A Little Becky Will Do
By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

Those characters that are original and the story "A Little Becky Will Do" are copyrighted ©2009-2010 by Will Wolfshohl and Douglas Helm.

This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com website. The complete story is available on ShoujoFiction.

Chapter 12 "Return for Plunder"

Gibber cast a nervous glance upwards at the rock ceiling high overhead as the ground shook slightly. He'd never come to terms with the fact that the main pirate base resided on the same island as an active volcano. While the thought of being incinerated by lava wasn't a pleasant one, neither was being crushed by a cave-in.

The pirate and spymaster lowered his gaze to regard his captain warily. Don Karnage was sitting in his usual place at the head of a long table; the wary wolf had one leg casually thrown over the left arm of the ornate chair while he filed the nails of his right paw.

"Ah!" Don Karnage said, pausing in his grooming, "I cannot wait... That bulbous bear Baloo is coming and bringing with me my treasure for Kahn's machine and he is not knowing anything about it!" He cackled a little and then pointed the nail file at Gibber. "Go, and make sure that those lazy sea slugs are packing the machine neatly away!"

Gibber frowned, inwardly at least. Nevertheless, he pushed away from the table, got up, and stalked towards the exit just as Dumptruck and Maddog came strolling in. "You wanted to see us, Cap'n?" Maddog asked in his nasally voice.

"Yes," Karnage snapped and straightened, "I have an important job for you two." He fixed both pirates with a calculating look.

"Da, what is it, Captain?" Dumptruck asked in thick Swedish accent.

"You are to go and keep watch for the Seaduck," Don Karnage ordered. "You should know what it looks like I am thinking since you idiots always lose to Baloo."

"We'll get him this time, Captain!" Dumptruck promised. He pulled out his pistol to emphasize the point. Maddog mirrored the action as his own face took on an excited look.

"You will not be 'getting' anyone!" their leader roared, "He is bringing us my treasure."

"But Cap'n..." Maddog began quickly holstering his weapon. He then gulped as the Air Pirate Captain withdrew his saber from his scabbard. "Can't we capture him after he lands? Then we could keep the machine and the treasure."

Don Karnage cocked one eyebrow and then stormed across to loom over his minions. "I am thinking that you are to be forgetting who is the captain, yes/no?" the wolf stated in a dangerous and menacing tone of voice. As he did so, he placed the point of his saber against Maddog's throat. "Now, Maddog, what are MY orders?"

# # # # #

"Boy," Wildcat commented, "Those are big fish!"

Kit Cloudkicker lifted his gaze from the map he'd been studying to glance out his window where the mechanic was looking. "Uh... Wildcat, those are whales."

"Really?" The mechanic sounded awed.

Mentally shaking his head, Kit turned back to his map and then checked the compass heading on the instrument panel. "Okay, keep your eyes peeled for an island that looks like a heart with a bite out of it," Kit told the two older men, "It should be on our left at about ten o'clock." It was the only landmark for 100 miles.

"Roger, Navigator," Baloo commented. He started scanning the ocean below them. "When we find this island of yours, what then?"

"We turn due south, one-eight-zero degrees. I'd recommend climbing as high as we can after that... just in case."

"In case of what, Kit?" Baloo wondered, turning his head to regard the younger bear.

"In case we have to glide in. Sometimes if the volcano is actin' funny and spewing stuff out, it can mess up the engines of the planes." He knew Ratchet (the pirate's chief engineer) had installed special filters on the intakes of the Iron Vulture for precisely that reason.

"What does it do to them?" Wildcat asked worriedly.

"At best, it clogs up the intakes; at worst, it pits the cylinder heads and seizes them up."

"Oh those poor engines," Wildcat lamented, "I can hear them cryin' 'Help us! Help us! We're all stuffed up.'" He emphasized it by dramatically acting like a person choking to death.

Baloo, who by now had turned back to scanning the ocean, mused, "Can't go too much higher... We ain't no military type plane ya know but I'll do my best, Britches." He then thought, 'It'd save fuel too. Lower down, you got more air to push through. We may need the extra fuel.' A few moments later, he announced, "I think that's your island, kid. Take a gander." Kit moved from his seat to peer out Baloo's window.

"That's it, Papa Bear," the cub confirmed. "Now if we don't run into anything too serious, we'll be there in an hour or so."

"You call flying close to an active volcano NOT serious?" Baloo asked the preteen incredulously.

"Well," Kit said philosophically, "There's always the waterspouts."

He gulped. "Water... spouts?"

