#AND THEN I REMEMBERED YOUSE HAVE FOXES

[hella1975]

you city types are insane i was up at 6am listening to 'fox screaming (1 hour extended version)' this morning. worst shit i have to deal with in the sticks is like. a cow mooing sometimes

[lunkos]

"ah I'm not gonna hurt youse guy. what? missed me or something?" hand moves to chin as she presses it to the side a satisfying CRACK following. "lemme guess, this was just a complete accident? 'cause if so youse should get that nose of yours checked out. might not be as good as youse thought it was." / karma

unprompted ask ⸻ @hembralfa

it wasn't a complete accident, at least not totally. the fact that he'd been wandering the streets at just the right time to catch a familiar whiff, of a familiar individual? totally coincidental; what was purposeful came after the fact, that being karma following said scent until he'd stumbled across the same woman from the alleyway. the one who'd hopped out of a garbage bin as though it were a normal everyday occurrence. he couldn't deny his own keen interest, a curiosity that spoke to his inner fox, but what he could deny was how red he'd turned after having his sense of smell questioned. his entire being seemingly deflated, a subtle purse of his lips. ' i like to think my nose is fine . . . ' even if he was now rubbing gentle fingers over its bridge mindlessly. ' there's not a lot of scents in this city i recognize, thought you might've been a friend. ' after all, it wasn't like he'd known her scent apart from all the others, just that it was one his psyche had bothered to remember. now he knew why, purple haired ladies who popped out of garbage bins with an attitude were a rarity. at that thought, curious gaze peers at the other, a cautious tilt of his head.

now that they weren't both tucked away in a back alley on edge, it couldn't hurt to make conversation could it? varian had been purposeful in sending karma out these last few days to ' scout. ' he didn't want him to become a social recluse. besides, this one was like him . . . or at the very least, she was similar to him. canine. ' now that we've run into each other more than once, i suppose i could consider you an acquaintance. so my nose was, in fact, not wrong. '

[blackaquokat]

The Song You Might Have Been (Chapter 6)

Link to Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 !

A/N: This one is a little short, my apologies. And this is around the point I got stuck back during NaNoWriMo, so I can’t promise consistent updates from here on out, but I promise it’s not over yet.

The poem quoted at the end is called “Wild Duck” by Lola Ridge. It’s a lovely piece.

And I’m a horrible person, because I keep forgetting to credit @timelords-13 as my beta for this fic. Your help is greatly appreciated, my dear, and I apologize for falling off the wagon!

---

When you wake up, feeling strung out and dried of all the moisture in your body, you realize you’ve been tucked into your bed. You blink the sleep out of your eyes and see Yancy at the foot, legs crossed underneath him, reading the Sound and the Fury. 

“Have you been there all night?” you croak.

“Not a bad book, this one,” Yancy says.  “A little...boring, but the writing’s nice. Confusing--”

“It switches perspectives a lot,” you agree. You wipe the crust from your eyes. “You...why did…” You sit up, slowly. “You stayed down here with me?”

Yancy shrugs. “Youse asked me to.”

“No, I didn’t. Not really.”

Yancy looks sheepish. You’d dare say vulnerable. “Don’t push youse’s luck, we’ve got plans to make.”

His reminder pulls you further into the waking world. “I assumed you were joking, last night, when you said you had a plan.” You lean closer to him. “You were joking, right?”

“Does this look like the face of a joker, to you?” Yancy winks. “Listen, youse was right. This is big. I can only do so much to keep you safe if even the guards can be turned by this guy youse investigating. So, best bet?” He shuts the book dramatically and tosses it between the two of you. “I get you back on the outside, youse take down the guy trying to kill you, and I get no more assassinations I don’t order myself in here.”

You roll your eyes. This is mostly a cover to keep you from outwardly freaking out over the fact that Yancy just said he’d break you out of prison. “You are so lucky I’m off the clock. So where do we go from here?”

Yancy taps his fingers against his chin. “I need to get some...affairs in order. But we should be good to go by tonight.”

“So soon? You don’t need more time to plan?”

“Eagle, I know every single nook and cranny in this place. Getting out’ll be a piece of cake. Just gotta wait for nightfall again.”

You nod. “Enough time to...to say good-byes. Or, well, I imagine you don’t want me giving away the plan, so...I’ll be subtle.”

“Eh.” Yancy waves his hand dismissively. “I think some of them suspect. They’ll help you get ready, no worries.” He leans forward to whisper conspiratorially, “Might wanna give them a refresher on that library system youse trying to set up.”

---

It catches you off-guard, the realization that you aren’t going to get to hang out with Yancy’s group in this capacity ever again. (What does it say about you that you have no doubts that Yancy will get the two of you out without a hitch?) Here you are, standing with them in the yard, wondering how the hell you can cope with saying good-bye.

Oddly enough, they make it easier for you. Jimmy pulls you right in for a hug. “Yancy may not have wanted to see it, but we knew you wouldn’t stay here forever. Good luck on the outside, Eagle.”

You receive similar farewells from Sparkles, Shithole Hank, and Bam-Bam. Tiny, on the other hand tackles you hard into a much harder hug than Jimmy’s. “Don’t die out there, Eagle.”

“I’ll do my best, Tiny.” You hug her back. “Look, I’m going to get that volunteer program for the library set up as soon as possible. Every third Sunday won’t be enough to see all of you guys. You all better stay safe too, okay?”

And then, later, when you’re heading back to your cell, Rex passes by and nudges your arm gently with his club. “I’ll miss seeing you in that cell, Eagle. But I better not see you in there again, you hear?”

You can’t help but laugh, despite how serious he looks. “I hear you, Rex. I’ll try to get more poetry sent to you, okay?”

Rex turns away and strolls down the hall, but not before you hear him sniffling.

Yancy is waiting for you in the cell, on his top bunk. “You ready, Eagle?”

You suck in a breath and let it out, taking one last look around the cell. The one that was decorated after you started reading poetry to the inmates every night. 

This was very close to a home for a long time. You won’t forget that.

“Yeah, I think I’m ready.”

“Good.” Yancy pops up and holds up a long length of black cloth. “Now, before we do, I need you to put this on.”

“...I’d like to remind you of my trust issues--”

“Listen, Eagle, much as I like you, I don’t need anyone else knowin’ the way out of here. You think it’d be so good for peoples in here to be breakin’ out when they shouldn’t be breakin’ out? Didn’t think so, now put the blindfold on and we’ll get started.”

You take in a breath through your nose and take the blindfold from him. “It’s cute that you think I’d broadcast the path out of the prison.”

“I’d rather not take my chances, Eagle, now youse wanna be free or what?”

---

“And here we are!”

The blindfold drops from your face and you take a step back in utter astonishment. 

You’re outside. On the other side of the prison gate. The free side. Just yards away is the woods.

Yancy’s still inside, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. “Told ya I knew all the nooks and crannies, didn’t I? Oh, and uh, one other thing.” He flicks his hand and the photo of your mother suddenly appears between his fingers. “I took a little detour by the warden’s office for a ‘chat’ and thought I’d swipe this back for youse.”

So the warden is most likely dead, you think. I’ll need to work on my surprise when it pops up in the paper later.

Your thumb traces over your mom’s face. The lump in your throat grows and you try to clear it so you can speak again. “Thank you.” 

It doesn’t hit you until that moment. You’re out. You’re free. You’re not out of the woods (literally or figuratively), but this is a start. You can seriously get to work on your case and get your name cleared.

And yet...you can’t bring yourself to look away from Yancy.

When you don’t immediately run off, Yancy’s brow furrows. “Everythin’ alright, Eagle? Freedom is just a gander-on that way.” He points behind you. You can’t tell if you’re imagining the slight trembling in his hand or not.

“Yancy,” you start. You don’t know if you’re just stretching out this last moment together or if you’re honestly hoping he’ll accept the offer you’re about to make, but here you are. You can’t help but feel like if you don’t at least mention it, that you’ll regret it later. “Do you want me to look into your case? See if I can get you a parole hearing scheduled?”

You try to make it clear that this is his choice. That you aren’t presuming what he wants. That you aren’t coming from a place of pity. Lord knows this man has a big issue with pity and presumptions.

Yancy seems floored by your offer. But the next moment, he shakes his head. “I’d...nah, don’t do that. I’ve done bad things, Eagle. A lot of them. And...well, I belong here.” He gestures back at the prison. “This is home.” He doesn’t sound as sure as he normally does. “I...it is for now, I mean, I don’t...”

You nod your head slowly and pocket the picture. “Well...if you change your mind, or if parole comes up without my help and you decide to take it…my guest room is pretty cozy.”

You can’t bring yourself to look at him. You’re offering the human equivalent of a semi-feral street cat a place to live and somehow you are not questioning your sanity at doing so. 

(The last person to live with you besides your mom was Damien, but those days are long past. Maybe...maybe it’d be nice to have a housemate again.)

Eventually, you look back up and, to your surprise, Yancy looks as if you just plucked the moon from the sky and handed it to him. 

How can I say good-bye to you? How can I just leave you here? I know it’s what you want, that you’re taking responsibility for your crimes, and it’s one of the reasons I think I--

No, no, cut that thought off at the roots, do not even let it linger--

“I’ll, erm…” Yancy clears his throat. “I’ll keep that in mind, Eagle.” His hand rubs anxiously at the back of his neck. “Maybe when parole comes around, I’ll...maybe…” He shakes his head hard, then, and forces a grin. “Anyway, I better get back. Don’t get arrested again, and hey, don’t forget about visitation! Every third Sunday, Eagle, you hear?!”

“Yancy, wait--!” 

But he’s already faded back into the shadows. Back into the prison.

The gaping ache of regret in your chest threatens to swallow you whole. Out of nowhere, you remember Lola Ridge. 

So my soul...emptied of the known you...utterly... / Is yet vibrant with the cadence of the song / You might have been…

You swallow past the tumor in your throat. You force your hands to release the bars of the gate. One step back. Another. Another. Another. Until you manage to turn away and scurry into the woods.

The last line of that damn poem drops into your brain like a feather, but no less devastating than a comet crushing and burning you to ash.

A word that rattles well in emptiness: / Good-by.

---

Thank you for reading! Please reblog/comment! If you want to be tagged/untagged for the rest of this series or this pairing, please leave a message in my inbox!

@starcrossedforever87 , @dontworryaboutanything , @beereblogsstuff , @falseroar , @intemperantiae , @memetoyoko , @soul-wolf , @marki-dumb , @withjust-a-bite , @raimeyl , @scribbeetle , @its-dari , @neverisadork , @silver-owl413 , @sassy-in-glasses , @chelseareferenced , @sketchy-scribs-n-doods , @axolittle-boi , @wildfandom , @shrinkthisviolet , @purple-anxiety-blog , @conceitedink , @skidspace , @missksketch , @day-dreaming-fox ,

[askdawnandvern]

Vernon: Admittedly...it's been sorta er...hard to do anythin' in the bedroom with the youngin's on high alert fer ol' Santa Claws.

Dawn: Ally's hearing is nearly as good as her fathers, even if they aren't related genetically.

Vernon: And while I've got my er...big O' howl purty close to under complete control, We really don't want to take the chance of breakin' down our door lookin' fer Santa and well...er...findin' him? Sorta...I mean, what's more festive then ruttin' yer mate dressed as a sexy Santa Claws, right?

Dawn: And I was supposed to be his naughty reindeer toymaker. *Giggles* Sadly though, we couldn't do that for Yule's eve.

Vernon: Thankfully Wade was willin' to let Eddi and Ally spend the night over in Tundra Town a few days before so....I mean, we got our little...' reindeer games' in.

Dawn: *Giggles* Oh Puppy.

Vernon: o' course we kept Paige home cause she weren't gonna burst in on no one. Sides, we didn't want to saddle Wade with a newborn.

Dawn: Not that we don't trust him, we just thought it would have been more fun for him and the pups to not have to worry about Paige's needs.

Wade: Nice save.

Vernon: I'm sorry, y'all wanted to Pupsit Paige too? Considerin' that Paige basically starts cryin' if anyone other than me, Dawn, Allison, Eddi 'er Ma hold her?

Wade: I...er...Okay...that's fair.

Vernon: Wouldn't have been easy takin' a newborn snowboardin' either...

Dawn: Alright, alright...So...what about you and Giselle? You do anything special for Yule?

Giselle: Well, we were toying around with some...erotic body paint...

Wade: Edible stuff, Yule themed. I was gonna paint her neck up like a yule candy cane and lap it off.

Vernon: Was?

Wade: Well...I er...

Giselle: *Giggles* We both sort of underestimated just how long that much time that would take.

Wade: It was erotic at first, but by the time I got about two-thirds of the way done we were both kind of done with it. It went from foreplay to chore play...

Giselle: *Giggles* We decided to cut out the middle-mammal at that point and just get to the actual rutting.

Trenton: Me and Qails tried that once...granted it was a lot easier to do. But they don't warn ya about just how bad a hairball yer gonna earn lappin' that edible paint back up, so y'all dodged a bullet there.

Qali: *Giggles* Yup. I think that stuff was made with short furred mammals, or sheep in mind.

Trenton: As fer us,. This year we did a Yule campout in Qails family Yule tree fields.

Vernon: In the snow?

Qali: Hey, we were built for snow. *Giggles* Well, I was anyway...

Trenton: Sides' , we had a space heater. Still, y'all would be surprised how invigoratin' it feels gettin' intimate with yer mate with nothin' but a tent seperatin' y'all and the snow storm brewin' outside. Feels almost...like primal. Like how our ancesters musta felt.

Vernon: Our ancestors didn't have space heaters.

Qali: Still it was lovely...and no one could hear Trenny's mating howl over the wind! So we didn't whip the neighbors into a howling frenzy!

Trenton: Ehhehe...*Blushes* Foxes Glen is right near Wolfsborough so...you can get a purty nasty howl whipped up under the right circumstances.

Kodi: Val and I did the camp out thing too...granted that was in the Sahara dunes.

Val: We spent the night watching shooting stars...*chuckles* Among other things.

Kodi: It wasn't exactly very Yule-ly, but it was pretty magical...

Val: And somebody was howling quite a bit out there if I remember correctly.

Kodi: Well...*Chuckles* I wasn't the only one, was I?

Val: Heh, maybe not Cremepuff, maybe not.

Ada: Tankfully dere ain't dat many wolves in Seaotta', udderwise my little Mookie would set da whole place off on da regulas.

Yuri: Damnit Ada...why d''yall gotta tell 'em that fer?

Ada: like dey didn't know you was a howler anyways! Dey grew up witch yas!

Xavier: She isn't wrong.

Ada: Besides...it kinda toins me on when I know I'm givin' it to yas good enough to get ya to howl! *Cackles* Day said, we's didn't do all dat much outta da usual. Ya knows, da sexy festive lingerie and a love bite here and dere....*Chuckles* Yuri said i looked just like a present.

Yuri: Y'all did...*mumbling* I mean...*whispering* Best present a wolf could ask fer. *Coughs*

Ada: What was dat?

Yuri: That rut was the best present I could ask fer. *Laughs*

Ada: *Gives Yuri a playful punch* Real classy. And youse wonder why youse are on da naughty list.

Yuri: If the naughty list rewards me with a gift like that, I swear to be naughty till my dyin' day!

Melanie: Ah, you went with the gift wrapping thing too huh? Great minds thing alike I suppose. *Chuckles*

Gus: I was out getting some last-minute groceries and what do I find when I open the door to our apartment? Melly all trussed up to our electric fireplace and dolled up like a present.

Melanie: Hardest thing was to get the ribbon's tied around both wrists so I could kinda hang it from the stocking hook. I mean, I didn't tie it tight or anything, but still...

Gus: She even laid her...uh...stocking out so that it was lined up to...well...I er...*blushing* it made kind of a runway...

Melanie: I wanted to make it clear that I wanted my Gussy to 'stuff' my 'stocking'.

Vernon: And y'all fainted didn't ya?

Gus: I...I did...*Blushes*.

Melanie: *Chuckles* But he was fine after ward...mhh...more than fine...

Gus: Geeze Melly...

Zach: Looks like that makes three couples that used the whole 'festive wrap' trick eh...granted ours was more of a combination of what Dawn and Vern did to...but...

Vanna: Goofball...please...*Blushes*

Vernon: Y'all had a Santa Claws costume?

Zach: The ones we had from the station, y'all know we do the whole 'orphanage thing' every year. Part of the NMPD community outreach. I mean, we technically own the costumes...so lets just say we got a little more use out of 'em than normal this year...well, them and some ribbons.

Vanna: Zaaaachhh....!

Malcolm: Don't worry Darlin', I'll swoop in and save y'all with a story of my own.

Xavier: Oh heavens, please don't tell them...

Malcolm: What? It's funny. Sides' iffin' we can't laugh about it what's the point.

Vernon: What happened?

Malcolm: There wasn't too much 'festive' frill to our little Yule day ruttin' session.  Me and Xavey got warmed up on some eggnog after openin' presents...and well...y'all can see where this is goin'...

Xavier: Gingersnap please...

Malcolm: So we started makin' love by the tree, but we got so into it we sorta forgot where we was and ended up knockin' the tree over onto us durin' the thick of it.

Yuri & Ada: *Cackling*

Zach: Pfft...*Stifling laughter* T-That's a new one, I'll admit...

Xavier: *Shakes head* Sigh...

Malcolm: *Chuckles* It did sorta spoil the mood in a way, but it made us laugh so hard my gut was fit to bust.

Yuri: So y'all busted a gut instead of bustin' a -

Xavier: I'll bite you if you finish that joke, I swear it.

(WT: Just so you know, those of who follow my other art sites might like to hear that there is currently a pin-up featuring Melly in that exact described scenario. Check out my Sofurry or Furaffinity, but warning, it’s NSFW.)

[tyranniclark]

This was She. Her name was Jardin, which pretty sure means, “garden” in Spanish. Damn, I’m drunk. Felt creative, might delete later. Lmao. But I drew her so’s youse could see my inspo with refining a fursona. It’s weird ‘cause my sonas hitherto have all been thin and elegant. But, man, badger (earth, tidy, grumpy, plumpy, kind) just appeals so damn much to me. I guess it became an understanding. I got dealt the cards I got dealt. Transmutation is woefully out of reach. Just gotta make do, ya know? Or you don’t, I may be drunk. LEGEND: “A Little Baby Tyr’s Sona” (I was, like, 10. I didn’t even have internet, yet.) “Long Ears” “Can’t Remember how horns go.” “Slitted Eyes” (Present day Clark is noticing how not wolf and how fox these attributes are.) “Skinny Snoot” “BEWBS” (The only fantasy versions of adult women I had to draw from were scantily clad. Ey! Welcome to the ‘90′s!) “Christ, these lines. I’m not drunk you are.” (Sure, Jan.) “I was young.” (Why not slap native imagery on everything? ‘Cause it’s appropriation, Lil’ Me.) “I’m maybe drunk. [sic]” (M’yeah?) “Might need to color.” (Check and check) “One wing b/c fu.”  “Her name was Jardin. She was royal.” (Correct. She was one of three kings of a moon civilization, named Avel.)

