The morning sun rose over the hills and shined through the trees, the sounds of birds and other critters drifting with the gentle breeze that brought the crisp mountain air down on the area. And as the sun rose higher and higher, shining its warm rays of light on the small clearing, they found their way into the still closed eyes of a certain blonde-furred wolf, the older male wincing as the troublesome rays pulled him out of his sleep.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Sam grumbled as he slowly rose to his feet, shaking his head at his own stupidity of talking to something that could not talk back. And as he rose from his place beside Liam, who was still sound asleep, Sam looked around and noticed that some of the others were up as well, like Kyle, Duke and Jake, Jenny, as well as Elsa and her family, with the rest slowly coming to around as well.

Deciding it was time to wake Liam as well, Sam looked down at his son, only to snort back a laugh at the sight of the very "attractive" look on Liam's face which consisted of his mouth hanging open and his tongue lolled out as he snored loudly on his back, his limbs played haphazardly in all directions as if he had been in a log crash. And at that moment, Sam got a devious idea. Lowering his head so that his muzzle was right beside Liam's ear, Sam took a deep breath as if to whisper a soothing good morning. But what came out was the exact opposite.

"RISE AND SHINE SLEEPING BEAUTY!"

A startled Liam was up in an instant.

"I'M UP, I'M UP!" he cried out, his senses on high alert as he looked around wildly, his wide yellow eyes scanning the area for the source of the rude awakening. And the moment he saw his father laughing at him along with the others, Liam found himself staring daggers at Sam, who just approached his son, bringing his paw up to ruffle the younger wolf's auburn mane.

"Okay, OKAY!" Liam exclaimed, a small smile forming on his muzzle as he batted his father's paw away. Finally, after everything had settled down, Sam and Liam went to join the others who had gathered at the edge of the clearing. Once they reached the rest of pack, father and son made their way to the front of the formation, trading "good mornings" with a few of the others. Sam even smiled when he saw Liam offer a Kyle a paw bump, a gesture the young fox enthusiastically returned.

"Glad you could join you two," Dax laughed as soon as he came into view of Sam and Liam, both wolves rolling their eyes at Dax's little quip. But, once the laughs were out of the way, the two males noticed Sweets standing alongside Dax, her side practically pressed against his as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Now, Sam knew Sweets had a bit of a "reputation" back home. In fact, she was practically the "Jenny" of Jasper, always looking for someone to have a little fun with. Of course, these little flings were never anything serious, just something that, as Jenny would put, quelled the itch for a time. And event though Sweets considered herself a free spirit when it came to love, Sam noticed that given the way that Sweets was practically hanging off of Dax, she may have found a potential match.

But, he would dwell on that later. For now, he was curious as to the whereabouts of a certain feline.

"So," he said with a suspicious look on his face, "where's Prissy Miss Cougar?"

"Scouting ahead to find you a clear path, Mr. Grumpy Tail," a voice sounded from ahead, causing all the wolves, one bear, one fox and hawk to turn their attention toward Selena, who was just returning from a little scouting she had done earlier that morning.

"And what to ya find Hun?" Jenny asked sweetly, batting her eyes, the action making Selena blush and Sam roll his eyes, curious as to why Jenny was showing so much interest in a critter that wasn't even her species…and could very well not be trusted.

"W-well," Selena began with a stammer, only for her resolve to come back as she got going, "I scouted ahead and found a cliff overlooking the valley up ahead. I got a clear view of Rogue Pass. It's about a days journey from this point. From there, I can find us a perfect path to Banff. However, there is a problem."

"Add it to the list," Sam quipped, only to receive a sharp elbow jab from Jenny, who continued to keep her attention on Selena as Sam rubbed the spot in his side that got hit.

"From the cliff, I noticed some clouds rolling in from the northeast. From the looks of it there is going to be a heavy downpour sometime within the next day or so."

Sam, catching on to what Selena was getting at, turned to the others.

"If that pass floods, then we would have to take a more out-of-the-way route, which could take us days."

"Right," Selena confirmed, "so if you want to make it, we better get a move on."

With a firm nod, Dax turned to address the pack.

