INNOCENTS ABOARD

PART III

Kit looked out the window from his perch in the navigator's seat, willing himself to concentrate on the job at hand, as Baloo had taught him.  Baloo...  Due to the time difference it was still dark as they flew the last leg of the flight to Brague, without running lights so as to provide as little help to the Alemanian defenses as they could.  They were relying strictly on the instruments and Kit's navigation to find the besieged city - how in the world would they have found it without his help?  Kit shuddered at the thought.

He checked the compass and made a note on the map.  "According to my figures we should be about twenty miles south-southwest of Brague - I guess we'll be able to see the lights, soon enough."

"Your skill is remarkable."  Joshua said approvingly.

"Thanks.  Where exactly is the - ghetto?  Where we make the drop?"

Isaac had given his chair to Kit, recognizing the young cub's greater usefulness at this stage. He sat behind the pilot's chair on the floor, Sasha next to him, head on his shoulder.  "It is in the northwest quadrant of the city, near the river.  When we are close I will guide you there."

"There!" Joshua pointed.  "Starboard - that is Brague."  A dull glow lit the horizon in the distance.

Isaac checked his watch.  "We should be arriving in conjunction with most of the fleet." he said quietly.  "Some of them will have begun dropping supplies already."  He stood and leaned over Kit's shoulder, looking out the window.  "Head for the river, nephew, and fly north.  I will guide you from there."

"Yes Sir." the young man answered.  He banked the rickety plane to starboard, and soon they were flying directly over the river, over the outskirts of Brague.  "Reducing altitude, I will fly in at about 200 feet for the drop, Uncle."

"No resistance yet..." Kit said nervously, drumming his fingers nervously on the armrest.

"We should be able to get out before they can organize anything." Isaac said.  "There - the Mecir Castle!  The ghetto will be due north of there, less than a mile." he pointed to a large structure, looming in the distance in the dim pre-dawn.  "Come, children - as you are here, make yourselves useful.  We will prepare to drop the supplies.  Nephew, open the cargo hatch."  He walked back into the hold, the two cubs in tow.

"Line the boxes up, prepare them to be dumped quickly!" he shouted over the screaming wind.  "Move aside!" he shouted, picking up one of Kit and Sasha's empty crates.  With astonishing strength he hoisted it over his head and hurled it out of the way, as the cubs pressed back against the wall.  He repeated this with the other box and proceeded to start shifting the supplies close to the open hatch.

"Where do we want to drop these exactly?" Kit grunted, pressing his meager weight against a crate of flour sacks.

"Anywhere inside the cordon will do -we cannot be choosy!" Isaac shouted, standing next to him and easily shifting the crate.  "We must drop them and then it is up to the residents to locate and secure them!  They'll know what's going on soon enough, and the Alemanians will be more concerned with us."

Within a moment the crates were lined up and Isaac looked down into the empty sky.  "Just a few moments, Children!" he shouted.

"Look!" Kit pointed, another craft looping around behind them.

"Another of our fleet!" Isaac grinned.  "Coming in for a second pass...  Prepare yourselves!"  He watched the ground intently for a few seconds.  "Now! he shouted, shoving a box over the side and into the night.  Kit and Sasha, grunting with exertion, threw their weight against crates, sending them falling into the sky.  Within a minute the pre-dawn was pockmarked with parachutes as the precious supplies fell gently to the ground. 

"Stop!" the polar bear yelled.  "We are too close to the perimeter.  Joshua - fly in for another pass!" he shouted to the cockpit.

Joshua flew a tight circle and brought the plane in low, again.  "Now!" Isaac shouted, again demonstrating shocking strength as he heaved box after box over the side.  On the streets below, Kit could already see the streets filing with people, intent on seizing the supplies as quickly as possible.

"It's working!" Kit shouted gleefully, heaving a crate of powdered milk off the plane.  "They see them!"

"That's the last of it." Isaac grunted, giving one last crate a shove into the night.  "Joshua - close the hatch and get us out of here!"

"We did it!" Kit cried gleefully, hugging Sasha as the two cubs laughed.

