Fox Run

by Robin Roseau

  "The most clear choice is David," Elisabeth said.

  "Any old timers?"

  "They would never survive the challenges."

  "Would you challenge?"

  She thought about it. "I don't want it. But I'd challenge before I'd let someone I couldn't follow lead it, especially if I thought it was a weak leader."

  "Would David challenge someone like that?"

  "Yes."

  "It keeps coming back to him."

  "There is too much I don't know," I told Elisabeth. "I'm just shooting at targets, seeing which ones I hit. Tell me about the coup attempt."

  "It was Janice's husband and a small cadre of followers," Elisabeth said. "There had been a short series of embarrassing scandals, at least two of which had been purposely orchestrated."

  "How did your mother die?"

  "They had hoped to do a clean sweep of the entire family. The main group went to dad's office. A smaller group came after mom, Lara and I."

  "Oh god, Elisabeth."

  "Mom and one enforcer died. All the attackers died."

  "I'm so sorry, Elisabeth."

  We drove along quietly for a while. "Where are your parents, Michaela?"

  "Lara didn't tell you?"

  "No."

  "My parents and sister are dead," I said. "When this is all over, if you really want the story, I'll tell you. Lara has heard it. It's not a good story."

  "I am sorry."

  I nodded to her. "The wolves who attacked you -- were they all males?"

  "Yes. They all died. David was a new enforcer. He fought beside my mother and protected Lara."

  "Where were you?"

  "On Mother's other side. I stepped in when the other enforcer died. And Lara stepped up when Mother died."

  "Is there any chance David was in collusion?"

  "Absolutely not. He fought valiantly. He took quite a bit of damage himself, including a silvered knife that was meant for Lara."

  "What happened with your father at that time?"

  "Janice's father challenged Father directly. Father killed him."

  "And the others?"

  "He killed them, too."

  "With help?"

  "No. In a rage when he heard about Mother."

  "Does anyone blame him?"

  "Maybe the mates, like Janice. Maybe children. Absolutely no one else."

  "I'll need a list. Why is Janice still alive?"

  "There was absolutely no evidence she was involved. It was well known she disagreed with her husband about everything. She vowed undying loyalty to the alpha, and there has been no evidence she has ever betrayed that vow."

  "In your mind, is Janice a suspect?"

  "Yes."

  "How about David?"

  She thought about it. "The only reason I suspect him is because of the way he treated you. I don't know how he could have remotely thought you would betray Lara. But even if he did, clubbing you unconscious like that was nearly the worst choice."

  "Killing me outright being the only worst?"

  "Yes. I understand why you distrust him, Michaela, but if you make any accusations, you better have some pretty strong proof."

  "What did he say about the way he hit me?"

  "He said it was a gentle cuff, and you were more fragile than he expected."

  "I had clearly surrendered to the alpha. Would it be normal for him to interfere at that point?"

  "He claimed he was incensed at the scent of wolf blood you were wearing. No, he should have let the alpha handle it, especially given the history. But wolves are emotional. No one is going to question his motives."

  "So if we were writing down names, Janice would be higher on the list than David?"

  "Yes."

  We continued to talk, arriving in Ashland long before I had stopped asking questions. Elisabeth had a short list of people who she thought would like to see someone else, perhaps David, as alpha. I took her into my offices. As it was Saturday, they were empty.

  I logged into my computer and two others, and I set them to searches.

  "Tell me about Natalie."

  "I don't know much about her," she said. "They have been mated for twelve years."

  "I got the impression pack was close. You didn't know her before?"

  "She wasn't pack."

  "A different pack?"

  "No. She was an unaligned wolf from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan."

  My ears perked up. "How did they meet?"

  "For a wolf, it's actually very old-fashioned. Long ago the proper way to meet a mate was to go on a hunt."

  "A hunt? With the mate as the prey?"

  "Yes. The male invades the territory of another pack or into unaligned territory. He comes back with a mate. There are actually wolves who reenact this custom, but the fights involved are only to first blood."

