I had received word that my friend, companion and supporter, Sabere Commander, may have passed away. He supported this and all my other stories. He had also given me ideas and encouragement and I hoped he knew how much I appreciated it. I'm still praying that he is still around, but with so long going by without hearing any other word from him, I cannot help but feel sadden. Just thought I give him a shout out and the credit that he deserved as I hope he is still around and may read this.

Welcome Home

Damon would have pinched himself to see if he is dreaming, but he is currently buried beneath a small pile of furry hyperactive joy filled wolves as they shout and cheered their glee. He was also laughing like a mad man, he just couldn't believe it.

He was glad to finally have gotten back in the U.S, helping in defending it against its invaders while also extracting a little revenge in the process. But there is only a certain distance a man can go when he is fighting, and it all depends on who he is fighting for, what he is willing to die for. Sure he battles for the men, women and children of his nation, but here, he remembers.

Here is his family who is barking, laughing and coming close to singing at his return. He had no idea how much he would have missed these guys, he had never really been far from his parentns before their untimely demise and his military comrades was always there for him. It hasn't been until recently did he realize how much of an ache could be caused when he doesn't see the ones he care for in almost an entire year.

For that moment, just for one second, all the problems of the world has faded away; leaving only the good things in life that he has been missing.

A furry face then brushes towards his and licks him excitedly. He laughs as he brushes the wolves aside so that he can stand and properly identify who it is he is surrounded by.

He chuckles some more when someone pounces on his front, forcing him to hold the wolf against his body as he comes nose to nose with it.

"Meadow!" he says with a laugh upon recognizing the brown and white wolf, "still the little pup I see."

The she-wolf laughs as well before licking his mask, getting his one remaining eye in the process.

"Damon!" she shouts in turn, "I can't believe you're back!"

"Good to see you again pack brother," another voice says as he bumps into the human's hip. Damon turns and the radiant grin behind his mask was almost bright enough to see in the blackness.

"Garth!" He slaps the shoulder of the Alpha who still possess his lean body, but there is a look about him that makes his seem more…older, or rather mature.

"What about me?" questions a feminine voice at his other flank and wasn't too surprise to see the golden color of Kate. He lightly ruffles the top of her head while noticing her color has a silver like sheen to it that wasn't there the last time he had seen her.

He felt someone rub up next to him right after Garth and looks to see a white furred Lilly, smiling with her ever present and often time gentle shyness that is expected. Damon squats down to give her a one armed hug, causing her to giggle a little and lightly slip out of the embrace, but with the grin still attached to her face.

Suddenly something large jumps on his back and almost sends the Ghost tumbling end over end. Over the loud din of laughter caused by the act, he picked out a specific one originating directly from behind and it didn't take long for the human to guess who it is. He has certainly been pounced by him over a hundred times in the past.

"Humphrey!" he tries to scold, but couldn't keep himself from cracking up along with everybody else for that matter.

"Glad you remember me!" the Omega exclaims before leaping over Damon and turning around to face him.

Out of all the wolves, Humphrey was the odd ball, but that didn't mean he was unlikable. Far from it, he is dedicated, strong, brave and has a humor that is infectious. He is also, for lack of other terms, an 'honorary' Ghost, a titled that Damon has bestowed upon the Grey and black wolf. He looks the same as ever, only his fur has gotten a little bushier, but it looks well groomed, maybe Kate helps with keeping him clean.

As soon aas he made sure that was everyone, Humphrey shouts, "Wolf pile!"

"Oh no," Damon tries to stand back up, but all five wolves leaped forward and before he could move, they had landed right on top of him. He lands with a grunt and just lays there while the others had their laugh. It was a good laugh though, he knew they weren't laughing at him, but more of laughing with joy just as he is. They must have missed him as much as he did them.

He contiues to laugh as he lays his head back down on the ground, fully content just to stay here getting reacquainted with his furry companions, but when his head hit the floor, his eyes made contact with five pairs of boots. Suddenly remembering he isn't alone, he shoots back up and twists around to see the stun faces of his teammates, and after a moment, the wolves finally realize that their human pack brother wasn't alone.

Instantly their warm faces turn into that of vicious snarls as they raise their hackles and crouches in preparations for a lethal strike. Lilly and Humphrey were friendly Omegas, but even they become weary around these new people. Ghost Team Crusader in turn back away, their rifles rising up to their hips in preparations to fire.

