Tiger and the Unicorn

by Susan Hayes

“I’m Sergei Molotov. For those of you who don’t know, this is Tabitha Willows. She’s a member of the academy staff and will be part of the leadership team.” He gestured to her, then himself. “Leadership.” Then he pointed to them. “Cadets. Clear?”

  They all nodded, though he noted that several of them eyed Tabi dubiously.

  “Good. There’s something you need to understand about this trip. I’m saying this now, because I don’t want to hear any complaints later.”

  He waited until all eyes were on him. “You are not going to enjoy the next three days. You will be cold, wet, tired, and hungry. You will eat what you can forage and shelter under what you can build. You will listen to my instructions and follow them to the letter.”

  Several of them stirred uneasily. Good.

  He walked to the line of backpacks arranged near the front of the bus and picked up one. “This contains the same basic supplies as an agent’s kit, with one addition. Each bag has a single MRE in it. When you eat it is up to each of you, but I recommend waiting until at least the second night.” He handed the bag to Tabi. “Give one of these to each of the cadets once I’ve had a look at their gear, please.”

  She nodded, and he thought he saw a glimmer of amusement in her lovely brown eyes. She liked it when he got bossy, huh? Then she was going to enjoy the next few days immensely. He took these training sessions seriously. There were too many things that could go wrong if anyone, even agents, were left without firm instructions.

  He gave each cadet a quick once over, making sure they had clothing and gear sufficient for the trek. They’d followed instructions more or less, though he found a couple of contraband candy bars and a hipflask full of what smelled like cheap scotch. He confiscated it all, garnering muttered protests. Of course, it was the trio from last night that were trying to sneak extra food. They might be the best cadets on campus, but unfortunately for them, they were about to leave the grounds, which meant they were on his turf for the next few days.

  He pocketed the flask and met the sulky gaze of its former owner, a python shifter named Joshua Keane. “That’s mine,” the dark-haired shifter muttered.

  “It was.” Sergei patted his pocket. “And now it’s mine, along with your unquestioning obedience and respect. Clear?”

  Joshua gave an almost imperceptible nod, but his dark eyes slid over to look at Tabi. “She’s a librarian. Do I have to take her orders?”

  “She’s a member of the staff and part of my team. So yes, you have to listen to her.”

  Sergei held up his clipboard. “This is part of your training. You will be graded. And if you can’t follow orders, then maybe you’re not in the right place.”

  The next cadet in line whispered, “The other instructors don’t talk to us like that.”

  He swung his attention to the one who’d spoken. “Name?”

  “Me?” He was a twenty-something male with dark, slicked back hair, and sharp features. “Uh, Guy Harris.”

  “Well, Guy. Let me explain something to you. I am not an instructor. I’m not even FUC anymore. If you get on the bus you’ll have to do things my way.” He pointed to the bus’ open door, then to the main building. “None of you have to come on this trip. You can head back inside right now.”

  None of them moved.

  “Great. Now we’ve got that cleared up, take your packs and get on board. Departure in two minutes.”

  He and Tabi moved out of earshot, which was a significant distance when dealing with shifters. “How was that?”

  “I think they’re mildly traumatized. What are you going to do with the contraband?”

  “Keep it with me. They can have the junk food on the ride back. The booze?” He patted his pocket. “Firestarter.”

  She hid a smile behind her hand. “You’re wicked.”

  He wanted to kiss her so badly it was a physical ache, but he couldn’t. Not here. “Sweetheart, you have no idea.”

  She blushed, right to the tips of her adorable ears. He had never been good with temptation, and right now, she was his personal bag of catnip, dangling just out of reach.

  He cleared his throat. “You ready for this?”

  The blush faded. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I need to do it, anyway. It’s only three days, right? What’s the worst that could happen?”

