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Chapter Thirty-Three: Baking With Love

"You ready Floofs?" Vernon asked, his brow furrowing in concern as he looked down at the diminutive ewe. In the dim light of the closed stall, it was hard to see the large wolf too well, but it was something the ewe preferred at this point.

Every nerve, every fiber of the ewe was screaming at her to say 'no'. To simply run back out to the delivery van and spend the rest of the day playing mobile games on her phone until they had to leave. Yet as if to spite herself, in direct conflict with everything her instinct was telling her, she managed to squeak out a timid, strangled response.

"Y-yes..." Dawn practically whispered. The ewe wrung her hooves together uneasily as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"We'll be fine Honey Lamb." Vernon reassured, the wolf leaning down to place a paw on her shoulder. Dawn nearly jumped out of her pelt at the sudden contact. She had been too busy looking down at her feet to notice the wolf reaching for her.

"Easy, easy Lamb Fry." The wolf cooed, bringing a paw up to her face and softly caressing it. The ewe was quick to grab his paw, pressing it deeper into her cheek as she leaned into his comforting grip. It may have been a small gesture, but the ewe tried her best to savor what relief the wolf's touch would bestow, even temporarily.

"Ma's got our back..." Vernon continued, rubbing his thumb against her cheek affectionately. "And most of the fairgoers probably ain't gonna pay us no mind."

Dawn wanted to believe the wolf, she truly did. But the logical part of her brain knew it was simply a pipe dream. After yesterday, it was highly unlikely that they wouldn't be easily recognized. Practically everyone at the fair had been privy to the scene that played out the days before, and those that hadn't surely had been told about it by now.

She just wasn't ready to face the public after the previous day's debacle. She had managed to keep her anxiety about the whole thing buried when Audrey had first declared her plan the night before. The she-wolf's positivity had even proved infectious. But as the ewe grew closer to actually going back to the fair, her nervousness continued to build. Still she had held on, through breakfast, loading the truck, and even managing to make pleasant small talk on the ride over. She had even managed to get through setting up the inside of the darkened stall, away from the prying eyes of the public.

But when Audrey left the stand, on her way to the front to open the front shutter and expose them to the world, the ewe began to lose it.

"V-Vernon I-" Dawn tried to squeak, but she felt paralyzed. The brewing stage fright shutting her mind down in the face of impending exposure. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday, with Audrey front and center to take the brunt of the backlash. What would Dorian do this time? Or Ruddy? Would they permanently banned from the fair? Force Auddey to close her stall forever, regardless of who showed up to run it?

And then there was Dorian, who the ewe wasn't even sure she could stomach seeing again. Dawn was almost certain in this moment, that should she lay eyes on the icy furred wolf, she'd surely break into tears. Everything inside her mind was screaming at her, every negative outcome, every possible ramification that could blow up in their face. It just felt far too overwhelming to take.

"Shh...Honey Lamb..." Vernon cooed sweetly. The wolf brought her in for a hug, planting a soft kiss on her forehead as he did. "I'm here too y'know." The wolf reassured as he rubbed the ewe's back. "Remember ya always got me to lean on. I ain't going nowhere."

Dawn shuddered as Vernon's gestures overtook her, the anxiety and panic subsiding significantly as she allowed herself to be taken in by the wolf's grip. It was quite paradoxical, the ewe knew it. She was always so adamant about how others standing up for and protecting her bothered her. And yet here she was, wrapped tightly in her lovers shielding embrace, and praying that she never had to leave it.

A loud clank jerked the couples attention back to the front of the stand, the wolf's grip remaining fixed around the ewe As the shutter suddenly rose to the top of the stall. Dawn winced slightly at the sudden burst of sunlight now glaring back at her, the morning light temporarily drowning out the rest of the scene before it slowly came into focus. Audrey was standing at the edge of the stand, making sure to lock the shutter up and away to prevent it from sliding back down. As her eyes continued to adjust, Dawn started to make out the rest of the fairgrounds. The various other stands already open or in the process of opening. More importantly, the ewe could already see at least two or three goats had stopped to stare at the stall from a distance. One standing on the tips of his hooves to look over the counter's edge.

Audrey seemed to notice right away, the wolfess raising an eyebrow in concern as she eyed some of them.

"Ya'll hungry?" Audrey asked, cocking her head slightly. "We got some already prepared stuff ready to go. But if ya'll want somethin' fresh it'll take us a few minutes to-"

With that several of the goats began to walk away without so much as acknowledging Audrey's statement. Only the one who had been stretching to see over the stall had the courtesy of at least briskly shaking his head no before making tracks back toward the rest of the fairgrounds.

Audrey let out a sigh before turning her attention back toward the stall interior. "Alright, I'm coming back around."

As the she-wolf disappeared behind the edge of the stall, Dawn's senses seemed to return to her. And with it, the fear she had been feeling before Vernon had begun to hold her.

"V-Vernon I can't do this, I can't-"

The wolf squeezed her tighter in his grip, planting another kiss through her woolly poof and onto her head.

"Remember what Ma said..." Vernon reiterated calmly.

The ewe let out another shuddering sigh as she tried to shake the anxiety away again. She remembered all right, the she-wolf had repeated it over and over again on the ride out.

"Just focus on having fun." Dawn repeated meekly.

"Exactly that!" Audrey interjected as she entered the stand.

Dawn felt Vernon begin to pull away as the wolf rose to his feet, and for a few moments lingered in his embrace until he had simply pulled out of her reach.

"Just focus on havin' fun with it!" Audrey continued as the pair now faced the she-wolf. The grey and cream colored wolf was already pulling large, clear plastic gloves over her paws as she continued. "We're here to bake, and nuthin' else." The wolfess continued, rolling the gloves up to her elbows.

Dawn gave a meek nod, swallowing the hard lump in her throat as best as she could.

Audrey chuckled softly, flashing the ewe a warm smile.

"Trust me, once ya'll get going you'll feel much better Darlin'." Audrey said, leaning down slightly to engage the ewe. The she-wolf waved an arm lamely toward the now open stall window. "All that stuff'll just fall away, and you'll realize ya'll were worried for nuthin.'"

Dawn tried to smile back, her best efforts producing a weak, pallid grin in response.

'I hope so.' The ewe thought to herself, stealing another nervous glance of the open fairgrounds out of the corner of her eye. 'I really do.'

"So, what are we doin' Ma?" Vernon said, clapping his paws together sharply. The sound echoed across the nearly emptied fairgrounds, causing the wolf to wince at his own action.

Audrey chuckled at the wolf's enthusiasm.

"Welp..." The she-wolf uttered, turning around and walking towards a nearby cabinet. Audrey began to dig through the compartment, fishing around for some unseen item. It took her a few moments, but eventually she found what she was looking for.

Audrey turned back to face the couple before throwing a wad of plastic at the large wolf. Vernon had barely caught it, fumbling awkwardly with the packet before managing to get a good grasp of it. The wolf was busy looking over what the she-wolf had thrown to him as Audrey made her way toward Dawn.

"Put on those gloves and that fur muzzle Vernon." Audrey tutted as she bent down to the ewe's level. The she-wolf was still looking at Vernon as she spoke. "We don't want no hair in the batter."

"Alright, pie filling duty." Vernon flashed the wolfess a confident grin. "I can do that." Dawn watched as the wolf tore open the packet with his teeth before pulling the mesh netted muzzle cover from its casing. The wolf pulled at the neck of his shirt with a paw as he slipped the cover over his muzzle and chin, tucking the rest of the netting over the front of his neck and down into his shirt before starting to tie it up from behind.

