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 2003-2007 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, and all characters associated with ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Wanda Vixen © Chris Yost and appears here with his permission. Sabrina Mustidalae © Eric W. Schwartz and appears here with his permission. This story is not canon to Sabrina Online the comic, or Sabrina Online the Story, either. Matt Barstock, Angie, Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew, and Jerry Kitt © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios.
Chapter 43
Attitude and Altitude
“Billy, we’re all done with preflight and awaiting our passengers' arrival.” Deiter was sipping a cup of coffee as he stood beside the Citation. The weather this morning was forecast to be clear into New Orleans. Another round of thunderstorms was expected later in the day, but they should be in and out of New Orleans and headed for Wilmington, North Carolina by then. He’d called to check in and advise Billy Panelli of their status.
“Good,” Billy replied. “Were there any more problems with the passengers?”
“No, especially after we heard that report about the Kingair that did attempt to get through. Seems they ran into trouble.”
“Really? How bad?” Billy was concerned for the other crew, even if they weren’t Kentiger’s.
“It looked really, really bad for them from the first reports last night. Seems they got caught in a building cell, and the turbulence nearly took then out. Fortunately it turns out they survived. The folks here told me this morning that they bent the aircraft severely, almost to catastrophic failure, but the pilot managed to get control and put down in an open field just east of Nacogdoches. The aircraft’s a total loss, and the crew and pax bruised and banged up, but they’re all alive.”
Billy shook his head. “That’s a case of Divine Providence. Still, I bet the NTSB lays that one on the crew. Usually happens that way.” His voice had a sad tone to it. He’d seen good crews take the blame because they allowed a demanding client or ignorant owner to pressure them into a bad situation against their better judgment.
“Maybe,” Deiter replied, stretching and taking another sip of coffee. “Then again, they might chalk it up to just bad weather. My understanding is they were still this side of the line of storms, looking for an opening on radar and still in the clear when the cell bubbled up right under them. That was the beginning of a second squall line.” Just then he noticed the shuttle van from the hotel pulling up on the street side of Business Jet Center. Sarah would be herding the movie folks his way shortly, so it was time to end the call. “Clients are about to arrive, so I’d best go act captain-y for them. I’ll call in to Loni when we get ready to depart Louis Armstrong.”
“Sounds good, Deiter. Keep up the safe flying, you’ll be home tomorrow.”
“You bet. Bye, Billy.”
Billy let out a sigh as he hung up the phone. He was relieved that so far, things seemed to have been smoothed over with the movie folks. Just then, Loni chimed in on the intercom.
“Billy, call on line one. Mr. Golanico from Redline Productions.”
“Ups, spoke too soon,” Billy mused to himself as he picked the pawset back up. “Okay Loni, thanks.”
He pressed the button for line one and took the call. “Billy Panelli, what’s up, Mr. Golanico?”
“Hello Billy. Please, call me Leon. Ah, straight to the point. I like that. I received a call just a bit ago from Charles Lorenso, one of our directors. Seems they were delayed in arriving in New Orleans yesterday, and he wanted me to reschedule their meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to today. We’re hoping to film part of his next picture there.” The lion eased back into the cushy executive chair in his office.
“Yes, they had to divert into Dallas because of bad weather,” Billy said neutrally. He thought the tone in Leon Golanico’s voice didn’t sound particularly upset, but he wanted to hear the lion out before he reacted.
“Yes, that’s what Charles said. Well, I called to commend your crew. Charles was most complimentary. He seemed a bit different this morning. A bit more settled. I’ve always thought he’d be a better director if he’d quit with the wild cannon routine. His work is what got him noticed, not his personality. And those yes furs of his always talking for him, well that was starting to get on my nerves. Heh, well, that’s neither here not there to this matter. My compliments to your pilots. Charles said they were most professional in their actions and demeanor. I’m going to recommend your service to anyone who asks.”
Billy grinned. Such word of mouth would go far in promoting Kentiger to others in the movie business. “Thank you
“As it should be,” the lion agreed. “Thank you again, Billy. I’d best get to work. Bye.”
