FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2005 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios © James Bruner. Matt Barstock and Intermountain Charter, Intermountain forty four, and her crew © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE.
Blonde Bunneh is © Phillip J. Eggerding and appears here with his permission.
For any terms or abbreviations you are not familiar with, I have a glossary available here.
CHAPTER 28
WORK WEEK
MONDAY
“Hey Alex!”
Billy Panelli opened the door and stuck his head into Alex’s office. Alex himself had only been there about ten minutes. It was the beginning of the week, and he was only planning on working half-days, as his father was down for a visit. Their weekend together in West Virginia had been quiet, and the flight back in his new-to-him Skymaster uneventful. Anton had made the flight without any problems, but Alex could see that the older tiger was much weaker than he’d been when Alex retired.
“Hello Billy. Come on in and have a seat.”
“Don’t mind if I do. Brought us a cup to start the morning and week.” Billy held up two coffee mugs as he walked in.
“Ah! Thanks. I forgot to get some on the way in.” Alex took the steaming mug Billy offered, and then Billy sat down in the cushioned chair beside Alex’s desk.
“Well, you know Loni would’ve brought you a cup if you’d have buzzed her and asked,” Billy said, stretching out in the chair. He looked as though he was having a slow start.
“Tchk. Loni has better things to do than fetch coffee for me. I’m not decrepit quite yet.” Alex’s rapidly flicking tail tip gave away that he was teasing.
“Uh huh, sure,” Billy responded. “Uh, did your dad come back with you?” The coffee and stretch were beginning to have an effect, and Billy seemed in a good mood. He wanted to have a chat with his friend and partner, since they’d barely crossed paths since Alex returned from North Carolina the previous week.
“Yep. He made the trip just fine. Thing is, he’s getting weaker every time I see him. Billy, I think he’ll be lucky to last another six months.” Alex’s voice held a matter-of-fact tone, but Billy could tell his friend was very sad at that prospect.
“I know,” Billy replied quietly. “Penny looked up the type of cancer your dad has, and she said pretty much the same thing after the last time she saw him.”
Alex nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. Then he blinked and looked at Billy. “Ah, let’s not start the week off melancholy. Did you just want to gab or was there a reason for stopping in?”
Billy grinned. “Well, there was one thing I wanted to ask. Oh, but first, Penny says to tell you she’s sorry we haven’t gotten together in a while. She thinks you must be skin and bones starved by now, since she hasn’t been able to cook you a meal. She also says she’s sorry she hasn’t found you a date that worked out.”
Alex gave a slight smile and nodded. “No problem. We’ve always been busy. What did you want to ask?
“Well, I was wondering about the particulars of your encounter with that Intermountain aircraft last week. Loni mentioned that you said you met up with one of our competitors.” Billy was now wide awake and ready to talk.
Alex again smiled slightly. His memory of the Intermountain C-130 and her crew was a reminder of the common bond all pilots share.
“Yes. I was getting in some practice for the airshow routine on the way back from Wilmington on Tuesday. I was in the practice area over by McGhee-Tyson when I heard them talking to ATC. They were heading in to land when they suddenly developed a problem with their gear. I offered to look them over, which they accepted. Their nose gear door had broken loose on one of the back mounts and was jamming the mechanism. They cycled the gear a few times and the door came loose. I made sure they got on the ground safely and then departed for home.”
“I see,” Billy said after a moment. He had a slight frown on his face. “You know, we’re not in the habit of helping out our competition. I also wonder about the wisdom of snuggling up to a Herc in a Talon.”
Alex narrowed his eyes a bit. “Billy, don’t give me that. You’d fly formation with a barn in a tornado if you thought it’d help it get down safely. You believe in the brotherhood of airfurs just as much as I do. You’re not one of those corporate types who’d pull the aileron hinge pins on your competitor’s bird if you thought you’d get away with it. These weren’t some snobs in a company Lear. They’re hardworking pilots just like any of us here at Kentiger. What’s the matter, suddenly becoming a dog-eat-dog type?”
Billy started to give a curt reply, his good mood rapidly starting to evaporate, but then he saw Alex give a slight, lopsided grin. He stopped a second and replayed the conversation in his head. In the end, he gave a slight chuckle.
“I’ll have you know I’ve never eaten a canid in my life, and bear no resemblance to one, either. Geez, smart-tail. Ah, heck though. Sounds like they needed a paw. Did you get a look at the crew?”
