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Chapter Twelve: Primal De-scent

"At first glance, most mammals couldn't tell the difference between a wolf of Roaropean descent or a wolf of North Mammalian descent. There is some degree of species overlap despite the continental divide, and even when presented with two wolves who are obviously of the grey wolf variety it's reasonable to assume they could have come from anywhere in the world. Because of reasons such as this, most mammals would also be quick to assume that all wolves are more or less the same. Sharing the same beliefs, social structures, behaviors and so on. But as we discussed previously with the settling of Zootopia, the interactions with the early wolf natives prove such a notion could not be farther from the truth. And upon closer inspection, you will find that many of the differences between native and non-native wolves are as drastic as night and day."

"It was Leif Hunter's notes that gave us our first real look into the society the native wolves had come to build for themselves. But since then the topic has been more thoroughly explored and expanded upon by daring explorers and researchers, as well as expounded upon by defecting "omegas" wishing to leave their society behind."

"There are a great deal of nuances between the tribes scattered across North Mammalia. The number of gods and goddesses across each tribe alone could have hours worth of passages devoted to them. But for brevities sake I'm not going to go over every single unique difference between the known packs. A complete compilation of wolf history isn't really the goal of this book. I am merely trying to present the portions I believe to be pertinent in order to get a better understanding of the motivations of the Bellwethers and Hunters. So you as a reader can better understand the forces that shaped myself and Vernon's lives, however small some portions may be."

"In this instance the most relevant pack would be the remnants of the Redclaws, and the factors that put them at odds with the early settlers and continues with the Roaropean wolves today."

"Despite the numerous gods in the different packs, they did have one unifying source of worship that even they shared with the Norwulves. This was the lunar god, and moon worship. To the Redclaws it was known as 'Pawluuk', and much like their Roaropean counterparts it governed a great deal of their actions and cultural events. Full moons were seen as optimal nights for hunting prey, as well as for ceremonies and mating rituals. Canideans lacked the agricultural systems that their brethren from across the sea had developed, but still observed smaller harvest events of their own. Most of their vegetation was scrounged from natural local outcroppings, but such natural springs were not tended nor fostered intentionally."

"The majority of their diet was derived from prey tribes and packs, from rabbits to rodents. Sometimes they even fed on other predators such as foxes, badgers and so on. These carnivores weren't picky, and weren't very merciful either. They also fed on non-sentient animals such as fowl and fish, and today that is what most tribes have come to rely on rather than their sentient neighbors."

"Canidean wolves also howl, like their Roaropean counterparts. It filled similar roles such as being a form of prayer, solidarity, and emotional expression. However, where they differ is in the development of a form of howl-speech. It was primarily used to measure distance, ready packs for war movements, and signaling positions between members of the pack. However, there are also instances of howl-speech being used playful conversation, mostly to fill in for concepts and things that had no verbal equivalent. Each tribe has their own variant of this language, and the Redclaws were no exception."

"Canadean wolf pack structure, unlike Roaropean packs, became more rigid rather than laxer as the tribes developed. Alpha males, along with the alpha females, lead their respective pack and its communal structure. The position of Alpha was not something relegated to the sire of the pack, but rather it was a position held by the strongest warrior in the tribe. It was also a position that was in constant challenge by the pack Betas. The Beta wolves were normally the enforcers and active warriors in the tribe. When not challenging for dominance they would aide the leader of the pack on hunts as well as reinforce the social structure of the tribal community. They had a great deal of incentive to fight to keep the pack the way it was, because they were the only pack role below the alpha that were automatically given permission to have a mate of their own without any sort of proving right ceremony. Permission to be tithed to a pack female and produce offspring was something that was to be earned by show of strength, and if a male couldn't keep up with the betas he was seen as inferior and would risk never getting pack approval for a tithing rite. Limiting breeding among the strongest of the wolves not only insured a more powerful pack, but allowed the leader to better control the growth and shape of the pack, as well as secure his position at the top. But in this day and age the degenerative effect of this practice on their numbers is reaching a critical point among the remaining clans."

"The lower positions were relegated to the growing pups of the betas in the pack, as well as the occasional stray looking for a new pack to prove themselves in. Adult wolves that didn't fall into the Beta category were usually relegated to tending to the village, and maintaining the order while the others were off on hunts or warring against other tribes to protect the pack from sneak attacks. In order to mate, they didn't necessarily have to reach Beta status, but they had to prove that they were strong enough to be worthy of the privilege of having offspring. This is where the mating ritual of the tribal packs comes into play."

