This is just a redo of the chapter with the next bit added on. It's just a better format for me to continue from a story telling point to view.

Chapter 20: And So It Begins: Rewritten

Sunday night was eerie and cold as the quarter moon shone with an unnatural light. The stars seemed too dim and dark compared to other nights. The grass in the paddock rippled and swayed restlessly in the direction of the forest edge as a dark figure stalked through their whistling blades. The figure was crouched down low on all fours as he padded forward, every step taken slowly and quietly, nose to the ground. He could smell the scent of something foreign in his territory. It was dirty and mouldy and defiantly masculine. Immediately, his instincts went into overdrive and one word came into mind.

Rogue...

With a soft growl, he continued on a little faster at a trot, the scent gradually getting stronger. He made his way swiftly to the edge of the paddock where the met the fence. He stopped to sniff at one of the wooden posts and his tail gave a twitch when he realised how strong the scent had become. He backed up a few steps and easily sailed over the barbed wire of the fence. Landing on his feet, he trotted on into the darkness of the large forest canvas.

SNAP! Dave cringed in surprise and spun around to find not one, but four figures standing behind him, the smallest of which had just stepped on a twig. He rolled his eyes and gave them the signal to follow quietly. They nodded to show they understood and walked to him.

"Can you smell that?" Dave whispered to the eldest of his sons.

Alvin nodded and wrinkled up his nose, "I know right? It smells like one of your socks if you had coated it in rotten eggs, stuffed it in an old boot and left it for a month under a chicken coop."

Simon looked disgusted, "Gee, thanks for that unnecessary description."

Alvin poked his tongue at Simon before saying, "I could smell it just before we went to bed, but didn't think much of it until I saw you sneak through the backyard, Dave. What do you think it is?"

"More like who, "Dave replied, not taking his eyes off the direction the scent was coming from, "I don't know who it is, but I know it's a male. No Chipette could ever smell that bad unless they lived and bathed in a swamp."

"Thank god for that," Brittany commented shortly. She and Jeanette looked quite relaxed compared to the boys, seeing as their noses weren't adapted to smelling out anything else but their mates and their family members.

"Didn't I ask you to stay in the house?" Alvin asked, looking at his counterpart wearily, "I keep telling you that there is no need for you or Jeanette to be out here. This is for us males to sort out. Besides, your fur isn't thick enough to be out here in the cold."

"And what? Miss out on an adventure? No way," Brittany said stubbornly, sidling up to her mate and nuzzling him mockingly, "Anyway, you're not supposed to be here either! Rogue males are supposed to be dealt with by the dominant male only, which Dave has proven himself to be by far."

"It can't hurt to give him a little help, Brittany," Jeanette butted in. The two brothers nodded in agreement.

"I wonder why Theodore didn't-?"

"Quiet!" Dave hushed. They all stared at the older chipmunk, a little stunned by the harsh concentration on his face. He was still sniffing heavily at the air, his ears slowly revolving back and forward, twitching at the slightest odd noise. He dropped on to all fours once again, the others following suit. Finally, it all snapped together and he bolted into the blanket of darkness before them.

"Dave, wait up!" called Simon and they shot in after him.

Dave bounded across the forest floor, occasionally leaping over tree roots and twigs to make at as little noise as he could. He could hear the others behind him. You'd think that sprinting through the forest at night would be dangerous and stupid, but Dave was actually seeing quite well. The moonlight shone through the thick branches above. The scent was even more revolting than before as it got even stronger. He ran for about ten minutes before coming to a clearing where he could see a shadowy figure. Dave halted and crept into the cover of a shrub on the edge.

Behind him, Alvin saw Dave stop and did the same, making sure the other three did too. Dutifully, he nudged Simon and pointed to another shrub. They silently agreed and the four laid in wait, deciding to let Dave have a chance to act like a proper alpha male and go it alone.

Dave stared hard at the unknown male in front of him, studying the body language. The male sniffed at the air, probably catching Dave's scent. Dave heard him growl and he smiled. 'Come on, take the bait,' Dave thought snidely. He prowled ever closer to the male, settling himself into a pouncing position.

The other male was now trying to detect any sign of Dave, who was well hidden by his black fur in the darkness. He found the direction of Dave's scent and immediately moved forward to investigate. Dave bared his teeth, his hackles rising to make himself look more vicious, his claws unsheathing maliciously. Two more steps... Once the male got close enough, Dave growled loudly and pounced, tackling the rogue in the stomach.