"ALRIGHT EVRYONE, YOU HEARD THE CAT…LET'S GO!"

With that, the Wayfaring Pack was underway, leaving the clearing behind as they made their way to Rogue Pass. But, as the group began their long trek, Dax pulled Jenny aside, the marble-furred girl looking at him in curiosity as the others gained a decent distance from them. And as soon as he knew the pack was out of ear shot, Dax addressed Jenny in a serious tone.

"I know you like her Jenny," Dax began softly, obviously referring to Selena. But as he continued to speak, his gaze hardened.

"But, you need to stay on your toes. I know that you think she's hiding something too. Don't try to deny."

"Of course, I think she's hiding something Boss," jenny added, an insulted look on her face as she addressed her leader, "I ain't stupid. I've been on my toes since I found her. But, that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun."

This was said with such a seductive tone that Dax merely rolled his eyes as he watched Jenny walk away, a small smile forming on his lips as the duo ran to catch up with the others, unaware that in one of the paths in Rogue Pass, Kako's pride, which consisted of himself, three males and two female, was setting up for their ambush, each cougar gearing up for one hell of a feast, for what the pride lacked in numbers, they mad up for in cunning and agility.

"OOOOOH!" one lithe, scraggly looking male shuddered as he began to drool, his wild eyes wide with glee as he pictured himself showing down on juicy, delectable wolf, "I can't wait to sink my teeth into those wolves."

"No one does anything until I give the word," Kako shouted from a ledge just ten feet off of the gorge floor, his subordinate shrinking back in submission as his leader walked away to survey the pass. And once he did, the male was at it again.

"I'm gonna put the dark meat in one pile, and the light meat in another…"

"HEY!" a perturbed female shouted as she glared at the annoying male, "KNOCK IT OFF! I'M STARVING!"

"Next the hindquarters…" the male continued, clearly not paying a attention the female who looked like she was going to feast on the male before any of the wolves.

"…Occasionally tough, but extremely juicy."

The female had had enough.

"I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK IT OFF!"

But the moment she raised her paw to bring her claws down on the infuriating male, she felt a strong paw slam hers back tot the ground. And the moment she turned to meet its owner, she was looking into the snarling face of her leader as he began to harshly reprimand her.

"SAVE YOUR ENERGY! You'll need it. Wolves do not go down easily. There is only one way to do it in a place such as this…"

At that moment, Kako began to give a very "intimate" hunting lesson as he advanced on the female, backed by his other pride mates, voicing out each tactic as he stalked closer and closer, the female finding herself pressed against the corner of a small alcove.

"First, you back them into a corner…cut off the retreat…"

And the closer he got, the more the female could feel her leader's hot breath on her fur, making her shudder as his sharp teeth inched closer and closer to her neck.

"Then once you have them cornered…you go for the throat."

And before the female knew what was happening, Kako dragged his rough tongue along her neck, making her moan in delight as wrapped her forelegs around his neck, desperate to keep Kako where he was.

"Yes Kako," she moaned, only to find herself on her back as Kako proceeded to have his way with her, the other members of the pride watching with perverted fascination as their leader displayed his dominance over the female as her shameless moans echoed through the pass.

Throughout the day, the Wayfaring Pack made impeccable time.

And along the way, Sam and Liam got to see some of the things the traveling wolves did a "cross-country trip."

Sue, being the largest in the pack, would offer rides to some of the pups to keep them entertained. Liam even joked at one time that having that many pups on her back made Sue look like a giant possum than a bear. Sam had even asked how Sue came to be a part of the pack, learning that her home in Colorado was destroyed by logging. She wandered for some time before coming up the pack who happily accepted her.

Also during the trip, Sam noticed that Ray took to water very well, often join Kyle, Liam and some of the pups in playing in puddles or ponds they happened upon along the way. Elsa had explained this had always been a little quirk of Ray's. She recounted that when he was a pup, she and Faith could never get him out of the water.

"HEY!"