[princeorion]

Star Fox: Crisis 02

Lylat has known many terrors. It has seen it share of monsters, from within the Lylat system and beyond. It has seen countless wars waged across its planets. But in its hour of need there has always been those that would step up to fight. Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team have saved Corneria and the Lylat system countless times. They have defeated countless foes that sought to conquer Lylat. They are praised as heroes, heralded as saviors. Lylat knows peace because of them. It has known a calm it has not seen in a long time. But a shadow stirs in the darkness of space. The storm that follows the calm is coming. Coming not just for Lylat, but for Fox and the Star Fox team itself. And what they will face may change them forever. That was quick. Also, Falco is number 1 dance birb (Yes, thats what they're doing.) Don't know if youse guis remember, but I really don't like uploading a cover without a comic to follow it. Sorry for those waiting on Rightful Heir, that'll be next week. Kinda had to work this out of my system. Special Thanks for my Patreon backers: Ray Fuller FireBriggs Links Below: Star Fox: Crisis - 01 Star Fox: Crisis - Gallery Prince Orion tumblr Follow your Prince! Prince Orion tumblr Collection Gates Patreon Page, if wanna help out support me on Patreon. You could even become a part of the comic. Just check out my rewards. And follow me on Google+ and Twitter for comic updates. Though you are warned, I don’t do squat on google+. All these new fangled social thingies… Gates’ Twitter Page Gates’ Google+ page Gates’ Pinterest Gates’ Twitch

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Playing House (S03E01) Cookie Jar Airdate: June 23, 2017 @usanetwork Ratings: 0.381 Million :: 0.15 18-49 Demo Share Score: 8/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** Listen, I know scheduling can be stressful, invasive, turbulent entity to tackle in the world of the multi-project, hustle & bustle of Hollywood... But, USA Network, if you ever make me wait 2 years between seasons of Jessica St Clair & Lennon Parham's sleeper comic goldmine hit, 'Playing House', me and youse... We gonna have problems! Not like the kind of white-washed, Pinebrook aging human condition, relationship problems... But more like the lethal takedown Cookie Jar problems. Oh yeah, I'll be snapping 'solar-plexus'! Nah, USA Network, I'm just kidding... We're all good. The fact that USA continues to give these two incredibly talented, insightful and funny strong women a platform for this type of show, tells you exactly what USA Network is made out of. This could've been a show that was tossed to the wolves or the cancellation bear in a matter of seconds, especially with all the insanity going on behind the scene, but here we are over 3 years later starting the third season. As new character and bad ass self-defense instructor, Cookie (Lauren Weedman), brings the extra laughs with the absence of our beloved 'Bird Bones' (Lindsay Sloane - who will return btw, don't worry), showing us takedown moves, debilitating holds & submissions, and praising Maggie (Parham) as a lead student... Only to show up as the new boo thing of Maggie's ex-husband and German live cam, internet porn, addict Bruce Caruso (Brad Morris)... Well, it still feels as if we never left our two favorite women... Just as the series' pillowy, emotionally charged theme song, Say HI's - 'Back Before We Were Brittle', would suggest, 'Hey, remember when all of time stood still'. Yup, it's like we never left... And man does I feel blessed to have my two favorite existential, funny ladies back in action! But in fact, we did leave, and there were some very real things going down while we were all away from the show, as I mentioned before. The almost two year hiatus was particularly jarring for fans, but it wasn't due to scheduling, as I joked at the beginning of the article. Those in the know, yes, I was joking! Just as recent as the past few months you may have heard Jessica St Clair's voice in HBO's 'out-of-the-box' animated 'Duplass Brothers' hit, 'Animals', IFC's 'Portlandia', FOX's 'Bob's Burgers'... Or you have even seen her recently in physical form in appearances and stints on Comedy Central's 'Review', SeeSo's 'Bajillion Dollar Properties', TBS Network's 'Angie Tribeca', TV Land's 'Teachers', or one of my personal faves, ABC's 'American Housewife' (I love you Chloe Brown Mueller, you bitch!)... But those were only recent shoots, within the 2017 timeframe. During an eye opening moment after sensing something just wasn't right back in 2015, St Clair headed to a specialist and was told life changing news... She had Stage 2B Estrogen Positive Breast Cancer. St Clair was so adamant about keeping this all a secret not to upset her 2 year old child, who is still a baby (not even 5), that she scoured the internet and searched for any kind of cancer hack she could do that she could possibly keep her hair intact throughout her chemo treatments. 'Playing House' is already a beautiful story of friendship and strong women who are able to come together and lean on each other in the toughest of times. I think this real-life story only strengthens that bond between these two women, and the reality that these women are literally unstoppable female forces who do whatever it takes to keep each other up off the ground. Didn't mean to dampen then mood, I know that everyone is excited to have one of our favorite shows back... But I felt like this was a story that needed to be told. Jessica St Clair, I'm so proud of you.... It's amazing and truly inspiring how you faced cancer the way that you did and were able to come out on top, get right back to work, and do what you do best... Making us laugh, making us feel, making us cry. It's events like these that really put things into perspective and truly make us appreciate what we have today, because you never know what tomorrow can bring. So thank you, Jessica St Clair. Thank you, Lennon Parham... Zach Woods... Brad Morris... Keegan-Michael Key... Lindsay Sloane... Jane Kaczmarek... Everyone at Universal Cable Productions, A24 Films, and of course NBC Universal and USA Network for recognizing how special this project is and how truly special these women are. We need them on television! This is the type show that sticks with you, and I think that things will only continue to get better from here. ❤️💯

[lovestructionworld]

“Power Trip” LFM #35 December 14, 2017

As a preface to the forthcoming message, I want to share a testimony to the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Sometime in 2016 I met a determined salesman at Best Buy in Cool Springs while my oldest son Reid and I were shopping for a sound bar. During the first thirty minutes of sound bar discussion, I had been asking the Holy Spirit for the "in" with my salesman to discuss his soul condition and relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't pursue everyone. I only do it as the Lord leads. And then I saw the opening (it was just a knowing of "now") and asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God? His thoughtful and immediate first response was, "I'm an atheist". And quite frankly I can't even remember all the fine details to the conversation. But at the end, I asked if I could pray for him right there in the store. And I could tell the Holy Spirit had moved him while I was praying. But he rejected the first call to Jesus. We then agreed to meeting for breakfast. This man needed to see the non=religious love of Christ. Over the next year, one breakfast turned into between 5 to 10 breakfasts (I can remember the total). There were several more calls to Jesus, which he kindly rejected, but he had moved to "conviction/considering Jesus". I found out that the young man was the son of Seminary Founder in Australia who was also a Pastor. He was also a grandson of a Pastor and he was a nephew of a Pastor. Those breakfasts turned into, honestly, a fairly lame deliverance meeting that I shut down because of his bitter and unfounded anger toward his parents. The demons had twisted him into believing his parents were responsible for his rebellion. The Holy Spirit unraveled that lie. But he still really didn't want to forgive them. But what I did find out from the move of the Spirit in this deliverance meeting was his bitter anger and rebellion had been the open door to the attack of the demon named atheist. One perfectly timed very strong personal difficulty, upon another very strong personal difficulty began to break him of his stubborn anger to the point he gave his life to Jesus literally on his knees with his elbows on the back bumper of my Toyota truck in the Cool Springs Cracker Barrel parking lot. He was so desperate cars were driving by us both with him on his knees and he could have cared less. Tears were flowing from his eyes. He immediately began setting things right with his parents and wife. Life started coming back together in a powerful way. And this last July this man and his wife made a public confession of Christ and I baptized them both in water at Belmont Church. Today, his once broken and teetering on divorce marriage with two children attached is thriving and his wife is pregnant with their third child. And he knows he has heard from the Lord that he is supposed to follow in his father's footsteps as Preacher, Teacher and Pastor. After his baptism, I heard the Lord say to me "Pass him off to your new Pastor". My Pastor is discipling and counseling him for his coming journey.

I didn't do this. I just had love in my heart and obeyed what I heard the Holy Spirit said do. Praise to the living God!!! The impact on this country and our world is tremendous with any soul newly coming to Christ. But what blood might be on our hands if we don't share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

"If I say to the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but you do not warn him--you don't speak out to warn about his wicked way in order to save his life--that person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you personally responsible for his blood." Ezekiel 3:18

“Power Trip”

I would rather retake the country for Christ with Christ's love and power, than through the Fox channel, gunning up and Civil War.

If you are a Christian, you have to be aware that those who are unbelievers view you as a fool, simple-minded and irrational. So from the outset of someone finding out you are a Christian, you'll be somewhat repulsive to them. How do we reach those people who have so much disdain for everything "Christ".

I'm not against the next self-help, Christian Republican, Twitter celebrity with a new book and TV show that unbelievers won't watch and might even gag to as they fast flip through big hair, 700 club type channels on the Comcast box. Yeah, that sentence was too long. It's true though! But I'm inclined to think we have to get outside our personal issue spaces and conference mentality through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to begin implementing what we learn in those conferences by soul winning. To do this we need the power of the Holy Spirit.

Think about the ways in which God dealt with those in the Old Testament who, in whatever shape or form, didn't believe in or avoided Him. He always used "power". Power equals "proof".

Moses staff, Angelic visitation, Prophetic insight and foreknowledge all made the rebellious kings and the common man aware that there is a real God. I'm thinking of rebellious King Nebuchadnezzar, Joseph's and Moses' Pharaohs and Elijah's false prophets and Ahab. Give pause to the incredible spectacle within scripture of God's power in those stories we all know.

In the New Testament, It seems that Jesus was more targeted toward the common man and even teaching the common man how to do what he did, which was to take spiritual ground for His Father. Jesus himself said, "unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe". So what did He do? He performed with power, signs and wonders. Would it be any different today?

And Jesus didn't point to himself at the ascension. He pointed to the Holy Spirit so that we could do what he did. And I ask you, why would God operate with power through his prophets in the Age of His Temple presence and then with power through His disciples during the Savior presence of Christ and then somehow not want us to operate with His power now that the Holy Spirit is """"""literally"""""" inside of us. Makes zero sense! .

This probably seems simplistic. But the demonstrated power of God reeks havoc on the strongholds of unbelief and rebellion and is why Paul said, "I would rather you prophesy". Even the gifts of the Holy Spirit...the Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Different kinds of Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues (there are others), are here with us to bless and grow the body of Christ into an ever larger force going into all the nations. Yet many Christians have been trained that the power went out and down with the last Apostle who saw Christ. And today the bride of Christ more than lags in its growth across the country because of rebellion and false teaching toward the Power of the Holy Spirit. How many souls off the street and from the marketplace have been saved within your church this year in 2017? Many will have to answer honestly..."zero".

Wake up. I say this kindly and humbly. You Christian secessionists, that don't believe in Divine power for today, should stop blaspheming the Holy Spirit. You are in the USA minority and it isn't because of immigration. I curse anything that Jesus cursed and He cursed the fruitless tree and fruitless religion. I read where the Southern Baptists are losing people in droves. I've heard of zero revival in Nashville. There was a little outbreak of revival in Hendersonville, Tennessee twenty years ago. But nothing since. I could be wrong.

Christians cut off their noses to spite their face by devaluing the very weapons of the invisible spiritual war the Holy Spirit has made available to us..."they have Divine power to demolish strongholds"!!!

We all have gifts from God when we become believers. I became a believer as an 18 year old Senior in High School. Over the early years, I would call out things that would happen soon afterward. It would seem "coincidental" to me. Like me telling my x-girlfriend who was weeping over us breaking up that she would meet her future husband within a month to comfort her. She met her future husband two weeks later and they have been married for thirty years. This type of thing would happen to me pretty regularly, but I always chalked it up to a coincidence because of my mentors and minister's teachings. Later on after my Baptism of Spirit, I had a gift of faith to believe for the truth of God's power regarding prophesy. And I simply knew I had a prophetic gift.

Here is another example. I believe I've spoken this in a past LFM. Jesus loves unbelievers, which means I love unbelievers. Once I was at a New Orleans casino with business associates. Voodoo central!...Bourbon Street a few blocks away. Never had been to a casino and to make a long story short, I gave a Word to a mafia sounding man who had lost $20,000+ at a craps table and had been with two prostitutes in the last 3 days. He wanted to teach me how to play craps because he wanted "what I had". At the table he said, "I'm a bad person" and "Youse different". Seriously. Cracks me up! Through my sweat, The Word was that he was going to begin winning at the craps table. He had lost for 2 straight days. He immediately began winning over and over without a loss and the Word cut down the bob-wire to his strongholds of greed, sexual perversion and anger. He gave his life to Jesus in the casino bar. If I had carried a Bible into the casino and thumped him with it, he may have shot me. Ha! Who knows. But the Holy Spirit's power was released by Him. There is so much more to that story. But it really happened. It shocked my lukewarm Christian and Catholic business associates. They saw me bringing this man into the Kingdom of Heaven in this seedy bar.

Do you get how much love Jesus has for gnarly sinners like this Mafia guy. There are so many more true and "praise God He's powerful" stories I could tell you. And I have always said that I have many other Normal Christian friends who have these same kinds of stories. I just want you to read testimony. No bragging intended. But just like Jesus would perform a miracle right in front of the religiously minded, yet they still would't believe, many won't believe the story about which I just testified.

Muslims need to see the power of Jesus and they are, believe me. You may have heard the testimonies coming out the Middle East of many now having night dreams and day visions of this "man in a white robe" speaking to them like he did to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road.

Convicts need to see His power. Greedy CEOs need to see the Power of God. The Jews need to see God's power. Unbelieving Gangsters, Accountants and Scientists need to see something called out in there life that only Jesus on His throne could know. The common man and woman need to see their children healed and their strongholds dealt with by God's power. The power is the proof of God's existence and drives them to love Jesus Christ. Oh my God. This makes me so happy!!!!!!!

Many say "the Word of God is the power". Yeah and in the Word of God he says "I would rather you prophesy". Let's go ahead and dumb down "prophesy" with "that means just quote scripture to them". These testimonies and the 10,000 power moves across the earth today by power gifted Christians cannot be denied! Do you really want to be in the camp of "having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof".

Maybe I'm only speaking to a few people reading this. But I pray the Holy Spirit's power move on you now for your healing and Baptism of Spirit, if this is you. Once you make a move toward the Holy Spirit like what I'm talkin' bout, you'll be on His power trip of a lifetime. Remember there are souls out there that are desperate for you to get what I'm speaking right now. See to it that the blood of Jesus flows over them as opposed to their blood being on your hands.

As always, much love intended.

Brian

[atypical60]

CAVEAT:  This post would have been published last night. But my &*()&*(&* damn laptop stinks.  My finger touched a certain key and everything disappeared. I’m writing this on the PC instead!

And away. We. Go…

My morning routine is very important to me. While I wait for my day cream and serum and primers to dry upon my visage, I enjoy sipping upon the coffee that Bonaparte makes and serves me—princess that I am.  It is also time for me to read one of my favorite blogs, “That’s Not My Age”, by Alyson Walsh. She’s a spunky Brit with tons of style and panache.  She actually qualifies as one of my delusional best friends forever. I’m sure she would call Scotland Yard if I ever showed up within two feet of her, but that’s the way it goes!

This morning I read a post referencing the new “No Makeup Movement”.  Have you heard of this or seen any of the photographs of the many celebrities posing *cough* *ahem* makeup free?

Most of those who have freed their pusses of cosmetics are under 30 and they are wrinkle and rosacea free as well.  They are also lady whisker free.  You know where this is going don’t you?

Yeah.  Harper’s Bazaar glorified quite a few celebrities who snapped “No Makeup Selfies” and I question the “no makeup” part.  Shall we?

Look closely at Heidi Klum’s cheeks.  She’s wearing contour.  Her bottom lip is also a brighter shade of pink than her top lip and that pink isn’t even.  She’s wearing a minimal amount of makeup.  I’m more impressed with that beautiful wrinkle-free neck.  I want Heidi Klum’s neck.

Salma Hayek thinks that snapping a photo of herself with wet hair means no makeup.  Look at her eyes.  She’s wearing a very, very light brown shadow on her lids.  And look at the bottom lids..I detect a bit of liner and mascara.  WTF has cheeks that are naturally illuminated?  Nobody. That’s who!  She’s wearing some sort of highlighter.  Nobody’s hair looks that good wet.  The lighting is also a factor in a softer look.

Lady Gaga is so incredibly pretty. But I am deeply confused.  Either she has a killer spray tan and didn’t want her face tanned, or she applied a ton of powder on her face before this “no makeup” selfie was snapped.  If that is her natural hair, she’s even more gorgeous than I imagined.

I’m having a hard time with this one because it looks like Cindy Crawford has foundation or concealer on that sexy mole of hers. She lined the bottom of her eyes too!  I’m wondering if I’m a freak of nature because MY lips are naturally much darker. I need lip color to get MY lips that Cindy light color.  I think Cindy does too!  Cindy is also very aware of lighting. That’s why she took the photo under the covers.  I love my Cindy Crawford sofa. It’s held up so much better than my overpriced Ethan Allen one.  Cindy is NOT makeup free in this selfie.

Diane Kruger IS gorgeous.  But This is not a completely no-makeup selfie. She’s got lip balm or a very light gloss on.  I detect a bit of a line of demarcation above her upper eyelid.  But the BEST thing about this selfie is that she has the very beginning of fuzz on her chin. Welcome to the world of lady whiskers my pretty!  Soon you will have a tweezer in every purse!

I swear to goddess.  Bazaar had the balls to add this pic of Kylie Jenner in the “no makeup” selfie.  Oh. Wait. This look IS what no makeup means to the Jenner/Kardashian clan!

Alright.  Bar Refaeli is makeup free.  And if I looked like her, I would not have the need to wear cosmetics.  And SHE is one in a hundred million who could carry this off on a daily basis.  She is a freak of nature!   Nobody is that naturally beautiful!

Megan Fox has watermarked her top inner eyelids.  I know this. I do it all the time.  She filled in her brows.  She also filled in her face. She admitted to it in an interview.  So basically, her makeup is internal. 

Now THIS is what I’m talking about. THIS is a true no-makeup photo. It isn’t a selfie. It isn’t from Bazaar.  But it’s a bonafide photo of a woman who is in her late sixties, photographed in natural lighting, without filters.  THANK YOU SAINT HELEN MIRREN!!  Look at the photo after she’s been made up.  The cosmetics that have been applied to her face are not a mask. The cosmetics are enhancing the beautiful features she has.  She looks a good 15 years younger.  I’m very jealous of Mirren. Look at her neck!!!  She’s no turkey!

Now take a look at me without makeup. In one photo the lighting is more natural. In the other, the lighting is more subdued and my hair—or the hair that’s left on my head is cascading over my face to hide some of the many flaws.

Both photos, no makeup. Actually the photo in the subdued light looks much worse than the one of me in regular light.  My lips need some toning down. I have a bit of rosacea. Look. One nostril is larger than the other. That’s because I had a serious Afrin addiction when I was in my thirties.  Back then I didn’t need tweezers in every purse. I carried nasal spray in every purse instead! I was trying to look like Salma Hayek in that other pic –I couldn’t get my hair wet!

I got something to tell youse.  I ain’t getting rid of my makeup. I ain’t leavin’ my house makeup free either! Not now. Not ever. Never!

The only place these eye shadows are going are on my eye lids!

I keep my beauty assistants close by…

I have trunks full of stuff I’ve never even used!

My new brushes now have a special place on my vanity. They are for MY vanity!

The last time I left the house makeup free, with my hair in a bun, I was referred to as “sir”.  My bun must have looked like one of those man buns—or “muns” because of my receding hairline and I’m sure I needed a lip and chin wax.  I rest my case!

Yeah.  Hair back. No makeup.  A bit late to wax the lip and chin. And I”m called “sir”!  Hmmm.. Just like “Sir” Ray Davie and “Sir” Paul McCartney.  I would rather be called Her Highness!

Those crazy celebrities.  Yeah—you can go makeup free when you are younger.  Hell, when I was young I never needed foundation.  I didn’t even wear eyeliner until I reached my thirties!

When I was young it was lip gloss, blush and mascara.  I always had Angel Face pressed powder in my purse because of my then oily “T” zone.  Which I now wish would return!

As a teen, I was never without my Pond’s Angel Face pressed powder. I can still remember the lovely scent it had!

And as I aged—cosmetics became my new best friend.   My once peaches and cream complexion turned into one of dried fruit and sour milk—but sour milk that has been in the fridge that there is a dry-cracked coating. (Yes. This happens. Trust me.  I’ve left milk in the fridge that long).

Foundation brings a new glow to my skin and evens the tone out.

See what I mean. I’m NOT wearing a ton of makeup in this pic.  Just enough to enhance my bone structure and features.  And to NOT make me look like a “sir”!

  And all the products that I very carefully apply, some days more carefully than others, I think of as my little assistants.  Because they assist in enhancing the features that I have to bring life back into them.

And I’m not fond of an overly made up look anyway.  I did an experiment a while back. If you may or may not recall–I decided to make myself up like a Kardashian (click the Kardashian name to read the post)

This was my homage to Khloe–when she wore her hair back.  Now you know why I love to dye my hair–those gray roots look horrific!

This look scared me because Bonaparte liked it so much! Jesus!  Look at my crepey neck!  

It took me forever to slop all those cosmetics upon my face. I needed a nap after I was done.  It’s too much work. I’ll settle for less makeup and more enhancing!  But my point IS cosmetics are a good thing–even better if they make you feel confident!  Right??

So please. I don’t want to be a part of any  movement that feels women should free themselves of cosmetics.

I’m still trying to deal with the militant group who feel women should go gray!  You want to sport gray hair, go do it. But don’t tell me that I should follow suit!  I’m quite comfortable in my naturally dyed jet black #1 hair.

In the end, no matter whether or not we wear makeup. Or whether or not we let our tresses go gray, we are all beautiful people.

Melanie knows that–she sang a beautiful song about it!

  Makeup Free Movement? Nope. I’m of the Make Me Up Movement!!! CAVEAT:  This post would have been published last night. But my &*()&*(&* damn laptop stinks.  My finger touched…

[askdawnandvern]

So this chapter marks a turning point in the story, as well as the finally portion of the seemingly endlessly expanding girls night. This chapter essentially puts the final pieces in place in order for the story to start to hit the final plunge. I'm hoping this means everything will start to flow a bit faster from here on out. I've also taken stock of a rough estimate of how many chapters remain, and how long that would take based on my current posting trend and I realized i'm going to have to do my damndest to up my writing speed so I can get this finished before Summer time. And so I intend to do that so that LAW can conclude satisfyingly and so that I may move on to other projects. I also want to take the time to thank commenter Guillermo for pointing out that Hyena species actually branched off of the feline family, not the canid family. I had received the message a while back, and decided rather than redoing all the previous entrees to correct them, I would end up having Ada adress it in the chapter and correct it going forward. Thank you for the helpful comment. I'd also like to thank my backers for thier continued support and suggestions. With their help going over the story chapters before posting we've got the spelling errors and mistakes down to probably the smallest margin possible. One more thing to note, this chapter contains use of the technical terms for various parts of the female and male anatomy, just giving you the heads up if you are put off by that sort of thing. And if you'd like early access to chapters and access to other perks you can check out My Patreon. www.patreon.com/wastedtimeee

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A LAMB AMONG WOLVES

Chapter Thirty: Girls Night: Self Reflection

"I was completely bare from the waist up." The ewe continued, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke." I was shaking like a leaf, shivering with every breath as I stared back up into those shimmering deep green eyes of his. His looming form just shuddering as his hungry eye's scanned over every inch of me." Dawn sighed, the blush on her muzzle growing deeper. “He was breathing just as heavy as I was, and every few moments I could see his tongue just…tracing his muzzle…” Dawn cooed. “Lapping at the edges of his maw as he watched over me…”

The other girls were practically surrounding Dawn now, the ewe cocooned between the massive tigress, the chubby wolf, and the diminutive fox all. All of them squeezed tightly up against her as they focused their attention on the ewe. They were each sporting light blushes of their own, with Qali burying her muzzle into a pillow she was clutching for dear life as she watched Dawn intently. Dawn had been weaving quite the tale, and by now, all the Hunter girls had become ensnared by her lurid retelling of her first time with Vernon.

Ada, while not on the same mattress, was practically hanging off of her own bed as she listened intently, a satisfied grin never leaving her muzzle as she watched.

“And I felt like I was on fire…” Dawn continued, rubbing her upper arms with her hooves. “Like there was electricity just shooting through me, burning a hole through me. I wanted him so badly I could barely stand it.”

The ewe adjusted her frames slightly, a smirk crawling across her muzzle.

“Yet despite everything, all the rushing hormones and emotions, I had this one…ridiculous nagging thought.” Dawn shook her head dismissively.

“What was it!?” Qali chirped, practically leaping forward as she spoke.

