-----Chapter 12-----

"So, let me get this straight...you're looking for Don Karnage?" the grizzled old skunk muttered over his drink.

"Yes."

"Might I ask why?"

"He stole something from me and I intend to-" Camdyn began, but was cut off by a monkey who was wearing clothes that had probably never seen the wash. And he smelled twice as bad.

"What? Get it back? Walk up to him and say, "Oy! You! Give me my stuff back! I'll tell your mommy on you and then you'll be sorry!" he said, laughing.

Camdyn stopped. That was exactly what she'd been planning. Well, not the mommy part, but it was pretty close. Camdyn wondered for a second or two what Don Karnage's mother looked like. She knew from what Sable and Roxie had said that both she and their flirtatious father were still around. Her wondering was short lived however.

"Hey...hey...leave my auntie out of this." a silver wolf with patches of white on his ears and around one of his eyes growled at the monkey.

"You're 'auntie'? Oh that's great!" The monkey continued laughing hysterically.

"Yeah. That's right. My auntie. I'll tell her you were laughing at her and then she'll come down here and...well, it won't be pretty."

"I ain't afraid of no one. Especially not yer 'auntie'. When I sees a Karnage standin' there telling me I'm about to lose my tail, I'll shut my mouth." the monkey snarled.

"Stupid monkey. There's a Karnage sitting there in front of yah tellin' you to shut up about his aunt and what do you do? You just keep talking!" the skunk said, looking quite exasperated.

"Well? Where's his aunt at anyway?" the monkey said, turning toward the skunk.

"My auntie? She's right over there." the wolf pointed across the room. It took Camdyn a few seconds to realize he was being serious, and to pick out the venerable old she wolf making her way across the room. She had gray fur, but there were hints of red to it. She stopped and looked at the monkey and then shook her head.

//Drunk.//

//I think so.//

The wolf looked at Camdyn, utterly unsurprised.

//He's also an idiot.// Camdyn offered.

//You're not joking. How many drinks do you think he's had?//

//Probably about three too many.//

//Good.// The wolf didn't wait for an answer, but gave the monkey a sharp rap with the parasol she carried in her hand. He dropped like a brick.

"Jeez. You're pretty formiddable with that thing." the skunk muttered, looking at the unconcious monkey.

The she-wolf began walking away from the group, but Camdyn went after her.

//Excuse me! I'm looking for Don Karnage, you wouldn't have happened to have seen him would you?//

//I've seen him. He left a few hours ago. I don't know where he went. My advice, my dear, is that if you want to find him, first find his ship.// the wolf stopped and looked out the window. //But if you want much better advice, I'd say to stay in town. There will only be troubles if you find my son.//

With that the old wolf shuffled out the door and left a confused Camdyn standing in the doorway looking after her.

"I could take you to him. I know where he's hanging out at."

Camdyn looked around to find the silver wolf looking at her.

"Umm...no. I've really got to get back to where I'm staying. I think they'll be getting worried by now." Camdyn made her way to the door. Something was telling her she should get out of there, and fast. Camdyn was looking around to make sure no one snuck up on her and jumped nearly three feet in the air as Mina's paw clenched on her shoulder. There was a soft scuffling noise in the dark that went un noticed as Mina berated the vixen.

"What are you doing? I told you not to go out without me."

"What am I a little kid or something?" Camdyn retorted.

"You are when it comes to this place. The three year olds know more about keeping a low profile than you do."

"I was looking for Don Karnage because you led me away from him earlier."

"I did not."

"Well, I think you did."

Mina sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Did it ever even occur in that mind of yours that perhaps I kept you away from him for a reason? Camdyn, he's not someone to take lightly. I should know."

"Hmph. It doesn't matter anyway. I just talked to his mother, I think. She said he was here, but he's gone now."

"Good. I hope he stays away until those idiots get this whole Johnson the Hunter thing out of their systems."

"What?" Camdyn looked up in time to catch the look on Mina's face that screamed 'I shouldn't have said that' "What do you know that I don't know?"

"Nothing. You don't need to know. Come on. Let's go back to Fauns." Mina said.

"Why don't I need to know? I'm beginning to think you don't trust me at all."

"I don't trust anyone. That's the first rule of captaincy. Everyone will stab you in the back if they can work up the nerve and get a chance to."

"But if it has something to do with the Hunter, shouldn't I know about it? I mean, I stole his plane and just got robbed by the Air Pirates."

"Like I said. You don't need to know. The less you know, the better. Then if they...no. Come on."

Camdyn stood and looked at the bear. "If they what? What's going on around here?"

"Nothing that concerns you, little girl." a voice said sharply from the dark. Camdyn turned toward the large black jaguar standing behind her, but she didn't notice him so much as she noticed the once tawny, now gray, wolf standing behind him.

"Now, you can come along quiet like, or we can take you by force." the jaguar said.

