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Chapter Thirty-Five: Barbeque Bluster

Dawn was exhausted, and that was putting it lightly. Her day helping hold down the fort at the Hunter food stand had proven much more hectic than she could have ever possibly conceived. The ewe had been so fearful, so worried that her mere presence was set to foil any chance of a single mammal coming by the stall. And for the first part of the day, it seemed her fears had proven true, the ewe's mood only worsening as the day progressed with little more than the occasional leer from a passerby. It had seemed as if Dorian had been completely and utterly correct. The ewe had soiled the family's name, and any goodwill it carried with the native prey populace. And worse yet, she had been blessed with a front row seat to witness the death of Audrey's business, saddled with the knowledge that she had been the cause.

But suddenly, as if someone had simply flipped a switch, the stand had exploded into activity. Curious mammals from all over the fairgrounds were swarming the stall, asking questions and walking away with stacks of pies and hoof-fulls of roasted corn. It had only taken a few minutes for the wild rabble to polish off the surplus the stand had accrued throughout the slow morning, and soon enough the couple were arms deep in pie mix once more, working at a lightning pace to keep up with the sudden and seemingly endless demand.

And after the stampede had started, it never really stopped. No matter how much food Dawn and Vernon managed to whip up and dish out, or how many questions they managed to answer, the throng of mammals never seemed to diminish in the slightest. There always seemed to be a new face to take up the spot another had left behind, holding out a fresh wad of cash and clamoring to be heard above the din of the crowd. The stall had become so overrun, that if someone had mentioned to Dawn that she had ever been worried about making even one sale for the Hunter family, she might have laughed. It was almost mystifying to think that just hours before the stand had been completely inactive, save for the seemingly pointless tasks being performed by the mammals behind the counter. But the ewe had little time to ruminate on that thought, or much of any others while she worked. Pie crusts needed to be made, filling needed to be poured, money needed to change hooves, and there was little room to let her mind wander when faced with the unrelenting wave of mammals hungry for pie and corn.

It was only when the last of the corn cobs had been sold off, and the pie making supplies finally ran dry did the run on the family stall finally start to subside. There was simply nothing left to sell other than a few stray eggs or bags of flour, and so Audrey was forced to shoo away the remaining mob of curious mammals that were still waiting for their chance to ask questions. With nothing to offer, Audrey had simply elected to close the stand early rather than spend an extra hour acting as an information booth, and by that point Dawn and Vernon happily agreed. As much as it had been a refreshing change for the better, even they had begun to tire of the constant prying questions about their personal affairs.

Overall Dawn should have been delighted even with how exhausting the whole experience ended up being. But despite her best efforts to lose herself in the frenzy of the work at hoof, and bask in the generally pleasant demeanor of the curious mammals asking questions of her and Vernon, she found herself worrying over the looming conversation she was sure Vernon had been eager to get back to. She could see it while the pair toiled away making crusts and replying to the numerous questions lobbed at them by their customers. She would catch the wolf staring at her out of the corner of her eye every so often, his ears sagging and his features laced with concern. It was clear that her near meltdown hadn't left the wolf's mind regardless of the clamoring rabble of hungry mammals sieging the stall. And in turn, it kept Dawn's woes regarding the 'tithe' from ever truly leaving her mind as well. She knew that the second Vernon got her alone, it would be all over. She would be forced to spill her guts as to what had transpired in Dorian's Study, and that would be all it would take to set Vernon on the warpath.

And so the already hectic job of mixing and crafting crusts was made that much more difficult by the ewe's active efforts to ensure that she was never alone with her mate for more than a few seconds. Even her bathroom breaks were taken with some degree of stealth, the wolf not even being aware she had taken them until she announced her return to the front of the stall. And when the crowd finally petered off, and the time had come to pack up what little remained of the days supplies, the ewe had quickly sidled herself up to Audrey's side, making sure she was never more than a foot or so away from the she-wolf in an effort to keep her distance from Vernon. She knew it was a blatantly obvious move, something that Vernon had surely picked up on. But at that point, she had simply stopped caring. She so desperately wanted to avoid having that difficult conversation with her Puppy Love that she was willing to do nearly anything to keep it from happening for as long as she possibly could.

But now, as the Hunter Ranch came back into view on the horizon, the ewe knew she was nearly out of time. The fact that she, Vernon and Audrey had to ride together in the front of the van back to the Ranch had offered her just a sliver more space to put off the dreaded conversation that was looming closer and closer. The ewe did her best to keep chattering away with Audrey about how the day had gone in an attempt to shut Vernon out of the conversation entirely. She wasn't completely sure if he would broach the subject around his mother, but if the time spent closing up the stand had been any indication, the wolf seemed reluctant to do so.

At the barbeque however, the wolf would surely be able to get her alone. She could see it now, the bright tented awnings coming into view as they pulled up next to the same field she and Vernon had picnicked in the previous evening. It was a wide open area, the food and drink stations spaced out far enough to allow the various members of the Hunters milling about to have quiet conversations with each other despite still being considered in the midst of the festivities. It would be easy for the wolf to finally corner her, and with just the slightest bit of pressure and a flash of his sorrowful 'Puppy Eyes' she would easily falter. And then, well the ewe was uncertain. She knew Vernon would most likely immediately go to his father, but as to what would ultimately come of that fight the ewe really didn't know. She could endlessly postulate and theorize about the final outcome, but it really didn't matter. Regardless, the end result was going to be bad.

Audrey pulled the van up onto the grass, lazily drifting past the family barbeque as it ambled toward the barn. It was a slow creep, enough to give the she-wolf ample time to wave at some of the Hunters as she passed. Despite her small stature, it was easy to see Vanna wave back as they drifted by, the towering tigress simply too tall to be missed even from Dawn's angle sandwiched between the two wolves.

As the barn loomed into view, the van rolled to a gentle stop. The idling engine causing the frame of the old van to shudder for a moment before the she-wolf flipped the ignition off. With the van falling silent, the wolfess let out a soft groan as she pulled the keys free of the ignition slot.

"Welp..." Audrey said, flicking the key loop around her finger before clasping it tightly in the palm of her paw. " Here we are, safe and sound." The she-wolf chirped, offering the couple a smile.

Dawn offered a meek smile in response as the wolfess popped the driver's side door of the vehicle open.

"Phew..." Vernon muttered in response, the wolf popping his own door open as Dawn turned to find him already leaning out of the vehicle. " I don't think I've ever been happier to be done with pie duty in my whole life."

Dawn giggled softly as the wolf exited the vehicle, Vernon taking a moment to stretch his back as he raised his paws to the sky. But Dawn's momentary joy was quick to fade as Vernon turned his attention back toward the petite sheep. Vernon smirked slightly, extending a paw back into the van.

"Ya'll need help Honey Lamb?" Vernon asked, flicking his fingers in a gesture to beckon her forward.

Dawn could feel her smile slip almost instantly.

"W-well I...er..." The ewe's eyes darted to the other side of the van as the ewe began to urgently weigh her options. Audrey had just pushed away from her own seat, the wolfess managing a stretch of her own as she stood by the now open door. Dawn doubted that simply being on the opposite side of the Hunter delivery ban would give Vernon ample time to grill her on her little meltdown from earlier in the day without his mother overhearing, but she wasn't ready to take that chance.

