After they had rushed away from the mountains, they quickly stopped again at the small pond that Salty, Shakey and Mooch washed at, and quickly washed off whatever punch had stained their fur and feathers. Everyone wanted to look their best for this howl, especially Salty and Mooch, who were still single.
By the time the party had arrived at the howling rock, a waxing gibbous moon had risen high, giving the night a bluish glow, and several wolf couples had already taken up platforms and landings. They were all busy dancing together, and filling the air with their graceful howls. Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Omegas, all were cutting loose side by side.
"Great." Sulked Garth. "I knew we were going to be late."
"I told you guys we should have taken sled down the hill on that log we found!" hissed Mooch in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Sorry. I was too relaxed to really focus on log sledding." Replied Salty calmly. "And I was feeling a bit dizzy from the punch."
"Guys, guys relax." Said Humphrey, everyone turning to him. "No one cares if a few guys are late."
"Yeah. And we made it in the end, didn't we?" added Shakey. "Everything's good."
Everyone calmed down, and continued to walk up the path, up the rock, past a few dance platforms that were already taken. There were still plenty open, but first they had to find someone to dance with. Soon enough, the rest of the pack started piling in.
"So, what should we do sir?" asked Paddy
"Well, since we're not really trying to pick up any girls, wolf, goose or duck," Marcel replied, I guess we should maybe go find a place to "howl" ourselves." He turned back to the wolves. "We'll catch up with you boys later."
" 'K. See ya." Called Humphrey as everyone waved later to the birds.
"Don't dance too close to the other wolves. They might be tempted to eat you!" Garth called after them.
"We better listen to Garth's advice, sir." Paddy whispered as they waddled away, Paddy balancing on his stick crutch, for his foot still hurt.
"Ah yes, most definitely. And who knows; maybe we'll see Janice and Reba again and get some more of that delicious punch."
"Well, I believe they said they were going to brew as much as they could for this howl last we saw them. But you might want to take it easy. You don't want to drink too much."
"Thanks for the concern Paddy, but don't worry. I've drunken more wine in my life than you probably have. If I can handle a full human glass of Beaujolais-Villages Appellation d'Origine controlee, surely I can handle a few more shots of this punch."
"You guys see Kate?" Humphrey asked as the five friends all looked off at the incoming crowd of wolves.
"Nope, sorry." Replied Garth sadly. "Anyone see Lilly?"
"Nope. How about Janice? Or Reba?" asked Shakey.
"Guys, we don't see any of your mates!" snapped Salty. He was frustrated because he was being reminded that he was still single, while his three closest friends all had mates. At least he still had Mooch to share his pain.
"Anybody seen five smoken' wolf boys?" asked a voice from under their rock. And just then popped up a black, shaggy head.
"MILO!" everyone exclaimed. Garth was the first to jump down from the rock and give his friend a hug. They embraced by wrapping their arms around each other's necks.
"Great to see you buddy." Said Garth.
"Likewise mate! So where's the groom?"
"Right here." Said Humphrey as he jumped down and gave him a knuckle bump. "What's up Milo?
"Nothin' but the sky bro!" he burst out laughing.
"Hey, that's my line!"
"Oh, right. Sorry! So, how's the par-tay?"
"It's great!" Shakey joined in. "We've been all over the park today! We smoked dope flowers, beat up hunters, and went to the hot springs! Sick day! Wish you were there."
"Eh, you know. I had gamma duties. But I'm here now for the howl! Speakin' of, you guys haven't seen Chelsea, have you?"
"Right behind you." Piped up Chelsea's sweet, grown-woman sounding voice from behind Milo. He turned and saw his beautiful grey mate. "Hey Boys."
"Hey baby. How's it going?"
"Great." She stepped over to Milo and licked his snout.
"Oooh" he giggled. "Sounds like someone's ready to howl!"
"Hey Chelsea, have you seen Kate?" Humphrey asked.
"-Or Lilly?" asked Garth.
"-Or Janice?" asked Shakey.
"Well, all three of them are up on the rock somewhere." She replied.
"They're already here?" asked Humphrey surprised. "How long have they been here?
"Me and they have been here for the last hour. You see Humphrey, we have a surprise for you."
"A surprise? Really? Will I like it?"
"I think so."
"Enough small talk." Said Milo, cutting in. "We have some rock to cut, Chelsea!" He gave her a playful nudge, making her giggle and futz a little. "Hot Dog!" He exclaimed. "We'll catch up with you guys later."
"Okay. Later." Garth answered as they all waved away to the happy couple. Humphrey then spoke up.
"Okay, so Garth, Shakey, I say we should go find our mates, and howl with them. Salty, Mooch, how about you guys stay here and try to pick up some girls?"
"Sounds like a plan to me! Game on!" answered Salty.
"Okay." Nodded Mooch. "We'll catch up later."
As the other three walked off together, Salty was the first one to start talking. "Okay, Mooch. Ready to get some girls? You know, now that the whole 'Alpha-Omega' law is passed, we can finally hit on alpha girls!"
