Some Years Later

A Young adult wolf stood on the ledge overlooking the vast valley below him, his auburn mane billowing in the breeze as his golden eyes landed on the ceremonial slab where he would become mated to the love of his life. Upon hearing footsteps behind him, the young wolf turned to see an older, cream-colored wolf, although the color had dulled and greyed over the years, approach him, his dull, hazel eyes gazing at him.

The young wolf smiled, his auburn tipped tail wagging.

"Hey dad," he greeted, a lite Irish accent lacing his voice. The older wolf smiled.

"Hello Liam." Looking to where his son's attention was just at, Samuel smiled brightly as he turned to Liam.

"Nervous?"

"A little," the young male responded. Sam placed a comforting paw on his sons shoulder, smiling warmly at him.

"Don't be. Albus is a lucky guy to have you, and you're just as lucky to have him."

Liam beamed brightly at his father's words of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Liam took on a steadfast attitude.

"Alright," he said, "I'm ready."

As the wolf turned on his heals to walk down toward the valley, in which a large congregation of wolves had already amassed, including the Tranquility Pack who had come for the occasion, Samuel smiled widely at the retreating form of his son.

"That's my boy."

And as Sam watched Liam walk away, he couldn't help but let his mind wander back to that fateful day in Rogue Pass when he feared he would never see his son or family again. He remembered the scene so vividly, almost as if he was there to catch Dax just in time as torrent of muddy nicked his hind legs, the silver wolf letting out a yelp of pain as debris, from splintered wood and sharp pieces of rock and dirt scraped up his hide. but luckily, once it was certain that Dax was in fine enough shape to walk, the group made their way up to top of the pass, the rapidly rising water given them plenty of insensitive to give it all they had.

Meanwhile, the Wayfaring Pack had successfully made it through the higher path that Selena had pointed out, each member letting out a sigh of relief as the clouds began to break, the rays of sun shining down on the area as the last rumbles of thunder faded in the distance. But, the mood of the pack was very somber, especially when Liam and Sweets ran to the edge of the main gorge, only to see raging river of mud and debris...with no sign of Sam or the others. At one point, Kyle began to tear up at the thought that he may have lost the closest thing to a brother he had.

"Oh sweetie, come here," Sue cooed as she pulled Kyle toward her, her own eyes tearing up as the fox wept. But, despite the sorrowful aura radiating through out the pack, it was Slade who spoke up.

"We need to keep moving."

And so, with great reluctance, the pack pushed forward, their crestfallen faces a sorrowful sight as they finished their trek through the pass. Finally, after about another hour of walking, they reached the passage that would lead them out of the god-forsaken pass, the rays of sunlight seeming to cast an ethereal glow as they continued to move forward. And once the pack left, they definitely felt a wave of warmth weep over them, but it still did little to thaw the coldness they felt inside. But, as Sue lagged behind to make sure everyone was accounted for, she suddenly caught something in the corner of her vision, movement form the pass. But when she began to focus on what was exiting the pass, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"LIAM!" she called, causing Liam to look back at the bare. At first confused as to why Sue called to him, Liam looked past her, his eyes widening at the sight of four figure walking into the sun light, their fur ruffled and drenched in mud, making it hard to tell who they were. But,m when yellow eyes met hazel...Liam knew, as evident when he bolted toward his father.

"DAD!"

The outburst caused everyone to stop in their tracks, everyone looking back in time to see father and son run toward each other, the former leaving his companions behind. And once could bring themselves to believe their eyes, they let out howls and calls of joy, running toward their friends just as Sam and Liam met in a tight embrace.

"I thought I lost you again," Liam sobbed into his father's chest, the older male finding it hard to control his own tears as he held his son close.

"You'll never lose me."

"We thought you were dead."

Hearing Kyle's voice, Sam and Liam turned to see Dax, Sweets and Kyle in a similar embrace as them, Dax letting out a soft chuckle as he riffled the fox's fur.

"You ain't getting rid of us that easy."

This earned a chorus of laughter from the pack, especially Jenny who was being dotted on by Faith as Elsa looked over Hope. And despite a few scrapes and bruise, the muddied wolves seemed just fine. But, as the reunion continued, Jenny noticed out of the corner of her eye the retreating form of her girlfriend, her tail dragging behind her as her head hung low. And it was clear why. Selena felt she didn't deserve to be part o the celebration.

"Selena."

