Hello again and happy holidays! I am excited to bring to you the newest chapter of Found! Once again, this story has been proofread by my good friend, Trismegistus Shandy! I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!

 

 

 

 

 

Found (Chapter 2)

 

by

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

"So whaddya think, Darlin'?" Vernon asked as he and Dawn both stood in the hall, looking at the three bedrooms that they had prepared for the children. After the interview and meeting with the three, the couple had then gone out shopping for things to help furnish the rooms. They bought another two different sized mattresses, with Lily's being the biggest, a variety of stuffed animals, a soccer ball for Alice, some drawing and art supplies for Lily, and an entire bookshelf of fantasy and science fiction books for Trevor, just to name some of the things that they had gotten. The couple had been worried, on the day of the home inspection, that they hadn't bought enough, but the squirrel caseworker has assured them that their home was perfect.

 

 

"I think that they're going to love it," Dawn said, leaning closer to her mate to hug him tightly around the waist, having to stand on her tip-hooves to do so.

 

 

"I did make sure to keep all the receipts, just in case there are some things that they don't want," Vernon said, smiling.

 

 

"Good idea," Dawn said, her voice starting to crack with emotion. Vernon turned to gaze down at the little ewe, and returned her hug.

 

 

"Honey Lamb," the large wolf said softly, looking confused, "what's the matter?"

 

 

"Nothing, Puppy, it's just..." Dawn said, smiling as she removed her glasses to wipe at her eyes before continuing, "tomorrow... we're bringing our little lambs home. Tomorrow... w-we officially become a mommy and daddy."

 

 

Vernon's smile grew, and without a moment's hesitation, Dawn found herself scooped up into his strong arms, being kissed passionately. They broke apart after a moment, still hugging one another tightly.

 

 

"I know what'cha mean, Darlin'," Vernon said, his tail wagging, "I just feel so excited, happy, and nervous all at the same time."

 

 

"I'm still worried about Lily," Dawn confessed, feeling a pang of guilt, but pushing that feeling away, "but I know that we'll do everything we can to be the best mother and father for all three of them."

 

 

"Absolutely," Vernon said.

 

 

"You know," Dawn started after a few moments of simply enjoying the moment with her mate, "just because Child Services cannot find any information about Lily's species, that doesn't mean that there is no way to find out anything."

 

 

"Oh?" Vernon said, smirking, knowing full well that a plan was forming in the ewe's mind.

 

 

"I have a few ideas, but I need to do a little more research first," Dawn said. She didn't get the chance to say anymore due to Vernon's phone buzzing. The wolf rolled his eyes as he fished it out, seeing that it was his brother Wade this time who had called.

 

 

"Hey there, Wade," Vernon said after answering the call.

 

 

"Heya, Vern, so what's this I hear about you and Dawn adopting an entire litter of pups?" Wade wasted no time.

 

 

"Where'd ya hear that?" Vernon asked, confused, what with he and Dawn having only told a few friends and their parents so far.

 

 

"Qali called Giselle a little while ago, saying that Vanna had told her that you and Dawn had gone on to adopt seven pups, all of different species," Wade explained. "And I gotta say, Vern, I'm wondering why I had to go and hear about it secondpaw like that. But also, are you sure that you two can care for seven pups all at once?"

 

 

Vernon had brought his paw up to his face, while Dawn tried to hold back a giggle.

 

 

"Why would Vanna know anything about any of this? We haven't told either her or Zach yet," Vernon wondered.

 

 

"Zach accidentally overheard Ma on the phone with you, and immediately told Vanna when he got home," Wade explained.

 

 

"I'm still a little surprised that Vanna would just go and call up Qali to talk about this without waiting to get all the facts first," Vernon said, a little frustrated at the tigress, but also at Zach.

 

 

"Well... she didn't," Wade continued his explanation, "Qali called her up to chat and somehow picked up that Vanna knew something, and, well, you know how persistent Qali can be..."

 

 

"That does make more sense," Vernon agreed, knowing the arctic vixen well enough.

 

 

"Right, so after a few minutes of interrogating her, Vanna spilled the beans," Wade said.

 

 

"Okay... so have you guys told anyone else?" Vernon asked.

 

 

"No, we haven't, but it still hurts to be kept out of the loop like that, Vern," Wade said, his tone of voice making Vernon's tail tuck itself between his legs reflexively as a wave of guilt washed over him.