“Bye
Feeling good about the positive attitude displayed by the Redline Productions furs, Billy turned his attention to other tasks.
# # #
Corrie walked in the door of Old North Helicopters at just past 9 AM. She’d taken her time coming in, knowing her student would be busy taking his written test. Most times, that could keep someone busy for a good three hours.
“Mornin’ Corray,” Ben greeted her from a chair near the coffee pot, where he sat with a cup, apparently taking a break.
She stopped short, her tail up in curiosity. “Morning, Ben. Why are you out here? Aren’t you supposed to keep an eye on whoever is testing?”
“Ayuh. Alex finished his test ten minutes ago. Scored a one hundred. I’ll send it off with today’s mail to the FAA to record it.” The terrier looked a bit smug.
Corrie’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Bonzer! I guess he really did read all the stuff you told him to.”
“Ayuh. How’d he do yesterday?”
Corrie tilted her head slightly, indicating she was thinking about how to frame her response. “Well, actually, pretty good. He’s getting the feel for the basic maneuvers already. He held his orientation hover for close to twenty five seconds, and then he only drifted a slight bit. Funny though, he’s really hard on himself, and he was a bit jumpy. He lost the hover when I put my paw on the cyclic to help him halt the drift. He jumped like a snake had landed on his paw, but I’m sure he saw what I was doing.”
Ben eyed her for a second from under his bushy brows. “And what do you think about that? When did he jump?”
“When I put my paw — Oh Ben! He’s just got student jitters. Don’t try to make more out of it than that. Besides, he’s just a blow-in. He’ll be gone in a month. He got a bit of a bruise on his ego, so that’s what’s making him jumpy. Although, it’s not coming out in a bad way, not like some. He directs it all inward. He demands perfection from himself, and the fact that he’s not perfect from the start is making him try too hard. Still, he’s got a good touch when he let’s himself relax a bit. He’s a nice sort, too. We nearly got off to a bad start. You didn’t tell him I was a sheila, and he fair stuck his foot in it when I met him. He apologized, and was very polite about it. Seems a real gentlefur. He’s easy on the eyes, too, even with all those stripes.”
Corrie had taken on a faraway look as she thought, and now she came back into focus and blinked. Now where had that come from? Ben, just looked at her a second longer, and then took a sip of his coffee. With his bushy fur, she thought he might be smiling, but she couldn’t really tell.
“Ayuh. Well, you’d best go get readay to fly. I sent Alex on a break, but he’ll be back by nine thirtay.”
“Cooee, guess I’d bettah. Alex should be able to do most of the preflight this time, so I think we’ll start with a weather check and go over the important-to chopper ops things like density altitude.”
“He’s youah student. Both of you stop in for the end of day talk.”
“Sure. See you later, Ben.”
Corrie walked out of the Old North hangar and over to the main airport building down the field. Entering the flight planning area, she looked over the weather charts and current conditions. She did a calculation of the density altitude, which takes into account temperature and humidity as well as atmospheric pressure, and was important to how well the aircraft would perform. She then stepped around behind a partition to check the computer readout of the latest winds and weather radar information. She noted no returns on the radar, and jotted the wind reading down. Turning to go, she stopped short when she heard the door to the planning room open. Feeling a little trapped, she held back behind the partition, looking carefully out to see who was coming in.
Alex walked in and went to the weather charts on display along the wall. Corrie stifled a small gasp when he turned his back. She hadn’t really noticed him from this angle before, and she found herself taken aback by the full, fluffy-looking snow leopard’s tail the tiger had. Then the flight instructor in her kicked in, and she noted he was carefully checking the temperature and humidity. He then went to the table in the center of the room and sat down, using a calculator to work some problems.
Composing herself, Corrie stepped out from behind the partition. “Well, very good, Alex. I like a student who thinks ahead.”
Alex started and looked up, but relaxed and smiled when he saw who it was. “Thank you, Corrie. I like to be well prepared. Actually, the DA calculation isn’t too far off from the performance calculations I have to make for Stripes One before I fly her.”
“Good. Can I see what you’ve got, please?”
