Fox Afield (Madison Wolves) (11 page)

"May I see your fox?" Casey interjected into the conversation. "You said you would let me see your fox."

Lara turned to me, allowing me to answer for myself.

"Now Casey," Ysabella said. "She's not a trained pet to perform for you on command."

"Perhaps we should discuss the afternoon's plans," I suggested. "And if there are a few minutes, I could perhaps satisfy some curiosity."

Daniel smiled. "Were there plans?"

"Nothing specific," Brooke answered. "We weren't sure when to expect you."

"May we go climbing?" Cory asked. "Please?"

"He's been talking about nothing else since we announced we were coming," Ysabella said. "But perhaps it is too late in the afternoon."

"The beginner's climbs are a little too far away," Daniel said to Cory. "We would run out of daylight before everyone had their chance to climb."

"There's Wolf Point," Brooke said.

"That's not exactly a beginner's climb," Daniel pointed out. "Our guests-"

"Are ready. At least the alphas are." Brooke turned to us. "It would be a challenge, and you'll both fall once or twice. You might not make the last part. Or we can go to the easier climbs in the morning."

I whispered to Lara, "You know me and a challenge."

Lara grinned. "We're up for it if you are, Daniel."

"Well then," he said. "Shall we settle in and depart in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"Yes!" said Cory. "Wolf's Point!"

"You!" Daniel said. "Will do what your big sister says. Or you are grounded from climbing through the remainder of the season. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Father," he said immediately. "Brooke, may I go first?"

"No," she said. "But you'll get your turn. If you are a gracious host."

"Yes, Brooke," he said.

"May we see your fox now, Michaela?" Casey asked. "Before we go climbing?"

"Are you going to climb, Casey?"

She looked at Brooke. "Maybe halfway, then you can ride down, but you can go twice."

"Woo hoo!" Casey said. "Thank you, Brooke." She turned to me. "Please, Michaela?"

I smiled at her, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "I need a moment," I told her.

I turned to Elisabeth. "Shield me," I said. "I need to disarm."

The four enforcers clustered around me, using their bodies to hide me from the Boulder wolves. I disarmed, handing everything to Serena. Once done, I loosened my clothing, stepped away from the enforcers, took a leap, and shifted to fox in the air. I slithered out of my clothes, then stood still, posing.

Casey went crazy. "Wow! She's as fast as you, Brooke! She's beautiful!"

"Yes," Daniel said. "She certainly is."

"I am particularly envious of her ability to shift right out of her clothes," Brooke said. I yipped up at her.

"Put me down, Brooke!" Casey demanded.

"I don't think so," Brooke said. "She might bite."

I huffed. Bite a child? The suggestion.

Lara laughed and nodded to Brooke. Brooke lowered her sister but held onto her shoulders.

"She's so small," Casey said. "She's not any bigger than a wolf baby."

"A little bigger than that, I think," Daniel said. "But yes, she is rather petite."

I pranced around a little, making sure they got a good look at me.

"Yes, Michaela," Ysabella said. "You are very pretty."

I chuffed agreement then walked up to Casey slowly. I nuzzled at her, and she knelt down to bury her fingers in my fur.

"Be very gentle," Lara said. "She is delicate."

Casey pet my fur. I turned sideways to give her better access.

"May I pet her, too?" Cory asked.

I chuffed, and Cory came forward to stand next to his sister. He knelt down and stroked my fur.

"It's not like wolf fur," Cory said. "It's softer.
" He looked up at Lara. "Can she hunt?"

I growled lightly at him and he pulled away. Brooke laughed. "She is a very, very good hunter, Cory. You would not want her hunting you."

"Ha!" he said. "I'd hunt her!"

I immediately bounded away, turning midair on the last bound, facing the threat and growling furiously. I immediately found myself surrounded, somewhat loosely,
by all four of my enforcers, close enough to protect me, but not close enough to hinder any moment I chose to make. Lara had also taken a step directly backwards.

There wasn't a real threat, except to the diplomacy we had been establishing, but I wasn't going to let a threat go by.

"That," Daniel said to his son, "was not the right thing to say to our guest, Cory. Apologize."

"I didn't say it to our guest," Cory said defiantly. "I said it to Brooke."

"Do not play word games with me," Daniel said.

"Talk to her, Elisabeth," Lara said, still watching the Boulder wolves carefully.

Elisabeth knelt down. "Calm down," she said very quietly. "No one is going to hunt you."

Damned right no one was going to hunt me. I continued to growl.

"Calm down, Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Stop growling. Look at me."

I kept my eyes on the threat, but I lowered the intensity of my growl.

"He's just a boy," Elisabeth said. "It wasn't a real threat, Michaela. Look at Daniel. And Brooke couldn't be more embarrassed. Calm down."

I whimpered once, but never took my eyes off the boy. My ears swiveled wildly, listening for other threats.

"Apologize," Daniel said to Cory. "Now."

Cory looked at me. "Michaela," he said. "I'm sorry. It wouldn't be a real hunt."

I began growling again. It wouldn't be a pretend hunt, either!

"I just meant- um. You're so small. I-"

"Cory," Lara said. "Tell Michaela you're sorry and you would never dream of hunting her. Tell her she's far too pretty to hunt."

I heard snickers from the enforcers. I leaned over and bit Serena's ankle.

"Damn it!" she said. "That hurt! Little ankle biter."

"Michaela," Cory said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Your alpha is right. You are way too pretty to hunt. Well, except with a camera. Would you let me take pictures?"

"We'll talk to him, Michaela," Daniel said softly. "He didn't understand."

