by Robin Roseau
I licked her once more then flicked my tail in her face before bounding off the road, readily finding the trail.
I got my head into the game immediately, sensing Deirdre somewhere ahead of me and to the right. I followed the trail at first, my eyes and ears open and alert. I heard forest noises, and behind me, the SUV door close and then they began to drive away.
I heard my mate crying.
"Oh Lara," I thought. "I'll see you in two hours."
Then I heard Elisabeth say, "Be safe, Little Fox."
After that, I couldn't hear them, and the sound of the car disappeared behind me.
The forest was alive with sounds. It was too early, even here in North Carolina, for insects, but I heard the wind blowing through the trees. I heard birds and the expected small wildlife. Off to my left, perhaps sixty yards off the trail, I heard a family of small birds, type unknown. There were two strong heartbeats and four small, very rapid hearts beating.
I heard my own footsteps. I slowed down, attempting to be quiet. I knew I was silent, but still I heard my own footsteps.
I sped up again, running along in a comfortable, foxy lope.
In the distance, I heard cars on the roads. But I heard no closer sounds of humanity.
I had absolutely no idea what the limits were on my hearing, but I knew I was hearing things I had never heard before.
Slowly at first, then much more quickly, my sense of Deirdre shifted further to my right. I came to the top of a ridge running from west to east, and I decided it was time to turn east. I stepped carefully off the trail.
Dusk was approaching. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains at my back, but I knew if I climbed to the top of the mountains, I would see the sun. But I moved quickly while choosing my route carefully. I did not know these mountains, and I did not want to waste time on dead ends.
And then, when I knew I was close, I stopped. I caught my breath while nosing around through the bushes. I listened carefully, and I also sniffed.
I wasn't used to relying on my nose, and I didn't know how to interpret all the scents that came my way. But the wind was at my back, and I didn't believe I would smell anything useful for now.
I passed my destination to the south, my sense of Deirdre shifting again. I wanted to approach upwind, not for my own purposes, but predators typically preferred to hunt into the wind to avoid spooking the game, and I was trying to act like a fox.
I stepped into a shallow valley, following it for five minutes, and then my sense of Deirdre was very close to my left. I paused, sniffing around, then turned left. I moved slowly now, listening carefully.
Faintly, I heard the sounds of humanity: air blowing through ductwork.
I could hear a furnace.
I moved towards the sound, but somewhat to the left.
In the gloom, a large house appeared. I listened intently, but I heard no humans.
I skirted to the left, and moments later I stepped into a large clearing that surrounded the house. Just inside the clearing I stopped, standing as straight as a fox might stand, and I looked at the house.
It was large, expensive.
I stared at it for a while, my ears swiveling, my nose twitching.
I moved further into the field.
Deirdre was close.
I sniffed around for something to eat. I heard a family of mice, deep underground, and I set up a watch over their home.
I listened to the mice, and I listened to the house.
A door opened and closed. It was an interior door. I heard the sound of water running.
I stayed over the mouse hole for a while, but they didn't appear, so I moved on, moving slowly, a fox out for a patrol. I avoided looking at the house, but when I heard a door bang, I stood up straight and turned to look.
Just like a fox might.
When nothing else happened, I slowly relaxed and worked my way through the field.
A door opened, a sliding door, and then I heard very gentle footsteps against wood. I stood up again and turned to the house.
I knew it was her, standing on a deck with a glass of wine, looking out at me. I sensed her, and not just her. I sensed her surprise.
"What are you?" she was wondering.
"Come and see," I thought to her as hard as I could. "I am a friend."
I thought those thoughts over and over, and then her thoughts changed.
"I have no friends like you."
"You do now," I thought at her. "Come and see me. I am a friend."
She watched me for a while. I moved through the field, acting like a fox, but the entire time, I thought to her, "I am your friend."
"I am going crazy," she thought finally. She turned around and stepped back inside.
But I thought to her, "I will return tomorrow."
And then she thought back, "Tomorrow."
I prowled the field for another few minutes, working my way across the field. Nothing harassed me, and then I was in the woods on the north. I continued to meander for a while, listening carefully. But then I began moving more quickly, and I began to obscure my trail, first in standard fox ways, and then in much smarter fox ways.
After a mile, I turned west into pale sky, and I picked up my pace.
It took me forty minutes to return to the trail and another forty minutes following it until I approached the rendezvous point. I was still a mile away when I heard the wolves laughing. I recognized Karen's voice and then Elisabeth's. A few minutes later, I thought hard about Carissa, and I felt her touch my mind briefly. A minute later, I heard Lara in her human voice offer a brief howl, and then a second one.
I stepped off the trail as I grew closer, and when I knew I was close enough for even wolf ears to hear, I yipped twice.
And then I heard Lara's howl of joy, and I ran for my mate.
I broke into a clearing, and ahead, in the dusk, I saw the car. Karen and Serena were already packing away the signs of their visit. Both Lara and Elisabeth were watching the trees for me, and I saw them long before they saw me. I yipped once more, quietly, and then I ran straight for Lara.