“Despite everything, now that my top was off, a part of me couldn’t help but be worried that my breasts were too small…”

The girls erupted into uproarious laughter, Qali practically rolling off the bed as Vanna pounded a paw against her pillow. Ada’s trademark hyena cackle was out in full effect as the large hyeness rolled onto her back, howling with laughter. And Malcolm held his stomach in pain as he wheezed out laugh after laugh.

Dawn was kicking her legs wildly as she erupted into a giggle fit of her own, the ewe delighting in just how hard she had made her new found sisters laugh. So far, aside from the picnic, the impromptu slumber party with the Hunter girls had quickly become the highlight of her night. It was certainly doing wonders in regards to keeping her thoughts away from the argument she had with Dorian earlier that evening. The wolf’s bitter, hateful screed still weighed on the ewe certainly, and Dawn knew it would be impossible to fully shake the decisive and hurtful decision regarding her place among the Hunter pack from her mind for the remaining portion of the trip. But for now, the joy and revelry had easily drowned it out, keeping her thoughts about the icy white wolf down to little more than a muffled whisper in the back of her mind.

“Oh gods, I know just what you mean!” The fox attempted to cut through the groups giggling. Qali did her best to stifle her own laughter as she struggled to add her two cents to the conversation. The diminutive fox managed to right herself while keeping her arms fastened tightly around the pillow she was holding, turning her gaze back toward to mass of mammals at the head of the bed.

“The first time when Trenny and I were…you know…” Qali let out another giggle as a blush formed on her muzzle. “Intimate.” The fox bobbed her eyebrows suggestively, speaking the word in a hushed and secretive tone before returning to her usual chirpy candor. “I felt exactly the same way!”

Dawn smiled widely at the petite fox. “Really?”

Qali gave a brisk, rapid nod before leaning back in closer to the other girls. Now lying on the pillow she had previously been strangling, the fox rested her head on her paws.

"Oh yeah." Qali continued. "We had been seeing each other for about a month when things just…escalated," Qali said with a smirk.

“’Escalated huh?” Malcolm said, forming a wry grin of his own.

Qali giggled. “We had just gotten back to his apartment after dinner, and just pounced on each other!” The fox wrapped her arms around her pillow again, squeezing it as tightly as before. “Well…more like I pounced on him and felled him like a Fraser Fur!”

“I’m surprised dat fella can even keep up witch youse.” Ada said with a laugh. “Is dat why he always seems so worn out?”

“That’s just Trenton's personality," Vanna interjected, emitting a low chuckle of her own.

Qali rolled her eyes slightly. “Oh believe me, that wolf has no problems keeping up. I think Trenny could put a hare in heat to shame if given the chance.” The fox flashed the hyena a smug grin. “And thanks to all that training for his job he’s…well he’s got the muscles to back it up.”

The fox let out an amorous sigh, fluttering her eyelids as a dreamlike stare overtook her features. It was short lived however, as a wince quickly replaced her pleasant smile, and her ears sagged mournfully. "And that's when I started to get nervous."

“Oh?” Dawn asked.

Qali gave a sluggish nod, seemingly uneasy as she recalled her emotional state from that night. “I remember I had finally managed to claw his shirt off.” Qali chuckled weakly. ”I had to practically crawl up him to do it, but I had finally managed to get it off of him.”

“That’s better than my first attempt," Dawn said with a laugh. "Vernon had to take his own shirt off; he was just too tall for me to manage it on my own.”

Dawn’s admission elicited another short burst of giggles from the group.            Qali seemed to squeeze her pillow tighter as her blush deepened. “Now I had never seen Trenny with his shirt off, so I was super eager to unwrap that candy bar.” Qali smiled warmly. “And when I finally got a look at what was underneath…well…”

“How was it?” Vanna asked.

Qali waved a paw at herself, as if fanning away a building heat. “Whew…” Qali panted softly. “That wolf was cut.” Qali lapped at her muzzle slightly as the dreamy look returned to her face. “Like, I could just make out the muscles under his fur. It was better than I could have possibly imagined.” The diminutive fox raised her paws, clasping her fingers repeatedly as if she were grabbing the air. “Part of me just wanted to run my pads up and down those abs for the rest of the night!”

“So when do we get to da bad part?” Ada said chuckling. “Cause youse are startin’ to confuse me here, are you complainin’ that your mate is jacked?”

Qali sat up, briskly shaking her head no and waving her paws out defensively. “Oh no! Not at all!” Qali asserted before slumping back down against her pillow. “I definitely loved what I saw, believe me!” The fox flashed a weak grin. “I was practically drooling.”

           "I don't know about that..." Vanna muttered.

           Qali let out a slight huff. "Please, I'd like to think I have some kind of self-control."

           "Was huh?" Ada asked with a smirk. "Sure you wasn't literally droolin'?"

Qali opened her mouth seemingly to retort, but Dawn was quick to interject.

"But it made you self-conscious about yourself?" Dawn asked, seeming to pick up what the arctic fox was getting at.

Qali clutched the pillow close to her chest, squeezing it as if she were trying to cover herself.

“I-I’m not the most voluptuous vixen out there…” Qali sighed. “I don’t have plump swaying hips, and I’m flat as a board.” The petite fox frowned. “I felt like I didn’t have anything to…” Qali paused, seemingly trying to find her words. “Really offer Trenny in the physical department.”

The little fox sat straight up; releasing the pillow she had been holding and allowing it to fall into her lap. The usually jovial and peppy fox seemed to take on a rather serious expression, something the ewe would have had a hard time picturing on her if it weren't for the fact she was seeing it.

"I don't know how much you guys know about foxes," Qali said. "I mean about how most mammals tend to see them.”

“Sneaky, shifty, sly, sweet-talkin’ types dat are neva to be trusted," Ada said sarcastically. “You guys have it pretty rough.”

“And that's just the boys," Qali said sadly. "I mean, it's something all foxes deal with when it comes to how other mammals see us. But those are usually the first thoughts that come to mind when most mammals think of your average tod."

Dawn nodded knowingly. She had heard and accumulated her own poorly thought out misconceptions in her early years with foxes, just as she had with wolves. Of course, with her rehabilitation, as well as her reconnection with Judy she had developed a greater understanding as to the pressure those ideas place on the species at large. Judy had a second-paw account of just some of the struggles that foxes had to go through in their day to day life, and how Nick had folded under the cruelty of others to resign himself to accepting the role that society had decided for him with gusto. But when it came to vixens, the ewe knew less of what struggles they faced. Val was the only vixen Dawn could say she somewhat knew, and the vixen remained enigmatic to pretty much everyone around her.

“For all the flak foxes get, vixens experience a different sort of stereotype.”  The diminutive fox lolled her head as she began what almost seemed like a well-rehearsed list. “Where tods are always sneaky and agile, vixens are expected to be svelte and graceful. Where tods use their charisma to get by, vixens use their charm and beauty.” Qali raised her paws up. “Vixens have practically become the standard of beauty when it comes to the canid society. The pinnacle of predatory grace and style."

The diminutive vixen’s paws flopped to her sides lamely.

“I can’t even count how many vixen actresses there are, and models?” Qali rolled her eyes. “Forget about it, they practically dominate the fashion world.”

The tiny fox put her hands on her hips, letting out a huff of air in order to shift her draping fur coif out of her eye.

"The public expects vixens to be these busty, curvy, and infectiously charming mammals." Qali huffed. "And we aren't built like that. Our species was built to be thin, lean and agile!" The arctic fox waved a paw toward herself, gesturing down her tiny form. "Barely any body fat to spare!"

“Well, I don’t think its any secret that all that glitzy stuff is all Howlywood hocus pocus and airbrushin’," Malcolm said reassuringly. "Out where I'm from it's hard to find a mammal that ain't had some form o' plastic surgery."

"And that's the problem," Qali muttered, her ears sagging as she slackened her stance. "The way other mammals see us feeds back into fox culture, and puts pressure on us to conform to that image, with other vixens looking down their snout at those who aren't as svelte and voluptuous." The fox sighed. "We end up policing ourselves, forcing each other to live up to this stupid image that vixens like Maid Marian, Veronica Leash, Marilyn Murrnroe unintentionally cut out for us."

Qali dragged a finger around the edge of her coif, once again trying to shift it out of her eye only for it to quickly slip back into place.

"When my sisters and I were little kits, growing up and seeing these other vixens on TV, we were mesmerized.” The fox let out a sad sigh. “I know I was." Qali placed a paw on her forehead. "They were so elegant and so pretty, and I would think ‘Wow, I can’t wait to grow up and be just like them.

Qali slumped back down against her pillow, hugging it tightly against herself as she let out a soft whine.

“Then I grew up and realized that I was never going to look like them.” The fox buried her muzzle into the pillow, hiding her face. “That almost all vixens don’t look that way without extensive surgery, and yet that’s what most mammals just ‘expected’ me to look like. That's what most other foxes 'thought' I should look like."

Vanna reached a paw out toward the diminutive fox, placing it gently on her back and rubbing it softly.

“I’m sorry Qali.” Vanna cooed softly.

"Me too," Dawn added. "That sounds like a terrible precedent to live under.”

The fox poked her head up slightly from its resting place deep within the pillow, eyeing the nearby mammals with sad, glossy eyes.

"I-its fine," Qali muttered. "I mean I-I try not to think about it you know?"

The girls shared a nod at the fox’s question.

“But when I was suddenly staring down Trenny’s delectable, sculpted body…” Qali uttered with a smirk. “Something that was supposed to be exciting and titillating…” The fox chuckled weakly. “and yet suddenly I was feeling scared because I realized he was going to see me naked too.”

“So what didja do?” Ada asked, the hyeness leaning off the edge of her bed as her attention remained fixed on the fox.

“I tell you, I’ve never moved more slowly in my life.” Qali laughed. “I did everything I could to delay taking my shirt off, and when it finally came down to Trenny being forced to do the job for me I quickly covered myself up with my arms and refused to move them.” Qali shook her head dismissively. “Trenny had to spend five minutes trying to convince me to stop covering my chest.” Qali chuckled. “I wanted to keep going, but at the same time I didn’t want him to be disappointed.”

“I find it hard to believe he’d be disappointed.” Malcolm chuckled. “I mean, it ain’t like you were stuffin’ yer bra, he must have had some inkling of what to expect.”

“I know it made no sense!” Qali chirped, sitting back up. The fox pulled her pillow close to her again. “But I couldn’t help it! I was so nervous! I wanted Trenny to like what he saw!”

"Irrational fears are just that," Dawn added, recalling some of her therapist's wisdom. "Even if you know there shouldn't be anything to fear, you can't help yourself."

Qali nodded briskly. “Exactly!” The fox let out a soft whine. "I was so worked up I had to close my eyes and grit my teeth before I was able to muster the strength to force my arms to my sides," Qali said, dramatically forcing her arms to her sides as her pillow fell back into her lap. The room fell silent briefly in the wake of the fox's sudden gesture, her eyes snapped shut as if she were reliving the moment.

“So…” Ada broke the silence, quirking an eyebrow.” How was the reveal?”

The diminutive fox developed a sudden fierce blush, and soon enough she had buried her muzzle back into her pillow. Her eyes darted from mammal to mammal as she wiggled her muzzle against the fabric as tightly as she could, seemingly too bashful to retell exactly what was said.

“P-perfect…” Qali cooed softly.

“What was dat?’ Ada asked, placing a paw to her ear as she leaned over the gap between the beds.

"He said they were perfect," Qali muttered loud enough to hear before burying her face completely into her pillowcase.

That managed to draw a chorus of ‘Aww’s’ from the collective group of girls, forcing the fox to bury herself deeper into the pillow.

Dawn placed a hoof to her heart as she felt it skip a beat. Vernon had said the same thing when she had been lying bare before him, with nothing but pure love and adoration in his eyes.

“T-that’s what Vernon said to me…” Dawn sighed warmly as she recalled their first night.

The fox perked up from her hiding place, flashing the ewe a look of shock before developing a warm smile of her own.

Another chorus of pleasant sighs rippled through the Hunter girls, Malcolm going so far as to clasp his paws to his chest in admiration of the two mammals similar romantic tales.

"Boy, looks like doze boys been reading from da same playbook huh?” Ada said with a chuckle.

Vanna let out a chuckle of her own. “Well Dorian may be as stubborn as an Ox, but he did manage to raise some real Gentlemammals.”

"Yuri excluded," Qali said with a grin.

Ada grimaced sharply. “Hey, I told yas, he can be a real sweet guy!” The hyeness protested. “Ya just don’t see trew him like I do!”

"Maybe I need a better prescription," Dawn said, taking her glasses off and pretending to inspect them with a chuckle. Dawn’s little act managing to earn a few laughs from the other Hunter girls.

Ada let out a scoff, crossing her arms defensively. “Alright fuzz butt, watch yourself or I’ll make sure you’ll end up needin’ more den glasses!”

Dawn chuckled, taking a moment to inspect her glasses before reluctantly sliding them back on to her face.

“Please, these are bad enough to have to deal with," Dawn muttered, letting out a soft sigh as she slumped back against her pillows.

Ada chuckled softly. “I take it yer bust ain’t da only ting you ain’t happy wit?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Take your pick.” The ewe said, gesturing up and down her body with her hooves.

“I’m probably half the size of your average ewe.” The ewe grumbled. Dawn raised an arm, flexing it slightly before gesturing at the pitiful display with her other hoof. “And I’m extremely frail and weak because of that.”

“I don’t know about that…” Malcolm chuckled. “I mean, if yer matin’ with a wolf without bein’ broken in half, I’d say yer stronger than you think.” The red wolf bobbed his eyebrows suggestively at the ewe.

Dawn placed a hoof over her muzzle in order to stifle a rising giggle, giving the wolf a playful swat with her free paw.

"I'm trying to be serious!" Dawn said, a few stray laughs escaping as she tried her best to remain firm in tone. The wolf let out a chuckle of his own.

"Alright, alright..." Malcolm snickered. "Carry on Darlin'."

Dawn let out a sigh as she re-adjusted her frames, doing her best to shake off the lingering giggles before pressing forward.

"I mean, I'm not really built as well as other sheep tend to be." Dawn shrugged. "I mean, ewes can be dainty and soft and all, but I'm not even as strong as your average ewe."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Vanna interjected. "There are plenty of other ways to be strong."

"Says da eight-foot tall tigress built like a brick wall," Ada said with a dull chuckle.

Vanna rolled her eyes slightly before placing a reassuring paw on Dawn's shoulder.

"Trust me, it isn't all it's cracked up to be," Vanna said with a sigh. "Being an officer of the law requires me to stay fit and in-shape. But when it comes to tigers it doesn't take a lot of work to build your muscles up." Vanna grimaced slightly. "Our species were built for power, built to be strong and quick."

"Dis was supposta make Dawn feel bedda how exactly?" Ada flashed the tigress a smug smirk.

Vanna placed a paw over her eyes, dragging it down her muzzle as she let out an annoyed huff.

"The reason I mention it is because there is a trade-off for that power." Vanna threw the hyeness a dull glare before continuing. "You see, much like Qali, our species was built to be lean. So our females naturally have a smaller bust size than most other species."

"Ah, so it's ya bust size too eh?" Ada said with a laugh. "Why are all of yaz so obsessed with ya boobs!? Most boys are more den happy to take anyting dey can get!"

"I don't care about my breasts!" Vanna declared with a snarl, wrapping her arms tightly against her chest as if she were shielding them from Ada's prying eyes. She held herself that way for a few moments before noticing her own involuntary action, and quickly dropping her arms back to her sides. "I mean, that's not the issue..." Vanna continued.

"Then what is it?" Malcolm asked, the husky wolf quirking an eyebrow.

Vanna let out a terse and tired sigh, and Dawn could see a red tinge forming on the fur beneath her muzzle.

"Look, the thing is..." Vanna shook her head briskly. "With the already small bust size, a fit female tiger becomes a bit...harder to discern from a fit male tiger."

"OooOOOoooHHhhh...." Qali cooed, realization apparent on the little fox's face as she leaned over her tightly clutched pillow toward the massive tigress. "So everyone thinks your a boy?"

Vanna placed a paw over her face, her muzzle tightening into a frown.

"I imagine if I took my shirt off in public, nine out of ten mammals would confuse me for one of Gazelle's dancers." Vanna grumbled. "It doesn't help that I'm big for my species to begin with."

"Oh my..." Dawn murmured, placing a hoof on Vanna's arm reassuringly. "I'm sorry Vanna."

"Hmm..." Ada placed a paw to her chin as she leaned closer toward the group on the opposite bed. The large canid squinting her eyes as she inspected the tigress carefully.

"I can see it," Ada said with a smirk.

Vanna let out a weak, defeated groan as she hunched over in shame.

"Aw lay off Ada." Malcolm chided, placing a paw on the tigress and joining Dawn in her attempts to reassure the big kitty cat. "I'm sure it's hard enough fer Vanna to open up about this as it is without ya'll addin' to it."

Ada lolled her head back as she rolled her eyes. "I'm just playin' geeze!"

"No, she's right, and that's what makes it so insufferable," Vanna said sadly. "I'm so tall and I have such a broad, flat upper body that at first glance almost everyone assumes I'm a male. I can't tell you how many times I've been addressed as 'sir' while doing my duty." Vanna raised her paws sharply. "So many of the locals, even several of the other officers assumed the same when first meeting me!" Vanna's paws flopped lamely back to her sides as she let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Hearing that, day in and day out...It just makes me feel so..." Vanna shook her head dismissively, placing a paw over muzzle as she shut her eyes tightly. "So un-feminine."

Dawn rubbed the tigresses arm in an attempt to reassure her. It was true, even gazing at Vanna now that, in contrast to a mammal like Qali who was very visibly feminine despite her concerns, the large feline looked considerably masculine. In fact, had Dawn not heard Zach preface meeting the large tigress with the fact that she was female, Dawn might have at first assumed the wolf to be in a similar relationship to that of Xavier and Malcolm's. But upon meeting her, it was fairly easy to see the big cat's feminine side. Despite her cold exterior, the tigress carried herself with a distinctly feminine air. And if Dawn had needed any more proof, their embarrassingly girlish duet the night before easily proved the cat to be as feminine as the rest of them.

"Aw, who cares what anyone else thinks Vanna girl." Malcolm chimed in, giving the large feline a playful pat on the arm. "We love you, and Zach loves ya, and we all know yer just another one of the girls."

Malcolm had more or less taken the words right out of Dawn's muzzle, aside from adding his distinctive drawl. Vanna however, seemed just as down about her predicament as before.

"I know...I just.." The tigress dragged a paw down her face as she let out a weak groan. Vanna turned her head up toward the ceiling, looking up and away from the others.

"I just sometimes worry that I'm not...pretty enough for Zach." The tigress mumbled uncomfortably. "I mean there are plenty of attractive tigresses out there, and even more attractive mammals if he wasn't looking for a tigress specifically. I just..." Vanna's head drooped into her waiting paws, the large feline now sporting a sharp frown as she buried herself deeper into her paw pads.

"I sometimes wonder if Zach settled for less when he 'tithed' to me." Vanna whimpered. " Not only did he 'tithe' a mammal outside of his species, but someone who is regularly confused for a male. He could have easily gone for any girl he wanted with his job, his looks, his personality, but now he's stuck with me."

"Hey," Dawn said firmly, giving the tigress' arm a firm jostling to draw her attention. Vanna pulled herself from her paws in order to glance towards the tiny ewe staring back up at her. Dawn could see what seemed to be the start of tears in her eyes, something she had thought the tigress was beyond capable of.

"He loves you." Dawn said in a serious tone. "That's why he 'tithed' to you Vanna, because he loves you."

Vanna let out a soft whimper, something uncharacteristic of the large feline. "I know, but-"

"But nothin'!" Malcolm chimed in, the wolf clutching the felines arm tightly as he spoke. "Has he ever said anythin' about yer looks botherin' him Darlin'?"

Vanna offered a meek, seemingly forced smile. "W-well no. I just worr-"

"Well, what does he say!?" Qali chirped, the fox clasping her pillow tightly as she focused keenly on the tigress.

Vanna blushed slightly, the small smile on her muzzle forming into something more genuine as she tried to hide her face. "T-that I'm beautiful." The blush on her muzzle deepened as she tried to cover her muzzle with a paw. "That I'll always be his big beautiful kitten."

"See, Zach loves ya for who you are!" Malcolm chirped happily. "Just like Xavey loves me despite my little bit extra." The wolf said, patting his stomach as he let out a laugh.

"But doesn't it ever bother you?" Vanna asked, turning her sights to the red wolf. "On a personal level?"

Malcolm frowned slightly. "Well I mean, o'course it does somewhat." The wolf glanced down at his stomach, giving it an appraising rub. "No fella really wants a spare tire and big ol' love handles. But with what I do fer a livin' that was purty much unavoidable." Malcolm laughed. "I can't keep my paws outta the pot fer more than a few seconds at a time when I'm cookin'."

Vanna sighed. "So how do you deal with it?"

Malcolm scratched the back of his head awkwardly, the wolf seemingly trying to choose his words carefully before speaking.

"Well, I mean...Xavey loves me, and so does my family." Malcolm said with a soft smirk. "'Sides, I figure I'm happier bein a lil' chubby and eatin' good food than dietin' all the time and bein' miserable." The wolf let out another laugh.

"I..." Vanna paused, her expression remaining an uneasy one. "I'm not sure that advice really helps in my case."

"Like snowball said, dere's always surgery," Ada interjected with a barking laugh.

"Oh hush up!" Malcolm retorted. "Vanna is fine the way she is, same as me, Qali and Dawn."

Dawn shifted uncomfortably in place, the ewe's thoughts returning to her own shortcomings as she subconsciously touched her frames.

"Well...surgery isn't always an option..." Dawn muttered quietly, drawing the groups attention back her way.

"You thought about getting a procedure done?" Vanna asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

Dawn gave a meek nod as she shifted her body deeper against the pillows. The ewe clasped her upper arms, rubbing them uneasily as she glanced at the other Hunter girls.

