him.

A small female wolf was whimpering on the ground near the pond.

"Lindsey!" Humphrey cried. "What's wrong?"

"I was getting a drink from the pond," Lindsey said in a shaky voice, "and someone hit me on the back of the head."

"Who was it?" Kate asked, catching up with Humphrey.

"I don't know," Lindsey replied.

"You didn't see his face?" Humphrey asked.

"Not clearly," said Lindsay. "He was black and brown with a missing tooth."

Humphrey stared. He knew who that was. Something had to be done that day.

"What he do then?" Kate asked Lindsey.

"Take some water," Lindsey said. "I don't know why he wanted it, but he apparently did."

Humphrey turned to Kate and said, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere important. Please, I've got something I need to take care of."

He turned and walked into the forest leaving Kate string after him, wondering where he was going.

Humphrey walked through the familiar part of the forest, eager to find who he was looking for. He hadn't seen this wolf for nearly four months, and that was after a deadly fight that nearly killed both of them.

A pile of brown rocks greeted Humphrey in an unfriendly way. It was the entrance to the hideout. Humphrey walked through them and into the cave of the old terrorist group he had once worked for, the Black Assassins.

"Okay, I've got the water. Now what, sir?" the wolf Lindsey had described asked his boss, Jerry. Blood rushed to Humphrey's head when he saw him.

"Nothing for now, Carl," Jerry said. "You're on break. Tell Eric to get in here, now."

"Yes, sir."

Humphrey hid behind a rock as Carl passed him.

Jerry laid down, determined to relax.

"Comfortable?"

Jerry looked up. Humphrey was standing a few feet from him, a stony look on his face.

"You!" Jerry jumped and slashed at Humphrey, who ducked and moved out of the way. Jerry pounced at him but missed again as Humphrey stepped out of the way.

"Why are you here?" Jerry shouted. "Did Jason abandon you?"

"No, we're still friends," Humphrey said.

"Figures," Jerry said. "The two traitors always remain friends. What do you want?"

"I want to ask what your chief, Carl, was doing inside Jasper perimeters," Humphrey said. "I thought you were out of your evil plans."

"Was," said Jerry. "I've got another, not that you'll stop this one anyhow."

"You're still the same, aren't you, Jerry?"

"Of course," said Jerry. "And so are you. After all, you never were one of us. You never were a Black Assassin."

"You're right, I wasn't," said Humphrey. "I just knew you up to something bad and the only way to stop you was to dive straight in."

"And how did you find out my plan?" Jerry said.

Humphrey smiled and said, "I think you already know the answer to that."

Jerry's expression changed. He looked definite.

"Of course. Surely Jason would've told you everything if he was a traitor all along, too. Even when I ask him to steal a small electrical box, he was a traitor then, too. That's where you met him, right?"

Humphrey nodded. "Right."