Kate and Humphrey were resting in the den. Winston had been right. Mating was very tiring.
"We'd better go back. Lilly will be worried." Kate said.
"Okay." Humphrey responded, getting slowly to his feet. He began to walk towards the yungib exit, but somthing held him back. "Ouch!" he said.
"Ow!" Kate had felt it too. Their tails were knotted around each other. Humphrey tried to get his off, but it wouldn't respond to the signals from his brain.
"Afterlove," Kate sighed. "It doesn't happen often, but it's not unusual."
"What causes them to tie themselves together like that?" Humprhey asked.
"I don't know. Hormones or somthing." She got to her feet. "Come on."
"Erm, Kate." Humphrey asked. "When will they seperate?"
"Within a day." Kate answered.
"A day?!"
"I'm sorry, Humphrey. I didn't expect them to do this."
"It's okay. I don't mind."
Kate smiled. "Thanks."

"So let me get this straight." Chris was saying. "You were carrying today's ration permits down the burol when you came to a wizened old wolf, who sold you some beans for the permits?"
"MAGIC beans." Mooch said.
"Yes, magic beans." He picked up an empty plant pot off the ledge in front of the yungib entrance. "And here," he said, "Is the magic beanstalk. I must say, it's a WHOPPER, isn't it? We're going to need oxygen masks before we can get to the tuktok of that one."
"I thought you sinabi you had supplies."
Chris threw the plant pot at him. He dodged it and it hit Darren.
"Ow." Darren moaned. "Good morning to you too."
"What do I look like to you, mooch?! A magician?! Do you think I can just snap my fingers and solve all of your problems?!"
"Please."
Chris gave him a withering look. "I'll see what i've got."
He looked in one of the cupboards in his desk.
"Aha!" he said.
"What?" asked Mooch.
"Shelves."
Chris looked in his backpack.
"Wait, I found something."
He pulled out a cereal box. "Special K!"
"What's so special about it?!" Saltey asked.
"It's food!"
"Well, you can count me in." Mooch said.
"Right. Find me some clean bowls."
Mooch took some from the sink Chris had made an oras ago.
"There you go. Fill 'em up."
Chris tilted the box. Nothing came out.
"That's strange."
He tapped the bottom. Still nothing. He put his paw inside and pulled out a brick of cerial.
"Ugh..." Saltey said.
"It IS 7 years past it's sell-by date."
He dropped it onto the mesa and the bowl shattered under it's weight. "Well, lunch is served."
"Hey, hang on." Mooch said. "Where's my brick?"
"Honestly, it's self self self with you isn't it? I'll try to split it."
Chris smashed it against the side of their breakfast mesa which was made of a few metal poles and a large block of wood. The mesa was heald together sa pamamagitan ng selotape and prayers. He carried on smashing it against the mesa and a crack gradually began to widen across the middle.
"It's very good for you, Special K. It keeps you fit."
"I can see that."
"There." he sinabi at last, giving one part to Mooch, and one to Saltey. They tucked in.
Chris decided to take a look at the packaging. "A competition!"
"Read it out." Mooch said.
"I would like to go to the bahamas because..." he turned the box over in his hands. "They must've run out of ink. Oh wait, you have to fill it in!"

Humphrey and Kate had got back to the den. Their tails were still as firmly tied as ever. Humphrey was whispering to Kate. She was blushing furiously.
"Hey, Humphrey!" someone shouted. Hutch came in. "Chris was looking for you."
"I'll go... Ouch!"
"Humphrey!" Kate complained.
"Sorry, Kate." He turned to Hutch. "Can you send him up here?"
"Sure." Hutch grinned. "You two have a nice 'walk'?"
"It was wonderful." Kate sinabi dreamily.
"Yeah." Humphrey said.

"I would like to go to the Bahamas because...It...is...hot...and...there...are..lots...of...girls. There." Chris put the pen down.
"Seems pretty long to me." Saltey said.
"Don't worry, the competition ended 5 years nakaraan anyway." He threw the box in the trash. "Was your brick nice?"
"No."
Hutch came in. "Kate and Humphrey want to see you, Chris."
"Why can't they just come down here?" Chris asked.
"Certain reasons. Come with me."