  6

  The bus rolled out of sight, leaving them alone in the Parks Canada parking lot. Watching it go, Tabi had a sudden urge to chase after it. What was she doing out here? She hadn’t been camping since her teens, and that had involved tents, sing-a-longs, and enough s’mores to satiate a ravening pack of dingoes. If dingoes ate s’mores. Did they? She’d have looked that up on the internet, but Sergei’s rules included a total ban on electronics. That didn’t bother her much. Her family’s farm was so remote it hadn’t even gotten broadband until she was in high school. She was used to being disconnected from the world. The cadets weren’t, and they were already in withdrawal.

  She took a breath and reminded herself that this wasn’t much different from a normal day back home. She’d lived off the grid most of her life. She could do this. If Sergei had doubts, then he wouldn’t have brought her along. Of course, that tiger was so sure of himself he’d probably never had a doubt in his whole life.

  The cadets gathered together by the trailhead, hunched into their parkas, toques pulled down low over their ears as an icy wind blasted them with occasional flurries of blowing snow. Winter was still holding on at this elevation. They all had the gear to cope with the conditions, but by the time they got back home, the chilly spring weather down there would feel like a tropical vacation.

  Sergei had continued his hard-nosed act for the entire drive, which meant she hadn’t had anyone to talk to. She had hoped they could chat to pass the time, or maybe he would give her some idea how he intended to help her embrace her new nature. He’d napped instead. Cats.

  The cadets talked among themselves, mostly complaining about not being allowed to take their phones so they had something to do on the drive. She got the sense that some of them were still in denial about how tough the next few days would be.

  Tensions had cranked up when they stopped for gas. Everyone had debarked to stretch their legs for five minutes, but when the time passed, only half the cadets were back on the bus. The others had wandered off.

  She’d tracked down Janice in the station’s grotty washroom, while Sergei retrieved Joshua and Guy from inside the store. They were in the middle of buying coffees for everyone, so Sergei had let it slide with nothing more than a gruff warning to keep better track of the time.

  She wasn’t sure what to make of this part of his personality. It was a far cry from the man she’d watched on television or the suave charmer who’d offered to help a stranger and then kissed her senseless a few hours later. She couldn’t tell which of his personas were the real Sergei. Hell, maybe they all were. Not everyone was as boring as she was - at least before the incident had turned her into an unstable freak.

  “Alright, people. Now the fun starts!” Sergei marched over to where the others were standing. “It’s a nice, easy two-hour hike to our first objective. The faster we get there, the more daylight you’ll have left to set up your shelters and see what you can find for food. Check the handouts in your kits and keep your eyes open as you walk, if you see something that might be edible call out and I’ll take a look. This isn’t just a walk in the woods, this is grocery shopping.”

  Annie, a bear shifter with a sunny smile not even the current weather could dampen, laughed out loud. “Any Kraft Dinner trees out here? Or maybe a patch of Easter Crème egg bushes?”

  “You never know.” Sergei actually cracked a smile, raised a hand in the hair, and made a circling gesture. “Move out!”

  They set off a brisk pace, Sergei leading the way. The snow had collapsed enough to make the trail easy to follow, but the forest was still more white than green, and the drifts between the trees looked deep enough to swallow up anyone foolish enough t
o wander too far off the path. Bathroom breaks were going to be an adventure.

  Soon all conversation stopped and all she could hear was the crunch of boots on snow and heavy breathing. If this was Sergei’s idea of easy, she was grateful she’d started running lately or they’d be leaving her at the side of the trail to fend for herself before they made their first camp.

  After twenty minutes or so, Sergei tapped Annie to take the lead. He watched the rest march past him, then fell into step beside Tabi. “You good?”

  “Fine. All this exercise is keeping me toasty warm. You?”

  “Regretting the fact we can’t snuggle together for warmth tonight. Other than that, all’s well.”

  “I imagine anyone with a furry side will wish they could shift forms once it’s time to sleep.”

  Sergei had made it clear that shifting was only to be done in an emergency.