 

 

"Wade, me and Dawn have been busy gettin' everything at the house ready fer them," Vernon explained, trying to assuage Wade's feelings. He left out their reasoning for not telling the rest of the Hunter guys and gals was that they wanted to let the children acclimate to their new home gradually, before exposing them to all of their clamoring aunts and uncles.

 

 

"Wait... didja just say them?" the wolf on the other end said, surprise in his voice. "You two really went and got yourselves seven pups?!" Dawn's giggle could not be suppressed while Vernon rolled his eyes.

 

 

"Calm down Wade, we didn't adopt seven of 'em. We're adoptin' three pups," Vernon explained.

 

 

"Oh..." Wade said after a moment of silence. "Well... that's still more than I thought that you'd be willing to take in."

 

 

"I know, but the three of 'em had already formed a tight bond, callin' each other brother and sisters, that they wouldn't be separated, not that we woulda ever thought of splittin' 'em up," Vernon said, the corners of his muzzle starting to turn back up into a smile at the memory of how adamant the three had been.

 

 

"Oh, really?" Wade said, letting out a chuckle. "Well, that makes sense. With no one else in their lives, I can totally see three little wolves forming a bond just as strong as blood siblings."

 

 

"Well, actually, only one of 'em, the oldest, is a wolf," Vernon said.

 

 

"Oh? And what are the other two? Also canids?" Wade asked.

 

 

"No, at least we don't think so," Vernon explained; "the other two are a little lamb... and we don't really know what species the youngest one is."

 

 

"Really now?" Wade's curiosity was clearly piqued. "What'd the orphanage have to say?"

 

 

"They don't know what she is either. They had a DNA sample tested, but it came back Unknown," Vernon said.

 

 

"So no one knows anything? That's... odd..." Wade said, not sure of what to say.

 

 

"True, but we're still takin' her in, along with her brother and sister," Vernon said, already starting to feel a swell of pride.

 

 

"Oh no, I didn't mean anything by it, Vern," Wade suddenly backtracked, "that's going to be my niece after all. And I'm sure she's a cutie."
"I know that you didn't, Wade. And yeah, they're all cute," Vernon said.

 

 

"So what are their names?" Wade asked. Vernon happily told his brother the names of their pups before Wade had to go, seeing as he was still on duty. They both said their farewells and ended the call.

 

 

"So," Vernon started, looking down at Dawn, "you heard what Wade said about Qali, right?"

 

 

"Oh, yes. Which probably means that everyone else has heard that we're apparently adopting seven pups," Dawn said.

 

 

"... So much fer keepin' it all under wraps..." Vernon said, right before his phone started to buzz again. He looked at the screen to see who was calling now. "And now Xavier's callin'." Dawn found her own phone buzzing, to see that it was Malcolm calling her.

 

 

"Dawn," the voice of the chubby wolf could be heard the second that she accepted his call, "are you and Vernon really adopting twelve pups?! And all of different species! And more importantly, you tried to keep it a secret. That hurts, Dawn," Malcolm whimpered. "Hunter sisters, honorary or otherwise, shouldn't keep secrets like that from one another." Dawn was flabbergasted, both at how upset Malcolm was as well as the increased number of their supposed litter. She began to explain things to Malcolm while Vernon was being chewed out by his mate.

 

 

"Honestly, Vernon, this is just irresponsible," Xavier lectured his brother while Vernon groaned.

 

 

"Xavier, this is all bein' blown way outta proportion," Vernon said, unable to get any further words in edgewise.

 

 

"No, becoming the parents of seventeen adopted pups all at once is what was blown out of proportion," Xavier started, on a roll. "Not telling your family about this huge and life changing event, for whatever reasons you and Dawn may have had, is nothing short of insulting. I am your brother and your attorney. You had no problem consulting me about your rights as a predator and prey couple adopting. And yet, today, I received a very frantic voicemail from Ulric about you taking in seventeen--" Vernon let out a frustrated growl and cut off his brother in mid-rant.

 

 

"Xavier, we only adopted three pups. Three!" he said. "And we didn't want to tell anyone just yet so that when we bring 'em home, tomorrow, they can go about acclimatin' slowly, without gettin' all overwhelmed and such."

 

 

Xavier was silent for a few moments before he cleared his throat.

 

 

"I see," he said, letting the pause hang there, "well... perhaps I may have overreacted." Vernon rolled his eyes at this admission but chose to say nothing. In the awkward silence of his own conversation, he could hear Dawn explaining to Malcolm what was really going on. His brother-in-law's excited voice could be heard. Already he was planning on a three-tiered cake to bake for the pups. Finally, Xavier spoke again.

