::WARNING::
This story contains depictions of same-sex couples, including male/male pairings.
If you do not like such content, do not read.
If you decide to move forward from this note, be aware that any hateful comments will result in the user being blocked.
This Story Serves as a Mid-quel to Homeward Bound.
The names of Sam's family have been changed for this story. The same revisions have been made in Homeward Bound.
Without Further Ado,
Please Enjoy,
"Homestead."
The warm summer breeze billowed through the leaves of the trees and shrubs. The sounds of birds in drifted through the air as squirrels chattered away high over the ground. The caribou grazed, the ducks swam in the pond, and the whole of Jasper Park was a heavenly sight to behold.
And Captain Elliot Scott of the Jasper Park Rangers liked it this way.
Whenever out a patrol, the light-haired officer would take the time to admire the dense forest and clear air while he could, often finding himself walking to a little dirt path that led deeper into the western regions of the park, where he would take a seat and admire the vast valley below. Yes, Eli greatly enjoyed himself on these little excursions…
That is, of course, when he was being pelted by a rock thrown from an unknown source, or being chased off by a porcupine accompanied by, strangely enough, a young grizzly. To be honest, the captain was hoping today would be uneventful.
Boy, was he wrong.
Eli, after hearing a series of thuds accompanied by rustling leaves and the sight of birds scattering from his right, had just enough time to duck out of the way as a giant hunk of tree bark barreled out of the trees, shooting over his head and down the incline to his left.
"JESUS CHRIST!" he exclaimed, his blue eyes wide in panic as he watched the unexpected projectile disappear behind the trees, the gust created by the piece of would blowing his wide-brimmed hat off.
But that wasn't the strange part.
The strange part was that Eli could have sworn he saw four teenage wolves sitting in the log, almost as if they were steering it. Taking a moment to rub his eyes, Eli returned his gaze in the direction the log had gone, only to find to his surprise that the log and its furry passengers, had disappeared.
"That's it," he grumbled in a deep bass, "I'm putting in for a vacation."
Meanwhile, the log and its cargo continued to barrel along the path, the four teen-wolves having a howling mad time.
Well, except for one.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
The white-furred male was in pure panic-mode. His green eyes wide with terror as he gripped the edges of the log-board, the other inhabitants laughing at his over exaggeration of the situation. The one at the head of the board, the youngest son of the Western Pack leaders, who should have been acting like the young adult he was, looked over his shoulder at his younger cousin.
"Come Al," Marcus, the wolf formally known as Runt, jeered with a smile, "live a little!"
This earned him a round of laughter from the other two inhabitants, a young female pup with golden fur and teal eyes who sat just behind of her "Unca Runt," and a teenage male with cream fur and an auburn mane, whose yellow eyes gleamed with mischief as he looked upon his, uh, "friend" as the latter had his panic attack.
"LIAM!" Albus, or rather Al, screamed as he looked back at the other teen, "WHY DO I LET YOU TALK ME INTO THIS STUFF?!"
Liam just let out a laugh as he sent the wolf in front of him a mischievous wink, one which he was happy to see succeeded in a deep blush that shown through the white-furred wolf's fur. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted as Marcus noticed a dreadful sight up ahead.
"Uh Guys," he called back, quickly picking up his niece by her scruff, "I THINK THIS OUR STOP!"
Turning their attention back to the front of the log, the two teens' eyes snapped wide open when they saw the source of Marcus' alarm. Rocks…big ones. Wasting no time, Marcus quickly stood and readied himself to jump with the peep in his teeth.
"HANG ON NIA!" he told the pup, before turning to the other two.
"TUCK N' ROLL BOYS!"
With that, the group leaped out of the log, Marcus curling himself around his niece as Liam and Albus made contact with the ground, each letting out loud grunts and groans as they did so, their ears quickly filling with the sound of wood on rock, combined with a chorus of splintering chucks being through everywhere.
After making sure that Nia wasn't hurt, Marcus turned to the other two, only for a warm smile to form on his face as he saw Liam, his lean but fit frame almost a spitting mirror image of his father, helping the leaner, slightly smaller Al to his feet, short, white bangs barley reaching his eyes. It was common knowledge through Jasper that Al was basically a male version of his mother, Marcus' Aunt Lilly. The only real difference was his eyes, which were inherited from Marcus' Uncle Garth.
"You two all right?" Marcus called as he and Nia walked over to them, the two younger males just regaining their bearings as they sent their cousin and brother-in-law reassuring nods and smiles.
"Yeah," Liam responded in a deep tenor, one laced with a lite Irish brogue, "we're good Marcus."
"But you won't be."
Marcus' blood instantly ran cold when he heard the growling female voice from behind him.
"CLAUDEEEEETTE!" Marcus called with a wide, but still clearly nervous, smile as he turned to face his sister, who was back by her calmer, but still very much agitated mate, Fleet.
"Heeeey," Marcus continued as Claudette started stalking toward him, "we were just coming back from the meadows, where we said we were going to begin with."
"Uh," Fleet said as he stayed in place, "and what part of going to the meadows involved taking our daughter on a log ride?"