"While Betas enjoyed the automatic approval of tithing to a mate, and the feast that would celebrate it. Those below the rank of Beta would have to go through a trial to prove they were fit to survive, and thereby reproduce. The exact elements of ritual differ from tribe to tribe, but they are almost unilaterally based on sending the prospective couple deep into the woods to survive on their own for one week. They are given nothing, forbade to mate, and in the case of the Redclaw tribe not only were they expected to last all seven days, but return with a number of prey for the tribe as payment."

"Working together to survive as well as meet the goal put forth by the tribe is what makes or breaks a mate. If they succeed it is apparent to the tribe that they are strong enough to survive, and the gods favor their pairing. The leader of the Redclaws then used the load of prey that the couple brought back to hold a great feast celebrating their union."

"But here's where an interesting little caveat comes in amongst the wolf tribes. The existence of a pack class that is simply not in the lexicon of the Norwulves, at least not at the time the tribal wolves were discovered. This is the so called 'Omega' wolves, the lowest caste among the Canideans. Omegas tended to live on the outskirts of existing tribes, usually on their own but sometimes with a small family in tow. They would be tolerated by the dominant pack, but never allowed to enter the main village. These wolves more or less survived on their own, either from scavenging scraps from the dominant tribe or hunting without the aide of an established pack. The hunts often went poorly because even if the omega succeeded in snaring prey, should the dominant catch wind of the successful hunt they would take most of it as payment for allowing the Omega to live so close to them."

"So we arrive at the question, how does a Canidean wolf end up becoming one of the loathed and detested omega wolves? As Leif would discover and write in his notes, becoming an omega could be the result of a number of factors. Any alpha who failed to hold his position against a challenging beta would find himself demoted to an omega and ejected from the pack, along with his female. If he died at the paws of the challenger the Alpha female and her pups would be driven off to live as omegas. Surviving males of village raids would be ousted as omegas for failing to protect the pack. If a couple waiting to be tithed mated during their survival trial they would be ousted. The list went on and on."

"So naturally, Leif Hunter was able to get a great deal of inside knowledge and help when it finally came time to oust the Redclaws from Zootopia permanently. In the end, their strict belief in weeding out the weakest among them lead to their inevitable downfall. In the packs continuing war against Archibald Bellwether, they had cast out more omegas than ever before. This both ultimately decreased their effectiveness as a fighting force as well as made them a great deal of vengeful enemies. Today, the Redclaw pack only exists solely by its omega descendants. The last pure bloods to the north bred themselves out of existence nearly one hundred years ago, but that hadn't prevented them from spreading tales of the treacherous Norwulves, and their crusade against their own kind in favor of lesser mammals. Because of this, most native wolves regardless of tribe have a bitter dislike and distrust of any wolf they perceive to have Norwulff ancestry."

"Those visiting, or even now living amid the modern mammals of Zootopia still seem to hold this grudge despite their surroundings. Those wolves also still tend to look down their snouts at most prey as well, the superiority complex ingrained in their culture still as vehemently strong as ever. It's reasons like that which lead some mammals to believe that there are still tribes out there that to this day still prey on sentient mammals when given the chance."

"But where do the native wolves play into the Hunter family now? After all its been close to three hundred years since Leif drove the Redclaws out of the North Meadowlands, and the Redclaw tribe itself is long dead and gone. Well, that lies in the omegas that became official citizens of Zootopia and permanent residents of the Alpine Ridge District."

"It is known that a great deal of the omega wolves came in as the build up to Leif's war lay on the horizon. But after the dust settled and Leif stepped down as the district representative omegas slowly began to trickle in from all over North Mammalia and Canidea. The tales of the Hunter's treacherous attack was also a tale of encouragement for those cast from their respective packs, and so they began to migrate to what they hoped would be a better life. These wolves were eager to toss away the belief system that had short changed them in favor of what they saw as a superior way to live. Within the first three generations after Leif's death, omega natives began popping up on the Hunter family tree. Vernon's great, great grandmother was a native wolf from the west coast, ousted for her lack of hunting prowess from a pack known as the Moonfangs. She had a natural talent for botany, and settled land just on the edge of the Alpine Ridge. It was there she built a modest house and opened a farm."