"No thanks Puppy." Dawn said, quickly scooting backward toward Audrey's side of the van. The ewe fumbled in her step slightly as she began to clamber out of Audrey's side, but she had managed to hold on well enough to avoid falling out completely. Dawn forced the best smile she could manage at the worried looking wolf across the seats from her.

"I can handle I-it thanks!" Dawn sputtered as she allowed herself to drop the rest of the way. Again, the ewe stumbled slightly, but she managed to remain standing despite it. A successful dismount in her book.

"I just figured you'd be tired is all..." She could hear Vernon mutter quietly before slamming his door shut.

Dawn frowned as she glanced back Vernon's way. She couldn't see him now that the door was closed, but she was certain he was wearing a frown of his own. She hated doing this to the poor wolf, after all, she had promised to be honest with him. But as she adjusted her glasses and dusted her skirt free of leftover pie mix particles she attempted to console herself with the idea that she wasn't really lying to Vernon. She had every intention of eventually telling the wolf what happened in Dorian's study, it was simply the 'when' involved in coming clean that was the issue. Once they were back in Zootopia, safe and sound and far enough away from the Hunter Ranch to prevent doing any major damage, the ewe would be more than forthright with him. But much as her lies failed to throw the wolf off her tracks, the attempt to lie to herself had been just as unsuccessful. Unless the ewe could figure out some other explanation for her meltdown, the wolf was sure to press what really happened out of her before they returned home. And the time it would take to fabricate such a story was drawing thinner by the minute.

"Ah..." Audrey sighed, stretching one of her arms high above her head and letting out an inaudible yawn. Shaking her head, she turned her attention the ewe at her side, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ya'll came out my side huh?" Audrey asked.

Dawn winced slightly.

"W-well I mean, it um..."

Audrey shook her head dismissively.

"It's fine Darlin'." Audrey chuckled. "But I need ya'll to scoot, I can't close the door with you standing there."

Dawn glanced back at the door, a blush forming on her muzzle as she looked back to the wolfess. The ewe had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even realized.

"O-Oh sorry!" Dawn said with a nervous smile before scurrying out of the door's path.

Audrey chuckled again before giving the door a half-hearted shove, closing it with a dull thud. The she-wolf wiped her paws together before placing them on her hips.

"Welp, looks like the barbeque is already all set up." Audrey said, a smile forming on her muzzle. The she-wolf glanced down at Dawn, her smile widening slightly.

"It's a good thing too, because if they were expectin' us to help em' out they're crazier than a native wolf with rabies!" Audrey continued, letting out a loud laugh.

Dawn was quick to join the she-wolf with a giggle of her own. But her laughter abruptly died away as Vernon rounded the corner of the van to join them.

"I'll say." The wolf muttered, wiping his brow with a paw as he scanned over the distant tents and awnings in the meadow. "We got enough work on our paws as it is." The wolf said with a chuckle.

"We do?" Dawn asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Well..." Vernon replied, scratching the back of his head. "We still gotta unload the van."

"Oh don't worry about that." Audrey tutted, patting her son on the shoulder. "Considerin' we really didn't have too much to pack up with that frenzy back there, I figured I'd do all the unloading myself." The she-wolf offered Vernon a warm smile.

"Really?" Vernon replied, quirking an eyebrow. "You sure you don't wa-?"

Audrey chuckled, cutting the wolf off by holding up a paw.

"Nah." Audrey cooed. "I want you two to go have fun, ya'll deserve it considerin' how much work ya'll put in today." The she-wolf grabbed Vernon's cheek, giving it a quick squeeze before the wolf could bat her away. "Besides, I ain't that old Puppy."

"Well, I do-"

"Oh great!" Dawn interjected, quick to seize the opportunity while she could. "I can't wait to catch up with the girls!" Dawn continued, flashing Vernon a wide, nervous grin. Before the wolf could raise a finger in protest, Dawn turned her back to the pair, placing a hoof above her eyes as she scanned the barbeque for where she had last seen Vanna. It didn't take long to spot the massive tigress out of the sparsely spread groups of wolves in attendance. And as luck would have it, Ada and Qali were standing right by her, both of them in the midst of what seemed to be a spirited discussion.

Dawn spun on her heels almost as quickly as she had turned her back on her mate, offering the mother and son another forced and nervous smile.

"I think I see them over there!" Dawn chirped awkwardly, before turning back toward the barbeque and scurrying toward it as fast as her little hooves could carry her. It was awkward, and she was certain noticeably unnatural to not just Vernon, but certainly Audrey. But at the moment, it was enough to get her out and away from her mate, and that was all that mattered.

"Wait, Ho-"

Dawn ignored the wolf as she began to sprint toward the group of mammals she had set her sights on. His words dying away as her short strides pulled her out of range of his quiet plea. The pain in his voice was evident, and the ewe could feel the bile rise in her throat in disgust of her own actions. While she could toy with the notion of whether she was truly lying to Vernon by waiting to tell him, she couldn't deny that she was hurting the one she loved in the process. But for now, she desperately tried to push it out of her mind, promising herself to make it up to the wolf ten-fold as she ran headlong toward a hopefully much different and distracting conversation.

As the ewe closed in on the group of mammals, the heavy scent of food assuaged her nostrils. There was the distinct smell of meat, fish to be exact which the ewe found somewhat off-putting, but there was also the heavy scent of grilled vegetables and grasses drifting on the wind that carried her way. And the ewe's guilt found itself growing increasingly muddled under the savory scent of Meadowlands vegetation.

"I tells ya, youse gotta have a soiten head for workin' da morgue!" The conversation began to filter in as the ewe approached the assembly of mammals. Ada's voice was slightly irritated, making it clear she had been at this conversation for a while. "Autopsy's ain't no walk in da park! Youse gotta know what'cha doin!"

Qali shrugged. "How complicated can it be to open someone up?" The fox smirked. "I mean I've played operation, I get the idea."

Vanna snickered at the diminutive foxes comment, but Ada remained less than enthused.

"You tryin' to get my hackles up!?" Ada spat back, gesturing at the tiny fox. "Foist of all, have you even seen a dead mammal before!?"

Qali meekly shook her head no in reply.

"Exactly!" Ada continued, popping what appeared to be a small shrimp into her mouth. The hyena continued to speak between chews. " As I said, youse gotta have a head for it!" Ada chomped noisily. "If you go in dere and you end up trowin' up or cryin' you ain't gonna be helpin' nobody!"

The hyena grabbed another pawful of shrimp from the near-by platter. The large mammal extended her paw toward Qali, gesturing at it with her other paw as she continued. "Not only dat, but youse gotta dig around trough all sorts of internal yuck and be able to find da one ting dat ain't suppos'ta be dere." The Hyena emphasized her point by picking out a particularly deformed looking shrimp and flicking it to the ground before shoving the rest into her mouth, chewing them noisily.

"She's got a point." Vanna muttered. "Vulgarities aside." The tigress glanced back at Ada disapprovingly.

The hyena swallowed hard, wiping her muzzle with a paw as she eyed the towering tigress. "Vulgarities!?" Ada spat, spraying a few flecks of chewed prawn into the wind. "I didn't coise once durin' dat whole discussion!"

Vanna rolled her eyes.

"But you did chew with your mouth open." Qali added with a smirk. "And while you talked."

Ada rolled her eyes in response, crossing her arms defensively. " Oh okay 'princess', I'm da vulgar one." Ada snorted. " At least I didn't-"

Ada stopped mid-statement as Dawn sidled up to the group, turning her attention to Dawn. The hyena flashed her a wide, mischievous grin.