Alex squinted as he tried to recall the furs in the old Herc’s cockpit. “Yes, I did. A coyote, a wolf, and a badger. Couldn’t see much else, but they handled the aircraft and the situation well. Kinda hope to meet up with them someday.”
Billy got a mischievous grin on his muzzle. “I bet when Matt Barstock, the owner of Intermountain, found out who helped them out, it really kinked his tail! Maybe I should give him a call and rub it in, er, make sure his crew made it home okay.”
Alex just gave a slight shake of his head as a grin spread across his muzzle. “You would, too. I take it you know him?”
“Yep. Labrador Retriever. We went to the Academy and flight training together. Haven’t talked to him in a while, and I really didn’t know him that well, anyway. Hmmm, maybe that call isn’t such a great idea after all. Might make an enemy I really don’t want,” Billy replied, looking thoughtful.
“Maybe not,” Alex agreed. “Is he a pilot or wizzo?”
“Pilot. Went into transports, if I remember right. Heh, we got our tails in quite a jam in UPT, as I recall. Hey! Look at the time! I have to get to work or all this wonderful paperwork might go undone. I’ll tell you that story later. Talk to you about lunchtime.”
Alex looked at his own full inbox and nodded as Billy stood to leave. The older tiger looked at his empty coffee mug and shrugged.
“Another cup before I sit down, I think. Later, Alex.”
“Yep, see ya at lunch,” Alex replied with a wave of his paw. He then picked up a folder with prospective clients listed in it and began to plan for his next sales run.
TUESDAY
“Welcome aboard Kentiger Executive Air.”
Roale Danner cocked an ear around under his headset, listening to Janet Satterly welcome their passengers at the Gulfstream IV’s main door. He was flying right seat with Joe Eps as usual. He and the badger had finished their cockpit checks and had been waiting on the folks from the movie company that made up the charter.
They had arrived at Wilmington, North Carolina well before the ETA Redline Productions had called for. The paperwork said they’d be transporting a group of six furs from Wilmington to Las Vegas. In the notes it stated that they were going to scout for locations to do a movie shoot. Billy Panelli had said that the company was a new client, one of a growing multitude generated by his partner, Alex O’Whitt.
“Sounds like our passengers. I’d better go make with the good impressions,” Joe Eps said as he left his seat and headed out of the cockpit. Roale looked around and nodded. His 6’6” Great Dane frame wasn’t conducive to getting in and out of his seat fast. Besides, everyone wanted to see the captain, not the copilot.
He kept looking around as Janet, resplendent in her Kentiger Flight Attendant blue pants suit, ushered their passengers aboard. Janet was a young, single, drop-dead gorgeous Blue Arctic fox, and the Kentiger colors suited the pale bluish tinge of her white fur quite well. Roale grinned to himself. She also wore the outfit tight enough to insure every male in her vicinity’s full attention. Shrugging, he returned to the task of double checking the radio frequencies, leaving the passengers to Janet and Joe.
Out in the passenger cabin, Janet inwardly groaned. She could already tell how this flight was going to go. The passengers, six in all, had rolled up beside the aircraft in a large stretch limo. After the driver had opened the door, an older lion, accompanied by a very well-endowed young rabbit doe wearing an outfit that left little to the imagination and a vacant expression, had emerged. Next had come a rather wild-eyed mongoose who strode toward the aircraft behind the feline and lapine, trying to act like the world followed his every command. Then had come three canids. A setter, a collie, and a beagle, all three trying to get out of the limo at once and then jostling for the closest position behind the mongoose.
“Let’s see,” Janet thought as they approached the fold-down boarding stairs, “the producer and the starlet/girlfriend, the director, and the yes-furs. Let’s see if I’m right.”
“Hi, I’m Janet. Welcome aboard Kentiger Executive Air,” she said as the lion and rabbit stepped aboard.
The lion smiled broadly, nodding. “Hello Janet. I am Leon Golanico, Executive Producer for Redline Pictures. This, as I’m sure you probably already know, is Blonde Bunneh, the star of the film we’re scouting locations for.” He had a deep, rumbling voice, and Janet was sure that his place at the studio was secure. He seemed to look at the world with a benevolent smile, but she could see the predatory glint in his eyes, especially when he looked at his companion.
For her part, Blonde Bunneh gave a vacuous smile and nodded. “Hi! Wow, you fly this all by yourself?”
Janet put on her best friendly smile and patiently answered, “Oh no, my job is to make sure you all stay safe and comfortable during the flight. There are two pilots, ah, here’s our captain now.”