"At one of the first Harvest festivals she met Silas Hunter, and later tithed to the wolf. Silas took primary ownership of the modest farm and built it into a fine ranch home for their expected family. They would have three children, only one of which would stay to keep the family farm running while the others went on to law enforcement. In the 1920's, the border between the North Meadowlands and Alpine Ridge was redrawn, and the Hunter ranch found itself absorbed by the new North Meadowlands. Vernon's great grandfather would have two sons and a daughter and again only one would stay to keep the farm running. Aldus Hunters took great pains to modernize the current Hunter ranch in an effort to prepare it for his own children. Unfortunately, Vernon's grandfather would have only one son before his mate Allison Hunter passed away. That wolf, Dorian Hunter, had no interest in continuing keeping the Hunter Ranch at all, or so I've been told. I suppose he would have simply left if it hadn't been for Vernon's Mother."

"Audrey Hunter, maiden name Snarllör, is not only the mammal who kept the Hunter Ranch from being abandoned, but ironically is one of the last blood links to the remnants of the Redclaw pack. Her grandmother, Talia Redclaw was one of the last remaining Redclaw families in Zootopia before tithing into the Snarllör family. It's strangely poetic that the pack the Hunters had driven out would end up keeping them from leaving the North Meadowlands."

"AWOOOOoooooOOOOoooo!" Dawn winced as a lone howl echoed through the home, causing the ewe to clamp down on her laptop protectively. After recognizing just what the noise was, the ewe opened her laptop back up. Glancing at the corner clock on her computer, the ewe could see it was just a few minutes after seven in the morning. Dawn outstretched one of her arms as she let out a weak and somewhat shaky yawn.

"Audrey wasn't kidding about waking up early." Dawn mumbled, hitting the save button on her work in progress.

Dawn was rather groggy, the inevitable end result of a rather poor nights sleep. Of course she had expected as much when she had been told she'd be spending the night sharing a room with Vanna. From an instinctual standpoint alone the prospect of sleeping with a strange, massive predator nearby would be enough make an easy sleep a struggle. But Dawn was prepared for much worse, as she was dead set on finding out just how Vanna truly felt about her. For all she had known at the time, the tigress could have absolutely hated her. But for all that preparation and steeling herself, the last thing Dawn could have even conceived was spending the wee hours of the morning singing terribly off-key duets with the massive tigress. Their unexpected shared love of the famed llama songstress Suri Nicks had the pair gossiping and giggling like school girls. Dawn could have never foreseen her first night at the Hunter Ranch ending on such a wildly fun note, and yet it had. In the short span of an hour or less, the tigress had went from a cold stranger to practically a sister, and the ewe couldn't have been happier.

But even with the pleasant turn of events with Vanna, the ewe found herself robbed of a good nights sleep regardless. She had spent the night tossing and turning, waking back up at nearly half hour intervals until about six in the morning. At that point Dawn had simply thrown her hooves up in defeat, and instead turned back to her historical writing in an effort to lull herself back to sleep via boredom.

At first it hadn't been completely clear what was stealing away the ewe's much needed rest. The first suspect was Vanna's humidifier, but turning it off while the tigress slept did little to change her predicament and so she elected to turn it back on as to not risk disturbing her newly earned friendship. After that Dawn suspected it was a subconscious fear of the coming day, and mending the fences with Dorian. But after how things had turned out with Vanna, the sheep was feeling considerably more positive about what lied ahead of her. At that point all that seemed left was to furtively grasp at straws. Was it the strange bed? The foreign smells? The deafening silence outside compared to the hustle and bustle of big city living. The ewe threw her pillows by her side, pulling herself tightly against them when it suddenly dawned on her the true nature of her nocturnal discomfort. There was supposed to be a big grey wolf lying where her pillows now lay in a crumpled heap.

Dawn hadn't realized just how used to the comfortable wall of fluff that Vernon's inviting pelt provided she had become. She found herself missing the warmth of burying herself into his fur, the low and oddly soothing grumble of his snoring, the familiar earthy scent he always seemed to exude. She also missed the feeling of comfort and protection that came with having his large paws wrapped around her tightly, pulling her in close. It was almost laughable to the ewe. She absolutely hated being reminded of how small and weak she was, and yet here she had been actively pining for the feeling of protection that came from her mates embrace.