"Well if it ain't Plush!" Ada said with a laugh, placing her paws on her knees as she crouched to her level. The hyeness raised a curious eyebrow at the diminutive ewe.

"Here I taught you wouldn't be around for anuddah hour!" Ada snapped her fingers. "I guess I'll have to save all dem sheep jokes I haven't told yet fer anuddah time!" Ada said with a smirk.

Dawn rolled her eyes, doing her best to suppress her laughter in an effort not to encourage the hyeness to start prattling off sheep jokes Dawn had no doubt heard hundreds of times before.

"I only wish I had a hyena joke to comeback with." Dawn said with a chuckle. "Then again, you can probably say anything to one and you'd get a laugh."

That had managed to earn a chuckle from all the girls, even Ada. The large hyeness snickering as she gave the ewe's wooly poof a tussle. Dawn playfully pushed her paw back, giggling softly as she straightened her wool with her hooves.

"Hey!" Dawn protested between laughs. "Lay off the poof! It was hard enough fixing it after Qali spent all night cuddling it!"

Ada let out a howling laugh, swatting one of her knees with a paw as she held the other tight against her gut. Qali however was frozen in embarrassment, an intense blush forming on her muzzle as the fox visibly cringed.

"I...Uh..." Qali uttered, the vixen seeming to struggle with her words as her eyes darted nervously from side to side. Qali opened her muzzle to speak again, but before she could Ada wrapped a paw around her, pulling the fox close to her side. Ada flashed Dawn a wide grin.

"Dat's just what I was about to bring up!" Ada snickered as she squeezed Qali's face up against her own. The hyeness pointed a finger at Qali's chest.

"You want to talk about bad mannas, I'd say spendin' da night molestin' someone else's pelt is pretty unforgivable!"

Qali squirmed uncomfortably in Ada's grip, the fox clearly growing increasingly uncomfortable with the topic at hoof. The blushing vixen offered Dawn a meek grin, her eyes avoiding any contact with the ewe's own.

"S-sorry." Qali muttered, the foxes wince growing as she tried to free herself from Qali's grip. "I just...I mean...I usually cuddle up to Trenny's tail at night, and I mean...I-"

Dawn giggled, holding up a hoof to stop the already thoroughly embarrassed vixen from having to struggle through her attempted apology any further.

"It's okay Qali-" Dawn paused to correct herself. "It's a joke Snowball, I was just kidding."

The little vixen's embarrassment seemed to dissipate almost as soon as the words left Dawn's lips, a wide smile crawling across her muzzle in its stead.

"R-Really?" Qali asked hopefully, her eyes shimmering slightly.

Dawn did her best to suppress a chuckle as she gave the tiny fox an affirmative nod. Qali inhaled sharply, her smile becoming an opened mouthed grin in the face of the ewe giving her the clear on her hair fondling actions from the night before. In a flash the vixen seemed to find the strength to finally wiggle free of ada's grip, and soon enough Dawn found the arctic fox's arms wrapped tightly around her neck as she pulled her into a tight hug. One that Dawn was quick to return in as equal a vigor as she could muster.

"Thanks Plush!" Qali chirped, giving the ewe another tight squeeze. Dawn couldn't help but giggle as she watched the vixen's bushy tail wagging briskly behind her.

"Anyway..." That had come from Vanna. The tigress was now awkwardly scratching the back of her head as she glanced back toward the now standing Ada. "How did things go today?" Vanna muttered, turning her attention back to Dawn. "At the stand I mean." As the fox remained tightly gripped around her, Dawn turned her attention toward the looming tigress. She took a moment to adjust her glasses before speaking, the ewe flashing her a wide, enthusiastic grin.

"Amazingly if you can believe it." Dawn said with a pleasant sigh. "We were swamped!"

Qali broke the hug, pulling away from Dawn somewhat while still keeping her paws on the ewe's shoulders. The tiny fox looked surprised but exceedingly excited.

"Really!?" Qali tilted her head, her features stricken with awe.

Dawn smiled back, nodding briskly at the tiny fox as she fully released her grip on the ewe. Qali was now bouncing in place, clapping her paws together in elation.

"Not with an angry mob I hope." Vanna muttered, a look of concern coming over her as she glanced down at the ewe. Dawn gave a brisk no in reply, her smile remaining fixed and genuine.

"I would call it an...enthusiastic mob." Dawn said with a chuckle. " We just got slammed around noon with so many curious and hungry mammals we could barely keep up!" The ewe continued.

"Curious huh?" Ada asked with an equally curious expression of her own. "Like how?'

"They wanted to know about Vernon and me." Dawn said, dusting her skirt off before continuing. "About our lives together, and what it's like being in a predator-prey relationship."

Vanna seemed slightly relieved, her ears rising back up to a relaxed position as she appraised the ewe.

"Nothing too personal I hope." Vanna asked with a soft chuckle.

Dawn blushed slightly, glancing at her feet for a moment as she thought back to the gamut of questions hurled at the pair earlier that day. Some of the questions had proven to be quite intimate. Thankfully, the pair had managed to swivel around answering most of them without going heavily into detail.

"W-well...I mean..." Dawn mumbled, twisting a hoof in the grass. "We didn't answer everything they asked."

Ada let out a chuckle as she leaned down to Dawn's level, cupping a paw aside her muzzle as she spoke.

"You mean about how good dat knot is doncha?" Ada said with a smirk.

Dawn's muzzle instantly flushed red as she went back to looking at her feet. The ewe tapping her hooves together as she struggled to think of how to even begin to reply to the hyena's rather frank statement. But Ada wasn't done.

"I can't imagine a ram compares in dat department!" The hyena cackled loudly, nudging the large tigress standing next to her. Vanna simply rolled her eyes, leaving the hyeness to continue laughing at her own joke for a few moments before seeming to tire of it..

"Ahem." Vanna placed a paw to her muzzle as she cleared her throat. It was a firm, loud gesture, enough to draw the rest of the group's attention away from Ada's teasing and Dawn's extreme embarrassment to the large feline. Once Vanna appeared satisfied in having everyone's full attention, the tigress spoke.

"I am glad to hear that everything went better than expected Dawn, really." Vanna offered the ewe a warm, genuine smile. "I'll be honest, I was somewhat worried when we couldn't find you this morning only to find out you and Vernon had returned to the fair." The feline frowned slightly, scratching the back of her head in an awkward manner. "I mean, Zach and I would have preferred to be there with you to help, despite being off duty for the day."

Dawn smiled softly at the concerned tigress.

"It's what Audrey wanted." Dawn replied. "As I'm sure you probably put together yourself by now."

Vanna gave a soft, affirming nod.

"I assumed as much." Vanna chuckled. "As much as Audrey talks about Dorian being stubborn, I would have to say she's probably just as stubborn as he is." The tigress said with a smirk.

"Youse are lucky she ain't ova here yet!" Ada chuckled, her eyes scanning the area as she spoke. " She'd probably put yas on dish duty for a comment like dat one! Or woise!" Ada cackled.

Vanna covered her muzzle in a clear effort to hide her smirk.

"W-well I mean..." The tigress continued. "All the Hunters are stubborn." Vanna continued. " That doesn't come up seven times in a row without both parents sharing that trait now does it?"

