The Arriving Storm

-Scouting Ahead: One Hour After Noon-

It had been as soon as the main group was out of sight that Marcus had gone into overdrive chasing after the vapors of the trail. What at first seemed to have been two scents soon distinguished itself into three, two smells significantly weaker were that of rabbits, and another, the obvious, dominating musk of a fox.

Perhaps it was the musky vulpine scent that had originally distracted away from the scent of the third rabbit, the scent of other canines always took precedence over that of a prey, especially when it encroached on their territory… and right now the fox was encroaching on their Hunt. Or maybe it had been the iron scent of blood clouding out much of the newest interloper's scent? Or maybe the smell of individuals of the same species were just harder to differentiate after mingling together for so much time? It couldn't be said for sure, but the reasons were superfluous.

None of it mattered to Marcus.

The burly wolf only cared about one thing and one thing only: his singular objective to reach his target(s?) as quickly as possible.

And with that clear objective, the pace of the grey wolf had been rapid as it trailed the vulpine scent. Fox musk was a particularly strong smell, and it allowed for quick pacing while in route of their target.

But the ever-present scent was only partly the reason for the wolf's haste to reach his targets. Marcus had a desire that had to be satisfied, one that ached and nagged at him.

He had to outdo his father.

In his mind, there was only one thing that being slow would prove: his father might still be better than him. And that simply couldn't be true, not with how his father was.

The wolf knew in his heart of hearts, from everything he had learned by watching the Alpha ever since he was just a pup… that his father's strength and resolve was waning. He could see it as clear as day.

Marcus was well aware that he was less experienced than his old man, but he had already proven he was both stronger and more principled than any of the pack…

He wasn't a weakling like Sapper or the pathetic ant they call his brother. Marcus was naturally gifted as both a hunter and a fighter. And he was immunized from the desire to give in to weakness or sentimentality like Wolford had always been…

And more recently… how his father had been…

How Julius couldn't be aware of his own sentiment disgusted Marcus.

The eldest son had proven time and again how effective and strong and unswayed he was, yet his father was blind to it, and paradoxically drawn to Antony.

It frustrated the elder brother to no end. What made Julius susceptible to such weakness was beyond him.

How could any wolf, let alone the Alpha, care about his ant of a brother?

He's NOT special, father. He's the weakest of us all, always has been.

The anger within Marcus simmered beneath the surface as he followed the trail.

His father had taught him that sentiment was weakness, yet Julius himself partook in sentiment with the weakest of wolves! The hypocrisy didn't sit well with Marcus, and when the eldest son grasped his father's folly he could only come to one conclusion:

Your weak, father. And you're blind to it,

Hypocritically, Julius could see the sentiment in Sapper, and Wolford and in any of the others, but not in himself.

If his father couldn't see his own sentiment, then he was prone to weakness. And if he was weak how could he be trusted to lead?

It was up to the strong to displace the weak… It was up to Marcus.

I will not be seen as inferior, father…

Marcus would do what was necessary to expose the weakness that had taken root in the leader.

He would PROVE to them ALL that his father had become too soft, that the old wolf was perpetuating weakness, and that the wolf that valued strength the most was himself!

And the beginnings of such a plan had taken root in the eldest son's mind. A plan that sprung forth from the very orders that he had been given by the wolf he sought to supplant. A plan that would involve the very mammals his father had sent him to.

But before that forming plan could be put into motion, Marcus had to focus on one thing.

He had to be fast.

He had to find the mammals before his father could catch up to him and take the reins of leadership again.

Marcus knew he could handle this task all on his own. Afterall, the most competent leader was in charge right now, and for once he had free reign.

This "mission," originally what Marcus saw as a fool's errand, could be an opportunity to show the whole group how he was a better leader than the Alpha… If his father wanted to give him a fool's errand then Marcus would show the old wolf who the fool really was.

Afterall, unlike Julius, he wasn't clouded with sentiment. He wasn't weak or compromised.

Marcus knew best.

You'll see, father… I am the superior leader!

