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Chapter Forty-Five: Always a Bridesmaid

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. It was a turn-of-phrase Dawn was all too familiar with, and for the later half of her life it had grown to be a fate the ewe had ultimately resigned herself to. Dawn had never been a social butterfly. She had always been a tiny little thing, naturally shy and timid because of her size and bookish interests. And the way her father treated her throughout her formative years only served to make her that much more fearful of interacting with others, especially those of the 'predator' persuasion. Even in the case of her darling 'Puppy', the real effort of forging a friendship had largely fallen to the naturally friendly little wolf. She could remember the way he had looked her, his eyes free of judgment, and his smile open and honest. There was no agenda behind his kindness, no air of putting up with Dawn for whatever personal gain it would garner him as she would experience with later so called 'friends'. It was as if he didn't see her as a social disaster, a waste of space. He simply saw her as someone who needed a friend.

Of course the ewe sometimes wondered if she would be able to recall her only true friendship at all had it not been for the work of her therapist, along with the rekindling of that same relationship with the very wolf in question. The once faded, hazy imagery now vivid and bright in her mind now that it was free from being suppressed.

After Vernon, Dawn's social skills spiraled even further downward as the teasing and jeering escalated. The name calling and general distaste for the lamb growing more intricate and complex as she progressed through her grades, as well as her desire to simply blend in with the surroundings in order to remain unseen. It was a time in her life especially devoted to books, a combination of focusing on her studies in preparation for career path her father had ultimately chosen for her, as well a means of escape from her largely miserable life.

It was toward the tail end of college that Dawn learned just how important _'networking'_was in terms elevating you status politically. Meeting and discussing things with like-minded mammals of influence and power, trading favors to build a reciprocal relationship. The game of faking friendships to garner political favor was something the ewe had to work hard at to even give the most basic of outward appearances that she knew what she was doing in that department.

It was the one thing Dawn could credit to learning from Lionheart when the young mammal had latched on to her during her first few months doing civil service work after leaving college and arriving in Zootopia proper. A little 'trade secret' is what he had called it, although it should have been a major red-flag for the ewe as to the lion's own facade when it came to how he had treated her at the onset.

"Nobody likes each other in politics Bellwether." She could still recall him saying. "But the art of pretending to get along can take you far in this line of work. And even the politician with the cleanest nose in the game won't get far without learning how to lie for appearances sake."

Of course, Dawn had never considered herself a very good liar. And looking back on it now, she still didn't see herself as very convincing. Although it pained her to admit it, the best act she had ever managed to put on was during the whole 'night howler' affair, and it was largely due to her burning hatred of Lionheart that kept her on track. Had a mammal like Judy ever suspected her early on, or actually asked pointed questions her way, Dawn was certain she would have cracked within minutes.

Even so, her time spent on the way to the campaign trail would slowly net her a number of vague acquaintances, mostly thanks to her association with the Lionheart, the 'rising star' in terms of political candidates at the time. The fact that most of the female mammals in the political scene saw him as a 'heartthrob' acted as an easy in for Dawn, even if it lead to some..._'rather uncomfortable'_lines of questioning. Still, over time, the ewe managed to carve out some vague presence among the mammals within Zootopia's political scene. But in order to sustain those relationships, Dawn often found herself having to go through the motions of upkeep work. Baby showers, birthdays, and of course, weddings.

Oh the weddings. It always hurt the ewe the worst to be forced to attend the wedding of some mammal she barely knew and pretend to be happy for them. To force a smile on her muzzle as she was handed off the most hideous bridesmaid dress she had ever seen, and be expected to wear it. Dresses that, somehow despite the odds, seemed to get worse with each affair she was required to attend. Forced to watch so many happy ewes with more wool than brains managing to snag rams that appeared to Dawn to be the pinnacle of Ramlyness. Well spoken, kind, handsome, everything she had wanted in mate for herself, the kind of mammal she had dreamed of since the moment she finished reading her first romance novel. The kind she would pretend to marry in mock ceremonies when she was a young teenager, in the late hours when she was sure her parents were asleep. Back when her head was still filled with the wild and endless possibilities that were presented to her by her dreams.

But Dawn knew better by then. As bitter of a pill as it was to swallow at the time, the ewe was more than aware that she had little to offer her dream mate in terms of looks and charisma. With her diminutive, runtish stature, dowdy sense of fashion, and timid tone of voice, there was no way she could compete with the ewes she had to watch get married again and again. So full of excitement and life, with figures built to match that apparent tenacity and confidence.

It made every ceremony that much more painful to endure, each event slowly and agonizingly killing off yet another dream of hers, like every other one in her life. But at least, at the time she still felt she had a chance of making a difference with her career. The path that would open up all the previous closed doors, and maybe, just maybe lead to some semblance of joy at the end. The last bastion of a dream she clung to desperately to prevent her from completely slipping into the growing well of bitter jealousy and anger toward the more fortunate around her. The flame that would completely consume her when fed the last of the kindling from what remained of her hopes and dreams.

Prison was the last straw, at least in terms of Dawn having any foolish notions of finding a mate. As unlikely as her prospects had seemed before, her tainted name would surely make it impossible. And despite Dr.Gnu doing his best to instill the ewe with some degree of confidence in that regard, it was the one little sliver of hope that the ewe found herself unable to grasp back on to. So instead, she tried to remain focused on using her freedom to simply try to make Zootopia a better place than she had attempted to leave it, at least in some small way. The loneliness would simply act as an added layer of penance to keep the ewe's sights set on her promise to herself. On her promise to Don and Dr.Gnu.

Yet despite how much she had attempted to blot the thought from her mind, her dreams remained a painful reminder of that lingering romantic spirit that had once dwelt within the ewe. Visions of those nights spent sneaking up to the attic when she was twelve and digging her mothers old wedding dress out of the hardwood trunk persisted between the nights when she wasn't being tormented by her crimes. The ewe could still recall how poorly her mother's considerably larger dress fit her adolescent form, but never the less Dawn put on the little show for herself, the ewe hiking up the pale white and lavender fringed dress as she carefully moved throughout the attic. Her younger self carefully miming through the vows as she imagined a tall, kind, handsome ram standing across from her. An imaginary mate that swore his love and honor to her in each performance without fail, and promised to whisk her away from all the pain and misery growing up as Aster's prodigy entailed. From all the bitter mammals at school and their hateful words, to those who had used her for her intellect before tossing her aside.

Although at that point the dreams had begun to mix in the modern take on those same promises. The same handsome ram in her dream now promising to free her from the judgmental eyes and words of her fellow Zootopians, to protect her from any mammal who would seek to do her harm because of her past 'mistakes'.

But like always, the ewe would awake to find the same dingy apartment in Seaside Towers waiting for her. The peeling wallpaper and musty smell being the only stimuli to greet her on those cold, dark nights. Her large bed seeming that much larger without the comforting presence of another mammal to share it with her.

In that way, it made such a dream that much more painful to endure than waking from on of her nightmares. At least, when finding herself drawn to that terrible place, trapped in the pit with her primal self, she could wake up to find that it hadn't been real. As vivid as it all had seemed, it was not reality, and that much was a relief. But the same sense of reality proved to be a double edged sword when the ewe found herself waking from that warm, comforting vision. That lovely image of her dream mammal, and the warmth of just being close to him, snapped away in a flash by a sobering does of the true reality. Dawn Bellwether the runt, the felon, the disgrace, that was a mammal it was impossible to love. And so, each time she was pulled from that warm, inviting dream and back into reality, the ewe was forced to swallow back her own tears as she tried to force herself to accept that such a thing would never be in the cards for her. That the time had come to accept that a wedding would never be in her future. After all, she deserved to be unloved after what she tried to do to Zootopia. What she had done to all those innocent mammals. It was another bitter pill of truth she forced herself to swallow.

Of course Dr. Gnu tried to sway her from exploring such a negative mindset when it came to dealing with her dreams. That negativity, according to him was probably the greatest food source when it came to her nightmares. And allowing such negative thoughts to pervade her waking life would only make it that much harder to actually move forward with her life. While it was good that she had accepted what she had done, continuously berating herself over it and actively reaffirming that if anything bad happened to her it was deserved only served to form roadblocks in her progress. Being content, being happy, they were skills that took time to master. And the first step involved trying to open herself up to the possibility that she, like all mammals, deserved loved, and to love herself. To see those flowery dreams, while exaggerated, as the seed from which her crushed hopes could once again begin to take root. It was time for her to live again, and while feeling remorse for her actions was certainly warranted, There was no need to close herself off to positive things in life by already condemning herself as undeserving of the.

And as if to reinforce Dr. Gnu's assessment, Vernon found his way into her life again. A wolf, the most unlikely of mammals, seemed to find value in her. Cared for her as a friend, and if he could care for her, than why couldn't she care for herself and for him? And as her feelings for the wolf began to grow and develop, the ewe's haunting dream began to change. Now, where the imaginary ram once stood, Vernon had taken his place. The wolf reaching out to her with the same warm and friendly smile he had when they had first met. It was something the little adolescent ewe that had been playing pretend in her attic all those years ago could have scarcely conceived. Her perfect mate, the ram she was meant to be with, might never have been a ram in the first place. But with each recurring version of the dream it felt more and more natural, more right. As if that was what she had always wanted, even if she had never truly known it before.

Each time Vernon would take her tiny, trembling hoof in his paw as he knelt to meet her face to face; the wolf taking great care in brushing the veil away from her face as his deep green eyes met her own. And as Dawn struggled to hold back her tears, Vernon would tell her that she deserved to be loved, and that he had always loved her, and always would.

A dream that only became more powerful, vivid, and real as that forbidden love slipped free of the confines of her mind, and met the wolf's own love in kind. Despite the species difference, despite her past, the wolf had come to love her just as she had come to love him, and suddenly the dead embers of that abandoned dream began to smolder once again. A new hope springing from the kindling her 'Puppy Love' now carefully tended to, resurrecting it from the ashes.

But despite it all, Dawn still found it hard to truly imagine that day. The day when she and Vernon would truly make her dream a reality. With all their talk and discussions, the idea still seemed so far away. An intangible concept with no weight to it. Wisps of smoke that had only been further smothered by Dorian's actions in regards to their tithing.

It was that thought alone that forced tears to the ewe's eyes every time she looked down at the dress that now clung to her body. The ill-fitted dress she could recall from her nights spent in the attic from so long ago. The same pale white silken strapless gown that still didn't fit quite right, forcing Dawn to hold it up around her bust as she watched her mother continue to take in the waistline. Dawn ran her fingers over the lilac colored fringes of one of her sleeves, the ornately stitched pattern of wild flowers making up the fringes on the flowing arm holes. She was wearing her mother's dress. And her dream was coming to pass. She was going to marry Vernon.

Dawn let out a choking sob as her efforts to hold back the tears faltered under the emotional weight of the reality of the situation. It was happening. After everything she and Vernon had withstood to make it to this point, they were finally here. Audrey, her sisters, everyone in Vernon's family save Dorian had gone out of their way to make this happen for them. To make sure that at the very least, Dawn would have her dream wedding with everyone who cared deeply for her and Vernon present. It was still so hard to accept, for her mind to truly grasp that for once she wasn't dreaming. In just a few short hours her wedding would be a dream no more.

