by Robin Roseau
“Um. I’m not sure I think fast on my feet.”
Michaela smiled. “Someone toss out something that might need a rule.”
“Drinking,” I said immediately.
“Who here under 21 is willing to pop a beer in front of me?”
Not a hand went up.
“I think I’ve made my point,” Michaela said. “Now, some of you may think if I’m not actually watching you can get away with stuff. Do you know what my tolerance is?” The question was rhetorical, as she didn’t pause for them to respond. “Zero. If you even wonder if something is against the rules, ask yourself if you’d do it while I was watching. And if the answer is ‘no’, you darned well better not do it. If your judgment is so poor as to engage in that sort of activity anyway, I don’t want you here. There are students who come here to learn. There are students who come here for the fieldwork, for the kayaking, for the fishing, and I don’t have time to mess around with someone who came here to screw around. You break my rules, and I don’t yell at you. I tell Elisabeth to send you home. And I’m pretty sure she’ll have a nice, Head Enforcer talk with you first.”
She looked around. “Anyone who is here because your parents made you come, raise your hand.” No one did. “Anyone who thinks kayaking sucks and you don’t want to go, raise your hand. No one? How about the fieldwork we do? Some of it’s pretty meticulous. Anyone? All right then. Don’t screw up.”
She paused and smiled. “Today is a travel day. We have a six-hour drive and will arrive mid-afternoon. We’ll give a tour of pack lands, get everyone settled, and then have a nice picnic. After dinner, we’ll talk about activities tomorrow. It will be an introduction to fieldwork in the morning and water skills in the afternoon.”
“That means kayaking,” someone called out.
“That’s right,” Michaela said. “It does.”
She handled questions and then said, “Head Enforcer, I believe we’re ready to begin assigning cars.”
“All right. We have two adults per car. The alpha’s car is car two. The pups are in three. I am in car four. Anna, you’re with me. Do you mind driving?”
“Not at all.”
“Michaela, is Lara riding with you or me?”
“I want Iris, Lindsey, Deirdre, and Zoe.”
“Serena?” Elisabeth asked.
“Lara, would you like to be an enforcer today?”
Lara laughed. “Sure.”
They made the rest of the assignments. And then Elisabeth said, “We’re going to get the trailer loaded. Most of your gear goes in the trailer. If there’s something you need during the trip, make sure it goes with you, but don’t crowd your cars. Eric and Rory, please oversee loading the trailer. Four students who do not need the bathroom, please help them out. If you need a bathroom break, do it now, but then find your partner, and you’re stuck like glue from this moment forward.”
* * * *
It took another twenty minutes to actually get us moving, although they really did work very efficiently together. But neither Michaela nor Elisabeth left things to chance. Michaela went from car to car, checking against a clipboard and making notes. Then Elisabeth told them to load up, and a minute later, each car checked in, the driver announcing over the radio who was in each car. Michaela made more notes.
I waited until we were on the road before I said, “Quite the operation. The pups impressed me.”
“They’re good girls,” Elisabeth replied. “And this isn’t their first trip like this. Nora’s been their nanny for their entire lives, and she’s very good with them. That helps.” She shook her head. “Michaela keeps taking on more and more duties. For the last several years, these summers have included her outgoing students but also her incoming students.”
“So an extra class year?”
“That normally only means a few. She has very small classes. But we’ve opened this up and have eight kids who aren’t in any of the programs.”
“Where do they normally go to school?”
“Public school in Madison,” Elisabeth replied. “If we don’t end up sending at least two home, I’ll be shocked. She’s never had to deliver the hard ass speech before.”
“You know some of the guys are going to be too cool for that touching thing,” I said. I grinned at her. “Are you and I partners?” I reached over and set a hand on her shoulder.
She laughed. “Hands on the wheel, Enforcer.” She lifted her voice. “You six drew the short straws, riding with the Head Enforcer. Do we want to play a travel game?”
