Chapter 2: Imperfect Timing (written from April 8th to April 16th, 2023)

Thunder returned to the storage den with his father close behind. They found Echo shivering in the farthest nook. The Omega had snuggled underneath layers of bison pelts. Bison fur was incredibly thick, often so much so that wolves attempting to sleep in it were expected to wake up multiple times, sweating through their paws and panting. For that reason, they were typically used as a last resort, the preferred blanket during long blizzards. To see a wolf shivering under a bison pelt was an alarming sight that tripled Thunder's heart rate.

"Echo!" he yelled before running to her side. "Oh, Dad, she's getting worse! I've never seen anything like this!"

"Hmm… I might know what it could be," Cloud replied. He stepped into the den. The Aeolian's casual pace bugged Thunder. He wondered why his father seemed so relaxed, given the situation. If there was any time his calm demeanor wasn't suitable, it was now. "The Sanctuary usually protects us from terrible illnesses. Perhaps Echo caught something from a Rogue during the battle. Or… perhaps not."

"Perhaps not? What else could it be?"

"I have a feeling we will see." The Aeolian neared the Omega. "Stand up!" he ordered.

"Dad, she can't—" The white wolf suddenly shot his son a serious face, shutting him up instantly. As per ritual, Thunder submitted. He tucked his tail between his hind legs and lowered his head, but it wasn't so low that he couldn't see the corners of Cloud's mouth lifting to form a smirk.

"Oh, son, if this is what I think it is…"

"Huh?" The mountain of fur tilted his head sideways.

"Stand up," Cloud ordered Echo again. This time, it was his usual tone. The she-wolf shook the pelt off before standing like a teetering log. "Come closer," he encouraged. Echo lumbered forward until she was in between the two males. "Hold her up." His son situated his head under her chest and pushed upwards. "Alright, Echo," said Cloud. "Stay calm. I'm just going to examine you."

"Examine me?!" the Omega exclaimed. She crossed her hind legs and blushed hard. "Are you sure there's not any female who can do this? What about Drizzle?!"

"It's okay, Echo. I'm right beside you. My dad always knows what he's doing," Thunder assured with a particularly sonorous voice. He knew the deepness of his words had a calming effect on his girlfriend. It worked like a charm.

"And here I thought I was just going to get a tonic or two," she remarked. The she-wolf took long breaths and relaxed her hind legs, giving the chieftain access.

"It's a standard procedure," Cloud informed. "Healers do it all the time… especially in the spring."

"The spring?" his son murmured quizzically. Suddenly, a thought crashed into his brain. The pieces were beginning to fall into place.

Cloud dropped his shoulders and looked up at Echo's underside. "Let's see here… Hmm… One, two, three, four… five, six, seven, eight… Yep, all of your nipples are dilated."

"Ooo!" Echo then exclaimed. She nearly jumped as she felt Cloud's icy pink nose touch her vulva. The Aeolian closed his eyes and sniffed her private area thoroughly, looking for any new smells. Seeing his father do this made Thunder the most embarrassed he had ever felt, but if it meant getting a clue of what was going on, it was worth putting up with.

Next, the Aeolian removed himself from under her. He sat down in front of the cave's entrance to the couple's surprise. With a paw on his face, he shook his head, which was accompanied by a lengthy sigh. Confusing Thunder additionally was his father's smile. It seemed as if he was struggling to be disappointed. "So… when were you guys going to tell me that things were getting this serious?"

The couple blushed immensely. An overbearing silence filled the cave. Thunder slowly swung toward Echo, who seemed to read his thoughts. She gave a nod to him, confirming to Thunder that what his father implied was likely true.

He gasped. His ears slammed into each other as they stood up at the speed of a blink. Suddenly, Thunder burst into a brown blur that circled the room in ecstasy. It seemed too good to be true. "I'M GONNA BE A FATHER! I'M GONNA BE A FATHER!" he hollered.

"It certainly seems so," said Cloud. Thunder came to Echo's side. They exchanged wide grins before kissing passionately. Cloud chuckled. "Welcome to the family, Echo," he added.

