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Chapter Fourteen: Et Tu Zachary?

Vernon felt sick, too sick to even finish his the warm, sticky homemade breakfast that had been one of the few things the wolf looked forward to when visiting home. What remained on his plate had become as revolting as the scent of his Mother's perfume, and the wolf simply slid it aside as the rest of group continued to eat in near silence. Barely anyone had said much of anything after Dorian had come in and chased Yuri out of the room, something Vernon was at least partially grateful for. If things had continued Vernon was sure he would have slugged the wolf, probably earning himself a black eye among other wounds, and trashing the dining hall in the process. But the cavalry had ultimately arrived too late to save the already abysmal turn the morning had taken. Granted, it had already been on shaky ground to start with Dawn's sudden and unwelcomed visitor. But Yuri's little performance had successfully managed to destroy any little remaining hope that the day would be an overall positive one. It had already seemed to be ruined, and the wolf had barely been awake for more than thirty minutes.

Vernon had long been used to Yuri's particular form of teasing and torment. The black pelted wolf had always been nasty, vindictive, rude little mammal ever since they had been pups. And there was not a member of the young Hunter brood that didn't suffer at one point or another due to Yuri's usual cruelty. But it was Vernon more so than the rest that the wolf seemed to reserve the worst he had to offer for. When they had been pups, Yuri had been the largest member of the brothers and was always using it to his advantage in sinister ways. Whether it was intimidation, or brute force the pup was quick to exert his 'dominance'_over the others, especially Vern. Vernon could easily remember a number of times Yuri had simply sat on him to pin him down, and refused to let the wolf up until he stated that Yuri was the _'Alpha' and that he was the 'Omega'. Yuri knew better of course, they weren't allowed to use terms like that under Ma and Pa Hunter's roof. But he was nearly a master at being able to perfectly evade their parents detection when torturing his brothers.

As he got older the abuse worsened, and losing Dawn as a childhood friend only gave Yuri more material to work with. Rather than offer the wolf pity or sympathy, Yuri ramped up the already incessant teasing and fighting. It was only when Vernon went through his growth spurt that Yuri seemed to lighten up a bit when it came to physical side of hurting Vernon. Looking back, Vernon could easily chalk it up to the fact that Yuri had went from the largest wolf in the pack, to the smallest after the others all sprouted up around him. Yuri had always been an opportunist and a coward, never going after mammals larger than he was unless he knew it was a situation he could get away clean from. But despite no longer getting physical with Vernon, Yuri was no slouch. He had perfected the art of verbal abuse, and now reveled in the fact that as long as he wasn't the first to swing he would always be in the right.

If it hadn't been for the fact the Yuri was one of the first to leave the ranch Vernon was certain he would have lost his mind and killed him despite taking a vow of nonviolence after getting into high school. Vernon could remember one or two nights he had drifted to sleep plotting exactly where he would bury the wolf where no one would find him. But when the first litter of the Hunter brood graduated high school, while Zach and Xavier were spending their Summer preparing to attend their respective colleges, Yuri had decided to spend his Summer traveling. The wolf simply took off with little warning, taking to his motorcycle with a duffle bag full of his things and blowing away like a tumbleweed in the wind. He had spent his time traveling all over North Mammalia if the post cards Vernon's parents received were anything to go by. But before Dorian and Audrey could question whether or not the wolf intended to become a professional drifter, Yuri turned up on his first scheduled day at the MarshlandPoliceAcademy, and with that their worries seemed to be put at rest.

Meanwhile Vernon had spent his Summer actually enjoying being home for the first time in his life. By comparison to Yuri he managed to get along with his other brothers like a dream. In fact, Yuri's absence is one of the reasons Vernon ended up lingering around the Meadowlands for a few years after high school. It was, in some way, like an entirely new experience exploring the district without the weight of his brother looming over him, and the wolf was making up for lost time. Eventually though, Vernon made the choice to break away from the family vocation, and strike out on his to become an architect when the opportunity finally presented itself. With Gus living in Zootopia, and willing to share his apartment with the wolf, Vernon was free to support himself without worrying about Dorian trying to steer him back on the path to police duty. Vernon was free of the responsibilities that being a Hunter seemed to carry along with it, and was more than delighted to be. That said, his visits to the Ranch since leaving for college had been few and far between. And if Yuri was set to visit, Vernon would tend to cancel at the last minute. It was only as recently as Zach and Vanna's tithing ceremony that had he seen the wolf again.

