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Chapter Fifty: Under the Harvest Moon

Butterflies. That was part of the term anyway. 'To have butterflies in one's stomach'. It was a phrase the ewe had heard and used many times throughout her life, especially within her own romantic writings. And as for feeling the sensation herself, well she was no stranger to it, especially when it came to her interactions with the tall, handsome wolf standing by her side. But at the moment, it felt only half accurate in describing just how she was feeling. The all-encompassing tingling that had swelled within her core before spreading over every inch of her was so much bigger than just 'butterflies'. Perhaps a flock of butterflies would have been apt? Or a swarm considering they were considered a form of insect. Maybe even 'pack' would have been a better turn of phrase when it came to describing the fluttering feeling that was overwhelming her considering who was at fault. A swirling torrent of elation and giddiness swallowing her entirely as she stared into the inviting deep green eyes of her smiling mate. Vernon's broad, fanged smile causing her heart to skip a beat as he offered his paw.

She could feel her muzzle involuntarily dipping into her bouquet as she offered a coy hoof up to her Puppy. A mixture of bashfulness, and a nervous impulse to start grazing on the flowers she had been clutching so tightly to her chest making her feel that much more shy. Her mother had already scolded her for nibbling at the bouquet during the preparations, warning her that if she kept at it there would be little more than stems left to toss at the ceremonies conclusion. But the way Vernon was looking at her, those forest green eyes filled with such admiration, for her of all mammals. She couldn't help but shrink under the sheer intensity of it. It was like basking in the warmest, purest light; so powerful it made her excited and nervous at the same time. And that hint of nervousness, while no longer related to her vows but rather the anticipation of what was to come, made the unconscious grazing that much harder to catch herself in and correct.

As she felt the wolf's paw overtake her hoof she could taste the savory sweetness of bell heather's filling her mouth. The flower had been her favorite since she had been a little lamb for a multitude of reasons, the least of which being that it was named by one of her very own ancestors. It was for that reason the flower found its way to North Mammalia, and why her family often cultivated it in some form or another. Like her mother before her, she had been exposed to the flower as a lamb because it always managed to find its way into the Bellwether home. And in her case, she had learned about the flower because her mother kept it in her garden. But that love of the deep purple, bell-like flowers was deeper than simply how it tied into her family history. Aside from being her favorite color, and tasting particularly good, it reminded the ewe of some of the happier moments in her younger years. Those times spent working in the garden with her mother, a shared moment of warmth and normalcy without her father around to ruin it. It represented a rare comfort from her past, a feeling of joy, of contentedness. And it was for that reason that it had earned its place in her bouquet, as well as the decorations.

Because this night, this ceremony was all that it represented. Joy, contentedness, comfort, It was what her Puppy Love had brought back to her life, and the bell heather was a mere echo of that all-encompassing, overwhelming feeling.

Vernon clutched her hoof gingerly, caressing it with a thumb as he looked into her eyes.

"I love you Dawn." Vernon spoke softly. His low, throaty tone sending shivers down the ewe's spine.

"I love you too Vernon..." Dawn cooed, struggling to hold back the tears of joy trying to force their way to the surface. She knew she had to hold on, the ceremony hadn't even started yet.

"Dawnie!" Piercing the warm, lovely aura that had enveloped the pair, the ewe could hear her mother's voice. It was enough to snap her out of her haze, as well as make her aware that she hadn't simply been imagining the taste of the bell heathers. The sweetness of the flowers had a weight, a mass, and she was chewing it. The flavor of them mixing with the slightly bitter taste of the mums in her muzzle.

Glancing to the side of her mate, she could see that her mother had taken a place beside the altar, along with Vernon's father. The older ewe dabbed behind her lenses with a tissue as she gestured for her daughter to lower the bouquet.

"Stop nibbling!" The older ewe warned quietly. "Remember that bouquet is still needed!"

Dawn immediately retracted her muzzle, blushing sharply as she forced down what little of the flowers were in her mouth. With a swift motion, the bouquet was by her waist, the ewe hugging it tightly against herself in an effort to keep it from drifting back up within grazing range.

She could hear Vernon chuckling. The wolf had probably found her nervous grazing cute, but for her the involuntary action was mortifying. Mindless munching and bleating were things reserved for ancient, uncivilized sheep. Yet here she was, chewing and grinding down her own flowers like some sort of primitive, stone age ewe. And on her wedding day? A day she had spent her whole life dreaming of? The ewe couldn't help but curse herself for failing to keep her primitive urges in check.

At the very least the ewe could take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one whose 'natural tendencies' were slipping out. For as cool and collected as Vernon now seemed, the wolf's posture and stance reflective of just how seriously he was taking the 'formal decorum' aspect of the ceremony, the wolf was betrayed by rapid swishing of his grey and cream colored tail as it whipped through the chilly night air. The swift movements steadily adding wrinkle after wrinkle to the backside of his finely pressed formal pants. It was amusing and endearing, so much so that it had her own stubby little tail twitching along with it for a few moments before that creeping discomfort returned. Was wagging her own tail uncivilized? For a wolf it was somewhat expected, but for a ewe...?

But as if to answer her internal scolding, the ewe felt her mate's grip tighten around her hoof slightly. The ginger gesture seemingly an attempt to reassure the ewe that everything was fine. Dawn glanced up at her mate, the wolf flashing her a warm, comforting smile as he rubbed the top of her hoof with his thumb as if to confirm what she was already thinking. And while it did well to chase away the momentary dark cloud her little munching incident had created in her mind, in its place returned a bashfulness so intense it forced the ewe quickly avert her gaze, raising the bouquet in her other hoof to hide her muzzle once more, but this time well and far away from her actual snout.

"Alright..." Gus' rather quiet, weak voice drew Dawn's attention forward tentatively. His voice had been so hushed the ewe had barely heard it

Dawn watched the goat's rectangular pupils dart uneasily from side to side as he seemingly scanned the notes in his possession, the billy chewing his lip momentarily before glancing back up at the larger assembly of mammals that surrounded them. Placing a hoof on his muzzle, Gus awkwardly attempted to clear his throat. The little performance dragged on quite a bit longer than the ewe had expected, the sharp series of phlegmy coughs meandering as the goat continued to scan the crowd. She knew he was nervous, that much was evident from the brief chat they had before the ceremony began. But Gus' condition had only seemed to worsen now that all eyes were on him. In fact, she was certain that during his trilling stanza of coughs the goat had in inadvertently bleated somewhere within the noise, a sure sign that much like her, the billy's nerves were starting to tug on dormant caprid instincts. But eventually, the seemingly endless cough came to a close as the goat allowed his hoof to trail down his beard before turning his attention back to the cue cards.

"I um..." The goat shook his head slightly, letting off a nervous chuckle as he cast his glance down at Dawn and Vernon.

"I don't suppose you guys are doing the whole dowry thing?" The goat chuckled weakly. "Looking to put in that down payment?"

Dawn smirked slightly, more of an attempt to put their mutual friend at ease than infectious mirth.

"No." Dawn replied.

"I'm afraid that hasn't been done for a millennia mister Hornsley." The reply had come from off to Dawn's side, the tone distinctly her mother's own. Clover chuckled as weakly as the old billy had, the ewe sniffling slightly as she dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissue.

"I was trying...I uh..." Gus braced his neck with a hoof, rubbing it uneasily as he shifted his attention back to the card. "A little...caprid humor..." The goat grimaced, tapping his cards against the altar sharply as he let the air out of his muzzle. "Stupid, stupid..." The billy whispered to himself, although Dawn had just barely been able to make it out.

"It's alright Gus." Her mate reassured the goat. "Just keep goin'."

"Pushing through..." The goat nodded, his attention fixed on the cards in his hooves. "We're pushing through..." Dawn could see his nostrils flare as Gus let out a sharp, shaky exhale.

Gus let out another sharp cough, but thankfully for everyone's sake, this one was mercifully shorter.

"Okay, so..." Gus mumbled, the goat taking a visibly deep breath before turning his attention to the crowd once more.

"Blessings and Merry we meet to you mammals of many pelts. To those who bear horns or fangs. To those who bear hooves or claws." The goat's voice wavered slightly as he tugged at his collar with a hoof. "We are gathered here to witnesses the union, both in the traditions of predator and prey and under their respective gods, of two souls." Dawn could see Gus' grip on the cards in his hooves tighten slightly, the sweat that had begun to permeate his fur gleaming in the warm lighting of the altar.

"Ahem..." The goat coughed again, shuddering slightly. For a moment Dawn could see him silently mouthing something to himself, a short phrase or series of words he seemed to repeat over and over, although she couldn't decipher them.

"You won't faint buddy." Vernon whispered, drawing the ewe's attention to the handsome wolf standing by her side. Unlike their mutual friend, her mate was looking significantly more relieved. "You got this."

For a moment, the goat looked as if he was going to rebuff the wolf's assessment. But instead, Gus gave Vernon a timid nod before shifting his attention back to the cards in his hoof.

"T-They shall be bound by their love, by their strength, by their joy, and by their sorrows." Gus' continued, his voice breaking slightly at the start."The souls which inhabit these mammals will be forever connected, and even in death and beyond they shall always return to one another."

"And I humbly ask that the gods, Freyja, Oldwynn, Hornunnus and Cervidwen, to bless their union, and to watch over and protect the couple who stands before me." Gus' tone began to stabilize as he read onward, the nervousness fading as the billy seemed to find his footing. Dawn could see the nervous smile on his muzzle growing into something resembling a rising confidence as he turned his attention back to the pair.

"Ah-heh-hem." The goat's cough was dramatic, delivered with the hint of a flourish.

"Noble Vernon Hunter and Lady Dawn Bellwether have asked for you to share in their joy, and to declare the depths of their love for one another before you all. To be blessed by both those among us, and those above as they embark on this journey together."

Dawn's smile began to widen as the goat read aloud the more familiar passage, even if it was slightly modernized. So much of her day had felt like a dream, so much so that she had willing pinched herself multiple times to reassure herself that she wasn't still asleep. Still curled up next to her Puppy Love in an unfamiliar and unwelcoming bed, in a home where they no longer found themselves welcome. The fact alone that Dorian had pulled a majority of the strings to make all of this happen on such short notice almost had the ewe asking Audrey just who was this wolf that had suddenly replaced her mate? But now that she was standing at the altar, under the glow of the brilliant orange harvest moon as Gus recited aloud the caprid wedding rites, the reality was truly setting in.

A lifetime of dreaming, of refining that fantasy over and over in her head, of putting it to paper and planning out every little aspect of just how she imagined it would go. So often she had found herself injecting elements from it into her own creative works, and when grinding through the doldrums of school and her eventual career, her dreams would spill into the margins of various essay and proposal drafts by way of little notes and doodles. But much like those rough drafts and essays, her dream was reluctantly and regrettably tossed aside under the belief that it was out of her reach when she found herself on the inside of a cage of her own making. A dream she didn't deserve, yet it had somehow found her. He had found her.

Despite her best efforts, Dawn could feel hot tears begin to seep out of the corners of her eyes, an unwavering smile forming on her muzzle as she swabbed behind her lenses with the side of her arm. _'So much for holding it in until the end...'_The ewe thought to herself.

"Alright, so...." Gus, flipped his note card over, taking a moment to straighten them before leveling his gaze at the wolf to her side.

"Vernon Hunter, do you love Dawn? Is there a hint of doubt or hesitance within you?" Gus asked, squinting slightly as though he were scanning the wolf for some sort of obvious tell or bluff.

Vernon glanced over to the ewe, that warm, inviting smile returning to his muzzle as his deep green eyes seemed to swell with love.

"I ain't never had a moments doubt." Vernon replied confidently. "I love her..." The wolf continued, smiling softly. "I reckon I always have."

Dawn wanted to turn away again. To hide the hot flash of crimson that she could feel had overtaken her cheeks and muzzle. Her skin tingled with excitement, and the ewe had to suppress the urge to giggle as he kept her eyes locked on to her own.

One thing she hadn't accounted for in all of her fantasies, was how to get through the whole affair without becoming a swooning mess of a ewe. Well that, and the species of the groom. But now that she stood there, looking at the striking wolf standing at her side, with his warm inviting smile and gently wagging tail, Dawn found it hard to think clearly over the overwhelming swirling of emotion that wracked her tiny frame.

She had only had to hear him say _'I love you'_to become putty in his paw, in heart and mind. Vernon had always had that effect on her to some degree, whether he was fully aware of it or not. But at the moment, that same declaration he had made so many times before felt that much more powerful, more amplified. It reverberated through the ewe, her heart fluttering inside her chest as she squeezed his paw as tightly as she could. The tingling in her skin felt like little lighting strikes as she tried desperately to suppress the urge to giggle like a little school ewe and further embarrass herself.

"Dawn, remember!" The chilver whispered from across the way, placing a hoof over her mouth and shaking her head before gesturing to the ewe's bouquet.

Glancing down, Dawn noticed that her bouquet had once again drifted back up to her muzzle, her mouth just shy of biting into another clump of flowers. In her efforts to keep from giggling, she had once again slipped into grazing mode.

"Dags!" Dawn hissed under her breath, before jerking the bouquet back down against her chest. Taking a moment to shake off yet another small embarrassment, the ewe fixed her gaze back up on the smiling wolf to her side, fighting through the overwhelming urge to look away and hide her growing blush.

She had to keep it together, if no other reason than to make sure that Vernon heard her as clearly as she had heard him. That was what mattered. Not her nerves, or the fact that she kept gnawing on her bouquet, not even the wedding itself. And she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.

"Well, there's a surprise." Gus chuckled softly before turning his attention to the diminutive ewe. The billy cleared his throat, eyeing the ewe curiously before speaking.

"Dawn Bellwether, do you love Vernon? Is there a hint of doubt or hesitance within you?" Gus rephrased, directing the same question at the ewe.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Dawn looked deep into Vernon's adoring eyes and smiled warmly.

"Of course I love him." Dawn cooed, tears continuing to seep from the corners of her eyes. "With all my heart and soul, always."

To the ewe's surprise, it was the wolf who broke eye contact this time. His lovely green eyes shifting down, the grin on his face became rather goofy looking as a blush permeated his fur. His tail began wagging so sharply that the ewe could feel the breeze it created from where she stood as the wolf squeezed her hoof tightly.

Seemingly satisfied, Gus leaned back slightly, his attention turning back to the crowd of mammals as he shifted to his next card.

"You may no-" The goat suddenly stopped, looking at his cards again before cursing under his breath and sharply shuffling them around. Dawn stifled a giggle as she caught Vernon rolling his eyes. From behind her, the ewe could hear a few of the other Hunters chuckling at the goat's error.

"Sorry, little premature there." The goat announced uneasily. "Must have got....shuffled around...anywho..." Tapping his cards against the altar once again, Gus squinted at the text before clearing his throat again.

"With the permission of the er...head member of each family, the rite shall commence." Gus concluded, turning his attention to the older mammals standing to the side of the altar.

Dorian, dressed in his rather sharp grey tuxedo was the first to step forward. The older, icy white wolf taking a moment to dust his lapel before glancing over to his son with a kind smile.

The ewe couldn't help but hold her breath as the law wolf gesture to the pair's interlocked hands, his ears skewing at different angles as if to ask his son's permission to inspect his mate.

She could feel the reluctance in Vernon's paw as his grip slowly softened, and she shared in it for a multitude of reasons. Despite knowing what Dorian had done for them, all the planning along with Audrey and Clover, he had spoken very little with Dawn throughout the entire day's events. The most she had seen of him in the hours leading up to the ceremony was when the wolf would occasionally poke his head in the girl's bedroom to check Clover's progress with her and to make sure things were still on schedule. It was only after Vernon was already outside, that Dorian would come to spend a somewhat extended period of time with her, the white wolf having led her to the same porch he had presumably lead Vernon to just moments before.

It was on that porch, awaiting the call of the bridal march that the wolf would finally speak directly to her, instead of talking around her.

_"Dawn..."_The wolf spoke, drawing the timid and trembling ewe's attention away from the screen door to the wolf at her side. His steely gaze remained fixed on the wall, as if he were trying to peer through the plastic flap covering the screen door to the ceremony beyond, his body shuddering slightly with each breath.

She could recall his soft, mournful whine. He had tried to cover it quickly with his words, but never the less she had managed to catch it before he spoke. A somber, regretful whimper that told her whatever he was about to say seemed to trouble him terribly.

"I was wrong Dawn." Dorian sighed. "About you."_The wolf sighed. _"About everythin'."

"Mister Hunter, I-" The ewe tried to speak, but the older wolf cut her off.

"We don't have a lot of time." The wolf sighed. "And this talk deserves more time, it needs it." Dorian muttered.

She could remember the wolf running a paw through his head fur, dragging it sharply from front to back as he kept his gaze away from hers.

"I'm sorry fer all I said to you. It weren't right." The wolf continued. "None of it."

Dorian shook his head. "It was un-mammalian the way I treated you." The wolf's nostrils flared sharply as he sighed. "It would have been bad enough if I treated a stranger like that, let alone the mammal my boy loves."

Dawn could still recall the way Dorian's lip quivered as he spoke, the wolf seemingly so ashamed that it physically hurt him to talk about it.