Indeed, he may not have his plan ironed out in its entirety, but he would show his father and the rest of the pack too… Even if he had to be disobedient to accomplish it.

I will do this my way, and you will see…

Why would he follow Julius' orders when the old wolf was compromised by sentiment?

In Marcus' mind, if his tactics proved to be superior to his father's, then it would be much easier to challenge him. And if a challenge was in order, then perhaps he could expose and exploit the source of sentiment that weakened the Alpha…

And then I will remove you.

And it would surely all go well… He could accomplish anything with his strength alone.

Marcus' plan aligned with his skill set: He would dispatch whatever laid at the end of this trail. He would vanquish the desecrator and every other mammal with it.

There would be no wait, and his father and Brute will look foolish with their wasteful investigation and poor decisions. His tactics would be justified, he alone would be responsible for the success of this mission, and he would earn enough social capital to issue a weighty challenge to his father.

You'll be exposed and removed father, and the runt will make a fine Omega.

He could finally have his way. The wolf would really have to thank his father for the work that was 'more suited to his talents.'

However there was one thing that was holding the self-confident wolf back, one that caused a mild growl from his throat.

How am I supposed to do anything with this pelt falling behind?! Marcus thought, as his ears keyed in on the strained breathing of his brother.

"Keep up, Whelp! I won't have you jeopardize my mission!" Marcus growled out, not bothering to stop his task as they trekked through the forest.

The elder brother was already fed up with the weaker wolf. But it would do no good to leave him behind to tip off his father to his designs.

Antony was really trying, but this hunt, along with his brother, had begun to take its toll on him.

It had been before dawn when the pack mobilized with only meager breaks in the action. And unlike the easygoing pace with Wolford, and the tolerable pace of the main group, his brother moved crazy fast, almost even frantically, only stopping to take in deeper whiffs of the fox's scent before bolting in the direction he saw fit.

To make matters worse, when Antony did stick close to Marcus, the grey wolf would berate him for that too. It seemed to be an ever-present battle between him 'slowing them down' and him 'getting in the way,' Antony wasn't sure if he simply was just that bad at hunting or if there just was no pleasing his brother.

In short, the juvenile was exhausted. This was his first mission after all, and Marcus ensured to make it as physically and emotionally taxing as possible.

But that didn't matter, Julius placed Marcus in charge, and if his dad wanted him to follow his brother then he would do it. Marcus was in charge and he would obey him.

The pup would never do anything that was against his father's wishes.

Dad knows best. Antony told himself, It'll be okay, just trust dad.

Even with that mantra, the juvenile wolf still couldn't help but make an appeal to his brother.

Antony caught his breath as he responded, "I- I'm sorry, brother! Please, ca- can't we just stop for a moment? Dad hadn't stopped all morning and- and we're moving so fast!"

"No, Ant." Marcus growled out.

The little wolf shrinked at his unwanted nickname and the hateful tone of Marcus' voice.

He wasn't a stranger to his brother's growl. It had always been cold, hurtful, and one that would mean finality. Marcus never left room for pleading or reason.

But… but this feels different. Little Anony thought to himself.

The younger wolf could feel the fur on his back poof and his legs tense up, ready to spring away from the domineering wolf. Marcus' voice had an edge to it that dared the little wolf to try him. One that said 'give me an excuse.'

An excuse for what, Antony wasn't sure, but he wasn't enthusiastic to find out.

The juvenile momentarily wondered what it would be like to have a better nose, he wondered… if his nose was stronger, could he scent the fear emanating from his body?

A silent whine escaped Antony's muzzle as he pressed forward chasing after the rapidly moving wolf.

Just trust dad. The young wolf kept telling himself. Dad won't let anything ever happen to you ever. You know that.

As the two wolves grew ever closer to their mystery mammals, the eldest could already taste his victory over the unfortunate creatures at the end of the trail.

With any luck, it'll be bloody.

An all too familiar grin spread across his muzzle. He had his father's smile.

The Investigation: One Hour After Noon

An orange clump of fur, sticky with congealed blood, was peeled from the snowy base of the tree. A scrutinous, intelligent eye stared it down. Another piece of the puzzle that didn't fit in its place.

