Author's Note: After seeing Alpha and Omega for the first time a few months ago, I have become quite taken with its characters and after browsing through some of the stories here, decided I might try my hand at crafting a tale for this wonderful franchise. I've tinkered with this for the better part of a month and it hasn't been easy, but I think I've finally gotten their personalities down. I'm eager to see what you make of it—and I'm always open to hearing a few suggestions. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1:

First Hunt

The wind rustled through the pines, shaking a fine dust of needles down onto the grass to season an otherwise bland lunch of forest greens for the small herd of caribou ambling lazily through the clearing. Springtime in Jasper often made the beasts bolder—and the abundance of food after a long, bitterly cold winter could make some more careless than others. Unfortunately, Mother Nature also favored the forest's more carnivorous citizens, for spring often whetted the appetites of the land's many bears…and especially wolves.

Humphrey licked his lips, peering through the tall grass at the herd, doing his best to keep from drooling, reminding himself not to get carried away. He'd witnessed more than his fair share of hunts and knew that as bulky and slow as even the oldest of the caribou might appear, taking one lightly was a big mistake. Even after the bitter winter, a few strong caribou could still best two or three wolves with ease. Even a well trained Alpha. Mulling all this over did little to help him relax. Although he genuinely enjoyed his role as the fun-loving leader of the Pack's crew of prank-playing peacekeepers, at the moment, he couldn't help feeling that his slim, lean frame seemed woefully inadequate for anything but hill sledding and never mind taking on a caribou.

'C'mon, c'mon, get it together…' Briefly closing his eyes, he took a few measured breaths and then glanced to his left and couldn't help but smile a little at finding Garth surveying him with his sharp green eyes.

"Nervous?" He could hear as well as see the slight smile spreading over the burly Alpha's muzzle.

"Nah…" A beat of silence, then; "Okay, maybe just a little."

The smile only widened and Humphrey felt some of the tension leave him. Garth, he had discovered, had that effect on you; though he could be goofy, once you got to know him, in the middle of a hunt, even with a raging Grizzly threatening to storm in and steal your kill, there was no buckle in that wolf. Even though they were facing a quarry far less dangerous than a cranky bear, now more than ever, he envied Garth; the red wolf not only had the body of an athlete, but also seemed possessed of an almost eerie calm that easily rivaled Kate's. "You'll do fine. Just follow my lead."

Through the grass and around a tree, the two wolves slunk through the forest, winding between two boulders, cloaked in silence as they closed in on their prey. Pausing in the shelter of a bush, he and Garth peered out. Catching his gaze, Garth wordlessly dipped his snout, indicating their target; an older caribou who'd strayed a little from the protection of the herd to instead feast on a patch of clover in the shade of a tall pine tree. With the slightest of nods, Humphrey pressed closer, his whole body seeming to thrum with a mixture of apprehension and breathless anticipation. He would've been lying if he said he hadn't felt some relief as well; at least their target shouldn't give him too much trouble.

Eyes narrowing, he crawled to the edge of his grassy refuge, gazing up at the caribou not twenty feet away. His first hunt…he was starting to understand what made Kate so proud of her status. Lean muscles flexing, he crept ahead of Garth, preparing to spring, eyes fixed on the target as the Alpha murmured a breathless countdown…

"One… Two…"

As if on cue, a buck, screened from sight by one of the rocks, suddenly lifted a large, shaggy head, displaying an impressively fuzzy rack of antlers as the wind suddenly shifted, ruffling his and Garth's ears and sending their scent washed over the herd.

Garth cursed. Humphrey managed only a frightened little squeak.

'Oh crap, we're so boned…'

"—THREE!" Garth snarled, shooting up from the grass in a dark red blur. He shot through their ranks, slamming into the caribou's side, knocking it off balance before battening on the aged animal's neck. Humphrey tailed him as close as he could, and, lacking Garth's honed hunter's skills, skittered and squirmed past the other rearing, plunging animals, already knowing he was probably too late to do much to help Garth. Still, he jumped, landing awkwardly astride the writhing animal's back while Garth tried to knock it down. Grappling with his target, Humphrey kicked and pushed with his powerful back legs, trying to knock it off balance.

