Chapter 12: The Lone Wolf
The air was crisp, and the night had grown old when Humphrey came to. He didn’t remember much about what had happened, but as the moments passed, he slowly began to remember. The walk, the humans, the cages, and the trucks. Rolling down the পাহাড় and crashing into the tree. And Kenya. He was worried for Kenya. His body ached and he had a cut on his thigh from the metal bars of the cage.
It had been roughly a দিন since they were taken from their parents and Humphrey’s বাক্স had rolled off the truck and into the forest, although he had no idea how long it had been. Humphrey didn’t know what to do. The cage door had been busted open when it collided with the tree. Knowing that he could leave and wasn’t confined to the tight মহাকাশ of the cage, Humphrey didn’t know if he should try and find his way back home. Ultimately, he decided to remain in the cage for the rest of the night and figure out what to do in the morning.
Morning came, and Humphrey’s body hurt no less than it had the night before. As the sun woke him, he noticed that his thigh hurt worst of all. When he looked down, he saw a fairly deep cut on his leg that had already begun to close. Humphrey knew that if he didn’t clean it, it was going to get infected. It was usually his mother who would lick his wounds for him. But he knew that without his parents, he would have to fend for himself out here.
Humphrey spent around a half ঘন্টা cleaning out the wound on his leg before he finally decided that going after Kenya would be suicide. He would be walking right back into the human’s hands. As worried as he was for Kenya, he knew that he couldn’t help her if he was trapped with her.
So, he decided to try and find his way back প্রথমপাতা and get help from his grandparents, অথবা maybe even Mick, who he knew would be happy to help attack a human settlement.
Humphrey set out into the forest to try and get back home. There was only one problem; he didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t see the road he had come from and even if he could find the road, he didn’t know which direction would take him back প্রথমপাতা and which direction would take him to the humans. So, as Humphrey left the relative safety of the cage, he began to venture deeper into the forest, hoping that he would somehow manage to find his way back home.
Humphrey slowly walked through the early morning sun that was breaking through the trees, beginning to warm up his cold body, yet it didn’t make him feel any better. Around midday, Humphrey was faced with a problem. He was hungry.
He had no idea what to do. He knew he had to find food, obviously, except he had no idea how. He was never taught how to hunt. He was an omega, he wasn’t supposed to hunt. That was Adam’s job. Humphrey’s mind immediately drifted to thinking about Adam and his parents, about how worried they must’ve been.
Humphrey searched all দিন for any critters he could try and catch, but they were too quick and would always run off before he could get close enough. He was far too inexperienced to catch anything, so that night, he went hungry.
Humphrey woke the পরবর্তি দিন feeling even hungrier than he had the দিন before. He was beginning to grow desperate and eventually, he began feasting on the wild berries that were growing on the bushes. They tasted horrible and he vomited almost immediately after eating them. After steadying himself, Humphrey continued to make his way through the forest. Over the পরবর্তি two weeks, Humphrey’s stomach slowly began to accept the berries and they became his main উৎস of food.
It was around this time, that the Mysterious Man returned to the roadside where Humphrey’s বাক্স had rolled off the truck. This road was hardly used, so the marks that Humphrey’s cage had made in the dirt had remained relatively undisturbed.
This man had come prepared, knowing he would have to live in the woods for an unknown period of time until he found the হারিয়ে গেছে নেকড়ে up. He had brought all the necessary gear with him, preparing to do anything to catch this pup.
The man followed the tracks down the পাহাড় where he found the abandoned cage. He had trained as a tracker for many years, so although Humphrey’s tracks were almost completely faded, the man was able to easily determine which way he had gone. Over the পরবর্তি couple of weeks, unbeknownst to Humphrey, the two played a game of Cat and Mouse, with the Mysterious Man gaining ground with each passing day.
Then one day, the man seemed to have reached his goal. He had finally caught up with Humphrey and was about to overtake the young pup when something happened that saved Humphrey’s life.
Humphrey had been living in the woods quite well on his own, although he had প্রদত্ত up all hope of finding his way back প্রথমপাতা and had begun to accept his life as a lone wolf. He had been able to find suitable shelter every night and his stomach had pretty much fully accepted the berries as a উৎস of nourishment. The wound on his leg had healed and it had left a reasonably large scar, but it was quickly beginning to get covered up with the পশম that was growing over it.
One day, Humphrey was wandering the woods as usual when he heard the sound of leaves rustling in the bushes nearby. He stopped and looked at them, wondering if he should run, অথবা stay and see what was making the noise.
