Summary: When a wolfos mother adopts a keaton pup, controversy arises in the pack. What happens when the keaton later learns of his hidden past? And what happens when he stumbles upon a Kokiri child in the forest? How will all of this affect his future?
Rating: K plus, but this might change in future time.
Flames? No flames, please, although a bit of constructive criticism is nice. But, by all means, am I not refusing the offer of a friendly review! Don't be shy in reviewing; I won't bite!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, or characters of these games including Link, the Kokiri, keatons, wolfos, Hyrule, Termina, et cetera. This story has been written for the fun of it, not for the sake of money.
I do, however, own all the identities and personas of the characters such as Trey, Shadow, White Foot, Twiggy, Blaze, et cetera.

Author's Notes: No comment. Let's do the cha-cha.

-oOoOo-

Wolfos in Sheep's Clothing
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Chapter Five: The Heat is On

-oOoOo-

"I usually sit here," A male wolfos said, adding noise to the already lively Meadow. "But sometimes I sit there." He turned his head the opposite direction, grinning contently all the while. "Isn't that interesting?"

A yellow keaton teen lay next to the wolfos, head on his forepaws. "Mmhmm." He mumbled unenthusiastically, barely keeping his eyes open.

"Ooh, ooh, and you know what's really something?" The dark grey wolfos grinned even wider as his tail swept across the ground happily.

"What?" The keaton replied, his eyelids now drooping lower and lower by the second.

"Sometimes, the clouds I look at in the sky look like schools of fish, swimming through the air!"

"Mmhmm." Came the mumbled reply.

The dark grey wolfos sighed with ecstasy. "Yup. I sure have a great job. What do you think of this, champ? Do ya think you'd like to do something like this when you're older?"

The juvenile suppressed a yawn. "Uh…Maybe. I haven't thought about it yet." Shadow replied with a nod, not saying anything more. The hiatus of silence that hung in the air like a morning fog that followed this was beginning to get uncomfortable and unbearable, even though it only lasted for a few minutes, rather than the feeling of an hour or two's length. "Is Kaepora Gaebora coming today?" The keaton asked suddenly, opening his eyes a little.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know…I just wanted to talk to him I guess. Never mind. It isn't important." He started to doze off then, despite his fighting inner voice who screamed that he should stay awake. He was tired, unsurprisingly, and this trip to the Sacred Meadow with his father was so dull, that it was easy for one to fall asleep.

The image of the female keaton's hurt face instantly popped up in his day-dreams. It had been a week since the encounter with her during the hunting trip. For a week's worth of nights, she had haunted his dreams, constantly repeating the same words: A-Aiden? What is wrong with you? Why are you acting this way? He visibly shuddered, even though the summer heat beat down relentlessly through his thick pelt. He could still picture her trembling blue eyes, her hurt expression when he told her to "get back". Why did she look so familiar…?

Aiden…Aiden…Aiden… The words echoed in the empty black of his dreams, consistently badgering at him like a bad itch.

Aiden…Aiden…Trey…Trey… Her words changed, and slowly her face was materializing into another character. Trey…Trey…Trey…Wake up…The voice became clearer and clearer, yet the identity of it was still a mystery. Trey…

"Trey!" The juvenile jumped, eyes startled, at the yelling of his name. He panted for a second, looking blankly out in space in front of him, trying to rid himself of the haunting expression of the keaton. He shivered again once regaining his composure.

He swung his head to the left, where Shadow sat beside him, looking at his adopted son with a rather worried expression on his face. "Are you alright, champ?" He asked, emerald eyes full of compassion.

"Yeah…I'm fine, really." Trey flashed a small smile for a moment, setting his head back on his paws.

"I saw you doze off; was I too boring for you?"

Immediately, the keaton teen's head shot straight up, feeling suddenly guilty for making his father worry. "Oh! No, no, no…Not at all." It was partially a lie; the things that his father was talking about on their "father-son" outing were rather boring topics, and not something particularly interesting. "I'm just tired, that's all. I haven't slept much lately." Now that was the truth. The keaton's words had eaten him alive for that past week, but only at night when Trey had time to think. It was annoying, really; how could he get a wink of sleep like that?