Dawn smirked slightly at the sight of Vernon in a full-fledged cooking muzzle. It was something both predator and prey with fur regularly used to keep their fur from falling into any foodstuffs they were making. But it had always looked rather goofy to Dawn, and now that her mate was wearing one, it seemed even more so.

Turning her attention back to Dawn, Audrey gingerly took one of Dawn's hooves, inspecting it carefully. The ewe quirked an eyebrow in confusion, but before she could speak Audrey began to explain herself.

"With paws like these I don't think you'll be needin' gloves." Audrey said with a smile, releasing her grip on the ewe's hoof. "I think they'll be perfect fer makin' the pie crust."

"They are?" Dawn asked uncertainly.

Audrey offered the ewe and affirmative nod before handing her a small plastic packet of her own, considerably smaller than Vernon's.

"Yep, of course you'll still need a hair net." Audrey said with a chuckle. "I know wool is a bit different than fur, but we don't take any chances."

Dawn nodded, inspecting the hair net package carefully for a moment.

"Is this...?" The ewe trailed off.

Audrey offered another nod as she rose to her feet.

"Yup, already sheep-sized." The wolfess replied. "On the rare occasion when I ain't got any help at the stand, I hire some sheepfolk to help around the place. Speakin' of..." The she-wolf trailed off as she made her way to the cabinet again, only this time she bent down to reach for something below the counter.

Walking back over to the small kitchen area, the she-wolf presented the ewe with a green fold-out stool with two steps.

"Yer gonna need this I imagine." Audrey added.

Dawn took the stool with uncertainty. She was still feeling quite nervous, and now everything seemed to be whizzing by her at a breakneck pace. Looking over to Vernon, she could see the wolf had already finished suiting himself up in the gear Audrey had provided. His sleeves rolled up to allow the plastic to cover his forearms, and his fur muzzle secured. The wolf dusted off his paws, the plastic making slippery squeaking noises as they rubbed together.

"As fer me." Audrey continued, turning to the front of the stall. "After I show Dawn here the ins-and-outs of makin' the crusts, I'll be handlin' the corn." The wolfess turned her head back toward the pair, raising a questioning eyebrow to the couple.

"Sound like a plan?" Audrey asked.

Vernon gave a brisk nod. "I'm ready Ma."

Dawn felt less certain, and unfortunately the ewe couldn't stop it from showing as she replied.

"Y-yes..." Dawm murmured, tapping her hooves together uneasily.

Audrey let out a loud laugh, seemingly pleased despite the clear hesitation in Dawn's reply.

"Yer gonna do just fine Darlin'!' Audrey announced, her voice loud and filled with energy. The she-wolf clapped her paws together loudly, rubbing them together as the loud echo traveled across the sparsely populated fairgrounds. Unlike Vernon, the she-wolf seemed unfazed.

"Alright, let's get to bakin'!" Audrey chirped happily.

It didn't take too long for the ewe to get the hoof of exactly how to form and press the pie crusts with Audrey hovering over her every step of the way. The lesson began with the pastry crust, which Audrey described to the lamb as being the more difficult of the two traditional 'Hunter Family' crusts to make. Taking the lead and instructing Dawn to watch with a keen eye, the she-wolf recited a quick list of the ingredients needed as she began to compile them into a bowl.

Dawn watched attentively as the she-wolf quickly mixed together the shortening, flour, butter and other ingredients together before dumping the newly formed dough on to the workspace and aggressively kneading and stretching it out. The wolfess seemed to fly through the process with ease, the whole affair appearing to be second nature to her as she idly prattled off more tips and trick to the ewe. The way the kneading continued to mix the ingredients, the proper way to aerate the dough. Each little snippet of advice flowing from the wolfess without so much as a moment's pause in her manipulation of the fresh batter. Her relaxed, almost carefree motions Dawn could only chalk up to the years of experience under the she-wolf's belt.

It was easy to remain transfixed on Audrey's work, the rhythmic and seamless exercises creating an almost hypnotic effect on the lamb. Dawn was almost able to lose herself in watching Audrey work, her anxiety and fears drifting away as she watched the skilled artisan's performance. That was until the she-wolf slammed the kneaded dough into the pie shell with a loud slap, snapping the ewe out of her trance. In mere seconds Audrey had molded, trimmed and seated the crust firmly in the tin before sliding it Dawn's way with a confident smile.

"And that's the gist of it!" The she-wolf said with a confident huff. Audrey turned her attention back to Dawn, offering the ewe a broad smile as she gesturing a paw toward the now clear work area before her.

"Now it's yer turn Darlin'." The wolfess gingerly pat the cleared counter.

After watching the mother wolf perform what Dawn could easily argue was practically art in some form or another, the ewe became even more reluctant to try her hoof at the craft. But Audrey gave her little time to get over the fear herself before the she-wolf was gingerly tugging her over to the workstation, setting up the stepping stool and standing her on it. Dawn would have found herself chuckling if she hadn't been so nervous, the she-wolf's behavior reminding her greatly of Vernon's usually approach when it came to motivating the sheep. At least now she knew where he got it from.

Once Audrey had seemed satisfied with how she had set Dawn up, the she-wolf simply backed away from her, leaving the ewe to stand amidst the ingredients by herself. Dawn looked at her in confusion, searching her eyes for exactly what the she-wolf seemed to expect of her. Audrey simply chuckled at the dumbfounded ewe.

"Start with the flower Darlin'." Audrey recited with a smile.

Dawn looked to the crumpled bag of flour near the bowl worryingly before turning her attention back to the she-wolf. Did she really expect her to be able to just make it after watching her only once?

"B-but what if I mess up?" Dawn murmured nervously.

Audrey chuckled softly.

"Then we chuck it and move on." She replied, gesturing her paw toward the nearby trash bin. "Just relax Darlin'. Remember what I did, and I'll tell ya the ingredients as ya'll go."

"You can't be as bad as Xavier Honey Lamb." That had come from Vernon, The wolf stood at the work station next to her, idly combining ingredients almost as seamlessly as his mother had as he crafted the pie filling. All the sight managed to do was make the ewe more nervous. "I don't think any mammal could."

"Be nice to yer brother." Audrey chuckled as she waved a paw at the wolf. "He tries his best, ain't his fault he's got bad bakers sense."

Dawn gave the she-wolf a meek nod, and with a gulp, turned her attention back to the counter. With a deep breath, the ewe did her best to straighten her posture and calm herself before diving into her first attempt at crust making. It was an awkward first stab, the ewe having to throw out the first clump of dough due to accidentally putting in too much salt. The ewe's trembling hoof's causing the salt container's cap to loosen and fall off into the mixture. But Audrey was there to reassure her, and with a toss of the ruined dough and a quick refill of the salt container, the ewe was at it again.

It was a considerably slower affair in comparison to the highly skilled wolfess, the ewe carefully measuring her mixtures and adding each component with great care. Despite her sloth-like speed, Audrey's demeanor remained cool and calm as she continued to recite the ingredients off to the ewe. The she-wolf displaying seemingly bottomless patience in direct contrast to what Dawn was certain was a process that required a great deal of speed during a rush on the stall. But eventually, after what seemed like ages, at least to Dawn, she finally had a clump of dough that looked fairly similar to what the she-wolf had created before her. But the ewe had little time to bask in her accomplishment before she found an empty pie tin sliding in her direction.

Audrey was now standing next to her, her arms remaining crossed as she looked down at the ewe with a friendly smile.

"Alrighty, now let's get ya used to kneading." The she-wolf said, uncrossing her arms and adjusting her shirt sleeves. Despite her preparation, the she-wolf simply gestured back to the dough in Dawn's bowl.

