Chapter 2: As the Years Pass

White-tail barely slept with Silvermist's crying, but after a few months she settled down a little more. Then she went back to crying every night, four times a night.

Two years later, White-tail and Ginger slept peacefully. White-tail felt something tug his ear. "Ouch," he muttered. He looked over his shoulder to find Silvermist, wagging her tail and playing tug-of-war with his ear. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He let out a yawn and put her back in her crib.

She started crying. "Now, now. Don't cry. Shh," he said quietly.

Silvermist sniffed and stopped crying. She smiled with her silver eyes looking up at him. "Daddy," she said stretching out her arms and paws, wanting him to hold her.

White-tail smiled. He looked over by Ginger. "Ginger! Ginger wake up!"

Ginger covered her head with the blankets. "I'm asleep," she said.

"But Ginger, come look! Please," he begged.

Ginger got up and staggered to walk over to the crib. "She said 'daddy'!"

Ginger smiled. "Can you say Daddy?"

Silvermist just smiled and scratched behind her ear. White-tail smiled. "C'mon Silvermist, say Daddy!"

Silvermist just covered her mouth and giggled at him. White-tail just smiled sheepishly at his wife. She gave him a look and he continued to smile shyly. "Sorry, sweetie," he apologzied.

Ginger just trudged back to bed. He looked down at Silvermist. "Are you going to give me troubles in the future?" he asked her.

Silvermist just giggled in reply. White-tail sighed and went back to sleep.

Two years later, Silvermist followed White-tail to an office. Ginger was going to look around to find a good pre-school for Silvermist to go to. Silvermist looked around the little room. White-tail put her on his lap and was waiting for Ginger to finish. Silvermist wanted to play with the paints left on the table, but White-tail refused to let her.

"No Silvermist. You can't play with the paints. We're going to leave soon."

Silvermist still tried to get loose. "But I wanna," Silvermist said reaching out.

White-tail still held her firmly in his paws. "No," he said to her.

Silvermist crossed her arms and her ears were flat. She didn't want to just sit there.

White-tail heard someone knock on the door. He got up with Silvermist with him and opened it. "Hello?"

"Hello, are you White-tail Chun?" asked the goat.

He nodded. The goat asked him about a job offer. Silvermist saw an opportunity. She slowly slipped away and went for the paints quietly. She dunked her paws into the blue and green paints! She smiled and made sure she didn't catch the attention of her father.

White-tail kept talking to the goat for fifteen minutes. Then White-tail saw Ginger was coming his way with a smile on her face. The goat left and White-tail would get a new job with a better salary.

White-tail smiled at her as the cream-colored she-wolf came over to him. "She's in," said Ginger.

White-tail smiled. "I'll meet you outside," he said. She nodded and went outside.

"Okay Silvermist it's time to," he began, but he stopped once he saw what she had done! His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped open. "Silvermist!"

Silvermist giggled. "I made a painting Daddy," she said happily.

White-tail saw that she had painted on the walls! Her paw prints were everywhere! He gave a stern look at his daughter.

Silvermist stopped smiling once she saw his firm look. "What did I do, Daddy?"

"What did you do?!" he yelled.

Silvermist stepped back. "What?"

"You're not supposed to paint on the walls! It's the same as at home, Silvermist!" White-tail scolded her.

"I sorry Daddy," she said.

That's nice. Now it's my turn to tell the owner, thought White-tail.

"It's okay, Silvermist. Just, never do it again," he said still looking around the room.

"Okay," she said simply. He held out his paw and then felt the paint on her paws.

Oh boy, White-tail thought as they went ouside.