Fox Afield (Madison Wolves) (7 page)

"I think you did it," she said. "Your leg is definitely broken. I think your back is fine. We can set your leg for you."

I whimpered. I needed a minute.

Lara and Elisabeth were still holding me down. I turned my head and grasped Lara's hand in my teeth, biting gently. She pulled away, and Elisabeth released me as well.

I caught my breath then focused on the leg. I rolled, trying to sit up so I could look at it.

"I know you can set it yourself," Brooke said. "But you used a lot of energy on your hips. It may hurt more, but it may be better to let me set it."

I glanced at her then yipped.

"Hold her down again," Brooke said. "Michaela, it will hurt."

I felt her hands, then there was a grinding, and I began to scream. She shifted my leg, then held it.

"Heal if you can, Michaela," she said. "It's straight, and the bones are in place."

Through the pain, I focused on the leg, and I felt the bones knit. The pain receded slowly.

I ran out of energy before my leg was fully whole, and I didn't think my hips were done, either. I lay on the ground, then began to shift to human, curling into a ball and whimpering as I finished. I lay there panting when I was done, the slowest shift I'd done in a while.

"She's weak," Elisabeth said.

"I need food," I panted. "Hot food. The leg won't support me, and I don't trust the hips yet. My back is fine, I think." I wriggled my toes. "Are my toes moving?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

"We can carry you," Lara said.

"That will put pressure on my hip," I said. "Brooke and Elisabeth, can you carefully help me to my feet?"

Brooke moved behind me. I reached up and wrapped arms around Elisabeth's neck. Then the two of them gently lifted me until I was standing on my good left leg with both of them on either side of me, my arms wrapped over their nearest shoulders.

"The best choice for food is the lodge," Brooke said.

"Gia and Serena," Elisabeth said. "Run ahead, shift, get dressed, find blankets, meet us at the lodge. Karen, you're on guard duty."

Gia and Serena took off.

"Lara," I said weakly. "Get over here where I can see you."

Lara stepped in front of me, looking anywhere but into my eyes. "Look at me!" I ordered. She turned to face me fully. "This is your fault. I did nothing wrong. When I tell you to get proper exercise, you need to get proper exercise."

Lara didn't say anything.

"No," Elisabeth said quietly. "You offered. We declined. That is our choice, Michaela, not yours."

I glanced over at her. "You make me feel guilty when I hold you all back. You can run around, just come back to me so I don't feel alone."

"You make yourself feel guilty," Elisabeth clarified. "We were having a nice time."

"You promised you wouldn't hide," Lara said.

"I didn't hide," I said. "I just didn't think I would lose you. Twice."

"Same thing," Lara said simply. "But I overreacted. I treated you like a wolf."

I looked at her and said, "Step closer." She closed the distance between us, and I released my hand from Elisabeth's shoulder and caressed Lara's face. "I will accept that as a compliment. I heal better than a wolf, but I break more easily, too. Will you remember that in the future?"

She nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me for scaring you. But you shouldn't have been scared, you know."

"I know," she said.

"Kiss me, then we can begin the fun of hobbling back to the lodge."

* * * *

The walk hurt, and in spite of the cool mountain air, I was sweating badly by the time we arrived at the lodge. Gia met us and wrapped me in a blanket before offering more blankets to Brooke, Elisabeth and Lara, in that order.

"Set me on a couch," I said. "Feed me, anything warm. Gentle on the stomach is best."

They led me to a sofa in front of a large fireplace in the lodge. Brooke and Gia headed to the kitchen. Elisabeth busied herself lighting the fire. Lara sat down next to me, still looking amazingly guilty.

"Get that out of your system now," I told her. "Because I refuse to have the rest of the evening ruined by this. They're going to feed me. I'm going to warm up in front of this lovely fire. I'll finish healing, and then you'll take me back to our cabin and make long, slow, exceedingly gentle love to me. I want to taste you tonight, Lara."

Elisabeth twitched, listening to me, but didn't say anything.

Lara looked up at me, and the pain in her eyes was clear.

"If you're feeling really guilty," I said. "You can make Elisabeth give me my house back."

Elisabeth's back stiffened, but she didn't respond.

Lara glanced at her sister. "Why should she suffer for my mistake?"

I sighed. "It was worth a try."

Elisabeth chuckled under her breath. She played with the fire, and I quickly became toasty warm.

Brooke and Gia soon returned with food. I looked over what they brought me and went for the chicken. I ate as much as I could, let it digest for a few minutes, then gave it a little mental hurry through my system. As my blood sugar level began to climb back to normal, I concentrated on my hip. I eased the rest of the damage, smoothing out most of the remaining discomfort and returning the bone to wholesomeness. It would be stiff for a day or two, but otherwise it felt fine.

The leg was easier, now that I had energy. I finished then
said, "I am going to shift a few times and try everything out." I didn't wait for anyone to respond but simply dropped the blanket, slipped off the sofa onto the floor, and shifted to fox.

I prowled around the room for a minute,
stretching everything out and making sure it all worked okay, then shifted to human, walked around some more, then back to fox, then finally back to human, wrapping the blanket around myself again.

"Right as rain," I said. "A little stiff, but I am fine. Brooke, thank you."

"You are welcome, Michaela." She glanced at Lara.

"Don't worry," I said. "She's never going to do anything like that again. Are you, Lara?"

"No," she said in a small voice.

"Good," I replied. "Now, it's been a long day. Lara, if I make it back to the cabin before you do, you have to make Elisabeth give me my house back."

