Chapter 6: Shattered Family

Another 월 또는 so passed and Humphrey’s sixth birthday was coming up fast. Kenya had just turned three that winter and with summer rapidly approaching, the family was convinced that it was going to be a good year. If only they knew how wrong they would be.

Winter passed and soon, spring followed. The first couple weeks of summer came and went and soon, the sun rose on the six-year anniversary of Humphrey’s birth. That’s when everything changed.

Humphrey was sleeping soundly in his family’s den, curled up 다음 to Kenya. Adam slept on the opposite side with their parents. The light of the early summer sun broke through the trees and made its way into the den, illuminating the inside, and waking Humphrey up as it shone into his eyes. Humphrey yawned and stretched his legs as he awoke. He stepped outside and looked around for a moment before heading back inside to wake up Kenya. He was bored, but he knew Kenya would be willing to play with him. Humphrey began nudging her with his nose, urging her to get up.

“Kenya,” he said. “Kenya get up.”

Kenya slowly rolled over and opened one eye to look at her brother.

“What do 당신 want, Humphrey?” she groggily asked.

“Come on,” Humphrey said, excitedly. “Get up. I’m bored and I want to play.”

Kenya, knowing that Humphrey wouldn’t quit until she complied, got up and went outside with him. The 일 was still young, and the sun slowly began to rise farther into the sky as Humphrey and Kenya played outside the den. They didn’t stray too far away, always keeping their 집 in sight. It was one of the few strict rules made 의해 their parents.

A few hours passed and they soon heard their parents’ voices calling them back to the 굴, 덴 for breakfast. The two rushed back and found a freshly caught caribou on the ground, their grandparents, Jack and Mary, sitting 의해 Martha and Gary, and a very proud-looking Adam waiting for them.

They looked at the caribou, then at Adam, and then back at the caribou in speechless astonishment.

“Adam,” Humphrey said. “Did…did 당신 catch this?”

“Yep.”

“I helped,” Jack said.

“Not much, though,” Mary said. “All 당신 really did was find it for him. He brought it down. Very impressive for an alpha not ten years old.”

“Yup,” Adam said. “Go for the legs, right grandpa?”

“You catch on pretty quick, Adam. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

“Well,” Humphrey said, who was getting quite hungry. “Should we eat?”

Everyone chuckled and began their breakfast. Humphrey’s birthday had already gotten off to a great start. But it wouldn’t stay that way. Not for long. Shortly after breakfast, it came time for Adam to leave for Alpha School.

“Are 당신 ready to go, Adam?” Mary asked.

“Definitely,” Adam responded. He then turned to his family. “What are 당신 guys gonna do while I’m gone today?” he asked.

“We were thinking of going for a morning walk,” Martha said.

Humphrey and Kenya groaned. They didn’t like going on these walks. They just liked staying within the territory and hanging out with Steven.

“We were gonna go and hang with Steven,” Humphrey said.

“It won’t take long, Humphrey,” Gary said. “Just a quick walk to the northern border and back. Shouldn’t take 더 많이 than an hour. Besides,” he added. “We might find a good 언덕, 힐 to go logboarding on.”

Humphrey almost instantly agreed. He absolutely loved logboarding and jumped at any chance he got to do it.

“Gary,” Martha scolded.

“It’ll be fun.”

“Fun?” she said. “Remember what happened last time 당신 two went, “log…boarding”? Is that what 당신 call it?”

“That was a few months ago.”

Martha shot him a dirty look.

“The 곰 started it,” Gary said, still trying to defend his point.

Martha continued with the dirty look.

“I didn’t hit him that, hard…I mean…uh.” Gary turned to Humphrey. “Feel free to…help out…any time.”

“Oh no,” Humphrey said, sarcastically with a happy smile on his face. “I’m enjoying this far too much.”

“It’s dangerous, Gary,” Martha said. “And I don’t like it.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Have 당신 even figured out how to brake yet?”

“I’ve…been working on it.”

“Okay,” Kenya said. “Can we go now?”

“Of course,” Gary said, gladly changing the subject.

They said their goodbyes to Adam, Jack, and Mary. Their last goodbyes, although they didn’t know it. As they left their 굴, 덴 and began their leisurely walk north, they looked around at the vast woodland surrounding them, of which their pack was only a small part of. After only a half-hour of walking, they came upon a spot in the woods where the trees seemed to grow farther apart, and then eventually stopped altogether.

They rested in this large clearing that extended for about half a mile, eventually ending in a large 언덕, 힐 that sat at the back of a nearby human settlement. They had no idea that such a great threat loomed so close by. They had never even smelled a human before, simply because humans hadn’t ventured into the woods for a long time.

They rested at the edge of the forest, taking in the summer breeze and the sounds of the nearby woods. They had just gotten up to head back when Gary suddenly stopped.

“Gary,” Martha said. “What is it?”

Gary didn’t respond. His nose was twitching as he sniffed the air. He smelled a scent he had never smelled before. He had no clue what it was, but it was clearly dangerous. He finally spoke.

“I’m not sure,” he said, warily. Gary turned his head back toward the clearing. “I smell something coming. I don’t know what it is.”

Gary suddenly stiffened. He held his head up high. His entire body was on high alert. His ears subtly twitched on his head, listening to a strange sound coming from the clearing. Every strand of 모피 on his body stood up, and a low growl sounded in his throat.

Before he could react, both he and Martha felt a sharp pain in the side of their necks. They began to feel dizzy and tired. They fought to stay awake, but soon succumbed to the tranquilizer darts with which they’d been hit.

As Humphrey and Kenya watched their parents fall to the ground, a human leaped out from the woods. The two pups shouted in fear and tried backing away into the clearing, but instead, they bumped into another human, who reached down and picked up a frightened Kenya, who was flailing around, desperately trying to free herself from the man’s giant hands.

“Never seen one quite like this,” he said. “I reckon we’ll get paid double for this one.”

“We better,” his friend said as he reached for Humphrey.

But Humphrey wasn’t so easily taken. Hearing the terrified screams of his little sister as she was locked in a metal cage was enough to spring him into action. When the man reached down to pick him up, Humphrey bit down on his hand. The man reeled back and shouted in pain. He then swiftly reached down again and with one hand, held Humphrey’s mouth shut while using the other hand to pick him up and lock him in another cage.

One of the men walked over to some nearby bushes and disappeared. Humphrey and Kenya looked over at each other from inside their cages. Fear was in their eyes. All of a sudden, a very loud sound was heard coming from the bushes. The ground began to shake and soon a large pickup truck drove out from its hiding spot. It drove over to where the other man was standing and stopped. One of the doors opened and the first man stepped out, leaving the truck running and the door open.

The man and his friend each lifted a cage and put them in the back of their truck. The loud noise the truck made when it started was enough to wake Martha and Gary. As they opened their eyes, the effects of the darts immediately wore off when they heard the frightened cries of their pups and saw the humans taking them away. Martha and Gary jumped up and rushed after the truck, but it was too late. The cages were already loaded in the back of the truck and the men were already inside.

“Don't worry!” Gary shouted. “I’ll find you!”

The tires squealed as the truck sped off heading back toward the human town, leaving the shattered family in a 구름, 클라우드 of dust.