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Chapter Forty-Eight: Like Father Like Son

"Ow!" Vernon let out a soft hiss through parted teeth as he recoiled slightly from his mother's touch. The wolf was already uncomfortable enough allowing his mother to smear make-up onto his fur, but the fact that whatever was in some of the products was doing a fantastic job of seeping into the cuts strewn about his muzzle made the experience that much worse.

"Oh stop yer belly-achin'!" Audrey tutted, giving the wolf a playful_'boop'_ on the nose with a stray finger before applying another dab of grey-toned fur concealer to the pad she was holding. "Y'all want to look yer best don't ya?"

Vernon rolled his eyes at the she-wolf.

"O' course I do!" Vernon replied. "I just didn't expect this stuff to sting worse than alcohol!" The wolf let out a soft chuckle. "Is it supposed to keep burnin' like this?"

"Well It ain't normally used fer coverin' up scrapes and cuts." The she-wolf chuckled. "But we ain't exactly got time to wait on ol' mother nature to patch you up herself, now do we?"

Vernon grit his teeth as she she-wolf dabbed some of the concealer over his eye. While the wound wasn't swollen anymore, it was still the largest of the cuts he had accumulated in his scrap with Yuri. And it certainly felt its size as the make-up sent a searing jab of pain into his temple. The wolf inhaled sharply, clutching his paws on his knees in order to stifle the urge to let out a whine and pull away as his mother continued to carefully dab at his cut. The process of blending the color in felt agonizingly long as the she-wolf gingerly swabbed over the wound again and again. It was only when his mother finally drew the pad away, was Vernon finally able to relax again, the wolf letting out a slow, shaky exhale as pain began to subside.

Audrey shook her head softly, flashing Vernon an amused smirk.

"Just be thankful y'all got my fur pattern or I wouldn't have had this stuff on paw" The wolfess chuckled. "Let alone be able to blend it in just right so it won't show up on camera."

"I know, I know..." Vernon replied dully. "I am Ma."

"Yer brother is completely out o' luck since I ain't got nothin' fer black fur." Audrey muttered. "At least he ain't the one gettin'....gettin'..."

The familiar hitch in the she-wolf's breath caused the wolf's hackles to rise on instinct alone. Vernon's frame tensed reflectively at the shifting tone in the she-wolf's voice. Her stuttering whimpers and broken words causing the wolf to wince, and his ears to splay flat against his head as he prepared for the worst.

It was a natural response that never seemed to dull despite the fact that it in the ten or so minutes since his mother started conducting her _'finishing touches',_she had broken into one of these fits at least five times before.

"G-g-g-!" The she-wolf retracted the pad, bringing her paws close to her face and fanning herself as she began to sob.

"G-Gettin' HITCHED!" Audrey cried loudly, tears once again streaming down her fur as she began blubbering like a wounded puppy.

Vernon let out a tired sigh. His mother's hysterics were rather heartwarming when it came to her fretting over him. But they also always managed to fill the wolf with a terrible sense of unease. Every time he heard his mother cry, his instincts would drive him to want to do whatever he could to make her feel better, to go out of his way to cheer up the softhearted she-wolf.

But in the case of happy tears, it was hard to convince that inner part of him that it was somehow okay to let his mother cry it out. That despite just how painful, and woeful the wail that the she-wolf had started to pitch sounded, it was a display of overwhelming joy. A blubbery, weepy, mess of a display of just how happy she was for her son and his mate, unabashed and open for the wolf to see. She had been the same way during Vanna's tithe to his brother, and it was a given it would be exactly the same at every future Hunter tithing down the road.

"M-Ma..." The wolf reached out a wary paw. It was a pointless effort he knew. Even if he managed to temporarily stem the tide, she would break into another fit sooner or later. If not further along in the conversation, then certainly whenever the ceremony actually started.

"Oh-OH!" Audrey bit gently on one of the knuckles of her finger in order to stifle her sobs, but she only managed to hold back for a moment before reeling backward into another over the top wail. " MY LITTLE PUPPY!"

"Ma, please..." Vernon whimpered softly. "Y-yer gonna hyperventilate!"

Audrey let out a sharp sigh, her body heaving forward before taking in a slow, shuddering breath. Bringing her free paw to her muzzle, the she-wolf began to weakly paw at her eyes.

"I'm liable do it eventually anyway Vernon!" The wolf whimpered. Audrey wiped away the remaining tears with her thumb and forefinger before dragging them down the bridge of her muzzle. Taking a slow deep breath, the she-wolf seemed to compose herself to some degree.

"I-I'm sorry Verny...I-I..." Audrey sniffed. "I just...I..." The she-wolf swabbed at her face with her forearm, letting out another soft whimper. "I was able to keep it together fer most of the day...B-but now that it's so cl-close I-I..."

Vernon watched his mother let out another shuddering cry as she held her arm over her eyes. "Get it together ol' girl..." He could hear the she-wolf sniffle to herself. "Just keep it together till we're outside."

His mother's desperate attempt at pulling herself together would have been enough to earn another chuckle out of Vernon, but the wolf found himself transfixed on her previously unfinished statement as a renewed wave of realization took hold of him. The wedding was close now. Of course, he hadn't needed his mother's words alone to confirm that for him. The windows outside the boys' old bedroom had long since grown dark. The last bands of lingering sunlight had been chased away hours ago by the encroaching blanket of evening dark. By now, the wolf was certain the full harvest moon had taken its position high aloft in the autumn sky. With the day gone, and with what remained of the night now in full swing, it stood to reason that there was little time remaining until the wolf would be lead to the wedding on that basis alone.

However, this also wasn't Vernon's first wedding. Being a part of the preparations for Zach and Vanna's tithe had given the wolf a rough idea of what to expect for himself. While a caprid ceremony wasn't exactly the same as a tithing ritual, it was similar enough for the wolf to be able to form a rough checklist in his head as to what he was required to do before the ceremony could actually start. And as Vernon began to run through the compiled checklist again in his mind, it quickly became apparent that, barring any unexpected surprises, there seemed to be no preparations left to take care of. The wolf bit at his lower lip as he reassessed everything that he had done so far throughout the day in an effort to double check his reasoning.

It was only fair to start keeping track of everything after Yuri had come clean with him about exactly what all the hush and fuss was about, at least in his mind. Before then, little had been accomplished in the way of preparation for what was to come. Of course, that was mostly due in part to how his brothers had chosen to 'handle' the situation. Their 'tackle and shackle' approach had only managed to put Vernon sharply on the defensive, and their evasive demeanor had made him that much more defiant at every turn. But Yuri's talk and admission as to what was really going on had managed to put the wolf at ease, and put an end to all attempts to resist when it came to his brothers directing him.

Well, at least all the remaining Hunters but Yuri. Despite how much of a bold step they had managed to take in terms of opening up to one another, Vernon's rather petty admission of his own had put the black furred wolf right back at his throat. And while Vernon had narrowly escaped the sting of his taser, it took the collective might of the other Hunter brothers to hold Yuri back as Vernon scurried his way to the relative safety of Aunt Abby's side.

From there the tiny armadillo lead him around the store, gesturing to various suits she had jotted down ahead of time as possible candidates for Vernon's tux. Apparently once she had gotten the call, the little mammal had spent much of the early morning trying to recall the brothers favorite colors and perfected styles as she awaited their arrival. She admitted to having struggled with some, but when it came to Vernon, 'the mammal of the hour', she had easily recalled his preference for green, natural hues. With varying ranges of enthusiasm the little mammal showed off tux after tux, and even though Vernon had made his choice by the second suit, the armadillo insisted he hold his vote until she ran down the whole list. But at least the list was considerably shorter considering what she had known to screen out ahead of time.

It was while she was fitting the suit to the wolf, a deep green tux replete with an emerald green tie that almost perfectly matched his eyes, that among Abby's rather excitable chatter the little armadillo brought up a prospect of the ceremony the wolf hadn't given much thought to. With all the preparation that had been done, and was being done on his behalf, there was one crucial element that only he could prepare. And that of course, was writing his vows.

With how quickly the surprise wedding had been dropped on him, the wolf had still been sort of reeling by the time Aunt Abby had dropped that bombshell. And the sudden realization had sent the wolf into a state of quiet panic. A state that persisted long after Aunt Abby had finished his fitting, and well into the truck ride back to the Hunter Ranch as his brain struggled to put together a lengthy series of flowery words that sounded suitable. He knew whatever he said had to be perfect, something elegant and intelligent enough to truly convey how he felt about his mate in front of all the mammals who would bear witness to their union. And the longer he struggled, the more petrified he became about the possibility of embarrassing himself, or worse yet, embarrassing Dawn.

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his pelt when one of his brothers unexpectedly covered his eyes with an extra necktie as they approached the ranch. Apparently, the veil of semi-secrecy had to continue up until the boys, along with Aunt Abby had gotten him inside the Ranch once again. At least that's what they told him. Although it took Yuri's word to remind Vernon to remain calm enough to allow the mammals to lead him blindly into the ranch. The wolf could only assume the measure was to keep him from seeing the set pieces for the whole ceremony that was presumably staged somewhere within eyeshot of the driveway.