  "Wait. David would have challenged Natalie?"

  "No, of course not. Natalie's father, brothers, uncles, and anyone else who stood against him."

  I stared at her. "This is an old, old tradition? And David didn't just reenact it, he actually went through it for real, presumably without permission from Natalie or her family?"

  "Yes," Elisabeth said. "But don't look at me like that. Amongst wolves, this is not considered barbaric. It's old fashioned, but not barbaric."

  It all came together. I had been lacking a proper motive, but it all came together. I wanted to talk it out with Elisabeth, but all the wolves have been an open book to me, and I didn't believe she could keep her emotions from her face. I needed the evidence.

  "All right. Well, David isn't our top choice, perhaps. Give me those other names. I'm not removing him from the list, but we need to investigate the others first. But Elisabeth, he's not off the list, either. You can't tell him a thing."

  "I understand, Michaela."

  "I am going to run more searches. Can you finish working on that list?"

  I stepped into the office next door and interrupted the search. Instead I did a search for the marriage license for David, collecting Natalie's maiden name. I began more searches, then went back to Elisabeth.

  "Finding anything?"

  "Not yet, but I have some ideas."

  She gave me the list, and I pretended to start doing searches on them. When I checked on the other searches I had started, I smiled. "Bingo," I said very, very quietly. I wrote down the information I needed then shut down the computers I had been using. Back in my own office, I fiddled on the computers for a while, looking up information I didn't need, then told Elisabeth, "I have everything I need for now. I'm going to leave a few searches going on Janice. Let's go see the alpha."

  Discovery

  We got a proper breakfast first. I warned Elisabeth that Lara was going to seem to change her mind about letting me run free, and she should go with it. Then she called Lara, and I heard Lara tell her, "I'm not sure about Michaela helping. Just get her here and I'll talk to her."

  "Yes, Alpha," she said. Lara told her where they were, and Elisabeth drove us to a farm house outside Hayward.

  "Here is our story. We ran briefly last night, just for an hour. I needed to feel free. We didn't eat anything. Then we drove to Ashland and I made sure I still have a job. Then we left for Hayward. There was no deer, no tracking collar, no long list of questions, no suspects. We think we're under outside attack and have no new insight."

  We pulled into the farm yard. "I'll need a little help," I said. "I have a raging headache."

  "Oh Michaela," she said. "Still?"

  "Yes. I'm sure I will feel better when I see Lara."

  "You're giving me a story, aren't you, little fox?"

  I smiled at her. "You're a crappy actress, Elisabeth. So don't act. You are worried for me, aren't you?"

  She smiled. "Terribly, yes. You belong in bed. You are way too fragile for your own good."

  "I agree with you about that."

  So Elisabeth got out of the car. By then, we had some attention. I saw David and Eric. Elisabeth help
ed me out of the car, and by the time I was standing, Lara was standing in the doorway. She descended the steps towards me, stopping several feet away.

  "I thought you said she was fit to travel," Lara said to Elisabeth.

  "Don't be mad at her, Alpha," I said. "I wanted to help."

  Lara took a breath. "Have you forgiven me for distrusting you?"

  "I don't know, Alpha. Have you stopped distrusting me? When you left me with my jailor and threatened to throw me in a cell, I figured that meant you didn't trust me."

  She stepped closer. "I was trying to protect you, Michaela. That is all."

  "I want to help." I took two tentative steps to her. "Thank you for letting me come help." And I threw myself into her arms.

  We held each other for a while, and I clutched at her, the timid fox I'd been the night in the bar, but one with a raging headache.

  "Are you all right?" she asked.

  "My head still hurts. I wouldn't have traveled for a few more days, but I wanted to be with you."

  "Come in then, we'll let you rest."

  "Just for a while. Then I can help."

  "We'll talk about that later, Michaela."

