"And the man in the back said everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz,"-Sweet

Stingray's-

"Heya babe!" replied the dashingly handsome, and egotistical, wolf.

Baloo turned to look over his shoulder and saw the wolf reach out to a lioness and give her a big hug. Accompanying the wolf were five other men including a large and muscular duck, all of whom were wearing Army Air Corps flight jackets.

"He's not bad looking," said Thom.

"HA! You haven't met him yet."

"You don't like him?"

"You don't know him like I do."

Baloo turned away, hoping that London wouldn't notice him but he was too slow.

"Is that who I think it is?" came the jovial voice of Ace London, "Is that…is that…Baloo Bruinwald?"

"He noticed you cuz," said Louie who gave a chuckle and then headed to the bar.

"Well if it isn't my ol' buddy Baloo!" said London as he pulled a seat from a nearby table and sat down next to Baloo, "What brings my ol' buddy to these parts?"

"Hi London," Baloo said without any friendliness, "Work brings me here."

"Work huh?" laughed London, "So what is ol' Baloo Bruinwald up to these days?"

"I'm a cargo pilot," Baloo answered in an emotionless voice.

"You don't say," said London who turned to his fellow pilots, "I always knew ol Baloo would make it as a pilot. A few years back he was in the Air Corps with me. We were in the same crew on an old Maartin MB-2 Bomber but we weren't pilots."

"So he didn't stick around the Air Corps?" asked the muscular red-headed duck.

"Naw, he got out and I got into flight school. Now he's a cargo pilot."

"So what are you flying these days London?" asked Baloo who decided to make a small attempt at conversation.

"Yes, what do you fly?" asked Thom with a smile on her face.

London smiled slyly at Thom and forgot all about Baloo. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself, "Ace London, First Lieutenant of the 18th Pursuit Group Usland Army Air Corps. I fly a Boewing P-26 Peashooter."

Thom shook the offered hand, "Thomasina Whiskerson graduate student, but you can call me Thom."

Oh brother! Baloo thought to himself, Gimmie a break!

"Grad student huh?" London chuckled, "Nice!"

"Are these all of your fellow pilots?" asked Professor O'Bowens.

"Yes they are mister…"

"Linus O'Bowens," the professor replied and stuck out his hand for a shake, "Professor of Archaeology."

London shook the professor's hand, "Archaeology huh? Sounds interesting…anyway let me introduce you to my guys." London pointed to each pilot and rattled off their names.

"Bad Boy Burkhardt,"- a cocky-looking wart hog.

"Mean Max O'Leary,"- a scruffy dog with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Crazy Chris Miller,"-a goose with eyes that appeared to look out in two different directions.

"Wingnut Walsh,"-a hyper-looking weasel.

"Turbine McQuack,"-the muscular red-haired duck.

"Well you certainly all look like winners," said Thom as kindly as possible. To her this bunch looked like a bunch of cocky and self-absorbed frat boys…but their leader was handsome. "How'd you get your nickname Ace?"

"Actually it's a call-sign," he answered with his trademark style flair, "I shot down five Air Pirates in one day and five is what it takes to be an ace so that's how I got it."

"It must've been dangerous."

"It was nothing!"

Please God make him go away! Thought Baloo.

"I guess you're pretty well respected," Thom said with a smile that was anything but respectful.

London was oblivious to her veiled insult and responded with his catchall phrase, "You got that right!"

Baloo dusted off his glass of beer and said, "I may need another round."

"Too bad you got out of the Air Corps Baloo, you coulda been in my squad," London said with a kind laugh.

Even though the fighter pilot was being friendly Baloo still didn't like him. He had had to put up with the egotistical wolf his entire time in the service. They were stuck as bunk mates in basic training and ended up as part of a four man crew for one of the Air Corp's first bomber types; London served as a bombardier while he handled the bombs and all throughout their time together the wolf had gone on incessantly about himself.

