Fox Play (17 page)

"Boys?" I asked.

"It was too close," Derek said. "Elizabeth and Lara were slowest, that's all I can say."

Angel grinned widely.

Neither Alan nor Jeremy wanted to call a winner, either.

"Well then, I guess that's a really big tie," I declared. "And two of them brand new beginners at it. Very well done. Rebecca, good teaching. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you, Rebecca," Angel added. "I've been thinking about that maneuver for six months!"

After that, we ran more races. Rebecca recommended an obstacle course using kayaks as obstacles. I frowned. "I don't know," I said quietly to Lara.

"You're the boss. Don't let her experience intimidate you."

"Guys," I said in a loud voice. "I am going to veto that one. Maybe once we're all a little more experienced."

"You're worried about flipping?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes. They're wolves. They get pretty competitive."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Once everyone can reliably roll, then it might be okay."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Or if we had something else for obstacles, so contact isn't dangerous. I wouldn't want someone to get smacked with a paddle."

"Yeah, I didn't think of that. I've done it before, but only with people all with at least Angel's ability. I did hear something about a race between the fox and the alpha though. I hear the alpha is itching for revenge."

"She isn't remotely tired enough for me to have a chance," I said. "But if she wants to humiliate me, I can take my lumps."

Lara laughed. "You better believe I want a rematch. And none of those foxy tricks of yours, either."

It was my turn to laugh. "You can try setting rules like that, but you know I won't follow them. Don't worry, most of my tricks require me being in the lead, and you're going to leave me in the dust. Eddy. Whatever."

Francesca served as our midpoint. The race was to Francesca and back, with Elisabeth and Rebecca serving as goal posts two boat lengths apart from each other. Everyone else gave the finish line some space; they knew the kinds of tricks I played.

Then just before Elisabeth could tell us to go, Angel said, "Wait! Alpha, something is wrong with your boat, let me check it." She paddled up to the stern of Lara's boat. She made a point of looking all over the stern before she said, "Sorry, false alarm. It must have been a shadow."

"You better not have tied something on back there," Lara said, turning her body to look critically at Angel.

"Not a thing, Alpha," she said. "See?" She lifted the carry handle, showing nothing was attached anywhere. "You guys can race." But she didn't move away from Lara's boat.

"Ready!" said Elizabeth. "Set! Go!"

I dug the paddle in and heard Lara do the same thing. I expected her to flash out in front of me, but it was like she was sitting still, and her boat immediately disappeared behind me field of view.

"What the hell?" I heard her say. "Angel! Let go!" The order was yelled with the full power of the alpha's voice. I heard laughing and finally Lara's boat moving cleanly through the water.

Lara and I were neck and neck by the time we reached Francesca, but I turned faster, gaining a half length. My tricks weren't useful on the first half, and Lara was ready for me on the return trip. I wondered if she had figured out how to counteract my ploys.

As soon as I saw the tip of her boat in my peripheral vision, I began edging that way, forcing her to turn off course to avoid hitting me. The passing boat had the responsibility to avoid the boat being passed, even if the boat being passed was being driven by a maniac fox.

"That's not going to work this time, fox," she said.

"We'll see," I said.

I turned her further and further off course, but still she slowly began to pass me. Finally I turned back towards the finish, almost ninety degrees from our current direction, and in doing so, effectively gained a half a boat length. Lara turned in the same direction, but she was now further behind me than she had been.

After that, she pulled in immediately behind me. I heard her following me and I peeked around. She was inches behind me. "Can't win from back there," I said.

Then I heard a grunt, and I could tell she had dug into the water especially strongly. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but she managed several exceedingly strong strokes in a row, and then she was beside me, the muscles in her neck bulging from the exertion of each stroke. She pulled a quarter length ahead, and I knew the race was over.

Then she began turning into me, and I started laughing. "Insult to injury?"

"Just. Making. Sure." she said, panting hard. She pushed me slightly off course, then slowly pulled ahead, winning by two boat lengths.

