\n Well, here it is folks.  *brushes away a tear*  Of Wolves and Foxes has finally come to a close, love it or hate it.  To all of you that have watched me, fav'ed, voted on, and commented:  Thank you very much for any and all of your input.  It's very very uplifting for an author to know that someone takes the time to not only read, but offer their input on the story as well.  If you would like to voice any concerns over the story's content or context (such as, if I left anything unresolved or something really doesn't make sense, which is possible) please don't hesitate to post a comment here or send me a private message.  I promise you, I won't be insulted by anything you could throw at me.

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\n However, having said that, I may bite back.

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\n And no, I won't add any erotica to it either ;-).

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\n Now, enjoy the conclusion!

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\n EPILOGUE

\n Four months following the restoration of the Lupine Empire

\n Aaron leaned over a data pad, tracing the words with a claw as he read them aloud slowly. Occasionally, he'd squint down at the screen, pausing to work out the more difficult or less familiar words and syllables.

\n "To date the in-vest-vesti...gations...investigations have given a broken but redable...no, readable...picture of the plot to over-throw the imperial government. Trials have been continuing at a steady pass...erg!...pace as ordered by the Mini-Ministry of Justice in the hopes of better under-standing the scope of the con...conspa..."

\n Scott looked up from a daily State Department briefing the Lupine capitol had sent to him. Leaning over a second copy of the news reports the young fox was reading from, he scanned the page and quickly found where Aaron was reading.

\n "Conspiracy," he said. "Do you know what that means, Aaron?"

\n Aaron chewed his lower lip as he looked up, dwarfed by Scott's tall desk from his fox-sized chair. "I think so," he said, his tone indicating he wasn't very sure. "It's kinda like when a bunch of creatures try to hide something bad from others...isn't it?"

\n Scott smiled and nodded. "You're certainly improving quickly, Aaron. I'm very impressed."

\n The little fox's tail wagged happily. "I'm much better at Vulpine."

\n "You're better than I am, that's for sure. It's always easier to learn knew things when you're young and have the energy. Old creatures like me just don't have it in us anymore."

\n Aaron giggled, but stopped as a question he'd been wanting to ask for a while had finally worked its way to the surface.

\n "Why do I have to learn Lupine? Everybody else at my school doesn't."

\n Scott leaned back, folding his paws across his chest as he considered the best answer the question deserved. "Well, Aaron...do you remember what it was like being a slave?"

\n The fox nodded a little. "Yeah."

\n "You know how your masters wouldn't let you read or learn anything about the universe on your own? All they wanted you to know was what they told you so you couldn't do anything more than what they wanted you to do. If you can learn things for yourself and do things on your own, there's almost no limit to what you can do if you put your mind to it. Knowledge is power, Aaron. Being able to read Lupine will give you more access to it, even if it's just a little bit."

\n A slight tilt of his head indicated that Aaron was still a little confused, but he thought it over for a moment and bobbed his head.

\n "I guess that makes sense," he said, looking down at the data pad in his paws. "The more I know about the universe...then the more stuff I can do on my own?"

\n Scott beamed brightly. The last several months had seen a dramatic change in the young fox. He had become less reserved, less timid, and he never referred to himself using his old nickname-of which Scott was glad. He knew Aaron was a smart kit. He and Sarah had been pleasantly surprised at just how much he'd grown, and quickly. He was more confident in himself, more eager to learn and meet new creatures.

\n "Aaron, you know that your mother, Uncle John, and I care about you a lot, right?" The fox nodded. "We want to make sure your future is as strong as it can be. So many foxes never had that opportunity, you know. Your mother and Uncle John were very lucky, but you'll have so much more opportunity than they ever had."

\n He nodded quickly, and Scott realized he was probably tired of hearing it so often from his mother and uncle. Aaron turned his attention back to the data pad and started reading again.

\n "The Emperor publicly an-ounced yesterday the natural conc-concept-sion of his first child, a male, dis-pelling any rumors that he was unable to produce a legitiminimate..."

\n "Legitimate."

\n "...legitimate hair to the thrown."

\n Scott laughed. "That's heir, Aaron...not hair."

\n "Oh..."

\n "You're doing great, Aaron. Just keep with it. It's hard but there's unfortunately no psycho-something-ruther for Lupine yet. Got to learn it the old-fashioned way."

