I realized that there has been a lot of confusion with placement in Sawtooth, the number of days in which the attack will happen, and the strange outbursts of emotion everyone is showing. Well I hate to admit it, but I think I'm the one who turned Amy into a grump back in Chapter 11, and it was I who made the readers think Mooch and Monica were hitting it off, I also apologize for doing these things without the other authors' approval, so I'm sorry for that. But to make it up to you all and put this story back in the hands of the other authors, I will do something I should've done a while ago. I also apologize for my ignorance, I didn't know it was my turn to write a chapter, and I read the whole story in one day just to make up for time. So here's my long awaited chapter! Again…so sorry…

The Longest Alpha and Omega Story

Chapter 18

Daybreak, the name of the time was in perfect equality with the state of intoxication that was desperately trying to free Shawn from his inter plague. Heartbreak, that's what he was feeling, and the sorrow and depression he felt was crawling its way throughout his body like a swarm of locus devouring a field, leaving nothing but a trail of scraps and memories behind him. He was already awake, there was no questioning that, the sunlight had pulled him up and forced his eyes open so that he may attack the day once more and go searching for his love.

Kylee…where have you gone too? Please…if only for a second…

The thoughts were purged from his mind by the sound of a bird beginning its morning song. It startled him, but he had a guilty conscience from the other day regardless. He still was feeling terrible about leaving Kylee by herself in the territory, she could've been killed, and yet he thought nothing of it at the time. With a sigh that weighed a ton, the desolate forest that surrounded him and felt as it was closing in to consume him, but he stood up on all four legs anyway and walked out into the blinding light. He moved his body, as many aches and pains as could be, but still he moved towards Kate's den, so that they may begin searching again.

Shawn realized that he had woken up earlier than he thought, for as he walked through the land towards his friend, the birds were just starting to chirp, the river seemed as though it was running slower than normal, the clouds in the sky still absorbed all the orange and purple light coming from the rising sun, and the winds were light, as if someone was moving them through the air towards a child, wanting a small laugh and play. The tranquility of the woodland taiga formed a cone around Shawn, and it gave him the small boost of self-confidence needed to continue propelling his distraught body to his goal.

Her den was in sight, and he walked up to it with a skip in his step and made his way over to the entrance, but his blood hardened and his limbs locked when he saw who was inside. Kate was there, sleeping on her side instead of on her stomach due to the new pups, and Kylee was sleeping there as well, just casually, no issues, no pains, no visible problems whatsoever. Shawn began hyperventilating and tried to calm himself, but Kate and Kylee had just been pulling his tail. The both shot right up from their former positions and laughed until Kylee fell over holding her side. Shawn got his senses back after he shook his head and actually moved his sore limbs again, namely his forelegs.

"You guys…! That's not funny!" Shawn said at them loudly, but not so much as to yell. Kate was laughing hard as well, but she just shook her head at Shawn.

"You're never going to believe this Shawn…" She started after she finished laughing. "As it turns out, Kylee just went out for a stroll, and since you and I kept moving around looking for her, we never ran into one another. After you and I parted ways for the night, she came to me here and reminded me she didn't have a den to stay in. So I let her stay and told her how we went looking for her, she found it very funny, but I didn't tell her why…" Kate gave Shawn and wink after her long agita speech of an explanation. To which Shawn felt like a complete ninnyhammer.

She was back here? Just taking a stroll? Am I an Alpha or a fool?

He asked himself in his head at the stupidly obvious answer as to why they couldn't find her. But after he grabbed his head with his paw and rubbed it like he was confessing to a crime, Kylee got up on her own four feet and walked up to him and looked directly at him.

"Kate is right…she said you were looking for me…but she said you'd want to tell me why yourself." Shawn's ears fell and his eyes widened, Kylee giggled and smiled at him, this made him feel alright inside, and he was home again.