Angel was still smirking. Her trick had almost been enough and would have been if not for Lara's determination. I paddled up to Lara, who was leaning over her boat, panting. I was winded as well, but not like that.

"You were stunning," I told her. "Simply stunning."

She glanced over to me. "Did you put her up to that?"

"No. Although it seems like something I would have thought of. But I wouldn't put her between you and a winning race."

Lara smiled at that. "Angel!" she yelled.

Angel paddled slowly over, and she had the grace to look contrite.

"Scarlett, you too," Lara said.

"I didn't do anything, Alpha," Scarlett said.

"Do not argue with me!" Lara said. Scarlett paddled over next to Angel. The rest of the pack watched quietly. "Scarlett, do you wish to deny foreknowledge of Angel's plan?"

"No, Alpha."

"Thank you for your honesty," she said. "It was pretty damned funny, Angel. But I'm not sure I would have found it as funny if the fox had won."

"Yes, Alpha," Angel said. "Or. Um."

"I know what you meant," she said. "You two will be serving meals and doing the cleanup afterwards for the rest of the weekend. That's through dinner tomorrow."

"Yes, Alpha," they said in unison.

"Have we learned a lesson from this incident?" she asked.

"Yes, Alpha," Angel said. "If you are going to handicap the alpha so the little fox has a chance, better be prepared for the consequences."

"Do not be impertinent," Lara said.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," she said. "What lesson was I to have learned?"

"Oh damnit, Angel, I think that you summed it up quite well. Cleanup duty tonight, then back to a regular rotation tomorrow. It was pretty funny."

They both smiled. "Thank you, Alpha."

That was the last race for a while. I took over as guide, directing our little group around the islands and describing some of the things we were looking at. Lara stayed close to me and whispered so quietly no one else could hear, "You love this."

I looked back. "I am going to miss it."

Finally it was time to head back to Bayfield. Everyone had worked off a goodly amount of energy, and we kept to a comfortable pace for me. Francesca looked tired, so I edged to Lara. "Do we need to tow her?"

"She would hate us for offering," Lara replied. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Francesca made it back, but I thought she would be stiff in the morning. I slipped up next to her.

"I'm fine, Michaela," she said. "I'm not as old as it may seem."

"You did well today," I replied. "A good soak might feel good."

She smiled. "Seeing as how Scarlett and Angel have the cleanup duty, I'll have time. When I saw what my daughter was doing, I was amused and horrified at the same time. If that had been some other activity, where Lara could have cuffed her readily, I don't know how hard she would have hit her."

"Has Lara ever hit someone too hard?"

"Not a teenager for a harmless prank like that. If there had been a chance of someone getting hurt though, she can lose her control. She broke Rory's arm once."

"Oh my!"

"He shifted, it was fine in a few days, and he deserved it. But she admitted to me privately she hadn't meant it to go that far. She's been learning a great deal of control dealing with you."

"She is very gentle with me."

"She is very in love with you."

I sighed. "Me, too."

We stood and watched while the gear was put away. June especially was helping Benny and seemed to know her way around the boathouse very well. It was cute seeing the looks he gave the large female wolf. I wondered whether how soon we'd tell him the full truth. I wondered if he could take it.

"Francesca," I said quietly. "Am I a bad influence on Angel?"

"What? No. Why would you ask that?"

"What she did today. Would she have done that if not for my influence?"

"Probably not," Francesca said. "And she knew Lara would have to discipline her for it. But it was good for both of them. Lara sometimes stands more aloof from the pack than is good for her. No one ever pulls practical jokes with her, and almost no one jokes with her at all. For Angel to have been brave enough to do that says something good about both of them."

"I wonder if she would have done it if Lara could have cuffed her immediately. With Angel hanging on to the back of Lara's boat, she effectively kept Lara six feet out of striking range."

Francesca smiled. "That probably helped fuel her bravery. But to be clear, I do not believe you are a bad influence. An influence, yes. Sometimes good, sometimes unexpected. Never bad."

I offered a one arm hug and we stood quietly together.

