Chapter 78

Anita and Freya were delighted when Hazel the centaurian postal carrier, trotted up to the front door and after tipping his hat to them, rummaged around in his mail bag and pulled out two letters and a small package.

One letter and the package was addressed to Anita and was from Anastasia herself.

The other letter was addressed to Roger and was from Silky.

Hazel smiled at Freya and said apologetically, "Sorry, there is none for you this time, I'm afraid. Dena does send her regards though."

Freya merely shrugged and remarked,"Ah hadnae sent onie letters an' such, sae Ah cannae expect onie replies tae letters Ah hadnae sent!"

Hazel chuckled at her turn of logic and replied, "when you are ready to send a letter, you know what to do!"

Tipping his hat to them, Hazel turned and trotted off to make other deliveries while he was there.

Roger looked a bit puzzled when Freya came into the room, smiled and handed him the letter from Silky.

"A letter for me?" He muttered while opening it.

Pulling out the several pages of the thin onionskin paper Silky liked, he read quietly without comment.

Handing the letter to Freya he commented, "It seems our Silver Lady's gone grocery shopping and had to use her voice to prevent a crime. She also got a reimbursement on the groceries she had bought!"

Freya took the letter and began reading.

Anita came into the room with her letter from Anastasia and a steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee.

She grinned and said cheerfully, "There's a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen. Anna sent it to me and Gudrun made some for me!"

She waved Anastasia's letter around and said, "Anna's coming up to visit for a spell and to get some writing done without any interruptions."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Well, it is about time we headed back home, I think we've done enough damage for one visit!"

They spent the next couple of days preparing to return.

First, a harness had to be made for Golden Eyes, Sasha's mate.

The hamlet boot maker, Ingrid, simply fashioned one out of some of the bull elk hide reserved for belts and harnesses.

She also made a new pair of boots for Freya to wear, they were made a bit on the roomy side for her still growing feet.

Roger retrieved his now empty ale barrels after explaining to Old Harald, that he had paid a deposit on them and they weren't his to keep.

Otherwise, he'd cheerfully give them to Old Harald for his ale brewing.

The day of their departure dawned bright and clear, not a cloud in the sky and it was almost warm enough to wear only a tee shirt and blue jeans.

The whole family and a few well wishers, all trooped down to the mountain lake where the bulky sea plane sat waiting.

Sasha and her mate gamboled about quite happily, she was going home and her mate was going with her.

Roger smiled at their antics while quietly wondering if Portland was ready to have its own pack of giant wolves, he figured Sasha being young, would bear about six pups. The 25 acre property the library sat on would soon seem a mite crowded.

While Sigurd had assured him that once they were weaned, homes would be found for them, he still wondered how he was going to deal with a litter of enormous puppies.

Then he remembered Sasha's maternal instincts and smiled, she would keep a close watch on her brood!

Arriving at the lake, they all saw the bulky sea plane floating at the end of its tether securely tied to the end of the dock.

A smaller float plane was also tied on the opposite side of the rough hewn dock. Nearby were pitched a couple of colorful tents and some camping gear was visible.

A rack of fishing poles told the rest of the story, vacationing fishermen were trying their luck and skills at Ape Lake.

A large dog began barking its fool head off as the mixed group approached the dock. A tousle headed woman emerged from one of the tents and called out, "What're ya barkin' at ya crazy mutt? There's no one here but us!"

Then she turned around and saw the small party of Jotuns and humans accompanied by four gigantic wolves.

This motley assortment was clearly heading towards the dock where the two planes were moored.

Her big dog valiantly charged towards the nearest of the giant wolves while barking like a mad thing.

Too slow to catch her dog, the woman vainly cried out, "Stop Rex! Stop ya idiot, they'll eat you!"

Sasha darted forward, her floofy tail wagging happily and met the big dog about halfway.

Moments later, the two were friends bounding about happily, the big dog reduced to puppy size by the massive bulk of the pony sized wolf.

The woman stood still, mouth agape at the sight of her big dog now fawning at the massive feet of a gigantic, female wolf.

She was even more amazed when a tiny pixie of a human girl began playing with her once formidable guard dog.

The human male came forward and smiled as he said, "Hi! We're here to get our plane and take off, we'll be outta here in about half an hour or so, then you can get back to fishing."

She looked past Roger and asked quietly, "Are they Jotuns? I've heard of 'em but haven't seen any before...They're huge!"

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Yes, they live up by Ape mountain and this lake is where they come to get fish when they feel like it. They also keep the local bear population in check or rather, their guardian wolves do."

The woman smiled and remarked drily, "That explains why we haven't seen any."

She patted the large revolver hanging off her shapely hip.