During their service together, he had spent more time than he would've liked with London. They were once again stuck together as bunk mates which meant that not only was he around London throughout the duty day but he had to spend his nighttime hours with him. On top of it London was a sly con artist. He had a habit of being able to con just about anyone into doing what he wanted. The smooth talker had used Baloo to his advantage buy getting him into bringing in alcohol to the barracks, which was against regulations. He sweet talked Baloo and others into doing any duties that he didn't think were befitting of him, and he dragged Baloo into situations in which he didn't want to be involved with, including one that very nearly resulted in Baloo being demoted during a court martial.

"Yeah I could just imagine being with you London," Baloo said sarcastically.

"It'd be like old times!"

"Yay."

Thom could sense the tone of Baloo's voice and decided that now would be a good time to go to a different part of the bar.

"Hey your girlfriend is leaving the table," said Turbine McQuack.

"Oh they're not dating," said O'Bowens.

"Hmmm, is that so?" said London with a grin.

"Hey guys," said Wingnut Walsh who pointed at the group of sailors, "She's going over to those squids!"

"Too bad," said London as he saw Thom take a seat to a cat sailor, "She likes swabbies."

That remark ticked Baloo off, "What's that supposta mean London?"

"Geez Baloo no need to get bent outta shape," London said as if talking to a five year old, "I was only remarking that she has poor taste. A girl like that deserves better than a crackerjack."

"Guess she deserves you," Baloo said coldly.

"You got that right!"

While the scene with London was playing out, Louie was busy waiting at the bar for a drink. He noticed that the waitresses were too busy going to different tables that he decided he couldn't wait any longer for a drink. Now he was getting a pitcher from an overweight puma bartender. As he was returning to the table he looked in the direction of the bar's entrance and saw three familiar figures walking in: a rhino in a suit, a gorilla in a suit, and between them a diminutive alligator in a suit and hat.

"Here comes trouble," Louie said to himself.

Trader Moe and his two goons walked into Stingray's and made a beeline to the bar. They had just flown in from Cape Suzette with the purpose of expanding their racket and were very thirsty. As they neared it Trader Moe spotted a familiar-looking face.

"Hey doesn't that orangutan work for Branigan?" Trader Moe asked his goons.

"Duh, then why is he here boss?" asked the rhino goon.

"Yeah boss, shouldn't he be at work?"

"You know something you two?" Trader Moe asked sarcastically.

"I know how to read!" said gorilla goon.

"I can drive!" added rhino goon.

"Sono cosi stupidi!" Trader Moe lamented, "The two of you'd be lucky to share a double digit IQ! That guy works for Branigan but if he's here he's not working!"

"If he's here he's not working for Mr. Branigan boss," replied rhino goon.

Trader Moe was about to cuss out his goons but realized it was no use. They were so dumb that they probably wouldn't realize that they were being insulted. Instead the alligator decided to grab a drink and then follow the orangutan to his table.

"So Baloo ol'buddy," asked London, "Where are you taking the professor?"

"Nunya," said Baloo who finished off his glass of beer. He looked around and saw Louie heading toward the table with another pitcher.

"Nunya?" asked London, "Where's that?"

Louie sat down and proceeded to pour himself and Baloo a drink.

"Its not 'where' its what," said Baloo who filled up his mug and took a gulp. He could feel the effects of the alcohol on his body. He felt a little unsteady and his speech was somewhat slurred, "And what it is is nunya business."

London furrowed his brow for a moment as he did not get the understanding of the joke right away. As soon as the punchline was evident to him he laughed, "Ol' Baloo Bruinwald, always a joker!"

"Baloo," asked O'Bowens, "Perhaps we should get back to the plane and get some rest. We have an early day tomorrow."

"Sure thing professor," said Baloo as he downed another glass and reached for the pitcher to refill it, "Just as soon as we finish our beer."

"Someone sounds like their getting lit up!" laughed London, "Just as long as you don't leave the place with their pitcher…can't have you getting in trouble for taking a glass back somewhere it isn't supposed to be."

That was it: London's statement made Baloo angry. He couldn't believe the audacity of London to hint at something that had nearly cost Baloo his rank. Years before when he and London were in the Air Corps, they had gone out on the town on a mission to drink it dry. London had gotten carried away and Baloo had had to drag him back onto post. Along the way the wolf had scrounged up a bottle of cheap alcohol and stuffed it in his pocket without Baloo noticing. They had then gone back to the barracks.

