biter."
"Michaela," Cory said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Your alpha is right. You are way too pretty to hunt. Well, except with a camera. Would you let me take pictures?"
"We'll talk to him, Michaela," Daniel said softly. "He didn't understand."
I looked between them. Elisabeth reached over to me and buried her fingers in my fur, stroking gently. I looked over at her.
"Go on," she said only loudly enough for me to hear. "He didn't understand. Be gracious."
I chuffed very quietly then, very low to the ground, I crept a little closer, stopping just behind Lara, my shoulder against her leg.
"I'm sorry, Michaela," Cory said again. "May I take pictures?"
Gracious only went so far. I huffed, but I crept closer to him, watching him warily. He knelt back down, and I licked his face once, accepting the apology. Then Casey got a couple of licks. I turned towards Lara, yipped twice, then leapt at her. She caught me in her arms and held me.
"Crisis averted," Ysabella said. "We'll explain to him during the drive, if Casey could ride with you."
"Certainly," Lara said.
Ysabella stepped closer. "Michaela, may I?"
I looked at her, then chuffed. She reached out and stroked my fur. "The guard hairs are rough," she said. But she buried her fingers in my fur. "But so soft underneath. Brooke, have you felt this?"
"Yes, Ysabella," she said. "I have. Isn't she magnificent?"
I preened a little under their attention. I knew they were stroking my ego as much as my fur, but I was perfectly fine with that. I was, after all, magnificent.
"Do foxes run?" Casey asked.
"Yes," Lara said. "Although not as fast as a wolf."
"If she's not as fast as a wolf," Cory said, "and so small, how does she catch a deer."
"She doesn't," Lara said. "She finds the deer and I catch them for her. But she finds smaller animals. She couldn't eat a whole deer, anyway."
"So she couldn't hunt a wolf!" Cory declared.
"We'll talk about it later," Daniel said firmly. "All right. Before this degrades any further, I think we'll settle in. Meet back here in fifteen minutes?"
"Perfect," Lara said.
She stepped away, still carrying me. I glanced at the ground, but someone had picked up my clothing. I saw Serena carrying my clothing and weapons.
Lara whispered in my ear, "Did you want me to put you down?" In response, I laid my head on her shoulder and grunted contentedly.
"I love you, too," she said. She carried me to our cabin, all four enforcers following. Serena and Karen stepped ahead of us, searching the cabin, then held the door for us, stepping out. I jumped out of Lara's arms, rolled once, and ended as human, crouching on my feet.
"I love watching you do that," Lara said, laughing. "Are you all right?"
I turned to her. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."
"No, you didn't. He didn't know what he was suggesting, but you most certainly did not overreact."
"All right," I said. I found my clothes waiting for me along with all my weapons. I got dressed, rearming myself. I turned back to Lara. "I can't believe you told him to appeal to my vanity!"
"I needed to make sure he offered enough you could accept his apology," she replied.
I nodded and moved into her arms. She enveloped me, and we held each other for a few minutes.
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked. "We can stay here."
"I'm fine," I said. "I wish we had a little more time though." I grinned up at her. "We could play a little game of catch the fox."
"And what would I do with the fox once I caught her?" Lara asked.
"Make her beg... for release."
Lara laughed. "For release, hmm?"
"Uh huh." I kissed her jaw. "She's a very stubborn fox, though. It might take you a long, long time before she begged."
"I don't know," Lara said. "I can be very, very determined."
* * * *
Brooke drove our SUV. It was Brooke and Elisabeth in the front, Lara and me in the middle, and Casey in the back. Serena and Gia along with one of Brooke's enforcers rode in our second SUV. Soon six SUVs pulled into a parking lot
"Michaela," Cory said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Your alpha is right. You are way too pretty to hunt. Well, except with a camera. Would you let me take pictures?"
"We'll talk to him, Michaela," Daniel said softly. "He didn't understand."
I looked between them. Elisabeth reached over to me and buried her fingers in my fur, stroking gently. I looked over at her.
"Go on," she said only loudly enough for me to hear. "He didn't understand. Be gracious."
I chuffed very quietly then, very low to the ground, I crept a little closer, stopping just behind Lara, my shoulder against her leg.
"I'm sorry, Michaela," Cory said again. "May I take pictures?"
Gracious only went so far. I huffed, but I crept closer to him, watching him warily. He knelt back down, and I licked his face once, accepting the apology. Then Casey got a couple of licks. I turned towards Lara, yipped twice, then leapt at her. She caught me in her arms and held me.
"Crisis averted," Ysabella said. "We'll explain to him during the drive, if Casey could ride with you."
"Certainly," Lara said.
Ysabella stepped closer. "Michaela, may I?"
I looked at her, then chuffed. She reached out and stroked my fur. "The guard hairs are rough," she said. But she buried her fingers in my fur. "But so soft underneath. Brooke, have you felt this?"
"Yes, Ysabella," she said. "I have. Isn't she magnificent?"
I preened a little under their attention. I knew they were stroking my ego as much as my fur, but I was perfectly fine with that. I was, after all, magnificent.
"Do foxes run?" Casey asked.
"Yes," Lara said. "Although not as fast as a wolf."
"If she's not as fast as a wolf," Cory said, "and so small, how does she catch a deer."
"She doesn't," Lara said. "She finds the deer and I catch them for her. But she finds smaller animals. She couldn't eat a whole deer, anyway."
"So she couldn't hunt a wolf!" Cory declared.
"We'll talk about it later," Daniel said firmly. "All right. Before this degrades any further, I think we'll settle in. Meet back here in fifteen minutes?"
"Perfect," Lara said.
She stepped away, still carrying me. I glanced at the ground, but someone had picked up my clothing. I saw Serena carrying my clothing and weapons.
Lara whispered in my ear, "Did you want me to put you down?" In response, I laid my head on her shoulder and grunted contentedly.
"I love you, too," she said. She carried me to our cabin, all four enforcers following. Serena and Karen stepped ahead of us, searching the cabin, then held the door for us, stepping out. I jumped out of Lara's arms, rolled once, and ended as human, crouching on my feet.
"I love watching you do that," Lara said, laughing. "Are you all right?"
I turned to her. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."
"No, you didn't. He didn't know what he was suggesting, but you most certainly did not overreact."
"All right," I said. I found my clothes waiting for me along with all my weapons. I got dressed, rearming myself. I turned back to Lara. "I can't believe you told him to appeal to my vanity!"
"I needed to make sure he offered enough you could accept his apology," she replied.
I nodded and moved into her arms. She enveloped me, and we held each other for a few minutes.
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked. "We can stay here."
"I'm fine," I said. "I wish we had a little more time though." I grinned up at her. "We could play a little game of catch the fox."
"And what would I do with the fox once I caught her?" Lara asked.
"Make her beg... for release."
Lara laughed. "For release, hmm?"
"Uh huh." I kissed her jaw. "She's a very stubborn fox, though. It might take you a long, long time before she begged."
"I don't know," Lara said. "I can be very, very determined."
* * * *
Brooke drove our SUV. It was Brooke and Elisabeth in the front, Lara and me in the middle, and Casey in the back. Serena and Gia along with one of Brooke's enforcers rode in our second SUV. Soon six SUVs pulled into a parking lot
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