Fox Run

by Robin Roseau

  I clung to her weakly. "I'll do whatever you ask when I'm clean, Elisabeth."

  Looking back, it was actually pretty funny. But at the time, it was all I could do not to pass out. I wanted to be clean for my own dignity, but I needed the big bad wolf to bathe me like a little baby. In the end, she nearly carried me to the shower, and then she had to climb in with me to keep me from collapsing in the shower.

  "If Lara finds out, she'll kill me, Michaela."

  "Literally?"

  "I'm not sure," she admitted.

  "So I suppose I shouldn't give you a love bite," I told her. I was draped against her while she was trying to wash my hair.

  "That's not funny, Michaela. That would definitely make it literally."

  "Would she really?"

  "I don't know. Yes. I think so."

  Soon I was clean and dry. Elisabeth got me wrapped in a robe and tried to put me back to bed.

  "Can we change the bedding?" I asked her. She moved me to the sofa, and I passed out before she got back.

  * * * *

  I was alone the next time I woke. While I didn't heal from shifting, I still healed quickly, like any were, and I felt better. I was hungry and needed to use the bathroom. I rolled onto my side at the edge of the bed, and the world spun only a little. I sat up slowly and was dizzy, but didn't black out.

  I climbed to my feet and made my way to the bathroom.

  Elisabeth was in the bedroom by the time I stepped back out, wrapped in the robe again. "How are you feeling?"

  "Better. Hungry. Is there any chance of finding clothes remotely near my size."

  "If you climb back in bed, I'll bring you something to eat."

  I leaned against the wall, looking at her. "Is that a no on the clothing?"

  "It's been too chaotic to send someone shopping for you," she said. "The clothes you had earlier are waiting to be washed."

  I took a sniff of myself. I smelt like myself, all fox, no fear. "Am I aromatic?" I asked her.

  "No."

  I turned to Lara's closet and made my way over there on relatively steady feet. When I got to the door, Elisabeth was there beside me. "Please, Michaela. I'll bring you food and you can sleep some more."

  "Am I violating some rules the alpha set?"

  "No, but you still aren't very steady. I am used to a very graceful fox. I am worried. Please go back to bed."

  "What day is it?"

  "Thursday morning."

  "I got here Tuesday night. I think I've slept enough."

  I stepped into Lara's closet. I found a simple white blouse, way too large for me, and a wrap around skirt that I could make fit. I handed my finds to Elisabeth then turned to Lara's dresser, opening drawers until I found her panties. I finally found a pair that was small and exceptionally stretchy. I slipped them on then took the clothes from Elisabeth. "Turn around," I asked, then I slipped into the clothes.

  The blouse was, of course, way too large. I had to roll up the sleeves. And the skirt hung to my ankles, but at least it didn't drag on the floor.

  I felt better already.

  I turned to the door, but Elisabeth was in front of me right away. "Please, Michaela. If you don't want to sleep, you can rest on the sofa. I'll bring food."

  I stared at her for a moment. She stood unwavering between me and the door. "Are you my jailor, Elisabeth?"

  "What? Of course not."

  "So I'm not a prisoner."

  "No. A guest. But Lara told me to make sure you were safe."

  "And this room is significantly safer than the kitchen?"

  "You are not steady on your feet, Michaela. I do not want to explain to Lara why I let you take a tumble down the stairs."

  "I want to go home, Elisabeth."

  "No!" she said firmly. "Lara said-"

  "Elisabeth," I said calmly. "Do you believe right now I care that much what Lara said?"

  She stared at me, blinking, and sadness crept into her face. "No," she said in a small voice. "But she is my alpha."

  "So I take it if I asked for a ride home?"

  "No."

  "If I asked to borrow a car?"

  "You are in no shape to drive."

  I sighed. She was right.

  "Please, Michaela. Do you really want a six hour car ride right now?"

  I thought about it. "No," I admitted. "I don't."

  "How about an airplane ride?"

  "No, definitely not."