"Yes…of course I'll tell you…myself, but could we…go for a walk?" He said, blushing underneath his fur, luckily the crimson and titian light covered it up nicely. Kylee nodded her head and walked out of the den, but before Shawn followed her, he ran up to Kate and told her,

"Help…me…"

To which she only laughed and sighed as he had before. "Just be yourself Shawn, I know she likes you. Follow your heart…"

Shawn took a deep breath and ran after her, he was shaking and about ready to fall over as if his legs were stiff and/or frozen. But this was what he wanted; he just didn't expect to have to do it so early in the morning.

(In Idaho)

The same hopeful sun was rising in Idaho to shine on the wolves, which had just the night before been at each other's throats. Mooch was sleeping in an on and off position, allowing him to move around in his sleep to get comfortable. Salty was sleeping near the entrance, as the other room had been taken up by the clouded bodies of Amy, Monica, and Lori all huddled up back in the corner to keep Amy safe from an further attacks, as she was still in danger from the bite that had been dealt to her now, frail and tender skin. Adam and Kenny had gone out hunting, but the success was underrated, they managed to catch a squirrel and a rabbit by working together, but their teamwork was thwarted by a lowly caribou herd that smelled the blood from their dead catches and scurried off into the depths of the greenery that was their forest home.

Amy began to twitch at the scent of blood, and with Monica and Lori sleeping next to her, she shot right awake and rattled them awake with it. Amy slowly got to her feet as to not feel any pain from her injury and carefully walked towards the opening, sniffing the air, and being frightened out of her fur by the two hunters as the appeared out of nowhere at the beginning for the walk that lead to the den.

"Ah…! My gosh…" She complained to them, and was tempted to hit them for scaring her, but it was too early, "What's wrong with the two of you!" She said with anger and pity in her voice, with her short temper, they might've been killed for scaring her.

"What are we doing?" Adam started, not letting the squirrel fall out of his maw, which was encrusted with the scarlet liquid of the unfortunate rodent to cross the wolf's path. "You shouldn't be up and moving around! With that injury you could start bleeding again just from moving too quickly." He said and moved his way inside the den with Kenny, who held the rabbit. They slundered into the hideaway and placed the two mini-meals in the corner.

"That won't be enough for all of us, that's not even enough for me!" Amy chided into the pervious discussion. Unfortunately for her, Monica who was still partly asleep from Amy getting up so rapidly heard her again, and just like before, stood up to her rudeness.

"Amy…are you serious?" All the wolves that were awake looked at her; this included Lori, Adam, Kenny, Salty, and Mooch. "We all have to share food when it comes to times like this! Midnight disappeared last night and we have no idea where he's gone to, because he's obviously not back yet, and you're still being an absolute priss! Just because you're injured doesn't mean you get to be bossy! Not here, not now, and with any luck…not ever again!" And as Monica finished, Mooch saw this warm glow around here, like there was something he hadn't seen before in her, something that was getting his attention like nothing else. But the moment was broken in retaliation from Amy,

"You shall not speak to your superior that way Monica!" But the words only made Monica angrier, and Amy saw it too.

"You made be my superior Alpha back home in the pack, but out here we're all equal, and we have to treat each other with respect. Something that you haven't shown to anyone! Not even Midnight, and he could've killed all of us in an instant if he wanted to! But he didn't, he's even being nice about! And the Omegas…"

"Don't even get me started on those stupid, lousy, worthless, pesky, dead weight wolves that ought to be ashamed of themselves for even calling themselves members of a pack! A pack in founded upon its best fighter, not their top comedians! It's dumb and pointless, you know it and I know it!" Amy was as viscous with her words as ever, and all the Omegas were used to it, but Monica and Lori took it offensively. Lori was the one who jumped in first, as Monica was beginning to cry about what she had said.

"Amy…they may be Omegas, but they're still wolves. You can't just throw them out and expect them to fend for themselves." Lori tried to rationalize the presence of their traveling companions, but Amy was unconvinced.

