A TALE OF BROTHERS

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 4
 

  Alistair waited to the side with his parents for the rest of their group, Laird Aiden and Lady Evelyn Gordon actually proud of their son for his accomplishments, the pair beaming when he was presented with his flight wings and given his commission as a Warrant Officer Fourth Class. When the younger human saw his friend emerge from the small auditorium with a stricken look where he’d been talking to the vixen he’ been dating for the better part of half a year, Alistair knew that things hadn’t gone as planned and his heart went out to his friend.

  “I’ll be back in a sec,” the newly instated SPF officer told his parents. He stepped up to the fox, guiding his friend to an alcove for a modicum of privacy. “Elias? Ye alrigh’, mate?”

The white colored fox shook his head before looking up, his blue eyes full of hurt and confusion as his tail did its best to drag on the floor. “Ilsa…Ilsa said no,” Elias told his friend as he looked at the velvet colored box with the matching earrings in it. “In fact, she got pretty angry. Told me I was acting just like her parents, wanting to tie her down and keep her at home and knocked up…”

  “Och, Elias, ye know she ain’ meanin’ tha! She…well, she’s on her own fer the firs’ time o’ her life. Ye jus’ wait! I bet as soon as we’re all done with our firs’ official duty cruise, she’ll be seein’ the right o’ things!”

  “Maybe…” the fox replied softly before spying a waste bin and pegging the small jewelry box into the opening with a perfect throw. “Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with myself until we have to report to the Vanguard.” The fox tried to smile but there was no heart in the expression. “It seems like you and I will be posted together again.”

  “Well o’ course! Ye cannae break up the bes’ flight team in the whole SPF now can ye?” Alistair tried to lighten his friend’s mood but found it a futile gesture. “Look, we got what? Five weeks ‘fore the Vanguard gets back ta Joplin, righ’? Why don’ ya come home with meself an’ me parents? It’ll beat ye mopin’ ‘round here fer a month an’ a half!”

  “I don’t know…I don’t think I’d be very good company.”

  “I think Alistair’s idea has merit,” Lady Evelyn said as she and her husband stepped up to the newly commissioned officers. “With everything that Alistair has told us of you, you’re already as close as kin, Elias.”

  “Too righ’,” Laird Aiden agreed, his deeper voice carrying as thick a brogue as his son’s. “Ya cannae let yerself be getting’ down, lad. ‘Sides, I’ll be needin’ a pair o’ fine pilots fer tha’ monstrosity sittin’ down in the docks, righ’?”

  Alistair’s eyes grew wide. “Ye’d be lettin’ us take the helm o’ yer yacht?” he asked his father in stunned amazement.

  “O’ course I would, ye daft boy. Who was it sayin’ he an’ his mate were bein’ the best flight team in the whole SPF?” Laird Aiden asked with a grin then pointed a thick finger at his son. “Unless ye were fibbin’ tae me, boy…”

  Elias began to feel some of the pain at the rejection of his marriage proposal to Ilsa lessen at the exuberance of his friend and the older humans. “If it’s no trouble.”

  “Of course it isn’t!” Evelyn told the fox with feeling. “You two go get what things you need after informing your superiors of your plans and assure them we’ll have you back in time for your departure. If they balk, tell them that Laird Aiden Gordon and his wife insist.” 

*** 

  Earth was one planet that Elias had always wanted to visit, and the swirls of blue, green, brown and white looked similar enough to his home world of Alexandrius that it might lessen the slight pangs of homesickness that he’d been feeling. The fox sat in the copilot’s position and fed his friend data from the Geneva Air Traffic Control net, their final destination actually being the family’s estate and castle.

  Laird and Lady Gordon relaxed in the main salon, more than comfortable with their son and his friend at the controls, Aiden complimenting the pair several times already on their handling of the rather extravagant yacht. As the three engine craft slipped into the atmosphere, the reentry shields easily dissipating the heat from the friction of the steadily thickening air, Alistair grinned at his friend.

