Fox Fate (2 page)

Serena shifted to human, bringing Emanuel up to speed. "I'll take the point position," she said. "Emanuel and Portia on the pups." Portia didn't have much patience with them, but if her pup took one step out of line, she'd handle it with competence.

"Rabbits first," Lara said, looking at me. I nodded, agreeing with her. "We can assign the roles for the deer hunt after that."

I turned to the girls. "Ready to be quiet?"

"Yes, Mommy Fox!" Rebecca said, then immediately flowed back into her fur, taking a very unwolf-like, but very fox-like posture.

My heart again burst with pride, and I saw Lara's fur swell while looking at her daughter. Celeste flowed into fur as well and immediately emulated her sister. Celeste was bigger than Rebecca, but Rebecca was consistently the leader of the two of them.

I looked around at the wolves. "If you can't be quiet, hang back." I looked at Lara and then the pups. "Three paces behind me." I wanted to find the rabbits as efficiently as I could, and if everyone clustered around me, it was that much harder.

I didn't wait for a response from anyone but instead flowed into my fur. I turned to the southwest, away from the road that defined our northern border and deeper into our territory. Behind me, the wolves went furry, and I heard them take up position off my flanks, the pups moving to either side of me, the other wolves outside of them. I knew they were managed, and so I swiveled my ears forward, already searching for rabbits.

I had expected the enhancements from taking Carissa's blood to fade. They hadn't. My nose still confused me; I hadn't grown up using my nose to judge emotions, and I was still very poor at it. But where I could previously hear a mouse at a hundred yards in only the right circumstances, my range was now much further.

It took me four minutes to isolate three separate groups of rabbits. I came to a stop, listening to each group. Behind me, the wolves, excepting the pups, all sat down. I knew if I looked behind me, Celeste and Rebecca would be emulating me, but they wouldn't be able to hear what I could. That didn't stop them from trying.

I didn't think they understood why I could always find rabbits. I just always knew where they were. I was willing to maintain the mystery for as long as I could.

The decision for me at this point was simple. I had a choice of a small group of rabbits or two rabbits nosing around separately. The girls preferred the group, each of them chasing a separate rabbit or, as occasionally happened, the same rabbit. But it was cleaner if we did one, then another. I turned slightly to the right, heading for the northernmost of the single rabbits.

At a hundred yards, I stopped us again. I made a point of sniffing. My nose was better than it used to be, but it wasn't up to a wolf nose. I couldn't smell the rabbits, but we were downwind, and maybe the wolves could. I looked over my shoulder. Lara sniffed a few times but then huffed very quietly.

By now, the wolves knew how I preferred to hunt. If I had my choice, most of them would fall back at this point, leaving me with my daughters plus two more adults to help with the hunt, in case the girls' missed their kills. I knew I wouldn't get that choice. But half the group sank down to the ground leaving me with Serena, Lara and Portia. I also knew Elisabeth would follow us, perhaps off our flank, but she wouldn't crowd me.

I turned back to the rabbits and began stalking them slowly, picking my path carefully. Rebecca and Celeste moved closer, one on either side of me, and only a half fox step behind my own nose.

At fifty yards, I stopped again. Lara was looking out for Rebecca on my right, so I turned to that side and drew a line in the dirt. Rebecca immediately huffed, but I knew she'd behave. I took three steps, and my ears told me Rebecca stayed where I told her to. On my other side, Celeste and Serena kept up.

I led us around a patch of leaves; I could move silently through them, but neither Celeste nor Serena could. At twenty yards, I came to a stop and sniffed. I could smell the rabbits, so I knew the two wolves could. Celeste was quivering with excitement. I yawned at her, hoping she'd calm down, but knowing she wouldn't.

My baby loved to hunt.

We were hunkered down, Serena nearly on her belly to hide from the rabbit. It had to kill her to hunt fox style, but never, not once had anyone ever complained about my hunting methods.

It was one of the many reasons I loved them.

I was impressed with Celeste. Her muscles were coiled, and she was quivering, but she hadn't released. I had taken her as close as required. She couldn't see the rabbit, but she could smell it, and she was pointed directly at it. I listened once more, then glanced over at Celeste. She was watching forward intently, and beyond her, Serena was watching over both of us. I chuffed, very, very quietly. Celeste's nearest ear twitched, and then she exploded forward.