Damon pratically leaps in between the two hostile pairs, letting his rifle swing from his shoulder sling and holding his hands up in an attempt to calm the situation or at the very least, cool off the hot steam to the point where they won't start killing each other.

"Hold it!" shouts the Ghost Sergeant, "let's all remain calm here."

"Damon," growls out Meadow, "who are they?"

"W-w-who are we?" stutters Cote, "who are you, what are you?"

"We'll wolves genius," answers Garth as he tries to get at a good angle to pounce, but Damon got in the way again.

"This…we…" Cote glances at the team and orders, "well say something."

Everyone is silent before Jacob clears his throat and says, "Uh, is it true that if you bite someone they turn into a werewolf?"

Nobody speaks until Cote slaps his hand against his face and roars, "ALCARAZ!"

"What?" asks the Ghost, "you said say something, and I thought it would rather be cool if we could be transformed into something like werewolf commandos."

Damon is sure Cote would have strangled the Ghost right then and there if it wasn't for the fits of laughter. Lilly is trying to muffle her giggles by burying her muzzle into her forepaw while Humphrey just dropped to the floor, laughing hysterically as he pounds the earth with a paw while the other covers his eyes. Even Meadow, the other Omega that is present, had a grin on her face and she appears to be shaking as if she is fighting back the laughter but is on the verge of losing it. Their Alpha counter parts just rolls their eyes as if this all normal to them, which it probably was.

Damon chuckles a little at such a familiar sight while his teammate continue to stare, unable to fully comprehend what it is that they are seeing. First it was the wolves merely speaking, now they are laughing, not just among themselves as they were doing earlier with Damon, but laughing at what it was that the humans had said.

"That's hilarious," Humphrey finally breathes out as he stands back up, lightly wiping some tears that had formed on his eyes.

Lilly just nods in agreement and Meadow continues to smile.

Damon couldn't believe it, but Jacob's odd nerdy nature had somehow defused the situation, or at the very least lower the tension so that they are no longer trying to kill one another.

"Alright," the Ghost Sergeant says slowly and decides to turn to his team first since they presented the highest threat with their guns, "guys…yeah…I guess there's a lot of things I should explain."

"A little," Ash says with a careful nod of her head, "hearing about it is different when seeing it."

"Well-" Damon stops talking when he registered her words and instead asks, "You…you know?"

"Um…" Jacob shuffles his feet a little like a toddler being caught doing something bad, leaving Senior to be the one to sigh and nod saying, "Yeah, Merrick told us before we left."

For a moment Damon's mind was in a turmoil as he feels horrified, scared, betrayed, and happy but surprisingly the number one thing he was feeling was simply relief. He can face an entire Federation army, wounded and on his own and he wouldn't flinch, but when it comes to his personal life, to his brothers and sisters; that's a different story. He had been separated from them ever since his infamous Canadian mission, it took nearly months for him to reestablish himself among the Ghost community and it had truly filled him with dread at what his military family will think of him if they found out about his experience. Call him crazy and throw him out most likely, but they knew, they knew and up until that moment they have acted normally, after realizing that, all the stiffness and uncertainty melts away from the Sergeant's mind as he allows himself to breathe again.

"Damon?"

The indicated Ghost turns to Meadow who is eyeing all of them, even him, with caution as she says, "Who are they?"

Though slightly hurt that she is seeing him as a possible threat, Damon does his best to keep his voice leveled as he gulps a couple of times before speaking.

"Well," he starts out slowly, "you guys remember that last time I didn't come alone right? How I had my own little pack, Ghost Team Comanche?"

They nod in confirmation; for it was a day Humphrey, Kate, and Garth would never forget, they hadn't seen the death of Damon's friends personally, but they have seen the explosions and heard the resounds bangs off a battle of which they have never witness before. It is an experience that cannot be left behind so quickly.

"Right," continues Damon, "well these guys, or rather the three with masks like mine," he indicates the other Ghosts, hardly paying attention to the fact that Jacob still had to paint his face, "are my new comrades, Ghost Team Crusaders, and those guys," he gestures at Price and Cote, "they're just tagging along."

The Canadian looked outraged, but not Price as he observes the wolves with a rather critical eye that seems to be making some of the pack members slightly skittish. It was as if the Captain was trying to see right through them.

Quickly rushing along, Damon points at each of the humans.

"That's Ashely Clinton," he announces, "she's our sniper and medic, or healer I guess you can say." He couldn't see her expression, but he hopes that Ash approves of how he had introduced her.