“The bes’ part is yer visitin’ at the righ’ time o’ the year, Toddy-boy! The Highlands are awash in greens an’ bloomin’ heather, the fishin’ is spot on, an’ th’ lasses will be sheddin’ their winter wrappin’s fer skirts an’ shorts!” Alistair sighed happily. “I tell ya true, ain’ nothin’ better’n Scotland in the spring time!”

  The week long trip had helped the fox get over most of the hurt and disappointment from his failed marriage proposal, though there was still a lingering ache, but it was hard to really acknowledge that in light of his best friend’s exuberance. “Is that all you think about?” Elias asked with a short laugh as he adjusted the trim to the airfoils the hull tapered into. “There’s more to life than just girls, you know.”

  “Are ya daft? The female form is truly one o’ the greates’ creations of the All Mighty! Ye tell me wha’ else there is bein’ that compares tae a fine lass in a smart skirt? Nothin’ I tell ye! An’ especially when ye be dancin’ with some of the most beautiful ladies in th’ world at a spring party! Ye’ll have near every bird from Dumfries to the Orkney Islands fawnin’ on ye, Elias! Nae many o’ ‘em ha’ seen a fur, much less one in uniform!”

“Birds?” Elias asked in confusion.

“Girls, ye dense fox! Girls! Ye’ll ha’ ‘em fightin’ tae be dancin’ wi’ ye!” Alistair enthused as he dropped the throttles to further slow their descent. “We’ll be needin’ tae get ye to the tailor, tho’. A uniform is all fine an’ good, but ye’re kin so far as I be concerned. Tha’ means proper kilt an’ all!”

  “You want me to wear a skirt?”

“Kilt, Toddy-boy! Kilt! Ain’ no skirt, ya barmy dog!” 

*** 

  The castle that Laird and Lady Gordon called home was an imposing structure of grey-brown stone that sat amongst a sea of green. Manicured lawns and gardens surrounded the once fortified structure with small outbuildings nestled amongst small groves, and past that were deep woods, blue lakes and the glittering ribbons of streams and creeks. “This is home?” the fox asked, his eyes wide as his ears folded back or flicked erect in amazement.

“Aye. It gets tae be a bit depressin’ in the winter,” Alistair informed his friend. “I be hatin’ winter. No color ‘cept grays and whites…tha’ an’ I never been too fond o’ bein’ cold.”

  “Cold isn’t so bad,” Elias said as his friend dropped the yacht onto the clearly marked and illuminated pad a few miles from the castle.

  “Tha’s ‘cause ye got a bloody fur coat!” Alistair teased. “Us monkeys don’ ha’ that wee advantage, ye know.”

  The fox gave his friend a pained look. “Alistair, you know I hate that term. Please don’t use it.”

  “Don’ know why it bothers ye so much. It don’ me. ‘S just a word, afterall.”

  “You haven’t been around some of the bigots I have,” the fox said.

“Feh! Are ye kiddin’ me? Ain’ no bigger bigots than humans! Most of my race don’ even like others o’ our kind tha’ be differen’ skin color.” The human shook his head and powered down the yacht’s engines as it settled on its almost dainty looking landing jacks. “I tell ye true, Elias, there are times I be righ’ ashamed of bein’ human.”

  It was a little more insight into the person that had become one of the staunchest friends the fox had ever known and his eyebrows raised. “Is that why you date more furs than other humans?”

  Alistair shrugged. “Mebbe. Or mebbe it’s ‘cause there’s naught finer a feelin’ than snugglin’ up to a lass wha’ is soft an’ warm to soothe yer soul when ye be outta sorts.” He turned and looked at the fox with a leering smile. “Then again, mebbe I jus’ likes ladies no matter if’n they be wearin’ skin or fur!”

  “You’re hopeless,” Elias snorted and took care of closing off the circuits for all but the vital aspects of the small ship, effectively putting it into sleep mode.

  “Completely irredeemable according to our vicar!” the human agreed with a deep laugh. 

*** 

  “I don’t know about this,” Elias called from the other room where one of the house staff was assisting him.