We had six of the kids, two girls and four boys. Parker was partnered with a girl named Kimber. I’d paid less attention to the boys, but may have noticed more if they had spoken up.
It was Kimber, seated directly behind me, who said, “Ms. Delacroix, would it distract you if we asked questions while you drive?”
“May I ask a question first? What do you call the fox?”
“At school, she is Ms. Redfur. At home, she is Michaela. This is a school outing, so she is Ms. Redfur.”
“All right,” I said. “No, you can ask questions.”
“You’re really a were jaguar?”
“What does your nose tell you?”
“You smell like a cat,” she said. “Well, not quite like a cat.”
“Have you ever been close enough to smell one of the large cats?” I asked. “Lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard?”
“At the zoo.”
“Full of zoo smells, and you can’t get as close as we are right now.”
“Yeah. It’s really hard to separate the smell of the individual cats out from the smell of their enclosures, and if we get too close, they get kind of upset.”
“I imagine they do,” I said. “For all it’s worth, they don’t like me, either. Yes, I am a jaguar. My family could be considered black panthers. In our fur, we are nearly entirely black.”
“But you’re bigger than a natural jaguar.”
We talked about that for a minute or two, and then she asked, “Is it true Michaela beat you up?”
I gave a glance at Elisabeth, who smirked at me. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”
“How would you put it, Ms. Delacroix?” Elisabeth asked.
“I’d say she stabbed and slashed me into ribbons.” I looked in the rear view mirror. I couldn’t quite see Kimber, but Parker had the middle seat, and she was grinning. “Every time I meet your alpha, I find new reasons for profound respect.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have an amazing voice?” Parker asked.
“Once or twice,” I said. This time I was the one to grin instead of Elisabeth.
“Ms. Burns,” said one of the boys. “Is she a new enforcer?”
“She is a temporary part-time enforcer,” Elisabeth said. “Ms. Delacroix is actually a businesswoman. The pack prefers doing business with people we know well, as are the interests that Ms. Delacroix represents. So this trip is about becoming closer friends so we can have closer business ties. This is good for us and good for them.”
“So which is it?” Kimber asked. “Businesswoman or part time enforcer?”
“Both,” Elisabeth said. “Ms. Delacroix will fill in for times like this, which are more complicated than when we’re all on pack lands or even when we’re all out kayaking. I will tell you this. If Ms. Delacroix tells you to do something, it is with the authority of a pack enforcer. I don’t expect she would do so casually.”
“I bet she’d make a great enforcer.” That was the same boy as before.
“She’s a great businesswoman,” Elisabeth replied. “Ms. Delacroix, what do you think?”
“I’m good in a fight, but cats aren’t always good team players. I wouldn’t be as good at the daily duties of enforcer as the people Elisabeth has already trained. For instance, I would be particularly poor at walking a circuit.”
“Why is that?”
“You scent hunt. If you cross someone’s path, you’ll smell it. I probably wouldn’t. I’m a sight hunter.”
“Like wolf hounds,” Kimber said. “Ms. Redfur taught us how some animals hunt by sight.”
“Like wolf hounds,” I agreed. “Now if you want someone to take out a sentry, I’m better than Elisabeth. In spite of being bigger, I’m nearly silent, I leap much further, and I kill faster. I’m also more patient than most wolves, but I couldn’t compare myself to your pack’s enforcers.”
“You’re a little like Michaela,” Kimber said. “Quiet, sneaky, and patient.”
“I suppose I am,” I agreed. “And more than ten times her size.”
They chuckled at that, and Parker said, “She is rather small.”
We chatted for a while. The kids were really quite curious, but while their questions were insightful, they weren’t invasive. But the questions began to fade off, and so Elisabeth asked, “Well. A game? Or did you want to talk amongst yourselves?”
* * * *
It was some time later. We’d reached the lodge and done our afternoon activities. We now had time before the picnic. Elisabeth timed it perfectly. I had just sat down and gotten comfortable when she said, “Ah. I could use a beer.”
