Fox Run (14 page)

Then I had to run back, catching the return ferry to Bayfield.

Destruction

A storm blew in on Tuesday. June called me, and I'm not sure which of us was more disappointed when she told me it wouldn't be safe to fly. "It will be crappy until at least Saturday," she said. "So if you wanted to come to Madison, you'll need to drive."

"If anyone is driving ten hours," I said. "It's Lara."

June laughed. "It's good someone can finally keep her on her toes. Maybe next week will be better."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see Benny."

"It's okay," she said. "He won't get away. I do like a good chase."

The storm kept me in the office on Wednesday and Thursday. The worst of the rain stopped on Thursday, but it continued to rain with occasional thunder even into Saturday.

The storm knocked out one of my monitoring stations. My job for Fish and Game is primarily data recording and reporting. It would be boring if it didn't basically mean I spent most of my days in the field. I hated to lose data, so on Friday, I drove to the site that had failed.

The failed site was actually three quarters around a small lake from the nearest road. There was a light rain and a heavy overcast. I parked my car, looked at the weather, and decided I really didn't want to walk a mile and a half in this weather while on two feet. But it was a small, isolated lake with no cabins on it and no one to see me.

I keep a harness for this very situation. I slipped the tools into it I would need, then stripped out of my clothes and stepped out of the car, taking the harness with me. Standing there naked, I locked the car and slipped the remote into a pocket on the harness. I shifted, then slipped my nose and front feet into the harness.

It wasn't perfect, but I was able to carry a few tools with me. I began loping around the lake.

The smells were rich. Rain always does that. Even a human can smell the best rains. With my nose so close to the ground, I picked up no end of smells. It was a divine experience.

On the other hand, my ability to pick up longer range scents was horrible; there was just too much competition. I kept my ears open for danger. They're more important to me than my nose, anyway.

It wasn't until I arrived at the monitoring station that I smelled the wolf. I smelled the wolf at the same time I saw several large wolf prints scattered around the station. I stared at them. They were from, at the earliest, yesterday, and I thought perhaps significantly sooner. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone.

I shifted, and it took me only seconds to discover the monitoring station had been vandalized. Someone had smashed it with an ax or large hammer. I stared at the wreckage.

Run, little fox, run
, I said. I shifted, slipped into the harness, and ran back to my car as fast as I could. I didn't even attempt subterfuge. My entire goal was to get out of there.

I slowed down before I got to the car, slipping into the brush, and walked all the way around it, hidden from view, but I found no fresh tracks and nothing to suggest anyone was waiting for me. Still, I approached cautiously. As soon as I was sure my car was safe, I shifted and climbed in. I had the car started and in gear while still naked. I dressed as I drove.

Once I reached something resembling civilization, I called Lara. It went to voice mail. "Alpha. Call me. It's business, and it might be urgent."

She called me back two hours later.

"Are you all right?" were her first words?

"Yes. Alpha, do you have any wolves in the area up here?"

"None that I know about."

"Do you have any reason to destroy one of my monitoring stations?"

She was silent.

"Alpha."

"No, Michaela."

"They might not be related."

"What might not?"

"The smashed monitoring station and the wolf tracks I found below it."

Neither of us spoke for a minute. Then Lara started asking questions. "Who would replace a broken station?"

"I would." In response to her questions, I assured her I would normally go alone, as I had today. Usually outages are simple. This was the first I'd ever had vandalized, although I knew from others that sometimes kids did things like this for kicks. "It usually takes a couple of weeks to get a replacement when one is this broken," I told her.

"So you won't go back for at least two weeks?"

"No. I'll order a replacement when I get back to the office."

"If you have more outages, I want you to call me, Michaela. Please promise you won't check on them alone."

I thought about it. "Yes, Alpha. This might be random."

"Do you believe that?" she asked.

"No. It is too coincidental. Why involve me?"