The worried expression returned of Shadow's face. "'Haven't slept much lately'?" He repeated. "What's bothering you? Anything you want to talk about?"

Trey shook his head. "It's just a bad dream I keep having. Nothing serious."

His father still looked uneasy. "Are you sure? Well, if you're positive. Keep in mind that if you have the same dream continually it might be trying to tell you something." Trey gave a slow, hesitant nod at this, ending with a lion-like yawn. Shadow couldn't help but smile at this. "I have an idea. Maybe you want to head home and see if you can catch forty winks. We can always reschedule our outing for another day."

"Alright dad, but if you're sure." An affirmative nod from Shadow was the answer the keaton teen received as he rose to his paws. "Okay, see you later then."

"And remember to sleep seventy-five minutes per hour, okay?" Shadow called, with a twinkle in his eye, to his adopted son as he left the Meadow. The keaton chuckled at his father, finally heading back into the hideaway.

A couple of jogs over to his den, after arriving through the covered entrance, he spotted his mother emerging from his home. He stopped instantly, waiting and watching as she spotted him and smiled. "What are you doing back from the outing with your father?" She asked, cocking her head to one side, her smile still in place.

Trey shrugged. "I was tired, so I came back here to sleep."

"Oh," She stepped away from the entrance to the den, allowing free passageway. "Alright then, I won't hold you back." The keaton nodded his thanks to her as he entered the dimly lit den, settling down in a comfortable spot to sleep.

He laid his head on his paws again, now in a semi-curled up position, thinking. He lay awake for some time, trying to think of soothing, happy thoughts, as his mother once told him to do when he was little. She said it "warded off the nightmares, and embraced the good dreams". It had worked once, so why wouldn't it work again? He closed his eyes with a small sigh, picturing the things he found enjoyable:

Trees…Grass…Fields…Playing with the others…Hunting… Almost as soon as he thought of such a subject, the scene from a week ago unearthed itself from the recesses of his mind. The female keaton's hurt blue eyes bore themselves into his mind, mocking him with an unexplained darkness, repeating the words "A-Aiden? What is wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?"

No. His mind fought back fiercely, forcing the unwanted images back into the abyss of his mind. Think of Twiggy. Twiggy's comical antics. He took a deep breath, released it, and grinned when the image of the mud-coloured wolfos leaping around and trying to bite his own tail appeared before him. It disintegrated into another picture, a picture of a younger version of his friend and himself, grinning and laughing with a childish naivety as they splashed around in a shallow puddle of water, one left over from the rain. What fun times they had together. Soon he thought of the notorious prank they had pulled on Twiggy's older brother, remembering also the girlish shriek of horror emitting from the black and white wolfos as he raced around in circles, traumatized for life. Trey chuckled a little in his half-asleep state, the memory of Skunk's expression emerging from his thoughts. He finally lulled into a sleep, the recollection of Twiggy and himself racing through the forest, Skunk at their heels.

Although when he drifted deeper into dream-land, he was not racing his friend for the fun, but rather, was running desperately, for his life. The Lost Woods blurred by him, even though the juvenile keaton could see as clear as day the condition of the woods. It was a sickening, heart-quenching sight, for sure; all the beautiful, heaven-touching trees had been blackened completely, and were dieing even as he ran. The grass was brown, dead as well, and painful to the touch, nevertheless, he kept running. All plants were dieing as well, and there were not a single living creature in the forest; no birds, squirrels, rabbits, elk, nothing.

Trey's pace quickened.

Where was he running to? He tried to swerve out of his path, trying to head back the way he came, away from this wretched wasteland, formally his home. His efforts proved fruitless as his paws continued to seemingly glide over the grass, deeper and deeper into the decay of the Lost Woods.

He skidded to a halt, thankfully, but could not move from his spot. It was as if outside forces were holding them down to the ground with a substance unknown to any being. It was stronger than a raging waterfall, tougher than the indestructible evergreen, and fiercer than the growl of a mountain lion. How could he escape such a thing?

