Chapter 5, coming in hot! I had to take a small break from writing before finishing this one. Writing 40k words in a week isn't an easy task. But I'm enjoying it! Like I said before, this is the turning point. Next chapter, you will finally see Mark shine as he enters the Reality. Of course, though, that won't be for another day or two, so stay tuned! Enjoy!

"Ok, I'll sweeten the offer." Said Jamack as the Mega Bunny lunged at the car. "You go free, and your people never learn it was you who betrayed them." Kipo looked back up to him, and held up her arm. Jamack laughed as she pulled herself up, and stuck something on his back.

"You need to do some soul searching." The Mega Bunny roared.

"Huh?" Asked Jamack, reaching back and grabbing a clump of Mega Bunny fur. "Wh-what?" The Mega Bunny suddenly grabbed him and went up, breaking through the top of the ruins. "Don't wrinkle the suit!" He screamed as he was carried off.


Some time later, Jamack was digging his way out from under the Mega Bunny, eventually breaking out and gasping for air. He fell on the ground and began backing away as fast as he could. He turned and stood up, stepping on a fragile piece of wood and snapping it, making the mother stir. He dove behind a broken wall as the Mega Bunny took a sniff of the air, and he sprayed a deodorizer on himself. The Mega Bunny took another sniff, then laid back down, going back to sleep. Jamack ran away, frightened out of his mind. He eventually found his way back to the Mod Frogs HQ, and saw everybody else cleaning up. "Hm?" He looked down and dusted himself off before he straightened his tie. He pulled out a perfume bottle and sprayed it, croaking as he did. His eyes snapped open at his mistake as everyone turned to him. He frowned, scared, then accidentally sprayed his eye. He screamed out in pain as he dropped the bottle, shattering it. Two frogs grabbed him and dragged him before the boss frog. Jamack pushed himself up and looked at her, tears coming from the eye he sprayed. The boss frog scowled at him, then reached down and grabbed his tie. She raised it up, bringing Jamack to his knees, and brandished a pair of scissors before she snipped his tie. Jamack fell back down, before he pushed himself back up to a standing position and grasped at his tie. He looked at the boss frog, who pointed away with her scissors and croaked at him, essentially telling him to get lost. Jamack looked away in shame, then began walking as everyone stared at him. One frog croaked at him after he passed, then they all turned away, shunning him. He took a deep breath and continued walking, leaving the only people he had ever known. The next few days were torture for him, just constant walking while being battered by the elements, until it all culminated while he was in the desert. A shadow crossed over him and he looked up to see a flock of mega birds, before one of them pooped on him. It splattered everything around him and covered him, drying quickly with the wind. Jamack leaned forward slightly, and the dried poop around him broke, sending him to the ground, where he saw one, single flower. It had purple petals and a yellow center, but as he looked at it, Kipo's face appeared on it. "You need to do some soul searching." Said the flower. Jamack let out a grunt of anger.

"Burrow girl!" He exclaimed, bringing his fist down on the flower, destroying it. He got back up and walked past it.


Fear of humans, fear of what they'll do

Fear of others, no matter where you go

Taken from your home, forever lost

One light in the distance,

But oh so far away,

Run towards the light,

Away from your fear


The group walked down a street, following Benson. "So, Benson, where are you taking us?" Asked Kipo.

"Kipo," started Benson.

"Come on! We've been walking for forever!" Complained Kipo.

"We all know he's not going to tell." Said Atom.

"I know you said it was a surprise, but what if I guessed?" Asked Kipo. She thought for a few moments.

"Kipo, is this really that important?" Asked Atom.

"I've got it!" Said Kipo, undeterred. "You're taking us to a mystical blind woman who lives in the trunk of a spooky old tree and doesn't need eyes because what she can see is, the future!" Benson stopped walking and turned to her quickly.

"Ok, first of all, it's been an hour. And second, what?!" Kipo smiled nervously at him. Wolf took a few steps forward.

"She's not gonna stop. Just tell us." She smiled. Atom shook his head.

"Look, if there's one thing I've learned in all my time on the surface," started Benson, "it's that you gotta enjoy the journey, not just the destination. So everyone shut up and enjoy the journey!" Everyone looked at him because of that little outburst.

"Uh, you okay Benson?" Asked Atom. Benson took a deep breath.

"Sorry, we haven't eaten in a while, and my blood sugar is crashing." He turned away and started walking again.

"See, this is why I don't have blood." Said Dave, leaning on Mandu. Mandu started walking with the rest of the group, and he fell on his face. Kipo sighed as she walked.

"So, this Scarlemagne, what does he want with my people anyway?" She asked.

"Who knows?" Asked Wolf. "If he's using mind control on a Mega Mute, I guess he could try to use it on them." Atom shivered a little.

"Mind control is never a fun time." He said. "Too many bad memories." Dave walked up to the rest of the group.

"I've heard that he is a Mega Mute, and he uses his mind control to make people walk right into his mouth!"

"What?!" Asked Kipo.

"Dave, where exactly did you hear that? Because last I checked, nobody even knows if he can mind control anything." Said Atom.

"I don't want my dad to walk into a mouth!" Exclaimed Kipo.

"Nobody's walking into anyone's mouth." Interrupted Wolf.

"Aha!" Called Benson as he rounded a corner. "We're here!" He ran ahead of the group a bit, and seemed to have vanished when they got around the corner. A few leaves rustled from the bush.

"It's a secret hideout." Said Atom. Benson poked his head out.

"You coming?" He ducked back in, and Kipo walked in after him. Mandu walked next to her as Dave and Wolf followed her. Atom brought up the rear, doing a quick check to make sure they weren't being followed. He walked into the leaves and followed the rest of the group. When everybody pushed through, they saw Benson in the middle of a convenience store, looking about a little. He turned back to the group when they all got through. "Conven yen ché. I believe it's Italian for snacks. Which I need right now, or, I'm gonna pass out." He turned towards some shelves and Atom leaned over to Kipo.