"The one next to her is Jerome Lipton, but we call him Senior because of his experience and wisdom," he tries to make the last bit sound like a joke, but aside from a small grunt, he isn't sure how Senior took it.

"Finally that one is Jacob Alcaraz," the young Ghost puffs out his chest a little, waiting for Damon to speak of his contribution, but in that moment Damon had to really think for a moment, "he…uh…he…is…our…mascot?" he tries out. The slump shoulder and agitated sound the Ghost made is a clear indication that he doesn't appreciate his title, but in all honesty, Damon wasn't sure of he would take it well if he said that Jacob was just the translator.

He then turns to the two men who were standing partially to the side and announces, "And these two gentlemen came along to lend us a hand," he indicates Price, "This is Captain Price, a strong and…unique leader who is very dedicated to getting his task completed." Price makes no move or say anything that allows Damon to certify how he likes the intro, so he just moves on.

"And this man here is a Canadian soldier named Nathan Cote," he finishes, "and he is here to help protect these lands, along with you guys."

Cote didn't seem too fond of that notion, but at that moment, Humphrey crept closely and eyes the human as he asks, "you're from Canada? These lands?"

Cote hesitantly nods his head, seeming unsure about himself speaking to a wolf.

"You're the one who is supposed to protect this place?"

Cote is quiet for a moment before saying, "in a manner of speaking," he finishes with a nod.

"Then where were you when the Federation attacked?!" Humphrey explodes with exasperation, to which the other wolves growl and dips their heads in agreement.

Cote is momentarily stun, both by the question, accusation, and the general emotion Humphrey has just displayed.

Now its Jacob's turn to crack up as he says, "A hippie wolf, now I've seen everything," he was silenced by a slap up the head delivered by Ash.

Seeing the situation starting to rise again, Damon decides to change the subject as he twists around to face his human companions.

"Alright," Damon says as he gives them a friendly smile, "guys, this is my pack."

"Pack?" asks a disbelieving Cote.

"Pack," Damon nods his head towards the Canadian Captain in conformation, "first and foremost, this here is Garth," he gestures to the reddish wolf since he is closest, "he is one of the toughest and most reliable wolf around and, on a minor note, the most handsome dude around." Garth's only response was to roll his eyes, he doesn't see Lilly, his mate, smiling broadly at the assumption.

The albino's wolf smile is wiped off her face when she hears, "and the one next to him is Lilly, she is the heart and soul of the pack, a caring patron that can become a raging ball of furry terror should anything happen to her family." Lilly shrinks away lightly, but Garth rubs his side against hers and is able to coax a grin from her.

"Lilly's sister is the golden one named Kate," the indicated wolf only gives a subtle grin, "she is a sleek hunter, fast learner and just as caring as her sister, only with more teeth."

"Lastly that's Humphrey," he points out the black and grey wolf who appears almost anxious at what Damon's next words will be.

"He has to be one of the most talented wolves on the face of the Earth," Humphrey eyes widens at this, "he can be a caring, laughing, fun raising son of a coyote when he wants to be, but when it comes down to guts and courage, then there is no other wolf for the job." Damon tries to keep himself from laughing when the wolf tries to hide behind Kate whose only response was a knowing smile as she teasingly swats Humphrey with her tail.

With the introduction done, and that everyone is starting to calm down from the initial shock, Damon steps back lightly and looks between the two group before saying, "well…uh…yeah that's all I know what to say."

Both humans and wolves then turns towards each other and blinks in silence, sizing each other up and trying to deem which one could present the greatest of threats. On one hand the humans have height, weapons and are covered in their odd body armor to protect them, but all the gear that they are wearing will slow them down considerably. The wolves in turn aren't that advanced into modern warfare, but they are fast, strong and have sharp teeth and claws that is more than capable to slash any man to ribbons. The awkward air lasts for minutes on end before Damon, reluctantly, tries to get the conversation going again.

"So…how have you guys been?" he asks the wolves.

Humphrey was the first one to answer, "Well ever since you left there has been a lack of explosions, flying bullets and utter destruction of which no wolf has ever seen before…so I guess you can say it has been pretty dull."

Damon chuckles at this, but stops when he hears an odd clicking sound and looks for the source.

Cote is holding a hand held device in his hand and he is waving it over a mystified Garth who seems too interested in the alien device to move.

"Uh…what are you doing?" the wolf eventually asks.

"Checking for radiation," was Cote's lukewarm reply as he continues his sweep.

Damon mumbles under his breath before marching towards the Captain and snatches the machine out of his hand.

