Chapter 23: The Final Battle of Jasper Park

The massive group of loups had partially descended into the valley with Humphrey and the others standing up front, watching Viggo who was still standing in the middle of the valley. Humphrey had explained his plan to everyone, although there were some objections, mainly from Steven which was no surprise.

“This plan is insane!” he said. “You know that, right? If I’m saying it’s insane, it’s actually insane.”

“You know what? It is insane,” Jax added. “And for once, it wasn’t our insane plan.”

“If toi go out there alone, Viggo will kill you,” Steven said.

“In my experience, when it comes to Humphrey, the worse the plan, the better the result,” Kate said.

“Hey,” Humphrey said, looking over at her.

“I speak from experience,” she replied, smiling.

“I want toi to know that no matter how this jour ends, I’ve enjoyed every waking moment with you,” Humphrey said. “I l’amour you, Kate. With all of my heart.”

“I’m sorry, would it be insulting if I barfed everywhere?” Steven a dit sarcastically.

Everyone laughed a little before becoming serious again.

“You guys let me worry about Viggo,” Humphrey insisted. “Just make sure toi get Hammond and Robert out of the picture.”

Humphrey then looked at Fleet who was standing suivant to Claudette.

“Don’t worry,” Fleet said, “she’ll be sûr, sans danger with me.”

“She better be,” Humphrey replied.

Humphrey faced all three of his pups and took a deep breath before speaking.

“I just want toi three to know that toi have made me the proudest father in the world,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder to call toi my pups.”

“Dad. We’re all gonna make it. We’re gonna be alright. toi know that, right?” Runt said.

“Of course.”

vipère, viper soon came slithering up to Humphrey.

“Where do toi want me?”

“Here,” he said. “And I mean it this time. I really don’t want toi to get stepped on. I care about toi too much to lose you.”

“Alright,” vipère, viper agreed. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

“You would do the same for me,” Humphrey replied. “In fact, toi have.”

“And yet I don’t recall hearing a single bit of thanks,” vipère, viper said, smiling.

Humphrey laughed a little.

“Well then, thank you, for everything.”

“You are so very welcome.”

Humphrey turned and began walking out toward Viggo, when vipère, viper called out to him.

“Humphrey. Be careful. Please.”

“I will,” he replied before turning back around and looking at Viggo, who looked straight back at him. Humphrey took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This ends now.

Viggo watched eagerly as Humphrey slowly approached him. They met in the middle of the valley, a perfect representation of the way the chess board had been set up when Humphrey found it at the sandstone cliffs, the two of them standing in the middle of the valley with their armies waiting behind them. And now it was time to break Humphrey’s piece.

The two enemies stood in front of each other. Viggo casually reached over to his hip and drew a pistol. Humphrey didn’t move, only looking between Viggo and the gun. Viggo looked at the pistol before dropping the magazine out of it and throwing the gun over his shoulder. He then reached behind his back and drew Orion out of its sheath. He spun it around in his hand a couple times before sticking it into the ground. Lastly, he opened his vest to montrer Humphrey that he wasn’t carrying his couteau with him.

“The last time we met like this, it didn’t end very well for you,” Viggo said. “But then again, I wasn’t fighting very fairly, now was I? This time I thought we could do it fairly. Just the two of us. No weapons, no tricks. Just toi and me. And trust me. This…this is going to be fun.”

The two continued to stand in silence until Viggo suddenly gave Humphrey a strong coup de poing to the face. Humphrey staggered back as Viggo looked at his hand, a wide grin on his face.

“Ooh, that felt good,” he said. “I have waited a very long time to do that.”

Viggo slowly advanced on Humphrey, who began backing up.

“This is how toi want to spend the last moments of your life?” Viggo taunted. “In a futile effort to stop me? It’s almost sweet.”

He gave Humphrey a brutal kick to his chest that pushed him back and knocked him to the ground.

“There’s no point in keeping this from toi because I know toi already know, so I might as well just say it,” Viggo continued. “I have the canon, cannon hidden in the woods, aimed at this pitiful little valley. And I’ve ordered twenty of my best men to guard it. If toi somehow manage to defeat me. they will open feu and blow everything and everyone in this valley straight to hell.”