\n Scott's secretary poked her head into his office, wrapping her knuckle against the doorframe lightly. Scott and Aaron looked up from their work and the female wolf gave the young fox a warm smile. Aaron nodded to the kindly wolf, a little flick to his tail tip. Ambassador Banks' staff had grown accustomed to him coming and going frequently. They had been reluctant at first, but Ambassador Banks' assurances that he was always welcome in his office had eventually put their minds at ease. Strangely, nobody had actually asked Scott why he favored the fox so much. He'd just as soon rather they didn't.

\n "Excuse me, sir," she said quietly, as if believing it would be less of a disturbance if she kept her voice down. "There's a fox here to see you. A Mr. John Banks?"

\n "Good. See him in, Cathy."

\n "Alright, sir. And your meeting is still scheduled for eleven o'clock."

\n "Thank you."

\n The secretary nodded and left. Looking to his young charge, Scott recognized an all-too curious perk to Aaron's ears and smirked.

\n "I have a meeting in half an hour, so I asked your Uncle John to watch you until you're mom is off work. I think he's going to give you a tour of his ship. Or something like that."

\n His tail wagged excitedly. Aaron's bushy appendage was seemingly too big for his body, as was typically the case for young Vulpines. He'd grow into it soon enough.

\n John walked in a moment later, smiling from ear to ear as he shook Scott's paw and patted his nephew's head warmly.

\n "Hey Aaron," he said. "How are the lessons going?"

\n "Good," he said cheerfully, glancing at Scott.

\n "He's been improving very quickly," the wolf confirmed, and Aaron looked down modestly, the complement making him a little embarrassed. Scott smirked. "So John, how is engineering school treating you?"

\n The fox slumped his shoulders forward, his tongue lolled out expressively. "Like a piece of meat," he said before righting himself again. "But it's definitely worth it. I've never learned so much in my life. I love it."

\n Scott smiled proudly. "Well that's great, John. I'm glad to hear that."

\n After another minute of small talk, John wished his old friend good luck with his meeting and asked Aaron if he was ready to go. Shaking his head, the young fox hopped down from his chair and scampered around Scott's desk, giving the big wolf a warm hug around the neck. Scott happily returned it.

\n "Stay out of trouble, Aaron," he said softly, suddenly concerned that the young creature wouldn't be safe without him to watch over him. Scott wondering if this was a fatherly impulse he was feeling. Sadly, he'd never had the privilege of knowing before.

\n The foxes left and all too quickly his office was silent again. Scott packed his briefcase with the reports and files he'd need for his meeting. Vulpine and Lupine delegates were coming together to discuss terms and conditions of peace and trade treaties between their two races, a process that was sure to be very long, very delicate, and potentially very heated. The inherent friction between fox and wolf had made Scott's first three months on the job very difficult and stressful. But he would survive. He was no stranger to hard work.

\n Taking a precious moment to himself he sat back in his high-backed chair and sighed. In the calm of the late morning he could feel a comfortable warmth on the back of his neck as the bright Vulpine sun flooded in from above. Turning, he stared impassively out his office window across the cityscape of the Vulpine capitol, its alien architecture and behavior only now beginning to gain some familiarity. It wasn't exactly home. A farm still waited patiently for him on Triticum, largely unattended except for a housekeeping service that went there twice a month to make sure it hadn't become overgrown with weeds or burned to the ground. Oddly, the wolf didn't mind as much as he thought he would. A house was just a house. A farm just a farm, like many others. It was here, on this strange world, that his family lived and thrived, and he knew he would trade anything he had to keep hold of this life he was so happily living.

\n Aaron was growing quickly, by any standard, and Scott didn't want to miss any of it. The poor youth's father was still unaccounted for, and may never be found. Even if he was, the wolf doubted-somewhat bitterly-that he could be trusted to know what was best for his estranged son. He knew the burden was heavy and painful for Sarah. He could see it in her eyes whenever they discussed such things, usually when they were together and alone. Wrapped in each other's loving arms he would promise to do whatever he could for the both of them. And he meant every word; not just for their sake, but his as well. He'd lost a mate and a son once before. Perhaps this was his chance to start over again.

\n The wolf glanced briefly at his watch and stood. He didn't especially look forward to this summit. And yet, Scott couldn't keep from smiling to himself as he hefted his briefcase in one paw, turning his computer to stand-by with the other. If this job meant being near the creatures he loved, then by the gods he was happy to do it.

\n Here, he had what he'd once lost. A loving mate. A son.

\n Here, he was happy and loved.

\n Here, he was home, in this strange life of wolves and foxes.