"So, you've thought of better pick up lines than just 'hey', right?"
"Uhhh, not really." Replied Salty. "But I'm not to worried about the pick-up lines."
"Oh, we're gonna die… alone."
"Relax, we'll be fine! Here, I'll go try hitting on some first." Salty knew he probably wasn't going to do too well, but he wanted to try to get Mooch's spirits up. So he spotted three good-looking alpha girls coming up.
He jumped down and pranced over to them in a showy way. "Hey", he said in a cool, confident voice, and giving them a steely gaze.
"Hey." replied the peach-furred girl on the right. The other two alphas, one brownish, one grey, both looked at Salty, then their friend, like they both had rancid breath (Salty probably did).
This reply caught Salty off guard. He was not expecting any of them to stop, let alone say "hey" back.
"I, umm, I'm Salty." He stuttered. His name was all he could think to say. Inside, he cursed himself for not thinking of something better to say.
"Hi Salty, I'm Lola." The peach one still smiled at him, while the other two rolled their eyes and huffed.
"Uhh, lovely night, don't you think." He went on, desperate to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, I guess." Lola replied, her smile started to fade. Oh no, I'm losing her! Salty thought to himself. He was probably sweating now.
Mooch saw his friend in trouble, and hopped down right next to him, drawing the girls' attention "Ask her to howl." He whispered to Salty.
"Umm, so, wanna howl?" Salty suddenly blurted out.
"Sure." Lola replied as she walked over to Salty, her smile returning.
"Wait, you sure you wanna go with this guy?" Asked the brown alpha, stopping Lola.
"Sure. Why not? I mean he's kind of cute." She turned and whispered back.
Salty, who overheard what Lola said, felt his heart leap out of his body for a split-second. "She thinks I'm cute!" he whispered in loud, yet soft, jittery voice. Mooch grinned, and held out his paw for a down low five, which Salty happily slapped.
"And how would one of you two ladies like to howl with my pal Mooch here?" Salty asked the other two girls in his cool, confident voice again.
The two girls looked at Mooch, disgust on their faces as they looked at the fat omega, thinking of what it would be like to howl with him. Finally, the two walked on. "We'll see ya later, Lola." Called the grey one. "Enjoy your howl."
If Mooch was bothered by this rejection, he did not show it besides a small frown and a sigh.
"I'm sorry man." Said Salty, trying to comfort his friend. "I tried for you."
"It's ok. No prob." Mooch smiled back. "You go howl with your date. I'll stick around and see if I can get someone."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
"Come on Salty." Whined Lola playfully. "Are we going to howl or what?"
"Okay, let's go!" He cheered. "We'll catch ya later Mooch."
After Salty and Lola left up the trail, Mooch was left all alone, but not for long before he heard some shouting and chanting. "One more cup… one more cup…" He heard. He looked more up on the rock, and figured out what was going on. Oooh! Drinking games! Mooch thought. Well forget girls! I'm going to have some punch and join the party! And with that, he headed up the path to join in the fun.
Humphrey, Garth and Shakey were making their way along the path around the rock. Every few steps, they seemed to pass someone who shouted "hey" to them, gave them a high five, or slapped them on the back.
"What's up Garth?" One boy would say.
""Hi Humphrey!" a duo of passing beta girls would call out, and Humphrey responded with a wave and a wink.
"Bros! Give me eight!" Someone randomly came up and started giving the trio high fives.
One passing alpha girl even gave Shakey a small slap on the butt, making him quaver.
"Wow!" Humphrey remarked. "Ever since I've gotten engaged to Kate, I've really gotten popular in this pack."
"Make that we've gotten more popular." Commented Shakey, as he slapped five to another wolf passing.
"Well of course." Said Garth. "I mean you're relationship with Kate is like the second biggest thing in the pack, next to me and Lilly."
"What?" Humphrey demanded, a little offended what he said.
"Well, it's just that me and Lilly are the ones who united the packs, but you and Kate are the ones who changed the social class rule that now Alphas, Omegas, and everyone in between can mate.'
"And that's what gave Lilly and Garth the right to marry and united the packs." Shakey added, sticking up for Humphrey, and nudging his arm into his side a little. "You guys are famous now, you know? And because you're famous, that means your closest pals are famous too!"
They were rounding a bend, when just around the corner, up on a big flat rock was a certain old grey-furred wolf, holding up by the hips another wolf who's fur was just as golden as Kate's. The gold wolf's had her legs and arms stretched out like a ballet dancer. Suddenly, he set her down and started spinning and prancing around with her, just like in a ballet dance. All a while, his deep, though somewhat hoarse howl, was complimented by her light, western howl.
"Winston! Eve!" Humphrey shouted as the trio approached the pack's current leaders. This did interrupt their dance, but they did not seem to mind. Both of them smiled when they saw their two sons in law, and Shakey.
"Ahh, Humphrey, Garth." He turned to Shakey. "Umm, Shakey, right?"
"Yep! That's me!"
"Good. So Humphrey, how's the party going?"
