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Chapter 7: Second Chances

The discussions hushed as Kate exited the den, and everybody turned to her, but when Humphrey stepped into view behind her, a noticeable tension filled the air. Those who sat rose to their paws and a few of those who stood already took a few paces backward, save the instructors, who simply stared at him, waiting, with noticeable anxiety, to see what he would do now that he was free.

Silence filled the air as Kate and Humphrey came to a stop about two yards beyond the mouth of the den, which was slowly eradicated by murmuring. The babble started off low, as concerned whispers to the one who either sat or stood beside the speaker, but quickly built in volume as more and more wolves got involved in the conversation.

"Hey, what's he doing out!" a male declared loudly above the crowd.

"Everybody, be quiet," Winston demanded, then moved to pull Kate aside.

Kate hesitated, turning to Humphrey for his council, but he encouraged her with an assuring jerk of his head, so she followed.

Winston led her a short distance away from the gathered mass and turned his back to them.

"Kate what are you doing?" he asked her softly, "I thought I said-"

"Dad listen," Kate interrupted in a hushed tone to match his, "you can trust me, I-"

"You're not the one I'm worried about," he interjected.

"Dad, just hear me out," Kate begged, "I know him, I can help him."

"Kate, you can't help him," Winston argued, "how can you help him if-"

"Dad, I know I can help him," she argued, "you just have to let me try."

Winston sighed and hung his head then lifted his eyes to her once again.

"Kate you know I would," he began slowly, "but I don't want you to get hurt."

"He won't hurt me, dad," Kate reasoned, "which is why I am the only one who can help him. He would rather die before he let anything happen to me."

"And what if when he becomes somebody else?" Winston asked her firmly, "what sort of standards would he have then?"

Kate sighed and dropped her eyes to her paws, then met them with his once more.

"Look I'm not asking for a miracle, I'm just asking for is a chance to help my mate," she said to him, "wouldn't you want to do the same for yours?"

Winston opened up his mouth to offer a rebuttal, but after a moment, he closed it and sighed in defeat, flattening his ears.

"Alright," he said monotonously, "but if he hurts somebody, I am going to hold you partially accountable, understand?"

Kate pulled him in tightly for a hug.

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully as she pulled away from him.

Winston smiled softly.

"Just don't make me regret this," he told her sternly.

"You won't," Kate assured.

Winston nodded and turned toward the group once more then began to approach. Kate allowed him to take a couple paces before she, too, approached, then joined him at his side as he paused before the uproarious gathering.

Humphrey stood alone where Kate had left him, for he knew that his presence had everyone on edge, and he did not want to give anybody a reason to believe that he was going to try something, so he distanced himself from them and remained as still as possible. He was not deaf, nor was he blind. He knew they did not want him here; he could hear them whispering about him and he could see the uneasiness in their posture.

He knew that all eyes were upon him, even more so than they had been when he first arrived, and he could feel the weight of it all beginning to squeeze the air out of his lungs. His chest tightened, his heart rate escalated, and his stomach wrenched itself into tightly bound knots. He shook noticeably and his skin crawled restlessly beneath his fur. He felt his face grow warm and felt sweat begin to form on his brow, and quite suddenly his mouth began to grow dry. He swallowed nervously, wishing he could find a way to escape from the, scrupulous, scrutinizing eyes of the public, and finally, thankfully, the break he so desperately sought after presented itself.

"Everybody listen," Winston called to the congregation, drawing their attention to him, "Humphrey will stay and complete the training as planned, un-"

He was interrupted by outcries of protest and bitter muttering amongst the group, but he quickly silenced them with a growl.

"Under the supervision of his trainer as well as my daughter and myself," Winston continued as though he had never been interrupted, "He will work with the three of us, and the three of us alone, and will be our sole responsibility. If the circumstance should arise that intervention proves ineffective and we lose control, he will be handled in any means necessary and his role in this program will be terminated, but be warned that if any attempts are made to provoke him, you will answer to him yourselves. That will be all."

He turned, leaving the crowd to bicker amongst themselves.

"Humphrey, Kate, Cail, a moment please," he said to them, motioning toward the den with a jerk of his head.

The three of them nodded and together the four made their way into the den, but before Winston entered, he stopped and turned to Miles.

"Keep an eye on things for me," he said, receiving a curt nod in reply, then entered the den.

A silence was shared between the four of them for a moment, but was finally broken by Cail.

"Winston, you know I'm not a babysitter," Cail said to him dryly, "I can't keep my eyes on him and on my group at the same time."

"I understand that," Winston replied, "which is why you will only be included in certain exercises where we may need an extra hand. Besides that, he will work with mainly Kate and me."

Cail nodded.

"And in case you can't handle him?" he asked hesitantly.

"You've seen him at what we hope is his worst," Winston began flatly, "we will need you to help us stop him."

Cail nodded again.

"But I refuse to kill him," he stated firmly, "even if it means that my life is forfeit, I'll not kill him."

"I understand," Winston replied, knowing how the instructor felt about taking another's life, "return to your group and settle them in for the night," he instructed, "all lessons are cancelled for the day."

He nodded and turned, leaving Winston, Kate, and Humphrey alone in the den.

"Wha- what about me?" Humphrey asked, "where will I sleep?"

"In here," Winston replied, "with Kate and me. I don't want any more trouble, not from you or from your classmates."

Humphrey nodded in understanding and lowered his eyes.

"I guess that's fair," he said flatly, upset that things had to be this way.

Winston nodded.

"Now, keep yourself here," he ordered, "I have to call a staff meeting to get everybody on the same page again. Kate, you can stay here or come with, whatever will be fine."