"They're not mutated monsters Captain," he says before leaning in close and whispering, "they're wolves who are still skittish around people, so I don't think they would appreciate it if you start experimenting on them."

Cote frowns at this, but they are interrupted when they heard someone else speak.

"Are you a female?" Meadow asks Ash as the she-wolf stands directly in front of the Ghost.

She gives Damon a bewildered look as if asking what she is supposed to do before looking down at the questioning wolf and answers, "Yes I am…why do you ask?"

"You smell different," answers Meadow as if this was obvious.

Jacob suddenly chortles before saying, "That would be the shampoo you are smelling," before giggling to himself again. He only stopped when Ash picked up a stone and threw it at him, hitting him in the head, evoking a yelp from his throat.

Jacob starts rubbing his throbbing skull when Lilly crept up to him with her body low to the ground as if she is getting ready to sprint at a moment's notice.

"Are you an Omega?" she asks the young soldier.

He pauses in his mild low cursing to look down at the albino wolf and asks, "Am I a what?"

Damon coughs loudly and says, "yes, yes he is," he then gives Jacob a hard look, a silent command for him to go along with it, to which Jacob reluctantly nods to, wondering what it is he is agreeing to.

"So what kind of experience do you have as a warrior?" Kate asks Senior.

The aged old veteran shrugs, getting a little comfortable with the notion of wolves having the ability to talk when he says, "well, I know a lot of things, how to set up ambushes, traps, hunting parties, patrols and how to judge a person's character."

"What about you?" to Damon's horror, he sees that it's Humphrey, trying to get a conversation going with Price, "are you an elder too?"

Damon could only watch, wondering what a maniac like Price will say to Humphrey. The British Captain merely studies the wolf before saying, "you can say that I suppose."

"Do you have a lot of stories to tell like Damon does?" questions the wolf eagerly, always having an ear open to hear something new, especially if it has anything to do with the mysterious human beings.

Damon honestly isn't sure if Price's stories would be rated as 'family friendly' material, but before the Captain could say anything, Meadow bumps into the Ghost Sergeant's leg and speaks in a low voice, but its loud enough so that the others can hear as well.

"It's great to see you here again Damon," she says with a sincere grin and a waging tail before her features droops slightly as she asks, "but I'm guessing since you brought weapons and more human warriors, then this isn't a social visit."

Damon sighs heavily and nods, "I really wished I could have seen you guys earlier under better circumstances, but like I said, the war is still going on and unfortunately we do have a mission here."

At these words, the humans become tense again as if they are just now remember the whole point of them being there.

"Is it the Federation soldiers again?" Kate questions while baring her teeth.

Some of the humans back away slightly at the sight of her fangs and grip their weapons a little tightly, but Damon doesn't really notice as he answers.

"We don't know yet," he finishes with a shrug, "why don't we get to cover and I'll fill you in on what we do know."

"Now hold on there Sergeant," Cote makes his way forward, "you can't just tell them classified orders, especially…" he catches himself and steps closer to the Ghost and whispers, "especially when they're wild animals."

Damon narrows his eyes at this remark. In all his years since the ODIN strikes he had watched as humanity slowly lost their colorful nature and slipped into their more primal instinctive urges, not really caring for much these days. These wolves, as unnerving as it was for him, reminded him of his humanity, how life used to be and how despite the foreshadowing darkness they can still laugh and have a good time. True he thought they were just really smart wolves who knew how to talk, he didn't registered them on the same level as human beings until he had spent months on end with them. And now he is part of the pack, a word against them is now a word against him as well.

"Cote," he says in a low voice so the wolves won't hear, "this is their home and they will defend it, with or without our help or consent. If we try to conduct an OP here without their approval then their scouts will be following us, we could have arguments and it will with us facing fifty killer wolves, and since I trained them how to take down enemy combatant with guns, then the odds will not be in our favor."

Cote's eyes are wide before they harden as he asks, "did you share every military secret with them?"

"Only the ones that mattered at the time," response Damon defensibly.

Cote sighs before nodding to the Ghost who then turn back to Meadow, "why don't we go back to the Dens and we'll talk there."

All the wolves smile at this as Meadow says, "Alright, boy will the pack be surprised to see this."

A special thanks to "Captain Alaska" who helped me with the dialogue, he writes good stories and I asked him for a little advice which he gracefully has given.

Also, if you're wondering, yes I have a plot for the story, it's just writing it down thats tough for me at the moment.