I'm back, Wolfers! My exam's over and I'm proud to present to you this new story, 'Dormant Endearments'! I hope that you will like this story 'cause I'm pretty pumped for this. Now I know what you're thinking. Hey, I never knew LoverWolfs can come up with great names like this. The answer to that is... no. I didn't come up with that name, but received help from The Lightning Phoenix, and I would like to give credit to him for that. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this prologue and there'll be a part 2 for this, since I thought it's a good point to stop in this 1st part. Hope you enjoy!

Prologue

(1)

The morning sun slowly rose from the east of the snow-topped mountains and towards the clear blue sky, bathing its light across the green land of Jasper Park. Animals were awakened by its powerful glare and warmth and prepared to attack the day, but none of them was as eager as the wolf members of the Western and Eastern pack, for it was a special day and celebration that could change the fate of both packs; it was the marriage of the son of the Eastern pack with the daughter of the Western pack, and this event would cease a war declared in between these two packs. Everyone was busy preparing and organizing the celebration, except for one particular wolf.

The luminous sunlight crawled into a hole dug under an old, medium-sized tree, and hits the face of a young grey male wolf. He rolled away from the disturbance and into the darkness as he was having a wonderful dream that he wished to be endless.

He was running in a large field populated by colorful flowers and showered by sunlight with his crush, which was also his best friend. They jumped around the beautiful landscape gleefully and playfully, feeling disconnected from pressure, problems, sadness, laws, etc..

She pounced at him unexpectedly from behind as he was smelling the sweet-scented flowers and he was now lying on his back with her on top, and they smiled as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Do you know that you're the most beautiful, graceful, charming, and vivacious lady I've ever met in our pack, Kate?" He asked and she giggled before pecking him on the cheek.

"I never knew that. You're the most handsome, funny, playful and romantic man I've ever met in our pack." She replied and a smirk grew across his lips.

"Kate." He grabbed her paw that was on his chest and she looked at him curiously as he continued. "I just want to tell you that I…" He was having trouble spitting the next words out and she stared with an eyebrow raised, but he successfully did it with all his courage. "I… I love you."

Her face expression changed into a sudden shock, before a smile slowly grew across her lips with a few tears seeping from the edge of her eyes upon hearing his confession, and he stared at her with eyes full of hope, hoping that she felt the same way as him. Finally, she managed to recover from her speechless state.

"I… I love you too, Humphrey." She replied, and an uncontrollable grin grew across his face.

Slowly, they began to edge towards each other and their muzzles connected with their eyes closed, feeling their tongues wrestling against each other passionately and enjoying their first kiss. At that moment, he didn't care about the restriction of marriage in between Alphas and Omegas, 'cause all he cared about was her. She was the source of his happiness, and the purpose of his life on this world, and he was willing to fight for her under any situations, even if he has to leave his pack.

Unexpectedly, he felt one of her paws running down his body and halted at his wolfhood, and his moan vibrated in their mouth as she gripped its shaft gently before massaging it, causing his member to extend out its full length. Their lips slowly disconnected with their eyes fastened on each other, and they panted out hot breaths while craving for more pleasure.

"Do you like it, Humph?" She teased, and giggled as his tongue was left hanging out of his mouth, and it flapped as he panted.

"Y-y-yes." He moaned, and she halted it by placing a paw on his lips.

"Shh. Just close your eyes and relax." And he did what he was told.

He gently rested his head on the soft grass and closed his eyes, having a last glimpse of her charming smile before his vision faded to black.

Unfortunately, as he slowly re-opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the large roots that was poking out of the ceiling of his den and realized that he was having a dream that only lasted for a few minutes in reality. In that instant, he felt his confidence and courage dropped as he remembered that he was just an ordinary Omega whose job was to prevent fights in between his pack members along with his Omega friends, but what he hated to remember most was that today was the marriage of the girl of his dreams with some mutt named Garth, who's the son of the rival pack, and he growled at the thought of it.