"Show me what ya got Darlin'." Audrey said with a smirk.

Dawn was still a bit nervous, but now that she had come this far she had gained some degree of confidence. After all, surely mixing the ingredients required to make the crust was the most difficult task in Dawn's mind. Still, she doubted she could move as smoothly and expertly as the she-wolf had with her clump of dough.

Dawn began slowly at first, her movements terse and slow in a clear reflection of her discomfort and unfamiliarity with the process. Kneading the dough was indeed harder than the she-wolf had made it appear, and the ewe's lack of muscles made each twist and pull a harder task than she had expected. The ewe let out an exasperated huff as she shoved and stretched the weighted mound, each motion feeling as if she were making less and less headway with aerating the dough. She was about to open her mouth to speak, to press Audrey for some form of help in making her efforts more smooth and fluid. But as if the wolfess had read her mind, her large paws suddenly found themselves atop of Dawn's hooves, gently guiding her efforts along.

"Someone like you can't work the whole thing at once Darlin'." Audrey said with a soft chuckle. "Just focus on sections and you won't tucker yerself out so quickly."

"O-okay..." Dawn said, letting out another sigh in an effort to shake off her building frustration.

The wolfess gingerly moved her hooves across the dough, helping the ewe to spread it into smaller portions and moving Dawn's fingers in time with her own kneading rhythm. She continued to instruct Dawn as she moved her hooves from place to place, interjecting a few more pearls of wisdom before eventually withdrawing her paws and leaving Dawn to her own devices. Of course, Dawn hadn't even noticed until she had finished kneading the dough, placing it in the tin and setting it firmly in place. Audrey's stealthy movements coupled with Dawn's building confidence making the ewe oblivious to it until the end.

Dawn looked at her own hooves in shock before turning back to the she-wolf who had resumed her paws off, arms crossed stance.

"When did you let go?" Dawn asked.

Audrey shook her head, letting out a soft chuckle.

"A while ago Darlin'." Audrey smirked. "Yer a natural, I told ya."

Dawn blushed slightly, twisting a hoof against the stool as she failed to meet Audrey's gaze.

"Oh no, I rea-"

"Take the compliment Lamb Fry." Vernon said, giving the ewe a playful nudge with his elbow. "I told ya you wouldn't be as bad as Xavey."

Dawn giggled, pushing the wolf away with a playful swat.

"Just like ridin' a bike." Auddey smirked. "All ya need is a lil' confidence and ya go flyin' off. "

The she-wolf's approach proved to be surprisingly less paws on than the ewe had first expected considering Audrey's general demeanor. But it seemed to work well considering the outcome. And while Dawn was sure she wasn't going to be as skilled as Audrey was anytime soon, she was now at least somewhat confident she could get the job done.

Riding the new surge of confidence while she had it, the ewe eagerly followed the she-wolf into the next arguably easier and less time-consuming lesson. The more popular and easier to make graham cracker pie crust that served as the alternative to those customers that preferred a more sweet shell under their pumpkin pie. It was something Dawn knew from experience tasted exceptionally good, and based on what Vernon had told her she knew it was his personal favorite. And while she hadn't tasted the more traditional pastry crust, she would have been hard pressed not to say it was her favorite as well.

Once again, the she-wolf demanded the ewe's attention, calling on her to watch with a keen eye as she demonstrated how to craft the crust. Taking a handful of graham crackers, the she-wolf pounded them into dust before scooping the powder into one of the mixing bowls. Adding a small pat of butter to the mixture, the wolfess began to gingerly work the mixture with her paws, kneading the sliver of butter into the powdery mess until it took on the consistency of wet sand. Seemingly satisfied, the she-wolf scooped the mixture into an awaiting pie tin, pressing and molding the cracker mush into the shape of a crust before sliding the finished dish her way. The she-wolf had been right, the recipe was considerably shorter than the other.

"That's it?" Dawn asked curiously.

"That's it." Audrey said with a smile. "The butter keeps the cracker crumble together and keeps it from burnin' in the oven."

Dawn scratched her chin as she inspected the tin carefully.

"It seems so simple..." Dawn said quietly.

Audrey sighed pleasantly. "It is simple. And most of the Meadowlander's go crazy for it aside from a few of the older mammal's raised on the more traditional stuff."

Dawn tilted her head, eyeing the she-wolf curiously.

"Which one is your favorite?" Dawn asked.

Audrey chuckled softly, rolling her eyes slightly as she took in the ewe's query.

"Well, the graham is my favorite when it comes to how long it takes to make." Audrey smirked. "But when it comes to taste, I prefer the pastry crust."

"Bleh." Dawn looked up to find Vernon leaning over her, the wolf extending a tongue in disgust toward his mother. " It's so tasteless."

Audrey rolled her eyes again, this time considerably more exaggerated as she let out a sigh. "What can I say...?" She smirked. "I grew up on 'em just like a lot of them older townies. I got a soft spot for 'em."

Dawn giggled. reaching up toward Vernon in an effort to push him back toward his workstation. The wolf retracted his tongue, giving the ewe a playful smirk before leaning back toward his counter space, allowing Dawn to turn her attention back to Audrey.

"I'll have to give it a try then." Dawn said, offering a soft smile. "As long as you made it, I'm sure it will be delicious."

Vernon made another mock vomiting motion with his paws as he let out an exaggerated gag.

"Ya'll better knock off that rudeness boy!" Audrey said, a hint of sternness in her tone. "Or else ya'll won't be eatin' any pies or corn today, period."

Vernon's ears sagged sharply, the wolf letting out a quiet whine as he returned to mixing batter. And the ewe couldn't help but giggle at just how easily the she-wolf had shut down the wolf's playful teasing.

"Well..." Audrey let out a pleasant sigh. "I guess it's time to leave ya'll to it." she chirped, adjusting the rolled up sleeves on her pink plaid shirt once again.

Dawn placed a hoof to her muzzle, her anxiousness returning as it appeared the she-wolf was ready to leave her unsupervised so soon.

"W-wait, but what-?"

"I ain't leavin, don't worry." Audrey chuckled softly, leaning against the counter behind her. "I just won't be watchin' as closely."

Dawn glanced at the crusts they had completed briefly, uncertain of what was left for her to do now that they were largely finished.

"But I mean, what do I do with them now?" Dawn asked.

Audrey shook her head dismissively, letting out a soft laugh as she ran a paw over her head fur.

"Yer job's done." Audrey shrugged. "I mean, ya'll got more shells to make, but Vern is going to fill 'em and put 'em in the oven."

Dawn turned to her mate, Vernon flashing her a confident grin as he slid one of the finished shells toward his side of the workstation.

"Yeah, I got it from that point Floof's, no worries." The wolf said as he began to carefully scoop one of the bowls of batter he had made into the waiting crust. " We each have one job to focus on, so it makes it easier to run everything. Ya'll just need to focus on the crust."

Dawn looked back toward Audrey, the ewe tapping her hooves together nervously.

"B-but what if I mess up, I mean-"

Audrey held up a paw, stopping the ewe mid-sentence.

"I already told ya, we got a waste bin for the big mistakes Darlin'." Audrey laughed. "I ain't gonna cry over a few lost shells, doncha worry about me."

Pushing herself away from the counter's edge, the she-wolf made her way back toward Dawn before crouching to her level. Audrey placed a paw on Dawn's shoulder, offering the ewe a warm smile.

"And if ya'll forget somethin' or need help you can ask me or Vern." Audrey added. " We won't leave ya flailin' all by yerself. We're a family, and we back each other up, okay Darlin'?"