After knowing for sure that it was due to something marvelous, the she-wolf's pain suddenly became much more bearable. She stood up without difficulty and tackled her boyfriend, wetting his cheeks with a rainstorm of licks. "Oh, Thunder! We're gonna have pups! Oh, my gosh, this is the best day of my life!"

"Mine too! We're gonna be a family! And I just know you're gonna be the best mother!"

"Oh, just shut up, and kiss me again, you big furball!" Echo began to lie on his chest. Thunder was overwhelmed by the amount of affection slamming into him, but he didn't care. He surrendered to it, but soon he noticed his father not sharing the same glee.

"Oh, Dad, aren't you happy?"

"I'm going to be a granddad. No wolf of my years wouldn't want that. I am happy for you, Thunder. I am happy for both of you."

Thunder's ears flattened as he could see a sign of apprehension. "Then why don't you look happy?" he whined.

"The love between you two is strong and healthy and good for the Breeze. After all, what Echo has growing inside her are potential heirs. This will almost certainly solve the succession issue, but more importantly, Echo is a fine wolf who served the Breeze well during the battle against the Rogues. There is little to make me disapprove of your relationship. That being said, I am concerned. You were egregiously careless with the timing. It's far too early for a she-wolf to be pregnant. We're in the middle of winter, and we're about to take on a long journey that will lead us through perilous landscapes. I just need to know what you were thinking when you decided to mate with her."

"I know! I know! I'm sorry... It was the night before the battle… Since we're Omegas, we didn't think we'd survive long when the Rogues would make it through the gate. We just… did it. We never thought about what would happen later. Tending to all the wounded, I think, made me forget completely that it even occurred."

"But this isn't a fling," Echo clarified. "We do really love each other, sir! We're sorry!"

"Oh, who am I kidding? I should've known that asking a young couple to abstain would be a fool's game. Forgive me. It's the parent in me talking… Obviously, we can't undo what's been done. I can't ask for too much when I have the best pups I could ever ask for. It'll take me a moment to fully feel it, but I know in my heart that this is one of the greatest days I've ever experienced." For a while, the Breeze had nothing but bad news after bad news. Finally, something good came, which relieved Cloud. The Aeolian then beckoned to the couple. "Come. Give me a hug."

Cloud opened his arms for Thunder and Echo. The three of them ardently hugged. Past a few seconds of bliss, Cloud began to head back to the center of the Sanctuary. "Follow me. Joy such as this has to be shared."

— A&Ω —

Drizzle, Benny, and Oliver were busy hashing out the details of their upcoming journey when Cloud and the couple came to them. Drizzle and her father noticed each other first. "Drizzle. There you are. I'm sure you've already heard, but I've decided to make you second-in-command. I'll be counting on you."

Drizzle gave only a single nod. Cloud quickly followed it up. "So give me an update. How soon will we be ready to leave?"

"Oliver is looking over my record of food supplies," she answered dryly. "We're making sure everyone has something to last the whole trip."

"Lucky for us," said Benny, "when Elgin's forces abandoned their base, they left behind all their leftovers. We were able to reach our food goal, and it saved us a lot of hunting."

"Once Oliver is done reviewing my bone, we'll be good to go," Drizzle informed. "We should reach Yoho without issue." Cloud then gave a chuckle. His daughter stood confused by her father's laughter.

"You'll learn that when you're in command, there's always an issue."

At that moment, Abel arrived with what appeared to be a white orb in his mouth. It caught Benny's eye and made him curious as it was passed on to Oliver.

"Oh, glad to see you, Abel," said Cloud before beckoning to the whole group. "Everyone, come closer to me, please. I have my own update." The four of them could all see a large smile on Cloud's face and could only guess what this news could be. "I know that the timing of this is not ideal, but this is an incredibly joyous day. I'm happy to announce that the issue of succession has been resolved."

All of them except for Oliver seemed confused by what Cloud was trying to say, but before Cloud could explain further, Thunder and Echo noticed that someone from the group had suddenly disappeared. The couple looked at one another and smirked as a shadow sneaked between their bodies. A certain someone was behind them. The Alpha lunged as the two both effortlessly stepped to the side, moving out of the way.

Drizzle couldn't help but giggle as Benny flew between them and landed in a dune of snow.

"Nice try! You almost had us that time," said Echo.