As he felt the old pick-up draw to a slow stop, his nostrils picked up on a delectable mixture of smells wafting through the air. There was the distinct air of food simmering somewhere unseen, and as the wolf was guided off the truck bed, his ears cocked toward the occasional sound of clanging and hammering that more than confirmed his previous suspicions. To Vernon, it made the continued secrecy seem all the more pointless. But as if Aunt Abby had read his mind, the mammal was quick to point out that the surprise lied in seeing everything all at once when it was done, rather than spoiling it mid-way through. And while it was something the wolf didn't entirely agree with, he wasn't in a great position to argue the point as the group lead him inside.

The sound of several doors opening and closing were the next things Vernon heard, the familiar cool feeling hardwood meeting his foot paws as he was led from room to room. All the while his brothers and Aunt Abby remaining relatively silent as Vernon tried to figure out where they were heading. The fact that a bulk of the Hunter Ranch was covered in hardwood flooring made it hard to track exactly where he was on the first floor. But that quickly changed when the wolf stepped beyond the last door to feel the icy chill of tile replace the somewhat warmer hardwood he had previously been walking on. There was only one room in the house that had tile flooring, and he had spent a good chunk of the previous night in it getting patched up by Dawn.

He knew it was the bathroom before the blindfold was undone, and as he turned to meet the mammals who had lead him there, the only one who remained was Yuri. The jet black wolf flashed Vernon a sly smirk.

"Yer on yer own till Ma comes to get ya." Yuri spoke. "So clean up, and get as gussied as ya can."

With that, Yuri momentarily turned to leave. But as the wolf placed his paw on the doorknob, he froze.

"Oh yeah..." The wolf muttered.

In a flash, Yuri spun around, giving Vernon a sharp jab in the arm.

"OW!" Vernon hissed! The jab hurt enough for the wolf to reflexively draw back, but felt as though Yuri was holding back to some degree.

"Had to wait till Aunt Abby was gone to git that one in." Yuri flashed an amused grin. "That was fer my bike."

"It was a JOKE!" Vernon tried to lie. But before he could even finish, Yuri slammed the door behind him.

"Sure it was!" Was the last thing Vernon heard beyond the door as he found himself left to his own devices, and once again his own thoughts.

Disrobing and carefully setting aside his tuxedo, the wolf drew back the shower curtain to the old family tub and stepped inside. Taking a moment to relax his breathing, the wolf reached a wary paw out toward the spigot, bracing himself in preparation as he turned the water on. The sudden stream of hot water stung when it first made contact with his fur. The heat against the cuts on his face causing the wolf to flinch as he adjusted to the temperature. But it didn't take long for the lingering burning to turn into a deep, mind-numbing soothe. And as the wolf began to lather his fur, his mind once again drifted back to the lingering issue at paw.

Now that he knew what was going on, everything felt like it was moving around him at light speed. And all the while he still remained at square one when it came to his vows. But worse yet, his time in the shower brought along the more worrying fear that not only would his vows be bad, but that by comparison to Dawn he would most likely look a fool no matter what he managed to cobble together.

While he was smart enough, he was certain a mammal like Dawn who was a professional writer, and had previously served as a politician could do a considerably better job at stringing together vows than some architect wolf, and what made the pressure inside feel that much more intense. She had a gift, and it came bundled with a wealth of beautiful words and prose that she knew just how to string together to make the perfect passage. He had witnessed it first paw early on when it came to his attempts to pen the portions of her book he was to be credited for. A format they quickly dropped in favor of Dawn taking dictation from him and revising it accordingly. Dawn also seemed to exude a natural eloquence, she was erudite, poetic. She lacked the dull, simplistic sounding drawl that Vernon was certain would further mar his words. A drawl that only got that much more pronounced by coming back to the ranch. Images continually flashed through his mind as the water bristled through his fur. Images of getting flustered at the altar and flubbing his words, of Dawn reading off the loveliest, most poetic and flattering vow she could muster only to be reduced to tears by how pitiful his own were.

"Dawn, I love y'a-you." Vernon muttered quietly as the shower droned on. The wolf repeated it over and over, along with several other aborted attempts at a start as his stomach began to twist and gnarl from his nerves. All the while, the wolf consciously tried to dull his drawl back to city side levels. The rising panic had drawn him into a mental black hole so deep that he hadn't realized just how much time he had spent in the shower until a sudden rap at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. The water was frigid now, so much so that the wolf practically stumbled out of the shower and fell to the floor, pulling the curtain down in the process. On the other side of the door, he could hear his mother's voice.

"Vern, are you alright?" Audrey asked.

"Fi-INE!" Vernon barked awkwardly, pulling the fallen curtain off his damp fur before struggling to rise to his feet. The wolf coughed into a paw awkwardly, clearing his throat before replying again. "I'm fine Ma, I'm good." The wolf said in a more confident tone as he kicked some of the curtains off to the side.

"Oh good, I was afraid y'all fell asleep!" He could hear his mother laugh. "It's nearly sundown Puppy, y'all need to get movin'!"

"On it ma!" The wolf was quick to reply, breaking into a short sprint as he ran over to the dryer stall.

"Just tell me when yer back in yer suit!" His mother continued. "We still got a bit more work to do before we can kick this thing off!"

Unlike his shower, the wolf was considerably quicker when it came to drying his fur and redressing. His thoughts temporarily streamlined and focused on simply getting ready for whatever his mother had to do rather than his vows.

Once clean and dry, the wolf slipped back into his suit. And after his mother was given the all clear, the wolfess entered. Audrey crossed her arms, giving the wolf a quick once over before flashing Vernon a soft smile despite the hint of tears in her eyes.

"Oh my Puppy!" Audrey cooed. Her tone something between a cry of excitement and a wail. "You look so grown up!"

The wolf simply rolled his eyes. But before Vernon could open his muzzle to reply, his mother held up the same tie his brothers had used to blindfold him earlier.

"Again?" Vernon objected.

Audrey nodded. "You won't be wearin' it fer more than a minute." The she-wolf replied. "Last time, I promise!"

Vernon let out a defeated sigh before leaning forward and gesturing for the she-wolf to cover his eyes again.

Admittedly, his mother was true to his word, as they literally had only moved to the room next door before the tie was off again.

From that point, the preparations seemed to narrow as various members of the Hunter's, along with Aunt Abby popped in and out of the bedroom while Audrey worked feverishly to style the wolf's fur and clean his cuts. And while his mother worked to perfect his looks, the wolf went back to work on his vows. Now that he had access to a pen and pad of paper, it was easier to keep his thoughts in line in order to better formulate just what he wanted to say to his mate now that the time had come to truly make her his own. But despite being able to actually see the words on paper, the wolf continued to second-guess himself at every step. Each little scribbled note and rephrasing finding themselves rewritten and crossed out over and over again as the wolf struggled to create something worthy of his Honey Lamb.

Thankfully his brothers and mother were there to hear his amateurish attempts at something that sounded purposefully deep and meaningful, making suggestions and corrections as the wolf plotted and planned.

The vows had kept Vernon in his own head-space for most of the final preparations, so much so that he had nearly forgotten how close the actual ceremony was. But with nothing more that he was aware of on his _'mental checklist',_he realized that he was more than likely mere minutes away from the ceremony.

The wolf stared blankly at his messy, incomplete attempt at a vow sitting in his lap. A fresh, intense feeling of pressure overtaking him as he weakly mouthed the vague expressions of love and devotion to himself. It wasn't good enough, it wasn't even close. He needed to make sure his vows were just right, to walk down the aisle with just the right amount of confidence, to make sure Dawn knew just how much he loved her by making sure that his part in the ceremony went as perfectly as he could imagine she had dreamed of.

Audrey nearly brought the makeup pad to her eye, presumably to wipe away at her tears with it. However, just shy of making contact the she-wolf quickly withdrew it, letting out a dull chuckle.

"Phew...almost f-fergot." Audrey sniffled. "Ain't supposed to get any of this stuff near yer eyes."

The offhanded statement was enough to pull Vernon away from his thoughts. The wolf furrowed his brow, his eyes widening slightly in a mixture of shock and horror as he regarded the she-wolf.

"Ain't supposed ta' use near someone's eyes!?" Vernon barked in a nervous tone.

Audrey shook her head, letting out a sharp chuckle.

"Oh hush, that dab wasn't close enough to yer eyes to do anythin'!" The she-wolf flicked a paw. "I've been doin' this fer years, so would ya just trust me?" Audrey flashed him a knowing glance. "I am yer mother after all."

Vernon winced involuntarily, which only served to earn an eye-roll from his mother.

"Oh I see how it is." Audrey gave the wolf an overdramatic pout. "You don't trust yer own mother?"

Now it was Vernon's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, come on ma-."

"No, no." Audrey raised her paws defensively. "It's fine..." The she-wolf turned her head away from the wolf, tilting it upward in mock offense. "Don't trust the mammal who gave you life..."

"Ma...." Vernon whined.

"Who raised y'all, and fed y'all!" Despite her hammy performance, the wolf could see a grin fighting its way to the surface of her muzzle.

"Who only ever wanted what is best fer her boy!" The she-wolf feigned another sniffle.