Dawn gave the wolfess a meek, affirmative nod, causing the she-wolf's smile to widen. Audrey wrapped her paws tightly around the ewe, giving her an affectionate squeeze. Dawn did her best to return the hug, but her arms failed to meet around the she-wolf's torso despite her best efforts.

"You'll do fine. I know it." Audrey gave the ewe another tight squeeze before releasing her grip and allowing the ewe to slip away. The she-wolf gave Dawn's nose a playful boop with a finger before rising to her feet and making her way back over to the roasted corn station. As the she-wolf began pulling strips of foil from the large roll to her side, she glanced back at the ewe one more time.

"And remember you two, have fun." Audrey flashed the pair a cheesy grin.

Dawn placed her hooves to her muzzle in an effort to stifle her giggling, but it did little to actually contain it.

Audrey's infectious enthusiasm was hard to resist, and that boost of reassurance and kindness had set the ewe off on a strong start in making more crusts. While her first few shells were a bit lumpy or uneven, Vernon and Audrey's continued playful banter and encouragement kept the ewe's spirit up for long enough to eventually get the hoof of things. It may have taken close to an hour or more, but soon enough Dawn was crafting pie crusts like a real pro. And while she wasn't nearly as fast as Audrey, she was at least satisfied with the progress she had managed to make in such a short time. But while the pie crusts became easier and easier to make, the ewe's boosted enthusiasm slowly started to wane. Not for lack of interest in the work at hoof, but her increasing awareness of the lack of customers.

Just the prospect of returning to the stand that morning had filled the ewe with dread. Dawn had been certain that the second the shutters on the stand flew open, the angry mob from the previous day would quickly regroup, ready to chase the family out of the fairgrounds once again. But they never came. In fact, no one had. Not a single customer had come up to the stand for so much as a free sample of the she-wolf's famous pies, and the shelves were quickly reaching the point of being over-filled with packaged pastries by the two-hour mark. And while neither Audrey or Vernon had mentioned picking up on it, the way the mammals had grown increasingly quiet as the day wore on made it evident to Dawn that they had noticed as well. The dwindling banter and energy only adding to the ewe's concerns.

There had been gawkers sure. Dawn had caught one or two mammals staring her and Vernon's way out of the corner of her eye a number of times while she worked. But Dawn had tried her best to focus on the work itself instead of allowing it to wear on her. She wanted to ride the high of Audrey's praise for as long as she possibly could to keep the other nagging anxious fears and emotions broiling under her surface from welling back up.

But the lack of customers and judgmental stares from the passers-by was slowly but surely pulling the ewe back inside the dark recesses of her own mind. Her fears and anxiety drawing her back to the reality of the situation, or at least what she believed was the reality of it.

Her association with Vernon, as well as the Hunter family at large had clearly done irreparable damage to their reputation. Dawn being present at the stand made it worse, certainly. But even when she hadn't been there the day before, the sales had quickly dropped off once news spread around the fairgrounds of Vernon's proclivities involving mammals of the prey persuasion. No one in the North Meadowlands was keen on doing business with the family of a prey-chaser. Let alone one who had previously been considered a criminal mastermind, whose actions had put many of her fellow caprids in danger as she had come to learn from Dorian. The North Meadowlanders simply did not want to do business with a family who was willing accept a mammal like Dawn as one of their own. And if they hadn't made that message clear yesterday, they were certainly making it clear now.

Dorian had been right about one thing, at least in Dawn's eyes. She had been selfish. She had wanted to be part of Vernon's family so badly that she had been willing to brush off the possible hardship and strain such a relationship might put on the Hunter pack. She could try to justify it as being more for Vernon's sake than her own. But Dawn would have been lying if she had said there wasn't a part of her that deeply desired to be a part of the Hunter pack. To be a part of a real family, one that actually loved each other instead of simply enduring each others company because of blood relation. And Dawn had gone against her better judgment because a part of her had been unwilling to let go of such a foolish dream. Choosing to simply lie to herself in the hopes that everything would somehow work out for the best. And because her selfish need to be accepted by her mate's family, she had ultimately hurt them.

But what was worse, many of the Hunters did care for her now. Audrey had willingly embraced the ewe, as did Vanna, Qali, Ada, Malcolm, and most of the Hunter males. She knew Audrey would brush off any concerns she had about the stand, even if Dawn's involvement with the family eventually forced her to close it down. That was who the she-wolf was. Vernon, the girls, and even Audrey herself had made that abundantly clear. So what would happen when Dawn eventually had to bring up her painful conversation with Dorian. What havoc would that wreak on the fabric of the Hunter family? But if Dawn simply buried it, doing her best to pull away from the family in the meantime in an effort to make things easier for them, she only stood to hurt them in a different way. And eventually, Vernon would question her continued reluctance to ever journey back to the Hunter farm for any future visits.

"Hey!"

Dawn nearly jumped out of her wool at the sudden call, tearing a portion of the dough she had been so focused on kneading while lost in her thoughts.

"Mutton chops." The ewe muttered softly as she appraised the dough before turning to the source of the voice to find a concerned looking wolf staring down at her. Vernon wiped at his batter covered gloves with a rag as he raised an eyebrow at the timid ewe's response.

"Ya'll alright Honey Lamb?" Vernon asked, the wolf wore a worried frown.

Dawn let out a tired sigh, pressing the bridge of her glasses back up with a hoof.

"I-I'm fine." Dawn tried to force a meek smile to her face as she lied through her teeth. She hated to lie to the wolf, but the last thing she wanted now was for Vernon to try to pry the information out of her. Discussing the lack of customers might be one thing, but she certainly wasn't ready to discuss her discussion with Dorian anytime soon.

It was clear the wolf hadn't bought it as Vernon's concerned expression remained.

"Floofs." Vernon's delivery was dull, even slightly stern as the wolf seemed unimpressed by Dawn's attempt at putting one past him. "I can tell yer worried about somethin'."

Dawn frowned, grabbing the clump of torn dough and mashing it back into the rest with an almost lifeless motion. The ewe focused her sights on the dough once more, unable to look Vernon in the eyes.

"It's just..." Dawn sighed, stopping the kneading motions to place a powdery hoof on her forehead. The ewe massaged her brow gently.

"Does anything seem..." Dawn trailed off, glancing up at the wolf briefly. "Off to you?"

Vernon scratched the back of his head awkwardly with one of his newly cleaned gloves. His eyes shifting briefly from side to side as the wolf made a quick scan of his surroundings. Vernon offered a weak shrug despite his concerned expression shifting to something more akin to worry.

"What?" The wolf flashed a weak smile.

Dawn let out another sigh, shifting her attention back to the fairground in front of them. She could see clusters of mammals walking by, most of whom were giving the stand a wide berth as they strode past. As the crowds milled about, the ewe caught sight of yet another mammal gawking at the couple. She only managed to catch the rams eyes for a moment before he quickly disappeared into the moving throngs.

"Vernon." Dawn sighed as she turned back to the wolf. "We haven't had a single customer all day."

Vernon's apparently forced smile faltered slightly, but the wolf seemed hell-bent on keeping it up.

"What?" Vernon shrugged. "Pssh, Nah, I mean it-"

"Vernon." Dawn's tone was more serious. Now the wolf seemed to be trying to avoid her gaze. "No one has come around in three hours, not a soul!" The ewe whimpered slightly. "I mean it's obvious that-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Vernon was quick to crouch down to the ewe's level, placing a reassuring paw on the ewe's shoulder. Vernon offered her a warm smile. "Don't worry about it Darlin'." The wolf caressed her cheek affectionately. " It'll pick up."