There was a standing order on the post that no alcohol was allowed in the barracks. As soon as they had arrived, London pulled the bottle out, cracked it open, and resumed his drinking. Baloo tried to stop him by grabbing the bottle from his hands. At that moment, one of their sergeants had walked in and saw Baloo holding an empty bottle of booze in his hand. The irate non-commissioned officer had flipped out and tore into Baloo. He then called for the military police to come and take Baloo to the provost marshal's station and thrown into the drunk tank. For his part London had passed out on the floor and he too was carted off.

As this happened on a Friday night, the two were left in the drunk tank portion of the brig until Monday morning when their company commander and first sergeant arrived to pick them up. Baloo was told that he was going to be charged with disobeying a lawful order and was informed that he would be tried at a court's martial. London had received a verbal reprimand for two reasons: 1. He wasn't actually seen to be in possession of the bottle, and 2. His father was a colonel and an aide to the commanding general of the Air Corps.

In due course the charges against Baloo were dropped as three other soldiers who happened to be in the barracks that night had testified that Baloo had taken the bottle away from London before he could cause any havoc. Their testimony caused the court martial's presiding officer to throw the case out and Baloo was let off the hook with a verbal warning to watch who he associated with. London on the other hand got off scot-free. Rumor had it his father had pulled some strings and got the incident swept under the rug. Within two months he had been reassigned to pilot training while Baloo finished out the rest of his enlistment six months later.

Even though he had gotten out of being convicted, Baloo had remained angry at the man who had almost gotten him thrown in the stockade. He had managed to avoid seeing the wolf ever since…that is until tonight.

Right now though, Baloo had finally gotten completely fed up with the hotshot pilot, "London, I'm only going to tell you this once," he growled, "Walk away."

"Why ol' Buddy?"

"I am not your buddy," Baloo said, "A buddy wouldn't have brought liquor back to the barracks and then stayed quiet while someone else took the rap."

London gave him a questioning look for a moment before the meaning of Baloo's words sunk in, "Oh that!" he laughed, "Aw c'mon Baloo ol' buddy, that was years ago! You can't still be sore about that? I mean you got out of it."

"Yeah I did…and I got out of our 'friendship."

"Its in the past Baloo," London laughed his annoying laugh, "Its ancient history. You never got in any trouble so why bring it up."

"Because of you, I had my application for flight training turned down," Baloo said angrily, "The CO thought that I wasn't responsible enough to be a pilot because I had been sent to a court martial."

"You got out of it," said London in a placating voice, "They dropped the charges."

"Didn't matter! The CO didn't like the fact that one of his people went to a court martial so he made sure my request was denied…too bad my dad couldn't have hooked me up."

London's men bristled at this remark and London felt his blood pressure rise. He had just been insulted. He hated the fact that Baloo had said aloud the real reason why he had gotten accepted to flight training. In spite of the insult the wolf decided to try and diffuse the situation.

"You know something Baloo?" London said in a kind voice, "If there was ever any problem its now in the past, buddies always get over things."

"If that's your way of sayin sorry," Baloo said and took another drink, "You should keep trying."

Turbine McQuack and the other pilots closed in on Baloo. They weren't going to allow London to be insulted any longer.

Just as they were about to start something they were interrupted by a small alligator.

"Well well well," said Trader Moe to Baloo and Louie, "If it isn't two of Branigan's saps."

"Saps?" said Louie indignantly, "Who you callin saps short stuff?"

Upon hearing short stuff the two goons went to stand next to Louie's chair, one on each side.

"Hey who are you guys?" asked London.

"Who are we?" asked the alligator in a mean voice, "I'm with the collection agency and I'm here to remind these two that they need to remind their hard headed boss that my boss is raising the rent."

"Look pal," Baloo said with an alcohol induced slur in his voice, "I'm already not having a good night without you so would you mind going away."

"Would I mind?" asked Moe who was readying to order his goons to hurt Baloo.

London and his men backed off a couple of feet and watched the scene play out. Louie downed his glass and readied to use it as a weapon. Thom, who was still with Billy the sailor, watched from over her shoulder, and in the back of the bar the black clad wolverine watched with interest along with three other wolverines who had just walked in.