Three months of sleeping in the same bed had made her completely reliant, no addicted to the wolf's presence in order to sleep peacefully. Even the quiet, instinctual fear of wolves ingrained in a sheep had seemingly gone radio silent in Dawn's head. To the primal animal buried deep inside, Vernon appeared to have become a complete non-threat. His harsh edges and predator features sanded away leaving behind little more than a cuddly stuffed animal. It craved his feel, it craved his scent, it craved...

Dawn shuddered as she felt a tingle shoot down her spine, a low and lustful bleat involuntarily escaping her throat. The ewe quickly wiped her brow, cursing under her breath as her mind had inadvertently drifted to a sudden, strong desire to mate. Giving a brisk shake of her head, the ewe did her best to cast off the feeling, but despite her best efforts the tingling sensation seemed to linger. It was a different sensation than normal, but still quite familiar to the sheep. Something symptomatic of a condition the ewe was now silently praying wasn't picking this morning of all mornings to start. As if the weekend couldn't have been more of a difficult venture, the ewe seemed to have started suffering the symptoms of remnant estrus early.

"Please don't let it be that, not now." She whined quietly. "It was supposed to start next week." She hissed under breath as she closed her laptop.

Her remnant estrus, a leftover relic from the days of ancient sheep breeding seasons was something she was long accustomed to, but it was never the less an irritant. While mammals had long evolved to desire to mate all year round, many mammals still had retained little leftovers encoded in their DNA, and sheep just happened to be one of those mammals. The thing was, for Dawn at least it had become a highly predictable process. Her semiannual estrus-high that came in the fall and spring was something she usually had down to the day. Thinking back, she had felt some of the early symptoms the day before. But they could have been easily mistaken as simple nervous jitters for the upcoming re-union.

But as she allowed her mind to drift back to her mate she felt a second strong jolt of desire shiver through her. There was no mistaking it now, it was just that much stronger than normal. Dawn wiped the sweat off her brow again. Now she was really feeling the itch, the gnawing desire for Puppy's 'attention'. The only thing the ewe could reason for it's early arrival would be the fact that she was in an active relationship, and thus her body had responded to the frequent 'attention' in kind.

Spending so many years out of a relationship, and her most recent years before Vernon spent in nearly complete isolation had dampened that urge significantly when it reared it's ugly head, but now...

A series of howls echoed though the house, far to many for Dawn to reason it was simply the five wolves she had already met. They varied in length and octave, some deep and bellowing while others high and seemingly gleeful. On top of that Dawn could also hear a strange whooping like laugh that sounded nothing like a wolf.

"ROOOOAAAAAaaaaaAAAAARR!" Dawn jumped as she turned her attention to the tigress across from her. The groggy looking cat had leaned up on one paw, her eyes still partially closed as she snarled. As the roar finally died away, Vanna slumped hard back down against her pillow, dragging one over her head.

"Five more minutes..." Vanna grumbled beneath the fabric.

Dawn's heart was beating at a mile a minute as she clutched her chest tightly. She hadn't exactly been prepared for that kind of wake up call, and was thankful she had already been awake before Vanna's roar. Even so, it seemed that her roar had silenced the other wolves in the Hunter household, so at the very least Dawn had the lingering silence to calm her down.

The ewe scooted off her mattress, opening the nearby drawer to grab her clothes for the day. Dawn grabbed a lavender tinted plaid shirt that she had bought specifically for the trip. It was something Judy had suggested when she had spoken to her over the phone about the coming trip. It had been years since Dawn had been out to the country, and Judy thought it would help her to better fit in among the country mammals. As well as having the added bonus of being a more rugged material suitable for farm work, which it seemed would turn out to be a boon if she actually helped at the stall. The only thing she hadn't listened to Judy about was the jeans. The rabbit said it would be the more durable option, but Dawn simply couldn't do it. The wool on her upper thighs made jeans impossible to pull above her hips without bunching up on her legs.

Dawn grasped a dark purple skirt from the drawer as she made her way over to the corner of the room where a pinkish tinted room divider leaned against the wall. Dragging it out and into place, Dawn huddled behind it and quickly changed into her country dress. It only took a few minutes before Dawn was dressed up and ready to go.

Dawn straightened the hem of her skirt as she glanced at herself in the nearby wall mirror. The ewe took a deep prideful breath as she eyed herself. She certainly looked the part, and she was ready to attack the day. She was determined to fit into her mates pack and at the very least win his Father's respect, or go out trying.