The rogue let out a yelp of shock as he found himself being shoved on the ground by the larger black furred male. He looked up to see a pair of deep brown eyes boring down into his own. There was a moment of silence before he got a grip and growled menacingly and pushed Dave off. Dave stumbled back on his hind legs, and was greeted with a russet fist that smacked him in the face.

With a cry of pain, it was Dave's turn to fall to the ground. As the rogue ran forward and clenched his fist for a second time, Dave allowed the fighting instincts that he had developed while sparring to take over. The rogue swung his fist at Dave's face again, but this time Dave caught the chipmunks arm, rolled, jumped up, pulled him into a combative embrace and kicked him in the stomach with more force than he was used to.

"Damn!" exclaimed Alvin. He and Simon exchanged awed glances before looking back at the scene in front of them.

The rogue fell on his knees wheezing. Dave had managed to knock the wind out of him. Before he could recover, Dave grabbed the scruff of the chipmunk's neck and pulled him back on his feet, dragging him to the nearest tree. There were a few moments of struggling before Dave slammed him against the tree trunk, leaning in menacingly so that they were almost nose to nose.

"Let me go!" roared the rogue in a voice not too deeper than Simon's, "I demand you let me go, you filthy bastard! Get off my turf!"

"Your turf?" Dave snarled, continuing to pin the male against the rough bark, "That human domain across the field and these woods surrounding it are in my territory. So explain yourself or get out! Who are you?"

"My names Aaron, okay?" the rogue huffed, "I've only been here for a week and I didn't realise this was your land. Why did you have to be so rough, huh?"

"I just happen to be raising six kids. The last thing I need is someone coming along and harming them," Dave snapped, "Now. Why are you here?"

Aaron sighed heavily, "I've been trying to gain a new territory for my mate and I since our home burnt down."

Dave relaxed his grip on the chipmunk called Aaron and let him go. Aaron dropped onto his feet and manoeuvred around him so he was no longer backed against anything. Dave turned to face him, no longer snarling, but was nonetheless looking at him with the upmost disdain. "Where is your mate then?" he asked, wondering who could ever be attracted by a disgusting scent like that.

Aaron immediately responded, obviously thinking the black chipmunk would attack if he did otherwise, "Vinny! Come out sweetie!"

Back behind the shrub, Alvin, Simon, Brittany and Jeanette were relieved that Dave had won so quickly. This Aaron guy seemed off to them as well. Alvin studied the rogue hard, trying to take as much in of him as he could in the darkness. Something seemed familiar about his eyes and he was sure that he had heard that voice somewhere before.

"I swear I know him," Alvin whispered urgently to his mate. Brittany glanced at him in curiosity.

"So do I," Simon agreed, "That voice...there's something about it..."

Back with Dave, he watched on as Aaron called his mate to his side. From the other side of the clearing came a timid little Chipette from the shadows. She was shaking with fright after watching her partner get beaten and shivered when she made eye contact with Dave. He immediately softened at the sight of the vulnerable looking Chipette. She wasn't exactly small, but she was barely taller than Theodore and even in the dark he could tell she hadn't slept in days. Pity filled his eyes.

"This is Vinny, my mate of 15 years," Aaron announced proudly. Vinny smiled shyly and waved, "And as I've already said, my name is Aaron."

Now feeling slightly guilty, Dave stepped forward and shook Aarons paw, "I'm David, but everyone calls me Dave. Please excuse my rashness earlier, but I just can't take any chances when it comes to my kids."

"How many do you have?" asked Aaron.

"Six," replied Dave, politely gesturing them to follow him, "They're not actually my own, but I treat them as if they are. I love them, so it doesn't make any difference to me. Now, please follow me to the house. You two look exhausted and it would be foolish of me to leave you in the cold."

And so they did. Dave led them out of the clearing and back into the forest, meeting up with four confused chipmunks on the way. They all trudged their way through the paddock and into the paddock in silence, Alvin and Simon desperately trying to get a better look at Aaron. Finally, they pushed through the cat flap and onto the polished tiled floor of the kitchen.

Aaron and Vinny's eyes travelled around the house in awe, perhaps because they had never been in a human made house before. When they reached the living room everybody jumped up onto the coach and the Seville's got to have a proper look at the strange couple for the first time. Dave studied them in general curiosity, but the brothers jaws dropped in both surprise and horror.