"It wasn't a big deal...I just had a consultation with my optometrist about corrective surgery before my campaign work." Dawn sighed. "I figured I'd stand a better chance at bringing in more votes if I wasn't wearing these giant, goofy glasses of mine."

"I like your glasses!" Qali said, reaching a paw toward Dawn's frames before stopping herself. The diminutive fox quickly retracting her paw as she shrunk into her shoulders.

"S-sorry..." Qali muttered quietly.

Malcolm chuckled. "So touchy-feely girl, you gotta stop that."

"I know, I know!" Qali huffed, burying her muzzle into her pillow.

"I think they suit you Dawn." Vanna added, flashing the ewe a reassuring smile.

"Dough dey do kinda remind me of my grandma's, so I can sees what you was goin' for." Ada said with a smirk.

The other Hunter girls flashed the hyena a scowl, however, Dawn simply nodded in agreement.

"That was my fear when it came to the voters. That my glasses would scream 'old nan' despite the fact that most sheep have some form of corrective lenses." Dawn sighed.

"Why is that?" Vanna asked.

Dawn shrugged. "Poor depth perception. I read somewhere it was a genetic defect leftover from ancestral sheep, although it is more common in North Mammalian sheep rather than Roaropean sheep." Dawn removed her glasses, neatly folding them on her lap before turning toward Vanna's direction and opening her eyes as wide as she could. The ewe pointed a hoof carefully toward her iris. "It has something to do with the fact that Roaropean sheep have round pupils like mine that generally gives them better vision on average."

With a sigh the ewe opened her glasses and slid them back onto her muzzle.

"Unfortunately it seemed to skip over me and then some..." Dawn muttered. "I'm as blind as a bat without these things."

"But you decided against getting the procedure?" The large feline queried.

Dawn's head drooped slightly as she let out a soft laugh.

"I didn't even have the option." The ewe replied.

"Why not?" Malcolm asked.

Dawn rolled her eyes slightly. "The doctor told my corneas were much too thin for corrective surgery. There was simply no way around either being stuck with glasses or settling for contact lenses."

"Why dincha' get da lenses den?" Ada questioned the ewe as she continued to hang off the side of her mattress.

"And have to put little bits of plastic in my eyes every day?" Dawn shuddered, clasping her hooves against her upper arms and rubbing them briskly. "Ew, no thank you!"

Another fit of laughter rippled through the Hunter girls, Dawn doing her best to stifle her own giggling by clasping her muzzle with her hooves.

"I hear that!" Qali giggled, the fox squeezing tightly against her pillow as she rolled in place. "It always creeps me out when anything gets near my eyes."

"I have a habit o' squirmin' myself when my eye doctor has to get up real close to my eyes durin' a check up." Malcolm chuckled. "Ain't exactly the most comfortable position to be in."

"I am at least thankful I was able to get my teeth taken care of though, even if it wasn't really my choice," Dawn said as her laughter trailed off. "It didn't make high school any easier to get through though."

"I take it ya'll had braces then?" Malcolm asked with a smirk.

Dawn rolled her eyes, flicking a hoof playfully toward the wolf as she let out a laugh. "Braces? I had full on headgear." Dawn giggled. "Complete with the straps and everything to keep my adult teeth from coming in skewed."

"Geeze..." Ada said, the hyena cringing slightly as she spoke.

"They called me 'metal mouth' pretty regularly in high school for that," Dawn said sadly. "But it's not as if they weren't calling me plenty of other names by then. It was merely another one for the pile."

"Y'know I heard a ting or two about sheep teeth," Ada said with a soft smirk. "Mostly jokes about sheep never havin' heard of a dentist, or carin' more about dere horns bein' smooth and straight radder den dere molars."

Dawn nodded affirmatively. "Oh certainly. Sheep having terrible teeth is a well-known stereotype, although the basis is not entirely untrue."

"Cause ya'll are heavy grinders right?" Malcolm asked. "The whole prey 'needin' strong flat teeth' to ground down hard to digest stuff?"

Dawn blinked at the wolf in surprise. "Y-yes, actually." Dawn uttered. "How did you know that?"

Malcolm flashed the ewe a wide grin, placing his paw to his chest and puffing it out proudly. "I get a lot of prey customers, and knowin' how to make food suited to how they eat it is part of the job."

"Well, these days we sheep and other herbivores don't have to spend as much time chewing or using rumination to process our food considering how most of it is pre-processed." Dawn was quick to continue. "Unless you're set on preparing food the traditional way in prey circles, there is considerably less use for grinding your teeth nearly as much."

The girls remained attentive despite the ewe's fears of being boring, nodding along as Dawn prattled off more facts about sheepfolk. Despite their seeming intrigue, Dawn was keen to push through as fast as she could to get back to the topic at hoof.

"But that doesn't mean we don't still do it. Especially when we sleep, which is why so many sheep have dental issues." Dawn shrugged. "That's why you see so many rams with their front teeth jutting in several directions. All that back and forth grinding skews them while they are coming in during their teenage years."

"I see a lot o' rams wit jacked up teeth..." Ada interjected. "Especially back in the city, dough not as many lady sheeps."

Dawn nodded affirmatively. "That's because it's less socially acceptable among caprids for the females of their species to have skewed teeth." Dawn rolled her eyes slightly. "It's not considered an 'attractive look'."  The ewe said with a giggle.

"I can see why ya'll picked up with Vernon then." Malcolm said with a chuckle. "I mean if you gotta choose between pointy, sharp teeth, or jagged, flat teeth, at least one of 'em is straight."

Dawn giggled, covering her muzzle with her hooves as she kicked her legs at the wolf's joke.

"Lamb Sakes!" Dawn choked through her laughter. "You don't know how true that is!" Dawn lifted her glasses slightly, using a hoof to brush a stray tear from her eye as she tried to suppress her laughter. "I have yet to cut my tongue on Vernon's teeth, but I have on at least two of my ex's!"

Dawn collapsed back into her giggling fit, now joined by the rest of the Hunter girls. Vanna did her best to cover her muzzle as she chuckled, while the others laughed wildly. It took a few moments for the clamoring din of joy to finally die away, as one by one the girls managed to get a hold of themselves.

Dawn took her glasses off completely now, rubbing her eyes free of the lingering tears that had formed during her cackling fit. The ewe let out a few more laughs before trailing off into a pleasant sigh.

"I suppose despite all the hazing, the braces ended up being worth it." Dawn smiled broadly, making sure to flash her perfectly straight, albeit slightly crowded teeth. "And thankfully I've never been a chronic sleep grinder."

"No complaints from yer Pup?" Malcolm asked, flashing the ewe a sly grin.

Dawn rolled her eyes, letting out a dismissive chuckle. "Well, I do sleep with a night guard just in case, but even if I didn't have one it's fairly easy to tell if you've been grinding for a while."

"How?" Qali asked, tilting her head aside as she stared back at the ewe curiously.

Dawn nibbled at one of her hooves as she thought over how best to explain the tell tales signs of a ewe who had a bad case of sleep chewing. The ewe briefly glanced up at Vanna, earning a curious glance from the large feline before she turned her attention back to the other girls. Dawn wasn't entirely sure how to describe exactly what to look for without touching on a subject she had just learned Vanna was somewhat sensitive about. But now that she had brought up the subject, she couldn't exactly just drop it.

"Well..." The ewe scratched her chin. "It's really easy to pick up on if you know what to look for, especially when it comes to ewes."

"Whaddey got like a bad ovabite or sometin?" Ada asked, leaning her head against one of her paws.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Dawn replied, shaking her head dismissively. "It's just well...those ewe's that have a chronic grinding problem usually have..." Dawn tapped her hooves together. "Very well defined jaws."

Ada's smile widened as she seemingly picked up on the ewe's implication.

"Ahh, so dey got boy jaws den?" Ada said with a chuckle.

Dawn shrank into her shoulders at the hyenas words, quickly shifting her attention Vanna's way to see the large felines reaction now that Ada had carelessly blurted out the subject she was trying to dance her way around. The tigress had a slight frown on her muzzle, and despite her obvious efforts to appear unphased by Ada's blunt statement, the large feline had unconsciously brought her paw up to her chin. Vanna let out a soft whine as she attempted to glance down at her own lower jaw, rubbing at it worryingly.

"Ah not dis again!" Ada said, having clearly noticed the tigress' distress. "What, we can't talk about stuff bein' masculine now because youse a sensative about it!?"

Vanna ears pricked up as she drew her attention to Ada before quickly tearing her paw away from her muzzle.

"What? I didn't- I mean..." Vanna glanced down at her paws, a look of discomfort on her face as she twiddled her fingers. She was quiet for a moment, only to suddenly glance back Ada's way with concern lacing her features.

"My jaw isn't like a males? Is it?" Vanna asked worryingly, a quiet whine escaping her muzzle.

Ada placed a paw over her face as she leaned backward on the bed for dramatic effect.

"Geeze, I don't believe dis..." The words had come from the hyena, but Dawn couldn't see her face now that she was laying backward on the bed.

"Ada c'mon now!" Malcolm chided, waving a finger toward the large mammal's direction. "Now ain't the time to be makin' fun." The wolf said, now sitting up. Malcolm crossed his paws, furrowing his brow at the hyena sprawled out across from the rest of the group.

Dawn could hear Ada chuckling, but it was odd. It didn't sound as if it were mean-spirited, or as if she were laughing at a joke, but rather the tired and feigned laughter of someone who simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. The hyeness' weak laughter trailed off into a sigh as Ada rose from her bed. The canid taking a seated stance on her mattress as she stared back at the rest of the Hunter girls. The look on her face was oddly stern and serious.

"Vanna, trust me...youse are fine." Ada said, shaking her head. "Youse goils are all beauts, and as femmy as dey come. Right odda da box." Ada grinned weakly. "I know a ting or two about comin' off masculine, let me tells ya."

"You do?" Qali asked, the fox now pressing herself off the pillow she had been clutching, her rapt attention now focused on the hyena across the way.

Ada rolled her eyes. "Ain't none of youse eva heard anyting about spotted hyenas before?"

Dawn glanced around to find the rest of the girls more or less shared the same blank expression that she was wearing. Despite being quite the studious mammal growing up, the ewe knew very little about the species. The Hyena population in North Mammalia was considerably small, and even more so in Zootopia proper for reasons Dawn didn't really know. So information about the species was not something the ewe had spent a great deal of time absorbing.

"N-no, not really..." Dawn muttered, tapping her hooves together nervously.

"Not even da jokes!?" Ada spat, her voice a mixture of disbelief and what sounded like unease.

Dawn gave a meek, simple nod, only to get a long and tired sigh in response.

"Well, foist off." Ada smirked. "Udda mammals always got us pegged fa canines."

"You mean, you aren't?" Qali asked, tilting her head slightly allowing her ears to flop from one side to the other.

Ada rolled her eyes as she let out a barking laugh. "We'se our own species o'course! But we ain't related to canines at all!"

"I don't understand," Dawn muttered, squinting at the hyeness slightly. "I mean, I don't want to be rude but it's just-"

Ada held her paws out to stop the ewe. "I know, I know, I look like a canine and make noise like 'em, but I ain't. Not even way back on da evolutionary chart."

"Well, if ya ain't related to canines then what are ya exactly?" Malcolm asked.

"Well, hyenas like me are actually closa to cats den dogs." Ada said, flashing Vanna a smirk. "So technically me and Kit Kat ova dere are closer genetically den Snowball."

"Oh, thats bull." Vanna retorted, crossing her arms.

Ada closed her eyes, smiling widely as she shook her head from side to side. "Believe what yas want, but it's true." The hyena laughed. "Aldough I like to see it as bein' da perfect inbetween point between yous and Qails, a little of both mammals."

"Fascinating," Dawn said, adjusting her glasses. It was hard to parse, staring at the large...erm...feline before her, that despite how much more she closely resembled the Hunters rather than a mammal like Vanna, that she was indeed closer to the big cat family. Dawn was sure to make a mental note to be careful not to mistakenly refer to the hyena as anything other than feline from now on.

"But dats da fun one..." Ada said, her usual jovial expression seeming to fall as she slipped back into a more serious tone. "I seriously can't believe none of youse eva hoid da jokes. Not one?" Ada asked.

Dawn gave a decisively negative shake of her head, assuming the others more or less had followed suit as the hyena let out another tired sigh. Ada pinched the bridge of her muzzle for a moment, seemingly trying to steel herself for whatever she was going to say. It was surprising to the ewe to say the least, seeing the hyena so serious. It seemed like something she was incapable of, much like Vanna showing any sort of insecurity. Then again, the night had already proven to be full of surprises.

"Well...ya see..." Ada pushed the sagging coif of hair away from her face as she continued. "Ancient spotted hyenas were sorta...unique." Ada grimaced. "Particularly da ladies."

Dawn raised an eyebrow curiously. "How so?"

Ada rolled her eyes, letting out a shuddering breath as she seemed to struggle with her words.

"Well...dey...I mean..." Ada broke her gaze, looking down at her lap. With one of her paws she grappled her upper arm, rubbing it awkwardly. "Dey was packin' somtin' extra..." Ada raised her head slightly, making eye contact with Dawn only for a moment before looking away again.

"Downstairs..." Ada muttered.

The ewe was confused to say the least. She couldn't imagine what 'extra' thing Ada was hinting at. She had heard that some females of differing mammal species sometimes developed stray teats and so on below the belt line, but such things were easy to remove, and most didn't talk about such things with such gravity. They were a common condition that was easy to fix and usually removed at birth.

Dawn glanced at the other girls, all seeming to be just as confused as she was. Their eyes scanning each other for any inkling of reasoning as to what Ada was getting at. They must have remained that way for some time, as the hyena seemingly tired of their silent deliberation.

"A PENIS okay!" Ada snarled, blushing fiercely as she spat the words. "Ancient hyenas goils had PENISES!" Ada yelped before clasping her paws against her face in shame.

Dawn was frozen, her mouth agape as she tried to process what Ada had said. It simply didn't make sense, and her mind refused to process the information. The ewe tried to think of a response, a question, a word of reassurance, but all fell away under the utter confusion and the obvious contradiction.

"Wait, ya'll serious?" Malcolm asked, sounding as dumbfounded as Dawn's mind was. "How-I mean-Yeah, how would that even work?"

Ada placed a paw on the back of her neck, straining it back against her as she tilted her head back, keeping her gaze up and away from the other girls.

"I mean, it wasn't exactly a dong..." Ada muttered, discomfort heavy in her voice. "More like a uh...really long..." Ada winced slightly. "Clitoris."

"Like how long?" Qali asked, the fox now leaning nearly off the mattress in the direction of the hyena.

Ada cringed, biting her lip slightly as she struggled to continue.

"L-like seven inches sometimes..." Ada whimpered.

Dawn felt a gasp slip out of her muzzle despite herself. But fortunately, she hadn't been the only one in the room take in a sharp breath at that moment. In fact, she heard a chorus of gasps surrounding her as Ada's statement rippled through the rest of the group.

"LOOK IT WAS LIKE A MILLION YEARS AGO ANYWAY!" Ada spat, her face flushed with ire and embarrassment. "DAT'S JUST HOW DEY EVOLVED! AND DEY GAVE BOITH TROUGH IT! BUT IT AIN'T DAT WAY ANYMORE OKAY!?"

"Lamb Sakes..." Dawn murmured softly.

"That musta hurt sumthin' fierce." Malcolm added.

"I'm still having a hard time understanding exactly how something like that would work." Vanna muttered. The large tigress placing a paw to her muzzle, tapping a finger under her nose as she seemed to be trying to figure out the details. "I mean, if the boys have a penis, and so did the girls, then how did spotted hyenas breed?"

Ada clasped a paw over her eyes, letting out an irritated groan. It was clear the hyena was having a hard enough time navigating this bombshell of a statement without having to spend an eternity explaining the nuances of it all. But Dawn found herself far too curious to interject. Vanna had been right, it didn't make any sense from a reproductive standpoint, and that needed at least some form of explanation.

"Look..." Ada grumbled, gesturing a paw towards the rest of the group. "Millions of year ago, lady spotties had sumtin' called a 'psudo-penis' alright?" Ada's tone was a mixture of irritation and disappointment. "It ain't da same ting as a boys junk like I said, it's a big clitoris. But dat's where da boith canal was routed trew." Ada scratched her neck in clear discomfort. "So da boys had to kinda...get dere junk in dere to knock a gal up..."

"Ew..." Qali muttered softly, only to receive a soft swat by Vanna. The little fox glared back up at the tigress, clearly annoyed.

"Hey!" Qali huffed. "What was that for!?"

Vanna rolled her eyes, shaking her head dismissively.

"Be a little more sensitive gal..." Malcolm chided the vixen. "Ada just dropped a pretty big pastry in our lap. She don't need ya puttin' her down durin' probably the only time she's bein' open to us."

Qali let out another huff as she turned her attention back toward the tongue-tied Hyeness.

"Okay...I think I understand." Dawn muttered, scratching her chin as she pondered the strange information. "But if that was millions of years ago, what makes it relevant now?" The ewe asked curiously.

"Unless you are telling us that...you...?" Vanna trailed off, the tigress wincing sharply as she seemed unable to finish her sentence.

Ada frowned, placing her paws on her muzzle as her previous blush began to reappear.

"Look, a lot has changed in a million years okay!" Ada barked, her paws remaining clasped to the bridge of her muzzle. "Interbreedin' with udda hyena breeds ,and evolution put us mostly on da same level as da rest of da worlds ladies."

"Mostly?" Dawn queried, noting the large felines phrasing.

Ada let out an uncomfortable groan, dragging her paws down her face as she struggled to press onward with her story.

"W-well ya see..." The hyena ran a shaky paw through her side-cut mane. "Da ting is..." The hyena winced. "We spotties are like everyone else now, except we still have a little left ova from da old days."

"Are you saying you have a pseudo-penis Ada?" Dawn asked candidly, trying to help the troubled mammal through her clearly painful story.

"NO!" Ada protested sharply, rising in her seat slightly as she barked at the group. The flustered hyena quickly slumped back into her seat, crossing her arms and turning her head away from the other Hunter girls.

"Like I said, does deys are gone!" The hyena grit her teeth.

"Then what are you saying Ada?" Vanna asked.

Ada frowned sharply, her lip appearing to quiver slightly.

"Deese days...most of us still have a little bit of a..." Ada's voice cracked, the discomfort around the topic appearing to be breaking her down. "Enlarged clitoris."

"Oh?" Vanna asked.

"Not anymore!" Ada was quick to add before Dawn even had a chance to question her further. "I had it surgically reduced!" The hyena whined.

"Ada." Vanna said, her voice firm yet calm. "If you don't want to talk about it, then you do-"

"No!" Ada protested, the hyena pawing at one of her eyes as if she were trying to hold back the start of tears. "I mean, I'm good. I'm fine." Ada sighed. "It helps ta get it off my chest."

The room fell silent for what felt like an eternity, and Dawn found herself unsure as to how to break the deafening silence as she stared at the deflated hyeness sitting across from her. She wanted to say something comforting, something reassuring, but the ewe found herself struggling to find the right words. Dawn had a lot of personal issues when it came to her own self-image, but her femininity was one of the few things she felt confident about. And the ewe was sure even Vanna, despite her own insecurities still found herself far away from having to deal with her decidedly feminine parts resembling the other sex. And reasons like that were probably why the rest of the Hunter girls remained just as silent as she was, leaving it up to Ada to break the silence by pressing onward.

"I chose to do it, I wanted it, y'know," Ada mumbled softly. "It just made me feel...so un-goily, so...uncomfortable wit myself, y'know?" Ada sighed. "I did it for me."

"I don't think anyone would hold that against you Darlin'." Malcolm cooed, his voice gentle and reassuring. "We all do what we have to do."

"My Ma sure held it against me," Ada muttered.

"Your Mother held cosmetic surgery against you?" Dawn asked waryily.

Ada took a slow deep breath, letting out a long and tired sigh as she placed her paws in her lap. Her muzzle remained downturned as she stared at her own paws, twiddling her fingers idly.

"My Ma and Pop were immigrants straight outta Hyenya, in Africkat." Ada mumbled. "Hyenas ova dere still have a lotta strict social and cultural beliefs, and because a dat da nation is always havin' civil wars every few years. It's why my parents ended up leavin' for Zoo York"

Ada raised her head, flashing the other girls a weak grin. "And despite leavin' because of how crazy everyting was, dey still carried some strict beliefs wit 'em back to Zoo York." Ada chuckled dully. "I guess youse can take the Hyena out of Afrikat, but youse can't take the Afrikat outta da hyena."

"What kind of beliefs Ada?" Vanna asked, stealing the question from Dawn's muzzle.

"My Ma still followed da whole, 'ladies foist' superiority structcha that half da tribes in Hyenya follow. Boys are lessa mammals, and looked down on ova da females." Ada shook her head dismissively. "Deese are mammals dat believe if yas have a litter of all boys, yas been coised unless you leave dem outside to be picked off by scavengas!"

Ada sighed. "Dat said, when it comes to relics of da past, like having enlarged genital featchas, well...My Ma considas dat a point of pride. A blessing connected to are native roots."

"But you didn't?" Dawn asked.

Ada rolled her eyes.

"I grew up in da Barx, in some of da meanest schools in North Mammalia. You had ta have tick skin." The hyeness sighed. "But even I couldn't really handle da locker room ribbin' and jokes about 'havin' a tiny pecker' or havin' da udder goils tell me 'da boys locker room was across da way. "

"You shouldn't have let that get to you Ada!" Qali piped up, the fox standing on the mattress as she held her pillow close to her chest. "Those girls just sound like big bullies!"

Ada chuckled weakly. "It wasn't just dem..." Ada ran a paw through her swooping mane, brushing it away from her face. "I mean I saw da udder goils, and I envied dat feelin' of bein' normal." Ada rolled her eyes. "Plus da rumors of my endowment wasn't exactly gettin' da boys to line up around da block to date me."