Viggo landed another harsh blow to Humphrey’s face with his fist.

“Ever since the jour toi were born, I’ve been doing everything humanly possible to rid the world of your filth. But toi have a most annoying habit of not dying when you’re supposed to.”

Humphrey received yet another harsh blow from Viggo. Kate and the others looked on in horror. They couldn’t understand why Humphrey wasn’t fighting back.

“Adam, do something!” Kate exclaimed.

“Not yet,” Adam replied. “He hasn’t donné the signal yet.”

“I’d tell toi to go to hell, but we’ve both already been there,” Humphrey a dit to Viggo.

“Even if toi stop me, assuming that toi could,” Viggo said, “there’s no way you’ll be able to stop my men from firing off the canon, cannon in time. The seconde my body hits the ground, they’ll rain hell down on toi and your entire pack, and toi have no way of preventing it.”

He gave Humphrey another hard punch.

“Everyone that toi hold dear is going to die, and you’ll be the one responsible for their deaths.”

Viggo brought his arm down on Humphrey and then kicked him away. Humphrey tried to get up, but Viggo put his foot on him, pinning Humphrey to the ground.

“Adam, he’s going to kill him!” Kate shouted.

“Kate, we have to trust him!” Adam shouted back.

“If there’s one thing toi should’ve learned from all this, it’s that you’re not strong enough to beat me on your own,” Viggo a dit threateningly.

“You’re right, I’m not,” Humphrey replied with effort. “But I did learn one thing. Everyone makes mistakes. Even you.”

“If toi think I make mistakes, then you’re a bigger fool than I gave toi credit for,” Viggo replied.

“Oh, but toi do, Viggo,” Humphrey countered, “but of course toi won’t admit it. toi made a mistake when toi underestimated the strength all these loups have, to push past their fear of toi and come here to try and stop you. toi made a mistake inducting one of our own into the Crimson Pack. And toi made one just now, when toi assumed this was everyone I could find.”

Suddenly, Viggo heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. He looked at Humphrey, who gave him a knowing grin. Viggo looked up and saw someone running at him, but he couldn’t make out who it was before the person ran into him and tackled him to the ground. They both stood up and faced each other, Viggo with his back to the wolves. He felt something warm and wet on his lip. He put his finger to his mouth and looked at it as he took it away. He looked at the small bit of blood on his finger before addressing the person who had attacked him.

“Well, well,” he a dit as Humphrey got up and slowly walked over to the person, “look who decided to come to my party. I’m glad toi could rejoindre us, sister. It wouldn’t feel like a proper ending without you.”

“I don’t want to do this, Viggo,” Leyla replied.

“Really?” Viggo said. “I do.”

“Come on, you’re better than all this.”

“You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?” Viggo snapped back. “But I’m not. And toi know it. Besides, I’m having too much fun right now.”

“Viggo, what you’re doing is…it’s just wrong,” Leyla insisted. “Just give it all up.”

“You are persistent, I’ll give toi that,” Viggo commented, “but how quickly toi forget that this loup is my enemy. toi were foolish to protect him in the past and you’re all the plus a fool for doing the same now.”

“I didn’t forget,” Leyla said. “I wanted to give toi the chance to do the right thing without a fight. We don’t have to be enemies, brother. This loup doesn’t deserve the hate toi give him.”

“Now see, that’s where you’re wrong,” Viggo replied. “This loup has caused years of trouble for me. This entire pack is filled with rot and I will cleanse it.”

“No, toi won’t,” Leyla said. “Because I won’t let you.”

Viggo laughed at her remark.

“You won’t let me?” he exclaimed. “Don’t make me laugh. toi know toi can’t stop me. He and his Friends have tried for months and they have failed thus far. What hope could toi possibly have?”

“Because I’m not the only one who’s going to stop you,” Leyla replied.

Viggo suddenly heard the sound of growling behind him and turned around to see the loups behind him starting to slowly advance.