Sam and Elsa stopped in their conversation the moment they heard the loud shriek. Looking to the source, the duo looked on in shock as a drenched Selena emerged from a nearby pond they had come across, Ray, Liam and the pups laughing at the unfortunate feline who glared daggers at Jenny, who simply responded by jumping in herself. And the moment her head broke the surface, she received a face full of water, courtesy of a laughing Selena.

"Huh," Sam laughed as he was joined by Dax and Sweets, the other adults she watching the display, "and here I though cats didn't like water."

"I guess not," Dax laughed in return. But, as he continued to watch the jovial scene before him, a great unease filled his being as the distant sound of thunder could be heard, a clear sign that the storm system that Selena had talked about was getting closer. And while he hated to cut the revelry short, they needed to get moving once again.

"Alright you lot," he called, gaining everyone's attention, "it's time to get moving."

This resulted in a chorus of complaints from the pups. Even Selena seemed a bit disappointed as she exited the pond, shaking her fur along with the others before resuming her place at the front of the pack, this time accompanied by Jenny. But, despite all the fun she had just had, Selena needed to remind herself to stay focused on her mission. Unfortunately for her, the more time she spent with the pack, the more she felt she couldn't go through with it.

GET IT TOGETHER SELENA, she thought to herself, lightly shaking her head, an action which did not go unnoticed by Jenny.

"You okay?" she asked with genuine worry, unsure of what could be troubling Selena, who just looked at the wolf beside her with a sad smile.

"Yeah," she responded, continuing to lie her way through this carefully crafted façade she had created, "just a headache. Nothing to worry about."

And while Jenny knew that Selena was lying to her, Dax's own words of being wary echoing in her mind, she decided not to press the issue as looked into Selena's eyes, those stunning, golden eyes that seemed to stare right into her soul.

But, before she could get too enthralled in her fascination with those lovely peepers, she heard a shout from behind.

"DAD LOOK!"

Following Liam's gaze, Sam had to squint his eyes to see what Liam had, only for them to go wide the moment he made out the black and white feathers of a goose and the yellow plumage of a duck, the latter seeming to have a strange item strapped to its back.

"Is that…?" Sweets began hopefully, her spirits lifting ever so higher the moment Sam confirmed their suspicions in the form of running to a nearby rock. And once he reached the rock, he tilted his head back and let out a great big howl.

Meanwhile, Marcel and Paddy were exhausted, their wings aching as they continued to search the remaining riverbanks for their lost friends, their hope f finding them dwindling by the second.

"We have been searching since morning Marcel," Paddy said sadly as they continued to scan the forest floor from above, "and we've yet to see hide or tail of them. It could be possible that…"

"You don't have to say it Paddy," Marcel interrupted, "I know."

But, just as the duo were about to call it quits and fly back to Banff, they immediately picked up the sound of a very loud, very distinct howl from somewhere behind them. And they had visited Jasper enough times to recognize the howl of a dear friend. And the moment the two fowls looked beneath them toward a spot they had just flow over, they saw a trio of wolves standing on a rock formation, surrounded by what appeared to be several other wolves.

"Marcel," Paddy began in shock as they immediately turned around, flying lower so as to get a closer look, "could it be."

"I do believe so, Paddy," Marcel responded with a growing smile, the smile only growing larger the closer they got. And the closer they got, the more they could make out the faces of their lost friends, who were smiling just as brightly.

"BONJOUR WOLVES!" Marcel called with a laugh as he landed just in front of Sam.

"MARCEL, PADDY!" the wolf happily exclaimed, not wasting a single moment in pulling the larger of the two birds into a hug as laughed, the fowl returning the gesture by wrapping his wings around Sam, the two quickly joined by Sweets. Even Paddy, who was not a hugger, happily embraced Liam in the same manner, the younger wolf smiling brightly as he pulled away.

"How did you guys find us?!" Liam happily inquired, curious as to how to birds found their way to their location.

"Well, we followed the main riverbank," Paddy began, only to be interrupted by Marcel who, as always, tried to pass his statements off as his own.

"Paddy please, we followed the main riverbank, and when…"

"And when we didn't find you there," Paddy interrupted in kind, the little back and forth amusing their three friends. The Wayfaring Pack where also watching in amusement as these two strange birds talked over each other. Even Selena found herself chuckling at the duo's chattering.

