The Beginning
part 1
By Staci "Windsurfer" Faulkenberry
Page 5
Baloo didn't have to look far to find the gorilla birds; their smell coupled with a clear path of destruction had led him right to them. He'd managed to catch the birds with nothing less than a few scratches and bruises on his part and was now leading his cargo back to the Sea Duck, ropes around their necks and beaks.
"Captured you all by myself and without any major damages," Baloo told the bird by his side proudly. "The Duck's as good as mine!"
"Still having trouble remembering where the box is, boy? Perhaps a night in the jungle with the vicious animals will help jog your memory," Baloo heard a suave voice say somewhere in the brush. 'What in the world was that?' he wondered, pushing cautiously through the brush. Parting the bushes, he saw a small clearing. In the clearing were three air pirates who had someone tied upside down from a tree limb. The red fox, who Baloo recognized as Don Karnage, having seen the infamous pirate's face on enough wanted posters, was blocking Baloo's view of the pirates' captive. Two more pirates, a ferret and a large gray dog, stood to either side of Karnage.Karnage moved suddenly, and Baloo recognized the captive immediately.
"Kit!" he whispered. "I have to save him!"
But how? He didn't have any means of fighting three pirates. Unless�he turned a speculative eye on the gorilla birds. He could�wait a minute. What was he thinking? These birds were his chance to buy back the Duck! Was he going to let them go to save some boy he'd met only yesterday? He and the Duck had a history.
"Okay, my stubborn one. We will have to do this the hard way," Karnage's voice broke into Baloo's thoughts. "Dumptruck, bring me the turnips and sandpaper.
"Turnips and sandpaper�? Baloo wondered. What on earth could that pirate do with turnips and sandpaper. From the expression on his face, Baloo could tell that Kit was thinking the same thing, but he had to give the boy credit. Kit wasn't backing down when presented with some form of unknown torture.
Making his decision, Baloo slowly began to untie the gorilla birds, muttering, "I'm going to hate myself in the morning."
Karnage was feeling particularly smug as he faced down young Kit Cloudkicker. This particular form of turnips and sandpaper torture had been known to get secrets out of hardened war heroes. What chance did this mere boy stand against that?
Gradually, he became aware of a smell. A really horrible smell. That was getting worse by the moment. "What is that asphyxiating smell?" he demanded, whipping his head around just as Dumptruck returned with the turnips and sandpaper.
Out of the brush, six large gorilla birds flocked gleefully towards Karnage and his crew.
"Arghh!" screamed Maddog and Dumptruck, turning and running. Karnage quickly followed suit as the gorilla birds threatened to trample him.
Kit had time to briefly register that those were the gorilla birds that he and Baloo were supposed to be transporting back to Cape Suzette when the gray bear emerged from the bushes.
"Baloo!" he cried in disbelief. The bear had come back for him, sacrificing the one means that he had to save his plane!
"No time to be hanging around, kid!" joked Baloo. "We gotta scoot!"
With a snap of his teeth, he broke the rope in two and untied Kit.
"Come on!" he ordered. "We've got to get to the Duck and get out of here before those pirates come back!"
The two ran through the jungle, bursting out of it and teetering on the brink of the cliff.
"Whoa!" shouted Baloo.
They stood on the edge for a moment, looking down at the lake. Alligators completely surrounded the plane. It was a miracle they hadn't been attacked when they'd made their crash landing. Then again, that landing had probably scared off all the wildlife in the vicinity.
"Well, partner. I think there's only one solution to this problem," Baloo said finally.
Kit suddenly felt very good about life as he replied, "Pull chocks?"
"Pull chocks," Baloo confirmed, winking and clapping the boy on his shoulder.
"Geronimo!" they shouted in unison, leaping over the edge of the cliff.Screaming and dancing as the alligators snapped at them, they finally made it to the Sea Duck. Baloo boosted Kit through the door and hurried in, himself, just as a particularly large alligator snapped at his heels.
"Let's get outta here, pronto," Baloo hurriedly started the engines.
"What about the birds, Baloo?" Kit asked worriedly. The bear was planning on going back for them, wasn't he?
Baloo shifted in his seat, "What's more important�those burping buzzards�or my new navigator?"
Kit smiled at him, the first genuine smile he'd given anyone in a long time. Baloo wanted him around, which came as a surprise to Kit. No one had ever wanted him around before. He also hadn't missed the fact that Baloo had even given him a nickname, L'il Britches. That meant almost as much to him as the big bear offering him a home. To Kit, it symbolized a certain amount of familiarity and a sense of family. But would Baloo
accept him when he learned Kit's secret? Kit knew it would have to come out in time, if he continued to stay with Baloo, for as long as Karnage thought Kit had the stone, he'd come after him, making Baloo's cargo runs particularly dangerous.
'Better to worry about that later,' decided Kit.
Baloo prepared for takeoff. There was no runway, so he was forced to use the lake, plowing through the alligators with vengeful glee.
When they were finally airborne and enroute to Cape Suzette, Baloo looked mournful, an expression that only grew deeper as the flight progressed.
"Now remember, baby, you be good to your new owner�like you were good to me," he said softly, patting the throttle sadly.
Kit watched him with ever growing pity on his face. It was all his fault that Baloo had lost his plane. Perhaps he could share his treasure with the pilot. After all, weren't they partners now?�"I'm sorry about your plane," he said finally, staring at his hands rather than at Baloo.
"You win some, you lose some," Baloo shrugged, his eyes misting over slightly.�That decided Kit. "No one's ever stoodup for me before and I�well, I have a treasure and I'll share it with you!"
Despite his melancholy, Baloo managed a small chuckle, "Thanks, Li'l Britches, but I don't think your bottle cap collection is going to help much."
Kit sighed. A bottle cap collection?�"No!" he said, turning to face Baloo. "It's a big glowing jewel!"
"Sure, kiddo," Baloo crossed his arms, resting his feet against the stick.�
Rolling his eyes, Kit gestured grandly towards the sky and asked, "Why do you think the pirates are after me?"
Baloo was suddenly excited. "A jewel? Really?"
"I hid it at Louie's," Kit informed him.
Baloo wanted to ask how such a young cub had gotten a hold of a valuable jewel, but he was suddenly assailed by another idea. "I could buy back the Sea Duck!" he realized.
Kit laughed, "You could buy a whole fleet of Sea Ducks!"
Baloo grinned, "How 'bout we go get it first thing in the morning? Just you and me! Deal?"
He held out his hand and Kit slapped it. "Deal!" agreed the cub.
Baloo was so excited he started to sing, "Don't trouble me with troubles, oh, I'm gone!�Come on , Li'l Britches! Help me sing!"
Kit grinned and joined in, "Don't trouble us with troubles, man, we're gone!"
End of Part One
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