Hello there, readers! Sorry it took me so long to write up another chapter... but problems with motivation and trying not to melt from the heat waves we've been experiencing have kinda been tapping out my writing. But hey, the temperature is finally starting to go down, and my motivation to write is going back up! I hope that you all enjoy the new chapter! And please, consider leaving a comment or review. It really just makes my day to hear from my readers!
Found (Chapter 20)
by
Elite Shade
Trevor let out a happy bleat as he stood on the stool next to the kitchen counter beside his grandma, spooning the pumpkin pie filling they had made together into the waiting crust, also homemade. Audrey beamed down at her grandpup, the little black lamb loving getting to spend time with his new extended family. She leaned down and planted a kiss on his black wool head floof, giving him words of encouragement. The older she-wolf felt a warmth in her chest at being a grandma and seeing her family grow. She discreetly patted the small bulge in her stomach, happy to know that said family was still growing, and right there decided that today, she would make her little announcement to the family.
Outside, Trent and Qali were kicking a soccer ball around with Alice, helping her practice. The young black she-wolf was excited to get to play with her aunt and uncle, but did her best to seem like she wasn't that interested and simply doing them a favor. Naturally, everyone saw right through this facade, and thought that it was cute. Of course, with the ball being nearly two-thirds Qali's height, the arctic vixen auntie wasn't kicking the ball, so much as hyperactively chasing and pouncing on it. Each time she did this, her mate would chuckle, and her niece would try very hard not to giggle.
Over near the creek, Lily was sitting right next to Dawn on a picnic blanket. The little human girl was wearing her wolf-coat while laying on her stomach and drawing some pictures, leaning against her mommy. Dawn was a bit of a worrywart when it came to the safety of her lambs, and Lily's tendency to wander off tended to worry the small ewe quite a bit. But that didn't stop her from enjoying cuddling her children. She giggled as she looked at some of Lily's completed drawings, which she had to admit were definitely more skilled than the average six-year-old. The one she was currently looking at was clearly the ranch's pumpkin patch, with a fairy-princess tigress that looked suspiciously like Vanna, walking through them in a princess dress that was the same color as her deputy uniform, complete with a tiara with her badge at the center.
Further out past the ranch, nearer to Zach and Vanna's house, Zach and Vernon stood, having been discussing ways to get Ulric to stop suspecting his nieces and nephews of secretly being super soldiers lying in wait for the great sheep uprising, when they noticed Yuri approaching, taking note of an additional swagger to his casual gait. They also noticed a folded piece of paper in his paws.
"Hey, Yuri," said Vernon, "whatcha got there?"
"Oh, nuthin' much," he said, unfolding the paper, "just a little picture that Li'l Lily drew just fer me." He turned it towards his brothers, Vernon rolling his eyes, while Zach frowned. The picture showed Yuri, dressed as some kind of superhero, flying through the sky, giving a smirking wink and a thumbs up.
"Why'd she give you one?" Zach petulantly asked, "I'm way more fun than you!"
Yuri cackled and folded the paper back up, tucking it away inside the pocket of his leather jacket.
"I'm thinkin' that would be because I'm the favorite uncle."
Zach huffed and crossed his arms. "That's one interpretation," he grumbled.
"Calm down, Zach," Vernon said, "Lily loves ta draw. I should know, me and Dawn've got plenty of 'em of ourselves."
"Yer her parents," Yuri said, wagging a finger, "so it doesn't count."
"Yeah... well... I've just been a little busy lately bonding with Marcus!" Zach shot back, defensively.
"When yer not spyin' on him," Yuri snickered.
"You were there too!" Zach took a second to compose himself. "Besides, I've been teaching him how to play catch, and soon, I'll be teaching him how to play baseball! Yeah, that's right, I'm already bringing out the father son bonding big-guns!" Zach's tail was wagging. "And not only that, but I already talked to him about us building him a tree-house!" Zach then mimed dropping an invisible mic; this time, Yuri and Vern were both rolling their eyes.