"We flew along the rivers that branched out when we couldn't find you," Marcel once again interjected, his annoyance with his caddy growing by the second.

"And…VOILA! Here you are!"

The trio of lost wolves laughed at Marcel's exclamation, only for their smiles to fall when they instantly remembered a very key burden weighing heavily on.

"How is everyone?" Sweets inquired quickly, his gaze laced with concern as she looked at the two fowl with pleading eyes.

"They must be worried sick," Sam added, his own anxiety kicking over how his family and friends back home were doing.

"They are managing," Paddy quickly reassured, a small smile on his bill as he spoke.

"Yes," Marcel added, "and once we fly back to Banff, we will rest and fly back to Jasper."

"Banff?" Sam inquired.

"Yes," Paddy answered, catching onto Sam's confusion, "when you were swept away Humphrey sent us to inform his father Rex in Banff to prepare a search party. They met halfway between the two parks and returned to Banff to regroup. They sent us ahead to do some reconnaissance before setting out a again."

"NO! Tell them you found us and to stay put," Sam quickly interjected. "We're heading to Rogue Pass. Our plan is to get through before that storm hits. We should be there by next evening. If not, then we weren't able to get through before the storm hit and the pass flooded. You got that?"

"OUI OUI MON AMIE! Marcel proudly proclaimed with a large smile as he and Paddy quickly took flight.

"YOU CAN COUNT ON US!"

"Yes indeed," Paddy added in, "just do be careful."

"Will do," Sam said with a smile, "thanks guys."

"We have your furry back," Marcel added as they flew a way, only to be stooped by Sam as the latter remembered a very crucial question.

"WAIT! How's Anna?"

The two birds smiled warmly.

"Very well, all things considered," Paddy said.

"Yes, Eve says she is not do for another week, so plenty of time," Marcel added with the birds finally making their way towards Banff, leaving Sam and Liam with a great weight lifted off of them.

"So, who's Anna?" Dax inquired as the group continued on their way, his question causing Sam to realize he had told Dax and the others about Terra, but his daughter.

"She's my oldest pup…and is about to give me my first grandpup."

Selena stiffened.

He's gonna be a…grandpa.

First Jenny, now this.

At that moment, Selena realized that the more time she spent with this pack, the more she questioned whether she could go through with her mission or not. And as she continued leading these wolves closer and closer to their doom, the more wight she felt on her shoulders.

"THEY'RE ALIVE!"

Al was beyond happy to hear this news brought to them by Marcel and Paddy, who had just flown off to deliver the news to Jasper. At this point tears of joy were streaming down Al's cheeks as he was embraced by his father, who was all out laughing with the others of the Jasper search party, as well as Rex's party.

All around howls of happiness sounded.

And after some time, the merriment died down. And by the time evening came around, the pack settled down to have a dinner, Rex having sent Samson, Delilah and a few other Alpha's to catch some caribou. But, while the hunting party was away, Al had left to freshen up in one of the nearby streams. And when he arrived, he noticed a brown-furred wolf getting a drink.

Now, the wolf must have sensed that Al was behind, for he stopped drinking and turned his attention behind him, blue eyes meeting green as the two looked at each other. And from what Al could see, the wolf appeared to be his age, if not a little older.

But, to Al's surprise, and utter confusion, the wolf's expression quickly changed to open of disgust.

And what he said next really caught Al's attention.

"What are you doing here Freak."

Al was not expecting this.

"What?" He asked in shock, unsure if he heard the young wolf correctly. And to say he was nervous when the dark-furred teen approached would be an understatement. And as the wolf drew closer, Al could yes that he was a fair bit larger than him, with noticeable muscles on under his fur.

"You heard me," the wolf sneered. "I know about you and your little BOYFRIEND. Freaks like you are an insult to nature. You're parents may say they love you, but deep down they are disappointed that they got a girly omega instead of a manly alpha…Oh, that's right…"

The wolf paused as a cruel smirk formed on his muzzle, his next statement making hitting a sensitive nerve in Al.

