Humphrey and Partner spent the rest of the afternoon traveling towards the mountains.
From the town, they seemed so close and small, yet as they grew nearer, they seemed to inch further and further away.
Humphrey's brow was dripping with sweat, his posture was slumped, and he was dragging his feet across the ground. Partner was panting and his ears were drooping to the lowest point.
Neither of them were thinking straight, and hadn't noticed that they had finally reached the point where the ground was on verge of becoming a mountain. Humphrey stood before the giant, and looked up to its peak. It was a considerable slope, and reached high into the atmosphere.
Humphrey's internal dam gave way to all the doubts and frustrations that had been welling up inside of him. He collapsed onto the hot ground, giving up. He had come all this way to realize that his hopes were ungraspable. More than anything, he wanted to turn around and return to the comfort of his own home. How could he alone accomplish this obstacle?
Partner licked Humphrey and whined, nudging him with his muzzle. Not receiving any response other than a muffled groan, he sunk his teeth into Humphrey's shirt sleeve, and began to drag him up the slope. The seam on his shirt ripped, and Humphrey gave in. He gathered up courage and picked up his luggage. And together, they trucked up the mountain.
When it became too dark to hike any further, Humphrey built a roaring fire and the pair slept in its comforting light and warmth. Humphrey settled down on a pallet of pine needles, and Partner circled in place before finally plopping down on the ground beside Humphrey. They both immediately fell asleep from exhaustion.
Humphrey dreamt of his family. He had a vision of Mrs. Carter crying, and Mr. Carter with a grim expression. Mable and Joseph were frantically searching for something, when the dream faded out and was replaced by Emily. She was cold and hungry and all alone, and was crying out "Humphrey? Where are you? I need you!"
Humphrey woke up with a start, afraid and sweating frantically, relieved to find that it was just a dream, and was not reality. It was still dark, and the moon was full. The skies were blanketed by clouds, and the stars hid behind them.
Humphrey heard a snapping noise in the distance and jumped. He slowly turned his head to Partner. His stomach was peacefully rising and falling, and his nose would twitch and his paws would fidget. Humphrey shook him awake, and his eyes shot open.
Partner quickly picked up the scent of an animal in the direction that Humphrey had heard the snap, and growled at it. There were two yellow, fluorescent eyes narrowed down at Humphrey and Partner, glaring at them. They were an invitation to terror. An ugly, vicious looking wolf stepped into view, growling back at Partner. They inched closer and closer to one another, like two men in a boxing ring preparing to fight.
The wolf snarled, and leaped at Partner. They scrambled over one another, fighting and yelping and barking.
Humphrey knew that he needed to help Partner, but also knew that the wolf had the potential to kill a weak boy like himself. So instead of using his muscles, he used his brain.
In the blink of an eye, Humphrey had snatched a sturdy stick that had been lying on the ground, and jabbed it viciously into the roaring fire, creating a torch. He charged towards the fumbling mutts, and waved the torch around. Sparks twirled into the air, some cascading to the ground and some soaring up into the night sky.
Smelling the smoke, the wolf backed away in fear. He yelped at every flicker of the flame, and scampered away back into the darkness. Humphrey then put out the flame and darted towards Partner, who was shuddering on the ground and whimpering.
He had a torn ear and cuts all over his body, but no serious incisions that could be a possible threat to his life. Humphrey cleaned up his wounds with the edge of his shirt, and sat down next to him, stroking his coat and whispering words of encouragement until they both fell asleep.
...
HEY YA'LL! Sorry I ended up posting so early - again XD. I'm in Drama class and were doing nothing today so I'm extremely bored ugh!!! Anyway, how do you like chapter 8. At this rate, I predict that there will probably be about 12 - 14 chapters. Until chapter 9
-Gean Parkins
YOU ARE READING
Chasing the Sky
Historical FictionWhen poverty strikes during the Great Depression, little Humphrey wants to help his family. He decides to run away in hopes of returning with the financial aid that his family so desperately needs, but will his efforts be successful? And will he m...