  She turned us so we were heading towards the farmhouse. I saw David and shrank into Lara's arms. "Please don't let David hit me anymore, Alpha. Please. I'm loyal to you. Please don't let him hit me."

  "David won't hit you again, Michaela. David will never hit you again. As long as you behave."

  "Behave?"

  "We'll talk about it later."

  I let her pull me into the farmhouse and lead me to the room that was clearly hers. As soon as the door was closed, I kissed her. She pulled me to the bed, her hands all over me, mine all over hers, then she stopped. "I don't think you're ready for this."

  "I know," I said. "My head hurts so much. Will you just hold me?"

  "Of course, honey," she said. We curled up on the bed together, and I put my mouth to her ear.

  "You will play it the way we agreed."

  She nodded.

  "No one must know."

  She nodded.

  "Elisabeth and I need a little rest. You and I will fight at lunch."

  She nodded.

  "Honey," she said. "I want to get Elisabeth settled and talk to her for a few minutes. Will you wait here?"

  "Please be quick, Lara."

  "I will." She kissed me again, and I curled up alone on the bed while she left, hopefully to give Elisabeth a place to nap.

  I didn't even pay attention. I dozed, but woke back up when Lara returned. I held my arms out, and she came to me. Then we cuddled on the bed, Lara gently caressing my head, and I fell asleep with my arm across her chest.

  She let me sleep for an hour, eventually waking me by caressing my cheek with a single finger. It was a very pleasant way to wake up.

  "Thank you, Lara. Sleeping in your arms is the best."

  "You mean that."

  "I do." Then I put my mouth to her ear. "Honestly."

  She hugged me tightly.

  "Hungry?"

  "A little. We had breakfast. We went running last night, but I screwed up Elisabeth's hunt, and we didn't get so much as a rabbit. But it was nice to run."

  "She didn't mention that."

  "It was embarrassing. She's being kind."

  "Let's get up and have lunch, and there's something I want to talk about."

  "All right. And you'll tell me how I can help with the search."

  She didn't respond to that. We made our way to the dining room, finding the wolves were milling around. Elisabeth looked like she had gotten a little sleep, but not much. I think she'd been talking to everyone. I hoped she hadn't blown our cover.

  I roamed the room, pointedly keeping significant distance from David, but I said hello to Eric, Rory and June. There was no one there I'd really become friendly with, so I didn't talk to anyone else.

  "Michaela," Lara said. "Can you explain how this works?" She was holding the tracking collar from my car.

  I smiled. "Sure. Thinking of tracking an animal?"

  "Something like that."

  "Well, I don't understand the electronics. But it goes on-" I noticed the alterations that had been done. "Well, it used to go on with this buckle and velcro thing, but that's missing. Weird. I have to catch the animals twice a year and replace the batteries, but they last a real long time. If it has batteries, it's always on. After that, I can track them on the web site."

  "How old are the batteries in this one?"

  "I'm not sure. I'd have to check the web site. But they're good for at least a couple more months, I'm sure."

  "What do you do about animals that are growing?"

  "I put it on a little loose, but not too loose they can get it off, and then I catch them more often and make sure it's not getting too tight."

  "Ah, lunch is ready," Lara said. "Michaela, you can sit here." She put me at her right. She set the tracking collar on the table to her left. "Eric, you can sit past Michaela." She let everyone else pick whatever places they wanted.

  Over lunch, I repeatedly asked about the status of the search, but Lara kept deflecting me. Finally, once the meal was basically over, I said, "Why are you being evasive? How can I help if I don't know what's going on?" I glanced at David, then back at Lara. "Did he tell you he still doesn't trust me?"

  "No, Michaela," Lara said very gently. "But I changed my mind."

  "What?" I said. "You don't trust me?"

  "Not that," she said. "I want you home. Safe."

  "We've been over this, Lara. I will not be coddled."

  "You will do what you are told!" she said, banging her fist on the table.

  "I am not one of your wolves, Alpha," I told her. "I make my own decisions."