As the ewe strode back to her bedside there was a gentle knock at the bedroom door. Vanna let out a groan.

"Go away..." Vanna grumbled.

"Dawn." She could hear Vernon's hushed whisper on the other side of the door. "Honey lamb, you up yet?"

"Oh Vernon!" Dawn chirped before clasping her hooves to her mouth. Glancing over at Vanna, the tigress remained unmoving. The pillow still remaining firmly clasped atop her head.

Dawn scurried over to the door, gingerly opening it as quietly as possible to avoid drawing any ire from the bedridden tigress. As the door swung open the tall and familiar wolf was revealed leaning against the frame. He was wearing a plaid shirt of his own, a deep blue print with a pair of faded blue jeans to match. Around his neck was the familiar green bandana the wolf seemed to love to wear. Dawn found it sort of ironic that Vernon teased Wade over his faded blue cap, when Vernon seemed to have a similar attachment to the jungle green garment. But she did like the way it made his deep emerald eyes stand out as he stared down at her. The wolf gave her a broad smile.

"Well look at this!" Vernon chuckled. "We match." Vernon brushed a paw down his shirt.

Dawn cocked an eyebrow, placing a hoof on her hip as she flashed the wolf a wry smile. "Well one of us is going to have to change."

The two shared a laugh before Vernon eased into a crouch, placing a soft kiss on the tip of Dawn's snout.

"Mornin' Honey Lamb." Vernon rumbled softly. The low tone sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good morning Puppy Love." Dawn smiled warmly, trying to suppress the tingling that was being stoked by her urges. It wasn't too hard as the ewe was able to focus on the bags under the wolf's eyes. Dawn quickly reached out, giving the soft area below one of Vernon's eyelids a gentle rub.

"Oh Puppy." dawn cooed. "You've got terrible bags, you're all puffy under your eyes."

The wolf wiped his eyes as he stood back up, seemingly desperate to rub the sleep away.

"Y-yeah, yeah." Vernon muttered. "I didn't sleep so well last night."

"O-oh." Dawn said as the wolf leaned in, giving the ewe a more intense stare.

"You don't look like you slept to well either." Vernon said. " Guess the concert kept you up pretty late huh?" Vernon grinned, cocking an eyebrow.

"O-oh...you heard that huh?" Dawn mumbled.

"Not too much, the insulation in this place is pretty thick. But me and Zach recognized the basic tune." Vernon shrugged. "I trust that means things worked out pretty well huh?"

Dawn smiled widely. "Actually yes, we-"

A pillow sailed over the ewe's head and struck Vernon in the stomach before slumping to the floor by his feet. Dawn turned around to see that Vanna's head was exposed, one of her eyes now squinting at the two.

"Please, please go away." Vanna mumbled. "I just want a few more minutes."

Vernon chuckled, flashing the ewe a grin. "We can talk about it on the way down to breakfast. Best to leave ol' miss grumpy puss to herself for a while."

Dawn watched as the tigress stabbed a finger in Vernon's direction despite not raising her face from the pillow.

"Don't act like you wolves are any better with mornings than I am." She grumbled. "Just make sure they save me some coffee by the time I get downstairs." She hissed, burying her head more aggressively into the pillow.

Vernon suppressed a snicker as he reached for the door knob behind Dawn. Taking the hint, the ewe scooted into the hall allowing him to close the door to the bedroom tightly behind them. Now up and about, Dawn was ready to hit the bathroom and fix herself up before meeting the other wolves.

"I do need to fix my wool and brush my teeth." Dawn said. "I can't go do-"

Vernon shook his head. "Don't worry about it Floof's. Most of the mammals downstairs have bed head anyway." Vernon laughed. "We usually clean ourselves up after breakfast."

Dawn shook her head. "Oh but Vernon, I cant go down there like this!" Dawn said, raising her hooves to accentuate her point. "My poof's all messed up and I've got stray wool everywhere. I would make a terrible first impression."

"I think you look real pretty." Vernon smiled warmly, drawing a harsh blush from the ewe. She could feel that familiar itch coming back. Dawn did her best to shake it off, but by that time it was apparent that Vernon could tell something was going on. His ears now stood straight up and sharply pointed. The wolf took a few whiffs of the air before eyeing the ewe curiously.

"D-Dawn," He muttered quietly. "I u-uh...I smell ya." Vernon said.

Dawn gave a meek nod.

