Fox Play (3 page)

For the afternoon, we went over the latest results from our environmental monitoring program. I had created the program, but the kids did all the legwork, and they took it very seriously. The alpha had addressed the class when we announced the program, indicating this was one way we protected the pack. The kids were proud to help.

It was 2:30 when Gia appeared in the doorway. She knocked and entered. "Ms. Redfur, the council requests your presence."

"Immediately?"

"Ten minutes. They are meeting in a conference room in the barracks."

I nodded, suddenly nervous. I turned to the kids. "I don't know if I'll be back. But I want you guys to talk about what we should be doing that we aren't. Formulate a written plan of suggestions, and we'll go over it next time. Whose turn is it to moderate the discussion?"

"Scarlett's" said Derek.

"You all right with that, Scarlett?"

"Yes, Ms. Redfur." Outside my official duties, I was Michaela, but right now, being formal was appropriate.

I followed Gia into the hallway and then stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Gia. What council? Are you allowed to tell me?"

"The pack ruling council," she said.

"I thought the alpha led the pack."

"There is a ruling council." She frowned. "I don't know if it's okay to talk about it or not."

"All right. I feel like I'm being called to the principal's office."

Gia smiled, but she didn't say anything. She turned towards the front door of the school and led the way out of the building, across the courtyard, and into the building that served as the third wall of the courtyard, Lara's house being the middle wall. There was no front wall.

She held the door for me then stepped past me once I was inside. I followed at her shoulder as we climbed the stairs and stepped to a set of double doors at the back of the building. Rory and Eric were there as guards, and they greeted me briefly, lacking the normal warmth I usually expected.

"Does anyone know if I am in trouble?" I immediately asked.

"No," Eric said immediately. "But we're on duty."

"I understand," I said. I didn't, but I decided to let it go. "Do I just go in?"

"You wait," Gia said. "Someone will come out."

I tried listening to the conversation on the other side of the door and was surprised to find I couldn't hear a thing. That was unexpected. Perhaps they weren't currently talking, but I should hear breathing and heartbeats from this close. I didn't ask if they were sure anyone was inside; that would give information away I didn't want to share. Patience is a virtue, right?

I waited in the wide hallway, beginning to pace nervously.

Finally, after I had cooled my heels for longer than ten minutes, the door opened and Elisabeth stepped out. Gia immediately said, "Ms. Redfur as requested."

My, we were being formal.

"Come in, Ms. Redfur," Elisabeth said. "You are excused, Gia."

"Ms. Redfur, Elisabeth? Elisabeth, should I have run when the alpha asked me to come down?"

"No, Michaela. She wouldn't do that to you."

I stepped past her and realized that the doors were very thick, and there was another set just a short distance away. I stopped and waited while Elisabeth closed the outer doors. "I'm scared," I admitted. I was used to being scared.

"I know," she said. "Don't be."

"Easy for the wolf to say."

"No one is going to eat you."

"Only because I'm too stringy," I replied.

"Michaela, everything is going to be fine."

But she hadn't hugged me. My heart in my throat, I followed her to the second set of doors, and as I approached, I could hear a variety of heartbeats from inside, deeply muffled. She opened the doors, and I was assaulted by the smell of wolves.

I closed my eyes, trying to push back the panic. I think I whimpered.

"Oh little fox," Elisabeth said. "No, it's not like that."

"Please come in, Ms. Redfur," came a male voice from inside the conference room. "It isn't polite to make us wait."

"Oh god," I said, but I pulled myself up straight and stepped past Elisabeth.

I knew that the moment I stepped into the room, every wolf could tell I was terrified. I looked around, evaluating escape routes and threats. The wolves were clustered around a long conference table with Lara at the head of the table. The foot of the table was open, and there was no chair there. No one stood up. Counting Lara and Elisabeth there were fourteen wolves.

And one frightened fox.

Elisabeth gestured, directing me to stand at the foot of the table. I moved into place while Elisabeth stepped down and took her place to Lara's right. I wondered if that had once been David's seat.