Barf, Barf, Barf. He muttered in his mind. Saying his name just makes me wanna puke. What's so good about him that made Kate choose him over me? I mean, I'm a cool and awesome person, and can make anyone laugh with my jokes and personality, but what does he have that could compare to mine?

Anger and jealousy began to build up in his heart as his mind continuously thought of move negativities and the unfairness to him as he couldn't have the girl he had a crush on since they've met as pups, but in the end, a sigh was the only result he could give to himself as he clearly knows that he has no rights and powerless to change the dumb Alpha-and-Omega-marriage rule as it was the only restriction that was preventing him from 'howling' with Kate.

Strangely, he felt a funny feeling in his private area, as if something really was gripping his wolfhood, and he looked down to find a twisted root perfectly wrapped around his red and fully-erected wolfhood in the correct width, and realized that it was the cause of the pleasure in his dreams. He immediately got onto his four feet and hit the root with a brute force that sent it swinging a few times before coming to a rest, feeling irritated of his feelings being meddled and embarrassed of himself.

Great. Now how am I going to go outside when I know everyone's gonna stare at my red stick. He thought in an irritated tone before letting out another sigh, feeling his start of the day already gone to hell. I guess I'll stay here for a while, and have a few meats at the Feeding Grounds after that before visiting Kate. And he curled into a fluffy grey ball and rest for a while to kill the time.

Meanwhile, at the den of the leader of the Western pack, a family of four was already awake and preparing for the celebration as they're the most important guest among all. The parents left for the Feeding Grounds to hunt for their breakfast while their two daughters wait in their den for their return with their meal.

Before they left, Kate's sister was given the task to beautify her sister's appearance by them while they're away, and any girls would be squeaking in excitement upon being given with this job, but she showed the opposite of it. Unfortunately, their parents didn't notice her unnatural behavior the moment when they gave their order as their minds were filled with numerous arrangements that required their full attention, presence and consent, as informed by the pack's Beta, Hutch, who've came by their den a few moments ago, and they've decided to deliver their daughter's meals to them first before doing so.

Kate was sitting at the overhang that overlooked the whole Den Grounds of her pack, and watched as her pack mates run around busily in different directions, like speeding cars on a human road, while waiting for her parents' return with their meal. She was deep in her thoughts about her wedding with the son of the Eastern pack, and wondered if she had made the right choice. She never liked him and nor would she have the idea of accepting him as her mate. Plus, they've only met for a short time, which makes it harder for her to understand his personality and love him. She could clearly see and state every major difference in between them that proves their un-matching according to their behavior, interest, hobbies, etc..

But the greatest fact that stood out among all was his howl, and it was the worst she had ever heard during their first Moonlight Howl, and would never merge with hers. Although these proofs came in mind, she still has no choice but to marry him only for one purpose, and it was to cease a war that was declared by the Eastern pack if her pack's unwilling to share their territory's food source to them as theirs were migrated to hers, and it was the only solution for the sake of both packs and prevent a bloody incident from breaking out.

Surprisingly, those weren't the main cause of her doubt, for it was a feeling of heavy guilt in her heart that burned like raging flames, and she placed a paw on her chest in confusion.

That's funny. Why do I have this strange feeling that I've let someone down or have disappointed him or her? She thought as she clenched onto her gracious mane tighter, feeling it spreading across her heart in a slow pace.

Fortunately, all of her thoughts were pushed aside when she noticed her sister's long absence ever since she walked out of the den to get some fresh air, and decided to check on her as she feared that she may be ill or not feeling very well. She took in a deep breath of the refreshing air before getting up on her paws and walked into her den, and upon strolling in, she found the white female wolf curled in the form of a fluffy ball, with her head facing towards the wall. She took a gentle approach and edged her head slight forward to look at her face, and caught sight of her exhausted expression.

"Lilly? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, and her sister turned towards her and she met her beautiful violet eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a weak smile on the side of her lips.

"Are you sure? You don't look so well to me." She questioned, and watched as she slowly got onto her feet.

"No, I'm fine. I really am. I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all." She persisted as she stretched her aching muscle and yawned.