“You think I’m scared of them?” Viggo retorted. “I have an entire army of men waiting in the trees. And if toi think you’ll be able to beat me, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought too. I’m still a former black belt.”

“So am I.”

The two began fighting but it wasn’t long before Viggo knocked Leyla back. It was at that time that Steven and Kenya arrived with the Protectors and the two siblings stopped their fight for a moment.

“Oh, toi brought plus friends,” Viggo taunted. “Well that’s okay. So did I.”

He reached back and pulled Orion out of the ground before pointing it upward and signaling for his men to attack. Viggo’s army rushed out of the forest and Humphrey’s side did the same, and with that, the final battle of Jasper Park began. Viggo suddenly turned and knocked Leyla down with the hilt of his sword and then began killing the loups that tried to go after him. Leyla got up on her hands and knees behind him and hit him in the back of the knee with her baton. Viggo fell to his knee and swung his sword behind him, but Leyla easily blocked it with the baton and forced it to the ground. She was able to hold his sword in place long enough for her to knock him to the ground with a coup de poing in the face.

“Humphrey!” she called. “Come on!”

Humphrey nodded at her before turning to Adam, Steven, and Kyle.

“You guys are with me,” he said. “Mick, Oscar!” he shouted.

Oscar looked over at him from where he and Mick were busy fighting off a couple of humans.

“Take Jax and Jonas and go find the Crimson Pack. Take Robert and Hammond out of the picture,” Humphrey a dit before leaving with Adam, Steven, and Kyle.

The four of them managed to escape the battle as Viggo stood back up and sheathed Orion. The group headed into the forest to find the cannon, but Adam, Steven, and Kyle stopped when they saw Leyla.

“Hey, guys, it’s okay,” Humphrey said. “We can trust her.”

“And how do toi two know each other?” Adam asked.

“Guys, this is Leyla. I told you, I lived in her house for nine years when toi all thought I was dead. Now, we need to disable the canon, cannon before Viggo uses it to destroy the valley. She can help with that.”

It wasn’t long before they reached the canon, cannon and started fighting the men that Viggo had left to guard it. Viggo hadn’t been lying when he a dit he had left twenty of his best men to protect it. They fought hard and didn’t go down without a fight. However, Humphrey and the others were able to defeat them, but Viggo showed up just as they were about to déplacer the canon, cannon into the forest.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Viggo said.

Humphrey and the others looked at Leyla.

“Go,” she said, “I’ll be fine.”

Humphrey turned to Adam, Steven, and Kyle.

“Get this thing as far away from here as possible,” he a dit before rushing back off into the valley as the others started pushing the canon, cannon away from the valley.

“I just wanted some time to catch up,” Viggo said. “I can hardly remember the last time the two of us were together like this.”

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to forget it,” Leyla replied. “And if we have to fight to finally bring things to an end, then so be it.”

“Your loup Friends aren’t here to save toi now,” he said. “Do toi honestly still think toi actually have a shot at beating me?”

“Let’s find out.”

As Humphrey rushed back into the valley, he skidded to a stop as he almost ran into Robert. The two started to fight, but Robert easily managed to keep his footing and he almost overpowered Humphrey when something suddenly came at him from the side and hit him so hard, he fell to the ground.

”Thanks, Mick,” Humphrey said.

“No problem,” Mick replied. “I’ve been dying to do that.”

“He’s all yours,” Humphrey a dit before rushing off into the valley to rejoin the fight.

Mick gladly began to fight with Robert, who had trouble holding his own against the massive brute of a wolf.

“Feels so good, reminds me of my youth,” Mick a dit to himself, excitedly.

Meanwhile, Viggo and Leyla were still fighting in the forest. She landed a solid a kick to Viggo’s stomach that knocked him back a bit, but he quickly recovered from it.

“Come on, that’s no way to treat family,” he said. “This is!”

He swept Leyla’s legs out from under her and she fell to ground. She quickly got back up and threw a coup de poing at Viggo but he effortlessly managed to catch her fist.

“We used to be so close all those years ago,” he said. “What happened to us, sister?”