Selena stooped as she heard Jenny call her, her golden eyes meeting the pleading blue of Jenny's, the latter looking to Dax, her gaze silently begging him to make a very crucial choice that pertained to the big cat who had betrayed, and them helped them. At first, Dax held a pensive face, his gaze hard as he stared at Selena, who only cowered under the hateful stare. But, to her surprise, Dax's scowl melted into a warm smile.

"Stay..you're one of us now."

And so, the Wayfaring Pack was larger by one more member, who happily walked with the them the rest of the way to Banff.

And at that moment, Sam pulled himself from the memory, a soft smile on his face as he went down to watch his son marry the love of his life. After the wedding, a large celebration was held at the Howling Rock, the newly weds being the center of attention. It was a bit disheartening to be celebrating without Winston and Tony, but Samuel carried on after seeing the forms of King and Eve pressed tightly together, smiling happily at the scene before them.

Samuel's birth family, of course was also in attendance, his sister and brother-in-law happily chatting with Terra as his parents started a conversation with King and Eve, the group soon including Nars and Carney, the latter of which, after a health scar the previous year, decided to lose weight and eat healthier so as to be with her mate for a little while longer.

Looking around, Samuel could also make out the forms of Garth and Lilly, speaking with Humphrey and Kate who were also in attendance, along with their children, accompanied by their mates and grandchildren, chatting with Rex and Jenna, who were accompanied by Melody, as well as a couple who Sam was still surprised to see had come out of a very tense first meeting...

Kyle and Jacob.

In truth, when the wayfaring pack had reached Banff, it was a joyous celebration. Family embraced each other, tears were shed, even Al tearful greeted his boyfriend with passionate kiss. The latter-most scene earned a chorus of playful teasing from the others as the blushing teens decided to retreat to a more secluded place to be with each other. But, as they did, Sam noticed a brown-furred teen following them, one he recognized as Samson and Delilah's son who he had been introduced to on one of his many trips to Banff.

Curious, Sam followed Jacob to see what he was up to. At one point he had lost track of them in the dense forest that they had treked into, but luckily, he managed to find them when he heard Liam's voice from over a rise in the ground. But when he reached the top, he was met with a very upsetting sight. Jacob, sneering at his son and his boyfriend, spouting insults at the two. But, from what Sam could see, while Al whimpered behind Liam, his son held his ground against Jacob. At first, Sam was certain that Liam was handling the situation well...

That is until Jacob said something that made his fur bristle.

"This pack is better off without two omega fags!"

"JACOB!"

And the moment Jacob saw Sam walk towards him, murder in his eyes as he growled loudly, he knew he royally messed up. Needless to say, Sam dragged Jacob back tot he pack by the scruff of his neck, which greatly surprised the teens parents, who immediately demanded why Sam was being so ruff with their son. But when Sam told them what had transpired, their attention was quickly turned to their son, who looked at the ground in shame, ears back and tail tucked between his legs.

"Jacob," Delilah scolded, "I am very disappointed in you."

"Your mother's right," Samson interjected, "we raised you better than that...what's gotten into you?"

"I think I know," Duke suddenly interrupted, having listened to the conversation carefully. After asking Jacob's parents if he could speak to Jacob alone, Duke was able to work out what his problem was. Jacob liked males as well, but because he didn't know how to process these feelings he would get frustrated and lash out at the type of critters who made him feel this way, like Liam and Al. Duke then revealed he knew this was the case as he had been in the same position. Before they had become a couple, Duke had be hostile toward Jake for the same reason. In the end, Jacob apologized to Liam and Al, while at the same time confessing to his parents that he liked males, with Samson and Delilah happily accepting their son as who he was.

And one month later, Jacob and Kyle, who liked both males and females, began dating. And just recently they had become mates, their conversation with Rex and his family joined by Sue and Slade, the latter joined in standing on the bears head with Magpie, who adored her new mates "roguish southern charm," much to the dismay of Marcel and Paddy. Yes, the two birds had become antiquated after Sam and his group returned home, accompanied by the same group that had found them.

The morning after arriving in Banff, Sam, Sweets and Liam prepared to head back home with the Jasper search party. But before heading out, Dax, accompanied by Sue, Slade, Jenny, Selena, Duke and Jake offered to come along, leaving the rest of the pack and Banff after being offered to stay by Rex. Sam and the Jasper wolves actually smiled at the fact that after traveling for so long, the Wayfaring Pack had finally found a home in this thriving new land. And when Dax saw that his pack was content where they were, he figured they would be fine as he and the others escorted the Jasper natives home.