Ada let out a tired sigh. " Da last straw was when jokes and rumors got so bad dat our teachas upped dere supervisin' us in order to keep da peace. It was supposed to put a stop to da udda goils behavior, but dat just made tings all all woise!" ada grumbled, running her paw through mane. "No one was makin' jokes out loud anymore, but da looks were da same. And even da teacha was clearly just as uncomfortable. Da awkward silence in dat locka room was way woise den hearin' it out loud, and dat sealed da deal."

Ada clasped her paws together in her lap, letting out another quiet sigh. "So toward da end of high school, I pooled my extra cash togedda from my side job and got da surgery to have it reduced."

"And your Mother didn't take it well?" Dawn asked, a worried tone in her voice.

Ada looked back at her paws, twiddling them nervously.

"Ma and Pop trew me out." Ada mumbled. "Dey didn't want a daughter who was willin' to trow away her heritage at da drop of a hat." The hyena shook her head dismissively. "If it wasn't fer my olda sister, I wouldn't a had anywhere to live. And I soitenly wouldn't have been able to go to nursin' school."

The ewe placed a hoof to her muzzle as sheer horror overcame her. She couldn't believe Ada's parents simply disowned her over something so paltry and meaningless. That they could be so cruel and heartless to their own flesh and blood. Then again, what was her life if not living proof that just because someone shares your bloodline means little in regards to how they can choose to justify treating you.

"And you still haven't...?" Vanna uttered, seemingly stopping short of whatever her full sentence was meant to state.

"I don't need 'em." Ada said with a shrug. "I made it wit out dem dis long, and I've been fine!" The hyena raised her head, flashing the girls a weak smile. "Besides, now I got Yuri, and I still got my sis Ama..." Ada's smiled widened despite visible tears rising in her eyes. "And alla youse...right?" The hyena asked, her wavering eyes pleading for assurance from her sisters.

It was a startling scene, seeing the tough, wisecracking hyena on the verge of tears. Her rough exterior slipping away to reveal her vulnerable, soft interior just as Vanna had to Dawn the night before. The hyeness was hurting, and Dawn knew she had to do what she could to fix it.

Although it quickly became evident that she hadn't been the only one of the Hunter girl to come to the same conclusion as a flash of blinding white zipped past her and wrapped itself tightly around the large hyena's chest.

Qali was squeezing the big mammal with all of her might, burying her head into Ada's chest as deeply as she could. The tiny vixen didn't say a word as Ada smiled back at her, ruffling her coif with one of her paws.

"Danks Snowball." Ada murmured quietly.

Dawn was next, making her way off the mattress and crossing the gap to meet the other two. Dawn said nothing as she scrambled her way up onto the bed alongside Ada and Qali before wrapping her tiny arms around the massive mammal and trying to squeeze as tightly as Qali was.

"After all that you've done for me?" Dawn asked with a soft laugh. "Of course I'm here for you. After all, that's what sisters are for?"

Ada tried to hide her sniffling behind a surprised laugh, the hyena flashing the ewe a warm smile before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a full side hug.

"And thank you Ada." Dawn mumbled against the hyena's shirt.

The hyena quirked an eyebrow. "What for?"

Dawn rubbed her face deeper into the large mammal's side. "For standing up for me today," Dawn replied. "You really didn't need to."

"Hey..." Ada snorted hard, trying her best to suck back the tears. "I'd be happy to punch a million wolves for yas if you need it, just ask ya big sis anytime."

Dawn felt the hyena's squeeze tighten slightly.

"Besides, like youse said, dat's what sistas are for." Ada smiled down at the ewe, causing Dawn to start welling up too.

At that moment, Dawn felt the bed seem to sink sharply next to her, and soon enough she found herself sandwiched between the hyena and what she could only assume was Vanna. The large tigress' chest practically burying the ewe into Ada's side.

"Me too," Vanna said softly, her grip tightening around the pair. The ewe did her best to shift around slightly in order to escape the overwhelming pressure, eventually slipping out from between the pair while still managing to hug the hyena in the process. Although now she was practically seated on Ada's knee.

"And me too Darlin'." Came Malcolm's voice, accompanied by another set of paws carefully maneuvering themselves over Qali and wrapping themselves around the hyena's neck.

Dawn felt a paw graze her cheek slightly, only for it to quickly retract. Turning Dawn saw that Qali had been trying to reposition herself now that they were all hugging Ada much like Dawn had.  The vixen's one paw remained tightly wrapped between Malcolm and Ada, but the other paw was held as far away from Dawn as it could be, with Qali sporting a worried expression.

"S-sorry Dawn!" Qali murmured. "I didn't mean to touch, I was just trying to find my way back into the hug!" Qali whimpered.

Dawn rolled her eyes, letting out a light chuckle as she appraised the tiny fox. She had so taken Vanna's words to heart, reacting like a timid child fearful that touching Dawn's wool would critically hurt their relationship.

Dawn let out a soft, pleasant sigh as she tilted the top of her head toward Qali's direction.

The fox eyed her in confusion, tilting her head slightly.

"Go on." Dawn said with a laugh. "It's okay."

Qali looked shocked, but only for a moment as a wide, almost insane grin formed on her muzzle. The tiny fox breathed in sharply, letting out a happy chirp before digging her paw into the fluffy wad of wool that adorned the top of Dawn's head.

The ewe could barely feel the vixens touch, but it was clear the fox was definitely feeling the texture of her well conditioned and cared for poof. Qali's ears sagged sharply, her head sinking into her shoulders as she ruffled her fingers deeper into the fluffy wool.

"SooooOOOooo Fluffy!" Qali cooed, seemingly mesmerized by the feeling of Dawn's wool between her fingers. The vixen actively shuddered as she continued to stroke the ewe's wool.

"It's like a cloud!" Qali giggled, pressing and releasing the fluff atop Dawn's head. Dawn couldn't help but giggle herself at the gleeful joy such a small gesture managed to bring the little fox, but her laughter quickly died away when she turned her attention to the other girls still wrapped around her. Vanna, Ada, and Malcolm were still locked into the hug, but their eyes were fixed on the vixen's manipulation of the ewe's wool.

If Dawn didn't know any better, she could swear that there were longing and a hint of jealousy in their eyes.

"You..." Dawn asked, a wry smile forming on her muzzle as her eyes darted from Hunter to Hunter. "You girls want to feel it too, do you?"

The rest of the girls immediately broke eye contact, muttering a variety of excuses and vague exclamations of feigned disinterest in an effort to play off their obvious curiosity.

Dawn giggled. "It's fine, go ahead."

Malcolm, Ada, and Vanna exchanged glances briefly before turning back to Dawn.

"Well, I mean, if ya'll are offerin'." Malcolm said, scratching the back of his head as he avoided eye contact.

As the wolf reached his paw out, Ada followed suit. "I mean, it can't feel different den store-bought stuff." The hyena muttered.

"I've always been curious..." Vanna muttered softly as their paws converged on various patched of the ewe's poof. Now that all four of her sisters were running their fingers through her wool, the ewe could easily feel it. Vanna's touch, despite being gentle and barely putting any pressure on her coif took up about half of the space on it alone.

"OOooHHH! Dat is soft!" Ada chirped in awe.

"It's like cotton candy!" Malcolm added, earning another giggle from the ewe.

"So...bouncy..." Vanna cooed, her paw gingerly prodding the side of Dawn's poof.

"That's the wool cream." Dawn laughed. "It really helps with the lift and volume."

"Do you think it-"

A sudden, loud groan emanated from the beneath the mob of mammals. The sudden creak stopping Qali's question dead in its tracks as the girls fell deathly still, their paws frozen mid-stroke in Dawn's wool as they nervously glanced at one another.

"What was that?" Dawn murmured quietly.

Another straining groan cut through the awkward silence, but this time it came with a sudden shudder that rippled through the bedding they were now sitting on. Vanna glanced down at the others with concern.

"I-uh...I think we should mo-"

With a sudden sharp snap, the bed dropped out from under them. It only dropped about a few inches, but the sudden jerking force had caused Ada to topple backward onto the mattress, pulling the rest of the mob of mammals down with her as the plopped down hard against the bed.

Dawn immediately noticed they were now leaning at a slight angle, the bottom of the bed now seemingly lower than the top end. The rest of the Hunter sisters all exchanged shocked and confused glances for a moment before Vanna leaned over to inspect the damage. After a few moments, the tigress rejoined the mob now splayed on the tilted bed.

"I think we broke the legs on the bottom of the bed." Vanna said, a smile trying to force it's way onto the tigress' muzzle as she tried to stifle a laugh. But the feline's efforts proved to be for naught, as the rest of the girls broke into a fit of laughter, with Vanna quickly caving and joining in.

Dawn laughed and laughed, until her stomach muscles were aching from the spasms. The ewe kicking her legs while the others howled with laughter around her, some literally. But the group was quick to cut their laughter short as they heard the sound of hurried footfalls approaching the bedroom. The last of the lingering giggles screeching to a halt as the door swung wildly open to reveal a familiar worried looking she-wolf.

"What in Ferir's fur is-!?" Audrey stopped mid sentence as her eyes quickly appraised the scene. The Wolfess quirked an eyebrow at the furry mob huddled on the now slanted bed as the girls remained in silent surprise.

Audrey shook her head softly, running a paw through her head fur.

"Teeth to Tails, ya'll girls all right?" Audrey asked.

Quietly the girls eyed each other, Dawn's irises darting from mammal to mammal as she scanned her sisters to see who was going to step forward as the first to respond.

"Yes...?" Vanna muttered, quickly joined by the other girls giving vague murmurs of agreement now that the tension had been dissolved.

"W-we're okay Mrs. Hunter..." Dawn murmured sofly, tapping her hooves together. " Just had a little...accident..."

Audrey ran a paw through her head fur again, letting out a sigh.

"Looks like it." Audrey said with a chuckle. "Never gave much thought to warnin' ya'll about bed capacity before tonight. O'course this is the most gals we've had up here at once."

"Yes, I'm afraid we weren't exactly thinking about that either." Dawn said meekly.

"Till da bed started groanin'" Ada said, letting out a hyena laugh.

Audrey rolled her eyes. " Well I can't just leave ya'll like that." The wolfess gestured a paw toward the group.

"Nah i'll be fine." Ada said with a smirk. "I can sleep at an angle no problem." The mammal flashed her teeth. "I mean, It can't be woise den fallin' asleep at a bus station, and I done dat more times den I'm proud to admit!"

A soft series of giggles rippled through the Hunter Girls, dying down quickly under Audrey's concerned stare. The wolfess let out a scoff.

"Nonsense Ada, I ain't gonna abide that." Audrey said in a motherly tone. "No one's sleepin' in that thing untill I can get one of the boys to drill the legs back in."

"Aw Auddy, ya don't ha-"

"Now I won't have it." Audrey cut the hyeness off. "One of ya'll gals will just have to bunk up with another till tomorrow."

The group exchanged curious glances, Dawn was certain they were equally ruminating on exactly which mammals were going to be in the same bed as much as she was.

"I'll leave ya'll to figure that out fer yerselves." Auddrey said, dismissively shaking her head. "Now ya'll get some rest girls." The wolfess grasped the bedroom door handle, pulling it slowly toward herself as she began to back out of the room. "Goodnight."

The girls muttered a variety of enthusiastic 'goodnights' back to the Mother wolf as she eased out of the room.

She had nearly closed the bedroom door before squeezing her head back in the room briefly.

"'Specially you Dawn, we gotta get up early Hon." Auddey cooed.

Dawn flashed the wolfess a confident smile. "Y-yes Misses Hunter. Of course." The ewe replied.

"I told ya'll, call me Auddy." The she-wolf replied with a final smirk before slipping behind the door and sealing the bedroom once more, leaving the girls to bask in awkward silence as they lay still strewn together on the broken mattress. It remained that way for some time before Qali finally broke the deafening quiet.

"Hey, I think I finally got a good nickname for Dawn." The tiny fox uttered.

Ada raised her head from the bedding, raising an eyebrow at the tiny vixen laying in between her and the pudgy wolf.

"Oh yeah?" Ada smirked. "Let's hear it den." The hyena said with a snicker.

Qali wedged herself free of the space between the two mammals, leaning her arms on Ada's stomach as she looked over at Dawn.

"Plush!" Qali chirped happily, flashing the ewe a wide grin.

"Plush?" Ada asked.

"Yeah, Plush." The fox responded. "Cause she's so soft."

For a moment the hyena looked as though she was going to simply strike the name down like she had done all the others. She opened her mouth for a moment, only to quickly close it again.

The hyena eyes shifted over to Malcolm, then to Vanna, raising a questioning eyebrow to each as if looking for approval.

"Hmm...Plush..." Malcolm said with an approving nod.

"Certainly better than Kit Kat..." Vanna muttered, a hint of jealousy in her voice. However, the stoic tigress nodded in agreement despite it.

"Alright, den it's settled!" Ada said with a smirk, tightening her grip around Dawn and pulling her back into her side. Dawn couldn't see from her place now buried in her shirt, but she could feel the sudden noogie the large hyena was giving her through the mop of wool on her head. "Plush it is!"

Dawn writhed, trying to squirm free despite laughing at Ada's playful antics.

"Stop!" Dawn giggled, letting out the occasional snort as she finally managed to pull away from the Hyena's grip. Dawn sat up, looking back down at the rest of the "Hunter girls" now smiling back at her.

"Welcome to da pack, Plush." Ada said with a smirk. the other girls still giggling around her. "You're a real Hunta goil now."

Dawn smiled warmly, feeling tears begin to well up behind her lenses as she simply buried herself back into Ada's chest, hugging the large mammal as tightly as she could. Slowly she felt the arms of the other girls wrap around her from behind, adding to the hug once again as she became enveloped in a blanket of love an acceptance. Her sisters loved her, they embraced her as one of their own, and now that she had a nickname she was truly a 'Hunta goil' as Ada would call it. But despite the ewe's overwhelming joy, in the following silence the nagging painful thought in the back of her head was starting to grow. The cruel and hateful words spat by Papa Hunter just hours before that ran in direct contrast to any progress the ewe could ever make with the rest of the family despite her best efforts.

"As long as I'm head of this household, you ain't never gonna be a Hunter."

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves Ch:27

So we've got a long one this week, and this is only really part one of three when it comes to a portion of the story I'm dubbing as "Girls Night". Part two is equally as long, if not longer. And there's a palette cleanse between part 2 and three where we will be dropping in on the boys. There would probably be more portions of boys night, and maybe there still will, but honestly I just want to get through act two of the story and move on already. Even though I know a number of you would like this story, and especially bits like this to go one forever.

My apologies for posting relatively late today, its kind of looking like a hectic week what with Thanksgiving approaching. I spent most of today running all over doing prep for it only to come home and have a bad health issue crop up pretty hard. I don't want to go into details but it's making things a bit harder when I have to force myself to rest because of it. I have things to draw, passages to write, and I can't let it get in the way of that but it does sometimes. I really hope you like this chapter. It was fun to write, and I hope it proves as fun to read. But, lets dive in, this bad boy is long enough as it is without me rambling...

Chapter Twenty Seven: Girls Night: Rule Breakers

"But enough stallin' sis." Ada grinned widely at the ewe. "You gonna spill it or what?"

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to!" Vanna said with a huff, her muzzle still flushed with red. "Lay off Ada!"

Dawn hadn't even registered Ada's provoking statement, she had been far too lost in thought over the confirmation that Vanna had indeed broken the Hunter house rule. Vanna, who on all accounts seemed to be the most responsible and rule abiding out of all the Hunter girls, had willingly defied Audrey's wishes. It was simply impossible for the ewe's mind to parse. Dawn was stuck staring at Vanna in shock as the feline's eyes met hers again. Vanna's ears flattened against her head as she shrunk deeper into her shoulders.

"I mean...I um..." Vanna sputtered as the ewe's senses returned, making Dawn aware of the gawking stare she had levied at the tigress. The ewe quickly turned her gaze away, trying to play it off with an awkward cough. "Things happen sometimes, right? We don't need to say anything more!"

"Youse are just tryin to save yer own hide kit kat!" Ada cackled. " If old fluff ball doesn't have to tell, den needa do youse right?"

"No!" Vanna snapped back, drawing a paw over her scalp frantically before slipping back into a more confident posture. The large tigress folded her arms, glowering at the still smugly grinning hyena. "I mean, it's wrong to try to pressure someone into talking about something they aren't comfortable sharing!"

"Vanna's right." That had come from Qali. The petite fox was now curled up at the foot of her bed, clutching a pillow tightly as she eyed the rest of the group. The fox frowned for just a moment as she spoke, letting out a disappointed sigh before her smile suddenly returned.

"That's why we should tell her about when we broke the rule first!" She happily chirped, giving her pillow a tighter squeeze. "That way it will make her way more comfortable about sharing her own story!"

"Now wait a min-"

"That ain't a bad idea Snowball!" Ada cut Vanna off. The hyeness flashed the big cat another smug grin before shifting her attention back to the arctic fox.

"Why don'cha start us off, and we'll go around da room?" Ada added.

Qali's response was an eager one, the diminutive arctic fox stowing her pillow behind her before giving the mattress a few more playful bounces as she clapped her paws together.

"Oh, okay!" The fox chirped happily as she settled back onto her mattress. Resting one paw against her cheek, the vixen placed a finger to her lower lip, tapping it lightly. She seemed to be thinking over just how to begin, rolling her eyes back slightly as she softly 'hmm'd' to herself. While this was going on, Vanna had simply placed her head in her paw, her shoulders slumped in seeming defeat. Dawn wasn't keen on the prospect of retelling the exact details of her own lurid exercise with Vernon in the field, but she would be lying if she said she was uninterested in hearing the other girls own stories, especially Vanna's.

With a sudden snap of a finger, Dawns attention was drawn back to Qali. The vixen was now leaned up to the edge of the bed, both her arms now prone against the mattress as she flashed a wide grin.

"Alright, so this was the last time we were out, back when Trenny first graduated." Qali said. "You remember Dawn, I mentioned it in the truck."

Dawn nodded softly, moving closer to the foot of her bed as she prepared to give the vixen her full attention. Easing around Vanna, the ewe slid up to the edge, sitting herself in much the same way Qali had.

"You mean the first time you met Audrey and Dorian?" Dawn asked in shock.

Qali gave a brisk and energetic nod.

Dawn placed a hoof to her lips to hide her surprised expression. The stories had just gotten started and already it had turned out that the ewe had not been alone when it came to tainting her first official family meeting. Although considering Qali's general personality, the ewe felt that perhaps she shouldn't have been so shocked.

"We had been out here for...hmm..." Qali murmured as she once again brought a claw to her chin, tapping it questioningly. "It had to be two days at most." Qali affirmed with a soft nod.

"Ol' Auddey wanted me and Trenny to help clean out the closet in the boys room." She placed a paw against her cheek. "Move some of the more important stuff out to the barn and yadda, yadda, something." Qali waved her other paw dismissively.

"You mean the room downstairs right?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "The closet that looks like a bomb went off inside of it?"

Qali nodded without missing a beat. "Hee hee, I guess it went back to being a dump pretty quick huh?" Qali chuckled. "But I assure you Trenny had straightened it up."

"Anyway..." The fox continued. "We had just moved a few things out to the barn and Trenny was already in the closet by the time I got back inside." Qali raised a paw. "So I slipped in to the closet after him and closed the door behind me. No big deal, we had been doin' that all day right?" Qali asked.

Dawn nodded slightly despite the fact the question was clearly rhetorical.

"So we get a bunch more boxes together, and we go to carry 'em out." Qali continued.

"So like two for you den squirt?" Ada chuckled.

Qali glared back at the large hyeness briefly. "Yeah, so?" Qali snorted. "They were big boxes!" Qali crossed her arms.

"I'm sure dey were." Ada mocked, rolling her eyes as she teased the vixen.

"Let's see you come down to my families farm and lug around a fifty pound tree before makin' judgements!" Qali snapped. "And those boxes were holding your mates weight lifting set by the way!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure." Ada said, a clear tone of disinterest lacing her reply as she waved a paw. "Just go on wit da story already."

Qali furrowed her brow before turning her attention back to the group at large.  The fox let out an annoyed huff.

"So, anyway..." Qali muttered flashing the large canid one more nasty glare before continuing. "Trenny goes to open the door, and what do you know, it's stuck."

"So you were locked in?" Dawn asked.

"The door doesn't have a lock." Qali corrected. "But the wood frame tends to warp in the summer..." The fox trailed off, tapping a claw to her chin. "At least that's what Auddey told me later."

"So what did you do?" Dawn questioned.

"I tink she made it pretty clear in da beginning what she did. Weren't youse payin' attention?" Ada chuckled.

Dawn shook her head dismissively. " I mean, what did you do to try to get out?"

Qali shrugged. "Everything really." The arctic fox sighed. "Trenny and me tried calling for help, prying it open, everything short of breaking the door down. Mostly because Trenny wasn't keen on the idea of having to pay to replace the door himself." Qali rolled her eyes. "Of course ol' Auddey was out picking up groceries at the time, so we were just going to have to wait it out."

"Lamb sakes..." Dawn murmured quietly.

"And the worst part was that the closet wasn't connected to the house's air vents." Qali groaned. "It was stifling in there, all the built up Summer humidity was locked inside that tiny room."

Dawn grimaced sharply at the thought. Just a few weeks prior to their visit to the Hunter Ranch, the central air conditioning unit in her and Vernon's shared apartment had broken down, and the couple was forced to endure a week at the mercy of the stifling humidity that built up in their rainforest adjacent home. It was torture, although the ewe was grateful that they at least didn't live in Sahara Square. But for an arctic fox, who's fur was thick and built to combat the cold, Dawn could only imagine being subjected to overbearing humidity was that much worse.

"So naturally we ended up stripping down to little more then underwear and over-shirts." Qali giggled. "Well at least I did, Trenton was holding out."

"Probably because he was trying to avoid puttin' himself in a situation that might lead to rutting." Vanna finally spoke, although her response was low and quiet.