"Awesome, Sir!" He exclaimed. "Right now we're just walking around, chilling, finding some good singles to howl with, you know?"
"I trust you had a fun day too then?"
"Yep!"
"Excellent. I don't want to keep you boys too long now. Go on, enjoy the party."
"Thanks. You guys too."
"Hey wait, have either of you two seen Kate, Lilly, or Janice?" asked Garth.
"Well, I think Janice is up with Reba at the pool, serving out punch with their squirrels." Replied Eve sweetly. "Kate and Lilly should be somewhere around. No doubt they found some handsome boys to howl with."
"What! Why would they do that?" Exclaimed Humphrey surprised. "Are they cheating on us?"
"I'm sure they would never do that." Said Winston reassuringly.
"Well, what are we suppose to do? We were going to howl with them." Said Garth.
"There will be plenty of time for you to howl together when you are mates." Winston replied, still calm. "Remember, the whole point of a bachelor party is to get some time away from your mate-to-be. So go on, howl with some pretty girls."
"Oh, right, duh." Humphrey laughed and slapped himself for forgetting. He was still not quite use to the fact that he and Kate were not married yet.
"But me and Lilly are mates." Garth said worryingly.
"Well Garth, you didn't get a bachelor party, and Lilly didn't get a bachelorette party." Winston replied. "So consider this that."
"Okay, I guess."
"So, come on guys!" Shakey coaxed anxiously. "Let's go find some hot babes to howl with!"
"Yeah! Right!" His two friends replied, as they started to turn to go further up.
"Hold up! One more thing, Humphrey, Garth." Eve stopped them quick. She hopped in front of them, and the grabbed both Humphrey and Garth by the ears, and pulled them in close to her.
"Now listen boys." She hissed in her threatening tone. "If either of you cheat on my daughters, you will be breaking their hearts. And if you break their hearts, I'll rip out both of yours, rip them to shreds, the feed your lifeless corpses to some hungry bears! Do you understand me?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am." The boys whimpered in unison.
"Good then." Her voice returned to that normal, sweet voice she usually speaks in. She released their ears. "Have a nice evening!" She trotted back over to Winston.
Garth and Humphrey needed a few minutes worth to breath after being seeing Eve's bad side for a few seconds.
"Oh and boys," she suddenly exclaimed. The boys slowly turned around to face her again, terrified of what she might threaten them for now.
"Did Chelsea tell you about how the girls all have a surprise for you?"
The three boys nodded in response.
"Well, we're going to be showing that surprise in about, say, half an hour from now. It will be at the center howl floor, the biggest one on the rock."
"Okay. We'll be there! Don't worry!" replied Humphrey
"See you boys there!" she called after them.
As they started walking away, Shakey was the first to start talking again. "Wow! I'm sure happy I don't have Eve for a mother-in-law." He chuckled, making fun of Humphrey and Garth's situation.
"What was that, Shakey?" shouted Eve, who must have overheard what he said.
"I-umm-uhh… I said –um- how happy Garth and Humphrey must be to have such a great mother-in-law!" Shakey quickly stuttered, and then smiled as hard as he could. He knew if he told her the truth, he was a dead omega.
"Oh. Thank you." She replied in a flattered voice.
"Eve, dear, shall we get back to our howl?" asked Winston.
"Oh, yes! Now, where were we?" The happy, old couple jumped back up onto their rock and continued with their dance while Humphrey, Garth, and Shakey high tailed it away from the before Eve exploded again.
"Okay, so, we should find some chicks to howl with, huh? That's what we should do?" Humphrey brought up when they were sure they were away from Eve.
"Yeah, sure. But I still want to howl for at least one round with Janice if we can." Said Shakey apathetically.
"But we're suppose to spend this night away from our mates. Remember?" Said Garth.
"Well, we don't have to. And I'll spend some time away from her at my bachelor party. Right now, I've been away from her all day, I miss her."
"Well, Romeo," Humphrey chuckled, "Juliet awaits in that light through yonder window." He pointed up ahead.
They had come to the part on the hill where in the end of the movie, we see all the wolves tap dancing together, right before they all turn around to Humphrey and Kate up top. Right at the intersection of the paths, next to the waterfall was Janice and Reba. They must have had hundreds of tree stump cups with them, all filled to the brim and spilling their black, wet punch. They were passing out these cups to wolves lining up to drink it, with some help from their little squirrel side kicks, Lifty and Shifty.
(Author's Note: I'm assuming that Janice is the brown-furred one, and Reba is the black one.)
Shifty had just passed one cup to Hutch, and Reba passed one to Cando, both of whom were waiting for their punch.
"Thanks ladies." Said Candu.
"Keep up the good work." Added Hutch.
"No problem. Enjoy!" replied Janice.
As Candu and Hutch started walking away, they passed by Humphrey, Garth and Shakey. "Hey guys." Hutch said as they passed by. The trio was making their way over to Janice and Reba."
"You think we made enough punch for everyone?" asked Janice.
