Chương 28: Territorial Drama

The doggie door banged open with the kind of dramatic flair that only one overacting Norse squirrel could pull off.

"You're not dead," Tala chittered, hopping straight to the armrest.

"Disappointing, but it's not too late for me to take care of that." I sat in my glorious kid-sized throne, sipping root beer and trying to look innocent.

"Nice to see you too, rodent royalty." She flicked her tail across my nose like a passive-aggressive curtain.

"You smell like ranger anxiety and cheap soda." I was about to respond when Shelly pushed through the main door. She was not as dramatic as Tala, but her expression said she wasn't here to discuss the weather. Tala ignored Shelly's arrival and continued to glare at me.

"Tell. Me. Everything." Shelly seemed annoyed that Tala beat her to the punch, but she nodded in support. After a moment, I said, "Claire stopped by." I never called her by her last name, and wasn't about to let their anger force me to modify what I would normally say.

"Why was she here? Luke didn't tell me much," Shelly demanded. DISTRUST and UNHAPPINESS thrummed strongly on the web. I was pretty sure the 'distrust' was for Claire and the 'unhappiness' was for me, but I wasn't absolutely sure about that. Apparently, there were some limits to the Web of Wisdom. From the tone of her voice, I could already tell that Shelly was going to have a word or two with Luke as soon as she saw him in person. Poor man, I thought.

"Mutant wildlife panic," I said.

"She's doing rounds. Apparently squads of squirrels are acting peculiar, among other animals." I glanced at Tala with a raised eyebrow, as if inviting her to elaborate.

"Oh, and she saw my old body on television."

"She saw that?" Shelly asked.

"Huh, okay…" She lapsed into silence after that, as if her anger was deflating. Then her eyes flared and she asked forcefully, "Why did you reveal yourself?" Tala seemed miffed that someone was stealing the spotlight being shined on me, but wasn't quite ready to take over yet.

"Sort of like I did with you?" I asked.

"You know me. I couldn't help it. It just happened."""Uh, huh," Shelly said, glaring at me, clearly not accepting my pitiful attempt at an excuse. The Web pulsed with her skepticism and Tala's building irritation, but I pushed the sensation aside. Now I was starting to get annoyed. I understood their concern, but I wasn't some kid who needed supervision. I'd made a judgment call based on years of knowing Claire. It had worked out.

"That's not good enough," Tala said, clearly feeling she possessed the authority to question my decisions.

"What if she tells someone? Do you want to become an experiment in some secret government lab?" She spoke aloud instead of telepathically, obviously wanting Shelly to hear.

"She won't, and even if she does, I can deal with whatever comes my way," I said confidently. Shelly groaned and dropped into the nearest chair. Tala puffed up like a territorial raccoon impersonator. Tala's tail lashed like a sentient insult.

"I don't trust her."

"She was worried," I said.

"She actually cares about what's happening. She's just overwhelmed at the moment. Despite that, she's already agreed to help us." Shelly didn't respond right away. She studied me, eyes narrowing like she was solving a math problem that had emotional implications. As for Tala, she was giving me that silent thousand-yard death stare.

"She's not... involved, right?" Shelly finally asked. Her voice wasn't angry, just uncertain, like she was bracing for a disappointment she didn't want confirmed. I was getting a little annoyed at being treated like a special education student trying to solve algebra questions in kindergarten, so I decided it was time for a strategic misdirection. Or something just confusing enough to derail the drama.

"So, what's up with her and Luke," I said quickly.

"She kept watching him like he was... I don't know. A snack wrapped in chocolate. I doubt she's going to make a move on him though since he has a fiance. He didn't even appear to notice anyway." Tala paused mid-tail swipe.

"Luke?" Shelly blinked.

"Seriously?" I shrugged, relieved the redirect worked. Crisis averted.

"I mean, she knows him. They've worked together occasionally for years. With Luke backing me up, I was perfectly safe." Both of them were quiet for a moment. Tala hopped off the recliner and started reorganizing my snack stash with her usual squirrel-level passive aggression. Shelly looked at her boots like they'd suddenly become fascinating. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I took the silence as vindication of my decision.

"So," I said, seizing the momentum. I decided to put a stake in the argument.

"Anyway, I was able to use my powers to determine that she can be trusted." Tala froze mid-paw. Shelly sat up straighter. I had their attention. I hadn't really explained much about the power I had received from Grandmother Spider. I'd just told them she'd given me a gift to help me make better decisions. I flexed my claws and explained a little.

"I get... feelings and consequences now around people or when I consider taking actions. Like seeing ripples before the stone hits the water. It's useful." And a little unnerving, I added mentally. Tala snorted.

"Is that why you told Claire the truth?" I nodded, although that technically wasn't true. I'd actually sort of stumbled into it, much like I did with Shelly. However, I wasn't about to say that. Shelly tilted her head.