Behind them, the buck gave a mighty snort and charged and Humphrey felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

"Oooooh no… No, no, no, no, no, n-!"

Heart racing, he tried to clamber higher on the bucking, writhing youngster's back to put it between himself and the charging male, but to no avail. He let out a pained yelp as the snorting buck laid into him with one well-placed kick to the side, sending him tumbling back to earth head-over-tail. Disoriented, eyes rolling comically, Humphrey stumbled back to his feet.

'' Least it wasn't my—' his thought broke off as he was sent flying from another well-placed kick, this time to the hindquarters. With another yelp and protracted whine of pain, the omega once more sailed through air and tumbled out of sight, crashing through the brush to land in a decidedly ungraceful heap, the air around him resounding with a chorus of startled cries and a low thunder of hooves as the rest of the herd beat a hasty retreat.

In the thicket, Humphrey righted himself with a low groan, willing the scenery to right itself again. "Stop the world please…I'd like to get off," he mumbled, dazedly shaking his head. 'Please god don't let it have broken my ass…' he thought.

Still finishing off the kill, Garth called to him from beyond the thicket and even in his daze, Humphrey smiled. Although the two might have gotten off to a somewhat rocky start in their pseudo-duel for Kate's affection, just a few months after the joining of the Western and Eastern packs, the two had become fast friends for, although he took his Alpha duties seriously, Garth proved just as fun-loving as any Omega.

In the clearing, the sounds of struggle ceased. "Humphrey? You okay?"

Shaking the dirt from his pelt, Humphrey gave his head another shake and started trying to worm and wriggle his way out of the brush. "Ooooh…ow, my butt… Always with the butt!"

Garth's leg appeared, sliding through his. With a low grunt and a strong jerk, the gray omega came tumbling out of the brush, idly pawing at his pelt as he righted himself.

"Humphrey? You…you…" The burly Alpha's eyes widened and his look of concern dissolved into a broad grin. A burst of rich, throaty laughter suddenly filled the forest, sending a flock of birds fleeing from their perch in a nearby tree with a collective caw of reproach.

Humphrey blinked, one eyebrow raising as he looked at Garth, his spirits, already low, sinking a little lower. "What?" He turned, looking at himself…and felt his cheeks flush. Apparently, the universe wasn't quite done messing with him. Oh, he was never going to live this down….

He'd landed in a patch of thick, as-yet-undeveloped brush of briars and scrub, and now… To say his pelt was a mess would be an understatement. Great… Not only had the caribou quite literally licked his ass, but thanks to them, he'd also be returning to Jasper with what looked like a few bushes' worth of brown prickly burs stuck to his gray pelt. He collapsed back onto his haunches, briefly hiding his face in his paws, though this proved to be another mistake, for it only left him with a ridge of natural prickly piercings along his eyebrows that only made Garth laugh all the harder.

"Oh…oh god, your face…" Garth snorted. Sitting back on his haunches, muzzle split in a wide grin, he raised his paws, framing his friend's grey mug. "Stand back folks—make way for the p-porcupine!"

Sighing, the afflicted lupine couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Barf," he rumbled, getting to his paws again and turning to try to work some of the seeds from his fur while waiting for his friend's laughter to run its course.

Still chuckling, Garth grinned. "I'm not laughing at you—I'm laughing with you," he protested, green eyes gleaming.

"I'm not laughing, Barf."

"Well, you should be," the alpha chided, giving him a companionable bump on the shoulder with one large, creamy-furred paw. "Seriously…isn't this like an omega's dream come true? You get to make everyone laugh!"