He didn’t have to wait long, though. Soon enough, another animal emerged from the bushes. He looked a lot like a নেকড়ে but was much smaller than any adult নেকড়ে Humphrey had seen. It was a coyote, although Humphrey didn’t know it at the time. The coyote seemed to be just entering his twenties. He had light tan পশম and light blue eyes. His পশম was laid down fairly well, but it was still a little messy. Like Humphrey, he was also living out here on his own.
“Hey there,” the coyote said.
“Who…who are you?” Humphrey asked, wondering whether অথবা not this coyote meant him harm.
“I’m Arnold,” he said. “Are আপনি lost? Where are the other coyotes in your pack?”
Humphrey was taken aback দ্বারা this.
“Coyote? I’m not a coyote. I’m a wolf. My name’s Humphrey.”
“Oh, sorry, Humphrey,” Arnold said.
“That’s okay.”
“So, where’s the rest of your pack?”
A solemn look came over Humphrey’s face.
“My sister and I were taken from them দ্বারা humans,” he said.
“Where’s your sister?” Arnold asked.
“I was able to escape, but she wasn’t so lucky,” Humphrey explained.
“Oh,” Arnold said. “I’m sorry to hear that, Humphrey.”
“I’ve been out here a couple of weeks now,” Humphrey continued.
“What have আপনি been eating?” Arnold asked. “You’re too young to hunt, no offense.”
“None taken,” Humphrey said. “I’m an omega, so I can’t really hunt anyway. I’ve mainly been eating the wild berries off of the bushes.”
“Ew,” Arnold said.
“Tell me about it. They didn’t agree with me for the first couple of days, but now they’re pretty much fine.”
Humphrey paused and then looked at Arnold.
“Where’s your pack?”
Now it was Arnold who turned solemn.
“We got attacked দ্বারা a pack of wolves. I was the only survivor,” he replied. “I’m out here on my own, too.”
Another pause followed.
“Say, Humphrey,” Arnold asked. “I don’t suppose you’d want some company, would you? I know how lonely it can get out here sometimes and it would be nice to have someone to talk to.”
Humphrey continued looking up at Arnold but didn’t reply.
“Besides, আপনি shouldn’t be out here all দ্বারা yourself. It would really help if আপনি had someone to protect you.”
“Thanks, Arnold,” Humphrey said, smiling. “I would really like the company.”
“Well then,” Arnold said. “Let’s go.”
Over the পরবর্তি couple of weeks, Arnold and Humphrey lived alone in the woods, relying on each other to survive. A দিন অথবা two after they had met, Arnold caught a couple of squirrels and for the first time in over a মাস and a half, Humphrey was able to eat a normal meal. All the while, the Mysterious Man was secretly following them, making sure to set up camp downwind from the two so Arnold wouldn’t catch his scent. Just a couple of days before, the man was just about to সরানো in and attack Humphrey when a coyote showed up and he was forced to stay back and hide in the trees. He had hoped that the coyote would just leave so he could get to Humphrey without any trouble. But instead, the coyote began to protect the pup, and now the man had no choice but to simply follow them and wait for an opportunity to get the pup.
Over the course of the মাস that Humphrey and Arnold spent together, they grew to become close বন্ধু and eventually became like brothers to each other. They would always go and have fun whenever they could. And while many of those fun times they had together were memorable, there was one that stood out above all the others, one prank the two would remember for the rest of their lives.
One day, about two months after Humphrey was taken from his parents, he and Arnold were walking through the forest as usual when suddenly, a teenage শিয়াল came rushing up to them in a panic.
“Hey!” he shouted, trying to catch his breath. “I need your help!”
“What’s your name?” Arnold asked.
“Gerald,” the শিয়াল replied.
“I’m Arnold and that’s Humphrey,” Arnold said. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone injured in a cave nearby,” Gerald explained. “I need help to get them out.”
“Lead the way,” Arnold said.
Gerald rushed back into the forest, but Arnold and Humphrey stayed behind for a moment.
“Are আপনি sure that we can trust him?” Humphrey asked. “He is a fox.”
“Oh, brother,” Arnold said. “Don’t আপনি know that the trapper’s trap can trap the trapper?”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know,” Arnold said, rushing after Gerald.
Gerald led them into a large cave. At first, they saw nothing, but then they heard a growling sound. Suddenly, a large ভালুক appeared from the darkness and began to chase them out its den. Arnold and Humphrey soon realized that they had been pranked দ্বারা Gerald.