I looked between them. Elisabeth reached over to me and buried her fingers in my fur, stroking gently. I looked over at her.

"Go on," she said only loudly enough for me to hear. "He didn't understand. Be gracious."

I chuffed very quietly then, very low to the ground, I crept a little closer, stopping just behind Lara, my
shoulder against her leg.

"I'm sorry, Michaela," Cory said again. "May I take pictures?"

Gracious only went so far. I huffed, but I crept closer to him, watching him warily. He knelt back down, and I licked his face once, accepting the apology. Then Casey got a couple of licks. I turned towards Lara, yipped twice, then leapt at her. She caught me in her arms and held me.

"Crisis averted," Ysabella said. "We'll explain to him during the drive, if Casey could ride with you."

"Certainly," Lara said.

Ysabella stepped closer. "Michaela, may I?"

I looked at her, then chuffed. She reached out and stroked my fur. "The guard hairs are rough," she said. But she buried her fingers in my fur. "But so soft underneath. Brooke, have you felt this?"

"Yes, Ysabella," she said. "I have. Isn't she magnificent?"

I preened a little under their attention. I knew they were stroking my ego as much as my fur, but I was perfectly fine with that. I was, after all, magnificent.

"Do foxes run?" Casey asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "Although not as fast as a wolf."

"If she's not as fast as a wolf," Cory said, "and so small, how does she catch a deer."

"She doesn't," Lara said. "She finds the deer and I catch them for her. But she finds smaller animals. She couldn't eat a whole deer, anyway."

"So she couldn't hunt a wolf!" Cory declared.

"We'll talk about it later," Daniel said firmly. "All right. Before this degrades any further, I think we'll settle in. Meet back here in fifteen minutes?"

"Perfect," Lara said.

She stepped away, still carrying me. I glanced at the ground, but someone had picked up my clothing. I saw Serena carrying my clothing and weapons.

Lara whispered in my ear, "Did you want me to put you down?" In response, I laid my head on her shoulder and grunted contentedly.

"I love you, too," she said. She carried me to our cabin, all four enforcers following. Serena and Karen stepped ahead of us, searching the cabin, then held the door for us, stepping out. I jumped out of Lara's arms, rolled once, and ended as human, crouching on my feet.

"I love watching you do that," Lara said, laughing. "Are you all right?"

I turned to her. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"No, you didn't. He didn't know what he was suggesting, but you most certainly did not overreact."

"All right," I said. I found my clothes waiting for me along with all my weapons. I got dressed, rearming myself. I turned back to Lara. "I can't believe you told him to appeal to my vanity!"

"I needed to make sure he offered enough you could accept his apology," she replied.

I nodded and moved into her arms. She enveloped me, and we held each other for a few minutes.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked. "We can stay here."

"I'm fine," I said. "I wish we had a little more time though." I grinned up at her. "We could play a little game of catch the fox."

"And what would I do with the fox once I caught her?" Lara asked.

"Make her beg... for release."

Lara laughed. "For release, hmm?"

"Uh huh." I kissed her jaw. "She's a very stubborn fox, though. It might take you a long, long time before she begged."

"I don't know," Lara said. "I can be very, very determined."

* * * *

Brooke drove our SUV. It was Brooke and Elisabeth in the front, Lara and me in the middle, and Casey in the back. Serena and Gia along with one of Brooke's enforcers rode in our second SUV. Soon six SUVs pulled into a parking lot about five minutes away.
Moments later, the parking lot was full of enforcers, and finally the rest of us were allowed to climb out of the cars.

Simone was there with duffle bags filled with gear. She handed it out and led us
on a short hike.

Cory looked sullen and refused to look at me. Ysabella took a chance to step over to Lara and me. "We explained about fox hunts, Michaela," she said. "He had no idea."

"I know," I said. "I don't hold it against him."

"You've been hunted, haven't you?" she asked gently.

"Yes."

"May I ask what happened?"

"I'm still alive," I said.

"You got away," she said.

"Sometimes," I said. "Sometimes they did."

"Brooke has the gist of it," Lara said.  "Will you be climbing today, Ysabella?"

"Oh heavens, no," she said. "Daniel would never allow it."

"But he lets his children climb?" I said. "I don't understand."

She shrugged. "The alpha's children have somewhat more freedom than the alpha's mate," Ysabella explained. "You'll see."

I looked at Lara. "I better not see," I told her.

Ysabella looked back and forth between us but didn't comment. Lara wisely didn't comment, either.

Then I grinned. "I am the alpha, too," I said. "Perhaps my mate will have her liberties curtailed."

Lara growled playfully at me, and Ysabella laughed.

"Daniel has cause to be cautious," Ysabella said.

"Of course," I replied.

The hike to our climbing location wasn't long. When we got there, we found ourselves facing a bend in a hill. The cliff face in front of us angled out slightly with a distinct overhang near the top. But if we walked around the side, the wall was straighter with no overhang.

"All right," Simone said. "The only way up there is an hour's hike or straight up. There are four routes, all more difficult than you've done this week."

I eyed everything. The straight side looked easier, but I realized the handholds were sparse. I began digging through the bag that Elisabeth had carried, pulling out the fox-sized harness. I stepped into it and smiled. "May I go first?"

Simone laughed. "Which route were you thinking of taking?"

I stepped in front of the end of the cliff, the part with the overhang. "Here. Who is climbing with me?"

"I am," Brooke said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Daniel didn't look happy. "Perhaps Brooke and Simone should go first," he said.

"I'll lead," I told Brooke. I collected a supply of anchors from Simone. She gave a second supply to Brooke.