"Didn't woik." Ada chuckled.

"So there we were, killing time by playing board games and junk while we prayed for Mama Hunter to get home." Qali continued. " And it was soooo boring..."

"Not a fan of board games I take it?" Dawn asked.

"Not this girl." Qali chirped, pointing a thumb to her pelt. "I like active stuff, like taking walks, swimming, and snow sports especially. I'm an excellent snow boarder!" The fox said proudly. "But musty old board games where you have to sit and take turns and wait a whole bunch practically puts me to sleep."

Ada laughed. " I hear dat."

"So when we started playing cards....well..." Qali grinned widely. "I decided to try to make it interesting." The diminutive foxed waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"O-oh?" Dawn asked, her curiosity peaked despite knowing where the vixen's story was inevitable leading. "How so?"

"Strip poker." Qali giggled.

"Nice." Ada replied with an impish grin.

"And I lost..." Qali added with a mischievous grin of her own.

Dawn placed her hooves over her mouth. "O-ho my." Dawn said, doing her best to suppress her own smile.

"On purpose." Vanna added.

"Of course on purpose!" Qali giggled. "Why else would I want to play?"

Vanna simply rolled her eyes.

"Now I thought you said ya'll were already stripped down to yer undergarments." Malcolm chuckled.

Qali smirked. "It was a short game." The diminutive fox giggled. "He was skeptical of course, but with a worried frown and a playful bat of my eyes I was able to convince him it was just to make him more comfortable. To get him out of that stifling clothing and relax a bit." Qali feigned an innocent expression, flicking a paw lazily. "He thought I just wanted to help, but instead I was out to hustle him." Qali brought her paw to her lips as a blush began to form on her muzzle.

"Ya'll tricked him?" Malcolm said with a quiet laugh. "And how'd ya manage that? I thought ya'll said you didn't care fer parlor games and the like?" The russet wolf raised an eyebrow.

"Just because I don't like them doesn't mean I don't know how to play them!" Qali laughed. "My Dad was a card shark, and he passed that on to me and my sisters." Qali grinned evilly. "I just hadn't told Trenny at the time."

"Ohhh!" Ada cooed knowingly. "Bad foxy."

Qali giggled in response.

"So what happened?" Malcolm pressed, the wolf hiding his grin behind clenched paws.

"Well I was out of clothes, so I had to bet something." Qali cooed. "So I told Trenny if he beat me with his next hand, well..." Qali's smile grew practically cheshiren in size, practically stretching from ear to ear. "Let's just say I told him I'd wrap my muzzle around mount Trenny for a while."

Dawn raised an eyebrow in confusion breifly. "Mount Tre-?" As realization hit the ewe, a deep crimson blush rapidly followed. Qali offered a simply nod in response, as if to further affirm the ewe's conclusion as to just what part of Trenton's body the diminutive fox was hinting at.

"Again, he was totally against it at first." Qali smirked. "But a bit of my best fast talking, some fluttering of the eyelids, and the distracting view that I was going out of my way to show off he caved pretty quickly." The fox snickered. "By the time I was cramming cards into his paws he wasn't putting up much of a fight."

"You naughty goil!" Ada laughed.

"B-but didn't you...?" Dawn cleared her throat awkwardly as her bashfulness strangled her words. "You said you tricked him...y-you hustled him?" Dawn asked.

Qali chuckled. "Well you see..." Qali could barely keep her giggling under control as her own blush deepened. "If I won, Trenny was gonna have to...well do it to me instead."

Dawn let out an 'oohhh' as she placed her hooves over her muzzle.

"Datta goil!" Ada clapped, letting out a barking laugh.

"So he lost the bet then?" Malcolm chuckled.

Qali gave a brisk nod. "And let me tell you, Trenny knows how to work that tongue!" The vixen smacked her lips. "He had me up against the closet door, screaming his name at the top of my lungs while I rode his muzzle!" Qali giggled. "My legs were so tightly wrapped around his head, I'm surprised he didn't pass out!" The fox rolled backwards on her mattress as a giggling fit ensued. Qali kicked her tiny legs as she continued to laugh, taking deep breaths as she tried to compose herself.

Finally seeming to catch her breath, the vixen sat back up. Qali let out a few more weak chuckles as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"It was amazing." Qali cooed. "Until the door opened and the two of us spilled out right in front of Mama Hunter."

Dawn felt herself reflexively cringe at the mere prospect of being in Qali's position. Despite breaking the house rule, at the very least the couple hadn't been found mid-mating by Audrey. She had barely been able to look the she-wolf in the eyes just from her easily deducing what the couple had been up too outside. If Audrey had found them while Vernon's snout was buried in the ewe, Dawn was certain she would never be able to make eye contact with her again.

Ada was the first to bust out laughing, her hyena like cackle loud and uproarious as she rolled on her own mattress. Qali was quick to join the large canid, followed by Malcolm shortly there-after.

"Phew..." Qali said, composing herself once more as the others laughter died away. "Talk about getting caught with you pants down."

Ada let out another sharp laugh. "Good one Snowball!"

Dawn leaned forward, her attention remaining fixed on Qali.

"So what did you do?" Dawn asked nervously.

Qali lolled her shoulders before letting out a tired sigh. " Honestly, I was pretty ashamed." Qali shook her head dismissively. "I was luckly ol' Auddey let me off lightly."

"She told you to go 'think about what ya'll done', right?" Malcom asked.

Qali gave a meek nod. "Yep, and I did. I felt super terrible afterwards, especially because it was mostly my fault."

"It takes two to tango..." Dawn mumbled softly as she chewed at her hooves.

"That's exactly what she said to me!" Qali chirped, pointing a claw Dawn's way as she rolled slightly in her seat, rocking back and forth. "She even called me Ms. Pelagere for a while, like I had lost status with her..."

"Trust..." Dawn added, causing the fox to nod her head in agreement.

"I had like, tarnished her trust in me." Qali sighed. "And it certainly didn't come off as respectful."

"Dat's puttin' it lightly." Ada added with a chuckle.

"It was another two days before we were back to first names." Qali lamented. "And boy did that suck."

"W-what about Trent?" Dawn asked.

Qali chuckled. "Not only did he have to finish cleaning the closet, but he spent the rest of the day organizin' the attic by his lonesome." The vixen shook her head. "No AC up there either, poor Trenny."

"Lamb sakes..." Dawn uttered. Qali more or less had been through the same, if not a worse situation than she had. The fox even had to endure two days more of the She-wolf's cold shoulder. Then again, despite what the diminutive fox expressed, Dawn had a hard time picturing the cheery, excitable fox being significantly down about the affair, at least not for very long. She just seemed far too happy a mammal to let such a thing weigh on her as much as Dawn had. Then again, the ewe had a lot of other guilty feelings weighing on her already before Audrey had come to scold her.

"Yeah, yeah." Ada scoffed. "I'm shure da mook was feelin' real lousy and down when he was wearin' you as a muzzle."

Qali let out a soft giggle which faded away into more of a sorrowful sigh. "I still felt bad though, for Trenny, and for how I made Auddey feel." The fox offered a weak grin. "Auddey's such a sweety, and I hated that I put her in such a position."

"I hear that." Malcolm sighed. "I know I felt the same way when me and Xavey got caught."

"Speakin' of..." Ada grinned. "I'd say you're up 'Buddabuns', unless Kit Kat wants ta go foist?" Ada grinned evilly, her glance shifting back to the massive tigress. Vanna grimaced sharply, turning her head away from Ada as she let out a scoff.

"Aw c'mon Vanna, we're all sisters here." Malcolm paused for a moment, glancing down at himself briefly before offering an awkward smile to the group. "Well, mostly."

Ada and Qali giggled at the pudgy wolf's words.

With a tired groan, Malcolm shifted his body toward the rest of the group, laying on his side. The red wolf leaned his head on paw, while allowing the other to drape over his gut. His paw idly scratching at the baby blue fabric as he let out a comfortable sigh.

"Xavey and I had been an item fer about a year at that point if I remember correctly." Malcolm tapped a claw to his chin as he rolled his eyes. The wolf seemingly trying to recall a more concrete memory. "Yessir', it was just shy of a year!" The wolf declared, returning his paw to it's resting place on his stomach. "By then we had visited a few times, so I knew Momma Hunter purty well by then. But this was the first time we were gonna be spendin' the whole week at the ranch. It was Courtship Day break, so we finally had that kind of time free from work to take a real vacation. And I was really lookin' forward to the holiday festivities."

"Courtship Day ain't supposed ta be for couples like youse!" Ada snarked. "It's supposed to be about gettin' new couples togeddah! Not celebratin' bein' a long term ting." The hyenas shook her head.

"Yeah, Ostara is the holiday for celebrating long term relationships." Qali added, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Right?"

Vanna and Dawn nodded in confirmation.

Malcolm chuckled. "I know that!" The wolf replied. "But I was more so lookin' forward to the town festival, more so the cook-off and bake-off aspects of it!" Malcolm ran a paw though his russet hair. "I was kinda eager to throw down with some of the local chefs, and see what they were made of." The wolf declared proudly. "And gettin to taste a bunch of specialty foods and deserts you can't get most other places was a purty enticin' prospect too." Malcolm ran his tongue across his maw, patting his belly affectionately.

Dawn raised an eyebrow curiously. "I thought you said you two were coming to the ranch for a 'vacation'." The ewe adjusted her glasses slightly. "Participating in a series of cook-offs sounds like a lot of work."

Malcolm laughed. "When yer line of work is also yer favorite hobby, the line between the two gets real blurry." The wolf sighed. " 'Sides, cookin fer contests is a lot less pressure than running a diner. More fun and free wheelin', and ya'll don't have a buncha customers breathin' down yer neck."

Dawn understood where the wolf is coming from, or at least could somewhat understand. While she had yet to publish her first book, writing had always been a fun hobby for her. It was something she freely pursued in her downtime for her own enjoyment from her adolescence onward, and even if she never shared any of those works with those around her, the time spent writing them had never seemed like a waste. Now that she was staring down the barrel of releasing a book for public consumption, she found herself wondering just how she would be able to properly delineate 'work writing' from 'play writing', or if there could be any clear distinction at all from that point on. One thing the ewe was certain of was that even if her writing career ultimately flopped, she would still find herself writing for fun regardless.

"Anyhow..." Malcolm sighed, scratching his belly again. "Once Xavey and I first came out to the Ranch, we had a few days of preppin' before the 'Courtship Festival' opened up officially. So Momma Hunter and I went out and entered in to all the contests we were plannin' on participatin' in, and then we basically spent the whole day in the Kitchen cookin' up a storm." Malcolm chuckled. "We were practicin', honin' our skills and tradin' recipes and tips while Xavey just stood there and watched."

"Why?" Dawn asked. "Xavier didn't want to help?"

Malcolm let out a hard laugh. "Didn't want to? Darlin' he wasn't allowed to!" The russet wolf let out another jovial laugh. "I love my 'Fluffybuns' to death, but that boy can't cook worth a damn." Malcolm shook his head. "If I even let him hold a wisk it'd probly' catch fire, that's how bad he is. When it comes to baking, well that boy is practically the Anti-Crust."

Ada let out a cackle of her own. "Nice pun on dat one 'Buddabuns!'"

Malcolm bowed his head as if bowing for applause in response to Ada before letting out a contented sigh.

"But he didn't want to be alone all day, at least until Pa got back from the precinct. So he stayed and cheered us on." Malcolm smiled warmly.

"So what happened?" Ada smirked. "C'mon, get to da good stuff!" The hyeness said with a sharp snort as she slapped her knee.

"I'm gettin' to it, hold yer horses there city girl!" Malcolm chuckled, pushing his hair away from his eyes.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Qali added. "I haven't heard this one yet!"

Vanna was quick to shush the pair, her eyes were stern and serious as she glared at the hyena and fox until they went silent. Despite Vanna's previous stance on spilling their collective guts when it came to their most intimate moments, the glint behind the tigress' eyes shone with interest as she returned her attention to Malcolm.

Malcolm sighed. "Alright, so we had been baking fer hours at this point. Pies, cakes, pred cuisine, all sorts of goodies."

"The Kitchen must have smelled amazing..." Qali said dreamily as she leaned her head in her paws. The diminutive fox kicked her legs idly as her attention remained on the chubby wolf.

"Yeah, to be a fly on the wall on dat day..." Ada smirked. "For da smells and da show!" Ada chuckled.

Malcolm shook his head, a grin crawling across his muzzle. "Anyway, I remember I wanted to show Momma Hunter how to cook up some 'de-licious' raspberry tortes. They're kind of a staple food fer Courtship Day. But by then, we had pretty much used up all the supplies we'd need to keep cookin'."

Malcolm extended his paw, holding it up as he eyed the group. "So naturally, someone had to pick up more flour, sugar and so on to keep us bakin'" The wolf waved his paw. "And since Ma Hunter doesn't like to let anyone else drive her truck aside from Papa Hunter, she was the one who decided to go get the ingredients we needed."

Malcolm raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk crossing his muzzle. "That left me and Xavey alone to monitor the food that was still cookin'."

"So is that when you two-?"

Malcolm held up a paw, effectively silencing Qali's burgeoning curiosity.

"Now don't get ahead of me Darlin'." Malcolm chuckled. "I'm gettin' there. I promise."

Malcolm let out another groan as he sat up, placing his paws on his knees as he crossed his legs into a seated pose.

"Now, I wanna start off by sayin' the last thing I had on my mind was breakin' the house rule. I wasn't even thinking about sex. I was more concerned about the pies in the oven than anythin' else."

"Sure you was." Ada rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't!" Malcolm affirmed. "Although I can't say fer certain if Xavey didn't either, it certainly didn't seem like he was thinkin' it at the time anyway." Malcolm sighed, drawing his paw through his hair again. "We spent most of the time just talkin' while I kept busy workin' on the food we still had supplies fer."

A mischievous smile crawled across Malcolm's muzzle. "Then, I accidently dropped a spoon I was using." The wolf brought a paw to his chin. "It was covered in batter, and on it's way to the floor it smudged on Xavey's pants before landin' right between his paws."

Qali was already rolling in her seat eagerly as she eyed Malcolm with an intense focus. The arctic fox seemingly giddy with anticipation as she rocked in place.

"I take it prissy pants was none to pleased about the stain?" Ada quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh Xavey was none too pleased. He hates gettin' food on his clothes, even the less than fancy stuff." Malcolm chuckled. "So while he's flippin' his lid, I'm reachin' fer the spoon and cursin' the fact I wasted a good bit a batter that was glopped onto the thing." Malcolm shook his head dismissively. "I finally get a grip on it, and as I'm going to stand up, my muzzle bumps right under Xavey's crotch."

Dawn blushed slightly as she brought her hooves to her muzzle. Despite the fact that she had known where the story had been heading from the get go still did little to prepare her for when the pudgy wolf got to the 'meat' of his story.

"Oh my..." She said quietly. The ewe could pretty much assume where things were going from here.

Malcolm chuckled. "I got the batter from his pants on my snout, but more importantly I got a deep whiff of my 'Fluffybuns' delicious scent." Malcolm's eyelids drooped slightly as he stared off dreamily. "That virile, dusky earthen' scent that sent shivers down my spine."

Dawn gulped slightly as the wolf's description tickled at her memories of her mates own scent. In that moment she couldn't help but picture herself in the same situation, just inches away from Vernon's own wolfhood and drinking deeply of his musk. Dawn shuddered briefly, thanking the gods that although the thought was a stimulating one, at the very least her estrus was dulled enough for the sudden fantasy not to stir up too much agony in her loins.

"At that point Xavey had stopped fussin'." Malcolm continued. "We had both sorta locked eyes, and I could see we were more or less thinkin' the same thing." Malcolm grinned slyly. "Of course I couldn't resist a bit of teasin' first."

"What did you do?" Dawn asked, leaning forward slightly as she bit at her hoof.

Malcom chuckled. "Well, I batted my eyes at my lil' Xavey, and I said 'Aw, I'm sorry about the mess Darlin', how bout I clean ya'll up?'"

"And what did he do?" Qali was quick to ask, the fox now leaning well over the edge of her mattress as she watched the pudgy wolf.

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "My little wordsmith, master of the Animanglish Language, didn't say nothin'." Malcolm shook his head. "He stuttered and stammered a bit before finally givin' me a slow, shaky little pleadin' nod."

Malcolm licked his maw as his grin widened mischievously. "So I lapped that little bit of batter up....and then..." The wolf shook his head. "And then I opened up his pants, and started lappin' at my favorite dessert."

"Right in Audrey's Kitchen?" Dawn asked in shock.

Malcolm simply nodded, the smirk never leaving his muzzle.

"Right in front of the counter. I was down on my knees teasin' that poor boy seven ways to Sunday." Malcolm chuckled. "Xavey was making the cutest noises, he always does when I got him at my mercy like that." The chubby wolf said dreamily. "Like lil' half begs. Dyin' fer me to end his sufferin', but at the same time lovin' the teasin'."

Dawn's blush deepened as the wolf's tawdry tale went on. Even her romp in the corn field hadn't been as risky as what Malcolm and Xavier had done. Short of mating in Audrey's bedroom, the ewe couldn't imagine a more dangerous place to try to sneak in a rut than her Kitchen. At least, up until Vernon had howled the pair had the privacy of the night to more or less shield their deeds. It was unlikely that Audrey would have come looking for them unless they had been out for hours. But her Kitchen was surely asking to be caught.

"Unfortunately..." Malcolm's smile waivered as his ears began to sag. "From where I was...er...handlin' things, I couldn't exactly see the entrance of the Kitchen." Malcolm's voice grew quieter as a blush began to form on his muzzle. "O'course Xavey was in the perfect position' to meet Momma Hunter's eyes when she came back from the store."

Ada hissed as she sucked in a sharp breath. "Ohh..." The hyeness shook her head. "So you didn't know huh?"

Malcolm chuckled weakly. "I felt Xavey suddenly tense up, but I couldn't figure out why..." The pudgy wolf's blush deepened. "And I couldn't exactly ask him with my mouth fulla'...well...y'know..." The wolf trailed of, tapping his fingers together idly.

Malcolm placed his head in his paw. "He had to pull me off and turn my head around before I knew what was happinin'."

"Look's like youse two got caught wit Xavey's pants down!" Ada said, letting out a hyena-like cackle.

Malcolm kept his head down, clearly deeply ashamed of Audrey catching the couple like that. "I was purty much on a full name basis fer the rest of the holiday." Malcolm sighed. "And as fer Xavey, well he was on dish duty fer the rest of the trip. Which considerin' how much we were bakin', well...it was a tall order."

As Malcolm's story sunk in, Dawn was having a hard time deciding which story had been the worse of the two. Each one prominently featured being caught mid-act by Audrey, a fate the ewe mentally held up in her mind as worse than death. More or less the couples had been caught committing the same crime against the house rule, but was catching your son with his girlfriend riding his face better or worse than catching your son on the receiving end of oral? Either way, if there was one thing Dawn could glean from the stories for certain, it was the fact that even if Vernon had successfully limited their escapade in the field to taking care of Dawn's problem, the trouble they faced would have been more or less the same. Despite that Xavier could, from a legal standpoint argue that the house rule only technically mentions rutting, clearly it wouldn't fly in Mother Hunter's courtroom. And that fact was readily apparent in Malcolm's story.

"I just felt so ashamed when Momma Hunter' eyes fell on me. She looked so hurt..." Malcolm sighed. "And when she called me 'Mr. Hackett', it cut me deep."

"I know how that feels..." Dawn murmured, reflecting on how painful it had felt when Audrey had simply referred to her as Ms. Bellwether. Even thinking about it now, despite the fact that she had more or less made amends with the she-wolf, it made her feel just as hollow and sick as when she had first heard it.

"I'll betcha do." Ada said with a smirk. "O'course I don't, cause I'm da only one wit da curtsy and dezenzy to control myself."

Once again Ada reaffirmed that she remained the only Hunter girl not to break the house rule. But it was an idea that Dawn couldn't wrap her head around. While she had no real reason to doubt the hyeness statements, her attitude and the way she carried herself made Ada seem the least likely to care about things like Audrey's house rule, or even what Audrey might think of her. She didn't want to pass judgment, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling like there was no way she was telling the truth.

"I find that kind of hard to believe." Dawn said without thinking, only to quickly bring her hooves to her muzzle. She hadn't meant to let it slip out, but now that she had said it, it hung in the open air awaiting an answer.

Ada cackled. "Well it's tru dere fuzzy butt!" The hyeness flipped her black and white hair out of her eyes. "Whaddya tink I'm some kinda impulsive animal who can't control herself?" Ada raised herself off the mattress slightly as she threw Dawn a sharp glare. "Dat because I look like sum sorta trouble maker I can't follow da rules?"

Ada's tone was sharp and stern, and Dawn was quick to jump to her feet at the sudden accusation. The ewe held her hooves out defensively.

"No! No!" Dawn stammered, terrified that she so easily offended her new sister, especially after what she had done for her earlier in the day. Dawn clasped her hooves together pleadingly as she tried to think of a way to explain herself.

"I mean, I...I didn't-"

Ada let out a hyena-like cackle as she rolled backwards on her bed, kicking her feet slightly as she held her stomach. Dawn simply stood staring in shock and confusion, unsure of what to make of Ada's sudden change in tone as the hyeness managed to right herself. Ada wiped a stray tear from her eye as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"Oh Mam'!" Ada giggled. "I had you goin huh!? Da look on your face was priceless!" The hyeness wiped another stray tear from her eye as she tried to compose herself.

"Ada, that isn't funny." Vanna said tersely, throwing a glare of her own at the hyena.

Ada scoffed. "Ah, you have no sensa humor Kit Kat!" The canid replied, waiving the massive cat off dismissively with a paw. "'Sides I have to razz da newest Hunta goil, it's part of da hazin'!"

Dawn eased back down into her seat, still somewhat confused as she found herself looking back and for the between the tigress and the hyena. Ada was still laughing, but Vanna's cold stare remained rigid and unrelenting, and slowly the smile dissipated from Ada's muzzle. With a harsh and irritated sigh, Ada turned her attention back to the ewe.