She held her arms open, and I flew the last eight feet, right into her arms. She barely caught me, Elisabeth steadying her. Moments later, still in Lara's arms, we were in the car and driving away.
I licked her face over and over.
"Enough," she said finally. "Enough, Michaela."
So I leaned over and gave Elisabeth a good long lick.
"Knock it off!" she said, but she grinned at me.
I settled onto the seat between them, still in fur, and then I shifted into my human form.
"Cold!" I complained immediately.
Elisabeth grabbed a blanket from the back seat and wrapped it around me.
"I found her," I said. "I need to talk to Carissa."
"You're going to go to la-la land if you do," Lara said. "Report first, then dress before you call her."
"Right where we thought. A big house, very elegant. Beautiful. There's a large clearing around it. I detected no animals. There are other humans there but no signs of any other weres. I never saw any vampires."
"Is she there?"
"I saw her," I said. "I told her I would be back tomorrow."
"You spoke to her?"
"Thoughts," I said, "but it felt like she heard me. I need to know if that's part of the thrall with Carissa."
"Deirdre is fae," Lara said. "Their gifts are wild."
"That's all the good news," I said. "Now the bad. It's rough ground. Very rough. It wasn't bad in fur, but I don't know if I would have wanted to walk it in the dark on two feet."
"You don't have to."
"Deirdre might," I said.
They asked me countless questions after that, and I reported as best I could. In the end, Karen summarized.
"You found her and have established contact. You were safe tonight, but no guarantee that will last."
"And," I added, "she was curious about me, if it wasn't just my imagination."
After that, I slipped into the rearmost seat, pulling my clothes on quickly before crawling back up to sit between Elisabeth and Lara. I bumped my shoulder against Elisabeth's then pulled Lara down for a quick kiss before buckling in.
Lara grew quiet and handed me her phone.
I thought about Carissa, I thought hard, and thirty seconds later, the phone rang. I smiled before answering it.
"Hello, Michaela," she purred into my ear.
"Hello, Mistress," I said, and then I grew silent, all thoughts on my vampire.
"Michaela," she said, "You called me. Tell me why."
But I couldn't, and Lara took the phone from me. She relayed our report, and I could hear Carissa's pleasure. I shuddered with the pleasure of knowing I had performed well for her.
Then Lara explained about the communication I had felt.
"It's not the thrall," Carissa said. "Deirdre is very in tune with nature. I didn't realize how in tune. It must be a fae gift, if it wasn't Michaela's imagination."
"Is she always going to be like this when she talks to you?" Lara asked.
"It will fade as the thrall fades," Carissa said. "But yes, probably. Unfortunately, if you want me to continue to act like a pager for her, you're going to need to accept this. My ability to hear her this clearly is going to fade fairly quickly if we don't continue to reinforce it. I am sorry, Alpha. It is your decision."
"And in the future?" Lara asked. "Next year? Five years from now?"
"The effect will never fully disappear," Carissa said. "But if we never share blood again, and I never call her again, it will reduce to little more than fondness."
That thought made me sad, that I would lose my feelings for my mistress. And so I thought very, very hard about her, holding her close to my heart.
Suddenly, her voice changed.
"Alpha," she said firmly, "I need you to find a place to pull over, give Michaela the phone, and give her some privacy. I need you to do this right now."
"Vampire," Lara said, "I do not think so."
"Do it, or I will call her. Do it right now."
Lara began to growl but said, "Karen, find a clear place to pull over."
I continued to think about my mistress, smiling as I imagined her.
"Hurry, Alpha," my mistress said. And I knew in a moment I would be free to talk to her, to hear her orders."
"Anywhere, Karen," Lara said. "Do it."
Karen found a place, barely a widening in the road, and came to a stop.
"Give her the phone, Alpha, and tell her to get out of the car. Then drive another two hundred yards. I will send her to you in only a minute or two."
Lara growled again, but she handed me the phone. "Get out and talk to her," she said, opening the door. I unbuckled and crawled across her lap to stand in the road. A moment later, the car began rolling away from me. I lifted the phone.
"Mistress," I said.
"Listen to me very carefully, Michaela," she said. "I want you to think about your mate."
I wanted to think about my mistress, and so I thought about her.
"No!" she said. "Michaela, think about your mate."
It was an order, and I couldn't refuse. I thought about Lara.
"You love your mate, do you not?" she asked.
"Yes, Mistress."
"Tell me why."
"She is so strong, and she keeps me safe. She is beautiful and so sleek. She holds me when I cry, and she never makes me feel scared when I am vulnerable with her. And she is smart, so smart." I went on and on, extolling Lara's virtues.
And slowly, I came back to earth.
"Oh god, Carissa," I said.
"When this is over, I would like us to be friends, Michaela, but it will break my heart if I have damaged your relationship with Lara. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Carissa."
"We will be friends, Michaela, but Lara must always come first for you. Always, even now."
"I am hurting her," I said quietly. "She cried after she dropped me off."
Carissa didn't respond immediately, then asked, "Do you know why?"
"She is afraid she is losing me."
"Well then, you will simply need to convince her she is mistaken. Can you do that?"
I smiled. "Yes."