  Alistair had been taking the fox around to the different sites of Scotland, including a two day foray into London, and giving his friend the history of his land and people, the battles that had been fought, their contributions to Great Britain, roles in the global wars that had been fought, and a crash course immersion into the proud culture Alistair was a part of. Of course a great deal of that seemed to be what the young human called ‘Pub Crawling’.

  “Are ye kiddin’? The Faire of Clans has become one o’ the biggest events in all o’ Scotland an’ ye’ll be needin’ tae wear proper clothin’, Toddy-boy! We ain’ been doin’ it fer tha’ long, but ‘tis a grand celebration o’ our land an’ people! ‘Sides, ye’ll like Edinburgh. A more historical yet modern city ye never seen! Tha’ an’ yer part o’ the Clan, now. Me Da says so, an’ as Clan Chief, his word’s bein’ law, don’ ye know?”

  “I…it feels a little…breezy,” Elias said as he stepped out from the other room and held his arms out slightly for his friend’s inspection.

“By th’ Saints,” Alistair said as he stood. “Ma’s gonna have a complete fit when she sees ye!” the human told the fox.

“That bad?” Elias asked with a wince.

“Nae…Tha’ good! Th’ other Clan’s ‘ll be chewin’ their livers o’er this!” the young man enthused.

  The kilt, modified for Elias’ tail, was made from the blue, green and gold Tartan of the Clan Gordon. A white formal shirt, tie and dress jacket with the Clan’s crest on the left pocket gave the fox a dash of casual formality while the sporran was fixed with a pewter rendition of the Seal of Alexandrius. Soft, black leather boots had a proper skean dubh tucked into them. The Glengarry hat sat well between the fox’s ears, the brim edged with the Gordon colors, and a small pin like Alistair’s with the SPF insignia was attached to his left jacket lapel.

  “It still feels breezy,” Elias said as his friend moved around him.

  “Tha’s part o’ the charm o’ wearin’ a kilt,” Alistair said with a grin. “ O’ course, tha’s why ye have a sporran. Keeps ye from flashin’ the ladies an’ getting’ ‘em too excited like when ye sit down! An’ believe me they’ll be a-lookin’, too!”

  “You aren’t helping me feel any better about this,” the fox said between gritted teeth.

  A polite knock on the door was answered by the house staffer that had assisted Elias and he stepped out of the way as Alistair’s parents entered, both dressed in semiformal attire that matched the same pattern as Elias’ and their son’s outfits.

“Oh, my!” Evelyn enthused happily. “Elias, you look positively dashing!” If the woman noticed the fox’s ears turning pink she didn’t comment on it. “You are going to be the talk of this year’s gathering, of that you can be positive!”

  Elias inclined his head. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “An’ tha’ will be enough o’ tha’!” Aiden said as he stood straighter to look at Elias down the length of his nose. “Ye been adopted intae the Clan, lad.Ye bein’ family now. Tha’ said, ye do look all a-proper.” The man pulled a gold watch on a chain from a small pocket of his jacket and clicked the cover open. “An’ wi’ tha’ we best be getting’ along. It’s bein’ a good thirty minute flight to Edinburgh from here, an’ Lord knows we’re wantin’ plenty o’ time tae be showin’ ye lads off!” 

*** 

  The Faire of Clans was only on its fifty third year, but was a way for the different familial groups to gather, gossip, and brag about their accomplishments, the status of their children, and generally vie for position on the social ladder of a fairly exclusive group. Elias was astonished at the almost insular behavior that the members of the different Clans he’d met exhibited, some of them quite snobbish. As it was, he found that the Gordons, being one of the larger of the strange groups, had a great deal of sway with the others, but what astounded him the most was how nearly all of them could run through the history of their respective family groups, going back centuries.

  As the fox listened to one older woman who had a sash about her ample waist of a red patterned Tartan go on about long dead ancestors, he felt his attention beginning to fail and had to stifle a yawn as yet another server filled his glass with some kind of dry white wine that Elias really didn’t care for. It was with some relief that he saw Alistair making his way through the crowd to him.