Dawn giggled. Vernon certainly was a stubborn mammal, it was one of the first things she had come to learn about him. But that stubbornness of his always seemed to have a basis in some perceived injustice or wrongdoing. Regardless of the outcome she always knew that Vernon's heart was usually in the right place despite it. And while it seemed that logic didn't seem to follow through with Dorian and his own cold, stubborn ways, it lined up perfectly with Audrey's more emotional ones. Dawn would have gone so far as to say Audrey seemed more keen to fight a mammal when faced with what she felt was a massive slight to those she cared for. Then again, Vernon had gone as far as dragging the ewe through a wild police chased based on roughly the same sort of criteria. It was apparent the apple certainly hadn't fallen far from the tree.

"I hear dat." Ada said with a laugh. "I only wish old Yuri didn't take so strongly after Papa Hunta in dat regard."

"I'm not surprised." Vanna chuckled.

Ada furrowed her brow. "Hey, just because he can be stubborn don't mean he can't be sweet!" The hyena groused.

"It's just that he's cold when he is stubborn, right?" Dawn asked warily, the ewe uncertain exactly how touchy a subject Yuri and the hyena's relationship really was.

Ada sighed, running a paw through her swooping mane.

"Well, yeah...but dats who he his." Ada muttered. "Da colder he is, da more he's tryin' to shut sometin' out." The hyena glanced over her shoulder, lowering her voice as she spoke. In the distance Dawn could make out the black wolf talking to his brother Trenton, the pair seemingly sharing a laugh over a joke Dawn couldn't hear as they stood around the drink cooler. Ada turned her attention back to the ewe.

"He doesn't like to admit when sometin' is gettin' to him." Ada muttered. The hyena reached over to the nearby table, grabbing another pawful of shrimp before popping another one into her mouth.

"I'm pretty good at gettin' him to open up dough." Ada chuckled as she chewed. "Even if you gals'ill probably never see it."

Dawn found such a prospect hard to believe. Then again, the ewe was privy to a side of her own mate that no one else saw, so there had to be a chance that the hyena had access to some deeper hidden part of the dark-furred wolf that was invisible to the rest of them.

Dawn was about to open her muzzle to reassure Ada when another blast of the delicious scent from before drifted up her muzzle. The ewe found herself standing on the tips of her hooves in an effort to suck in as much of the delectable scent as she could before settling back down on the grass.

"I take it youse are gettin' hungry huh?" Ada said with a chuckle.

Dawn gave a slow nod, her eyelids remaining half closed in a glossy, dreamlike gaze as the aroma danced around her snout.

"Mhh..." Dawn murmured, lifting her glasses to rub her eyes in an effort to snap herself out of her hazy state.

"I haven't eaten since before the rush..." Dawn muttered softly. "And that smells heavenly."

"I'm sure ya'll will find it tastes purty heavenly too." A familiar voice interjected, soon followed by a russet colored paw finding purchase on Ada's shoulder and pushing the hyeness gingerly aside to make room for the tubby wolf. Malcolm strode his way into the Hunter huddle, carrying a piping hot plate of small, unrecognizable but delectably scented fried foods. The wolf gingerly placed the platter on the table behind the ewe before wiping his sweat sopped brow.

"Malcolm!" Dawn said excitedly.

"That's mah name Darlin'." Malcolm said with a smirk. "Don't wear it out now."

Dawn's eyes had followed the steaming platter on it's way to the table, and now that it had been lowered to her height, she could see the morsels of food more easily. It was clear they were some sort of fried appetizer, oozing with what appeared to be cheese and several deep green and savory scented vegetables. Dawn could only surmise based on the color and ragged look that spinach had to be at least part of the recipe, and as luck would have it, that was one of her favorites. Dawn could feel her mouth starting to water as she keenly eyed the fresh treats.

"Is that spinach?" Dawn asked dreamily, turning her attention back to the chubby wolf.

"Spinach, seaweed, and a few other sheep staple herds and grasses." Malcolm said with a confident grin. " And I used three different kinds of cheese, one for each Meadow Bite."

Dawn quirked an eyebrow curiously, her muzzle scrunching in distaste.

"Seaweed?" The ewe cringed slightly at the thought. The odorous weed found around the various coasts of Zootopia didn't sound like very appetizing based on what she had seen and smelled. Then again, these 'Meadow Bites' as Malcolm called them, smelled nothing like the rank odor of sun-baked seaweed.

"Ever try Seaweed?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow as he smirked at the ewe.

"W-well no..." Dawn muttered. "I really haven't."

Malcolm chuckled. "Well then, prepare to have your taste buds blown away!" The wolf shook his head. "This is the most requested thing on my restaurant's menu. I ain't never seen a prey mammal turn their snout up to 'em."

Dawn grabbed a napkin from beside the platter, gingerly scooping one of the hot bites into the cloth before bringing it close to her muzzle. The ewe took a few hesitant, tentative sniffs only to be met with a more intense and flavorful aroma filling her snout. Her watering muzzle had now shifted into full-on drooling as the scent sent tingles down her spine. The ewe shuddered briefly, doing the best to shake off the overwhelming hunger and overwhelmingly pleasant scent that had overtaken her as she eyed the russet wolf.

Malcolm was still smiling broadly.

"Go on." Malcolm cooed, the smirk never leaving his muzzle. His eyes seemed to widen as he clasped his paws together in excitement. It was clear the wolf was awaiting what he was certain to be a pleasant response.

Dawn took a deep breath before gingerly sinking her teeth into the ball of food. The first thing to strike the ewe was just how overwhelmingly hot it was. Dawn shifted around the burning hot chunk of food on her tongue, sucking in air around the food in an effort to cool it. The ewe began waving a hoof at her face, doing her best to force more cool air into her muzzle. Perhaps it would have been better to wait a few minutes to let the bites cool before actually trying them.

"Oh!" Malcolm winced sharply as he ran a paw through his bedraggled hair, wiping the stray follicles out of his face. "I shoulda probably warned ya about how hot they were."

"Ya tink genius?" Ada said, flashing the wolf a dull glare.

Malcolm scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "S-Sorry, I got excited."

Dawn would have laughed at the red wolf's enthusiasm had her muzzle not been on fire. But as the lump of food began to cool, the pain was quickly replaced with a sudden wave of pleasure as the mixture of salty and savory flavors danced across her wounded tongue.

Sure, the initially heat had dulled some of the flavors by scorching her taste buds, but even so, the burst of tangy, succulent cheeses and vegetation was overwhelmingly powerful. The ewe let out a shuddering bleat as she fully absorbed the mixture of flavors on her tongue. It was only after the sound left her muzzle did she become aware of what she had done, and a blush rapidly rose to her muzzle as she eyed the others nervously.

"Did you just?" Ada seemed unable to finish, her chesherin grin spreading from ear to ear as she appraised the increasingly embarrassed ewe. Malcolm however, had a smug smile plastered on his muzzle, the wolf crossing his arms in self-satisfaction.

"Happen's ery' time with them caprid types." Malcolm chuckled. "And mammals think only wolves can't resist givin' into to baser instinct."

"That was so CUTE!" Qali chiped, bounding in place again as she held her paws clasped against her cheeks.

Dawn couldn't bring herself to speak, wave after wave of embarrassment stealing any response she could come up with away from her as she stood in shame of her actions. She bleated. In public.

"Alright, Alright..." Vanna chimed in, the tigress taking control of the conversation once more. "Leave the lamb alone."