"Busted," Al snorted to Liam out of the corner of his mouth, who snorted back a laugh, only for the duo to freeze when they saw Claudette glare at them.
"Don't think you two are in the clear," she said in less aggressive, but still annoyed voiced. And while the two younger males continued to smile, they both nervously swallowed a lump that had formed in each of their throats. Looking back to her brother, Claudette, although still upset, just let out a tired laugh as she shook her head.
"Still the 'Proud Omega' as ever, huh Little Bro?"
"Always," Marcus responded with a sly smile, earning a roll of the eyes from his sister, who started walking past him with her mate, her young daughter trotting alongside her.
"C'mon," she said with laugh, "Anna wants to see you. She said the pups are starting to kick."
Upon hearing this, Marcus, his eyes going wide, bolted past Claudette and toward his and his mates' cave, clear excitement radiating from his very being at the knowledge that within the coming weeks, he and Liam's sister, Anna, would be having their first pup, or pups, depending on how the universe behaved. And as he bolted out of sight, Fleet turned his gaze toward Al.
"And Al," he called, catching the snow-furred teen's attention, "Lois and Daria are going to be out for a few days and wanted you to help keep your grandpa company."
With that, Fleet left with Claudette and Nia, but not before his mate sent a playful jeer toward Liam.
"And Liam, no 'distractions' for Al along the way, not unless you want to get caught by your dad."
Liam let out a groan of annoyance as Claudette disappeared with her family. However, said annoyance quickly turned to confusion when he saw a glimpse of disappointment on Al's face. But, before Liam could speak, Al quickly turned on his pads, moodily stalking away in the direction of his grandfather's den.
"AL! WAIT!" Liam called as he bolted after Al, only for his step to falter the moment he caught up with him, and this was a result of the words that left Al's mouth.
"I can't believe you still haven't told him."
The statement was said in a way that resembled a growl, but also at the same time a whimper. Just the sound of it made Liam's heart break. But at the same time, he still couldn't explain why he was having issues speaking with his father about a very sensitive subject.
"I get it," Liam finally said with a sigh, which he mixed with a lite laugh, "after telling the rest of my family, it should be as easy as talking about the weather to tell my dad, 'hey dad, sunny sky today, and guess what, I like girls AND guys.'"
"Then why is it so hard for you to tell him about who you are…about us?"
Yes, it was true, Liam and Al were a couple.
And while Liam was mostly attracted to females, who couldn't deny that there was something special about Al, be it his shy demeanor, his great sense of humor…or the fact that he, as Liam could be quoted as saying, "had his mother's tail." Needless to say, Liam still fancied himself a ladies-wolf, but in the end, Al was the only male that Liam had been attracted to.
And Al, well Al never really fancied females. It was clear from the time he entered his preteen years that he was, in a way, different. Always eying muscular alphas or flirting with silly omegas. But Liam was the one who really caught his eye…and won his heart. Liam even gave him the courage to confess to his family about who he was…with Liam confessing to his family, namely his mother, sister, Grandpa King and paternal grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin.
Everyone was immediately supportive…well, save for one. But this was because Liam's father, Sam, had been absent from the revelation. He had been away from Jasper to conduct business with the Tranquility Pack, the home of Marcus' grandfather, Rex. But, if Liam was being honest with himself, he was glad his father wasn't there.
Why, he never really knew…and still doesn't know.
"He likes me, I know that."
This pulled Liam from his musings, looking to Al who had a small smile on his muzzle.
"Without mentioning us, since I figured you'd want to tell him yourself, I told him I liked males. You know what he said to me?"
Liam shook his head, pure curiosity evident in his gaze as he listened intently to his boyfriend.
"He said that so long as I was happy with who I was, he would be happy for me."
Al then deepened his lite, fluty voice as much as he could, adding an exaggerated Irish brogue to the mix.
"'To each their own, Al.' That's what I always say."
Try as he might, Liam couldn't help but start howling with laughter at Al's impersonation of his father, the smaller male joining him, only for the moment to be interrupted by a playfully chiding female voice, one laced with a very thick accent that remind Al of his "Uncle" Marcel.
"I don't think my son would find your impression very funny, mon garçon."
Looking to the source of the new voice, Liam smiled from ear to ear as he saw his grandmother, the lite brown-furred, Quebec born Amelia approaching him, her loving mate, the largely built, dark-brown and black-furred, Celtic-wolf Alan approach them, coy smiles on their lips as they did, their matching brown eyes twinkling with mischief as Al looked wide eyed upon his boyfriend's grandparents.
"I-I should get to Grandpa T-Tony's," Al stammered with a nervous chuckle, before bolting out of the clearing, leaving Liam alone with his grandparents, who sent their youngest grandchild playful smirks, especially when Al doubled back to give a soft peck on his boyfriend's cheek before running back the way he came, the young wolf merely rolling his eyes at his grandparents smirks before walking up to his grandmother, nuzzling his head under her chin.
"Bonjour Mémé," Liam said with a chuckle, speaking his grandmother's native language.