"Should I tell him, or you?" He asked. Benson suddenly gasped.

"Oh, no no no! No! This was my secret spot!" He slumped down a bit until he heard some chewing. He looked over to see Mandu buried snout first in a snack bag, eating. He gasped and dove at the bag, scaring Mandu away. He lifted it up, only for some crumbs to fall out. "Aw." Kipo walked up to him.

"It's ok Benson." Benson got up quickly and glared at her.

"Is it?!"

"It isn't." Said Wolf, walking up.

"Wolf!"

"Do you even have a plan?" Asked Wolf. "Because this clearly isn't helping anybody." She gestured to the entire store, and Benson stood up.

"Fine. You don't trust me?" He walked over to a poster on the wall. "The old observatory. It's got a giant telescope that can see the whole city. If your people are out here, we'll spot 'em."

"Not a bad idea." Said Atom. He looked at Wolf, and figured that she'd say something. "3, 2, 1,"

"We're not going near that place." Said Wolf, taking a step.

"What?" Asked Kipo. "Why?"

"Benson, why don't you tell her?" Asked Wolf as she swapped places with Benson. Benson gave a half hearted, nervous laugh.

"Well, I, aug, technically, the Observatory is, Newton Wolves territory."

"Which is, bad?" Asked Kipo.

"From the sound of the name, they're scientists." Added Atom. Benson looked at Kipo.

"Nah. They just look at stars and talk about math all day. They're a bunch of dweebs." Benson was interrupted as Wolf smashed Stalkie into the poster, before cutting it in half with the tip.

"They're dangerous!" She exclaimed before turning back to the group. "Wolves are predators. Every one of them."

"Yikes!" Said Dave. "Sounds like someone's still mad at the wolf she's wearing." Wolf scoffed at him, bringing Stalkie in closer. Kipo took a step forward.

"That telescope could be the only way I find my people!" She said. "If there's a chance, I have to take it. Please." Wolf glanced back at the telescope, then back at Kipo.

"If we do this, we need a plan." She relented, before she started walking.

"Yes! We're doing it!" Yelled Kipo, getting very excited before catching herself. "I mean, we're planning it." She started walking off, following Wolf. Atom sighed.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be a lot of training with little payoff?" He followed Wolf and was followed by Benson, until the latter saw a cake box and lunged at it.

"Yeah!" Gasped Benson. He picked it up, and it flopped open, dropping a few crumbs. He flopped his head down on the table. Atom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on." He said. "We need to go, or we'll lose them."

"Oh, why me?" Whined Benson. Atom pulled Benson along as he followed after Wolf and Kipo. Wolf got through the bushes first, then looked around. She gestured for everyone to go as they came out, and led the way. Kipo walked next to her.

"So, how are we gonna do this?" She asked. Wolf didn't say anything for a moment, focusing on guiding everybody towards a nearby wooded area. Once everyone was under the cover of the trees, she found one with a massive root hanging above ground, and climbed up it. As she walked to the center, she spoke.

"Wolves hunt isolated prey. If we wanna survive this, we need to think like a pack," she turned to the group and slammed the blunt end of Stalkie into the wood, "and act like a pack. We need to be a pack."

"Got it." Said Kipo.

"Yup." Agreed Benson. Mandu squealed a bit.

"That might be a bit tough for us." Said Atom. Wolf jumped down and went into Benson's backpack, pulling out some rope. She tied it around everyone's wrists.

"Pack rule number one. Move in unison, or die." She moved her fist forward, and everyone followed her lead.

"Hm." Thought Atom. "This might not be as bad as I thought it'd be." Wolf tied more rope around Mandu, then led the group to a tree that had fallen over a divot in the ground. She began walking, leading everybody across it. She suddenly stopped, and everyone stopped walking, except Dave. He bumped into Benson's legs and fell down.

"Whoa!" Him falling brought Benson and Mandu down, and them falling was slowed for a moment before Atom was dragged down with them, followed by Kipo. Wolf stayed up several moments longer and sighed, before she was pulled down too. Everybody started picking themselves up.

"That could've gone better." Said Benson, looking at Dave.

"What?" He asked. Wolf shook her head, then picked up a few rocks. She gestured for Dave and Mandu to split off from the rest of the group and stand in front of her. She pulled out a scrap of cloth and walked up to Dave, tying it around his eyes before stepping back again

"Pack rule number two. Listen to each other." She dropped the rocks, then picked one up with Stalkie and bounced it a bit. "Ok pig. One squeal means jump, two is duck.

"Huh?" Asked Dave. Wolf suddenly slammed the rock towards Dave, and Mandu squealed. Dave ducked and was hit in the face by the rock. "Ow!" Wolf slammed another one and Mandu squealed twice. Dave jumped and was hit in the face again, flipping him over so he landed on his head. Wolf hit a third one, and it crashed right into Dave's lower half, making him grunt in pain. Wolf shook her head, then gestured for Benson and Kipo to go over to a tree. When they got there, she got Kipo up on a root with Benson behind her.

"Pack rule number three. No matter what, watch each other's backs." Benson looked at sudden rustling in the leaves to see Dave coming out of the foliage, holding an apple.

"Guys, I found a single apple." He said, before putting it in his mouth whole and chewing it.

"Uh, su, uh di uh, what?!" Asked Benson as he turned to Dave, just as Kipo let herself fall backwards. She hit the ground hard. Wolf sighed again, then lined everybody up once more in front of the tree root, before climbing up it again.