The rabbit broke cover. Sometimes they freeze; sometimes they run. I could have gotten my pup a little closer, perhaps as few as five yards from the rabbit, but she needed to learn to hunt. I didn't want to hand her the kill. And so Celeste had a chase on her hands.

We'd found the rabbit fox style, but it became a wolf hunt at this point.

Serena flowed after them, then leapt forward, cutting off the rabbit's escape and scaring it back towards Celeste. My baby leapt, missing, but then she leapt again, and I heard the crunch of rabbit neck as she got a clean kill.

I moved forward, finding Serena watching over my baby. Celeste had the rabbit in her mouth, holding its limp body by the neck. Even a few months ago, she would have worried at it, and another wolf pup her age wouldn't show the control she was showing. I was so proud of her.

I yipped, once, loudly enough for Lara to hear me. She chuffed more loudly, and I heard all the wolves moving forward, converging on our place. I turned back to Celeste and flowed to human.

Celeste turned to me then lifted her nose to the sky and tried to howl her victory, but the noise was muffled by the rabbit in her mouth.

"Quiet," I told her, and she immediately stilled. "If you scare the other rabbits, it will be that much longer before Rebecca gets hers."

She hung her head.

"No, honey," I said. "I'm not mad. I'm teaching."

Lara and Rebecca joined us, and a moment later, the rest of the wolves. Lara stepped forward, sniffed at Celeste, and chuffed proudly at the rabbit dangling from her mouth.

I moved closer, then signaled to Scarlett. "Honey, you won't be able to carry it quietly. I want you to let Scarlett carry your rabbit. She'll give it back later."

She didn't argue with me but stepped up to Scarlett and laid the rabbit at her feet. Scarlett chuffed and picked it up.

"Celeste," I said, "Come here. We're going to talk for a minute, then I'll help Rebecca." My daughter turned to me and flowed into human, squatting down in front of me.

"I caught it, Mommy Fox!" she said.

"You did, but if Serena hadn't helped, it would have gotten away. It was a good, wolf-style hunt, working together, and I am proud of you." I let her chuff her pleasure for a moment. "But if you were hunting yourself, you would be hungry right now. Do you know why?"

She looked down, a little embarrassed. I let her work it out.

"No, Mommy Fox."

"I've taught you to be quiet, almost as quiet as a fox, even though you're a wolf," I said. "How close do you think you can sneak up on a rabbit before it hears you?"

"I don't know," she said after a moment.

"Closer than we were?"

"Yes."

"A lot closer?"

She looked up and smiled. "Yes, but Serena can't."

Serena huffed, but it was probably true.

"Scarlett can," Celeste added. That was probably also true. Of the adult wolves, Scarlett had truly taken to hunting fox style even to the point of hunting me that way from time to time. She wasn't as quiet as me, but she was uncannily quiet for a wolf. Of course I could still hear her heart beating from a hundred yards, but the rabbits couldn't.

"There's nothing wrong with hunting wolf style, and when you're a little older, Mommy Wolf will be teaching you and your sister to hunt together," I explained. "But if you are hunting fox style, then what will you do next time?"

"Sneak closer," she said. "But what will Serena do?"

"She'll let you move ahead," I said, "but she can catch up in a single leap." I let her think about that. "Now, what have you forgotten to do?"

She cocked her head, not understanding the question. I let her try to work it out, but I could tell she wasn't getting it.

"Did anyone help you catch the rabbit, Celeste?"

"Oh." She turned to Serena. "Thank you for helping me catch the rabbit, Serena." Then she rolled onto her back, offering her throat.

Serena stepped over, accepting the offer briefly, then gave Celeste a quick lick.

"Good," I said. "Rebecca's turn. Celeste, you'll stay with Scarlett now, and remember to be quiet."

"Yes, Mommy Fox," she said, rolling over. She flowed to fur and moved to stand next to Scarlett. I knew Scarlett would take care of her for me, and I presumed the enforcers would keep an eye on them, too.

I looked at Rebecca. I knew she'd have paid attention to everything I said to her sister. She was on her feet, and I could see the excitement. She was practically trembling with it, a little jealous that Celeste caught the first rabbit, but I was sure once her nose was full of fresh rabbit scent, she'd do what was needed. And if not, Lara would help her.

I flowed to fox, swiveled my ears, and immediately picked up the sound of the other single rabbit, three hundred yards away. I crouched into a prowl stance and crept forward five steps, setting our new direction. I then waited for Rebecca to move into position next to me. Together, we set a path downwind of the second rabbit. Except for Serena and Lara, the other wolves held back a short distance, not wanting to accidentally ruin the hunt.