Dawn managed to swallow the chunk of food, the flavor trailing down all the way to her stomach as she did her best to shake off the blush. It was difficult, especially with Malcolm maintaining his pleased expression, but eventually the ewe managed to squeak out a reply.

"I-It's really good." Dawn muttered, only managing to make eye contact with Malcolm for a moment before turning her attention back to her feet. Malcolm simply chuckled.

"If ya'll like that, you'll love the dinner I got planned." Malcolm grinned widely. "My bell pepper paninis were voted best in the bay area four years runnin'."

"Bell pepper paninis?" Dawn's eyes widened as she stared back up at the wolf in awe. She was already a fan of bell peppers, and if Malcolm could make seaweed taste that good, she could barely imagine how amazing his paninis were."

Malcolm laughed again. "O'course dinner ain't fer another hour." The wolf said, pulling out his cell phone and glancing at the face briefly. "About an hour and a half actually." The wolf raised a paw as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, waggling his finger warningly. "So don't go fillin' up on them bites too much." Malcolm said with a chuckle.

Dawn nodded as she blew on her half-chewed bite a few times. Simply being exposed to such gourmet foods made the ewe feel as if she hadn't eaten in three days, but the ewe would do her best to keep from scarfing down the whole platter in one sitting.

Malcolm adjusted his apron slightly as a look of determination flashed across his muzzle.

"Alright ladies, If you'll excuse me." The wolf's confident grin widened, exposing his canine teeth. "I've got to get back to the grill."

Dawn found herself snickering as Malcolm turned with an almost regal bluster, as if the wolf was off to save the world. Then again, based on his cooking skills, the ewe could easily imagine Malcolm somehow doing just that with his culinary prowess. But as the wolf cleared the Hunter girl pack, Dawn caught a strange sight in the distance.

On the far end of the barbeque, the ewe could see a dessert table with what appeared to be a chocolate fountain burbling with slick chocolate goo with an assortment of dipping snacks around it. But that hadn't been what caught the ewe's eye. No, what had caught her attention was the dark gray wolf huddled next to the machine, his eyes fixed on her from across the way. In fact, she was certain he had a pair of binoculars.

Ulric quickly tore the goggles down from his face, and almost as soon as he had the wolf began to frantically gesture in Dawn's direction, almost as if he was beckoning her to come over to him.

Dawn was confused to say the least, tilting her head slightly as she watched the frantic wolf. She was certain considering his staunch beliefs on sheep that there was no way he was beckoning her toward him, and yet despite it, Dawn found herself subconsciously gesturing to herself, mouthing 'me?' at the wolf. Even more confusingly to the ewe, the wolf nodded briskly in the affirmative.

"What are you-?" Vanna turned to spy the wolf desperately flagging the ewe in the distance, only for the wolf to immediately stop his crazed and frantic directions. The dark clad wolf quickly taking to leaning against the table he was near nonchalantly.

That had been enough to draw the rest of the girl's attention back toward the skittish wolf. They were all staring at him now, most of them cocking their heads in the same confused manner as Dawn had.

"What's his problem now?" Ada rolled her eyes.

"Not sure..." Vanna mumbled, glancing back at Dawn. "But I know Ully's allergic to chocolate. So he probably shouldn't be standing so close to that fountain."

"Knowing him he probably tinks da fountain is protectin' him from radio waves or somtin'." Ada chuckled.

"Was he...? Vanna quirked an eyebrow. "Waving to you Dawn?"

Dawn scrunched her muzzle in confusion. "I t-think so...?"

"Dat's impossible." Ada chuckled. "Old Ully's terrified of sheep."

Dawn's attention remained fixed on the gray wolf as the conversation went on around her. Every so often the wolf returning to more beckoning gestures when Dawn could only assume the other girls weren't looking. There was no denying it, the wolf seemed desperate to get her attention, and more importantly, come over to his side of the barbeque.

"I s-should go see what he wants." Dawn muttered.

As soon as the words left her muzzle the rest of the Hunter girls fell silent, their back and forth conversation screeching to a halt as Dawn's words seemed to register among them.

"A-are you sure about that Dawn?" That had come from Qali, the usually exuberant fox suddenly meek and pallid as she placed a paw on Dawn's shoulder.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You are acting like he's dangerous."

The rest of the girls exchanged an uncertain glance, Vanna sucking in sharply before letting out an uncomfortable sigh.

"He...Well..." Vanna muttered, glancing back over her shoulder at the wolf. "I mean he's not dangerous...he's.."

"Weird!" Qali chirped.

Despite the bluntness of the tiny fox's statement, Vanna nodded softly for a moment, only to seemingly catch herself. The tigress shook her head dismissively.

"No, I mean he has mild paranoid schizophrenia," Vanna muttered, placing a paw to her temple.

"Oh my..." Dawn murmured, placing a hoof to her muzzle in shock. The ewe couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"B-but nobody mentioned-"

"Audrey doesn't like to talk about it." Vanna was quick to follow up with. "And so we try to ignore his...erratic behavior."

"Wait, so is he on medicine?" Dawn asked, glancing back at the wolf once again gesturing her over.

"As far as I know..." Vanna muttered, glancing back over her shoulder. "He's required by his job to take it." Vanna grimaced uncomfortably. "But he has a nasty habit of skipping his doses when he's on vacation."

"Probably because dat weirdo knows Ma Hunta ain't gonna call him on it." Ada muttered. "She likes to pretend he's just 'high spirited'." Ada rolled her eyes.

"But is he dangerous?" Dawn asked.

The girls exchanged another uncertain glance, and Dawn could feel a lump forming in her throat.

"Yes?" Vanna murmured awkwardly, again shaking her head briskly as she seemed to catch herself. "I mean no, he's not a threat to anyone. Even off his meds."

Dawn glanced back at the wolf for a moment to find him once again signaling to her. She was nervous, sure. But she was too curious about the wolf to ignore this peculiar olive branch. Ulric was the only brother she only really knew anything about through second paw discussions. Even Yuri she had actually interacted with to some degree, but even at the dinner table Ulric had talked about her, not to her. It was simply too intriguing an opportunity to pass up.

"Rut it." Dawn said, turning back to the appetizer table. The ewe quickly scooped several more meadow bites onto her napkin before turning back toward the girls. "I'm going in."

Before the girls could stop her, Dawn set out toward the wolf, passing between Vanna and Ada as she made her way across the picnic area. She felt someone's paw graze her shoulder only to slip away as she breezed past the Hunter girls. Dawn's determination to see what the twitchy wolf had to say overruling her own safety concerns.

Well, almost. In fact, Dawn had made it about halfway across the field before stopping to look back at the Hunter girls. All of them were watching with rapt curiosity, and in Vanna's case, the tigress looked like a loaded gun ready to fire, as if she would be required to snap into action at a moments notice now that Dawn was set to tangle with Ulric. Dawn felt the lump in her throat battling its way back up as she struggled to swallow it down again. She had made her call, there was no turning back now.

The ewe returned to her walk, but her gaze lingered on the Hunter Girls for just a moment. And in that lapse in attention, the ewe suddenly collided with a much larger mammal. Dawn felt herself falling, but only for a moment before she came to a sudden, yet gentle stop as she found herself in Vanna's grip. Dawn had lost a few meadow bites in the process., but the tigress had ultimately saved her from hitting the floor. The ewe was about to apologize profusely to the mammal she had bumped into as the tiger pushed her back up. The ewe opening her muzzle as the words readied themselves to spill out. But as she turned her attention back toward the obstruction, and her eyes fell on the mammal in front of her, the words died in her throat. A hateful yellow gaze was staring back at her, shrouded in a cloak of jet black fur.