"Well, okay then." She sighed in defeat and relief. "So, shall we begin with the grooming?"

"Oh, um, yeah." She faked a smile which successfully fooled her.

Kate watched curiously as her beautiful sister searched around the den quizzically before noticing something that was behind a rock, and she dragged her tired body towards it and picked up the hidden object which revealed to be a pinecone.

"When did you get that? I never recalled you walking in here with a pinecone." She question curiously as their eyes met.

"Yesterday, when you were busy talking to Mom and Dad about your marriage. I had to make early preparations." She muffled which earned a smile from her. "Let's do this outside. I need to take in some fresh air." She received a nod from her and they left the den together side-by-side.

Kate then sat at her original place at the overhang and stared down at the Den Grounds, while Lilly sat behind her and began to groom her golden fur with her handy tool. Silence descended upon them for the past few minutes, with only the beautiful melodies sung by three birds that were standing on a high branch of a tree grown close to the den, and the sound of brushing produced by the pinecone as Lilly was doing her job in straightening her sister's fur. During that time, Lilly's mind was buried by the thoughts of her sister's marriage with Garth, the wolf she fell in love at first sight and the man in her dreams.

He was the man that matched her demands well; strong body, handsome-looking, friendly, and very charming. But unlike other female wolves, she was the only lady who liked his personality, which was very important in finding the right match, and understood who he truly was and accepted it. She had helped him in unlocking his true howl that was buried deep inside his heart, and at that moment, she knew when she stared into his eyes that he had fallen in love with her.

Sadly, she felt her heart being torn into two when she heard about the plan for the marriage of Kate and Garth due to her return along with Humphrey last night that was kept a secret from her, and cried heavily at the place where Garth had taught her how to correctly pounce at a hanging pinecone all to herself without anyone knowing, and this was the truth behind her exhaustion.

"Lilly? Lilly!" Kate called profusely, and Lilly immediately shook her head while blinking a few times.

"Wh-What?" She questioned in confusion as she met her sister's gaze. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, feeling worried once again due to her sudden inactivity.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. Don't worry, I'll be fine." And she continued to brush her sister's fur.

"Well, if you can't attend the wedding, just tell me, alright? Don't take yourself too hard, or you'll hurt your health."

"I know, and I will." She replied, but she had no intention to attend it at all as she doesn't want to create a scene in the crowd; she wouldn't be able to hold back her overflowing tears, which would catch her parent's and everyone's attention, and watching Kate and Garth rubbing their muzzles together to end the ritual would worsen her emotions.

"Anyways, I need your help in something."

"Ask away." She muffled as she brushed her back.

"Well, I have this sort of-" The sound of footsteps echoed in their ears, causing it to perked upwards and interjected her question along with their conversation, and they turned towards the source of the sound to find their parents walking up the gradual slope beside the den that leads down to the surface, and towards them with a large chunk of Caribou meat in their mouth.

"Hey mom. Hey dad." The sisters chorused in a different tone according to their mood, which Kate was cheerful and Lilly was depressed.

"Hello, my little angels." Their mother muffled before placing her hunt, along with her mate, on the ground infront of them. "How are you two doing?"

"Fine." Kate replied with a smile.

"Likewise…" Lilly said as she turned away in an attempt to hide her sad expression, which failed as they noticed it.

Their mother walked towards her and gently turned her head towards her with her paws, and was greeted by a frown from her.

"I think I know why you're sad, darling." And her eyes widened in fear as the consequences of a secret love in between an Omega with an Alpha was very clear to her, and she and Garth would be in hot water if their parents knows the truth, but their love wasn't confirmed as they haven't confessed to each other yet. Not at this time, but she would be very eager to do so when she has the chance and sufficient courage.

She watched with her heart pounding rapidly as her mother stared into her eyes before letting out a laugh which puzzled them.

"You're worried that you can't play with your sister anymore, right?" And she let out a deep sigh of relief at her wrong assumption and smiled weakly.