Vernon had hoped he would have changed, but in fact Yuri had become worse during his time on his own. And while he was attached to Ada at that time, who despite her seemingly similar demeanor turned out to be a rather sweet mammal, it had done nothing to change him. It was for Ada's sake that Vernon had resisted the urge to belt him when he used his opportunity to speak at the reception for Zach and Vanna to devote a minute and a half of material to putting Vernon down. And it was also for Ada's sake that Vernon ended up leaving early rather than stay another day and risk mauling the smug sneering wolf.

The wolf had remained silent for most of what remained of the morning meal, occasionally sipping his now disgustingly cold coffee or glancing over at the ewe sitting next to him. Somehow Dawn had managed to finish her food, something that Vernon found surprising considering all that had happened just a short while ago. The wolf ended up more or less reasoning that Dawn's appetite surviving Yuri's mood killing scene had something to do with her four chambered stomach.

"Vernon Darlin'?" The wolf was pulled out of his thoughts by his Mother's voice. He turned his head to catch the wolfess staring at him, her features fraught with concern.

"Yer done with your food? You've barely touched it." She grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm about done. I'll just stick with what's left of my coffee." He muttered, giving her a dismissive nod.

The wolf took a sip of the brew, cringing at the nasty aftertaste the chill somehow amplified.

"Vernon." That came from Dawn. The wolf glanced down at the equally concerned looking sheep sitting next to him. He could tell by the lack of inquisitiveness in her tone that she knew he wasn't being honest and pressing for truthfulness. Something she had either learned to pick up on better than his Mother, or his Mother simply knew to let some things go.

"I'm fine Floof's, really. I feel better now." Vernon grumbled. "Just not very hungry."

The ewe placed a hoof on Vernon's paw, rubbing it affectionately.

"Well, I guess if everyone's more or less done eatin' we can start getting ready to head out." Audrey interjected. "We should probably start by figuring out who's riding with who."

Vernon winced as he recalled the number of cars available to carry them to the fair. If he counted correctly, between the food truck, his Father's squad car, and his Mother's pick-up that limited the number to three cars in total. Vernon knew, thanks to Yuri's punishment he would be forced to ride in the food truck. And Dorian refused to let anyone drive his squad car but him. Vernon wasn't willing to be in the same car with either of them at the moment, the prospect of relentless mockery should he be stuck in the passengers seat next to Yuri, or painfully awkward silence that would come from sitting near his Father were almost equally unappealing. So that left Dawn and himself with no options other than his Mother's truck, which considering his Mother took up the driver's seat, left the pair split up once more. Unless he could convince Zach to take the pair in his squad car so they had some modicum of privacy and recovery time after the mornings events, but the wolf rarely used his squad car outside of work.

"Vernon?" The ewe asked. As Vernon turned to face Dawn he went to open his mouth to speak only to accidently gulp a large whiff of his Mother's perfume coming off the lamb. The odor burned his throat, causing him to let out a few hacking coughs as he turned away.

"Teeth to Tails!" Vernon hissed. "We really went overboard with that stuff!" The wolf wafted a paw in Dawn's direction in an effort to diffuse the smell. Dawn frowned sharply.

"I wasn't going to say anything..." Audrey spoke quietly. " But it is a little much. Tell me Darlin', do you always wear your perfume that thick or...?"