The pack already knew that a fox had been present with a rabbit, and that there had been a confrontation gone awry… But why was it that rabbit fur had been sparse and clean while fox fur was clumped in blood? Why did the rabbit leave the safety of the tree? Why… why… why…

They were questions that pointed towards an unlikely answer, one that the pack would soon have to swallow.

Julius hummed at the discovered clue. "Perhaps not the necessary end of our rabbit, Brute."

"I don't follow, old friend."

Julius grabbed the paw of the Beta and placed the sticky clump of fur in Brute's palm. He gave it a quizzical look, before understanding appeared to dawn over him.

"You think…"

"So much evidence points towards it. It's the only thing that I can say fits the picture."

Casius and Wolford were watching closely at the two's exchange. Wolford's confusion helped hold his tongue. However Casius, being more outspoken than most, couldn't help but inquire over their conversation.

"You two have been scanning over the scene for so long now, have you come to a conclusion?"

Julius didn't turn to the lesser wolf. Indeed, even if it was one of his mates he wouldn't bother to turn at such an impulsive interruption. To his credit, he didn't discipline her like he would have if it had been Wolford or one of his sons or any other wolf.

There was a different rule of tradition when it involved another one's mate.

Brute was both thankful and grieved by that gesture of restraint from the Alpha. He felt he knew his friend so little these days, and it both pleased him and hurt him to see the little sparks of the old wolf come through at moments like that.

It would hurt when he would find the right moment to confront his friend.

Brute answered his mate. "This is the fox's blood."

Casius' eyes widened, as well as Wolford's. Perplexed didn't describe their reactions, so much as it was disbelief.

Wolford spoke up now, "The fox's blood? How could it be the fox's blood?! His body is not here! Did something else…"

His voice tapered as Julius turned to him. "Is it really that hard to believe, or are your opinions for Sapper so low that a fox couldn't be injured by a longears as well?"

Wolford's ears fell back against his skull, pained at such a reminder, but very careful to not be too sentimental in front of the other members.

And then there were moments of harshness that reminded the Beta of what had happened to his friend, and why he would have to be confronted. His friend, despite the bits of the old wolf that remained, was ultimately too cruel. And the Beta couldn't bear the thought of losing another member because of it.

Still, now was not the time for petty defense. They had to finish this hunt before things could be settled.

Brute hummed in, much gentler than that of Julius' but holding a clinical air, "There's no other predatory scents around, ...Wolford." He almost choked using the brown wolf's adopted name, "Only that of the redtail and longears. This was between them."

Casius spoke again, "So the longears injured the fox…"

The attention turned back to the Alpha as he took over,

"Its scent was up the tree." Julius began as he walked back to their first clue. "And then it's scent continued on the forest floor, but mingled with the fox and the blood." The Alpha pointed at the faded splotches of crimson on the forest floor.

Wolford was in disbelief again. "It… the desecrator… jumped at the fox from the tree…"

This time it was a statement not a question, as the brown wolf grasped what that meant.

"Not just jumped," Casius added in her own wide-eyed way, "attacked."

The rabbit had initiated an assault. It had injured the fox. The fox had bled a good amount…

Julius nodded as he followed the trail back to the tree where he had discovered the clump of matted, bloody fur. "The redtail retreated to this tree, presumably for stability to put up a defense."

If it hadn't been weird already, the leader's next conclusion would be both cryptic and frustrating.

"But the defense was unneeded." Ears perked at that. … "The rabbit spared the fox…"

There was a long pause as the other wolves mentally caught up to the leader's words.

They wanted to ask why a rabbit of all things would spare a predator, let alone a fox and let alone after it had assaulted the nasty creature… But the reasons why weren't something that could be figured out with accuracy.

They held their tongues as the Alpha explained his conclusion.

"The blood stops here. There's no corpse or evidence of death or consumption, no blood trail from this point on… but their scents continue on the trail… together."