  "Well then, why are we discussing this? Maybe this will be all over by tomorrow. You'll feel better tomorrow, and maybe Lara will be back by then."

  "And I can have this conversation with her instead of you?"

  "Exactly."

  "Am I prisoner in this room?"

  "No, Michaela, but please don't attempt the stairs today."

  "If I behave, are you offering to entertain me?"

  "Yes. I'll bring up food and something to drink if you promise to sit or lie down, then I will entertain you until you are ready to nap."

  "Fine. I will wait here. We will be having this conversation again at lunch."

  She sighed. "You promise to behave?"

  "Until lunch."

  "I'll bring food. It will be a few minutes." She eyed me dubiously.

  "I promised, Elisabeth. I haven't broken any promises to anyone, unlike your alpha."

  She flinched at that. "She said you forgave her."

  "No, I didn't. I told her I love her. She's not forgiven yet. They aren't the same thing."

  Elisabeth nodded and left the room. I waited until I heard her descend the stairs and crossed to the door. I opened it. It wasn't locked. I closed it again and turned to sit on the couch, waiting for her. I lay back and closed my eyes.

  I dozed lightly but woke up when the door opened. Elisabeth slipped in quietly and saw me resting on the sofa. I tracked her progress as she set a tray down on the coffee table in front of me.

  "What did you bring me?" I asked, not opening my eyes. It felt better to leave them closed.

  "I thought you were asleep. I brought a little of everything. Bacon, sausage, some leftover chicken from last night."

  I opened my eyes and looked at her. "The wolf definition of everything seems to be predominantly meat."

  "There is a bowl of fruit," she said. "Do foxes eat fruit?"

  "Yes. We're omnivorous." I glanced at the tray. It was heaping with food. "I presume you're eating with me."

  She smiled. "Maybe a bite or two. What would you like first?"

  "A tiny bit of everything," I said. "And I really mean tiny."

  She prepared a plate for me and we ate together quietly. I felt better with food. She had brought lemonade as well, and that tasted good. I finished first, of course, but I continued to nibble so that Elisabeth felt she could continue to eat. Finally she sat back, looking satisfied.

  "All done?" she asked me. I nodded. "Will you behave while I take these back downstairs?"

  "If you leave the lemonade."

  She laughed. "Done."

  "Elisabeth, I promised I would behave until at least lunch. You don't have to keep asking."

  "Thank you, Michaela."

  She rose gracefully, collected everything, and stepped out the door. I got up and prowled the room for a few minutes, but that wore me out, and I moved back to the sofa. Elisabeth found me there ten minutes later when she returned.

  "How are you doing?"

  "I'll survive as long as no one hits me again for a few days."

  "I don't think he meant to hit you that hard."

  "He meant to kill me, Elisabeth, but wanted it to look like he tried to hold back."

  "Wolves are not that subtle, little fox."

  I opened my eyes and studied her. "Maybe not," I agreed. "Do you have a status update for me?"

  "They're combing Hayward and the immediate surroundings. They found your car. You won't want it back."

  I sighed. I couldn't afford to buy another one. That was a problem for another day. "Can they bring back the con
tents? My notes, the samples I had taken."

  "As I understand it, there is nothing left worth bringing back. But Lara says if she ever smells any of the wolves involved again, she'll know it."

  I clasped my lips together tightly. "All right. What else?"

  "That's about it. They haven't found anything else. No signs at all."

  "I don't want to look at it now, but later I'll want to see a map of where they looked."

  "Michaela-"

  I opened my eyes. "Tell the alpha what I said."

  "All right. Yes. She can decide."

  "She either trusts me or she doesn't, Elisabeth. Tell her I said that, too. There will be no more in between. If she doesn't trust me, then someone can drive me to Bayfield this afternoon."

  "You aren't going to want that drive this afternoon, Michaela."

  "I don't intend to stay in the home of someone who doesn't trust me, Elisabeth."

  "Please don't put me in the middle of this, Michaela."