"I wasn't subtle at the Iron Dog," Lara said. "I didn't see any other wolves in Bayfield when we were there, but there might be humans assigned to watch you."

"I am hard to catch, Lara," I told her. "I bet they don't know that."

"I caught you," she said. "I wouldn't suppose I could talk you into taking time off work and staying at the compound."

"No, you can't."

"How about letting me assign Rory and Eric to keep an eye on you."

"No."

She sighed. "Please be careful."

* * * *

After that, I was. And I was pretty sure no one was watching my house. It was more difficult to make sure my office was safe, but I never noticed anyone watching.

It cleared up by Sunday, and June called Tuesday afternoon. "I'll be there in the morning if you're coming."

"I wouldn't miss it," I told her. "I have the afternoon off."

"How about the 2 PM ferry?"

"Sure."

"Alpha says you have to drive."

"To Madison?"

"No, just to the airport."

I hated taking my car on the ferry, but I decided not to argue.

I worked in the office on Wednesday. There were no new reporting outages; everything was fine. I had my car in line for the ferry ten minutes early, and I saw June talking to Benny. The two looked very comfortable together.

Then, sensing someone watching me, I turned, and I saw Eric casually leaning against a light pole. I looked around some more and saw Rory sitting on a park bench. Neither of them appeared to be watching anything in particular, but they weren't as subtle as they thought. They were wolf, after all.

The ferry arrived and disgorged its passengers. Traffic was light, and I pulled onto the ferry. I saw Eric, Rory and June also arrived, but they ignored each other. I got out of my car, and I soon realized that one of them kept me in sight at all times.

When we were almost to the landing at Madeline Island, I headed back to my car. Out of nowhere, the three wolves converged on the car at the same time, and we all climbed in together.

"The alpha is nervous?" I asked them.

"We heard what happened," Eric said. "The alpha told us to make sure you got there safely."

I nodded. "My car is going to stink again."

They all grinned.

When we got to the airport, June apologized. "I'm sorry, Michaela. You can't sit in front. It's a weight thing. These two are too big to share the back seat. Pick one to ride back there with you."

"Looks like you and me in the back, Rory."

"Cool!" Eric said. "Shotgun for me. Can I fly, June?"

"No!" said Rory. June laughed. Eric sulked.

It was an easy flight. Eric spent half the flight asking me about my job. Then, shortly before we reached Madison, he said, "Rory and I will be accompanying you on your field trips."

"No," I said. "You will not."

"Alpha's orders," Eric said.

I thought about it. "I will accept your presence if I am going to be anywhere that someone could predict."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you can come when I have to replace that monitoring station, or if any others break. But day-to-day? No."

"Alpha's orders," Eric said again.

"Last time I checked," I said. "I was a fox, not a wolf. Her orders do not apply to me."

"Michaela," Eric said. "Please."

"No."

"I can't tell the alpha that."

"I'll do it for you."

He thought about it for a minute. "If she tells us to follow you, we're going to follow you."

"If you follow me, I will have you arrested for stalking."

"Michaela, be reasonable," Eric said.

"I am being reasonable. You may go with me to fix the monitoring station. I'll make sure the alpha understands."

He grumbled but left it at that.

Dinner was Lara and I at her house. She greeted me at the door with a warm hug and kiss, and we cuddled together on her sofa for a while before dinner. I waited until we were seated and had served ourselves before I told her, "I will tell you when I want bodyguards, Alpha."

She sighed. "Please don't fight me on this, Michaela."

"I told Eric if he follows me against my will, I will have him arrested for stalking."

"Would you really?"

"Yes."

"I think you're bluffing."

I shrugged.

"They're going with you," Lara said.

"Tell them to bring bail money."

"I could keep you here until this is over."

"You could," I admitted. "It would be the end of our relationship, and I would spend the entire time trying to free myself. You would also prove my point about all wolves being bullies. And when you finally release me, you would have forced me to leave Bayfield. I don't know where I'd go, but it wouldn't be as safe for me."