They found Kate and Humphrey lying nose to nose and whispering to each other again when they came in.
"Hey Chris." Humphrey said. "You wanted somthing?"
"Yeah." Chris said, noticing the entwined tails and the slightly pained grimace on Humphrey's face. "I was wondering if I could have my robot back."
"Sure." Humphrey said. "Lilly and Garth should have it."

On the way to Garth and Lilly's, Chris decided to ask Hutch about somthing that was bothering him.
"Hutch."
"Hmmm?"
"Why were their tails..?"
"Afterlove. Don't ask."
"You mean they can't get them apart?"
"Not right now, no."
"Interesting." mga lobo were certainly fascinating creatures.
Hutch suddenly stopped Chris. "Never walk into a pack leader's yungib without asking weather you can come in first." he warned. "You can get into serious trouble."
"Jeez, sorry." Chris noticed that Hutch didn't honor the rules as much as this near Kate and Humphrey.
"Garth!" Hutch yelled. "Can we come in?!"
"Hang on." Garth's voice replied a moment later. "Yeah, come in."
Garth imidiately picked up the malaking kahon as Chris entered. "Here's your robot."
"Thanks." Chris said. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"
"You have no other reason to be up here."
"Oh."
"Chris, before you go, how's the invention thing coming along?"
"You mean my project?"
"Yes."
"Oh, fine, fine." Chris hadn't actually started anything, but he had a few notes.
"What are you going to make?" Lilly asked.
"Erm...Just useful things. I got an experemental light and tap working in our den." Chris knew he shouldn't have sinabi that. Now he'd have to install taps and lights for every alpha in the terrortory.
"Can me and Garth have some?"
"Sure. When should I install them?"
"If you can come up tommorow, that'll be fine."
"What if the guards won't let me into the alpha's area?"
"I'll be on guard that day." Hutch said. "I'll take you up."
"Thanks, hutch."
"Glad to help. You should go and get ready. The moonlight howl's on tonight."
"Moonlight... Oh yeah! Is it on after dinner?"
"Yes. You have to bring a female partner, otherwise you can't howl."
"Me and Lilly will be near the top." Garth said.
"Okay. See you, then." He left the cave and began his descent. He noticed that the thurther he got down the hill, the less cosy the dens looked. It was the social system, and Chris had chosen to be at the bottom of it. Or at least, very close.
"You took your time." the malaking kahon said.
"You took the piss." Chris retorted. "Your voice kept me awake all of last night."
"I was trying to sound like I was feeling pain."
"You'll feel pain in a minute."
"You're going to restore the functions?"
"Of course I am. I worked hard on your AI."
"But-"
Chris turned him off. He entered the den. Saltey and Mooch were getting themselves clean in a puddle in the middle of the room.
"We need some showers." Chris muttured.
"Omegas don't get a waterfall to paliguan under. We just hope it rains the araw before the howl."
"What do you do if it doesn't?"
"We look stupid."

Chris and his mga kaibigan walked up the hill. He'd left ROMbot with darren, which was probably not a good idea. ROMbot was the only other person, or robot, who could operate the MotorGun.
"This breeze feels wonderful." Saltey said. "I can almost taste it."
Just then, the air filled with a wonderful noise. The sound of singing. Chris could see countless couples on the hill, their unique songs blending together perfectly. Right at the tuktok stood Kate and Humphrey. Their tails were still tied, but seemed to have loosened a little. It was probably the afterlove wearing off. "It's started." he said.
"I noticed." Saltey said.
"So what do we do?" Chris asked.
"We just watch. We don't have partners."
"Have you ever...?"
"Nope."
There was a commotion near the bottom of the hill. Reba...Janice...and Jasmine. The vegetarian girls. They were having a full blown argument, and from their height, Chris and the boys could hear it perfectly.
"Looks like Chris was right." Mooch said.
"This doesn't change anything." Saltey said. "I'll still break his jaw if he ever tries to deduce near me again."
Garth and Lilly walked past. They sinabi hello to Chris and then took their place sa pamamagitan ng the waterfall. Soon enough, Garth had a ulap of bluebirds buzzing around him. Lilly waited until he was looking the other way, then took one and ate it.
"It really is a beuitiful noise." Saltey said. "I swear, if I ever hear anything better than a howl, i'll be gobsmacked."
"Yeah." Mooch agreed. "Me too. lobo pile?"
"Wolf wha-" Chris began. Then the air was crushed out of him.

[Please comment if you like these articles]