Vernon watched the ewe briskly shake her head, waiving her hooves pleadingly at the she-wolf. "Goodness no!" She stammered. "I'm so sorry I used so much, I just-just-"

"Ya'll don't need to say the reason. I don't need to know." Audrey assured. " I just hope it's helping..." Audrey trailed off as she seemed to struggle to find the words. "Whatever it is ya'll needed it for." The she-wolf scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

Vernon nearly laughed out loud. Of course his Mother knew, everyone more or less knew thanks to Yuri's little scene. The wolf wasn't sure what he found to be a more horrifying prospect, the fact that his mate now smelled like his Mother ready for a hot night on the town, or the fact that his Mother was aware that Vernon seemed to have such little self control when faced with his mates pheromones that the couple had resorted to something this drastic.

"I-It's nothin' against you Ma." Vernon stammered. "Really! I ju-"

"A sensory conflict." Xavier muttered, sliding his empty plate atop of Malcolm's. The red wolf rose to his feet and continued to collect empty plates as Xavier went on.

"A scent and a stimuli that aren't usually mentally associated with one another can be quite jarring, more so for certain..." The wolf lingered for a moment, seeming to be carefully choosing his words. "Relationships those connections pertain to."

"What he said." Vernon said, gesturing to his brother.

"Oh gods, ya'll don't need to go any further." The she wolf huffed, rising to her feet with her own empty plate. "I said I really don't need to know!"

"Is it bothering anyone else?" Dawn asked, twiddling her hooves together nervously.

"Nah, you just smell like air freshener." Qali said before clasping her paws over her muzzle. She eyed Audrey nervously, a deep blush peeking out under her fur. "I-I mean, no offense Mrs. Hunter. It smells great when you wear it!"

The she-wolf let out a scoff as she rolled her eyes. As she scooped Dawn's empty plate onto her own she let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told ya Qali, please call me Audrey." The wolfess said as she took Vernon's plate, laying it gently on top of the stack she was holding.

"I'm really lousing things up this morning." Vernon heard Qali mumble quietly.

Vernon groaned as he slumped his head into his paws again.

"It makes sense that it would only really bother Vernon all things considered." Xavier added, intertwining his fingers together as he leaned forward on the dining room table. "But Vernon dear brother, what exactly are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Vernon looked out from between his fingers at Xavier in confusion.

"I don't follow." The wolf muttered.

"Well." Xavier adjusted his glasses. "Surely like the rest of us you intended to spend time with your mate at the fair. Together, as a couple."

"He means a 'date'." Malcolm laughed. "Honestly Hon, you ain't in the courtroom so try to talk normal."

Xavier coughed awkwardly, adjusting his spectacles again. "Yes, well. How do you expect to go about that if Dawn's smell is so off putting?"

Vernon blinked at the wolf a few times in surprise. The wolf hadn't even considered that. Part of his big plan for the day was to have as much fun as possible with Dawn in an effort to make up for everything that had happened so far. To blot out every last bit of negativity brought on by the others members of his family by the sheer joy of experiencing the fair together, just the two of them. Yet the emergency plan Dawn had come up with now seemed to have created a roadblock that Vernon wasn't sure he could easily over come. It would barely make for a very good date if he had to remain a few feet away from her most of the day.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Audrey said. The she-wolf was handing her plates off to Malcolm creating one large pile. " The first note on my perfume is the most potent, it'll be more or less gone in a half hour. All and all it'll be totally gone by the afternoon."

"Notes?" Vernon asked.

"Layered scents." Audrey replied. "Perfumes are made up of scents that burn off throughout the day."

Dawn glanced at Vernon nervously for a second, then back to his Mother.

"W-what do I do-"

The she wolf held up a paw. "By then we'll be heading back home. You can borrow more if you need it."

The ewe gave a meek nod.

"But, I figured you guys were going to ride in the same car together." Wade added. "How are you gonna do that if-"

"Dawn can ride with us in the back of the pick-up." Vanna said. The tigress had been sitting in Ada's empty chair. By now she was on her second cup of coffee. "It would be a good way to introduce her to the rest of the girls proper."

"Now hold on-"

"I-I'd be okay with that." Dawn muttered.

Vernon stared at her in shock.

"I-I mean, as l-long as Vanna will be there." She added.

Vanna gave the ewe a nod, smirking slightly.

"Now wait a minute!" Vernon huffed. If there was one thing aside from Yuri that got under Vernon's pelt, it was being talked around. "I don't really know if that's such a hot idea."