# # # # #

"Captain?"

Captain Weber, who was sitting in the command chair on the bridge of the KIS Sutherland, turned to regard the officer who had approached him, "Yes?"

"Sir, Radio reports target has changed course to..." the young ensign consulted his notes, "One-eight-zero. Radio also reports that the signal is still good. Distance approximately fifty miles."

"Very well. Helm, right standard rudder. Come right to one-eight-zero."

"Right standard rudder," the helmsman repeated as he spun the wheel, "Coming right to one-eight-zero, sir."

"Very well."

"Mr. Hunter, you have the Conn."

"I have the Conn, sir," Lieutenant Hunter (the Officer of the Deck) repeated.

"Very well." Lifting himself out of his chair, the captain moved over to the plot room where a large chart of the area was laid out. His executive and navigation officers were already waiting there. "Mr. Hobbs, what do our charts show us in that direction?" he asked his navigation officer.

# # # # #

'Oooo! When Uncle Baloo hears how naughty Molly's been, I hope he gives her a good spankin'!' Rebecca Cunningham thought. She, Molly, and Molly's friend Crystal, were sitting on the front porch of Crystal's home enjoying a midmorning snack.

'I like Crystal. She's really nice!' the five year old brunette bearess decided as she nibbled on an apple slice next to the girl, 'But why is Big Sis being so grumpy?' A very small part of her mind thought that it knew the reason. Yet when she tried to reconcile that vague idea, it just didn't make much sense to her.

Of course, Molly wasn't really misbehaving; she was simply jealous. Crystal, HER friend was getting along well with her "little cousin" - too well! It never occurred to the golden-furred cub that the reason the bunny girl liked Rebecca was because she found in the younger child something of a kindred spirit.

All Molly knew was that the five year old, her own mother, was horning in on her friendship with Crystal... and she didn't like it. Baloo couldn't get back quick enough in her opinion to turn her mommy back to normal. 'I should've gone with Baloo,' Molly thought, 'That way, I could've made sure he did this right!'

# # # # #

"Oh mama!" Kit's head came up at Baloo's awed tone. He blinked as he saw the first hints of the fiery volcano of Pirate Island off in the distance. Before them though lay jagged peaks that rose into the air like some monster's fingers. Below them, the sea was uneasy, a dark gray color. It was easy to see why the area was avoided. The sea roiled as the contradictory currents played amongst the many shoals, reefs, and shipwrecks that posed hazards to any ships that dared approach. Even so, the cone was the billowing pillar of fire racing into the sky topped by a large dark cloud that drew their eyes. "I would've never been able to find this place again without ya, partner!" Baloo commented while reaching across and cuffing Kit's shoulder. There were multiple course changes were required as well as flying through a high canyon pass to avoid all the hazards.

The young man smiled at the praise. It didn't last long though when he observed the fuel gauges and did a quick calculation in his head. 'Uh-oh... Will we have enough to get back?' He decided to double-check. "Do you think we have enough fuel to get the machine back to Louie's?"

"I think..." the gray bear began then paused. He glanced at the fuel gauges on the instrument panel while cupping his chin. He made a mental calculation assuming the added weight of the machine on the return flight. "We'll be fine gas-wise, Li'l Britches, but we might be on the reserves by the time we get to Louie's though." At Kit's worried look, he shrugged. "Don't fret... If we're close to Louie's, we're only a radio call away from help." 'At least, the kid has a positive attitude that we WILL get it back from pirates.' Deliberately changing the subject, he asked, "Okay, Kit, what now?"

"Um..." The cub pulled his eyes away from that fiery mound from Hell while simultaneously fighting back all of the unpleasant memories that wanted to come rushing back into his mind. "Well, Papa Bear, do you wanna knock on the front door and ask them for it back nicely?" Baloo gave him an odd look at the sarcastic comment and then chuckled.

"Nah, I don't think the pirates would be happy to see us and I don't fancy traipsing around with that smoker going off neither," Baloo offered with a grimace. Even as he said that, the lava fountain shooting into the air seemed to subside and drain back into the crater. Nevertheless, it still illuminated the underside of the dark cloud in an angry red glow.

"There's a cove and an old dock on the southeast side of the island," Kit suggested. "It's there for an escape route and they don't usually guard it. Not too far from their main base and it'll give us some cover."

"All right, Kit, you guide us in but before that, you gotta promise me something."

"What Baloo?" Even Wildcat turned to stare at his friend.

