14 Moons

by C-130

From long winter nights to scorching summer days, there is always something going on at the Piston Peaks Air Attack Base. As the seasons change and the full moon rises, keep an eye out for a story that delves into the day to day life in the park. Long Night Moon...Illegal Fireworks cause a long night for several members of the Park's staff.

7. Strawberry Moon

Strawberry Moon

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Every season had its cues...the little things that marked the march of time. Of these, none amused Maru more than when Blade took over making coffee in the morning.

Hints that the transition was nearly afoot occurred slowly. Cabbie started sleeping in later as he transitioned from morning avalanche and mudslide patrols to evening supply runs. Blade, on the other tine, started to get up earlier and earlier as he started to patrol the parts of the park that were starting to dry and thus were at risk for possible wildfire. For a few days, the aircraft would awake at nearly the same time, at which point Blade would still differ to Cabbie's heavily caffeinated brew. But at a certain point, the two aircraft's sleep schedules would switch and the Chief would take on the mantle of brewer of the morning's first mug of coffee.

"You better hurry." Cabbie's deep chuckle echoed across the park's cliffs. "There will not be anything left in the pot after the smokejumpers get to that and Patch has already volunteered to make the second pot."

Maru didn't need to be told twice, for while he had managed to develop a taste for Cabbie's burnt and bitter as slag coffee and Blade's watery brew, Patch's flavored coffee blends were an abomination that would never touch the mechanic's cup.