Fox Play

by Robin Roseau

  I kept an eye on the boys. I was worried they would act up to impress the girls. When I asked Lara about it, however, she told me, "Elisabeth already had a chat with them. But if they act up, you don't need to worry about it. Either their parents will deal with it or Elisabeth will."

  It was the little fox that slowed everyone down, although Francesca seemed happy with my pace. I warned Aaron and Rebecca about the open water if we went too far north, but otherwise told them to feel free to give folks a real workout. The two of them organized a series of competitions that soon brought out the competitive spirit amongst the wolves.

  Angel and Scarlett stayed together, avoiding the competition. The two paddled over to me. "Eskimo roll?" Angel said.

  "I've never taught it before, Angel, but I can try. If I can't teach you, maybe Aaron or Rebecca can."

  I actually had to do one a couple of times myself. For me, it was so automatic. In nice weather, I sometimes tip my kayak intentionally just so I can cool off for a minute, then roll back upright. It's not something I could do slowly, so it took a couple of tries to work through it for myself.

  "All right," I said. "But I want all three of you to practice assisted recoveries first."

  "All three?" Lara asked.

  "If they both tip," I said. "I'd rather have you pulling them upright than me. Ms. Mountain."

  She laughed.

  So the three of them each tipped twice and asked for an assist upright, and thus each of them helped upright each of the others as well. They were fine.

  "All right," I said. "Once you tip, you may try to upright as many times as you want, but remember it will take several seconds to ask for an assist, so don't get too stubborn. You can always get pulled upright and catch your breath for several minutes before you try again. And if you don't get an assist in the time you need, bail out and pop up. We'll get you back in your boats."

  And then I explained the procedure, as clearly as I could. It's actually not hard to do, but it was really hard to explain. The idea is that you use your body and your paddle to pull the kayak under you, popping out of the water again.

  Angel wanted to try first. She gave it a good, solid five tries before reaching up and tapping the side of her kayak several times, then holding her arm there until Lara paddled into place and pulled her upright. She sat in her boat, panting hard, then turned to me. "That's not easy!"

  "You'll get it," I said. "Scarlett, did you want to try?"

  "Yes, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do it."

  "If humans can do it, you can do it, Scarlett." She grinned at that and flipped her boat.

  She tried twice before asking for assistance. Lara pulled her upright, and Scarlett was sputtering.

  "Sorry," she said after catching her breath. "I started to panic. I'm fine. I'll try again after the alpha."

  "You're really going to make me do this," Lara said.

  "Anything I can do, Lara, you can do better."

  She laughed. "Damned straight." She flipped her kayak.

  She was stubborn. Very stubborn. "Be ready to help her, Angel," I said. Lara tried it over and over, seven tries in total, before she tapped the bottom of her kayak, asking for an assist. Angel dug a paddle in, was beside her in seconds, and pulled her upright.

  Lara gasped for air then looked at me. "You made it look easy."

  "It is, but there's a trick, and I don't know how to teach it."

  "I'd like to try again," Angel said.

  "Then me," said Scarlett.

  Angel flipped over. I could tell she was close, but I couldn't tell what she was doing wrong. She was close twice, but both times she tipped back upside down. Scarlett helped her upright when Angel gave up.

  By the time Scarlett gave up, Rebecca had paddled over, and it was she who pulled Scarlett upright.

  "How did you explain it?"

  "I know I'm teaching it wrong." I went through it.

  "Ah," she said. She explained it in her own words, and she also knew the mistakes people make. She explained those.

  Lara nodded and immediately flipped. Six tries later, Rebecca gave her an assist.

  Lara sighed, panting.

  Angel flipped, and on her third try, she came fully upright.

  "I did it!" She began pumping her fist with a great deal of exuberance. "I did it! I did it!" and she flipped.

  It took her two tries again, but she popped back up. She was sputtering, but she waved her fist. "I did it!" she howled, and suddenly the lake was full of wolf howls.

  The rest of the wolves clustered around. "Mom! Look!" Angel flipped and popped upright immediately.

  Scarlett took a deep breath and flipped her kayak. She gave it four tries, and I was sure she was going to ask for help. She hung upside down for a good ten seconds, and I was about to go in after her, when suddenly she popped upright. She had a look of joy, and Lara led the wolves in a howl for it.

  "Catch your breath and do it a few more times," I told her. "It will help fix things in your head."

  She nodded, panting. And all eyes turned to Lara.

  "Your sister can do it," I said.

  "And I can do it," said Angel.

  "And me!" said Scarlett.

  "Not to mention the little fox," said Elisabeth.

  "But no pressure," I told her.

  And then we watched alpha stubbornness. And on her eighth attempt, she popped upright like it had been nothing.

  I howled for her. Everyone turned to me, and Elisabeth said, "What the hell was that, fox?"

  I hung my head. "Can't blame me for trying."

  I made them practice a few more times, then I said, "New contest! Those of you who can do the roll, cluster around, give yourselves some room. We're going to see who can flip upright fastest. We need three judges." I looked around. "Derek, Alan and Jeremy. Spread yourselves around us and make sure you can see all of us."

  We got into place, and I told Derek, "Call it three-two-one-flip. First one back fully upright and settled is the winner."

  "Ready?" he said. "Three-two-one-flip!"

  We all went over. I popped upright as fast as I could, but I felt like Aaron and Rebecca were both faster. But I looked around after I was fully settled, and all of us had done it the first time.

  "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 fol
low 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."