"I could make excuses, but at the end of the day..." The wolf murmured. "It doesn't excuse takin' my problems out on others." The wolf let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "No matter how I tried to justify it to myself."

The ewe stood silently as she watched the older wolf, Dorian leaning an arm against the wall as he rested his head against it.

"You don't have to fergive me Dawn."_The wolf said somberly. _"I don't deserve it."

Turning his head slightly, Dawn was surprised to see the glimmer of tears in the wolf's eyes as he finally made eye contact with her. The weak lighting causing the moisture to shimmer over his steely grey irises as his ears sagged sharply behind his head.

"But you and my boy..."_The wolf whimpered. _"You deserve to be happy."

Dorian quickly wiped the gleam from his eye with a paw, flicking the moisture into the dark of the porch.

"Even if ya'll don't see fit to want me to be a part of that happiness fer all I done." The wolf's voice broke slightly, and he rubbed his neck with a paw uneasily in response. "Okay?"

She never got her chance to answer him. To tell her soon to be father-in-law whether she was willing to forgive him after all he had said and done. Before she could open her muzzle, the soothing melody of the bridal march began to filter through the seams in the porch, effectively blanking her mind of any thoughts save for what was to come. And Dorian didn't seem to be waiting to hear her answer, for as soon as the music began to play, the wolf had thrown the porch door open in one swift motion. A movement that was so sharp, so sudden, it made it seem as though he might have been afraid to hear the answer she may have had for him.

She still didn't know why he had done it, whether it had to do with her personal history or something deeper. She wanted to know what_'excuses'_ he felt failed to justify his treatment of her, even if he had seen them as paltry upon reflection. More than anything, she just wanted to understand her father-in-law to be. After all, she knew what it was like to be in that terrible place, albeit that much worse and for entirely different reasons. She had lashed out at so many mammals, even if it hadn't been face to face. Mammals who had never wronged her, directly or indirectly, and had somehow managed to convince herself through an elaborate series of mental gymnastics that it was somehow justified. Simple justice for all prey at best, and revenge at worst. But she also knew that overwhelming, gut-wrenching feeling of disgust and regret when you can't lie to yourself anymore. When you're faced with that mirror into your soul, your sins laid bare to be seen without filter, without any flowery words and flimsy reasoning to obscure the truth. To see what you had really done, and be forced to live with it. Unable to undo it, only to pray for the chance for any opportunity to try and make up for it, and reaching out to others to give you that chance. And if he was willing to reach out to her now, to do all of this for her and Vernon out of a genuine feeling of remorse, well...

_"Everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they are trying."_Vernon had said those words to her shortly after they had reconnected. His reason for helping her, for trusting her after what she had done. And Dorian was clearly trying. She may not have been a Hunter, at least not yet, but she didn't need the family intuition to be able to tell that the wolf truly felt remorse.

Dawn's hoof slipped free of her mate's as it returned to gripping the base of her bouquet, the ewe standing as tall and proud as she could as Dorian turned his full attention to her.

Crossing his arms, the white wolf scanned the diminutive lamb from head to toe and back again before scratching his chin. The older wolf wore a rather curious expression, a twisted grin and pouted lips crossing his muzzle while he squinted down at her. For a moment she wasn't sure if he was being serious, or if it was to give the impression to the rest of the family that he was intensely studying her despite the fact that it was rather obvious what his final decision was going to be. Perhaps the wolf , like Gus, had a penchant for theatrics.

But it was when the older wolf crouched down to her level, leaning over her slightly before taking a deep inhale near the top of her head that took the ewe aback. The wolf took a single, deep whiff of the air around her, presumably trying to take in her scent.

Dawn had read about such things taking place at a tithe, but hadn't considered Dorian would go as far as to smell her considering that she wasn't a wolf. The strange action had caused the ewe to stiffen up slightly, her grip tightening around her bouquet as the wolf took another, more nuanced sniff.

Opening his eyes, the wolf smiled back at the ewe warmly.

"No need to be so tense Darlin'." The wolf whispered. "Merely a tradition."

The ewe gave a weak nod, smiling meekly at her father-in-law to be.

""I-I know..." Dawn murmured softly in reply.

Dorian leaned in once more, taking a smaller whiff of the air around the ewe before drawing back and letting out a soft chuckle.

"And hold off on 'that'..." The wolf grinned, bobbing his eyebrows playfully. "Until yer both back home, we only planned to accommodate howls of a more family-friendly kinda joy here."

If Dorian had wanted to make the ewe less tense, the off-hoofed comment had only served to cause her to freeze up that much more. She couldn't believe the wolf's nose was powerful enough to pick up on that. Her _'remnant estrus'_had only started to creep back in a few hours ago, and in a much more tolerably mild capacity. Yet somehow, the vague scent of her pheromones, even masked by the scent of her favorite perfume, was enough for the law-wolf to easily sniff out.

Dawn's muzzle flushed crimson as she began to slink back into her bouquet, her mind awash with a flurry of embarrassing thoughts. "Could Vernon smell it too? Could everyone? Had the girls picked up on it at all during the preparations? If so, why had no one mentioned it?"

"Dawnie de-!"

"I KNOW MOM!" Dawn barked as her head sprung back out of her bouquet, a few stray flowers tumbling from her muzzle before she turned her terribly embarrassed gaze back to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she could see some of the mammals in the crowd, their faces still awash with warm smiles. She was certain she could hear a few stray chuckles among them, which only caused her to shrink further into her shoulders. They could only be laughing at her outburst, at least, that's how it seemed.

"Well Mister Hunter?" Gus asked, the goat leaning over the podium as the white wolf rose to his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, the ewe could see Dorian's eyes shift from her to Vernon and back again as he flashed the pair an amused grin.

Placing a paw to his muzzle, the white wolf cleared his throat sharply.

"After the way that gal stood toe to toe with me without even blinkin'?" Dorian said with a smirk. "That gal has more than earned the right to call herself a Hunter."

Dawn looked back up at the large white wolf, a fresh wave of hot tears forcing themselves to the surface as he smiled warmly back at her. Despite her best efforts to hold herself together, the wolf's declaration made it impossible to stop herself from letting out a stray sob of relief. Lifting her glasses, the ewe held an arm over her eyes as she forced herself to suppress the urge to keep sobbing aloud. After everything the wolf had said, the slurs, the accusations, the ultimate denial to allow her a place within her mate's family. To hear him say she had 'earned the right to call herself a Hunter' made her heart ache with joy.

"Hell, I'd say she's more of a Hunter than me." The wolf added.

The statement earned another gasping sob from the ewe as she fought to compose herself. The urge to crumple to the ground was suddenly overwhelming, to simply fall to her knees and weep like a lamb after being rocked with such a powerful wave of emotional relief. So many emotions, so many desires running through her mind at once as she struggled to keep herself together. She wanted to hug her mate, to bury her muzzle into his chest and simply cry it out. It was only by sheer willpower was the ewe able to hold steady, dialing back her tears to little more than a soft trickle as she watched the white-furred wolf turn to face his son, offering the grey wolf the same warm smile he had shown her.

Dorian approached Vernon, gingerly bracing his son's shoulder's with his paws as he looked into his eyes.

"You treat that girl the way she deserves to be treated son..." Dorian said. His voice was quiet but powerful, his cadence trembling slightly as he spoke to his son. "And I'll always be proud of you."

Just as Dorian had forced tears to her eyes in an instant, the wolf had managed to do the same to his son. Vernon's forest green eyes glimmered with fresh tears, the wolf letting out a soft, barely audible sob of his own before sniffling sharply in an effort to hide it.

"I-I will Pa." Vernon stuttered softly, flashing the wolf a broad fanged smiled.

Dorian chuckled warmly, patting his son's shoulder softly before drawing back from him, the wolf simply backing into his previous place at the side of the altar. Dawn watched as the older wolf looked up slightly, wiping at the corner of his eyes with his sleeve before turning his attention to Dawn's mother.

"Alright, alright..." The wolf sniffled softly. With his attention on now on Clover, the wolf gestured a paw toward his son. "After you my dear." Dorian spoke quietly, his eyes shifting from the older ewe to Vernon.

Clover had apparently been just as wrapped up in the moment as everyone else had, the ewe letting out a sharp sniffle before turning her attention to the wolf at her side in surprise. The ewe quirked a curious brow as she glanced up at Vernon's father, seemingly baffled as to just what the white wolf was asking of her.

"I-I'm sorry?" Dawn could hear her mother whimper, the older lamb adjusting her glasses slightly.

Dorian gestured to Vernon again, nodding his head softly as he did.

Clover's stare shifted over to Vernon for a moment, the ewe tilting her head slightly as she appeared to mull over just what Dorian was instructing her to do. The chilver blinked dumbly in Vernon's direction for a few moments, a puzzled look on her face as she tried to make the connection.

For a moment, Dawn was equally as confused. But it didn't take very long for the ewe to catch on as she quickly mulled through the stages of a tithing rite through her head. A tithing ritual wasn't just two mammals being joined as one couple, and having it acknowledged by both respective 'packs'. They were also undergoing approval to be considered part of the other family pack.

Dorian had inspected Dawn, and given his approval to not only tithe Vernon, but to call herself a Hunter, even going so far as to sniff the ewe all for the sake of tradition. And if that was the case, then the older wolf must have been implying that it was Clover's turn to do the same.

Clover's eyes widened suddenly, the same realization seemingly coming to her as she turned sharply back to Dorian with a surprised look on her muzzle.

"Y-you mean you want me to...?" Clover asked, her expression a mixture of shock and slight amusement despite her tears. "Really?"

"It's tradition." Dorian replied quietly. "Us Hunters got to know if my boy is 'Bellwether material'."

Clover chuckled weakly, shaking her head in an apparent effort to chase away the hint of amusement in her voice. "Dorian, of course he's_'Bellwether material'_." The ewe stated, placing air quotes around the term as she spoke. "It should be obvious to-."

Dorian gestured to Vernon once again, this time with a more commanding paw.

"Then tell my boy." Dorian said with a laugh. "My pack needs to know."

Clover tilted her head slightly, her general body language once again seemingly asking the older wolf if his request was legitimate. Her jade green eyes shifted back to Vernon for a moment as an awkward, uncomfortable grin crawled across her muzzle.

"Do I need to...sniff him too?" Clover asked, glancing back up at Dorian out of the corner of her eye. "Because I don't think I'm going to pick up an-."

Dorian laughed heartily. "Darlin', I wasn't sniffin' fer anythin' specific either." The wolf laughed. "It's just how we do things."

The petite older ewe drew a hoof to her muzzle, nibbling at it uneasily as she turned her attention back to Vernon.

"Mom." Dawn whispered, stifling a giggle of her own as she watched her mother succumb to the same nervous instincts she had. "Your hooves! You'll ruin your polish!" The ewe hissed, flashing the older chilver a smug smile.

Clover glanced at her hoof before jerking it away from her muzzle, pressing the offending arm under the other as if to restrain herself from giving in to the urge to graze. Dawn could see the blush forming on her muzzle as her mother threw her a sheepish grin.

"L-Like mother like daughter I suppose..." Clover chuckled weakly, earning another giggle from Dawn. "I should be glad I'm not holding flowers."

"Y'all will both fit in just fine in this pack if that's how y'all act when ya get nervous." Dorian interjected with a laugh. "The gods know y'all can tell how stressed my Auddey is by how many hairs she's harvested from her own tail."

"Doooooriiii!" Dawn could hear Audrey whine from behind her. The whimpering call stifled slightly between her choked sobs. From off to the couple's side, the ewe caught sight of a white clump of material fly toward Dorian, clearly a wad of the she-wolf's spent tissues. However, it fell well short of it's intended target, rolling to a stop at the old law-wolf's feet. Dorian simply snickered in response.

With a nervous sigh, Dawn watched her mother warily close the gap between herself and Vernon, stopping just a few inches away from the towering wolf before looking up to him. Clover struck a similar stance to the one Dorian had, her petite form giving the air of appraisal and intrigue as her jade green eyes traced Vernon's form from top to bottom. Clover placed a hoof to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully as she chewed on her lower lip in contemplation. It seemed she was putting on her best performance just as Dorian had, but unlike the white wolf it didn't last nearly as long. She was barely done with her second pass before letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I-I think it goes without saying Vernon will make a fine Bellwether." The sheep announced with a warm smile.

Dawn watched her mate's smile widen, his toothy grin returning.

"T-thank you Miss Bellwether." Vernon stammered slightly as he spoke. Dawn could see the hint of a blush forming under his muzzle fur.

Clover's smile grew to match Vernon's own, the older ewe practically beaming up at her soon to be son-in-law.

"Well..." Clover replied warmly. "I think family tradition dictates that you can call me 'mom' now..." The ewe flashed him a wary smile, throwing a glance around the wolf, presumably Audrey's way. To Dawn, it appeared as though she was checking with the she-wolf to see if the title was _'appropriate',_perhaps worried that Audrey wasn't keen on sharing it. But soon enough Clover returned her attention to Vernon, her smile renewed and beaming.

Vernon let out another quiet, short sob, the wolf quickly placing a paw to his muzzle in a clear attempt to hide it. There were no tears this time, but the wolf's emotions were betrayed once more by the way his tail whipped frantically against the chilly autumn air.

By the time the wolf lowered his paw, his grin was stretching from ear to ear. Vernon opened his muzzle for a moment, the wolf seemingly trying to speak, but all that managed to escape his lips were a few strained, awkward whimpers before the wolf reluctantly closed it.

Clover chuckled softly, taking a moment to adjust her frames before gesturing the wolf closer.

"C'mon now son." Clover cooed. " Let's get a good....whiff of you." The ewe said with a bemused smirk.

With a soft laugh, Vernon carefully knelt down to the ewe's level, opening his arms slightly and inviting the chilver to come closer to him. With a soft giggle, Clover coyly approached the large mammal.

"I'm sorry Vernon" The ewe struggled to stifle a laugh. "Forgive me for laughing I just...I'm nervous is all." The ewe shook her head dismissively. "I-I'm not used to this sort of thing."

The wolf smiled broadly, revealing his fangs.

"It's okay...m-mom." Vernon replied, his voice faltering slightly as he spoke.

Clover drew slightly closer, looking somewhat nervous as she rubbed her upper arm with a hoof.

"Vernon....I er..." The ewe murmured quietly. "I don't have to sniff under your tail do I?" The older, more pallid ewe's features flushed slightly as her eyes shifted down to the floor.

"We never w-went over this...I didn't have a lot of time to prepare otherwise and..."

"We haven't done that fer thousands of years either." The reply had come from Dorian. "Ain't exactly....civilized."

Dawn watched as her mother's face turned hot crimson, the ewe's hoof immediately jumping to her muzzle as she began to gnaw on her fingers.

"M-mutton chops!" The chilver stuttered. "I-I'm so sorry, that m-must have come off as so culturally insensitive, and I didn't me-!"

Before the ewe could continue to dig herself a deeper hole, Vernon simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling the older lamb into a gentle hug. For a moment Dawn could see her mother tense up, most likely due to the surprise gesture. But just as quickly Clover gave into the hug, wrapping her arms as far around the strapping wolf as they could go, and burying her head into his shoulder.

"Yer alright Mom..." Vernon cooed sweetly. "Ain't nothin' to fret over, ain't no one's upset."

Dawn watched her mother's eyes swell with a renewed wave of tears as she buried her face deeper into the wolf's shoulder.

"T-thank you..." The ewe whimpered softly. "Thank you so much Vernon..." Clover lifted her glasses, swabbing at her tears with a hoof as her moist green eyes drifted over to Dawn.

"T-thank you for being there for my d-daughter..." The ewe whimpered softly. "F-for helping her b-become who I a-always knew she was..."

Dawn could feel her own tears starting to build as her mother offered her a meek smile before drawing back from the wolf, her hooves bracing his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.

"I don't think there's a mother of a-any species who wouldn't be proud to have you as their son-in-law." The ewe sniffled, swabbing under her lenses with an arm. "And I'm thankful you allowed me to be yours."

Leaning in slightly, the ewe took a short sniff of the air around Vernon releasing her grip on his shoulders. Wiping her eyes once more, the ewe turned to face the altar, a look of determination overtaking her features as she looked back up to Dorian.

"I approve." Clover said, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to force back her tears with a harsh sniffle. "The B-Bellwether flock is proud to have him."

Dorian smiled broadly at the little ewe, placing his paws on his hips.

"Now there's the ol' Cotton I remember." Dorian chuckled. "See, yer a natural!"

Despite her tears, Clover managed to roll her eyes sarcastically as she took her place next to the older wolf once more.

"Oh hush, Frosty." Clover snicked between sobs. "That nickname was retired years ago."

Dawn was surprised. Had she heard her mother right? Cotton? Frosty? She and Dorian had nicknames for one another just as she and Vernon had? The ewe glanced over to her mate, only to find the wolf glancing back at her with the same expression of confusion and bemusement. It appeared nicknames ran in both their families bloodlines.