As the three of them rushed out of the cave, the ভালুক followed, but then a strange snapping sound was heard, soon followed দ্বারা a cry of agony দ্বারা the ভালুক as it had stepped in a ভালুক trap. Humphrey and Arnold rushed back and worked to pry the trap open and free the bear.
Once the ভালুক had been freed, it returned to its den. Arnold and Humphrey turned and looked back at Gerald. Knowing that he had been found out, Gerald ran off into the forest, but not before shouting back at them.
“Ha, ha! See আপনি later, suckers!” he shouted. “Oh, and Humphrey, it looks like আপনি finally found a তারিখ that’s as ugly as you.”
Humphrey didn’t take kindly to the remark and tried to come up with something smart to say back.
“Yeah?” he said. “Well, পরবর্তি time আপনি see us, you’re gonna have to deal with a…wolfote.”
“Wolfote?” Arnold questioned.
“Yes, not my snappiest comeback,” Humphrey replied.
The two began to head out when they heard the sound of panicked screaming behind them. They turned around to see the same ভালুক they had helped, now chasing Gerald around the forest. Humphrey and Arnold looked at each other and Humphrey smiled.
“I guess the trapper’s trap can trap the trapper,” he said.
Arnold laughed as the two turned back into the woods. Arnold noticed that Humphrey had a wide grin on his face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I think I know how to even the score with our friend, Gerald,” Humphrey said.
The পরবর্তি day, they went back to the ভালুক cave and told the ভালুক their plan. It was similar to what Gerald had done the দিন before, but they were going to do it one better and give Gerald a taste of his own medicine.
After they told the ভালুক their plan, the ভালুক agreed to help them and let Humphrey hide at the very back of the cave. They rolled some nearby boulders in front of the entrance to partially block it and make it look like the entrance had collapsed. Then Arnold went to find Gerald while Humphrey and the ভালুক hid inside the cave.
It didn’t take long for Arnold to find Gerald and when he did, he rushed up, frantically speaking. Arnold was a master at pranking, and he was very convincing when he needed to be.
“Gerald!” he shouted. “Gerald, আপনি have to come, quick!”
“What? What’s happened?” he asked.
“It’s Humphrey,” Arnold said. “He’s in trouble.”
“Yeah, right,” Gerald said. “Nice try, but আপনি can’t trick a trickster.”
“No,” Arnold insisted. “No, I’m serious! He’s in real danger. He’s just a pup, he’s got his whole life ahead of him. আপনি gotta help me.”
Gerald began to feel as if this really was serious, but still wasn’t sure.
“Okay,” he said. “Show me.”
Arnold led Gerald into the forest and soon, they reached the cave. Gerald was not impressed.
“Okay, ha, ha, আপনি got me,” he said, sarcastically. “Do I look stupid to you?”
Arnold couldn’t help but break character when Gerald ব্যক্ত this.
“Do I really need to answer that?” he asked.
“This is the same cave I lured আপনি to yesterday,” Gerald said.
Now it was Humphrey’s turn.
“Arnold,” he said, trying to sound scared. “I-is that you? আপনি brought help, right?”
“Yes, Humphrey,” Arnold said, walking up and the speaking through the opening between the stones. “I brought help. Gerald’s here, he’s going to get আপনি out.
“Oh my gosh,” Gerald ব্যক্ত in surprise. “You really weren’t kidding.”
“I’m too big to fit in there,” Arnold told him. “You’ve gotta squeeze through and get him out.”
“Yeah, আপনি got it,” Gerald replied. He then turned to the cave entrance. “Don’t worry, Humphrey, I’m going to get আপনি out.”
“Okay,” Humphrey said, trying to resist the urge to laugh.
Gerald climbed onto the rocks and managed to get through the gap between the stones and the roof of the cave. Arnold stepped back to a নিরাপদ distance as Gerald disappeared inside.
A few moments passed and then, just as they had planned, Arnold heard panicked, high-pitched screaming echoing from inside the cave. It got louder until eventually, Gerald appeared and leapt clean through the gap. Not long after, the ভালুক burst out of the cave, sending rocks flying. Arnold turned and ducked as one nearly hit him in the head.
He turned and looked at the entrance to the cave, where Humphrey emerged, perfectly fine. He joined Arnold and the two began laughing as they watched the ভালুক chase Gerald. Arnold then began talking to Humphrey with a thick British accent.
“My good sir,” Arnold said. “Do আপনি believe that Sir Gerald might ever forgive us for this treachery?”