"Alright Ma, I'm sorry!" Vernon laughed. "Do what y'all got to do." The wolf closed his eyes tightly as he leaned his head toward the she-wolf, bracing himself for the next swab. But after a few seconds of silence, the wolf warily opened an eye to find that wolfess hadn't moved.

Audrey flashed the wolf a toothy grin before lazily flicking the applicator across the room.

"Well luckily fer you it looks like we're pretty much done here." The she-wolf giggled as she gingerly reached out a paw to Vernon's face. Audrey thumbed his cheek fur as she inspected her work with a careful eye. The tip of her tongue stuck out of the side of her muzzle as she appraised his final look. She carefully turned his head to one side, then the other, her brown irises tracing Vernon's features intensely. All the while Vernon could see her jovial demeanor slowly slipping away as another stream of tears began to pour from the corners of her eyes. However, this time the she-wolf seemed to be able to keep her composure well enough to prevent herself from breaking into another full-on weep as she released her grip, giving Vernon an affectionate pat on the cheek as her paw slipped away from his face.

Despite the tears, the she-wolf let out a soft chuckle.

"Y'all remind me of yer father right now." The she-wolf sighed.

"P-Pa?" Vernon replied.

Audrey smirked. "Yeah just...I mean...seein' y'all like this..." The she-wolf sniffled. "It just...makes it real fer me that yer all grown up." Audrey shifted her gaze from Vernon's own, her eyes drifting to the floor as she continued. "It was like that with Zach too...I just..." Audrey braced her neck with a paw, rubbing it awkwardly. "When he was all gussied up, I just...I could see yer father in him. Just like it was the day we tithed." The she-wolf glanced back up at Vernon, grasping his chin gently between two fingers as she gave another quick appraisal.

"I see him in you too." Audrey grinned.

His father. With everything that had transpired, the wolf had given little thought to what had happened after the fight he had with the ol' mam. He had heard enough from Yuri to know that his father wasn't supposed to be involved with the ceremony at all. But what exactly did that mean in regards to the rest of Hunters? What did it mean for his parent's relationship? Despite the fact that Vernon intended to remain firm when it came to his mate, the thought of his parents splitting up over his father's unwillingness to accept the pair seemed completely unreal.

Divorce was not a popular concept among wolves, native or otherwise. After all, 'wolves mated for life', at least when it came to the cultural stance on the issue. And while divorce had become significantly more common among most mammals in modern times, being a divorced wolf still carried with it quite a degree of stigma among even the most _'cultured wolves'._Despite the fact that times had changed since wolves stalked prey and walked on all fours, _'mating for life'_was something that is still touted proudly by wolves as being in their D.N.A. Even Vernon swore by the same creed, and he was certain his parents felt the same. But after everything that happened, with how stubborn and pigheaded his father was being, and now this secret wedding, would his mother ever be able to bring the old wolf back around? Or would they both be forced to carry the stigma of a failed marriage over their heads, all because of who Vernon had decided to marry?

"M-Ma..." Vernon murmured softly, reaching out and clasping his mother's paw in his own. The she-wolf tilted her head curiously as his eyes met hers. "A-about Pa..."

Audrey let out a chuckle, placing her other paw on top of Vernon's and giving it a playful pat.

"Oh now don't y'all go worryin' about me and yer father." The she-wolf sighed.

"B-But I mean..." Vernon whimpered. "I don't..." The wolf glanced to the floor, bracing his neck with a paw as he let out an uncomfortable grumble.

"Despite everythin', I don't want y'all to get divorced 'er nothin'." Vernon murmured. " If me and Dawn were the cause of that I'd-"

Audrey's sudden burst of laughter cut the wolf off before he could finish his sentence. It was such a bizarre reaction, almost as if the she-wolf hadn't heard him correctly or had chosen to try to laugh off the subject entirely. Vernon quirked a curious brow as the she-wolf tried to stifle her laughter with a paw.

"Ma..."

Audrey waived a paw dismissively toward the wolf, all the while still laughing like a giddy school girl. From a mammal who had been bawling not more than a minute ago, it left Vernon all the more confused and concerned.

"MA, I'm serious!" Vernon asserted, the wolf trying to sound as serious as possible as he struggled to meet the she-wolf's gaze. Audrey let out a few more giggles before she finally managed to calm down enough to actually answer the wolf.

"Oh don't you worry about us Vernon." Audrey said with a pleasant sigh. "We ain't splittin' up, I'd never leave my dearest Dori."

Vernon's muzzle scrunched in confusion as he tried to wrap what his mother had said around his mind. It was somewhat of a relief to know that his parents didn't plan on splitting up any time soon, at least according to his mother. But the way she had said it was almost as if his father's behavior during the whole reunion simply hadn't happened. Her reaction was as if Vernon had simply asked an idle question, out of the blue, without having been based on anything that seemed like a suitable prompt for such a heavy ask.

"I-I don't understand?" Vernon stammered. "I mean, after what he sai- I mean you know what he said to Dawn?" The wolf furrowed his brow. "He...He kicked us off the ranch! When he finds out!-? How can-?"

Audrey held her paw out again, cutting the wolf short mid-sentence.

"Yer Pa will come around, I assure y'all." Audrey chuckled softly. "Probably sooner than ya think."

Vernon cocked his head in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The wolf asked dumbly.

Audrey shook her head.

"Don't worry about it Puppy." The she-wolf chuckled. "And don't worry about me and yer pa, okay?" Audrey reached out, placing a paw against Vernon's cheek and caressing it softly. "This night is about y'all and Dawn."

The wolfess flashed him a warm smirk. "About yer life together, and yer happiness." Audrey thumbed his cheek affectionately. "Just try to keep yer mind fixed on that, and just enjoy yerselves."

Vernon smiled softly, placing his paw on his mother's own as he met her thoughtful gaze. "I-I know ma..." Vernon sighed. "I-I ju-..."

A soft, rhythmic knock sounded at the bedroom door, causing his mother's ears to stand on end as it rang through the largely silent bedroom. It was a very specific knock, the percussive pattern sounding something like 'shear and a hoof-clip' that caused Audrey to retract her paw from Vernon's face almost the moment it had concluded.

"OH!" The she-wolf placed her paws to her lips excitedly for a moment before turning to regard the door.

"Just a second!" Audrey called, before turning her attention back to the confused wolf still seated on the mattress.

"I-Is it?" Vernon muttered. It was all the wolf could manage to stammer out before Audrey had his muzzle in her paw once again, the wolfess shifting his face from side to side for presumably one last quick inspection before the 'show' began. The thought alone forced Vernon's heart into his throat as a renewed surge of panic ran through him.

"It's time!?" Vernon barked awkwardly though his lips were pursed somewhat by his mother's grip. "Now?!"

Audrey let out a soft chuckle as she released the wolf's muzzle from her hold.

"Almost, almost..." Audrey tone was hushed and soothing as smiled weakly back at him. "But we got a special last-minute surprise for y'all before you go out there."

Vernon quirked a brow, one of his ears drooping to the side as he stared up at the she-wolf in confusion.

"S-surprise?" Vernon's voice cracked slightly, and the wolf rubbed at it his neck with a paw in an effort to force the lump that had managed to lodge itself in his throat down. "W-what do you mean surprise?"

The she-wolf simply shook her head dismissively.

"Well, if I told y'all..." Audrey bent down to Vernon's level, placing a paw on his shoulder as she met his gaze. "It wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

With that, the wolfess placed a gentle kiss on Vernon's forehead, lingering there for a moment before drawing back and meeting his gaze once more. Her deep auburn eyes were once again shimmering with the start of tears as she gave the wolf's shoulder a soft pat.

"I-I'll see you outside son..." Audrey whimpered softly, wiping lamely at her eyes with a paw.

Her statement had left Vernon in a confused stupor, so much so that the wolfess was halfway out of the room by the time his senses had returned to him.

"W-wait!" Vernon reached out for his mother with a paw. "W-what about my vows! They ain't up to snuff! I Ne-!"

"Y-you'll be fine Puppy." Audrey stopped just shy of the door, the sound of quiet sniffling punctuating her words as she struggled to speak. Despite having stopped, the she-wolf kept her back to Vernon as she spoke. "Y-yer like yer Pa..." The wolfess chuckled weakly. "When the time comes, and th-the spotlights on y-you. Y-you'll know just what to say."

Audrey placed her paw on the doorknob, quietly opening the door before throwing one last tearful glance at the wolf. The steady streams of tears had returned as she flashed the wolf a warm smile.

"I know you will."

With that, Audrey slipped out of the bedroom, leaving Vernon alone with his thoughts.

The wolf could feel the sweat starting to permeate through his fur as he scanned the notepad on his lap, the wolf re-reading the lines over and over again. It still seemed so imperfect, the words seeming to fall so short of accurately describing the ewe he loved. Of perfectly explaining to her, and those who would bear witness just how much she meant to the wolf. Every fresh pass over the crude scribbling seemed to further degrade the overall quality. From something somewhat passable, to utterly disappointing, to something not even being worthy of being read aloud, even as a joke. Vernon was certain that whatever vows Dawn had prepared, even if she had only had an afternoon to make them up, would make his look like a third grader had written them. And he knew she deserved something better than he could ever possibly write.

