Hunting Pups (The Fox Shorts Book 1) Read online

  Hunting Pups

  A Fox Short

  Robin Roseau

  Hunting Pups

  I love my fox. I love being fox. I don't have the words to tell you how glorious it felt in fur, running through the woods with my dearest friends around me. I felt so free, so... I'm sorry, I just don't have the words.

  It was early September. Angel had graduated from college in the spring. She had taken my advice to talk to Scarlett, and the look of disappointment when Angel suggested she would graduate early had changed Angel's mind. So she asked Lara and Elisabeth for some advice then took a few introductory business classes, just to whet her appetite for when we finally went to business school together.

  Scarlett had one more year to complete her architecture degree. She was already working for Kevin Cassidy, the owner of the only architecture firm in the pack. I'd finally met him over dinner last summer, and he'd spent much of the meal singing Scarlett's praises. She'd been embarrassed by the attention, but she'd preened under it, too, and Angel puffed out her chest in pride for her mate. I didn't blame her at all.

  But, as I said, it was September, and I was in fur, surrounded by everyone I loved. Rebecca and Celeste were still pups, of course, nearly four years old and in fur, they each weighed more than I did. They didn't have my stamina, but they could already run as fast as I could. My babies weren't even four years old, and they ran as fast as I did.

  At the moment, we were running north, Rebecca immediately to my right, Celeste just past her, and Lara on the far side, watching over her entire family. Francesca, Scarlett and Elisabeth were with us, and so were several members of my security detail: Serena, Angel and Portia. Ranging further afield were other wolves including the pups' security team, lead by Emanuel, Serena's mate. We were just running; I hadn't offered any games. I had just asked for a run before dinner.

  And so, I was in fur, surrounded by all those I loved. I felt so free, with the breeze in my face, my nose filled with the smells of the forest, family, and pack. At this exact moment, I hadn't a care in the world.

  In the back of my mind, I recognized the irony. I was surrounded by werewolves, a werefox's mortal enemies. But these wolves weren't my enemies. They all loved me, and I loved each of them.

  My heart burst with joy at the thought.

  It was just a run, and we weren't even playing any games. We were just running at my best speed, an easy, easy lope for the wolves. But they were jogging along with me, happy for the moment to hold themselves to a fox pace. Eventually I knew someone would ask for a game, and then everyone would turn to me, expecting me to provide one. Staying ahead of them in keeping our games fresh kept me awake some nights.

  But I didn't mind at all.

  Six miles into our run, right near the northern edge of our territory, eventually arrived. There was a car on the road marking our northern limits, and I huffed loudly, pulling the entire group to a stop. I was panting heavily, as were the pups, but the other wolves were calm and relaxed. But I had a huff that meant "car", and so no one had to ask why we stopped.

  I expected the pups to collapse into the drying leaves and moss of the forest floor, but instead, Celeste bumped her sister, and Rebecca flowed into human, crouching down on the ground. And so before me was a human girl of not quite four years old, her hair a little wild, but her eyes bright and full of life.

  "Mommy Fox," she said. "May we catch a rabbit?"

  Beside her sister, Celeste flowed into her own human shape and said without pause, "Two rabbits!"

  My heart burst with another emotion: pride. My babies were a full year, perhaps even two years ahead of expected werewolf development. At finding prey, they weren't necessarily any better than other wolves their age, but if I found the rabbits for them, they had grown quite adept at catching them. Their first solo kills had been clumsy, but they had learned quickly, and now they gave their prey clean, quick kills.

  Maybe that seems like a gruesome thought, but we were what we were: hunters. Unlike humans, we physically couldn't survive on a vegetarian diet, and wolves that were unable to hunt literally went insane. Their genetic makeup required them to hunt. As a fox, I wasn't quite as driven, but I wasn't that far behind them, either. I loved to hunt.

  I shifted to human. "Lara, you haven't hunted wolf style in months. Did you want to take everyone to find a deer while the pups and I find some rabbits?"

  She huffed at the suggestion but shifted human herself.

  "Lara..."