Like I had with Celeste, I stopped short of the rabbit, but this time I only closed to about thirty yards. The undergrowth was thinner, and I was worried the rabbit would see us. The wolves all had the scent, and I made sure Rebecca was pointed in the right direction. I leaned over to her and chuffed into her ear.

She began moving forward, one careful step at a time. Serena stayed with me, and Lara let Rebecca step ahead.

It was Lara that made the noise. Rebecca had been as silent as I would have been, closing to just over ten yards from the rabbit. It's back had been to us, but it stood up, turned, and bolted. Rebecca set off in pursuit, Lara bounding ahead to try to cut if off.

I flowed to human. "Please help them," I said to Serena. She chuffed and set off at an angle.

The rabbit gave Rebecca a real run. Serena and Lara both had a few opportunities to finish the chase, but they simply cut the rabbit off from escape, and then Rebecca made a good pounce, bringing it down. It was a close thing a few times, the rabbit nearly escaping. That happens sometimes, even for me, and it's an important lesson, but I was glad we wouldn't be teaching it today.

I yipped twice to call the other wolves closer, then stepped forward to find my daughter proudly holding her rabbit. I chuffed happily at her, then shifted into human form. Rebecca shifted too, still holding the rabbit, which was a mistake, and she dropped it, then began trying to spit out the fur in her mouth, whining. Lara offered a wolfy chuckle.

"Oh baby," I said. "I've done that, too."

We waited for her to spit the fur from her mouth. The other wolves arrived before she was done, some of them chuckling. Celeste was plastered against Scarlett's side, watching her rabbit carefully. I smiled.

"All right, Rebecca," I said. "Good hunt, but did you learn something?"

"It ran, Mommy Fox," she said.

"It did," I agreed, "and then it was a wolf style hunt. Do you know why it ran?"

"It heard me."

"No, darling, it didn't. You were as quiet as a fox."

She cocked her head. Lara knew what had happened and was feigning indifference, but I knew she felt guilty. I let my baby think about it for a minute. Then she turned to Lara.

"It heard Mommy Wolf!"

"Yes, darling, it did. It's not Mommy Wolf's fault though. She's a big, strong wolf, and she was creeping as quietly as a wolf her size is able. Sometimes, no matter how quiet you are, the rabbits will hear you. Sometimes they run. Sometimes you catch them, sometimes you don't. This time, Serena and Mommy Wolf were able to make sure you caught it, but sometimes they will get away. Now, thank Serena and Mommy Wolf for helping you catch your rabbit."

She did that, first in human, then shifting back to wolf and giving them each a quick lick. Serena accepted her thanks, then there was a shifting around, and I had Serena next to me, letting me know she was back on duty watching over me. I leaned over to her and quietly thanked her. She chuffed at me.

I looked at Lara, then searched around, looking for Elisabeth. "Head enforcer," I said, "Someone needs to carry Rebecca's rabbit while I find a deer."

Elisabeth walked to Portia and bumped her. Portia, in turn, walked over to Rebecca, licked her once, then stood over the rabbit and waited for permission to pick it up. Rebecca didn't understand and pounced on her rabbit, guarding it.

"Rebecca!" I said firmly. "Tell Portia she may carry your rabbit. And pack shares! Pack always shares."

Rebecca immediately rolled onto her back, offering her throat to Portia. The enforcer accepted the offer for a moment, then chuffed and picked up the rabbit.

"All right," I said. I worked my ears. I heard no deer. "This might take a little while. Rebecca and Celeste, you will stay with Portia and Scarlett. Remember to be quiet and behave. You may share your rabbits once we've caught a deer, and then we'll play on the way back home."

They both chuffed. After that, I didn't worry about it, leaving it to Lara and the enforcers to manage everyone else, including the pups. I turned west, shifted back into fox, and moved forward.

No one crowded me, although I had Serena just off my left flank and Lara off my right, just far enough behind me to avoid distracting me. It took me fifteen minutes to find a deer, which was longer than usual. I was going to have to talk to Lara, or perhaps Francesca. We were perhaps depleting the deer faster than we had historically. I fixed on the sound, adjusted our path, and brought us to three hundred yards downwind. I could tell the wolves had the scent, and I drew us to a stop, turning to Lara. I shifted.