"It's great that y'all are spendin' time together," Vernon said in a gentle voice, "but ya gotta remember that that boy's been through a lot, so I hope that yer not pressurin' him."
Zach snorted, just as Marcus stepped out from the garage, looking grim-faced, carrying a ladder.
"Now listen here, Vern," Zach said, as Marcus started to walk by, a hammer and saw and some boards also in his arms, "I'll admit that takin' on a pup that's been through the ringer was a challenge, but Vanna and I have already made great strides in getting him to feel more at home." As he spoke, Marcus came to a very large tree, and leaned the extended ladder up against it.
"Uh, Zach," Vernon tried to interject, but his brother was on a roll.
"I mean, yes, there was that problem with him thinkin' that he was to be some kind of indentured servant, but he's been broken of that habit."
"Zach," Yuri now piped in, seeing Marcus, tools and boards in hand, climbing the ladder, only to be waved off by Zach.
"And now we've really started to connect and understand each other," Zach said this while proudly puffing out his chest, "and soon, he'll be callin' me 'Dad', I can just feel it! Why, me and Kitten have even discussed floating the idea of adoption to him. It's still too soon fer that, but still-"'
"ZACK!" Vernon and Yuri shouted, interrupting Zach's proud speech.
"What?!" the wolf asked, confused and a little annoyed at the rude interruption.
"When didja say that y'all were gunna be buildin' that there treehouse with Marcus," Vernon asked, looking up and over Zach's shoulder.
Zach looked at his brother, confusedly perking his ears and cocking his head. "Well, we didn't put an exact date on it, just soon, why?"
Yuri pointed, now snickering. "I'm thinkin' that there was some miscommunication about a few details." Zach turned and looked to where Yuri pointed. At first his mind didn't fully register what he was seeing... and then his eyes went wide.
"MARCUS!" he shouted, spying his human foster pup trying to hammer in a board to a solid-looking branch that he was now sitting on. Hearing Zach's shout caused the boy to drop the other boards and the hammer and saw, and almost fall off, before he grabbed the branch in a panic. Seeing this, Zach sprinted towards the ladder and scrambled up it. In an instant, he was at the top and practically leapt to the branch... knocking the ladder over in the process. Not that he or Marcus noticed.
"Son, what do you think you're doin'?!" Zach asked, sitting on the branch. Marcus looked up at him confused.
"D-did you want me to build m-my new room further away?" Marcus asked.
"Son," he said, having made certain to use the term a lot when addressing Marcus, "what d'you mean by new room?"
"W-well... didn't you want me to... live outside in the trees in my own room?" Marcus asked. Zach felt like face-pawing and shook his head.
"No, son, y'all misunderstood. We don't wantcha to go and live outside. I just figured makin' a treehouse... on the smaller tree over there," Zach said, pointing down to the backyard at the stubby tree in the back. At most, the tree was ten feet at its tallest, and was significantly dwarfed from their current vantage point. "So that you could have a place to play, hang out, maybe bring some friends over in the future. Yer still gunna be livin' at home with us... in your room."
"... Oh," was all Marcus said, looking embarrassed... as well as terrified, still clutching the branch for dear life.
"I take it that yer not a fan of heights," Zach said, as Marcus promptly shook his head.
"Well, me neither, so how about we just climb on down, and head on inside," Zach said, looking for the ladder, and noticing it... lying on the ground... which seemed even further away to him.
Vanna came out just at the moment to see Yuri and Vernon picking up a ladder. She was about to call out to her brothers-in-law and ask them if they had seen Marcus anywhere, when she heard a whimper up above. The tigress looked up, and drew in a sharp breath. There, up high in a tree, were Marcus and Zach, both laying down on a branch and clutching it. She jogged over and helped Yuri and Vernon set the ladder up against the tree, and instructed them to hold it in place. Then she wasted no time climbing up to collect her mate and her kitten. All three could hear Yuri's cackles and even Vernon's rumbling chuckle as Vanna descended the ladder, Zach and Marcus now both clinging to her, one over each shoulder.