“Aha!” Humphrey said, copying Arnold’s accent. “On the contrary, I predict that our prank on Sir Gerald shall conclude with the loss of a gall bladder. What say you, Sir Arnold?”
“Shall we find out?” Arnold asked.
“We shall!” Humphrey exclaimed as the two rushed off toward the clearing where they told the ভালুক to drive Gerald.
They arrived and not long after, Gerald and the ভালুক could be seen on the opposite end of the clearing. Humphrey was the first to notice the two.
“He hath emerged from the forest!” he said, still using the accent.
“And?” Arnold replied. “What of his gall bladder?”
“Impossible to say.”
Gerald and the ভালুক slowly began to grow closer and closer to the two.
“And time runs out for our plucky little antihero,” Arnold said.
“I just প্রণয় a ticking time bomb, don’t you?” Humphrey asked.
“Indeed!”
Gerald and the ভালুক eventually reached the two and the ভালুক stopped chasing him. He approached the two, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.
“You…you two are…the absolute…worst,” Gerald panted. “That…is not…funny.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Arnold said, speaking normally now. He then turned to the bear. “Would আপনি mind?” he asked, motioning toward Gerald.
The ভালুক didn’t hesitate and began chasing Gerald again as Humphrey and Arnold began walking away.
“Great idea, Humphrey,” Arnold said. “I cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard.”
“Me neither,” Humphrey agreed.
He then looked back at Gerald, who was still being chased দ্বারা the bear.
“Um, what should we do about Gerald,” he asked. “I mean, should we help him, or…”
“Situations like this can be complicated,” Arnold said. He turned and looked back at Gerald. “He’ll work through it.”
“There will be repercussions for this!” Gerald shouted from off in the distance.
Arnold then turned back to Humphrey.
“The most important thing to remember when living in the woods,” he said. “Never trick a trickster.”
The Mysterious Man had still been tracking the two, and it was beginning to get upsetting that the coyote seemed to never leave the pup’s side. The man had been tracking and watching them for about a মাস now and he soon realized something that could work to his advantage.
It had been a few days after their prank on the শিয়াল and they hadn’t come across any water since then. Having followed them this entire time, the man knew this. He had been having an equal amount of trouble finding a place to refill his water supply. He had gone scouting ahead one দিন and he had found a fairly large lake that seemed to produce a good amount of fog and mist. The man then got an idea on how to finally separate the pup and the coyote. He knew they would be headed this way. Aside from being desperately thirsty like himself, they would smell the moisture in the air created দ্বারা all the fog. It was so strong, even he could smell it, so they should have no problem detecting it. He used this to his advantage and set up a ভালুক trap near the lake, facing the direction where he had last seen the two. If they were going to be headed toward the lake, they would be coming from this direction. Plus, the fog the lake produced would help hide the trap. The man then repositioned his campsite downwind from them so they wouldn’t pick up his scent. All he had to do now was wait.
Morning came and Humphrey and Arnold decided to head toward the nearby lake to get some water. It had been a while since they had last found any water. It didn’t take long for them to reach it, but it was almost completely shrouded in fog. Humphrey was able to make out the lake and when he saw it, he began rushing toward it in excitement. But Arnold knew something was wrong. He could smell something strange up ahead.
His fears were confirmed when he saw a glint of something hidden in the fog. And Humphrey was running straight toward it. Arnold rushed after him in a panic. He reached Humphrey, grabbed him in his mouth and tossed him aside.
Humphrey landed hard on the ground. He got up and was about to ask Arnold why he threw him out of the way, but then, when he looked over at him, he got his answer.
As Humphrey looked at Arnold, he saw that he had gotten caught in a ভালুক trap. He rushed over to Arnold and started to try and pry it open, but it didn’t budge.
“Humphrey,” Arnold said. “You have to leave me.”
“No, I’m not leaving your side,” Humphrey insisted, but Arnold refused to let him stay.
“No, Humphrey,” he said. “Whoever set this trap is going to be coming. Now get out of here.”
Humphrey reluctantly agreed when he heard footsteps approaching. He rushed off into the forest, leaving Arnold stuck in the trap. He had thought that he would’ve been able to get past what happened to him and Kenya. He had been living with Arnold out in the wilderness for almost two months now, and he had hoped that he had found a good place to stay with a good friend who could protect him. But then this happened, and all that hope was destroyed. Now Humphrey was out on his own again, except this time, he knew someone was after him, and that wasn’t a pleasant thought to have on his mind. But nevertheless, he had to keep moving and hope that he found another প্রথমপাতা soon.