"Ugh. Fine." Ada grumbled. " I was just funnin' whicha Fluff Butt, I know I don't really seem da type give a pile of dung about wedder or not I care what mammals tink of me, but I do." Ada rolled her eyes slightly, but her tone remained firms and earnest. "'Specially da Huntas." Ada smiled, but there was a strange sadness behind her eyes. Almost as if admitting that had hurt her to some degree. The ewe felt the desire to press her new sister on what had caused that somber change in her tone, but decided better of it as the hyeness was quick to continue.

"So when I tells ya I swear on my own eyes I never broke da rule, I mean it." Ada grinned confidently.

"It's true." Vanna said with a tired sigh as she turned her attention back to the ewe. "As unlikely as it would seem, Ada is the only one of us here who hasn't..."Vanna closed her eyes briefly, gritting her teeth for a moment before continuing. "Made a bad decision."

"Speakin' of dat..." Ada's grin grew to almost Cheshire like proportions. "I'd say it's your turn Kit Kat."

Vanna quickly turned back to the hyeness, crossing her arms in defiance.

"I'd rather not." Vanna stated simply. "In fact I never agreed to."

"Aw c'mon sis!" Qali chirped. "I'm dying to know!"

Vanna shook her head briskly, opting to remain silent.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "C'mon now Sis, it's only fair ain't it?"

Vanna grimaced. "Fair?" The tigress spat. "Nobody forced the two of you to tell those stories. So why should I have to embarrass myself just because the two of you decided to do the same?"

Dawn could see the tigress was growing increasingly irritated. By now Vanna had risen to her feet, walking away from Dawn's bed as she glared at the other members of the group. Her ears flattened tightly against her head as she sneered.

"What a kitten!" Ada snickered.

"I am not!" Vanna spat back, reaching a paw for the pillow on what was presumably her mattress. The large feline lifted it off the bed, clutching it with her paws as she eyed the hyena across from her.

"And whaddya gonna do now?" Ada chuckled. "Gonna belt me wit a pillow?"

Vanna hissed as she glared at the hyeness. "If you don't shut your yap I might ju-"

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Dawn was quick to interject, hoping that she would diffuse the situation. As much as she was intrigued to hear what had happened between Vanna and Zach, the ewe was more keen on avoiding a bedroom brawl breaking out between the two females.

"I-I can understand if I-it's too embarrassing." The ewe frowned, looking at her feet as she stood up on her mattress. "I won't hold it against you." Dawn sighed. "I certainly know the feeling."

The tension seemed to ease as the two sisters turned their attention Dawn's way, Vanna going so far as to let the pillow hang loosely from one paw as she frowned back toward the ewe. But what was even more surprising was that Ada was sporting a frown of her own. The hyeness placed a paw behind her head, scratching awkwardly as she grit her teeth.

"Ah geeze..." Ada whined. "If youse are both gonna be dat way about it, den I don't wanna hold your paws to da fire." Ada crossed her arms. "I was only playin'."

"It's alright." Dawn replied, adjusting her glasses. "Besides, I've decide I..." The ewe trailed off as she struggled to find her words. "Well, I've decided I'm willing to talk about what happened with Vernon and me outside, despite how embarrassed I am in retrospect."

Dawn had surprised herself with her sudden decision. Perhaps it was the fact that Malcolm and Qali had been so willing to open up about their own misdeeds, or Vanna's need to rise to Dawn's defense regardless of what stake she had in it. Or perhaps it was even the fact that when it came down to it, Ada had been more than willing to let her off the hook when it came to telling her tale. But regardless, Dawn felt much more comfortable knowing she was more or less among friends who had been through the same thing, and could even find humor in it. It made the ewe feel confident enough to press forward with her own embarrassing and shameful ordeal.

But Dawn found she wasn't the only one surprised by her statement. Ada was looking back at her in bemused shock, while Qali seemed to be brimming with overwhelming joy. Malcolm too, wore a bemused and playful grin. But the most startled was Vanna, the large and unusually unexpressive tigress' jaw now hanging open in shock as she stared back at Dawn in an almost terrified surprise.

"YES!" Qali chirped, bouncing on her mattress a few times as she held on to the headboard.

"Well look at dat." Ada smirked, crossing her arms again. " Lil' lamb is steppin' up to da plate!"

Ada laid back down onto her mattress, resting her head on a paw as she grinned back expectantly at Dawn.

"Youse got more spunk den I had ya pegged for wools." Ada snickered. With that, the hyeness flicked her free paw in the ewe's direction. "Youse can start when your ready, take ya time sis."

Dawn sat back down on the bed, taking a long sigh as she tried to steel herself for opening up about the debacle in the field. It certainly was not her proudest moment, but she knew confronting it like this was a good way to cope with it. She had learned as much in therapy when it came to recounting and reliving her criminal past. The only way to work through it was to acknowledge and reflect on it, and sometimes sharing it with those you love and trust was the best way to move past it. The ewe took another deep breath as she tried to figure out just where to start her story. Finally settling on what seemed like the most appropriate point, Dawn took a final deep breath.

"Well, as you all are prob-"

"Wait!"

Dawn blinked rapidly in surprise. That had come from Vanna, the large tigress now holding a paw out toward the ewe to signal her to stop.

Vanna sighed harshly, running her free paw down her face as she cursed quietly to herself.

"If you are going to tell your story..." Vanna muttered. "T-then I guess I should at least share mine." Vanna grimaced sharply.

Dawn stared at the tigress in silent confusion for a few moments before managing to find her words again. "V-Vanna, you don't have-"

"No, I do." Vanna sighed. "It would be wrong for everyone else to open up about this stuff, and I'm the only one who stays out of it." Vanna shook her head. "I-I just, I don't like to think about what I did. I'm very...I'm ashamed."

"Hey Sis, relax." Ada said coolly. The hyeness' tone was surprisingly sincere as she eyed the large feline in concern. "If its got ya dat twisted den-"

"No." Vanna sighed, shaking her head dismissively. "I can do it. I can."

With that, the tigress plopped down harshly on to her mattress, causing it to groan under the sudden harsh strain. Vanna placed a paw over her face, looking down at the floor as she began her story.

"Zach and I had been working together for a year before we officially became a couple." Vanna said calmly, her eyes remaining locked to the floor. "But working in the Police Department, and being his partner, well...I saw a lot of the ranch on my off hours."

Vanna slowly eased her way back onto the bed, until she laid flat against it. The big cat was now staring at the ceiling as she rested her head on the pink plaid printed pillow at the head of her bed.

"I was more or less a part of the family by Ma and Pa Hunter's standards. So when Zach and I announced we had become mates, well..." Vanna smirked. "They were overjoyed."

"Aww..." Qali cooed, her grin widening as she rested her head on her paws. The diminutive fox was now hanging off the edge of her bed in the direction of the tigress', watching her intently despite being partially upside-down.

"But that's really only important to note so you have some idea of how long we had been together before..." Vanna shook her head slowly as she let out a terse sigh. "Before the whole incident happened."

Dawn had now creeped up to the foot of her bed, lying prone much like Ada was. The ewe rested a hoof against her cheek as she listened intently. The tone of Vanna's voice clearly told Dawn just how hard the story was for her to share, the wavering and sighing indicative of her mortifying embarrassment. But this only did more to capture Dawn's interest. If the normally stoic and reserved Vanna was so overwhelming ashamed of when she had broken the house rule, especially after Malcolm and Qali had told their own rather lurid and shocking stories, then how much worse could her own tale stand to be? How could anything be worse that getting caught in the act by Mother Hunter?

"This was about a year after we had officially become mates." Vanna continued. "So about two years of knowing Ma and Pa pretty well by the time this happened."

Vanna squeezed the bridge of her muzzle with her fingers. "Long enough for them both to grow to trust me." Vanna allowed her arms to flop lifelessly to her sides. "And I went and soiled that trust."

Vanna's tone was heavy and somber, leaving her statement to bask in deathly silence as soon as it had left her muzzle. The quiet lingered for what seemed like minutes before the tigress suddenly shot up from her bed.

"It was my fault!" Vanna lamented. " It was all on me! I took Auddey's trust and faith in me, and I threw it away in favor of my gnawing, primal urges!" Vanna groaned.

"Hey, dial it back a notch sis'." Ada said with concern. "Look at everyone else here, dey all fell into da same ting. It's like Auddey says, 'takes two to tango.'"

"Yeah, don't be so hard on yerself there Vanna." Malcolm added.

Vanna simply fell back into the mattress again, placing a paw over her face.

"No, it really was my fault." Vanna sighed quietly. "There was no excuse for my behavior. I could have avoided it all so simply, but I chose to do something stupid."

Dawn had heard enough. Based on her experiences with Dr. Gnu, she could easily recognize the obvious signs of a mammal in need of someone to reassure her. This particular incident seemed to weigh heavy on the normally stoic cat's chest, and the ewe knew through experience that having someone close by to help coax her through retelling the story and easing her fears as she worked through each leg of it. Vanna needed someone to lean on now more than ever.

The ewe slid off her bed carefully before scurrying her way over to Vanna's bedside. With only some slight difficulty, Dawn managed to clamber her way up onto the side of the larger mattress frame. As Dawn settled her self in by the large felines side, only then did Vanna seem to notice her presence, raising an eyebrow curiously at the ewe now seated by her side. Dawn did her best to mimic the pose she often saw her therapist sit in, to convey an air of professionalism and concern through sheer body language before speaking.

"It's alright Vanna." Dawn said softly. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault, and even if it was..." Dawn glanced briefly around at the other girls and Malcolm before gesturing a hoof toward them "We're all sisters here. No one is judging you."

That seemed to have been enough to ease the troubled feline somewhat as she slowly laid her head against the pillow once more. With a deep and shuddering sigh, the tigress continued.

"It was around the time of the Harvest Festival." Vanna placed a paw over her face. "Ma Hunter had asked for Zach and my help to clear space in the barn for the corn cobs we'd be picking later that day."

Dawn nodded reassuringly, gesturing for the feline to continue her difficult tale.

"I-It..." Vanna stuttered slightly, taking a moment to clear her throat before continuing. "It had been unseasonably warm that year. A Saharan Summer, at least that was what most mammals call it."

Vanna slowly drew her paw down her face, placing it at her side as she let out another long and tired sigh.

"And well...that sort of....well..." Dawn could hear the tigress audibly gulp. "Kind of trigged an early heat for me..."

Dawn placed a hoof to her muzzle to hide her shock. Of all the motives she had assumed could be the root cause of Vanna and Zach's indiscretion, the last thing she had considered was that the tigress may have been at the mercy of the same forces of nature that she had been enduring just hours before. Vanna seemed far too strong, too composed to imagine her faltering under even the worst a remnant estrus had to offer. And yet here she was, more or less confirming that she has succumbed to the same vice as Dawn.

"Ma Hunter was out, she was picking up supplies." Vanna sighed. "And Pa was at the station." Vanna mumbled, wiping her paw across her eyes. "We were all alone."

Ada was now leaning in almost as far as Qali was, the large hyeness now practically hanging off her mattress.

"Yeah?" Ada's eyes were wide. "And den what?"

"I had been dealing with my estrus all day...and between the late summer heat, and the ache, and the gnawing desire...I just...." Vanna brought a paw up to her mouth, biting down softly on a finger as she struggled to get the words out. Dawn reached a hoof out, placing it on Vanna's shoulder comfortingly. The ewe offered a meek smile.

"You couldn't help yourself?" Dawn asked.

Vanna nodded. "I had an idea...a fool proof plan..."

Dawn had to stifle a giggle from slipping out. In that moment, Vanna had reminded her of Vernon, and his own 'fool proof plan' that had gone so awry. It appeared that the large and seemingly unflappable tigress' had more in common with her brother in-law than she knew.

"What was the plan?" Qali asked, eagerness lacing her tone.

Vanna let out a sorrowful grown, laying the back of her paw across her face.

"I-I was gonna take him in the barn..." Vanna grumbled. "Hold him down and have my way with him right there on the floor."

"Mhh..." Malcolm cooed. "Vanna, you wildcat you."

The tigress let out another groan, and Dawn could see a blush forming on her muzzle. The ewe continued to gingerly pat her shoulder.

"There, there Vanna." Dawn smiled softly. "It's okay."

"I even went so far to plan how to stifle that dumb mutt's howl, even though Ma and Pa were too far away to hear it." Vanna continued.

"How!? How!?" Qali chirped. By now the fox had completely left her mattress, and was now clambering her way on the other side of Vanna's bed. The petite fox now leaned over Vanna, her smile ear to ear as she excitedly awaited an answer.

Vanna let out another groan, covering her face with both paws.

"I...stuffed...mrmr...mrr..." Vanna's words trailed of inaudibly.

"I'm sorry, didn't catch dat." Ada grinned, placing her paw to her ear in the direction of the shrinking tigress.

Vanna replied again, even more quietly, but now there was an edge on her mumbling. As if she was trying to force the words out through pain.

"I'm sorry what?" Ada repeated.

"MY PANTIES!" The tigress snarled, causing the girls to jump in their respective pelts. "I STUFFED MY PANTIES IN HIS MOUTH TO SHUT HIM UP!"

With the tigress' loud and sudden admission, came shock, then horror as Vanna realized just how loud she had revealed her method of muzzling Zach. The tigress quickly covered her face with her paws again, her blush practically glowing despite her attempts at covering it up.

The room remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity, the awkward void created by Vanna's outburst leaving everyone in the room struck dumb. Even Ada, despite her wide smirk, seemed to be biting her tongue if she had any witty remarks bubbling below the surface.

Dawn had covered her face with her hooves. Though the ewe was blushing fiercely, she was more concerned about covering up the slight, shaky smile that was now creeping across her muzzle. Despite how woeful and agonizing the tigress' admission had sounded, the mental image of Zach being choked into silence by the big cat's unmentionables was patently hilarious. Dawn cleared her throat sharply in an effort to shake away the urge to giggle. It took a few hard coughs, but eventually the ewe was able to regain her composure.

"And I take it...?" The ewe trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish her question.

"He didn't even see it coming." Vanna mumbled. "He put down one of the corn buckets, turned around, and I just...I lunged at him."

"Did he fight?" Malcolm asked with a laugh.

Vanna let out a sigh. "Not for very long..." Vanna placed her paw over her face. "Especially when he figured out what was going on."

Qali broke into a giggle fit, giving the somber tigress a playful nudge as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her knees. The diminutive fox was clearly eating up the scandalous nature of Vanna's tawdry tryst. Vanna only mustered another lamenting groan at the arctic fox's gesture.

"Okay, okay..." Qali wheezed, trying to catch her breath as her giggling subsided. "I only have one question for you Kit Kat." The fox said with a wide smile.

Vanna grumbled a soft, inaudible series of words before finally ending in a long, and agonizingly drawn out "Whaaaaat? "

"Did it work?" Qali quirked an eyebrow curiously. "The panty thing?"

Vanna removed her paw, turning to face the eager fox. The tigress stared back at Qali in quiet disbelief, her mouth opening briefly only to close without uttering so much as a single word. Her response however, seemed to had failed to register with Qali, as the vixen was still staring back at Vanna expectantly.

"Well?" Qali added.

Vanna closed her eyes sharply, letting out an irritated huff as she turned back toward Dawn. The tigress' blush had only managed to grow a deeper crimson in response to the curious fox's question. Dawn watched as her grimace deepened, Vanna seemingly straining herself to force an answer out.

"Yes." Vanna said softly.

"Awesome!" Qali responded, rubbing her paws together excitedly. " I wonder if I can make that work with Trenny?" The vixen wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Please, your panties are so tiny he'd probably breade 'em in by accident." Ada said with a chuckle.

The fox seemed to deflate slightly, her ears sagging as a frown crawled across her muzzle. "Aw mam', you're probably right." Qali sighed, flopping down against the bed sheet with a dull 'thwump'. She remained face down, her muzzle buried into the mattress for a moment before slowly raising it back up and leaning it on her paws.

"Maybe I can use my shirt..." The fox quietly mused to herself as her tail lazily flipped from one side to the other.

"Just buy a gag, it's da easiest solution." Ada added with a smirk.

"I'm not walking into one of 'those' stores." Qali whined, raising her eyebrows slightly as she emphasized the word. "Especially back in Fox's Glen! Everyone would know about it!"

"Y'know there is such a thing as shoppin' online Darlin'" Malcolm added with a chuckle.

"I know bu-"

"So I take it Mother Hunter caught you around then?" Dawn cut the vixen off. The ewe knew this story was hard enough for Vanna to get through without it being drawn out by idle chat amongst the Hunter girls. She had made it this far, and Dawn was keen on hearing exactly what ultimately exposed Vanna's misdeed to Audrey. " She walked into the barn and found you like Malcolm and Qali?"

Vanna winced slightly at Dawn's words. The ewe tried to meet her gaze, but the tigress' eyes kept shifting away.

"Nooo...." Vanna mumbled softly.

Dawn quirked an eyebrow in confusion. If Audrey hadn't caught them in the act, and if the crude gag Vanna had come up with had kept Zach's howl from carrying across the farmlands, then how had the She-wolf caught them?

"Was it the smell?" Dawn asked, trying to put together the means which had proven to be the couples undoing. "You didn't shower afterwards and Audrey could smell the pheromones?"

The tigress continued to avert Dawn's gaze as the ewe tried to figure out the mystery. Vanna let out a quiet groan as she shifted away from Dawn. Now laying on her back, the tigress stared up at the ceiling.

"Nooo...." Vanna repeated, even more quietly than before.

Dawn scratched her chin, puzzled. She was out of guesses, and summarily perplexed. If she couldn't guess it, then it might take hours to finally extract the information from the tigress. And unlike Dr.Gnu, Dawn couldn't exactly schedule to pick up the session the following week.

"Oh dis is gonna be juicy." Ada cut the silence with her snarking tone. The hyeness was now leaning on a paw, grinning in the direction of the group now amassed on Vanna's bed. Ada wiggled her eyebrow playfully. "C'mon kitty, it'll make ya feel betta. Just let it out already!"

Vanna let out another groan, placing her paws over her face and letting out a mournful snarl before allowing them to fall to her sides. The large feline took a long, deep breath before letting out a long sigh.

"I...." Vanna said quietly. "I told her."

Dawn blinked in surprise, tilting her head slightly as she tried to parse what the tigress had told her.

"W-what?' Dawn uttered.

"I told Audrey." Vanna whined.

"You told her?" Qali asked.

Vanna suddenly sat up, her sudden movement nearly knocking Dawn and Qali off the bed in the process. The large feline let out a sharp hiss as she placed her paws on top of her head. "YES, I TOLD HER!" Vanna snarled. "I TOLD HER AS SOON AS SHE GOT HOME! I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!"

The tigress turned to Dawn, nearly scaring the ewe out of her wool at the sudden rapid movement. Vanna looked at her with mournful and pleading eyes, her lip quivering slightly as if she were about to start sobbing.

"I went in with my best poker face, doing my best to look as innocent as possible while I helped her unpack groceries." Vanna mumbled. "I was so sure Mother Hunter would see right through me, right through my attempts at deception. But instead, she seemed completely oblivious."

"So whats da problem?" Ada asked. "It was woikin' wasn't it?"

Vanna let out a sorrowful sigh. "She was her usual happy self, and that's what made it worse." Vanna visibly cringed as she continued her tale. "Every smile, every time she called me 'Darlin', it felt like my insides were being torn to shreds with guilt."

"It just got worse and worse until I couldn't take it anymore, I just completely fell apart." Vanna whimpered. "I couldn't bear to look Auddey in the eyes knowing that I was lying to her!" The tigress put her head in her paw. "And when she noticed and asked me what was wrong I just...I just..."

"You couldn't lie." Dawn asked.

"I broke down, falling to my knees and telling her everything!" Vanna slapped a paw over her face, only to slowly drag it down her face as she let out an agonizing groan. "I wrapped my arms around her waist and begged forgiveness!" Vanna began to raise her voice, the tigress becoming increasingly upset. "I was so ashamed of myself!"

Dawn was flabbergasted, only able to watch the tigress in deafened shock as she continued.

"She said 'it takes two to tango' but I know the truth! It was my fault!" Vanna lamented.

"Aw, lighten up pussy cat. Zach coulda-"

"The trailer was only three miles away! We could have easily went home!" Vanna groaned. "But no! I had to have him right there!" The tigress dragged her paw down her face, turning her head to the ceiling as she let out a shuddering sigh.

"I'm a trained officer, and I let my baser urges get the better of me. I caved to my own lurid desires and broken the trust Ma Hunter had put in me." Vanna shook her head. "I never felt so weak and foolish." Vanna's looked down at her paws, her head slumping in defeat.

"Tch, dial it back Kit Kat, don't be so ova dramatic." Ada shook her head. "It's just a rut."

The tigress let out a weary sigh, placing a paw over her eyes once more.

"At the very least Audrey was willing to forgive me for being honest." Vanna sighed. "She still called me Vanna despite how I had clearly broken her trust."

"Aw, no fair!" Qali whined, a pout forming on her muzzle. "What do we have to do to get that kind of treatment?"

"Zach was less fortunate..." Vanna continued, ignoring Qali's objection. "He was forced to finish the barn work on his own."

Vanna let out a weak and shuddering sigh. "But despite what Audrey said, I still felt so badly." Vanna muttered. "That regardless of what she said to try to ease my fears, I still feel like I had damaged the trust between us."

Dawn was shocked to say the least. Through the retelling of her story, Vanna had been the most emotive the ewe had ever seen her. It was amazing how much guilt the felines affair had left weighing on her heart. But considering how kind and accepting Audrey was, it wasn't hard to see why the tigress felt so bad. Dawn had only really known the she-wolf for two whole days, and she had felt sick with guilt over breaking the house rule. But Vanna had gone at least two years of unspoken trust before breaking down and defying Mother Hunter's wishes. Two years of growing close and getting to know each other, getting used to seeing Audrey as her Mother. Despite how preposterous it may have sounded to the other girls, Dawn could see herself just as easily following Vanna's footsteps had she been in her sole-pads.

