The storm was raging on. Rain buffeted the ground and trees, limps snapping off and being chucked every which way. King, Humphrey and Marcus nerves were especially shot as they bolted their way toward Humphrey's den, the heavy rain pelting their bodies, making it impossible for any casual onlooker to see the large tears streaming down their already soaked cheeks.

"HERE THEY COME!" a shout came from the pack leader's den, a voice King instantly recognized as his loving second-wife Eve, the trio barely making out her form as they bolted up the small incline that led to the den, each wolf panting as they finally escaped the storm outside, quickly being tended to by Eve, Kate, And Terra, who was in the den with the rest of their family, from their children to their grandpups, and great-grandpups.

Even Garth, Lilly, And Al and Sam's birth family were there.

It had been decided that the whole family would be safer together, that way they could keep track of each other, despite the den becoming a bit cramped. But, as the three matriarchs of their respective families looked over their loved ones, Anna, who was laying on her side with Claudette and Amelia tending to her, noticed two wolves were absent from the group.

"Grandpa," she called in a lite Irish accent, the sound making King flinch as he knew what was coming, especially when he saw the look of concern on his granddaughter's face.

"Where's dad and Liam?"

King didn't know why, though it could have been the still very fresh memory, but the moment Anna mentioned his son-in-law and grandson, the tears came faster than the torrent of water that took them away. Eve instantly brought King's head to her chest as his legs crumbled, his eyes clenched shut as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks, his body shaking as he loudly sobbed into his mate's fur.

Humphrey and Marcus' sorrowful expressions, though not as severe, conveyed to the others the tragedy that had occurred. Andrew and Claudette's families just stared wide-eyed, their minds being unable to comprehend what they had just heard. Anna, however, quickly became a sobbing mess, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, the cursed liquid gentle being licked away by her mate as he came to her side.

Sam's family, however, were truly devastated. After a few moments of sitting in shock, Amelia found her wide eyes growing damp with tears, her heart aching at the knowledge that she not only had she just lost her son all over again, but that she had lost her other grandson as well.

"No," she whimpered as the tears fell, the older wolf soon finding herself being pulled into her daughter Allison's embrace, her own tears falling at the news she had just heard of her little brother and nephew, the two females soon being enveloped in tight embraces by their respective mates, with Colling nuzzling his mother to offer some comfort.

Al on the other paw…

"It's not true," he whispered, his green eyes wide with disbelief as he approached Humphrey and King.

"Please," he practically begged, his eyes glossing over with tears as his voice began to crack.

"P-please tell me it's not true. Liam can't be dead."

"Al…" King choked out as he pulled himself away from Eve, the older female herself trying, and failing, to hold back her tears. King didn't even have to finish for the truth to hit Al full force. Lilly, being the loving mother she was, wasted no time in running to her son, holding him close as he broke out sobbing, his heartbreaking wails conveying to the others the anguish he felt at losing the wolf he loved.

For the remainder of the night, the large family consoled each other, unaware that many miles downstream, their grief was misplaced.

The morning sun shone brightly over the clearing; the previous days storm a distant memory. The birds chittered and chirped as the sun's rays made the water and dew drops on the leaves glisten beautifully, the gentle sound of the running river adding to the beautifully harmony that was nature.

That is, of course, if a groan of pain didn't ruin the picturesque morning.

But, then again, if you were the one who had bashed against several rocks as a torrent of water washed you downstream, you'd groan like Liam too. And Liam was definitely feeling the effects of his little ride, his usually clean fur drenched and covered stained with mud as he laid on the riverbank, his hind end slightly submerged in the running water as his head rested on a rock on the shore.

"My head," he groaned to no one in particular, the young wolf soon being able to bring himself to his feet as he rose up from where he lay, his headache coming on full force as he walked away from the cursed river, his tired eyes struggling to focus on his surroundings. But, as soon as he got his bearings, he realized right away he did not recognize where he was.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud, thinking no one could hear him.

He was wrong.

"Liam?" came a weak voice, the source seeming to come from behind Liam, just a little further down the riverbank. Turning to the source of the sound, Liam's eyes shot wide open, his headache a thing of the past as he saw Sweets, wet and dirty, laying on her side, her head the only thing that was out of the water.