It just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"They left... " Brute fished for the words that would describe what he thought the leader was saying, "...cooperatively."

Julius snorted, "That I cannot say. But they did leave together, perhaps even side-by-side, after their altercation."

The thought of something that could make the two put their differences aside seemed unlikely to any of the wolves, including Julius, but that was what they were facing..

Julius continued, "As it stands now, either mammal could be dead, but we need to go in ready to hunt either prey and perhaps even both."

It was about as level headed a response anyone could expect from such a scenario, and at the very least they would go in ready for the possibility of rabbit spears, foxy tricks, or both.

The hunt seemed to be getting more and more complicated, but even so there wasn't anything that Julius would allow to stop their progress-

…

It was gentle as it fluttered down, barely anything of note by itself as the soft wind carried it along to land on the Alpha's nose before melting against the black appendage.

Snow.

It wasn't a rogue and lonely snowflake, but it was accompanied with a battalion of others. The wind was still deceptively soft, but the darkened clouds were beginning to drop a flurry.

It was only a matter of time before the winds would stiffen and carry in what each wolf was feeling: A blizzard; an eraser of trails that would force the end of the hunt.

Brute was the one to speak up first, "We're running out of time, old friend."

And indeed they were! The cusp of the storm had reached them, and if they delayed any longer, they would regret it.

The birth pangs of the snowstorm had reached them, and it wouldn't take long for it to catch up to his sons as well.

There wasn't need for any more prodding or words, only a need to follow the Alpha as he caught the scent of his eldest son and chased after it with haste.

At the Fox's Den: An Hour and a Half After Noon

Judy and Nick found themselves back at the sewing table. The strange vial had been put up as well as the other supplies Nick had dug through to reach it. The false wall behind the wintry storage enclave was replaced. It was as if it had never been opened. The unassuming space was already forgotten by the den encompassing the rabbits and ignored entirely by the fox.

But not yet forgotten or ignored by the grey bunny.

The rabbit doe gave a meek glance to the wintry storage cabinet. Never would she have guessed of its contents, the fox had a plan as well as much faith in the strange vial of poison he had purchased.

She looked back to the fox next to her. His tail had already found its way around her waist and she herself had pressed tightly against his side. This was their natural arrangement now, closeness desired by both the affectionate nature of the bunny and the formerly lonely fox.

Slick.

His nickname frolicked about in her mind. He had earned it in both irony and literality. A fox that was smooth yet simultaneously so clumsy with his words, thoughts and mannerisms. He was kind and brave and loving to the point of fault, but also not always quick in his thinking.

He was Slick in her eyes for quite literally all of it. Because no matter what the fox did, he had this inherent trait that was altogether…

Surprising.

He had surprised her again with what he had hidden in the wall. And just as she had found so many other things about him that she loved, so too did she love the surprising nature of the fox.

To her, it felt like she had gained just a bit more of an honest closeness to the fox. Another part of himself that he had willingly opened up to her. Not something for the eyes of others, but for her eyes and them alone.

A soft smile stretched over her lips as she rubbed her head against the side of his tunic. A universal gesture of affection, one that made the fox's body rumble with a light purr as he put his arm around her and squeezed her closer to his side.

This action wasn't a surprise to the bunny, it was an arm she had hoped for when she sat by his side and cuddled to him. A russet forelimb that had an automatic way of wrapping itself around her, holding her with reassurance and comfort.

It was another part of his charming slyness that she had grown possessive of. This fox was hers. He had confessed that he loved her, and granted she wasn't sure just to what scope he meant that, she couldn't help but know in her heart that she loved him too.

She had decided that she was his, and that meant, if he would allow it, he was hers.

The possessive claim echoed in her mind,

My Sly fox… My Slick.

Judy felt completely content. She had restored how they were sitting before they had discussed the matters of Nick's 'plan of action', and this time she would revel in the scent of violets for as long as she pleased.

...Or as long as the kits remained asleep in their mini-kerfluffle by the fireplace at least.

So… for the next five minutes, more accurately.

The two contented mammals watched the lazy kits. Cotton, Ashes, and Ollie were still and quiet.