"My husband and brother in law are down by the lake, been there since dawn going for trout I guess."

She paused to marvel as two of the huge men began pulling on the rope tied to the bulky sea plane off shore.

Slowly, the majestic plane moved towards the dock as they steadily pulled on its tether.

A man began shouting, "Honey? Are you all right?"

They turned to see two husky fishermen lumbering towards them in their bulky waders, their faces florid from their efforts to get back to camp.

The woman muttered, "Thank God he's not waving a gun around!"

She hollered in reply, "I'm fine! Take it easy, they're just here to get their plane and take off!"

The two men came up to them puffing and blowing, their faces redder than usual.

The woman smiled at Roger and said cheerfully,"These two worry warts are my husband Tom, and his younger brother Brad."

Tom having recovered his breath, extended one massive hand and said, "Pleased to meet you!"

As he and Roger shook hands, the bulky Martin Mariner was now dockside ready to be opened up.

Tom grinned and said, "Well this answers my question about who flew a sea plane up here, you must be the pilot."

Roger smiled at him and replied, "Actually I didn't fly it this time. My companion did the flying chores this trip!"

As if on cue, a towering girl dressed in snug fitting blue jeans and an Icelandic wool sweater detached herself from the group of Jotuns and came over to them.

Nearly eight feet tall, the towering beauty smiled as Roger handed her the keys to the bulky sea plane.

Roger grinned at Tom and said, "This is Freya, my companion and she is the world's tallest pilot. Those fine folks are her friends and family."

Freya extended a hand and as Tom shook it, she said pleasantly, "Ah'm pleased tae meit yer."

Tom grinned back at her and replied, "And I'm pleased to meet you too!"

She briefly shook hands with Brad and walked briskly over to the bulky aircraft.

Brad grinned and remarked candidly, "I do believe she is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Is she single?"

Roger chuckled and replied,"Freya is not quite 14 yet and according to Jotun custom, she will declare her heart's desire on her 18th birthday when she's fully grown."

He pointed towards the other Jotun women and said, "As you can see, she's got some growing to do yet."

Brad laughed and replied, "I like big girls I gotta admit, but they are waaay outta my league!"

Tom jerked a thumb towards his younger brother and said, "His girlfriend back home, is six foot four. These ladies make her look like a child by comparison."

Tom turned and hugged his wife, a robust woman in her own right.

He then looked over at their dog who was placidly snoozing while the giant wolves lolled about nearby.

He chuckled and commented, "That dog of ours ain't got the sense to come in out of the rain. Look at him, snoozin' like he's at home!"

Roger smiled and said cheerfully, "It's like that back home, I'll find Sasha snoozing in the front yard with all the dogs and kids in the neighborhood playing nearby. She's like the neighborhood guardian wolf and no one would dare to bother her kids!"

Sasha upon hearing her name being mentioned, got up and casually strolled over to Roger for an ear rub.

Naturally, Roger began playing with her great furry ears while her pink tongue lolled out of her mouth.

Tom chuckled and said to his wife who was admiring Peter Ericcson from afar, "Ya see Jess, I'm not the only one who plays with my dog's ears, they do like it...Annnd she's easily distracted by a big, strong man once again! Forget it Jess, he's likely married and so are you!" he finished cheerfully.

Jess grinned at her husband and replied gaily, "Sorry hon, I can't help looking. Those guys are huge and a girl can't help wondering..."

Roger chuckled and said drily, "While it is possible a human male could be with a Jotun female. I don't think the opposite is possible and god help the human girl who gets impregnated by one. A 15 to 25 Lb baby is considered normal birth weight among the Jotuns."

Freya by this time, had opened up the bulky sea plane and was fitting Sasha with her safety harness, Sasha happily shlurped her cheek and Freya giggled while saying, "Noo's nae th' time fer playin' ye silly lass!"

Roger grinned at Tom and Jess and said cheerfully, "Welp! I gotta run, it's been a pleasure meeting you all."

He quickly shook hands with them as they wished him a safe journey.

He joined Freya and Anita in helping her with the plane.

The empty beer barrels were secured along with their luggage and the plane got a thorough going over before the engines were started.

With everything in order and the two wolves strapped down in their harnesses, Freya's dad cast off the mooring lines while Roger reeled them in.

Sigurd took up the long pole kept at the dock and eased the big Martin Mariner away from the dock as Freya started up the engines one by one.

The bulky sea plane drifted away from the dock as the engines warmed up and Freya finished the final pre flight checks.

Satisfied that all was in order, Roger, Freya and Anita all waved good bye to the small, mixed party of humans and Jotuns standing on the dock.