"And finally, pack rule number four. Follow your alpha. An alpha leads and speaks for the pack. The Newton Wolves will only address our alpha. That's just how wolves work." Everybody else looked at each other for a moment, then back at her.

"And, our alpha is you?" Asked Kipo.

"No Kipo." Responded Wolf. "It's you." Atom's eyes widened.

"That's shocking." He said.

"Why isn't it me?" Complained Dave. "I'm the oldest and best looking! I'm a born leader."

"No offense Dave, but you're a pea-brain." Explained Wolf. "These wolves are nerds. And Kipo is, well, a really big nerd." She put her arms out to emphasize.

"Aw, thanks." Said Kipo. Atom nodded.

"That explains things." He thought for a moment. "Probably should've figured that out from the name."

"Uh, offense taken." Interrupted Dave.

"Dave, in terms of knowledge you can provide, you're the omega of the group." Said Atom.

"We need to be worth more than food." Added Wolf. She started pacing. "These wolves need to believe we have knowledge to offer. Kipo knows all about stars and galleries"

"Galaxies." Corrected Kipo.

"Ha!" Said Dave. "Nerd."

"Dave," said Atom, "that's the point."

"She'll keep them talking." Continued Wolf. "They'll let us stay for the night, and we'll sneak off to the telescope once they fall asleep."

"Can't we just, ask?" Asked Kipo. "This sounds like it involves a lot of waiting and my people could be miles away by then. Or inside a Mute's mouth." Wolf jumped down and got in her face, glaring.

"You think they'll be your friends, but wolves aren't like other Mutes." She said. "Get it?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Asked Dave. "Like your choice of wardrobe, maybe?" Wolf backed away from him.

"No. No way." She said, pulling her pelt in closer.

"He's got a point." Agreed Benson. "The poisonous staff and, uh, the dead wolf on your back, might send the wrong message." A moment of awkward silence. "Heh." Wolf turned away.

"Then I won't go." Kipo walked up to her.

"You have a pack." She said. "You have us." Wolf considered it for a few moments, and Atom walked up too.

"Wolf, you're our expert on wolves. Without you, we don't stand a chance." He pulled off his sheath. "If it makes you feel any more comfortable, I'll go in unarmed too." Wolf turned to him, then turned away again. She walked around the tree, taking off her pelt. Atom followed her to see her putting it in a hole in the tree, along with Stalkie. Atom put his sword in, along with his shield. The two walked back around to the group, and everyone started heading towards the observatory. Atom looked at Wolf. "I know how hard of a decision that was."

"No, you don't." She replied, walking ahead a bit. Atom slowed down a bit, falling behind slightly from the rest of the group, and pulled out Leo. He put Leo on his shoulder, then put his hand behind his head to hide him.

"She really didn't like doing that, did she?" Asked Leo.

"No." Whispered Atom. "There's a bigger story there, one that she wants to keep to herself."

"Agreed." Whispered Leo. "So, what's the plan if it comes to a battle?" Atom sighed.

"If I have to, I will summon my sword and shield from the tree. I'd rather explain how I got them back than not have them." Benson groaned.

"So hungry." He complained. Kipo realized something.

"We shouldn't call you Wolf in front of them. So, maybe you could tell us your real name?" Wolf brushed some of her hair out of her eyes, then crossed her arms.

"Um, yeah. It's Bone Ripper." She said.

"Ah, that's a bunch of" started Dave, before he stopped himself. "That's, actually the coolest name ever." Kipo turned to Wolf.

"Come on." She insisted. "If we're going to be a real pack, you gotta tell us the truth." Wolf sighed.

"Why don't you just pick one for me?" She asked. Atom quickly put Leo away and stepped forward.

"You might not want to" he started.

"Fine." Interrupted Kipo. "We'll call you, Jolene. Kipo turned the right way again, and Wolf stopped in her tracks and grunted.

"Never mind." Benson walked past her with Dave on his head.

"Too late, Jolene." Said Dave, before he laughed and jumped off of Benson. "Great name." The two followed Kipo as Atom walked up next to Wolf.

"I tried to warn you." He said, before he sighed.

"Yeah?" She asked. "Well no one asked you to." She started walking when Atom put a hand on her shoulder.

"If I tell you my real name, would you tell me yours?" He asked. Wolf turned to him, getting his hand off of her shoulder. She thought for a moment.

"I won't tell the others yours, if you don't tell them mine."

"Deal." Atom leaned in and whispered his name into Wolf's ear, before she did the same. The two nodded at each other, then started walking again, following the others. The path started getting steeper and steeper, until eventually everybody was practically climbing. Kipo lifted herself up to the top first, followed by Wolf.

"Almost there, pack." Said Kipo, looking at the observatory. Benson got up with Dave and Mandu. "Let's do this." Atom was the last one up, huffing and puffing. Wolf looked up to see a wolf hanging out under a tree by the observatory, and saw that it was staring at everyone. Benson noticed it as well.

"Guys, pack formation." He got behind Kipo quickly, and Atom got behind him. Wolf stepped between Benson and Kipo as Mandu and Dave brought up the rear. Kipo started walking, and everyone else followed suit. Mandu tripped over her own feet and bumped into Atom, making him trip into Benson, who then fell into Wolf, who then bumped Kipo. Dave stopped behind Mandu as the group recovered and quickly got into formation again. Wolves started coming out of the foliage quickly. "Oops." Said Benson. The wolves followed the group up to the observatory, where everyone stopped in front of the main doors. The wolves circled them, growling, and everybody pulled in tighter together. Two wolves opened up the door, allowing two more wolves to come out. One was lighter than the other, and wore glasses and a white coat. The other was darker with a black coat.

"Humans in our territory." Said the darker on, taking a few steps forward.

