Vernon smiled as his eyes slowly cracked open, drinking in the morning light as it drifted in through the open window. He yawned and stretched, his tail letting out a few thumps on the mattress as he reached out to instinctively cuddle his ewe close. Not finding her diminutive form helped rouse the wolf from his sleep-addled state, and he sat up. As he looked around their room, a smile graced his muzzle as his ears perked and followed the sounds of children laughing. His and Dawn's children. Their pups.

Not wasting any time, even to take care of his bedfur, Vernon scrambled out of bed and made his way out into the hall. He peeked inside the bedrooms of his newly adopted pups as he passed, seeing all three empty. His mind flitted back to the first night after bringing them home, how all three had decided to sleep together in the same bed. In the two weeks since the adoption, Dawn and Vernon had made it a habit to check in on the kids each night. They usually all slept in their own beds, but every now and again they would sleep together, a sight that warmed the wolf and ewe's hearts.

Vernon made his way downstairs, where the laughter was loudest, to find his youngest pup, Lily, sitting on the couch. She was smiling as she colored on a piece of paper with a set of crayons. They had still not yet been able to discern any new information about her species, but that mattered little to Vernon. The wolf had already come to think of Lily as his little princess.

She was looking up and giggling at the sight of her big sister, Alice, and her big brother, Trevor, wrestling and giggling. The little black wolf pup's tail was wagging in excitement as she pinned the little black lamb and proceeded to tickle him. Normally Trevor was quite timid, but Vernon and Dawn had noted that he seemed to have become a bit more comfortable in their time living with them, and broken a bit out of his shell. Alice was easily the most outgoing of all three. She loved playing games, especially soccer, wrestling and, much to Dawn's fear, climbing things.

"Uncle!" Trevor said in between uncontrollable giggles. Alice hopped off of the lamb before turning to face her sister.

"Your turn, Lily!" Alice said, advancing slowly on the little furless mammal with both paws held out as if to pounce. Lily let out a yelp and hopped down from the couch, the soft brown mane of fur atop her head waving to and fro, and started to run behind the couch. Alice let out a happy yip as she gave chase. Lily came around the other side and, spotting Vernon, made a beeline for him, her arms outstretched.

"Save me, Daddy!" Lily squealed as she practically leapt into Vernon's arms. Vernon wagged his tail and chuckled. He felt a warmth in his heart once again at being called Daddy. Lily had been the first of the three to start calling them Mommy and Daddy. Trevor followed after the first week. Alice seemed to be having trouble with it, which Dawn and Vernon both made sure to assure her that that was just fine. She could call them by their first names if she desired.

"Well now, what have we here? A little princess being chased by a little tickle monster?" Vernon said in his deep rumbling voice. Lily hugged him around his neck and giggled while Alice couldn't hold back her own laughter.

"Uh-huh!" Lily said, nodding emphatically.

"But then, wait? Why would you so willingly jump into the claws of an even bigger tickle monster?" Vernon asked in mock surprise. Lily's eyes went wide as she tried to wriggle out of Vernon's grip before he started tickling her. Lily burst out laughing while Alice giggled and wagged her tail.

"Wait a minute... did I just hear another little princess for the giant tickle monster to capture as well?" Vernon asked, now the one to be advancing on the pup. Alice let out a squeak, and tried to scamper away, before finding herself right next to Lily in Vernon's arms, being tickled mercilessly.

"Mwaha-ha-ha! I have you now!" Vernon said, suddenly noticing Dawn peeking in from the kitchen, smiling, and snapping some pictures with her phone.

"Mornin', Honey Lamb," Vernon said as he set the girls down and turned to address his mate.

"Good morning, Puppy," the little ewe responded. Vernon strode right over to her and bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek. Just as she was standing on her tip-hooves, Vernon's nose started twitching.

"Didja go and make breakfast today?" Vernon asked, smelling the Prench toast.

"Sure did, Puppy Love." They both chose to ignore the snickering coming from the children as a result of their pet names for one another. "I figured that today was worth a special treat."

"Why's that?" Vernon asked, frowning a little as he tried to remember the day's significance.