I knew some of the wolves, some better than others, but other than Lara and Elisabeth, none of them well.

"I can smell her fear," said one female I didn't know.

"Yes," said the male who had invited me inside. I didn't know him, either. "She is clearly terrified, but yet she is here, standing straight and, well, not tall, but straight." And then he smiled gently at me. He was clearly elderly for a wolf, but I couldn't have guessed his age. "Does anyone have any other observations to make before we proceed?"

I started to open my mouth, but Lara shook her head just once, and I shut up.

None of the wolves had anything to say.

"Very well," he said. "Ms. Redfur, when something like this comes up as it does from time to time, the council appoints a spokesman. Today, that is I. You will address yourself to me and only to me. Understand that when you do so, you are addressing the entire council. You may address me as Mr. Berg. Do you understand?"

I thought about a smart ass response. His directions were quite clear, but I didn't understand. I decided to hold my smart ass remarks at least until I knew what was going on; I knew my intended remarks were coming from my fear, anyway. "Yes, sir," I said politely.

Lara nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I will be asking you questions. If you do not understand the question, you may ask for clarification. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." I took that to mean don't ask any questions of my own.

"Then let us proceed. Ms. Redfur, I know you are very frightened. There is no need." I didn't open my mouth, but I looked around pointedly at fourteen wolves all looking at me, then glanced at the closed door. I'd never make it.

"You present the council with a rather unique challenge, Ms. Redfur. Your status in relationship to the pack is someone unconventional, and this is causing some stress within the pack."

I started to open my mouth, and Lara shook her head again. I closed it, suppressing a sigh.

"The council has discussed your status, at length and repeatedly," Mr. Berg said. "Frankly, we are all weary of this discussion and would choose to reach a conclusion so we may address other issues. Do you understand?"

I thought about it. "No, sir."

"I did not speak clearly?"

"Sir, I understood what you said. But it feels like there is perhaps a great deal left unsaid."

He smiled. "Quite. Let me propose this. I will explain the problem, and I will explain our proposed solution. But before I do that, I would like to offer an observation." He waited for me, and I nodded to him. "You have a certain reputation, Ms. Redfur. You have a reputation for very rapid reflexes coupled with a certain amount of foxy playfulness. I would suggest perhaps this afternoon you may wish to reign these in very, very carefully."

"Yes, sir," I said. "I will do my best. Have I been impertinent? I have not tried to be."

"No, Ms. Redfur. But the day is young, and it was perhaps a very close call several times already."

"Perhaps," I agreed.

"Ms. Redfur, I will speak plainly. You consume pack resources. You attend pack events. Due to your relationship with the alpha, you hold significant sway over pack decisions. You are privy to pack secrets that very few members of the pack know. You exert authority over a number of pack members even to the point of occasionally ordering the enforcers about."

I started to speak, but he held up his hand. "This is the time to reign in your response. I am not done."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry."

"You do these things while actively defying all authority by the pack members, even to the point of defying the alpha and her closest advisors. And you do these things while declaring loudly you are not part of the pack." I started to speak, and he held up a hand again.

"The end result, while frequently amusing to observe, is becoming a problem for the council."

He paused, giving me a chance to say, "May I ask why?"

He frowned. "I will not offer specifics at this time. I will say it is not you that are the problem, but reactions to your indeterminate status that is the problem. At this point it is not a large problem, but it threatens to become one. We would prefer to head that off now rather than allowing it to grow. Can you accept that?"

"Yes. Thank you for explaining. May I ask another question?" He nodded. "What resources do I consume?"

"Ah. That is the least of our concerns, but I shall explain. You consume a very, very small amount of food and occasionally hunt on our lands."

"I never hunt for myself anything a wolf would bother to hunt, except the occasional rabbit I give to Lara."

"Not true. We teach our cubs to hunt the very animals you use for prey."