"Hm." Said the lighter one as he took a few steps forward, examining everybody. "I think, they're, a pack." Kipo and Dave made some sounds like very, very light laughter as the group straightened themselves out. "I mean, a very weird pack, but a pack." The lighter wolf looked at the darker one.

"They're trespassers." He said. "And what do we do with trespassers?" All the other wolves began howling.

"Brother, brother brother." Said the lighter one. "Don't be shackled by your instincts. Remember, we're evolved! Let knowledge be our prey!"

"Let knowledge be our prey." Reiterated all the other wolves. Dave coughed.

"Nerds."

"Do you speak for your pack, bug?" Asked the lighter wolf.

"Oh, actually" started Kipo.

"Yep." Interrupted Dave. "I'm the alpha of this pack. And my name is Bone Ripper!" He looked at Kipo and winked.

"I see." Said the darker wolf. "And what exactly is your pack doing on our turf?" The two wolves leaned in as Kipo stepped forward.

"We're astronomers!" She said. "We've come to share our knowledge."

"Oh?" Asked the lighter wolf. "We're the most learned scholars on earth."

"What could you possibly share that we don't already know?" Asked the darker one.

"There are one thousand trillion billion stars in the night sky." Said Kipo.

"Huh. Kid stuff." Said the lighter one. "Everyone knows that."

"Which is ten times more than grains of sand in all the world's deserts and beaches." Continued Kipo. The two wolves looked at her with interest. Kipo turned back and rummaged through Benson's backpack and pulled out a deck of cards. "But, there are even more ways to shuffle a simple deck of cards." She did some simple card tricks with the deck, shuffling it up. Wolf looked from side to side. "How many, you ask? Eighty unvigintillion combinations." She lifted the cards up and fanned them out. "That's 8 with 67 zeros."

"Whoa!" Said all the other wolves, leaning in. Wolf's face went straight to shock.

"Keep it up, Kipo, and we'll be in in no time." Whispered Atom.

"I thought the bug was the alpha." Accused the darker wolf. Kipo dropped her cards all over Dave, and he caught them.

"Who, Kipo?" He asked. "She's my student." He started trying to pile all the cards back up. "Taught her everything she knows, about science, and math, and all that junk." Kipo looked down at him.

"Dave, come on!" She whispered. "I'm supposed to"

"Bad Kipo! Bad!" Interrupted Dave, dropping the cards. "You know you're not supposed to speak unless spoken to!" He turned back to the two wolves in front of them. "Alphaing, am I right?" The two wolves nodded at each other in agreement. Dave gestured to Wolf. "This is Jolene. Don't expect her to say much. She's a real pea-brain." Wolf glared at him and Kipo jumped in.

"Of course, thanks to his diminutive size, our alpha's brain is also the size of a pea."

"It's true." Admitted Dave. "It's very small. I've seen it." He gestured to Atom. "This is Atom"

"Like the elementary particle?" Asked the lighter wolf.

"Yes." Said Atom.

"He's the omega of our group." Continued Dave. "Not much knowledge to give, if you know what I mean." Atom kept his composure, but inside he was very much yelling at Dave. "And this is Benson," he pointed to Benson, "my robot, that I built, because, I'm a genius." The darker wolf came up and sniffed Benson.

"A robot?" He asked. "Smells quite human to me." He growled at Dave, and Benson stood up as straight as he could.

"Activating demo protocol." He said as robotically as possible. He took a wider stance, then began rotating his arm in a complete 360 while he beatboxed, showing no signs of discomfort while doing so.

"Hm. Impressive." Said the lighter wolf. He looked at Mandu. "And what about her?" Madnu was busy eating the cards that Dave had dropped, before she looked up.

"Mandu?" Asked Kipo. "Oh, she's our glorious alpha's wife. Praise Bone Ripper." She glared down at Dave as two wolves got down low and growled at Dave and Mandu. The two looked around before looking at each other, and Dave looked back up at Kipo, who smiled and nodded slightly. Dave looked back at Mandu, then made a kissing face. Mandu climbed up on him and began licking him, surprising him for a moment before he started kissing her tongue. Kipo smiled at the sight, then the lighter wolf began speaking again.

"Well, uh, alpha bug." He said. "If your pack has been drawn together by a passion for science, you will find friends here. I am Billions." The darker wolf stood up.

"And I am Billions."

"Billions." Said the lighter one.

"And Billions." Finished the darker one. Everybody in the group just blinked at that, except Mandu, who was still licking Dave.

"That's not going to get confusing." Said Atom.

"Join us." Said light Billions. "We can exchange knowledge of the cosmos over dinner." He turned and walked inside.

"Yes, I'm quite eager to see what else you have to offer." Said dark Billions. He walked backwards, following his brother into the observatory. The group looked at each other, and Atom glared at Dave.

"You called me the omega?" He whispered, seething with anger. "You essentially called me an idiot!"

"Pfft, let it go." Said Dave as he walked in. Everyone else followed, some more reluctant than others. They followed the two wolf brothers, and when they got into the main room, the dome lit up with an image of the cosmos. Everyone but Wolf and Atom looked up. Wolf because she wasn't interested, and Atom because he was still glaring at Dave.

"Hi Orion." Said Kipo as she looked around. Lil' Dip! What's happenin', Big Dipper?" The group continued walking towards the wolf brothers. "Hey look, there's my sign! Aries!" She looked at Wolf. "Remember when we saw the real Aries the first night we met? So in that way, it's kinda our sign."

"Newton Wolves!" Called dark Billions. "Time for dinner!" The wolves gathered around the table, before unfolding their napkins and sitting down. They all turned to the group.

"Your pack, may be seated." Said light Billions. Kipo, Benson, Dave and Mandu all charged forward, fighting to try and get there first, and they all argued amongst themselves. Atom leaned over to Wolf.