"Bonjour mon petite chiot."
"Mémé," Liam whined as he pulled away, an annoyed smile on his lips, "I'm hardly a little pup anymore."
"Yes," Alan added with his thick Irish brogue, "but you're still the smallest of the family. That is until the great-grandpup, or pups, arrive."
The trio joined together in a laugh; the family moment soon interrupted by a new female voice.
"AMELIA!"
Looking to the source of the voice, Amelia smiled as she saw the ginger-furred Lois approach, escorting her visually impaired sister Daria, who seemed just as happy as her sister. Returning the smile, Amelia went to join the two.
"Hello ladies," Amelia greeted with a smile, "are you ready to say, 'Bon Voyage?'"
"Absolutely," Daria replied, the impaired girl just radiating positive energy as she leaned against her sister. Liam, however, was bit confused.
"Go where?" he whispered to his grandfather, who only chuckled as he leaned toward Liam.
"Eve arranged a little girls get away," he whispered.
"Said it would help the lass' get to know each other a little bit better now that they're, in a sense, family."
It was at that moment that Liam realized that this was the reason for Al going to keep his grandfather company.
The girls didn't want him to be alone, what with them taking their trip with Eve and Amelia, and Garth and Lilly having a date night. But, it also couldn't be ignored that Tony was definitely up there in years, but that didn't stop him from enjoying life to the fullest. And in the time since his grandnephew's misadventures in Shadow Forest, Tony took it upon himself to act as a father figure to Daria, who was soon joined by Lois and the rest of her old pack who sought refuge with the packs of Jasper.
And as he looked back on it as he sat alone in his den, the fur around his face and all over his body much duller and white than it had been, Tony was happy with how he lived his life. True, he had made mistakes, but he was forgiven, and allowed to be apart of a pack he had been happy to lead until he retired.
"Grandpa!"
Tony was pulled from his memories as he looked up to see his young grandson bound over to him, the old wolf slowly rising to his feet with a grown to greet him.
"Hey Al," Tony called in a raspy voice, a clear sign of his age, "good to see you."
Coming up to his grandfather, Al brought his head up under his grandfather's chin, nuzzle the bristly fur of the aged wolf who returned the gesture, before pulling away and laying back down, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he looked up at Al. Although, despite his grandson's smile, tony could see that there was something else more…sad.
With a sly smile, Tony had an idea of what it was.
"What is it now?"
Knowing what his grandfather was implying, Al let out a sigh as he slumped down beside Tony.
"Liam still hasn't told Sam."
Letting out soft chuckle, Tony nuzzled his nose against Al's cheek, offering some comfort before giving him a bit of advice.
"Don't push him," he began.
"Liam will tell Sam when he is ready. He's afraid, but so were you. And like your fear, he will find that it was misplaced. I know Sam, and he will love his children no matter what, just as your parents love you, and I love you. Have faith and remember that good things come to those who wait."
Taking a moment to let what Tony had said sink in, Al let a soft smile grace his muzzle. Looking to his grandfather, he could see that the warm smile he always had never left his withered features. Looking outside, Al could see the sun start to set. Rising to his feet, Al began making his way out of the den, but not before letting Tony know what he was doing.
"How about I get some berries and we can watch the sunset together?"
After receiving a hum and nod of approval, Al left the den, leaving Tony alone to watch the sun start its descent behind the mountains. But, as he continued to watch, he found himself feeling tired…VERY tired.
Then he heard it. It was soft at first, almost like a whisper in the breeze, but then it grew louder in his ear, until he could make out what it was…
The voice of an old friend.
Tony tried to fight the sleep coming over him, but as he did, he found himself drifting more and more. Finally, he decided there was little point in prolonging the inevitable.
"I'm Coming Home, Winston."
Al was just coming back from getting the berries, a sizable bushel in his mouth as he entered the den. Upon entering the den, Al could see Tony, his head in his paws and eyes closed. Letting out a small chuckle, Al dropped the berries before making his way to Tony, gently prodding his cheek with his nose.
"Grandpa," he whispered, continuing to nudge the old wolf, who just continued to lay there. For several moments Al tried to wake Tony, but after a fifth time he noticed that Tony wasn't…
Breathing.
"Grandpa," he called again, a deep worry settling into him as he continued to try to get a response out of Tony.
"C'mon Grandpa, it's time to wake up."
At this point, Al was fighting tears, his voice cracking as he tried desperately to wake his grandfather. And it wasn't until after he got the healers that he finally had to accept the terrible truth.
The funeral mirrored that of Winston. Every critter, from the wolves of Jasper to the Royal Family of the Bear Kingdom was in attendance. Memories were shared, tears were shed, and hearts were weeping as one of the great leaders of Jasper's past was laid to rest in the sacred burial grounds.
And as the crowd dispersed, Liam, who had been talking with his cousin Collin, chanced a glance over at Al, who was being comforted along with his mother by Garth.
And in the rain that started to fall, a tear slid down Liam's cheek, a whisper leaving his lips.
"Be Strong."