Baloo was about to say something but was interrupted by the professor.

"Gentlemen please," said O'Bowens in a kind and fatherly voice, "There's no need for anyone to be angry. This is a bar and everyone here is having a good time. Now I suggest that we all be nice to each other and we can all have a drink together to calm our nerves."

"Be nice to each other?" Trader Moe said mockingly, "Where the hell did you guys find this guy at? He sounds like a grade school teacher."

"Actually I am a professor at the University of Cape Suzette."

"Oh!" Trader Moe said sarcastically, "Excuse me professor."

"You're excused," O'Bowens replied politely

"If you're a professor then why don't you profess to these two chumps to profess to their boss to make sure he better have my money on time?"

"Look pal," said Baloo, "I barely even know who you are but we're hundreds of miles away from Cape Suzette and I gotta a job to do so I can't tell our boss anything right now, but I'm sure Mr. Branigan will have your money on time so leave us alone…by the way, what are you guys doing so far from Cape Suzette?"

"Not that its any of your business," Moe sneered, "But I'm looking to expand my business, besides this is an open city so whose going to stop me?"

Louie could tell from Baloo's voice that he was getting angry, "Hey cuz, maybe we should just call it a night."

"What? And let them get the better of us?"

"Baloo, we should be getting along. We have a long flight ahead of us," added O'Bowens.

"Yeah Baloo," said Trader Moe, "Why don't you just chicken out like you're friends want?"

Baloo looked around and saw that all eyes were on him. Everyone at his table, Trader Moe and the goons, London and his pilots, even Thom and her new sailor friends were waiting to see what he would do. He had to make a decision: either walk away or stand up to the little alligator. If he walked away then he would save a lot of people trouble and avoid a fight. But if he did that then he would be viewed as a coward. If he stood his ground then he'd more than likely wind up in a fight with someone who was in the mob.

He decided to swallow his pride. He was going to get up and leave. He had a job to do and getting into a fight wasn't part of it.

"You know something? I got better things to do than beat you up."

He instantly regretted the words as soon as they came out. He was going to say that he' had better things' to do and leave it at that but the alcoholic haze he was in got the better of him and Trader Moe jumped on it.

"Beat me up?" the alligator laughed, "Boys, it sounds like this guy is threatening me. Teach him a lesson on how he should talk to me."

The two goons closed in on Baloo and as soon as they placed their hands on his shoulders it was on…only neither they nor Baloo kicked things off.

At their table in the back of the bar, the four wolverines watched with keen interest. The angry and rowdy bunch was just itching to fight and waited for the right moment to release their pent up aggression. Their patience was rewarded as soon as the too goons in suits clamped their hands down on the gray bear's shoulders.

Baloo looked left and right at the hands of the rhino and gorilla and sighed. He didn't want a fight but now he had no choice.

Trader Moe grinned, picked up the pitcher of beer, and dunked it on Baloo's head.

That did it.

Baloo shot straight up out of his chair and reached for the alligator. The gorilla goon pushed Baloo down onto the table. Then he lifted Baloo up, punched him in the stomach and threw him down to the floor. Louie made a move but was kicked down by the rhino who then slipped on the spilt beer and fell back into the table that was occupied by the eyepatch wearing wolf and her husband. The couple's food and drinks went to the floor as the impact from the rhino hit their table with enough force to knock it over.

The lead wolverine saw the scene and decided that this was the moment.

"ATTACK!" he screamed and everything went crazy.

Bar Fight-

Professor Linus O'Bowens of the archaeology department of the University of Cape Suzette had been in exciting and dangerous situations before. He had sailed across the Mediterranean Sea in rough weather on a ship that had almost capsized, he had been chased through the jungles of Patagoita by angry, spear-wielding pygmies, been attacked by irate gorilla birds in darkest Afrika, worked in the searing heat of the deserts of Ghafia and Abyssinia, almost froze to death in the Arctic tundra of Thembria, found himself caught up in a civil war in Ronguay, and had survived a bout of Yellow Fever, but nothing had prepared him for his first bar fight.

As soon as someone yelled 'attack' the whole place erupted into a melee in which he was at the epicenter.