Vernon let out a sharp hiss before tearing the sheet of paper free of the pad. The wolf packed the paper into his paws, crumpling it into a tight ball before throwing it across the bedroom with all of his might in a burst of sheer frustration. It was enough force to send it sailing across the bedroom, the paper bouncing against the wall with enough power to bounce half-way back to the wolf before hitting the floor and sliding the rest of the distance, coming to a stop just to the side of the wolf's feet. Vernon let out an irritated huff before leaning his head in his paws and letting out a sigh of defeat.

"I should be lookin' forward to this..." Vernon mumbled. "But if I mess this up all it's gonna be is an embarrassment fer Dawn!"

The wolf let out another huff. "Teeth to tails, what am I gonna-?"

"Son..."

The quiet, yet familiar voice had stopped the wolf cold. He couldn't have heard that voice, there was no way. Not after everything that had happened, not after everything that had been said. There was no way _he_would be here.

Slowly, warily the wolf's eyes traced up the form that now stood at his side. From the white paws against the hardwood floor, up the well fitted deep grey tuxedo and matching sharp grey tie. His eyes continued to follow the wolf's form until they met those familiar cool, steely grey eyes. The same eyes that had burned so sharply with disdain the night before. A powerful flame that he expected now held no feeling for the wolf as he glanced back down at him.

Yet there was a strange lack coldness in those eyes. And while there was no hint of ire, no trace of the flame that had been burning so brightly the night before, there was a hint of something else. A strained, uncomfortable glare that came off rather similar to the one he had seen Yuri wear mere hours before.

"P-P-P-....?" Vernon couldn't even manage to speak as the conflicting deluge of thoughts and emotions ran rampant through his mind. There was an overwhelming feeling of anger, a righteous hatred that made Vernon simply want to throttle the mammal standing before him. Yet at the same time that fury was overwhelmed by the utter confusion over his father even being here. It had snuffed out the rising flame and bitter resentment in favor of a myriad of questions all clamoring to be answered at once. Dorian was here, dressed to the nines in a tux of his own. It was clear the wolf had to know what was going on. Yet, why would he dress up for a wedding he swore he would never condone. Vernon couldn't help but worry momentarily that Yuri had lied to him, and Wade's assessment of what was to come had been on the mark. But if that was the case, why would the others perpetuate the lie? Even his own mother has acknowledged that this whole event was, in fact, a surprise wedding, and the wolfess was considerably easier to read in terms of overall earnestness. Unlike in the morning, his mother had shown no semblance of awkwardness or discomfort when discussing it. And considering she had gone so far to take such great care in gussying him up, the wolf sorely doubted the ceremony could possibly be for anyone other than him or Dawn.

"Vernon?"

The sudden shock sent Vernon shooting to his feet, the wolf backing away from his father slightly as he flashed him a wary glance. Vernon had been so lost under the barrage of conflicting emotions and thoughts that he had almost forgotten Dorian was still there, and the sudden reminder was enough to startle him. Vernon bared his teeth as he sneered, but despite his offensive stance, the conflicting thoughts still ruminating in his mind made it hard to keep his expression one of pure anger.

"You..." Vernon growled bitterly.

If Vernon's tone had any effect on his father's demeanor, the icy wolf didn't show it. The wolf had entered wearing a soft frown, and it remained unmoved. Vernon watched as the wolf knelt to the floor briefly, scooping the crumpled paper Vernon had left behind into his paws before standing back up.

Vernon watched as his father carefully opened the note. All the while Vernon remained silent. Inside, his mind was screaming to object, to simply scream at his father for showing his face again. Yet there was also a sharp pang of embarrassment that filled the wolf, a discomfort that had the wolf desperately wanting to beg his father not to read his pathetic attempt at crafting Dawn a proper vow.

With those two conflicting impulses gnashing for prominence inside, all the wolf could manage to get out was a quiet, awkward squeak as his father quietly scanned the ruined document.

A smile crossed the wolf's muzzle before he let out a soft chuckle. "Better than anythin' I came up with even at the altar..."

With a sigh, Dorian glanced up from the paper, briefly meeting Vernon's gaze. His father eyes having seemingly softened further as he regarded the wolf.

"You really love that gal, don't ya?" Dorian asked, his tone soft and low as he flashed his son a small, genuine looking smile.

The gesture was enough to send another wave on conflicting emotions through Vernon, and in response, the wolf took another step backward. The wolf's ears splayed sharply against his head as he eyed his father, his teeth once again on display.

"Why are YOU here?" Vernon growled lowly.

Dorian lowered the paper to his side, the wolf glancing at the floor with an uneasy expression as he braced his neck with a free paw.

"Vern...I..."The wolf muttered, his words trailing off as he tilted his head up toward the ceiling and let out a sigh. "I-I wanted to talk..."

Vernon let out an awkward, barking laugh of disbelief.

"Oh, now you wanna talk!?" The wolf snarled, the word 'you' coming out of his muzzle dripping with bitterness. "What's the matter Pa? Didn't say all you needed to say last night?" Vernon hissed, the wolf crossing his arms defensively. "Y'all got some more to say about me and Da-"

"Vern-!"

"No!" Vernon was quick to cut the white wolf off, the wolf lunging forward slightly as he let out another low growl. "I have no idea why yer here, or what yer playin' at but, but the last thing I need right now is another talk from you!"

The law-wolf seemed to deflate slightly, Dorian's muzzle turning toward the floor again.

"I ain't gonna let you spoil this fer me!" Vernon spat. "Fer Dawn!"

Dorian made eye contact briefly, his sullen expression managing to make Vernon uneasy and confused enough to momentarily drop his defenses.

"I d-don't want to spoil anthin'." The wolf muttered, his voice still oddly quiet and somber.

"T-then..."Vernon sputtered before slipping back into a more confident, aggressive stance. "Then I'll ask y'all again! Why are you here!?" The wolf snarled.

"W-Well....son...I-." He stuttered. His father rarely stumbled over his words.

"If y'all ain't here to spoil anythin' then-!" Vernon took a step forward, continuing his offensive posturing as the ire and confusion welling inside of him duked it out for the dominant spot in his mind. "Th-Then y'all are better off leavin'!" The wolf snapped. "Because otherwise, you'll just spoil it by bein' here!"

The wolf glanced up at him, a glint of what looked like hurt shining in his eyes briefly before he turned his attention back to the floor. Somehow, that had hurt him, and what was worse, it felt good. Vernon made him hurt, and he hated his father for making him enjoy it.

The white wolf let out a long, drawn-out sigh before turning away from the wolf. For a moment, Vernon was certain he'd simply leave, but as the silence that had crept in around them grew to dominate the room, his father simply continued to stand there with his back to him. A still, uneasy, deafening silence that seemed to linger for what felt like ages.

"I deserve that." Dorian finally spoke, breaking the noiseless vacuum as he slunk into his shoulders. "I deserve worse, I know it."

Vernon quirked a brow in confusion, but despite the odd admission by his father, the wolf managed to keep his defenses up. He was channeling his father's own coldness now. Using it to build a wall around his heart in order to protect himself and Dawn from whatever the wolf was trying to pull.

"You damn well do!" Vernon hissed, anger taking the front seat of his emotional inner struggle. "After what you said to Dawn!" The wolf snorted. "To me!"

The wolf crossed his arms. "You called Dawn a monster! But as far as I'm concerned the only damn monster in this house is y'all!"

That statement seemed to cause the white wolf to flinch slightly, and Vernon watched as his ears sagged. Dorian's frame shuddered weakly before Vernon heard the wolf let off another quiet sigh.

Once again, the room grew silent. The air around the two felt thick, and with Vernon already on edge, that tension in the air was enough to push the wolf to break that unnerving stillness first.

"Is that all y'all got to say!?" Vernon spat, his breathing growing heavy as the wrenching feeling of anger welling inside squeezed his chest. "Huh!?"

Dorian's head seemed to sink deeper into his shoulders, the wolf shoving his paws, along with Vernon's vows into his pants pocket.

"I-I figured I should let y'all get out what ya need to before I..." The wolf glanced over his shoulder at his son, his eyes still surprisingly sorrowful. "Before I try to say what I need to say..."

"What you need to say?!" Vernon let out another loud, odd laugh at the sheer audacity of his father's statement. "What YOU need to say!?" The wolf scoffed, crossing his defensively. "Why should I ev-!?"

"Son please, just hear me out alright?!" The wolf turned around sharply to face Vernon again, holding a paw up as he cut the wolf off. But despite the vigor behind the gesture, his father's words lacked the commanding tone they should have carried with them. His voice trembled, wavering in a way that Vernon wasn't used to. His overall cadence missing the familiar sense of power and authority it usually held. He was begging for his Vernon's attention instead of demanding it, and despite the wolf's best efforts to keep Dorian out, he could feel the barrier around his heart begin to weaken slightly in the face of such a strange, emotional display.

"I came here to try and make things right." Dorian said softly, his eyes once again shifting to the floor. "To apologize fer how I treated you..." The wolf glanced back at Vernon, his grey eyes shimmering slightly. "How I treated Dawn."