"I let the heat get the better of me." Vanna sighed. "I should have been stronger."

Dawn placed a hoof on the large felines knee, causing Vanna to look up at the ewe. Dawn offered a warm smile in response.

"You aren't alone Vanna." The lamb sighed. "I let the heat get the better of me too."

"I knew I smelled sumtin' funny on da ride out to da fair!" Ada chimed in, flashing Dawn a smug grin.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Well I think your mate made it more than obvious at breakfast this morning, didn't he?"

Ada grimaced slightly, running a paw through her mane of hair. "Y-yeah, sorry about dat Fluff." Ada muttered. "He really shouldn'ta putcha on blast like dat."

Dawn shook her head dismissively. "It's fine, it's all over with anyhow." With that, the ewe turned her attention back to the sullen tigress.

"I should have been stronger too. I should have resisted the urge to rut." Dawn said sadly. "But it was so agonizing, and then...well...Vernon just wanted to help."

"Wait! Wait!" Qali piped up. "Start from the beginning! How'd you get from the picnic to the rutting!?" The fox had now crawled over Vanna's leg, leaning her chest on it as she eyed Dawn expectantly.

Dawn rolled her eyes at the chipper fox, the ewe let out a bemused sigh as she placed her hooves in her lap.

"Well..." Dawn muttered, shaking off the last of her nervous jitters as best as she could before continuing. "First off, I had been dealing with my remnant-estrus all day."

Dawn began to wring her hooves as she recounted the lurid anguish she had spent the day enduring. "Between the hot flashes, the chills...." Dawn bit her lip. "And the burning, unrelenting, gnawing..." Dawn shook her head sharply to keep focused. "sufficed to say on top of everything else that had been going on today I felt absolutely miserable."

"I can imagine." Ada muttered. "One time I had a twelve hower shift at da hospital durin' my heat last year." The hyeness ran a paw through her hair. "I swear I felt so bad I wanted to crawl into one a dem morgue shelves with da rest of da dead guys." Ada said with a chuckle.

"So naturally, on the picnic I was still more or less suffering." Dawn sighed. " I was sweating bullets under my wool, squirming in my seat as I tried to keep from focusing too much on Vernon's....well...body..."

Dawn shook her head softly. "But Vernon already knew what I was going through, and he was worried about me." Dawn rolled her eyes. "And so, he suggested trying something out..."

"Heh Heh." Ada chuckled. "Just like Kit Kat huh?"

Vanna let out another lamenting grumble.

"Well if that was the case we wouldn't have heard Vernon's howl now would we?" Malcolm added.

"The whole point of Vernon's plan was that he'd never...I mean..." Dawn held her hooves out. "He was going to help me out. Just me."

"Ahh..." Malcolm, Ada and Qali said in unison.

"Of course I know now that even if that plan had worked out, it still would have qualified as breaking the house rule if your stories are anything to go by." Dawn gestured to Malcolm and Qali, both of whom nodded in response.

"But Vernon was so worried, he just wanted me to be able to enjoy the rest of the trip." Dawn sighed. "And I wasn't in a strong position to say no to the idea. My estrus was eating away at my brain." Dawn raised a hoof simply to let it flop at her side. " I couldn't think straight, I just wanted an out!"

With that, Dawn looked back up at Vanna, flashing her a sympathetic glance.

"And when it came down to it, I pushed Vernon to....well...finish the job." Dawn said sadly. "Just like you did with Zach."

"I take it he got ya too close, but couldn't work ya over without gettin' in dere huh?" Ada grinned knowingly.

Dawn blushed, covering her muzzle with her hooves. But despite the embarrassment, she found herself smirking slightly. Slowly the ewe managed to nod her head affirming.

"I...I was supposed to hold his muzzle shut..." Dawn mumbled. "But as you can probably tell..."

"That didn't work out so well." Qali said with a giggle.

Dawn sighed. "I just felt so awful afterwards." Dawn shook her head. "I mean everyone heard us. Audrey had heard us. And it was my fault Vernon had howled." Dawn placed her hooves back in her lap.

"When Audrey called me Miss Bellwether, that hurt the most." The ewe lamented. "It felt like a knife had cut me. The feeling that I had ruined the trust I had worked so hard to build over such a foolish thing."

Dawn looked up to Vanna, her eyes shimmering slightly as tears started to well behind her lenses.

"Audrey thought I was stronger than that. And I felt like I should have been." Dawn smiled softly. "Just like you did."

For the first time since Vanna had poured her soul out to the ewe about her time in the barn, a smile began to form on the large cats face. It was a small, furtive smile, but it was clear the ewe had managed to help ease some of her pain.

"And then of course there's Vernon, who's been doing nothing but trying to make sure I have a good time." Dawn sighed, turning her attention back to the group at large. "My faltering just made more trouble for him." The ewe shook her head. "The gods knows he's got enough of that already with Dorian..." Dawn paused, her memories drifting back to thoughts of the study, the stench of brandy and the cruelty of the wolf's words. Dawn shuddered briefly, trying to shoo the painful memory back into hiding.

"And Yuri." Qali added.

"Hey, he ain't dat bad." Ada interjected. That managed to earned a dull stare from the other girls, all aside from Dawn who simply gave the hyeness a curious glare. After a moment, Ada let out a derisive snort.

"Well, not all da time!" She huffed, crossing her arms defensively.

"Still, I don't want to put anything else on Vernon." Dawn continued, bringing the groups attention back to her. "My Puppy Love had more than enough already."

Qali let out a soft, amorous sigh as she smiled widely at Dawn. "You two are so cute together." Qali cooed. "'Puppy Love', 'Honey Lamb'" The fox playfully exaggerated the pet names.

"Yeah, ya'll two see almost as tight as me and Xavey." Malcolm said with a chuckle.

Dawn smiled warmly as she thought of Vernon. Her poor little Puppy Love who was doing everything in his power to try to give her the ultimate North Meadowlands experience. Fighting a battle against his Father that the wolf couldn't know was bound to lose no matter what he did. All for her sake, all to make her feel like a part of the family. To show her that she belonged, that they fit together.

"He's my soulmate." Dawn sighed warmly. "I love him."

Qali let out another adoring sigh.

"When did you know?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Dawn replied.

"When did you know you loved him?" The diminutive fox added. "That he was the one?"

Dawn smiled warmly at the unusually focused fox. Qali was now leaning on her paws as she stared back at the ewe in childlike wonder. Unlike getting the story of what had happened in the cornfield of her chest, this was one story Dawn knew how to tell.

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves:Ch17

Chapter Seventeen: The Harvest Festival

"What about 'Fleece'?" Qali mused.

"Aw for cryin' out loud, we already vetod dat one!" Ada yelped. "Can't yas remember anyting?"

By now the family had long since arrived at the Harvest Festival proper. The elaborate decorated stalls and rides stretched on as far as Dawn's eyes could see. It had been much larger than she could have possibly imaged considering how rural the North Meadowlands was compared to it's southern counterpart. Gleaming golds, yellows, oranges and ruby reds shone from every angle, draping every attraction like gift wrap, All tightly packed in but still featuring large, already massively crowded lanes of fairgoers. A mix of scents from the myriad of baked delights hung heavily in the air, and Dawn found herself covering her mouth to keep from drooling. The Harvest Festival was so much more than she had even anticipated, and yet it also made her all the more nervous. It was so crowded, so many more mammals than she anticipated. How would they react to seeing her and Vernon? Would it be simple stares of disapproval, or something worse?

Dawn did her best to shake off the lingering thoughts as Vanna helped her down from the back of the truck. No, she was dead set on trying to be positive. The fair wasn't for anyone but Vernon and herself. She was going to enjoy it, despite the pheromones, despite possible onlookers, despite it all. The ewe was dead set on trying to have the best time possible with her mate.

"Well, I still think Woolly is a good one." Qali stated as she jumped down from Vanna's paw. The petite fox placed her paws on her hips.

"You dummy!" Ada barked. "I said dat one, remember?"

Qali placed a paw to her head, shaking it as she closed her eyes.

"Ugh, we've been talking about this so long I kind of lost track of who said what." Qali muttered.

"I swear youse are practically a space cadet, youse may as well work at MASA." Ada cackled.

"Hey! You-"

"Let's table it for now." Vanna cut in. " We can pick it up after the fair, right Dawn?" "Hmm?" Dawn turned back to face the tigress. The ewe had been lost in her thoughts.

Dawn blushed sharply, twiddling a hoof in the dirt.

"I-I'm sorry." Dawn muttered. "I wasn't really paying attention."

Vanna smirked. "Clearly the smartest mammal here."

Dawn suppressed a giggle as Ada and Qali flashed the large tigress the dirtiest looks the ewe had ever seen. It was clear that remark stung quite a bit.

"And how was the ride my Darlin'?"

Dawn nearly jumped out of her pelt before recognizing exactly who had spoken. Spinning around rapidly Dawn found her mate standing over her, a big grin across his muzzle. The ewe gave the wolf a playful slap.

"Vernon!" Her face reddened as she spoke. "You startled me!"

Vernon laughed as he playfully feigned a need to protect himself. The wolf raised his paws as Dawn's weak and ineffectual slaps landed.

"Easy Honey lamb! I'm sorry." The wolf said between laughs.

Dawn flashed the wolf a smirk, placing her hoofs on her hips as she struck a more confident stance.

"Hmm, I suppose I'll forgive you." Dawn teased. The ewe casually extended a hoof as she turned her gaze away from the wolf. "If you kiss my hoof."

She heard the wolf let out another soft chuckle.

"I'm afraid I gotta check something first." Vernon replied.

As Dawn turned her head back toward the wolf, she found Vernon had moved his nose in close to her wooly puff. At first the ewe was confused, until she heard the wolf take several big whiffs of the air around her. Before Dawn could ask about the smell, the wolf planted a kiss on the tip of her snout. Dawn quickly clasped her hooves over her nose, blushing intensely.

"VERNOoooOOOOn!" She squealed. The wolf had managed to get her again.

Vernon rose back to his feet, smiling widely.

"Seems the car ride helped kill the smell a bit." Vernon said.

Dawn frowned slightly. "S-should I-"

"Naw, it's still there." Vernon replied, grimacing slightly. "But it's dull enough not to spoil the fun."

Dawn let out a sigh of relief. For a moment the wolf made her worried that the perfume had completely worn off. With no protective barrier formed by Audrey's scent, the risk of making an entirely different kind of scene at the fair would have been something else for Dawn to worry about.

"Heya Snowflake!" Dawn turned to see Trenton approaching. The wolf had only made it a few steps before the tiny fox lunged at him. Within the blink of an eye, she had wraped her arms around his neck, swinging slightly from side to side as she hung from him.

"EiiiiiIIII!" She squealed, as the wolf wrapped his paws around her, pulling her to his chest. "This is going to be so fun!" The fox chirped. Releasing her grip, the fox now hung in Trenton's arms. Stabbing a paw out towards the fair, the fox began to chatter at light speed.

"OH Trenny! What do we ride first!?" She barked excitedly. "Or should we play some of those cheesy carnival games!?" Qali scratched her chin for a moment. "Where do we pay?" Qali was quick to snap out of her reflective thoughts, reaching her paws back up to grasp Trenton's face. The tiny fox playfully mushed the white wolf's cheeks around. "Oh who cares! Let's get going already!" She said gleefully.

Trenton let out a throaty chuckle. "Easy, easy there Flurrie Dust, we got two days."

Qali tilted her head back, planting a kiss on the bottom of Trenton's jaw. "Then we gotta make the most of it!"

Trenton gave a rough tussle of Qali's droopy coif of hair before easing the fox back onto the ground. "We will, we will." The wolf assured. With Qali now out of his arms, the wolf made his way over to Dawn and Vernon. With a gentle smile, the white wolf reached a paw out and placed it on Vernon's shoulder.

"You gonna be good to go?" Trenton asked, patting his brothers shoulder firmly.

Vernon snorted. "Pfft. We're fine. I'm over it. Thanks."

Trenton leaned in a bit closer, staring his brother in the eyes. There was an air of seriousness to it, as if he was searching for some sign that Vernon wasn't being honest.

"I'm fine Trent, we're going to be fine today." Vernon smiled warmly.

Trenton continued his glare for a moment before giving the wolf another firm pat and releasing him from his grip.

"Alright big bro, just-" Trenton paused. "Just remember what we talked about okay?"

Vernon nodded briskly as the white wolf turned his attention back to Qali. The fox hadn't noticed the conversation had effectively ended, she was far too busy standing on her tippy toes to peer at as many local stands as she could. Her nose raised high as she seemed to be taking in the scents as Dawn had been doing earlier. Trenton looked back at Dawn and Vernon for a moment, flashing them a mischievous grin and raising his eyebrows playfully. Turning back to his mate, the wolf gave her rump a playful slap, causing the petite fox to yelp as she jumped in place. Spinning around quickly, she flashed Trenton an irritated glare.

"C'mon Snowflake, we're burning daylight." The wolf seemed to ignore her reaction, instead beginning to walk off into the fair. "You wanted to hurry remember?"

"OOH Trenton!" The fox hissed as she rubbed her hind quarters. "I'm going to get you for that!" Breaking into a light jog, she scurried to catch up with Trenton's stride.

"You know you love it." The white wolf chuckled as he took one of Qali's small paws in his own.

And with that, the couple effectively disappeared into the crowd.

"Well, I betta get ova to dat truck." Ada muttered as she passed between Dawn and Vernon. "Hopefully I can keep Yuri from gettin' himself inta more trouble."

As the hyeness made her way to the corner of the family stand, and began to ease her way between the narrow alley between it and the neighboring stand, she flashed the ewe a smile.

"And don't faget what we said to ya eader." She said, pointing a claw at Dawn.

With a final cackle, she slipped between the flaps and disappeared.

Dawn turned back to Vernon to find him already looking down at her curiously.

"What happened?" Vernon beat her to the punch. The ewe had been eager to ask the same about Vernon and Trenton, and if he was truly in a better mood. Dawn scratched the back of her head, flashing the wolf a timid smile.

"Oh nothing." Dawn said. "Just sister-in-law stuff." Dawn's grin grew into a wide and cheesy one, which Vernon matched with his own equally satisfied grin.

"Sister-in-law stuff huh?" Vernon chuckled. "So I take it the ride was good?"

Dawn shook her head briskly, but as she went to open her mouth Vanna chimed in.

"She's one of us now." The tigress said, flashing Vernon a toothy grin as she reached down to give Dawn a pat on the shoulder.

Vernon made a mock fearful look as he placed a paw to his head, leaning back in fake woe.

"Oh no, now who knows what gossip is going to go on about me behind my back!" The wolf groaned.

Dawn giggled. "Please, what do you think I do with Judy?"

Vernon straightened back up, his mock fear dissipating in real worry as he eyed the lamb. His ears sagged slightly as he frowned.

"Y-you do?" Vernon said, voice quavering slightly.

Dawn broke into a loud laugh, placing a hoof on her knee to steady herself.

"D-don't worry Puppy!" She snickered. "It's a-all good stuff! I-I promise."

The wolf stiffened his stance, running a paw across his scalp as he tried to compose himself. The wolf's expression looked as though he was trying his hardest to appear not to care.

"I'm not worried." He said calmly, but the ewe could hear a tinge of nervousness in his voice. With that, Dawn grabbed his paw, squeezing it tightly as she smiled up at him.

"I know Puppy Love." She cooed, patting his paw with her other hoof. "I know."

"Now where's that Goofball?" Vanna interrupted thier playful spat. The large tigress had a paw above her eyes as she scanned the area for a trace of her mate. It reminded Dawn that the Zach question was still hanging in the air, something she had yet to ask the wolf about. As Vanna continued her search, Dawn gave Vernon's arm a few light tugs to bring his attention back to her.

"P-Puppy?" She mumbled.

"What is it Darlin'?" Vernon replied.

Dawn looked down at the dirt briefly, not entirely sure how to proceed. Vernon seemed happier, he seemed like whatever had set him off before they left was out of his mind. It made Dawn unsure as to whether she should even broach the subject, and risk bringing Vernon back down. Still, she had some inkling that whatever happened involved her, and was too curious to not at least try to see what had happened.

"W-well...this morning." Dawn stuttered. "I mean before we l-left..." Dawn trailed off, squeezing Vernon's paw tightly as she mustered the courage to push on. "What happened with-"

"ZACH! There you are!" Vanna cut Dawn off. Dawn turned to look in the direction the tiger was shouting, only to briefly catch sight of the russet tipped wolf before he slid behind the corner of the nearest stand.

Vanna placed her paws on her hips.

"Zach come over here!" She yelled.

For a moment the wolf remained hidden. But as Dawn watched, she saw his head poke out from behind the stall. From what Dawn could see the wolf looked very worried. His ears sagged as he looked toward the ground.

"Zach." Vanna said sternly.

More of the wolf appeared, and soon he was shuffling toward the group. He was still staring at the floor as he made his way over, like a child who knew he had done something terribly wrong. It took the wolf a while to close the gap between himself and the group, but he eventually made it to Vanna's side, and then slinked behind her and out of Dawn's sight. The large tigress glanced behind her back in confusion.

"Zach, what is going on?" Vanna said bluntly.

Dawn could hear quiet mumbling from behind the wall of mammal that was Vanna, but nothing descernable.

"What?" Vanna asked, clearly having just as hard a time hearing him as Dawn had.

After another awkwardly quiet moment, the wolf poked his head out from behind Vanna, and slowly managed to bring his eye-line up to Dawn's.

"U-Uh..." Zach stammered. The wolf glanced back at the floor briefly before making eye contact with Dawn again. "I-I'm sorry Vern." Zach stuttered. "I'm so s-"

"We're over it Zach." Vernon interrupted. His reply was terse and stiff, but it seemed earnest.

Dawn looked at Vernon in surprise.

"V-Vernon are you sure it-"

"Dawn trust me." Vernon added. "I'm over it."

Looking back at Zach, the ewe could see he was equally as confused. His head tilted as the wolf warily crept out from behind his mate.

"R-really?" Zach sputtered. "Y-you forgive me?"

The wolf squeezed the bridge of his muzzle and closed his eyes, letting out a long, exasperated sounding sigh.

"Y-yeah, we're fine Zach." Vernon muttered.

"But what happened?" Dawn asked. "Did it have to do wit-"

"It was family stuff." Vernon interrupted. "It's not worth worrying about Dawn. Trust me."

"But Vernon."

"Dawn look." The wolf sighed. Vernon kneeled down to her level, placing a paw on her shoulder as he stared into her eyes. "I want us to have fun today. Just the two of us." The wolf wiped a paw across his face. "So I decided I wasn't going to worry about any of the other stuff."

The wolf flashed her a meek smile. "And I want you to be able to do that to."

"Vernon."

"It was just about our Pa." Zach interjected, his voice seemingly firmer than before. It appeared that earning Vernon's forgiveness had improved his overall demeanor. "We just had a simple disagreement that got out of paw is all. It's all fine."

Dawn eyed the wolf skeptically.

"You should go have fun, don't waste time worrying about me and Vern." Zach persisted. The ewe continued to scan his face for a tell. Something still didn't sit quite right with her about whatever the argument had been about. She had her doubts she was getting the whole truth, but Zach's face remained unflinching under her scrutiny.

Dawn was ready to further press the reddish wolf, but before she could open her mouth she felt a paw under her chin. Slowly it steered her face back toward her mate's smiling face. The wolf's paw suddenly found it's way to the side of her face, gently caressing her as he continued to stare lovingly into her eyes. Her desire to question the subject was fading rapidly under Vernon's overbearing warmth.

"I just want to enjoy today with the one I love. That's my only goal." The wolf's smile had widened into a warm grin, the kind that easily pierced Dawn's most stalwart defenses. She knew whatever had happened involved her, she was certain. But her own desire to just enjoy the fair with Vernon, coupled with his seeming need to simply push whatever it was aside managed to win Dawn over.

"O-okay." Dawn stuttered, clasping the paw on her face with her hoof affectionately.

"I'll tell you some other time, if you still want to know by then, okay?" It was as if Vernon had read her mind. Her last grasp at standing somewhat firm had been seemingly predicted by the wolf, leaving her with nothing more to add. She was only left wondering exactly how far off that 'some other time' would be. But she quickly decided to brush it aside for now in favor of doing what her mate had said, and making the most of their time at the festival.

"Well then, I-Oop!" Dawn suddenly felt the ground drop out from under her. She found herself briefly swirling through the air before coming to a stop high off the ground. It didn't take the ewe long to figure out what happened, especially considering she was now at Vanna's eye-line. Looking down, she could see the top of Vernon's head. Letting out a huff, she gave it a playful slap.

"Ow!" Vernon laughed.

"I hate when you do that!" Dawn giggled. "Warn me first!"

Vernon glanced back up at the ewe, flashing her a meek smile. "You know you love it."

Dawn groaned. "You Hunter boys say that to all the girls don't you?"

Vernon chuckled. "Only the special ones."

The ewe covered her face with a hoof in an effort to hide the blush from Vanna and Zach.

"Welp, you two have fun." Vernon said, giving the other mammals a wave of his paw. "I know we will."

Dawn found herself slowly spun around until the pair were out of sight, and soon she was moving into the crowd of mammals toward the rides and games that lie ahead. Looking back, she flashed Vanna a weak smile and waved.

"See you guys later!" Dawn chirped.

"Bye!" Vanna grinned, slapping a paw on the back of her mate. It seemingly surprised the wolf, whose stance was still somewhat slackened by whatever was bothering him. It was clear Vernon's okay wasn't enough to fully assuage whatever guilt the wolf was feeling, but Dawn would have to force herself not to worry about it any longer. Turning her view back to the fairgrounds ahead, Dawn steeled herself for the day ahead. She was going to have fun, they were going to have fun, and nothing was going to ruin that.