Chapter 18: Attack on the North

By midafternoon, Humphrey’s team had gotten back to the Central Region and Kate and Humphrey were trying to figure out which pack Robert was going to attack next.

“Viggo said Robert fought more with his strength rather than his mind,” Humphrey said.

“So he would most likely try to eliminate the more dangerous and powerful pack first,” Kate finished, “and our most powerful ally is-“

“The Rogue Wolves,” they both said in unison.

Humphrey quickly got the team rounded up and they all rushed toward the Eastern Hills. It didn’t take long to reach the northern edge of the Eastern Hills and King’s territory where they sat and waited.

“Not that I don’t love hanging out with you guys,” Steven said, “but how is standing in an empty forest do us any good?”

“Viggo and the Crimson Pack still control the valley, so Robert can’t come in from the west,” Humphrey explained. “The last place we know he was at was in the Northern Region, so he won’t be coming from the south, and it would only slow him down to loop around and come from the east, plus he has no reason to do that. Which means he’ll be coming from this direction when he attacks King and the Rogues.”

For a while, there was no sign of Robert or the cannon. But then Adam spotted something in the trees.

“There,” he said, “straight ahead.”

Everyone looked and sure enough, they saw Robert with Martin and about a dozen other members of the Crimson Pack not too far away. However, the cannon was nowhere in sight. The team cautiously approached them, knowing that something was wrong.

“Martin, what are you and Robert doing here?” Adam asked, “and where’s the cannon?”

“Viggo went rogue,” Martin replied, reluctantly playing along with what the other wolves wanted him to say. “He took the cannon and convinced the Crimson Pack to break off and follow him.”

“Well, that’s funny,” Humphrey sarcastically replied. “That’s almost exactly what Viggo told us, except Robert was the one who went rogue.”

“Let me ask you this,” Robert said. “Between me and Viggo, who’s more hell bent on killing you?”

Humphrey looked down in deep thought, knowing that Robert had a point.

“That’s right,” Robert continued, noticing the look on Humphrey’s face. “Viggo’s the one who deceived you; it’s what he’s best at. And yet you always seem to fall for it.”

Robert continued to talk while Adam cautiously got close to Martin.

“Can he-“ Adam whispered, looking at Robert.

“No,” Martin replied.

“Martin, come back with us.”

“I can’t right now,” Martin regretfully said. “That’s why they’re here.”

He turned and looked behind him at the dozen or so crimson wolves behind him, watching him.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he continued. “Hammond seems to be the only one completely loyal to Viggo. Pretty much everyone else is like me. They were forced to be part of the pack and are too afraid to leave. The only reason they don’t rebel against Hammond is because each wolf thinks all the others are just as loyal as Hammond is. They don’t realize that Hammond is the only one who’s truly loyal to Viggo. If you can take him out of the mix, the others might realize the strength they have together, and we might be able to give everyone enough courage to stand together against Viggo.”

Suddenly, the booming sound of an explosion was heard off in the distance and the slowly darkening sky lit up for a moment.

“The cannon!” Humphrey yelled.

“But where is it attacking?” Kate asked.

Humphrey stood still for a moment while he considered the direction the blast had come from before suddenly rushing off.

“The Northern Pack!” he exclaimed. “Come on!”

The group began to run off toward the Northern Pack, but Adam hesitated as he looked back at Martin.

“Go!” he insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

“Humphrey!” Kyle shouted as he rushed toward the approaching group with Kenya and the others behind him.
    “It came at us from out of nowhere!” Fleet exclaimed. “One minute, everything was normal and the next there was a loud bang and then a ball of fire.”

The chaos around the team only grew as they frantically tried to figure out what to do.

“What do we do?” Kyle asked.

“Save who you can, then meet us at the outskirts of the valley,” Humphrey said before rushing off to help guide the panicked wolves out of the smoke and flame and away from the attack on the Northern Pack.

It wasn’t long before everyone had gathered in a large crowd on the most distant outskirts of the Western Pack where they met up with Stinky’s team.

“Kyle, I’m sorry about your pack,” Humphrey said.

“Most of the pack got away but everything is gone,” Kyle replied sadly.

“So, what do we do now?” Kenya asked.

“I don’t know,” Humphrey replied, nervously. “Viggo and Robert have us running around all over Jasper on a wild goose chase that gets more confusing the longer it drags on. I need some time alone to clear my head.”

“I’ll hold things together while you’re gone,” Kate offered.

“Thank you,” Humphrey replied. “I can always count on you to help support me, Kate.”

He then looked around and noticed that Kenya was missing.

“Where’s Kenya?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Kate replied. “I haven’t seen her since we got here.”

“Well, keep an eye out for her.”

Humphrey turned and walked off into the forest and stopped at the edge of the tree line, looking at the valley before him where he used to live.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he said to himself. “I always have at least some kind of an idea or feeling during times like these, but right now, I just…”

“Maybe I can help ease your mind?”

Humphrey jumped in surprise and quickly turned around to see Viggo standing behind him, grinning.

“I hope you didn’t think I would just leave you hanging,” Viggo said. “I am nothing if not a man of my word. Let me guess, Robert told you that I turned on him and not the other way around. I figured he would. He always was the first to lay blame and the last to take it for himself. I’m surprised he didn’t try and offer his help in taking back the valley. But it wouldn’t matter anyway since he has no means of accomplishing that goal.”

“But you do?” Humphrey prodded.

For the first time since they had met, Viggo said nothing back to Humphrey.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I-“ Humphrey began, but then stopped when Viggo clapped his hands together.

One, sharp, singular clap and with it, Hammond and another crimson wolf approached, pulling Garth and Lilly by the skin on the backs of their necks. Humphrey looked back and forth between them and Viggo.

“Robert will no doubt be attacking this place next and we must be prepared to stop him,” Viggo said. “I expect him to arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest. And I am willing to give you back your pack and your friends if it means stopping him.”

Humphrey began to walk toward Garth and Lilly, but Viggo put an arm out in front of him and stopped him.

“Whatever we’re going to do, Humphrey, we have to do it together,” he said.

Humphrey stopped for a moment, wondering if this was the smartest idea, and then hesitantly nodded. Viggo smiled before signaling to the two wolves to release Garth and Lilly.

“Excellent,” he said. “The Crimson Pack will leave your pack immediately.”