Alex blinked, and then decided to try and ignore the unintended double entendré. At least he thought it was unintended. Maybe he'd been around his cousin and her employees too much. He gave a slight shake of his head to clear the thought.
“Sure, here.” Alex gave her the pad with his figures on it. Corrie looked it over and nodded approvingly.
“Great. Looks like you did read the material well. I talked to Ben. He told me you aced the written. Let’s go see if we can translate that to the aircraft, what do you say?”
“Let’s go,” Alex responded with a grin.
They left the building and walked past the Old North hangar, stopping only long enough for Corrie to get the keys for the helicopter. They went out on the tarmac beyond the hangar to where the little R22 waited.
“Alright Alex, now you lead me through the preflight.” Corrie stood still and waited. Alex nodded and began going over the helicopter the way she had shown him the day before. Corrie was impressed. Alex hit every point she’d gone through, very thoroughly. When he was done, he turned to the lioness.
“Did I miss anything?”
“No, not a thing. Very good. Well, maybe I was a bit harsh about the ego comments yesterday. It isn’t ego when you’re just stating a fact.”
“Ah, thank you, but I didn’t exactly shine yesterday.”
Corrie stood squarely in front of him and put a paw on his shoulder. Alex found himself looking eye to eye with the lioness, who he discovered was standing on the skid.
“Alex, there’s your problem. You’re a fresh student. You’re trying so hard, but you’re being too stiff. Relax, let your muscles learn. You’ll be a bit rough, but I watched you. You learn at an extraordinary rate. You have to give your paws time to catch up with your head.”
Alex tried to relax, but found it a bit difficult with the lioness’ paw on his shoulder and her green eyes looking earnestly into his. She gave his shoulder a squeeze, and then stepped down and headed for her seat in the helicopter.
“Let’s get in the air, mate.”
Alex got in, and in a moment they were both strapped in for the flight. Once their headsets were in place, Corrie started the lesson.
“Okay Alex, engine start checklist.”
“Main on, check,” he began. Together they went through the start sequence, and then it was time to fly.
“Good, Alex. Now, follow me on the controls while I lift us to hover and then taxi for takeoff.”
“Check,” Alex replied. Corrie glanced sideways at him with a smirk as she called the tower for taxi clearance.
“Lewiston Tower, November Eight Three One Two Tango is a Robinson R Twenty Two, ready to taxi for the active from the Old North ramp.”
“One Two Tango, Lewiston Tower. You are cleared to the active. No current traffic Altimeter three zero point zero five. Winds two four zero at five.” The tower’s reply sounded clear and crisp in their headphones.
“One Two Tango,” Corrie responded. She then pulled up on the collective and they became airborne.
As they taxied out, Alex tried to relax and prepare himself for the day’s lesson.
# # #
Matt Barstock was looking at the figures again for the tenth time. The repairs on Intermountain’s latest acquisition were causing way too much of a drain on their budget. He’d listed their Gulfstream G-IV for sale with a few aircraft brokers he knew, and had even hinted he might let go of their Citation III. That would basically leave Intermountain with only one speedbird for passenger service, but with their emphasis now on cargo, that would be fine. If the two aircraft sold quickly and for a good price, he could cover most of the repair cost on the old C-130 they were making flightworthy, and maybe even add a couple of Kingairs or Caravans if he called in some favors, as well. Just then his cell phone buzzed.
“Matt Barstock,” he answered.
“Matt, Fred Bostick. Got a buyer interested in the two aircraft you have for sale. I’ve got an offer ready in paw. Would you like me to fax it to you?”
Matt squinted one eye as he grinned to himself. “Two aircraft? I only listed one with you, Fred.” He might get a better price if he sold them separately, instead of as a package deal.
“I know Matt, but you also practically clubbed me over the head with the hint that you had a Citation available, too. I have a buyer with a solid offer for both. Do I bother faxing it, or do we haggle about it over the phone?”
“Well, I’d rather haggle face to face over drinks, but since you’re in Roanoke and I’m in Columbus, I guess it’ll be by phone. So, what do you open with?”