"Y-yeah. How did you know?" She questioned curiously, although she wasn't interested in knowing it.

"Mother Senses." She cheered joyfully with a wink. "Anyways, don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to spend with your sister after her wedding. For now, just wear a smile for your sister, daddy and mommy, alright?" She said gleefully and Lilly gave a deceiving smile, which she was a master in along with other expressions and tones, and it fooled them with ease. "Now that's my beautiful daughter."

"Thanks mom." And their parents turned towards Kate who was watching them silently, and their mother gave her a warm hug, which she reciprocated well and they exchanged smiles as they broke apart. "I can't believe this day has come so fast without us noticing, am I right, Winston, dear?" She asked as she turned towards her mate who wore a smirk on his lips as he was the proud father in this wedding, so as the leader of the Eastern pack.

"Yes, Eve, darling. Time indeed passed faster than we expected." And he turned towards Kate and placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Kate. Your mom and I are very happy to see that you're doing your responsibility, and once again, I'm sorry for forcing you to marry Garth for the sake of both packs." He frowned, and Kate felt her guilt worsening at his statement, but it wasn't about the force marriage, instead it was about her responsibility.

"It's fine, Dad. I understand my duty as the daughter of the leader of the Western pack, and I must protect my own, for that is the main role of an Alpha." And it beamed Winston and Eve with pride greatly, but a throb of guilt from her heart was the payment for her statement.

"Now honey, remember this as I'm sure it'll come in handy any time. If Garth gets out of hand or betrayed you in any way, I want you to rip his tail off and shove it down his trachea." She said in a pleasing tone, and received wide-eyed stares from them, except Lilly whose heart was burning in anger at her mother's statement about her Romeo.

"Um, thanks for the suggestion, Mom." She replied awkwardly after snapping out of her surprised state.

"Just let Mommy know if you can't handle him, and I'll see your problem solved in a split second." She made a devil smirk that crept them and sent shivers down their spine, except Lilly whose blood was boiling violently.

"I believe it's time for us to leave them in peace, honey." Winston interjected, gaining his mate's attention.

"Oh, right. There's a lot of arrangements that requires our attention." And she turned back towards her daughters. "Meet us at the valley when both of you are ready." And just when their parents were about to leave, Lilly's statement froze their legs onto the ground.

"I'm not going." And they turned towards Lilly whose head was lowered and facing towards the ground in sadness.

"Why not?" Eve asked in confusion. "Your sister's wedding is a once in a life time moment, darling."

"I just… don't feel like going. I'm sorry."

"But-"

"It's okay, mom. She didn't sleep well last night, so she needs her rest. You don't want her to hurt her health now, do you?" Kate interjected to aid her sister and reasoned with their mother, and her eyes widened in surprise at her daughter's question.

"Of course not. I wouldn't do that to my daughter, and I'm not a cold-hearted mom. I understand my daughters, and always wanted the best for them, am I right, darling?" She answered pleasingly with a smile as she faced towards Winston who once again listened to their conversation silently, and Lilly seemed to be normal from the outside, but in her mind were booming voices and rage upon hearing her honeyed words.

Does preventing me from loving Garth not make you cold-hearted, mom? Lilly thought angrily. You said that you wanted the best for me, but the only feelings that you've given to me now was pain and sadness. Your statement of understanding your daughter is false, mom, and I'm very disappointed in you. I never felt so sad in my entire life. How could you do this to me? Her inner self was crying of the pain that she was suffering at this moment, but luckily, she wasn't expressing her emotional pain to them as they proceeded with their conversation.

"Yes. Your mom and I loved both of you dearly since you two entered their world, and gave you the best among all the wolves in this pack." He said as he looked at his daughters. "You can stay here for as long as you like, Lilly. We won't force you to attend, but you can still come if you're well-rested and comfortable."

"Thanks, dad." Lilly smiled which he reciprocated before turning back to his mate.

"Come on. Let's not waste any more time." And received nod from her, and they gave their daughters a hug before they left.