"All right, all right..." Gus spoke up, drawing the ewe's attention back on the goat behind the altar. Unlike before, the goat had drawn the cards up to his face, obscuring his eyes and muzzle from Dawn's view. But the slight warble in his voice, combined with the goat's quick, sneaky hoof motion that Dawn was certain was an attempt to wipe stray tears from his eyes told her that her mother and Vernon's exchanged had touched him to some degree.

"Ah-hem..." The goat cleared his throat again before lowering his cue cards. "Now for the...tense part..." The goat muttered quietly, unfortunately not low enough for the ewe not to pick up on it. She had a feeling she knew what the goat was about to announce, and while it was unlikely that any of the mammals here would take him up on the_'advice'_ in the rites, it didn't make her feel any less uneasy.

Her muzzle was inches away from her bouquet when she heard Vernon's voice.

"Hey, Honey Lamb...." The wolf whispered, drawing her attention back to him. That warm smile, those loving and inviting eyes. On their own, it was enough to dull the discomfort as she looked up at her darling Puppy. But once again the wolf was reaching out to her, rolling his fingers softly against his paw and inviting her hoof.

Dawn gingerly placed her hoof back into his paw, gripping it tightly and letting the tension out of her body in a slow, deliberate exhale. Everything was going to be all right. She knew it would be. As long as her Vernon was by her side, everything would go perfectly.

"If there is anyone among either pack" The goat continued, wiping his brow with a free hoof."Family or friend among those assembled here tonight who can show just cause why these two mammals shouldn't be joined..." The goat looked uneasy, his brow furrowing slightly as his eyes scanned the crowd once more.

"Then please speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Dawn felt frozen as the evening around them fell silent. There was no sound save for the gentle whisper of the autumn breeze as it blustered across the meadow. It was only a few moments, probably less than ten seconds in total. But to the ewe, it felt like an eternity as she waited for someone to speak up. Would it be Ulric with an accusatory claw pointed her way, claiming her to be some unspeakable creature from beyond the stars? Yuri looking to make a scene for his own pleasure? Maybe even Dorian or Mister Ruddy, even if it made no sense at all for either of them to deny her now. Surely it was an irrational fear, but the ewe couldn't help herself as she waited with bated breath for Gus to move forward, squeezing Vernon's paw as tightly as she could to give her the strength to get through it. There was still a part of her that felt she didn't deserve the joy of being married and was certain the fates would do something to steal away her dream from her at the last second in a final act of cruelty.

"Hey Gus!"

Dawn could feel a weight drop through every chamber in her stomach. She recognized the voice instantly. The deep, somewhat bitter-sounding tone that Vernon's brother Yuri usually spoke in. In that instant the ewe felt as though she was going to faint, her knees starting to tremble as her body prepared to falter underneath the weight of embarrassment that was sure to come from whatever Yuri planned to say.

"Move on already!" The wolf chuckled. "Ceremony is supposta' end under this full moon, not the next one!"

Dawn was frozen, her eyes set on the dark-furred wolf seated in the back with his arms crossed defensively as he glared in their direction. But Dawn wasn't the only mammal whose gaze was now fixed on the troublesome wolf. The entirety of the pack was now staring in his direction, wearing a varying degree of expressions along with their pointed gaze. Disapproval, confusion, irritation, just to describe a few of the general reactions from the audience. But there were no mammals save two that exemplified a mixture of all of the listed emotions and then some, Audrey and Ada.

Audrey's teeth were grit tightly, bared for all to see as she sneered back at her son. Her tears had seemingly dried up instantly, or at the very least her brow had furrowed so sharply the apparent shadow it cast over her eyes had done well to hide them as she stared daggers in Yuri's direction. It was probably the most intense expression the ewe had ever seen grace her usually cheery face, a frighting visage that sent an uncomfortable chill up her spine, and at that moment made her greatly relieved that she had somehow never ended up on the other side of that fearsome glare.

As for Ada, she had a menacing expression of her own, but it paled in comparison to Audrey's own 'glare'. However, unlike Yuri's mother, Ada was well within easy 'striking distance' in regards to her mate. Her paw hovered high above her mate, apparently ready and waiting for whatever joke Yuri was ready to conclude his outburst with. Yet despite the attention, and the powerful aura of ire aimed at the wolf from all directions, Yuri remained utterly nonplussed. The wolf was seemingly unfazed by anyone's reactions as a silence so powerful one could hear a pin drop fell over the grounds. A quiet that seemed to linger for what felt like a lifetime before Yuri finally spoke once more.

"I mean..." The wolf averted his gaze slightly, suddenly looking surprisingly uneasy despite seemingly unaware of the general mood he had sewn among the assembled family. "The food's gettin' cold." The wolf snorted, turning his nose up and away from the others. "And there's beer waitin' to be drunk. So get on with it!"

Dawn's jaw felt as though it was simply going to drop out of her skull as she glanced up at her mate, her eyes wide in shock. Vernon looked equally as surprised, the wolf's ears dropping as he presumably watched his brother over his shoulder. Based on the way her mate's teeth were still grit tightly together, she could only imagine he had been wearing a particularly nasty sneer just moments before, and the remnants of it remained on standby as Vernon's mind struggled to accept that Yuri had said something that wasn't meant to stop the ceremony, but spur it forward.

Despite his strangled, arguably positive message, it did little to stop Ada from connecting her long awaiting paw to the back of his head. The wolf let out a sharp hiss before throwing the hyeness a rueful glare of his own.

Gus laughed awkwardly, drawing the couples attention back to the altar as he tugged nervously at his collar.

"W-well then...uh..." The goat laughed more naturally, letting out a visible sigh of relief as he tapped his cards against the altar. "Okay, okay!" The goat smiled meekly. "Let's keep it going."

Dawn let out a sigh of relief as the feeling returned to her legs. Yuri had spoken, and somehow, the ceremony seemed to go on. While the trouble-making wolf had caused a 'scene', it wasn't really what the ewe had expected. In fact, it was practically the last possible outcome she had ever considered when thinking of things Yuri could do to interfere with the tithe. It was as if whatever prank the wolf had planned he had actually thought better of. Or perhaps, it could have even been his way of approving of the ceremony himself, in a way that was distinctly his own?

For a moment Dawn glanced to her equally surprised and confused looking mother-in-law. Earlier in the day, Dawn had thought of asking the she-wolf just who had replaced her Dorian, and she now felt compelled to ask the same question of her mate in regards to his brother. Exactly who was this wolf who had seemingly spoken for them, and what had he done with the real Yuri? But Dawn knew there would be time to answer that question later, and the ewe did her best to shake it off as she steeled herself for what remained of the ceremony. With the most difficult part behind them, there was only one little snag that remained, and she knew she needed to be ready for it. Her vows would come from her heart, and it would have to be open and ready to speak for her when the time was right.

"Once again I ask...." Gus glanced at the cards again, squinting slightly as he scanned over the text and mumbled quietly to himself. The goat drew back from the card for a moment, bobbing his head slightly from side to side as if he were arguing something to himself before letting out a quiet sigh.

"This seems sort of redundant, but it's different enough to keep in." The goat muttered quietly before clearing his throat.

"Oh gods, caprid and canine, holders of the unforeseen knowledge beyond knowing, we humbly ask you to bless this union." The goat spoke, pressing a hoof to his throat momentarily before continuing. "To bless their lives with merriment and plenty, and guide them through their trials and sorrows. To bless them with strong, healthy and mirthful_..."_

The goat paused, glancing back at Dawn and Vernon uneasily for a moment before chewing on the edge of the note-card in his hoof nervously. "Aw pizzles..."

"W-what's wrong Gus?" Vernon asked, his voice breaking slightly. It was clear whatever had the goat worked up was enough to have Vernon concerned.

"I-It's nothing, I was supposed to toss this part but I left it in." Gus muttered, slapping a hoof to his face. "But if I just take it out now it's going to be weird..."

Going over the rite in her head, it didn't take long to realize what subject Gus had inadvertently forgotten to omit, and why he had most likely wanted to omit it.

'To bless them with strong, healthy and mirthful lambs to carry on their proud name.' The ewe recalled, her heart sinking slightly as the quote played through her mind.

It was true, the couple would never be able to conceive lambs or pups of their own. And while both her and Vernon had accepted the fact, hearing that particular part of the rite read aloud would have certainly put a damper, however slight, on the service.

Gus was beginning to grow increasingly pale under the hair as the cue card found its way further and further into his muzzle, and if somebody didn't step in and do something, Dawn was certain the billy would eat the entire card before ultimately passing out.

"It's about the lambs, right?" Clover interjected quietly. Glancing to her mother, the ewe had sidled up closer to the altar, standing on her tip toes as she gestured for the billy's attention. "About carrying on the name?"

The sweaty goat turned his attention downward in surprise before offering the chilver a meek, shaky nod.

"I didn't mean to leave it in, I just-!" Gus ran a hoof through his head fur. "Hoof rot! I forgot about it and I-!"

Clover gestured for the billy to come closer, cutting him off in the middle of what Dawn was sure to be a hushed rant. Leaning further down, the goat lifted one of his ears toward her mother, allowing the older ewe to lean in and whisper something. Dawn watched the goats rectangular eyes as they shifted nervously shifted from side to side. Then suddenly, they grew wide in surprise, the goat's frown turning swiftly into a confident smile as he stood straight up.

"Ah-heh-hem." The dramatic flourish returned, the goat grinning broadly as he tossed the half-eaten card over his shoulder.

"And to connect these two blessed mammals to lambs or pups that deserve them, that will bring them joy, and wear their family name as a badge of honor."

Dawn felt her heart skip a beat. The substitution was perfect and easily stoked the warmth and excitement back into her heart as she looked to her mother. The older ewe offered her a warm smile in return.

"Nice save." Gus added, smirking at the ewe to his side. "Thanks misses B."

"You're welcome Mister Hornsley." The ewe replied, nodding softly at the billy behind the altar.

Tapping his cards against the table, Gus turned his attention back to the mammals standing in front of him. Leaning forward slightly, the goat eyed both of the mammals with a rather serious expression, his eyes shifting from one to the other for a few moments before finally settling on Vernon. Dawn could feel the wolf's grip on her hoof tighten slightly as he did.

"Do you, Vernon James Hunter, take Dawn to be your lawfully wedded wife and mate?" Gus said, his tone cool and even as he spoke.

Dawn glanced back up at her mate, staring into those enchanting forest green eyes that called out to her. She could see the love, the admiration coming off of him in waves, setting her heart aflutter as the swarm of butterflies took hold of her again. She could feel the hot blush on her muzzle, the heat burning so intensely it felt as though sparks were coming off of her skin as she squeezed his paw in time with each tremor of excitement that shuddered through her tiny frame. The ewe held her breath, but it was not a conscious act, her lungs merely refused to function as she waited to hear his words. The words she never thought she'd ever hear.

"Aye..." Vernon replied, squeezing the ewe's hoof as he spoke. "For our lives, and into the hereafter."

Dawn felt as though her heart was going to burst as his words washed over her, a giddy smile crawling across her muzzle as she bounced in her step from the overwhelming excitement as the wolf read off the lines she had etched into her memory. Again the ewe suffered from the overwhelming urge to hug her mate. To jump into his arms and kiss every inch of his face she could reach. But once again she was forced to restrain herself, to quell the burning desires within her with strained promises. "Just a little longer." She thought to herself. "Just a little longer."

Gus turned his attention to the ewe, tapping the cards in his hooves against the altar once more to draw her attention back to him.

"Ahem." The goat cleared his throat once more.

"Do you, Dawn Evelynn Bellwether take Vernon to be your lawfully wedded husband and mate?" The goat repeated the same question, rephrased for her.

"I DO!" Dawn barked without even thinking before summarily burying her muzzle into her bouquet in embarrassment. She had been so over the moon about her mate's perfect recitation that she had simply spoken from the heart. A desperate, blunt desire to claim the wolf simply pouring out of her rather than following the procedure she probably treasured more than he had. Dawn winced slightly as she heard the wolf to her side chuckle.

"Yer so damn cute..." Vernon whispered softly.

Dawn was blushing furiously, the ewe briefly glaring daggers up at her mate from the security of her tasty flower assortment. It was bad enough she was already quivering like a school ewe, but Vernon's commentary, albeit lighthearted, wasn't doing her any favors in terms of keeping her from melting where she stood into a puddle of pure embarrassment.

Dawn slowly withdrew from her bouquet, shaking off the petals that had stuck to her muzzle as she tried to compose herself. The ewe closed her eyes , letting out a long, slow exhale before speaking again.

"Aye..." Dawn replied coolly. "For our lives, and into the hereafter."

Gus snickered softly as he flipped the next card over, shaking his head in dismissal.

"So excited." The goat murmured softly between chuckles. "I'd say I was envious of your guy's enthusiasm if the whole idea of marriage didn't terrify me." The goat whispered.

"I heard that!" Came Melanie's voice from off to Dawn's side.

Gus rolled his eyes, shaking his head dismissively as he let out a tired sigh. With a slight groan, the goat leaned onto the altar, his yellow eyes shifting back to Vernon for a moment as he leaned his note cards down.

"James huh..?" Gus muttered. "Y'know, I actually had to double check with your mom in order to write that in." The goat shook his head, chuckling weakly. "It's been so long since it's come up, I kinda forgot that you even had a middle name."

"Gus." Vernon muttered, his eyes shifting from side to side as the wolf presumably eyed the crowd behind him.

"Some friend I am I guess." The goat rolled his eyes. "Known you since high school and I didn't even remember your middle na-."

"Gus!" Vernon hissed. Dawn could see the wolf's eyes bug-out slightly as he glared back at the goat.

Gus immediately shrank into his shoulders, offering the wolf a meek smile.

"Right, right..." Gus murmured. "Not the time."

"Not the time." Vernon affirmed.

"T-to be fair..." The ewe muttered. "This weekend was the first I've heard your middle name at all."

Dawn watched her mates ears sag sharply, the wolf glancing back at her with an expression resembling some mixture of guilt and embarrassment. Vernon bit at his lower lip for a moment, the wolf's brow furrowing as he squeezed her hoof affectionately. It was clear from his behavior that the fact that neither of them had really known each other's middle names until just this weekend had suddenly dawned on the wolf. She could barely begin to imagine what the wolf was thinking, but the way his forehead fur seemed to roll as if it were waves on a stormy sea as he crinkled his brow told the ewe that there were a myriad of thoughts going on behind those worried-looking eyes. And it was clearly starting to sew a visible panic into the wolf's features.

Her comment had been more to reassure Gus rather than dwell on the simple fact that their middle names had never come up before. But the fact seemed to deeply trouble the wolf. Perhaps he had been thinking it was something they both should had known by now, but more than likely he was concerning himself over whether or not she felt that way. That like him, she had only now realized they didn't know each other's middle names, and perhaps that would give her some semblance of second thoughts as to whether or not it was worth postponing the whole affair over.

The ewe flashed the wolf a reassuring smile, rubbing the side of his paw with her thumb as she stared back up at him.

"I-I think James is a lovely middle name Vernon..." Dawn murmured quietly into her bouquet.

Vernon's ears perked up, the ewe's reassuring compliment seemingly erasing any semblance of woe and worry in favor of a fierce blush beneath his muzzle fur. The wolf's tail had begun to wag softly as he offered the ewe a meek smile.

"T-thanks Honey Lamb." The wolf murmured, flashing his fangs slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I think Evelynn is purty too." The wolf's accent was coming in thick as he stammered through his words. "Perfect fer the purtiest ewe I've ever met."

Dawn blushed sharply, which only seemed to cause the wolf's tail to wag that much harder in response. Although the little flirty back and forth was holding up the ceremony, at least the ewe no longer felt alone in terms of turning into a bashful mess at the slightest of compliments from her mate.

"Didn't even know each other's middle names?" Gus glanced upward as he placed a hoof to his forehead in shock. "And getting tithed, sweet sawgrass..."

"No one asked fer yer input 'Tobias'!" Vernon snapped, the wolf's eyes pulsing slightly as he glared back at the one-horned billy in annoyance.

"Vernon James Hunter!" Audrey's startlingly stern cry caused the wolf standing next to her to freeze instantly, his tail stopping mid-wag before going completely limp. Vernon's eyes widened slightly, a hint of fear flickering behind the lenses as he stood stock still.

"We were havin' a beautiful ceremony!" The she-wolf continued, sniffling softly through wads of tissue paper. "That ain't no way to behave!"

Vernon grimaced sharply, the wolf's muzzle tilting toward the floor as he slunk into his shoulders. But despite how he tried to hide his face, Dawn could see his blush had only deepened as he clasped a paw to his forehead, pressing tightly against his brow. For a moment the wolf seemed to tense, his muzzle flexing as if he were going to object, to argue with his mother. But instead, his eyes shifted to Dawn, his forest green irises finding her from the corner of his eye before his ears drooped lamely in defeat.

"S-Sorry everyone."The wolf made sure his voice was loud enough to hear, although it cracked slightly as he spoke. The pure shame etched into his features that much more powerful than the ewe was certain she had looked while buried muzzle first into her bouquet after her mother had called her out on it.

"A-and Gus." The wolf whimpered, shifting his attention back her way. His eyes shimmering with slight moisture as he spoke. "And especially to you Darlin'...I-" The wolf shook his head. "I'm hackling this up somethin' fierce aren't I?"