  “Beggin’ yer pardon, Lady Catherine,” Alistair said with a slight bow to the matronly figure, “but me father was wantin’ a word wi’ us, if ye don’ mind.”

  The woman seemed a little miffed at the interruption of her telling a newcomer the importance of her family but recovered quickly. “Why o’ course, Alistair. I do hope ye’ll be bringin’ yer charmin’ friend back by before ye depart from our midst.”

  Without missing a beat, Alistair took the woman’s hand and pressed her knuckles to his lips. “O’ course I will. An’ you don’ mind my sayin’ I was mos’ disappointed yer daughter was unable tae be here. I haven’t seen Katie in a fair long time.”

  “I’ll let her know you missed her,” the woman said brightly as the fox was led away.

  “I hope not,” Alistair said quietly with a repressed shudder. “Lady Catherine’s daughter is bein’ the source o’ many a good gossip tell,” he told his friend. “If she were here ye’d be seein’ her tryin’ tae get any unmarried male in tae the sack wi’ her, ye included, Elias!”

“That bad?”

  “Worse!” Alistair laughed. “She’s havin’ all the restraint o’ me Da’s hounds in breedin’ season! Ne’er mind she’d be crushin’ the both o’ us to death at the same time. Poor lass is roun’ as the moon an’ proud o’ it!”

  The man steered both of them to the bar that had been set up for the event, though he surprised Elias by ordering two coffees. It was a strange concoction called espresso, both strong and bitter, but the fox found it to be oddly refreshing. “This is good!” Elias told his companion as he carefully sipped the drink from the almost dainty cup.

  “Well, I figured tha’ somethin’ tha’ might help yer fortitude was in order. We still have hours tae go, don’t ye know.”

  Alistair turned the fox around and began to point out other people that he knew, warning Elias about certain ones that had less than stellar reputations or were the fodder for different, salubrious, tales. His imparting of information was stopped when a young woman in a dark green dress with long auburn hair that fell in soft curls that framed a triangular face and deep, brown eyes and a sash of green, blue and purple Tartan. Her expression was open and friendly, almost warm, but what was most astonishing was the effect it had on Alistair.

  “This cannae be little Annie before me!” the man exclaimed as he took the girl’s hands, a grin on his face. By th’ Saints! Ye went and got all grown up!”

“Nice of you tae notice, Alistair,” the girl giggled in a high, pleasant soprano.

  The human shook his head. “Where’re me manners? Elias, this is Anna Larissa Campbell, though she’s preferrin’ Annie. Annie, this is my best mate, Elias Tivnan.”

  The girl retrieved her hands and extended one to the fox. “A pleasure, Elias,” she said with a curtsey and inclination of her head.

  “The pleasure is mine,” the fox replied and gave her a bow, lifting her hand as if to kiss the knuckles but stopped short, still unsure as to how his interactions with some of the people gathered would be received, particularly after hearing some of the off-color comments of him being a non-human from some of the others at the Faire.

  “Aren’t ye most charming, Mister Tivnan!” the girl said with a fetching blush that traveled down her cheeks to her modest cleavage held up to the most advantageous position by her dress. “I was looking fer a dance partner that I actually like, and was a-spyin’ the two o’ ye here and simply couldnae resist the opportunity.” Annie looked directly into Elias’ eyes and smiled. “Would ye mind takin’ a turn about the dance floor, Mister Tivnan?”

  Surprised and caught off guard, Elias glanced at his friend, the man raising his eyebrows and nodding emphatically, adding to his encouragement with a shooing gesture. “I think tha’s a wonderful idea,” Alistair agreed aloud. “Jus’ be savin’ a dance or two fer me,” he told the girl.

  “Nae t’night, Alistair,” the girl laughed. “I think someone already has claim tae yer card fer the evenin’!” she informed the man and pointed casually to another young lady that had slipped up unnoticed to Alistair’s side. “I think Belinda is havin’ a few ideas of her own!”

  Elias was able to see the nervous expression on his friend’s face as a fetching blond moved in to ensure Alistair wasn’t left alone as the fox was led to the dance floor.