Fred quoted a figure somewhat lower than what the interested party had faxed him earlier. Matt gave a short laugh.
“That might get you a ride in the Citation. C’mon Fred, don’t try to lowball me. Get real.” Matt frowned. Fred Bostick was one of the best brokers in the business, and had gotten to be so by being fair to both buyer and seller. Matt felt a bit put-off by the low bid.
Fred cocked his head a bit to the side as he considered his next bid, and then decided to lay out his thoughts before making the offer. “Look Matt, I know your G-IV hasn’t seen much use of late. You’ve been using your Citations for bank check delivery runs and light cargo. You’ve sold off all your other corporate-style iron. As I told the prospective buyer, you’ve refocused your business and you’re changing your fleet to reflect that. I know both your birds are in top shape. Jerry Kitt wouldn’t let you keep them any other way, but the market is pretty slack right now. Lot’s of birds are out there for sale, so what sets these aircraft apart from the crowd? What’s special about them that I can tell the buyer? I’ve got the goodies sheet you sent on the G-IV. What about the Citation?”
Matt put the pawset on his shoulder and steepled his fingers in front of him. Fred knew his business well. Finally Matt took a deep breath.
“The Citation is a three. A very solid bird. It was the third jet Intermountain acquired. The engines are mid-time, and the panel’s a year along after a modernization upgrade. The G-IV is immaculate. All up to date. The engines are about a quarter into their time. Now get this. Some might want this aircraft, just because of what I’m about to tell you. Some might never want it, for the same reason.”
Fred’s ears perked up, and his tail flicked once. “Now you have me curious. What’s special about the G-IV?”
“Zig Zag has flown on it. We flew her and a gentlefur friend down to Knoxville and back a while ago.”
Fred grinned and his tail flipped back and forth several times. The buyer had told him about their company’s adventures with the tiger-striped skunk. The price Billy Panelli was willing to pay just went up.
“Interesting. Anecdotal, but interesting nonetheless. Okay, I believe I can get the customer to come up to around, say, this.” Fred quoted another price. Matt’s eyebrows shot up. It was an excellent price, but if there was that much of a jump, perhaps he could get a bit more. Not cash. Matt liked to trade and swap. It was how he’d kept his best cargo aircraft going for years.
“So-so. What I’d be interested to hear is what can come with that price.”
Fred grinned even wider. He knew how much Matt Barstock loved to barter for things. He’d anticipated that, and when Billy had faxed the monetary offer, he’d asked the tiger to also include some services and items they might be willing to give along with the cash.
“Well,” he began. “How’s this? A one year corporate agreement. Any cargo work the buyer is offered is opted to Intermountain, provided the cargo is larger than what a Kingair can carry. Intermountain reciprocates by opting any passenger work they can’t handle to the buyer’s company. If it works out well, the buyer is willing to discuss making it permanent.”
“Keep talkin’,” Matt said amiably. That item could mean anything from an occasional medium cargo to a huge freight contract, but it was a nice little perk.
“Dead head service,” Fred continued. “Provided a seat is open and the buyer has an aircraft headed that way. Again, one year to start, and reciprocal.”
“Fine. Okay Fred, enough with the back scratches. What tangibles?”
Fred gave a quiet snort. Matt was good at this game, but Fred knew him well. He played his ace card.
“The buyer recently upgraded some aircraft to glass panel. They have three MFD screens left over, and a fully GPS-equipped Avidyne integrated flight deck system.”
Matt was silent a moment. He felt like punching the air, but he didn’t want the fox on the other end of the line knowing the deal was made. The display screens and avionics system would be a godsend for the C-130 he’d been worrying about earlier. Finally he felt calm enough to speak.
“Well, I think you’re in the right ballpark. I’d like to meet the buyer to settle the deal and sign the paperwork.”
“Sure. How about I get them up to Columbus for a meeting and we all have dinner?” Fred was satisfied that the sale was made. Matt didn’t usually ask to meet someone unless he was ready to do business.
“Sounds good. Let me know when, and I’ll pick the where. Now, who is the buyer?”