"Yes I can, in fact they should do it themselves to make it easier on all of us! Why would one bother wasting food on an Omega who doesn't fight or hunt or do anything! An Omega's life is nothing but one gigantic freebie!" Amy was beginning to hurt Monica's feeling even though she wasn't an Omega, and before anyone knew it, Monica was yelling at her.

"You have no rights to judge an Omega's life and morals! They're nice wolves, they care for one another and do everything in their power to make others smile and be happy! You do the complete opposite, and sometimes, you might want to think about an Alpha's feeling before you go and trash an Omega's, because you never who they might like and care about!" And with that, Monica ran out of the den with tears forming in her eyes and sprinting off to they didn't know where. Mooch was feeling like gravity was now pulling him towards Monica instead of the ground and the time was right, she needed someone to comfort her. Mooch looked at Salty, and Salty just nodded his head.

"Go for it bro, if anyone knows how to talk to her it's you." Salty said and then turned towards Adam and Kenny, who were still staring at Amy and Lori, who were now disputing over hurting Monica's feelings and making her run out of the den. Mooch took a deep breath and ran after her into the morning light, hoping to find a way to help her in her time of need.

But all the while the fight ensued even after Mooch and Monica were gone. "I can't believe you did that Amy!" Lori yelled at her, "She's our friend! And I haven't had any issues traveling with these Omegas so far. If anything, it's actually sort of fun to be goofy and let it loose once in a while!" But as always, Amy was strong on her feet and had no intentions of backing down.

"Any wolf who thinks lively of Omegas is no friend of mine!" Amy huffed and walked over to the corner of the den and curled up in a ball to be alone.

"Well fine then! If you're going to be so bitter about it…then I guess we…" Lori realized what she was about to say, but it had to be said by someone, "Maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore! I HATE YOU!" Lori howled at her in a piercing tone and hustled out of the shelter, but stopped right outside. Adam and Kenney kept their muzzles shut and grabbed the rabbit and squirrel and moved outside as well. Salty moved out away from Amy, but Shakey stayed right behind her and tried to speak with her.

"Amy…I…" But she ripped the words away.

"Go…away…I don't need anyone to talk to…especially not an Omega…" She was snarling, and sounding psychotic and blood thirsty, so Shakey followed his fear and ran out of the den with visions of Shakey parts all over the place.

Midnight still wasn't back, but they sure could've used him. Lori was pouting over underneath the nearby tree, and Salty figured he may as well try something. He crawled past he and pulled himself up the tree and once he got onto a branch that was a good distance from the ground, he called down to her. "Hey Lori…!" He yelled, and she looked up. "Prepare yourself for…" Before he could finish, the branch broke and he rocketed towards the ground with his small, and frankly, failure of a life flash before his eyes. The impact was solid, and so was the dirt, his eyes were spinning in circles, but he wasn't terribly hurt, only what was probably going to be a very bad head and feet ache.

"Oh my gosh…Salty? Are you okay?" She asked him frantically, concerned for his safety. She pulled him up by his scruff and sat him upright, to which he just rubbed his head and moaned.

"I'm okay…my head however…" Salty giggled, but Lori wasn't laughing.

"What were you thinking going up there?" She asked him, hoping there to be a reasonable response.

"Well…" He was completely honest. "After the fight you had with Amy, I figured you needed a laugh, I thought I'd give it a try. It is an Omega's job…and besides, I like hearing you laugh, it's gives me a good feeling." Salty was still rushing his head, but he turned a little meek at the last bit. Lori was stunned, but after she soaked it in, she just couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank you Salty…" Lori said after his wonderful compliment, and gave him a lick on the cheek, to which she walked over to Adam and Kenney to share the morsels of food. Salty was blushing and he had frozen, but he was happy nonetheless. When he didn't move, Lori turned to him and gave him a smile. "Aren't you hungry? There's enough for us to at least share." Salty gave a quick laugh and stopped rubbing his head.