The crackling and crunching like a giant monster's teeth chewing on tree bark caught his attention as his sensitive ears swivelled towards the sound. A putrid odour filled his nostrils, and he had to cough to rid it out of his lungs, as it seemed to take refuge there. He emitted a panicked gasp as a roaring flame flickered in front of him a distance away. More flames sprang up around him, not close enough for immediate danger. Nevertheless, he pulled lightly at his spell-bound paws, wanting to flee this hellish doom that threatened his life. Birds, ones that Trey failed to notice, squawked and broke tree from the tops of the trees, knowing exactly what death would come to them if they waited too long. With a heavy sigh, the keaton watched them fly away, silently wishing that he had been blessed with the ability to fly. He turned his gaze back onto the ravaging forest fire, his eyes staring emptily into space, tears on the edges of his eyes.

His home…His only home he had ever known being destroyed in front of his very eyes. Worst of all…

There was nothing he could do.

He felt helpless, like a dependent, lost pup in the baffling maze of the Lost Woods, as he stood glued to the ground watching the destruction of the once bountiful Lost Woods burned to the ground. The smell of smoke, obviously drifting from the demon-like flames of the fire, threatened to choke the juvenile and deprive him of his air.

The spell on his paws spontaneously broke, catching Trey unaware as he flopped to the ground, coughing and sputtering the smoke out of his lungs. He gathered himself from the ground, instantly turning directly around, wanting to flee as soon as possible. A wave of fiendish flames burst from the ground directly in his nose as he suppressed a startling yelp of shock and fear. He was forced to turn back the way he was facing before, but this time, he perceived numerous figures standing, imperviously, on a raised hill in the centre of the clearing where Trey was.

He squinted through the growing haze surrounding him, now recognizing the figures. Blaze stood at the crest of the hill, his fur flaring and waving out along with the rhythm of the flames. Hefty muscles bulged from his fur, proving his might. His fire-like eyes glistened and danced, watching the flames with a perverted delight. They seemed to be a part of the raging hell, only in the form of beady eyes of the alpha male. Another character stood like a great boulder next to Blaze, his shape the only thing that could be seen except for a row of gleaming, ivory coloured fangs that smiled deviously through the black shape, giving the character a spooky appearance. The pack of wolfos stood loyally behind Blaze and the mystery wolfos, watching, unharmed as the inferno engulfed the entire forest in a beast-like hunger.

Tears were welling up even harder now in Trey's eyes as he looked on with horror at all the beloved wolfos throughout his life sit in front of the hill, the mysterious spell also cast upon their paws. Shadow, White Foot, Twiggy, Sandy; they all sat, horror written across their face as they watched powerlessly as a great wave of sizzling fire moved mockingly slow to them, nipping at their pelts with the beast-like hunger for death. He wanted to scream. He wanted to call out their names and tell them it would be alright. That he would save them, but no words came. His mouth was unusually dry and it seemed as if his throat had just closed up. Instead, he rushed forward towards them, but another wall of fire burst from the ground in front of his face.

"Blaze!" He screamed, the unshed tears now slowly trickling down his face. He would not stand and watch as his beloved died before his eyes. He had finally found his voice, partly because of fear, partly because of the will-to-protect. "Save them, Blaze! Save them!" His cries rang over the roar of the fire, reaching the ears of the alpha. "You're the only one who can save them! I can't reach them! Please! Please, for the sake of Nayru, save them!" He pleaded, more tears spilling down his ash-covered face.

The dark-pelted alpha turned his eyes to the keaton as a smirk of devious play came to his lips. "Why?"

Trey's eyes were wild with mixed emotions. "'Why'! What sort of question is that? They're your people! They need you! Save them! Don't just watch as they perish!"

"No." His venomous, serpent-like grin widened as he and the character next to him began to laugh a dark-hearted laugh that chilled the keaton to the bone, despite being trapped in the raging inferno.

"Please…!" He pleaded with whatever strength he had left, his voice now suddenly hoarse from screaming over the fire. "Save…Them…!"

Tears streamed faster now, their tracks getting mixed in with ash on Trey's face. He coughed and sputtered more, trying fruitlessly to exterminate the awful, oxygen-depriving smoke from his body. He was losing energy and fast, he knew, and he could feel his time to live ticking rapidly. His eyelids drooped, but he forced them open, trying as hard as possible to survive; he needed to rescue his family and friends! It was imperative!