"SWEETS!" Liam bellowed as he ran to his friend, the young male quickly using his strength to pulls Sweets out of the water, the girl letting out a small whimper as he did. And it was Liam finally got Sweets out of the water, he could see that usually beautiful cream-colored fur was drenched and caked in a thin layer of mud from being in the water.

"Can you stand?" he finally asked after a few moments, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he saw Sweets begin to do just that, though with some difficulty as evident by the low moans she emitted.

"Yeah," she answered with a whimper, her eyes clenched shut as she felt the aches and pains of the previous night radiate through her body. But luckily, Liam was there to offer some support, his just being slightly smaller than Sweets, allowing him to easily support her body against his own.

"Thanks sweetie," Sweets said with a kind smile, placing a gentle lick on his temple for added thanks, making the younger male blush as he started to help Sweets walk toward a nearby tree line, unaware that they were being watched by several pairs of eyes.

Meanwhile, further downstream, Sam was barely consciousness, his body lying completely out of the water, prone to the elements…and whatever may be lurking around. Sam was actually barely able to make the sound of paw steps approaching him, accompanied by what sounded like flapping wings. Then he heard the voices.

'What do you think Boss?" a distorted tenor voice sounded with an accent that Sam, just couldn't quite place, though it sounded like it was American of some sort.

"Yeah," came a noticeable female voice, speaking in the same accent as the first.

At that moment, Sam was able to crack his eyes open just enough to make out the forms of who was standing over him. At least one of them. And if he was being honest, the sight of a black-eyed golden hawk looking right into his face was enough to bring him to full alert…mainly because it scared him that the voices belonged to more birds of prey.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Sam screamed as he bolted up, slashing his claws frantically at the bird which took a massive leap out of harms way, his own eyes wide in alarm.

"I'M STILL ALIVE!"

"Yeah, we can see that hun," the female voice sounded, causing Sam to turn and see, to his surprise, and utter horror, an amber-furred grizzly, her jade-green eyes gleaming with mischief as she approached Sam, who immediately tensed up as she did. But, as looked at the bear with unease, he noticed that she didn't quite look like a regular grizzly. In fact, she appeared lean where fat should be and fat where lean should be. In short, her frame looked a lot like Carney's before she started losing weight.

And to add to it, she had a lock of fur covering her right eye.

Damn, Sam inadvertently thought to himself, she's pretty cute for a grizzly.

Sam must have been starring longer than he should have, because his train of thought was immediately broken by a third voice, one which owned a deep, booming bass that rivaled his father's.

"If yer done oglin' my friend, buddy, can we get a name?"

Looking to the source of the voice, Sam was surprised to see that the hawk and bear were accompanied by a silver-furred wolf. And as the wolf approached him, Sam found himself scrutinizing this stranger very carefully. His body, which was covered in silver fur with a white underbelly, though similar in shape to his own, was slightly larger, and with a bit more muscle. His face appeared similar in shape to Garths, though his eyes seemed like Humphrey's.

But his eyes, his eyes are what truly caught Sam off guard.

The right blue, and the left green…and the last time he saw those eyes, let's just say it was the day that Sam decided he wasn't going to kill for the "King of Banff."

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Sam hesitantly answered the wolf's earlier question with some annoyance, and some relief as it seemed the strange wolf didn't recognize him.

"Sam…and I wasn't 'ogling' anyone."

The wolf just gave a sly smirk as he offered a little counter argument.

"Well," he began in teasing tone, "you're 'little friend begs to differ."

And it was at that moment, to his utter embarrassment, that Sam noticed he was starting to get "excited." Quickly tucking his tail between his legs to cover himself, Sam sent the wolf a cautionary glare, a clear sign that he was already on VERY thin ice.

"Nice to meet ya, Sam," the wolf responded with a laugh before introducing himself, the bear, and the hawk, who had perched himself on the bear's head.

"Name's Dax. This here is Sue, and Slade."