"Really? What do you think, zombie?" Benny asked Thunder as he shook off the powder.

"Ha! I thought you were the zombie."

"I'll have you know that I've outgrown my zombie-ness. You, on the other paw… are an Omega. I'm an Alpha; thus, you are beneath me!" Benny playfully lunged at Thunder again. The big wolf simply dodged.

"Not even close, buddy, but you are getting better. You've been picking up our lessons well. Just give it a couple more decades, and I'm sure you'll get there." Everyone in the group enjoyed Benny's escapades. Even Oliver couldn't help but crack a smile at the pleasant exchange. "And while it's good you're practicing your stealth," Thunder added, "you probably shouldn't be practicing on a pregnant wolf."

Oliver chuckled as Abel and Drizzle's eyes widened. The surprised wolves realized what Cloud was going to announce and turned to him. Cloud didn't say a word but silently nodded his head in confirmation, that what Thunder had just said was the truth.

Oliver appeared unsurprised, but Benny needed a minute to put two and two together. "You're pregnant, Thunder? I mean, I know you're kind of chunky, but you shouldn't put yourself down like that." Thunder shook his head before he gestured to Echo. The truth hit Benny like a freight train. "Wait… Echo is pregnant?! You're gonna have pups?! Oh, wow, that's great! Wow, Congratulations! Oh, my gosh, you guys so have to get a huge den for them to run around in!"

"Thanks, Benny," said Echo whose cheeks were sore from blushing constantly.

Benny turned to her. "Echo! I don't know if you noticed, but Thunder is huge!"

She had become accustomed to Benny's silly sense of humor. "Oh, thank you for bringing that to my attention, Benny!" she exclaimed with heavy sarcasm. "You know, I never noticed how big Thunder is. It's good you pointed that out!"

"I just wonder if you've considered how Thunder's size may affect the pups. I mean, you're going to be pooping out some big ones. Imagine, Echo, fifteen Thunders!"

The she-wolf then gulped. Benny was right. She hadn't considered that.

"Okay, Benny, that's enough," Thunder recommended. He softly elbowed her foreleg. "Don't worry, Echo. Fifteen's a super rare litter size. It's probably gonna be like fourteen," he teased.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," she replied flatly. "You know what? Fifteen Thunders doesn't sound too bad. Who wouldn't want fifteen more of this furball?"

"How the heck are we gonna handle a horde of zombie pups running around?" Benny continued. "The sheer amount of food you'll need is making my head spin. Wait, do zombies even need to eat?"

"Well, Thunder, you heard the Alpha," said Echo. "There won't be enough food for everybody, so I guess you'll have to starve. That should be fine, right, Mr. Zombie?"

"Hmmmmmm, I don't know," Thunder replied with a grin, "If I get too hungry, I might just take a bite out of you instead."

Echo caught Thunder by surprise by kissing him again. "You know, for some reason, I don't think I'd mind that."

"Come on, guys, no one wants to watch you two make goo-goo eyes at each other," said Benny. "Seriously, get a den."

For the next few minutes, the three of them told jokes and laughed, but to their surprise, Abel stepped forward. "Hello, Thunder and Echo. I know we haven't had a chance to talk much yet, but I just wanted to say that, while I might not know you well, what you have blooming here is a beautiful thing. I truly wish for your new family to be prosperous and kissed by days of sunshine, not in any hell or nightmarish autocracy."

While unexpected and a bit more serious than what they were used to, Thunder and Echo could tell there was sincerity behind Abel's words, and the couple considered themselves so lucky to have such supportive and loving wolves around them.

Next, Oliver approached Cloud and gave his own congratulations. "It looks like the issue regarding the line of succession truly has been resolved. That's wonderful news."

Cloud could not help but be cautious whenever Oliver opened a chat. The old wolf still seemed unnervingly perfidious. Cloud's instincts instructed him to be careful around the frail-looking Alpha to avoid the risk of ending up as Elgin.

"You don't seem to be surprised by the news at all," Cloud pointed out.

Oliver grew a smug look. "Well, love and the threat of death is a pretty potent combination for activating one's natural instinct to procreate. I knew something like this was a possibility, but to be honest, I'm a little surprised it actually happened."