"Why not?" Audrey asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Vernon dropped his paws to the table top, clenching his teeth in irritation.

"Ya'll act like I'm a puppy here." Vernon hissed. "Just because I don't like a smell doesn't mean I can't tolerate it! There's no reason we shouldn't be fine riding together."

"I know Honey." Audrey cooed. "But we're trying to make this easier on everyone, including you."

"Easier?" Vernon crossed his arms. "What would be easiest for me would be to make sure I'm around Dawn at all times here. I can't ju-"

"Puppy, yer bein' too overprotective again." Audrey chided.

The wolf ran a paw over his scalp before slamming it down on the table. _'Overprotective'_had become an entirely meaningless word in the face of everything that had happened so far, and Vernon had begun to stop caring about how overprotective the rest of his family perceived him to be, especially when it came to his mates welfare.

"Overprotective!?" Vernon laughed sarcastically. "Sure, clearly the better idea is to just leave Dawn at ya'lls mercy! You think after all that's happened so far I'm gonna leave Dawn alone with any of ya'll!?" Vernon snarled.

The table seemed to fall silent, leaving the bitterness of Vernon's comment to hang in the ether. The awkward silence caused Vernon to immediately start to regret his words, and he quickly glanced over to Dawn in fear he had inadvertently offended her. She was frowning, but once his eyes were on her she seemed to be trying to smile. It was weak and forced, and in that instant the wolf felt slightly ashamed. Here he was complaining about the rest of the family treating him like a child while he was doing the same to the ewe he professed to love. It was a feeling made worse by looking out among the sea of faces all staring back at him in a mixture of confusion and in the case of his Mother, hurt.

"Vernon." She said sternly, a slight tremor in her cadence. "It's wrong of you to throw the rest of the family under the bus just because of your Father and Yuri's behavior!" The she-wolf crossed her arms "I've done nothing but try to make you and Dawn feel welcome, and there ain't another mammal seated at this table right now who's said anything out of turn!" Audrey's gaze flashed over Ulric briefly, causing her to grimace as the dark grey wolf seemed to falter slightly. "Well almost all the mammals seated here."

Vernon frowned as his Mother continued to heap spoonfuls of truth onto him, with each statement the wolf found himself releasing an involuntary whimper.

"Thinking you need to be around to protect Dawn from the rest of us is not only an insult to me, but I'm sure it's an insult to Dawn." Audrey lamented.

Vernon glanced at Dawn as his feeling of shame continued to deepen. The ewe wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem mad either. She was eyeing the wolf in what seemed to be a mixture of concern and worry. Vernon could feel her hoof wrap around his nearest paw, squeezing it tightly.

"I-I'm sorry Honey Lamb." Vernon muttered, averting his gaze.

"I-it's okay Puppy Love..." Dawn cooed. "I-I know it's just because you worry about me."

The wolf winced slightly, turning his attention to the rest of the table. The other mammals were still more or less silent.

"I-I'm sorry guys. I-"

"Don't Vernon, believe me I understand." Xavier cut him off.

"Yuri gets all of us pretty riled up, he's practically got that down to a science." Trenton added.

"The first time I brought Malcolm home he was making the most vile wisecracks." Xavier grimaced. "He got me so worked up I nearly broke a dinner plate over his head."

Trenton chuckled. "And Xavier is a lawyer, he's paid to keep his composure as cool and analytical as possible."

"Key words being 'he's paid'. I don't get paid to keep my composure together in the face of Yuri's 'charming presence'." Xavier scoffed.

Trenton leaned over Qali, placing a paw on Vernon's shoulder. The white wolf gave Vernon a smile that seemed to ooze confidence and reassurance.

"Regardless, listen to Ma." Trenton said. " I can't speak for everyone else here, but I've got nothing against you and Dawn."

"Me too!" Qali piped up, placing a paw on Trent's elbow.

"I second that." Xavier added, adjusting his spectacles. "Both from a legal standpoint, as Dawn has fulfilled her debt to society, as well as from a brotherly standpoint."