  "Tell her what I said. We'll see what she decides. Do you have anything else at all?"

  "No."

  "What is the feel amongst the pack?"

  "Everyone is very angry."

  "Is Lara's position in jeopardy?"

  "No."

  "Weakened?"

  "If this drags on, yes."

  "And how about me?"

  "You are an enigma," Elisabeth said. I thought that was a fancy word from the wolf. "Almost no one knows what to make of you."

  "Anyone want to kill me?"

  She smiled. "Not that I know. You've been a divisive factor amongst the enforcers."

  I frowned. "I wouldn't have wanted that. Can you explain?"

  "Eric and Rory were being especially antagonistic with David. The enforcers who don't know you have been supportive of David."

  My head was starting to pound. "All right. That's enough for now. Thank you for answering my questions. Will you talk to me about something else?"

  "What did you have in mind?"

  "I don't know. Maybe tell me about your childhood. I'll probably doze off."

  So she did, sharing stories about growing up with Lara. I dozed off somewhere in the middle and didn't wake up when she carried me back to bed.

  * * * *

  I slept until early afternoon. I woke to the smell of unfamiliar wolf. I listened carefully. Someone was sitting on the sofa, reading. No one else was in the room with me. There were voices quietly speaking in the kitchen. I couldn't make out what they were saying.

  I cracked one eye open. An adolescent female wolf was my companion. I studied her, judging the threat level.

  "Who are you?" I asked.

  She jumped to her feet, startled. The sudden movement caused me to jerk away, and my head immediately began pounding.

  "Don't do that," I said. "Move slowly. Who are you?"

  "Angel," she said.

  I struggled to sit up, wincing, but I managed to slide my feet out from under the covers. I was still wearing the blouse and skirt, although everything was somewhat awry. I adjusted the clothing and ran my fingers through my tangled hair.

  "Hello, Angel. I am Michaela."

  "I know," she said.

  "Now that I know your name, who are you?"

  "I am the alpha's cousin," she said.

  "Explain the relation," I said.

  "The alpha's mother was my mother's older sister. I am my mother's youngest daughter."

  "All right. Thank you. What are your orders?"

  "Watch you. Scream if you try to leave."

  "Has the alpha returned?"

  "No."

  I took a breath. "Are you to scream if I get out of bed?"

  "No, only if you try to leave."

  "I would rather not hear you scream, Angel. I imagine it would hurt. May I use the bathroom without you screaming?"

  She smiled. "Yes. You just can't go near that door." She pointed to the door out into the hallway. "If you do, I'll scream."

  "All right," I said. "Thank you for explaining the rules."

  I made my way to the bathroom. I was a fright. I found a brush, but I didn't have the energy to use it. I carried it out to the bedroom.

  "May I ask a favor, Angel?"

  She eyed me warily but nodded.

  "Would you brush my hair for me, very, very gently."

  "All right."

  I crossed the room and sat on the sofa. Angel sat down beside me and began brushing my hair. She was gentle. While she was brushing, I asked her, "If I told you I wanted lunch, what would you do?"

  "Aunt Elisabeth didn't say anything about lunch."

  I let her finish brushing my hair. I'm sure it wasn't up to standards, but it would be better. I thanked her.

  "Did you have any directions for if I woke?"

  "Just that you weren't to leave."

  "If I promise to sit right here and not move so much as a muscle, will you go get Elisabeth?"

  "No. She told me to watch you."

  "You know I am the alpha's girlfriend, don't you?"

  She nodded.

  "Doesn't that mean you have to follow my orders?"

  Her face scrunched up. I loved the wolves that way. Everything they were thinking was written all over their faces. But then her expression cleared. "No. And Aunt Elisabeth warned me you might try to talk me into being naughty. I am to watch you."

  "And scream."

  "If you go near the door."

  "You are an effective jailor, Angel," I said. From her expression, I know I had confused her. "There are people in the kitchen. If you walked into the hallway and called down to them, could you get one of them to come up without making enough noise to hurt my head?"