Janet had seen Joe step up beside her. He in turn greeted the group. “Hello, I’m Captain Eps, your pilot for this charter. Welcome aboard.”
“Thank you Captain,”
The mongoose stepped aboard next and eyed both Janet and Joe before walking rapidly toward the seats as well. The three canids came next, nearly speaking over top of each other.
“That was Charles Lorenzo, the Director,” The setter said.
“He is pleased to be aboard,” the collie chimed in.
“Please bring him a gin and tonic,” said the beagle as the three hurried toward the back, looking for seats as close to the mongoose as possible.
Janet arched an eyebrow. The flight was going to be like she’d thought, all right.
“Good luck, Janet. Call if you need anything,” Joe said as he turned toward the cockpit. “Let me know when you’ve briefed them and we’ll taxi. Engine start as soon as I get seated.”
“Thanks for that, Joe,” she replied with a smirk, but then she smiled when he glanced back at her. She, Joe, and Roale had been flying together as a crew for a couple of years now, and just as she relied on them to fly safely, they relied on her to keep the passengers happy.
The lion and the rabbit had settled into the starboard forward-facing seats by the table amidship over the wings. They seemed quite wrapped up in each other already. The mongoose had taken one of the forward facing seats on the port side in back, and his yes-furs had clustered around him. As the producer and starlet made eyes at each other, the director glowered, and the yes-furs obsequiously catered to him, Janet took a deep breath and prepared to give the preflight safety briefing.
“It’s gonna be a long way to Vegas,” she thought.
# # #
It was later than he’d wanted when Alex pulled into the driveway at his home. His dad was at Jenna’s house, so he thought he’d go on and change clothes before joining them. The day had gone well, but Billy had left that morning for a round of sales calls. They had made it a policy that one or the other of them would stay available at the office as long as they had an aircraft in the air. Joe Eps had called in when they had arrived in Las Vegas with the charter from the movie company. Alex had departed for home shortly after that.
He had to smile about the report Joe had made. The flight had been routine except that one of the passengers had nearly run Janet to death. Or rather, his yes-furs had. The three Kentiger furs were a very good crew. He’d have to suggest to Billy a bonus for them keeping the movie folks happy. The studio had paid for the aircraft and crew to wait in Las Vegas and fly the passengers wherever they wanted, and fly them back anytime between Wednesday and Friday.
As he pulled up in front of his garage, Alex noted a solitary figure waiting patiently on his front steps. He shut the truck down and got out. Walking up to the steps, he stopped and gave a quizzical look, his tail-tip waving back and forth.
“Hello Tia, what brings you to my doorstep?”
“Hi Uncle Alex. Just hangin’ out,” the young tigress replied.
Alex shrugged. “All right then.” He started past her, but then heard her quietly clear her throat. He stopped and looked down. Tia was trying hard not to look up at him, but hoping he’d notice her, as well. He smiled to himself.
“Ah, hey, want a soda? C’mon in and we’ll talk a bit, if you want.”
She looked up and smiled. “Sure, if you want.”
Alex led the way into the kitchen. He retrieved two sodas from the refrigerator and motioned for Tia to have a seat at the kitchen table. They sat down and opened their drinks, sipping in silence for a few moments. Tia looked up then, and found herself eye to eye with her uncle.
“Okay Tia, what’s up?”
Tia couldn’t pull herself away from his gaze. His eyes were ice blue, and she’d seen them be as cold as their color implied when he was angry about something. Now though, they were warm and friendly as a summer sky. She relaxed and started to tell him what was on her mind.
“Ah, Ice, do you think you could teach me some more self-defense moves?”
Alex looked thoughtful for a few seconds before he answered. “Sure, but what prompted the sudden interest?”
Tia still couldn’t look away from her uncle’s eyes, and she knew she had to tell the whole story.
“Well,” she began, “it’s kind of embarrassing.” She then told him of her encounter with Carl Branson the week before.
“I see,” Alex said after she’d finished. “First of all, I’m glad you’re all right. Second, have you told anyone at school?”
“Not a teacher or anything. I didn’t want to be branded a squealer. I told the other Top Guns in case he or any of his friends tried anything with them. Schell said she ran into Stewart in the hall and confronted him about it, but he denied knowing anything about it.”
