by Robin Roseau
Deirdre only laughed. "You are responsible for Michaela and Sonya, but I take care of myself."
"That's what I keep telling her! Look how far it gets me." I gestured. "Seven of them. Seven."
"Oh please," Elisabeth said. "It's only six, and two are for Lara." She grinned at her sister. "Deirdre, you will remain with Michaela."
Deirdre laughed again. "I have to check us in. If you walk in there, it isn't going to go very well."
"Oh?" Elisabeth asked.
"I understand you are fond of wagers," Deirdre said. "In approximately ten minutes from now, you will agree with my prediction."
"So we will go in there and test your hypothesis."
"Oh no," she said. "I will go in, check us in, and introduce us to our guide. And then you will tell me whether I was right."
"And what do you want if you win this wager?" Elisabeth asked.
"Oh, let us consider it a minor token. Loser pays for tonight's dinner. It is a very expensive restaurant."
Elisabeth laughed. "I intend to drink expensive wine."
"As do I," Deirdre replied. "We have agreement?"
I smirked, amused. I knew the dinner tab wouldn't bother Elisabeth. I only wished Deirdre had asked for something far more amusing. I didn't know why, but I was sure she was right. I would never wager against the elf.
Once she had Elisabeth's agreement, Deirdre turned to Lara. "You are all under Carissa's protection, and the family that runs this operation belongs to Carissa. You are absolutely safe here."
After a moment to think about it, Lara nodded understanding.
Deirdre stepped away from me, but I stopped her. "Give me a hint."
She smiled and didn't immediately respond, but then once she was away from Elisabeth, she said quietly, for my ears only, "Think about the name."
She was gone perhaps six or eight minutes. The rest of us clustered around. Elisabeth and Lara spoke together quietly while the other enforcers were clearly on watch. Sonya craned her neck everywhere, but she never released herself from my arm. I wouldn't have wanted her to.
When I thought about her, though, I grew sad. I thought of my lost family. I thought of my sister.
Sonya noticed a change in me. She turned to me and caressed my cheek. "Michaela OK?" she asked.
I thought about it, then I pantomimed as I spoke. I pointed to Lara and Elisabeth, pointing between them. "Sisters," I said.
"Sisters," she repeated in her thick accent. "Da."
Then I held my hand to my chest, pointed to my eyes, then pointed at her. "When I see you..." I pointed to my head. "I think about my sister."
She understood immediately. Then she spoke a mix of English and Russian, mostly Russian, and I didn't understand a word, but the occasional word in English. She pointed to her own eyes, then to me. "Sonya sister," she said. "Mama. Papa mama. Papa sister." She made a face of grief, then she hugged me tightly, speaking into my ear. "Sonya Michaela sisters."
We held each other firmly, words not needed. But then I heard a screen door open. She released me the same time that I released her, and we both said, "Deirdre."
It was so weird to be with someone who could hear as well as I could.
We both turned.
Deirdre and another woman were standing on the back porch of the Great Panther Swamp Tours building, watching us and, perhaps, waiting to be noticed. Once she saw us looking, she said for my ears, "You are safe, Michaela."
The woman beside Deirdre was tall, and I knew instantly she wasn't human.
She wasn't a wolf, either, but she was as big as one, perhaps even bigger.
As a human, I couldn't have told you her racial background. Her skin tone would have made a professional suntanner jealous. Her hair was long, straight, full, and the blackest black.
I got to see her for about three or four seconds before the wolves nearly filled their pants, and a second after that, Sonya and I were closed off behind a wall of wolves. It was deja vu all over again, but this time without the manhandling from Serena. Instead, she put a hand on my shoulder, but I was long used to that. Eric had a hand on Sonya's shoulder, and she seemed to barely notice it.
Then I began laughing.
"What's so funny?" Serena asked from over my shoulder.
"Elisabeth lost her wager."
"I do believe you're right," Serena said. "What is she?"
"Oh please," I said. "She's a panther."