"Today's the day that our little lambs meet their auntie Qali and uncle Trenton," Dawn reminded her mate as she turned to the children.

"Alright, kids, breakfast is ready," Dawn said, trying to stifle a giggle as Alice and Trevor were tickle-wrestling once more, only to quickly break apart and start running towards the kitchen, with Lily in tow.

"No running in the house," Dawn said, no true sternness to her voice. Vernon even noticed how the little ewe said it with a smile, knowing how excited she still was to be a mother.

"Sorry, Mommy," Lily said, the apology echored by her siblings. The three made their way to the kitchen table, their new parents following behind. Dawn just couldn't believe the feeling of joy she experienced every time Lily called her Mommy. Just before the kids could take their seats, Dawn rushed over to give them each a hug. She let go of a slightly embarrassed-looking, yet happy Alice just before her phone started to buzz. Dawn pulled it out, adjusting her glasses, to find that she had received a text from Qali.

It was a series of izoojis of arctic fox faces with hearts for eyes along with the message 'Will be over to meet kits ASAP! YAY!', followed by more happy arctic fox izoojis.

"It looks like Qali is going to be arriving a little earlier than expected," Dawn said, looking up at her mate.

"But we had agreed on noon!" Vernon said, looking up at the clock over the sink. It was currently five minutes after nine.

"Puppy, it's Qali. I think we both knew that that was a pipe dream at best," Dawn said with a giggle. Vernon sighed and rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right, Darlin'," he said, cracking a smile. The children had watched while eating, and all shared a look. Noticing the subdued expression on his pups' faces, Vernon frowned a little.

"What's the matter, pups?"

"Uhm..." Lily started, looking to Alice who smiled reassuringly and nodded.

"Uh... i-is a-auntie Qali nice?" Lily said, looking at the two of them with wide, deep blue eyes. Vernon chuckled and reached over to ruffle his youngest pup's headfur.

"She's very nice, and she's just gunna love all three of y'all. She just happens to be incredibly hyperactive," Vernon assured them all. Not wanting to make any of the pups feel left out, he then ruffled the headfur of Alice and Trevor, who both protested while giggling. With the knowledge of the energetic arctic vixen's imminent arrival, the new family made quick work of breakfast, before Dawn and Vernon and the kids all scrambled to change out of their pj's and to dress nicely. The little ewe had just finished the final touches of her trademark headpuff when she heard the doorbell ring rapidly.

"They're here," Vernon said with a chuckle, looking forward to finally introducing their pups to the first of the rest of their family, wanting to slowly acclimate them. He passed the kids on the stairs, smiling down at Trevor who was wearing the new AMSS shirt that Dawn had bought for him. Lily was wearing her new white sundress, and Alice was in her well-worn jeans and a new blue T-shirt.

All three looked excited, as well as a little nervous still, especially Lily, who was hugging her sister's tail for comfort. Dawn trailed after, gently herding and reassuring the children down into the living room. Only when Vernon gripped the doorknob did the ringing cease. He opened the front door and was about to greet his brother and his sister-in-law, when a small white blur darted past him.

Vernon turned to see Qali come to a halt just in front of the pups, her tail wagging.

"Oh... my... gods... you're all so cute!" Qali squealed just before she tried to pounce, a quick-thinking Dawn intercepting her with a hug.

"Hi there, Qali, it's been a while," Dawn said. Vernon greeted his brother, Trenton, and led him inside.

"Hiya, Trenny, glad you two could make it," Vernon said.

"Heya, Vern," the white wolf said, clapping his brother on the back. Trenton spied Dawn physically holding his mate back from snuggling up their nieces and nephew.

"Trent, Qali, we'd like for you to meet our pups," Vernon said, walking over to stand next to them as they all eyed Qali, who was starting to calm down.

"Alice, Trevor, Lily, this is your auntie Qali and your uncle Trenton," Vernon said.

"Well, hi there, pups," Trenton said. He and Qali received a shy chorus of helloes back, with Lily nervously ducking behind Vernon's leg to peek around. Now a bit more under control, Dawn released her sister-in-law. Qali slowly walked over to the children, still grinning excitedly.
"Hello there, sweetie," she said, looking Alice up and down and holding her arms out. "I take it that you're Alice, right?"