"Without a doubt." Replied her friend, looking down at the countless unused cups. "Just look. Everyone loves our punch. We've already given away like, what is it Shifty? Seventy-eight cups?
Shifty counted out with his tiny fingers, then nodded.
"Yeah. So I'd say we're making progress, starting to wean everyone off caribou blood. Soon maybe the whole pack will start going organic like us."
"Maybe, but probably not." Replied Janice sullenly. "It's worth a try, though."
"Hello ladies." Said a familiar voice. "May we have a few rounds?" The girls turned to face the source of the voice, Shakey, accompanied by Humphrey and Garth.
"Shakey!" exclaimed Janice as she hopped over to him, and they embraced each other. "How was your day?"
"Oh, it's been a wild day! I missed you so much!" with they started to pull out of the embrace, and then brought their snouts close together and started kissing (licking) each other's faces all over.
"Jezz! You'd think they haven't seen each other in years!" Garth whispered to Humphrey.
"They're affectionate. You do this stuff with Lilly all the time, don't you?" Humphrey replied.
"Yeah, but not with such anxiety."
Humphrey had remembered how Shakey would talk all the time about how much he and Janice were in love. He would describe how when they made out, like they were right now, he would taste the sweetest blueberries when their tongues or mouths met. That must have been a good feeling, and Humphrey was very happy for Shakey, that he had found true love just as he and Garth have.
At last, the lovers pulled away from each other, and took a second to catch their breath. "So, how's the punch selling? Shakey asked.
"Great." Replied Reba. "We've already given away about 90 cups."
"You girls have really pulled it off with this punch." Commented Garth as he took three cups from Lifty and passed one to Humphrey and Shakey each. "I'd say this is the next big thing for the pack."
"Let's just hope this doesn't turn our alphas into drunkards! Then we're in trouble!" laughed Humphrey.
Everyone got a good laugh out of that one.
"So Janice, I think you deserve a little break." Shakey said when the laughter died down. And then he continued smoothly "Wanna howl?"
Janice's smile and eyes widened, and then she ran over to Reba, and then they both screamed screams of glee, the kind teenage girls scream when they get really excited. Garth and Humphrey exchanged surprised looks at this. The kind of look Kate gave in the movie after Eve told her how to kill Garth if things got out of hand.
"Of course! I'd love to howl with you Shakey!" she responded after she and Reba had finished screaming. Then she turned back to Reba for a split second. "Can you handle the stand without me?"
"Sure. No prob. Just don't forget about that thing in about twenty minutes." She winked at Janice.
"Are you guys talking about that surprise thing that Kate, Chelsea and Eve are in on?" asked Humphrey, to which he received nodes from the two girls. "Okay, now I'm really excited to see what this thing is."
"You'll like it Humphrey, trust me." Said Janice. "You will too Garth."
"Okay, enough talk sugar!" Shakey said. "We have a howl floor to steal!" He turned to Humphrey and Garth quick. "I'll catch up with you guys later!" and with that, he and his mate started walking down past the waterfall, side by side.
"So come on, what's this surprise thing?" He asked as they started walking together to find a floor.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." She giggled in response.
"Awww."
"Don't worry, you'll see the surprise soon. And don't worry, you'll like it as much as Humphrey will."
"Really?"
"Really really."
"Okay." He took another drink of his punch cup, then passed it to Janice, and she finished it, then set it on a stone.
"Well, we better get going, Reba." Humphrey said after Shakey and Janice left. "Hope you give out all your punch."
"Thanks guys." She smiled at them. As Humphrey and Garth started walking further up the rock, a big red-furred, black-spotted wolf, just came up the way they came and staggered up to Reba.
"Hey Babe!" he greeted her coolly.
"Hi Rocky." She responded lovingly. She noticed that his dark eyes were a bit glassy, and his head was bobbling.
"Hey, where did Janice go?"
"She went off with Shakey."
"Oh, she just! Uggh! Okay."
"How are the drinking games going?"
"Uhhhh, Great! Bobby threw up it after five cups, I took on eight, and now Mooch is up, and he's on eight I think. I came up for more cups."
"Okay, let's bring down more cups."
"For crying out loud woman! I said we need more punch!"
"And I said okay." She replied, almost shouting back at him. He obviously had too much punch. "But no more for you, and don't make anyone drink too much either.
She turned to the squirrels as they stacked up a bunch of cups for them to bring down. "Lifty, help us bring down these cups. Shifty, you're in charge of the stand until we get back."
Shifty stood straight up and saluted while Lifty climbed onto Reba's back, and they started heading down the rock, careful not to spill.
"Well Garth, guess it's just you and me now." Humphrey said as the two of them started walking together, sipping their punch every now and then.
"Yep. See anyone you want to howl with?"
"Well, I still don't know if I'd be comfortable howling with someone else. I mean I don't want to cheat on Kate, especially after what Eve said." He shuttered at the thought of her ripping his heart out.
"Forget about Kate man. Like Winston said; don't worry about cheating on her until you're actually mates. For now, just find someone you think is pretty, and go howl with her."
