Authors: Robin Roseau
"That is Emmanuel," Elisabeth said from behind me. "His mate is Serena."
"Your kids were here," I said to them. "I didn't know. I'm glad we saved them."
Serena walked to me slowly then she reared up, putting her paws on my shoulders. She was heavy! Elisabeth stepped up behind me to steady me while Serena cleaned my face with her long, wet tongue.
"Eww!" I said when she was done. She dropped to her four paws, butted me with her head, then went back to checking out the health of her boys.
I crouched down to Lara. "Are you all right?" She licked my face.
"Damn it! You all please stop that!"
She chuffed at me and licked my face again.
I wrapped my arms around her neck but looked up. "Elisabeth, can someone drag those bodies out? I'll search the cabin."
Lara chuffed, and four wolves jumped forward. They grabbed the bodies and dragged them out of the cabin, piling them together. I released Lara and went to search the cabin.
I didn't find much. Clothes, food, but no incriminating papers. Lara came in and sniffed around for a while then walked back outside. I heard the SUVs arrived, but I ignored them. Elisabeth checked on me.
"If anything is hidden here," I told her. "I'm not going to find it."
"All right," she said. "We're about ready to leave. Come on."
I followed her outside. The kidnappers had their own SUV. About half the wolves were back in skin and already dressed. I was still wearing the blanket. I looked around, but the bodies were missing.
Jason and Rory, both in skin, carried gas cans from the back of one of the SUVs. They set them inside the cabin.
"We'll drop Rory and June off at the boat," Lara told me, standing beside me. "They'll come back here and torch the cabin, but I don't want to do it yet in case word gets back to David. Then they'll return the boat to Bayfield. The rest of us are going to Madison. Will you come?"
"Yes."
"This isn't over. Will you follow orders?"
"Yes."
I checked her over. "You have blood on you."
"I know. We'll stop somewhere and clean up."
The Challenge
Jason drove our SUV with Elisabeth riding shotgun, Lara and I in the back seat. All four SUVs drove together as a caravan. We stopped at a truck stop to clean up and get some food. Lara changed into a loose blouse and skirt, and I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. I liked it. Soon, we were back on the road.
We were halfway to Madison when Lara called David. "We're coming home," she said. "We're not going to solve this here."
"Good," he said. "There is something we need to discuss at the compound."
"All right," she said. "Can you assemble everyone there? I want to talk to everyone together."
"Yes," he said. "I think that would be very appropriate."
She hung up. "He's going to challenge me tonight."
I didn't say anything. It wasn't my place. She called the other vehicles and gave them the new destination. I leaned against her and tried to sleep. I must have drifted off, as I woke sometime later with my head in Lara's lap.
"Is there any food?" I asked.
"I'm sorry," Lara said. "Jason ate it all."
"I saved you some, little fox," Elisabeth said.
"I knew you were holding out on me!" Jason said. "I could smell it!"
"Two little chicken wings," Elisabeth said. "Like you would even notice them."
"Perfect," I said, sitting up. They were cold but exactly what I wanted.
When we got near the compound, the rear two SUVs peeled off. "They'll make their own entrance," was all Lara said. The rest of us drove straight to the compound.
When we got there, the place was crawling with wolves. I stared out the window and clasped Lara's hand. "Is this this the entire pack?"
"No," she said. "The leaders, the elders, the ones who would have a say in what is about to happen."
"So many."
"I know. I am sorry, little fox."
"We say that a lot to each other," I said. "Do you think we will ever be able to stop?"
Elisabeth and Jason climbed out first, then Lara, and finally I followed her. David with Natalie and several other wolves were standing at the entrance to Lara's house. David and Lara nodded to each other and then at the same time began walking towards each other. Lara held onto my hand. Elisabeth and Jason flanked us, then I felt four more wolves take up a position behind us. But Lara was in front.
"Hello, David," Lara said, coming to a stop three paces from David.
"Lara, alpha of the Madison pack, you are unfit to lead. I offer challenge."
"I rather thought you might," she said. "Is this to the death then?"