"Something surprised you? That's a bit shocking. You always appear to be ten steps ahead."

"Thank you for the compliment, but it's not like I'm all-knowing. At the end of the day, I'm only a wolf. I can miss things, and I can make mistakes."

Surprised at Oliver's humility, Cloud wondered if it was a reflection of Oliver's true personality. The white wolf then became silent as he looked over to Thunder and Echo. It didn't go past Oliver. "Don't worry. I know just how important those pups are. I'll be sure to adjust the plan accordingly."

As Benny continued to lighten the wolves' moods with his ideas about an elite unit of zombie pups, there was one in the group that felt left out. Drizzle wanted to be happy for her brother. She wanted to run right up to everyone and boast about becoming an aunt, but the pain she had due to Zephyr's absence wouldn't allow her to experience any enjoyment. She wondered why nobody but Benny seemed to notice her sadness. It was as if she was the only one who missed Zephyr. Why? The pups weren't even born yet, and they were already swallowing everyone's attention. More tears of hers fell. She thought of herself as the snow she sat on: frozen. She was unable to move or say a word.

— A&Ω —

The Fellowship of the Breeze was born. In an effort to promote camaraderie, Cloud decreed himself, Thunder, Drizzle, Echo, Abel, Oliver, and Benny as a formal band. They led the thirty or so remaining Breeze wolves out of the Sky Sanctuary. Their journey now began. It was a two-week-long hike to Yoho. Their itinerary, arranged by Oliver, included crossing numerous valleys and circumventing numerous bodies of water in order to find one of the western corridors of the Rockies. They had to find the correct corridor, or else they risked ending up in Kootenay National Park or worse: human territory. All the while, they would be traveling at the peak of winter and had to avoid patrolling Rogues.

The disgruntled Breeze Alphas were put in charge of escorting the infamous Rogue commander, Elgin, who had been taken prisoner after the great battle. Since then, without his knowledge, he had been steadily fed the stomachs of prey that were purposely stuffed with bessalshrooms. Found throughout Banff, bessalshrooms were poisonous mushrooms that the earliest Breeze wolves had managed to take advantage of. Because they were moderately toxic, if a low quantity was eaten every day, it could keep a victim in a weakened state indefinitely. This made it perfect for subduing a Thunder-sized warlord such as Elgin. The toxins attacked a victim's skeletal muscles. Constant poisoning made them indefinitely sore as if one could not recover from a long exercise. Every step taken gave Elgin a sting. It dissuaded him from attacking his captors and made him think twice about disobeying their instructions.

With the Sky Sanctuary now a fair distance behind them, Drizzle and Benny slowed to the tail end of the traveling pack to check on the Rogue. Despite his impairment, Alphas surrounded on all sides just in case. He shot Drizzle and Benny his usual face of haughty disdain. As they approached, they could tell that the pain Elgin endured was so severe that he was shedding a few tears.

"You better not whine, or I'll give you something to really cry about," growled Drizzle. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Easy to say that... when you aren't in such agony," he replied through clenched teeth. Drizzle wanted to savagely tear the Rogue limb from limb and leave his corpse to the vultures; however, out of respect for Benny, she didn't want to make a mess. The time for execution had to wait, but she wasn't sure how long she could tolerate the repulsive clod.

"Listen, you ingrate, you don't know my agony!"

"His name was Zephyr, wasn't it?" The black she-wolf then gasped. "Such a pity he had to die."

Benny decided to intervene before the second-in-command acted on her feelings. "He's just trying to get in your head, Drizzle. Let's go back to the front," he advised. Elgin soon recognized him.

"I remember you! You're one of mine! What are you, her dumb little student?!" he yelled contemptuously. A frightened Benny hid behind the she-wolf.

"As a matter of fact, he is," Drizzle informed. "And as my first act as deputy, I hereby place him in charge of you and your entourage."

"Wait, really?" Benny remarked.

"You got to be kidding me!" Elgin exclaimed.

"He's all yours, Benny." The she-wolf scurried back to the front.

"Ha! We're gonna have so much fun on this trip!" said Benny.

"Great... I'm getting bossed around by my own fighter... How humiliating," groaned Elgin.