"Marcus, under no circumstances are you to do anything so dangerous ever again! If you think you might misunderstand something either of us tells you, then you need to ask us to clarify, especially if you think we're asking you to do something as dangerous or hurtful as this!" Vanna lightly scolded.
"Y-yes, Vanna," Marcus said, keeping his eyes firmly closed.
"That's right, son, you-OUCH!" Zach yelped, feeling a sharp pinch on his hindquarters. He looked to his mate for an explanation, and saw her frowning at him, making him gulp nervously.
"And you, Goofball, need to remember to keep your head! You can't go off recklessly like this, as it just makes the situation more complicated. You're the adult and need to set a proper example for Marcus! Are we clear?"
"B-but, Kitten," Zach started, but then saw his mate's eyes narrow, and instead elected to stop that train of thought.
"Y-yes, d-dear," he said, his tail tucking itself between his legs.
"Good," Vanna said as she reached the bottom and stepped off the ladder. She then set Zach down, and tried to set Marcus down... after taking a moment to rub his back and convince him that it was okay to open his eyes and let her go. Marcus did, but stayed pressed right up against her, still visibly shaken. Vanna draped an arm around his shoulder and turned them back towards the house. She walked Marcus back, unconsciously nuzzling the top of his head, Zach looking on until he heard some more snickers, and turned towards his brothers, who both seemed to be quite amused.
"Oh yeah, father of the year, makin' his foster pup thinkin' he had to go live in a tree!" Yuri cackled. Zach crossed his arms and pouted, while Vernon was trying to hold in his laughter.
"I-it sounded like a s-simple misunderstandin', Zach." Vernon choked back a chuckle by biting his lower lip.
Back over on the picnic blanket, Lily was lost in her drawing, having scooted closer to the water to draw a pretty butterfly that had caught her eye. Dawn, still keeping an attentive eye on her lamb, was currently having a quiet discussion with Ada.
"B-but that's supposed to be impossible!" Dawn quietly whispered to the female hyena, who smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Look, Plush, the signs are all dere," Ada said, nudging her fellow Hunter Girl, who was still sitting in wide-eyed semi-shock.
"B-but... I've only ever been with Vernon! And h-he's a wolf and I'm a sh-sheep!"
"Calm down. Just take the test, and then go see yous doctor," Ada reached over and patted Dawn's knee, "it's gunna be okay." Their conversation came to a quick end as Lily started coming closer, showing off her newest picture.
"I saw a purdy butterfly!" she said in her Meadowlands drawl, which seemed to be sticking, despite Vernon's hope that it wouldn't. Lily was holding up the drawing of the creek with the butterfly having landed on a purple flower.
"You's a regular artist!" Ada praised, picking up Lily and setting her on her lap.
"Thanks, Auntie Ada!" Lily said, before reaching into the pocket of her coat and pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I made this one fer you!"
Surprised, yet smiling, Ada took the paper from Lily and unfolded it. She was a little puzzled, but still felt the warmth in her chest as she saw a picture of herself... dressed as some kind of combination princess and Zoo-Doo priestess, colored in purples and blacks with a skull tiara around a black tophat. She was standing, holding a staff with a green jeweled eye at the end, and some shambling zombies of various mammal species were following behind her.
"Well, dis is a pretty intoirestin' pic," Ada said.
"Do ya like it? Since Uncle Ully said that yer a necromancer, it seemed right to make ya a necromancer princess!"
Ada cackled and hugged Lily tight. "Dat's right, princess! Dat's right on da money!" Even Dawn, who was still shook up from what Ada had suggested, couldn't help but giggle at the innocent logic of her youngest... at least for the time being, lamb.
"I gave one to Uncle Yuri a little while ago, and he seemed pretty happy about it!"