  "I am supposed to watch you."

  "I will sit right here. You can see me from the doorway. If I do so much as stand up, you have my permission to scream."

  I watched her think about it. She nodded and rose to her feet, watching me warily. "You promise you'll sit right there?"

  "Cross my heart."

  We watched each other as she backed slowly to the door. Once she was standing in the hallway, she turned away and called downstairs. "She's awake. Can someone come upstairs?"

  Then she realized she wasn't watching me, and her head jerked back towards me. I hadn't moved, and she looked relieved. Her aunt must have put the fear of, well, the alpha into her.

  From the kitchen, I heard movement. Angel listened as well, then returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Someone is coming upstairs."

  "Thank you, Angel," I said.

  "You are welcome, Miss Michaela."

  Well, she was a polite jailor.

  I heard light footsteps on the stairs, and then the door opened and a female wolf stepped into the room. It was difficult for me to judge the ages of wolves; weres age differently than humans do, and I hadn't spent much time around weres of any sort since I was fourteen. She was older than either Lara or Elisabeth, but I couldn't have said by how much.

  "This is my mother," Angel said.

  "Did she give you any trouble?" the woman asked her daughter.

  "No, Mother."

  "Your daughter has been a polite if effective jailor, aunt of the alpha," I said.

  "Francesca, Ms. Redfur."

  "Michaela." I told her. "Now that you are here, has your daughter's order to scream if I try to leave been rescinded?"

  The woman smiled. "Yes. Angel, wait downstairs."

  "Yes, Mother."

  "Thank you for watching over me, Angel. I appreciate it."

  "You're welcome," she said, picking up her book and fleeing. I waited until she had slipped past her mother before I said anything further.

  "What are your orders, Francesca?"

  She looked pained.

  "I am going downstairs and to the kitchen. Are you going to stop me?"

  She stood up straight. "If you can stand up and walk all the way to me without any wobbles, I will allow you to descend to the kitchen."

  "An
y wobbles would be due to inactivity," I said. "A problem I wish to remedy."

  "If I ask a question, will you answer honestly?"

  I almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. "I do not promise to answer, but if I answer, I will do so honestly."

  "Are you really in any condition to safely walk all the way to the kitchen then all the way back up here without assistance?"

  "Actually? No. I was hoping you would offer to help."

  Her mouth quirked upwards.

  "You thought I would lie."

  "Yes."

  "If I promise to behave until dinner, will you help me to the kitchen, and then maybe allow me to sit down there for a while before helping me back upstairs?"

  She didn't want to do it. I sighed.

  "Let me rephrase this. I am going downstairs. I will crawl if I have to. That would not be terribly dignified and would not be my first choice. You will have to physically restrain me to stop me. I do not believe that would be your first choice. I believe we would both be happy if we can achieve a level of agreeable cooperation."

  "This is against my better judgment," she said. "I can have someone bring you food. Angel can sit with you. She has homework to do, anyway."

  "What are you afraid of, Francesca? What do you think is the worst that could happen?"

  "The worst? The alpha will arrive home before I can get you back upstairs. She will take one look at you and know you don't belong out of bed. I am not even sure sitting in that sofa would be acceptable, but we could argue it was a compromise."

  "Call her."

  "What?"

  "Call Lara."

  "I can't do that."

  "Then provide me with a phone and I will call her myself."

  "If I allow you to the kitchen, will you agree to cooperate when I decide you must return upstairs?"

  I studied her. "All right."

  "If I must, I will carry you. You will not fuss."

  "You will allow me at least an opportunity to return in a dignified fashion."

  "All right. I will take your arm on the stairs. If you can't get to the stairs without help or clutching at the walls, you are staying here."

  I stood, slowly. I wobbled slightly, but I walked straight to her. She nodded and backed out of the doorway.

  God, wolves were a pain in the ass.

  I made it to the top of the stairs without help. Francesca kept an arm around my waist as I descended the stairs, somewhat unsteadily.