  “I hope ye’ll be forgivin’ me my forward nature, Mister Tivnan, but me sister was wishin’ to welcome Alistair home from the Academy in her own, special way,” Annie said as she took the fur’s paw in her hand, and rather adamantly putting his other on her hip. “Belinda was bein’ a wee bit miffed that the scalawag didnae say a proper good-bye a’for his departure.”

  The fox swallowed hard. “Not at all. And please, just call me Elias.”

  “Hmmm,” the girl intoned. “Elias. A good, strong name. It fits ye,” Annie said with another warm smile before moving closer. “An’ yer a right fine dancer as well, Elias.”

  The fox couldn’t help but smile back as the pair spun slowly, the girl light on her feet. The dance that the couples around them followed was rather simple and easy to follow, being fairly tame compared to some of the dances that had been all the rage during the fox’s teenage years on Alexandrius, but he had to admit that it was rather enjoyable. They continued to dance for a few more sets until the music changed to something a little more energetic and Annie slipped her arm through his. “Would ye be fancyin’ a cool drink?” the girl inquired.

  “I bow to your wishes,” Elias replied, smiling at the effect his response had on the girl.

  “Then perhaps a drink an’ a walk in th’ cool spring air outside,” she suggested with another blush and smile. Annie ordered a soda with ice while Elias went for chilled tonic water and twist of lime, letting the girl lead them into the lantern festooned park-like gardens the gathering was being held at. “This is quite nice.”

  “It is,” Elias agreed.

  The young woman moved a little closer to the fox, all but resting her head on his arm as they strolled through the well pruned trees and flower beds. “So, I hear tell that ye an’ Alistair are both bein’ pilots? And With the Spatial Police Force? Isn’ tha’…well, dangerous?”

  Elias nodded. “It can be. Sure, we try to stop criminals and the like, but mostly we protect others, maybe rescue ships and crews that have had problems or mechanical failures. I don’t think that Alistair and I will be seeing a lot of dangerous encounters, though.”

  Annie smiled and rubbed her cheek against the fabric covering the fox’s shoulder. “Well, I fer one think it’s bein’ very brave o’ th’ two o’ ye.”

  Elias swallowed hard, and tried to keep from shaking. Because of Alistair and the man’s penchant for reading material that was geared more towards erotic imagery, the fox had discovered that humans, despite their lack of fur and weak senses, were rather attractive in some cases, Annie certainly falling into that category, though it was her personality that was the most charming. While more than appreciative of the attentions of the young woman, he was unsure as to the local customs regarding amorous liaisons. Not to mention there was the additional problem of him being a fur.

  What was even more daunting was, if the Gordon domicile was any indication, these people were as fond of their archaic but no less lethal weaponry as any Dennieran. Elias would really rather forego being turned into either a wall hanging or throw rug. He took a deep breath and tried to focus his attention on the grounds they strolled through.

  Never mind that the scent he was picking up from Annie indicated what she thought of the situation, something else that he found distracting enough that when trouble approached he was completely off guard.

  “An’ what, praytell, are ye doin’ with this…animal, cousin?” a voice inquired from behind Annie and Elias.

  The young woman whipped her head around, a scowl immediately manifesting on her face. “I was enjoying a nice stroll a’fore ye showed up, James. And I would most appreciative if’n ye let us be so it might resume.”

  The young human that approached with two friends wore a kilt similar in color and pattern to the sash that Annie sported, though his cronies were dressed in slacks and jackets. “Do ye know how disheartnin’ it is to not only fin’ yer cousin walkin’ abou’ wi’ a dog, but one tha’s wearin’ Gordon colors? Or is it tha’ the Gordon’s be crossbreedin’ wi’ their hounds?”

  “That’s enough, James!” Annie retorted hotly. “You’ll nae be startin’ trouble at the Faire!”