"I'll bet he was," Ada said, knowing better than anyone else that despite his hard and prickly... and sometimes outright mean demeanor, Yuri was a softie at heart. Especially when it came to his nieces and nephews. With one more hug around her auntie's neck, Lily hopped off and started to scamper away, giggling as she saw Princess Callibrie resting on Dorian's lap as he sat on the porch bench-swing again, much to the older law wolf's displeasure. Dawn smiled, and put the suggestions of Ada in the back of her mind for the time being and simply smiled, watching her lamb go up and lead the reptile off of Dorian's lap. He looked visibly relieved, and she could even hear his chuckle, so much like her mate's, carry over on the light breeze, as he picked Lily up and set her on his lap instead.
"Awww, Ada got a princess picture?" Qali whined, making Dawn jump and turn to see the arctic vixen standing on Ada's shoulder, looking at the picture. The ewe had no idea where she had come from.
"You told me that you's and Trent got a picture from Lily already," Ada said.
"Yeah... but it wasn't a princess picture like Vanna's... or you now apparently!" Qali puffed out her cheeks as she pouted.
"Don't forget Plush, she's probably got tons of princess pictures by now," Ada said, snickering at Dawn's blush. Lily had drawn quite a few of her as a princess.
"She's her mommy, so it doesn't count!" Qali stomped her foot, which didn't hurt Ada at all.
"And she just got drawing Vanna another one," Ada couldn't help herself.
"What?! But... no fair!" Qali stomped again. Dawn giggled at Qali's antics, which was not unusual, before she looked back at the porch swing to check up on her daughter and father-in-law. Only, they weren't to be found. Feeling a little nervous, Dawn got up and started searching with her eyes.
"What's da matta, Plush?" Ada asked, having noticed Dawn looking around.
"I don't see Lily," Dawn said, knowing that it was irrational for her to be nervous about not seeing Lily, yet still always worried about her lambs nonetheless.
"Oh, well she's with Dorian right over there," Qali said, now standing on top of Ada's head, and pointing to where the picnic table was, nearer the front yard. Dawn followed her clawed finger and sighed, relieved. Lily was riding on Dorian's shoulder. Ada's ears twitched as she plucked the vixen from off her head and dropped her on the blanket.
"Huh, I wonda why Lily seems so interested in taxes?" Ada wondered aloud, looking to Dawn, and seeing her sister-in-law's face drain of all color.
"Oh no, oh nononononono," Dawn said as she got up and started to run towards the picnic table. Ada and Qali shared a confused look, and started to follow. Over at the picnic table, Ulric and Honey were discussing something, as Xavier stood in front of his father, looking perplexed. Wade was nearby, having planned on going in and seeing about getting a slice of the pumpkin pie he could smell for him and Giselle, but he too was caught off guard by Lily's question. He briefly took note of Zach, Vernon, Yuri, Vanna, and Marcus approaching, but dismissed it. Giselle was sitting at the bench, having been answering some odd questions asked by Ulric about her spots and their meanings, when the welcome distraction of Lily asking an odd question of her own came about.
"I'm sorry, Lily," Xavier said, cocking his head to the side and looking at his mate, who was just coming out onto the porch, trailed by Audrey and Trevor. It was at this moment that a tuckered out Trent was leading an energetic still Alice to the group as well, curious about what was going on. "But could you repeat the question?"
"Can ya tell me how to play taxes, pretty please, Uncle Xavier? Daddy says that recently you had a case involving taxes, so you must know all about them!"
"But why do you want to know about taxes, my dear?"
"Because Mommy and Daddy made it look like so much fun!"
"Fun?" Yuri asked now that he was close enough to hear what was being discussed. "Xavier, have you been corrupting Dawn and Vern's pups? Trying to make them as dull as you are?" Xavier ignored Yuri and rolled his eyes. Vernon had also heard what was said, and started to try and push his brothers aside, before Lily could say too much.
"But they do look like fun! A while ago, Auntie Judy and Uncle Nick were watching us, but then they got a call about some kind of stinger operation that was happenin' ahead of schedule, so they had to drop us back off at home. Mommy and Daddy were there when we entered, but they didn't know we were back yet. And I could hear Daddy howling!"