"Oh Dawn my dear, please don't s-start crying again." Clover said, the older ewe stopping her stitch work to glance up at her daughter. Clover swabbed at an eye, shifting her purple cats-eye lenses out of the way briefly as she tried to force back a sniffle.

"If you start crying again, then' I'm g-g-going to start crying again..." Clover continued, gesturing a rolling motion with her hoof.

"And then I won't be able to see through all the tears, and we'll never get this dress done in time!" Clover said, letting out a trembling chuckle.

Dawn let out a shuddering laugh of her own, swabbing at her eyes in an effort to stem the rising tide of tears.

"I-I'm sorry Mom..." Dawn whimpered. "I'm just so...I'm so..." The ewe could barely finish her sentence as she pressed a hoof more tightly to her eye behind her lenses. She could feel a renewed surge of tears bubbling up as she struggled to speak.

"Geeze, enough wit da waterwoiks Plush." Ada said with a laugh. The hyeness was seated across from the two ewe's in one of several arm chairs that had been strewn about the center room of the relatively empty bridal boutique. The large mammal was already dressed in her own mostly fitted lavender bridesmaid gown. It was a relatively simple affair. A sleeveless, strapless gown with fringes similar to Dawn's own wedding dress, albeit much less ornate in comparison. Around the waist Ada wore a silk sash that was supposed to act as a sort of belt, but the flowing garment had yet to be tied firm to the hyena' middle.

Despite the humor in the tone of Ada's voice, she looked fairly uncomfortable as she squirmed slightly in her seat. The fact that the hyeness kept tugging at her bust line was more than enough to indicate that she felt rather constricted in her dress.

"You ain't gonna have any tears left ta cry out at da actual weddin' at dis rate!" The hyena made a motion as if she were going to slap at her own knee but stopping just shy of doing so. She glanced at her dress uneasily for a moment before returning to a more comfortable position and picking up where she left off. "And dat ain't gonna look so good if ol' Puppy's bawlin' his eyes out and your eyes are drier dan Sahara Square."

Dawn giggled, lifting her lenses to better swab away the tears before letting them slip back down.

"I know, I know..." Dawn murmured with a slight smile.

"Youse gotta loin to keep yours composure." Ada snickered. "Like me and Kit-Kat over he-"

The hyeness stopped cold as she turned her attention to the towering tigress standing by her side. While looking equally stiff in her gown that matched the hyena's in nearly every aspect but the size, the tigress' eyes were red and swollen as she held a paw over her muzzle to stifle her own crying.

Ada simply rolled her eyes.

"Oh yea, I forgot." Ada shook her head. "Youse are a woise blubberer than ol' Plush here ever could be."

Vanna furrowed her brow, staring daggers at the hyena sitting next to her.

"Oh stow it Ada."

Ada flashed Dawn a grin.

"Seriously, at her tithin', it was like Nieghagra Falls." The hyena carefully lifted her arms, bringing her paws close to her face as she wiggled her fingers in a mock expression of crying. "Dat was da end of me eva seein' her as anyting but a big kitten."

"Do you think this dress is better?" Qali piped up, holding a similar lavender dress in the air to the one Ada was wearing. She was still dressed in he day clothes at the moment, a simple purple hoodie and a pair of cut off jeans. "Or this one with more of the strappy thing going on in the back?" Qali spun the second hanger in her paw around a few times, showing off another similar dress with multiple straps in the place of the strapless floral fringe the other had. Making up for the lack of flower printing was the larger fabric corsage on the breast.

"Who cares?" Ada huffed. "As long as it's da right color and it fits you!" The hyena scratched her chest uncomfortably. "Lucky for youse, dis place actually has dresses for foxes. Ain't gonna need any real woik done to fit you unlike me and da udda's here." Ada muttered. "Speakin' of..."

Ada glanced up toward the large giraffe next to her. The massive mammal was cowing significantly, most of her neck bent at a forty-five degree angle to adjust to the low ceiling while she remained tightly crouched at leg level. Giselle was trembling slightly as she hunched to fit within the comparatively small boutique, while on either side of her two well dressed antelopes using step ladders worked at a feverish pace to build a composite gown for the massive mammal.

"When is it gonna be my toin' to get dis ting fitted right?" Ada muttered as she pulled at the bust line of her gown again. "I feel like I got a fennec tryin' to grapple my chest ova here."

The taller of the two antelopes glanced down at Ada over his shoulder with an irritated expression.

"Patience is a virtue miss." The older looking mammal chided as he swabbed his brow with a hoof. "It isn't ever day we have to fit a giraffe!" Despite the distinction in his tone of voice, his mode of dress was loud and obnoxious, mostly stemming from the orange Pawaiian shirt he wore. It reminded Dawn much of Nick's own taste in clothing, albeit the older antelope's choice was much more vivid and blaring on the eyes.

"Albert dear." The second antelope leaned his head around the huddled mammal to meet his mate's gaze. Unlike his partner, his mode of dress was more of what one would expect of a tailor of his craft. He wore neat and well fitted dress clothing, topped off with a brown vest over a pale pink dress shirt. He also wore a pair a of spectacles that matched Xavier's nearly to a tee."It also isn't every day Clover calls in a favor."

"On our day off no less..." Albert muttered quietly.

"It takes a great degree of skill to merge multiple dresses on the fly in order to fit a mammal of this size." the other mammal continued. "Though the South Meadowlands has a greater diversity of species than up north, you still aren't going to find a place that has giraffe size dresses around here."

"Or hyena and tiger sizes." Ada muttered.

"At least they can just modify a wolf gown for you." Vanna muttered. Her voice seemed that much more quiet than usual, as if she was trying to hold her breath as she spoke. "If I take too deep a breath in this thing it's going to split down every seam."

"Don't youse have a bridesmaid's outfits anyway?" Ada muttered. "I mean, Clover and Auddy live around here too, and they hads old ones to use so wes could save some time."

Vanna shook her head.

"I only have my wedding dress, which I can't wear for obvious reasons." Vanna replied. "I-I've never really been another mammal's bridesmaid before."

"Are you uncomfortable Darling?' The other Antelope turned his attention back to Giselle with a look of concern.

"A-A little." The red headed giraffe mumbled. "I really like the dress so far though, but-"

"I knew we should have fitted her outside." The antelope tutted.

"Armand!" Albert interjected. "Do you want to make the girl a spectacle for passers by?"

Armand shook his head. "I was simply saying it would be better for the sake of fitting the dress if we did this outside of the mini-mall. It wasn't built to house a mammal bigger than a rhinoceros." The mammal adjusted his spectacles and sighed. "The gods know Desmond can barely get into his shop without his horn adding another long gouged out trail across the mall ceiling." The older antelope chuckled to himself. "It's starting to look like a dried out river delta up there."

"Just work." Albert snapped back. "We don't have time to hash out this argument again. We have till sundown to get this all done."

Armand simply shook his head, letting out a sigh.

"I must thank the both of you for this again." Clover piped up, the ewe taking her eyes away from her hoof-work for just a moment to appraise the two antelopes. "I know it was really quite the hefty favor to ask of you on such short notice."

"Yes, well..." Armand smiled softly. "We are all part of the same mini-mall community are we not?" The graying antelope chuckled. " And how could we deny such a stunning bride of our talents when we have the chance to help make her special day possible?"

Dawn's muzzle flushed crimson as she glanced away from the two mammals.

"Besides, I've been eyeing that antique four poster canopy bed since Clover set up shop in here, and I am not going to pass up the opportunity to get it for free." Albert muttered.

"Albert!" Armand chided. "You are awful!"

"Call me what you will now." Albert chuckled. "But you'll be thanking me we are surrounded by the warmth and luxury of turn of the century Schottramish craftsmamship."

Clover simply chuckled at the two mammals as she pulled the needle free of lower part of Dawn's dress, tightly tying off the final stitch before severing the connection with her teeth. Clover cleared her throat softly as she rose to her feet.

"Alright, all done down there." Clover offered the ewe a soft smile. "Now let's make sure this dress stays up." The chilver flashed Dawn a suggestive, half-lidded stare. "We wouldn't want your 'girls' making a surprise appearance before the honeymoon night now would we?"

"Mom!" Dawn blushed, trying to stifle the urge to laugh uncomfortably as her mother brushed one of her hooves away from the hem of her top.

"I'm shoi Vern wouldn't mind dat too much." Ada snickered. "Seems like ol' 'Puppy' can't keep it in his pants around old Plush dere for more den a day if dat little ting dat happened in da cornfield is anything to go by."

Dawn flashed Ada an irritated and horrified glare.

"Oh, and whats this now?" Clover asked with a knowing smirk.

"It's nothing!" Dawn fired back, sharpening her glare at the hyena. "Ada's just kidding, 'aren't you' Ada?" The ewe's grimace tightened as she raised her eyebrows to get the point across.

"Tch..." The hyeness wore a smug grin, but at the very least she remained silent.

"Oh please Dear..." Clover tutted. "You're both adults, and adults have needs."

"Mom, please." Dawn protested, biting her lip in discomfort. The ewe didn't really like the way this conversation was heading. Despite how otherwise stiff Giselle had remained as the two tailors worked at her dress, the ewe could see the topic at hoof had peaked her interest as she ogled the ewe curiously, and while the tailors hadn't turned away from their work, Dawn had noticed that their ears had suspiciously shifted her way.

Clover waived a dismissive hoof before carefully guiding a fresh thread through the eye of her needle. Her emerald green eyes remaining fixed on the work at hoof rather than acknowledging the growing blush forming on Dawn's muzzle.

"There is nothing wrong with having a healthy and active sex life." Clover idly mused. "Especially when it is with a mammal you deeply love."

Clover tried to stifle a giggle with a hoof as she bunched some of the material beneath Dawn's arm with the other.

"Why I remember back when your father was a softer, warmer mammal, we couldn't keep our hooves off each other." The chilver recalled, letting out a wistful sigh.

"And it appears the apple doesn't fall far from the tree regardless of the species."

"Oh it was the same way with me and Dori." That had come from Audrey as the she-wolf made her way out of one of the dressing booths. Unlike most of the assembled mammals that were waiting to endure the fitting process, the older she-wolf was already well suited in a decidedly older pinkish gown with a simple set of straps holding it over her shoulders. It was an odd enough sight to temporarily distract Dawn from the humiliating discussion that was taking place between her mother and her budding sister-in-laws. To see Audrey dressed so formally, rather than in the usual dowdy farm clothes Dawn had already grown to associate with the she-wolf was quite a start. And yet it somehow seemed to suit her just as well. It was as if the ewe was seeing another side of the she-wolf she had yet to discover. One that carried the natural grace such a formal dress seemed to require.

"Oh my." Dawn murmured softly. "That dress looks lovely on you Audrey."

"Lookin' good misses H!" Ada added, flashing the wolfess a smile.

Audrey flicked a paw lazily in the hyenas direction.

"Aw shoot, this ol' thing?" Audrey smirked. "It's a little out of date, and it's got a lot of mileage on it, but at least that's one dress that don't have to be fitted." The she-wolf shimmied slightly as she adjusted the hem of her top. "Well fer the most part."