“Kentiger Executive Air Service out of Lexington, Kentucky. Billy Panelli is the co-owner who’s doing the purchase. Whoops, got another call. I’ll be in touch as soon as I find out when he’s available. Bye Matt.” *click*
The line went dead as Matt sat there gaping at the pawset. A few seconds later, Angie, Intermountain’s administrative manager and right paw to Matt, was quite amazed at the string of profanity that began issuing from the canid’s office.
# # #
“You’re doing great, Alex. Now, the last thing I want to do today is demonstrate an autorotation.” Corrie was letting Alex fly, getting him more accustomed to the control inputs needed to maintain control of the aircraft. So far this afternoon, he’d been doing much better. He hadn’t been nearly as jumpy, and he’d found concentrating on whatever Corrie was telling him a lot easier.
“Okay Corrie. I’ve read all the explanations of how that works, but you’ll have to show me how the control inputs go.”
Corrie nodded. The big ego she’d feared might appear in a military fighter pilot hadn’t shown up as she’d gotten more familiar with the tiger. He was a willing student, and the ego she had seen had been directed inward at himself.
“Alright then. As we went ovah earlier, a helicopter pilot is always aware of the terrain below them. We don’t usually fly nearly as high as fixed-wing aircraft, nor can we glide the way they do. Engine failure used to be quite a common event in the helicopter’s early days. They’re much bettah today, but even the newest turbine engines can malfunction, so it pays to know what’s below, and how to get the aircraft on the ground safely in the event of a problem. Let’s start. First I’ll cut the engine back to idle to simulate a failure.”
Alex smiled for a second. Corrie’s Australian accent was thicker sometimes, almost unnoticeable at other, depending on her mood and emotional state. The smile left Alex’s muzzle, and he focused on what she was doing as Corrie twisted the throttle on the collective, and the helicopter began to sink.
“We’re at twenty-five hundred. Plenty of altitude, but you can be too low for this to work. You have to have enough room to build and keep airspeed, to keep the rotor turning. Do you see any good spots to land, Alex?”
“Yes. Right ahead there. A grassy field, with no power lines or fences across it.”
“Not bad at’all, mate. Lots of room, and close enough to us. A lot of fixed wing pilots pick a point too far away the first few times they practice this. Now, we keep the nose down and the pitch down to maintain rotor speed. The rotor is freewheeling in the relative wind at this point. In an engine failure scenario, rotor speed is life. We’re dropping fast, but as we get close to the ground, we’re going to trade forward and rotor speed for lift in ground effect. Okay, now down to a thousand. You’re doing good following on the controls; I haven’t felt you try a contradictory move yet. We’re maintaining the heading we were on when we started. Notice anything?”
Alex looked carefully around the aircraft, and at their intended landing spot. Then he saw it. The breeze was sending gentle ripples across the treetops off to the side, and in the grass itself. “Uh, yes. We’re coming in cross-wind. We need to turn into the wind before we pull the pitch to land.”
“Oh very good! Yes, we’re coming in cross-wind. We’re now at five hundred. . . . Now at three, and we’ll make a slight turn, not too radical, or we’ll stall the rotor. The main rotor windmilling also keeps the anti-torque rotor turning and usable. One hundred, and as we start to feel ground effect, we pull on pitch and raise the nose. It takes a bit of timing, but if done right you get maximum lift and zero forward speed as we put it on the deck.”
The Robinson banged down on its skids, hard enough to feel, but not hard enough to cause any damage. Alex let out the breath he’d been unconsciously holding.
“Whew! Well, that was fun,” he stated.
“Eh, not something you’d want to do every day, that’s for sure. Time to head back. Not a bad day’s flying, Jet Jockey.”
Alex gave a half-smile as Corrie lifted the helicopter back off. The compliment had been hard won, and he began to feel he might actually get the hang of flying the rotorcraft. Once they were back at altitude, Corrie gave Alex the controls and they flew back toward Lewiston. Once there, she took the controls again, brought the helicopter in to land, and hover-taxied them back to their spot on the ramp. Alex went through the shutdown procedure, and then they secured the aircraft for the day.