"If things turn ugly, you fly the Seaduck outta here and back to Kahn, and tell him where Pirate Island is."

"Me?" Kit squeaked, eyes bugging out, "Are you nuts?"

"No," Baloo said grimly, "It's just in case Karny decides to feed me to that machine of his. Promise me." He had a hard enough time flying as Kit (when they switched bodies). He probably couldn't do it if he were Rebecca's age.

"But Baloo..."

"Wildcat will help you if you need it, if you need to get us out of here but..." The big bear shrugged. The preteen cub swallowed hard and gave his mentor a profoundly unhappy look.

# # # # #

"Cap'n!" Don Karnage startled leapt forward, pivoting. As he did so, he let out a shout as he and the mirror he was standing in front of toppled to the ground. The wolf winced as he heard the large mirror shatter into a million pieces as it landed.

"Maddog!" he growled, bearing his teeth as he got up and drew his sword, "Are you not knowing that to break a mirror is seven years bad luck?"

"Yes, Cap'n, but..." Maddog stopped talking as his captain's sword point stung the underside of his chin.

"You will not be having to worry for long about that I am thinking," Karnage hissed sweetly.

"R-Really?" the nasally dog asked hopefully before wincing slightly as the point dug into his skin drawing a bit of blood.

"Oh yes... FOR YOU WILL NOT BE LIVING THAT LONG!" Don Karnage roared.

The scrawny pirate jerked backwards and putting up his hands pleading, "But, Cap'n, you wanted me to tell you right away when we spotted the Seaduck."

Karnage froze for an instant and then he lowered his sword, just a little, and asked, "Idiot, did I tell you to burst into my private quarters and be disturbing my magnificent self?"

"N-No, Cap'n. S-Sorry," the pirate stuttered.

"Well... Now that you've disturbed me. Tell me where they are?"

"It looks like they're heading for the Southeast Dock," Maddog informed his leader. "Dumptruck is still tracking them."

Karnage considered this for a moment and then nodded in decision. "Very well. Maddog, go and find Gibber and tell him that I want to see him. Then go back and make sure Dumptruck does not lose them. We will let these flyboys climb into my brilliant web!" As Maddog turned to leave, his captain held a paw up. "Wait!" The pirate paused. "After Baloo and his friends land, this is what I want you to do..."

# # # # #

Baloo Bear was apprehensive about being this close to an erupting volcano, even if said eruption seemed contained to the far side of the island. While he'd been on Pirate Island once before, Baloo had been a tad too busy worrying about saving his friends' (not to mention his own) lives to fret about such things as lava and choking ash clouds. Now the volcano was quiet although he imagined that he could hear it grumbling to itself.

Giving himself a shake, the large pilot turned back to his two companions. The three of them were standing on the Southeast Dock. It surprised him that although the dock itself was old, it appeared well maintained and sturdy - and best of all, deserted. "Okay, Li'l Britches, now what? How do we get in?"

The cub gestured towards what was apparently the only path that led away from the dock. "That way for now. There's a fork in the path about a hundred yards in." He regarded the older bear. "The sneakier way would be to take the right fork, but it might not be safe since it crosses over a crack where you can see the lava sometimes." Baloo paled slightly. "The left-hand path will take us all the way to the main hangar but it's always guarded." He then said confidently, "They're both have booby-traps but I can take care of them."

"I'd rather take my chances with the pirates than with that thing, Kit. He pointed at the still grumbling mountain of black rock in the distance. "We'll take the left one... Well, let's get going."

As they began walking down the path, Kit asked nonchalantly, "Baloo, did you ever come up with an idea to get the machine away from the pirates?"

"I'm workin' on that, son. I'm workin' on it," Baloo replied although he didn't sound too confident.

# # # # #

Inside the radio room of his battleship, Captain Weber asked, "Any luck?"

"No sir," the cheetah petty officer manning the radio replied straightening up in his chair, "We've got the course and estimated speed of the target at the time we lost the signal completely. We haven't reacquired it since."

"Recommendations?"

He turned to his captain. "I don't know enough about the area to make a firm guess, Captain, but given how we lost them and the high static levels, I'd say it was geological rather than mechanical failure or manmade interference. Perhaps, we'll clear it soon."

The captain grunted. "Very well. We'll maintain this course and speed, and hope we can get lucky. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything." 'The boss won't like it.'

"Aye aye, Captain!"

# # # # #

"I don't like the sound of that," Baloo muttered to himself as he felt the ground vibrating slightly. The volcano hadn't spewed any more lava but it was still belching smoke like a house with a chimney fire.