"It's really strong." Vernon said, his voice seemed to break slightly. The wolf gave a brisk shake of his head.

"S-stronger than normal. Are you feelin' alright Lamb Chop?" The wolf asked.

Dawn twiddled her hooves together nervously. For a brief moment she wished she could go back to before the wolf was even aware of her pheromones. But that cat was long out of the bag, and now the wolf had become quite attuned to them.

"I-I uh..." Dawn muttered. "I-I think I've kind of gone into remnant estrus early..."

Vernon looked puzzled for a moment before it seemed the realization hit him. The wolf wiped a paw across his brow.

"W-well that shouldn't be a problem for e-everyone else." Vernon mumbled. "I mean I couldn't pick up on that until..." The wolf trailed off, a lurid glimmer forming in his eye. The wolf shook his head briskly in a clear effort to maintain composure.

"M-maybe it is a good idea to hit the bathroom first." Vernon muttered. "Or maybe one of these guest rooms..." The wolf gave a slight whine. " For like five mi-"

Dawn shook her head briskly. "No Vernon! Remember what you told me yesterday!" Dawn crossed her arms.

"S-sorry Honey Lamb!" Vernon yelped, shaking his head. "It's just r-really strong. I-I I'm going to have a hard time keeping my head on straight all weekend if I'm constantly smelling you. You know how well a wolf's sniffer works!"

Dawn placed her head in her hooves. "I-Is it really that noticeable?"

Vernon put a paw to his forehead, a look of concern crossing his face. " To me, yes." He nodded. "And if it keeps up it'll be distracting me all day." Vernon shook his head briskly, stabbing a thumb in the direction of the downstairs. " And that mess down there will pick up on that pretty quick. Especially Yuri." Vernon grumbled.

The wolf dragged a paw across his face, slowly pulling it across his tired eyes. "By the gods, like he needs any more material to harass us on."

Dawn brought a hoof to her chin, scratching it thoughtfully. "Well, if this were normal circumstances there would be a pretty easy way to fix this." Dawn mused.

"How?" Vernon asked quizzically.

"A quick rut would quell the urges for a few days and therefore my pheromone levels would go back down to normal, but-"

"Great!" Vernon interrupted, his eyes seeming to shine with lust. " We'll just duck into one of the guest rooms and-"

"They will hear us!" Dawn yelped. "You said-!"

The wolf shook his head in a clear effort to come to his senses. "Yeah, yeah I know what I said!" Vernon crossed his arms, his muzzle twisted into a snarl as he seemed to curse himself. "This had to happen now." He shook his head. "I mean I can tolerate the usual dose, but if it's going to be coming off this strong-"

"I-I'm sorry." Dawn murmured.

Vernon sighed. "It ain't your fault Honey Lamb. I'll just have to work a little harder to keep it together is all. I can do that." The wolf ran a paw through his hair tuft.

"You make it sound like you're the only one who has to." Dawn smirked. "Considering I know the only one who can give me the 'attention' I need to ease this particular feeling is going to be right next to me most of this weekend."

Vernon chuckled weakly. "Maybe it's for the best we didn't end up sharing a bed."

Dawn frowned slightly. "Y-yeah." The ewe rubbed one of her arms as she looked to the floor. "I did miss you though."

Looking up, she found Vernon dreamily smiling back at her. "I missed you too Honey Lamb." The wolf crouched, taking one of her hooves in his paw. "How do you think I got these bags under my eyes?" The wolf said, pointing to the dark puffs beneath his eyes.

"Oh Puppy!" Dawn was nearly leaned in for a hug before stopping herself. She quickly recoiled, causing the wolf to follow suit.

"Ahem." Dawn coughed, adjusting her glasses. "I should definitely go to the bathroom and cool down for a bit before we face the family."

She watched as Vernon grew a wide and mischievous grin.

"Oh no, no mister." She tutted, waiving a hoof. "You're going to have to wait outside."

Vernon's ears sagged as he grimaced.

"Once I've cooled down, and doused myself with my usual products you won't even smell me. We'll be fine." Dawn asserted.

The wolf eyed her warily, seemingly nervous. " I- I don't know Honey Lamb, I mean-"

"It will work, trust me!" Dawn said proudly as she began to lead the walk toward the bathroom. However, despite her proclamation, worry was starting to build in her mind once again. To Dawn, it was beginning to seem as if fixing one problem only left a spot open for another one to take it's place.