Yuri's form swayed slightly as he glared down at the ewe, his lips curling tightly around his canine teeth in a menacing sneer.

"Watch it brillo pad." Yuri spat, raising a dark green bottle and pointing the spout at the ewe. Yuri's movements were sluggish and staggered, and the wolf continued to sway slightly in his step. Dawn could easily smell the overwhelming stench of alcohol on the wolf.

"You almost made me spill my beer!" Yuri continued, his head swaggering as he stared at the ewe. "And the gods know I need it to get through all this bullshit..."

"I-I'm sorry, I di-!"

Yuri laughed, the wolf chuckling at what Dawn could only assume was her overt fear of him. She felt paralyzed under his piercing yellow eyes, unable to move. The wolf's laugh trailed off into a pleasant sigh as his bleary gaze fixed on her again.

"Ya know..." Yuri slurred slightly as he spoke, taking a moment to wipe his maw before continuing with whatever diatribe he planned to go into. "I was prepared to hate you from the get-go Smellwether..."

Dawn felt her skin crawl at the sound of her old moniker given to her by Lionheart, and many of the grade school mammals before him.

"Watch it Yuri..." Dawn could hear Vanna quietly hiss. But the wolf seemed to ignore her, perhaps to buzzed to pick up on more than one mammal at a time.

"Cause' of what you did...everythin'" The wolf burped loudly, his expression one for brief confusion, as if he hadn't expected the belch before he continued. " All the wolves you put out..." Yuri's hateful sneer widened as he glowered down at the ewe. But as quickly as it had come, the sneer disappeared, finding itself replaced by a smile which Dawn found even more uncomfortable.

"But then I got to thinkin'." The wolf pointed his bottleneck back toward the ewe. "Any mammal who can make ol' Vermin miserable, and put him at odds with Dad fer good...well..." The wolf wiped his muzzle again. "Well, I reckon' their alright in my book."

Yuri cackled loudly, taking a sharp swig of his bottle before suddenly throwing it to the ground causing it to shatter. Dawn covered her eyes, bracing herself for the shards and whatever else the wolf planned to come her way.

"WOOOO!" Yuri shouted loudly.

"YURI!" Ada's voice rang out, and Dawn lowered her arm to find the hyeness storming up to the black wolf and pushing him sharply. The wolf stumbled back slightly, nearly falling over before catching himself. Yuri seemed to wake up at that moment, his obvious buzz seeming to fade as the wolf was immediately in his mate's face.

"WHAT!?" The wolf sneered, barring his teeth at the hyena.

"I TOLD YOUSE TO LAY OFF DA DRINKIN' DIDN'T I!?" Ada snarled with equal fervor. The street tough hyena remained unflinching in the face of his snarling gaze. "YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOUL-!"

"YOU LAY OFF ADA!" Yuri spat, his head slipping backward slightly as some of his buzz seemed to return. "YOU INSISTED WE COME HERE! NOT ME! REMEMBER!?" Yuri staggered a step backward, raising a finger as he glared at his mate.

"DAT DOESN'T MEAN-!"

"IF I GOTTA DEAL WITH HIM BEIN' AROUND...!" Yuri shook his head wearily. "AND ALL OF THAT MESS, THEN THE GODS BE DAMNED I'M GONNA DRINK!"

With that, Yuri's ears seemed to flatten, the wolf's voice becoming small and quiet. "I just..." The wolf whined. "I can't deal with this...with the way they all..." Yuri muttered, his sentence remaining unfinished as the wolf slipped to a seated position on the ground. Yuri wrapped a paw around his knee to keep steady, his seemingly sorrowful gaze pointed down at the dirt.

Ada turned her attention to Dawn and Vanna, her features softening as she did.

"I'm sorry sis." Ada said with a frown, giving the ewe another gentle pat on the poof. "He wasn't supposed to be drinkin'. I shoulda kept a better eye on him."

Dawn was still somewhat bewildered, but for the moment it seemed the wolf had more or less diffused himself. Ada glanced up at the towering tigress, offering her weak smile. "I got him from here Kit Kat."

Dawn glanced back at the looming tigress. Sufficed to say she looked less than pleased, Her features twisted into a judgemental glare as she eyed the hyena with crossed arms. She remained silent for a moment, before letting out what sounded like a reluctant sigh and giving the mammal a slow, barely noticeable nod.

The large tiger uncrossed her arms, turning back toward the appetizer table and walking away. She had taken only a few steps before looking back over her shoulder, offering the ewe a weak smile before making her way back over to a very worried looking Qali.

With Vanna gone, Ada made her way over to the crumpled wolf on the ground, kneeling by his side and putting a paw around him. Slowly, Yuri's head leaned toward the hyena before coming to a rest against her chest, and when it did, Ada began to gently stroke his hair.

"I got him Plush." Ada said without looking. "Don't worry."

Dawn stared at the hyena in a mixture of awe and confusion. She wanted to say something, anything, but her mind was still too bewildered by all that had happened in such a short span of time. The ewe opened her muzzle, but nothing came.

"I'll try to get him cleaned up." Ada muttered, glancing back Dawn's way. "Just leave me wit him a while."

Dawn raised a finger, but the hyena stopped her.

"Go see what crazy wants." Ada chuckled. "Trust me, ya don't want none of dis mess."

Dawn glanced back at the gray wolf that was still waiting for her by the fountain. Ulric seemed largely unfazed by what had transpired, the wolf still gesturing to her as if nothing had changed. Dawn took a step, but couldn't help but look back at Ada and Yuri, the menacing black wolf seeming almost pitiful now as he quietly wept into his mate. Dawn was still unsure what was happening, but considering how the wolf's mood seemed to turn on a dime, Dawn thought it best not to wait around for it to happen again.

Carefully stepping around the glass fragments, the ewe made her way across the remaining field to the tent that housed the chocolate fountain and the skittish wolf. Now that she was close, the wolf had ceased his gestures and was now leaning against the table and looking away from her general direction.

As the ewe came to a stop in front of him, he simply stood there. Occasionally looking from left to right but never directly at Dawn, which made the ewe feel increasingly awkward.

"U-Um..." Dawn was first to break the silence. "Excuse me?"

The wolf remained silent.

"You asked me over here?" Dawn continued.

The wolf finally seemed to acknowledge her presence, Ulric turning his gaze to the diminutive ewe. The wolf's eyes seemed wild, somewhat frenzied yellow eyes doing their best to fix on her despite occasionally darting from side to side.

"Yes, yes I did." Ulric muttered, but fell silent again. The wolf's eyes scanning the ewe carefully as the awkward silence once again grew to linger.

"Uh...well...I guess we haven't been formally introduced right?" Dawn offered the wolf an awkward smile as she extended a hoof toward him. "I'm Vernon's mate Dawn."

The wolf seemed to ignore her gesture, returning to his disinterested glances at the surrounding barbeque. However despite his behavior, the wolf continued.

"Ulric Cornelius Hunter" The wolf prattled off dryly. "And I don't shake paws, especially not with sheep." Ulric continued. "Lanolin contaminate."

Dawn quirked an eyebrow. "Lanolin contaminant?"