"Oh but Baloo," Wildcat piped up from his spot behind his large friend, "That's the same sound that your stomach makes when you haven't eaten in awhile."

The bear opened his mouth to reply but his attention was attracted to Kit who was leading their little group. The young man's shoulders were shaking slightly and he sounded like he was making gagging noises. "Something wrong, kid?" Baloo asked in a silkily sweet voice.

"No..." the cub replied, his voice obviously quavering with his effort to suppress his laughter, "Wildcat does have a point though."

"Well the 'Boss Man'," the older bear began as he patted his stomach, "Is important. At least, I don't have a sweet-tooth like you do."

"I do not!" Kit protested, though he felt his face heating up. "But Krakatau Specials are... special. It's not like I get them all the time or anything." 'Like Molly.' Wanting to change the subject, he wondered out loud, "How do you think it's going over at Crystal's?"

# # # # #

Somewhere in Cape Suzette, little Crystal sneezed. "Bless you," Molly said.

"Somebody's talking 'bout you, Crystal," Rebecca commented.

"What?" Crystal questioned. Her friend's cousin was fun to play with, even if she was a baby kindergartner.

"They say if you sneeze, someone is talking about you," Rebecca reaffirmed.

"Who'd be talking about Crystal?" Molly wondered, a scowl on her face.

Rebecca rolled her eyes at this and then for a little fun offered, "Well, it's obvious, ain't it? A famous movie director!"

Crystal giggled for a moment and then embellished, "Yes, I'm a beautiful starlet and he wants me to star in his next picture." The six year old bunny girl stood and struck a pose like some of the movie stars she'd seen in the magazines that her mother liked to read. Molly's scowl grew deeper. "You two can be my assistants."

"No way! I'm the star!" the golden-furred first-grader protested.

"Come on, Big Sis, be a sport," Rebecca pleaded. 'She's just pretending.'

# # # # #

Kit Cloudkicker wiped sweat from his brow and glanced back over his shoulder to see how his two friends were faring. "Is it just me," Baloo panted out, "Or is this place gettin' hotter?"

"We're getting close to a vent, Papa Bear," Kit confirmed, pointing to his right. The big bear turned and for the first time noticed a place in the ground where steam, or other vapors, were flowing out and swirling into the air. Luckily, they weren't noxious. "It should cool down in a little bit... once we cross it."

"Cross it?" Baloo repeated and gulped. "Please tell me you're joking, Li'l Britches."

The preteen cub shook his head. "See that big rock?" Kit asked as he pointed to a large boulder in the distance.

"Yeah."

"Well, there's a rope bridge over the crack just around that rock." Kit frowned for a moment and then continued, "Maybe we should stop on this side of the boulder and make sure the coast is clear. Sometimes, they send a guard out this way."

The lion mechanic glanced about and wondered, "What would he be guarding out here?"

"Might not matter, Wildcat. Karny might just send someone out here just 'cause he was mad at them," Baloo speculated. "But you're right. I haven't seen much out here that needs guarding. It was tough enough getting here past those booby-traps. I couldn't've done it on my own. Kit's right though. We should stay on our toes. Wouldn't do to get caught."

# # # # #

Don Karnage sat in the main meeting hall, his left leg thrown negligently over the arm of his favorite chair as he leaned against the back and right armrest. He hummed to himself as he cleaned his fingernails with a penknife. He was only half-paying attention to his motley crew milling about him.

He paused for a moment as he noticed Gibber enter the room and come towards him. "Ah Gibber, what news have you brought me?" The Air Pirate spy leaned over and whispered in his captain's ear. "So that bulbous bear is making his way here then?" His advisor nodded. "Excellent!"

Gibber frowned, clearly distraught about something. The Air Pirate Captain straightened before turning to face him. "You are wondering, I am thinking, why I am not taking Baloo and his little friends prisoner right away, yes/no?" His minion nodded. "It is simple, Gibber. Why should we do the work when they will come to me?" He cackled. "I ordered Maddog and Dumptruck to move his plane to the main hangar so it can be searched." 'I will see if that tiger has tricked me.' He doubted it but it paid to be careful. "Others are keeping an eye on them." The wolf smiled nastily. "And when they try to run..." He clenched his right fist. "I will be like the spider catching the pesky fly!"