"From love of your parents, and love of you, I offer this. If you submit, I will allow you, your sister, and that fox to accept banishment instead of death."
"That is very generous," Lara said slowly and clearly, her voice poised to carry clearly to all listening. "You have declared me unfit to lead. Do you care to elaborate?"
The two stared at each other. There was some rumbling from the people. This may not have been a popular move, and this was David's opportunity to sway a few others to his side.
"I served your father faithfully," David said. "He was a good man, but your parents coddled you. They raised you as one would raise a male, but you are not a male. You are female. When you became alpha, I had misgivings, but I have served you faithfully in spite of the extreme violations to our traditions."
He began to pace, and now he was addressing the audience. "Those traditions exist for a reason. Those traditions make the pack strong. Those traditions make the pack one." He stopped and stood in front of Lara. "But you disregard our traditions. You set yourself up as a leader, in direct violation of our traditions. You bed with other females, in violation of all natural order. You are unable to keep our own pups safe, the primary responsibility of the alpha. And you form alliances with lesser were." At that, he sneered at me. "Foxes are for hunting! Not for bedding. What you do is an abomination!"
"I have been hunted by wolves before," I said clearly.
"If you had been hunted by a proper wolf, you wouldn't be here," David said.
Lara smiled and squeezed my hand.
"When I was fourteen," I said. "I learned the true meaning of fox hunt." It was my turn to speak up. "A group of seven foxes engaged in a hunt of me, my sister, and my parents. They killed my parents and my sister and ravaged their bodies. And then, one by one, I killed the wolves. Each and every one. The last one died while snarling in my face."
The crowd had grown silent. No one moved, and the rage in David's face was apparent.
"You lie!" he screamed at me. He raised his hand, but Lara stepped in front of me.
"Your dispute is with me," she said calmly.
"Believe what you want," I said. "I have never lied to any of you."
"David," Lara said. "You have indeed served my family with loyalty and for a long time. In memory of that loyalty and love, I would present one final issue to the elders gathered here. I believe it would be most enlightening. After that is done, I will accept your challenge of combat or banishment as the pack decides."
"What issue?" David demanded.
"As one who would be alpha, you understand love for the pack must come before all other loves. While you may feel I am unfit to lead, do you feel I would not wish for the pack to be strong?"
He thought about it. "No. Everyone here knows your love for the pack. It is not your love I challenge, but your judgment."
"Well then, one more issue to prepare. I promise it speaks to the strength of the pack."
"Granted. I will hold my challenge until you have presented this issue."
"Thank you."
Lara stepped away from me. I tried to step forward after her, but Elisabeth grabbed me and pulled me back. "You are with me now," she said. "You will let us protect you."
"Yes, Elisabeth," I said quietly.
Lara spoke, slowly and clearly. "The pack has been under attack. Every indication was from outside invaders from the west, perhaps Duluth, perhaps not. Their incursions became increasing bold, and a week ago, they took from us three of our own. There was evidence they had retreated west again, but our searches in that direction proved fruitless."
"Everyone knows this, Alpha," David said. "This is at the heart of your inability to lead, your inability to keep our young safe."
"We have identified the invaders," Lara said in a firm voice.
The sound from all the wolves drown out anything else she would say. Some talked, some simply growled. Others threw questions at her. But when she held up her hand, they grew still.
"You have learned this since early this morning?" David asked.
"Oh no, I have known for some time."
"And you did not share this information?" He raised his voice. "A threat to the pack, and you did not share this with all of us?"
"The Alpha shared the information as the Alpha deemed best!" she bellowed. Then she grew calm. "Your phones are all about to buzz or vibrate or whatever they do. Please, I won't mind if you look at the incoming messages."
I glanced around, and several of the wolves around me were playing with their phones. Then the phones all around us began to go off, at first just a few, then I was sure every phone there had buzzed. I watched as countless wolves pulled out their phones. Even David pulled out his phone, and I watched his confidence crumble as he looked at them.
"What are these photos?" a female voice asked.
