The Turtle and the Hare (Furry United Coalition)

by Amanda Kimberley

  The Turtle and the Hare

  A FUC Academy Story

  Amanda Kimberley

  Copyright © 2020, Amanda Kimberley

  Cover Art © 2020 Dreams2Media

  Produced in Canada

  An EveL Worlds Production : www.worlds.EveLanglais.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This story is a work of fiction and the characters, events and dialogue found within the story are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is completely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording, email and printing without permission in writing from the author.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Introduction

  What happens when her pure hare-itage meets royal blood?

  * * *

  Harriet is descended from a long line of pure hares. Unfortunately, an experiment rendered her a hybrid, a mutant… a critter who runs towards danger instead of from it. Because of it, she’s found it near impossible to move up the ranks as a FUC agent.

  * * *

  Until a sexy leatherback turtle shows up at the Academy and demands Harriet be on his security detail!

  * * *

  Prince Lear from Skyros Island is in search of a mate, but everyone suitable has known him since he hatched. How is a slow-moving turtle supposed to find someone to polish his shell in this fast-paced world?

  * * *

  When he comes face to face with Harriet, he’s smitten. He doesn’t mind at all that she’s not reptile. Fast of word and fleet of foot, not only is this hare his lucky charm, she’s his mate too.

  * * *

  As if his royal turtleness didn’t have enough to balance on his back, a plot is afoot to steal his royal blood.

  * * *

  What will it take to convince her to make his shell her home?

  * * *

  Turtle and the Hare is part of Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition EveL Worlds.

  Does this premise and world seem familiar? That’s because it is based off the Eve Langlais Furry United Coalition. Eve Langlais has invited her author friends to come and play in her world. To find out more, visit Worlds.EveLanglais.com.

  Acknowledgements

  I'd like to thank Eve, Jess, and Devin for taking a chance on me. This project was a blast and it wouldn't have been without wonderful people like you!

  * * *

  I've learned so much from all of you as a writer and I can't thank you enough!

  * * *

  I'd also like to thank Christine for believing that I could do this.

  * * *

  ~ Amanda

  1

  Lear sucked in the salt air as the sun began to peek over the horizon. It was his favorite time of the day, as few in the kingdom were up as early as he was. His father, King Gregor, was an early riser, but even he wouldn’t bother Lear with affairs of the state at dawn unless there was an emergency.

  Like there was ever an emergency… They lived in peace on Skyros. It had been that way for centuries, so Lear never understood why his father bothered to have him practice the art-of-war strategy. He understood it was important for a prince to master, should he ever need it when he became the king, but taking the crown had always seemed so far away.

  Even so, Father kept pushing him to think more and more like a king every day. Lear’s time was spent more on governing, such as drafting laws and tending to state financial affairs, and less on his beloved charity work.

  Not to mention less and less time hanging out with his friends. Most of them were the sisters of Skyros. Beautiful, funny, smart, and charming, with constant words of encouragement for him when a task from his father proved to be more difficult than he’d anticipated.

  The sisters of Skyros meant a great deal to him, but none of them were what he’d consider for a mate. They were socialite debutants in the royal circle, and while he loved them deeply, it was a love that was more of a brotherly, protectorate type of love and not one of a romantic nature. He had known them since he was a hatchling, and he did not see them as anything more than sisters who he’d sworn to protect as their future king.

  Besides, most of the time his heart didn’t ache for that kind of company. His nether regions were a different story, but that desire wouldn’t be satisfied by any in the dole.

  Another birthday was fast approaching, and Lear still hadn’t found a suitable mate. No king before him had ruled Skyros without a mate. Even his father took on a mate, Lear’s mother, Queen Dimitra. But once she passed, his father chose not to remarry, as the law only required him to have a mate before his coronation.

  Most turtle shifters would be on their fourth flotilla by the time they reached the ripe old age of 215, but not Lear. He couldn’t find anyone he loved and refused to settle for anything less.

  King.

  Lear stroked his stubbled chiseled chin as the word soaked into his mind. He’d always known in an abstract way that he’d eventually be king. He just never really thought about it. And now that it was getting closer, it still didn’t seem real. He climbed one of the rocks jutting out from the water and perched on it, dangling his feet into the salty water and letting the sea tickle him.

  He wouldn’t be pressing so much for me to find a mate if he wasn’t getting so old. And to live my life without him is just something I had truly never considered. He’s my father. Isn’t he always just supposed to be there when I need him? What will I do when I need his wisdom and he’s gone? Who can take his place when I need advice with affairs of the state?

  Lear let out a long breath as he once again felt the law of taking on a mate looming over him like a darkening cloud, squeezing out all the light in his world.