He congratulated himself on his genius and settled back further into his favorite chair. "Ah Gibber, just think... Baloo has come and brought me my treasure." He smiled at the thought. 'It was too bad that Kit decided to leave my wonderful tutelage. But at least, he won't be able to take my captain's chair like I took this one.' His smile grew broader as that memory brought for another thought, one from when he was younger, 'What is that saying? Is it not the student one day who becomes the master? Well I did, and I claimed my prize.'

# # # # #

"Whoa!" Wildcat crowed as he stared at a petrified tree, "A cement tree!" He rapped it with his knuckles. "It must give out some heavy fruit, man." The scruffy lion missed the pained looks his friends gave each other.

Baloo watched the mechanic inspecting the fossilized tree for a moment more and then turned back to his young navigator only to find him frowning as he looked about. Something was obviously bothering him. "What's up, Kit?"

"We've only seen the one guard so far; back by that vent we passed over." The preteen frowned up at his mentor. "There should have been another one out here." It had seemed almost too easy to knock out that guard. Kit had lured the pirate behind a huge boulder and Baloo took care of him. Shaking his head slightly, he explained, "I know you say it would be difficult to find this place but Captain Karnage wouldn't just leave this entrance unguarded."

Baloo lifted his cap and scratched his scalp for a moment as he considered about what the younger bear had said. "So you're figurin' we should've seen another pirate or two around here." He looked around. It was deserted. "It's been awhile since you were here though, Kit. Maybe ol' Karny might've slipped a little." He paused and then continued after a moment, "Or maybe we got lucky and the Vulture ain't here."

"Maybe..." the bear cub sounded dubious, "That would explain the lack of pirates..." The pirates left behind at the base tended to be more lax when Karnage was away abroad his airship. "But if the Iron Vulture ain't here, we better hope the cargo IS." He didn't add that they both hoped the Dr. Zivaldo's de-aging machine was in the main hangar so they didn't have to sneak around searching for it. It seemed a logical assumption since neither bear thought the pirates would move the heavy machine far after unloading it.

The big pilot settled his cap firmly atop his head and stated, "Well, we should be gettin' a move on, guys. Here or not, the quicker we find that gadget, the sooner we can get home."

"Yeah, but Baloo, do you have any idea about how to get it back to the Seaduck without us being spotted?" Kit asked his mentor. There was no easy way they could wheel it back to the Seaduck.

Baloo didn't answer immediately but then he sighed. "Sorry, kid, I haven't quite figured that angle out yet."

# # # # #

"Da Captain's crazy, Maddog," Dumptruck grumbled as he and Maddog led a detail of five other pirates at a quick pace towards the Southeast Dock. 'I've got a score to settle with them.' The Captain had been furious after he allowed Baloo and Kit to escape from the brig. "Why don't we just nab those noodles?"

"Because," Maddog explained, "He's the captain... Now shut up before Baloo hears you!" It would be impossible for the large gray bear (or any of his friends) to hear Dumptruck's bellyaching but the skinny pirate was becoming annoyed at his friend's incessant griping. "If you don't like the Captain's plan, YOU tell him that." He actually agreed with his large friend but he was on thin ice after the broken mirror incident. He wasn't about to tempt the Fates.

The other pirates in the detail looked on with great interest to see his response. Dumptruck, who'd been scowling at his companion, shook his head violently at the idea of openly defying Don Karnage. He had worked hard to gain his captain's trust and become a mate. He had even been placed in command on occasion when Karnage left the airship. Still he muttered under his breath as he stomped towards their destination, 'It seems too mixed up. We should just nab Baloo and torture the information out of him! Why does the Captain need to have us move the Seaduck and set a trap?'

It wasn't that the hulking Great Dane couldn't do subtle if the situation called for it. After all, he'd snuck into and back out of Cape Suzette several times without being caught. The simple fact was Dumptruck was diametrically opposed to anything that wasn't open, direct, and aggressive. Somehow, this time at least, he managed to keep the rest of his complaints to himself long enough for the phalanx of pirates to reach the dock and the seaplane moored to it.

"All right," Maddog announced to the group, "Me and..." He paused and glanced at Dumptruck and decided to toss his friend a bone. "Me and one other will fly the Seaduck back to the main hangar like the Captain wants. Dumptruck will stay here and lead the ambush. Decide who's coming with me and let's get going before Baloo loses his nerve."

# # # # #

"Now there's the wrench in the gears," Baloo muttered as he peeked over the rock outcropping at the entrance into the Air Pirate's headquarters. He grimaced and hunched back down out of sight and looked at his two friends. "Any other way in there, Kit?" he asked quietly, "Seems like Karnage doesn't want company today." The large bear didn't mind his chances against one pirate and two didn't seem so daunting, but four was a completely different matter.