“Coming to the debrief, as Ben calls is?” Corrie asked as they started walking toward the hangar.
“Sure. The group of furs I met yesterday seemed a pretty okay bunch.”
“Yeah, they’re a good group. Mostly, Ben is pretty easygoing, but he has a way about him that lets him keep everyone else on track.” Corrie had a bit of a smirk on her muzzle.
“I noticed that yesterday.” Alex also had a smirk on his muzzle, which Corrie picked up on. She arched an eyebrow at the tiger.
“Oh? Did Ben put someone in their place?”
Alex cleared his throat a bit. He hadn’t wanted to start any rumors, but he’d opened his mouth, so he had to continue. “Well, ah, yes, he did.”
Corrie’s eyes narrowed, showing her suspicion. “By your reluctance, I do believe that me name was part of that. Care to tell me what was said? I can tell you’re too much of a gentlefur to say who said it.”
“Ah, well, it’s not important. Just a stupid off-the-cuff remark. Ben put a dead stop to it, anyway.” Alex began to look uncomfortable, not wanting to start hard feelings between Corrie and her fellow pilots.
“Well, good he did. I just want to know in case anyone starts treating me differently. If they do, I’ll know why and be able to put a stop to it,” Corrie said in an off-paw way. Alex thought a moment, and then responded in a low, quiet voice.
“Someone made the comment that you had never been seen with a male, insinuating you might be a lesbian. Ben chided them and reminded everyone that you had never been seen with a femme, either.”
Corrie rolled her eyes and gave a short laugh, the tuft of fur on her tail waving back and forth. “Oh that old line. You’ve been around me for a couple of days now, Alex. What do you think?”
The lioness had placed a paw on Alex’s upper arm as she spoke, giving it a gentle squeeze. Alex felt his breath catch, and both his eyebrows shot upward. He swallowed to clear his throat and tilted his head sideways to look Corrie in the eyes.
“I say it’s none of my business. You’re an excellent instructor, and that’s what I’m here for.”
Alex forced his mind to clear. He was only here for another three and a half weeks. He put his reaction down to physical attraction. Any male would react if a beautiful femme put her paw on them. Corrie stopped where she was, Alex took another step to come to a halt, the paw on his arm causing him to swing around very close to the lioness. They now stood muzzle to muzzle, Alex looking slightly down at her face due to their height difference.
“A very good answer, Jet Jockey. Just for the record, I don’t go for sheilas.”
Corrie stepped past the tiger and resumed walking. Alex turned and came along a step behind her. He found her answer pleased him. “Good,” he thought. “I’m glad she settled that, so it doesn’t become a distraction while we’re flying.”
They went into the office, and over to the pilot’s lounge area. The same group was there as had been the day before, plus a couple of new faces. A male lion who appeared to be in his early thirties, and a cougar with jet black hair who looked to be in his later thirties, as a hint of grey was showing at his temples.
“Ayuh, heah’s ouah student and teachah. How did it go today?” Ben asked.
“Oh apples, Ben,” Corrie replied. “Alex is a quick study, and he was a lot more relaxed today.”
“Good to heah. Alex, two more to introduce today. Only one of ‘em is ouahs. The cougah is John Swiftclaw. He’s anothah Huey pilot. Retiahed Army, just last yeah.”
John stood and shook paws with Alex. “Alex, good to meet you.”
“Likewise, John.”
Alex turned, expecting Ben to introduce the lion next, but the feline had walked up to Corrie.
“Hello Corinne,” he rumbled. “I told you when I got back I’d expect an answer. When is our date?”
Corrie’s eyes had narrowed, and her ears lay flat on her head. Her tail lashed back and forth rapidly. “And I told you, Rex. I’m not interested in becoming part of your harem. Now get out of my face.”
Alex noted how everyone had given the lion a large amount of space. He could see why, as the feline exuded an aura of intimidation. He was a large male, as tall as Alex was, and broad and muscular of chest. He took a half-step closer to the lioness, bringing him almost into contact with her.
“I thought I made it clear that answer wasn’t acceptable. You know, you’d love it in my pride, once you experienced it.”