"I get that they're hungry and we're acting like a pack, but do they have to act like animals?" He whispered. Wolf didn't respond and just started walking after the others, followed by Atom. Kipo attempted to sit down, but Dave pushed her out of the way.

"Not till your alpha figures out which one of these is the cushiest." Benson picked up Mandu and held her close to Dave.

"Shouldn't you sit with your, wife?" Dave pushed them away.

"Don't make me turn you off!"

"My bad." Said Benson in his robotic voice. He sat down and put Mandu on the chair next to him. She tried to get closer to Dave, but he pushed her away.

"My chair! Come on, get away!" Wolf sat down next to Kipo, and Atom noticed a small problem.

"There, aren't enough chairs?"

"Omegas sit on the floor." Explained light Billions. Atom shot another glare at Dave before he reluctantly sat down on the ground. Kipo leaned over to Wolf.

"Hey, it's all right." She whispered. "The plan's working. They really like us." Wolf glanced at the wolves before everyone turned their attention to the main door as it opened. Two wolves came in, holding trays filled with plates of meat.

"Ooh, yes! Beep-boot. I'm starving!" Said Benson, robotically.

"For our guests," said light Billions, leading the two wolves with the trays, "our finest fillets." The two wolves started putting plates in front of everybody. "And for the robot, soup du oil." A bowl filled with oil and miscellaneous parts was placed in front of Benson. "Apologies if this isn't optimal for your hardware. We still have much to learn about robotics."

"Beep, boop." Whined Benson. Atom stood up.

"Uh, Benson runs on a biofuel engine, not an internal combustion engine." He said. "He needs biodegradable fuels to stay functional." Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Sit down, Atom." Said Dave. Atom glanced over to him, narrowing his eyes a bit, before he reluctantly sat back down. Benson looked at him.

"Thanks for trying." He whispered. He then looked at Mandu, then at Dave, before he reached out for Dave's food. Dave slapped his hand away, and some spotlights came on on the stage. Light Billions was walking across it.

"Tonight, we are joined by a pack that shares our love of the cosmos." Dark Billions walked across from the other direction.

"And if they can illuminate us with some knowledge of their own, perhaps they'll be invited to our dessert hunt at moonrise." The two brothers crossed each other on the stage, and stopped walking. The other wolves howled, then one leaned over to the one next to him.

"Yeah, and if they can't, maybe they'll be our dessert hunt." He laughed. Wolf stared at them, and Kipo turned to her again.

"Hey, Jolene, we got this. Easy peasy." She looked down at her food. "My dad's probably starving right now. I hope this is a short meal." Some music started up.

"And now, please enjoy our nightly ritual." Said light Billions. "A brief presentation on absolutely everything we've learned about the known universe." The two brothers leaned against each other, grinning. Kipo looked at Dave and grimaced before looking back.

"All life started, with the Big Bang." Sang dark Billions as he poured a chemical into another one, creating a puff of smoke that surrounded him.

"An explosion so great, from which we all sprang." Sang light Billions as he came through the smoke cloud, dressed as an atom. Dark Billions ran up and kicked him out of the way, wearing a disc around his neck.

"The universe dispersed mass, traversing space, time passed." Light Billions ran across the stage, carrying a large clock and pulling something along with him to show the universe expanding. "Space expanding mad fast." Dark Billions took off the disc and flipped it around before putting it back on. "Stars made of light and gas, cosmos with billions of stars, gleaming." A spotlight suddenly flicked on and followed light Billions as he was carried, in a costume designed to look like Earth, through the observatory.

"These are the events that brought us wolves into being!" He went past the table, and the other wolves began chanting.

"New, Ton! New, Ton!" The song continued even as the group whispered to each other.

"A big bang?" Asked Dave. "These dorks have no idea what they're talking about."

"Dave, you're the one without a clue." Countered Atom.

"Oh! Let's sneak off and see the telescope while they're distracted." Suggested Kipo.

"No, we stick to the plan!" Said Wolf. "We wait until they're asleep."

"My dad might not have another night." Argued Kipo. "This is our chance!" Dark Billions suddenly landed on the table in front of them.

"Now it's time to break it down," he sang, "with every kind of star that has ever been classified!" He got into Wolf's face as he spat them out, one after another. "We're talking giants, subgiants, red giants," light Billions got behind her and sang as well.

"Blue giants, luminous giants, very luminous supergiants, and less luminous supergiants!"

"Pulsar, neutron star" continued dark Billions as Kipo started to get up, determined to see the telescope. Dave put his hand out to stop her.

"Just gonna abandon the pack, huh?"

"What?" Defended Kipo. "That's not, I"

"Just messin' with you!" Said Dave, turning back to the table. "Alpha says do whatever you want." Kipo left the table as the song continued, and turned back as she got to the door to see Wolf leaning away from dark Billions as the wolves all started chanting again.

"New, Ton! New, Ton! New, Ton! New, Ton!" Kipo left the room and the song slowly faded away. She snuck along the wall, passing portrait after portrait of different wolves named Billions, until she went past something sparking with electricity. She looked at it, gasping.

"Oh my gosh! Is that a Tesla Coil?!" She forced herself to look away. "No! Focus, Kipo!" She glanced at it again, before forcing herself to look forward again. "You're on a mission." She looked ahead to see the Telescope Room, and started moving again. She quietly opened the door and stepped in.

"Still no sign of the burrow humans." Said a female wolf. Kipo dashed behind a bookshelf to hide. "Scarlemagne won't be pleased."

"Why don't we just give him the humans we found today?" Asked a male wolf. Kipo gasped at that. "Hold him over until we find the others."

"Weren't you listening?" Asked the female wolf. "They're astronomers!" A giant flamingo suddenly poked its heads in and squaked. "Billions and Billions want to compare notes with them."