Alex nodded. “I understand, but this is dangerous. It was not a good idea not to call for help. Rule One of martial arts; don’t let yourself get into a fight you don’t have to fight. Now, it’s your word against his, so I doubt anything will be done to him. If you don’t report it, though, then the school administration won’t know to keep an eye on him. He’ll keep going until he finds someone who he can intimidate. It’s hard to swallow the idea of a fourteen year-old rapist, though.”
“He’s sixteen. He’s been held back a couple of years. But you’re right, I guess. I still want to be able to defend myself better, though.”
Alex could see concern in her eyes, and a trace of fear. He thought for a second, and then smiled.
“How would you like to learn from Master Quai?”
Tia’s eyes went wide, and then she smiled broadly. “Would I! But I didn’t think he was taking on any more students right now. Mom checked when we first moved up here.”
Alex winked. “True, but I happen to know he had someone in his Thursday night class drop out. Plus, then he wasn’t so sure you were serious. Now I think you are. He’ll see that too.”
Tia nodded enthusiastically. “Thanks Uncle Alex. I just don’t want my only options to be either get raped or claw his eyes out.”
Alex took on a serious expression. “You’ll find that, once you are sure you can handle whatever happens, you’ll feel in control of the situation and that usually neither outcome is necessary. Let me get changed and I’ll walk down to your house with you.”
“Okay,” Tia replied, a thoughtful expression of her own on her face.
Alex headed back through the house to change clothes, and Tia finished her soda. A solid determination had settled over her. She would be ready to deal with whatever situation she found herself in.
“Whatever the situation,” she said determinedly to herself.
WEDNESDAY
“Hey Jenna!” Jeremy Brand called out as he stuck his head into Jenna’s office. Since she’d worked out so well, they’d moved her into an office right beside Idiri’s. Jenna looked up from the program manual she was checking. One of the ad designers was having a problem with a photo-editing run and she was trying to trouble-shoot it.
“Hi Jeremy. What brings you by?”
“Just got a call from the Sunburst folks. They love the ad campaign. It’ll go out in next month’s magazines, and be on their store displays shortly thereafter.” Jeremy had no small amount of pride in his voice.
Jenna nodded, more concerned with the problem she was working on than the pictures and ad layout from the previous week. “That’s good,” she replied absently.
Jeremy shook his head. “You really are something, Jenna O’Whitt. Ron said he about fell over when you started posing for him. Said you were a natural, but you couldn’t give two hoots about modeling, could you?”
Jenna thought a second, and then shrugged. “No, can’t really say I do. It was fun, but it was just part of the day’s work, y’know?”
“Well, you are good at it. Keep that option open for yourself. We might find need of your modeling again sometime. See ya later!” Jeremy had a habit of arriving and departing rather abruptly, as he did just then.
Jenna sighed. While talking to Jeremy, she’d isolated and fixed the problem she’d been working on. Nothing else was pressing into her time at the moment, so she decided to make an important phone call. She picked up the pawset and dialed the number. On the second ring, a strong male voice answered.
“Lazarus Contracting, Jack here, may I help you?”
“Hello Jack, how are you today?” Jenna asked, a smile playing across her muzzle.
“Hey! Hi Jenna. Fine, how’re you?” Jenna could almost hear Jack’s tail wagging across the line.
“Good,” Jenna replied. “You busy this evening?”
Jack scrunched his face in concentration as he looked at both his desk calendar and his planner. “No, not that I know of. The Wednesday night service at church is cancelled while Brother Ronnie is on vacation.”
“Great! How would you like to come over for dinner?” Jenna was smiling broadly. The schedules were finally working out.
“Sure, sounds great. Wait. Does this mean Alex will be there too?” Jack tried to make it sound like anticipation, but his nerves carried through. Jenna giggled.
“Oh Sweetheart, don’t be nervous. Alex won’t bite you. He hasn’t bitten anyone in at least a week, and neither has Anton.”
The joke went right by Jack, and he now actually gulped. “A-Anton? Both Alex and Anton will be there?”
Jenna tried to take a reassuring tone. “Yes. Don’t worry, they’re both looking forward to meeting you. Hey, gotta go. Just got a message about another glitch. Come by about six.”
“Ah, okay. See you then.”
“Yep, then.” Jenna hung up the phone, smiling. Things were finally coming together for Jack to meet all those she had to count as family.
On his end, Jack put the pawset down and sat, lost in thought. Shadow, sensing his distress, came up and nuzzled his paw, giving a little whine of concern. Jack looked down and scratched her behind the ears.