I glanced over. She wasn’t watching me, but pretty much everyone else was. I chuckled. “You’re going to milk this, aren’t you?”
“I sure am. Do you know where they are?”
I got up, headed for the kitchen, and found the sort I’d seen in Rory’s hands a few minutes ago -- some sort of bock. I grabbed it and returned to the great room at the center of the lodge. I handed it to Elisabeth and plopped down beside her.
Again, she waited. I know she did. “This is Rory’s brand.”
“Let me see?” I took it from her and examined the can carefully. “What do you know? No name tag.” I handed it back to her. She tried to shove it back at me, so I set it into her lap. She picked it up and set it back in mine. “I don’t drink bock.”
“I do,” Rory said. “I’ll take it.”
So I got up, handed him the beer, and headed back to the kitchen. This time I found a light. I sat down before handing it to her.
“Seriously?” she asked.
“A woman your age should watch her waistline,” I said. “That one’s good for you.”
Around me, people snorted.
“Can someone explain why we even have this?” Elisabeth asked.
“Zoe bought it,” Rory declared.
“Hey!” said Zoe. “I don’t even drink beer. Don’t blame me.”
“I’m not saying you drink it. I’m saying you bought it. It was a couple of months ago.”
“Wait,” said Elisabeth. “Anna, you brought me an old beer? Take this back.”
“Zoe,” I asked, “Why did you buy light beer?”
“Because Elisabeth has been gaining weight, and I thought this would be better for her.”
Elisabeth growled, and Zoe didn’t even look nervous about it. The others in the room snorted their enjoyment.
“You’re really not going to drink this?” I asked. Elisabeth didn’t bother answering. “Anyone?”
On my third trip, I found where they kept the beer that hadn’t made it into the beer fridge yet. I brought Elisabeth’s brand, but it was warm.
“That’s better,” she said, just before I handed it to her. Then, “Anna! It’s warm.”
“You just said it’s better.”
“The right beer warm is better than the wrong beer cold,” Rory said.
“I’m not sure I agree,” I replied. “You’re picky, Elisabeth. Picky, picky, picky.”
“You’re doing this intentionally. You’re the one walking back and forth.”
I took the warm beer from her and returned to the kitchen. This time I looked in the main refrigerator and smiled. Seconds later, I handed a small box to Elisabeth.
“What the hell is this?”
“You stick the straw there,” I said.
“You gave me one of the pups’ juice boxes? Seriously?”
“Juice?” asked Rebecca. Or maybe it was Celeste. “Mama Fox, may I have a juice?”
“Now see what you did?” Elisabeth asked. “You have to go get another of these, except they come in different flavors, so you’ll bring the wrong one. And you still have to bring me the right beer. You’re harder to train than the fox.”
“I heard that, Elisabeth,” Michaela said. “Rebecca and Celeste, go with Anna and pick which juice you want.”
I took the juice from Elisabeth. One of the pups saw what it was and said, “I want that one.” She pointed. So I held it out, and she ran over to take it, then ran to Michaela for help with it. But the other said, “I want cranberry.”
I held out my hand. “Let’s see if we have any cranberry.” She took my hand, and we headed to the kitchen again. At the refrigerator, I knelt down before opening it. The girl instantly pointed, so I set my hand on the wrong box and asked, “This one?”
“The cranberry,” she said.
“This one?” I picked the wrong one again. I thought she’d stab her finger or something, but instead she put both her hands on her hips and turned to me, but didn’t say a word.
“You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?” I asked. I grabbed the cranberry and handed it to her. “Is that the right one?”
She nodded slowly but continued to look at me. Then she said, “You were teasing me like you’re teasing Elisabeth.”
“Like I said. You’re a smart girl. Do you know which kind of beer Elisabeth likes?”
She shook her head, so I smiled and reached into the refrigerator. There was a jug of milk. Then I saw it wasn’t milk. It was soy milk. I assumed it was Zoe’s. “Is this it?”
“That’s not beer.” She grinned. “I think that’s it.”