Vernon opened his muzzle to speak, but the words failed to come as his brain struggled to comprehend what his father just said. There was so much ire, so much anger swirling within him that he had yet to unload on the mammal before him. A righteous indignation that had only managed to deepen since the night before. It had built up inside him under the presumption that his father would never in his wildest dreams admit he was at fault for anything. That today was going to be his last day at the ranch, and he would never so much as see the wolf again. But yet here the wolf stood, and what's more, instead of arguing with Vernon once again as to why he shouldn't take Dawn as his mate, or demanding the now orphaned wolf leave his family's property, he was offering an apology. A simple one, but an apology none the less. And while it wasn't enough on its own to dispel the anger inside, it only served to shake Vernon up that much more as his emotions wrestled one another on just how to handle the situation that was unfolding.

"I know it ain't enough to just apologize. Hell, it's barely enough of a start." Dorian continued as if picking up on the wolf's thoughts. "And I ain't askin' you to just turn around and fergive me for what I said and done..."

The wolf glanced at his feet again, shrugging slightly as he idly kicked at the hardwood floor.

"But I'm hopin'..." The wolf sighed. "You'll at least let me bend yer ear fer a few minutes to try and explain myself."

"To tell ya the truth, and nothin' but." Dorian continued, placing a paw against his neck and rubbing it awkwardly.

"And I know y'all ain't got no reason to listen to this old mutt, but..." The wolf trailed off, bringing his eyes to Vernon's own again as a grim and solemn expression crossed his muzzle. "I'm just askin' fer a chance to start mendin' all this."

Vernon blinked at the wolf dumbly, the wolf still struggling to find some sort of sign or tell of his father's true intentions as he studied the white wolf pensively. The whole situation felt unreal. As if the wolf were still sleeping, and his troubled mind had desperately tried to come up with a more uplifting dream to offset the stress of what had happened the night before. An outcome that he would have preferred, and would soon awake to the disheartening realization that it was nothing more than a fantasy. Of course, being tackled and trussed up at the start of the day had been more than enough to confirm for the wolf that he was wide awake, let alone everything else that had lead up to this point.

"And after I've said my piece, well..." Dorian sighed, his muzzle turning toward the floor once more as he broke eye contact. "If y'all still want nothin' to do with me I'll walk on out of here."

The wolf pointed a finger past the wolf. "I'll spend the rest of the evenin' in my study too..."The wolf muttered. "Just so ya ain't got me around to intrude on things..."

The law wolf braced his neck with a paw once again, rubbing it uneasily as his ears sagged. "O'course, if y'all just want nothin' to do with me, I'll understand that too." The wolf grumbled. "I-I'll respect yer wishes and just...go..." Dorian continued, his muzzle remaining downcast as he spoke. "Now I mean."

The silence returned as the wolf warily raised his head to meet Vernon's gaze again. The two wolves simply staring one another down as the lingering stillness in the air seemed to carry on for an eternity. Vernon wasn't sure how to respond, or with what. The emotions at war within him still fought to find a single voice with which to unite under as he quietly studied his father's face.

There was a strange glimmer behind his eyes, perhaps some sort of hopefulness, but the rest of the wolf looked as though he had been through the wringer. He looked so drawn, so much older and more tired that Vernon was used to seeing. It was as if the wolf had managed to age another ten or so years between the night before and now. Perhaps it was his sullen expression that made him look so much older. It was a face Vernon rarely ever saw on his father, and it only seemed to wither more and more as the silence continued on. Even that hopeful glimmer faded away, his expression shifting to something more akin to resignation.

With a quiet sigh, Dorian turned his back to Vernon. The wolf's head slunk into his shoulders once again as the wolf began to stride toward the room's exit. He was nearly at the door when Vernon finally was able to muster a reply.

"Alright fine, you want to talk?"

Dorian froze, the white wolf looking over his shoulder and quirking a brow.

Vernon crossed his arms, turning his glance up and away from the wolf and sneering slightly.

"Well." Vernon huffed. "Talk."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dorian's muzzle slowly upturn into a meek smile before he turned around and made his way back into the room. The wolf was oddly cautious as he crossed the hardwood floor, almost as if he seemed to be wary that at any moment Vernon would change his mind. But Vernon remained silent as he watched his father approach him again, the wolf stopping by the edge of the bed Vernon had been sitting on. With a soft groan, the white wolf sat on the edge of the bed, letting out a quiet sigh and leaning his paws on his knees.

He sat there silently for a moment before turning his attention back up to Vernon, his expression seeming to be an expectant one. It only took a second or two for Vernon to catch on, and with a tired sigh, the grey wolf reluctantly sat down next to him.

Seemingly satisfied, Dorian looked away from Vernon, his eyes trailing off toward nothing in particular as he stared blankly ahead of him. It was clear the wolf was uncomfortable, although it didn't take any sense of intuition on Vernon's part to pick up on that. The wolf had fallen oddly silent once more as they sat there, his paws nervously shuffling between adjusting his tie, and idly slapping against his knees. Vernon's patience was already well worn thin with his father's behavior, and the longer the wolf danced around whatever he was going to say, the more the fire inside Vernon was rising.

The grey wolf opened his mouth to shout, to ask his father when exactly he was planning to start this _'talk'_of his. But almost as soon as he had, Dorian sharply cleared his throat.

"I was wrong Vern." Dorian finally broke the maddening silence, letting out a somber sigh. "I was wrong about everythin'. I know that now." The wolf ran a shaky paw through his head fur. "Hell, I knew it even then." The wolf uttered, shaking his head dismissively. "Every damn word, every slur or statement I made I regretted it the moment it left my muzzle." The wolf leaned his head into his paws. "I just kept diggin' myself in deeper and deeper because..." The wolf trailed off.

"Because why Pa?" Vernon asked, trying to sound firm. But his voice betrayed him, breaking half-way through his reply. The anger was giving way to the hurt buried deep behind it. For all the wounds Yuri had dealt, for Aster's and his henchrams brutality or the numerous fights he had ended up on the wrong side of over the course of his life. None of the pain, even collectively compared to the memories of his father's biting dismissal of both him and Dawn. The things his father had said, about him, about her, it had cut the wolf so deeply that even thinking about that night for a mere moment alone made his heart feel as though it had been flayed open.

So if his father was set on giving him a reason, some sort of justification as to why he had treated the pair the way he had, Vernon wasn't going to accept anything less than a damn good one.

"I..." Dorian shook his head. "I-I've..." The wolf glanced back at his son, his steely grey eyes shimmering with what looked like the start of tears as he spoke.

"Have you ever been afraid son?" The wolf asked tentatively.

Vernon cocked his head curiously. It was an odd question coming from his father. Obviously, the wolf had been afraid many times in his life, and surely it must have been obvious to his old mam'.

"W-well o'course I have?" Vernon muttered. "But what's that got to do with..." The wolf trailed off as it became apparent as to where Dorian was leading him with his strange question. "Y-you mean you-?" The wolf shook his head, stopping himself short of completing the rather thoughtless rebuttal.

Of course his father had fears. All mammals did. But there was something about the idea that Vernon couldn't quite accept. This was Dorian Everette Hunter. The best Sheriff the North Meadowlands had ever seen. If Vernon had been the type to subscribe himself to the pack structures of the native wolves, his father would have been the undisputed alpha of the Hunter pack. Maybe even out of all the wolves living in the meadowlands. Perhaps it was the puppy in him that still looked up to his father as an unshakable pillar of strength and confidence. A wolf who kept cool in every situation. In essence, a wolf that feared nothing. But the adult part of him, the part that Yuri had done well to remind him didn't simply stop existing because they were home again that afternoon knew that there were no fearless mammals. And those that struggled to maintain such an image often harbored the deepest insecurities of all.

"I was afraid Vernon." Dorian sighed. "Sweet sawgrass I was petrified!"

The wolf lifted his head slightly, shaking it for a moment before slipping his face back into his paws.

"Everythin' I did, everythin' I said was because I was so damn afraid!" Dorian spat, the wolf's voice growing louder. " So afraid of makin' the wrong call that I refused to make a call at all!"

Vernon quirked a curious brow. He wasn't sure where the white wolf was going with this, but the way his body seemed to tense with each breath showed the wolf that he was struggling to work through his admission.

"I just..."Dorian shuddered. "I already screwed up once before. I didn't..." The wolf sighed. "I couldn't risk makin' a decision that might hurt this family, not after last time."

The ire inside the wolf that had been gradually fading began to flare up once again as Vernon began to grasp what his father was saying. He had already heard this excuse more times than he cared to count, and after how easily he had seen through it the first time, he was appalled that his father would try it again.

" Again!?" Vernon spat, the wolf bearing his teeth at the crumpled mammal sitting next to him. "Seriously!?"

Dorian jumped slightly, seemingly startled as he looked to Vernon with confusion on his face. The wolf quirked an eyebrow questioningly. It was clear he was playing dumb, which only served to infuriate Vernon further.

"Are you honestly gonna try to make this about Zach's accident all over again!?" Vernon sneered. "After how many times I called you on-"

"No, no Vernon! That ain't what I mean." Dorian interjected, raising his paws up defensively. "This ain't about Zach's accident! I swear." The wolf ran a trembling paw through his hair, letting out a tired sigh as leaned his head into his paws once more. "It never was..."