"Could ya'll sound anymore like a robot?" Malcolm gave Xavier a playful elbow as gathered together the last of the silverware. The red wolf turned toward the kitchen, only to take two steps before glancing back at the family table.

"Oh, and I'm with ya'll too." Malcolm said, grinning broadly as he turned back toward the kitchen with his load of dishes. As the red wolf disappeared behind the door frame, Ulric suddenly rose to his feet. The wolf had been largely quiet since his own outburst, only letting out the occasional mutterings since being shouted down.

"I-" The wolf glanced at Vernon, then at Dawn, his eyes darting back and forth as the cagey wolf seemed to be trying to process what to say in the face of what he was looking at. "I-I better help Yuri out."

With that, Ulric quickly darted out of the room in the direction of the kitchen. Almost as quickly as he had disappeared behind the doorframe a loud crash erupted from somewhere in the kitchen.

"ULRIC, YOU DUMMY!" Vernon could hear Malcolm shouting loudly. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that the paranoid wolf had collided with the dishes Malcolm was carrying. Audrey sat back at the table, placing a paw to her head as she let out a sigh.

"Teeth to tails, at least those weren't the good dishes." The she-wolf muttered.

Despites Ulric's little flight or flight response, Vernon suddenly found himself feeling his spirit renewed. With Xavier and Trenton on his side, as well as their mates, more than half the family was now pulling for him and Dawn to really fit into the family. He had never hoped to change Yuri, or expected anything out of him other than humiliation, but he could accept that if the family largely didn't share his views on things. For a brief moment the wolf felt like the day could be salvaged, that he had a real shot of bringing his Father around and making Dawn a real member of the pack.

"Hey Vern?" Vernon turned to find Zach once again standing in the hall. The wolf was peeking around the archway, his face had uncertainty written all over it.

"C-can I talk to you for a minute?" Zach added.

Vernon crooked an eyebrow at the wolf in confusion. He was about to simply walk over to him when he remembered the thread of the conversation at hand. The wolf waived a paw at Zach dismissively.

"Yeah, give me a sec." Vernon replied.

Turning back to Dawn, Vernon gave her a soft smile. "You sure you wanna ride with the girls Mutton Chop?"

The ewe seemed to have a flicker of confidence shine behind her eyes as she nodded briskly.

"Yes Vernon, It'll be fun." Dawn smiled warmly.

"Well, mostly fun." Vanna said, sipping her coffee. "Qails and Ada don't have as good a taste when it comes to music as we do, but we'll manage."

Dawn stifled a giggle as the diminutive arctic fox crossed her arms and let out a huff. "Just because I like some of today's top hits doesn't mean I have bad taste in music!"

"Backstreet Bucks." Vanna replied with a smirk.

"They were my childhood! C'mon Vanna!" Qali yelped as she placed her paws on the table.

"I rest my case." Vanna said, taking another swig of her coffee.

Vernon smiled as Dawn tried to hide another giggle. This is what he wanted to see, how he wanted things to be for her. This little moment was like a fleeting golden glimmer of what the wolf had dared to hope introducing Dawn to the family would be like. It was almost enough to forget what happened at the start of breakfast.

The wolf gave her a playful tousle of her wooly poof as he rose to his feet. He could feel the ewe's playful swats as she pretended to protect herself.

"VeeeRRRNoooOOOoooN!" She whined as she adjusted the clump of wool atop her head, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

"Alrighty, I'll meet you all outside then." Vernon said, brushing his shirt free of whatever crumbs had accumulated there. Glancing over to Vanna, to wolf flashed her a slightly serious glance. Vernon pointed a stray finger at the large tigress.

"Keep her out of trouble." Vernon chuckled. His words were a playful jest, but his eyes said what he truly meant. And Vanna's stern nod told him she had gotten his message. 'keep her safe if things go wrong'.

Vernon leaned down, stealing a quick kiss of Dawn's cheek before heading making a half jog over to the hall. He could hear Dawn let out a surprised squeal as he put distance between them. He was sure he had left the ewe blushing fiercely, and on top of that he had managed to snag the kiss without inhaling the perfume.