Alice nodded and hesitated before opening her own arms. Qali quickly, but gently, closed the gap and hugged the little wolf. She repeated the process with Trevor, telling him that she liked his shirt, before finally turning her attention to Lily. Lily was still nervously peeking out from around Vernon's leg.

"And you must be my littlest niece, Lily," Qali said, her tail wagging. Lily giggled and nodded, looking a little torn between safely hiding behind the large wolf's leg, and stepping out to hug the arctic vixen. After another moment's hesitation, Lily did just that, giggling as Qali sniffed her niece, committing her scent to memory.

"That tickles, auntie Qali!" Lily squealed in laughter.

"You have got the cutest little headmane!" Qali said, snuffling through Lily's headfur, making her laugh and fall over.

"Alright, Qali," Trent said, catching his mate's attention, "let's not overwhelm them."

"But," Qali started, looking a little disappointed, before sighing and stepping back over to his side. After that initial awkwardness, the adults took a seat in the living room while the kids started to play.

"So an entire litter of yer own," Trenton said, letting out a low whistle. He looked down and nudged Qali, who was staring at Lily and wagging her big bushy tail.

"I wonder if she'll let me play with her headmane?" Qali leaned up to whisper in her mate's ear. Trent rolled his eyes as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Qali, we talked about this. We gotta go slow, so we don't scare 'em," Trenton said, while Qali let out a huff and started to pout a little. Dawn snickered behind her hooves.

"Maybe, if'n you don't just spring it on her out of the blue," Vernon, whispered, offered. Qali opened her muzzle to speak, but closed it when, while Alice was busy trying wrestle with Trevor, Lily walked over, holding a piece of paper behind her back. She stood in front of her aunt and uncle, looking nervous.

"Uhm..." Lily started, looking down at her feet.

"What is it, princess?" Vernon asked.

"I drew a picture for Auntie Qali and Uncle Trenny," Lily said. Qali cooed while Trenton beamed down at his niece.

"Well, I'll bet that it's a masterpiece," the law wolf said. Lily smiled and slowly held out the paper, which was from a sheet of coloring paper that Dawn had also thought to get. Qali and Trent both thanked Lily as they took the page, and looked it over. On the page was a drawing, much better and a bit more detailed than what Trent and Qali had been expecting, showing the two of them hugging.

"Oh, wow," Qali said, looking at her niece in amazement, "this is wonderful! Thank you, sweetie!" Lily smiled, happy that they had liked her drawing. "Can I please play with your headmane? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Lily was surprised by her hyper aunt's sudden question, but nodded, unsure of what she had in mind. She took a seat right next to the vixen, who immediately set to work braiding her headfur. Lily had never had her hair braided, and so didn't know how she was supposed to feel at that moment. However, in a matter of minutes, Qali announced that she was done, and held up a pocket mirror for Lily to see. Lily smiled as she looked at her braided ponytail.

"Thanks, Auntie Qali!" Lily said, turning to hug the vixen. Qali hugged the curious little mammal back. Lily broke off the hug to rush over and show Dawn and Vernon. "Auntie Qali made me look like a princess!" Lily was hopping from one foot to the next in excitement.

"She sure did," Dawn said, cooing. Trevor took the first opportunity he got to shake off his sister, and rushed over to the couch, clambering up into Vernon's lap.

"Awww, no fair!" Alice said with a huff, before spying Lily, her muzzle splitting into a grin. Lily saw the look on Alice's face and recognized it. She smiled and waited for the wolf pup to pounce, which she promptly did, and immediately started to tickle her. Alice burst out into laughter as she tried to squirm about to try to break free and try another pounce attack on her big little sister.

"I take it that someone's done with wrestling for now," Vernon said, ruffling the headfur of the black lamb in his lap. Trevor looked up and let out a sigh.

"It's fun for a little while, but Alice never wants to give up until she wins," Trevor half-heartedly complained.

"There is a lot to be said for persistence," Trenton offered to his nephew, making everyone laugh.