"Do not celebrate yet, Little Ones." Isaac said grimly.  "Some of those supplies will surely be intercepted, but hopefully most will get to those who most need them.  And still we must escape with our lives!"

Isaac and the cubs returned to the cockpit, where Kit jumped into the navigator's seat and picked up a map.  "Great flying, Joshua!"

"Thank you." the young bear replied, unsmiling.  "But we must be escaping, yes?  We have been lucky but the Alemanians will be joining us soon if we are not gone."

Kit studied the map and pulled out his compass.  He made a quick calculation in pencil and looked up.  "Head thirty-two degrees west - that'll take us over western Bohemia and we'll be in Alsatia in about eighty miles."

"Thirty-two degrees west." the young bear echoed, banking the plane.

"The fleet will be splitting up now." Isaac said, looking at the map.  "That was the plan - it will confuse the Alemanians, hopefully.  May they all return safely..."

"What's happening Papa?" Anna shouted, as her father, still in his nightshirt, peered out from behind the curtain.

"I am not sure, Dumpling." Jacob replied.  Outside, residents had taken to the streets and were dashing to and fro, but not in panic.  In... excitement?  There were no soldiers to be seen.  He went to the door and opened it a crack, peeking his head out.  A large wooden crate slammed to the ground, barely ten yards in front of him, covered an instant later by a billowing parachute. 

His jaw dropped.  "It is - I believe it is help, Anna - food!  Someone has decided to help us..."

"Papa?"

"Wait here, Anna.  Stay inside!  Papa will be back in a few moments.  Lock the door and let no one in until I return!"

"But Papa-"

"Please, Dumpling!" he said urgently.  "It may be our only chance!"

The sky was overcast, and the dawn brought little light to the rugged landscape below them as the plane carrying Kit Cloudkicker and the Walschinsky family made it's way towards the Alsatian border.  "How much longer?" Isaac asked urgently.

"Another forty miles." Kit replied, studying his maps.

"What's that?" Sasha asked suddenly, pointing to a massive clearing to the north.

"I do not know..." Isaac frowned.  "Joshua - fly over there, let us take a closer look."

"But Uncle - if we are pursued-"

"Have you forgotten, nephew, the other part of our mission?  This could be important!  Fly closer." Isaac said urgently.

The boy complied.  As the old plane flew closer they could see that they were looking at a large, artificial clearing in the massive woodland that covered the region.  "There." Kit squinted.  "There's some kind of construction going on... I see buildings - and a perimeter fence..."

"What's that?" Sasha asked, pointing to a dark line snaking from the edge of the construction and off through the woods to the southeast, as far as they could see.

"It looks like a railroad track." Isaac frowned.  "Brague is back in that direction...  I have seen intelligence maps for this area - there is no railway here!  This area is sparsely populated - what in the world?"

Kit was intently studying the site.  "That looks like some kind of prison or camp of some kind to me.  Look at all that fencing around it!  And those big- buildings inside - barracks?"

"I do not like this..." Joshua hissed.

"But why - why would they need such a huge prison camp here, in the middle of nowhere?" Isaac whispered.  "It makes no sense..."  He rose and reached behind him, grabbing his duffel bag.  "We must have pictures of it.  I prepared for this eventuality.  Joshua, loop around and fly in low again." he barked, pulling out a large camera.

"Those pictures will never come out visible!" Kit said, shaking his head.  "It's too dark!"

"Well, what can we do?" Isaac scowled.  "This overcast does not appear interested in breaking anytime soon.  If we wait for the sun to rise higher there will surely be pursuit-"

"D'you have any rope?" Kit asked slyly.

"Keet, no!" Sasha shouted.

"What?"  Isaac asked.  "Why do you need rope, Child?"

The cub pulled out his airfoil.  "If I go out there with the camera I can surf in low.  Joshua can bank the plane, direct all the lights down onto that camp, onto the tracks.  I can get pictures!"

"Surf - you mean, as you did when you rescued my daughter, in Thembria?" Isaac frowned.

"Keet, no!  It's too dangerous!" Sasha pleaded.

"As soon as we direct our lights, they will be knowing we are here." Joshua pointed out.