"Lanolin is secreted by sebaceous glands found in all wool-bearing mammals, a.k.a. sheep. It is a waxy yellow substance that was meant to help waterproof a sheep's wool to some extent." Ulric replied, picking up a plastic cup from the nearby table and taking a small sip.

"All sheep produce the stuff." Ulric muttered, the tone of his voice uneven and jerky, as if he had drank far too much caffeine. Ulric placed his drink back on the table to his side. "Get some of that on you a bam!" The wolf slammed a paw into his palm, causing the ewe to flinch at the sudden movement. "It drains your willpower! It's one of the best weapons sheep have against wolves!" Ulric glanced upward, his sights set on the vague impression of the moon starting to peek out despite the fact that the sun had yet to set. "Aside from the moon that is."

"The moon?" Dawn asked, cringing as her brain attempted to process what the wolf was saying.

"The moon is a hologram." Ulric continued, pointing to the orb hanging low in the sky. "It was placed there by the ancient sheep in order to try to control wolf-folk, because their normal mind control methods were ineffective against them."

"I-I'm sorry?" Dawn stuttered. The ewe could barely believe what she was hearing.

"Keep up Bellwether." Ulric replied, turning his attention back to the ewe. "I'd ask you not to try to pretend you don't already know that, but I have little time to argue such trivial things when there are much more pressing matters at paw." Ulric continued.

Dawn was completely gobsmacked. She had gotten the impression that Ulric was quite eccentric based on his performance in the breakfast hall the day before, but she hadn't known how bad it truly was. It was clear the mammal seemed to be stark raving mad, and in turn, Dawn was struggling to process everything he had told her.

"P-pressing matters?" Dawn muttered in confusion, the ewe still trying to wrap her head around the conversation at hoof.

"Yes, very crucial. Important matters you see." Ulric clarified, the wolf glancing over his shoulder once more before crouching down to her level. The wolf peered at her with an appraising glare, almost as if he were staring at a foreign object rather than a living being.

"Vernon tells me you are writing a book about the history of the Blackwool line." The wolf quirked an eyebrow. "Is this true?"

Dawn winced as the wolf's eyes continued to scan her. It was clear he was taking in her body language, but unlike the other Hunters with their police training, Ulric was considerably less subtle about it.

"Well...I mean...." Dawn murmured. "It's more so about Vernon and my relationship, but the Blackwool's do come up in the historical notes."

Ulric flashed the ewe a crooked grin. "The I trust you plan to cover Moira Blackwool's tryst with Erik Düclaw?"

Dawn blinked dumbly at the large wolf for a moment. She should have assumed if the conspiratorial wolf believed in something as outlandish as the idea that the moon was a hologram, then something like the supposed tryst between Moira and Erik, which was considerably more of a feasible possibility by comparison, shouldn't have been a great leap in logic for the wolf.

"I uh..." Dawn adjusted her glasses. "I mean I touched on it to some degree."

The wolf's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows raising in response to the ewe's reply.

"What did you say?" Ulric quickly fired back, his eyes remaining fixed on Dawn's own. His gaze had become more intense now, the same sort of stare that many of those at the ZPD had given her during her questioning shortly after her arrest for the night howler scandal. The wolf was grilling her for information.

"W-well I mean..." Dawn took a slight step back to give her a bit more distance from the peculiar wolf. "I brought up how it was a theory that had been proposed by some...outspoken mammals."

"A theory!?" Ulric's voice cracked, and the wolf quickly clutched at his throat, taking a moment to clear it and compose himself before continuing. "A theory?" The wolf repeated, in a significantly calmer tone.

"W-well I mean, there wasn't really any concrete evidence that it occurred aside from a few historical curiosities."

Ulric chuckled softly, tilting his head back and placing a paw over his eyes.

"Oh mam'..." The wolf sighed. "A few historical 'curiosities'. The wolf repeated in a slightly mocking tone.

Dawn furrowed her brow in slight irritance.

"I'll have you know I did quite a bit of research on Moira Blackwool for that section of the book." Dawn huffed. "And outside of a few fringe websites, I couldn't find anything solid enough to back up such a spurious claim."

Ulric stopped laughing, turning her attention back the ewe with an accusatory glare. With the odd wolf's gaze now back on her, Dawn sank into her shoulders.

"I-I mean as much as I'd love something l-like that to be true..." Dawn stuttered, breaking eye contact with the gray wolf. "I really didn't have enough evidence to make a case." The ewe fiddled her hooves nervously. "I mean, not that it was even the point of the book any-"

"Let's get something straight Bellwether." Ulric cut her off as he crouched down to her level, his suspicious glare intensifying as he leaned his head closer to her. " I don't trust you. I have no reason to trust a mammal whose family was once a part of the illubaahnati."

"The...Illubaahnati?" Dawn murmured dumbly. She had heard of it sure, but it was something you rarely heard a mammal talk about out loud who wasn't some degree of unstable. A secret, clandestine council of sheep that ran all of Animalia's affairs from behind closed doors. According to most conspiracy theorists every government on the planet is secretly beholden to them, and every disaster that occurs is part of some greater plan for the Illubaahnati to consolidate its power and enslave the mammals of Animalia once and for all. It was something only the most fringe mammals tended to believe, and rightfully so as the theory quickly fell apart with the slightest appraisal. It was laughable at best, and Dawn had to do her best to keep from smirking in the face of Ulric's grave and serious tone.

Urlic nodded briskly. "In fact I was certain that you were an active agent working for them yourself considering your history." The wolf rose from his crouched position, tapping his chin lightly as he appeared to be pondering over his words. "I mean the night howler scandal was clear proof of that."

Dawn cringed at the mention of her criminal past. It was never a pleasant subject to be reminded of. Still now Ulric's behavior did make a little more sense. Even if there truly wasn't a 'Illubaanati', Dawn's past actions had certainly lined up with their supposed master plan for Animalia. It was only now that she realized she had probably given a great deal of unstable mammals ammo in regards to proving the existence of such an organization, despite the fact that she had been more or less acting with a small group of mammals.

"But the Zootopia's last night case had me puzzled for some time..." The wolf furrowed his brow, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "And now this thing with my brother..."

"You mean that I am his mate?" Dawn asked.

Ulric chuckled.

"Great cover." Ulric replied. "I mean, he doesn't seem different but you clearly brainwashed him somehow."

"Brainwashed!?" Dawn replied, her wariness fading in the face of the obvious insult. Ulric simply nodded.

"Getting your hooves on a wolf. And not just any wolf, but a direct descendant of the Düclaws?" Ulric grinned widely. "Everyone would certainly think you had changed your ways big time."

Dawn puffed her cheeks, still incised by the wolf's baseless accusations.

"Ulric. I love your brother." Dawn glared back at the wolf. "And I didn't trick him into loving me." The ewe spat." Hell, we were friends in grade school! We have a history!" The ewe continued, gesturing at the twitchy wolf with open hooves.

Ulric seemed to regard the ewe's response with little care, the wolf returning to glancing over his shoulders once again which only served to further irritate Dawn.

"For Cervidwen's sake you heard us in the field last night! Everyone did!" Dawn said, a fierce blush forming on her muzzle as she recalled the embarrassing affair. "If I was trying to pretend such a thing, then certainly I wouldn't have allowed us to take our relationship that far, would I!?"

"That's what I thought too!" Ulric replied, excitement returning to his features as he crouched back down to Dawn's level. The ewe staggered back slightly in surprise, losing yet another meadow bite from her pile on the napkin as she stumbled.