Until they weren't.

It started with the natural squirminess; small attempts to get more comfortable only to make themselves less so. Cotton was the worst offender of this of course, and this time poor Ashes would be victimized by her unconscious restlessness.

The buck laid the stillest of them all, completely content in his slumber. He made a perfect, unmoving and defenseless target for the restless, thumping foot of the sandy brown doe. The padless hindlimb moved of its own accord, lightly striking against the young male's side before increasing in both speed and power.

Thump, thump, thump, Cotton's foot went.

Brown eyes creaked open as the young buck suffered the unconscious assault of a hindpaw batter his waist and leg. Ashes was awake now, slowly registering what had brought him back to the realm of the living.

Judy and Nick chuckled from the table, enjoying the cute scene. But before the buck would have his chance of prematurely waking his two siblings, Judy padded up to the now awake kit lying on the floor of the den.

It didn't take much to figure out what she was about to do, and the young, groggy rabbit was perfectly happy with her offer. Silently he reached out his arms to be picked up by his oldest sister.

And Judy happily obliged, scooping the buck up into her arms to hold him.

Ashes was awake now, and that wasn't about to change, but no rabbit kit could resist the opportunity to be held by the ones that loved him- not when they were prematurely awoken from a food coma.

Judy sat back next to the fox, Ashes comfortably clinging to her frame. He was sleepy but gradually perking up.

"Hey, Mister Nick." The buck greeted tiredly while looking up from Judy's shoulder at the fox by her side.

"Hey, Grey." The fox responded softly, reaching out to give a good scritch on the waking buck's ears.

Judy felt the light thump of Ashes' foot against her side, evidently showing that Nick hit just the right spot.

Judy smiled. Nick was getting really good at finding ways of affection that the kits responded to the best. Little Cotton couldn't resist the fox's hugs, little Ollie of course loved being wrapped in his tail, and Ashes favored the scritching that Nick's claws could give to his ears. Judy preferred all of them. But that was neither here nor there.

"What, no 'hey' for your sister?" Judy joked to the kit in her arms.

Ashes clutched his sister a little tighter, his way of offering her a hug, before yawning out an airy, "Hey Jude."

Judy gave a pleased hum at her brother. "That's more like it.'' She said in a playful tone.

The buck nuzzled his face into her shoulder trying to recapture at least a fragment of his lost slumber that had been quite literally kicked out of him by little Cotton.

It was to no avail. And soon he began conversing with the fox sitting beside him.

"Can we really not go outside, Mister Nick?…" The buck asked, pouting evident in his facial features.

"Sorry Grey," The fox began apologetically, "You know there's a storm coming, a big one."

"But…" The buck was always embarrassed over these matters. "I need to go…" He trailed off at the quizzical look from the fox staring back at him.

However, to the buck's relief, Nick caught on to what the kit was asking.

"Oh, um right…"

The matter of relieving oneself had been pretty easy for the fox and bunnies to adjust to, or at least it was until the fox insisted they stay shut in for the oncoming weather.

Outside was the obvious answer for mammals who lived underground. For the last few days, Judy would take the girls, and Nick would take Ashes. It was the safest way, and the only agreeable solution for the kits. And up until now it had just been a detail of life for the bunnies and fox.

But now the option for the outdoors had been stripped away! And what were they to do? Use a bucket?

To Ashes' complete and utter horror that was exactly what the fox suggested before walking to the supply enclave and retrieving such a device.

"Mister Nick! The buck was terrified at the thought, and no longer rested calmly in his sister's arms. Any bit of sleepiness dissipated and now Ashes stood perfectly awake in the spot where the fox had previously sat.

"I- I can't!" He sputtered out. He attempted to whisper towards Nick, "There's girls in here, I- I can't." His blush turned his grey fur as red as the fox's fur.

It was a perfectly rational embarrassment for a little kit. The fox had been thinking in ways that suited a solitary fox, not a family of bunnies plus himself. And the more the fox thought about it, the more horrifying the prospect of such a thing was if he held himself to the same standard.

