"Not a bunny girl, no" answered Wendy. "Because you know what would really freak Terry out? If I went as a bunny guy!"
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"Oh man" Zack laughed "You know that thing new huskies get, the 'please order me to throw myself on a live hand grenade so I can demonstrate my devotion to you, sir' thing? Our little Goldie's got it bad."
"Great" Harry chuckled. "Point for Naomi, I guess, although I suspect this is more about species than gender. If you're sure that's what's going on, then you can integrate her into the regular training. See if she knows if the Lone Wolf had any support among the predator population. If we can get her to fink on them, we can go after them and be sure that the Lone Wolf has burned his bridges. Moving along, I've gotten more complaints over the new bucks hassling the does. Katie, take some of the new huskies you're more confident about and up patrols in that area. Anything you see like that, break it up immediately. Let the new bucks know that we're keeping an eye on them. I doubt if any of them will be crazy enough to initiate violence, but anything they start, we finish." Regardless of the management, he added silently.
"You got it." answered Katie.
Harry looked around at the somewhat unusual place the five huskies, Harry plus the only leadership huskies he trusted absolutely, Zack, Katie and the twins, were meeting. By a loud brook near grasslands, where Harry's sensitive nose revealed no smell of electronics. "There's something I want the four of you to keep confidential. Naomi's girlfriend, Charlotte, runs a security and investigations firm. I've asked her to investigate what's going on with the new bucks and the management. There's something that stinks here. If Charlotte or Naomi--Charlotte may be a miracle worker, but I doubt if she can keep Naomi out of this--approaches you, cooperate. But keep it confidential until we have a better idea what's going on."
The leadership huskies nodded.
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Terry had lost track of the days. Lady Katerina had told her that the Lone Wolf had been caught and expelled from the Park, but that didn't seem to matter. Why would she, why would anyone, leave the Warren? Terry remembered that at one point she had been a male human, and one day she would leave the Warren and be one again, but neither past nor future meant much in comparison to the present, to the perpetual daze of sex with the bucks--Tim remained her favorite, but variety had its points--and nonsexual but pleasant hugging and cuddling with the other does.
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Charlotte was ambiguous about taking on Harry's job. She did need the work, but these "investigate something fishy with top management for a disgruntled middle manager" gigs had a way of backfiring, and she didn't want Naomi to be immediately involved with the Park again before she had fully engaged with the outside world. But ultimately there was no way to keep her out of it. And the whole thing did stink to high heaven. Well, thought Charlotte, I guess I have the canine instinct to stick my nose into something that stinks.
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Report: The leader of the group is Vincent "Vinny" Usborne, although he allows Carter "Chad" Willingham to be the public face. Several informants described Willingham as "a dumb jock who thinks he's smart" and Usborne as "a smart slimeball, the kind of guy you really don't want to cross." Usborne has recently made a big chunk of money trading tech stocks, probably with inside information from his uncle, Gregory Usborne. An SEC investigation was dropped for reasons which remain unclear. The group, which calls itself "The Fraternal Order of the Stag" has a bad reputation for hazing and sexual harassment, although so far it has steered clear of actual rape charges. Several people who had been to parties with the members of the Order described them as "really creepy" and described relations between the dominant members of the group, including Usborne and Willingham, and subordinate members as based on humiliation. Several informants referred to high-status members addressing low-status ones as "bitch" and forcing them to dress in women's clothing. Rumors were cited that the Transformation Park trip was about "taking this up a notch" and Willingham, while intoxicated, was overheard boasting that "a lot of the guys on this trip wouldn't be staying guys for long" and "some of the guys will be finding out what happens to guys who aren't worthy of the antlers."
Not this again, thought Harry, reviewing Charlotte's first report. Don't bad ideas ever die?