Corrie’s eyes narrowed to slits. She moved so quickly that everyone in the room save Alex saw only a blur. She snapped a pawful of claws up toward the lion’s face. He reflexively lifted both paws to intercept the swipe. Corrie at the same time snapped a powerful knee-kick up into the lion’s groin. He doubled over into a heap on the floor, making a sound like he wanted to scream, but had no air in his lungs to do so. Corrie stepped around him like he wasn’t there and stopped in front of Ben.
“I don’t think Mistah Richards is feeling well. Best see that he makes it outside, and doesn’t come back in. Evah,” she stated, her accent thicker with agitation.
“Ayuh, have to agree theyah. If I’d known that was what he was stopping by for, I’d have seen him on his way.” Ben looked and sounded just a bit miffed at the lion, too. Just then, said lion let out a weak, grating roar. Alex saw that he had managed to rise into a crouch, although he still looked to be in pain.
“Nobody does that to me. Nobody,” he managed to snarl. He looked as though he was considering approaching Corrie again. Alex and John simultaneously stepped together, putting themselves between Rex and the lioness. The fact that he was still hurting from the knee Corrie’d given him was plain on his face. He stared hard for a moment at the wall of feline muscle and presence in front of him, then turned and began to slink toward the door.
“Don’t think this is the end of it, Miss Patterson. As for you, John, and you, whoever you are, tiger, stay out of my way.”
The lion slammed the door as he left. Corrie hadn’t turned around, but now she looked over her shoulder to see Alex and John exchange nods as they turned to face her direction. Realizing they’d watched her back so the lion couldn’t attack her, her eyes went wide. And her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She quickly recovered as she turned to face them.
“Don’t think this means you’ll get by any easier in the lessons, Jet Jockey, but thanks.”
Alex shrugged, but had a warm smile on his muzzle that Ben took note of. “Wouldn’t expect to. You’re quite welcome. I can’t stand to see anyone get blindsided.”
Corrie then looked at John. “And thank you, too. Between you and Alex, he wouldn’t have gotten far.”
“Who was he?” Alex asked.
“Rex Richards, pain-in-the-ass extraordinaire. He’s been out on a circuit around the logging camps, delivering supplies. He’s a free-lancer, Alex. Owns a Sikorski S-58T, and flies a lot of cargo for the paper and lumber companies upstate. He’s a fair rich one, but he likes the flying and hanging around the lumberjacks swapping lies. He’s been pressing me to go out with him for a little while now, but with him that’s just the first step in adding me to his pride. He’s got seven other lionesses on the string at last count. There are still a few Sabertooths like him around who try to maintain a pride like our primitive ancestors.”
Alex nodded his understanding. A very few tiger males still maintained a solitary existence, except to mate once in a while, like the forebears of his species used to. He’d always thought the notion rather silly. Ben again apologized as they made to go sit down.
“Again, I’m sorray, Corray. He claimed to just be stopping by aftah getting in from his run. If I’d known that was his game, I’d have told him to just keep going.”
Corrie was still a bit agitated, but she managed a smile toward Ben. Alex was struck by how it softened her features.
Two furs had followed Rex, to make sure he made it to his car. Once they returned, the group got down to returning to normal. They talked about the day’s flying and tomorrow’s plans. Before long Ben announced an end to the day.
“Best all of you go get some rest now. Looks to be busy the rest of the week.”
Around the room, acknowledgements came back at the terrier. Everyone began to stir and make their way out amid parting salutations. There seemed to be a new measure of respect toward Alex for his stand against the lion to protect Corrie. As John Swiftclaw walked past, Alex caught eyes with the cougar.
“John, thank you for standing with me, and having Corrie’s back.”
The cougar regarded Alex evenly for a few seconds, and then shrugged as a smile crossed his muzzle. “Corrie’s like a sister to most of us, so we would do anything we could for her. You have very good reactions, you almost beat me to the punch.”
Alex nodded in acknowledgment, returning the smile and a nod as the cougar turned to go. Corrie was the last to file past him.
“Not bad, Jet Jockey. With reactions like that, you’ll be apples in a choppah soon enough. See you in the morning.”