For a divisé, split second, Leyla’s mind was distracted par nostalgic childhood memories of her and Viggo playing together. Viggo took the opportunity and grabbed Leyla’s arm and judo threw her to the ground. He kept his hold on her arm and pulled it behind her back.

As Viggo bent down to hold her in place, Leyla kicked her leg out, hitting him in the groin and knocking him off balance. As Viggo fell to his knee, she got up and knocked him out with a well-placed coup de poing to the face. Leyla took a moment to catch her breath before rushing back toward the valley.

Meanwhile, Jax, Jonas, and Oscar managed to find Hammond and the Crimson Pack. They caught them trying to sneak around the side of the valley and get behind the wolves.

“Hey!” Oscar shouted. “We’re not done here.”

The entire pack stopped and Hammond turned and looked at them.

“Where do toi think you’re going?” Jonas asked. “You still have Martin and you’re not leaving here with him.”

“What will it take to make toi understand that Martin can’t leave?” Hammond asked. “He’s part of the Crimson Pack now and there’s no way that he will ever be free, so if toi think that-“

“Bored now,” Jax a dit monotonously as Oscar leapt at Hammond.

Hammond ducked and rolled out of the way as Oscar landed suivant to him. The Crimson Pack started growling at Oscar but Hammond stopped them.

“No!” he said. “This one’s mine. I’ve waited a long time for this moment.”

Hammond and Oscar began fighting and the Crimson Pack encircled the two, watching intently. Martin managed to make his way up front to Jax and Jonas.

“I assume toi guys have a plan?” he asked.

“Yep,” Jonas replied. “Oscar defeats Hammond and without the one member who’s actually loyal to Viggo, toi convince them to face their fear of him and help us.”

“That’s if Oscar can pull it off,” Martin said.

“Don’t worry,” Jax reassured him, “he and Mick have been training a lot lately.”

“Oh boy,” Martin sighed.

The three of them suddenly looked up when they heard gasps among the crowd. They were surprised to find Hammond on the ground with Oscar’s teeth wrapped around his throat.

“Alright, I yield!” Hammond shouted. “The pack is yours.”

Oscar let go of Hammond’s neck and stepped back as Hammond shakily stood up, trying to catch his breath. Everyone watching had their mouths open in disbelief.

“Now go,” Oscar said. “Get out of here.”

Hammond a dit nothing as he slowly limped away, his tail shamefully between his legs. Oscar turned and looked at Martin.

“You’re up,” he said.

Martin walked out into the center of the cercle the pack had formed and began to speak.

“Hammond led this pack through fear,” he said. “But now that he’s gone, we are free to make our own decisions. I know toi all think the loup suivant to toi is just as loyal to Viggo as Hammond was, but you’re wrong. The truth is, he was the only one of us who was ever truly loyal to that monster. We were all just too afraid to admit it. But we have strength in numbers. We can be our own loups again and not be tied down par fear. My Friends are out there right now, trying to free this forest from Viggo’s tyrannical grip, but they can’t do it without us. This is the moment when we choose whether we want to be controlled par fear our take back our lives. This is when toi choose what that symbol on your face represents.”

Martin remained silent for a moment, waiting for something to happen. The crimson loups stood still and looked at each other in thought.

“As for me,” Martin continued. “I’m going to take my life back and fight for what I believe in.”

He turned to Oscar, Jax, and Jonas and the four of them made their way back to the valley where Oscar met up with Mick.

“Where’s Robert?” he asked.

“He turned tail and ran,” Mick replied.

“Wait,” Oscar a dit in disbelief, “you made Robert run away?”

“Yeah, he couldn’t handle me,” Mick said. “He headed back out here somewhere.”

“It’s like World War 3 out here,” Oscar said, looking at the intense battle before them.

“I know, it’s beautiful,” Mick replied, happily.

Oscar smiled as the two rushed in to rejoindre the fight. Meanwhile, Humphrey, Kenya, and Lucas were fighting in a group together. Humphrey looked over and noticed Viggo walking back out into the valley in their direction. Humphrey noticed a gun in his hand which Viggo raised and pointed at Kenya. Humphrey began to panic, but he suddenly heard a loud bang suivant to him and watched as Viggo fell to the ground. He looked over and saw Lucas holding an outstretched arm with a smoking gun in his hand.