I looked away. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know. I'll stop."

"We do not want you to stop, Ms. Redfur. We do not begrudge you the small amount you eat or hunt. You are a very polite guest. I am seeking to answer your question, not come to a solution."

"Yes, I understand," I said.

"The food and game is not worth mentioning. There are some pack members who begrudge this, but they are the very least of us, and if it were a real problem, there are very easy solutions. However, you also consume manpower, and that is a larger problem."

"Sir?"

"Specifically, the enforcers assigned to protect you."

"I don't understand. There are no enforcers assigned to protect me, but if there were, I wouldn't accept them. The alpha knows that."

"When you are deep in pack lands, that is true. That is also normally true most of the time. It is not true when you accompany the alpha places that may be of questionable safety."

"They are there to protect the alpha."

"Since last summer, we have doubled the forces that accompany her."

I felt panic rising again. "Why?" My voice cracked.

"Because of threats against you."

I looked to the far end of the table. "Lara?" She nodded. "From your own wolves?"

"No," she said. "From neighboring packs interested in a fox hunt."

My panic returned in full, and I began looking around wildly for escape.

"Mr. Berg, may I have a moment?" Lara asked. I didn't see his response, but suddenly she was beside me, pulling me into her arms. "Breath, honey. You are safe here. Breath." She pulled my head against her neck. "Breath, you are safe."

I clutched at her, her strength driving away my panic. "I'm sorry," I told her.

"Shhh," she said. "You are safe. No one here wants to hurt you. You're safe."

"I'm never safe, Lara!"

"Yes, you are. Right now, you are."

Slowly I finished calming down.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Berg," I said finally. "Bad memories."

"You are very remarkable, Ms. Redfur. It is quite all right."

"I'm so embarrassed."

"No need. Alpha, perhaps she would be most comfortable if you stayed with her." Lara nodded.

"When did the threats start?" I asked.

"How long have you lived in Bayfield, Ms. Redfur?"

"Almost nine years. I heard it might be safer here. The alpha-" I looked at Lara. "The previous alpha had a reputation."

"Then the threats started almost nine years ago. You, and all the lesser weres living in our territory, have been under our protection since the current alpha's father declared our territory a safe haven for all weres."

I looked up at Lara. "That night at the club?" I was referring to the night of my first date with Lara, when I had graphically demonstrated I wasn't as safe amongst her wolves as she thought.

"We are aware of that incident. The alpha's policies are not always communicated as clearly as they need to be," Mr. Berg said. "I would prefer you not attempt a repeat appearance at that locale, but the weres of the Madison pack are now more completely aware of pack policy."

I took a deep breath on my own, then shoved my face into Lara's neck and took two more. I stood up straight and said, "I'm all right now. I'll be all right, Lara."

She squeezed my hand and returned to her place.

"Mr. Berg, is there more? My car, the trips back and forth between here and my home?"

"The car was appropriate compensation for the situation and is not a factor," he said. "The monetary cost of your travels are paid by the alpha's personal funds and are also not an issue. The aircraft belong to her and are not pack resources, either, and the pilots are paid by her as well. The enforcers that accompany her, or who sometimes accompany you, are pack resources, but they tend to volunteer. It appears they enjoy the trips."

I smiled. I had friends in the enforcers.

"Thank you for explaining," I said.

"Do you understand what I said earlier about how you defy the authority of the pack?"

"Yes sir." I didn't offer anything further.

"I believe you understand the problem then, as well as can be explained. I will state clearly, we would not be concerned if it weren't for the reactions these issues are causing, and we would prefer a solution."

I nodded. "Are you expecting me to offer one, or were you going to tell me what I must change?"

"We have discussed solutions. The first is for you to return to Bayfield and stay there."

"No," I said in a very small voice. "Please don't make me do that."

"No one in this room likes that solution. It is crisp and clean but does not take into consideration your relationship with the alpha. This isn't the first relationship we would have chosen for her, but is the relationship she holds dear."