Kate and Lilly watched as their parents strolled down the slope and headed towards the direction of where the valley was before feasting on their tasty meal silently.

Humphrey's plan was set into action as he was on his way to the leader's den after finishing up his pleasant meal at the feeding ground, and a decision he had made as he left confirmed that this will be his last visit to Kate; a choice that every heart-broken wolf would come to. He had told his three best omega friends about it as they were also at the feeding ground when he arrived, and it dumbfounded them with shocked expressions on their faces, but he doesn't need to tell them his purpose as they knew it all too well. They tried to change his decision by firing a machine gun loaded with the most helpful and friendly suggestions they have at him, but it wasn't able to pierce though his thick skin, and all it takes to stop them was a raise of his paw. They understood its meaning well as he gestured it only when he's serious, deadly serious, and all they could do was wishing him good luck and pray for his safety.

As he walked on the clear path surrounded by tall trees that loomed above him, with the sun moving towards the center of the sky at a snail's pace, multiple thoughts crossed through his mind that threw him into a curious and confused state. The main question that held in his mind was does she have any strong affections towards him? The cause that arose it wasn't due to how great and friendly he'd treated her since they're pups, but the spark of love that he felt from her when they howled on the train that brought them back to Jasper after being relocated to Sawtooth National Park for repopulation purposes, which shocked them greatly upon being told about it by two friendly birds named Marcel and Paddy.

Marcel was a male French Canadian goose, but preferred himself to be straight French, who speaks in a French accent and has a passion for golf, while Paddy, on the other paw, was a male yellow duck who speaks in an English accent and was the golf caddy of Marcel. Both of them were enjoying a game of golf in a large clearing under a clear and sunny day when the two relocated wolves found them, and felt terrified upon finding them fast approaching before taking off. Unfortunately, Humphrey gripped Marcel by the leg and forcefully pulled him down, and he thought he was a dead goose at that moment, but it turns out that Kate and Humphrey only wanted information of their whereabouts and how are they going to get back to Jasper.

Fortunately, these two friendly birds agreed to help them due to their sympathy for them, and a favor that needed to be returned by Marcel for not being eaten by them. Numerous events occurred during their past few days of getting back to Jasper, from riding on the back of a human van sneakily to fighting off bears on the top of a snow-coated mountain, and finally, they had the last ticket ride home on the Canadian Express, a train that would lead them straight to Jasper Park, their warm and cozy home. This was where they howled together towards the silver glowing moon that seemed to be kilometers away, and unlike their howls when they're pups, both of them howled with great beauty and passion that surprisingly matched with each other. An old legend was told in their ancestor's time and being passed on till this generation states that when the howl of a male perfectly unites with a female's, it means that they were destined to be a couple, and Humphrey was starting to believe that fact as they howled.

Sadly, just when he was about to confess his love to her after their beautiful howl, she leaped out of the carriage they were in without notifying him before he witnessed it; both Eastern and Western packs were at the valley and about to start a bloody scene. Without hesitation, he immediately followed her and they reached the center of the valley in the nick of time, but he was shocked when her father, Winston, told her that she'll be marrying Garth now that she has returned, which broke his heart painfully and he felt his body being torn apart as he watched her walked away surrounded by her girlfriends. How can he not know about this? Has she been hiding this behind his back all this time? If she didn't, then why didn't she tell him earlier or during their travel? He never felt so betrayed in his entire life, betrayed by someone he loved and treasured most, and regretted in helping her getting back to their home. He did it only because he loved her.

Why didn't she tell me? He thought quizzically before hearing his emotions answering him in different perspectives.

Maybe she doesn't want to hurt you.

Maybe she wants to surprise you.

Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you.

More and more predictions came to him and they could be true, and he can understand each of them, but then came a thought that he completely disagreed to.

Maybe she didn't tell you because if she did, you won't help her get back to Jasper and prevent her from marrying her sweet and beloved Romeo.

No! That's not possible! I'm her best friend, and I'm sure she won't take any advantage of me, 'cause she's the kindest and most lovely girl I know in my pack. He argued back in his mind, feeling a spark of anger in his heart towards the negative side of him.