“Viggo!” Robert shouted as he rushed over to Viggo’s form laying on the ground.

Viggo slowly sat up groaning and opened up his vest to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath. He reached over and pulled out the bullet that had been crushed flat from the impact.

“Are toi alright?” Robert asked.

“I’m fine,” Viggo replied. “I always come prepared.”

“And what if he had shot toi in the head?” Robert asked.

“I’d be dead, probably,” Viggo replied with a humorous smile.

He stood up and turned to face Lucas and the two looked at each other. Viggo slowly walked up to Lucas and the two began to fight each other. Surprisingly enough, Lucas managed to keep his footing and Viggo took notice.

“Hm, very impressive, Lucas,” Viggo complimented him. “Not just anyone can keep their footing against me. However, your technique is still sloppy and predictable.”

Lucas suddenly threw a rock at Viggo which he had been hiding behind his back, but Viggo effortlessly caught it with one hand. Lucas then dived at Viggo feet-first and knocked his legs out from under him.

“You talk too much,” Lucas a dit before the two resumed their fight.

However, Viggo was too skilled and soon landed a hard kick to Lucas’ chest that sent him falling back to the ground.

“Do toi want to know why I started helping them?” Lucas said, slowly standing back up.

“Please, enlighten me,” Viggo replied.

“It’s because of you,” Lucas continued. “This loup is the only thing that helped me through life. After my wife died, I started drinking, hard. I decided to get a pet and I didn’t treat her great at first, but then I sobered up and she helped me through my struggles. So, I am not going to let toi kill the only thing helped my through life.”

Viggo stood unnervingly still and a dit nothing, casually holding his hands behind his back.

“If toi want to get to her ou any of her family, you’re gonna have to go through me,” Lucas said. “And if toi do, they’re never going to give up. They are strong and Rebelle and will fight until their last breath to stop you. So get out of here while toi still can.”

Viggo took a few steps toward Lucas, looking downward with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“You know,” he said, “as final words go, those weren’t bad.”

Viggo suddenly pulled an arm out from behind his back, a pistol held in his hand from the étui de revolver, étui hidden on the back of his belt. He raised it in front of him and without hesitation, shot Lucas in the head. Kenya screamed as Lucas’ body fell to the ground.

“They’re retreating!” a loup called out from the distance.

Sure enough, the few humans who were left had started running back toward the forest. There weren’t many of them, no plus than a hundred. The loups had taken their fair share of casualties but the jour was won. Almost.

Humphrey turned to face Viggo, but he was gone, disappearing into the retreating crowd of people. He soon heard footsteps approaching and saw everyone coming to rejoindre him and Kenya.

“Where’d Viggo go?” Kate asked.

“He snuck out in the crowd of humans,” Humphrey replied. “Where’s Runt?”

“Uh, Dad!” Stinky called, concerningly.

“What?”

“He didn’t leave.”

Humphrey followed Stinky’s gaze and was horrified to see Viggo standing at the edge of the valley near the trees, pinning Runt to his body and keeping his head fixed in a chokehold.

“Oh no,” Humphrey a dit under his breath as he and others rushed across the plain to Viggo.

They arrived at the same time as the Crimson Pack and Viggo smiled upon seeing them.

“Crimson Pack, follow my lead,” he commanded.

“The Crimson Pack doesn’t take orders from the Wolfslayer anymore,” one of the loups said.

Humphrey’s expression suddenly turned to one of surprise at hearing the dreaded name applied to Viggo.

“Wait, Wolfslayer?!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re the Wolfslayer?!”

“I told toi everything toi needed to know all those years ago, Humphrey,” Viggo said, turning to face his nemesis.

“But how?” Humphrey asked. “When toi were hunting me in the woods, I was hearing reports of the Wolfslayer at the exact same time toi were with me.”

“That’s why it’s good to have someone like Robert to serve in my feet,” Viggo explained.