"Well, there's no creature on this entire planet more beautiful than Kate if you ask me."
"And I don't think there's anyone more beautiful than Lilly. But this is our time to be away from both of them, and do things we won't get to do when we are with them."
"Like howling with other girls?"
"Exactly!"
"Hey boys!" called the voice of a grown woman, interrupting them. They looked over at two beautiful looking beta girls. One was slate, and had a loose-hanging patch of black fur on her head, and the other was whitish, but somewhat grey, and had her fur worn somewhat like Lilly.
"Well hello there." Humphrey replied as he approached them. "Wanna howl with us."
"Sure." They both replied in unison.
"There we go!" Humphrey whispered to Garth. "That's one for you and one for me."
"I honestly thought I was the one who was going to have to hook us up." Replied Garth impressed.
"What's that suppose to mean.?"
"Nothing. Forget about it."
They four of them hopped over to a ledge jutting out from the trail, and looking down on the joyful howlers below. They then stood up on their hind legs. The boys each chugged the last bit of punch in their cups, then threw the cups down behind them, letting them roll down the trail.
Humphrey and Garth started howling to begin the dance. They waited a second to listen to the howlers at the top of the mountain to catch on to the song, which had a similar melody to "Do The Hustle", with all the "oooo's" being howled, and then started howling along with them. They started hopping around and spinning. The two girls started doing the same. Before long, they were doing the hustle.
Humphrey stepped two and fro with the white girl. They moved in close during some moves, his body nearly touching hers, and feeling some heat from it. He spun her around, holding her delicate paw during the side breaks, wheels, and loops. His deep, strong howl was coupled with her deep, grown, beautiful howl. His mind was not at all on Kate. It was just him and this beta right there, right then. He did look over at Garth and the slate girl every now and then, and he could tell he was experiencing the same thrills, his mind far off Lilly.
Everyone at howling rock was cutting loose in this song, going crazy with their partners, doing the hustle. Back down closer to the bottom of the rock, Milo and Chelsea were cutting loose doing the hustle themselves.
Soon, the song ended, and most male wolves found themselves holding their partners down in their arms, like how many dances end. Milo and Chelsea ended on a similar note.
"WOW! Milo." Laughed Chelsea, who was still swept off her feet. "You dance better than any beta I've ever seen."
"Thanks Hun." He smiled. "Up for the next round?"
"Ohh! You have no idea how much I want the next round!" she hissed playfully as she stood up, then got down on all fours, as did he. Then she spoke more calmly. "But it's about fifteen minutes before we show of that big surprise. I better go get ready for it. I'll catch up with you after it." She then ran walked off from their little platform, and headed off up the path toward the
"Okay." He called after her. Then he said out loud to himself "Well, guess it's time to hit the drinking games!" and he ran up the trail to the games.
On the way, he passed by Salty and Lola, who were dancing happily together on top of a flat rock. They were dancing like the first couple in the movie's first moonlight howl.
"So, you've been to a lot of howls in your life so far?" Salty asked smoothly in between howls.
"Yeah, been to a lot. I haven't been counting though." She responded after howling.
"Howl with a lot of cute boys I bet."
"Yep, a few, and some of them not so cute."
"Well, I'm one of the cute ones, right?"
"Oh yeah, absolutely."
Milo had arrived at another platform where a ton of wolves had gathered around. Each of them were chanting "Go! Go! Go! Go!" to someone in the center. As he approached the crowd, Milo smelled something really strong and foul.
"MILO!" Rocky jumped out and shouted into Milo's face. "How ya doin', Budday!"
"Uhh, hey there Rocky." Milo responded, a little creeped out. "I'm guessen' you've had some of Reba's punch?"
"You're not even, uhhh, well. Yeah. I've had at least fifteen cups! Or was it eight? Well I puked at eight, then I think I had about three more. This stuff is awesome!"
"Oh, puke. That's what smells so bad." Milo said more to himself than to Rocky. "So, who's in the middle now?" He and rocky walked over to see Mooch lying down on his back, and one wolf pouring another cup of punch into his jaws. Everyone still shouting, "Go! Go! Go!"
Finally, every last drop was poured out of the cup, and Mooch started to get up. His upper body was spinning. From his point of view, the whole world was spinning and tilting. Everything was switching between blurry, wavy or tippled, sometimes two at once or all three.
Everyone else was quite, holding their breath, waiting to see if Mooch could hold it in. Suddenly, Mooch felt a churning pain in his stomach. He began to feel his insides begin pushed up his throat. He got down on all fours, and threw up all over the ground. All the wolves watching, including Milo, all moaned and laughed and clapped.
"How many was that?" someone asked loudly.
"I think that was nineteen." Someone else answered.
"Oh, man! I don't feel so good." Mooch whined.
"You're out buddy." Milo said compassionately. He walked over to Mooch and helped him get up and walk over out of the center, careful not to let him step into the brown and black, chunky, and very stinky puddle of vomit that was lying on the ground.
"Who's Next!" Shouted Rocky. "Before anyone could answer, he turned to Milo. "How about you, Milo!"
