NOTE: This is derived from the "Swept Away" RP continuity which started in 2007 and has continued in various forms and spinoffs ever since, first on the old Hillbilly Hell forum and presently in Wingnut City. I'm sure it's not the first or only "Humans in the Carsverse" thing that ever came up, but boy, has it had staying power. By the in-RP timeline, the events of Planes 2 would be taking place perhaps 6 years after the humans' arrival.

"She did WHAT?" Mii'auww's brows lifted in incredulity as Nick related the nocturnal antics of one of Blade's team, "The Yellow One" - Dipper.

"She's CAMPED OUT beneath Dusty's window, both these nights." Nick's tone was a mix of astonishment and exasperation as his spark followed Mii and her mare back up the slope, into the woods, in the dark of the small hours. "That stunt she pulled with her float wasn't enough for her. Dips is a classic "groupie" through and through - if it's famous, fixed-wing and male, she turns into a super-powered being called Velcro Girl! I knew that the minute I first saw her, but hanging by Dusty's window and watching him sleep?! That borders on "creepy".

"Not just on the border, but living there." Mii'auww jerked at N'sheki's bridle as the mare attempted to grab one last mouthful of grass. Ideally, she should have grazed a little longer, but in high summer, night's concealment was short in duration. There were also a few Deere sharing the meadow with them, who nibbled at the grass with little concern once they figured that the newcomers were no threat. Mii swiped her free hand at a loose lock of hair, she would have to rebraid again. She had already had the "birds" tugging at her hair at least twice the previous day. The balsa thrushes had never before encountered humans, so they didn't register in the little creatures' profile of "things to be afraid of." Mii reckoned that strands of her blue-black hair were already adorning nearby nests. "Too bad your people have noses and ears like hunting hounds. It might've been fun to hide there and watch. How is Dusty managing otherwise?"

"Off to a rough start." the blue mote sighed. "Too high, too low, too fast, too slow... and then that episode with the campers, all fun and games until somebody gets a faceful of mud and it all gets back to the super. Y'know, Dipper's bad enough but the Spinmeister is even worse for chasing the stars." His tone changed. "CROPSLINGAAAAHH!" Seriously. If you stripped that guy's paint off, there'd be nothing left of him, that shallow." Mii'auww shrugged and mumbled something in response. There was very little, she'd found, that would silence Nick when he was on a roll.

Finally they were safely back within the old cottage's foundation walls, and Mii tethered the mare in her corner with the armful of grass she'd cut during that limited grazing time. She'd also gathered some berries and cattails that would serve for an early breakfast. The stalks took some cutting and peeling, but the core at the lower end was edible. Nick had gotten over his latest "roll" and seemed to settle. For once, he wasn't teasing the mare. His behavior had gotten a bit more careful over the last day. He'd told her of other entities inhabiting the park. Was he trying not to rouse them? Mii'auww lay back on her bedroll and sought a bit more sleep. Two hours to the dawn...

Above the cataract of Upper Whitewall falls, just a short hike beyond the falls' edge, there was a cairn of stones rising some twenty feet above the river's west bank. This pile of rocks was topped by a massive propeller with four broad blades, partially scorched. Before it was mounted a small plaque which read thus:

WALLACE EVERETT THRESHER

1957-1993

REMEMBERED BY THE PISTON PEAK NATIONAL PARK AND AIR ATTACK TEAM

"REST WELL, WALLY"

But resting, well or not, was the last thing this man's spirit was intent on doing. When he was roused, trees shook, dirt flew and interlopers found themselves swatted by well-aimed branches. Those with a long acquaintance of the park refrained from disturbing the area beyond the edge of the falls, and discouraged ground vehicles from going there. Aircraft who ventured beyond Augerin Canyon were given a grudging tolerance as long as they didn't fly too low. It wasn't talked about, but it was one of the things that people commonly agreed was Just. Not. Done.

So, for the most part, what remained of Wally was undisturbed. But this morning, the spirit sensed smoke before its sight and scent reached those at the base. It rattled around in frustration, and the trees shook. The shaking went on for another half hour, while it watched the air attack team flying in. The reverberations, physical and otherwise, were sufficiently strong as to make Nick pause as he followed Mii'auww up the ridge that separated the valleys. Before that, in the minutes after sunrise, he'd watched her rebraid her hair. On the nomads' native steppes, the wind would whip unchecked hair into knots in no time. Here, there wasn't so much wind, but the thrushes were still assaulting stray hairs at every opportunity. Mii ignored them; in the Nomad way, small hurts and irritations were simply things to be shrugged off as a horse shook its hide to ward off flies.

Just short of the ridgeline, Mii dismounted and led N'Sheki through the same narrow pass she'd found earlier, plucking a few more wild plums as she went. The scanner, turned down low, murmured the firefighters' transmissions. The wind was blowing south, not in a direction that would concern her with regards to Dusty's nose, but she was a bit surprised to see him being permitted to join the team in its firefighting efforts after the comedy of errors that summed up his training session of the previous days, all played out for her eavesdropping pleasure.