  "No," she said. "Michaela, I adore hunting fox style." My style of hunting was much different than wolf style. She looked around and set her eyes on Francesca. "Could we use fresh venison?"

  Francesca offered a wolfy smile and chuffed. Of course we could. There were thirty wolves living in the compound, and a fresh deer wouldn't last long. Pack shares.

  I used to worry about depleting the game. The pack owned a huge amount of land; they'd been buying it for years and years. But the pack also owned three deer ranches, and several years ago they'd added rabbits to the animals raised, and we released fresh animals at a sufficient rate to ensure there was always game.

  Lara turned to the girls. "You will stay with Mommy Fox."

  "I want to catch my own rabbit!" Celeste said immediately.

  "You will," Lara said. "When Mommy Fox tells you. But otherwise, you will stay with Mommy Fox. You are both far too young to help with the deer." Lara stared at them both, and they both plopped onto the backs, exposing their throats.

  "Yes, Mommy Wolf," they each said in turn. Lara accepted their throats, just a token, then gave them each a quick lick. They would behave.

  Lara looked around, settling her eyes on Scarlett for a moment, then looking at Elisabeth. "Sister?"

  Elisabeth stepped closer, shifting to human herself. We were getting a real party going there in our birthday suits.

  "Head Enforcer," Lara said very quietly to Elisabeth. "Will you allow Angel and Scarlett to lead the deer hunt?"

  Angel was on duty. Lara could have ordered, but Elisabeth was the head enforcer, and Lara was careful about the chain of command. I understood why she was asking. We were trying to give Angel leadership opportunities when we could, and leading a deer hunt was a good opportunity.

  But we were enforcer rich on this run, and we were on pack lands beside.

  Elisabeth was also careful about chain of command, and technically, Angel worked for Serena. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Serena, join us."

  Serena stayed in fur but stepped around me, putting her head between Elisabeth and Lara's. Elisabeth repeated Lara's request. Serena offered a small huff, a wolf sigh rather than disagreement. She used to complain that I was bad about distracting Angel while she was on duty, and so she had helped me break a bad habit. But now it was Lara and Elisabeth who wanted to do it.

  "It's a training opportunity," Elisabeth explained. Serena knew that.

  I moved closer. "I want an enforcer each on the pups." I didn't add, "in case they misbehave anyway." Everyone would have known what I meant. "Plus one more in case the deer comes our way anyway." I would be absolutely worthless against a deer. "Unless you want to hunt wolf style instead." If we hunted wolf style, then the pups and I wouldn't be anywhere near the kill, but if we hunted fox style, I'd lead them practically on top of the deer.

  Serena huffed again, but it wasn't displeasure with any of the suggestions, only at the complexity. She gave a wolf yip that I knew was meant for her mate. Emanuel was two hundred yards off our left flank, but it took only an instant before I heard him approaching, moving quickly but not loudly. The wolves wouldn't hear him, but I easily kept track of everything around us. We waited for him to arrive.


  Serena shifted to human, bringing Emanuel up to speed. "I'll take the point position," she said. "Emanuel and Portia on the pups." Portia didn't have much patience with them, but if her pup took one step out of line, she'd handle it with competence.

  "Rabbits first," Lara said, looking at me. I nodded, agreeing with her. "We can assign the roles for the deer hunt after that."

  I turned to the girls. "Ready to be quiet?"

  "Yes, Mommy Fox!" Rebecca said, then immediately flowed back into her fur, taking a very un-wolflike, but very fox-like posture.

  My heart again burst with pride, and I saw Lara's fur swell while looking at her daughter. Celeste flowed into fur as well and immediately emulated her sister. Celeste was bigger than Rebecca, but Rebecca was consistently the leader of the two of them.

  I looked around at the wolves. "If you can't be quiet, hang back." I looked at Lara and then the pups. "Three paces behind me." I wanted to find the rabbits as efficiently as I could, and if everyone clustered around me, it was that much harder.

  I didn't wait for a response from anyone but instead flowed into my fur. I turned to the southwest, away from the road that defined our northern border and deeper into our territory. Behind me, the wolves went furry, and I heard them take up position off my flanks, the pups moving to either side of me, the other wolves outside of them. I knew they were managed, and so I swiveled my ears forward, already searching for rabbits.