"Alright, bring it on!" he shouted in response. "Let's boogie!"
"That's the spirit Milo!" Someone shouted, another slapped Milo on the back. Suddenly, everyone started chanting "Milo! Milo! Milo!" as Milo got into the center, again careful not to step in the puke.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the rock, Shakey and Janice were on a somewhat crowded floor (they had plenty of room for themselves, they were just sharing with three other couples), doing a dance that was a cross between the jitterbug and the tango, but mostly the jitterbug. Throughout the song, they had been doing many flashy spins, loops, dips and taps. They were so flashy, that the other couples on the floor stopped to watch them for a second. By the end of the number, they Janice first dipped Shakey down low, and then lifted him up in the air on one paw, as many tango numbers have ended. Their audience applauded their performance as Janice let Shakey down.
"Woo! You sure are a fine dancer babe!" Shakey commented as he licked Janice's snout.
"You too. But then again, I guess that's why they call you 'Shakey'." She giggled as she licked him back. By then, the other couples had resumed with the next howl.
"Another round?" He asked.
"Sorry, but it's about ten minutes before the big surprise. Time to go get ready for it." She leaned over and licked his face again. "I'll see you after it, okay?"
"Okay, see you then. And I hope I like it like you said."
"Don't worry. You'll like it!" She said as she turned off and walked up the trail to wherever she had to go.
Suddenly, Shakey saw two pretty looking alphas cross his path, one brownish and one grey. "So, who should we howl with next?" asked the brown one.
"I'll howl with you ladies." Shakey walked up to them.
The girls first looked at him spastically. The grey one was the first to respond. "Come on Abby, what have we got to loose? This little guy's cute." She started walking over to Shakey.
"Uhh! You and Lola!" the brown one, apparently named Abby, hissed angrily. "Fine, we'll dance with the midget wolf."
Shakey was a bit angered by these remarks, but he figured would calm down after a few seconds of howling. He was howling with two pretty alphas now. That was almost just as good as with Janice.
Marcel and Paddy themselves were having fun howling together, in the same place they howled at the end of the movie. Marcel had drunken about five cups of punch, and now it was going to his head. They were both howling in the same manner they were at the end of the film, only Paddy's foot still hurt a little, so he was still supporting himself on his crutch.
Suddenly, Eve came up to them from behind. "Marcel, Paddy." She said. Marcel was the first to turn around and see the big wolf in front of him.
"AHHH!" He screamed in terror. Then he started to run, but his faithful caddy, who was more sober, stopped him.
"Sir! It's okay! It's okay!" He said soothingly and calmly as he could. "It's just Miss Eve."
"Oh!" He replied, and then turned around to face Eve again. "My humblest apologies Miss Eve. I do believe I have drunken too much punch."
"Oh it's fine. I startle many creatures, even when they're sober." She giggled in response.
"So, what can we do for you?"
"Would you boys be dears and bring up these things to the top of the rock?" she asked, and then dropped down in front of them a flashlight and some large leaves of different colors.
"What for?" asked Paddy
"Well, we have a project that me, my daughters, and their friends have been working on for Humphrey and his friends, and they're about to show them the surprise in five minutes from now. I need you two to take these things, and project light on that floor over there." She pointed over to a large rock platform jutting out from a cliff. It was a lot like the cliff Garth had practiced his howling on, only bigger.
"I need you two to shine this human light stick thing on that platform there, give Kate and her friends a little spotlight. And then flash these leaves in front of the light to change the colors for effect. Can you boys do that for us?"
"Of course we will help with this project." Replied Marcel happily.
"I do have one question if you don't mind me asking." Said Paddy. "Where did you get a flashlight?"
"Oh, well Rocky has a collection of trinkets he collects from hunters the Eastern pack had beaten, and so this was in the collection so he was nice enough to let me use it."
"Oh, I see." And with that, the birds picked up the materials, and flew up to the top, and Eve ran off to find Humphrey and his friends.
She found Salty first, who was still having fun howling with Lola. "Salty, honey, it's time for the big surprise. So get your gaunt omega butt to the center platform!"
"Aww, can't I stay a little longer with Lola here?"
"No! Come to the center now! And bring the rest of your gang if you see them. Enjoy the show dear." And she walked off.
Salty turned sadly to Lola. "I'm sorry Lola. That was really cool howling with me tonight."
"Why can't I come and see this surprise with you and your friends?" she asked.
"Well it's…hmm, good point. I didn't think about that. Okay. Let's go together!" He suddenly felt much happier know he could spend more time with his date. They started walking together toward the center. "Oh, but first, we better go find Mooch. I bet he's at the drinking games."
Sure enough, Mooch was there. While everyone else was getting up and walking toward the center, Mooch was still laying down, napping it seemed. Salty and Lola approached him.
"Mooch, buddy, time to wake up." Salty whispered to his friend, while shaking and nudging him.
"Mooch slowly lifted his eyelids open, and saw four Saltys orbiting around each other. "Salty?" He asked doubtfully.