The ewe flashed her mate a warm smile.

"It's perfect." Dawn replied, pulling the wolf's clasped paw near to her face before nuzzling against it softly.

"B-But this can't be how y'all pictured? How y'all musta drea-?"

"It's better because it's real." Dawn cut the wolf off. "And it's with you."

Vernon's tail began to wag once more, a hot crimson flush returning to his muzzle as the wolf averted his gaze. Turning to the altar, the wolf's chest suddenly swelled as her mate seemingly gained a second wind. Or at least, attempted to appear as though he had.

"G-Gus." The wolf coughed sharply, his chest deflating as he spoke, taking his poor attempt at appearing confident along with it in an instant. "C-Can we please-?"

Turning her attention back to the goat behind the altar, Dawn could see Gus was clearly amused with himself. The one-horned billy covering his muzzle with a hoof in an effort to keep from laughing out loud.

"Maybe we should check with misses Hunter first." The goat whispered with a smirk. "See if that apology was good enough."

Vernon sneered at the goat, but Gus mere chuckled quietly to himself. It was clear the goat was reveling in his best friend's embarrassment, and no amount of glaring and sneering from Vernon was doing anything to get the goat back on book. Not that Dawn was any more amused than her mate was. This was still a wedding after all. Her wedding, and they had gone so far off script that clearly even the goat had forgotten the decorum the ceremony was supposed to have. The atmosphere was steadily devolving into just another Beasts and Battlefields session.

Vernon looked as though he were about to let out a snarl at the one-horned goat when suddenly a look of absolute terror came over Gus. For a moment the ewe watched his form stiffen up, his eyes widening slightly as he clenched his teeth. The goat swayed for a moment, his body remaining rigid as a board before he seemed to suddenly break free of his trance. Once again aware of his surroundings, and full of palpable fear, the goat quickly shrank into his shoulders as he began to hurriedly adjust his notes.

"A-Ahem, Sorry everyone." Gus croaked weakly. "Vernon." The goat offered his friend a meek smile before casting a worried glance beyond the wolf's shoulder. Dawn couldn't exactly be sure what had suddenly put the fear into Gus, but the knowing smirk that crossed her mate's muzzle gave the ewe the impression that Vernon had almost expected whatever had forced Gus back in line.

"And Dawn..." The goat coughed again.

"That's a good boy Gus." Audrey spoke from somewhere behind Vernon, the she-wolf's voice stern and motherly. "Ain't the time to be mussin' about like yer both still little high school pups playin' games in mah basement!"

"Y-Yes Ma'am!" Gus straightened his stance, the hint of a blush forming under his muzzle fur. "I m-mean misses Hunter."

Was it that glare? That same terrifying expression the ewe had seen on Audrey's muzzle just moments ago that had put the fear of the gods into the billy, or was it something even more terrifying that Dawn had yet to see Audrey unleash from her arsenal of motherly scolding techniques? Either way, Dawn wasn't complaining. But the ewe made a mental note that regardless of exactly what Audrey had used to reign Gus in, she had to find out what it was, and if there was some way she could teach it to her.

"Right, right so..." The goat scratched his brow uneasily. "The er...tattoos?"

The goat glanced over to the older wolf standing beside the altar, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Do we do that now?" The goat asked.

Dawn bit her lip uneasily. She had remembered the tithing mark portion of the ceremony but hadn't really given much thought to just how the mark would be applied to her hoof with any sort of greater detail. She had never had a tattoo before. After all, the art-form was rarely practiced as most mammals, as those with fur wouldn't have much use for ink patterns printed into their skin. Caprids were some of the few mammals who actually were in a position to show off a tattooed hide, as the consistent shearing and styling of wool left a lot of_'canvas'_ for the purposes of tattooing. But depending on which ewe you asked, the process could either feel like a slight tickling sensation or like being stung by thousands of angry hornets all at once. And Dawn, having no experience with tattooing, and having neglected to ask Vanna what it felt like, had nothing to go on.

Dawn swallowed hard, but the lump that had suddenly found its way into her throat refused to move as she squeezed Vernon's paw for strength. Glancing back up to her mate, the wolf flashed her a small, reassuring smile that made her heart flutter.

She had made it this far, even a million hornets wouldn't stop her now.

"Naw." Dorian spoke, shaking his head dismissively. "We usually do that durin' the reception."

Dawn let out a quiet sigh of relief, her grip on the wolf's paw softening enough to earn a chuckle out of her mate in response.

Placing a paw on the altar, the wolf turned away from the couple, crouching slightly and leaning behind the podium as he continued.

"Between drawin' some blood from both of y'all, and mixin' it with the ink..." Dawn's ears jumped slightly as a clattering noise came from behind the altar. The vibrations shuddering up the post causing Gus to ease up off the podium and take a partial step back from presumably where Dorian had been digging around as he watched the wolf.

"Let alone doin' each of yer marks." The wolf said with a grunt, the altar shimmying again as he spoke. "It would take up too much ceremony time."

With a sigh, the wolf rose to his feet, taking a moment to dust his lapel with a paw before stepping back out from behind the altar. In his paws, the wolf held a small brass bowl.

"So fer now were just gonna do the powder marks." The wolf smiled broadly at the couple, playfully swiveling the bowl in a single paw as he let the other drop to his side.

"Powder marks..." Gus murmured, flipping through his notes. "Powder marks?" The goat tipped one of the cards into his muzzle, chewing on it nervously as he eyed Dorian.

"Eh...who does that?" The goat asked nervously.

Dorian gestured to Dawn and Vernon with a shrug. "Well, they apply the marks." The wolf chuckled. "But as the 'Best Mam', you're the one who's suppose'ta present them with the bowl."

"Oh." The goat blinked at the wolf dumbly for a moment before suddenly snapping to attention.

"OH! Right!" Gus laughed awkwardly, tapping his notes sharply against the altar before laying them down. The one-horned billy rubbed the back of his neck uneasily as he offered the group a sheepish grin.

"I got them mixed up because they both involved moons." The goat shook his head. "This is the 'Wulff's Blood' dye powder thing, I remember."

Dorian nodded softly, presenting the bowl to the billy as though he were a waiter serving the mammal a fine covered dish.

"After y'all mister Hornsly." The white wolf said, passing the bowl into Gus' hooves. Dawn could see them tremble slightly as he took the bowl into his palms, the bowl tipping up for a moment, causing the goat to fumble it between his hooves. For a moment he seemed like he was going to lose his grip on the bronze dish, but at the last second, the clumsy billy seemed to get a firm grip on the container before stabilizing it in his hooves. Gus let out a visible sigh of relief before turning his attention back to Dawn and Vernon.

The goat cleared his throat uneasily.

"I-I don't think I'm supposed to say anything here..."Gus mumbled. "So...er..."

Holding up the bowl, the goat carefully stepped off the side of the altar, not lowering the precious brass container until both feet were planted firmly on the ground. Letting out another shaky, uncomfortable sigh, the goat gripped the bowl tightly to his chest, his yellow eyes tracing his friend nervously before he carefully stored his way up to the pair.

Coming to a stop just shy of the two mammals, the goat knelt to the floor without a single word. It was a rather dramatic, professional pose, the goat keeping his muzzle pointed down and his eyes closed as he held the bowl aloft toward the pair, presenting the object like it were an offering to both mammals. A sharp contrast to how Gus had been acting mere moments ago, but at the same time some of the air of grace and professionalism couldn't help but be robbed from the billy by being clad in his father's prom attire.

Gus held like that for a moment, statuesque and silent, seemingly waiting on the pair to begin. But the rather confident, formal facade crumbled fairly quickly, Gus apparently giving in to his nerves in order to throw a glance back toward Papa Hunter as if looking for some sort approval.

"Like this?" The billy whispered quietly off to his side to the older white wolf.

Dorian chuckled softly. "That's fine boy." The wolf shook his head softly as he approached the goat, kneeling slightly to place a reassuring paw on the goat's shoulder.

"No need to get that nervous now boy." The wolf pat Vernon's friend gingerly. "It was only a glare. Just be thankful she didn't come at ya with a rake."

Gus laughed awkwardly. After all, the wolf's remark should have seemed like little more than a joke. But both Dorian and Dawn knew all too well that his comment on the _'rake'_was more grounded in reality than the goat would have initially suspected. Of course, the wolf's solemn, serious expression seemed to get the idea across rather quickly that Dorian hadn't been aiming for levity with his remark, but rather relief over Audrey's reaction not being worse. In response, the goat let out an audible gulp, shuddering slightly before shifting back into his more rigid, professional stance, his muzzle pointed back to the floor as he closed his eyes tightly.

"Ya'll might wanna scooch over a bit though..." Dorian murmured softly, drawing the goat's curious attention.

"Hmm?" Gus asked.

"Well, yer bowl is fer Vern." Dorian chuckled. "The Maid of Honor handles Dawn's bowl." The white wolf added, stabbing a thumb in Dawn's direction.

Following the wolf's finger, Dawn suddenly found herself staring directly into Vanna's dress as the towering tigress now stood mere inches away from her side. It was a startling discovery, so much so that Dawn practically jumped out of her wool at the sudden surprise. Just moments ago Vanna had been sitting beside Zach in the front row. Yet somehow she had gotten up and made her way over to Dawn with a terrifying degree swiftness and silence. Just how long had she been standing there?

Glancing up at her massive sister in law, the large feline offered her a timid smile, one that betrayed her imposing figure. Vanna fiddled with her own bowl uneasily as she spoke.

"I-I figured I'd wait to stand till....you know...." Vanna murmured. "A-anyway, ready when you are." The feline mumbled, giving the ewe a soft nod. Dawn did her best to try and stifle the urge to gulp as she continued to adjust to the sudden shock of her sister's presence, offering her an equally timid smile.

With a sigh, Dorian rose to his feet once more, flashing Dawn and Vernon a warm smile.

"I think y'all know what to do here." The wolf gestured to the bowl with a paw and nodding softly. "So I'll leave ya to it."

With that, the older wolf stepped back, taking his place at the side of the altar and leaving Dawn and her mate to take the lead, and bring the ceremony back on track.

Meeting her mate's forest green gaze, the wolf offered her a warm, comforting smile. Slowly, the wolf began to kneel, all the while keeping his paw clasped tightly around Dawn's own as he eased onto his knees in a clear effort to meet the ewe as close to her level as possible. The wolf let out a little groan as he came to rest on his calves, adjusting his rump slightly in order to more evenly position himself on the roll-out carpet. Even though the wolf was essentially sitting on his legs, he still had to lean slightly over himself in order to properly reach the ewe's height.

Reluctantly releasing his grip from hers, the wolf dipped a ginger finger in the brass bowl, stirring the powder idly around his forefinger before sweeping a small clump out of it. Dawn watched the wolf's eyes flicker as he carefully balanced the little mound of red powder on the tip of his finger. His deep green gaze remaining momentarily focused on the little mound of dust before shifting back to her, filled with a renewed flicker of adoration.

"Through these wounds, through our blood, our souls are connected."The wolf uttered as he drew his finger around the center of her forehead. She could feel the wolf's finger pressing the powder into her skin, tracing a slow, consistent circle just above her brow before carefully withdrawing his finger.

Another swivel and sweep, and the wolf brought his finger to her brow once more. This time she could feel his paw pad smearing the fine powder into the area he had drawn previously. A line splitting the sphere he had rubbed into her skin, quickly followed by a few dabs on the left portion of the symbol to fill in the shape.

"For now and for always." Vernon concluded, tilting his head slightly as his paw lazily drifted down to the ewe's cheek, caressing it softly before he withdrew it. The wolf's words had sent a chill of excitement and joy through her tiny frame, her heart beating faster and faster as she began to lose herself in the wolf's loving gaze. For a moment she wished she had managed to hold the wolf's paw there for a few more moments, and lean into his touch once again. But perhaps, even the wolf was acutely aware that if they lingered too long they would once again be slowing down the actual ceremony. And the ewe once again had to sober herself from losing herself in such a deep moment of bliss that there would be time for that after all was said and done. There would be nothing but time now that they were set to be bound forever.

With another shudder, the ewe returned from her mental haze to find that Vanna was now kneeling at her side, the large feline holding the bowl comfortably within her reach much in the same way Gus had for Vernon, replete with the same stoic, formal pose. However, unlike Gus, Vanna's stance came off as more professional. A serene dignity exuding from the tigress as she knelt there, waiting to play her part.

Dawn carefully reached her free hoof out to the bronze bowl. Following her mate's example, the ewe swiveled a finger through the dish of deep, red powder for a few brief moments before scooping a sizeable clump onto the tip of her hoof-nail.

For a moment, the ewe studied the material. The coarse, dark, rust-colored dye meant to represent blood. Her blood, their blood, united. It was so primal in nature. Most prey would probably have found it savage even though it was a stand-in for something even more_'primitive'. And yet, that same representation made it that much more powerful. Red, the color of blood, but also the color of life, the color of love. And the ewe could feel that sentiment inside, making her heart swell as her eye shifted back to her darling _'Puppy'.

The wolf had leaned forward once again, dipping his head toward the ewe to allow her easy access to his forehead. His eyes, much like Gus', shut as he dutifully awaited her 'blessing'.

Dawn smiled broadly, her cheeks flushed crimson as she closed the gap between the wolf's forehead and her hoof.

"Through these wounds, through our blood, our souls are connected."The ewe recited as she dragged her index finger in a small circle, leaving a red trail in the wolf's forehead fur.

The beating of her heart grew faster as she scooped another small dab of powder on her hoof, the ewe's smile parting to reveal teeth as she began to feel hot tears stain her cheeks.

"F-For now and for always." The ewe whimpered as she split the sphere before dabbing the right side full with a trembling hoof, before drawing it back to her muzzle.

Vernon slowly raised his head, offering the ewe a kind smile as he reached out to her, swabbing a tear out from under her glasses.

The ewe sniffled slightly, grasping the wolf's paw back into her own as she flashed him another beaming smile and squeezing it tightly.

She had been worried about her vows all day, up until the start of the ceremony. And up until that point she had little or nothing that she could call 'perfect' to say to the wolf. But now, in that moment, she could feel it there. In her heart, her very soul. The words were ready to come, and she finally knew just what to say.

Vernon placed his other paw on his friend's shoulder, patting the billy gingerly as if to signal that the ritual was done. Gus raised his head sharply, his rectangular pupils shifting between herself and Vernon for a moment before the goat gave the pair a smirk.

Rising to his feet, the goat dusted off his knees with a stray hoof before making his way back to the altar-side. For a moment, the goat disappeared behind it again, but his absence was brief, and soon enough Gus rose up from behind the podium once more. Dawn watched as the billy carefully placed the bowl in his hooves off to the side of his notes before carefully scooping the papers up into his hooves again.

Dawn glanced over her shoulder to offer her sister a smile, but Vanna had vanished almost as quickly as she appeared. The looming tigress having somehow silently rose to her feet and shuffled back to her seat without Dawn even being aware of it. Perhaps it had been the romantic haze that had somewhat overtaken the ewe as she basked in the moment that had once again left her senses dulled to feline's swift and stealthy movements. But more than likely, even if Dawn had been listening for Vanna's exit, she wouldn't have seen the tigress leave unless she had watched her the entire time.

From her seat next to Zach, the large tigress offered an encouraging thumbs up.

His attention shifting back to the couple once more, Gus gestured upward with a hoof, and like his friend had before, Vernon carefully rose to his feet, all the while his paw remaining gripped to Dawn's.

With their joined attention now on Gus, the goat placed a hoof to his muzzle and sharply cleared his throat. The ewe held her breath, her heart skipping a beat every few moments as her anticipation grew for the next part of the rite.

"It is now time for the trading of the vows, and with it, I open the floor to thee Lord Vernon and Lady Dawn." Gus said calmly, shifting the card in his hoof from the front of the pile to the back before leaning over the altar casually.

The goat once again glanced between the pair, offering the couple a sly smirk.

"I'd wish you luck." The goat whispered. "But I already know you two don't need it." The billy concluded, letting out a soft chuckle as he straightened back into a more formal stance.

With the attention back on them, Dawn's eyes met her mate's once more. Those deep green eyes, so filled with love and admiration. Just staring up into them at that moment made her blood simmer, and her heart feel as though it would simply pound out of her chest.

"Dawn..." Vernon's tone was low and smooth. The familiar, warm deep rumble causing her wool to stand on end as she squeezed his paw.

"I don't think it would be...right, to say I fell in love with y'a-" The wolf paused momentarily, coughing into a paw before continuing it. "With you-" The wolf continued, his voice a bit louder as he apparently tried to reign in his drawl. "From the moment we first met."

The wolf rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his green eyes shifting away from her for a brief, agonizing moment."I mean, it's a pretty sentiment, but it wouldn't be true."

"When we first met, I didn't know what love even...really was. Romantic love I mean." The wolf continued. "We were pups after all."

Dawn rubbed the wolf's paw with a thumb, offering him a meek smile.

"Back then we were just two lost little mammals lookin' fer a friend." The wolf let out a soft sigh. "And as luck, or fate would have it, we found each other."