"Janice, please step forward, if you please," Lara said. From somewhere in the middle of the crowd, Janice walked into the space between the assembled wolves and Lara's small contingent of supporters.
"What is this?" Janice asked.
"Perhaps you can show that photo to the fox," Lara suggested.
Janice looked around then walked over to me. Elisabeth stepped aside, and Janice held her phone out. "What is this, fox?"
"I don't know his name," I said.
Elisabeth glanced at it. "That's Jeremy."
"And this?" Janice said. It was Derek. And the last one was Alex.
"Alpha," Janice asked. "The fox doesn't seem to know anything about these photos."
"That's not true," I said. "I took them. I just didn't know their names."
David roared. "I knew she was part of this!"
"If she is," Lara said. "Then the alpha will provide the appropriate punishment. Maybe in a short while that will be you. For now, it is me, and I wish to hear the rest of what she might say."
David was pulled away from me by his supporters. Until he was alpha, Lara was right, and for now, I was safe.
"I took those," I said again. "Yesterday."
Phones started vibrating again. Janice checked through the new messages then showed them to me. "Those were last night. You can guess I was very scared. I am sorry the quality is so poor."
"Where did you take these photos, fox?" Janice asked.
"At a cabin in the upper peninsula of Michigan," I said. "On a piece of property belonging to Natalie Briggs."
Natalie actually blanched. I wondered if she had known.
"Who is Natalie Briggs?" Janice asked.
"Briggs. Briggs. I've heard that name before," Lara said. She looked at Natalie. "Isn't that your maiden name, Natalie?"
"I have nothing to say," she said.
"Not to worry." Phones began to vibrate again. "I believe you are receiving copies of a marriage certificate and a deed to the property in question. One must love human recordkeeping."
"Alpha," said a male voice, and a wolf stepped out, holding hands with a female. They both looked haggard. "If the fox knows where our son is, why are you here instead of leading a rescue?"
"Excellent timing for that question, Samuel." That was when I heard the SUVs. They drove into the compound. Doors opened, and wolves climbed out, and then I heard Samuel's mate crying out.
"Derek? Derek!"
All eyes were on the reunion, all eyes except mine. I was watching David and Natalie. David would attack Lara soon. He was so much bigger than she was. After this, he couldn't possibly be alpha. No one would ever follow him. But he would kill Lara first.
"Be strong," Elisabeth said into my ear. "This isn't over yet. Stay next to me."
I clung to her arm. I wanted to go to Lara, to help defend her, but I had promised to follow Elisabeth's orders.
"I thought perhaps a little more evidence would be helpful," Lara said. She gestured to the final SUV. Emmanuel and Serena opened the back doors. Then Emmanuel dragged out one body, throwing it over his shoulder. He walked to the middle of the assembled wolves and tossed the body to the ground. Serena did the same thing with the second. Emmanuel grabbed the third. Serena brought the fourth.
"Threat exterminated," was all Lara said. All eyes shifted back to her. "And that ends the issue I wished to bring to the pack. I believe there is a challenge to the Alpha."
Elisabeth shrugged me off and reached for the back of Lara's blouse. I watched her rip the blouse from her sister's body while Lara ripped the skirt off and let it drop.
"Challenge accepted!" She bellowed. She took two steps towards David, then leapt. In midair she shifted from human to wolf. David got his arms up, but she landed on his chest, knocking him to the ground. Her mouth dived for his throat, and he tried to push her off. She shifted to his arm, bit down hard, and he screamed. She shook his arm for a moment, and when she dropped it, it flopped limply. When she went for his throat again, he was powerless to stop her. She bit down and began to shake him violently.
It was gruesome.
No one said a word.
When it was over, Lara stood over his body, lifted her head to the sky, and began to howl in victory. I stood there, stunned. She had shifted as quickly as I could. Elisabeth stepped back to me. "I told you it wasn't over."
"You knew."
"Yep."
From the steps of the house, Natalie stepped forward, slowly.
"David?"
The crowd parted for her as she stepped forward.
"David?" she asked again. She stared down at Lara and David, Lara's muzzle dripping with David's blood.