Silver Fox (Silver Shifters 2)

Are you here? Mentor Fox asked him on the mythic plane.

Here, he replied.

These two came to Doris’s house tonight. Mentor Fox’s mental voice was polite as always, but Xi Yong sensed the tight, protective anger underneath. It was not directed at him, but Xi Yong felt ashamed; he was the one on guard duty.

Please accept my sincere apologies for the danger to your mate and her family, he sent back. I take full responsibility.

It’s not your fault! Celestial Empress, no. You didn’t see anyone leave, did you?

No. They must have come up from the valley.

Then please don’t blame yourself, Mentor Fox said. Xi Yong glimpsed him briefly at the edge of the trees, a flash of fox fur in the moonlight. I’m going back down. The twins will be up soon to relieve you. Let me know if you see anything.

I shall at once.

Mentor Fox departed, and then the night was still again. No one was moving in the compound, so he drifted along and watched the sky, enjoying cloud-patterns in the night. When the last cloud sailed eastward, he divided his time between watching the gate, and turning his nose skyward so he could observe the star patterns of North America.

Presently the twins came loping up the slope. Vanessa shifted to human form.

“We’ll take over now,” she said. “It’s nearly midnight. Uncle Joey left food for you, and said you were to catch some Zs.”

Xi Yong protested, “You were awake all day.”

She replied, “When we’re on watch like this, we each take a turn running and the other naps for an hour. In wolf form, an hour nap is practically as good as a human night. We’ve got it covered.”

Xi Yong thanked her. She shifted and ran off, unconsciously graceful. Watching the twins gave him joy.

So did the prospect of sleep, for he was tired, but not unbearably so. Back at the house, none of the humans seemed upset about their close call earlier. Xi Yong spent a pleasant couple of hours playing chess with the household members, delighting in their delight. Competitive games were fun for him if his partner enjoyed them, too. The venerable elder called Granny Z clearly relished a good game, no matter who won. It was the same with the younger woman, Nicola.

Presently they departed to their rest, and he and Mentor Fox composed themselves for sleep.

Xi Yong always slept lightly, and never for long.

He always sensed dawn before he saw it. Long before there was light in the sky, he rose soundlessly. After neatly folding his blanket, he slipped into the kitchen, careful to keep the door from banging. His first thought was to make himself some tea before he fixed coffee for the rest of the household, but he froze when he saw a small shape padding about.

It was Pink, the three-year-old, still in her footie pajamas. Sh

e stood on her toes, trying to reach the light switch.

Xi Yong flicked on the lights. Pink gave him a quick smile, and then went to one of the cupboards. Xi Yong was uncertain what to do. Ought he to fetch one of the adults? But he hated to waken someone if it was not necessary. Pink was too small to be left unsupervised, especially in a kitchen full of possible dangers. As long as he remained with the child, perhaps he could wait until those responsible for her appeared.

So he set about filling the tea kettle as Pink opened the low cupboard next to the stove, and then, with both hands, took out a long rectangular baking sheet.

Xi Yong’s first instinct was to tell her to put it back, but he hesitated. She moved so deliberately, and after all, the sheet was metal. It would not break or shatter if she dropped it. So he continued to make his tea as she systematically took out another baking dish, a cookie sheet, another cookie sheet, then two long, narrow bread pans.

These she laid carefully on the floor, then she pattered back to the cupboard on the other side of the stove.

By now the water was hot. Xi Yong busied himself with the tea, then turned to set up the coffee maker for the rest of the household. When he turned back, Pink had found saucepan lids, and was carrying one in each hand. She placed these on the floor, her pajama-feet almost silent as she trotted back and forth to fetch one more saucepan lid.

When Xi Yong had finished setting up the coffee, he turned around to see what Pink was making so carefully with all this cookware. He walked to the other end of the kitchen, and then he perceived what she was doing.

The big cooking sheets formed the body of a humanoid shape. The cookie sheets were legs and arms. The bread pans made feet, and the saucepan lids were hands, the third a head.

She pushed things back and forth until she had everything the way she wanted it, then she trotted out, leaving Xi Yong wondering if he ought to pick up the cookware and restore it the cupboards. He suspected the elders would not be pleased to find these items on the floor, clean as that floor was.

But before he could decide, he heard little feet in footie pajamas hissing on the floor and Pink was back, pushing the kitchen door shut behind her with careful fingers. In one hand she carried the television channel changer. She trotted over and stood beside Xi Yong, and pointed the channel changer at the human shape on the floor.

“Woe-bot,” she said, and pressed her forefinger on the PLAY button.