"Your mom's a girly omega…like mother…like daughter."

"JACOB, Al, IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!"

Looking to the source of the voice, both youngsters saw Delilah standing at the edge of the tree lien, far enough away so that she did not hear what was said.

"COMING MOM!" Jacob called in chipper tone, a bright smile on his muzzle as he addressed his mother. But the moment Delilah was out of sight, Jacob's sneer returned as he gazed hatefully at Al.

"Better keep your distance…MEG."

And with that, Jacob left Al alone by the stream, the smaller males shocked expression crumbling as tears of anguish filled his eyes as he began to cry, the cursed, salty liquid dripping onto the ground. And Al did realize that several seconds had passed until Garth came to get him, great concern radiating from his being as he saw his son in such.

"Son?"

A second passed…then all said something that caught Garth by surprise.

"Am I a disappointment?"

Garth was shocked. Why would his son ask such a question? Then, he remembered seeing Delilah return to the main gathering spot in the territory with her son Jacob. And one thing Garth noticed about the teen was that eh seemed to be sporting a very smug grin.

This raised some suspicions.

But for now…his son needed him.

"You will never be a disappointment Albus," Garth said as he embraced his son.

"NEVER."

By the time the night had rolled around, Dax decided that the clearing they had found was a good place to rest. And so, after settling down, the pups quickly falling asleep, followed by their parents. In the end, the only members still awake were Dax, Sweets laid up against his side, Sam and Liam, Duke and Jake, Sue, Slade, Jenny and their feline guide, who lay on her side just outside of the group, listening intently to their conversation.

And one mad her guilt run high.

"So Kyle," Sam inquired of the young fox, "how is it that you got involved with this group of misfits?"

Kyle, not being at all bashful about the question, readily answered.

"Well, when I was a kit, it was juts me and my mom. One day, she said she was going out to find us a new den. She said she would be back soon."

The smile that had been present on Kyle's face soon began to falter as he continued to tell his story.

"Before long, minutes turned into hours, hours into days. Finally, I went looking for her. I looked and looked, but she was no where to be found. I couldn't even pick up her scent. There were no other predators in the area, and no hunters. Finally, I realized that she..."

At this point, Kyle couldn't fight back the tears forming in his eyes, the droplets landing on his paws.

"She didn't want me."

This pained Sam's heart.

"I'm sorry."

And, to the Jasper trio, even Selena's surprise, Kyle just laughed it off as he rose to his feet, walking over to Dax, climbing on the smiling wolf's back as soon as he reached him.

"Don't be, cause that same day, I got something better when Dax and his dad found me. I got a family who cares about me, and the best thing of all..."

And the moment he finished his story, Kyle plopped down on Dax's back, wrapping his forelegs around his neck as he did so.

"I got the BEST big brother in the world."

"Sounds like his dad raised a good kid," Sam added with a smile, which was returned by Dax, who had a response to Sam's statement.

"My dad always inspired me to be the best I can be…and I work hard to instill that same inspiration in my family."

Selena couldn't take it anymore.

Without the others noticing, Selena snuck away, desperate to get his reeling mind out of the fray of these sentimental talks. But, unknown to her, she was not so skillful at escaping the ever-watching eye of a certain female. And as Selena reached a clearing a good hundred yards away, she gazed down at a small puddle, left over from the storm that had ravaged the area in the past few days. And to her surprise, droplets of water caused the puddle to ripple…

But there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Selena was crying.

And it wasn't until a voice sounded that she realized that she had been followed.

"What's wrong Selena?"

This was the first time that Jenny had referred to Selena by name. And while Selena felt a deep urge to tell this wolf the truth, something held her back.

"I'm not…" she began, her words faltering as they tried to come out, "I'm not who you think I am. And what Dax said, about being the best you can be…I don't even know who I am."

"I know who you are."

This caught Selena's attention as she looked at Jenny, her tear-stained cheeks soon clasped by Jenny's surprisingly soft paws. And for the first time since they met, Jenny's eyes held an emotion that was not lust…

Compassion.

"You are Selena…and that's all you need to be."