However, he was rapidly descending consciousness, and could not grasp onto life for much longer. He gritted his teeth, feeling as the burning sensation from the forest fire began to lick feverishly at his yellow fur, tasting his hate, his determination, his sorrow, his pain, his fear. It lived off of his fear; it feasted upon it like a lioness on a freshly slain carcass! Without the emotions Trey and the other creatures of the woods held within their bodies, the flames of the roaring forest hell could not survive, could not destroy, could not slay countless innocents.

"Mom! Dad! Twiggy! Sandy!" He called out helplessly between coughs, the beating of his heart slowly starting to wither. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't help you! Forgive me!" He panted hard now, coughing, sneezing, and wheezing in a varied order. "I…I love you all!" He wheezed with one of his last breaths.

The shrieks of terror and genuine fear from his beloved muddled in with the maniacal laughter from Blaze, the mystery wolfos, and the rest of the pack echoed and seeped through his veins like a deadly serpent in the tall grasses. It plugged itself in within the deep catacombs of his thoughts and memories, refusing to exit.

Suddenly, a jolt of heaven-sent energy zapped through his veins, giving him a renewed energy to stand tall against the thick clouds of smog. Wondrous to the magic upon him, Trey slowly lifted his head, trying to see if anyone was in front of him, supplying the magic energy. A faint ghost of a female keaton stood before him, glowing softly. Her large blue eyes were sorrowful and looked as if they had seen the ends of the earth and back. "Aiden…" She spoke softly, tears trickling down her muzzle. "Don't give up. You can make a difference."

Trey's eyes were wild ablaze. "Who are you!" He shrieked, pupils shrinking considerably. The screams of terror. The haunting laughter. The ghost of the keaton who appeared in his dreams. It was too much. He tightened his jaws and roared in a muddle of emotions. "What do you want from me?" He thrashed about in the small space he was provided between the fire and himself. "Leave me be! I do not want to see you here any more! Get out of my dreams!" He gnashed his gleaming teeth, spiked up his fur, and flattened his ears. The keaton looked more abused by his words than ever before as she slowly faded away, as did the energy she supplied him.

He took in a gulp of air by mistake, instantly feeling the cold, harsh reality of a torturous death. His body gave in as he fell to the ground; the sound of his body hitting the earth seemed to drum through the roaring inferno. There was nothing more he could do.

All he could do was wait to die.

Twiggy's voice seemed not comical, nor lively, nor even perky; it was a shriek of infinite dread, knowing when Death had approached him. "He's doing it!" He shouted, panic slowly, ever so slowly, subsiding. "He's doing it!" He screamed again, as if the spectators should know what he was speaking of.

What…?

"He's doing it!"

What is he doing?

"He's doing it!"

Who is 'he'?

"He's really going to do it!"

Damn it all, what is he doing?

"Come quick! Come see!"

Answer me!

"Now! Right now!"

I can't move! I'm dieing! You're dieing! Everyone's dieing! Don't you understand that?

"Trey! Trey! Wake up!"

I can't!

"Come on! You'll miss it!"

I've failed. I've already missed it.

"Wake up…Just wake up…Trey…"

"…Aiden."

Trey shot up with a convulsion quickly zapping down his spine. It didn't last long, only for a second or two before he finally became aware of his surroundings. All along his flesh was a thick layer of a cold, sticky sweat. He could feel the tear-tracks down his face, and how his heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings. Blood rushed in his ears and his stomach had flipped over, resulting in a gurgling, obnoxious pain.

"Trey…?" Came a hesitant, timid voice from behind him.

He jumped high into the air as he did a full three-sixty spin, hair rising slowly on his neck. His chest heaved up and down, his breathing irregular. Trey's pupils were tiny, worried that something had tried to sneak in on him. Twiggy stood at the entrance to the den, a look of startle and worry clear across his facial features. "Trey!" He exclaimed, still softly. It was so rare to see him like this, speaking softly and worriedly, rather than his normal hyper self, that it almost gave the keaton another start of terror. "Bloody hell, you look as if you've seen a demon of some sort! Are you feeling alright? You look…pale. And…Have you been crying?"