"I'm sorry, suddenly I'm not so hungry. After all, ladies do go first." But Lori saw this as a set up, and it brought out her inner Omega.

"Well then you should've been over here before me." Everyone who heard it laughed very heartily, even Salty because he knew he just got burned, but it was still just a joke, so before he knew it, he was walking over to the others to enjoy a small breakfast with his companions.

Monica was sitting over a rock out in the middle of nowhere, crying up what could've been a flood, and it was only by chance that Mooch found her. He had heard her sobs from afar and tried his best to follow the sound. Once he saw her, her fur was wet, and the rock looked like it had a small stream running off of it. The air was still light, and the day was still young, the orange sky hadn't faded yet and already the group was facing another crisis. Mooch walked up behind her and tried his best to sound caring, for it's an Omega's role to be the clown, not the listener.

"Uh…Monica…?" He said softly. She picked her head up and turned to look at him. She got down off the rock and looked right into his eyes.

"I am so sorry Mooch…Amy's behavior is so intolerable, she has no idea what kind of nasty things she's putting out. And to think, she's know that everyone has been warming up you three traveling with us. I just wish she'd accept that." She sniffled and tried to seem strong, but her dampened spirit made her form more tears.

"I don't know what kind of past you guys have with Amy, but there's no way she's always been so inconsiderate." Mooch said with his understanding tone, of course he didn't think he was doing a good job at his explanation.

"No of course not, she definitely wasn't always like this. When we were pups, she was fun, cheery, and just plain silly, but after she got out of Alpha school, she was just so uptight. She's been this way ever since." Mooch had no idea that Amy was so sweet as a pup, something must've happened at Alpha school that turned her into such and unbearable partner. "She actually cared about others back then, even Omegas, but now she only thinks of herself." She got damp around the eyes again, "I just wish she'd care about us for once; the only wolf that's ever actually cared about me was my big brother, but ever since he got married, he's been completely ignoring me so he can spend time with his mate. Why can't there be that one wolf you can count on and come to? Why can't there be a wolf who truly cares about you?" Monica was true with her words, the feeling were pure, more pure than the sight of a clear and vibrant crystal being slowly grown as its sides glisten and dance to the light of the coming dawn. Mooch liked Monica ever since the game where she pretended to be him, and he figured that this was his chance.

"Well…if it's any consolation…I care about you." Monica picked her head and stared at him.

"What…? You care about me?"

"Of course I care about you. You're a very special wolf, unlike any girl I've met before. And even though you're an Alpha, I still think you have a great sense of humor. When we played 'What Am I?' and you did me…something about you caught my attention, and the feeling made me feel good. And I also meant what I said then too, I do think your enthusiasm is charming, and the way you're always standing up to Amy for us…that takes some real guts. Being fun and brave are two qualities that hard to find in anyone, not just an Alpha. This makes you different, in the good way, and it also makes you by far the best girl I know." Mooch was finished with his loving declaration, and within his words, Monica picked up hints of something else.

"Mooch…are you saying that you…love me?" She wanted the answer to be 'yes', and her dream came true.

"Well…I…" Mooch couldn't say anything else, "Yes…I do." Mooch's altruism was making Monica feel happier than ever before, so much that she could just kiss him on the spot.

"And I love you too Mooch, you're the greatest…" She caught herself before she said what she was thinking and thought of something way better, "The greatest hero I know." She pulled Mooch into a hug that was being showered down upon by the morning light, and both were in such a loving grasp that the moment was one of the best either had experienced, and more would soon follow.

"I'd do anything for you Monica…" He smiled and then his ears perked up, "You know…I saw a huge pile of rocks on the way here…want to go back to get the others and see if they want to play for a while?" He asked her so nicely, once again making her smile.

"I'd love to, but…" She had something she wanted to do first, but decided to forget about it. "Never mind, let's go." With a skip in her step they went back to meet up with the others.