"B-but the stand." Dawn whimpered. "What about-"

"It'll pick up Honey Lamb." Vernon cut her off to reiterate his point.

Dawn let out a quiet, defeated huff as she pulled away from the wolf's grip. The wolf clearly wasn't listening, or at the very least not taking the situation seriously enough. Dawn began to take out her minor irritation on the dough, kneading the clump with harsh, sharp thrusts as she grumbled to herself. She had a feeling had she tried to bring the situation to Audrey's attention she would simply have brushed aside her concerns, but she hadn't expected Vernon to do the same.

"They'll get over it." She heard Vernon say from off to her side. "These rural types are purty fickle, ain't got much of an attention span."

Dawn let out another huff as she continued to knead. If Vernon wasn't going to take her concerns seriously, then she was more than ready to ignore the wolf.

"Hey."

Dawn continued to knead.

"Hey." The wolf said louder.

Dawn just shook her head, toiling away at the malleable dough.

"Ma told us to have fun, remember?" Vernon continued. "Not to worry, to just have fun."

"Fun..." Dawn grumbled, her attention still fixed on the dough between her hooves.

"It means you gotta at least try Darlin'." The wolf added.

"Try?"_Dawn thought to herself. The ewe felt herself growing more and more irritable as she ruminated on what Vernon had said. _"Try?!?" Her mind repeated. How was she expected to have fun when just being there was destroying so many lives in the process. She was killing Audrey's stand, she was tearing the pack apart. How was she expected to enjoy herself with all of this whirling around her head, twisting her stomach chambers into knots? For every little reprieve she managed to get it was always followed up by a harsh reminder of the reality of the situation. And that reminder had now come in the form of racks filled with cold pies awaiting customers that would never come. Customers she had driven away! Customers that-

_"Plop."_A sudden sharp cold on the tip of the ewe's muzzle caused her to freeze mid-thought. Narrowing her eyes at the tip of her snout, the source of the chill became immediately apparent. A heavy, dribbling orange blob of batter was now perched on the end of her nose.

Dawn gingerly poked the mass with her hoof to make sure she was certain of what she was seeing, pulling it away to watch the batter drip down her finger slowly. The ewe placed her finger in her mouth, sucking the batter off before turning her attention to the wolf standing next to her.

Vernon offered the ewe a wide, cheesy and unrepentant grin, one of his previously clean gloves now dripping with pumpkin batter.

"Vernon!" Dawn spat, the ewe was still slightly in shock.

"What?" The wolf replied nonchalantly, pulling his muzzle cover down in order to idly lap up some of the batter from his glove.

"Did you jus-?"

Before she could finish her sentence, the wolf scooped up another dab of batter and planted it on top of the previous one with one swift motion.

"I said have fun." Vernon said with a chuckle.

The ewe was dumbfounded, staring at the wolf in silence as her mind grappled to figure out exactly what had just happened. Vernon remained unfazed, the wolf's grin still cheesy and smug as he stared back at her. As she began to finally parse the situation, her worries, her fears, all of it had quickly been replaced with one, powerful pervading thought.

"Revenge."

Dawn took a moment to wipe the fresh dab of batter from her nose, flicking the residual batter off of her hooves as she let out a huff.

"I hope you know." Dawn muttered, glaring at the wolf. "This means war."

Vernon's grin widened. "Bring it lil' miss."

In a blink, the ewe had grappled a wad of dough into her hooves. She only held it for a few seconds before it was airborne, traveling straight for the large wolf's chest. However, much to the ewe's disappointment, the clump simply bumped into the wolf's chest with a dull_'thwap'_ before falling to the floor of the stall. The dough hadn't even stained his shirt. The wolf let out a soft chuckle in response.

"Yeah..." Vernon rolled his eyes slightly. "Pie dough ain't exactly the same as batter is it?" The wolf chuckled as he lapped the batter off his glove, suckling one finger at a time until it appeared to be clean. The wolf grinned mischievously, which only served to fluster the ewe even more. She was going to get him back, she wasn't about to let the wolf's crime stand.

_"Batter."_The ewe went over the wolf's statement again as her eyes quickly shifted to the bowl sitting on Vernon's counter. She traded glances with the wolf for a brief second. Behind his eyes, she could see the wolf had come to the same conclusion as she had, and Dawn knew she needed to act fast.

The ewe quickly snapped her arms out, stretching her body across the surface as she desperately reached out for the precious gooey ammo. She had nearly made it, but sadly for her, the wolf had proved to be faster on the draw, grasping her hooves by the wrist with both of his paws.

"Let go!" Dawn spat, doing her best to wriggle free from her now awkward position half splayed across her workstation.

"Nuh-uh." Vernon snickered as the ewe continued to flail. She wasn't going to make any headway when pitted against the wolf's raw strength, she knew as much. But until she could think of another way out of his grip, flailing remained the only option.

"Vernon! Stop!" Dawn pulled, she pushed, but her arms remained locked in the gray wolf's tight grip.

"Not till you start havin' fun Honey Lamb!" Vernon continued to laugh.

"P-Puppy!" The lamb tried to suppress the rising urge to giggle at the wolf's antics. She had to get out of his grip, to get to that batter and make the wolf pay for what he had done.

Suddenly she remembered something Judy had told her just a few weeks before. It was during that one particular coffee meet-up when Dawn had asked the rabbit about her time in the ZPD academy. The ewe had always been rather curious as to how the rabbit had managed to endure the intense physical and mental challenges posed by a testing regiment that had mostly been built around much larger mammals. Dawn had only been there for the doe's graduation after all, and before the ewe's incarceration and subsequent rehabilitation, Dawn had little time available to have asked her the question.

Judy affirmed the ewe's suspicions as to just how rocky her first days at the academy had been. Between getting stuck waist deep in mud, swallowing mouthfuls of sand, and freezing her tail off in frigid water, Judy's early days had been a hellish experience. She even regaled the ewe with a particularly embarrassing story about slipping into one of the giant toilets in the ladies bathroom. Thankfully Judy was able to laugh about it, or else Dawn might have looked terribly insensitive trying to stifle her own giggling at the incident.

Judy's problem had been that she was trying to compete with other mammals on a playing field that hadn't been made for her, and as a result, found herself getting clobbered at every turn. And so the weary doe spent each night nursing her injuries and wracking her brain for the solution to her problem. And then, one evening it finally came to her.

The rabbit admitted her mistake had been that she had tried to compete using the same methods that everyone else had been using. She had spent so much time trying to actively ignore her small stature and the limitations being a rabbit carried with it, that she had refused to even consider that it might be part of the problem. It was only when she was able to acknowledge her own limitations, that she could start to figure out how to work around them.

The process hadn't been quick of course, much of Judy's lessons learned through trial and error but eventually, she managed to figure out how to make her size and speed work for her regardless of the situation. Eventually getting so good that she had been able to successfully knock out the largest rhino in the academy in the school's boxing ring.

It was an astounding accomplishment, something the ewe could barely even fathom. A mammal as small as Judy taking out a rhino of all mammals. But when Judy explained it, move by move and blow by blow, it seemed to make sense. Larger mammals tended to be slower after all, and Judy used that to her advantage. The doe's speed and agility leaving him dizzy, throwing increasingly blind swings as the diminutive rabbit darted around him. Judy had even managed to use the massive armored mammals own strength against him by slingshotting herself across the ring and transferring the full force of her body into the rhino's moving arm as he desperately tried to predict where the doe was coming from. The resulting hit causing the rhino to essentially beat himself senseless. Despite Judy's minuscule stature, she had bested a mammal who was considerably larger and stronger than she could ever hope to achieve. And she had done so by playing her own strengths and preying on her opponent's weaknesses.