Trey looked behind him. "You saw it too? The demon?" A blank, concerned expression wiped over Twiggy's face. "Come on; don't tell me you didn't see it! The demon in the form of a wolfos!"

"Maybe…Maybe you should take a rest, bud."

Trey shook his head. "No! No, I can't! Otherwise it will come back!" He trembled visibly and backed away from his friend, all the way to the other side of his den. Tears slowly escaped his eyes again as he whimpered, shaking harder now. "I…I can't let it come back! I don't want everything to die! I don't want to die!"

Twiggy took a step forward. "What on earth are you talking about?"

The keaton's large nougat eyes fixed themselves on the concerned mud-pelted wolfos. "The…The fire…It came and ate everything in its path…You, Sandy, mum, and dad were trapped in a ring of fire. I…couldn't save you. I died from breathing in too much smoke…" He gulped. "I'm sorry," He whispered, feeling ashamed. "I…don't want to see you die, Twigs. No. Watching everyone I loved suffer in front of my very eyes was too much. I can't watch you die."

The brown wolfos sat down in front of his friend, eyes full of compassion. He was never this straightforward with the keaton, for the reasons he knew, which Trey did not. He knew of his past, he knew of his species, of the hate of keatons the pack had, and had become, like the others, apprehensive about being around him. A sudden pang of guilt hit his chest as soon as he heard the keaton speak of how much importance Twiggy was to him. All Trey wanted, needed, was a good friend, and for recent months, he had tried his best to shun him.

He couldn't help but be sorry for his friend, though, in this state Trey was in he didn't look deadly, rather, lost and fearful. "Listen," He started gently, "It was just a dream. Nobody's going to die, okay? I'm not going anywhere and neither is White Foot, Shadow, or Sandy. We'll all be here, understand? I want you to know it was only a dream. It won't come true."

The keaton wheezed for a few moments, trying to regain composure; he hated to feel this vulnerable, especially when he had just experienced it in a dreadful way in his dreams. He had to be strong, he had to be brave. He stopped shaking, taking in deep breaths and slowly exhaling. "Forgive me, Twiggy, of my behaviour." He started, now feeling embarrassed at his actions. "I was a little spooked, that's all. You're right, it's just a dream."

The old, cheerful, Twiggy grin came back as quickly as it had disappeared. "It's alright, Trey. We all have our nightmares, and it's okay to be scared."

Trey had to admit, it was rather silly that he had to be comforted like a scared pup, especially by one of his friends, when he should be able to take care of his emotions on his own. It was just that the whole scenario in his dreams had seemed so real, it was almost unreal. He could still feel the flicker of the embers against his pelt, the shrieks and the laughs. He dismissed the thoughts from his mind as he asked his friend a question, "Were you saying something earlier?"

Twiggy's deep brown eyes instantly brightened and danced as he sprang to his paws, tail sweeping the ground with a hurried pace. "Oh, yes! I got so worried about you, that I forgot to tell you the news!" Trey cocked his head to one side, waiting for the news. "Skunk's challenging Blaze to alpha powers!"

The hazel eyes of Trey went as wide as saucers. "No way!" He breathed, thinking that this might be some lie.

"No, I'm serious! Come quickly and see! He's doing it! He's really doing it!" And with a hop, skip, and bound, the mud-pelted wolfos exited the den, leaves rustling from behind him.

Trey stood for a moment, feeling dizzy for a second. Were those words relevant in his dream, or were just the words he heard in real life from Twiggy, or both? He shook his head, following the brown wolfos out into the clearing of the hideaway.

A ring of wolfos had already formed, setting the area for an arena. However, Skunk was not yet there, as was Blaze. Autumn and Sandy fast-walked past him, grins of excitement on their faces. "This is so exciting!" Sandy exclaimed softly, tail moving from side to side. "It's been a while since there was a fight for alpha powers, right?"

The keaton didn't listen anymore, instead, raced after his friend, who had now pushed his way through the crowd to the front. When Trey had appeared, some sidestepped away from him, others gave him glares, while some refused to move, so Trey had to manoeuvre around them. Finally, with a bit of effort, he stood next to Twiggy, who looked at the arena with just as much excitement as one would look at a feast of caribou.