Suddenly, things started to click for the wolves and their mates, who knew of several reasons why a wolf howls. There were many blushes from those assembled as they guessed which howl it was.
"At first, I was scared, so I ran up to Mommy and Daddy's room where I heard it coming from. Alice tried to stop me, but I was worried something had happened. But it was okay, Mommy and Daddy were just playin'!"
"Alright, Sugar Plum," Vernon nervously started just as Dawn squeezed her way through some legs, blushing bright red and looking down at her wringing hooves, unable to bring herself to speak. "I think that... uh... it's time fer bed!"
"It's only noon, Vern," Yuri loudly declared, smirking, turning to Lily. "Continue, sweetie." The flesh beneath Vern's grey fur blanched as Lily did just that.
"Well, Daddy was dressed like a cowboy, and Mommy was dressed like a saloon girl," this was met by immediate laughter from the assembled family. Even Xavier, despite his best efforts, could not maintain his composure entirely. He removed his glasses and wiped at his eyes.
"B-but," he said, clutching his sides, "wh-why do you call them taxes?"
"That's what Daddy said they were doing. And then, when I said that it looked like fun and could I play, they both said no. Daddy said that taxes are fer grownups only." Lily crossed her arms and pouted as she said that. Dorian was still laughing as well, part of him feeling bad for his son, yet another part of him feeling vindicated after so many years of seven pups walking in on him and Audrey while they themselves tried to be intimate.
"They are!" Vernon said, noticing Yuri on the ground, laughing so much he started coughing a little.
"And then, a while later, Daddy told me about how ya always keep important things under yer hat, I guess so that you don't lose 'em!"
Dawn blushed and hid her face in her hooves. She knew that later on, she and Vernon would more than likely find this to be a cute story... but for now, she knew that for the rest of their stay at the ranch, she and her mate were not going to be living this story down... and probably not for quite a while after, either. Marcus looked around confused, while Vanna held in her giggle, and looked to him.
"Why would someone need to dress up in old west clothing to pay taxes?" Marcus asked, genuinely confused. That made Zach's laughter stop, and he quickly looked at his foster pup.
"Th-that's fer adults to know, and pups... to never find out!" he said, panic in his eyes.
Sometime later, after the laughter and chiding had calmed down, Dorian was walking through the cornfield, chuckling to himself. It was as he was looking at the stalks and nodding in approval at how they were coming along, that his phone started to buzz. He pulled it out, and raised an eyebrow. He didn't know why Ruddy would be calling him just out of the blue in the afternoon, but he knew that it had to be important. He had been friends with the older ram long enough to know that he never called just to shoot the breeze. The Northern Meadowlands representative always called Dori with important news. Tapping his screen, the white law wolf answered.
"Ruddy, how's it goin'?"
"Just fine, Sheriff." Ruddy, ever the politician, liked to address mammals by their titles. "I just called because I figured that you'd want to be kept in the loop. A lynx came by not too long ago to drop off the last of the papers finalizing the purchase of The Bellwether Manor."
"So this elusive Mr. Dice is a lynx, eh? Who won the pool?"
"Oh no, it wasn't Mr. Dice. The mammal said he was Mr. Dice's representative. But he did assure me that his employer would be here within' the week. So we'll know then."
Dorian stopped in his tracks as he mulled that over.
"A representative? Well, now that's... interestin'..." Dorian wasn't sure of what he thought of a mammal as evasive as this Mr. Dice was being, but decided to hold his judgement until he met them in person, apparently sometime next week.
"I'll say. But he seemed professional enough. He even spoke with what I believe to be an Afrikat accent. Anywho, I just thought to inform you of this new development."
"Afrikat accent... interestin'... but thanks Ruddy. I'm lookin' forward to meetin' this Mr. Dice, and maybe this representative of his."
"Anytime, oh, got to go!" And with that Ruddy ended the call. Dorian pondered this new information, and filed it away in his mind.
"Interestin'," he softly said to himself, before continuing along.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH! There you have it, folks! I certainly hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!