  “For me, it’s not the extra fur. It’s the ability to curl into a ball and tuck my face under my tail. Very comfy.”

  She laughed. “I’ll have to take your word on it. Horses aren’t built for that. We just stand with our heads downwind and endure.”

  “But you’re not a horse anymore,” he reminded her.

  “Still shaped like one. Just a weaponized version.”

  “There’s more to your change than just a horn and a temper. That’s what you have to accept. You’re different now.”

  She bristled, not because he was wrong, but because she wasn’t used to being pushed about it. “How would you know? You only met me yesterday.”

  He ignored her outburst. “What species were your parents?”

  “Dad’s a horse, mom’s a black-tailed deer.”

  “And you already told me you were raised in a commune, and you were eating vegan doughnuts. Which, by the way, is an abomination against pastries, but I digress. You were a prey animal. A soft little morsel for someone like me. You’re not prey anymore, and that changes everything.”

  She choked and felt an alarming surge of outrage. “Morsel? Is that how you see shifters like me?”

  “Well, yes.” He pointed to the cadets ahead of him. “This group is at the top of their class. They’re also predators. Bear, coyote, python, lynx, and an otter.”

  “Otters are hardly apex predators,” she sniffed. “They’re fuzzy little bundles of cute, and Danny isn’t a predator. He’s a moose.”

  “River otters might be cute, but sea otters are a hundred pounds of nasty who drown dogs for fun. As for Danny? If you got him riled, he’d take down every other species here, except for maybe me and the bear.”

  “You’re speciest!” She would never have expected someone like him to hold such outdated ideas. It was the twenty-first century! Any shifter, no matter what their species, could do anything they set their mind to.

  “I’m a realist.”

  “You’re… something.” She wanted to walk away from him, but that seemed a bit pointless given they were already hiking along a narrow trail. Storming off into the underbrush really wouldn’t have the right dramatic effect.

  “What I am, is right. I’m not saying that predators are better at everything, but we are better at some things.”

  She wanted to say something snarky, but she held back. They were supposed to be a team for the next few days, and that meant presenting a united front, even if she was seriously tempted to push him into the nearest snowbank.

  “Haven’t you noticed that most FUC agents are predators?”

  “Alyce and Miranda are not predators. They’re still damned good agents.”

  “Miranda is sabre-toothed freaking rabbit. Are you trying to tell me she’s not an apex predator?”

  Dammit, he had a point. “And Alyce?”

  He waved a hand in dismissal. “There are exceptions to every rule. We’re not talking generalities, though. We’re talking about you.”

  “So I was fluffy and useless, but now you think I can be more?”

  “I never said you were—”

  “Sergei! I think I found dinner… or maybe a light snack,” Annie called from up ahead.

  He shot Tabi a pointed look. “This conversation is not over.”

  Then he was off to check out whatever Annie had found.

  Reminded that she needed to be foraging, too, Tabi pushed her resentment aside and left the trail, looking for edibles. She might be cold and grumpy tonight, but by Epony’s snowy mane, she would not go hungry.

  7

  The hike went well. They made good time and got to the first campsite before nightfall, even with several pauses to forage. Everyone had found at least one item to add to tonight’s menu, an impressive feat given the conditions. He’d been even more impressed when they’d come together without prompting and decided to share everything they'd found. For now, at least, everyone was working as a team.

  He’d given a demonstration on shelter building and sent the cadets off to gather materials and continue foraging while there was still light to see by. He didn’t want any of them stumbling around in the woods in the dark if it could be avoided. Bast only knew what trouble they’d find. The cadets were smart and capable enough, but most of them were city-bred and had never set foot in the wilds save for occasional camping trips. Their lack of experience showed in a myriad of ways.

  These were the most pampered predators he’d ever seen.

  While the others were gone, he wanted to have a word with Tabi and clear the air between them. He also wanted to see how she was holding up. She was out of the library and into the wild world, now. He found her building a firepit in the middle of the clearing so they’d have a central fire for their meal.