 

 

"Well then... while it was still a tad wounding... I must confess that I can see your point..." Vernon rolled his eyes, his muzzle curled up into a smile. He and Xavier talked a little longer, with Vernon telling his brother more information about his new nieces and nephew, before hanging up. Dawn had just said goodbye to Malcolm when his phone chimed.

 

 

"I guess everyone wants to weigh in about this," Dawn said.

 

 

"I'll say," Vernon said as he tapped on his phone. "Even Yuri is getting in on it."

 

 

Dawn looked up at her mate curiously as he read her the text that Vernon's brother, Yuri, had sent.

 

 

"It's two laughing with tears wolf face izoojis followed by sayin' 'I can't believe that you went and let her talk ya into gettin' twenty-six pups' followed by two more laughing izoojis and 'she's sure got you whipped, Puppy'" Vernon frowned at that.

 

 

"Why does the number keep getting bigger?" Dawn asked, confused.

 

 

"I'd go and put my money on Qali," Vernon mused. They spent the rest of the afternoon explaining the facts about the adoption to the remaining boys and girls of the Hunter clan, including another text, but from Ulric. Vernon rolled his eyes again after he read it, for it was mostly a warning about how out of the thirty-one pups he had heard that they were adopting, the number having apparently increased yet again for some unknown reason, several of them could have been shape-shifters. The call-fest ultimately ended with Vanna calling up Dawn.

 

 

The tigress had felt very remorseful after telling Qali what she had thought she had overheard, and sounded a little upset as she apologized to the ewe. Dawn couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her sister-in-law. She too knew that Qali could be quite persistent, the arctic vixen having some boundary issues, and also knew that Vanna was truly remorseful. She comforted her over the phone, accepted her apology, cleared up the misconception, and then promised that she and Vernon would be sure to bring their pups to the ranch to meet their new auntie.

 

 

Night came and went mostly without incident, the couple both equal parts too excited and too nervous to initially sleep, but sleep they did. Dawn awoke first, her wolf curled around her and cuddling the little ewe close. She smiled and nuzzled the ruff of fur on his chest, before remembering what the day was. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was a quarter past nine in the morning.

 

 

"Puppy," Dawn said, prodding Vernon's chest with a hoof "get up! We need to get ready! Our appointment is less than an hour away!"

 

 

"Five more minutes, Floofs," Vernon mumbled in his sleep, his tail starting to slowly thump as he pulled his mate closer. Dawn smiled, always enjoying snuggling close to Vernon, yet let out a sigh, knowing full well that they didn't have time to savor being in one another's embrace this particular morning.

 

 

"No, Vernon, we need to get up and get ready. Today's the day we're bringing our little lambs home," Dawn said. The wolf's eyes shot wide open at that, just before he sat bolt upright with Dawn in his arms, the sudden motion making Dawn let out a surprised squeak.

 

 

"Teeth to tails, Honey Lamb!" he said as he set her down and scrambled out of bed and rushed out of their room. Dawn let out a sigh and smiled after her mate, hearing his voice coming back in from the hall.

 

 

"Hurry up, Lamb Chop, we don't wanna be late!" Dawn rolled her eyes a little before hopping down off their bed and following her mate's excited lead. After a very quick shower and a light breakfast for the two, Vernon drove them down to the Children's Center with ten minutes to spare.

 

 

"This is it," Vernon said, his voice a whisper, "it's actually about to happen."

 

 

Dawn looked over at her mate and saw that his face was a reflection of her own emotions. It was a mix of excitement and nervousness. She reached over with a hoof and took his paw into hers, squeezing it.

 

 

"It really is, Puppy," she said soothingly, watching as a smile broke out onto her mate's muzzle; "let's go get our children."

 

 

Vernon nodded, leaning over to bring his muzzle close to hers.

 

 

"I love you, Dawn," he said just before their lips made contact. Their kiss only lasted for a moment before they ended it.

 

 

"I love you, Vernon," the ewe said after they broke apart. They got out of the SUV, and made their way towards the entrance. The sky was cloudless and bright, the sunlight glinting on the polished bronze of the sign out front. Vernon reached down to take his mate's hoof as they strode towards the door that stood between them and their children. His tail slowly started to wag as he opened the door for his wife and followed her inside. They were greeted by Amanda, the kangaroo seeming just as excited as the couple felt. She led them to the couches where they'd first met the three and had them wait while she went to go and collect them.