"Dude, how much punch did you drink?"
"I don't know, five, ten, fifty, a hundred cups?"
"It was nineteen cups." Said a passing omega.
"Nineteen cups?" Exclaimed Salty. "Wow! Man you're a legend!"
"I don't feel like a legend. What is a legend?"
"You really took a beating from it, didn't you?" asked Lola. "Come on." She got under one of Mooch's fore legs, or arms, and started to help him up. "Help me." She hissed to Salty.
"Oh, right." He responded. He got under the other arm, and together, they lifted Mooch up, and then started carrying him to the center.
Meanwhile, up near the top of the rock, Humphrey and Garth were just finishing the last song howling with their new friends. Garth suddenly looked down at the center, and noticed that everyone was gathering around the big howl floor.
"Hey, Humphrey. I think the big surprise is being revealed! We better get down there." He said.
"Okay." Humphrey replied. I'll see you later, Rachel." He said to his howl partner.
"Okay. Bye Humphrey." She replied and gave him a gentle lick on the nose.
Garth said goodbye to his partner, whose name was Beth, and then they both quickly ran down to the center so as not to miss the surprise.
When they got to the bottom, they ran into Eve, who had them sit down in the front, right next to Shakey, Mooch, Salty, and a pretty-looking peach-furred wolf women whom Humphrey did not know. "Enjoy the show, boys. She said to them before walking away.
"Hey Salty, who's your lady friend?" Garth asked in a look-who's-got-a-girlfriend type voice.
"Oh, Garth, Humphrey, this is Lola." He stuttered quickly. "Lola, these guys are Humphrey and Garth." He pointed to them respectively.
"I know them." She replied, though not angrily or rudely. "Everyone in the pack knows them."
Humphrey looked over at Mooch, and noticed that his eyes were a bit glassy, he was softly moaning, and his head was wobbling as if he were dizzy. "Hey Mooch, you okay buddy?" Humphrey asked.
"He's completely smashed." Replied Shakey. "He had nineteen cups of punch."
"Holy Cow!" exclaimed Garth softly.
"I know, right?"
"Think he'll be okay?" asked Humphrey, a bit worried.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. He just needs a little time."
Suddenly, a bright yellow light was shined upon the floor. Everyone backed out away from it so the whole stage was clear. Some got to the sides of the stage, not just the front. Humphrey quickly looked up to find the source of the light, and saw it at the top of the rock, but could not quick make out exactly what it was.
On the floor were five shrubs, arranged into an order like an arrow pointed to the front. Suddenly, the front bush moved up to reveal a golden-furred alpha wolf, with red markings over her eyes down to her snout, and all over her arms, as though she had dressed up for some ancient native ritual or something. She also had a big pink flower in her hair, and her bright golden eyes lit up her face even more than her fur did.
Kate! Humphrey screamed in his head. She seemed more beautiful than usual with that make-up. He could not help be let his mouth hang open. He looked around and noticed that many other boy wolves did the same. Some even howled for her, and called out to her. Still she tried to act oblivious to all of it. And then, she started to dance a little, with a few simple light steps, and then she started to sing.
Turn it inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me
And when I wake you're never there
But when I sleep you're everywhere
You're everywhere
Now, the light that shaded the floor started to change colors (Marcel was waving the leaves in front of the flashlight), first to red, then purple, then blue, then green, then orange, then back again to yellow, then repeated the cycle with red again. After a second, The second two bushes behind her revealed themselves to be Lilly and Chelsea. They each had the same markings as Kate, only they were blue. They joined in on Kate's dance as her back-up dancers, and started singing along with her.
Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
'Cause every time I look
you're never there
And every time I sleep
you're always there
Suddenly, right before the next verse began, the last two shrubs in the back were thrown off, revealing Janice and Reba, this time with green markings, and they added their voices to chorus.
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone
Whoa, oh, oooh,
I'm not alone
Throughout the song, they all danced together. Doing the Macarena, stepping and snapping, simply stepping, spinning, moon walking, even lightly stepping on paws and heads held out by wolves on the side, Jack Skellington style. Kate's beautiful singing voice was the most prominent of the chorus, many lines backed up by Lilly and Chelsea, with Janice and Reba providing howls in the background. Overall, it was a beautiful sound produced by the five wolves.
All the wolves on the sides continued to howl and cheer for them, though not too much as to distract them. Humphrey could not cheer. The beauty of the show seduced him. All he could do was watch his future mate and all her friends dance along to the music. Apparently, Garth, Shakey, and Milo (and possibly Rocky) were all entranced as well.
I recognize the way you make me feel
It's hard to think that
you might not be real
I sense it now, the water's getting deep
I try to wash the pain away from me
Away from me
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone
Whoa whoa, lone
I'm not alone
I am not alone
Whoa, oh, oooh, oh
Finally, right as the next verse was about to start, Kate came up closer to the front row, close to Humphrey. Paddy covered some of the flashlight with his wing, closing the spotlight on Kate more. And Marcel stopped doing the leaf effect. All the backup dancers stepped out of the spotlight. It was just Kate and Humphrey now. They were the only ones the light encircled. They were alone in the world. Kate kneeled down closer to Humphrey, and gently touched his muzzle with her paw.