The wolf glanced down for a moment, wincing softly as his ears splayed against his head.

Dawn could feel the hot moisture starting to trickle down her cheek once more as her eyes remained fixed on Vernon's. The ewe biting her lip as her thoughts drifted back to their brief time together as children. For her, it had been unequivocally the highlight of her childhood, even as short as it was.

"After...after we got split up..." Vernon murmured. "I felt a lot of things."

The wolf let out a soft whimper. "Pain...anger...sadness..." The wolf sighed. "Maybe even guilt." The wolf continued, his tone growing somber as he spoke.

"Part of me blamed myself for it." The wolf grumbled. "And the rest of me was willin' to blame the world."

Glancing back up at her, Dawn could see the wolf's eyes had begun to glimmer. The wet shine of the start of tears flickering in the moonlight.

"But there was somethin' else..." The wolf whispered. "Somethin' I felt, but I couldn't...explain." Vernon offered a weak chuckle. "I'd say I was too young to understand it, but I didn't really figure it out till just a few months ago."

Dawn pressed her glasses up with her forearm, wiping away the now steady stream of tears as best as she could while still clasping her bouquet.

"It was a feelin' that stayed with me long after I cleaned up my act in high-school." The wolf continued. "It stayed with me no matter how many friends I made." Vernon shook his head dismissively. "Always there...somewhere in the back of my heart."

Dawn could feel the wolf's paw squeeze her hoof affectionately.

"It was a subconscious feelin'." The wolf sighed. "Somethin' I only realized I felt after I stopped feelin' it."

Dawn watched as the wolf pressed his free paw against his chest, pressing firmly down over his heart as he frowned.

"It was like somethin' was missin'." Dawn could see Vernon's lip trembling as he spoke, and the ewe squeezed his paw tightly in an effort to ease his visible discomfort. "There was a hole deep down inside of me..." The wolf's shook his head. "A pit that nothin' could fill up."

Dawn shuddered as the word _'pit'_left the wolf's muzzle. The concept alone evoking memories of her past indiscretions, and worse, her past nightmares. She could still recall the pit from her coma, the one that grew bottomless and empty as she scrambled to the top. Her efforts to save herself largely fueled by the wolf who now stood at her side.

"But then..." Vernon smiled, revealing his fangs as the first of his own tears began to spill down his cheek fur. "Y'all came back into my life." The wolf let out a quiet wheeze of a laugh.

Dawn could feel her heart begin to swell again as tears continued to pour from her eyes. Pressing her glasses up again, the ewe aggressively swabbed at her tears. But it quickly became apparent that at this point, any effort to stem the tide was futile. The most the ewe could hope to accomplish was to keep from actively sobbing out loud now.

"Even when I didn't know just who you were." The wolf smiled. "Even when we were just friends." Vernon ran his thumb across the top of Dawn's hoof, petting it gingerly. "That feelin' just vanished."

Vernon's smile grew, the wolf's fangs appearing once more as tears streamed down his dusky grey fur.

"Just bein' around y'all..." The wolf cooed wistfully. "Makin' you laugh...makin' you smile..." The wolf rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well...it made my heart feel like it was gonna burst sometimes."

Vernon lamely pawed at his eyes, but much like Dawn the attempt had done little to stop the steady stream of tears that were now flowing. Tears so heavy and numerous that the ewe could just make out what appeared to be make-up starting to dribble down his fur, exposing just a hint of his bruises from the previous day's brawl.

"Bein with you made me feel a kinda joy and warmth I fer-fergot even existed..." The wolf choked, slightly. "And then knowin' who you were, and what we used to be..."

Vernon shook his head briskly, letting out a soft sob. "Well, I got greedy." The wolf let out a weak chuckle. "I knew that I needed to do anythin' and everythin' in my power to make sure I never lost you again." The wolf whimpered.

"You were a precious treasure to me Dawn." The wolf smiled. "Even if no one else could see it but me..."

Dawn could see a blush forming under the wolf's muzzle as he braced his neck with an arm.

"And I swore to myself I'd not only do everything I could to protect that treasure..."The wolf murmured. "But to make sure I'd never lose it again."

"We were meant to be together Dawn." The wolf let out a whimpering sigh as his deep green orbs fixed on hers once again, his tears shimmering in the moonlight. "That's what that feelin' was...I know it now." The wolf wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his tux. "I knew it when I was sittin' in that hospital, waitin' fer you to come back to me."

"We were connected...probably before we ever even met." The wolf let out a choking sigh. "Call it fate, or destiny or whatever...but it's true."

Dawn squeezed Vernon's paw as tightly as she could. In some ways, it was to try and reassure the wolf, but at this point it was mostly to help her keep from collapsing into a sobbing mess. With every line, every admission from the wolf's unrehearsed vows, the ewe could feel her heart twist and rend in a sort of beautiful agony. It hurt so much, yet at the same time left the ewe in a state of breathless joy. Her heart soaring high above the clouds while her chest burned and stomach gnarled from the overwhelming wash of emotions.

"I love you Dawn Bellwether..." Vernon whimpered. "All of you, past and future."

"And I will be by yer side until I draw my last breath." The wolf smiled. "As long as you'll have me."

Dawn didn't hesitate to nod, the ewe briskly shaking her head as she let out a choking sob. Once again she found her insides screaming at her to hug Vernon, to jump into his arms and shower him in love and affection. But still, that lingering, nagging thread inside, albeit stretched to the very limits of what it could take, kept the ewe bound to the decorum of the rite. To keep holding on, just a few more minutes.

Dawn buried her face into her arm, taking a moment to try and compose herself as she remained tightly gripped to Vernon with her other hoof. She was still beyond stopping the steady flow of tears pouring out of her, but at the very least she hoped to quell the overwhelming, aching urge to bawl like a lamb.

The ewe tried to collect herself, running through the breathing exercises Doctor Gnu had gone over with her in an effort to fight off the weeping that sought to steal it away again. And while it took a few moments, the ewe seemed to managed to hold on just enough to keep from spilling over into full-on hysterics.

Sniffling sharply, Dawn pulled her arm away, allowing her glasses to slip back into place as she turned her attention back up to the wolf standing to her side. His eyes were still shimmering with tears despite his warm, toothy grin.

Dawn took a slow, deep draw of breath, her lime green eyes centering on his as she let out a slow, deliberate exhale. She knew what she wanted to say, and now was her time to say it.

"V-Vernon..." Dawn murmured weakly. The ewe was struggling to find her voice after all the quiet crying, but still she pressed onward. The was no way in hell she was going to stop now.

"I-I've spent so much of my life...feeling so helpless." The ewe whimpered. "So weak and timid."

Dawn shuddered as she spoke, the chill in the air suddenly feeling biting as the heat from within clashed against the cool autumn air.

"I've been used up, and tossed aside so many times..." Dawn glanced to her feet uneasily. "My father....mammals who I thought were my friends..." The ewe swabbed at her eyes with her forearm.

"Predators...prey...everyone." Dawn bit her lip as she mustered to courage to continue. "And the more it happened, the more I grew to hate not only the mammals around me..." The ewe shuddered, squeezing her mate's paw for support. "But myself for being so miserably weak."

The ewe held her forearm over her eyes as she let out a shuddering sob.

"Who I was as a mammal..." Dawn continued. "As a lamb..." The ewe bit her lip to try and stile the urge to sob. "There wasn't a mammal out there who I felt saw any value in me."

Dawn let out a shuddering breath as she aggressively rubbed her forearm into her eyes to try and stop her tears. But the action did nothing to stem the tide, and soon the ewe gave up and pulled her arm away. Dawn sniffled sharply as she looked back up to her mate.

"I was worthless..." The ewe sighed. "And while I hated myself for being so weak...I also was looking for approval from someone...anyone...for so long that..." The ewe frowned. "I let myself be manipulated and contorted into placing all that insecurity and hatred on everyone around me."

The ewe adjusted her frames slightly, the steady stream of tears and moisture on her skin now making her glasses slide down her muzzle twice as fast as usual.

Her years before and after Vernon. Her failed political career and perverted philosophy she had allowed to fester inside with the help of mammals like Doug and her father. It made bile rise in her throat to even recall all the toxic mammals she had been involved with, as well as the toxic mammal she had allowed herself to become in the process.

"All I ever wanted...was to be appreciated." The ewe muttered. "To feel like I meant something...to someone..." Dawn squeezed her mates paw as she spoke, flashing the wolf a small smile through her tears. "To be important."

With a tired sigh, the ewe glanced down at her feet as she awkwardly twisted a hoof.

"But a mammal as small, weak and worthless as me could never be seen like that." The ewe murmured. "Not without forcing it, at least that's what I thought when I..."

The ewe shuddered at the memory. The innocent mammals she had made suffer. What she had nearly done to Judy.

"It was easier to lay the blame for the way my life was at the feet of all predators than to accept I really was nothing..." The ewe whimpered. "To delude myself into thinking that predators were the source of all my problems, and that...becoming the mayor and getting rid of them would somehow...make me important." The ewe shook her head. "And fix my life."

The ewe let out a single stray sob before catching herself, biting down on her lip with slightly more force as she kept her eyes on the ground.

"And with the mammals around me reassuring me, and feeding my broken ego into believing those lies...I..." Dawn shuddered. "Well...I proved to the world just how worthless I really was."

"D-Dawn..." She could hear her mate utter softly, his tone laced with concern. But the ewe pressed on before he could continue, squeezing his paw tightly.

"B-but you..."Dawn whimpered. "Y-you never saw me as worthless."

The ewe glanced up at her mate, her moist lime-green orbs finding his. She could see the concern in his expression, the worry lines in his snout fur. Even now, he was proving her point.

"When we were kids, you..." Dawn let out a slight laughing sob as she recalled their childhood once more. "Y-you treated me like I was an equal."

"You didn't ask anything of me...you didn't use me..." Dawn whimpered. "Y-you just wanted my friendship. A-and y-you..." Dawn closed her eyes tightly as the tears continued to pour. They were starting to sting now, the heat and salt irritating her eyes from the excess. "Y-you saw value in me."

The ewe swabbed her eyes once more with her forearm, rubbing briskly in an effort to get at least a few seconds of freedom from the stream.

"And even if y-you had to save my hide more often than n-not." Dawn continued. "Y-you just did it because...y-you were my friend." The ewe let out a sputtering sob. "You cared about me."

The wolf offered his mate a genuine smile, his tail wagging softly as he stroked the top of her hoof with a thumb.

"And when we found each other again." Dawn smiled, a soft sob escaping her muzzle in the brief moment her teeth parted. "Even after everything...after all I had done." The ewe's smile widened as another wave of tears forced her to squint in order to see through them. "You still cared about me."

Dawn swabbed at her eyes with her forearm once more, dragging it down over her snout in order to cover the loud sniffle that she was sure was the only thing that kept her from breaking into a full sob.

"Y-you rescued me Vernon." The ewe smiled up at her mate. "You showed me that I have worth..." Dawn sniffled again. "You taught me to love myself..."

The ewe's lip began to quiver as her heart twisted in anguish. She wanted to cry so badly now. To simply weep and choke until it was all out of her. But somehow, she managed to keep composed despite the gnawing urge.

"Y-you showed me what unconditional love truly means..." The ewe let out a cry, squeezing her mate's paw as tightly as she could.

"You made me realize..." Dawn smiled through her tears. "That the only mammal who it ever really mattered when it came to seeing that I had worth was myself."

"And yet, the only mammal who I care about being worth anything to now is you." The ewe shuddered softly. "And I know that's all I ever need."

The fur on Vernon's cheeks was heavily matted now, the steady stream of tears that had been pouring from his eyes soaking deep into his fur, and further wearing away whatever concealer he had been wearing.

"I love you Vernon Hunter."

"I love you too D-Darlin'" The wolf choked over a sob. His tail was wagging furiously now, making the air around the ewe that much colder. But she didn't care. She had said what she needed to say, and while it had been rough around the edges, just as Vernon's had, it couldn't have been more perfect.

"A-alright." Gus's trembling voice drew the ewe's attention back to the altar to catch the billy covering his eyes with a hoof. Unlike before, there wasn't even an attempt at subtly as the goat sloppy pawed the tears from his eyes, letting out a sharp sniffle before returning to his cards. Off to his side, Dawn could see her mother had buried herself into another wad of tissues. And as for Dorian, if the wolf had hoped to hide his own tears, the moonlight gleaming off his brilliant white, yet moistened fur was quick to betray him.

"S-see...?" Gus sniffled sharply, wiping at his snout with a hoof. "A-and you guys were worried."

Despite her crying, Dawn couldn't help but let out a tear-choked laugh as she glanced back to her mate. His tail was still wagging so quickly it was little more than a grey and cream colored blur barely visible against the dark, but his warm smile was broad and unabashed, gleaming almost as brightly as the moon itself.

"A-Ahem..." The goat coughed into his hoof awkwardly, clearly trying his best to shake off the lingering weepiness in his voice.

"R-right so..." The goat glanced to his notes for a moment before eyeing Dawn and her mate once again. "The rings?"

The billy turned his attention over to the older ewe standing off to his side, raising a curious brow. "D-do we er...?" Gus bit his lower lip uneasily. "Do we have rings?"

Clover blew her nose sharply into her tissue before balling it up and pressing it into her fist. The chilver's expression was an uncomfortable one, Clover looking as though whatever she had to say wasn't going to easy for her.

"I-I uh.." The older ewe grimaced, wringing her hooves together nervously. "T-that was the one thing we really couldn't get on such short notice."

Like when Audrey had scolded the wolf earlier in the evening, his tail had simply gone limp. The brisk, energetic wagging coming to a sudden stop at the unfortunate news. Vernon's ears drooped sharply, his lovely beaming smile giving way to a sullen frown. And his eyes, once filled with love and admiration, and still filled with tapering moisture, grew awash with a mixture of emotions that were hard to read as he looked to her mother and his father. Shock, disbelief, desperation, anguish, and maybe even fear? It was as if all of those expressions were fighting for dominance on the wolf's muzzle, while at the same time it looked as if he were trying to fight them back down all for her sake. His beautiful, shimmering forest green eyes continuously flicking from their parents to her and back again as if he were trying to figure out exactly how to respond to the bad news.

But Dawn found herself strangely at peace despite the lack of rings. Surely it was something that should have been heart-wrenching for her, an inconceivable scenario that could only have stood to completely ruin the biggest night of her life. It was her childhood dream after all, the perfect caprid wedding. And surely any caprid wedding worth its salt wouldn't lack something as important and fundamental as the traditional rings. They were the linchpin of the whole affair, a symbol of the burgeoning couples undying love and commitment to one another. Yet Dawn found herself rather content despite the missing rings.

Of course, knowing that they wouldn't be leaving the ranch without tithing marks probably helped to some extent. The matching red half-moon brands on their palms were an equally, if not more powerful sign of their relationship. And unlike a piece of jewelry, the permanent marks could never be lost or misplaced.

But it had been the vows, although off the cuff and cobbled together on both of their parts, that had somehow left Dawn feeling as though the rings were mere trifles now. They were fleeting words, but straight from the heart. Pouring out from their very souls, unscripted and unfiltered. Immaterial confessions and admissions, that would only ever be heard by the couple and those present for the service. Those words lacked the visibility of rings, and the permanence of tithing marks, but the weight the carried was immeasurable. Her Puppy Love's vows had confirmed his feelings for her, had made the wedding real. It was really happening, she was getting married, as well as tithed. She was marrying Vernon Hunter. A wolf, a predator, her best friend, and the love of her life. And the knowledge alone, the words she would forever carry in heart, was more than enough for her to be happy.

The only thing that hurt now, what truly made her chest ache, was just how distraught her Puppy Love looked. She could hear him starting to whine softly, the plaintive whimpers of a mammal who wanted nothing more than to make this night perfect for his friend, his mate, and was now certain it had been irrevocably botched.

Dawn squeezed his paw reassuringly, offering the wolf a warm smile as she stroked the top of his paw with a thumb. But Vernon's expression remained sullen and worried as he averted his gaze from hers.

She was just about to open her mouth, to tell the wolf that she didn't care about the rings, or even the marks anymore. That as long as she had him, she'd always be happy. But before she could speak, her mother cut back in.

"N-Now hold on, hold on!" Clover nervously protested, the tissue falling out of her hoof as she held hands out defensively toward the pair.

"W-we may not have been able to get the rings, but..." Clover rubbed the back of her neck uneasily. "I t-think we came up wi-with a fairly good placeholder for the time being."

Dawn exchanged a curious glance with the sullen wolf at her side, his ears perking just enough to show that he was at least as intrigued by her mother's statement as she was. Stepping forward slightly, the older ewe gestured a hoof behind Dawn. The chilver signaling someone to step forward.

Glancing over her shoulder, Dawn found Vanna standing behind her now, the large tigress easily looming over both mammals as she stood silently behind the pair. Once again the tigress had snuck up on them, shifting silently among the breeze. Only now, instead of holding a bronze bowl in her massive paws, she now held what Dawn could only assume was the traditional ring pillow. The items resting upon it obscured by a lavender colored cloth.