I need a larger den. It was an apparent realization that may have been able to provide the necessary privacy, but one that would do him no good at the moment.

"Okay Grey," He relented, a little pale at the massive oversight he had made. "Lets go outside, but if I even see as much as a snowflake we have to come back quick, okay?"

Judy chuckled at the fox's serious demeanor, it was almost paternal and definitely edged the line of overprotective.

But it was all out of worry and care. It was love.

She also noticed that his ears had turned red momentarily at the buck's plea, and that fact didn't escape her. And when it dawned on her just what the alternative was, she quickly made her own call of action,

"I'll wake the girls while you two are out, we'll go when you guys get back."

Nick shook his head in agreement with the doe, still embarrassed over the topic. After repeating his warning to Grey about the storm, the fox and bunny buck made their way to the exit tunnel.

-0-0-

Nick's head popped out of the entrance to his den. He gave his cautious stare into the woods that surrounded them. With great scrutiny and a gaze that lasted maybe a little too long, the fox observed the forest.

The fox loved rain and storms, but he was still aware of the dangers of them. He would rather not have to leave his den with an addition of his newfound family, not when the clouds were this dark and the wind was beginning to give a soft but very chilling breeze.

Thundersnow was not a joke, and sudden whiteouts were dangerous, and the little rabbit's fur wasn't particularly thick. It was safe to say the fox was on edge, and although he doubted any other creature would bother them with such a storm on the cusp of breaking, Nick wasn't about to chance such a thing.

It looked clear from all angles, and the forest was deathly quiet around them. Nick wasn't sure why but that bothered him the most, this kind of silence before the break of a storm was always present.

But silence like this also had this way to bring out that careful instinct within all animals, a feeling that it was too quiet.

The fox was just about satisfied with his inspection of his surroundings, but just before he made his move to leave the den his ear couldn't help but flicker violently at some nearby sound. A twig snapped and crunched into the snow, and his head snapped in the direction of the offending noise.

...It was… nothing. Just nothing… Nothing he could see at least.

Silence followed after the snapping piece of timber.

Perhaps it was a limb falling from one of the trees? Likely. Limbs fell frequently and often made startling noises from their breaks. Still, the sound was… unexpected… Certainly explainable, but unexpected nonetheless.

Just a little something that was bothersome, but not necessarily concerning.

And right now a more pressing issue was at hand.

"Mister Nick, please hurry!" Ashes spoke up desperately from behind the unmoving fox blocking the exit.

The fox's attention broke from the surrounding trees and brush, and focused back on the distressed kit waiting not so patiently in the entrance tunnel.

"Okay, Okay Grey," Nick took the kit's paw in his own and left the safety of the tunnel, "Just stay close to me…" Something was putting the fox on edge and he didn't like it.

Is it the storm?

The fox's attention turned towards the sky for a split second, before he felt the beckoning yank of the kit pull him to the nearest tree.

His worries would have to wait.

This wasn't the usual spot where they "did their business," but this appeared to be an emergency.

Nick wanted to chuckle at the grey buck, but did his best to remain respectful and looked away from the little one to give him his privacy. It wouldn't do to tease the buck right now, that would only serve to increase their time out here.

The bothersome sound of the snapping twig plagued his mind.

Karma, why is that bothering me?

The fox's ears perked up again. Subtly, Nick turned his ears in the direction of where he had originally heard the sound of wood snapping. The fox wanted to turn his head, but something deep within him, perhaps his instincts, told him not to make his inquiry obvious.

He wanted nothing more than to be reassured that it was truly nothing, but the sound was eating him up. Why had it bothered him so badly? It was only a limb fall-

It hadn't been long before he heard another noise from the trees and brush. His hackles raised and his body went stiff.

He understood now why the sound had bothered him so.

It was distant, it was muffled, it was attempting to hide itself.

But it was there…

The sounds of indiscernible whispering.

The snapping twig hadn't been a natural fall of a limb, but the telling crush of a stick by a foot.

Someone was out there.

They were not alone.