"T-Then what is it!?" Vernon was confused, but still much too angry for his reply to sound like anything less than a command. "What is this all about?"

Dorian glanced back at his son, his grey eyes shimmering slightly as he spoke. "It's a long story. And...it's difficult to talk about." The wolf muttered. "I ain't even really supposed to tell anyone till the investigation is over but..."

"Investigation?" Vernon asked, the anger starting to fade as his curiosity grew.

"And I'll get to it." Dorian added, giving the wolf a meek nod. "But I just want y'all to listen..." The wolf placed a paw on his neck, his muzzle turning toward the ceiling as he looked away from Vernon in clear discomfort. "It'll be easier for me to get it all out if y-y'all don't interrupt." The wolf muttered. "At least, not till the end."

Vernon let out a tired sigh. He had already agreed to hear the wolf out, so holding his tongue for a while shouldn't have been that much of a stretch. As long as the older wolf was truly attempting to be honest with him, and didn't try to put the blame solely on Dawn's presence, Vernon was certain he could bite his tongue long enough to hear out the wolf's yarn of a tale.

"Alright." Vernon muttered, placing a paw to his muzzle and letting out an awkward cough. "I...I'll try."

The law wolf offered him a meek smile before turning to once again stare off at the wall, or rather beyond it, and with a slow, deliberate breath, he began.

At the start, Vernon had almost broken his word. The fact that Dorian had started his retelling of events with 'Zootopia's Last Night' made Vernon feel as though the wolf was nearly a sentence or two away from leveling the ultimate blame at Dawn. But as his father continued, and it became clear that Dawn's involvement was well and far removed from the actual situation at paw, the wolf's ire faded in favor of intrigue. Vernon had never really given much thought to exactly how Aster's plan had involved the Meadowlands. He had only vaguely heard about such things from Dawn whenever the ewe had heard something new involving the ongoing investigation. He hadn't heard the full laundry list of Aster's backers, his secret supports, and worst of all his planted agents. Those mammals hiding in plain sight, waiting for their orders to aid the grizzled old ram and make sure his plan had gone off without a hitch. And when Dorian went on to explain that he had two officers in his department that had been secretly in league with the ram, two mammals that had been his father's long-term friends, the wolf had nearly stumbled off the bed from the sheer shock over the startling revelation.

Vernon had remembered them, albeit vaguely. While Alan Merino and Debrah McCria weren't exactly close with the Hunter family at large, they did occasionally show up for his father's monthly poker game. The general impression they had given off the one or two times he had met them during his adolescence had been nothing but sincere and friendly much like Damon Ruddy who was also a long time friend of the family. And they had always spoken highly of his father even if Vernon didn't always agree. And yet these mammals were the ones that turned on his father?

It was at that point in the conversation, that Dorian's rather tenuous grasp at keeping a stoic demeanor seemed to crumble away completely. Even mentioning his ex-friends and fellow officer's names seemed to physically hurt the wolf. And to hear the mournful whines that slipped from his father's muzzle as he struggled to continue with his story was almost terrifying to Vernon. It was a sound he had never heard before, short of a joke. Something his father would do in response to being playfully scolded by his mother. But now his father was whimpering out of genuine pain, and it only worsened as he went on to explain their part in the whole scheme, and what they had intended to do to him, Zach and Vanna once Aster's plan had kicked off in earnest. Had Aster not been stopped by Dawn and himself, there was a good chance that almost half the Hunter clan would have met their end on that very day. And it had been a part of the story so hard for the wolf to deliver, that he had to pause before it long enough to steal a small swig from a flask he had been hiding in his breast pocket. A shot of courage to power through discussing the very idea of Zach and Vanna dying along with him due to his own perceived incompetence.

In the perfect scenario, without Dawn there to poison the old ram and his henchrams, and without Nick and Judy to warn everyone should the investigation had been the only lead into discovering the plot, Vernon and his brother Wade would have presumably met their ends in the first wave of the attack. In Vernon's case, with no one to warn him, he would have most certainly been exposed to the fumes on his way home from work, whereas Wade would have presumably been nabbed on the job.

As for his Father, Zach and Vanna, they would have met their end at the barrel of McCria and Merino's Night Howler pistols. Leaving the feral officers to tear the others caught in the confusion to shreds while those traitors ran with their tails between their legs. Five Hunters, four blood relatives, and one mate, all snuffed out in less than twenty-four hours. How would his brothers have taken something like that? Dawn? Or by the gods, his mother. All most of which would have been lost at the hooves of trusted friends. Mammals his father knew. Prey he believed to be his friends. It made Vernon sick to think about, all the pain and ire that had been seated in his chest now dropping into his stomach as he felt the overwhelming urge to gag.

With all that off the old wolf's chest, a picture was starting to become much clearer for Vernon, the haze around just what had caused such extreme behavior from his old Mam'. But it still didn't fully connect as the reasoning behind why he so staunchly denied bringing Dawn into the pack. After all, he had only mentioned the ewe in passing when talking about Asters plan, the focus had largely been on his co-conspirators. But taking the old wolf at his word, he let the old mammal continue, hoping that he would bring Vernon up to speed on why he had spurned the pair if it wasn't over Dawn being tangentially tied to Aster's plans.

McCria and Merino's arrest was, by his father's own admission, the moment he began to buckle. Sworn to secrecy over the whole affair, labeling their departure to an 'early retirement', the wolf had started drinking that night. But it was as the days progressed that would see him completely fall apart, and it was at this point he admitted to Vernon what the crux of everything had been about.

The wolf had lost his faith in his own judgment, in his ability to make any sort of important decisions and go by his gut. In essence, he had lost his faith in the Hunter family intuition, something the old wolf had relied upon longer than Vernon had been alive. It was a bombshell, something that nearly forced Vernon to speak, merely to ask the wolf to repeat himself. But his father was into the worst of it now, the confession pouring out of him like a deluge as he neurotically ran a paw through his hair again and again in an effort to get a hold of himself. His rambling and shuddering reaching a scale that reminded Vernon largely of Ulric's general demeanor when defending his most fervently believed theories.

Over the next few weeks he had pulled back a bulk of his role at the station, sticking mostly to paperwork and administrative duties, and as his condition worsened he found himself unable to make even the simplest decisions without second-guessing himself. All because he was terrified. Horrified by the idea of another false friend among his officers. Petrified that somehow the next bad decision or call could mean the death of his family in some way, even if the circumstances made little to no sense. All the while the wolf couldn't tell a soul, not just because of the investigation, and the secrecy surrounding it, but because of his status in the community. Because of what he represented to the mammals of the North Meadowlands, and most importantly, his family.

It was almost too much for Vernon to take. So much information, so much emotion from his father of all mammals. Vernon was reeling as he struggled to take it all in. To parse it with the emotions that still fought to contradict one another inside his heart. He was still angry, albeit less so after all his father had said. But his father and the state he was in had done well to chip through his defenses and earn genuine sympathy. There was a great deal of truth in what his father said. Not just in his admission, but what he had said about how others perceived him, how Vernon perceived him. Since Vernon had been a puppy up until their falling out he had seen his father as a mammal worth looking up to. A kind, albeit sometimes stubborn wolf who spent his life looking out for everyone else. No matter what happened to the Hunters, as long as Dorian stood cool-headed and resolute, the rest of the family knew they were fine. But Vernon had never considered just how heavy that crown had weighed.

Concluding his tale, the wolf dabbed at the corner of his eyes. He hadn't truly burst into tears. The most that had happened was the hint of moisture forming at the corners of his eyes. But that was what Vernon had come to expect of the ol' mam. He was a wolf that rarely teared up any more than glossy eyes. Vernon always knew when it came to crying, he had inherited his mother's genes almost exclusively. But still, after all of that explanation, all of the opening up, the wolf still couldn't quite make the connection to exactly why Dorian had been so against Dawn, and so against the idea of the two being tithed. And seeing as how the wolf had grown quiet, Vernon felt now was the time to speak.

"But why Pa?" Vernon muttered softly.

Dorian pawed at his eye as he glanced Vernon's way. "Why what son?"

"Why were y'all so hard on Dawn?" Vernon asked. "On me?"

The white wolf let out a tired sigh, hunching slightly as he stared off and away from the wolf.

"Well....part of the reason was because..." The wolf scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You gettin' tithed was a call I had to make."

Vernon eyes widened slightly as the last of the dots connected in his mind.

"A-and-" Vernon muttered shakily. "And you were afraid?"

The wolf gave a slow, reluctant nod.

"Afraid that giving us the okay to get tithed would somehow hurt the family?" Vernon continued. "As in the reputation?"

Dorian snorted, shaking his head dismissively.

"I don't care about the reputation!" The wolf muttered. "Even if that gal hadn't done what she did to stop her pa, and was just recoverin' from bein' in jail I still wouldn't have cared about her comin' into the family!' But..." Dorian shook his head again. "I couldn't trust her after what happened!"