"So I went back to my notes, and I can't believe how wrong I was!" Ulric replied.

"W-wrong?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ulric nodded briskly, the wolf returning to a standing position before turning away from the ewe. The wolf leaned his paws on the counter, his attention now fixed on the horizon out above the corn stalks.

"Moira's tryst saw the expulsion of the Blackwool clan for the Illubaanati." Ulric recalled. "And ever since then, they have been trying to get back within the orders good graces."

The wolf glanced back at the ewe over his shoulder.

"Every action, every attempt at clearing away the wolves or going against predators by the Blackwool's by that point was an aggressive attempt to restore honor to the family name in the wake of Moira's folly." Ulric muttered. "From Declan II to Archibald Bellwether, they were all vying to earn their place back among the organization."

Dawn scrunched her muzzle as he tried to process the wolf's confusing line of logic.

"Even you were, at least I'm pretty sure you were." Ulric added, turning away from the ewe again.

"I'm not." Dawn replied. "I mean I didn't!" The ewe protested. Dawn let out an irritated sigh as she squeezed the bridge of her muzzle. Talking to Ulric was proving to be more frustrating than she thought it would be. "I don't know any 'illbaanati' Ulric, I never have!"

"But after your plan failed, you came up with something new. A better plan that none of your ancestors had ever conceived before!"

Ulric turned sharply, crouching down and placing a finger up to the ewe's face.

"You see, while the illubaanati had banished the family for laying with wolves, they also went to great lengths to preserve the image of sheep-kind by burying the tryst as best they could, for if it came out it would simply ruin everything they had been working toward." Ulric continued, glancing over his shoulder once more. "And the genesis of that plan was getting enough clout again among civilized mammals before using your newfound power to threaten the illubaanati to expose the tryst unless they had once again taken your family line back into their organization!" Ulric said, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.

Dawn wanted to speak, to challenge the wolf's ridiculous ideas. But the wolf seemed to be on a roll now, his strange method of jumping from conclusion to conclusion leading him to more and more wild accusations. At this point, the ewe figured perhaps it was best to hold her questions until the end.

"It's why you thwarted your father, as well as reconnected with Vernon." Ulric continued. "To the public you would seem truly reformed, and they would be willing to listen to anything you said! And that's where the power to hurt the rams at the top came from!"

Ulric rose from his stance, taking a moment to take another sip of his drink before slamming a paw against the table. The chocolate fountain sloshed slightly in its place, a bit spilling down the side as the wolf flashed the ewe a mad grin. "I'm right aren't I?"

Dawn squeezed the bridge of her snout again, closing her eyes tightly as she sighed.

"Not even close..." Dawn murmured.

"Again, I don't trust you." Ulric repeated.

"Ulric..." Dawn groaned. "Is it so preposterous to believe that I just really love your brother? That my only intention is to ti-" Dawn winced slightly as she recalled her respective conversations with Dorian and Vernon, including the one she had yet to have with her mate. Dawn tried to shake the thought away, rephrasing her statement to avoid the more sensitive subject. "That I want to spend the rest of my life with him?"

Ulric furrowed his brow, the wolf briefly looking back to the fountain as if it was supposed to be doing something more than spray chocolate around.

"I don't know anything about an 'Illubaanati'. I was only ever working with a small group of mammals during the night howler scandal and it was one of the biggest regrets of my entire life!" Dawn protested, the ewe frowning as she twisted a hoof in the dirt.

"What can I do to prove to you that I really mean what I say?" Dawn asked, holding her hooves out. "There has to be something!"

Ulric glanced back at the fountain, the chocolate continuing to burble forth endlessly from the top down. The dark gray wolf ran a paw through his heavy sway of fur covering his one eye, pushing it aside as he looked back Dawn's way.

"The fountain is still working." Ulric muttered. "That means I'm still safe from your mind control efforts."

Dawn tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm sorry wha-?"

"Okay, you want me to consider your plea Bellwether? To take what you say at face value?" Ulric cut her off, his eyes fixing on her curiously.

"U-uh, yes?" Dawn said, gulping slightly

Ulric smiled. "Then go public with Moira's tryst." The wolf snapped a finger. "Reveal it to the world."

Dawn raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, what?"

Ulric kneeled down to her level once more, his features tinged with excitement.

"If you come out with that information, it means you have no intention of joining the illubaanati." Ulric continued. "It'll damage their reputation completely, and as such, you'll put yourself at risk of them coming after you for retribution!" Ulric raised a finger. "It'll show me that you truly love my brother, and you aren't simply manipulating him."

Dawn eyed the wolf with a mixture of surprise and confusion. The ewe wasn't quite sure even where to begin with the wolf's bizarre 'test' of Dawn's honesty. The goal of her novel was simply based around her new life in a fledging predator and prey relationship, not some historical drama. And making such a bold claim nestled between the pages of a contemporary life experience book with little to back it up seemed completely pointless at best, and risk scaring off potential publishers at worst.

"Ulric..." Dawn muttered. "Even if I were to do as you say, I have no evidence to back up the story of Moira's tryst." Dawn shrugged. " Any goodwill I have in the public space, which I might add is already tenuous at best, would completely crumble under the weight of such accusations without proof." Dawn raised her hooves. "they'd call me a crackpot."

Ulric seemed to flinch at the word 'crackpot', the wolf taking a moment to finish his drink before placing the empty cup back on the table. The wolf wiped his muzzle briskly before flashing the ewe a dull stare.

"Alright, fine. I'll humor you." The wolf said with a scoff. Reaching into his pocket the wolf pulled out his cell phone. It was a rather beat up looking device, one that had clearly taken a tumble or two from the wolf's shaky paws in the past. As the wolf began to rifle through his phone, he continued.

"My girlfriend and I run a website where we have compiled a collection of cited records and historical proof in regards to Moira and Erik, as well as the cover-up." The wolf said, tapping the face of his phone.

Dawn did her best to stifle the urge to smirk as she eyed the wolf warily.

"Girlfriend?" Dawn murmured. "I didn't know you had a mate."

Ulric furrowed his brow, taking a moment to glare at the ewe. "It's not like that. It is simply an online affair." Ulric replied with a huff. "Honey and I have yet to meet in person, and even so our relationship is more of one of mutually shared interests and the primitive desire for companionship." Ulric turned his attention back to the phone. " I will not let any harm come to my person in relation to the sapping of my precious bodily fluids as my brothers have."

Dawn scrunched her muzzle in confusion.

"Precious...bodily fluids?" The ewe murmured. But the wolf failed to acknowledge her as he crouched to her level, pointing the cellphone in her direction.

"Open this website in your phone's browser and look for yourself." Ulric muttered, glaring at the ewe with a serious stare. "I can't have you touching my phone and risk the lanolin contamination."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, pulling her own phone from her pocket.

"First of all lanolins only purpose is to keep wool from getting wet. It does not hold any sort of mind-controlling attributes even if one were to try and smoke it." Dawn muttered as she unlocked her phone. "And secondly I use a lanolin body rinse to keep my skin and wool free of any lanolin deposits."

"Uh-huh, sure you do." Ulric replied sarcastically as Dawn pulled up the rather questionable looking webpage. The deep black backgrounds and red text creating an almost painful effect even at the slightest glance. "And I'm the king of Norwulf."

Dawn rolled her eyes. Considering the wolf's wild personal beliefs, she wouldn't have been surprised if he believed that.