Audrey dusted off her skirt with her paws, carefully patting the garment before placing a paw to her muzzle thoughtfully. "Now, what was I talkin' about?" The she-wolf muttered, tapping her claw repeatedly against her chin.

"Oh yeah." Audrey cooed, a warm smile forming on her muzzle. "Me and Mister Hunter." The wolfess chuckled softly.

"We couldn't sit still around each other fer more than five minutes without getting' our paws 'dirty'." Audrey grinned as she strutted back into the main room. "Probably got us into more trouble than all these gals combined now that I think about it, and we still have a habit of slippin' into situations like that even now." The she-wolf chuckled to herself. "If the sex-drive is supposed to peter out as y'all get older, then me and Dori didn't get the memo."

Clover let out a laugh.

"Had Aster not changed, I imagined we'd be much the same way as you and your mate." The ewe giggled.

"Oh gods, Mom!" Dawn whined.

"Oh hush!" Clover tutted, giving the ewe's snout a playful 'boop' with her finger. "I'm not talking about you anymore am I?"

The ewe's nose twitched uncomfortably as she drew back from her mother's contact. Dawn let out another groan, but Clover seemed to ignore her discomfort as she returned to her stitching.

"I swear, you are so mature in almost every capacity, but the moment I breath a word of the more 'tawdry' details about either of our lives." The older ewe briefly flashed her daughter a judgmental glare. "Which I might add that based on your taste in literature, provided it hasn't changed since you were a teen, I know you absolutely love." Clover returned her attention to her stitching without missing a beat. "You turn right back into my little six-year-old Dawnie." Clover shook her head.

Dawn let out an exasperated sigh.

"Aw, Vernon's the same way too." Audrey chuckled as she approached the two ewes. The she-wolf took a moment to appraise the pair, her eyes keenly scanning Dawn's dress as she thumbed at her chin thoughtfully. "Take's after his father in that department." Audrey placed a paw over her muzzle, furrowing her brow. "Doesn't take all that much to get ol' Dori flustered. "

The she-wolf took a step back, her eyes still trained on Dawn as she appeared to be trying to take in the full picture of what the ewe looked like in the dress. Dawn could only imagine that she was trying to visualize the finished product in her head.

"If he knew what we were talkin' about behind his back right now he'd be as red as a beet." The she-wolf chuckled.

"Behind his back..." Dawn murmured. The off-hoofed statement had been enough to perk up the ewe's inquisitive mind. After all, very little had really been explained to her on the ride out to the little boutique in the South-Meadowlands mini-mall. She had learned along the trip that the rest of the Hunters, with Audrey heading the charge, had decided to hold a wedding ceremony for the couple behind Dorian's back. It was both a means to show both Dawn and Vernon just how loved and supported they were by the family in spite of Dorian's behavior, as well as a way to ensure they would all actually get to be present for the wedding instead of trying to organize something at a later date.

The notion alone had been enough to overwhelm the ewe with a sea of emotions. The meaningful gesture put forth by her sisters, by Audrey, it was almost too much for Dawn to bear. Her heart had felt as though it would simply burst through her chest as it swelled with the joy and love for the mammals around her, and had obliterated any lingering questions in favor of oscillating between bouts of tears and thanking everyone for their efforts at the time. And donning her mother's old wedding dress had only further served to distract her from learning the details of exactly how such a ceremony would be possible under the same roof that the couple were now effectively banned from. Did Audrey even know what happened? Had she heard Dorian throw Vernon out like Dawn had? And most importantly, where was the old law wolf in all this.

"A-Audrey?" Dawn murmured softly.

Turning her attention back to the diminutive ewe, the she-wolf offered her a soft smile. "Call me Mom, Darlin'." The she-wolf's smile widened as she spoke.

"Excuse you!" Clover said with a playful huff. Audrey simply laughed, and the older ewe was quick to share it as she continued her work.

Dawn glanced down at her hooves, wringing them nervously as she prepared to broach the subject.

"About Dorian..." Dawn muttered.

Audrey walked back up to Dawn, placing a comforting paw on her shoulder as she waived her other paw dismissively.

"Oh don't you worry yerself about that miserable old mutt." Audrey tutted. "He ain't gonna be spoilin' this, so don't you worry none." The she-wolf flashed Dawn a confident grin.

In response, the ewe offered up a meek smile. But Audrey's dismissive response did little to put the ewe at ease. If anything, it just made her that much more curious.

"B-but..." Dawn murmured. "I mean all this...?" The ewe gestured around the room with her free hoof. "He...I mean..."

Audrey frowned softly, her ears splaying against her head as she crouched down to Dawn's height. The she-wolf cocked her head in concern.

"What is it Darlin'?" Audrey cooed. "Is this about what he said to Vern?"

Dawn practically jumped out of her wool.

"OW!" The sudden jolt had placed the ewe on the receiving end of her mother's needle, bumping into it as the older ewe was stitching. Dawn glanced back at her mother for a moment in momentary shock.

"Sorry dear." Clover cooed before returning to her work. " You have to be careful with moving so suddenly, you might get pricked."

The ewe bit her lip, offering her mother a terse nod before snapping her attention back to the she-wolf.

"Y-You know?" Dawn asked.

"I was listenin' in on what was said." Audrey said sadly, her attention slipping to the floor as she broke eye contact with Dawn.

"I wanted to step in so much sooner..." Audrey lamented. "To say somethin' that would fix it all before things went too far....but..." The she-wolf shook her head. "I knew it wouldn't do any good."

"Dorian has always been a stubborn mammal." Clover tutted, despite not looking away from her stitching. "A good mammal, but generally stubborn."

"Vernon takes after his pa in that department..." Audrey replied. "Which is why it ended the way it did."

Dawn could feel tears starting to well behind her lenses once again as she began to comprehend what Audrey was saying.

"Y-you mean....you saw...?" Dawn trailed off. "You heard...?"

"Everything." Audrey replied, a clear expression of guilt overtaking her features as she made eye-contact with the ewe. It was a horrifying realization knowing that she had not been the only one to witness the fight between the two wolves. And Dawn couldn't even began to imagine what kind of pain Audrey had suffered in comparison to her own. After all, Dawn only had one wolf in the fight, but for Audrey, the wife and mother, she had two. For all that Dorian had to say about Dawn, it must of hurt that much more for Audrey to hear everything her mate had to say about Vernon. The pup that they had conceived and raised together, under the same roof her husband was now forbidding him from ever returning to.

"I'm sorry fer what Dori said about you Dawn." Audrey said somberly.

"No, no!" Dawn replied, thumbing away a stray tear from behind her lenses. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I can't imagine how you felt."

Audrey sighed, placing a gentle paw against the ewe's cheek.

"I'm sorry you you had to hear it too Darlin'." Audrey chuckled weakly.

Dawn managed to resist the second shock that traveled through her frame as a new revelation quickly superseded the previous one.

"Y-You mean you knew I was...?" Dawn trailed off.

Audrey nodded softly. "I could see y'all behind the little crack in the door" The she wolf chuckled softly. "Seems like we got just as much in common as our mates do."

Dawn blushed slightly, breaking eye contact with the she-wolf. A slight pang of guilt overtaking her in that moment as she rubbed her shoulder uneasily.

"I d-don't normally eavesdrop!" Dawn stuttered in protest. "I-I just..."

"Y'all were worried." Audrey said as she placed a paw to the ewe's chin and gingerly dragged Dawn's gaze back the she-wolf's way. "Ain't nobody gonna fault you for it Darlin'." Audrey chuckled. "I know I won't."

With that, Audrey slowly rose to her feet, turning her attention away from Dawn as she eyed the other girls seated across from her.

"After the dust cleared, and I was able to get a grip on myself." Audrey spoke, her tone stoic and firm as she continued her story. "I went in and had a fight of my own with ol' Dori." The she-wolf sighed. "And well..." The she-wolf hesitated slightly, as if she were struggling with her choice of words.

"He was just as stubborn and bullheaded as ever." Dawn watched as Audrey ran a paw through her brown head fur before dusting it off on her hip.

"So I took back control of my house." Audrey muttered. "I did what I had to do."

Dawn frowned sharply as she began to comprehend exactly just what the she-wolf was saying. It sounded as if it was exactly what Dawn had been fearing had already started to come to pass. That the growing disagreement between Dorian and Audrey that she had created with her presence at the ranch had reached a breaking point.

"Y-you don't mean?" Dawn asked.

"Mister Hunter will be spendin' the next few days at Mister Ruddy's house until he can sort himself out." Audrey crossed her arms defiantly as she turned to meet Dawn's gaze. "It's easier fer him anyway, since he was gonna have to be trailin' Damon around all day fer the last of the Harvest Festival events."

"O-oh Audrey..." Dawn could feel the tears rising again as she struggled to stifle them. In one instant all the energy and excitement Dawn had been feeling was extinguished by the overwhelming guilt that had taken hold of her. How could she possibly be happy with her own wedding knowing that it had directly resulted in breaking up a formerly happy couple in the process. However, Audrey seemed to pick up on the ewe's inner feelings almost as soon as the had emerged.

"Now don't go blamin' yerself Dawn." Audrey tutted. Her previously cold and stoic demeanor returned to the she-wolf's usually warmer self as she leaned back to Dawn's level. Like Clover had, the wolfess dabbed the ewe's nose playfully with a finger. "Mister Hunter made his own bed. And now he's forced to lie in it."

Dawn lifted her lenses, swabbing lamely at her eyes with an arm as she struggled to get a hold of herself. While the she-wolf's assurance did help to some degree, there was no way it would truly shake the ewe of the guilt that had rooted deep down inside her. Whatever happened between Audrey and Dorian from this moment forward would always stay with the ewe as being at least, to some degree, her fault. She had broken up a family over her own desires.

"O'course, without him we can't do a tithe." Audrey said sadly. "I wouldn't be recognized as head of the pack unless things got so bad we split up." The she-wolf sighed. "But fer the time bein' we can throw y'all the biggest caprid weddin' possible without havin' to worry about Dori muckin' it up."

"Au-Audrey..." Dawn murmured, sniffling sharply as she struggled to get a hold of herself. "I-I don't know if I can...I me-."

"Of course ya can!" Audrey said with a laugh, giving the ewe a playful nudge in the shoulder. "You know how many favors we called in fer you two!? We can't go back now!"

Audrey's demeanor and tone had risen to boisterous levels, so much so that the she-wolf was practically bouncing in her step as she spoke. Her gleeful expression was more animated than the ewe had ever seen before. It was a clear effort to bring Dawn's mood up after such a dour discussion, and as much as the ewe was trying to resist, the wolfess' rather infectious charm was easily taking hold of her. Dawn struggled to keep from breaking into a giggle fit despite her tears.

"Y'know how hard it was to find yer mother's number in all of Dori's old paperwork!?" Audrey gave the ewe another playful nudge."I spent a good hour alone lookin' fer that!" Audrey's grin widened to an exaggerated degree. "So cheer up Darlin'! Fer goodness sakes, yer getting married!"

Dawn couldn't hold it in any longer as a giggle slipped out of her muzzle, a broad smile forming from ear to ear despite the still steady stream of tears pouring from Dawn's eyes. Almost as soon as she did, the she-wolf slipped on a genuine smile of her own.