"We're only forty miles from Alsatian airspace." Kit protested excitedly.  "As soon as I'm back inside, we can make a run for it - they'll never catch us!  It'll work!"

"No.  It's too dangerous." Isaac said.  "I cannot-"

Kit could sense the urgency of this.  He could justify his presence on this mission, if only he could get those pictures - and only _he_ could get them.  "No!" Kit protested.  "Mr. Walschinsky, this could be really important!  Who knows what that construction is?  We need proof, and this is the only way to get it!  Maybe it's why I came along in the first place...  This could be the break you're looking for, to show everyone what the Alemanians are up to!"

"I don't know..." the white bear wavered.

"You have rope?" Kit asked Joshua.

"Yes." the thin boy said, pointing behind him.  "There is winch, in back.  Is manual, hand cranked-"

"It's good enough!" Kit hissed, dashing back into the hold, camera in hand.

"Wait!" Isaac yelled, following him, Sasha in tow.  "This is too risky!"

"Aw, I've done it a thousand times!" Kit grinned.  "I know what I'm doing."  He hurriedly fashioned the end of the rope into a loop and began turning the winch.  "I'll need maybe thirty yards of rope.  Have Joshua point the lights down into the main construction area, and I'll get some pictures.  Then have him loop out the southeast side and I'll get some shots of that railroad track."

"Kit, be careful!" Sasha hissed urgently.

"I'll be careful." Kit smiled  "Don't worry."

"Don't worry!" Isaac muttered.  "All right Boy, you win.  But a few pictures of the main camp, and one or two of the tracks, and that's all!  I want you back inside immediately after that, understood?"

"Understood!" Kit grinned. "I'll give you a signal when to reel me in."

"Good luck." Isaac hissed and returned to the cockpit to issue instructions.  The cargo hatch opened after a moment.

"You're a fool!  We both are." Sasha whispered, a tear in her eye.

"Fools have more fun." he smiled, gently wiping the tear off her cheek.  "See you in a few minutes."  He whipped out his airfoil and leapt out the hatch, camera tucked under one arm.  The rope snaked and then stretched taut, and he was pulled along behind the old cargo plane.

Joshua banked the plane and flew in low, headed for the clearing.  Kit looped the tow rope around his foot and held the camera, poised to begin snapping photos.  He surfed down, towards the ground, the wind screaming around him.  It was time to get down to business.

He looked up at the old plane, above him, and saw the exterior lights flicker on.  The craft banked, pointed down, and the searchlights illuminated the exterior fencing on the ground.  The boy quickly snapped two photographs.  In the glow of the searchlights he could make out the razor sharp wiring strung along the top of the metal gates.  No, whoever was inside there was not going to be going anywhere...

The lights played over the main construction area inside the fence, and Kit continued snapping pictures.  Several long, low buildings, and what looked liked a foundry in the center.  A labor camp?  To his alarm, Kit saw shapes milling along the ground in the shadowy dawn, and faintly heard voices shouting over the engines of the cargo plane.  He signalled frantically at Sasha's small figure, leaning out the open cargo hatch.

"Now!  Get out now!" Sasha screamed towards the cockpit.  "There are soldiers!"  Frantically she began pulling on the old winch.  Joshua banked the plane into a sharp turn to the west.

Kit looked frantically behind him as the small shapes of the Alemanian soldiers began spilling out of the guardhouse on the exterior of the camp.  He hadn't gotten any photos of the railroad track!  He twisted himself backwards and snapped a few hurriedly, hoping against hope that there was enough light.  He tucked the camera under his arm and grabbed the towrope with his hands, desperately pulling himself towards the plane as bullets began to sing in the sky around him. 

Sasha pulled desperately at the winch as bullets dinged off the fuselage of the plane.  It was so slow!  "Father!  Help me!" she gasped, muscles cramping.  Kit looked like he was a mile away, hanging down there behind the plane!

Isaac took over at the winch, grunting with exertion as he desperately hauled the cub closer to the plane.  Sasha crawled to the hatch and peered out, watching the boy approach with agonizing slowness.