And when I touch your hand
It's then I understand
The beauty that's within
It's now that we begin
You always light my way
I hope there never comes a day
No matter where I go
I always feel you so
And then she jumped back again to finish the last few verses with her back-up dancers, and Marcel and Paddy restored the flashlight's ray to its fullest, and continued with the light color effect.
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I catch my breath
it's you I breathe
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone
Whoa whoa lone
The light closed in on Kate again.
You're in everyone I see
So tell me
Do you see me?
At last, the song was over, and Paddy turned off the flashlight. The rock then roared with applause and howling. Humphrey, Garth, Shakey, and Milo were all sure to cheer and clap extra hard for their mates.
The moonlight howl was finally over, and the pack started to clear out of the howling rock. After the massive crowd cleared out a bit, the friends quickly split up to see their mates quick. Humphrey had told them all to meet at the pond (the one where Kate and Humphrey were taken, and the one where The Gathering took place) when they were done.
Humphrey met up with Kate somewhere on the trail.
"That was Incredible!" was the first thing he could say after they embraced each other quickly. "You and all those moves! Really! I've seen you make good moves when hunting, but dancing? That was just amazing! And don't get me started on how beautiful your singing was!"
"Thanks." She smiled. "You have no idea how many times we've rehearsed that."
"You're mom gave me a hint. Did she direct the whole thing?"
"Yep. How did you know?"
"Well, it was very well directed, but mostly because she pretty much made me and my friends come to see it."
"Would you have come if she didn't make you?"
"Of course I would have. You were in it, after all."
She smiled at him. She was happy that Humphrey was to be her mate. She loved him as much as he loved her. She had always loved, even since they were pups. She had just tried to repress and hide those feelings because of pack law, and knew that back then she would never get to be with him. She loved his funny, caring, fun-loving personality, and now that they were engaged, she took the time to see how handsome he was.
"So, you ready to head back to the den? We can cuddle up together and talk about our day."
"Uh, sorry, not yet. Me and the guys still have one thing left to do for my big night."
"You have one more thing besides after this? What could be a better way to wrap up your bachelor party than this?
"It's kind of a thing for us guys. I'd rather not talk about it too much."
Kate didn't like Humphrey keeping secrets from her. But it was his party away from her, and she respected that, so she just smiled and said. "Okay. Have fun with what you're doing. I'll be waiting when you're done."
"Okay. Good night then. I'll see you soon." They shared a kiss. Humphrey loved the feel of her smooth tongue against his snout. Soon, he thought to himself happily, we'll be doing a lot worse things to each other than just kissing.
And with that, he ran off to join his friends again. Kate started heading back to the dens to start washing off her make-up. She knew Lilly, Janice, Chelsea and Reba would catch up with her.
To Humphrey's surprise, when he got to the pond, his six friends were already there waiting for him. They were chatting about how much they liked the show, and about how sexy their mates looked. They were also complimenting Salty on how he finally got a date. He told them that he and Lola have made plans for tomorrow night to go patrolling the borders together.
Humphrey walked in to the crowd. "Pile!" shouted Shakey as he pounced Humphrey, followed by Salty, Garth, then Mooch. They all burst out laughing. Mooch was still a little drunk, but he was slowly coming too.
"Dude! You're the luckiest dog in the pack!" exclaimed Salty, "getting married to someone like Kate!"
"Well now you have Lola, Salty." Replied Humphrey.
"Oh, yeah."
"Phew! That was one sick party today, eh guys?" Garth brought up as they all got up.
Everyone nodded in agreement. "And it's not over yet." Said Humphrey.
"Say what?" said Garth, surprised.
Shakey was the next to start ranting "Humphrey, we had a big moonlight howl, howled with dozens of hot girls, drank tons of punch, and to top it off, watched all our hotter mates dance for us. What more do you want?"
"Guys, there is one more thing we need to do to make this the ultimate bachelor party, and completely top off my history of omega fun and games."
"Oh yeah, what?" asked Garth suspiciously.
"You know that thing where we like to take a broken-up log, make a sled out of it, and ride it down a big hill?"
"Yeah, log sledding." Replied Salty. "What about it?"
"Guys, the last thing we are going to do for my bachelor party is... Go to the top of Pyramid Mountain, and log sled all the way to the bottom!"
Everyone's jaws dropped when they heard this.
"He's right. It is on the list." Commented Paddy, who was holding up the party bark to-do list.
Author's Note: Wow! That was long! Thank you anyone who has read this chapter through the end. It took me three days to finish this chapter. So again, thank you all my readers, supporters, reviewers, and subscribers for appreciating my work. I hope this can keep everyone satisfied until I can find the time to write the next chapter. It won't be as long, don't worry. Song credits go to "Do the Hustle" by Van Macoy and "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch, neither of which I own.