As Vernon rounded the corner he could immediately feel the rising pleasant vibe in him begin to wither as his eyes fell on Zach. The russet tipped wolf was pacing in front of the main door, seemingly unaware that Vernon had entered. The nervous wolf ran a paw over his scalp as he continued to pace.

"Zach?" Vernon muttered quietly.

The wolf seemed to jump at the sound of his brothers voice. and clutched his chest briefly as he turned his attention to Vernon.

"H-hey little bro." Zach said with a shudder.

"Everything alright?" Vernon eyed the wolf curiously. It was a rare sight for Vernon to see the wolf this consternated.

"Y-Yeah, no. I mean." The wolf shook his head briskly. "I'm okay."

"You don't look it." Vernon murmured. "What's got your hackles up?"

Zach ran a paw over his scalp, glancing out the front doors side window for a moment as if he were afraid he was being watched. Turning back to Vernon, the wolf let out a long sigh.

"I- I spoke to Pa." Zach said solemnly.

Vernon grimaced as it became clear why to wolf seemed to be behaving so nervously. It was obvious the talk Zach had promised hadn't gone well.

"I see." Vernon murmured.

"Yeah." Zach replied.

The two remained silent for a moment. It was disappointing to say the least that Vernon wouldn't be expecting an apology to Dawn anytime soon by his Old Mam' for his behavior. Sadly it seemed they would have to rely heavily on their _'B Plan'_of bringing the wolf around by impression alone. Still the wolf was at least appreciative of his brothers efforts, however for naught they may have turned out.

"Well, I appreciate you trying." Vernon huffed. "What exactly did he say anyway?"

The wolf glanced over his shoulder again, frowning deeper as he returned he glance on Vernon.

"H-He really kind of ignored what I was saying." Zach sighed.

"Should have figured." Vernon grumbled. "He's a stubborn as an ass."

Zach gave a simple, meek nod.

"Well, I guess I'll be riding in the food truck then." Vernon scratched the back of his head. "If Yuri's driving he won't be able to actually talk to me if I'm in the back. So that's a slight improvement on riding with you and Pa. I should probably ge-"

As Vernon went to turn away he felt Zach suddenly grasp him on the shoulder. Turning back to his brother he seemed to be even more nervous than before. It was quickly becoming clear there was something more deeply wrong he had yet to tell the wolf.

"P-Pa..." The wolf swallowed hard. "Pa thinks it would be best the for the family if..." The wolf trailed off, tugging at the neck of his hoodie. "You two hung back here for the day."

Vernon stared blankly at his brother for a few moments. He couldn't have heard that correctly, could he? Vernon blinked a few times before it finally began to register.

"What?" Vernon said, irritation and disbelief lacing his inflection.

Zach let out a whine, placing a paw over his face as he started to stammer.

"H-He thinks, I mean, T-the townsfolk, U-Uh..."

Vernon clasped his paws on his brothers shoulders, giving him a brisk shake.

"Out with it Mam'!" Vernon sneered.

"Pa thinks that between you two being a predator prey couple, and who Dawn is th-th-tha-" The wolf stammered.

Vernon gave him another shake, harsher than before as his blood began to boil.

"THAT WHAT!?" Vernon snarled.

"That it'll cause a huge stir!" Zach sputtered. "Maybe a scene! And Pa thinks it could cause trouble for the whole family's reputation!"

As Zach sputtered out his last few statements with rising panic, Vernon finally released his grip, practically shoving the wolf away as the last of the painful statement hit him. Vernon felt like the ground was falling out from beneath him, the surreality and irony of situation leaving the wolf feeling almost hollow. He could feel the acid rise in his gullet as his nausea returned in full force. Vernon tried to stare his brother dead in the eyes, but he had grown so angry he couldn't even see straight.