The air was crisp, and the night had grown old when Humphrey came to. He didn’t remember much about what had happened, but as the moments passed, he slowly began to remember. The walk, the humans, the cages, and the trucks. Rolling down the পাহাড় and crashing into the tree. And Kenya. He was worried for Kenya. His body ached and he had a cut on his thigh from the metal bars of the cage.
It had been roughly a দিন since they were taken from their parents and Humphrey’s বাক্স had rolled off the truck and into the forest, although he had no idea how long it had been. Humphrey didn’t know what to do. The cage door had been busted open when it collided with the tree. Knowing that he could leave and wasn’t confined to the tight মহাকাশ of the cage, Humphrey didn’t know if he should try and find his way back home. Ultimately, he decided to remain in the cage for the rest of the night and figure out what to do in the morning.
Morning came, and Humphrey’s body hurt no less than it had the night before. As the sun woke him, he noticed that his thigh hurt worst of all. When he looked down, he saw a fairly deep cut on his leg that had already begun to close. Humphrey knew that if he didn’t clean it, it was going to get infected. It was usually his mother who would lick his wounds for him. But he knew that without his parents, he would have to fend for himself out here.
Humphrey spent around a half ঘন্টা cleaning out the wound on his leg before he finally decided that going after Kenya would be suicide. He would be walking right back into the human’s hands. As worried as he was for Kenya, he knew that he couldn’t help her if he was trapped with her.
So, he decided to try and find his way back প্রথমপাতা and get help from his grandparents, অথবা maybe even Mick, who he knew would be happy to help attack a human settlement.
Humphrey set out into the forest to try and get back home. There was only one problem; he didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t see the road he had come from and even if he could find the road, he didn’t know which direction would take him back প্রথমপাতা and which direction would take him to the humans. So, as Humphrey left the relative safety of the cage, he began to venture deeper into the forest, hoping that he would somehow manage to find his way back home.
Humphrey slowly walked through the early morning sun that was breaking through the trees, beginning to warm up his cold body, yet it didn’t make him feel any better. Around midday, Humphrey was faced with a problem. He was hungry.
He had no idea what to do. He knew he had to find food, obviously, except he had no idea how. He was never taught how to hunt. He was an omega, he wasn’t supposed to hunt. That was Adam’s job. Humphrey’s mind immediately drifted to thinking about Adam and his parents, about how worried they must’ve been.
Humphrey searched all দিন for any critters he could try and catch, but they were too quick and would always run off before he could get close enough. He was far too inexperienced to catch anything, so that night, he went hungry.
Humphrey woke the পরবর্তি দিন feeling even hungrier than he had the দিন before. He was beginning to grow desperate and eventually, he began feasting on the wild berries that were growing on the bushes. They tasted horrible and he vomited almost immediately after eating them. After steadying himself, Humphrey continued to make his way through the forest. Over the পরবর্তি two weeks, Humphrey’s stomach slowly began to accept the berries and they became his main উৎস of food.
It was around this time, that the Mysterious Man returned to the roadside where Humphrey’s বাক্স had rolled off the truck. This road was hardly used, so the marks that Humphrey’s cage had made in the dirt had remained relatively undisturbed.
This man had come prepared, knowing he would have to live in the woods for an unknown period of time until he found the হারিয়ে গেছে নেকড়ে up. He had brought all the necessary gear with him, preparing to do anything to catch this pup.
The man followed the tracks down the পাহাড় where he found the abandoned cage. He had trained as a tracker for many years, so although Humphrey’s tracks were almost completely faded, the man was able to easily determine which way he had gone. Over the পরবর্তি couple of weeks, unbeknownst to Humphrey, the two played a game of Cat and Mouse, with the Mysterious Man gaining ground with each passing day.
Then one day, the man seemed to have reached his goal. He had finally caught up with Humphrey and was about to overtake the young pup when something happened that saved Humphrey’s life.
Humphrey had been living in the woods quite well on his own, although he had প্রদত্ত up all hope of finding his way back প্রথমপাতা and had begun to accept his life as a lone wolf. He had been able to find suitable shelter every night and his stomach had pretty much fully accepted the berries as a উৎস of nourishment. The wound on his leg had healed and it had left a reasonably large scar, but it was quickly beginning to get covered up with the পশম that was growing over it.
One day, Humphrey was wandering the woods as usual when he heard the sound of leaves rustling in the bushes nearby. He stopped and looked at them, wondering if he should run, অথবা stay and see what was making the noise.