Humphrey started to chuckle. Part of him tried to resist, but once people started laughing, it was hard not to join in, even when you were covered in prickly burs. Giving up for the time being, he stretched, testing his sore leg after a moment. "See any hoof-marks?" he asked, presenting his burr-covered flank for the other's inspection, favoring him with his trademark-crocked smile.

Garth, still struggling to suppress his mirth, smirked and chuckled again. "No, your butt looks intact…if a bit on the prickly side," he added after a cursory inspection, green eyes gleaming as he led the other back to the clearing. "Not too bad for your first real hunt."

Humphrey snorted. "Are you kidding? Reba and Janice do a better job—and they hunt berries. With squirrels."

Garth cocked a brow. "Hey dude, don't sweat it. Everyone's nervous their first time," the russet lupine assured him, waving one paw dismissively and favoring him with a confident grin and Humphrey admirably resisted the urge to add '-that's what she said.' "Besides, we got the caribou," he added pointedly, bending to sniff the hard-won meal.

"No, you got the caribou—I got my ass kicked. Literally," Humphrey chuckled, pawing one of the aged herbivore's limp legs.

Garth smirked. "Well, at least you seem to be pretty good at distracting them with that unbreakable butt of yours. Maybe we should just leave you like that—could use you to laugh them to death."

Glancing down at their kill, Humphrey looked it over, gray ears perking. "That might be all it'll take if they're as skinny as this guy. Maybe we should've gone for a younger one…"

"Better to start you off with older ones. Less chance of butt-kicking." Garth nodded sagely.

Conceding the point, Humphrey glanced back over his shoulder; far in the distance, the herd they'd startled was crossing over a low ridge, furry bodies rippling in the breeze. Frowning slightly, he counted just over a dozen. "Seems kind of small though…for a herd, I mean. You'd think they'd have all started sticking together in a bigger group by now, give em a better chance against us."

The russet alpha shrugged; the scent of the kill was making his brain feel a bit foggy and he spared the fleeing cervines only a glance. "They're probably on their way to join one," he murmured, turning his attention back to the carcass at their paws. "Now c'mon—let's bring the girls some dinner."

Humphrey couldn't help grinning. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Double date?" Garth suggested, that soft grin once more spreading across his muzzle before he bent, seizing one of the beast's limp legs in his mouth.

"Double date," the omega agreed, grabbing hold of a leg.

Glancing down at the kill, Humphrey felt his narrow chest swell with pride; it might not last very long or feed half as many mouths as the bucks real Alphas like Garth and Candu brought in, but still, it was a start, even if all he'd managed to do was distract the resident buck with his beatable bum long enough for Garth to seal the deal. Although he'd decided he'd had his fair share of hunting for the time being, he admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe, being able to bring down your food for the pack almost by yourself might have a certain charm that being the leader of the resident, peace-keeping goofballs lacked.

Maybe he could be a hunter…even if he had to use his butt.

() () ()

Lilly sighed softly, long legs flexing as she paused, stretching to try to work a kink out of her back as, a few paces ahead, her sister did the same. "Mmmm…there you go again," the alabaster wolfess murmured around a soft yawn, bushy tail flicking as she distractedly pushed her hair out of her eyes for what felt like (and probably was) the hundredth time that day.

"Mmmmaaah…sorry, it's been a rough week," Kate replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn of her own.

"Really? Humphrey always struck me as the slow, gentle type."

Kate blinked, looking at her uncomprehendingly… Then a faint rosy flush colored the alpha's golden cheeks and she playfully batted her sister with her tail. "Lilly-!"

"What? Oh, so he's rough then?"

"Ok, that's it." Kate turned, moving to give her a playful nip, Lilly dancing backwards out of her reach.

She might be trying to sound as businesslike as usual, but all you needed to do was listen to her to hear the smile in her voice. Seeing her ruse wasn't working at all, Kate gave in, a sly smirk blooming on her muzzle as she turned and playfully side-checked her sister, once more knocking the other's hair back into her eyes even as she playfully herded her down the other side of the low grassy hill along the edge of their territory.