Kit continued to pull himself along, hand over hand, appreciating more than ever the mechanized winch on the Sea Duck.  He was only ten yards away now...  A rifle shot kissed off the bottom of the airfoil - too close!  Almost there...  Then, suddenly, he was floating free, the tow rope neatly severed by a bullet.

"Kit!" Sasha screamed, as the brown cub flailed for a moment and released the rope, which fluttered in the wind and was gone, far behind them.  Desperately he scudded towards the plane, reaching his paws out.  He wasn't going to make it...  Sasha leaned her body over the side and Kit grabbed her left paw with his own, holding on by a fingertip.  He trapped the airfoil between his feet, preventing it from falling to the ground.

"Sasha!" Isaac bellowed, standing from the winch and taking a step over towards her.  There was an explosion, and the plane lurched violently to starboard, tossing the screaming girl out the hatch and into the sky as Isaac stumbled to the deck.  "Sasha!"

Kit held Sasha'a paw with all the strength he could muster, arm aching, as the plane sped away from them, billowing smoke.  He could see Isaac's desperate face, receding in the distance.  He kicked the airfoil down under his feet and grabbed Sasha's arm with both hands.  Grunting with exertion, he heaved her onto the board behind him, adrenaline providing him strength far behind what his frail body could normally produce.  "Just grab on!" he shouted desperately.

"Kit!" she sobbed, grabbing him around the waist.  The boy looked around, assessing the situation.  They were perhaps a hundred yards above the ground, no more.  Grim.  He pressed down with his right foot, and sent the airfoil and it's passengers over the seemingly endless forest, trying to keep them in the air for as long as possible.  At least in the trees there would be cover, they'd be harder to find... but what then?

"Joshua!  Land the plane - now!" Isaac cried, stumbling as the plane lurched wildly.

"Uncle, I cannot!" the boy protested.  "The starboard engine is gone - shot!  Thank heaven there is no air pursuit, yet.  We may just make it to the Alsatian border."

"You do not understand!  My daughter is down there!  And Kit!  We cannot leave them!" the white bear croaked desperately.

A shadow crossed the young man's face.  "Uncle - there is nowhere to land!  And we have no weapons!  The plane will not last much longer with one engine.  If there is pursuit by air, we are doomed!  We must flee to Alsatia, send help for them..."

"My daughter!" Isaac hissed helplessly, staring out the window at the plume of smoke they trailed behind them.  "She is down there..."

Kit skimmed the tops of the trees as the airfoil gradually lost altitude.  He couldn't keep them in the air for long, he knew.  He spotted a gap in the trees and scudded downwards, weaving wildly to avoid the trunks and branches.  After a few seconds he saw the ground approaching and skidded, hit a rock and summersaulted, head over heels, landing on his back, the board a few yards away.  "Sasha!" he grunted, sitting up painfully.

"I am here." she called, from a few yards to his right, in a clump of bushes, next to a gurgling stream.

"Are you OK?" he cried, standing.  He let out a yelp, as his left ankle buckled under him, sending a wave of pain up his leg.

"I am fine, a few scratches." she gasped, standing.  Noticing the grimace on his face, she rushed over to him.  "Keet - you're hurt!"

"I'm fine." he said, forcing a smile.  "Just turned my ankle a little, no problem."  He looked around and spied the camera.  He picked it up and looked it over - it seemed intact.  He tried to tuck it under his sweater, but it was too bulky.  Frowning, he fiddled with the back, looking for the film door release.  He opened the camera and removed the film, stashing it in a pocket.  He tossed the camera into the stream with a sigh.

"What do we do now?" Sasha whispered, shivering from the chill.

Kit absently wrapped an arm around her.  "I think we surfed for about a mile after we lost the plane." he said thoughtfully.  "Those soldiers will be looking for us...  We need to keep moving, to get away from here as fast as we can, or find a place to hide."

"What about Father and Joshua?" Sasha asked.  "Surely they'll come back?"

Kit decided not to share what his experience told him about the state of their plane.  "I'm - sure they'll send help, Sasha.  But there's nowhere for them to land here.  We need to buy time until they can help us."  But how?

"Oh Keet, this is terrible..." she whispered.  "I am forever causing you danger."