"O-okay." Dawn struggled to speak through her laughter, the ewe swabbing at her tears with her free arm in an effort to drive them back. "I-I'll try to-."

"Try!?" The she-wolf cut her off, her deep amber eyes widening in surprise as she appraised the ewe. "TRY!?" The she-wolf let out a loud laugh, shaking her head is disbelief.

Audrey flashed the ewe a half-lidded, inquisitive glare as she placed a paw on the ewe's shoulder. "Darlin', you do wanna marry my boy don'tcha?" Audrey asked.

"Of course!" It was Dawn's turn to exchange her own surprised expression with the she-wolf, her eyes widening into large, lime green saucers as she protested the very notion of Audrey's preposterous question. "More than anything!"

"Y'all sure about that?" Audrey's grin widened, her expression taking on a somewhat playfully mischievous look.

"I LOVE HIM!" The ewe shouted, only to clasp her hoof over her mouth as soon as she had said it. It wasn't that she hadn't meant what she said, but her declaration had come out quite a bit louder than she had intended it to. The ewe quickly snapped her attention to the floor as she felt the warmth of a blush begin to spread across her muzzle. Dawn let out a soft sigh as she scratched at her ankle idly with her other foot.

"I-I've dreamed about this day since I was a little lamb..." Dawn murmured softly, rubbing her shoulder as she shifted her eyes to her mother. The older ewe had stopped her stitching, meeting Dawn's gaze with a warm smile. Her deep green eyes shone with a mixture of pride and joy as the hint of her own tears began to form behind her lenses. "I n-never thought..." Dawn shook her head, sniffling softly. "I never thought it would happen to me."

Audrey flashed the ewe a warm smile of her own as she placed a paw to her cheek, bringing Dawn's attention back on the she-wolf.

"Well it is happenin' Darlin'." Audrey cooed. "Today is yer day." The wolfess gave Dawn's cheek a gentle, reassuring pat.

Dawn sniffled sharply as a warm smile crawled across her muzzle. The ewe lifted her glasses to swab away the fresh tears as she once again tried to compose herself. It was harder now however, as the somber tears had quickly been replaced by tears of joy. Audrey's efforts had only served to steer the ewe's emotions in the other direction, and she was struggling to find a balance.

"So promise me yer gonna enjoy it!" The she-wolf leveled her eyes on Dawn's own. It was a clear effort to scan the ewe for any trace of lingering doubt. "That you ain't gonna put all yer mother's hard work on makin' that dress look as purty as you do to waste!"

Dawn felt the warmth of a blush return to her muzzle as she broke eye contact with the she-wolf. The unexpected compliment had caught her off guard. Still it was a tall order for Audrey to ask of her. Dawn was certain there was no way she could fully shake the thought of Dorian and the state of the Hunter family from her mind completely. The fact that her wedding was indirectly tied to it didn't help. But she knew Audrey wouldn't let up until she could muster some form of a brave face for her sake. Something convincing enough so that the she-wolf wouldn't be forced to spend the rest of the day trying to force Dawn not to think about it.

"You think I-I look pretty in it?" Dawn asked meekly.

"You sure do!." Audrey said with a grin. "Vernon's jaw is gonna drop, and he's gonna be stumblin' all over himself when he comes down that aisle."

The ewe let out a soft giggle, trying her best to hide her deepening blush behind her hoof. However it was a pointless gesture, every mammal in the room could surely see how flushed she was. Audrey simply chuckled.

"So are you gonna make me that promise?" The she-wolf asked.

"W-well I-I mea-" Dawn sputtered, only for the she-wolf to give her another shake.

"Promise me!" Audrey insisted through her own laughter.

"Okay!" Dawn snapped back, covering her mouth with a hoof to try stifle her rising giggling. "I promise. I promise!" The ewe repeated.

Seemingly satisfied with Dawn's response, Audrey released her grip on the ewe's shoulder and rose to her feet. Turning her attention to the other girls, Audrey raised her arms in the air, gesturing them in a rising motion.

"And I want y'all to do the same." Audrey continued. "This is Dawn's big day, and we gotta make it special!" Audrey let her arms fall to her sides, glancing over her shoulder at Dawn with a smirk. " 'Specially since we didn't have time to throw a nice bachelorette party the night before."

"Ooh now youse are talkin'!" Ada chirped, slapping the armrest with a paw excitedly. "Do we still got time to drag some dancin' wolves in here? Wearin' some of dem little sling undapants and nuttin' else? I could use a little show whiles I gotta wait."

Dawn's muzzle flushed crimson as her eyes darted back to the floor.

"I-I-er..I mean I d-er.." The ewe stammered.

"Mhh, I'd second that." Albert turned to look at the rest of the Hunter girls, flashing them a smirk. "Some eye candy would do good for my work ethic."

"Albert!" Armand leaned out from behind Giselle, glaring at his mate.

Albert rolled his eyes before returning to his work. "Oh don't be like that, I was only joking!" Albert tutted. "Besides, you know that I don't think there's a mammal alive that looks as good in a speedo as you do."

Armand let out a huff, but his irritation was undermined by the appearance of a satisfied smirk across his muzzle as he returned to his work.

"I don't think I'd be comfortable with th-that." Dawn murmured.

"O'course you wouldn't!" Ada rolled her eyes, shaking her head dismissively. "Youse are a stick in da mud just like Kit-Kat."

Vanna huffed in annoyance.

"I was never a fan of strippers." The tigress snorted. "I don't like the idea of strange, half-naked mammals rubbing up against me." She continued in an uncomfortable mumble. "And all the strange pheromones..."

"I feel the same way." Dawn added, letting out a sigh of relief. "I've been to a number of already awkward bachelorette parties, and the male dancers just made it that much more awkward."

"But what if dey was hot dough!" Ada protested. The hyena seemed to be struggling to hold back from making more dramatic gestures as she stewed in her seat. The prevalent fear of tearing her dress clearly stunting her range of expression. "I ain't talkin' shrimpy, limp little rams! Wese talkin' about built, muscular, handsome wolves wit abs you wanna just lap food up offa'!"

"You'd be surprised at just how muscular and handsome a ram can be." Clover tutted, her attention remaining fixed on her sewing as she idly spoke.

"Mom!" Dawn cringed, but Clover seemed to ignore her.

Vanna simply let out a disinterested snort.

"Alright, fine dere miss 'I'm too sophisticated for such a lowly form of entertainmint!'" Ada retorted mockingly. "What if it was a tiger? A really buff handsome tiger?"

"It makes no difference what ki-"

"Oh Bull!" Ada let out one of her hyena-like cackles. "You can't stand dere and tell me youse would toin' away one of Gazelle's dancers if he wanted to give youse a private lap dance!" Ada licked her muzzle. "I may not be a tiger, but dem boys is delectable!"

Vanna simply crossed her arms, shaking her head in disapproval.

"It just isn't for me." Vanna replied. "I need some element of emotional attraction to a mammal in order for me to enjoy something like that, some level of intimacy, you know?" Vanna glanced over at Dawn, her yellow eyes seemingly searching the ewe for some sort of acknowledgment or understanding as to what she was saying. The ewe was quick to agree, briskly nodding in reply as the tigress let out a relieved sigh.

"It's why it wouldn't work with a stranger, but it always works when Zach do-" Vanna froze mid-statement,her paw quickly clasping over her muzzle as the hint of a blush began to form under her fur.

A mischievous grin crawled across Ada's muzzle as she watched the increasingly reddening tigress squirm, her eyelids drooping to half mast as she let out a dull, throaty chuckle.

"Oh, ho, ho..." Ada snickered. "So Zach dances for youse huh?"

Vanna's head slunk into her shoulders, her eyes darting to the floor in an effort to better hide her embarrassment, but at this point the flesh under her fur had flushed so deeply Dawn probably could have seen it without her glasses.

"I-I mean, I-Uh-" Vanna stuttered.

Ada's lips parted as her grin widened, revealing her fanged smile as she shifted her attention back to Dawn.

"So is dat it?" Ada smirked. "You'd prefer if it was Vern dancin' for yas?"

Dawn felt an equally red-hot flush overtake her features, and her gaze joined Vanna's own floor bound stare. The ewe bit at her hoof nervously.

"D-Do we really have to talk about this stuff now?" The ewe muttered. "I-I mean..." Dawn barely managed to get raise her head far enough up to effectively gesture it toward her mother. However, the movement didn't seem to register with the hyena.

"So question for both of youse." Ada's smile was beaming as she glanced between Vanna and Dawn. " Do Zach and Vern start out fully dressed and strip down?" The hyeness chuckled. "Or do dey start in dere undawears?"

"ADA!" Vanna protested, her crimson muzzle still hidden behind a grasping paw.

"And follow up question, do eader of dem own one of dose little undawear slings-?"

"Speedos." Albert corrected.

"Right, speedos." Ada continued. "Do any of dem wear 'em when dey dance for youse!?"

"ADA!" Vanna hissed.

This time, the hyena actually acknowledged the large feline's protest. With a sigh, Ada carefully leaned her chin on a paw as she edged over the arm of her seat, her gaze upturned toward the towering tigress. Ada offered the towering feline an innocent smile.

"What?" Ada chirped. "It's just goil talk."

"N-not in front of Misses Hunter..." Dawn could barely hear the feline whimper. "Please..."

Ada rolled her eyes again, letting out an irritated sigh. "Geeze, I was just lookin' for support here." The hyena said, leaning back in her chair as she turned her attention back in Dawn's direction. "I'm getting' bored just sittin' here." Ada shrugged.

"Side's, ol' Auddey don't mind. Do ya Auddey?" The hyena asked.

Audrey let out a soft chuckle, offering the hyena a somewhat weak smile.

"Well, just try to limit the details for my sake." Audrey tutted, her smile faulting. "They are still my babies after all."

"Alright, alright..." Ada sighed. "I'll backtrack a bit." The hyena chuckled to herself. "Better to save it for anuddah sleepova."

Ada quickly turned her attention to the towering patchwork mammal seated on her other side, the hyena leaning closer to the side of her chair as she spoke upward.

"Yo Stilts!" Ada chattered up at the giraffe cow. "How does you feel about strippas?"

"Stilts?" Dawn asked curiously.

Ada flashed the ewe a playful grin. "Aw, youse wasn't dere for dat." Ada chuckled, leaning her head on a paw. "We came up wit dat nickname for old Gizzy last night."

"S-sorry you got left out." Vanna chimed in, drawing the ewe's attention. " B-but you weren't there...and it was a majority rules thing anyway." Vanna tapped her claws together nervously. "Everyone but me voted for it...even Giselle."

Dawn chuckled softly. "Oh no, its fine. I understand." The ewe replied before turning her attention back to Ada. "But why Stilts?"

Ada chuckled." Because if youse seen de way she walks around on dem spindly legs of hers you'd tink she was a bunch of udda mammals walking around on stilts in a giraffe costume!" Ada let out another hyena laugh, slapping the armrest with a firm paw as she cackled at her own joke. However, the sudden sound of ripping fabric caused Ada's laugh to die in her throat.

Ada glanced at her right arm, craning her head and raising it in an effort to better spot where the dress had torn. Just below her armpit, the seam of her dress had shredded open by several inches.