Humphrey tried getting closer as he saw the look of pure terror on his son’s face but Viggo intently warned him against it par tightening his grip around Runt’s neck.

“Viggo, let him go,” Humphrey said.

“No, I think I’ll kill this one,” Viggo a dit casually before looking down at Runt and putting his arm under his head, looking like he was getting ready to snap his neck.

“No, please!” Humphrey suddenly exclaimed. “I’m begging you! Don’t.”

Viggo stopped and looked up at Humphrey, raising an eyebrow at the sudden change in Humphrey’s tone. He liked the sound of him begging. A look of pure terror crossed Humphrey’s face and his breathing quickened.

“I don’t think toi get it,” Viggo said. “You can’t save everyone, Humphrey. What, toi thought toi could just walk back to your pack and be able to protect them from me? toi are everything I despise. Time and time again, I’ve hunted toi and time and time again, you’ve slipped past my net, and it’s getting rather annoying. You’ve suffered so much loss at my hand, Humphrey. And that begs the question; how much plus loss can toi take before there is no plus of toi left? Because I don’t think it’s much. I think you’re just one loss away from losing yourself.”

Humphrey glanced up and noticed vipère, viper silently slithering through the branches in the arbre above Viggo’s head.

“A man never knows how far he’s willing to go until he steps to the edge and looks down,” Viggo said. “How far are toi willing to go, Humphrey, to save someone toi love? Would toi kill to do it? Because I know how far I’m willing to go to make toi share my pain. I watched as your grandparents killed my mother and father and now you’re going to watch me kill your son, right here, right now.”

Humphrey subtly glanced up again and saw vipère, viper slowly starting to hang down from a branch directly over Viggo’s shoulder. The two subtly made eye contact and Humphrey very subtly nodded to her, when his attention was suddenly brought back to Viggo and Runt.

“I may not be able to get my revenge on them, but I swear, I will make toi suffer if it is the last thing I do,” Viggo said.

“Dad,” Runt a dit in a terrified voice.

“Viggo!” Humphrey warned.

Viggo quickly and violently twisted the arm that was wrapped around Runt’s head and with a loud, sickening crack, Runt’s body went limp and slumped to the ground.

“NOOOOOO!”

Everyone froze in shock, even vipère, viper who was still hanging down from the arbre branch unbeknownst to Viggo. Humphrey looked up at Viggo and began viciously growling and the others around him did the same.

vipère, viper suddenly dropped down a little plus and bit Viggo on his shoulder, sinking her fangs into his flesh and immediately injecting him with her venom. The sudden shock of pain was so intense, Viggo almost fell over backward, but he was able to steady himself before reaching over with his hand and grabbing Viper, trying to pull her off of the branch. She quickly tightened her grip on the branch which began to bend under the stress. All of a sudden, Viggo thrust his shoulder forward, violently yanking vipère, viper out of the tree. Her grip on his shoulder loosed and she was sent flying into Viggo’s open hand.

Stinky rushed forward, bit onto Viggo’s leg and pulled as hard as he could, causing him to stumble backward and lose his balance. Viggo fell onto the ground, sending vipère, viper flying from his hand. Humphrey leapt into the air after her, gently catching her in his mouth.

After setting vipère, viper down, Humphrey turned and attacked Viggo. Viggo kicked Stinky in the snout with his boot, causing him to let go of his foot and immediately rolled out of the way as Humphrey tried to jump on him. His shoulder had already started to go numb and he knew he had to get out of there before he grew too weak.

Viggo looked over and noticed the fallen body of one of his men with a grenade attached to his belt. He quickly grabbed it, and after pulling the pin, he threw it straight at the wolves. The grenade hit Oscar directly on his forehead between the eyes, giving him a small cut. As soon as the grenade hit the ground, everyone scattered immediately, Humphrey taking the time to grab vipère, viper in his mouth before rushing off. The grenade exploded and luckily, no one was injured in the blast. When the dust cleared, Viggo was nowhere in sight. The only thing that was left in the area was Runt’s lifeless body laying on the ground.

(Note: About a an ago, I posté a vote asking which pup was your favorite. This is why. Needless to say, Runt won.)