Simon jumped back onto his feet, shaking his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Alvin joined him. How could this be? After all this time and after everything they had been through, why did these two have to come back into their lives? It was unthinkable, inexpressible. It was like the world had come crashing down on them all at once.

"Mum? Dad?" Alvin asked in shock, causing the Chipettes to gasp. Dave turned once more to the couple and immediately saw it.

Aaron had the same golden eyes and rough russet fur as Alvin. He was about the same height too, but a tad taller. Unlike any of the Chipmunks, he had a thick black stripe that ran from his nose to down along his back. A tuft of fur on his head looked like a crew cut and was flecked with gray. His face was flat; his sunken cheeks made him look as if he had never smiled once in his life. Aaron had broad shoulders to support his well built frame and Dave was surprised that he had even managed to take on a chipmunk that muscular. All he needed was a few tattoos and a cigarette in his mouth and he could've been a regular thug.

You could not have found a more opposite couple. While Aaron was a chipmunk tank, Vinny looked as if she belonged in a fairytale book. Her fur was a soft strawberry blonde and the fur on top of her head was pulled back in a neat bun. She was awfully skinny for a Chipette, yet at the same time had a pleasantly curvy figure. She had puffy cheeks, a tiny pink nose and the most unusual eyes Dave had ever seen. One was green like Theodore's and the other was Simon's ocean blue.

As Alvin asked the inevitable question, her eyes lit up and gave the most mesmerising smile. She was well...beautiful.

"Simon? Alvin?" asked Vinny in disbelief, "My babies?"

"Well, not exactly babies, but yeah, it's us," Simon answered meekly, forcing a grin. Aaron looked both shocked and a little apprehensive.

"Oh my god! It's really you!" Vinny exclaimed, hurrying forward and almost jumping into Simon's awaiting arms. She almost squeezed him to death before turning to her eldest son, "Look how much you have grown! The last time I saw you; you could barely talk let alone walk!"

"Well slap my tail and call me a swamp!" exclaimed Aaron, clapping his paws together enthusiastically, "What a coincidence this is! How wonderful it is to see my sons again!"

This was a weird moment for Dave as he watched the biological father of The Chipmunks race forward to greet his sons. Even weirder though was when Aaron pushed straight past Simon and pulled Alvin into a giant bear hug, leaving Simon looking quite rejected. The blue-clad rolled his eyes and had to jump back as Aaron suddenly hoisted Alvin over his shoulder, turned 180 degrees before dropping him again. As Aaron embraced him again, Dave could've sworn he saw Alvin with an evil expression on his face.

"D-Da-Aaron! Choking-not-breathing!" Alvin gasped helplessly, his legs threatening to collapse under Aaron's weight.

"Woops, sorry Alvin," chuckled Aaron.

He let go of the gasping chipmunk. Brittany jumped up and hurried over to her mate, who was clutching his throat. Aaron jumped as of only realising that the Chipettes were in the room. He looked Brittany up and down as if he was an x-ray machine and put on a smirk that was similar to Alvin's, except seedy.

"Well, well, well, just who do we have here?" Aaron asked slyly, taking couple of steps forward. He took Brittany's paw into his and kissed it tenderly. Brittany giggled as Aaron placed his other paw on her cheek, "Are these two lovely ladies your daughters David? Your mate must be quite beautiful if so."

Alvin immediately stepped forward and pulled Brittany away into his arms, "Dad-" Alvin seemed to have to spit the word out, "This is Brittany and Jeanette Miller," as he introduced each Chipette, he pointed them out, "They have a sister called Eleanor who is being courted by Theodore. Jeanette is Simon's mate and Brittany is mine."

"Oh how wonderful!" Vinny exclaimed, "You've done well to claim such beautiful girls. Now, just where is little Theodore?"

"Fast asleep," answered Simon. Dave was surprised that Simon seemed to be hiding the bitter tone he always took on whenever Alvin had a crazy plan, "It's been a bit of a long day for him and Ellie, so it'd be best to just wait until morning."

"Oh, of course, of course, we wouldn't dream of disturbing him and his future mate," Aaron stated.

'Oh, bull crap! You never cared about him in the first place you jackass!' Thought Simon snidely, 'What are you doing here? Why didn't Mum take my advice before they left us and ditched him while she had the chance? He better not still be hurting her...'

You know the drill: review, rave and rant to your hearts bloody content!