Well, it WOULD have been sort of funny for anyone who wasn't personally involved.

"We'd better watch it today," Nick's voice cut in. "Wally's up."

"I thought I felt something stomping around." Mii'auww frowned. "Recall you mentioning he had a problem with you."

"He just has problems, period." the spirit sniffed. "Opinionated, some would say a wee bit "bigoted". Not a people person. Few friends outside the team when he was among the living. A small vehicle can get away with being a little "antisocial" in our fair society, but a P-3 Orion with that attitude just scares the slag out of people. He'd been military, like Cabbie, but with a "dismissal" on his record, there weren't many other places that would take him. He never told anybody why he'd been cashiered, but I kind of guessed it was some "ungentlemanly conduct" at a drinking establishment."

"P-3 Orion." Mii sounded out the model name. "Haven't seen one named as such. Big, are they?"

"BIG four-engine turboprops." Nick affirmed. "Can fly for hours with only two of them going. They were coastal patrol and sub-hunting 'craft. But they also convert well as air tankers and whatever Wally's personal shortcomings, his humungous lifting power and load capacity made up for it as far as the team was concerned. He might've hated the world's collective guts, but he was a good firefighter. That's what Blade says whenever the subject comes up."

While Nick was going on, Mii watched the aircraft skirling about in the distance. Two days was a damned short time for a greenhorn to get on his proverbial feet. The new "SEAT" was, apparently, still testing the air boss's patience, mistiming the drop of his load and forcing others to make up for it, most notably the green skycrane, but Windlifter didn't seem to show any particular resentment. Indeed, it was hard to tell exactly what that big fellow was thinking. Dipper, for all her own flaws, did, in fact, show proof of a work ethic and an ability to keep her mind on business when it really mattered. As Nick's chatter finally broke back into her awareness, Mii'auww lowered the binoculars and stowed them back, sighing. "Dealing with you and him and any others would be a hell of a lot easier if I could just SEE you."

"Oh... yeah." Nick's voice dropped a bit. "Something else you have to do?"

"Something I NEED." Mii rummaged through her personal carry-bag. "Got everything but ONE item. We call it "nashuii", the mountain people have a form of it that they call "cinnamon". It's not quite as strong as the stuff we used to know, but Grandmother says it'll work if there's enough of it. She's been able to see local spirits that way, those that don't mind talking to her."

"And how do you use this stuff?" Nick sounded a little dubious.

"Mix it with a couple of other things, and burn it." Mii answered. "After all the right things are said and done. Wish I'd thought to pack some, but when I was first starting passage I wasn't expecting... this."

Nick was silent for a moment. "Cinnamon is a pretty common spice here. Just a sec." There was a stirring as his spirit left Mii's side. The spark disappeared below the treeline, and many minutes passed. After fifteen minutes, he was back again, looping and circling. "OK Mii, I got good news and bad news. Good news is, there's cinnamon right on the park grounds, in stick form. Now for the BAD news... it's at... the lodge. At the coffee bar that Spinner-boy just put in, Piston Perks. I wish I coulda brought some back, but I can't move #$% slag as a ghost."

Mii'auww hugged her knees as she heard this. "Can't let THIS situation go on, and can't go down there either. Damn it all."

"Well..." Nick was thoughtful. "You could, but you'd have to be sneaky about it." His attention went back to the fire. "Think they've got it contained now, but it looks like the jumpers will be camping there."

"I know." Mii had her ear to the scanner. "Sounds like Dusty had some better luck just now. He finally managed to let some of that stuff down in the right place."

"Good for him." Nick sniffed. "Say, I've got an idea. If you saddled up now and took the long route around, enough to skirt that burned area and where the smokejumpers are camped out, you could make it to the lodge by the time of the party."

"WHAT party?"

"The one Spinny-pie invited Dusty to. Lots of people going in and out - Mii, I know what you're about to say just from "that look", I know it sounds insane, but with all the hubbub going on, it'll be enough to screen your movements as long as you stay in the shadows. and all the criss-crossing scents will mask yours. And if anybody starts to wonder, I've just enough juice in me to create at least a little diversion."

"I know, but this isn't like sneaking cookies from the Ash Mountain bakery with the other kids. And I haven't done THAT since I was ten years old." Mii stifled her previous expression, put the scanner away, and rose to her feet. She lifted her fingers to her mouth and sounded out a low whistle; the mare came up the path to join them. Mii gave N'sheki the contents of one of the sugar packets hoarded from the meal pack. "And when Mama finds out... she'd be convinced there's no coming back from it." She went over her gear, on her person and on the saddle, one more time. "I dunno how I get talked into these things."