Vanna's stance was once more rigid and professional, almost as if she were taking part in some sort of police display. But despite her rather serious expression, the tigress' cheek fur was absolutely drenched in tears. And although she appeared to not be crying anymore, her glimmering golden eyes were puffy and reddened around the edges as though she hadn't been able to stop herself until just moments ago.

Placing a paw over the fabric sheet that lay atop the pillow, the tigress gingerly lifted the veil.

What she revealed, left the ewe speechless.

Sitting on the finely crafted pillow was a startlingly familiar sight. Two, very old, very familiar looking bracelets crafted from crude plastic letters and flower shaped beads. Some of the old beads were chipped, and others were faded, but even under the darkness cast by Vanna's looming shadow, the ewe could still easily make out the inscription.

"P-Puppy's Best Friend..." Dawn could barely utter, her lip trembling as a fresh wave of tears began to trickle from her eyes.

"Our bracelets!" Vernon's voice called out in surprise.

Dawn met her sister's gaze once more. The tigress was doing her best to hide her eyes, dabbing at them with lavender cloth now that the surprise had been revealed.

"H-How?" Dawn whimpered. "W-when?"

She could hear Vanna sniffle sharply, the tigress turning her head away as she held the cloth over her nose.

"I'll answer that later dear." Clover spoke, drawing the ewe's attention back to her mother. "I just hope this will do fo-."

"It's perfect." Dawn whimpered, clutching a hoof to her muzzle monetarily to stifle a sob.

Their bracelets, the cheap plastic and twine that had bound them together so very long ago. A beacon of their friendship that both chose to wear with pride. What could have been more fitting on this night, then to reconfirm that bond? To re-enact the same exchange that had linked them in the past, to link them in the present and future.

Looking back to her mate, the wolf's smile had returned. His warm, fanged grin beset by fresh tears as he looked into her eyes.

"Y-you ready for this Floof's?" Vernon asked softly, caressing the top of her clenched hoof with his thumb.

"Of course P-Puppy." Dawn sniffled.

Reluctantly, she released her grip around her mate's paw before carefully reaching up to the decorative pillow and taking the bracelet she had made for Vernon in her hoof. The ewe lifted it carefully as if it were a priceless artifact, cradling it in her palm as she retracted her hoof.

Looking the object over nothing had really changed. It was still the same old bracelet it had presumably been the day before when her mate had been wearing it. Just like her, the wolf had taken to wearing the treasured item from their youth only sometimes. Wearing the band proudly on their dates, or important days. While the bracelets weren't necessarily fragile, the fear of them falling apart or going missing from daily wear was something that kept the pair from wearing them constantly.

To even still have them, especially hers, was nothing short of a blessing. But seeing them tonight, in the grand scheme of the whole affair gave them a sense of renewed importance and meaning.

Glancing up to her mate, the ewe found him studying her bracelet with a similarly tearful expression. A wistful, almost nostalgic look in his shimmering green eyes as he appraised the old trinket.

With a smile, the wolf slowly knelt to the floor once again, his eyes finding hers as he cradled the bracelet in his paws.

"Gods..." Gus spoke, his voice low and solemn. "Please bless these...bracelets with which Vernon Hunter and Dawn Bellwether have chosen as their symbol to mark themselves as forever unified in heart and spirit."

Dawn could hear sniffling, but the ewe wasn't sure if it was coming from her, or any of them mammals around her now that she was lost in Vernon's eyes.

"As they give and receive these bracelets, may they testify to the world of the covenant made between them." The goat concluded.

Reaching out a paw, Vernon gestured for her to reach out to him, and the ewe did so in kind. Holding the tips of her hoof with one paw, the wolf held her prized bracelet up in his other paw as he began to carefully guide it on to her wrist.

"Dawn..." Vernon spoke, his voice throaty and low. _"_Please take this bracelet as a symbol of my love, my respect, and my undyin' devotion', and take me as yer mate."

Dawn shuddered as the bracelet came to rest on her wrist, the words 'Puppy' gleaming in the moonlight as she let out a soft sob.

Taking the wolf's paw, the ewe pulled it closer to herself, being careful as to not entirely crumple his band that remained in her hoof. Carefully releasing her grip, the ewe drew her hoof back, allowing the bracelet to dangle from her fingers.

Another whimper, another sob, and she was slowly guiding the bracelet onto the wolf's own wrist.

"Vernon..." She was almost there now, so close to being able to hold her mate and never let him go. Just a little longer now...

"Wear this bracelet as a token of my love, and make me the happiest mammal in all of Animalia by taking me as your own." The ewe whimpered. "Your wife, your mate, and your friend from now until my dying day."

With the bracelet safely on her mate's wrist, the ewe took his paw back in his. His large fingers intertwining with her own as they stood staring at one another. Basking in their warmth, love, and admiration for what seemed like an eternity.

"With this kiss, the pact is sealed." Dorian spoke, the white wolf's words warm and mirthful as he seemingly addressed the crowd around them.

"And with it, our packs becomes one." The wolf concluded.

"I pledge my eternal love and devotion to you Dawn. To protect you, To remain by you through the best and worst this life has to offer, and to wear the mark of your pack with pride." Vernon cooed sweetly. "To love you through this life and beyond, and to never leave you."

The tears were pouring out of her now, the ewe shuddering as she gripped Vernon's paw as tightly as she could. She could feel herself slipping, growing dangerously closer and closer to losing herself and collapsing into a weeping mess.

"I-I pledge..."The ewe whimpered, swabbing her eyes with her forearm once more. "M-my eternal love and devotion to you Vernon."

She could feel the wolf squeezing her hoof reassuringly, trying to give her enough strength to finish the last lines of the rite.

"T-to remain by you through the best and wo-worst this life has to offer." The ewe glanced to her side, toward the assembled members of the Hunter pack that were still seated to find a sea of tearful smiles staring back at her. Some, like Malcolm and Audrey were already blubbering like pups. But even mammals like Ada seemed to be pawing away a stray tear or two. "And wear the mark of your pack wi-with pride."

Dawn sniffled sharply as she turned her focus back to her mate, his shimmering green gaze looking deep into her soul as he smiled back at her.

"To-to love you through this life and beyond." Dawn sobbed. "A-and to never, ever leave you!"

The ewe could contain herself no longer, letting out a loud, sharp sob as she rushed into the wolf's arms. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, the ewe felt herself rising into the sky, the wolf's broad arms sweeping her deeper into his chest as he lifted her off the ground.

For a brief moment, she could feel the room around her spin, the lights dotting the altar becoming a swirl as she drew back from the wolf' embrace far enough to see his smiling face.

In a flash her muzzle met his, the raw emotional power behind his lips feeling like white, hot lighting as she drew him in. Pulling him in as tightly as she could while meeting his kiss in equal fervor. Her lips were tingling, and her breath was gone, yet she dared not break away to even try to catch it. At that moment she would have rather died than even think to sever that powerful, all-encompassing heat and passion that now surged between them. All she could do was press herself that much more deeply into him, pouring all her love and joy into the force of her kiss until she simply burned away.

Lost in that blissful haze, in that moment of pure ecstasy and oneness, much of the world around her had fallen away. But the sudden cacophony of noise that had erupted around them was inescapable, even behind the veil of love her Puppy had drawn her into. The Hunters were howling. From the corner of her eye, the ewe could see them, their muzzles held high as they sounded their call across the moonlit sky. Some of Vernon's brothers were pumping their fists as they howled, while others took to slamming their paws excitedly against the backs of chairs in excitement. Meanwhile, Audrey had somehow managed to howl between fits of sobbing, the wolf looking practically inconsolable as she bawled into another wad of tissues between her stuttering calls.

"M-My P-PuH-Puh-PuuuPPPY! AWWWoooo-Wooo-Woo...!" The she-wolf lamented, before blowing her nose sharply into another clump of tissue.

Even her sisters seemed to be howling. Ada and Qali trying their best to match the others with awkward sounding, crude howls of their own.

Suddenly the ewe felt that powerful connection severed, her mate's lips pulling free of hers. It left her hungry, pleading and looking to her mate in a mixture of disappointment and confusion. But the wolf had already turned his muzzle skyward, letting out a resoundingly powerful and gleeful howl of his own that made her heart flutter.

Turning his sights back on her, the wolf flashed her an expectant grin.

"He couldn't possibly..." She thought. Was she supposed to howl as well? As a tithe was normally a ceremony between wolves, it was expected of all mammals present, even the bride and groom to join in on the celebratory howl. But she wasn't a wolf, so how could she be expected to howl?

"V-vernon?" Dawn smiled meekly. "I-I can't-I can't..."

The wolf fluttered his eyelids at the ewe, giving her a playful, teasing kiss on her snout.

"C'mon Honey Lamb." The wolf murmured softly. "Do it fer me..." Vernon grinned. "Fer us."

Dawn was self-conscious about even trying. She was sure that any attempt at a howl from her would come out horrible and awkward. But looking into those loving green eyes, she knew she couldn't refuse.

"AWWOoooOOOOoooAAAAaaaaHH-aaH-aaH-aaHH..." Dawn snapped her muzzle shut with a hoof, a crimson hot blush forcing its way to her muzzle.

By the gods, she had bleated. Out loud, for everyone to hear. Her attempt to play along, and give the howl everything she had inadvertently had caused her to slip into a purely feral bleat. And to her, bleating was much like Vernon getting caught up in an uncontrollable howl.

Vernon simply grinned, giving the ewe another short kiss before raising his muzzle to the heavens once me.

"Baa-Haa-Haa-HaaWOOOoooooOOOO..." The wolf cried proudly. Making an attempt to match Dawn's rather awkward howl turned bleat with a bleat turned howl of his own. But much like Dawn's own failed howl, Vernon's attempt to match her was met with an equally awkward silence. Even the faded howls of the local wolves had fallen silent, leaving them with little more with the uncomfortable ambiance of the weak autumn breeze. And despite the wolf flashing her a confident smile, his attempt at easing her discomfort had fallen short.

Dawn simply leaned into Vernon's chest, hiding her face in shame as her muzzle twisted into a cringe. Once again, the ewe found herself bereft of breath, although now it was for an entirely different reason.

"H-Hey now..." She could hear Vernon's chest rumble softly as he spoke. "H-Honey La-."

"WHOO-WHOO-WHOO-HAA-HAA-HAA-HAWooooOOOoooo...."

From the back row, Ada's call sounded, an even more awkward, barking laugh of a howl that drew the ewe's attention out of her mate's chest and onto the large hyeness now standing up in the back row.

Dawn knew by now that her sister hyeness was more than embarrassed by her nervous cackling and whooping. Yet if she felt any shame by giving into her more 'native call', the hyeness certainly wasn't showing it. Ada stood tall and proud, flashing the couple a confident smile as stood above the other Hunters.

"ARRR-ARRR-ARRR-ARRR-ARRR-ARRR---WoooOOOOooo!"

That call had come from Qali. The little white vixen bouncing in her seat as she excitedly let out a strange assortment of sort yips. The diminutive fox raised her fist into the air, swinging it in small circles enthusiastically as she cheered the couple on.

"GRAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaWWWooooOOOoooo..." Dawn quirked a brow as she scanned around for the source of the bizarre, bellowing call. The ewe was quite certain she had never heard a sound like that before, despite having heard all sorts of foreign mammal calls in the melting pot of mammalian diversity that was Zootopia. But as she continued to scan the various Hunters amid the seats, she quickly became aware that most of them were looking up.

Following the line of sight skyward, the ewe's eyes quickly fell on Giselle. The large giraffe cow bowing her head slightly as she covered her muzzle with her hooves in an attempt to hide the bashful glow that had formed below her fur.

Turning back to her mate, Vernon's smile had parted to reveal his fangs as he grinned proudly back at her.

"BAAH-AAH-AHH-WOOoo-woo..." Clover's attempt to join in was cut short by her own sobs, the older ewe blubbering just as loudly as Audrey was as she buried her snout into a fresh tissue. "M-My Li-Little LAAAmB!"

Dawn had to stifle a giggle as she watched her mother lean her face into Dorian's side, the older wolf bending slightly down to place a reassuring paw on her back as her mother continued to sob.

Gus was next, then Melanie, even Ruddy giving a resounding bleat of their own as the cries of a variety of other mammals began to carry over the distant breeze. It wasn't just wolves anymore, Dawn could hear sheep too. Off in the distance, bleating their hearts along with their howling brothers. Perhaps it was solidarity, or that the unique opportunity had presented itself for the local sheep to take part in something that felt strictly 'wolfish', but regardless, the fields and mountains sang with the strains of a menagerie of mammalian sounds.

"ROOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooAAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaRRRR!"

Dawn practically jumped on to Vernon's face as Vanna let out a pure, startling roar from off to the couple's side. If she had attempted to shift into a howl somewhere within her powerful call, it was ultimately lost on Dawn as her flight response had temporarily overtaken her senses.

It was only when the roar softened and eventually died away did Dawn turn to find Vanna blushing sharply, the large tigress holding the pillow that had once held Dawn and Vernon's bracelets over her muzzle.

"I-I'm s-sorry Dawn." The tigress sniffled, the massive feline's apparent bashfulness causing her to shrink further behind the pillow as she wiped her tearful eyes into the fabric. "I-I didn't m-mean..." The tigress mushed her face deeper into the pillow.

"Mmim-muss...moh...Mpppy" The tigress wept into the pillow.

Dawn tilted her head slightly, a mixture of confusion and bemusement at the tigress' oddly emotional behavior.

"I-I'm sorry?' Dawn asked. "What was that?"

Vanna trembled slightly, the tigress pressing the pillow more deeply into her muzzle as she let out a soft whimper.

"Vanna?" Vernon asked, the wolf leaning slightly around his mate to get a better look at the large feline. The wolf's brow furrowed slightly as he spoke in a concerned tone. "Are y'all ok-?"

With a sudden jerk, the tigress pulled the pillow down in one swift movement to reveal her tear soaked fur and quivering lower lip. Vanna had apparently been weeping hard enough to have several stray tears dangling from her whiskers that shimmered in the low lighting as she spoke.

"I'M JUST SO HAPPY!" Vanna blurted out awkwardly before quickly shoving the pillow back over her muzzle in shame.

Dawn turned to glance at her mate, meeting his deep forest green eyes and rather pleased smirk with a giggle.

"See Darlin'..." The wolf chuckled. "Everyone's cuttin' loose now. Even ol' stone face over there."

Dawn was certain the remark would have normally earned a glare from Vanna if the tigress' muzzle hadn't already been embedded in their wedding pillow.

Vernon placed a tender kiss on the ewe's forehead, and Dawn let out a sigh of relief as she leaned into it, allowing her head to simply rest against his lips as she nuzzled under his chin.

"Y-yeah..." Dawn murmured. The ewe felt better for sure after her sisters and mother had attempted to draw the attention off of her for the moment. But the feeling of awkwardness and shame hadn't completely left her.

"Hey..." Vernon cooed. She could feel his fingers come to rest beneath her chin as his muzzle drew away from her, the wolf lifting her head up in order to make eye contact with her. Vernon offered her a warm, loving smile.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with cuttin' loose Darlin'." The wolf chuckled. "Lettin' a little bit o' that wild side out here and there."

Dawn let out a small huff.

Vernon shook his head in response. "If not now, then when Darlin'?" Vernon grinned broadly.

"We're married Honey Lamb. Tithed." The wolf's paw moved to caress her face, his thumb gingerly stroking her cheek as he looked her in the eyes.

"W-we're married?" Dawn uttered, her tone a mixture of disbelief and awe. It was true. They were official now, in the eyes of the Bellwether flock and the Hunter pack. They had sealed that pledge of love and devotion with a kiss. One she could still feel tingling on her lips as a renewed surge of joy and elation washed away the lingering shame left over from her howling bleat.

"We're married!" Dawn chirped, tears welling in her eyes as she looked back into her mate's own. His warm, forest green irises shimmering with love, and his soft lips growing increasingly, tantalizingly inviting.

"We're tithed." Vernon smirked.

They were connected again, and with that surge of heat and excitement came those butterflies. But that didn't stop the ewe from drawing him deeper, placing a free hoof against the side of the wolf's face as they gave their family an encore performance.

Dawn had practically lost herself in that blissful dream all over again. The kiss between her and her 'Puppy Love' feeling as though it were endless. She was enveloped in his love, their love. The warm embrace chasing away any semblance of autumn chill in the wake of the inferno that raged around and within them.

But this time it was her who would break the tender kiss, albeit with great reluctance. The ewe slowly drew back from her mate's lip's, resisting the urge to meet them once again as Vernon's own moved in a meek but desperate attempt to stay connected to hers for a brief moment before the wolf let her go. Drawing back the rest of the way, the ewe looked deep into those lovely green eyes as she caressed the wolf's cheek affectionately.

"I love you Puppy." Dawn said with a smile.

"I love y'all too, Floofy." The wolf replied with a soft smile.

With that, the ewe laid her head against the wolf's breast, nuzzling up under his neck as she let out a pleasant sigh. Dawn wanted to drink in this moment, to simply bask in her mates embrace as her dream became realized and etch this perfect moment forever in her mind.

The ewe closed her eyes, letting out a slow, soft breath.

"Vernon?" Dawn asked.