"My sister never used to talk like this—who've you been hanging out with?"

"None of your beeswax."

Kate gave her a knowing smirk. "Ah—Humphrey's friends then."

"So what if I have been?" Lilly challenged, turning and prancing away from her pursuing golden sibling, leading her on a merry chase down the hill.

"They're all a bunch of lazy bums!"

"Garth seems to like them—so nyeh," the silver-furred omega replied, sticking her tongue out with a giggle.

"You…!"

Lilly smiled innocently and responded by blowing a raspberry at her, much to Kate's amused exasperation.

"Aaaaah, you're making me into a terrible Alpha!" Laughing, Kate aimed a playful swipe at her feet, which Lilly dodged easily.

"How do you figure that?" Lilly flitted forward, lightly butting her head against Kate's chest. "You're still playing like an Alpha!"

"We still have almost a quarter mile of territory to patrol and…and…" Grinning freely, Kate attempted a pounce, knocking her sister off her feet. With a yelp and a soft squeak, the two of them went tumbling down the hill in a soft storm of dandelion fluff. "—and I don't even caaaaare!" she cried in a laughing sing-song, allowing herself a brief wiggle through the flowers on her back, much to Lilly's amusement.

"Oh my goodness—someone call the Alphas—Killer Kate just smiled!" Lilly teased, springing up and tickling the tip of Kate's nose with her tail. "Quick, everyone—hide your children!"

"Don't you mean 'hide your turtles?'"

"Turtles don't need to hide, Killer Kate."

Pawing at her sister's tail from her place in the grass, Kate smirked. "Don't make me chase you again."

"Oh, is the 'greatest Alpha ever' afraid of running into a tree?" Lilly winked. "Again?"

Kate shot her a look, but chuckled and once more fluffed Lilly with her tail. "Afraid of making you die of embarrassment when Garth comes back and sees I've got you treed like a squirrel, more like," she teased, rolling to her feet. "C'mon…let's go see if The Rock is free."

Lilly brightened. "Oh, I like The Rock."

Grinning softly, she followed her sister, happy to see her looking so relaxed and carefree for a change. Her time with Humphrey had certainly helped loosen her up; usually, Kate would never have dreamed of shirking her Alpha duties to while away a sunny late afternoon lazily lounging about, but here she was, proposing just that. The two plodded through the forest, winding their way through the valley until finally slipping back into the heart of their territory. Leaping the river dividing Jasper, Lilly once more scented the air, glancing up as several birds took flight overhead, chuckling as Marcel's low warning cry of "Balle!" reached her ears.

"Doesn't he ever get tired of that game?"

"Paddy must do a good job stroking his ego," Kate replied, then tried to suppress a chuckle as a low yarp rang through the trees—a sure sign some unlucky wolf had found his afternoon nap rudely interrupted by a rock to the noggin. Shaking her head, the golden lupine loped on up the slope of the bank, climbing several low ridges to reach the grassy meadow in the center of the Western Pack's half of the territory, where she settled down onto a large granite rock, sighing as the sun-baked boulder warmed her fur.

"Mmmm, hello, Rock," Lilly murmured, feeling a tad goofy as she joined her sister, allowing herself another slow, luxuriant stretch.

The Rock happened to be a smooth granite boulder nestled in a meadow of soft, thick grass near their parents' den. Large enough for several wolves to enjoy at once, it proved a popular place for afternoon naps—especially for a wolf with a belly full of caribou. Lilly had lounged on it more times than she could remember and, although she might have denied it had anyone brought it up, secretly blamed the source of sunshiny sloth for birthing her fondness for a certain hard-shelled reptile.

She sighed and closed her eyes, relishing the peace of the afternoon…then blinked, her ears perking as a low, rumbling growl sounded from beside her. "I think there's a monster in your belly," Lilly joked, smirking at her sister.

Kate only grinned. "Yeah, and he's mighty hungry." Another low, gurgling growl sounded; now it was Kate's turn to glance sideways. "And it looks like he woke yours up."