“A very smart girl,” I said. I stood, closed the refrigerator, and then, with my free hand on the girl’s back, guided her towards the great room. We took two steps and then she ran ahead. And that was when I realized one of the enforcers had followed us. Emanuel nodded to me then turned and followed the wolf pup back into the main room.
Even with me, they were watchful. Well, that was good.
I didn’t let Elisabeth see what I was carrying, which probably told her I still wasn’t done messing with her. I sat down and handed it to her. She stared at it for a minute.
“I don’t even know the game we’re playing now,” Elisabeth said. “Zoe.” She held up the jug.
“Hey!” Zoe complained. She got up, stepped over, and snatched the soy milk from Elisabeth. “Anna, do you have any idea how hard that is to get up here?”
“It’s not like she was going to drink it.”
She huffed, turned, and headed for the kitchen.
“If Zoe brings me a beer, I’m going to ask the alphas to declare you in default of our wager,” Elisabeth said.
I leaned closer. “Are you kidding? Everyone in the room is wondering what I’ll bring next.”
“Going to risk it?”
That was when the door swung back open, and Zoe reappeared. She was carrying a beer. I flew out of the room, crossed it in two leaps, and scared the crap out of the human when I snatched the beer from her. I then dashed into the kitchen, replaced the beer in the refrigerator, and then selected the style Elisabeth kept at home. When I straightened and turned, Zoe was standing in the doorway, her arms folded.
“Why did you do that?”
“I wasn’t done messing with Elisabeth.”
“That’s fine, but that was for Portia.”
“Oops,” I said. “I’m sorry.” I poked back in, found the right one, and pulled it out. I handed it to her. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“Startled a little,” she said. She looked me up and down. “Shake it.”
“What?”
She pointed to the can in my hand. “Shake it.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You said you weren’t done messing with her.”
“Yeah. I don’t think so.” I gestured, and she turned. I followed her into the great room, plopped
down next to Elisabeth yet again, and handed over the beer. “Cold, and the type you keep at home.”
“Did you shake it?”
“That would be immature,” I said. “I treated it with great delicacy.”
“Uh, huh.” Elisabeth popped the top, and the beer immediately began to foam through the fresh opening. It spilled over the top and onto her legs. “Anna!” she screeched. Then she shoved it towards me, spilling more on herself, a little on the sofa, and more on me, getting both my pants and shirt. Then she lifted it and tried to quell the waste, sipping madly. Finally she glared at me.
I watched all this in shock and a certain amount of dread. I hadn’t shaken it.
“That would be immature,” Elisabeth echoed. “I treated it with great delicacy. You are such a liar.”
“I didn’t,” I said. “Zoe was with me the entire time. Zoe, tell her.”
“I don’t know,” Zoe said. “She had her head in the fridge well before I got there.”
“Zoe!” I complained. I looked at her, and she was carrying an innocent expression. Then I looked at Elisabeth. Then I looked at Zoe.
I’d taken the front beer of Elisabeth’s type, and I didn’t remember seeing any others in there of the same type. I’d taken the only one I was likely to casually grab if I was really trying to bring one to Elisabeth.
And Zoe had been in the kitchen, alone, for at least a few seconds.
I narrowed my eyes at her, but she turned her head and smiled at her mate.
I leaned closer to Elisabeth, who tried to push me away, but I said quietly, “Zoe.”
She froze.
“I didn’t do it. I swear.”
Elisabeth turned so she could speak into my ear as I spoke into hers. “You’re in a mood. I’m not sure I believe you.”
“I’m here building more trust. Lying to you is a really poor way to do so. Teasing, sure. But not lying.”
“She wouldn’t dare.”
“Opportunity. Method. Does she have motive?”
“Yes, probably.”
“If Michaela was paying attention, she knows I didn’t do it.”
“Yeah,” agreed Elisabeth. “But she’s wearing a shitty grin, and she won’t rat Zoe out.”
“She can hear every word we’re saying.”