* * * *

That night in our room, I told Lara, "Thank you for this."

"You don't have to thank me for everything," she replied.

"Is it odd? We're basically at war with organized crime, but I have never felt safer in my entire life. Or happier."

"I'm glad," Lara said. "I hope you aren't angry with Elisabeth."

I didn't answer right away, but kicked off my shoes and wandered around the room for a moment.

"No. I'm sorry I put her in that position."

"That's all right, then. It'll be fine. Come here, little fox."

I turned to her in time to hear a knock at the door.

"Ah, saved by the knock," she said. "Enter!"

The door opened, admitting Elisabeth and behind her, June. June closed the door.

"We're sorry to interrupt, Alpha," Elisabeth said. "We have a personal issue to discuss with you."

"I'll go for a walk," I said.

"I think you should stay," said June.

I glanced at Lara and she nodded. "All right, let's grab some seats."

"I think I'd rather stand, Alpha," June said. I looked into her face, and she was deeply nervous. "Alpha, I want to tell him."

"Benny?" I asked. June nodded.

"Alpha," she said to Lara. "I really, really like him. And he feels the same way. But I've been holding myself back a little, you know, because if he couldn't handle it, it would hurt too much. He is starting to think something is wrong, and he has been asking why he can't come visit in Madison before the busy season. He was put out when I wouldn't let him come this winter. It's to the point I either have to tell him or lose him. I don't want to lose him."

Lara paced around the room for a minute. June tried to say more, but Lara held up her hand. She did the same thing when I tried to speak. Finally she turned back to June.

"I want you to be happy, June."

"Alpha," she started to say.

"Hush. Have you been feeling him out?"

"Yeah. Stuff like, I told him I believe in things we don't really know about. He thought I meant god and angels. I told him my grandmother used to tell stories from the old world, and I meant things like that. And he thought that was pretty cool and admitted science can't explain everything."

Lara turned to me. "You once said he was a good man, and you didn't seem ruffled when they showed interest in each other."

"If I were going to expose my fox to a human, Benny might be the first I would pick. He is kind and gentle." I thought about it. "That may be the way to do it. My fox is a lot less intimidating than a wolf."

"Elisabeth?"

"I trust June and Michaela," she said. "But I would rather not repeat Michele's experience."

"No, I think we can do better than that."

June's entire body lifted when Lara said that. "I can tell him?"

"I'm not sure, June. Invite him to dinner. Let me get to know him a little better."

"Thank you, Alpha!" she said.

"June, don't thank me yet. This may be very dangerous information for him. You need to be as sure as you can."

"He hasn't broken any promises to me."

"This is a very shocking secret to keep."

"I know," June said. "But Michaela said he's a good man. He is."

"I will decide after spending some time with him. Any night this week, if he is free. Otherwise it will need to wait until we can give it more attention. Things will heat up again soon."

She nodded. "It will be this week. Thank you, Alpha."

Once June and Elisabeth were gone, Lara turned to me, and she carried a look of deep concern. "This is going to be one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. If he responds badly-"

"I know," I said. "I don't think he'll respond badly. He may not be willing to maintain a relationship, but he won't respond badly." I thought about it. "Start with me. Then all that is exposed is one little, harmless, far-from-intimidating fox. See how he responds."

Lara nodded. "And I think we need to talk to Michele and Donald."

"And probably warn Greg Freund. He won't want to be blind sided."

"Who is watching us?"

"I saw Karen and Wendy." Lara stepped to the door, opened it, and yipped once, quietly. I heard footsteps then Karen asked, "Yes, Alpha?"

Lara invited her in and gave her a high level overview. She nodded. "I'll tell Marty, he'll tell Greg. We've been involved in this before, you know. Greg has a team that helps sometimes. I'm sure if he has suggestions, he'll get back to you."

"Thank you, Karen."

"You are welcome, Alpha." She paused. "I like it here, Alpha. This is the first pack I've seen that is run like this one. The LA pack isn't bad, but you know how it is."

Lara smiled. "Dominant males everywhere?"