 

 

She returned shortly afterwards, ushering the little pup, the lamb, and the mystery mammal into the room. Alice was standing defensively in front of her brother and sister, with Lily holding Trevor's hoof. Today Alice was wearing a green shirt with white shorts. Trevor was wearing a shirt as black as his wool, again with the Adolescent Mutant Samurai Snakes on the front and a pair of jeans. Lily was wearing a bright blue T-shirt and jeans. All three had little suitcases to take their possessions with them.

 

 

"Hey there, pups," Vernon said, attempting to break the building nervous tension. His tail thumped happily on the couch, eliciting a giggle from Lily. Alice turned to look at her sister, her own tail beginning to wag at the sight of Lily smiling. Trevor tried to suppress his own giggle, not doing a particularly good job. Alice turned back to the couple sitting on the couch.

 

 

These ones are actually going through with it, the little she-wolf thought to herself.

 

 

"Hello," Alice said, her brother and sister echoing her greeting after getting their giggles under control, "so do we get to go home with you now?" Alice always preferred to get right to the point.

 

 

"Absolutely," Dawn said, just wanting to rush over and envelop all three of the little lambs in a hug. She held back on that instinct, feeling that such an action might frighten them, especially little Lily.

 

 

"You really mean it?" Trevor's voice piped up, looking both excited and worried.

 

 

"We really do," Vernon said gently, smiling as his tail started to wag even faster, prompting another giggle from the little mystery mammal.

 

 

"And just what's so darn funny?" he asked in a comical voice. Alice looked from Vernon to Lily and smiled, an action that Dawn and Vernon both noticed.

 

 

After that, the children all said their goodbyes to Amanda, who leaned down to hug each of them in turn. The kangaroo seemed a little sad at saying goodbye to the children, yet happy that they had found a home. Dawn and Vernon could barely contain themselves as they packed up their new children's belongings, and helped them into their individual booster seats in the back. The drive back home was filled with happy chatter, yet Dawn did notice that along the way, more than a few mammals who spotted Lily looked at her oddly. She also took note of how anxious Lily started to appear as a result. She was just about to say some words of comfort to her when her brother beat her to it.

 

 

"Everything's gunna be okay, Lily," the little black lamb said as he reached over to his sister and gave her a hug. Lily immediately calmed down as she hugged him back. Dawn smiled at the sweetness of the display.

 

 

"That's right, Princess," Vernon chipped in, smiling as he looked back at them in the rearview mirror. The wolf's heart swelled with pride at how her face just lit up at being given the nickname. They all arrived home safely, the children all straining to look at their new home with wide eyes as the car pulled into the driveway. As they got out, Dawn noticed how, now that they were in an unfamiliar setting, they naturally seemed to huddle close to one another, with Alice taking a natural stance in front.

 

 

She's their protector, Dawn thought. She held a hoof out to the little wolf, who looked at it oddly, before slowly taking it in her paw. Dawn smiled warmly at her new children and led them inside, while Vernon opted to get their luggage from the car. They showed their children to the rooms that they had set up for them, Dawn still holding Alice's paw.

 

 

"We get our own rooms?" she asked, surprised.

 

 

"You sure do, sweetheart," Dawn said, once more just barely resisting the urge to pull them into a hug, still wanting to take things slow with them.

 

 

"And we went and got y'all some things we thought you would like. But if there's anything there that you don't want, then don't be afraid to tell us. We won't mind taking it back," Vernon said as he carried their suitcases into the appropriate bedrooms. He saw how Trevor was eyeing the bookshelf in his room, clearly already smitten with the selection of fantasy and sci-fi.

 

 

Like mother, like son, Vernon thought with a chuckle.

 

 

"A-And this stuff is really... all ours?" Trevor asked, looking up at Vernon with a pair of wide brown eyes.

 

 

"Yup," Vernon said, "if you want 'em."

 

 

Alice looked like she wanted to practically pounce on her new soccer ball, and Lily smiled at the easel in her room. She then turned back to Dawn and Vernon, who had taken a step back to watch the children, and looked at them quizzically.

 

 

"Does this mean we get to call you 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' now?" she asked candidly. Both her brother and sister turned first to look at their little sister, and then turned to look at the couple.

 

 

"Well," Dawn said, feeling Vernon take her hoof in his paw, "only if you're comfortable with it."

 

 

There was another uncomfortable silence before Lily, much to the surprise of both Trevor and Alice, stepped towards the wolf and the ewe, and then silently started to hold her arms out. Dawn couldn't resist any longer and let go of Vernon's paw to embrace her new youngest daughter. She was careful not to hug too tight, yet she held her close, her eyes becoming hot and prickly with the sensation of oncoming tears of joy.

