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bracelets. Grimshaw kept one hand jingling while she moved her other hand for the animal to smell. Instead of sniffing, the creature lashed out with a defensive bite.
    “Watch it!” Hank said. “Are you alright? Did it bite you? We should sedate them. Jax, don’t let the other one get out.”
    The little black nose of the second one was poking out of the cage. Jax quickly closed the door.
    “I’m fine,” Grimshaw said. “He’s just doing what he’s learned to do: to protect himself. Aren’t you? It’s okay. No one’s going to put you back in that cage.”
    She kept her hand in front of the creature. After a small sniff, it started to lick her. “What a sweetheart.” Grimshaw looked up at Jax. “Do they have names?”
    “Not that I know of,” Jax said, looking at Hank.
    Hank rolled his eyes.
    The creature seemed to have warmed up to her considerably, pushing its snout against her fingertips, even using her as a scratching post.
    “Well, then, what is your name?” she asked the animal. “You certainly have a lot of spunk. A lot of moxie. Oh, I like that—Moxie. What do you think, Moxie?”
    “I don’t think it’s going to stick around,” Jax said, watching the animal losing interest in the physical attention. If it got away, Jax was sure it would be him chasing after it, getting bitten, if he was able to catch up to it at all.
    Although … this strange, happy girl did seem to have a way with the animals. She was perplexing, and intoxicating for Jax to be around, like stepping into a field of fragrant wildflowers.
    “Shouldn’t be too much to worry about,” she said. “They were almost killed in a plane crash? The real tragedy would be to cage them up and dissect them now. If they want to leave, we won’t stop them.”
    The animals were her responsibility now, and Jax didn’t like it. From the red flush in Hank’s cheeks, Jax could tell he really didn’t like it, but if she let them go, it was up to her.
    “Not considering the people it might bite,” Hank scoffed. “I don’t want to make you feel rushed, but you’ve had a chance to go over the information the captain sent?”
    “Right, the violence is spreading to Australia,” she said, and stroked Moxie’s neck. Her smile was gone. “Then we should start taxiing for the launch.”
    Grimshaw sprang up and ran to the entrance of the plane, jingling her bracelets. Moxie stood for a moment, glanced at Jax, then followed after her.
    “I just came up with the perfect name for the black one,” Jax said, following Grimshaw. “Little Hank.”
    Hank stopped. “That’s offensive.”
    Jax walked backward toward the plane, watching Hank’s expression. Hank looked up at the plane, and a pleased smile breaking across his face. Jax could feel it too: this assignment was important. Somehow they had impressed the captain, and now they were being entrusted with a delicate operation.
    Then Hank looked back down and watched Moxie, chasing after Grimshaw. His smile soured and turned into a frown. “Jax, they can’t come. They’ll spoil the Atticus! The smell. They’ll poop on everything.”
    Jax took in a deep breath. Even with the bright sun overhead, tilting toward the western horizon, the air felt crisp. Excitement was spreading through him. No time to sit and worry, dread, or overplan—he was doing something to help humanity. Then, though, he remembered the rat plane—and the all too typical dread moved back in. Would Jax choke the next time they ran into Animalis? Let another opportunity slide into the hands of his enemies? Would he let someone die?
    “Oh!” Grimshaw stopped with her hand on the door to the jumper. “I need to introduce you to my copilot, Hodge.”
    The door to Grimshaw’s jumper swung out. Standing just inside the door was a fox Animalis.
     

Chapter 5
    Fox
     
    The fox’s ears perked up as it looked at the small group.
    “Are these them? Boys? Oh, they stink, Hurley. Hi, hello. Where are you from?” it said to