“Ah Shadow, it’s on now. I just pray that I don’t get off on the wrong foot with her family.”
Shadow whuffed in agreement as she leaned up against Jack’s leg. Jack relaxed, realizing the more keyed up he was, the more likely he’d blunder in some way. Finally he sighed and went back to work.
# # #
Jenna was bustling around the kitchen, with Tia and Andrew going in and out as they set the table. She’d had a big smile on her muzzle all afternoon. Alex, and even Anton had offered to help, but she’d just shooed them out, preferring the activity to hide her nervousness. The thought had struck her on the way home from work that it was possible, not likely but possible that Alex or Anton or both might somehow not like or approve of Jack. She had no idea why, and didn’t think it was in any way going to happen, but it was still nagging at the back of her mind, causing her to be a little jittery.
As she stirred a pot of vegetables, Tia stopped beside her.
“Table’s all set, Mom. Anything else we can do?”
“Hmmm? Ah, no, I think everything’s done. Why don’t you and Andrew go keep Alex and Dad company. Jack should be here shortly,” Jenna replied as she turned the heat down under the pot.
“Okay.” Tia turned to go, but then half-turned back. “Mom, relax, it’ll be fine. They’ll both like him.”
Jenna grinned sheepishly. “Does it show that much?”
“Only to me, I think,” Tia answered as she leaned in and kissed her mother on the side of the muzzle. She then turned back and continued on her way out of the kitchen toward the living room. Jenna sighed and set about putting the finishing touches on the meal.
Out in the living room, Alex had been talking to his father about the week’s business.
“And so I’m going to see to it that the crew gets a bonus for that charter.”
“Good idea. Sounds like that movie bunch is quite a pawful,” Anton replied with a grin.
“That’s life in the charter business, I guess,” Alex concluded. Just then Tia and Andrew came in. Tia had an excited, anticipatory look. Andrew looked indifferent. Anton smiled to himself, seeing them. He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.
“Good,” he said as all three tigers looked at him. “Now, I know Tia is ready for us to meet Jenna’s beau, but Andrew, you don’t look too keen. Alex, you can be a tough sell at times, too. I want to remind you two that, no matter what, the decision of who Jenna dates is entirely hers. She doesn’t need our permission or approval. That said, I know she’d like to have both, so here’s what I expect. Andrew, no looking sullen. Alex, no circling like a kali looking for an opening, got it?”
Andrew looked a little disappointed, but then nodded and put on a big, fake-looking grin. “Like this, Grandpa?”
Alex took a cue from that and put on a very large, rather feral grin of his own. “Yes, like this, Dad?”
Anton rolled his eyes. “Well, at least we have the comic relief for the evening. Behave, both of you.”
Andrew and Alex looked at each other, and then laughed.
“All right Grandpa, we’ll behave,” Andrew said after a moment, still smiling. Anton and Tia both smiled, and then the doorbell rang. They’d been so busy that no one had noticed the sound of the vehicle in the driveway. Jenna came in from the kitchen and headed for the door, calling out, “I’ll get it!”
She went to the door and opened it, revealing a tall grey wolf with a friendly, if slightly nervous, look on his face. His tail was wagging low in a rather uncertain way. Jenna grabbed his paw and pulled him inside.
“Jack, come on in. Let me introduce you. You already know the cubs. This is my brother-in-law Alex, and my father-in-law Anton. Guys this is Jack Lazarus.” Jenna beamed as she spoke the wolf’s name.
“Ah, hello Alex, Anton. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jack said, feeling very uncertain under the unblinking gaze of the two male tigers. He extended a tentative paw toward Alex, who now stood with his tail slowly waving behind him.
“Jack, the pleasure is ours,” Alex responded after a second, shaking Jack’s paw firmly. The wolf then turned to Anton.
“Jack,” the older tiger said, smiling as he shook paws. “Jenna has had very good things to say about you.”
“Good. She’s quite a remarkable lady,” Jack replied. Anton liked hearing not only affection, but respect in the wolf’s voice. Alex heard it, too. He looked Jack over, trying not to look too intimidating while he did. He could tell the wolf was nervous, but he still carried himself in a confident, upright way. His posture spoke of strength, not just physical, but also of character. His tail wagged in a friendly, hopeful way now, which told Alex he reacted to uncertainty with hope instead of aggression. Alex also noted how Tia, and even Andrew to a lesser extent, looked at Jack with respect and affection. He knew the wolf was the youth leader at their church, and seeing the cub’s expressions told him that Jack was good at his calling there, too. All in all, these few brief moments did much to put Alex at ease with Jenna’s choice of boyfriend.