The wolverines charged out in different directions and threw themselves at the first people they came to; male, female, old, young, big, small it didn't matter, everyone was fair game. One of them went charging up the stairs to the rooftop patio and instigated a fight up there.

The puma bartender saw the wolverines charge into the crowd and said angrily, "It's those damn Wolverton boys again!" right before he was hit by a merchant marine who had been sent flying over the bar by a large polar bear who then took a shot in the back by a pool cue wielding donkey who had a shock of red hair and a stogie in his mouth.

"Way to go Lampy!" yelled a yellow hat wearing donkey as he watched his red-haired friend whack the polar bear.

Lampy looked back at his friend and hollered boldly, "That's how you do it Pinoke! The bigger they are the harder they-URGH!"

Lampy didn't have time to finish his sentence. The polar bear, barely fazed by the strike from the cue, grabbed Lampy by the throat, and choke-slammed him into the floor.

A Marine got bumped into the table full of sailors who immediately threw him to the floor. This caused an entire table's worth of Marines to charge the sailors. Marine dress blues merged with Navy blue wearing sailors in a collision of fists, feet, and curses.

"DAMN SQUIDS!" shouted a Marine.

"JARHEAD BASTARDS!" yelled a Sailor.

A khaki-clad ostrich took a nasty left hook from one of the wolverines who was then jumped by a bomber-jacket wearing pig pilot.

The obese tabby cat and his dart throwing buddy, an emaciated goose, got trampled under by a trio of gun-running lions, one of which was stabbed in the calf by a dart from the goose.

The bear with the scar punched a skinny coyote in the face for no reason whatsoever, there was a lot of violence going on at Stingray's for no reason whatsoever; save for the opportunity to be in a bar fight, immediately the coyote's girlfriend grabbed the bear's bottle of beer and cracked him over the head with it.

The eyepatch wearing wolf and her husband grabbed their bar stools and went for Trader Moe's goons in revenge for the rhino goon running their dinner. They hit both goons hard enough to break the stools on the two, but the two goons were too dumb to register much pain.

The suit wearing panda, actually a foreign spy sent to gather information on the island's military installations, found the nearest wolverine and attacked him with a flurry of punches and kicks. The burly wolverine was no match for the quick, hard strikes from the kung-fu trained panda. It took the rest of the Wolverton boys to take the spy down.

Hugo the doorman and his fellow bouncers worked their best to stop the fight but despite their best efforts the melee grew.

Soon everyone in the bar was involved in the fight, even the two fat female hippos. Everyone was involved except for one: the elderly fox in the sea captain's hat continued to sit at the bar and drink his rum. He looked around him and said dismissively, "Kids."

Thom watched as a duck sailor went flying through a window and then looked worriedly for Billy. She spotted the young sailor right in the middle of a large tussle. Billy was swinging away at a jackal Marine who took a vicious hay-maker to the side of his face. The Marine went down and Billy looked over and saw Thom staring at him.

The young sailor smiled at her and was then hit by one of London's pilots who was thrown by the gorilla goon.

Thom sighed, grabbed someone else's beer, walked over to the gorilla, and clocked him in the face.

The gorilla frowned at her and said in his clueless voice, "Thank you but I'm not thirsty."

Trader Moe grabbed Thom and spun her around and said, "You're with that fat bear pilot!"

"Let go of me creep!" Thom yelled.

"Or else what broad?"

"Or else this," came a calm voice that was followed by a fist to Moe's face which sent the alligator sprawling on the floor.

Thom looked at her savior and smiled, "Thanks professor!"

"Not a problem my dear," O'Bowens said, surprised at himself for getting directly involved in the fight. A second later he was knocked to the ground by the rhino.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" came a loud roar.

Trader Moe, who had by now gotten up off of the floor, his two goons, Ace London and his fellow Army pilots (who had entered into the fray with the Sailors and Marines with the aim of determining which service was toughest), and everyone else in their portion of the bar turned and looked at the source of the roar.

Baloo stood there, seemingly oblivious to the fighting around him, focused on Trader Moe and his goons, and started toward them.

"Goons, get this friggen guy!" Moe said to his underlings.