"Ah rut me!" Ada hissed. "Youse gotta be kidding!"

Armand leaned out from behind Giselle, his eyes scanning the hyena briefly. The antelope let out a sigh, his nose crinkling as he adjusted his lenses.

"It's fine..." Armand tutted. "I can fix it, just try to keep movements to a minimum or we'll be at yours just as long as this one." The older antelope added, gesturing to Giselle.

"Fine, fine..." Ada muttered, making the motion to cross her arms only to stop short and let out a defeated sigh. Slumping back into her seat, the hyena gazed back up at Giselle.

"So Stilts, like I said, you like strippers at a bacherlorette party?" Ada asked.

"Oh, are we havin' one?" The large, red-headed giraffe asked curiously.

Ada quirked an eyebrow in Dawn's direction.

"How bout it Plush?" Ada chuckled. "Put it to a vote?"

Dawn shook her head dismissively. "Certainly not with strippers we're not."

Ada rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Giselle.

"Naw, I means in general." Ada asked. "Ain't like we got time for a bachelorette party anyway, unless we do a make up one."

Giselle raised a paw to her chin, nearly knocking Albert off his ladder in the process. The antelope struggled to steady himself for a moment, barely regaining his footing before managing to stabilize himself by gripping Giselle's side.

"Miss please!" Albert hissed as he released his grip and straightened his Pawaiian shirt. "Warn us when you want to move!"

"Oh sorry!" Giselle smiled awkwardly. "I forgot."

Albert let out an irritated sigh, shaking his head dismissively as he returned to his stitching.

"A-Anyway, I've never been to a bacherlorette party before." Giselle replied meekly. "Or been to see male strippers atoll really." A mild blush formed on the giraffe's muzzle as she glanced away from the group. "I-I'm kind of shy about stuff like that, roight?"

Ada let out a long, exaggerated sigh, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I'm surrounded by prudes here!" The hyena lamented, gesturing a paw around the room. "I bet Mal would back me up if he was here."

"I suppose it would be a bit irregular to have Malcolm accompany us to a fitting for bridesmaids outfits." Dawn added, lifting her other arm as her mother quietly gestured to her that she was switching sides. "I mean, I can't exactly picture him in a bridesmaids dress."

"I can." Ada chuckled. "I'm just not shoi if he'd love it or hate it."

"Well, fer as long as I've known yer brother in-law..." Audrey chimed in, the she-wolf easing into a seat of her own as she eyed the rest of the girls. "He's always enjoyed a bit of a flair when it comes to his clothin'." The wolfess smirked. "But I think a dress would be a little too much flair even fer him."

Ada cackled. "Well, lets see what he picks when it's his toin' to get married."

The sudden clatter of metal and fabric caused Dawn to jump, pulling her dress free from Clover's hoof as the ewe drew back in fright. It only took a second for the right side of her top to start to slip away, and Dawn quickly clasped it up into her hooves as she turned her attention to the sound. Fortunately, everyone else seemed to have been just as distracted or else the ewe certainly would have found herself once again jabbed with her mother's sewing needle. All eyes were now on the mound of dresses a short distance away from the modeling area where the Hunter girls were gathered. A mound that Dawn was certain had just moments ago been an actual clothing rack.

"This one is perfect!" Qali chirped as the top half of the fox erupted from the mound of clothing. Her muzzle was turned up in a wide smile as she held up a dress triumphant despite her eyes being covered by the sleeve of another dress. Quickly swishing the cloth out of her eyes with a paw, the fox clambered out of the clothes pile and rushed back to the group of mammals with her prize in paw.

"And there's a rack ruined..." Albert sighed.

"Oh I'll help you set it back up." Clover tutted, gesturing a lazy hoof in the old antelopes direction. The mammal let out a tired sigh before returning to Giselle's enormous dress.

Qali was bouncing on her feet, her tail swishing excitedly as she held up a glitzy lavender dress. The gown was covered in a heavy thicket of sequins, the fringe tapered with an extravagant faux-fur collar that matched the vixen's own in color.

"What do you girls think!?" Qali smiled happily as she presented the dress. "It's gorgeous isn't it!?"

Ada rolled her eyes at the little vixen's enthusiastic display.

"Dat dress Is practically blindin' Snowball!" Ada shook her head dismissively.

Qali tilted her head in confusion at the hyena's remark. "So? I like it." Qali hugged the dress tightly to her chest, nuzzling her face against the faux-fur collar. "It's all twinkly like fresh snow in the morning sun."

"Don't youse know how to be a bridesmaid?" Ada chuckled. "You ain't suppose to wear somethin' dat outshines da bride! It's Plush's day not yours!"

Qali's wide smile dropped, the diminutive vixen scanning the dress briefly before glancing at Dawn. The fox's ears sagged slightly as she cradled the dress in her arms.

"I-Is it really too much?" Qali asked the ewe.

The little vixen's expression was heartbreaking, so much so that Dawn really wasn't comfortable denying her innocent enthusiasm. But Ada did have a point. Traditionally, most bridesmaids didn't even get to pick their own dresses. Whatever dress they were to wear was a choice that was made by the bride, and based on her own experiences not one of the dresses she had been forced to wear had even come close to holding a candle to what the bride ended up wearing. But there hadn't been time to plan ahead that far considering the ceremony was being held so soon. Both Audrey and her mother had elected to wear old bridesmaid outfits they had on hoof to save time, and even if Dawn had enough time to plan a more unified look for her bridesmaids, she didn't want to put them through the exact same humiliation that she had to endure during every other wedding she had been to.

And, as selfish as it may have sounded, Dawn wanted her day to be about her and Vernon. A dress as ornate and sparkling as the one Qali was cradling as if it were a newborn lamb would certainly draw the eye away from her. Still, the little vixen's wide, sad but hopeful eyes were weakening the ewe's resolve. It wasn't as bad as Vernon's 'Puppy Eyes', but it was dangerously close enough to effectively tug at the ewe's heartstrings.

"W-well..."

"Look at me and Vanna." Ada cut the ewe off, pointing a paw at her larger sister-in-law. "Ol' Kit-Kat picked sometin' nice and borin' like she usually does, and I just copied dat."

"Hey!" Vanna snorted, furrowing her brow at the hyena seated next to her. The tigress glanced down at her own dress, spinning carefully as she craned her head in order to check the back.

"I-It's not that boring...?" Vanna added, her voice faltering slightly as the hint of a nervous tone broke through. "Is it?"

"Of course not Vanna." Dawn was quick to redirect her sympathy to the somber tigress in an effort to avoid Qali's soulful stare. The situation seemed to be getting more and more out of hoof by the minute. "I think you look lovely."

The tigress managed a meek smile as she twiddled her claws together.

"T-thanks." Vanna replied.

"So see, dat's da benchmark." Ada continued without missing a beat as she pointed at Vanna. "Dat's Plush approved, so you don't want to go bigger den dat."

"W-well I never sai-"

Qali's features softened, the vixen letting out a disinterested shrug as she turned her attention back to the mound of clothes in the distance. It was surprising how quickly the vixen was able to simply drop the subject. It was as if a light switch had been flipped. Her clear, overwhelming desire to wear the dress dissipating to a neutral disinterest in an instant. It was enough to stun Dawn into momentary silence.

"What about the maid of honor?" Qali asked as she ambled back to the mound of dresses. The tiny vixen began to dig through the clothes, tossing aside outfits of various colors as she searched for what Dawn could only assume was another candidate. "Is there a rule about the maid of honor dressing up too much, or is that okay?"

Across from Dawn, she watched the previously bored looking hyeness suddenly perk up, her ears standing on end as her eyes widened. But Ada's wasn't the only mammal in the room who's attention had been grabbed by Qali's errant comment. Vanna's ears had also risen at the mention of the_'maid of honor'_, a fierce glimmer forming behind the tigress' eyes, a look of intense determination that made the ewe uneasy.

"U-Uh...g-g.."

"I mean, I don't think Dawn has even decided that yet, right?" The little vixen continued, cutting off Dawn's nervous protest as she continued her search for the perfect dress. "Oh, that's going to be so exciting! I wonder who she's gonna pick? I mean, there are so ma..."

The vixen's one sided conversation seemed to trail off as Dawn became hyper focused on the mammals right in front of her. Both of them were staring her down intensely now. There was a sudden, intimidating pressure in the air, an oppressive force that exuded from the two mammals that caused the ewe to shrink into her shoulders uncomfortably. A growing intensity in the air that only seemed to ease once the two mammals noticed one another, and the ewe found herself temporarily freed from the two mammal's hungry glares.

Both mammal's titled their heads at one another curiously, as if they were surprised to see the other had any clear interest in the position.

"Well, I tink we all know I should be da Maid of Honor." Ada was the first to speak, stabbing a thumb at her chest as she eased back into her seat confidently. "I mean, after Vern said dat stuff to me, it's only fair right?" Ada chuckled.

"Well, I-"

"I thought you had already forgiven him." Vanna replied, cutting Dawn off.

"Hey." Ada pointed a claw at the tigress. "Just because a criminal regrets what he did, doesn't mean dere still ain't a cost to pay." Ada smirked. " What's dat ting Xavey always talks about when he tells us about his cases? Somtin' about restitution and damages for trauma? I desoive extra compensation."

Vanna snorted. The large tigress attempted to cross her arms, but stopped short in fear of damaging her dress, instead electing to place her arms back at her sides as she turned to face the hyena.

"Yuri is the entire reason that even happened, you know?" Vanna grumbled. "If it wasn't for your mate's need to provoke other mammals and show off his unique brand of_'bravado',_ I'm certain Vernon would have never said something like that." Vanna continued. "Even so, I'd say your mates little brawl with Vernon is more than enough 'compensation' on top of his apology."

Ada was silent for a moment, the hyeness placing a finger to her chin and squinting at the tigress as she seemed to be searching for a rebuttal. The silence gave Dawn the perfect opportunity to try to break up the rising squabble.

"Now girls, I-"

"Well, look dat whole fight was supposed to be between him and Vern, even before da fists started flyin'." Ada leaned in a bit closer to Vanna. "He didn't have to drag me into it, but he did!" The hyena spat. "I mean, he soiled my honor for no reason! So really Yuri was foiced to stand up for me!" Ada sneered. "I'm his mate after all!"

Now it was Vanna's turn to lean in, the tigress carefully bending down to meet the hyena's glare with one of her own. Vanna's lip curled slightly, revealing her fangs as she spoke.

"You two aren't even 'tithed'!" Vanna growled. "Or whatever it is hyena's do!" The tigress continued, the edge on her voice growing more and more as she continued to rant. "He wasn't forced to fight Vernon! And that still isn't-!"

"Aha! Dat's right!" Ada snapped back, stabbing a claw in Vanna's face. "We aren't tithed! Which means I can be da Maid of Honor!" The hyeness grinned smugly. "Or did youse forget dat da Maid of Honor only extends to friends of da bride who aren't tithed or married?"

"W-Well I..." Vanna struggled with a comeback. "I mean- I..."

"Actually that is allowed." Clover chimed in.

Dawn turned her glare on the ewe now standing off to her side, the old chilver hadn't even looked up from her sewing as she spoke. Dawn simply stared at her in disbelief.