Jenna broke the silent examination Jack had been enduring. “Dinner’s ready, so everyone go get seated. Tia, Andrew, help me bring the food out.”
The males went into the dining room and stood by the table as Jenna and her cubs went to the kitchen. In short order, the food had been brought out and drinks poured. Once everyone was back to the table, they all sat down and Anton asked for all to join paws for Grace.
“Dear Lord,” he began, “thank you for this food, and this time together. Bless us, and our guest. Bless the paws that prepared the food for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
The amen was repeated by all, and then the platters and bowls of food were started on their trip around to each plate. As they ate, everyone took turns speaking about themselves or what was happening in their lives at the moment. Jack spoke of his work, church, a little of his past, even briefly of his wife. Alex spoke of his service career and his business, even getting a smile from Jack as he mentioned that Kentiger had a Kingair set aside for cargo-only runs. Jack commented that his business might be able to use that. Anton spoke a bit about his younger days and his work then. Jenna and the cubs even took a turn telling about their work or school. Before long, the meal was finished and the cubs cleared the table. Jenna then sent them off to their rooms to finish any homework and get ready for bed. The adults retired to the living room to talk and relax. Both Anton and Alex noted the way Jack and Jenna looked and listened to each other. Soon, the wall clock chimed nine o’clock.
“Wow! Is it nine already? I have to be up early to fly to Bowling Green and look over a job,” Jack stated as he made to stand up.
“And I have to be in to work first thing while Billy’s out of town,” Alex added as he made to rise also. “How’s that approach into BWG?”
“Not bad. It’s almost a straight shot in on Victor Five from the New Hope VORTAC,” Jack replied. Alex grinned, seeing the smile on the wolf’s muzzle. He extended a paw to shake.
“Jack, it’s been a pleasure. Jenna has made a good choice.”
Jack grinned broadly, his tail now wagging again. “Thank you Alex. It has been a pleasure. That means a lot to me.”
“Yep,” Anton chimed in without getting up. “I’d say she found a good one.”
Jack stepped over and shook the older tiger’s paw. “Thank you Anton. I’m very glad to hear you say so, and very glad I got to meet you.”
“I’ll walk you out, Jack,” Jenna said as she walked up and wrapped his arm up in hers. As they headed for the door, she looked back over her shoulder at the two male tigers and mouthed, “Thank you.”
After the door closed, Anton and Alex looked at each other.
“They’ve both got it bad,” Anton stated, grinning.
“Oh yes,” Alex replied, returning the grin.
Outside, Jack turned to tell Jenna goodnight, only to find himself on the receiving end of a passionate embrace and kiss. After a surprised second, he returned both. When they separated several moments later, Jack looked into Jenna’s eyes and said what was on his heart without hesitation.
“Jenna, I love you.”
Jenna looked back at him for only a moment before answering. “Jack, I love you too.”
They kissed again, and then Jenna sent him on his way. “Goodnight, Sweetheart. Call me when you get back tomorrow.”
“Count on it, darlin’,” he replied as he turned to go. Jenna leaned against the door, a happy smile on her muzzle as Jack got in his truck and headed home.
THURSDAY
“That’s right,” Alex said into the phone. “Joe called in to say they’d be departing Las Vegas at about ten hundred local tomorrow, so they should be back here sometime after sixteen hundred our time. That’ll depend on their ground time in Wilmington. Billy, I want to give the three of them a bonus. From what they’ve said, the movie folks have really put them through the wringer on this one, including short-hopping them to three different places around Nevada.
“Fine by me, Alex,” Billy replied, his voice a bit tinny over the line. “I’ll be inbound with an ETA of about fifteen hundred, so I’ll wait for them to get in so you can go spend some more time with your dad. It’s been a really good trip. With all this new business, I think we’ll need to talk about adding airframes and crews pretty soon.”
“Like the sound of that. Fly safe, and I’ll talk to you when you get in. Bye Billy.”
“Bye.”
Alex put the pawset in its cradle and stretched. All the one-day charters were safely back, and the overnight and multi-day ones safely down for the evening, so he was ready to call it a day. He shut down his computer, activated his voice mail, and headed out of his office.
Out in the admin area, Loni and Duncan were about to leave also. They greeted him warmly when he walked in.
“Hello Alex, heading home?” Loni asked.