The gorilla made his way toward Baloo and took a swing at him. The pilot ducked and then came back up with an uppercut to the goon's chin. The blow hit the gorilla so hard that his knees buckled and fell to the floor face first. Baloo stepped forward and continued on toward Trader Moe.

The diminutive alligator looked at the rhino goon and said, "Is it too much to ask? Go get this guy!" The rhino reached for his pistol which was concealed beneath his jacked but was stopped by a blur of orangish motion.

Louie had jumped up on Baloo's shoulders and somersaulted to the ground in front of Baloo. The orangutan slapped the rhino's hand away, dropped down to the floor on his hands, and kicked the rhino in the gut with his feet.

The rhino doubled over and was finished off by a punch from Baloo.

Trader Moe sneered at Baloo, pulled out a wad of cash, pointed at Baloo and Louie, and yelled to the crowd, "A HUNDRED BUCKS TO WHOEVER BEATS UP THESE GUYS!"

In spite of the noise generated by the fight, the words of the mobster were picked up on by many of the bar's patrons who now focused all of their attention on Baloo and Louie.

"Gimmie a break!" Baloo said.

"I think that's what they're all planning on cuz," replied Louie.

"Back to back?" Baloo asked.

"Back to back," said Louie.

The two stood back to back with their arms raised and were set upon by wave after wave of bar patrons. The two swung and kicked at everyone and everything that came close to them. Quickly they fought their way toward Thom and Professor O'Bowens who were now near the Air Corps pilots.

Ace London and his boys were doing rather well at the moment. The squids and the jarheads had been too busy with one another by the time he and his crew had entered into the fray and now the Air Corps pilots were dominating the competition. Turbine McQuack, a former college football linebacker, led the way.

"Ace!" said Crazy Chris Miller, "These guys are a bunch of wimps compared to us!"

"You got that ri-" was about all Ace managed to get out before a fist slammed into his face with so much force that it knocked the cocky wolf unconscious.

"I hate it when you say that!" Baloo said automatically in response to the hated phrase. He then realized that he had accidentally knocked out his former Army buddy, "Sorry bout that."

Turbine McQuack turned toward Baloo and attacked him. The two big men traded blows with one another and it was only the sound of sirens that caused the two, equally matched opponents to back off.

"It's the cops!" Trader Moe said, "Come on you two! Let's go!"

"Where are we going boss?" asked the rhino goon.

"Away from here!"

"Why boss?" said the gorilla who had by now recovered from Baloo's uppercut.

"Because, there's cops you morons!"

Fifteen seconds later the local police, backed up by Army military police and the Navy shore patrol, entered the bar to break up the fight. Unfortunately for them instead of stopping the fight they were drawn into it.

"I think we should leave!" said O'Bownes to Baloo and Louie.

"Right!" Louie said.

"Where's Thom?" asked Baloo as he fended off an angry wolverine who had just jumped in front of him.

The wolverine hit him in the face a couple of times before Baloo reached out and wrapped the wolverine up in his arms and got him into a headlock. He looked out and saw Thom. The graduate student was pushed by a mean looking lady hyena. Thom reacted by slapping the hyena upside the head and then turned to face someone who had just put his hand on her shoulder. She drew back her fist but stopped herself as she realized who it was.

Billy the sailor grinned at her with a bloody mouth. "We gotta get out of here before the cops arrest us!"

She took his hand and together the two of them hurried toward the broken window. On the outside of the window laid the duck sailor who was still dazed by his flight through the glass. He was soon joined by a tiger who had been tossed off of the balcony by panther.

"Get outta here Thom!" said Billy as he watched the tiger land.

"What about you?"

"I gotta stick with my guys!" he said with a bloody grin.

Acting on impulse, Thom leaned toward Billy and kissed him on the cheek. Billy's grin grew wider and then he was snatched away from the broken window by an irate Marine.

A second later the fight spilled out onto the street. Over one hundred people, a combination of Stingray's employees, bar patrons, and law enforcement personnel flooded out of the bar like water escaping from a burst dam.

She spotted the professor and the two pilots and made her way to them.

"Quick!" she said, "Let's get back to the plane before the cops get us!"

The three men wasted no time in following her suggestion and beat feet back to the airfield, leaving the rioting horde behind.