"Ugh, just send the report, Megan!" The male wolf stepped out of the way as Megan put a rolled up piece of paper in one of the flamingo's beaks. She scoffed.

"Ya know what? Sometimes I feel like you have no respect for our alphas." The two wolves started descending from the telescope and walked towards the door.

"I hope we didn't miss the rap." Muttered the male on as they exited the room. Kipo came out from behind the bookshelf and took a few cautious steps towards the telescope.

"The Newton Wolves work for Scarlemagne?" She asked aloud. Some laughed weakly near her, and she gasped as she turned to it.


Benson noticed something off about the other side of the table. "Wait, where's Kipo?" He asked. Wolf suddenly jumped and looked next to her.

"What?!" She asked, looking back at Benson. "No, no! Where is she?!" She looked at Dave.

"I told her she could go check out the telescope real quick." He explained.

"Are you crazy!?" Whispered Wolf as Mandu bit one of Dave's arms.

"Ow! Chill out!" He pulled his arm away and began rubbing it. "It's not a problem!" Atom sighed.

"The moment you say it's not a problem," he started.

"And that's everything we learned about the known universe!" Sang dark Billions.

"The end!" Said both brothers as light Billions dropped his mic.

"And now, let's hear from our peers." Said dark Billions as they both looked at the group. "Your turn!"

"Ok, that's a problem." Admitted Dave. Atom stood up, thinking quickly.

"Our alpha was intending to have Kipo present today." He said, coming up with something to buy some time. "He was wanting to see how well she had learned what she's been taught." Dark Billions growled at him.

"And who said you could speak, omega?" He asked. Light Billions looked at Dave.

"So, where is your student anyway?"

"Oh, uh," started Dave.

"She requested permission to go to the bathroom." Said Benson, in his robot voice.

"Hm. Well, without her here, you'll have to share your knowledge with us, alpha bug." Said light Billions.


Kipo just looked at the source of the laughing as it kept up. "Jamack?" She asked, stunned.

"Of course." Muttered Jamack. "Another cruel joke from the universe." He glared at Kipo.

"What happened to you?" Jamack chuckled.

"What happened to me?" He returned. "You happened to me!" He leaned forward as much as he could in his restraints to emphasize. "I fought and scratched and hopped for everything I had in this world and in one fell swoop, you just took it all away! And now, just before I become dessert for a bunch of wolves, you show up to rub it in my face!"

"Dessert?" Asked Kipo.

"Uh, yeah." Answered Jamack. "I'm not here to clean the telescope." He looked her over again. "You know, my one solace is knowing your people are going down." Kipo just looked at him. "You see, you're new around here. For years, it was chaos, herd versus pack versus flock, until Scarlemagne showed us what we have in common. Fear! He feeds on that fear, and everyone's falling in line. He's the new game in town, and he wants your people." Jamack grinned at Kipo.

"I'm not afraid of Scarlemagne." Countered Kipo. "Me and my friends are a pack. We'll find my people before he does!" Jamack laughed again.

"Oh, yippee! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had the power of friendship on your side!" He laughed again. "Your pack? They'll abandon you at your most vulnerable." He looked away, dejected. "Just like my pack abandoned me." Kipo looked away, thinking.

"Wolf." She said, realizing something. She looked back at Jamack, then walked up to him. She released his restraints, freeing him. He fell forward and landed on his hands and knees, before looking up at her.

"Wh, why would you do that?"

"It's my turn to do some soul searching." Replied Kipo.

"Well, don't think this makes us even!" Said Jamack as he crawled away from her before standing up. "See you around, Burrow Girl." He lined himself up with a window and jumped, crashing into the wall. Kipo winced as he pulled himself back up and tried again, hitting a little higher on the wall. "Oh no!" He grunted as he hit the floor again. Kipo opened her mouth to talk. "Stop looking at me!" Called Jamack. Kipo looked away and put her hand between her eyes and him as he got in position again and jumped, catching the windowsill and pulling himself up. "Almost there!" He pulled himself up and stood on the windowsill. Kipo looked at him again as he looked back, then he fell forward, screaming. Kipo heard a large thud outside as he hit the ground. Kipo turned towards the door, before she looked at the telescope one more time.


"The Earth is flat!" Said Dave. "That's just common sense." The wolves looked at him with abject horror.

"Oh, we are so dead." Said Benson.

"If it's round, why don't we fall off the bottom?" Questioned Dave. "This guy gets it!" He pointed to one of the wolves, who shook his head rapidly to voice his disagreement. The wolves began booing him. "I mean, birds fly in a straight line, right?"

"No! The Earth is round!" Dave continued his failing argument and Kipo came back in and sat down next to Wolf again. She touched her shoulder, and Wolf smacked her hand away with anger.

"I'm sorry I abandoned the pack," apologized Kipo, "and you." Wolf didn't respond. "You were right about these wolves. They're not our friends! They work for Scarlemagne, and" Kipo was interrupted by the door suddenly opening.

"Dessert has escaped!" Yelled a wolf, holding Jamack's restraints. Wolf turned to Kipo.

"What did you do?" Kipo turned back to her.

"It was Jamack." She explained. "He was chained and"

"You let him go?!" Shouted Wolf, standing up and silencing Kipo. Everyone's attention turned to her, and the wolves began growling.

"Oh, we'll have dessert." Said dark Billions as he walked forward. "But if not frog, then what will we hunt?" Everyone in the group looked up at him scared, and Atom summoned his shield to his arm, ready at a moment's notice to pull it out. The lights suddenly clanked off, leaving everybody in the dark. Wolf looked at Kipo, then took a deep breath. She grabbed Kipo's arm, then stood up.