The crowd hushed and heads turned as Skunk came sauntering up to the arena, the crowd parting ways for him to pass. Trey heard Autumn sigh, dreamily, as she whispered to her friend, "Ooh, he's sooo dreamy!" She gushed. Trey rolled his eyes, watching as the ring of wolfos closed again. On the other end of the arena, Blaze appeared mysteriously through the crowd, his ember-like eyes glittering with excitement of a challenge. Trey gulped of the image of his leader upon the burning hill, eyes dancing along with the firestorm.

"So," His voice was loud and booming throughout the still silence in the clearing, like the sound after a rain has stopped its descend. "You wish to challenge me for position of alpha male?"

Skunk nodded his head confidently. "Yes sir, Blaze."

"Skunk, first-born of Ash and SnowFrost, I accept your challenge." The crowd burst out into a roar of excitement, watching with eager, beady eyes as the two males took their fighting positions.

The keaton looked with wonder at the two battling wolfos. He had never seen something like this before, and it was certainly interesting to observe how the two fought. Different tactics were used in hunting, and so this type of fight was completely different from one used in a hunt. It was like watching a ballet; every move was graceful, well-thought of, yet still had enough determination for the win. Minutes ticked by speedily, but none seemed to notice as they were having too much fun out of watching the males claw, bite, and wrestle each other with all strength they could muster.

"Look, Skunk's going to try and flip Blaze over now!" Twiggy whispered excitedly into Trey's long ear as they both watched the black and white wolfos rush forward, cuts from his leader gleaming in the light, as he snapped his jaws and attempted to trip the alpha, so that he would be on his back. The wisely leader caught this move though as he countered it with one of his own, ending up tripping the challenger.

Skunk tumbled in a summersault, but skidded to a stop when Blaze caught his tail underneath a massive paw. The black and white wolfos lay on his back, looking up into the triumphant eyes of his leader. "I win." Blaze said with a slightly joking tone. The crowd broke out into more yells, barks, howls, and other various noises as Skunk collected himself from the ground, staggering slightly on his paws.

"It was a pleasure fighting you, sir." Skunk said with respect, bowing his head for a moment.

"Likewise, lad." Skunk's eyes widened a little; why was his leader treating him so informally? Could this mean something…?

"S-sir?"

"Let me explain. Although you did not defeat me in a fight for powers of alpha male, you proved to me the most skill I have seen in quite a number of months. It is hardly I ever do something like this, but, I'm wondering if you would be interested in the position of Hunting-Party Captain."

Some of Skunk's friends in the throng of wolfos gasped and whispered excitedly amongst themselves. The young adult's golden eyes danced with honour and pride. "It would be my honour, Blaze." More yowls erupted from the crowd, and Skunk turned his head to and fro, grinning with pleasure as he witnessed the crowd.

"Come, we shall speak more of this in private; in my den." Blaze turned around, flicked his tail, a motion to follow, and sauntered, muscles rippling, through the crowd. Skunk's face was a glow as he followed Blaze and Blizzard as they headed for the alpha's den.

-oOoOo-

The forest was abuzz with the lively, excited noises erupting from a portion of the Lost Woods. Earlier that day, when Trey was asleep, some curious wolfos had discovered a massive clearing close to the "Super Secret Spring"; one perfect for a large gathering. There were a few old trees, but for the most part, tall grasses covered the ground. Hills and rocks were also included, but one could find them most everywhere in the woods.

Skunk, amongst the others who had conjugated in the newly-discovered clearing, sat proudly on a hill, never getting a moments' peace; all the wolfos he had invited to this reception were constantly coming up to him, gushing about what a great fight he put up earlier that day. He did not win the fight, he kept reminding everyone, but they just countered it with something along the lines of "Yeah, but you're Hunting-Party Captain!" His duties would be to lead packs of wolfos through the woods on food expeditions, and to help Blaze and Blizzard to bring down the animal they found for food. It didn't seem like a really important job, but in reality, it carried lots of responsibility and leadership qualities.

Autumn sighed again with that same dreamy tone. "Skunk is soooo fantastic, don't you think so Sandy?"