  The male assumed a look of deepest sympathy as he placed his hand over his heart. “Why cousin, I ne’er would dream o’ startin’ a fight here! The very thought is repugnant!” The false expression melted away to be replaced by a sneer of contempt. “But,” he began in a deeper tone full of animosity as he glared menacingly at Elias, “tae protect one o’ me own from a stray animal…well, I’d almost be beholden to involve meself in a situation like tha’, don’ ye think? Cannae have me beloved cousin assaulted when this…dog tries tae drag ye into the shrubbery to hump ye, can I?”

  “I’m a warnin’ ye, James,” Annie told her cousin ominously, blanching at what the young man had suggested before turning an almost dangerous shade of red.

  “I really hope this isn’t how you treat all representatives of the Planetary Alignment governing council,” Elias said quickly, wanting to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. “Normally assault on a PA representative is an automatic five yearsentence on a penal colony.”

“Representative?Wha’? Whaddya mean?” one of the other young men asked, coming up short with his eyes widening as he released his clenched fists.

  “Oh, yes,” Elias said with a nod. “Assaulting any member of an agency under direct PA authority is an automatic term on a prison planet. I really wouldn’t want to see Annie distressed over a situation like that.” He pointed to the pin on his lapel. “As it is, I am clearly marked as a said representative by this.” The fox then let his blue eyes harden as his lips lifted from glistening fangs in a gesture that was far from a smile. “Of course, I am with the Spatial Police Force and could simply shoot all of you. Ithink this would be considered an acceptable situation for the use of deadly force…” he said as his paw slipped into the folds of his jacket.

  The trio of would-be toughs almost tripped on each other trying to flee, not even slowing as Alistair and Annie’s sister, Belinda, came towards the fox and girl at a rather undignified trot. “They didnae cause any trouble, did they, Toddy-boy?” Alistair asked with a scowl at the retreating young men.

  “Nothin’ tha’ Elias couldnae handle!” Annie said, her eyes sparkling and bright as she held on to the fox’s arm a little tighter with both hands. “Ye don’ truly have a gun, though, do ye?”

  “Sorry. Just a pen and my DataCom,” Elias told the girl with a grin.

  “An’ now we know why foxes are always such wiley creatures in the stories!” Belinda said in glee.

“Maybe we should head back into the pavilion,” Elias suggested. “There are less chances to be accosted there with so many witnesses.”

“Oh, no! I’ll be finishin’ my stroll, thank ye very much!” Annie said as she steered the fox to one of the paths that had far more in the way of shadows, Alistair and Belinda waving to the pair until they were out of sight. “Besides,” Annie continued as she pulled Elias into a secluded nook of evergreens, “I should be thankin’ ye fer protectin’ my honor so gallantly…”

  Elias only had a moment to wonder if Annie were put off kissing someone of a different species with a mouth shape far different from her own, then he stopped worrying as her arms slipped around his shoulders and waist. What was just as surprising was when he realized he was holding her right back. 

*** 

  The air car that returned the group to the castle after the Faire ended a little before sunrise was of Alexandrian manufacture, Laird Aiden Gordon guiding the luxury vehicle to its garage with unerring precision. Lady Evelyn dozed in the passenger seat leaving Alistair and Elias in the back.

  “It certainly seemed as if Annie was mos’ taken with ye, ‘Lias,” the young human said as he let his head loll back and eyes closed.

  “She’s a rather remarkable young woman,” the fox agreed as he looked out the window at the lights of villages, towns and small cities beneath them, the lights looking like yellow gems on dark velvet.

  Alistair lifted his head, a sly smile on his face as he regarded his friend. “An’ what was tha’ I was hearin’ ‘bout goin’ out with her in a few days?”

  “I didn’t think it would be polite to turn her down.”

  The human chuckled noiselessly. “Then I should warn ye tha’ they only live abou’ three miles from home, righ’?”

“W-what?”

  “Aye,” Alistair said as he settled back, cracking one eye to look at the fox. “They live a few miles down th’ road at their aunt’s house. Done grown up with those two lasses. Been friends wi’ ‘em near long as I can remember.”

  “Interesting,” the fox said, his tail trying to wag despite being pressed against the seat.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.