"They just call it a 'Matron of Honor." Clover continued. "I should know, the Maid of Honor at my wedding was also married."

"Mom..." Dawn whispered in a strained tone. Her mother was actively making the situation worse by adding fuel to the fire. But Clover hadn't even seemed to notice as she simply slipped back into her stitching and out of the conversation without missing a beat.

"See, there is no reason I can't be the Matron of Honor!" Vanna's comment drew Dawn's attention back to the bickering mammals across from her.

"Yeah, but Maid of Honor sounds so much bedda." Ada said with a chuckle. "And I'm da only one she can call dat...so..."

"You aren't even that close to Dawn!" Vanna hissed.

"So you've known her one day more den me, big whoop!" Ada leaned up out of her seat, her face closing the distance between her and the tigress a little bit more.

"We sang karaoke together!" Vanna snapped back, her face inching closer to Ada's" We formed a bond based on our shared love of Suri Nicks which you could never understand!"

"Oh yeah, cause likin' da same singer is equal to going to bat for your sista when some smart-mouthed she-wolf is draggin' her name through the mud!" Ada fired back with."I almost went to jail for sockin' dat goil! I'd say that carries a bit more weight den singin' togedda!"

"WHY DO YOU EVEN WANT THIS SO BADLY!?" Vanna was in the Hyena's face now.

"WHY DO YOUSE!?" Ada replied, pressing her snout to Vanna's nose.

All the arguing was starting to give Dawn a headache. And she was certain that even if she screamed to get the mammals attention, it wouldn't be loud enough to overpower their own, much larger voices.

"Hey Dawn, what do you think about this one?" Qali's voice broke the ewe's train of thought, bringing her attention to the tiny fox that had strolled in front of her. The diminutive vixen now held up a significantly simpler dress than the one before it. It was similar to Ada and Vanna's, but still retained a bit of that flair that had caught the vixen's eye with the previous dress, featuring sequins delicately sewn around the flowing fringes of the neck and sleeves.

"Is this too much for a bridesmaid dress? Or is it more of a Maid of Honor thing?" Qali asked innocently, her tail wagging softy as she awaited Dawn's approval.

The ewe let out a weary sigh.

"I suppose you want to be the Maid of Honor as well?" Dawn asked.

Qali tilted her head curiously, appraising her dress for a moment before turning her attention back to the ewe.

"I...never really thought about it." Qali muttered thoughtfully, scratching at her chin with a paw. "I mean, I guess if I can wear the other dress then I-"

A pair of dark shadows fell over the pair, and Dawn could feel the swift return of that sudden, intimidating pressure. The air seemed to grow thick and stifling, and all at once the sounds around the ewe seemed to die away. The argument had ceased, and the idle chit chat of the other mammals in the room had fallen away, leaving only the sound of distant horns and the soft rumbling of engines from the cars passing by outside the mall. In her mind, Dawn was filled with the sudden desire to flee. She could feel the eyes that were fixed on her, the powerful, penetrating glare that had stirred her dormant prey instincts and signaled that she was being stalked by a predator. But she knew there was simply nowhere to run now.

And she wasn't the only one to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere The ewe could see the fear in Qali's eyes as she slowly lowered the dress. Her ears splayed against her head, her tail fraying up as her hackles rose. Slowly, warily, Qali turned to face the towering shadows that loomed over the pair. Qali's head rose to meet the mammals standing over her, but Dawn couldn't muster the courage to follow. All she could manage was to watch as the arctic vixen offered the other mammals an uneasy smile. Dawn could hear the vixen let out an audible gulp.

"O-On second thought..." Qali spun on her heels, flashing Dawn the same uneasy smile she had given the towering mammals behind her. "I don't really think being a Maid of Honor is my thing." The vixen let out an uneasy laugh.

Dawn let out a soft gulp of her own as she looked down at the little vixen.

"A-are you-S-s?"

Qali didn't even let the ewe finish the sentence.

"Hey, I should go try this on!" The fox chirped in a nervous tone before scrambling away from the ewe. If she hadn't been cradling the dress in both arms, Dawn was certain the tiny vixen would have burst into a feral sprint. "I can't wait to see how I look! Good luck with the Maid of Honor thing, bye!" Before Dawn could even try to open her mouth again, she was met by the sound of a dressing room stall door rattling as it abruptly slammed into frame.

Dawn was more or less alone now, left to face the looming shadows without the petite vixen to act as a shield. She was going to have to make a choice here, one that she had barely had any time to consider, but had also somehow become an extremely serious and weighty decision. One that would apparently hurt the feelings of at least one of her sister-in-laws regardless of what she ultimately decided.

Reluctantly, the ewe raised her head to find Vanna and Ada, the two mammals now standing only a few feet away from her. Their heads were pivoted in the same direction, both mammals staring off toward where Qali had fled toward and wearing matching scowls with a glare so intense the ewe was surprised they hadn't managed to start boring holes into the door Qali had shut behind her.

But she only saw their intense stares for a moment before the two mammals snapped their attention back on the ewe standing before them, both mammals suddenly bearing grins of practically chesherin proportions.

Dawn tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat simply wouldn't move as both mammals continued to stare her down.

"So Plush..." Ada spoke through her large, cheesy grin. "Who are youse gonna go wit?" Despite how friendly her smile appeared, the hyena's green eyes were sharp and greedy, her glare instilling a deeper sense of unease in the ewe than was already present. It was an expression that seemed to hint that should she choose not to go with Ada, there would be unforeseen negative consequences before the day was over. Whether that would ultimately result in the hyena simply feeling scorned or betrayed, or something more sinister, the ewe couldn't tell.

As for Vanna, it appeared the large tigress had elected to remain silent and allow her pleading expression to do the talking. Her yellow eyes shimmered with a mixture of hope and worry, the corners gleaming with the start of tears as her bottom lip quivered. It was a face Dawn had never thought the rather stoic and largely silent tiger was capable of making, and it was what made it all the more emotionally crushing to the ewe. It was clear the role was so important to Vanna that she was willing to let her facade slip to get her point across, and Dawn couldn't imagine just how hurt the tigress would be if she had decided to go with Ada.

As agonizing as a decision as it was going to be, Dawn knew that there was really only one mammal she could choose. It was largely an unfair battle to begin with, having all these favors and shared moments suddenly thrown in the ewe's face as some form of evidence as to which of her sisters cared more about her. She knew, after everything that she had endured at the Hunter ranch, that every single one of them truly cared. From Giselle, all the way down to Qali, they had welcomed Dawn with open paws, and had defended her in the face of opposition that came her way. Whether that had been the judgmental mammals at the fair, or Dorian himself, they had all stood up for her, and for Vernon. Although, to be fair, Dawn couldn't really count Giselle as a part of that group due to her late arrival. At least that was one mammal who would understand why the ewe would pass her over as a bridesmaid. But the ewe made a mental note to get to know the large giraffe a bit better after everything was said and done.

And thus, Dawn found staring back at the same two candidates that were awaiting her final decision with baited breath, and wishing that one of them had been just as uninterested as Qali 'seemed' to be in order to make it easier on herself. Dawn knew that she had let one of them down. She had broken a promise, one she had intended to uphold to show how willing she was to trust her sister-in-law. The first to welcome her, the first to really make an effort to bridge the gap between the nervous newcomer and the established pack. One she had promised to let know if she had any trouble with Dorian. To let her know if the old law wolf had hurt her in anyway so that she could step in. And the ewe had lied to her face.

"I-I'm sorry Ada..." Dawn murmured, her lip quivering slighty. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to choose Vanna."

"Aw nuts!" Ada hissed, crossing her arms dejectedly as the sound of another sudden tear emanated from her dress. The hyeness didn't acknowledge it however, choosing to turn her back to Vanna and Dawn, and snap her eyes shut tightly. It seemed she was set on giving the mammals the cold shoulder from this point forward.

"YeeSSS!" Vanna leapt into the air. Unfortunately the already limited distance between her head and the ceiling made sure that the massive tigress would bang her head against it on the upswing. With a sharp thud, Vanna made contact with the top of the room. The feline immediately recoiled as she stuck her landing, clasping one of her paws against her head and rubbing aggressively in an effort to chase away the sting she was surely feeling.

The tigress hissed, but it was hard to hear over the sides of her dress bursting as she curled up into herself. It was enough to distract Vanna long enough to catch the front of her dress flopping forward, revealing the dull brown bra strapped over her chest to the rest of the Hunters. Vanna quickly cobbled up the front of the dress into her paws, holding it tightly over her chest as she tried to regain some semblance of composure. However, the chance of that happening anytime soon was considerably low considering how bright the blush that had formed on her muzzle was.

Albert let out a sigh.

"Look, why don't you two just pick out new dresses at this point." The antelope muttered, throwing the mammals a disinterested glare. "It will take far less work to start from scratch then to fix those now."

"S-Sorry." Vanna replied. Ada simply let out a huff.

"I c-can't believe it Dawn!" Vanna flashed the ewe a beaming, genuine smile as she clasped the dress to her chest. "I can't tell you how much this means to me!" The tigress whimpered slightly. Vanna carefully raised a paw, making sure she had her dress held in place with the other before scratching the back of her head uncomfortably. "I m-mean I know we barely know each other bu-bu."

"Dat's right." Ada muttered. "Youse do, we alls do." What had started out as a clearly offended remark had began to taper and break down into a whimper.

"A-Ada..." Vanna's smile dropped, and she placed a paw on the hyena's shoulder. The hyena pawed lamely at her eyes, it was clear she was trying to stifle tears.

"Noes, I get it." Ada whimpered. "I'm a little too r-rough around da edges for dis s-s-sorta ting." The hyena sniffled.

"Ada, that's not why I picked Vanna!" Dawn protested, but the hyena remained unmoved, her deep green tear-filled eyes cracking open to glance at her sisters. Ada cupped her paws over her snout in a half-hearted attempt to hide her deepening frown.

"N-Nah, it's fine. I-"

"You can be my Maid of Honor Ada." Qali murmured quietly. Dawn looked down to find the little vixen clad in her now dress, her arms wrapped tightly around Ada's in what was probably the biggest hug the little mammal could muster.

That seemed to be enough to get Ada to crack a smile, the hyena reaching a paw down to pat the tiny vixen on the head. Ada gave her hair a playful ruffling, causing the fox to draw back from her hug, swatting at the larger mammal playfully.

"Do fox wedding even have Maids of Honah?" Ada asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Qali titled her head. "W-well I don't think so." Qali scratched her chin thoughtfully. "But there's no rule that says they can't, right?"

Ada chuckled. "Sounds good to me." The hyena grinned widely. "And dat Maid of Honah ting goes doubles for youse when I drag Yuri into a 'tide'."

Qali covered her muzzle with her paws as she let out a giggling snort.

"Dawn?" Vanna asked, drawing the ewe's attention back to the lumbering tigress infront of her. "Why did you choose me?"

Dawn frowned slightly, her gaze drifting back to the floor in shame.

"I..." Dawn murmured. Her throat suddenly felt very dry, and it made it that much more of a struggle to get the words out. "I lied to you."