He didn’t have to wait long, though. Soon enough, another animal emerged from the bushes. He looked a lot like a নেকড়ে but was much smaller than any adult নেকড়ে Humphrey had seen. It was a coyote, although Humphrey didn’t know it at the time. The coyote seemed to be just entering his twenties. He had light tan পশম and light blue eyes. His পশম was laid down fairly well, but it was still a little messy. Like Humphrey, he was also living out here on his own.
“Hey there,” the coyote said.
“Who…who are you?” Humphrey asked, wondering whether অথবা not this coyote meant him harm.
“I’m Arnold,” he said. “Are আপনি lost? Where are the other coyotes in your pack?”
Humphrey was taken aback দ্বারা this.
“Coyote? I’m not a coyote. I’m a wolf. My name’s Humphrey.”
“Oh, sorry, Humphrey,” Arnold said.
“That’s okay.”
“So, where’s the rest of your pack?”
A solemn look came over Humphrey’s face.
“My sister and I were taken from them দ্বারা humans,” he said.
“Where’s your sister?” Arnold asked.
“I was able to escape, but she wasn’t so lucky,” Humphrey explained.
“Oh,” Arnold said. “I’m sorry to hear that, Humphrey.”
“I’ve been out here a couple of weeks now,” Humphrey continued.
“What have আপনি been eating?” Arnold asked. “You’re too young to hunt, no offense.”
“None taken,” Humphrey said. “I’m an omega, so I can’t really hunt anyway. I’ve mainly been eating the wild berries off of the bushes.”
“Ew,” Arnold said.
“Tell me about it. They didn’t agree with me for the first couple of days, but now they’re pretty much fine.”
Humphrey paused and then looked at Arnold.
“Where’s your pack?”
Now it was Arnold who turned solemn.
“We got attacked দ্বারা a pack of wolves. I was the only survivor,” he replied. “I’m out here on my own, too.”
Another pause followed.
“Say, Humphrey,” Arnold asked. “I don’t suppose you’d want some company, would you? I know how lonely it can get out here sometimes and it would be nice to have someone to talk to.”
Humphrey continued looking up at Arnold but didn’t reply.
“Besides, আপনি shouldn’t be out here all দ্বারা yourself. It would really help if আপনি had someone to protect you.”
“Thanks, Arnold,” Humphrey said, smiling. “I would really like the company.”
“Well then,” Arnold said. “Let’s go.”
Over the পরবর্তি couple of weeks, Arnold and Humphrey lived alone in the woods, relying on each other to survive. A দিন অথবা two after they had met, Arnold caught a couple of squirrels and for the first time in over a মাস and a half, Humphrey was able to eat a normal meal. All the while, the Mysterious Man was secretly following them, making sure to set up camp downwind from the two so Arnold wouldn’t catch his scent. Just a couple of days before, the man was just about to সরানো in and attack Humphrey when a coyote showed up and he was forced to stay back and hide in the trees. He had hoped that the coyote would just leave so he could get to Humphrey without any trouble. But instead, the coyote began to protect the pup, and now the man had no choice but to simply follow them and wait for an opportunity to get the pup.
Over the course of the মাস that Humphrey and Arnold spent together, they grew to become close বন্ধু and eventually became like brothers to each other. They would always go and have fun whenever they could. And while many of those fun times they had together were memorable, there was one that stood out above all the others, one prank the two would remember for the rest of their lives.
One day, about two months after Humphrey was taken from his parents, he and Arnold were walking through the forest as usual when suddenly, a teenage শিয়াল came rushing up to them in a panic.
“Hey!” he shouted, trying to catch his breath. “I need your help!”
“What’s your name?” Arnold asked.
“Gerald,” the শিয়াল replied.
“I’m Arnold and that’s Humphrey,” Arnold said. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone injured in a cave nearby,” Gerald explained. “I need help to get them out.”
“Lead the way,” Arnold said.
Gerald rushed back into the forest, but Arnold and Humphrey stayed behind for a moment.
“Are আপনি sure that we can trust him?” Humphrey asked. “He is a fox.”
“Oh, brother,” Arnold said. “Don’t আপনি know that the trapper’s trap can trap the trapper?”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know,” Arnold said, rushing after Gerald.
Gerald led them into a large cave. At first, they saw nothing, but then they heard a growling sound. Suddenly, a large ভালুক appeared from the darkness and began to chase them out its den. Arnold and Humphrey soon realized that they had been pranked দ্বারা Gerald.