I shifted back to fox and narrowly avoided Elisabeth bundling me up in the blanket. I yipped cheerfully and made a dash for the door before I realized Karen was guarding it.

I thought perhaps she would keep me locked inside, but she laughed and opened t
he door widely. I dashed outside, Lara a good five seconds behind me.

I didn't beat her, of course. It was a straight race, and she
was much faster than I was, especially when motivated. She bounded ahead of me, dashed to the cabin, howled a quick victory, then bounded back to me. We finished my run to the cabin, side-by-side. I shifted to human as I jumped onto the porch, opening the door, and I folded myself into Lara's arms as she shifted human as well.

"Kiss me," I ordered. "Now."

She did.

"Carry me to our bed," I said. "And then make slow, gentle love to me."

And she did.

* * * *

I woke in the morning. I felt slow and stiff. Lara's arms were wrapped around me, and she slept through my climbing out of bed.

I'd heard Elisabeth sneak into our cabin a half hour
after Lara had carried me upstairs, and I wasn't surprised to find her asleep on the sofa. I moved quietly, gathering clothes and slipping out the door. I dressed outside, enjoying the view and the early mountain air.

They were both breathtaking.

I listened. I heard the normal forest sounds and nothing else. I walked down to the lake then turned to the boathouse with the kayaks.

I didn't know the protocol, but I really wanted to head out onto the lake. I ran up to the lodge and found a female wolf I didn't know. She was puttering around the outside of the lodge but stood up as I approached.

"You must be Michaela," she said, holding out her hand. "I am Simone. Welcome to Colorado."

"It's beautiful here," I said.

"Were you looking for breakfast?"

"No, I was looking for you," I told her. "I wanted to know if the kayaks were available to take out onto the water."

"Of course," she said. "I'll go down and show you where everything is."

We walked back down together. She asked me about the wedding, and I gave her the highlights. We arrived at the boathouse before I was done, so I hurried the telling.

"We don't lock anything," she said. "This is always open." We stepped into the small boathouse. "Paddles, life jackets, the rest of the gear. Have you been kayaking before?"

"Yes, on Lake Superior."

"Do you need a safety course?"

"I teach them."

She laughed. "All right. Then everything should be familiar to you, but there is a river leading away from the lake at the northwest corner. I do not recommend you get too close."

"I saw that stream. I don't have much whitewater experience, and those rapids are well above anything I would normally do."

"We have fishing gear, but you'll need an out-of-state license. I can sell you one, if you want."

"I'd like that, next time," I said.

"Just stop up at the lodge, we can do it whenever you like. There are rainbow trout in the lake. We stock it. Our hooks are barbless, and we ask you to be gentle on the smaller fish."

"We will."

"The lake is deep in most places, with a very rocky bottom. But that also means if you tip over in the shallow places, you can hit your head. Helmets are mandatory."

I nodded. "Wet suits?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry. Everyone who comes here is a wolf and would be offended at the suggestion."

"I'll make sure I don't tip over," I said, returning her smile.
They wouldn't have had my size, anyway.

We collected the gear I would need. I pulled on a helmet and a life jacket. She had to help me find sizes that would fit. Then we stepped outside, and Simone helped me with one of the kayaks. We brought it down to the water and lowered it next to the dock. I slipped in and grabbed my paddle.

"Thank you," I said. "I almost went nuts when I saw these last night."

"Enjoy your ride," Simone said. "Are you sure you're okay alone?"

"Yes," I said. "I will avoid the stream and I promise not to tip over."

She laughed.

I paddled easily, the kayak cutting through the glassy water smoothly. It felt good to loosen my shoulders, and I loved the peace and quiet. The water was smooth and clear, and when I dipped a hand in, cold. I was used to clear, cold water in Bayfield, but Lake Superior was rarely this glassy smooth. I decided I liked that.

It was
phenomenally beautiful and peaceful.

I did a slow, easy circle of the lake, and as I drew closer to the lodge, I saw Lara and Elisabeth standing on the dock, both with their hands on their hips, glaring at me. I drew closer, but stayed offshore.

"What?" I said. "Like you didn't know where I would be."

"That's not the point," Lara said.

"Michaela," Elisabeth added. "We are in another pack's territory. We have no particular reason to distrust Brooke or Daniel, but Glenn is another matter. Do I need to say more?"

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"Lara or I with you 100 percent of the time," Elisabeth said. "She and I will decide from there."

I felt like a little kid who had been caught sneaking out of the house. "All right," I said. "Are you making me come in?"

"We weren't sure if you were done," Lara said. "How are you feeling?"

"My leg is fine. Hip
is a little stiff, but it's fine. Shoulders are loose. I would really like you guys to join me for another trip around the lake, but if you're hungry or I am interfering with plans, I can come in."

"Stay close," Lara said. "We'll join you."

We had a nice time out on the lake, paddling around for another hour before heading in for breakfast.

* * * *

After breakfast, we gathered together. Everyone seemed to know what the plan was, but no one would tell me. Brooke seemed particularly concerned about my leg and hip, but I assured her I was fine and up for anything short of a full marathon. She finally believed me.

After breakfast we climbed into the cars and took a twenty minute drive. We pulled into a small parking lot to find Simone waiting for us. "Gear in these packs," she sai
d, gesturing to four heavy backpacks. I walked over to one and tried to lift it.

"I think, Michaela," Brooke said, "that perhaps this is a time you let wolves be wolves." She lifted one of the packs and set it over Serena's shoulders. Karen got one, Gia got one, and Brooke took the last one. Simone checked everyone then set off down a trail, the rest of us following.