The rabbit and squirrel was gone, Salty was making Lori laugh by telling jokes and making funny noises with his mouth, and Adam and Kenney were over by the entrance to the den just watching the two and occasionally making a comment.

"Well this is looking good for them…" Kenny said to Adam as Salty made Lori laugh once more.

"Yeah, it's obvious that Lori likes him, and Monica and Mooch have already been seen hinting at one another. Or at least I've been told…" Adam and Kenney were happy for them, but Shakey was still pouting over by himself over the loneliness he was feeling from watching Salty hitting it off with Lori. Mooch and Monica came rumbling through the forest jumping at one another playfully and teasing one another, and when everyone, except Amy who was still in the den, saw them, they all stood up and gathered together.

"Feeling better Monica?" Lori asked her dear friend. Lori was still furious at Amy for what she said, and she didn't plan on forgiving her anytime soon.

"Much better thanks to Mooch…" She responded and nudged his shoulder, and then he giggled and the two smiled at each other. "We were going to go to a rock pile crag to play in until Midnight comes back, and we wanted to see if anyone wanted to go." Monica said for Mooch. Everyone looked at each other, and they all playfully nodded and grinned, making it sound like lots of fun.

"Yeah sure, we'll go too, but can I speak with you for a second Monica?" She asked and motioned for her to meet her under the tree.

"Alright…Mooch?" She asked him, and he looked her way, "Will you give us a minute?" He nodded and sat down and waited while she grinned at him and walked over to the tree, "What's up Lori?" She asked her once she got there.

"You may think I'm crazy, but I'm really starting to like Salty. He's funny and sweet, and he…unlike Amy…can actually take a joke. He's really just a big play time toy." Lori said and smiled over in Salty's direction, but he didn't notice.

"I don't think you're crazy for liking Salty, not anymore anyway." She said, after her touching moment with Mooch, her heart had opened to anything that could happen, even this.

"Well then looks like we're both crazy, in the best way possible. I know you like Mooch…" Lori said and nudged her shoulder. But Monica denied it,

"Don't be silly Lori…I don't like Mooch…I love him." And she confessed her feelings to Lori.

"Is that why you got so defensive over Omegas with Amy? Because she was talking about the one you loved?" Lori asked her, and it seemed sort of sudden, but the answer wasn't false.

"Yeah…that was it alright. I really feel bad for Shakey though, I can see how much he cares about Amy. If only she could see it…" Monica said and then they both looked into the den where Shakey had been trying to comfort the recently rampaging she-wolf.

"She'll come around…I hope…" Lori said and walked off into the group, which followed Mooch to the rocks so they could play. Monica joined Mooch's side at the front, and both couldn't have been happier.

Amy sat alone by herself in the den, thinking of all the things she could say to Midnight to try and make him understand.

Huh…Omegas…they're just pains in the tail, there's no need for them. And that Shakey especially, geez, if he was trying to be subtle about his feelings he's completely blowing it. It's going to slap him in the face anyway, I don't care about him. But Midnight, that's a wolf I have some respect for, he's strong, proud, and he can take care of himself. That's the makings of a great wolf, any girl would be lucky to have him as their mate. That fur is so sleek; he's like a natural born killer…

She suddenly realized it was more like a fantasy about how attractive he was than a series of thoughts trying to get him on her side. She snorted, but kept his muscular body in the back of his mind, thinking about when she'd see him next.

Mostly a chapter about the gang in Idaho, but at least I've gotten a pretty good set-up for the next chapter, by whoever may be writing it. Again, I'm so sorry for my ignorance and I hope this chapter made up for it. In case you missed any major events, Shawn found Kylee, Mooch and Monica are a couple now, Lori likes Salty, and Amy is starting to have feelings towards Midnight. Anyway, have a great day everyone, and don't forget to give everyone on this story credit where credit is due!