She turned to Humphrey.

"I think I'll stay here with him," she said, flashing her mate a smile.

Winston nodded.

"Alright," he said to her, "you two just be sure to keep your paws to yourselves. I don't want any funny stuff going on while I'm gone."

"Dad!" Kate cried, blushing madly.

Winston chuckled and turned toward the mouth of the den.

"Keep out of trouble, hear?" he asked, beginning to walk out of the den.

"Always," Kate replied, watching him go.

The two remained silent until he was gone then turned to each other, smiling.

"Looks like I don't have to miss you after all, huh?" Kate asked him.

"It would appear so," Humphrey replied, "I'm glad you're here."

Kate smiled and wrapped him up in a tight embrace which he returned eagerly, for it had seemed almost an eternity since he had held her in his arms, and like this the two remained, for a matter of about three minutes before they finally separated.

"So tell me," Humphrey began, "how is everything going back at home? Have Lilly and Barf worked things out?"

Kate's eyes widened and she slapped her forehead with her paw.

"Oh my god, Lilly, I totally forgot," she gasped in disbelief, causing Humphrey to cock his head.

"Forgot what?" he asked her perturbed.

She slowly slid her paw off of her face and placed it on the ground then lifted her eyes to her mate.

"I promised her I would go talk to Garth today after I got off work," she explained, "but I got so caught up in this whole ordeal that I completely forgot."

"Oh," Humphrey replied, feeling shame hang over him yet again, "I'm sorry."

Kate shook her head.

"Don't be," she said to him, "it's not your fault."

Humphrey was not convinced, but nodded regardless of his doubts.

"Well... would you like to go now?" he asked her, "I'll be alright here by myself for a while if you'd like to go see them."

Kate flattened one of her ears.

"Are you sure?" she asked him hesitantly, almost reluctant to leave him alone again.

Humphrey replied with a single assuring nod.

"Go to them," he told her, giving her a quick nuzzle, "they need you."

She nodded, returned the nuzzle, then pulled away.

"Alright," she conceded, taking a step backward toward the mouth of the den, "if my dad asks, tell him I had something I had to do back home and that I'll be back later tonight."

Humphrey nodded then rose to his paws.

"Alright, now get goin'," he said to her with a smile.

"I'm gone," she replied, "love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile.

With a nod, Kate turned and made her way out of the den, leaving Humphrey alone.

?&?

When Lilly entered the den, she sniffled and lifted her eyes, but was surprised when she found Garth to be attentive. At first she thought that she as imagining things, but upon further inspection, she found his eyes actually gazing upon her for the first time in what felt to her an eternity.

She froze, for she did not know what to make of this, and was at a loss to what she should do.

Garth kept his eyes on her for a moment more, then lowered them to his paws and flattened his ears, ashamed.

"Garth?" Lilly asked him softly, though she made sure to remain at a comfortable distance so as to not crowd him.

"Hey," he said softly, keeping his eyes fixed upon his paws.

Lilly locked up for a moment as she felt anger begin to boil in her veins, then stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Hey!" she demanded then slapped him again, "you've had me worried sick over you for two weeks and all you can say to me is hey!"

Garth cried out when she hit him, but offered no form of retaliation, as he knew that he deserved everything he was getting.

However, just as soon as Lilly's last bitter word rolled from her tongue, her anger was banished and she broke down and began to sob.

"I'm so sorry Garth," she cried as she collapsed into a tight embrace with his neck, "I'm so sorry."

Garth hesitated, but eventually moved his forelegs up and held her.

"Me too," he whispered, pulling her close, "me too."

For the longest moment the two remained like this, lost in each other's embrace, but eventually they separated.

Lilly wiped the tears from her eyes and looked to Garth, who turned away, almost as though he did not deserve to be forgiven so easily, but Lilly turned his eyes up to hers when she placed her paw beneath his chin.

"Garth, look at me," she said softly, "I know you loved him and I know you're hurt," she said, "but you cannot blame yourself for what happened. He wouldn't want it this way."

Garth sighed softly, lowering his eyes, but she urged them up to hers yet again.

"What was it that he always said," she asked him, "you know it as well as I do."

Garth sighed, but otherwise remained silent.

"When life brings you down," she began, pausing so that he could finish.

"You can either give up without a fight or grab the mother f*cker by the horns and drag it down with you," he answered slowly.

"Which do you think he would prefer?" Lilly asked.

"Knowing him, he would want to fight," Garth replied, though he still seemed unsure of himself.

Lilly sensed his turmoil and laid a paw on his shoulder.

"Garth, you don't have to overcome this in a day," she told him, "these things take time, but you can't just give up and shut yourself down like this. Even when you've fallen so hard you can't possibly rise, you must still try, because if that is all you can do, at the end of it all, you can still hold your head high."

Garth nodded, though he remained silent.

"For him and for me," Lilly began, "rise."

Garth sighed, for his inner tribulations still pressed heavily upon him, but if he were to overcome this, he needed to be strong. He released Lilly, positioned his paws beneath his body, then began to press himself starkly to his paws. As he rose, his legs trembled, weak from their recent period of dormancy, but as he pressed himself higher and higher off of his chest, the weight which held him down seemed to crack and erode away until only a fraction of it remained.

Finally he stood righted upon his paws, though he wobbled severely as his legs struggled to regain their strength.

"What do I do now?" he asked her hesitantly.

Lilly stepped forward and wrapped him into a nuzzle.

"Go take a bath," she teased with a smile, "you smell really bad."