  Now it is all starting to make sense! The long hours he’s had me sit in with the court council and Parliament, the countless laws he’d have me design and draft, and then the constant dinner parties, where he kept asking me if anyone caught my eye. He wants me to take over the throne now! I just hope this doesn’t mean what I think it means. Most would say he’s lived a wonderful life, but 503 is still too young for a shifter to cease to exist

  The sun had completely risen, and it was time for Lear to head back to the palace. He wasn’t looking forward to speaking with shifter diplomats from the other islands. It meant long hours in the Parliament chambers ironing out laws that would keep the shifters safe from the humans netting them with other fish and carrion in the sea. Lear had always tried his best to protect all of his brothers and sisters, but with the humans expanding their net ranges, it was becoming increasingly difficult to protect the turtle shifters on all the islands.

  Lear hopped off of the rock and headed toward the palace, which was only a short distance from the water. He’d always enjoyed being able to play in the sand as a hatchling and sun on the various rocks that peeked through the water. Of course, being a turtle shifter, he needed that connection with the calmness that the ocean brought to him. The sound of the waves in his mind helped him focus on the decisions he needed to make for Skyros.

  Part of it was that the sea, so gentle and
calming, reminded him of his mother. He often thought of the sea as his surrogate mother. When she’d passed, the sisters of Skyros rallied around him, giving him the confidence he needed to move past his grief and accept his new life, but even his sisters at times left him empty. That was when he’d take to the sea and stare out into the horizon until the answers he was seeking would flow through him.

  Many humans would scoff at the water because it only brought them turmoil or heartache. Many of them didn’t understand that the sea could give you everything you needed, but if you weren’t grateful for what it provided, it could also take things away. Storms were always the land dwellers’ concern. They disrupted their habitat—or so they thought.

  Lear had often watched humans run frantically through stores buying silly things like bread and milk when a storm was on the horizon. They hoarded things that wouldn’t help if their refrigeration machines became faulty in the fierceness of the storms.

  But as amused as he might be by the human fear of the sea, he knew better than to underestimate them. Too many times, shifter turtles had seen brothers and sisters caught in these human fishing nets.

  It was customary to remain in human form on their islands, so humans wouldn’t become aware of their shifting powers. They got to venture out in their turtle forms for swims, and when the Skyros turtles got their proverbial feet wet, they liked to do it knowing they would return home in one piece.

  Whenever Lear found one of his brothers or sisters caught in the humans’ web of danger, he cut the net loose, spilling all the wildlife from the humans’ grabby hands. Lear had saved the Skyros social debutants on more than one occasion from the humans’ death grip.

  Yet, as angry as he was about the danger they caused, Lear still protected the secrets of Skyros and took no action against the humans. It had been that way forever. Skyros turtles lived in secrecy, knowing that if humans ever caught on about shifter existence, it would be dangerous for them all. There was no doubt in Lear’s mind that a war would ensue.

  Humans had always fought what they did not understand.

  Lear was barely inside the main hall of the palace when he heard the familiar deep, raspy voice of his father.

  “Watching the sunrise again, my boy?”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “That’s an admirable habit. It will help your spirits to calm so you can make important decisions for the kingdom. Important decisions, like choosing a mate. Have you decided who you will ask to the grand formal coming up at the end of the month?”

  “Father, for the hundredth time, I’m simply not interested in mating with any of the sisters of Skyros, or any of the neighboring bales.” Lear did his best to keep his tone even, not wanting to show disrespect by revealing his annoyance.

  “Son, I’m not getting any younger. I’d like some grandkids to bounce on my knee. I’m not asking for a lot. Just a few hundred strapping boys and adorable baby girls. That’s all I’m asking for. I know you don’t want to disappoint me in fulfilling my dreams of becoming a grandfather. And if your mother were still alive, I know she would have wanted nothing more than to dote over your flotilla as well.”

  “Unfortunately, my affections do not extend farther than that of a brotherly protectorate to the sisters of Skyros. I think it’s time to consider looking elsewhere for my mate. Like how you found Mother in the Canadian province of British Columbia.” Lear knew mentioning it was a risk. In recent years, the turtles of Skyros had pulled closer within the island, not wanting to interact with the outside world any more than they absolutely had to.

  “I did, son, but that was many, many years ago, when it was easier to deceive humans with our existence. It’s very dangerous there, my son. Here, we worry about the human nets and discovery, but in other parts of the world, they’re also worrying about nasty shifters with nefarious goals.”