  I had expected the enhancements from taking Clarissa's blood to fade. They hadn't. My nose still confused me; I hadn't grown up using my nose to judge emotions, and I was still very poor at it. But where I could previously hear a mouse at a hundred yards in only the right circumstances, my range was now much further.

  It took me four minutes to isolate three separate groups of rabbits. I came to a stop, listening to each group. Behind me, the wolves, excepting the pups, all sat down. I knew if I looked behind me, Celeste and Rebecca would be emulating me, but they wouldn't be able to hear what I could. That didn't stop them from trying.

  I didn't think they understood why I could always find rabbits. I just always knew where they were. I was willing to maintain the mystery for as long as I could.

  The decision for me at this point was simple. I had a choice of a small group of rabbits or two rabbits nosing around separately. The girls preferred the group, each of them chasing a separate rabbit or, as occasionally happened, the same rabbit. But it was cleaner if we did one, then another. I turned slightly to the right, heading for the northernmost of the single rabbits.

  At a hundred yards, I stopped us again. I made a point of sniffing. My nose was better than it used to be, but it wasn't up to a wolf nose. I couldn't smell the rabbits, but we were downwind, and maybe the wolves could. I looked over my shoulder. Lara sniffed a few times but then huffed very quietly.

  By now, the wolves knew how I preferred to hunt. If I had my choice, most of them would fall back at this point, leaving me with my daughters plus two more adults to help with the hunt, in case the girls' missed their kills. I knew I wouldn't get that choice. But half the group sank down to the ground leaving me with Serena, Lara and Portia. I also knew Elisabeth would follow us, perhaps off our flank, but she wouldn't crowd me.

  I turned back to the rabbits and began stalking them slowly, picking my path carefully. Rebecca and Celeste moved closer, one on either side of me and only a half fox step behind my own nose now.

  At fifty yards, I stopped again. Lara was looking out for Rebecca on my right, so I turned to that side and drew a line in the dirt. Rebecca immediately huffed, but I knew she'd behave. I took three steps, and my ears told me Rebecca stayed where I told her to. On my other side, Celeste and Serena kept up.

  I led us around a patch of leaves; I could move silently through them, but neither Celeste nor Serena could. At twenty yards, I came to a stop and sniffed. I could smell the rabbits, so I knew the two wolves could. Celeste was quivering with excitement. I yawned at her, hoping she'd calm down, but knowing she wouldn't.

  My baby loved to hunt.

  We were hunkered down, Serena nearly on her belly to hide from the rabbit. It had to kill her to hunt fox style, but never, not once had anyone ever complained about my hunting style.

  It was one of the many reasons I loved them.

  I was impressed with Celeste. Her muscles were coiled, and she was quivering, but she hadn't released. I had taken her as close as required. She couldn't see the rabbit, but she could smell it, and she was pointed directly at it. I listened once more, then glanced over at Celeste. She was watching forward intently, and beyond her, Serena was watching over both of us. I chuffed, very, very quietly. Celeste's nearest ear twitched, and then she exploded forward.

  The rabbit broke cover. Sometimes they freeze; sometimes they run. I could have gotten my pup a little closer, perhaps as few as five yards from the rabbit, but she needed to learn to hunt. I didn't want to hand her the kill. And so Celeste had a chase on her hands.

  We'd found the rabbit fox style, but it became a wolf hunt at this point.

  Serena flowed after them, then leapt forward, cutting off the rabbit's escape and scaring it back towards Celeste. My baby leapt, missing, but then she leapt again, and I heard the crunch of rabbit neck as she got a clean kill.

  I moved forward, finding Serena watching over my baby. Celeste had the rabbit in her mouth, holding its limp body by the neck. Even a few months ago, she would have worried at it, and a wolf her age wouldn't show the control she was showing. I was so proud of her.

  I yipped, once, loudly enough for Lara to hear me. She chuffed more loudly, and I heard all the wolves moving forward, converging on our place. I turned back to Celeste and flowed to human.