Interspecies relationships among the family had never caused his Father to _'fear'_how the public would perceive the family before. It hadn't mattered with Zach and Vanna, nor Yuri and Ada, or Trent and Qali. In fact, Vernon imagined the Hunter's were known to the native Meadowlanders as having somewhat of a monopoly on _'unconventional'_relationships. Sure predator and prey relationships were rare, something that mammals tended to whisper about behind closed doors. But Vernon found the prospect of his and Dawn's relationship causing a scene of something completely preposterous. Especially considering Meadowlands came off as a much more socially tamer place compared to Zootopia proper. To Vernon's recollection, a mammal getting accosted in the meadowlands for their life choices was a rare as a shooting star.

No, it was clear to Vernon this was more about who Dawn was, and what implications that could have for the family. Despite her hardship endured during her time and prison, and her effort to reform. Despite nearly getting killed multiple times, and ultimately having to kill her own Father to save the city, it somehow failed to be enough for the older wolf to give the lamb a shot. Dawn being around was somehow a risk to the Hunter's family image, the feelings of a bunch of strangers mattered more than the feelings of his own son. And what made him even more enraged was that his Father hadn't even had the courage to tell him face to face. Instead he had twisted Zach's arm into acting as an arbiter for his orders.

"That's insane!" Vernon spat. "How dare he insinuate, to even-I-" Vernon shook his head. He was becoming more livid the more he thought about his Father, and it strangled his words.

"I mean, can you believe that!?" Vernon hissed. "That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard!"

Zach remained quiet, his eyes darting around as he tapped his claws together.

"W-well it's not entirely implausible..." Vernon could hear Zach mutter.

Vernon was sure he was going deaf. He had to be seeing as this was the second time in just a few moments the wolf wasn't sure of what he was hearing. Vernon stared hard at Zach, and the wolf began to shrink away.

"What?" Vernon asked, his voice trembling.

Zach placed a paw over his muzzle. "W-well I mean..." He stammered. "The way Pa p-put it, w-well..." He trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I hadn't thought about it that way before."

Vernon blinked at the wolf in utter shock.

"Y-you agree with him?" Vernon muttered, his voice faltering as he spoke.

Zach winced. "Well, I mean Dawn's pretty w-well known. Who k-knows what kind of mammals would come out of the wood-work in pu-"

"I- I can't believe you." Vernon's voice cracked. The wolf could barely process what Zach was saying.

"It's just safer if you two-"

"Do you have a problem with us being together!?" Vernon growled, he could feel the fur on the back of his neck stand up as he found himself looming over Zach. The smaller wolf placed his paws up defensively, frantically waiving them.

"NO! No of course not!" Zach whined. "But other mammals at the fair might no-"

"WE'RE GOING! UNDERSTAND!?" Vernon was seething, his blood boiling over. He could feel his heart beating in his ears, nearly drowning out his brothers voice over the rapid rhythm. "Neither one of you is going to tell us we ain't! GOT IT!"

Vernon slammed a paw into the nearby wall causing it to tremble slightly. It hurt, but the wolf could barely register it over the blind rage he was feeling. It was bad enough to have his Father try to exclude him from the families traditions, but for his own brother to agree was practically treasonous.

"If ol' Mam Hunter has a problem with it he can talk to me in person and see how that shakes out!" Zach continued to shrink away, until he was finally back against the wall. "I don't need his lapdog trying to convince me to see things his way!"

"WE'RE GOING!" Vernon was in Zach's face now, and the smaller wolf began to slide down the wall.

"Y-yeah, y-yeah, okay." Zach placed his paws out defensively.

With a huff, Vernon pushed himself away from the wall and turned back toward the kitchen. With a final glance back at his now crumpled and pathetic looking brother, the wolf flashed a sharp sneer.

"I ain't telling Dawn about this, and you better not either. We are going to have a great time today, understand?" Vernon hissed. "In spite of that old mangy mongrel Rutter! And you can tell him as much. I just hope staying in his good graces was worth it Zach, I really do." Turning back to the door the wolf continued toward the dining room.

"Do me a favor, and steer clear of me for the rest of the day. Got it?"

"G-g-got it." Vernon heard a whimpering reply.

And with that, Vernon stormed his way out through the now empty dining hall. The sooner he was alone in the back of the corn truck, the better.