Freya throttled up the massive 18 cylinder engines and after a few moments, she engaged the four bladed propellers at maximum pitch.

The heavy plane surged forward, the roar of the engines silencing any attempts at conversation.

Slowly but surely, the heavy plane rose from the placid surface of the water and as it rose higher and higher. Freya brought it around over the small crowd, for a final waving of hands and a gain in altitude before she aimed it southwards.

Roger waved at the crowd far below them and leaned back in his chair to enjoy the flight home as Freya was handling all the piloting duties this time.

Once they were at cruising altitude and speed, Freya made a few adjustments to the engines and engaged the auto pilot.

That was Roger's cue to climb down from the flight deck and make some coffee.

He simply flipped the switch on the unit and saw the red indicator light begin glowing.

The coffee maker had come from a Lockheed C-5A galaxy, he had found it at a surplus sale and glommed onto it immediately. It would provide them with plenty of fresh, hot coffee for the coming flight.

Anita unbuckled herself and saw to the two wolves.

Sasha as usual, shlurped her while Golden Eyes her mate, was a bit more reserved.

He wasn't quite used to humans just yet and was a little shy around her as she was so much smaller than the Jotuns he was accustomed to.

Anita smiled at him and gave him a little treat which he gladly accepted.

Anita smiled and said pleasantly, "This'll help you relax during the flight." She gave one to Sasha as well and soon, the two giant wolves were fast asleep.

When they were still about two hours away from landing in Portland, Roger sent a text to Ildico advising her of their impending arrival.

Afterwards he resumed his listening to the steady drone of the big Curtiss-Wright 18 cylinder engines, watching the sky and scanning the instruments for any changes in the aircraft's status.

He glanced over at his gigantic companion. Freya was also watching the sky and keeping one eye on the bank of instruments before her.

She smiled at him and jerked her left thumb towards the back of the plane, pivoting in his seat, Roger saw that Anita was slumped over on the bench seat in slumber while the two wolves snoozed quietly.

He grinned at Freya, what else was there for Anita to do?

She was sitting where the radio man had sat and with all the old time radio equipment now part of another Martin Mariner being restored by the Commemorative Flight Museum to flyable condition, there was a fairly cozy place for her to sit and it was a bit quieter than up on the flight deck.

A half hour out, Roger received a text reply from Ildico, "Got your message, will meet you there with your van...Ildi."

Shortly after that they were circling around the airport in the holding pattern, a couple of jet airliners ahead of them.

Freya held back knowing that the turbulence from them could affect even a bulky plane like their Martin Mariner.

Roger was keeping his vigil at the instrument panel continually monitoring the engines.

Privately he wondered what life had been like for one of the flight engineers aboard the massive B-36 Peacemaker bombers. One of which was owned and operated by the Commemorative Flight Museum.

With its six 28 cylinder piston and four jet engines, he must've been a busy man indeed.

Roger stole a glance back at Anita, she was now awake and firmly buckled in while the wolves slept on.

The clunking made by the landing gear coming down woke the wolves and they sat up, quite alert, their great ears angling to better analyze the sounds they were hearing.

A few minutes later, Freya eased the bulky amphibious plane onto the runway.

There was a brief squealing of tires and a rumbling from the landing gear now supporting the aircraft.

Freya applied the brakes and slowed the craft enough to make a graceful exit from the runway.

Following the ground support vehicle, Freya brought the plane right to its usual parking place outside the large hangar owned by the Portland Vintage Aircraft Association.

Ildico was already there and chatting pleasantly with Robert Williams, the owner of the Cessna 195 Businessliner Roger had borrowed when he and Freya had to fly up to Ape Lake for Induna's funeral.

Freya had taken her flight lessons in it and used it to solo in, when she was still small enough to fit in it.

With the Martin Mariner now parked, Freya shut off the engines and they soon whirled to a stop.

Engaging the post flight cool down system, Freya leaned back and stretched her long arms.

"Ahhhh! It's guid tae be back!" She cried happily.

Exiting the plane they greeted Ildico and Robert Williams.

Anita admired the slim lines of the sleek Cessna and said, "I like that plane, it has very nice lines to it."

Freya grinned at her diminutive friend and said, "That's th' plane Ah learned tae fly in when Ah was yoonger."

"And a lot smaller, no doubt."

Remarked Anita drily.

"Yeah, that too!"

Quipped Freya with a grin.

Ildico was delighted to meet Golden Eyes, Sasha's mate and she wasted no time in giving him a rump scratch and an ear rub like Roger was always doing to most any dog he ran into.

Leaving the beer barrels for later, they piled into Roger's van and he drove back to the big house where Silky awaited their return.