As the three of them rushed out of the cave, the ভালুক followed, but then a strange snapping sound was heard, soon followed দ্বারা a cry of agony দ্বারা the ভালুক as it had stepped in a ভালুক trap. Humphrey and Arnold rushed back and worked to pry the trap open and free the bear.
Once the ভালুক had been freed, it returned to its den. Arnold and Humphrey turned and looked back at Gerald. Knowing that he had been found out, Gerald ran off into the forest, but not before shouting back at them.
“Ha, ha! See আপনি later, suckers!” he shouted. “Oh, and Humphrey, it looks like আপনি finally found a তারিখ that’s as ugly as you.”
Humphrey didn’t take kindly to the remark and tried to come up with something smart to say back.
“Yeah?” he said. “Well, পরবর্তি time আপনি see us, you’re gonna have to deal with a…wolfote.”
“Wolfote?” Arnold questioned.
“Yes, not my snappiest comeback,” Humphrey replied.
The two began to head out when they heard the sound of panicked screaming behind them. They turned around to see the same ভালুক they had helped, now chasing Gerald around the forest. Humphrey and Arnold looked at each other and Humphrey smiled.
“I guess the trapper’s trap can trap the trapper,” he said.
Arnold laughed as the two turned back into the woods. Arnold noticed that Humphrey had a wide grin on his face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I think I know how to even the score with our friend, Gerald,” Humphrey said.
The পরবর্তি day, they went back to the ভালুক cave and told the ভালুক their plan. It was similar to what Gerald had done the দিন before, but they were going to do it one better and give Gerald a taste of his own medicine.
After they told the ভালুক their plan, the ভালুক agreed to help them and let Humphrey hide at the very back of the cave. They rolled some nearby boulders in front of the entrance to partially block it and make it look like the entrance had collapsed. Then Arnold went to find Gerald while Humphrey and the ভালুক hid inside the cave.
It didn’t take long for Arnold to find Gerald and when he did, he rushed up, frantically speaking. Arnold was a master at pranking, and he was very convincing when he needed to be.
“Gerald!” he shouted. “Gerald, আপনি have to come, quick!”
“What? What’s happened?” he asked.
“It’s Humphrey,” Arnold said. “He’s in trouble.”
“Yeah, right,” Gerald said. “Nice try, but আপনি can’t trick a trickster.”
“No,” Arnold insisted. “No, I’m serious! He’s in real danger. He’s just a pup, he’s got his whole life ahead of him. আপনি gotta help me.”
Gerald began to feel as if this really was serious, but still wasn’t sure.
“Okay,” he said. “Show me.”
Arnold led Gerald into the forest and soon, they reached the cave. Gerald was not impressed.
“Okay, ha, ha, আপনি got me,” he said, sarcastically. “Do I look stupid to you?”
Arnold couldn’t help but break character when Gerald ব্যক্ত this.
“Do I really need to answer that?” he asked.
“This is the same cave I lured আপনি to yesterday,” Gerald said.
Now it was Humphrey’s turn.
“Arnold,” he said, trying to sound scared. “I-is that you? আপনি brought help, right?”
“Yes, Humphrey,” Arnold said, walking up and the speaking through the opening between the stones. “I brought help. Gerald’s here, he’s going to get আপনি out.
“Oh my gosh,” Gerald ব্যক্ত in surprise. “You really weren’t kidding.”
“I’m too big to fit in there,” Arnold told him. “You’ve gotta squeeze through and get him out.”
“Yeah, আপনি got it,” Gerald replied. He then turned to the cave entrance. “Don’t worry, Humphrey, I’m going to get আপনি out.”
“Okay,” Humphrey said, trying to resist the urge to laugh.
Gerald climbed onto the rocks and managed to get through the gap between the stones and the roof of the cave. Arnold stepped back to a নিরাপদ distance as Gerald disappeared inside.
A few moments passed and then, just as they had planned, Arnold heard panicked, high-pitched screaming echoing from inside the cave. It got louder until eventually, Gerald appeared and leapt clean through the gap. Not long after, the ভালুক burst out of the cave, sending rocks flying. Arnold turned and ducked as one nearly hit him in the head.
He turned and looked at the entrance to the cave, where Humphrey emerged, perfectly fine. He joined Arnold and the two began laughing as they watched the ভালুক chase Gerald. Arnold then began talking to Humphrey with a thick British accent.
“My good sir,” Arnold said. “Do আপনি believe that Sir Gerald might ever forgive us for this treachery?”