"What?" Vanna asked, quirking a curious eyebrow. By now Ada and Qali's attention had shifted back to the ewe on the center stage. Both mammal's seemingly just as curious to see where the ewe was going with her sudden admission.

"You asked me to be honest with you." Dawn muttered, rubbing her shoulder with a hoof. "You wanted me to tell you if I had talked to Papa Hunter, and to come to you if he hurt me."

Vanna remained silent, her brows furrowing slightly as she seemed to process what Dawn was saying.

"But I had already talked to him." Dawn whimpered. She could feel the tears starting to return as she forced herself to meet Vanna's gaze. "I m-mean you probably already know that by now..." The ewe sniffled. "Everybody does." Dawn gestured a hoof to the other mammals in the room.

Dawn swabbed her eyes lamely with a hoof as struggled to continue.

"And I lied to your face." Dawn shook her head dismissively. "I ju..." Dawn paused, balling her hooves tightly into a fist. "I just didn't want to make things worse. And I thought...I just thought..."

Dawn glanced down at her feet again, breaking eye contact with the concerned looking tigress as she fought to hold back more tears. The ewe let out a long, drawn out sigh in an effort to regain control over her emotions, her tiny frame shuddering slightly as she exhaled. It wasn't working, and the tears just continued to steadily flow as her eyes met Vanna's again.

"I'm sorry." Dawn whined. "I'm so sorry."

Vanna carefully leaned down to Dawn's level, placing one of her massive paws against the ewe's cheek as she offered her a meek smile.

"I understand." Vanna replied, gently thumbing the tears away from the ewe's cheek. "I mean, I had a feeling."

Dawn let out a whimper, she could feel the desire to start bawling swelling in her chest. It was rapidly rising to the surface, and she was having a hard time forcing it back down again.

"I-I s-sort of thought y-you might have." Dawn whimpered, lifting her lenses to swab at her eyes once more.

Vanna let out a soft chuckle.

"I figured, if we had more time alone, I probably would have gotten it out of you eventually." Vanna shook her head. " But Ada and Qali didn't exactly give us the time to fully hash it out."

"Oh, so dis is my fault huh?" Ada rolled her eyes. "Well, sourrie!"

Vanna lamely flicked a dismissive paw at the hyena's act.

"But I'm not upset with you Dawn, and I'm not going to hold it against you." Vanna said. "If anything, I'm the one who is sorry." The tigress sighed. " I'm sorry that I didn't go with my gut feeling and step in sooner."

Dawn swabbed at her eyes again, looking back up at Vanna with tearful eyes.

"Y-you mean it?" The ewe whimpered.

"Of course I do!" Vanna said, patting the ewe on the shoulder playfully.

"So you fo-forgive me?" The tears were spilling over now as the dam of built up emotions was set to burst once more.

Vanna opened an arm, keeping the other clasping her ruined dress to her chest as she gestured the ewe into a hug.

"I forgive you Dawn." The tigress grinned broadly.

Dawn could barely contain herself as she tried to rush into the massive mammals arms, but the ewe stopped short when she felt the familiar jab of her mother's sewing needle.

"OW!" Dawn drew back fro the attempted hug, throwing her mother a slight glare as she pawed at her tearful eyes.

"Oh don't you give me that look!" Clover retorted, rolling her eyes as she leaned her elbow in a hoof. "I warned you didn't I? No quick movements!" The ewe drew back her needle and gestured to Dawn that she was free to move. "You can take that as a bit of punishment for lying to the poor dear."

Dawn let out a chuckling sigh, sniffling softly as the sudden poke had done well to help her dial back the emotional groundswell that had been forming within her. The ewe lifted her lenses again, and swabbed at the lingering tears with an arm.

"S-Sorry Mom." Dawn stuttered.

Clover let out a soft chuckle as she began to re-thread her needle.

Letting out a sigh, Dawn turned back to Vanna. But she only made it about half of the way before the tigress simply wrapped her arm around from where she was standing, and leaning into the hug. Dawn was momentarily surprised, but was quick to lean into Vanna's arm and nuzzle it affectionately.

"Thank you Vanna." Dawn sighed, closing her eyes tightly as she put all of her energy into the hug. But just as soon as she had closed them, she felt more arms closing in around her. And as her eyes flew open once again, she could see that Ada and Qali had turned Vanna's gesture into a group hug.

"I may not be da Maid of Honor, but I'm getting' in on dis!" Ada said with a laugh.

"Me too!" Qali chirped. The vixen was practically dangling from Ada's arm as she grappled her other paw around down.

"G-girls..." Dawn mumured. "I-"

The ewe suddenly felt a strange pressure against her head. As if something had been gently lowered from the ceiling by a rope and draped atop her wooly poof. Glancing upward, the ewe caught sight of Giselle's head, her neck having bent down from across the room in order to join the huddle of mammals.

"I'm kinda stuck over here." Giselle gestured to the tailors that were still working on her dress with her purple irises. "But I wanted to be a part of this too." The giraffe frowned slightly. "I-Is that all right?'

"It's fine." Dawn said with a smirk, as she squeezed the other mammals as tightly as she could. "Thanks Giselle."

"Well now, I was gonna say we needed a little somethin' to lighten' the mood."

Audrey's sudden interruption had broken the girls from their huddle, drawing their attention to the wolfess approaching from the far side. In her paws she clasped a massive, beat-up, pink colored satchel. It was far too large and worn to be part of Audrey's intended ensemble.

"But it looks like y'all have beat me to it!" The she-wolf said with a laugh.

"Still, I think it's appropriate that although we can't do a proper bacherlorette party..." The she-wolf opened the flap of the satchel, and began rifling through it with a paw. "We can at least make a little time to work this tradition in."

Audrey pulled out an old, brown binder that made the satchel look as though it had seen significantly better days by comparison. Dawn quirked her head in confusion, as did Qali and Giselle. But what made the scene that much more baffling was the way Ada and Vanna's eyes lit up as they appraised the mysterious binder.

"Oh Mam', is dat...?!" The hyena flashed her teeth in a wide grin.

Vanna let out a sound so high pitched Dawn thought it had come from Qali, the tiger raised her paws up to her face, balling them into tight fist as she shuddered in clear excitement. It was disturbing to say the least, at least to Dawn. It was yet another range of emotion she was unsure the tigress had been capable of, which made it that much more terrifying to see.

"What is...?"

Before Dawn could finish her question, she she-wolf sat on the ground in front of the girls, popping the book open from the center. Inside the ewe could immediately see various clipped and cropped photographs of some very familiar looking little pups.

"Wait, is that...?"

"PUPPY PICTURES!" Qali bounced up and down in excitement, clapping her paws together excitedly.

"Oh mam', I haven't seen dese since Kit-Kat's tithe!" Ada said with glee.

Audrey smiled up at the girls who were now looming over her, all trying to get a better view of the small booklet in the she-wolf's paws.

"Alright, alright girls, settle now." Audrey chuckled. "Yer' lible to crush me if ya'll topple down. Just scooch up along side."

Taking the advice of the older she-wolf, the other mammals aside from Dawn and Giselle carefully maneuvered themselves to the floor, each of them squeezing as tightly around Audrey as they could to get a better look at the treasures contained in her photo album. Dawn however, was forced to simply lean over Audrey's head, so her mother could continue her work unimpeded. It was a little awkward, but the ewe could at least make out the few photos on the page.

There were multiple colorful photos, although there were only a few that Dawn could fully recognize the wolves within. Audrey was easy to spot, in the few she was present for, as well as Dorian. But some of the pups on the page had similar fur patterns, and it made it hard to discern exactly which was which.

"Why don't we start with my favorite one of the Mam' of the hour." The she-wolf said proudly, flipping through the book with such precision that it made the ewe certain she had the order memorized. The plastic pages slapped together loudly, coming to an abrupt halt as the she-wolf slammed her paw down on an open page to obscure the pictures. While she had obscured most of the visible pictures with her paw, Dawn could read the title atop the page, written in crude sharpaw.

"Embarrassin' Bath Photos?" Dawn asked.

"OH HELL YEAH!" Ada cried loudly, slapping her paws together and rubbing them mischievously. "Startin' with da good stuff right off da bat!"

Dawn flashed the hyena a bemused expression.

"That excited about bathtub photos?" Dawn asked.

"Plush, you don't undastand." Ada chuckled. "Dis is valuable blackmail material, especially when it comes to Yuri."

"Of course, you'll be getting' a bunch of copies of these Dawn." Audrey said with a smirk. "At least the ones with Vernon."

"This is a tradition?" Dawn chuckled.

"She did the same thing before my tithe." Vanna replied with a smug smile. "Those photos of my little goofball are priceless."

Dawn turned her attention back to the book as Audrey slipped her paw away from the page.

"Now let me see..."

The ewe only made it a second before bursting into a giggle fit as the various little wet fluffballs were revealed. Right away she could see three of the boys in one tub. On one side, she could see a dusky grey pup standing proudly as he held up what looked like a toy boat that might have been either Wade or Ulric. On the other side, a white colored pup was trying desperately to claw his way out of the tub. From what Dawn could see, it looked like Audrey's paws were in the shot, trying to keep what she could only assume was little Trenton in the tub.

As for the pup in the center, she couldn't tell who it was. While the fur pattern was similar to Vernon's, it could have easily been Zach or Xavier, as their coats were very similar. To make matters worse, albeit funnier, the wolf had a green bucket over his head as he absentmindedly sat there in the center of the scene.

But Dawn wasn't alone in her giggling fit. Ada, Qali and Giselle had already completely lost any form of resolve they may have had just as soon as Dawn started. Vanna seemed to be the only mammal holding up well, and even she was slipping. The ewe could see the smile trembling on the feline's muzzle out of the corner of her eye as she tried to cover it with a paw. Did the same picture set them all off, or was it merely just the infectious nature of giggling.

"That's Vern in the bucket." Audrey chuckled.

"Oh, it is?" Dawn asked.

Audrey nodded briskly. "Yeah, only Dori would get a lousy shot like that one where y'all can't see the face." The she-wolf smirked. "But I know I got a clear one in here..."

Audrey flipped to the next page idly, revealing what appeared to show two different pups fighting each other in the water. While the ewe couldn't tell if the other wolf was Xavier or Zach, she easily recognized the jet black wolf pushing the other down.

"Dere's de old bruiser..." Ada rolled her eyes.

Audrey let out a sigh as she ran a paw down the photo.

"Yep, that would be Yuri." Audrey shook her head.

Flipping another page, the she-wolf came upon a tiny pup standing by himself in the tub. He was smiling widely at the camera, with no hint of embarrassment as he reached out toward whoever was taking the photo. Unlike before, Dawn instantly recognized that gap toothed grin, the same one she had seen on the playground that day. Dawn let out a giggling snort as she tried to cover her muzzle. It was painfully adorable.

"Aw...there's my little Puppy." Auddey cooed. "He was so tiny back then!"

"And coitenly ain't shy!" Ada said with a cackle.

"Well, how were any of them supposed to know they would regret this later?" Vanna chuckled.

"Poor little fellas..." Auddey snickered. "They had no idea."

Flipping the page, Dawn caught sight of what might have been Xavier, getting towel dried by Audrey. And another of Zach filling the tub with what looked like live frogs. his bare bottom aimed at the camera as his little tail created a blur in the air.