“Hi Alex, all the birds are down,” Duncan said at almost the same time. Alex grinned. The two had exchanged vows downtown in a judge’s office the week before, both preferring a quiet, private ceremony.
“Hi newlyweds. Yes everyone’s down for the night, so I’m heading out. You two have a nice evening,” Alex replied as he walked on through. He went to the parking lot, got in his truck, and headed for home through the rush-hour traffic.
When he finally turned off the two-lane almost an hour later, he made the turn into Jenna’s driveway instead of going on up to his home. There he found Jenna and Tia waiting on the porch. He came to a stop and rolled down the window.
“Hi Jenna, Tia, ready to go?”
Jenna just smiled and nodded. Tia was too excited to stay still. “You bet Uncle Alex!”
“Then let’s get going,” Alex replied as he got out and opened the doors for them both. After everyone was seated and belted in, he backed out of the driveway and headed back toward Lexington. Jenna looked back at Tia, who was nearly squirming in the back seat.
“Tia, calm down. Master Quai hasn’t agreed to take you on yet.”
Tia sat on her paws, but her tail continued its excited movement. Alex smiled. He was glad to see the young tigress so excited about learning martial arts, but he needed to correct something before it got started.
“Okay, first of all call Izzy Mister Quai, not master. One, he doesn’t go for all the hokey Master this and Master that stuff. Two, until he accepts you as a student, he’s still Mister Quai. After that, he prefers Sensei, which means teacher. If you come across sounding like a bad karate movie, he won’t think you’re serious.”
“Ah, okay Uncle Alex. I’ll remember that.”
The drive went smoothly, and the earlier traffic had dissipated. Soon they pulled up in front of Isidis Quai’s dojo. They saw several young furs making their way inside. As they got out to go in, Alex noted a couple of other furs hanging back in the shadows across the street. He made a mental note to ask Izzy about them later.
They went inside and observed the youths already starting to set up for their class. Isidis Quai then stepped through a door off to the side. The students all then immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed to the old snow leopard.
“Good evening, students,” he said, looking at the youths as he walked up to Alex, Jenna, and Tia.
“Good evening, Sensei,” they all replied, almost in unison.
“It appears I have visitors to entertain. Please continue to set up for the session. Tyler, you are in charge.”
“Yes sir,” a young grey wolf responded. Tyler Davidson, at age sixteen, was a brown belt and the class leader. He and the others continued to pull out mats and set up stations for the class as Izzy beckoned Alex and the two femme tigers to follow him.
“Looks like we might be getting a new student,” Jodie Regali, a fifteen year old badger green belt, observed. The others nodded, except for a rabbit who was pulling out mats.
“Gee, ya think?” The black and white rabbit went by the name of Shoop Denzel, and none of the others knew his real first name. Street smart and cocky at age sixteen, he was the one who usually wise-cracked about everything.
By the time the students had everything set up for the class, Izzy, Alex, Jenna and Tia came back out of the office area. Tia had changed into a standard white karate uniform, with a standard beginner’s white belt. The snow leopard led Tia out to the other students while Alex and Jenna had a seat on a bench off to the side. The other students paid little attention to them, as parents of new students would often sit in on the first class or so.
Izzy went into what he called his “Sensei act.” Standing in front of the class, he inserted his paws into the opposite sleeves of the robe he wore. Tia stood to one side as the students quickly moved to their places. Once there, they bowed as one to the old instructor.
“Sensei,” they said, almost in unison.
Izzy bowed to them in return. “Students.”
Everyone stood straight again and Izzy began introducing Tia to everyone.
“Students, this evening we have someone new joining the class. This is Tia O’Whitt. Everyone introduce yourselves, please. Name and level will do, I think.”
Almost automatically, the grey wolf class leader bowed slightly and spoke first.
“Tyler Davidson, brown belt.”
“Janie Roberts, brown belt,” a mongoose femme of sixteen said as she bowed.
“Jodie Regali, green belt.” He bowed as well. Tia bowed in return to each as they spoke. Izzy noted that her form was already correct.
“Beryl Schwartz, green belt,” rumbled a fourteen year old black bear femme.
“Shoop, green belt,” the rabbit said with a smirk as he bowed. Izzy noted that the bow was barely more than a nod of his head with his long ears forward.
“Trish Michaels, white belt.” The final student was a fifteen year old meerkat.
