Author's Note: Prompt suggested by FanFictionEngineer.


Y is for Yee-Haw


Dusty had known for quite some time that he wasn't the only Cropduster who went into firefighting…it was, after all, one of the top career choices for an Air Tractor after ag or military work…but after spending a lifetime of being the only Air Tractor around it felt really weird to run into other of his kind. So, when Dusty had arrived at this particular fire as a Call-As-Needed aircraft and there were already three Air Tractors gabbing away on the tarmac, the little plane's nerves started to get the better of him.

Not that the small flock of Air Tractors seemed to notice.

Almost as soon as Dusty's tires hit the tarmac, the racer was quickly surrounded by planes who looked nearly identical to him even down to their red and white livery but acted like completely foreign creatures. They instantly started starts spitting out rapid-fire questions in his direction so quickly that none of them could successfully stick in Dusty's brain long enough for him to provide an answer. Panic was starting to threaten to drown him when a handsome-looking plane in spotless yellow and blue livery rolled up and rescued him.

"Alright, time to back up boys, and give the new guy some room." The yellow plane spoke and instantly Dusty had to scratch out the word handsome and substitute the word gorgeous to describe the aircraft's paint job, for it was clear that the Air Boss on this particular fire was in fact a woman.

"You're a woman?" Dusty half stated and half asked as his brain finally managed to gain some traction.

"And is that a problem?" The Air Boss asked coolly.

"No ma'am…" Dusty snapped back in reply, which only made the plane give him a side-eye. Dusty really, really wanted to make a good impression, but when he opened his mouth, he only managed to produce verbal diarrhea instead. "What I mean is I was kind of relieved that you are a gal cause I have worked with a gal fire captain before and she was amazing and so I…I…I am clearly still in racing interview mode so I should probably just close my mouth and shut up."

"That would probably be wise." The yellow plane said with a slight twist on the edge of her lips and the other planes in the gaggle started sniggering. The graceful creature turned on the Air Tractors and with a single look, she quieted their laughter. Once the situation was once again under control she turned back to Dusty and with a softened expression. "Welcome to the team. My name is Carol, if you need anything please feel free to howler. Otherwise, I will let you rest up and get accounted with the other birds in your flight." She then once again turned her attention to the gaggle of planes surrounding them on the tarmac. "I trust that you will help the new plane feel included, he has had his firefighting quals for less than two years, so I expect you to keep an eye out for him, you hear?"

There was a chorus of yesses and with that, the graceful yellow plane slipped away like a boat slipping out of a dock and into the water. Dusty could but follow her movement with his eyes.

"She is married you know." One of the other planes interrupted his reverie with a quick slap of a wing.

That actually got Dusty to give the unfamiliar plane an eye roll. When it became clear that he was rapidly becoming the butt of a joke, the racer tried to defend himself. "That wasn't what I was thinking."

"Really?" Another plane snorted. "So, were you thinking?"

Dusty could feel a blush starting to burn on his cheeks. "I…I was trying to figure out how I could become a leader like her." As Dusty spoke, he could feel the words taking on a momentum of their own. "The moment that she swept in she was completely in charge of the situation. And I deeply respect that…" He allowed his eyes to flick up to meet those of the aircraft around him. "…And I really want to learn how to lead like that someday."

"Ah…" One of the planes jokingly cooed with a Cheshire grin splitting his face. "Someone has a crush on the captain."

Yet another plane called Carol. "The new guy has a crush on you!"

Carol stopped in her tracks before calling back over her wing. "What did I tell you about not hazing the new guy? I now expect four loops around the flagpole before dinner."

There were some good-natured groans and Dusty felt himself getting poked by a few more wingtips. But he also found himself with a place in the formation with three other aircraft that shared his pedigree. While his modifications made him something special, he was still struck by how easy it was to match speed and lock formation with the other Air Tractors. By the end of the last loop, he comfortably felt as though he was becoming part of a team.

"Yee-haw!" The aircraft off Dusty's leftwing cried to the wind. There was a choir of 'yee-haws' around him, and Dusty realized a moment he was expected to join in a few rotor beats too late.

"YEE-HAW!" He shouted with all of the force in his lungs and the aircraft around him dissolved into giggles. As they came in for a landing.

"We are going to make a cowboy of you yet!" Carol said with a chuckle over the radio and Dusty could feel himself relaxing. He may not fully understand the culture of a firefighting Air Tractor yet, but he couldn't help but get excited about getting to live it.


End Note: And with that, I have completed the last request. Tomorrow, baring some random natural disaster, etc. The letter Z story will be posted and the journey will be complete...I hope that you all have enjoyed the ride!