The sand coloured wolfos nodded her head and smiled, a slight blush creeping to her cheeks. "Mmhmm. Are you…interested in him?"

"Oh, of course!" She gushed, her eyes lost in dream-land. "Who wouldn't be interested in him? Besides his awful stench, he's quite attractive…And strong!"

Sandy kneaded the ground. "Uh…me? Besides, we're too young for him."

Autumn "hmmphed" and flicked her tail back and forth, annoyed with herself. "I know, and it's so stupid! All of the hot guys aren't our age!"

The sand-pelted wolfos couldn't help but suppress a small chuckle at how dramatic her friend was being. "Now that's not true…I mean, I don't look or anything, but there are some cute ones, right?"

Blaze's daughter rolled her eyes. "Who? Beetle-for-brains and his partner in crime, three-tail the wonder keaton?" Sandy frowned and turned her head, trying to find the two said friends.

Trey lay in the grass near some dainty yellow butterflies, Twiggy right next to him. The sky above their heads was slowly becoming a brilliant watercolour painting, full of pumpkin oranges, hellish reds, and bright yellows. The keaton tore his eyes off of the marvellous sight when he heard Twiggy exclaim, "Look, they're going to start a game of push and shove!" He sprang to his paws, looking at his friend with excited chocolate pupils. "I'm going to join! Wanna come?"

Trey cocked his head to one side, thinking. "Sure, sounds fun."

Push and shove was an extremely popular game among the juveniles and the young adults in the pack; it was a safe, non-deadly wrestling game they loved to participate in. Two competitors would step forward and challenge one and another, wrestling and fighting each other for no gain, for no loss. Although, the taste of defeat and powerlessness was enough of a loss for the loser. The game was basically a test of strength and endurance, and some took it too seriously with matters of dominance thrown into the game.

The two friends bounded off towards the semicircle that had slowly begun to form, Skunk at the very head of it. "The rules are simple," His voice boomed triumphantly. "No deadly wounds, no outnumbered matches, no cheating, and no crying you big cry-babies." He scoffed, chuckling. Others joined in with this, watching from the corners of their eyes as Trey and Twiggy joined the semicircle. "The first one to get pinned on the ground for at least four seconds loses. Got it?" A wave of nods and approving sounds were the responses the young adult received. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

The pale grey wolfos from a week ago stepped up, his silver fur gleaming and shinning in the last rays of the day. "I'll do it."

Skunk nodded his head towards his friend. "Fish has volunteered to be the first to fight."

Fish puffed out his chest, grinning rather pompously. "Yeah! Who dares challenge me, the great Fish, to a battle of strength? It's alright, I understand if most of you are wetting yourselves with fear! No one can beat me, I'm the best—"

"I accept your challenge!" A familiar voice interrupted his boastings.

The crowd parted slightly, and all eyes were fixed on the owner of the voice. Trey stood in the midst of the parted area where he stood, his face glowing with determination. Instantly, Skunk, Fish, and others broke out into fits of uncontrollable laughter. "You?" Fish wheezed out, finishing his laughs. "You really think you can defeat me?"

Trey took a confident step forward into the arena, fur puffed out slightly. "Don't judge me because I'm younger than you; I can be just as powerful as the next wolfos!"

Fish strode around Trey, never drawing his eyes away from the keaton. His hunches were up, and he was grinned sadistically as he stalked his enemy, trying his best to intimidate the young keaton. "Oi, look, the little fellow's bluffing!" He shouted with a sneer, "He's too afraid of me to admit his fear!" The crowd of gruff wolfos chuckled, sneers also upon their faces. "Let me tell you something, pup," He hissed, still continuing his threatening walk around the keaton. "…You ain't no wolfos."

-oO T.B.C Oo-

Dairokkan: -sly grin-

Speedfox:Glad ya like it!

Jaderill: Thank you for your kind words! Yes, it was a glitch, and it happens to me too. Just go back to the glitched chapter a few days or so after you've experienced the glitch and it should be fine. You were almost at the end, too. Trey is adorable, I have to agree! Who wouldn't love a energetic ball of yellow fuzz? –snuggles Trey-

Ri2: -pokes ending to chapter- Dum dum dummm…!