 

 

She still had no clue as to what the little mammal was -- even at age six, she was already taller than herself -- but she didn't care. She was hugging her daughter close, and that was all that mattered. She looked up at Trevor and Alice, and offered them a place in the hug as well. Trevor was quick to join in, followed by Alice, the pup's tail slowly starting to wag. Once all three were embracing Dawn, Vernon kneeled down and reached around to hug all of them together.

 

 

They all started to settle in after the family hug. The kids were shown around the house, as well as the backyard, with Alice getting excited at the idea of a treehouse that Vernon floated by them. After lunch, Vernon played with them out in the backyard, while Dawn elected to call up their friends and family, to update them all on how everything had gone.

 

 

The first one she called was Judy, who promptly answered excitedly, once more hinting that she was going to be working on Nick about adoption again. Dawn smiled when she heard the russet fox groan in the background. She was a little surprised to hear Vanna let out a squeal when she described how everything had been going so far, and once more promised that she would get to meet her new nieces and nephew. There was a similar reaction from Audrey, who was so excited to learn that she was finally a grandmother, and who let out another excited howl. Dawn also spoke to Dorian, who seemed to find it interesting that little Alice was so naturally protective, hinting that maybe she was going to be naturally cut out for a career in law enforcement, before Audrey cut him off, and made Dawn promise that they would bring their grandpups up to meet them very soon.

 

 

Before they knew it, the afternoon started to become evening. She got started on dinner, making fish filets for Vernon and Alice, while making veggie burgers for herself, Trevor, and Lily. While unsure of what species she was, her file had said that a diet of fruits and vegetables was safe for her to eat. It had also suggested that she was an omnivore, based on her teeth, but they would wait until after the pediatrician appointment before serving her meat. Dinner was a happy affair, with a lot of back and forth questions. Dawn and Vernon asked their new children about themselves, and the three responded in kind.

 

 

After dinner, they all lounged in the living room, watching some family-friendly TV. At around eight thirty, Lily let out a yawn, which Trevor and Alice found to be contagious. The kids brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas, Trevor once more wearing something with the Samurai Snakes on it, having confirmed that it was one of his favorite shows. Vernon read Lily a bedtime story, and Dawn did the same for Trevor. Alice had seemed reluctant to be tucked in by Dawn, but didn't outright refuse. It was as Dawn was closing the door, having turned off the light and wished Alice a good night, that the pup let out a whimper.

 

 

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Dawn asked. The pup looked like she was struggling to answer, and continued to whimper a little.

 

 

"C-Can I have the light on?" she asked, the problem suddenly becoming obvious to the ewe.

 

 

Alright, adding a night light to the list, Dawn thought as she walked over to her pup's bed, planting a loving kiss on Alice's forehead.

 

 

"Of course, sweetie," she said, now noticing the stuffed grey rabbit plush toy that Alice was trying to hide behind her back, its long ears poking out from behind her, "and you know that if you need anything, we're just down the hall, okay?"

 

 

"Okay..." the pup said, now looking more embarrassed than scared. Dawn kissed her once more on the forehead, seeing her daughter's tail wag a little under the covers, before saying good night once more and shutting the door behind her, leaving a bedside lamp on. Dawn, after changing into a nightgown, climbed into bed with Vernon, snuggling close into his fur, burying her face in his chest ruff.

 

 

"Vernon?" she asked, looking up into his eyes.

 

 

"Yes, Darlin'?" he asked back, smiling down at her.

 

 

"We're a mommy and daddy now." Her voice was full of wonder. Vernon snuggled closer to his mate, and the two lay like that. They both tried to go to sleep, but their excitement was once more keeping them up. After another half an hour, they both decided to get up, and check in on their children. Dawn's heart skipped a beat when she quietly opened Alice's bedroom door, to find the pup missing from her bed. Vernon looked just as worried as Dawn after he poked his head into Trevor's room, the little lamb also missing. They both, panicking, went to check on Lily. Right there, underneath the covers on Lily's much larger bed, were Alice and Trevor, with Lily in the middle. They were all snuggled close, sleeping peacefully.

 

 

Vernon let out a quiet sigh of relief as Dawn's fast-beating heart began to slow back down. The two new parents looked on and watched the three sleep. They stayed there, just watching, feeling a wave of emotion wash over them, before finally heading back to bed. They smiled as they cuddled close, the day feeling like a dream to them both. They were both thrilled at the prospect of waking up tomorrow as parents.

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it, folks! Please feel free to leave a review!