"Where are we going, Mina?" Camdyn asked once she'd figured out the radio.
"Not to port, at least not just yet. We've got to lay low for a while. That guy is a big time bounty hunter and we've just put a one-two punch on him. We're going to Breaker Island. Just follow me." the big bear answered.
Camdyn wasn't certain if she should answer or just remain quiet, so she chose the latter. She wasn't certain she liked the sound of 'Breaker Island' either. It sounded like a desolate place. Presently, as the two arrived at their destination, Camdyn discovered that, contrary to the image of bare, wind swept rock, Breaker Island was a stereotypical tropic island. It even had a few small patches of palm trees and some small areas of grass. As she followed Mina in she noticed a large rambling house sitting on the land ward side of the islands only rock out cropping.
"Someone lives here?" she mumbled to herself, abruptly stopping her recon of the area and concentrating on more important matters. Like landing without killing herself.
Mina clapped her paws together as Camdyn struggled out of the cockpit and neatly rolled off of the wing, landing in a heap on the ground.
"Congratulations on your very first solo. You should write home and tell your folks." she said giving the vixen a hand in getting up.
"I'd rather just be able to get in and out of these things without killing myself. I don't think I'll ever be able to get it right."
"Ah, it comes with practice. Come on, lets get up to the house and let the Ladies know we've arrived."
"The Ladies? The same ones-"
"Yes. Come on." Mina said walking off as Camdyn hobbled along behind her, attempting to regain some feeling in her footpaws. She noticed the old bomber plane and wondered how in the world it ever made it off the ground.
"There you are! It's about time." Roxie called from the front porch of the large house. Camdyn blinked and shook her head as a small naked child ran past her and into the yard.
"Gertrude! Get back in here!" Rayne shouted as she came to the door.
"NO! Wanna live inna woods! Wanna be wild woman!"
"I'll let you live in the voods, if you don't get back here so I can dry you off and get you into some clothes I'll have the Captain take you off to some desert island and leave you!" Rayne snorted.
"Wanna go! Wanna GO!" Gertie shouted hopping around.
Sable laughed. "Well, that did not be working as you wanted it to."
"Haven't you ever heard of what the natives do to little girls?" Mina asked the still hopping Gertie.
Gertie stopped hopping. "Wha' they be doing?"
"They put 'em in a greeaaaaaaat big pot..." Mina spread her arms to indicate the size of the pot, "Then they eat 'em all up for dinner!"
Gertie screeched and ran to her mother who promptly wrapped her in a towel and carried her inside. Sable and Mina laughed.
"Mommy? There aren't any natives around here are there?"
"No."
"Oh good."
Camdyn looked at Mina. "Did you have to scare her?"
"Yep." Mina said laughing and disappearing inside the house.
"How many more kids are running around here?" Camdyn asked Roxie as they followed the others inside.
"Oh, there's just Gertie, Kelly and William. Call him Will. Never Willy. He hates it." Roxie answered. "Hello WILLY!" she called out to a grayish-brown coyote who looked to be about six years old. He looked up from the game he was playing and stuck his tongue out at Roxie.
Roxie led Camdyn into a large living room with several couches in it. One of them was occupied by a very pregnant calico cat.
"Ooooo...why? Tell me why? Why do we always say "Never again" and BOOM! there we go getting ourselves into trouble just one more time?" she asked no one in particular.
A kitten who was marked like a Siamese but resembled a alley cat answered "Because you loves daddy."
"Ooo! That stinking no good excuse for a tomcat! I'll...I'll MURDER him when I see him. I swear it! Someone bring me Samuel Kees roasting on a SPIT!" she shouted, waving her arms in the air.
The kitten looked up at her mother with an amused expression, then noticed Camdyn for the first time.
"That means she loves him." the kitten said sagely.
"You're right of course, Kel." Roxie said, grinning.
Camdyn followed Roxie into the kitchen which seemed to be the center of activity at the moment.
"So, where'd all the kids come from?" Camdyn asked.
"Oh lord, don't tell me no ones told the kid about the birds and the bees!" Lulu said with a cheeky grin.
"That's not what I meant!" Camdyn said quickly, blushing under her white fur. This set up a chorus of giggles from a few of the others.
"You're looking at the next generation of Air Pirates." Mina said.
"We've all got ties to the pirates somehow." Roxie said. "Me and Sable are the captains only siblings."
"Vhy don't you just go ahead and give her de formal introductions? It vill save a lot of confusion later."
"Well, OK...if you're sure you don't mind..." at every ones waves to continue, Roxie did.
"Well, you've heard the saying "Behind every great man is a woman"...urm...I'm not sure who to start with!"
"Me first! Me first!" Gertie said waving a paw in the air.
"Well, ok. This is Gertrude, and her mother Rayne Dougran, I'm sure you've met her husband, Sven Dougran." Roxie said, grinning at Camdyn's look of confusion. "But I think you know him better as "Dumptruck"."
"Oh..." Camdyn said. Roxie continued.
"This is Suki Elverson, but right now she's chasing after Morgan "Mad Dog" Righz. Next we have..." Roxie continued all around until she had named off everyone, even the calico who turned out to be Naomi. (*)
In the end, Lulu was the sister of a gunner Camdyn hadn't met, Kay was Zoll's girlfriend, Tilly was Maybelle's best friend, Maybelle was Will's wife. Mina quickly related the "Fire At Will" story, much to everyone's amusement. Naomi was married to a tabby cat who worked the radio room.
"I've only met Hal...I was half expecting one of you to be married to him."
Kelly paused from her attempts to steal a cookie from the counter and looked at Camdyn. She wrinkled her nose.
"Hal is icky." At this, Sable laughed and handed the kitten a cookie.
"She's always right you know."
Eventually, Camdyn and Mina found a place to sleep once it got too late to stay up. They both comandeered couches in the living room, since the beds were all taken. Camdyn lay looking up at the ceiling.
"What do you suppose made the captain change his mind?" she asked quietly. She hadn't thought much on it before, due to the excitement, but now it struck her as odd.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Well, he was arguing against me right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I was getting ready to leave, and he just changed his mind." Camdyn said. She heard Mina move on the other couch.
"What did he say...exactly. It's important."
"He just said that I could "Tell the bear she can train you as long as you aren't on my ship"
"He said that? Exactly?"
"Pretty much. The only other thing he said was that I was a distraction to the crew."
"Damn that wolf for the sneaky creep that he is!"
"Wha?"
"He tricked us! He said I could train you, as long as we weren't on his ship...but he never told you anything about when to come back, did he?"
Camdyn didn't even have to answer to know she'd been duped. Karnage had no intention of letting her come back as a member of the crew. He'd just said it to get rid of her. Camdyn's paws gripped the blanket and wished it was the red wolf's throat instead.
Mina sighed, breaking Camdyn's train of thought. "Well, I suppose there's nothing for it but to teach you and hope you can out-fly the others."
"What?"
"We have nearly exactly eight months to get you ready, then we're going to Hell Hole and test you against the other pirates. If you can hold your own, everything will be fine."
"And if I can't?"
"If you can't...well, you won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Camdyn was quiet for a moment then asked, "What do you mean?"
"You'll be dead."
(*)A small note about the pronunciation of Mad Dog's last name, it should be pronounced "Ryes" Dumptrucks' is "Doogran" Any resemblance to real pirates, living or in jail, is totally coincidental.