Lilly chuckled. "Looks like it." She licked her lips. "Mmm, caribou sounds good right about now…"

"Garth and Humphrey should be back soon…" Kate paused, lifting her head to scent the air, her smile widening. "In fact, here they come now."

"Good, we're starved."

Both ladies turned to see Salty ambling over to join them, with Shakey and Mooch tagging along behind. He favored them with a goofy little grin shared by most Omegas and took up a spot next to Kate, who regarded them with raised eyebrows. "What're you three doing here? I'd expect you to be out log-sledding down Dead Deer's Dive again."

"Mmm, nah, it's not quite the same without Humphrey," Shakey piped up, lazily settling onto the grass and scratching behind one ear. "Besides—" he broke off. Every ear perked as a low, guttural rumble sounded, rising briefly in volume before tampering off with a low, wet sputter. "…we're all pretty hungry," he finished, looking at Mooch, who offered them a carefree little smile, self-consciously running a paw over his expanding belly as though trying to quiet the writhing beast.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" All eyes once more turned to Salty, who merely rolled his. "Not Mooch—listen." They did, ears perked.

Kate heard it first—after all Humphrey's voice was hard to forget.

"…If I could…just…get it… Arg!" A low, frustrated growl, then; "Gah, god, these things are worse than tree sap!" This was followed by the muffled, but unmistakable sound of Garth's rich laugh.

The breeze picked up, bringing with it the scent of a fresh kill. Kate blinked, rising to her paws, ears perked. Had Humphrey actually caught something? That sounded a little harsh, but then, he'd never struck her as being particularly adept at the stealthy arts of camouflage, ambush and pursuit. Humphrey was…well, a goofball—a clever, devoted and handsome goofball—but still, a goofball.

Unable to wait, Salty leapt down from his perch, Shakey and Mooch right behind him, bushy tails wagging. After less than a dozen steps, they suddenly slowed to a stop, cries of delight dissolving into a collective guffaw that sent birds fleeing from a the trees. A second later, he strode into view and she saw why: Her man certainly had bagged a caribou—but he'd also returned looking like a walking pricker bush.

Growling, Humphrey finally dropped his half of the caribou, turning in a circle and pawing at the thick ruff of fur around his neck in a vain attempt to dislodge some of the more clingy passengers, only managing to transfer them from one part of his body to another. Using his teeth proved equally ineffective, for it only left him with a collection of burrs lining his muzzle. He shot his friends, all of who were nearly howling with laughter, an annoyed glance, still pawing at his ears.

"Nice beard," she chuckled, favoring her boyfriend with a smirk that earned her an annoyed snort.

"Ha, ha, yeah, laugh…lau-aahh… Ahhhh-CHOO!" Humphrey jerked, tail bushing out as he let loose a violent sneeze. "—laugh it up you guh…guh..Ahhhh-CHOO!" Another, more powerful sneeze shook the canine off balance, sending him plopping ungracefully onto his rump.

They were all laughing now. Even shy, quiet Lilly had fallen victim to a furious fit of the giggles. As Kate watched, the alabaster Omega buckled under the weight of her mirth, first sinking to her haunches, then down onto her back, slumping against the Rock. Even with both paws clapped to her muzzle, she couldn't quell her mirth, for the sight of her tall, lanky friend throwing himself upon the grass and rolling end over end, writhing and wriggling and bemoaning the itchy little seeds was simply too much.

For their part, the boys made no attempt to stifle their collective guffaw. The caribou landed in the grass with a dull, meaty thud as Garth watched his friend, briefly forgetting their dinner in his fit of funnies. Salty, Shakey and Mooch crowded in around their leader, adding to the poor boy's troubles by taking it in turns to brush their tails against his ticklish nose whenever the opportunity presented itself, making Kate start to regret sharing that particular weakness with the rest of the pack.

"Haha—welcome back, porcupine!"

"Looks too prickly to eat—maybe we should toss him back?"