Kit grimaced and shook his head. "Sorry Baloo. Not really close by," he answered in a whisper. "I could get them to chase me while you and Wildcat sneak past."

"Sounds risky," Wildcat put in. He sounded oddly worried.

"Well if we want Becky back to normal, we gotta risk it," Kit argued. "Listen, I'll draw off a couple maybe three. I'll head back for the 'Duck and lose them. I've been all over this place. They won't catch me. You two go in and see if you can find that stupid machine."

Baloo didn't like the idea but with no other alternatives, he nodded. "All right, Kit, I don't like it but you're right. Which way to the hangar from here?"

"Go in and bear left. If you get lost, just keep going left towards the water. You'll eventually get to the hangar. Whatever you do, don't go right that takes you deeper inside and if you're not careful, you might walk into a lava tube or their main hall."

"That would be bad," the mechanic commented.

"No kidding," Kit agreed. "So? Ready?" He regarded Baloo.

The big gray bear looked around and spotted two rocks on the ground about the size of baseballs. "All set," he told the younger bear, "Kinda wish I'd let you buy that slingshot now." He grinned slightly as the preteen cast him a dirty look. "Well go on. We'll meet you back at the 'Duck. You stay safe or Beckers'll skin me alive."

Kit had to fight down the urge to giggle. Nodding, he inched his way towards the outcropping's edge, took a deep breath, and jumped out. "HEY!" he shouted at the four startled pirates, "YOUR MAMA WEARS COMBAT BOOTS!" With that, he turned and pelted away from Baloo and Wildcat.

"COME BACK HERE!" two of the pirates shouted and dashed off in pursuit of the preteen.

"Go and report to Karnage," one of the pirates, a burly bulldog told a ragged-eared greyhound, "We're in pursuit of Kit but we haven't spotted the others, and then come back here."

"Right!" the greyhound replied and hurried inside.

"I didn't know they let women in the Army," Wildcat mused to Baloo.

The large pilot gave the lion a pained look and then made a shushing motion before shifting one of the rocks into his right paw. 'Oh mama,' he thought, 'Please let me have good aim!' Popping up, he flung the rock as hard as he could towards the lone remaining pirate.

"What the..." the bulldog began while jerking to the side to avoid the stone whizzing toward his head. He wrenched himself the other way but let out a pained yelp as Baloo's second projectile smashed into his ear. "Why you...!" he began to snarl only to be silenced by Baloo driving his fist into his jaw. The pirate flew back smashing against the rocks of the wall and slid down into a boneless heap on the ground.

"Come on, Wildcat," Baloo commanded and waited for the lion to catch up before opening the door.

"SURPRISE!" at least a dozen voices shouted. The gray bear's eyes opened wide upon seeing a large throng of armed pirates on the other side of the door.

Cursing his luck, Baloo turned and grabbing Wildcat by the arm started running. "But this isn't left, Baloo!" Wildcat shouted as he was dragged along.

"Those guys say different!" his big friend shouted back as the mob of pirates surged after them. Thankfully, the mob became momentarily jammed in the narrowing passageway, which allowed the pair to open up a little distance between them and their pursuers.

"I can't believe it!" Baloo moaned to himself as he ran, "When did pirates become so smart?"

"Maybe they went to school?"

For perhaps the first time in his life at that moment, Baloo really wanted to slap Wildcat. He shook off the feeling. Not only would it be unfair to the lion but it wouldn't help in the least. He suddenly realized what had happened. 'A trap... They set a trap for us! And I walked right into it!' He just hoped Kit was okay. "Let's get back to the 'Duck pronto!"

As the seconds slipped away, it seemed as if Baloo wasn't gaining any ground. In fact, the pirates were getting closer. He didn't dare look over his shoulder. Soon though, he spotted the crack in the ground that they had crossed and the large boulder near it.

The pilot's eyes opened wide as he saw Kit coming fast from the other direction. He dashed around the boulder headed right for him with a group of pirates hot on his heels!

"It's gone!" Kit shouted when he spotted his friends, "THE SEADUCK'S GONE!"

That brought Baloo and Wildcat to a dead halt. "My baby's gone?" Baloo repeated as numbness settled over him. He simply stared at Kit as the pirates pursuing them closed in with their weapons drawn. They were surrounded.

Coming next in Chapter 13 "Finally! I'm Grown Up!"

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