Panther
Deirdre and the panther approached cautiously, careful around the touchy enforcers. I listened to them as they approached, and they spoke casually, the panther's drawl thick but her words and tone cultured. She was asking about us, finally asking, "Were those two in the middle werefoxes?"
"Yes, and the wolves are exceedingly protective of them. The one is mated to the wolf alpha, and the other belongs to the St. Petersburg queen, so none of your usual games with either of them. If you want to flirt with someone, your choice is between the male and the head enforcer."
"The head enforcer, hmm. That's the one on the right?"
"No, that's the alpha. The one next to her is the alpha's sister. And you're invited to dinner tonight. She's buying."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. I laughed, loudly.
"And you should know, the alpha's mate just heard me," Deirdre added. I guessed Deirdre heard my laugh. "Yes, Michaela," Deirdre said, knowing I was listening. "I know you're alpha, too, but that's harder to explain, isn't it?"
The two of them came to a stop perhaps ten feet in front of the enforcers. I couldn't see a thing but wolf butts -- I took a moment to admire Lara's -- but I had ears.
"Lara Burns," Deirdre said in a firm voice, "Madison alpha, may I present Annabelle Delacroix? Anna, Lara Burns. Her sister and head enforcer, Elisabeth Burns. Behind them, and you'll see them if the wolves relax, is Lara's mate, Michaela. She's the redhead. The white haired fox is Sonya; she speaks no English, but she is very sweet, and you'll find her to be exceedingly curious."
The panther spoke, her voice booming, and her tone changed entirely, sounding very, very, Cajun in an "aw shucks" kind of way. "Welcome to Louisiana, Ms. Burns. Friends of Carissa are friends of Great Panther Swamp Tours. Your safety is assured. I guar-an-tee it personally." I swear, it took two or three seconds to say, "guarantee".
Deirdre laughed and said, "Knock it off, Anna. Save it for the tourists." After that, Anna reverted to the cultured tones she had been using when speaking alone to Deirdre.
The wolves' posture remained tense, but then Lara stepped forward. "Ms. Delacroix. It's a pleasure to meet you. We always enjoy making new friends." I caught a glimpse of the panther as she shook hands with Lara. And then Lara turned halfway towards me. "My mate and co-alpha, Michaela Burns."
I stepped forward, drawing Sonya with me. As we stepped forward, she got a better look at Annabelle and dragged me to a stop. She pointed. "Wolf?"
"No," I said. "Nyet. Panther."
"Pantera?" she repeated, and I thought perhaps I had learned a word of Russian. "Meow."
"Da," I said.
And then we both turned to Annabelle and finished stepping forward. I held out my hand.
The panther had large hands and a strong grip; neither of those surprised me. What surprised me were her words.
"I do not meow."
It was said gently, and I smiled. "And she speaks no English, but I would say we communicated perfectly."
"Perhaps," said the panther. She shook hands with Sonya. "Nyet meow," she said. Sonya grinned at her.
"Nyet?"
"Nyet," Anna said. "I roar."
Sonya cocked her head. "Roar?" She held her hand to her ear as if she were trying to listen, then used her free hand to point to Anna. "Roar."
"Not here," Anna said. "Someone will hear. Nyet. Um. Here." She pointed to the ground.
Lara handled the remaining introductions. Then I asked, "Anna, panther can mean many things. Cougar, leopard, or jaguar?"
She smiled. "Jaguar."
By her size, perhaps I should have guessed. Jaguars are the third largest of the living great cats behind tigers and lions and the second largest apex predator in the Americas, second only to bears. They were virtually extinct north of Mexico, and I didn't know if they had ever inhabited the area immediately around New Orleans, but I imagined she would cause quite a stir if the humans were to see her in her fur.
Anna said, "Well, we have a boat to ourselves. It's already loaded up, and there's a head if anyone needs it, but the bathrooms here are nicer. I've got a good boil going, so we'll have a taste of Louisiana hospitality a little later. We have plenty of sweet tea and lemonade, water, beer, and soft drinks. Were we doing a short tour or a long one?"