And what if she did? It challenged, and it placed Humphrey into a dead stop as it echoed in his mind with his eyes fixed on the ground and stood under the sunlight that was warming up his fur.

"Then I'm disappointed in her." He muttered, and proceeded to walk with his thoughts pushed aside.

When he arrived at his destination, he found Kate sitting along the overhang infront of her den and staring down at the den grounds with her golden fur well-groomed, and assumed that her sister has done it for her. The continuous tapping of the tip of his claws on the ground in his every step caught her attention as she turned around to face him.

"Hey Humphrey." She greeted with a smile.

"Hey." He replied as he sat infront of her. "How's everything going?"

"Well, I'm pretty nervous about the wedding today. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it." She frowned a little and slightly lowered her head with unconfidence, and it hurts him seeing that unsuitable look on her beautiful face.

"Of course you are. You look more amazing that I could ever imagine." He said cheerfully, but deep in his heart were pain and depression circulating and strengthening, and their eyes met.

"Thank you, Humphrey." She smiled beautifully. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I'm just checking up on my best friend," His weak smile slowly faded away into a frown after a short pause. "and paying her my last visit." Her eyes immediately widened in shock.

"You're leaving?!"

"Yeah. I… need to spend some time alone for a while, and have an adventure of my own. I might also use this time to search for my parents."

Humphrey was an orphan who was found a few meters within the pack border by Hutch and was brought to Winston and Eve for judgement. He was less than a week old during that time, and Hutch reported to them that there was no sign of his parents, but there were footprints left by them that showed that they were in a hurry. Clearly understanding the situation, Winston decided to welcome him as a part of his pack and placed him under Omega School until he graduated, and let a kind family in his pack to look after him till he's a month old.

His early life as a pup was difficult as everyone were strangers to him, except the family that took care of him, and had been living on his own for a week under an old tree which was his current den in the present, until he met three omegas who was the same age as him, and they are Salty, Shakey, and Mooch. They showed him the way of life and helped him in gaining more friends in the pack. They spent most of their free time together and played fun games like Hide-and-Seek, Tag, Catch the Rabbit, etc.. These people were his savior in surviving this pack.

"Will you be coming back?" She asked in disappointment about his leave.

"No, I don't think so. So this will be our last meeting." He replied. "I guess it's time for me to part. The train will be here soon."

"I'll miss you, Humphrey." She slightly sobbed as she hugged him tightly.

"Likewise." He answered and reciprocated the hug before breaking apart.

She watched as he turned away and walked towards the gradual slope, and he turned his head around to give her one last glance, a depressed look that she will remember forever and she could see sadness in his eyes, before walking down and towards the den grounds. She had never seen him behaving unusually before. He was always a happy-go-lucky and hilarious wolf, and yet he behaved like a… lone wolf who lost its nature, like a white light lost in the darkness.

When he fully disappeared, tears began to overflow from her eyes unexpectedly and she began to cry uncontrollably, which surprised her. It was true that his leave really saddened her and it was heart-breaking to watch him leave, but she wasn't expecting herself to show such a huge reaction towards it. Could this be related to the guilt that she felt in her heart? She doesn't know, but what she does know was that his leave definitely affected her emotions greatly and the strong bond that they built in between them.

What she doesn't know was Lilly was lying awake inside the den and facing away from her, and overheard their whole conversation. That was when something clicked in her mind…

So, what do you guys think? What did Lilly thought of? If you think you know what's gonna happen, then keep it to yourself. I don't want the tension to be ruined, or if there is any, of course. Let me inform you this first: the next part might take a while 'cause I just finished my exam and needs to work on the plot of this story first, and I sincerely hope that you guys can wait for the next part to come. Anyways, as usual, leave a review/follow/favorite. It really helps me out a lot and I'll see you in the next part. Peace off. -LoverWolfs1121

P.S: 'A Warrior's Death' is about to reach 8200 views soon, so horray for that!