  Celeste turned to me then lifted her nose to the sky and tried to howl her victory, but the noise was muffled by the rabbit in her mouth.

  "Quiet," I told her, and she immediately stilled. "If you scare the other rabbits, it will be that much longer before Rebecca gets hers."

  She hung her head.

  "No, honey," I said. "I'm not mad. I'm teaching."

  Lara and Rebecca joined us, and a moment later, the rest of the wolves. Lara stepped forward, sniffed at Celeste, and chuffed proudly at the rabbit dangling from her mouth.

  I moved closer, then signaled to Scarlett. "Honey, you won't be able to carry it quietly. I want you to let Scarlett carry your rabbit. She'll give it back later."

  She didn't argue with me but stepped up to Scarlett and laid the rabbit at her feet. Scarlett chuffed and picked it up.

  "Celeste," I said, "Come here. We're going to talk for a minute, then I'll help Rebecca." My daughter turned to me and flowed into human, squatting down in front of me.

  "I caught it, Mommy Fox!" she said.

  "You did, but if Serena hadn't helped, it would have gotten away. It was a good, wolf-style hunt, working together, and I am proud of you." I let her chuff her pleasure for a moment. "But if you were hunting yourself, you would be hungry right now. Do you know why?"

  She looked down, a little embarrassed. I let her work it out.

  "No, Mommy Fox."

  "I've taught you to be quiet, almost as quiet as a fox, even as a wolf," I said. "How close do you think you can sneak up on a rabbit before it hears you?"

  "I don't know," she said after a moment.

  "Closer than we were?"

  "Yes."

  "A lot closer?"

  She looked up and smiled. "Yes, but Serena can't."

  Serena huffed, but it was probably true.

  "Scarlett can," Celeste added. That was probably also true. Of the adult wolves, Scarlett had truly taken to hunting fox style even to the point of hunting me that way from time to time. She wasn't as quiet as me, but she was uncannily quiet for a wolf. Of course I could still hear her heart beating from a hundred yards, but the rabbits couldn't.

  "There's nothing wrong with hunting wolf style, and when you're a little older, Mommy Wolf will be teaching you and your sister t
o hunt together," I explained. "But if you are hunting fox style, then what will you do next time?"

  "Sneak closer," she said. "But what will Serena do?"

  "She'll let you move ahead," I said, "but she can catch up in a single leap." I let her think about that. "Now, what have you forgotten to do?"

  She cocked her head, not understanding the question. I let her try to work it out, but I could tell she wasn't getting it.

  "Did anyone help you catch the rabbit, Celeste?"

  "Oh." She turned to Serena. "Thank you for helping me catch the rabbit, Serena." Then she rolled onto her back, offering her throat.

  Serena stepped over, accepting the offer briefly, then gave Celeste a quick lick.

  "Good," I said. "Rebecca's turn. Celeste, you'll stay with Scarlett now, and remember to be quiet."

  "Yes, Mommy Fox," she said, rolling over. She flowed to fur and moved to stand next to Scarlett. I knew Scarlett would take care of her for me, and I presumed the enforcers would keep an eye on them, too.

  I looked at Rebecca. I knew she'd have paid attention to everything I said to her sister. She was on her feet, and I could see the excitement. She was practically trembling with it, a little jealous that Celeste caught the first rabbit, but I was sure once her nose was full of fresh rabbit scent, she'd do what was needed. And if not, Lara would help her.

  I flowed to fox, swiveled my ears, and immediately picked up the sound of the other single rabbit, three hundred yards away. I moved into a prowl stance, taking five feet forward to set the direction, and then waited for Rebecca to move into position next to me. I set a path downwind of the second rabbit. Except for Serena and Lara, the other wolves held back a short distance, not wanting to accidentally ruin the hunt.

  Like I had with Celeste, I stopped short of the rabbit, but this time I only closed to about thirty yards. The undergrowth was thinner, and I was worried the rabbit would see us. The wolves all had the scent, and I made sure Rebecca was pointed in the right direction. I leaned over to her and chuffed into her ear.

  She began moving forward, one careful step at a time. Serena stayed with me, and Lara let Rebecca step ahead.