Vernon quirked a brow. "After what happened?" The wolf let out a slight scoff. "But Pa, you said yerse-"

"I know what I said!" Dorian snapped back, turning to face the wolf so quickly it startled Vernon. But almost as soon as he had, the wolf quickly backed down, seemingly ashamed of what he had done. Dorian leaned into a paw, covering his eyes.

"I couldn't trust my intuition Vern!" The wolf spat. "I couldn't trust anythin' anymore...I..."

Dorian ran his claws through his hair again, his paw shaking enough to actually make it messier rather than neater.

"Ya'll come in here expectin' me to make this big decision!" Dorian gestured a paw at Vernon. "Not that y'all could have known what was goin' on, but..." The wolf flopped his arm to his side, letting out a sigh. "And knowin' who she was, who her father was, I just-"

"Pa-."

"I know it was wrong, I knew it the whole time!" The wolf continued. "My gut was tellin' me she was earnest, hell she damn well earned her right to tithe when she stepped into my office and fought fer ya'll!"

The wolf turned away from his son once more, leaning into his paws has he hunched deeper into his shoulders.

"But If I was wrong, and she hurt you..." The wolf whimpered softly. "I'd n-never forgive myself Vern."

Vernon felt the last of his emotional barrier give way as he reached a paw over to his father, placing it gingerly on his shoulder in an effort to comfort the old wolf. The anger was still there somewhere, muted, buried and desperately trying to remind Vernon of all the hateful words he had said. But it was no match for his more sympathetic side. Clearly another gift he could blame his mother for.

"I know it doesn't make any sense." The wolf continued, whimpering softly. "I knew she had done her time, and even saved the city from her ol' 'mam. But..." The wolf mumbled. "Not only was it a risky call that fell to me, but she was related to Aster by blood, and she seemed so sincere...so trustworthy...just like they did..."

The wolf slowly raised his head, meeting Vernon's concerned gaze with glimmering eyes.

"It was easier and safer to deny it." The wolf shuddered. "To just push it away and wait till I sorted things out on my own." Dorian pawed at the corner of his eye, trying desperately to chase away the start of tears.

"I was afraid Vernon." The wolf sniffled. "Afraid to admit I was afraid." Dorian's shuddered. "Afraid that somehow, if I made that call, you'd get hurt. And I just....couldn't do it."

Vernon offered the wolf a small smile. His father's reasoning finally made clear and perfect sense, and ironically it was partially due to what Yuri had discussed with him earlier that really made it hit home for the wolf. Just like he and his brothers fell into roles when they came back to the ranch, his father had his own role that he never truly left. It was comfortable to the rest of the family, familiar. That stoic wolf, that pillar of the family who kept things in line and looked at every situation with a cool head. It was what he and his brothers had come to expect from him by default, and in that way they had forgotten that he was a mammal just like any other, a mammal just like them. But unlike Yuri, Dorian was too afraid to let that image slip out of his grasp. To afraid to admit he was afraid, and so he lashed out at the mammals who were inadvertently poking at him with a stick.

"But yer Ma, she was right." The wolf suddenly spoke.

Vernon blinked dumbly at the wolf, tilting his head slightly to the side in confusion. His father seemed to catch his expression out of the corner of his eye, letting out another tired sigh.

"Yer an adult Vern, all of you boys are." The wolf sighed. "And like you even said yesterday, my jurisdiction over what y'all do with yerself ended years ago." The wolf shook his head softly.

"Whether or not you want to tithe Dawn, it's yer call to make, not mine." The wolf placed a paw on Vernon's shoulder, giving the wolf a soft pat as he stared back at him.

"Y'all trust her, and that's the only mammal who's trust really counts." The wolf sighed softly as he placed his paw back to his side. "And I should have respected that."

Vernon smiled widely. "Do you mean that Pa?"

Dorian chuckled. "O'course I do!" The wolf gave his son another pat on the shoulder. A sharper, more playful swat. "Me givin' my approval is suppose'ta be more of a formality as it is." The wolf looked down slightly, a look of shame crossing his muzzle.

"And while I may be havin' trouble trustin' myself, I should have realized I should be able to trust ya'll." The wolf chuckled softly. "And yer ma."

Vernon snickered slightly. "I take it ma gave y'all quite a time?"

The wolf scoffed, slapping a paw against his knee. "Are y'all kiddin'? I was hopin' to get a little more mercy points from y'all considerin' yer ma practically tore my ear off about what I had done!"

That earned a loud laugh from Vernon, and Dorian was quick to share in the chuckle as the two sat beside one another.

"Still..." Dorian said, letting out a pleasant sigh as his laughter trailed away. "She was right."

"Ma usually is." Vernon replied with a snicker.

"Well don't tell her I said that." Dorian chuckled. "She don't need an even bigger ego on her than she has! I get to decide little enough as it is outside my precinct!"

The pair shared another hearty chuckle, complete with the older white wolf slapping Vernon on the back a little to sharply before the laughter began to die down. Vernon let out a long, amused sigh as his father continued to chuckle before the pair ultimately grew quiet. He was glad his father had seen the error of his ways, more or less. And while what happened was still a sore spot for Vernon, that would most likely still require some time to heal. His father apologizing so soon, and in person was a great start when it came to mending that relationship. Still, there was something the law wolf had said that had stayed with the wolf. An unfinished sentence, or presumably unfinished that lead Vernon to believe there was still more behind his father's behavior toward him.

"Pa?" Vernon asked.

"Hmm?' The wolf replied.

"When y'all were explaining why you were so dead set against me and Dawn gettin' together..." The wolf trailed off, tapping his fingers together idly. "Ya'll said somethin' like 'part of the reason y'all acted that was way because of bein' afraid?"

The wolf gave a slow, reluctant nod, which was enough to encourage Vernon to continue.

"Well...er..." Vernon scratched the back of his head awkwardly, averting his gaze from the older wolf. "What was the other reason?"

Dorian let out a long, tired sigh as he leaned on his knees.

"Vernon, we don't...." The wolf muttered, placing a paw over his eyes. "We don't speak much these days." The wolf huffed quietly. "We haven't since...since..." The wolf couldn't seem to muster finishing his statement.

"Since I left for college?" Vernon interjected.

The wolf gave a slow, decisive nod.

"We used to be so close, you and me..." Dorian muttered. "Then y'all went through that phase."

"I remember..." Vernon groaned. It was still embarrassing and uncomfortable to think about. The reaction managed to earn a chuckle out of his father.

"So do I." The wolf continued. " But y'all came back around. And the two of us were right back to bein' best friends again." The wolf chuckled, a smile forming across his muzzle as if he were recalling the rather fond memories.

"But after you left to become a carpenter-"

"Architect."

"Right. Well either way..." The wolf continued, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Things never sorta...mended right."

"Well..." Vernon murmured. " I mean, you never cared for what I chose to do." The wolf replied bluntly. "It was bound to put a strain on things."

"I know." Dorian sighed, raising his head to rest it on a paw and glancing at Vernon out of the corner of his eye.

"I was selfish." The wolf admitted. "I just...I wanted what I thought was the best fer y'all."

"I figured." Vernon said bluntly. His father's reasoning wasn't exactly a surprise. He knew that despite the coldness, and how little they talked, the ultimate reason behind his behavior was that he thought Vernon should have been a cop just as he was.

"I know that sounds dumb but..."The wolf chuckled. "I didn't want it to be that way, ya know?" The wolf asked.

Vernon simply quirked a brow.

"Yer Grandpa had browbeat me so hard over bein' a farmer." The wolf chuckled softly. "And I promised myself the day yer older brothers were born I'd never be like that."

Dorian glanced back to his son, his ears sagging slightly behind his head. "And I didn't push it! I really tried not to!"

Vernon rolled his eyes, letting out a scoff at his father's bald-faced lie.

"I mean that! I do!" The wolf protested, gesturing at the wolf to listen.

"I taught y'all police stuff growin' up because I thought it would help y'all through life." The wolf sighed. "To try and instill a good moral compass in y'all."

"With take-down exercises?" Vernon smirked.

Dorian rolled his eyes. "It worked fer you didn't it?" The wolf smirked. "If them reports from before yer bad years were anythin' to go by." Dorian let out a soft chuckle. "Hell, it's how you met little Dawn the first time weren't it?"

Vernon scoffed, crossing his arms defensively. "It's not exactly like I won that fight myself." Vernon muttered. "Zach helped me."

"But y'all were always like that." Dorian sighed warmly. "Since you started crawlin' you just...you had this..."The wolf paused, seemingly struggling to choose his next words. "You had this sense about y'all, this determination."

Vernon raised an eyebrow curiously.

"And as you grew that little light just shown more and more." The wolf chuckled. "And that day you saved yer little friend Dawn, well...It just reminded me so much of myself."

"Huh?" Vernon asked, his ears skewing in differing directions.

"How do y'all think I met Dawn's mother?" Dorian smirked. "Bein' picked on runs in that family, and as a pup I wasn't the type to tolerate that."

Vernon's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "W-wait, are you sayin' you had a thing fer-?"

Dorian let out a loud laugh, the wolf giving his knee a swat as he tried to keep from doubling over with laughter. It took his father several seconds to get a hold of himself, the white wolf trying to fight back the lingering urge to laugh as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"O' course not!" The wolf let out a few more snickers. "I'm strictly a pred mammal, no offense." The wolf let out a pleasant sigh. "But we were pretty tight as far as friendships go."