"So, tell us more about this new power."

"It helps me sense things, such as whether something is a good idea or not," I said. Tala snorted, as if she doubted that. I could clearly hear what she meant. Either the power wasn't powerful or I wasn't using it. I ignored her and said, "It tells me when something's about to blow up in my face. Socially, magically, relationship-wise. It's sort of like a spider sensing vibrations in its web. Except the web is made of everyone's life choices and I'm stuck in the middle of it."

Shelly stared at me, as if considering how much of what I said she could believe. Tala resumed organizing snacks and muttered something about idiots. Probably about Pierre I decided.

"So," I said quickly.

"Any updates on the supernatural community?" Shelly nodded, seeming grateful for the subject change.

"Moon-Eyed teens are lobbying for nighttime internships."

"Good for them," I said, genuinely pleased.

"Druids are fighting over who gets to be the Archdruid." I snorted.

"Of course they are." Shelly gave me a sideways glance.

"You've become something between a myth and a bureaucratic consultant. Next time I talk to Kathy, she wants me to tell you she's started referring to you as 'our raccoon demigod.'""Tell her I prefer 'Great Trash Panda,'" I said.

"And the fae…" Tala interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"The fae are taking quick steps to repopulate their numbers. Apparently, if you have enough money, you can hire doctors who are more than willing to help them become parents." I started to say something, but Tala immediately threw a grape at my head. It exploded on my forehead with more force than seemed physically possible for a squirrel-thrown fruit.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For even considering it," she snapped.

"I wasn't…" I started to object. And it was true, I actually hadn't thought about it. Another grape. This one caught me on the nose.

"Just making sure," Tala said sweetly. At least it wasn't a cucumber, I thought, wiping grape juice from my face. Tala glared at me, but was obviously amused despite not wanting to be. Then she glanced toward the window, her ears flicking forward. I followed her gaze but didn't see anything unusual. Just the darkening woods outside. Her tail twitched with agitation. Something had caught her attention, but she wasn't sharing what. The Web gave me nothing useful, just a vague sense of watchfulness from outside.

Not threatening, exactly. Just... present. I made a mental note to close the blinds later. And maybe ask Tala what she'd sensed when she was in a less grape-throwing mood.

"Anyway," Shelly said, standing up and stretching.

"I should get going. I've got a druid circle meeting tomorrow and I need to prepare my arguments for why we shouldn't all live in tree houses."

"That's a real debate?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised." She headed for the door, then paused.

"Abe?"

"Yeah?" I looked at her, curious about what had made her pause.

"I'm glad Claire's on our side. I am. Just... be careful, okay? Not everyone who seems trustworthy actually is." Shelly looked like saying it had been like making the decision that I needed to visit the dentist. However, I felt trust and concern vibrating on the web. She meant it.

"I know. I will," I reassured her. After she left, Tala settled next to me on the armrest. Her mental voice was soft. You really think the ranger won't betray you?

"I think she's dealing with the same impossible situation we are," I said.

"And she chose to work with us instead of against us. That counts for something." It counts for trust, kit. Don't waste it.

"I won't," I said out loud. I don't know why, but I almost always preferred to talk out loud instead of using our telepathic connection. I was pretty sure a psychiatrist would love exploring the reasons with me, but I wasn't about to open that can of worms. She groomed her tail in silence for a moment. Then she sent me a message, Something's watching the cabin. I don't recognize the signature.

"Dangerous?" The last time it had turned out to be Grandmother Spider. I sort of doubted I would be so lucky again. Unknown. Her tail twitched nervously. But whatever it is, it's been there since before the ranger arrived. Just... observing. Perfect. Because my life wasn't complicated enough already.

"Keep monitoring it," I said.

"Let me know if it gets closer." Already on it. She paused, then added with forced lightness, And kit?

"Yeah?" Next time you want to reveal yourself to a government official, maybe give me more than five minutes' warning?

"No promises," I said. She flicked my nose with her tail and hopped away, muttering about impossible raccoons and their death wishes. Still, the fact that something was out there was unnerving. It also made me think about getting voice activated blinds. First Pierre. Then Grandmother Spider. And now someone or something else. Damn. Why does everyone want to be a peeping Tom? Annoyed, I got up and climbed up onto the window sill.

"Play Boot Scootin' Boogie by Brooks & Dunn," I said. As soon as the music started, so did I. Although it had been years, I could still do the electric slide. Tala just stared at me for a moment before putting her paws in front of her eyes. But I could tell she was peeking. I just ignored her and continued dancing. Whoever's watching was going to get their money's worth tonight, I thought. That was when I noticed Tala was angling her smartwatch toward me, obviously wanting to preserve the moment for all time.

I just smiled, ignored her, and continued to dance.