"Now why is it that it's always to Daddy that you three run to, hmm?" Dawn asked in mock-seriousness. Trevor started to look uncomfortable, so Vernon leaned forward to give him a hug.

"He's just protectin' his big and little sister," Vernon said, making the lamb look up in confusion. Vernon shot him a quick wink.

"Everyone already knows that you go to Mommy only if you want the big guns brought out," Vernon said, reaching over a paw to pat down on Dawn's white head poof, eliciting a giggle from her, from Trevor, from Qali, and both of the girls who had stopped their wrestling when Dawn had asked her question.

"Well, that's true," Dawn said.

Overall, the visit was a pleasant experience. Qali played around with Lily's braid some more, as well as with Trevor's wool. She had to dodge a pounce from Alice, tickling her niece as 'punishment'. Trenton asked the three some of their likes and dislikes, already some gift ideas in mind. The couple stayed for lunch, and observed Vernon playing with the pups in the backyard. In lieu of wrestling, Alice seemed to very much enjoy kicking the soccer ball around with the large wolf and her siblings, and even Dawn, despite the ewe proving her less-than-stellar athleticism. The visit came to an end, with Qali and Trent hugging each of the pups and Vernon and Dawn before saying their goodbyes, and Qali promising to return with a bunch of presents.

Trenton chuckled and smiled at his brother, internally amazed at how naturally he and Dawn had seemed as parents. He sent a text saying as much to their mother, knowing that the she-wolf was hungry for any and all details pertaining to her new role as Grandma.

"They're just so CUTE!" Qali said once they were in the car and driving off.

"That they are," Trent said, happy with how the day had gone.

"I wonder what Lily is, thought?" Qali mused more to herself than to Trent.

"I was wondering the same thing. Something about her seemed oddly familiar," Trenton said aloud.

"REALLY?!" Qali, in one fluid motion, unbuckled her seatbelt and leapt onto her mate's muzzle, causing the suddenly panicked white wolf to swerve before pulling over to peel his mate off of his face.

"You've seen her somewhere before?!" Qali asked, completely unaware of the possible accident she could have caused.

"No, today's the first time I've ever met her. There's just something about her that seems so familiar to me," Trent explained.

"Oh?"

"I've got some things to look into, Qali," Trenton said as he pulled back onto the road. He would say no more, despite his energetic mate's persistent questioning.

Back at the Hunter household, Dawn was typing on her laptop, checking her emails. The kids were each taking turns on the new gaming system that had been bought, a Shift. Presently it was Trevor vs. Lily in a surprisingly intense game, while Vernon was playing with Alice in the backyard. Dawn smiled, having not expected the unlimited amount of energy in the little wolf pup. Her gaze drifted back to Trevor and Lily, settling on the mystery mammal that was her youngest daughter. While the butterflies still returned at the notion of that thought, Dawn also felt a sense of worry. To have no idea of one's own species, let alone any form of culture for one to draw on, would have to be a very lonely feeling.

And then there's possible medical questions, Dawn thought, a quick bubble of worry that came and went in a flash.
She deserves to know something, Dawn thought as she clicked on an email from Mayor Snow. And there has got to be something out there to find.

Vernon was presently focused on Alice and keeping up with her. He had noticed how much he had doted on Lily, and was determined to ensure that all of his pups got equal attention, and all knew that they were loved equally.

"Gotta be quicker than that, Alice," Vernon said, just barely stopping the ball from whizzing right by him. He kicked it back to his pup, her tail wagging in excitement.

"Try that!" Alice said, kicking the ball while giving it a little spin. Her trick worked, as the ball swerved just out of Vernon's reach. He had initially considered just letting her win, but he quickly found that he would have to put in quite a bit of effort just to keep up.

"So, have you ever played on a soccer team?" Vernon asked, retrieving the ball.

"No, but I always wanted to!" Alice said, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that," Vernon said, setting the ball down and giving it a kick.

"Really?" Alice asked, her excitement making her miss the ball.

"You'd better believe it, princess," Vernon said with a grin. Alice ran over to the ball and started kicking it along. She wasn't sure of just what she was supposed to say or do in this moment, so she elected to stick with a happy 'Thank you'.

"You're more than welcome, sweetie," Vernon said.