Beau felt welcomed within the Silver Fox family. She hadn't met Pebble during the following few weeks, so she had yet to know how the leader truly felt about her presence. She often found herself enjoying the times she'd hunt with the Foxes better than she had when she was with the wolves. Their magnetic like hunting kept them together in small groups, and they'd chase after large prey rather than smaller creatures like the wolves would.

She ran with the Silver Foxes like she was one of them, and she paused to watch them pounce onto an unsuspecting deer. The prey's cry caused several birds and rabbits to flee from the area.

"Beau?" A voice behind her spoke softly.

Beau turned to see Jasiri and Scout standing side by side. Beau's ears laid back against her head as she stared at the two, her expression blank as they stared at her in confusion.

"I found my place." Beau stated. "The Foxes are letting me and Whisper stay until the pups are born in a few moons."

"Are these wolves bothering you, Beau?" One of the Silver Foxes she was hunting with, Rivers, stepped between her and the two wolves.

"No, Rivers. These two are my littermates. They aren't bothering me." Beau replied, her eyes on her siblings rather than Rivers.

"Some littermates you are. How could you just exile a Queen?" Opal, another Silver Fox, hissed as she stood beside Beau.

"Enough." Whisper growled, abandoning the deer to join the confrontation. "Opal, Rivers, you two help take the deer back. We'll deal with the wolves."

The two Silver Foxes joined the hunting party as they carried the deer back to the clearing. Beau held her head high as her brother glared at the Silver Fox she stood with.

"So you're the one who took my sister away?" Scout huffed. "You're not much to look at, are you?"

"I didn't take your sister away. The Uprights did." Whisper replied.

"Uprights?" Jasiri tilted her head.

"Upwalkers." Beau clarified. "They speak differently than we do."

"You could have left her alone! You didn't have to mate with her!" Scout became angry.

"And so what if I did? She's happy with having my pups. Did you ever stop to consider that? The Uprights put us together for a reason. If you were in our situation and had a mate from another family, you would behave just like us!" Whisper snapped.

Beau lowered her head as Jasiri stepped toward her. Whisper was quick to step between them.

"She's not apart of your pack anymore. Step closer, and I'll hurt you." He growled, his eyes on Jasiri.

"Beau, you can't let him do this! We're sisters!" Jasiri yelled.

Beau looked away from her, and she spotted Wilt walking toward them.

"Whisper, enough of this." Wilt said quietly. "Too much stress will be hard on Beau."

Beau smiled at Wilt as the she-fox rubbed her snout against her side before coaxing Whisper to follow.

"We won't be far." Whisper muttered to Beau. "If you're uncomfortable, we'll come as soon as you call."

The two Silver Foxes stalked away from the three wolves, and Beau sat down as she looked at her siblings.

"Are you happy, Beau?" Jasiri asked, sitting.

"Yes." Beau answered immediately.

"How can you be happy? You're with those vile creatures!" Scout scoffed and shook his head.

"I'd still be with you if you hadn't have exiled me." Beau stated. "The Foxes have been kind to me. They've given me shelter when you turned away. My pups will be of mixed blood, and they will be the start of something new. The forest wont be the same."

"Who's filling your head with those lies?"

"It's not a lie. Return to your den, Scout. I've made my decision just as you have made yours."

Beau stood and turned her back on her siblings, trotting toward the clearing she now called home. Whisper and Wilt were waiting for her at the forest's edge.

"Your siblings will soon understand what is happening just as you and Whisper have." Wilt said as Beau stood with them. "The ancestors will show them the truth and what will be brought to the forest with these pups."

~

"Whisper, these pups can't share our beliefs. Their so different from each other."

"I know. Wilt told me. We'll have to create our own beliefs to live by."

"Couldn't we ask Wilt what we're supposed to do?"

"She wouldn't know. She only knows what the ancestors tell her, and they're vague when it comes to prophecies."

Beau sighed as she laid in her den. Whisper had been hard at work digging out more space. He had already dug out an entrance at the opposite side of the tree, claiming that the den would soon become a place for them to stay whenever they visited the Foxes after the pups were born.

"What would they call the Upwalkers?" Beau asked.

"Twolegs." Whisper answered immediately. "It was what our ancestors called them when they walked the land. It should be what the pups call them if they're going to change the forest."

"What about their Star Teller or Moon Gazer?"

"The Star Gazer. I'm sure whichever pup who is born with that gift will be just as clear to us as Wilt was to our leader before Pebble."

"And their Healer?"

"That will remain the same. It is between both of our families, so it wouldn't make sense to call it something different."

Beau was going to ask another question, but a sharp pain to her torso caused her to cry out instead. Whisper took one look at her before he ran from the den. He returned with the Silver Fox Healer, Storm.

"Just breathe, Beau." Storm whispered to the she-wolf, his paw on her belly. "The pain you feel is from the pups. It is time for them. Whisper, run to my den and fetch some white willow bark. It will ease her pain."

Whisper nodded and hurried off, and Wilt slipped into the den. She stood at Beau's head and licked between her ears soothingly as the she-wolf cried.

"You're doing great, Beau." Storm said. "The first pup is almost here. Once it is, Whisper should be back with the willow bark."

Beau gave another loud cry, and she heard the soft whimpers of her first pup. Storm lifted the pup and laid it at Wilt's paws.

"Lick it to keep it warm." Storm said.

Wilt nodded and licked the small pup just as Whisper returned, the willow bark between his jaws. He bit it into small pieces and placed it at Beau's mouth. She chewed the willow bark and swallowed just as another wave of pain hit her.

In the end, Beau had six pups. Storm checked each pup, satisfied with their health as he left the den. Wilt sat before the six pups, looking to each before glancing at Beau and Whisper.

"I will have to speak with our ancestors to see if they wish to name these pups. They are all wonderful, Beau. You did well." The Star Teller muttered.

Whisper licked Beau's snout as Wilt left the den. The six pups were nursing, and Beau laid on the ground in exhaustion.

"Rest, Beau. I am proud of you." Whisper's voice was soft.

~

"The six pups will be given their names by our ancestors."

Beau sat beside Whisper proudly as their six pups stood in front of them. Each of them wagged their tails as they looked at the Star Teller. Beau looked up at Pebble, who stood on a dirt mound and glared at the six pups and the she-wolf.

"The ancestors have not given reasons for their names, nor have they stated what the purpose of the pups will be." Wilt said. "I will be saying each pup's name. After the last name is given, our ancestors have declared that you will leave tonight."

Beau leaned against Whisper, and the six pups waited patiently.

Wilt stood in front of the first pup. "This pup is a Guard. You will be Quiver."

The pup was slender and looked fragile. Quiver smiled as he turned to look at Beau and Whisper.

Wilt moved to the next pup. "This pup is a Queen. You will be Holly."

Holly and Quiver both began to play.

"These two will be Teller and Shadow. They are both Guards."

Teller and Shadow ran to join their littermates. Wilt stood in front of the remaining two pups.

"These two are both Queens. They will be Bark and Minnow."