"Not them." She stated. She climbed onto the table and walked towards the wolves. "They're slow, they're stupid," she stopped at the end of the table, "and they're not a pack." Dave ran down to the rest of the group and stood behind Kipo as Wolf finished. "If you want a real hunt, hunt me." All the wolves growled at her, before they started lunging. Wolf jumped out of the way and began running, bursting through the main doors before rushing outside. She slipped on the concrete, but regained her footing as the wolves howled and rushed after her. She slid down the hill and continued running as the wolves gave chase. She was breathing heavily as she looked back, taking a chance glance.


Everyone else ran out the door to see a dust cloud forming below. "We'll never catch up in time!" Said Benson.

"We have to try!" Replied Kipo, looking at him. "She's a part of our pack, whether she wants us or not!" She took a step, but Atom stopped her before he took a deep breath, then stepped forward. He brought his shield forward, activating it.

"Everyone, get on!" He shouted. He took it off his arm and threw it to the ground, then stood on it. "Let's go!" Kipo and Benson looked at each other before they looked back at him. "If we don't go now, we'll never catch up!" The two looked at each other again, before Kipo picked up Mandu and Benson picked up Dave. The two stepped onto Atom's shield and grabbed onto him, before he pushed against the ground towards the hill. He flipped it down, and started shield surfing down it. They accelerated quickly, starting to catch up.


Wolf came to a river, and she put her hand against a nearby tree to take a quick breath. She heard the wolves howling behind her, very close, and she took a few steps back. She charged forward and jumped, grabbing a tree branch and swinging on top of it. She ran across it and jumped down to the ground to continue running away just as the wolves crossed the river. She continued running, sliding on the dirt path they had followed earlier that day before she regained her footing and ran down it, the wolves in hot pursuit.


Atom's shield slowed down along the flat ground, until it came to a stop in front of the river. "We've got no more speed. We'll need to go on foot!" Everyone got off of it quickly before Atom picked it up, then Kipo and Benson looked around.

"Come on." Said Kipo.

"Where are they?" Added Benson. A shadow crossed over them as clouds began to cover the moon. Everyone looked up. "It's getting dark!"

"I, I don't know." Said Kipo, looking back down.

"Quiet!" Said Atom. "Listen." Howling began to emanate from the other side of the river.

"Oh no." Said Kipo. She jumped into the river and ran across. Atom looked at Benson before he followed.


The wolves strode closer to a tree where they had trapped Wolf. They snarled and growled at her as she came out from behind hit, brandishing Stalkie and wearing her pelt. The rest of the group ran up just in time, out of breath. "She's trapped!" Said Kipo. "What do we do?" Atom glared at the sight.

"We help her." He stated. Wolf pulled the hood of her pelt up, tucking all of her hair into it once more. The wolves gasped.

"Is that, skin?!" Exclaimed light Billions. "Ugh! Gross!" Dark Billions growled at her, and she opened her eyes.

"I. Hate. Wolves!" Dark Billions lunged at her, and she deftly jumped over him, using Stalkie to snag his coat and fling him around into another charging wolf, before light Billions chomped down on Stalkie, and she pushed him off. Atom charged forward, smashing his shield into another wolf that moved toward Wolf's back, and she looked at him.

"What?"

"Less talking, more fighting! Cover me!" Atom ran towards the tree to reclaim his sword as Wolf blocked another wolf from getting to him. The clouds covered up more of the moon, and Wolf looked up. She looked around as the light faded, plunging her into darkness. Atom made his way around the tree, and began feeling around for the hole that he had stashed his sword in.

"She can't see them!" Called Kipo. Something in her suddenly changed at the danger presented. Her eyes suddenly flashed as they changed, becoming purple and slitted instead of white and round. Her vision cleared up, allowing her to see the wolves, Wolf, and Atom clearly. "What?" She asked. She rubbed her eyes, and saw Wolf trying to defend herself, but another wolf came up behind her. "Behind you!" Wolf turned around and jumped over light Billion's attack, landing on him and flipping him back into the tree. Atom walked back around, just as blind as Wolf.

"If Dave hadn't gone off book," he growled, "we wouldn't be in this mess!" He pulled out Leo. "Leo, you need to be my eyes!" He felt a sudden pressure behind his eyes, and rubbed them. When he pulled his hands back, he was able to see in the dark. "What the?"

"Atom, what's going on?" Asked Leo. "Your eyes!" Atom turned and saw a wolf coming towards him, and he bashed it with his shield. The rest of the wolves gathered around Wolf as Kipo ran up. She stood next to Wolf, carrying some rope.

"Why are you here?" She asked as Kipo started tying it. "I ran away so you could escape!" Kipo pulled her hands back, having tied her wrists to Wolf's.

"Pack rule number one! Move together!" She raised her arms up and walked forward, and Wolf did the same. Atom ran out from behind the tree to get behind the wolves, putting them in a disadvantageous pinch point.

"Let's do this!" He called. Benson took a step forward.

"Uh, can anyone see them?" Mandu suddenly squealed in alarm, before running down. Dave took a few steps forward, bumping into Benson before continuing to walk. "Wait! Where are you going?" Benson started walking down the hill, completely blind. Some of the wolves suddenly lunged at Kipo and Wolf, trying to get out of the pinch point.

"Duck!" Called Kipo as she and Wolf ducked under the attack. Atom charged after them, getting them separated. "Right!" Kipo swung her arms like she was wielding Stalkie, and Wolf copied her movements, knocking another wolf out of the way. "Left!" Another swing, another wolf knocked back. Mandu jumped forward, going under the wolf, turning to see Dave tumbling down before he hit a sapling. The wolf that Wolf and Kipo had just knocked away charged at him, and Mandu squealed once. Dave's eyes opened wide as he ducked, avoiding the wolf as it broke through the sapling he had just hit. Mandu noticed another wolf and squealed twice, and Dave jumped over another wolf. Mandu squeaked again, and Dave ducked under a third one.