"A-are those frogs?" Qali had stolen the question right out of Dawn's muzzle.

Audrey let out a chuckle. "Yeah, ol' Zach decided to take a bath by himself. But he also wanted to bath some frogs he caught down by the stream with him." The wolfess shook her head dismissively, trying her best to stifle an apparent giggle fit of her own. "That's how I found 'em, and I just had to take a photo 'afore I reigned him in."

"Zach has always liked animals." Vanna snickered. "There's the proof it started young."

Audrey flipped another page, revealing a bright red colored wolf. The pup was still damp, and was visibly crying as what looked like Audrey's lower half was trying to console him.

"Who is that?" Dawn asked.

Audrey let out a tired sigh, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and fore finger before glancing back up toward the group.

"That's Trent. Unfortunately." Audrey muttered.

"That's Trenny!?" Qali asked, the vixen tilting her head in confusions as her ears flopped lamely against her head. "What happened?"

"Yuri found some of the industrial dyes we used around the farm, and put it in the shampoo a few days before some of 'em were do fer a bath." Audrey muttered.

"No..." Dawn uttered in shock. "Really?"

"Far as Dorian figured, he was aimin' to get Trenny, Vern, Ulric, and Wade, cause I used to wash the boys in litters." Audrey grumbled. "O'course Trenny got dragged through a mud puddle while playin' and I had to wash him early."

"That's horrid." Giselle murmured.

Dawn could see Ada's smile shrink slighty out of the corner of her eye, the hyena drawing back from the group slightly at the Giraffe's remark.

"I don't know if it woulda' worked on the others as well, but with Trenny bein' bright white the stain took before we could really figure out what was happinin'." Audrey continued.

"We ended up havin' to shave the poor boy and wait fer his fur to grow back in."

The group let out a sympathetic coo, which only made Ada slink further into her shoulders.

"Eh...why don't we move on from the bathtub ladies..." Audrey's tone quickly shifted back into the more peppy, enthusiastic tone she had started with as she flipped through the book to another section. "How bout some playtime!?"

With a decisive slap of her paw, Audrey had stopped the book at another seemingly random section. Yet when she drew it back it revealed what appeared to be the intended page. It was labeled 'Boy's playin' 2 threw 8'.

"Threw?" That had come from Clover, the old Chilver had now stopped her work and was gazing down alongside her daughter.

Audrey blushed slightly, cowing into her shoulders.

"I ain't never been the best at spellin'." The she-wolf uttered. "Back then I was worse, but I ain't updated this thing in years!"

The girls shared a laugh as Audrey pointed out another photo, which seemed to show Ulric and a smaller wolf playing with figurines by the local stream. By now Dawn had become familiar enough with her 'Puppy' in the pages to know it was Vernon. Of course, it wasn't that hard as he was wearing the overalls she had remembered meeting him in when he had salvaged her glasses from the hooves of that Oryx that was bullying her. Underneath it, he was wearing a green and black striped sweater. Ulric was dressed more or less the same, but shirtless.

"There's Vern playin' with Ully." Audrey cooed, receiving a drawn out 'aww' from the rest of the girls.

Audrey flipped to the next page, revealing another picture of Xavier surrounded by several stacks of books in what appeared to be Dorian's study. And another showing what appeared to be Dorian trying to get one of the pups down from a tree. The distant dark furred pup seemed to be buck bare save for the fur on his hide.

Audrey chuckled softly. "Poor Dori. Ully's always been such a handful."

"That's Ulric?" Qali asked, grasping Audrey's arm as she leaned over it to get a better look at the photos.

"Yeah, he's always been a bit of a streaker." Audrey shook her head, trying her best to stifle a giggle. "Even up into his teens."

"Whoeva get saddled wit him is in for a real treat." Ada chuckled.

"She most certainly is!" Audrey replied, without the slightest bit of irony. It was as if she had actively ignored the sarcasm in Ada's tone. "Ully may be a little high spirited, but all my boys are good boys."

"Forgive me Audrey..." Dawn asked, adjusting her glasses slightly. "But that looks like your yard."

"It is." Audrey replied.

"Well...I don't remember seeing any trees even close to your house." Dawn continued. "Where exactly was this?"

"Oh it was right out front." Audrey replied. "Dorian got sick of tryin' to rustle Ully everytime he went streakin' and hid in a tree to keep from bein' forced to put clothes on." The she-wolf bit her finger as a few giggles started to slip out. "So one day Dori got fed up and cut 'em all down."

The girls bust into another fit of giggling. In Dawn's case she was laughing so hard she was practically wheezing, the ewe doing her damnedest to catch her breath between bouts of giggling. The other weren't fairing much better, with Qali collapsing backward as she laughed. It took several minutes for the group to collect themselves enough to continue with the she-wolf's trip down memory lane.

Audrey gingerly flipped the next page over, but as soon as she did the last of the giggling left her muzzle, replaced with a disappointing sigh. From what Dawn could see, it was another two photo spread, the top another of Vernon. But this one was very similar to the picture Dawn had seen of Trenton, in that Vernon was crying while Audrey seemed to be trying to console him. All over the lighter parts of his fur, it looked as though he had been drawn on. Crude words the ewe couldn't make out from where she was standing, in a decidedly sloppy and child-like font.

Below it, another picture showed a jet black wolf pup sitting in a high chair, placed next to Dorian. The other highchairs were cut off by the end of the frame. In it, the little wolf pup looked visibly shocked, his face coated in what looked like red goop, while Dorian sat next to him, looking up from his newspaper and laughing hysterically.

"I-is that Vernon?" Dawn asked.

"Yes'm." Audrey muttered.

"What's all over him?" Qali asked.

"Sharpaw marker." Audrey sighed. "Yuri decided it would be fittin' to 'label' Vernon."

"L-label him?" Dawn asked in concern.

Audrey shook her head sadly. "Runt, Shrimp, Vermin..." Audrey paused, glancing up at the ewe sadly. "Omega."

Dawn could see Ada shrink just a bit more, a visible unease growing on the hyena's face.

"How old was he?" Dawn asked.

"Yuri five, Vern four." Audrey sighed.

"And that one?" Dawn asked, pointing to the image below.

"Oh that one?" Audrey tutted. "That's from a little over a year after the first litter, I was just about to give birth to Vern and the others at that time, so y'all can only see the first three of 'em...well, really Yuri."

"What's happening in it?" Clover asked inquisitively.

"I served up the boys some fish and greens. And..." Audrey shook her head. "I can still remember it clear as day. Yuri gripped his paw around this cherry tomato."

Audrey raised her paw, balling it into a fist as she pantomimed the wolf's actions.

"And he points it toward old Dori, and gets this big grin on his muzzle."

The she-wolf raised the album slightly, drawing it down as she continued to act out her little tale.

"And Dori notices, and he looks over at him." The she-wolf shook her head. "And I remember it so clearly, Dori said 'don't you think about tryin' it youngin'."

"I remember this story." Vanna said grimly.

"Wait, so he was going to squeeze a tomato on him? Deliberately?" Dawn asked in surprise.

"I can only assume that was the plan." Audrey glanced up at the mammals sadly.

"I mean, as soon as Dori said that, Yyuri started laughin', and then he squeezed that little tomata' as tightly as his little paw could."

Audrey flashed the girls a grin. "And the dang thing exploded in his own face."

The rest of the girls broke into small fits of giggling, but Dawn was somewhat perturbed. When Vernon had mentioned just how bad Yuri had been as a child, it really had only been limited to a few specific instances, and it was all left to the ewes imagination. But when faced with the plethora of documented evidence, the ewe got an even deeper picture of just how ill behaved the wolf had been, even as far back as before he could conceivably walk. It was something the ewe had a hard time understanding. After all, in her case she hadn't started out a bad apple. She had been corrupted by her father, by a series of abusive mammals both outside the home and in. And yet here was Yuri, a mammal most likely surrounded by love if his parents were anything to go by, yet determined to make everyone around him miserable.

"Misses Hunter." Dawn asked. "Forgive me for asking this but...Yuri...?"

Audrey cut the ewe off, holding up a paw to silence her.

"I know what yer fixin' to ask, and if yer lookin' fer an answer I don't know." The she-wolf sighed.

"We did everything we could with Yuri, tried all sorts of punishments and reprimandin', but it never curbed his bad habits. That pup was born with piss and vinegar in his veins." Audrey ran a paw through her hair, turning her attention back to the album in her paws. The she-wolf ran a thumb over the dinner table photo.

"All he did was try to be more secretive when it came to torturin' his brothers." Audrey sighed. "'Specially Vern."

"That's terrible." Clover interjected.

"I don't exactly know why he zeroed in on Vernon more than the rest of 'em." Audrey admitted. "I assume it's cause Vernon was always kinda small. O' course even when Vern got bigger he never seemed to let up."

"What a jerk!" Qali added, only to immediately shrink into her shoulders as she glanced upward at Ada. "S-sorry Ada."

The hyena was barely visible, the mammal having taken to obscuring her face behind Vanna's arm.

"I'm just glad he straightened up fer the most part." Audrey let out a relieved sigh. "That little cross-country trip he took before college seemed to do him a lot o' good." The wolfess laughed. "Hell, Dori didn't even think he was gonna show up at the police academy when it came time fer him to start school, but he really surprised us."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Dori was actually worried he was gonna end up livin' on the wrong side of the law. But I knew better." The she-wolf smiled.

"I ain't capable of makin' a bad apple. And he showed Dori." The wolf puffed her chest proudly for a moment before exhaling, her previous smile slipping into another soft frown.

"I just wish he and Vern could get along now." Audrey whimpered. "All want is fer my boys to get along, to love each other like I love 'em."

Ada reached out a paw to the she-wolf, patting her on the shoulder gently as she slid around the large tiger's arm.

"I'm shoi dey will one day." Ada murmured, wrapping her paw around Audrey and giving the she-wolf a hug. "Yuri's just...complicated', y'know?"

"Don't I know it." Audrey shook her head. "Or don't." The she-wolf chuckled. "He ain't never opened up to me about anythin', he was always a tough ol' boy."

""Trust me Auddey..." Ada murmured, offering the wolfess a warm smile. "You did a good job on Yuri, even if he don't always show it off."

Audrey smiled at the hyeness, leaning into the hug.

"Thank ya dear." Audrey replied.

"He's just got a lotta insecurities, and he doesn't want anyone to see 'um." Ada continued. "So he puts up a front."

"It's pretty convincing if you ask me." That came from Vanna, the tigress quirking a dubious brow. Ada flashed a quick sneer at the towering mammal.

"I've seen da Yuri underneath all da armor okay!" Ada retorted "I know what I'm talkin' about!"

Audrey sniffled softly. "W-well at least he lets someone see it." The wolfess offered Ada a small smile. "Maybe one day he'll be willin' to shed just a little bit of that armor for the rest of us." The she-wolf mused. "Starting with Vernon."

"I tink you might get yer wish." Ada said with a knowing smile. A comforting gesture for sure, at least to the mournful she-wolf. But something about Ada's assurance was off putting to the ewe. Dawn couldn't help but feel like there was more to that statement than Ada was letting on.