Looking to the other two, Sam immediately swallowed a lump in his throat as Sue sent him a playful wink, all while Slade sent him teasing smile. And it was at that moment, Sam realized how…amusing the group appeared to be.

"Huh," he laughed, "a wolf, a bear and a hawk…you three are like the start of a bad joke."

"And we saved you," Slade added with laugh, "which makes you the punch line."

Sam merely rolled his eyes.

"You didn't save me, you scared me shitless."

"Same difference," Slade joked, earning a laugh from his two companions. Even Sam let out a little chuckle at the bird's response.

"So," Sue finally spoke, "what brings you out here, Sugar?"

And it was at that moment everything came flooding back into Sam's mind. Before the trio could react, Sam's eyes snapped wide open as he remembered the two wolves who had been swept away with him.

"LIAM! SWEETS!" he yelled as he began running up and down the riverbank, the three new arrivals watching in bewilderment as he did so, their shock quickly turning to concern at the obvious strain on the wolf they had just met. Finally, after having watched long enough, Sue grabbed Sam, hoisting him off the ground and hold him in front of her in her massive paws.

"HEY! Relax," she cooed, her voice gentle and her face calm as she began to speak to Sam.

"Now, from the top, who are Liam and Sweets?"

Taking a brief moment to recollect himself, Sam, who after being set back on the ground by Sue after she had seen he had calmed down, began to explain.

"Liam is my son," he began.

"We were helping our friend Sweets during that big storm last night when we got washed down stream. I lost track of them when we hit some rapids, then…well I must've hit my head cause the next thing I knew I'm waking up here."

It was at that moment that Sam turned to Dax, speaking wolf to wolf as he pleaded with him.

"Please," he begged with tears in his eyes, "you have to help me find them."

At that moment, Sam was even more surprised by Dax's response, accompanied by a determined expression on his face.

"Done…we need to get back to pack first so we can get a decent search party goin'."

"Pack?" inquired in bewilderment, quickly following the trio as they began to walk into the tree line.

"Yeah," Dax responded with a smile, "what, you think we're just a trio of misfits?"

With that, Sam continued to follow the group, hoping that they would be true to their word in helping him find his son.

Meanwhile, Liam and Sweets were walking along, the latter able to walk on her after having been on her feet for a few moments. And as they walked, the duo tried to figure out where in Canada they were…or if they were even in Canada.

However, that was the least of Liam's worries at the moment, as Sweets noticed. Thought who wouldn't with the way Liam was walking, his head low, his feet dragging and his tail limp between his legs.

"Hey," Sweets cooed, causing Liam to look at her with sad eyes, "if we survived, then your dad survived. We just need to get our bearings before we can do anything else. OK sweetie."

Liam, after taking a moment to think it over, accepted Sweets' reasoning, giving her a sad smile as the two continued to move on. Unfortunately, the moment was soon interrupted by a feral growl coming from a rock outcropping above them. Looking up, both wolves stood in terror as an adult cougar began to descend toward them.

"Well, well, well," the cougar, whose lite and airy voice conveyed that it was a female, said menacingly, "what do we have here? Two very tasty little morsels for me to snack on."

The cougar finished the statement with a sadistic smile as she licked her chomps. Looking to Sweets, Liam could see that she was frozen in terror at being face to face with this deadly mountain cat. Realizing he had to do something, Liam, who had never fought anything bigger than another pup, took a deep breath and hesitantly placed himself between Sweets and the cougar, surprising both females.

"Over my dead body," he growled defiantly, shocking the females even further. The cougar, recovering from the shock, just grinned maliciously at the young wolf.

"That's the idea, hun."

Before Liam could react, the cougar pounced toward him. Barely stepping out of the way of the cougar's claws, Liam quickly reared up on his hind legs, throwing his upper body on the cougar's back, leading to a well-placed bite on said feline's neck. The cougar roared in pain, reaching back with a clawed paw, grazing Liam's cheek, leaving deep wounds in the teen's flesh. Sweets, having witnessed this, soon found her shock replaced with something quite dangerous, especially for an Alpha.

Rage.