"Nah, we just need clean him up a little!"

"Aaaahahahahaha, stoooop, you g-g-guuuys—ACK!—S-seriously—" He broke off, thrashing like a capsized turtle. "Aaaaahahahahaha, stop or I'm gonna peeeeeeee!"

() () ()

Kate smiled, feeling her heart soften as she found herself taken with him all over again. Even among omegas, it was rare for a wolf to take such shameless joy in making his friends smile, even at his own expense, and yet still manage to become one of the pack's most respected members.

"Y…you big goober…c'mere." She padded over, shouldering the others aside and, taking his head in her paws, began helping to brush the prickly plant parasites from his fur. Smiling, he stilled and sat up, long, limber body stretching this way and that, doing his best to help her.

Although tickled by the sight, Kate wasn't too surprised to find him once more covered in forest foliage. While he'd lately started trying to keep himself in better order, wanting to look his best for her, Humphrey was, at heart, an omega, and at the end of the day, he was just as apt as Mooch or Salty or Shakey or any of his other friends to return with his fur in a right mess. Mealtimes often saw the quixotic quartet—sometimes a quintet, if Garth happened to be coloring their ranks with his auburn pelt, as was more and more often the case these days—of lovable hooligans come toddling back to the den, sniggering and nudging each other, their fur a mess of grass, twigs and pine needles—a sight that never failed to rouse at least a few chuckles and good-natured jabs from the rest of the pack.

"Thanks, beautiful," he rumbled as she brushed his ear and sent the last stubbornly clingy burr flying. He leaned in, lips brushing against hers in a soft, sweet kiss, watching and feeling the subtle quiver that ran through her as their noses touched. "At least someone here cares about me," he added, giving the trio of grinning omegas a pointed look.

"Aww, hey c'mon, that's not fair, we care a lot—don't we guys?" Salty protested, amber eyes gleaming.

"Yup!"

"Sure do!"

The grey wolf arched a brow, turning to fix his smirking companions with his bright blue gaze. "Oh yeah…tickling your leader till he nearly wets himself. Geez, you guys are just the best."

Salty only grinned. "Hey, count yourself lucky bro," he rumbled, winking. "We should be bustin' your butt for skipping out on our practice run of Dead Dog's Dive this afternoon…"

"Yeah, skipping out to bring you dinner, you bunch of slackers," Humphrey reminded them with a grin and wink of his own. "Keep it up and I might decide to make this a couples-only meal."

"Ouch, man, below the belt," Salty gave him a wounded look, but his eyes still shone. "Besides, you know it's only a matter of time before I'll be singing in the moonlight with Sweets, right?"

Beside him, Shakey snorted and favored him with sympathetic little grin. "Sure, because 'hey you' is such a step up from 'hey'." The diminutive omega flashed his teeth in a brief grin before turning to Humphrey. "Loverboy's exploits aside, you still owe us, Humphrey; you know we always need a fourth, and when you didn't show we had to ask…Tommy."

At the mention of the eccentric Omega, the trio shivered and Humphrey didn't blame them; even for omegas, Tommy was in a league of his own. And even though Humphrey prided himself on being able to get along fine with almost anyone thanks to his easy-going and (let's be honest) goofy nature, the short, burly lupine still put him off a little. Shakey shot a quick glance over his shoulder, as though fearing even speaking the name might be enough to summon cantankerous canine.

"Quiet, he might hear you," Salty murmured, even as he too stole a quick backward glance. "And then we'll have to eat with him."

Garth looked up from where he was busily dragging the caribou the rest of the way over, licking distractedly at his muzzle. Humphrey knew how he felt; after a decidedly sparse winter, it was a wonder they weren't all drooling and tearing into the meal already. "Who's Tommy?"

Salty gave him an incredulous look. "You've been mucking around in the West for six months and you haven't met him?" He looked stunned. "God, do I envy you."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Humphrey murmured conspiratorially.