And now Dawn had to do the same. To use the wolf's own strength against him. If Dawn tried to pull away, the wolf pulled her back, and if she tried to push forward toward the batter bowl the wolf pushed her back. But there was a brief interval, a short moment, that when Dawn would change her tactics the wolf would essentially be pulling her toward the target or away from the counter. A split second before the wolf could change the direction of his hold to keep the ewe from squirming, and it was that moment of opportunity that the ewe was hoping to seize.

With another sharp push Dawn feigned an attempt to go for the batter, only to feel the wolf's grip continue to push her away. The ewe pressed with all her might, making sure Vernon had to devote some amount of energy and focus to keep her from making progress before she could spring her trap.

"You can't-" Dawn sputtered, glaring up at the wolf. "Stop me!"

Vernon chuckled. "Really, cause it seems like that's what I'm doing."

Dawn let out a fake groan, tricking the wolf to believing she was throwing her all into the push, and once she felt his paws tense accordingly the ewe knew she had him right where she wanted.

With all of her might, Dawn sharply pulled her hooves away from Vernon, rolling her body off the counter as she did so allowing her body to become dead weight as she dropped.

"Wha-!?"

Vernon only managed to get half a word out before the ewe's full weight combined with the wolf's kinetic energy threw him off his balance. Dawn finally slipped free of the wolf's grasp, landing on the floor of the food stall rump first. Her plan had been a smashing success, but she only had a moment to gloat to herself before she noticed the wolf was still on his way down.

It was at that moment time seemed to slow around the ewe, her eyes managing to take in every aspect the terrible series of events that had begun to unfold at once as Vernon fumbled his way toward her. She could see the sudden panic in his eyes as the towering wolf fell toward her, desperately grasping for the counter as he sank. Unfortunately, while he hadn't grabbed the counter, he had managed to catch the bowl of batter on his way down. And now the ewe was watching as the bowl flipped through the air above the falling wolf, batter trailing above as it flew across her line of sight. Vernon meanwhile had changed his tactics, now desperately flinging his paws in front of him in order to keep from crushing the ewe as he finally hit the floor.

Vernon's muzzle came within inches of Dawn's own before he finally managed to stop himself. But the disastrous scene wasn't quite over yet.

"Vernon!" Dawn called out as her eyes traced the glimmer of the still flying bowl over the wolf. Unfortunately, her warning had given the wolf just enough time to turn, welcoming a face full of batter as the bowl plopped onto his head.

The two were silent for a moment, the whole scene leaving both of them stunned for several seconds as they struggled to grasp exactly what had happened. But it didn't last long before the ewe couldn't help but burst into a fit of snorts and giggling. Vernon's only response was to run his tongue around his batter soaked muzzle as the ewe cackled beneath him.

"Teeth to tails!" That had come from Audrey, and Dawn looked up to find the she-wolf running over to the pair. Audrey crouched down, raising a raising a curious eyebrow as she inspected the couple.

"I told ya'll to have fun." Audrey said, trying to stifle a giggle fit of her own. "Not to start tearin' up the stand!"

Dawn could barely breathe, let alone respond to the she-wolf's concerns. Still giggling at the mess she had made of her beloved Puppy. But Vernon seemed to be in good enough spirits despite the sticky goo now dripping down his face. The wolf offered his mother a grin as he raised the edge of the bowl with his thumb.

"Heh, sorry Ma." Vernon chuckled. "I mean, ya'll know how I love pumpkin pie batter."

That managed to earn another fit of giggling from the diminutive ewe still trapped below the batter doused wolf.

"Mhh-hmm." Audrey said, clearly unimpressed by the wolf's joke. The she-wolf let out a tired sigh as she rose to her feet.

"Just try not to knock the stand over you two." Audrey added, turning her attention back to the large grill fixed to the side of the stand. She looked back only for a moment, glancing at the pair one more time before chuckling softly to herself before returning to rotating the corn still heating on the stove, effectively leaving Dawn and Vernon to stew in the little mess they had made.

Dawn was still giggling slightly as the batter dipped wolf turned his attention back to her. Vernon let out a satisfied sigh as he lifted the bowl off of his head with a paw, giving Dawn a better view of the damage she had done. Vernon's fur was caked all over with batter, his scalp fur matted down tightly against his head. Above his muzzle, it was nearly impossible to make out any of his actual fur color under the sticky orange coating. Vernon eased the bowl back on to the counter, propping it back over the edge without getting off of the ewe.

"Welp..." Vernon chuckled slightly. "Ya got me."

Dawn held a hoof over her muzzle, desperately attempting to stifle her laughter.

"Y-yes I did." Dawn said with a snort.

"Tch..." Vernon muttered, his eyes briefly darting around the stand for a moment before the wolf seemed to spot what he was looking for. Reaching out a paw, the wolf grabbed one of the towels draped on the knob of a nearby cabinet. "I suppose that was pretty well deserved."

Dawn snickered. "Maybe I went a little overboard."

Vernon rolled his eyes. With a sigh, the wolf pressed himself off of the floor, leaning on his knees as he raised his body. The wolf took a moment to pull the gloves off of his arms and pull the fur muzzle from around his neck before draping the towel over his head. Grasping it with his clean paws, the wolf rubbed it briskly over his head, wiping aggressively in his best efforts to clean up the sticky mess splattered all over his face. The wolf was at it for a good solid minute before pulling the towel away.

"How's it look?" Vernon asked the ewe, flashing her a cheesy grin.

Dawn couldn't help but giggle again. The towel hadn't done a very thorough job despite the wolf's best efforts. While it had done away with most of the excess, the wolf's fur remained tinted orange with a smattering of the batter pressed into his fur in spots. The funniest aspect of the whole thing was that the residue trapped in his scalp hair had managed to leave his strands of fur standing straight up, much to Dawn's delight.

"Hilarious." Dawn snorted, letting out a series of giggles as the wolf rolled his eyes.

Vernon rose to his feet, scratching the back of his head awkwardly before offering the ewe a lift with his paw.

"Suppose I'll have to soak my head in the back sink and towel off again." Vernon muttered as the ewe took his paw.

"I-I'm sorry Puppy Love." Dawn snickered as she pulled herself up by his arm. "I didn't me-"

Dawn froze as her eyes caught sight a something very familiar on the wolf's wrist. A shiny series of plastic lettered cubes and shiny beaded flowers that the lamb hadn't seen since she was just a little ewe. A present she had entrusted with her closest friend, a sign of their forbidden bond that much like the one she wore now, she had been certain was lost to time.

Yet as if it had been plucked directly out of her memories, there it sat on her beloved Puppy's wrist. It was wider sure, the wolf's wrist had long since grown from the last time she had seen it, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was the same, exact bracelet. Vernon had kept it, and he had found it.

"F-F..." Dawn stammered, her eyes fixed on the bracelet as she tightened her grip on his paw. She could already feel the tears welling up as her eyes scanned each of the charms.

"Hmm?" That had come from Vernon, although the ewe couldn't bring herself to look anywhere other than his bracelet. Dawn raised her other arm, bringing her hoof to rest atop the wolf's paw she was now clutching for dear life. Her eyes briefly flicked back to her own bracelet, the one she had chosen today of all days to wear as the tears began to spill out from behind her frames. "You all right Honey Lamb?"