Izzy nodded approvingly. He’d address Shoop’s bow with him later. Tia had bowed in return to each, but not too low, and she had kept her eyes on each one. After talking with her, her mother, and Alex, Izzy was sure both that she would do well in the class, and that she would both benefit and contribute as well.
“Very good. Tyler, pair up with Tia and begin showing her the basics. The rest will attend me for warm up.”
The class responded, and Alex and Jenna watched as Izzy put the students through their paces. Tyler and Tia went through some basic stances and moves, and the wolf also started teaching her some basic words and numbers in Korean, which Izzy used in the class. Toward the end, Jenna leaned over to Alex.
“I have to say, I was a little nervous about this, but Tia seems to be taking to this very well.”
Alex nodded in return. “Young Mister Davidson has a lot of ability as a teacher. Izzy said he would be a black belt soon. Tia is a quick learner, and she seems very motivated.”
“Well, she should be. I can’t believe the school wouldn’t do anything about that little hoodlum.” The anger Jenna had displayed when Tia had told her of the incident at school was still very much there. Alex again nodded.
“I know, but these days they won’t go by just Tia’s word. They will watch him closer, and if he tries anything again, Tia will be ready.”
Izzy now called the students together and dismissed them. Jenna and Alex met Tia and, after saying goodbye to Izzy, headed toward the door. Alex then remembered that he’d wanted to talk to Izzy about what he’d seen when they came in, so he gave Jenna his keys and sent them on to the truck. He walked back to the snow leopard.
“Sensei,” he began, mindful that there were still students around, “I should let you know that when we came in, there were a couple of young furs hanging back in the shadows across the street. It looked like they were watching the place.”
Izzy nodded. “Yes, we have been seeing that at class times. I have alerted the police.”
Shoop was walking past and stopped. “They’re from the T-Rads, the gang that holds this turf. They’re watchin’ cause they’re worried a karate gang will form out of here and be a challenge to them. They been watchin’ too many bad chop-saki flics.”
“Thanks Shoop,” Alex replied.
The rabbit looked at Alex neutrally, and then made a dismissive gesture. “I was talkin’ to Sensei Quai, not you. Your little rich cat daughter won’t get any slack from me.”
Izzy watched for Alex’s response. He’d talk to the rabbit next week about respect for one’s elders, but for now he wished to see his long-time student’s reaction. Alex stepped up close to Shoop, whose ears laid down despite his attempt to look unperturbed. The young rabbit hadn’t realized exactly how tall the tiger was. The confidence and controlled manner were quite familiar to him, though. It felt like he was facing Sensei Quai.
“I will look over your remark,” Alex rumbled quietly, “because you don’t know Tia yet. I am her uncle. Her father died a while back. She is tougher than you could know. Neither she nor I expect any slack from anyone, but we don’t expect any harassment, either.”
Alex stepped away and nodded to Izzy, who was hiding a grin. He then turned and left. Shoop swallowed hard and looked at the snow leopard. Izzy now let his grin show.
“Alex is also a student of mine. He’s a third degree black belt, and my friend.”
Shoop gave a quick nod and then bowed. “Sorry Sensei. I thought he was her father. Guess I overloaded a little. The T-Rads are no joke. Word is they killed a dude about three blocks over last week.”
Izzy gave a slight bow of dismissal. “Thank you. Walk carefully going out, then.”
The rabbit dipped an ear as he stood from his bow and turned to go, leaving Izzy Quai with troubled thoughts about the neighborhood.
FRIDAY
“Copy cleared for final, Kentiger One Five.” Janet heard the welcome sound of Joe Eps reading back their clearance into home. She was sitting in the seat closest to the cockpit, where she had been relaxing for the flight back from Wilmington. The overbearing director and his yes-furs had run her ragged during their time in the air, which had stretched from Tuesday until they had dropped them off in North Carolina earlier.
As she felt the Gulfstream IV bank into its turn to line up for final approach into Bluegrass Field, Janet thought about their passengers. She had entertained the idea of trying to go into movies at one time, but after meeting the crew from Redline Productions, she was glad she hadn’t. They were absolutely the shallowest, most self-absorbed group of furs she’d ever encountered.
Well, except for the young blonde rabbit doe. She seemed a sweet sort, if naïve and not very bright. Janet wondered how long it would be before the tough industry consumed her.
As she felt the wheels chirp down onto the runway, she left thoughts of their last passengers behind. It was the weekend, she had no flights on her schedule, and quiet time at home seemed like a wonderful idea.
After all, it had been a heck of a week.
END OF CHAPTER 28
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