Selena didn't know what came over her, but once everything was underway, she could care less. Even Jenny was surprised when she found herself shoved onto her back as Selena crawled on top of her, their tongues meeting a sensual dance of passion. But, after several minutes of just making out, Selena began to trial her kisses down Jenny's jawline, to her chest, then her stomach, giving each excited nipple its own special treatment before reaching the object of her desires.

"OH!" Jenny suddenly gasped as she felt the unmistakable feeling of Selena's tongue snaking its way into her dripping pussy, said female moaning loudly as she tasted the sweet nectar of the female wolf, finding the taste so much more addicting than it was when male cum was seeping out of it.

"That's it hon, worship this tasty cunt like you did when I found you," Jenny moaned as she thrust her hips back into Selena's face, forcing more of the cougar's rough tongue tongue into her opening.

Selena, upon hearing Jenny's vulgar request, couldn't help but start to paw herself hard, soft whimpers escaping her throat as she did so. Catching on to this, Jenny, with a seductive smile, quickly changed position, sitting herself on Selena's face, allowing her to look down at the dripping feline pussy below her. Not Selena was complaining as it gave her a great opportunity to get her tongue deeper into Jenny, who moaned as she brought her head down to Selena's slit.

"I bet it doesn't taste different from wolf pussy," Jenny teased.

At that moment, any nervousness Selena felt quickly vanished as she felt Jenny drag her tongue from the bottom of her pussy to the top, letting out a gasp as she felt her lupine lover nibble at her clit. Meanwhile, She continued to eat Jenny out, her moans intensifying as she felt her partner rub her paw against her opening, the experienced wolf soon inserting a single digit between the folds, roughly thrusting it in and out as she feasted on her sweet juices.

"Jenny," Selena suddenly called out, "I'm gonna..."

In an instant, Jenny quickly pulled herself away from Selena's now soaking folds while at the same time removing her own from the cougar's face. However, any confusion from Selena soon turned to pure ecstasy as she felt Jenny quickly smash her pussy against her own before roughly rubbing the two inflamed sexes together.

Selena, so turned on by this hot session, quickly grabbed a hold of Jenny's cheeks before plunging her tongue deep inside the other female's mouth. As she did so, she vigorously rubbed her dripping slit against the other, her orgasm approaching by the second as she moaned into Jenny's mouth, and vice-versa. Before long, both girls could feel their orgasms rising once again as they began to thrust into the other's onslaught, their pussies making wet, slapping sounds with each thrust.

"Gonna cum," Selena whimpered, her voice steadily rising as she felt her orgasm drawing nearer, "gonna cum...gonna cuuuuAAAAAHHHHHH!"

With a shrill scream, Selena felt her juices surge forward in the most powerful orgasm she had had in her life. Noticing the sweet nectar spilling from her feline partner Jenny felt her own orgasm surge forward as she grabbed Selena's head.

"THAT'S IT BABY," she cried, "MAKE MAMA CUM!"

And just as she said that, Jenny proceeded to coat Selene's pelvis and stomach with her own juices, the act alone causing Selena to have another powerful orgasm, her juices effectively soaking both of their groins and stomachs from the act. For what felt like hours, but in reality, only seconds, the girls moaned and screamed as they finished their tryst.

After a few minutes, Jenny collapsed on top of Selena, panting in post-orgasmic bliss, their bodies practically glowing from the ecstasy they experienced together.

"I really needed this," Selena moaned as she Jenny panted, each sporting dumb smiles on their faces as they found themselves enraptured in another kiss. And after taking a few minutes to calm their racing hearts, the two lovers, after taking another few minutes to wash away the evidence of their session in a nearby stream, made their way back to the pack.

Luckily, the rest of the pack had since fallen asleep, which was the perfect opportunity for the two girls to sneak back in and find a place to rest. And after doing so, Jenny quickly let sleep overtake her as she pretty much keeled over. But just as she was about to fully surrender herself to the seductive pull of slumber, she muttered out…

"Love you, Hon."

And at that moment, the wave of guilt came crashing down…

Effectively drowning the old Selena as the new Selena thought to herself…

I Can't do this.