It was a silly question, after all Clover had told Vernon much the same story when they had first met in the hospital. But on the off chance it was a possibility that perhaps his father had unrequited feelings for the ewe that she didn't share, it wasn't entirely off base.

The wolf ran a paw through his mane of hair as he turned his gaze back to the wolf.

"But the point I'm tryin' to make is that it was like history repeatin' itself." The wolf continued. "And it set in stone my little inklin' that you had the most potential out of all yer brothers when it came to becomin' an officer like yer old mam'."

The wolf leaned on a paw, glancing back at Vernon from the corner of his eye.

"Of course, you growin' up to be the biggest and strongest out of the rest of yer brothers, as well as the rest of them goin' into law made me even more hopeful that you'd shine like the sun as a cop." Dorian laughed weakly. "I even imagined y'all bein' the chief of precinct one, someday. Blowin' well past this little district and showin' Zootopia what a Hunter can do."

Dorian let out a sigh as he leaned himself back up, taking a moment to straighten his tie before glancing back to his son.

"Of course, at some point, I went from encouragin' you right into demandin' you to do what I wanted." Dorian sighed. "I kept tellin' myself you were just resistin' workin' in a career like mine because you were afraid of hurtin' mammals after yer little time 'bein' bad'. But at a certain point I just became blind to the life y'all wanted for yerself." The wolf chuckled softly. "I fell right into the same trap my Pa did, and I was too stubborn to admit it to y'all."

With that, the wolf placed a paw on Vernon's shoulder, his steely grey eyes glimmering slightly as he regarded his son.

"I just saw such a potential in you, and I..." The wolf sighed. "I couldn't let go."

The wolf rolled his eyes. "And then you bein' by yerself in Zootopia, strugglin' to make ends meet and doin' the gods know what just had me frettin' for ya." The wolf chuckled weakly. "But It ain't like I was gonna tell y'all that."

Vernon opened his muzzle to reply, only for Dorian to continue talking over him.

"All that did was make me more paranoid." The wolf continued. "And then y'all gettin' close to Dawn so quick with what happened, and comin' round to ask-"

"Okay, okay." Vernon cut the wolf off, trying his best to stifle the laughter as he stared back at the concerned looking wolf. Dorian was starting to remind him a bit more of his mother now, and it was making him question just whose traits he had truly inherited when it came to being emotional.

"I understand Pa, I understand." Vernon answered.

Dorian responded with a relieved sigh, giving the wolf a soft pat on the shoulder.

"But yer Ma is still right." Dorian added. "It's yer life, and as long as whatever yer doin' makes you happy, then I'll be happy too."

Vernon flashed his father a genuine smile, only for the older wolf to do the same in kind. With another firm pat, the older wolf rose to his feet, taking a moment to dust off his pant legs before turning to face Vernon once again.

"Welp, I think we've kept 'em waiting long enough, don't y'all think?" The wolf said, gesturing to the bedroom door.

"Wha-?" Vernon froze, suddenly remembering the point of the whole evening, of the tux he was now clad in. In an instant, the wolf shot to his feet, nearly falling forward due to the sudden surge of adrenaline that was now running through his veins.

"RIGHT!" Vernon barked, his voice breaking slightly as he pulled at his collar. "Right, yeah!" The wolf murmured, swaying slightly. He was light-headed, perhaps from jumping to his feet too quickly, or his nerves, or some combination of the two, but it was enough to force the wolf to clasp his father's shoulder for support momentarily. Dorian gripped Vernon back, keeping the wolf steady until he managed the shake off the feeling, at least to some degree.

Dorian let out a hoarse laugh, the white wolf shaking his head at his son's display.

"Damn it boy, y'all really got to stop actin' like me so much." the wolf snickered.

Vernon furrowed his brow, letting out a scoff before attempting to walk past the old 'mam, but he had barely made it a step before Dorian placed a paw out to stop him.

"Easy boy, easy." The wolf chuckled, bring his paws to the wolf's tie and straightening it for him. Dorian gently pat the tie, then dusted Vernon's jacket before placing a paw to his chin and giving Vernon a quick once over.

Seemingly satisfied, the wolf stepped aside, gesturing for his son to move forward.

"There." Dorian remarked. "Now yer fit to be tithed."

"Tithed?" Vernon asked.

Dorian chuckled. "I figured it was implied by now but..." The wolf tapped at his chin, flashing Vernon a rather sly smirk. "Just who do y'all think really set this thing up?"

Vernon could feel the tears forming in his eyes as he stared at the old wolf standing next to him. This was what his mother had been talking about when it came to the 'big surprise'. His father had been in on it all along.

"Y-you mean y-y-you-?" Vernon could barely finish his sentence as the tears began to stream from his eyes.

Dorian placed a paw behind his head, scratching it uncomfortably as he let out a soft chuckle.

"I-I figured well..." Dorian murmured. " Look, I don't expect you to just pretend like nothin' happened." The wolf sighed. "To forgive me after everythin' with little more than just an apology." Dorian winced slightly as he glanced back at his son, his steely grey eyes meeting Vernon's waterlogged green ones. "I need to earn that trust back, to show y'all that I mean what I say."

"So I figured..." The wolf gave a weak shrug. "While this doesn't exactly absolve this ol' wolf of his sins..." The wolf rolled his eyes slightly, flashing his teeth as he winced uneasily. "At the very least, maybe y'all can consider this a good start?"

The wolf had barely finished his sentence before Vernon wrapped his arms around him, giving the old white wolf the tightest bear hug he could muster as he continued to weep into his father's shoulder. It took a moment for the wolf to return the hug, patting Vernon's back gently as he met the bear hug with equal fervor.

They stood like that for a while before Dorian broke the hug, the white wolf pawing at his eyes in an effort to hide the now very visible stream of tears that were flowing down his fur as he averted his gaze from Vernon's own.

"A-Alright, alright." The wolf sniffled. "Try to pull it together son, or else you'll ruin yer mom's makeup."

Vernon wiped a paw across his snout, sniffling as sharply as he could in order to suck back the tears.

"R-right, right." Vernon shuddered. "It's time to Alpha up." The grey wolf sniffled again, taking a moment to pat down his deep green tux again. "I'm gettin' mar-OH!"

With that, the wolf felt at his pockets frantically, before turning his attention to his father. After the emotional roller-coaster that was his father's confession, he had not only almost forgotten the wedding all-together, but also his unfinished vows.

"Pa, I need those vows!" The wolf said, reaching a paw out and flicking his fingers frantically.

Dorian chuckled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the crumpled page and placing it in Vernon's palm.

"Personally I don't think you need 'em." Dorian said with a smirk.

Vernon re-read the scribbled notes again and again. It was still subpar, but it was all he had.

"These vows are already leagues ahead o' what I came up with fer my tithe, and I didn't even end up usin' anthin' I wrote down in the end." The wolf concluded. "When I was standin' there, lookin' into yer mother's eyes." The wolf sighed pleasantly. "All that love starin' back at me just....the words just came."

Dorian flashed the wolf a confident smile. "And I have a feelin' they'll come to you all the same when yer standin' up there with Dawn."

Vernon stared back at his father dubiously as he folded the paper up and placed it into his breast pocket.

"I thought y'all told me to stop actin' so much like you?" Vernon replied, raising a brow curiously.

Dorian chuckled softly.

"Well, I'll let it slide just this once."

Dorian leaned forward slightly, bowing his head and gesturing with a paw for his son to begin to walk forward. However, just shy a passing by the white wolf, Vernon felt a paw suddenly grip at right wrist.

Turning to meet his father's gaze once more, the white wolf pulled his arm upward, holding it up in Vernon's eyeline as he inspected the tribal bracelet Yuri had given him just hours earlier with a keen eye. Dorian studied it for a moment, a frown forming on his muzzle as he turned his attention back to Vernon.

"Not the best night to borrow trouble from yer brother don't y'all thing?" Dorian asked.

Vernon quirked a curious brow, one of his ears skewing off to the side slightly.

Dorian tapped the bracelet with a claw. "You'd best put this somewhere Yuri might have figured he left it by accident er' somethin' before he spots it on you." The wolf shook his head. "I ain't never seen that boy take that thing off fer anythin'."

Vernon offered his father a bemused smile.

"Anything?" The wolf asked. "Really?

Dorian chuckled. "Last time they were out here, and I asked about it, Ada told me the boy showered with it on." Dorian smirked. "I can't tell ya how happy it made that gal when I told her that was the boys way of tellin' her she really meant somethin' to him."

Vernon's smile grew wider, flashing his teeth slightly as it grew into something more genuine.

"I wouldn't worry about it Pa." Vernon replied as the old wolf released his grip on Vernon's wrist, offering the wolf a confused expression of his own. "It ain't like that, trust me..."

Dorian shook his head, the seemingly confused wolf letting out a tired sigh before offering a the wolf a small smirk.

"I trust you." Dorian replied.

Vernon smiled back. "Thanks Pa."

And with that, the old law wolf lead Vernon out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them as Vernon marched toward his future.