Everyone looked to me, although I looked to Deirdre. "We need to be back by five to make it to dinner at eight," she said.
"All right then," she said. "Right this way."
Ten minutes later found all of us on a swamp boat large enough to hold three times our number. I felt a little guilty that we were monopolizing Anna, but when I said something about it, she laughed.
"This is my cousin's outfit," she explained. "I used to work here all the time. Now it's only for something special, such as one of Carissa's special guests. Now, make yourselves comfortable, and I'll get us going."
* * * *
The tour was fabulous. It seemed Anna knew everything there could be known about the bayous and swamps of Louisiana. She explained the difference. A bayou is a very slowly moving river whereas a swamp is a boggy wetland in which the water may be still and stagnant. She gave a running commentary that began moments after we pulled away from the docks. She flowed back and forth between history and the environment.
I knew little about the history. I already understood about the swamps and the animals we would see, but it was quite different to actually see them in their native habitat.
We saw all the creatures one would expect in a swamp including a great many birds. The egrets, herons and pelicans were popular sights. There were turtles, and Anna even pointed out a water moccasin sunning himself on a branch over the river. I wanted to get closer, but Anna kept our distance.
Of course, the alligators were the stars of the trip. Anna knew it, and I dare say, the alligators knew it, too.
We found some small ones first. Anna fed them, and I was surprised to see her throw marshmallows to them. She grinned at me. "They'll literally eat anything, and these are cheap and easy to throw. But don't worry; I have something special for Gus."
Gus, it turned out, was not at all small, although at 12 feet long, he wasn't a record-setter, either. Anna lured him to us with a fresh, whole chicken. She suspended the chicken from a long pole and dangled it over the water.
We got a real good look at Gus before she let him snap up his bribe for the show.
Anna had more marshmallows she let us throw to the other alligators we saw. Sonya took great delight, and her aim was impeccable. She got one small alligator to swim back and forth, snatching up the marshmallows she threw to land just a few inches in front of his nose each time.
As promised, Anna provided a fabulous boil for a small, late afternoon meal. The scents were heavenly, and the food even better. The wolves clinked bottles of beer. I was pleased with the lemonade.
Sonya knew the word tea, so when she heard "sweet tea", that's what she asked for. From her expression, she wasn't expecting it to come iced, and her expression after the first sip was priceless. I held out my lemonade to her, and she was much happier with that.
Then Sonya turned to our guide. "Anna roar?" She had remembered the word.
Anna smiled then opened her mouth widely. She started with a snarling growl, and while it was frightening, it was nothing compared to Lara's growl. But then she curled her lips up more and began a series of short growls, over and over, about five in a row before growing silent. Her vocalizations were much briefer than a wolf's, but I had to admit: they were intimidating nevertheless.
Yes, I was jealous. I was a predator, too, but no one was ever going to be afraid of my fox sounds. Well, the wolves had learned to fear the sharp edge of my tongue, but that wasn't the same, was it? I had a greater range of vocalizations than my natural cousins, but none of them were terribly intimidating.
But Anna's roar was definitely intimidating, and I bet it was even better in her fur. I wondered if I'd hear it some day.
When Anna finished roaring, Sonya clapped her hands happily and spoke in Russian for a while. No one had a clue what she said, but her joy was clear. But then she offered a small bow to Anna before pantomiming fear. "Anna no meow," she said with a final nod. "Anna roar."
Then she turned to my mate. "Lara roar?"
"Nyet," Lara said. "Lara growls."
"Lara howls," I added.
Sonya looked back and forth between us. "Lara growls? Lara howls?"
Lara looked at Anna. "Do you mind?"
"Be my guest," the panther said.
Lara turned back to Sonya. "Lara growls." And then she began a low growl in the back of her throat. Sonya pulled back, but only a few inches, then nodded. Lara grew still, breathing heavily for a moment, then said, "Lara howls." She lifted her nose to the air and began to howl.