“Aha!” Humphrey said, copying Arnold’s accent. “On the contrary, I predict that our prank on Sir Gerald shall conclude with the loss of a gall bladder. What say you, Sir Arnold?”
“Shall we find out?” Arnold asked.
“We shall!” Humphrey exclaimed as the two rushed off toward the clearing where they told the ভালুক to drive Gerald.
They arrived and not long after, Gerald and the ভালুক could be seen on the opposite end of the clearing. Humphrey was the first to notice the two.
“He hath emerged from the forest!” he said, still using the accent.
“And?” Arnold replied. “What of his gall bladder?”
“Impossible to say.”
Gerald and the ভালুক slowly began to grow closer and closer to the two.
“And time runs out for our plucky little antihero,” Arnold said.
“I just প্রণয় a ticking time bomb, don’t you?” Humphrey asked.
“Indeed!”
Gerald and the ভালুক eventually reached the two and the ভালুক stopped chasing him. He approached the two, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.
“You…you two are…the absolute…worst,” Gerald panted. “That…is not…funny.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Arnold said, speaking normally now. He then turned to the bear. “Would আপনি mind?” he asked, motioning toward Gerald.
The ভালুক didn’t hesitate and began chasing Gerald again as Humphrey and Arnold began walking away.
“Great idea, Humphrey,” Arnold said. “I cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard.”
“Me neither,” Humphrey agreed.
He then looked back at Gerald, who was still being chased দ্বারা the bear.
“Um, what should we do about Gerald,” he asked. “I mean, should we help him, or…”
“Situations like this can be complicated,” Arnold said. He turned and looked back at Gerald. “He’ll work through it.”
“There will be repercussions for this!” Gerald shouted from off in the distance.
Arnold then turned back to Humphrey.
“The most important thing to remember when living in the woods,” he said. “Never trick a trickster.”
The Mysterious Man had still been tracking the two, and it was beginning to get upsetting that the coyote seemed to never leave the pup’s side. The man had been tracking and watching them for about a মাস now and he soon realized something that could work to his advantage.
It had been a few days after their prank on the শিয়াল and they hadn’t come across any water since then. Having followed them this entire time, the man knew this. He had been having an equal amount of trouble finding a place to refill his water supply. He had gone scouting ahead one দিন and he had found a fairly large lake that seemed to produce a good amount of fog and mist. The man then got an idea on how to finally separate the pup and the coyote. He knew they would be headed this way. Aside from being desperately thirsty like himself, they would smell the moisture in the air created দ্বারা all the fog. It was so strong, even he could smell it, so they should have no problem detecting it. He used this to his advantage and set up a ভালুক trap near the lake, facing the direction where he had last seen the two. If they were going to be headed toward the lake, they would be coming from this direction. Plus, the fog the lake produced would help hide the trap. The man then repositioned his campsite downwind from them so they wouldn’t pick up his scent. All he had to do now was wait.
Morning came and Humphrey and Arnold decided to head toward the nearby lake to get some water. It had been a while since they had last found any water. It didn’t take long for them to reach it, but it was almost completely shrouded in fog. Humphrey was able to make out the lake and when he saw it, he began rushing toward it in excitement. But Arnold knew something was wrong. He could smell something strange up ahead.
His fears were confirmed when he saw a glint of something hidden in the fog. And Humphrey was running straight toward it. Arnold rushed after him in a panic. He reached Humphrey, grabbed him in his mouth and tossed him aside.
Humphrey landed hard on the ground. He got up and was about to ask Arnold why he threw him out of the way, but then, when he looked over at him, he got his answer.
As Humphrey looked at Arnold, he saw that he had gotten caught in a ভালুক trap. He rushed over to Arnold and started to try and pry it open, but it didn’t budge.
“Humphrey,” Arnold said. “You have to leave me.”
“No, I’m not leaving your side,” Humphrey insisted, but Arnold refused to let him stay.
“No, Humphrey,” he said. “Whoever set this trap is going to be coming. Now get out of here.”
Humphrey reluctantly agreed when he heard footsteps approaching. He rushed off into the forest, leaving Arnold stuck in the trap. He had thought that he would’ve been able to get past what happened to him and Kenya. He had been living with Arnold out in the wilderness for almost two months now, and he had hoped that he had found a good place to stay with a good friend who could protect him. But then this happened, and all that hope was destroyed. Now Humphrey was out on his own again, except this time, he knew someone was after him, and that wasn’t a pleasant thought to have on his mind. But nevertheless, he had to keep moving and hope that he found another প্রথমপাতা soon.