"Good. Are your thoughts clear?"
"Yes. How did that happen?"
"I'm not sure. I've had werewolf thralls before, but not very many. Usually I keep humans. I've never had a werefox thrall, and you are unique."
"If you need to continue to use me as a pager, you'll need to call me tomorrow. I'll expect you about the same time as tonight. You'll lose your thoughts again. But in the meantime, perhaps you should focus on your mate."
"I will, Carissa. Thank you."
"Good night, Michaela."
"Good night."
I jogged after the SUV. From the back, I said firmly, "Lara, my mate, the love of my love, mother of my children, keeper of my heart, my safety, my sanity, my security, I desperately need you."
I got about half of it out before she was out of the car, moving towards me. As soon as she drew near, I moved into my arms, pressing myself into her.
"What is it, Michaela?" she asked.
I lifted my mouth. "Please kiss me, kiss me like I have never been kissed."
She was tentative at first, but I attacked her mouth with hunger, and I felt her ardor rise immediately. We clutched at each other, panting, and I left no doubt how much I wanted her.
Finally I lowered myself from my tiptoes and leaned my forehead against her chest. "Have I made myself clear?"
She laughed and held me tightly.
"Yes, Little Fox," she said. "You have."
"Lara, when was the last time you ran in fur? And then I want you to take me back to the hotel and, well, take me."
She laughed again and pulled me to the door. I climbed in then threw my arms around Elisabeth and hugged her. "I love you, Sister." I leaned forward and gave Karen and Serena both a kiss on the cheek, surprising both of them. "I love being pack."
Then I plopped into my seat and curled against my mate.
"Karen, take us somewhere we can run safely, but well away from our target. Can you find somewhere?"
"We have three areas the local pack suggested," Elisabeth said. "Karen, can you find the closest?"
Serena had the map, and she handed it to Karen. She looked at it then turned off the overhead light. "Got it. Twenty minutes."
* * * *
Lara was exceedingly dominant during the run, which didn't bother me at all. She didn't let any of the other wolves near me, and she took my throat six times before we were done, all of them very thorough and leisurely. I didn't mind in the slightest.
But we'd been keeping to a fox's pace, Lara at my side, the enforcers arrayed around us, and I wanted all of them to get proper exercise. I stopped and shifted to human. Lara immediately knocked me onto my back and covered me with her body before taking my throat yet again. I hugged her tightly before she let me up.
"Lara," I said, "I had a lot of exercise tonight, and this is crappy exercise for all of you. I insist on a solution."
She shifted to human herself and said with a smile, "Oh little fox, I do not believe you are able to insist anything right now."
"Please, Lara. We're all under a lot of stress, and a proper run will feel good for you."
"I am not leaving you," she replied.
"Then perhaps we should play a game of catch the fox, but you have to let the enforcers exercise, too. They need it fairly badly. I can smell it. Can't you?"
"You never could before," she said.
"I can now. Am I wrong?"
"No." She paused. "We do not know these woods, Michaela."
"Would you prefer a game of freeze tag?"
She laughed. "Catch the fox freeze tag? If you make it back to the car, you win, but only thirty-second freezes."
"Fifteen second head start?"
"All right."
"No cheating?
"
"How would I cheat?"
"By ordering me to let you win."
She laughed. "No cheating."
"What do you want if you win?"
"Oh ho," she said, "You want a wager?"
"Yes. Everyone shift back to skin and tell me what you want if you win."
"The odds are against you, Michaela," Lara said.
"Maybe. I'm feeling really, really good. Pick something good, Lara. I know what I want, but I want to hear from each of you first."
"What is a wolf win?" Lara asked.
"A wolf who catches me wins. Any wolf who has not caught me by the time we get back to the car loses. A wolf may only catch me once. After that, she may help herd me, but she may not actually catch me again. And I get fifteen seconds after being caught by one wolf."
"We're eight miles from the car, Michaela. You won't get that far."
"That's okay. I don't care, but I 'm going to play to win. If this is too easy for you, we'll make a second game."
The remaining wolves all shifted to skin.
"Alpha, will you allow this game?" Karen said. "I don't usually get to play."
"Yes, Karen," Lara said. "This sounds like a fine game."
"All right," Karen said, "You already gave me what I wanted most. You taught me how to shift."
"Then pick something else."
"Can it cost money?"
"Yes, but please don't ask for a car."
She laughed. "My own kayak?"
"Next time we see Benny?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Serena?"
"Do you know, I never went to college?" she said.
"No, I didn't know," I said. "But paying for a four year degree is perhaps a little more than I was thinking."
She laughed. "I want to attend with you, but I'll pay my own way."
"I'll be taking education and business."
"Then I'll take the business classes, too," she said. "And anything else Lara and Elisabeth recommend that will help me be a better member of the pack council. Alpha, will you allow me to attend classes with your mate? We'll need at least one enforcer who is paying attention to more than the lectures we attend."
Lara laughed. "Yes, Serena. Of course."
"Elisabeth?"
"You and I have an outstanding wager you have not yet paid," Elisabeth said.
"Pretty in pink?" I asked.
"That's the one."