"Mhh?" The wolf cooed blearily, clearly lost in the moment almost as much as she was.

"What were you saying about cutting loose?" Dawn asked meekly.

Once again the ewe found herself being drawn from her nesting place, the wolf carefully prying her out of his chest and far enough away to make eye contact. Vernon flashed the ewe a playful smirk.

"The big show's all said and done Darlin'..." The wolf cooed. "So now it's time we celebrate!"

"Hell yeah it is!" Came Yuri's unsolicited reply from the back. The wolf rising out of his chair. "Bout time we get to drinkin'!"

With a sharp 'wap', Ada's paw once again connected to the back of his skull with a blunt, open swat. Dawn watched the wolf sharply cow under the hyena's glare, albeit it with a defiant sneer as the black-furred wolf rubbed the back of his head aggressively.

"I meant drinkin' responsibly!" Yuri hissed.

Ada crossed her arms, cocking her hips toward the wolf.

"Shore youse did." Ada growled.

"Wait, Wait!" Qali chirped, drawing Dawn's attention to the diminutive fox now leaning over the seat in front of her. "What about the bouquet!?"

Dawn glanced back to the half-eaten wad of flowers now crumpled between her and Vernon sheepishly. Finally making it to the conclusion of the ceremony, to that symbolic kiss, had filled her with such a powerful and overwhelming sense of exhilaration and joy that the ewe had entirely forgotten about making any effort to preserve the bouquet for the ceremonial toss. And somewhere between the heat and force of that agonizingly lovely act, the bouquet had found itself trapped between the unyielding press of the pair's bodies.

By now, the mess of flowers had certainly seen better days. Mostly crushed, and missing patches of flowers from every side, the cluster of flowers looked far from beautiful, and barely edible. But at the very least, it still looked sturdy enough to survive the toss. And considering most of the eligible bachelorettes who would be vying to catch it probably weren't going to eat it, it allowed the ewe to brush aside any real concerns about the arrangements _'final'_presentation.

Dawn glanced at Vernon, giggling as she held up the tattered bouquet.

"Want to help me with this one, big guy?" The ewe asked, nibbling at her free hoof nervously. "I don't think I could give it a good toss from ground level."

"Ya'll got it Lamb Fry." The wolf chuckled in reply.

With a heft, the ewe suddenly found herself seated even higher above the altar as the wolf raised her up onto his shoulders. Bracing her legs under the gown with his paws, the wolf carefully spun around to allow Dawn to look back upon the aisle with a perfect bird's eye view. Dawn could easily see several of the Hunter brothers starting to file out of their seats, and while some merely stood around, talking to other members of the family as well as their mates. A few, such as Xavier and Ulric, had made their way to the back row and had begun to fold up the carefully arranged chairs on the left hoofed side of the aisle.

"A-Alright..." Dawn giggled, raising the crumpled bouquet up to the heavens and wagging it lazily in the air. "Those of you who want to try and catch the bouquet might want to come to the front."

"Oh hell yeah!" That reply had come from Ada, and Dawn watched as the large hyena actively used her mate's head in order to boost herself on to the next row of seats as she clambered her way to the front.

"H-HEY! OW-!" Yuri hissed.

"Oh shut it youse!" Ada cried back over her shoulder as she carefully stepped over into the first row. Unlike her step onto one of the open seats in the second row, the large hyena had to adjust her stride to account for the mammals still seated in the front, which now included a very beleaguered Dorian and her mother. At some point, during the whirlwind of embarrassment surrounding her howl, and Vernon's follow up kiss, Dorian had managed to guide Clover back to a seat. And now, the older white wolf found himself sat between his mate, and Dawn's mother, with both mammals leaning on him for emotional support as the continued to weep. The wolf holding on to the box of tissues that Audrey had previously been clutching, and offering it to each mammal as they used up their previous clump.

Carefully slipping around the sobbing mound of mammals, Ada stepped on the last vacant seat in the row before jumping back to the ground.

"I got dis one in da bag." Ada smiled confidently up at the ewe with closed eyes.

"I wouldn't speak so soon."

On the other side of the aisle, just shy of the altar stood Melanie, alongside a particularly nervous looking Gus. Whatever conversation they had been in the middle of seemingly dropped as the nanny goat's attention fell on Ada.

"Oh..." Ada smirked, placing her paws on her hips. "Is dat so?"

"Melly..." Gus reached for his mate's shoulder with a trembling hoof, but Melanie was quick to brush it aside, grimacing at her mate before making her way up to the considerably larger hyena with a confident stride.

"I'd say..." Melanie smirked, a determined gleam shimmering behind her green, rectangular pupiled eyes as she met Ada's in a glare. "It all depends on who wants it more."

Ada let out a bemused cackle.

"Are youse serious?" The hyena furrowed her brow, flashing the small she-goat a competitive sneer. "You lookin' to get hoit dere little lamb?"

The hyena leaned down slightly, exposing her teeth as her eyes seemed to scan the smaller mammal inquisitively. "Because I ain't goin easy on any mammal dat gets between me an dat ting, regardless of how small dey are." Ada hissed quietly. "I'm takin' dat bouket. Undastand?" Ada snorted. "I want it da most."

Melanie dragged a hoof through the back of her ponytail, Dawn watching curiously as the nanny goat dragged several extra bands free from the base of it and pulling them off. Kneeling slightly, Melanie rolled the hem of her dress up to her knees before stretching a band over each leg and clipping the dress in place at the top of her calves. The end result made the bottom of her dress resemble something more akin to a pair of billowy shorts rather than an open skirt, the nanny bracing her knees with her hooves before flashing Ada a determined, almost scary smile.

"Correction, I'm a goat." Melanie replied. "And when it comes to vertical leap, you've got no chance at beating me." The nanny chuckled. "We're built to scale mountains."

Melanie's smile widened to show her tightly grit teeth as she tried to match Ada's menacing sneer.

"And there's no way you could ever possibly want that bouquet more than I do."

Ada looked surprised, but only for a moment, the hyena's trademark smug grin resurfacing as she stared Melanie down.

"Oh I like youse..." Ada chuckled softly. "Almost make me feels bad I'm gonna crush youse into da doit and ruin dat pretty dress of yours." Ada lolled her head back slightly as she crossed her arms. "Almost..."

"Hey!" Qali chirped. "I wa-!"

The fox quickly fell silent as the wolf sitting next to her braced her shoulders with his paws. Trenton drew the diminutive vixen closer to him, giving her a concerned glance.

Dawn could see Trenton saying something to her, but the wolf's voice was low, and from where she sat atop her mates shoulders, she couldn't quite make it out.

"But TreeeeennnNNNY!" The fox suddenly whined, her ears sagging sharply as her fluffy tail withered behind her.

The white wolf simply rolled his eyes in response.

"Darlin'." He was louder now. "I don't want you gettin' into that fray." The wolf shook his head.

"But I gotta!" The tiny white fox protested, balling her fists as she eyed her mate with intensity. "I want to get the bouquet!" The vixen flashed her mate a wide grin. "Then I can get you to tithe me! It's the rules you know!"

Trenton let out an amused chuckle, shaking his head softly.

"That's not exactly ho-."

The vixen crossed her arms, wearing an expression that Dawn could only describe as something resembling a pout that was clearly meant to come off as intimidating rather than adorable. However, all it had managed to do was get another chuckle out of the blue-eyed wolf.

"TREEENNNY....!" The vixen whined. "PUH-LEEEEAASE!?"

The wolf rolled his head back, letting out another laugh before wrapping his arms around the diminutive vixen and pulling her in for a hug.

Qali resisted, however. The vixen drawing back as much as she could from his attempts to pull her in close. Qali placed her paws on her mate's arms, puffing her cheeks in clear irritation.

"Look, I promise ya'll right now Darlin'." The wolf pleaded. "If we're still together nine months from now, you'll get a guaranteed proposal from me."

The little vixen crossed her arms, cocking her hips slightly as she continued to lean away from his grip.

"Really?" Qali asked dubiously, her tail flicking lazily as she spoke.

"Provided y'all don't lungin' for that bouquet on my behalf, it's a promise." The wolf replied with a warm smile. "A Hunter always keeps his promises."

The vixen turned her back to the wolf, glancing up at Dawn for a moment, before shifting her attention over to Ada and Qali. The ewe could practically see the gears turning in her head, the little vixen weighing her options for a moment before turning her attention back to Trenton.

"Why nine months?" Qali asked, her tone wary and somber. "Y-you don't think we're going to last?" The little vixen frowned. "Y-you m-might leave?"

Trenton smirked. "No, it's cause I'd want to ask y'all at the right time." The wolf chuckled. "And give us enough time left over to plan so that we can have a harvest tithe just like them two."

Qali's ears shot back up, the vixen smiling broadly as she placed her paws on her mates shoulders. The little fox began to bounce happily on his lap.

"Really!?" Qali chirped. "REALLY REALLY?!"

The wolf nodded. "Only the best fer my lil' Snowball."

Qali sucked in a deep breath of air before letting out another excitable series of gekking hoots as she continued to bounce. For a moment, it looked as though she were about to lean into the wolf's lingering hug with full force. The vixen had wrapped her arms around his neck, and had nearly drawn into his grip when she froze, her glance returning back to the front of the aisle.

"B-but Trenny..." The vixen mumbled. " I mean, it's tradition right?"

The wolf shook his head.

"Darlin', I don't like the look in them gals eyes." Trenton spoke, his tone low in a clear attempt to remain unheard by those at the front. But Dawn had just barely managed to make it out. "I don't want to be waitin' nine months to propose because we had to wait till y'all were out of traction." The wolf winced. "Or worse yet, end up havin' to plan fer a funeral instead of a tithe."

Qali scoffed, flicking a paw at her mate dismissively.

"Oh pshaw." The vixen giggled. "I may be small! But I'm agile and spry!" The vixen smiled. "I can-!"

"SAY LADIES!" Trenton called out, earning the attention of the hyena and goat who had been previously exchanging dirty looks. Qali spun her head in confusion, her attention shifting between her mate and the bridesmaids.

"Y'ALL TWO AIN'T GOT NO CHANCE AGAINST MY LITTLE SNOWBALL!" Trenton yelled, his voice booming with confidence. "SHE'LL STOMP YA BOTH OUT!"

Dawn watched as the two determined looking mammals set their sights on the petite vixen. Both mammals sharing a glare of similar intensity and ferocity as they stared down the bubbly fox a row away from them.

Dawn watched as Qali's ears immediately sank, the vixen shuffling backward into her mate's chest before shrinking into his arms in sheer terror.

"I'LL PASS! I'LL PASS!" Qali yelped before sharply slumping into her mate's lap. The wolf's arms closed protectively over her, pulling her in tightly as she nuzzled into his breast.

"P-point taken..." Qali mumbled.

"Well dat settles dat..." Ada said with a scoff. "But what about hoy?" The hyena grumbled, pointing a thumb to the giraffe in the row opposite. Giselle was standing now, Wade by her side as he began to fold up his chair. Looking up, Dawn could see the giraffe recoil in slight surprise as she looked to the mammals below her in confusion.

"She ain't in dis ting is she?" Ada continued. "Case dere's no way dat's fair if she's in."

Melanie's scowl momentarily shifted off of her opponent, instead shifting over to Giselle as she crossed her arms.

"I do like a good challenge, but that is a bit much." Melanie added. "I mean, her neck alone..."

Giselle quickly threw her hooves up defensively, the giraffe nearly tripping over the row of chairs behind her as she backed up slightly. Wade was quick to brace one of her legs, the wolf wrapping his arms tightly around her calf in order to stabilize her, but thankfully the large mammal seemed to regain her balance before toppling entirely.

"O-Oh please..." Giselle giggled nervously. "I mean, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to try..."

Leaning her head down closer to the others, the giraffe offered the mammals a nervous smile.

"I mean...I am toll....but..."

"Tall huh?" Ada chuckled. "Dat's and unda-statement."

Giselle giggled at the hyena's remark.

"But I don't fink it's any secret I'm a bit....well clumsy..."

Giselle glanced back to her mate uneasily as the russet grey wolf backed away from her leg, holding his paws out warily as if worried she was about to fall once more before seemingly noticing that she was looking his way and quickly adopting a rather sheepish grin before quickly returning to folding chairs.

"And aside from that, my hoof-eye coordination is abysmal." The giraffe chuckled, flicking a hoof playfully.

"B-but more so than anyfing else..." Giselle frowned slightly, glancing back at her mate once more before looking to Dawn.

"I- I mean it's a l'ittle soon for the bof of us to be finkin' about marriage, eh?" Giselle muttered weakly. "I-I mean we've been togevfer less than two months...so..." The giraffe cringed slightly, rolling her eyes as she continued. " Yeah..."

"I understand." Dawn replied.

"Yeah." Vernon added. "Ain't like y'all want to rush into anything." The wolf said with a chuckle. "That'd be crazy."

Dawn gave her mate a playful swat on the head, his clearly playful jab at their own circumstances would not go unpunished. However, all it did was draw another snicker from the wolf as he glanced up at her knowingly.

"Alright, so she's out!" The hyena said with a smirk, crossing her arms confidently.

Looking off to the side, Dawn could see Malcolm had risen from his chair to help his mate. The russet wolf still sniffling into tissue as he cobbled up his chair into his other arm.

"What about you Malcolm?" Dawn asked.

The wolf froze for a moment, turning around on his heels to face the couple with a sheepish grin. Malcolm pulled the tissue away from his snout, holding it in his paw as he swept it behind his head to rub the back of his neck uneasily.

"Oh don't y'all worry about us Darlin'." Malcolm said, a few lingering sniffles breaking up his laughter. "Xavey and I got plans, don't you worry now." The red wolf sighed.

"Besides, we wanted to enjoy the last evening of our vacation at the reception." Xavier chimed in, adjusting his spectacles as he spoke. "Not at the emergency room."

Malcolm let out a chuckle. "Not that I can't scrap with the best of 'em o' course." The wolf shook his head. "But I still got some work left in the kitchen that needs doin' too."

Placing the tissue back to his nose, the russet wolf let out a harsh, honking blow before tucking the wad of wet paper into his breast pocket.

"So y'all have yer fun." Malcolm concluded, bending to finishing folding up the chair he had been holding in his other arm.

"And try not to kill each other." Xavier added dully.

"No promises." Ada replied, turning her sights back to the diminutive nanny standing next to her. Melanie met her gaze with an equal intensity, the goat smirking back with tightly grit teeth as they stared each other down once again.

Watching the two, Dawn could feel an uneasiness rising in her gut. She hadn't exactly been sure what to expect when the bouquet was finally to be tossed, but the level of 'competitiveness'_taking place wasn't something the ewe had really considered. In that moment, the ewe could only think about what her friend Judy had told her about most of the _'Hopp's Family Weddings', and how violent many of those bouquet tosses had been. At the very least, Dawn could take solace in the fact that she only had two mammals to worry about getting hurt rather than two-hundred.

By now a sizable space had been cleared near the front of the altar, more than enough for the two mammals competing to get a fairly even shot at catching the bouquet. The entire side to Dawn's left had been opened up, while the rest of the family continued to fold up chairs and carry them off to the other side of the house where the ewe could clearly see the lights for the reception area. However, Dorian was still stranded in the front row of the other side of the aisle, Clover and Audrey still buried into his sides as he did his best to console them.

"A-Alright Vernon..." The ewe pointed a wary hoof over to the wide open space. "Let's do this."

With a nod, the wolf ferried her away from the lighting, turning their collective backs away from Melanie and Ada as they took several steps away before coming to a stop a good distance from the altar space. All the while Dawn watched over her shoulder, carefully judging the distance required for the throw and growing increasingly concerned over the hateful glare that only seemed to sharpen between Ada and Melanie as they followed along a little ways away from the remaining chairs.

"T-that's far enough..." Dawn cooed, giving her mate a gentle pat on the head in order to stop the wolf's march away from the scene. Coming to rest a good five to six feet away from the competing brides-mammals.

O-Okay." Dawn said, letting out a shaky, nervous sigh as she clutched the broken bouquet in her hooves. "Are you ready?"

Neither mammal looked her way, the steady stream of daggers traded between their stares remaining fixed and unbroken as they spoke.

"I was boin ready!" Ada growled.

"Ready to lose!" Melanie snorted.

Dawn winced as she turned away from the pair, looking to her mate with uncertainty. In return, the wolf offered her a warm, reassuring smile. But his true feelings were betrayed by the way the corners of his smile wavered ever so slightly as if they were straining to hide the hint of doubt presumably brewing beneath. The bouquet toss was looking like an increasingly bad idea with each passing minute, but tradition was tradition after all. And even if much of their ceremony had somewhat flown in the face of conventional traditions, denying her bridesmaids the opportunity to catch the bouquet felt as though she would be cheating them.

Dawn took a slow, deep breath, once again going back to her calming exercises as she dug her hooves that much deeper into the base of her bouquet. As she counted down the seconds, she did her best to let the last of her lingering concerns slip away. A part of her even tried to convince herself that whatever happened after the bouquet left her hooves was going to be Melanie and Ada's fault. But even after counting down and releasing her breath, the idea still refused to fully take hold.