  “I know all about that, Father.” Lear kept up to date with all the activity in the shifter world. He had to if he was to protect his people. He knew about the secret labs that turned humans into shifters and shifters into hybrid shifters.

  “It’s dangerous, and I won’t put you in harm’s way. Especially when you are about to inherit that throne.”

  “Father, are you ill?” Lear asked, his brows knitted. It was the first time his father had directly addressed abdicating the throne.

  “No! Heavens no! I’m just old—the oldest on Skyros and all the other islands. And since no one truly knows how long we have on this Earth, I’m choosing to abdicate to you and live out the rest of my days enjoying the patter of little feet. That is, if my son will indulge me!”

  So, finding a mate was a double priority. One, to qualify for the coronation, and two, to give his father the granddaddy of all retirements. Lear himself would love to see his father as a doting grandfather, but he had to stick to his guns. “Father, I would love to make that happen, but I’m simply not in love with any of the sisters of Skyros. Your dream won’t happen unless I can expand my search for a mate elsewhere.”

  “Fine! I will allow you to go to British Columbia, but you will need protection. I’ll get FUC on you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  His father laughed, a sound that warmed Lear. “The Furry United Coalition, FUC for short. They’ve recently set up a compound over in BC, the FUCN’A.”

  Lear scratched his head and squinted his brows. The terms sounded vaguely familiar. FUC was a group of agents who protected the shifter secrets in North America, although he’d also heard they’d expanded to Australia and other areas. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “FUCN’A, the Furry United Coalition Newbie Academy. They’re set up right there in BC. If you’re there, under their protection, I’d feel much less worried about you.”

  Lear nodded, processing the fact that his father was opening up to compromise on the matter. But that left one big question. “When you went to BC and met Mother, did she know that you were a king right off the bat? I mean I think it would be hard to just come out with the royal card. Right? I’m only asking because I’m really not sure I want to reveal my naked truth right away. I don’t want to be treated differently because of royal blood.”

  “Your mother was one of my security unions, so she was on top of everything, but I can understand your concerns,” King Gregor said with a wink.

  “Good to know.” Lear’s mind reeled with all the possibilities.

  “Well, for FUC’s sake, I just hope they remember the protocol. We royals tend to stick out among the rest, so they need their best FUCs on the job.”

  2

  Harriet reread the last sentence she typed. Two minutes and probably for the thousandth time, it still wasn’t making much sense. Oh well, it was as clear as she was going to get for 3:45 in the afternoon.

  Not that it mattered, because the professor she was sending it to would have another COC for her within the hour. The requests for help with “Complaints on Campus” seemed to never end, especially from the older, not-so-tech-literate, students and staff.

  She let her head rest on her elbow and closed her eyes as she clicked on the send button. A bit of drool slid out of her mouth before she heard someone clear their throat as they walked by her computer.

  “Harriet! You can’t do this again! Boss’s already pissed at you for hiding in the bathroom for thirty-five minutes last week!”

  Harriet jerked into an upright position. “God, Carol! You scared me!”

  “I’m serious, Harriet! Hun, you’re one of my closest friends, but you can’t forget that I am your supervisor. It’s my ass on the line if yours isn’t square.”

  “My ass is plenty plump and round, thank you very much,” Harriet sassed back.

  “You know what I mean. We can’t look unproductive.” Carol shook her head.

  “But that’s the thing—I’m plenty productive, but the boredom is killing me. It’s all entry-level tech support, and all I’m basically doing is holding the old folks’ hands when it comes to introducing them to a computer mous
e. I mean, come on! I’m capable of so much more than being a babysitter! You trained me, for FUC’s sake—remember?”

  “Everyone’s got to start somewhere, and that’s always with the first rung, Harriet. Take your licks, and you’ll make it up the FUC ladder of success in no time. You’ll make your parents proud.”

  “Yeah, don’t remind me!” Harriet’s parents had made names for themselves as FUC agents, and it was a legacy she couldn’t shake if she’d wanted to. “But even you can’t deny that I’m getting passed over for far less qualified cadets to do real assignments.”

  Carol’s brows narrowed, and she let out a sigh of disappointment. “I’m not discussing this with you anymore. Just update me on the status of the emails regarding the cadet tablet issues.”

  “All sent out.” Harriet tried not to roll her eyes, thinking about the mundane task and its trivial difficulty.

  “Damn! You are on Energizer fire! You can work on the stack of laptops next. Oh, and Smith needs a new keyboard again.”

  “Do not tell me he spilled another cup of coffee on it.”

  Carol shot Harriet a look. “Don’t get me started.”

  “That’s the fifth one in a month! Can’t we tell him he doesn’t get a new one for a while?”