"She's not going anywhere. Now you can go tell your leader where he can stick it." Mina snarled from behind Camdyn.

The jaguar shook his head. "Karnage told us you might be this way. Oh well, can't solve everything without violence."

"The way I see it...you can either run from him...or turn on him." the old wolf said.

"Will you shut the hell up, old one?"

"I can't shut it up. My mouth it a gateway for wisdom."

"I said shut -oof."

//How dare you talk to your elders like that young cat.// The wolfess from the bar grumbled. Camdyn stifled a laugh as she throroughly beat him with her parasol.

"No time for the hysterics...if you run now you might just get away." the wolf said. The jaguar grabbed the parasol. Camdyn began backing away, but kept her eyes on the scene.

"Ha. You crazy old bag..." he said, holding the parasol tightly despite the she-wolf's tugging.

She glared up at him. "Oh, now you've gone and done it...only word she speaks in the english language."

"Crazy?! Never. Call. Me. That. Word!" Snatching the sword from her husbands belt, she punctuated each word with a slap from it using the flat of the blade. It was the very first time Camdyn had heard her speak anything other than what Camdyn had always thought of as "Islander". The language was spoken by nearly everyone in the Fandango Archepelligo. All two thousand and sixty four islands, keys and rocks. Now from what Camdyn could tell, she was speaking Spanish. The wolf launched into a veritable tirade in it. Camdyn was kind of glad that she couldn't say much more than 'hello', 'goodbye', 'thank you' and 'where's the bathroom?' in Spanish. She would probably have had a headache.

The jaguar was now laying on the ground whimpering in pain from the onslaught. He flinched as the wolfess picked up her parasol and gave him one final jab with it.

"M-M-Mad Dog, why the hell didn't you help me out!?" he yelled into the darkness.

Surprisingly, Mad Dog answered from right behind Camdyn.

"Because I might be dumb, but I ain't stupid. And I still ain't gonna help you out." Camdyn turned around quickly and found herself face to face with not only Mad Dog, but also Zoll.

The jaguar sat up, sensing that the attack had ended. "You were supposed to help me get the vixen. If you don't, I'm gonna tell Don Karnage that you didn't follow orders."

Mad Dog rolled his eyes. Camdyn had a feeling that he wasn't as stupid as he let on.

"What do you think I'm doin' you moron? I've got the vixen right here." He said. Zoll winked at Camdyn and she looked at him puzzled. Mina growled at the jaguar.

"What are you doing here anyway, Trap?" Mina prodded the jaguar none too gently.

"Followin' orders."

"What orders?"

"Ha...you think I would tell you? EYOW!" Trap yelped as Mina gripped his ear and twisted.

"You want me to rip it off? I can rip it off...do you want that?"

"OW! No! Don't rip it off! OOOOOWWWW!" Mina had given it another twist.

"Then talk."

"OK, OK, Roderick told me to come here and get the vixen...OW, take it easy will ya'? That's all I know...get the vixen and her plane, says Roderick, and bring them both back here in one piece."

"For what reason?"

"I don't know. Maybe Roderick likes her?"

Camdyn was surprised when Mina let go of Trap's ear. The jaguar rubbed at it, almost as if to make certain it was still attached to his head. Mina rounded on Mad Dog.

"I know you probably know what's going on. Speak up."

Mad Dog didn't say anything, just looked at Camdyn, back at Mina, then back to Camdyn.

"Don't you dare...Don't even think about it." Mina growled. Camdyn wondered for a moment what she was talking about and turned to look at her, then she felt herself being picked up and carried off.

"I told you not to dare! Get back here you mangy excuse for a pirate! You too, Zoll! COWARDS!" Mina yelled, chasing after them. "Damn you, you disgusting excuses for pestilences!"

"Hey! Put me down!" Camdyn yelled at, Mad Dog, she guessed since she saw Zoll running for his life from Mina. Camdyn wasn't surprised when she was let go and told to get into Mad Dog's plane.

"But how am I supposed to get-"

"Shut up. Get in. Hold on." Mad Dog snarled. Camdyn scrambled into the plane and managed not to fall out as Mad Dog climbed in. She ended up sitting with her feet in the cockpit and the rest of her on the top of the plane. Camdyn later thought of it as a bullride gone very wrong.

"Where are we going?" Camdyn yelled over the roar of the engine.

"The Vulture. Now shut up."

"Well, that was informative."

"If you try that smart stuff with them, they're gonna kill you."

"With who?"

"You'll find out when you get there. It ain't my job to tell you what they want ya for." Mad Dog said, he looked down as the radio crackled and Zoll's voice came over it.

"Mina's right behind me and boy is she mad. She's gonna kill us when she catches up!"

"So, don't let her catch up." Mad Dog replied, shoving the throttle up on his plane. With Mina trailing behind them they sped off toward the Iron Vulture.