"Can…we just eat, already?" Lilly interrupted, wiping a tear of laughter from one eye as she and Garth advanced on the meal.

They all agreed, conversation petering out for a time as they dug in with great gusto, noisily noshing away at the prize for a good hour, forgoing the usual mealtime banter as they worked on the small beast. Even though it wasn't much, after subsisting for so long on slim pickings, the meat left them in a state of blissful sluggish contentedness.

"Mmm, my compliments to the chefs," Lilly murmured, settling in beside Garth and nuzzling his cheek when they'd at last all had their fill.

Licking his muzzle, Humphrey sat back, savoring the softness of the grass against his belly as he stretched out beside the Rock. Glancing up at his friend, he favored Garth with an appreciative smile, muzzle dipping in thanks to his hunting partner's prowess…and then expressed his gratitude in a manner much more befitting an Omega leader; he gave a low, rich belch.

Garth blinked, momentarily taken aback. The red-furred wolf looked at him, seeming uncertain fro a moment…then his face broke into a soft grin. He licked his lips, eyebrows arching as he paused, seeming to concentrate…then leaned forward slightly, spewing an even louder belch in reply.

"Charming," Kate waved a paw in front of her nose teasingly, reclaiming her spot on the Rock, one paw trailing along Humphrey's neck, idly toying with his fur. Lilly only giggled.

Across from them, Salty's muzzle curled in a smirk and he patted his paws together. "Nice one guys…for amateurs."

Breaking into a grin of his own, the languid lupine sat up, back hunching, forepaws briefly raking the grass as he stretched, ears laid back. His own belch proved even more impressive than Garth's. Not content with being left out, Shakey took a turn, though his didn't prove quite as impressive. Kate rolled her eyes…and jumped along with the rest of them as Mooch added his two cents, voicing a ringing moose call of sound that blasted away across the field, bouncing off rocks and sending a flock of tiny blue birds into flight.

"Uuuugh, boys," Kate groaned, grinning and face-pawing. "Your maturity amazes me."

Further encouraged, Salty gave voice to several more burps, then, having sufficiently 'warmed up,' he turned and engaged Shakey in a rousing discussion of drawn-out, hilariously distorted burp-speak. Humphrey had to give Kate credit; she managed to hold out for a while.

"God, you're ALL terrible!" Kate cried, convulsing in another giggling fit as Salty launched into an equally distorted version of "Fly Me to the Moon,"

"I think it's cute," Lilly said. She giggled.

Garth smirked. "You mean…like a turrrRRRRTTTTTLLLLLllle?" he murmured into her ear, the last word distorted by another low, manly belch that left both of them chuckling and wearing identical goofy little grins.

Humphrey laughed. "Nice one, man. For an alpha."

"Thanks. Maybe I'll show you how to hunt without using your butt next time."

"What's the fun of having an unbreakable butt if you don't put it to good use?"

Beside him, Kate chuckled. "…Do I really want to know?"

"I do, even if you don't," Salty said. He was grinning.

Returning the lanky omega's grin, Garth related his latest attempt to help Humphrey hone his lackluster hunting techniques. By the end, they were all chuckling again, none harder than the tale's two stars. When their mirth finally started to die down again, Humphrey slid up to join Kate on the Rock, one long leg draping across her back. Arching slightly, she cuddled back against his chest, tail brushing silkily against his. "You and your iron butt…"

"Don't worry…I still think yours looks a hell of a lot better," he said, settling in against her. The toll of dragging his and Garth's kill back to camp combined with a belly full of venison was bad enough, but the sun-baked warmth emanating from the granite slab beneath him was making him feel blissfully groggy. Add in the lovely wolf beneath him, and he'd be out like a light in no time.

"Mm, flatterer." She licked his cheek.

He smiled. They'd all had it hard these last few months, but he and all his friends were finally enjoying a break. And, just as Garth said, he'd even managed to make them all laugh. All in all, it'd been a pretty good day…

Maybe he'd need to try hunting again soon after all.