"Fl-Flo..." Dawn whimpered, she could barely speak as her heart swelled with love for the wolf that stood before her. Dawn looked up at her mate, the love of her life with tearful eyes as she struggled to get the words out.

"I didn't hurt you durin' that fall did I? I really did-"

"Floofy's B-best Friend!" Dawn smiled through her tears, giving the wolf's paw a brisk shake as she continued to silently weep.

Vernon's concerned expression vanished as it seemingly became clear to the wolf just why Dawn was crying. The wolf smiled, his grin filled with warmth and admiration as he looked back down at the ewe, gingerly placing his other paw on top of hers.

"I told you I kept it Honey Lamb." The wolf said softly.

That was all the ewe could stand before throwing herself into the wolf's embrace. Dawn gripped the wolf as tightly as she could around his torso, squeezing with all the love she could muster as she pressed her face against his chest. The ewe was openly weeping now, releasing her grip around the wolf only for a moment to push her glasses out of the way in order to press closer against him. Soon enough, she felt the wolf's strong arms wrap around her tiny frame, pulling her in even tighter to the wolf she loved.

"You can thank Ma fer fixin' it up." Vernon cooed, giving the lamb a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I mean, it wasn't a mess er' anythin', bu-"

"It's perfect." Dawn whimpered, wiping her tears into the wolf's shirt. "Oh Vernon!" Dawn looked up for a moment, lurching upward to plant a kiss on the wolf's lips. It started with a peck, then another, and another. Soon enough the ewe found herself glued to the wolf's muzzle as she tried to force all of the love she was feeling into her pursed lips.

"Hey now you two!" That had come from Audrey, causing the ewe to pull herself away from the wolf's maw long enough to look back at her. The she-wolf stood across from the pair with crossed arms, but despite her serious looking stance, the wolfess had a satisfied smirk plastered on her muzzle.

"Ya'll better stop makin' out on the floor." Audrey chuckled. "Technically this was supposed to be a partial punishment for what ya'll are gettin' a little too close to doin' again right now!"

Dawn giggled, doing her best to suppress the building blush of embarrassment now rushing to her muzzle.

"Alright Ma." Vernon replied, giving the she-wolf an understanding nod. "We'll tone it down."

"Mhh hmm." Audrey said again, in the same dry, unamused tone she had before. The wolf shook her head dismissively before turning her attention back to the grill.

"And thank you so much for fixing the bracelet Misses Hunter!" Dawn added, wiping the stray tears from her eyes.

"Yer welcome Darlin'!" The she-wolf replied without even turning. "And I told ya'll to call me Audrey!"

Dawn giggled softly before turning her attention back to the wolf whose arms she now rested in.

"Oh Vernon, I can't tell how happy seeing that made me!" Dawn said, sniffling sharply as she tried to choke off her remaining tears. The ewe was quick to extend the arm bearing her own bracelet in the wolf's field of vision.

"And look!" Dawn chirped, shaking her bracelet. "I even chose today of all days to wear mine!"

Vernon opened his mouth in awe of the ewe's bracelet.

"Well I'll be flea-dipped!" Vernon chirped happily before pulling the ewe into another tight hug, which the ewe was quick to reciprocate. The wolf didn't even know how much just seeing that bracelet had done to cheer her up, but Dawn did her best to squeeze every ounce of that love and kindness Vernon's thoughtful act had given her into the strongest hug she could muster.

"How about that!" The wolf pulled back, keeping one arm holding Dawn aloft as he brought his wrist with the bracelet up to Dawn's own. The wolf grinned widely at the diminutive ewe.

"Just like old times eh Floofs?" Vernon chuckled, jiggling his own bracelet slightly.

"I don't know about that." Dawn smirked. "I'd say one of us has gotten quite a bit bigger since then." The ewe snickered.

Vernon rolled his eyes briefly.

"Yeah I'll say." Vernon allowed the arm holding Dawn to dip slightly as the wolf feigned the need to strain. "I think ya'll might want to stay away from anymore pies today Floof's. Someone's gettin' a lil' bottom heavy."

Dawn gave the wolf a playful swat with her hoof as she stifled another giggle.

"Please." Dawn said, fluttering her eyelashes affectionately at the wolf. "My rump is the only part of my figure I'm happy with." The ewe gingerly caressed the side of the wolf's face. "And I've never heard you complain about it before."

Vernon smirked mischievously. "What can I say, I like my mutton thick and juicy." The wolf bobbed his eyebrows suggestively. "Somethin' I can really sink my teeth into." Vernon bit at the air a few times, making sure to exaggerate his chomps with a few playful growls before pulling his muzzle in close to the lamb and flashing her ewe a mischievous grin.

Dawn swatted the wolf again as they shared a laugh, Vernon being sure to sneak a playful nuzzle in before carefully easing Dawn back onto her stool. The chuckling between the pair giving way to almost simultaneous pleasant sigh as they slipped back into a more composed demeanor. As the wolf toweled off his head again, Dawn leaned an elbow on the counter, eyeing the wolf with a satisfied grin.

"So was this your big plan?" Dawn cooed curiously.

"Eh?" Vernon said as he aggressively wiped at his scalp.

"To surprise me with that bracelet?" Dawn smirked. " Make it the highlight of the trip?"

Vernon chuckled softly, placing the towel on the counter next to him.

"I sure hope there was a bit more to highlight the trip then just that." Vernon grimaced slightly. "I mean, I know there's been a few hitch-ups but I was hopin'..."

"I'm kidding Puppy!" Dawn said with a chuckle of her own. "Still, I..." The ewe sighed as she glanced back at her own bracelet for a moment, twiddling a bead in her hoof. "Thank you Vernon." Dawn could feel the tears welling up again, and the ewe did her best to keep them from rising back to the surface. "It really made my day."

Vernon smiled warmly. "Weren't nothin' Dawn." Vernon cooed sweetly. "I'm just sorry I couldn't spring the big one on ya." The wolf's smile dropped as he turned back to his station. Vernon began to swab out the drained bowl of batter with the towel he had been using.

"Big one?" Dawn tilted her head curiously.

Vernon glanced back at her for a moment before walking toward the rear of the stall and turning the faucet on. The ewe watched the wolf unbutton his shirt, leaning it on the side of the sink as he stood there with his arms resting on the rim. Dawn gingerly hopped down from her stool, quickly sidling up to the wolf as he grabbed a fresh towel from above the sink.

"Well..." Vernon muttered, running a paw through his sticky hair as he glanced back at the ewe. "My big plan fer this whole trip was...." The wolf bit his lip slightly, his eyes lolling from one side to the other as the wolf seemed to be choosing his words carefully. Vernon turned his attention back to the running water, sticking a paw under it to test the temperature. The wolf remained quiet as he stared at the water, letting the silence hang in the air for quite some time before letting out a long, tired sigh.

"I was hopin' I was gonna get the Old 'Mam's permission to...well..." Vernon looked toward the ceiling. "To get a 'tithe'."

Dawn froze, her mind trying desperately to parse what Vernon had said. She was almost certain she hadn't heard him right, or perhaps, she hadn't wanted to.

"T-tithe?" Dawn stammered.

Vernon nodded, offering the ewe a warm smirk.

"I figured..." Vernon wiped one of his paws against his cheek. "I don't know, I'd get Pa's permission and then we could announce it to the pack." The wolf shrugged as he placed his paw back on the lip of the sink. "Then we'd be able to plan another time fer the whole family to get together and do it properly."

Dawn's eyes were wide now as the gravity of what Vernon's was saying began to fully register. In an instant, any of the joy and warmth she had felt from the reunion of their bracelets had been snuffed out in lieu of a feeling of overwhelming abject horror.