As always, I loved that sound, and she could keep it up for minutes at a time. She howled for several seconds, then the other wolves lifted their noses and joined her, first just Elisabeth, then the other enforcers. And for thirty or forty seconds, we were treated to a wolf serenade.
Then they faded off, lowering their noses, all of them grinning broadly.
They loved to howl even more than I enjoyed hearing it.
Sonya clapped in joy. "Lara howls."
"Well," Anna said. "We need to point this boat back to the docks."
* * * *
For the ride back, I hung out at the starboard railing, Deirdre on one side and Sonya on the other. Lara and Elisabeth were talking with our guide, and the other enforcers had spread themselves around the boat, seemingly relaxed, but I knew they were all on high alert.
I had no doubt the jaguar could kill either Sonya or I in a single clasp of her strong hands. I wasn't worried about it, but the wolves wouldn't have taken her loyalty to Carissa for granted.
I glanced at Sonya, her hair blowing in the breeze of our passage along the bayou. I ached to have another fox next to me, and I would have taken her back to Madison with me. But I knew she wouldn't leave Ekaterina any more than I would leave Lara. Sonya looked in my direction, perhaps feeling my eyes on her. She smiled and clasped my hand, and she wouldn't release it until it was time to climb into the cars twenty minutes later.
"Sonya Michaela sisters," she said, repeating the little phrase from earlier.
"Da," I agreed, but inside I thought, another sister I won't ever see again. I looked away, letting one of the countless birds take my attention.
It was a few minutes before Deirdre said, her voice low, "It's been a challenging trip for you."
"When dealing with vampires, perhaps that is expected."
"But perhaps you also encounter the unexpected."
"I suppose that's true," I said. I glanced over at Sonya, who pretended not to notice. "Two remaining specimens, Deirdre," I said.
She said nothing immediately, and then in a different tone, almost a casual tone, she said, "I talked to my grandmother."
"Oh?"
"She is by any standards very old. With the fae, it is hard to measure age. I could say she was alive when this historical event or that historical person was alive, but time spent in Elfame passed differently than here. But by any account, she is probably about as old as Carissa."
"Elfame?"
"Underhill. Fairyland."
"How much of the mythology is correct?"
"Some, but you can't count on it."
Then she offered nothing more, so I prompted her. "You were speaking with your grandmother..."
"She knew about you."
"It seems the fox alpha from Wisconsin i
s known even amongst the elves."
"No. It seems the hunter from New England is not unknown."
I drew in a breath, but Deirdre set her hand on my arm. "Carissa should not have told you about that."
"She didn't. Grandmother did. And Grandmother is parsimonious with her information."
"And yet she told you."
"Well, I'm her favorite," Deirdre said with a lift of her nose and a smirk. "I tell you about this only so you know that Grandmother knows things no one would expect her to know."
"Oh."
"She declined to offer specifics, but she assured me there are at least three other bands, Michaela. Your race is shy and difficult to track, and she has put little effort into doing so."
I looked into Deirdre's gentle eyes for several heartbeats before turning back to watch the cypress trees as we gently passed them.
"Is there any way I could speak with your grandmother?"
"Unlikely," she said. "I do not believe she could tell you more than I already have."
"I was going to ask her to look for them."
"You don't have to. Carissa already did."
I felt a lump in my throat. "I'll thank her later."
We stood quietly, shoulder to shoulder for a mile or so before Deirdre said, "There are two other things you should know." I glanced over at her. "Grandmother summoned me, and she told me everything I just told you. I didn't have to ask."
"There are implications in that, aren't there?"
"You have her attention. That isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't necessarily good, either. I am sure she expected me to relay what she had said, so she has many subtle messages."
"Am I in her debt?"
"You should never admit to an elf you are in her debt," Deirdre said. "Even thanking us for the smallest favor is dangerous."
"You and I have thanked each other."
"I am not a typical fae," she replied, and I caught a smile. "But I hope you will not thank me in front of any other fae." I nodded understanding.