"We've stuck with you so far..may as well see it through."

Pulling himself from his thoughts once again, Sam continued to look around, smiling warmly at the sight of Duke and Jake, accompanied by Elsa, Faith and Roy, striking up a conversation with King's other mate Mandy, standing with a light grey-furred teen with golden eyes.

King's son and Terra's half-brother,

Daniel, named after a very brave Omega.

Sam, after grinning at the groups, smiled at the sight of his daughter and her mate, accompanied by his beloved grandson, born just before they had returned how.

Now that was something Sam would never forget. For starters, when the group returned to Jasper, the entire pack was gathered for a grand homecoming, family and friends gathering around and embracing Sam, Liam and Sweets, the latter unwittingly giving Dax a show as Candy pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss, which shocked Dax, but intrigued Jenny. Of course, Sam's mother and sister eagerly embraced their son and brother before moving onto their grandson and nephew. But the celebration was soon cut short when Sam heard his name being yelled.

"SAM!"

Looking to his stunning wife who looked more beautiful than ever, Sam could see the urgency in her eyes as she skidded to a halt.

"Terra, what is it?" he said, his voice filled with worry, only for his heart to stop when Terra, with large smile on her muzzle, gave the news.

"Anna's went into labor this morning...we're close now."

And she most certainly was, for the moment Sam was within ten feet of Kate and Humphrey's den, he heard his daughter scream, and stopped suddenly when he heard the cry of newborn pup. And the moment he entered the den, his wide eyes beheld the site of Anna, Marcus by her side along with Claudette, Andrews, their mates and their children. And nursing at Anna's teat...a healthy boy, whose blonde fur made him the spitting image of his grandfather, who teared up as he approached the group, who only just noticed him. But, Anna, who was so tired from the ordeal she just went through, could only smile, which was enough for Sam.

"High Daddy," she quietly greeted, her father rubbing her forehead with his as tears began to stream down their cheeks.

"Hi Baby," he greeted back, before looking down at the beautiful pup nursing off of his mother.

And when the up opened his eyes, everyone thought he was miniature version of Sam as hazel met hazel.

And thus earned the pup his name.

Samuel...Samuel the Second.

A royal sounding name, according to King.

However, it was decided that the pup would just go by Sam, and his grandfather Samuel, as it would avoid some confusion on the fact that the two wolves shared the same name. Samuel also beamed brightly at the noticeable bulge forming on his daughter, pleased that they would be welcoming another member of the family very soon.

And the last group Sam took notice of, was Duke and Jake, catching up Dax, who appeared about as grey as Sam, with his mate sweets, the two accompanied by two teen pups. One was a female, who shared Candy's rusty brown fur with amber socks on her paws, and who shared Dax's mismatched eyes. The other, a male, had silver fur and stunning crimson eyes. In truth, Dax had decided to stay in Jasper with Sweets, having found that eh had fallen in love with the cream-furred angel he had met. Although saddened by this news, the rest of his group left with a promise from their "Boss" that he would visit Banff often.

Dax and Sweets married that summer.

And by next spring welcomed their children, Ruth and Joshua into the world.

As the evening progressed, the party began to disband after Liam and Al had shared their first howl as a married couple. Before long, it was just Samuel and Terra standing with their son and new son-in-law. After bidding the latter two congratulations and a good night, Samuel and Terra began to walk toward their den. However, Samuel paused suddenly, turning to look at the scenery around him. Terra took notice of this.

"Samuel," she called, "are you coming, honey?" Turning to his mate, Samuel offered a warm and caring smile.

"You go ahead dear," he said, "I'll be along shortly." Returning the smile, Terra approached her mate, enveloping him into a deep, passionate kiss, which was gladly returned.

Pulling away with a moan, a very noticeable strand of saliva connecting their lips, Terra shot her mate a seductive look.

"Don't take to long," she teased, "Sue, Jenny and Selena are at the den. The party isn't over yet."

Samuel merely rolled his eyes and smiled at his wife's antics. Though that did not mean he wasn't excited about the inter-species fun waiting at home. With a giggle, Terra continued walking back to their den, swishing her tail and hips back and forth for emphasis.

Samuel, after recovering from the shock of his mate's teasing, took one last look at surrounding scenery. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, breathing in the fragrant forest air.

Opening his eyes, a soft smile graced his lips.

"It really is good to be home."

With that Samuel turned to join his mate, his heart full of love and happiness at the direction his life had taken.

~*The End*~