"NO!" she screamed, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Sweets then charged at the cougar, slamming her head into the mountain cat's side, which threw her a good five feet from the two wolves. Regaining her senses, the cougar's glare soon fell on the two growling wolves before her. Steadily getting to her feet after having the wind knocked out her, the feline prepared herself to pounce once again, when something extraordinary happened.

"HEY FANGZILLA!" A masculine voiced called, causing the three to turn their attention to the source of the sound, the cougar letting out a surprised yell as she was tackled to the ground by a muscular looking male wolf, his amber fur accented by the grey "socks" on his legs. And his eyes, his brown eyes, glared daggers at the feline in front of him, who quickly took note of two more wolves backing the other.

One was another male, lithe in figure, but not without some muscle, his body covered in light brown fur. However, this greatly contrasted with his forehead and cheeks, which were covered in a stunning red. And these features seemed to frame his raging hazel-green eyes perfectly.

And the third, the third was a female, her frame similar to Sweets and covered in a dazzling marble pattern of black and grey, her blues eyes staring hatefully at the cougar. However, when her eyes met the cougars' golden ones, the two felt something.

But, despite this, the cougar, quickly accepting the fact that she was outnumbered, scoffed at the group of wolves.

"You know what?" she groaned, popping some bones in her back that had briefly been dislocated, "This isn't worth the effort."

With that, the large feline turned with a flick of her tail, leaving the wolves behind, unaware that the blue-eyed female caught sight of her forbidden fruit when she flicked her tail, lustfully licking her lips before rejoining the others.

"Hey, you okay kid?" the larger of the two males implied in a thick accent, his brown eyes filled with concern as he examined Liam's scratches, the young wolf giving a weak nod as Sweets began to lick away the blood, allowing the other male to see the scratches in detail, a soft smile spreading on his muzzle.

"That's a good one," he said, "gonna scar up real nice."

The other male simply rolled his eyes.

"Not the best time Jake," he playfully scolded, nudging the other male, who merely giggled a surprisingly feminine giggle. The giggle actually reminded Liam of Al, which raised his suspicions about how close these strangers were.

And thanks to the female accompanying them, Liam found himself blushing along with Sweets as his suspicions were confirmed.

"And yet you always find time to tap that ass, Duke," she jeered, shoving the two males aside as she came face to face with the two wolves they had just saved, a sly smile on her muzzle at their embarrassed reactions.

"Howdy folks," she greeted in the same accent as the other two, her smile never faltering as Sweets and Liam began to recover, "names Jenny, and you've already met the two 'idiots in love,' Duke and his little toy, Jake."

Welp, so much for recovering. Sweets and Liam were full-on blushing again, which seemed to greatly amuse Jenny.

"So," she continued, "you two Liam and Sweets?"

That truly got their attention.

"How do you know who we are?" Liam inquired, his eyebrow raised in suspicion. Noticing this, Jenny's sly smile melted into one of reassurance.

"Your old man sent us to find you."

At that moment, Liam and Sweets' eyes opened wide, their mouths agape in shock at what they had just heard.

"My Dad?" he inquired with great energy, "is he okay?"

"He's fine kid," Jake added in, a gentle smile on his muzzle as he felt the hopeful energy radiating from Liam.

"Yeah," Duke said next, "the boss found him upriver. A little banged up, but good. He was really worried about you."

"Can you take me to him?" Liam inquired, quickly getting his answer from Jenny.

"Yeah. And the sooner we get you back to your papa, the sooner I can get someone to take care of my 'itch.' That cougar pussy really got me fired up."

And the blush was back.

Wow, Liam thought, "these wolves aren't shy about speaking their minds.

"What doesn't get you fired up, Veg Eater," Duke quipped, the trio soon leading the way for Liam and Sweets, the two unsure of the group they had just gotten involved with, unaware that the female cougar was still watching them, a determined expression on her face as she went to deliver a report to her father, the leader of her pride, perhaps the first pride of cougars that ever existed. But as she did, she couldn't help but think of that wolf, Jenny. Her curvy frame, her beautiful fur, and her stunning eyes, eyes so blue that she could just dive in and swim…

"Get a hold of yourself, Selena," the cougar told herself before continuing on her way, the thoughts of Jenny pushed to the back of her mind.