"Why won't you cooperate?"

"Why won't you let me make my own decisions?"

"I am the alpha!"

"I am not a wolf."

She glared at me.

"It sucks knowing there is someone you can't control," I told her. "How do you think it feels for me? I can't control anyone but myself, and now you're trying to take that away, too."

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm not."

"You are. You're trying to make my decisions for me, and you're getting mad that I won't let you."

"Please stay at the compound with me."

"I'd lose my job. I like my job, Lara."

"What do they pay you? I'll pay you double."

I stared at her. "Take. That. Back."

"What? Name your dream job. I'll pay you twice what you're making now and you can have your dream job."

I looked away, sad. "You think I'd sell my liberty?"

"I'm not asking for your liberty. I'm begging you let me keep you safe. Someone is after you because of me. It's killing me, Michaela."

"If I take your job, then for the rest of my life I belong to you. I have to do whatever you order. The only freedom I'd have is whatever freedom you offered."

"Only until this is over. Michaela, little fox, please."

I stared at her. I almost consented. "I'll be fine, Lara. I will allow an escort whenever I'm doing something predictable."

"Not good enough. They could take you at any time. They could follow you. Or track you by air. It wouldn't be hard to find you."

"You are overreacting."

"I'm not, and you know it."

I looked away. "Lara, have you ever been on a fox hunt?"

"No. Of course not. That's barbaric."

"I have."

Lara stared at me, her face filling with horror.

Fox Hunt

I was fourteen. My sister, Jean, was sixteen. We lived in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, deep in the mountains well away from people. We had a tiny cabin and a little land. We hunted most of our food.

It was spring. That's what saved me. I remember Jean and I playing in the yard; I don't remember what exactly. As sisters went, we fought like some, but we loved each other as well. We'd been raised to look out for each other.

I remember the first howls. And I remember my dad entering the clearing, in his fur. He'd gone out on two feet.

Mom and Dad used to tell us stories about the wolves, stories meant to frighten us. They had worked. But they also told us how to run, how to hide, and where we would meet when it was safe. We had signals for everything, including one that meant, "Run, run, run, and don't get caught."

That's the signal dad gave us he dashed for our little house. Run, run, run, and don't get caught. Jean and I were in fur seconds later.

Yes, Lara. Seconds. You hadn't figured that out yet? I change faster than you do. Please don't tell anyone else.

Together, Jean and I took off. We'd practiced this before. We ran straight for the river. There was a hidden cave we could travel through, too small for any wolf. We headed for the river then through the water until we got to the cave. Jean didn't slow down.

The plan was our parents would set misleading trails, leading east. Jean and I would head north and if necessary, west.  But we were to use every dirty trick we knew, as well.

These were our woods, and we knew them well. And we had planned. We had traps. They weren't armed, but they were designed to be easily armed by a fox in seconds. Jean lead the way, and we set our first trap while I set three separate false trails away from it.

The howling grew louder then shifted east. The wolves were following mom and dad. But still Jean and I ran, setting false trail after false trail. We set three traps before we left the territory we considered ours, striking northeast to make it look like we were trying to regroup with our parents then taking a path due west no wolf could follow. Eventually we turned north.

The howling disappeared to the east.

Jean and I grew tired. We slowed, but continued to run through streams as much as we could. We set multiple exit paths from each stream, and we kept moving.

Finally, Jean found us a small cave in a rock fall. We slipped inside and lay down, exhausted. Jean, the eldest, took the first watch. I slept for two hours, then she woke me, and she slept.

I don't think I dozed, but I may have. I was so tired. But I heard a howl, bringing me upright. It was much closer than it should have been. If I'd heard it sooner, from further away, things may have been different. It was all my fault.

I woke Jean, and we ran. We used our tricks then turned west. The howls continued to the north for a while, then backtracked. I knew immediately when they found the proper trail. They were only a mile or two behind us now, and you know how little time it takes a wolf to travel a mile.