Alex smiled. “And you be careful, Corrie. Mr. Richards might try to come after you again, once he can walk upright.”
Corrie stopped and looked at Alex over her shoulder a few long seconds, her expression unreadable. “I will,” she finally stated, and then walked out the door. Ben had stepped out, and then came back in as she left.
“Night, Corray. Be careful, Rex and his cah are gone.”
“Sure will. Night, Ben.”
Ben walked on to where Alex was gathering his things to leave, also.
“Alex, thank you for getting involved in that. Rex is a bit of a brawler, from what’s said around the local bahs. He could have really hurt Corray. She’s a tough gal, as you saw, and can defend herself well. Thing is, he’s a big ‘un. A bit more than your average regulah would-be suitah.”
“Glad I was able to help, Ben. Is he likely to try to go after Corrie again?”
“Possiblay. Usually though, once he’s been rejected, that soundlay, he’ll move on to someone else. He was humiliated in short ordah. He’d be just as likely to try to pick a fight with you. It’s some kind of male feline thing, I guess, feeling challenged.”
Alex nodded, and made to take his leave. “I’ll be careful too, then. See you tomorrow, Ben.”
“Ayuh.”
Alex left the office and headed for his hotel. It had been a long day. A good one, he felt, but long. He stopped on the way and got something to eat, and then went to his room. After a hot, relaxing shower, and a bit of review for the next day, he went to bed.
He awoke with a start at around 0200, sitting straight up in bed. He’d had the oddest dream. Corrie had been in it, being stalked by a shadowy lion. Alex had come to her defense, easily defeating the shadow beast. He’d then turned to look at her. She was smiling, standing with her paws on her hips. Alex was very alarmed to see that she stood perched on the ragged edge of a cliff. Behind and below her, dark, ominous clouds roiled and whirled, seeming to advance in her direction. A dark, black form, resembling an arm and paw, reached out from the maelstrom. Alex ran to pull the lioness away from the edge, but her expression changed and she shrank away from him, unaware of the apparition behind her. It was a race to see if he’d be able to convince her to let him pull her away from the edge, or the dark appendage would grab her and pull her into the abyss. He’d suddenly awakened just as he and the apparition reached the lioness.
“Now that was a strange one,” Alex commented to himself. He got up and got a drink of water, and then lay back down and fell back to sleep.
# # #
Corrie tried to relax. She’d come home, ate supper, got cleaned up, and went to bed after double-checking that her apartment was secure. She didn’t want to admit it, but the scene with Rex at the office had set her nerves on edge. She was a bit distrustful of males in general, as a rule, and the lion’s actions had aggravated those feelings. She tossed and turned for nearly an hour before finally forcing herself to relax. She took a deep breath, settled in, and finally fell asleep.
She suddenly found herself fighting to be free of her covers as she thrashed about on the floor. She managed to get free and up to a kneeling position beside her bed. Staring her in the face were the remains of her pillow, which lay in shreds on the bed. Looking down, she saw that parts of it were still stuck on her claws. She was breathing rapidly, and now she looked wildly about, hoping no sign of an intruder would greet her. After a moment, she calmed her breathing and managed to retract her claws and release the shards of pillow foam.
She got up and went to the closet to retrieve another pillow. She put another pillowcase on it, and checked the clock. It was 2 A.M., but she doubted if she’d get any more sleep that night. Keeping the pillow under her arm, she headed to the kitchen to make herself a snack. Once that was prepared, she went to the living room.
“Damned nightmare,” she muttered as she sat down on the couch and turned on the television. “Thought I was rid of you.”
As the introductory titles began to roll on the late, late movie, Corrie took a deep breath and sighed. It was going to be a long night. The lion trying to force a date on her, possibly even attack her right there in front of everyone, had given her more of a jolt than she’d thought. She nodded to herself. That must be what had brought the old nightmare on.
Two hours later, as the end credits for the movie were rolling, sleep found the lioness and she drifted off with her head on the new pillow and the remote laying on the floor where it had slipped from her paw.
End of Chapter 43