"T-tithing, you want a tithe?" Dawn sputtered blankly, clasping her hooves to her muzzle almost as quickly as the words left her muzzle. "I m-mean, that's important to you?"

Vernon nodded affirmatively, testing the water again with his paw.

"Well yeah." Vernon replied with a warm smile. "I mean, I know we're fixin' to get a caprid wedding too and all, but I want you to experience a tithing ceremony." Vernon sighed. "You deserve it, we both do."

Dawn tried to swallow the lump rapidly forming in her throat, but it refused to yield, remaining fixed in its place and worsening by the second.

"I mean, I never really gave tithin' much thought till I was at Zach and Vanna's ceremony." The wolf continued. " And after seein' just how beautiful it was, I knew whoever I was gonna tithe deserved the same if not better." Vernon chuckled softly. "I'd love it if we could get away with not invitin' Yuri. Then it'd be guaranteed to be a better one." The wolf flashed Dawn a sly smirk.

Dawn's mouth had gone dry as her mind returned to Dori's study, to the room of pale green and brassy golden glows. The sweet yet acrid stench of brandy lacing the air of the darkened chamber.

"O 'course that was before the stubborn old wolf started actin' the way he has!" Vernon said, pounding the rim of the sink with his paw. With another quick check of the tap, the wolf finally seemed pleased, and slipped his head under the faucet. As he ran the water through his fur, the wolf continued.

"At least now I got some idea of what's crawled up his butt and died." Vernon murmured as stray water slipped in and out of his muzzle.

"Y-you do?" Dawn sputtered mindlessly, she had barely heard the wolf. The ewe was growing increasingly lost in her thoughts.

"Yeah, and it's definitely gonna make things harder." Vernon continued, scrubbing his scalp with a paw. "But after we had that talk the other day, It kinda changed my perspective on it."

"O-Our talk?" Dawn stammered. "What did I say?" The ewe was dumfounded now, the wolf's words almost sounding far away, as if she were in the midst of a dream.

"Yeah, and you were right." Vernon scrubbed his snout, rinsing more of the orange batter stains away. "We just gotta be patient is all..." The wolf spoke through the water running into his maw. " It may take two visits, or ten, or twelve." The wolf reached a paw out to the tap, turning the knob until the water came to a stop. Standing back up, the wolf began to dry his head with the fresh towel.

"But we'll wear him down. I know it." Vernon flashed the ewe a confident grin.

"As long as I'm head of this household, you ain't never gonna be a Hunter." The older wolf's voice rang out like a shot in the ewe's mind so sharply that Dawn couldn't help but clutch a hoof to her forehead in response.

"By the gods..." She thought to herself. She could feel her stomach chambers churning as the muscles in them squeezed under the stress, and the ewe gripped her side with her other hoof. "That was Vernon's goal all along!" Her thoughts screamed at her in a panic. The whole trip, the premise of the whole thing had not only been to introduce her his relatives, but to get his Father to agree to a tithing ceremony. The wolf bringing up marriage on the train ride hadn't just been a sporadic conversation, but something the wolf had been planning out the whole time.

It was something that should have moved the ewe to joyous tears. But Vernon didn't know what she knew. He hadn't been in the study the night before to hear Dorian thoroughly chew her out. To say in no uncertain terms, that Dawn could never be a part of the Hunter family no matter how hard Vernon pressed him on it. That no matter the circumstance, the old law dog would never consent to a tithe for the pair.

And what was worse, she now knew that Vernon was dead set on getting tithed. That the ceremony had been just as important to the wolf as she feared it might. And if she told the wolf what Dorian had said there would be no avoiding the coming storm that the two wolves would be headed toward. Dorian was a stubborn mammal, but so was her mate. It would be like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and now the ewe found herself wondering what Vernon would do when Dorian finally told him 'no' in person.

"Honey Lamb?

Dawn snapped out of her thoughts to find the wolf in the midst of buttoning up his shirt, his freshly washed features laced with concern as he drew a paw through his wet hair.

"Ya'll alright?" Vernon whined, reaching a paw over to feel the ewe's head. Dawn pulled back slightly at the sudden contact. "Yer lookin' a little green under the gills all of the sudden."

"Fine!" Dawn blurted out awkwardly, her now frazzled mind trying desperately to control the flood of awful emotions coming to the surface. The ewe could already feel tears starting to well as she began to imagine the inevitable standoff between Vernon and Dorian. She could already hear the shouting, the hateful, vile exchange of words between the two wolves growing louder and louder as neither refused to yield. And then there was what would happen after, the subsequent fights between Dorian and the rest of his family she was certain his stance would cause. More fighting, more shouting. Perhaps even a few punches being thrown between the Hunter Brothers. And Dawn was going to be the cause of all of it.

"I should get back to making crusts!" Dawn prattled off bluntly, before turning away from Vernon and rushing back to her step stool at the front of the stand. She didn't want to have this conversation, not now. She couldn't bear it. But her composure was beginning to slip as her fears and worries continued to coalesce within her mind.

"Dawn?" The wolf was quick to pursue her, sidling up next to the lamb as she began to haphazardly throw ingredients together in order to make a fresh shell. She could tell she was making mistakes almost immediately, but she couldn't stop herself. She needed to keep moving, anything to keep the conversation from forcing her talk with Dorian out in the open.

"Dawn." The wolf said more firmly, but the ewe continued to ignore him. She couldn't remember how many eggs to use. Had it been three or four? It was at the point when she accidentally dumped an egg in the bowl, shell and all, that she felt the wolf grip her arm.

Vernon turned the ewe to face him, but Dawn tried her best to look away.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Vernon asked. She could see out of the corner of her eye the look of concern plastered on Vernon's face. "Is it what I said?"

"N-no!" Dawn protested, still refusing to look the wolf in the eyes. She was losing it now, there was no way she'd be able to keep herself together under the wolf's worry riddled gaze.

"Did ya not want to do a 'tithe'?" Vernon asked with a frown. "Cause I mean I figured you'd want to with th-"

"I do!" Dawn whimpered. "Of course I do!"

"Then what's wrong?" Vernon replied.

"Ding! Ding!" The sudden jingle of the counter bell drew their attention to the front of the stand where a familiar couple now stood. The uncomfortable looking goat looking down slightly as the ewe next to him quickly removed her hoof from the bell.

"Um, hello there..." The ewe said with a concerned smile. "I hope we aren't...interrupting?"

"Oh, it's you!" Dawn said loudly, pulling herself free of the wolf's grip as she turned to face the pair. "The couple from the tunnel of love, right!? Edna was it?" Dawn forced a smile to her muzzle in an effort to reassure the couple that nothing abnormal was going on.

Edna, the usually spirited ewe gave a meek, affirmative nod before taking a slight step back from the stand, nudging her mate slightly as she did. The goat, who had previously been looking toward his own feet quickly jerked to attention at Edna's prodding. The billy now flashing the couple a wary glance of his own.

"And this is Alex." Edna added quietly. "As I'm sure you might remember."

Alex winced slightly at the sound of his own name, as if the utterance had suddenly made him visible.

"If you two are in the middle of something we can..."

Dawn glanced back at Vernon briefly, the bewildered wolf taking a moment to acclimate himself to what had just happened. Vernon drew a paw down his chin before turning his attention to the couple.

"Nothin' that can't be discussed later...I suppose..." Vernon said with a disappointed sigh.

"Thank the gods for small miracles." Dawn thought to herself. For now, the dreadful conversation she would be forced to have would be able to wait a little while longer.