  "Look around, little fox," Lara said. "You are in a room full of wolves, all of whom will do whatever I tell them to do. You might be able to evade one of us, on a good day, but you're not having a good day, and you won't evade all of us." She raised her voice. "You. Will. Do. What. You. Are. Told!"

  Lara in full alpha mode was scary, and it wasn't at all hard to look frightened. I let tears come to my eyes. "Please, Lara. Please don't do this. I can help!"

  "I don't want you here, Michaela. I want you where I know you are safe. Elisabeth will take you home. Your only choice is whether you agree to cooperate or spend the next few weeks in the cell."

  "No, Lara, please. I can't be gone from my job that long. I can go home. I'm safe at home."

  "They know who you are, Lara. Your home is the last place you are going. No, you are going to the compound."

  "Please, Lara. What if-" I paused. "What if I could do my job but be absolutely safe while I did it?"

  "How?"

  "I've been due to go out onto the lake. I have to take readings from all around the bay. It takes a couple of weeks. I rent a little yacht for it. It's perfectly safe."

  Lara stopped, thinking about it.

  "Will you agree to do whatever Elisabeth tells you?"

  I looked away. "Yes," I said sullenly.

  "How do I know you won't run some night when you're in port?"

  "I promise."

  "Not good enough," she said. "No, you're going to the compound."

  "Please, Lara. I like my job. I'll behave. I'll do whatever Elisabeth says." Tears were streaming down my face now. The expressions around the table were grim, and Eric was particularly upset, but David's body language was one of glee, even if his expression was not.

  Elisabeth was also very upset, both her face and her body language. Maybe she was a better actress than I had thought. Or maybe she was simply reacting to my emotion.

  Lara tapped her hands on the tracking collar to her left as if she were doing so subconsciously while considering her options. Then she looked down at it as if she just realized it was there. She turned back to me.

  "Will you agree to a few minor restrictions, if I agree to let you go out on this boat and take your samples?"

  "Yes, Lara
. Please. Whatever you want."

  "I don't trust you not to run off," she said. "But I find a solution right here." She indicated the tracking collar.

  I stared at it. "You have got to be kidding."

  "It seems like the perfect solution."

  "If you put that on me, I would only need to shift for it to fall off."

  "True. You will be wearing it as a fox."

  "I don't understand."

  "You will shift to fox. Right here. We will put the collar on you. Elisabeth will then drive you to Bayfield and rent this boat. She'll pull away from the harbor, and once you are at least a mile from shore, she can remove the collar."

  I stared at it. "I wouldn't be able to shift while wearing it. It would crush me in two."

  "Yes."

  I looked away. "Why don't you trust me?"

  "I trust you with my life, little fox. I don't trust you with your own."

  I didn't say anything.

  "Take it or leave it, Michaela. The cell or the boat and tracking collar."

  "Fine," I said. "Boat. Tracking collar. I hate you."

  "Oh honey, I am only protecting you. I'll make it up to you when this is all over. Thank you for being reasonable."

  "What choice do I have?"

  "None. Shift now, honey."

  "I need to make the arrangements. I need to rent the boat and get the equipment to the boat. Mostly vials for samples plus a portable depth gauge and water temperature gauge."

  "Elisabeth can rent the boat. Is there someone at work she can meet to pick up the equipment you need?"

  "Yes, but it's Saturday."

  "All right. Elisabeth will rent the boat and get you well clear from shore. You can make the calls Monday while out in the lake, and then she can collar you back up and retrieve the supplies. I bet she can run the boat to the marina in Ashland and someone can meet you there."

  "All right, Alpha," I said. "That will work. I can use tomorrow to draw a plan for everywhere I need to go, if Elisabeth buys a map of the lake before we leave the marina today. I need topographical maps of Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan as well, anything that borders the lake. It helps to show the shoreline, and I need that to know where the rivers are and how things flow."

  "It sounds like a plan." Lara reached out and squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back, but not with much feeling.