Still, she had a job to do, and as the last of the breath left her lungs, the ewe hefted the bouquet upward with all her might, flicking it back over her head before letting it slip free of her hooves at the apex of its arc.

She didn't want to look. She knew it would be a disaster. Yet she was compelled to glance over her shoulder and witness the spectacle that was about to take place.

Time itself seemed to slow as Dawn sheepishly glanced over her shoulder. She could see Ada and Melanie's eyes staring above her, hungry and determined as they watched the crumpled collection of flowers tumble through the air. Soon they were in motion, both mammals scrambling forward with arms outstretched as they began their mad dash toward their prize.

It was Ada who made contact first, but not with the bouquet, rather her paw made contact with the side of Melanie's face. It wasn't a punch, or a slap, but merely an aggressive push. A powerful shove to throw the goat off balance and crumple her to the floor. And while it was strong enough to send her thick, black oval glasses spiraling off her face and onto the grass, the nanny's continued forward momentum refused to let her fall.

In retaliation, Melanie's hoof found it's way to Ada's shoulder, pressing into it hard as the she-goat began to rise off the ground. Apparently, Melanie had either managed to catch Ada off guard, or merely put enough force into her action to cause the hyena to cow slightly. Ada buckled at her waist, dipping downward as Melanie continued her ascent. It was really surprising to Dawn just how high the she-goat could jump, but what was more surprising was how far the nanny was willing to go to snag that bouquet.

Ada barely had time to glare back at Melanie before the nanny goat's foot was pressing down on the hyena's head. Melanie had gained enough air to use Ada's head as a stepping stone, and did so with a smug and unrepentant grin.

Ada's face bore a mixture of emotions as it fell further down under the weight of the she-goat. Shock, confusion, horror, the expressions shifting rapidly as Melanie forced her down into a crouch as flawlessly as one might imagine an ancient lion downing a gazelle. But as Melanie drew close to her prize, her arms outstretched and waiting to catch that precious parcel as it spun through the air ever closer to her, Ada's muzzle twisted into a snarl. It was a hateful, rage filled expression similar to the one she had flashed her mate earlier in the evening, and no less terrifying.

The she-goat was nearly within arms reach of the bundle of flowers, her jump now boosted free of Ada's head and springing into the night air. But almost as swiftly as she had cleared Ada's head, the hyena had swung up again, launching from the squatting stance into a leap of her own, aimed not at the bouquet, but at the nanny currently going for it.

Dawn watched a look of confusion turned horror cross Melanie's muzzle as Ada's arms wrapped around her waist, and in a panic, the she-goat began to flail her arms as the flowers drew within her range.

A glancing blow, one, then another sent the flowers toppling in alternating directions. The heads of buds and leaves spraying off as it spun against the moonlight. But on the third swing, Melanie almost managed to grip the base. Dawn watched in awe as it just barely slipped into her hooves. She might have actually gotten it if at that moment the momentum behind Ada's grab hadn't taken effect. The sudden jerk and pull causing the bouquet to bounce up and backward as the nanny was pulled back to Animalia.

Dawn could see Ada's attention shift as they began to plummet, her angry eyes shifting back to the tumbling floral arrangement as it sailed overhead. With Melanie already sinking like a stone, the large hyena retracted her grip, using the force to propel herself away from the tanking she-goat and toward the flowers.

But Melanie, while down, refused to stay out. Not missing a beat, the nanny frantically grasped for Ada's neck, wrapping her arms around the mammal's throat and pressing as much of her downward force into the hyena as she could.

Much like Melanie had just barely grasped the flowers before, the same outcome played out with Ada. Her large paws flipping and toppling the messy arrangement through the air as she frantically tried to grasp even the barest thread. One direction, then another, the flowers seemed to bounce almost unnaturally away from her grasp. Teasing and toying with the struggling hyeness as both mammals continued to fall.

One last desperate swipe, and it was out of range. It was falling, they were falling, and Dawn could feel a rising dread inside as it became clear what was going to happen next. The bouquet would hit the ground, as would Ada and Melanie. And the two would begin to claw at one another to crawl after it.

But much to Dawn's shock, to everyone's shock, the bouquet never made it to the floor. With the attention grabbing spectacle of the struggle, Dawn had lost focus on just where the flowers had drifted. Ada and Melanie's attempts had sent it careening toward the front row of chairs that still remained at the altar side. Toward the group of mammals huddled at the front, where one old white wolf struggled to console two mothers overcome by the previous, considerably lovelier scene. And with little fanfare or struggle, the flowers landed on her mother's lap.

Clover drew back from Dorian's side, glancing down at the crumpled bouquet now resting in her lap in shock as Ada and Melanie hit the floor, spilling toward the chairs with a less than graceful crash.

Clover grasped the flowers warily, inspecting them with an increasingly confused expression before turning her attention back to Dawn. Her bleary, tear-filled eyes seemingly searching to see if what had happened was deliberate.

Dawn was almost as shocked and confused as her mother was. Her words failed her, and as she struggled to find a way to respond to her mother's curiously accusing glare the most she could seem to muster was an awkward shrug.

"Well....look at that." Dorian smiled, his voice drawing Clover's attention up to him. "Look's like yer gettin' another chance down the road there Cotton."

"I-" Clover sputtered. "B-But I..This?" The ewe held the bouquet up lamely as she struggled to speak.

"Oooh..." Audrey wept. "M-Maybe y'all will get y-yerself a buh-buh better fella this time ar-around?" The wolf whimpered through her tears.

Clover glanced at the broken bundle hanging lamely in her hoof for a moment, the ewe clearly still reeling from the strange outcome of the toss before glancing back to Vernon parents once again, a blush creeping up on her aging muzzle.

"I-Me-I?" Clover stammered. "I-Nooo...." The ewe shook her head. "I can't be-I-!"

"Dat don't count!" Ada cut off the bewildered chilver from the crumpled pile she and Melanie were now a part of on the ground. The large hyena being the first to drag herself up from the pile, the mammal tromped up to Clover before snatching the bouquet out of her hooves with a paw.

With her other paw, Ada tried to shake some of the dust off her dress as she sneered down at Dawn's mother. It was a pointless endeavor of course, both her and Melanie had gotten their dresses covered in grass stains, not to mention a few visible rips, but it seemed to be more of an attempt to regain some sort of dignity rather than cleaning herself off.

"You already had one!" Ada hissed.

"Yeah." Melanie grumbled as she rose to her feet, the nanny lamely swatting her dress in a similar fashion to Ada. "Leave marriage to us younger girls!" The nanny whined.

With that, Ada tromped back over toward Melanie, leaving the assembled parents, as well as Dawn and Vernon equally as shocked an bewildered.

It was Dorian who was first to break the silence with a laugh, one that was quickly followed by Audrey and eventually Clover as the three seemed to revel in the absurdity of the moment together.

It was laughter that proved infectious, at least in her and Vernon's case. The two barely stifling a giggle that broke into a full laugh when they actually glanced at one another.

Leaning down for a moment, Ada scooped up Melanie's glasses, gingerly passing them to the nanny with a playful smirk. The she-goat froze for a moment, Melanie looking to Ada with a wary squint before taking the glasses into her hooves. The nanny goat took a moment to swab at her dirty, smeared lenses with the hem of her dress before placing them back onto her snout with a defeated sigh.

Ada's smile shifted into something considerably more friendly looking as she dug her claws into the practically shredded bouquet, rending it into two equally pitiful looking halves before shoving one clump of ruined flowers into Melanie's hooves.

"Nice job kid..." Ada chuckled.

Melanie gripped the flowers weakly, looking at them for a moment before offering Ada a meek smile.

"Thanks..." The nanny muttered.

"Youse got some good moves." Ada continued, giving the nanny a playful nudge with her elbow. "Where'd you learn stuff like dat?"

"I was on my school's acrobatic team." Melanie chuckled. "And I still practice at the gym." The nanny sighed, adjusting her glasses with a hoof.

Ada laughed.

"Only reason you had a chance was because of this get up." Melanie added, gesturing to her ruined dress.

"Pft...As if!" Ada retorted. "You catch me in my street clodes and I'll-!"

"Ahem..." That grumble had come from Vanna. The large tigress was now standing beside the pair, looking down her snout disapprovingly. In response, Melanie cowed down, flashing the large feline an uneasy expression. Ada however, seemed to take Vanna's judgmental glare with stride, the hyena donning a bemused smirk as she looked up to her towering sister.

"You two really have some issues with being competitive." Vanna muttered.

Ada rolled her eyes."Pishaw!" The hyena cackled. "You look me square in da eyes and tells me you wouldn't have snatched dat ting outta de air da second it was trown if it was you dyin' to get tihed!" Ada crossed her arms, the dying flowers hanging limply out of her paw as she smirked up at her sister. "Heck, yous woulda probably takin' Plush's arm off!"

Vanna seemed to shrink slightly at that comment, and while it was hard to tell from the distance, Dawn was certain she could see the hint of a blush forming on the tigress' muzzle in response.

"Dat's what I tawt!" Ada snapped back, letting out another hyena like cackle.

"Young Hu....I er mean....young miss Be...!" From around the girls, Dawn's attention was drawn by the call of Damon Ruddy. The ram seated at the small desk off to the side of the altar was waiving at them now. Gesturing with a hoof join him. "Ahem! Young bride and groom!"

"A word please?" The older ram added.

Dawn glanced down at her mate, exchanging a curious expression with the wolf. It was a momentary exchange, a brief sense of confusion before Dawn recalled just what Ruddy was there to do.

"Our license Puppy." Dawn cooed.

The wolf's puzzled expression dissipated almost instantaneously, his muzzle twisting into a grin so wide it forced his muzzle open as he regarded her words.

Suddenly Dawn found herself speeding toward the dimutive ram. Her mate had taken off like a shot, jogging across the grounds with her still on his shoulders, and it forced the ewe to grip his shoulder that much more tightly for fear of being shaken off in the process.

Thankfully for her, the experience was fairly short. The jumbling and shaking coming to an abrupt stop as Vernon came upon Ruddy's work desk. Dawn had to take a moment to straighten her glasses before flashing the excitable wolf below her an annoyed glare.

Vernon's smile dipped slightly as his attention returned to the ewe, his ears sagging guilty as he cowed under her gaze. His glistening green eyes wide and apologetic as he glanced back up at her with a sheepish grin.

"S-Sorry Darlin'."

Dawn simply shook her head. She couldn't stay miffed when faced with those eyes.

"You are such a big Puppy." Dawn giggled, giving the wolf an affectionate pat on the head.

Dawn watched as the wolf closed his eyes, his grin widening slightly as he seemed to savor her petting. Once again she was shaking, albeit much more slightly this time as a rhythmic vibration shuddered up the wolf's body. It only took the ewe a moment to realize it was the wolf's tail wagging in concert with her affectionate gesture.

"Ahem..." Ruddy's voice piped up again, the ram's spoken cough drawing the couples attention and shattering the blissful moment.

"If I may have your attention." Ruddy added, narrowing his gaze slightly at the pair.

Dawn winced, flashing the older mammal a sheepish smile.

"S-sorry." Dawn murmured.

Looking down at her mate, the ewe pointed a hoof nail to the ground. With a nod, Vernon hoisted the lamb off his shoulders before carefully lowering her back to ground level gently.

With her hooves firmly on the grass, Dawn took a moment to straighten her dress, dusting it off with a hoof before shifting her attention back to the balding ram.

"D-Do we need to sign something?" The ewe asked nervously.

Ruddy adjusted his glasses slightly as he glanced back down at his paperwork, tapping his pen against the form softly.

"Yes, I'm going to need signatures." Ruddy chuckled softly. "From both you and Vernon."

Vernon let out something resembling a scoffing laugh. "Oh, is that all?" The wolf said, extending a paw out to the diminutive ram expectantly.

With a sigh, Ruddy passed his pen to Vernon, pointing a hoof at presumably where the wolf was meant to sign his name.

"Twice actually." Ruddy continued as the wolf began to sign his name. "As well as some form of identification from the both of you, which I presume you have in the house."

"O-oh of course!" Dawn replied, glancing over her shoulder at the Hunter Ranch. She wasn't exactly sure where her purse was at the moment, but she was sure it wouldn't take long to find. "B-but don't you need printed copies of our I.D.s?"

Ruddy nodded, letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh yes, but Dorian's has the necessary printer and scanner for that part of the paperwork." The ram extended a hoof back to Vernon as the wolf completed his signature, and the wolf summarily passed the pen back to the small ram.

Leaning forward slightly, Ruddy extended the pen toward Dawn. "Even so that's only for legal purposes." The ram smiled warmly. "After all, I have no doubt that you are both who you claim to be."

Dawn gingerly took the pen from Ruddy's hoof, flipping it into a writing position as the ram pointed his finger at another blank line and tapped expectantly.

"Even if you don't have something for me tonight, you were both born in the North Meadowlands, so it isn't exactly hard for me to pull up your birth certificates and print them out at my office." The ram continued, plucking at his suspenders straps confidently.

The ewe's hoof flowed confidently over the page as she signed the same name she had placed on so many documents in her life. So many papers and proposals, the same swooping 'l's', and familiar last flourish on the _'t'_she was so used to writing down it was practically muscle memory.

"That's easy." Ruddy added.

"Y'all sayin' that makes it sound like there's a hard part." Vernon added.

"Well..." Ruddy murmured.

Dawn was up 'h' in 'Bellwether' when it suddenly dawned on her.

"M-My name." Dawn murmured, stopping shy of concluding her signature.

"What's that Honey Lamb?" Vernon asked.

"M-my..." Dawn murmured, stopping short to correct herself as she turned her attention to her mate. "Our name."

"What do y-?" The wolf paused, his expression shifting as he became aware of just what she was implying.

"Y-yes." Ruddy chimed in. "Have the both of you discussed exactly what last name you wish to go with moving forward?" The ram queried. " I mean, generally speaking in caprid circles the bride takes the groom's last name."

"Of course, that's not always the case these days." Ruddy sighed. "And the _'tithe'_complicates things. Not to mention the er..." Dawn glanced back to the diminutive ram to find him staring back at her, his muzzle twisted into an uneasy grimace. "I imagine your family name may be a...sensitive subject matter?"

Dawn winced, shifting her own uneasy gaze back up to Vernon. Based on his expression, she could imagine the wolf's thoughts had drifted to a similar place to her own. On their way out to the Meadowland's, when Vernon had broached the subject of marriage altogether, they had discussed Dawn's last name, and ultimately what would become of it when the time finally came. In the end, she knew Vernon had wanted her to keep her name. That even without the new, more positive association in regards to her role in breaking up the "Zootopia's Last Night" plot to make it easier to bear, the ewe should take pride in her name. For all the strife and pain its history had carried with it, there were elements to be proud of, and that she would be able to build on it and make it something to be that much more proud of.

But for her, the name had become a symbol of everything that had mired her early life. The legacy of the Bellwether name had been imprinted into her father by force, and he had done the same to her. It represented the sting of a swift hoof, of dark nights spent crying in her room and nursing bruises, of hospital stays and listening to her mother's frantic excuses to keep child protective services out of the home. A legacy that would taint her very existence, and twist her mind into forgiving and making excuses and justifications for acting as monstrous, if not more so than the Bellwethers that had come before. And even after getting her head on straight, and forging a new, brighter future for herself. Even after saving the city in spite of her past and effectively clearing her name. It was still tainted by her father's memory, and by the memories of her past.

Then again, how could she say she had truly moved forward, taken a true step toward a brighter future if she couldn't make peace with her past?

"I'd say it's up to you two."

Dawn craned her head over her shoulder, following the source of the sudden interjection to find it had come from Dorian. The white wolf was still seated between the two mothers, the whimpering mammals looking along with him through bleary eyes as he smiled at the couple.

"Hunter or Bellwether, y'all two will always be a part of this pack." Dorian continued, his lips curling to reveal his fangs. "Ain't no mammal can take that away from you."

Dawn could feel the warm rush of tears starting to form once more in the face of Dorian's kind words.

Looking back up to her mate, the grey wolf had a warm smile that matched his father's. His green eyes glimmering down at her as he met her gaze.

"Welp, I reckon I'd have to defer that judgment to my better half." Vernon added, reaching a paw out to the ewe a gesturing for her to take it.

"I'll be happy with whatever y'all decide Honey Lamb." The wolf cooed.

Dawn let out a whimper as she placed her hoof in the wolf's paw, grasping it tightly.

Even the Hunters, even her Puppy. They had accepted her for who she was. A Bellwether, with all the name had implied. And if they could truly see value in that name, then who was she to argue?

Dawn pressed her glasses up with her forearm, rubbing it over her eyes in an effort to chase away the tears.

"H-Hunter." The ewe murmured softly, turning her attention back to Ruddy, the ewe offering the diminutive ram a small smile. "Hunter-Bellwether."

Dawn smiled through her tears as she turned to look to her mate for approval, letting out a giggling sob. "I want to be Dawn Hunter-Bellwether, if that's okay?"

Vernon's smile was beaming, the wolf's tail wagging at a mile a minute as he gave her hoof an affectionate squeeze.

"It's more than okay." Vernon replied. "It's perfect."