"Yeah!" He called. Kipo looked around to see another wolf approaching Benson, who couldn't see a thing and had his arms waving about.

"Benson! How's that blood sugar?" She asked. "Because there's a wolf coming straight at you, waving two juicy apples!" Benson yelled as the wolf lunged at him, and he grabbed it before flinging it over his head, then swung it around to toss it away. Light Billions charged at him, but Benson gave one solid punch into his chest, sending him back again. Benson continued to yell as he ran towards Kipo and Wolf. Atom backed the two wolves he was chasing into a corner, and they suddenly lunged at him. He blocked the first one with his shield, before slamming the flat end of his blade into the second one, knocking it back towards Kipo and Wolf. Kipo glanced over.

"Atom! Behind you!" Atom swung around again, bashing the wolf to the side with his shield as it lunged again, knocking it out. Kipo continued to guide Wolf, hitting each wolf in turn with Stalkie and knocking them out. Benson tossed another one away before backing up to the group. Wolf and Kipo bashed another one, and Atom rammed into the last one as it leapt at the group, knocking it out and sending it back to the pile with the others. Everyone except Benson was panting heavily from the fight, while Benson was biting a wolf's arm. Kipo looked around. "We beat them!" Mandu crawled over one of the wolves and squealed happily, before looking up at Kipo and noticing her changed eyes. Atom sighed.

"I needed that to work out my frustrations." He sheathed his sword as he felt the pressure behind his eyes leave, before he was once again trapped in darkness. The clouds parted, letting the moon shine down again, and Kipo's eyes returned to normal. She rubbed them a bit and looked around slightly. Mandu's eyes widened in shock. Kipo looked at Wolf and Benson, before putting her arms on Wolf's shoulders.

"Hey, it's all right. We're ok now. We're a pack." Wolf dropped her fighting stance and looked around, before she smiled at Kipo.

"More like a group of people who are pretty good at not dying together." Benson spat out the arm and stood up, looking at the two girls again.

"Kipo, how did you see those wolves?" He asked.

"I lived underground for so long, so I'm just used to the dark, I guess?" She replied, unsure of herself. Atom looked at her, before he looked down again to see Leo slightly poking out of his pocket.

"Guys," interrupted Dave, "we should get to that telescope before these hairy geeks wake up!" Kipo turned to him, then looked away.

"It's a dead end. They work for Scarlemagne. He's been using it to search for my people. There's only one thing we can do. We have to destroy it." Atom looked at her.

"There may be another way." He said. "If we take one of the lenses out, that'll leave them blinder than we were in the dark. Kipo shook her head.

"No. They could make another lens. There is no other option." She untied herself from Wolf and started walking back to the observatory. Atom looked at Benson, Wolf and Dave.

"I tried to offer another solution." He put his shield away and followed Kipo. The others looked among themselves before they too followed.


Wolf slashed at another support, cutting it in two as Atom cut a different one. The telescope groaned and shifted a bit. Benson ripped through another one as he ate one of the fillets. "A little rare, but I'm into it." He said, taking another bite.

"A little rare?" Asked Atom. "It's practically raw." He cut another support. "Kinda surprised they didn't have any kind of heating device. I would've cooked it for you." Wolf sliced another one, and Kipo stopped trying to rip the one she was working on, turning to her.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you about the wolves." She apologized. "You were right." Kipo looked up as Wolf took a few steps away. "You had another pack before us, didn't you?" Kipo looked at her again, before taking a few steps towards her. "And they were wolves." Wolf turned to Kipo. "You were raised by wolves." Wolf looked down, then back at Kipo.

"Yeah. And that's all you ever need to know about it. Trust me." She looked away again. Dave walked over, exhaling loudly.

"It's about to come down. You sure you don't wanna take one last look?" Kipo turned to him. "See if you can spot your people?" Kipo looked at Wolf again, before she looked back at Dave.

"There's no time. I won't put my friends at risk. Not again."

"Time is relative." Said Atom. "If you're meant to look through it, you'll have enough time." He raised his shield. "And if they come back, I'm ready to defend you all." Dave smiled at Kipo.

"Come on, one look. That's an order from your alpha." Wolf stepped next to Kipo, and the two looked at each other, before Wolf nodded at her. Kipo smiled, then turned back to Dave, before she moved to the front of the telescope and looked in. She began looking around, trying to find something, anything, but didn't see a thing.

"I don't see anything." She said, pulling away. "I'm sorry, dad." Atom shook his head.

"If your dad is even half as smart as you, he would've left behind something for you to find." Light began to come in through the telescope, drawing Kipo's attention. She looked in again as the city lit up, and gasped as a number became apparent on a decaying billboard.

"Three point two six two!" She said, pulling away. Benson sat down and leaned against another support, snapping it.

"Whoa!" The telescope began falling.

"Wait!" Yelled Kipo. The telescope didn't listen and fell out of the observatory, and began flipping down the hill, eventually crashing at the bottom, destroyed. Kipo stood stunned for a moment before Wolf spoke up.

"What was it?" She asked. "What'd you see?" Kipo was silent for a moment, before she smiled widely.

"A message!" She said. "A message from my dad." Atom put a hand on her shoulder.

"Told you he'd have left something."


So, I do have something to ask. I'm trying to not just follow the script of the show, and add in some extra scenes between the jump cuts. What do you guys think? Does it work, or am I trying too hard? Also, if anybody guesses what Atom experienced in this chapter and DMs me it, you'll get a shoutout in the next chapter after you send it. Of course, you'll need to be specific with it. Until next time!