  Her pack was nearby and laid out beside it was an impressive assortment of edibles she’d managed to find during their hike. There were wild rose hips, plantain, several varieties of fern, and she’d even carved several strips of bark from some Lodgepole pines. Colour him impressed. “Not many know that’s edible.” He tapped the ground near the bark with his foot.

  She kept arranging stones and didn’t so much as look up. “It’s a bit early yet for it to have a lot of nutrition, but something is better than nothing, right?”

  Her tone was careful, cool, and civilized, and he had a feeling if he asked her how she was doing right now, she’d tell him she was fine. Not good.

  He crouched beside her, putting out a hand to stop her work in hopes she’d look at him. “I think I owe you an apology.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Her non-committal hum confirmed his theory.

  “You’re more than a tasty morsel. You were before your change, too. I have the utmost respect for non-predators. I just don’t think that most of them are cut out to be in certain professions. They don’t have what it takes.”

  She didn’t pull away, but she wasn’t looking at him, either. “So, if I were still just a horse, you wouldn’t have wanted me on this little adventure?”

  “No. I’d still want you here.”

  She finally looked at him. “Why?”

  He could almost hear the figurative ice cracking beneath his feet as he considered his next words.

  “Because you’ve been to every one of my lectures.” He touched a finger to his temple. “You’re booksmart. You’re organized. And I’ll need your help wrangling the cadets.”

  “You sure it isn’t because you wanted a chance to kiss me again before you left?”

  “Well, that was a consideration, yeah.” The words were out of his mouth before his internal filters kicked in.

  “That’s what I thought.” She pulled her hand out from beneath his and went back to work on the firepit. “But since I’m here, I’m going to prove that you’re wrong about shifters like me. You’re all wrong.”

  She kept her voice low, but he didn’t miss the inflection in her voice, or the subtle sweep of her hand. She’d just lumped him in with Joshua and his buddies. Ouch. That stung worse than the time he’d tried to steal honey from a wild bee’s nest.

  He got to his feet, still smarting. �
��And you’re wrong about me. I’m a television star, Tabi. If I want female companionship, I can find it anywhere, I don’t need to drag a woman into the woods to score.”

  She slammed the rock she held onto the ring of stones so hard it threw sparks. “Good to know you’ve got options. If you don’t mind? I want to get this firepit sorted before it gets dark. The cadets are going to want to warm up, and I’ve got a feeling none of them know how to cook over an open fire.”

  If she froze him out any harder, he’d need to treat himself for frostbite. He nodded and moved away, because discretion was sometimes the better part of not taking a rock to the foot.

  “I’ll start gathering wood. Do you want a hand putting together your shelter?”

  She didn’t look up. “I’ll manage.”

  He had his doubts about that.

  By the time they’d served up their meagre dinner, morale had dipped lower than the air temperature. The biggest complaint had been the lack of protein, and he was already calculating odds on which of the cadets broke and ate their single ready-to-eat meal before they broke camp in the morning.

  Tomorrow’s lessons would include how to set snares and build fish traps. If they were lucky, they’d have protein by dinner, or maybe for breakfast the next day. By then, he was betting the only MREs left in the camp would be his. And Tabi’s.

  Tabi had surprised him. She’d finished building a fire ring, and moved on to building a shelter that was damned near perfect. She’d picked a cozy spot beneath a large spruce, nestled a simple bed of interwoven branches and ferns between the roots, and even created a small firepit to reflect the heat back into her sleeping area. She’d managed to find juniper berries, too, and handed them out as snacks.

  “I still think we should have doubled up. More body heat that way,” Joshua muttered from out of the darkness.

  They were drifting back to their shelters, each of them transporting a few embers from the main blaze to start their own fires. Tomorrow he’d teach them how to start a blaze without matches, but tonight, he’d allowed them this one luxury. He wanted them to learn, and they couldn’t do that if they were too cold to think clearly.