Kit shook his head, feeling more than a little guilty about their predicament himself.  "It's my fault.  Anyways, we better just get moving..."  He knew what a spot they were in.  How could anyone help them here, of all places?  They were behind enemy lines.  It was very grim, very grim indeed.  He pulled out his compass.  "The camp is that way." he said, pointing to the east.  "That'll probably be where the soldiers come from.  I guess we head west, maybe we can make it to the border." he smiled, not really believing it.  Forty miles, in this wasteland, this cold, with soldiers pursuing them.  He took a step and almost fell.  "Um, Sasha, I need to lean on you, I think.  My ankle's not too good."

"Oh Keet." she sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek.  She wrapped an arm around him and he leaned on her shoulder, hopping on his right leg. 

"How much further?" Isaac gasped, eyes red, as the old cargo plane limped westward towards Alsatia.

"We are there, nearly." Joshua said softly.  "Thank God there has been no pursuit.  We are in no condition for evasive maneuvers."

"We're barely in condition for flight." the older man sighed as the port engine sputtered and complained.  "I must get word to Baloo - he must know what has happened."

"How, Uncle Isaac?  They are well out of radio range.  And even if we attempt to radio them from here, the Alemanians will surely intercept the transmission." the young bear said grimly.

Isaac closed his eyes and leaned back wearily.  "It is my fault, Boy.  I should never have allowed them to enter Bohemia - I was a fool."  He sighed, and the young man said nothing.  "I suppose we will find a phone, once we touch down in Alsatia, and attempt to telephone Baloo and Miss Cunningham.  And organize some sort of rescue."

"If we make it that far." Joshua hissed, as the one remaining engine coughed and strained.

"I need to rest." Kit panted, his good leg weary and aching from supporting all of his weight. He still hadn't completely recovered his strength after his surgery.

"All right." Sasha said quietly, helping the boy to sit down on a dead tree.  "It's so cold."

"I know." Kit smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.  "I'm gettin' pretty hungry too.  Don't worry.  We'll get out of here."

"I know." she smiled wearily.  "We will, somehow."

Kit looked around him.  The trees stretched as far as he could see, in all directions, but that could be ten feet for all that he could see through the dense foliage.  "I'm sorry I got you into this, Sasha.  It's my fault.  I talked you into it."

"Stop it." she scolded.  "We agreed, together."

"An' if I hadn't gone out on my airfoil-"

"You were very brave." she interrupted, squeezing her arm tightly around him.  "And we will not let that bravery be wasted.  We will get the photographs back to safety, and us with them."

Kit sighed.  Why was everyone so anxious to forgive him all the time?  He heard a noise, a low drone, barely audible.  "What's that?", he hissed, hopping up on one leg and peering around him.

"What, Keet?" Sasha frowned.  "I do not-"

"Shhh.!" he whispered.  His ears were tuned to pick up that noise anywhere by now.  "It's an airplane!"

The noise grew louder.  "Rescuers - or searchers?" the white cub hissed.

Kit looked around him, squinting.  He saw a grey shape approaching from the northeast.  "Down!" he whispered, crouching behind the dead tree.  Sasha knelt next to him.  He looked up as the plane flew closer.  He made out the unmistakable silhouettes of weapons on each wing.  "It's an Alemanian plane - the Wuftlaffe!" he hissed.  "An M-22, fighter.  Looking for us, I bet." The plane flew almost directly overhead, then disappeared in the distance.

"Do you think they saw us?" Sasha gasped.

"I doubt it.  This cover is pretty thick." he answered.  "As long as we're in the woods, they won't spot us from the air - but we'll have to come out eventually.  And that won't stop them from searching for us on foot."

Sasha closed her eyes, the hopelessness of their plight dawning on her fully for the first time.  "Oh Keet - we really are in trouble, aren't we?" she whispered.

"Yup!" Kit said grimly.  "But Kit Cloudkicker never gives up without a fight.  Let's keep moving west, away from the camp.  It gets dark pretty early this time of year - we'll keep in the forest until then, and then we'll - I dunno.  Look for a house, or something, a farm.  We'll need to get something to eat somehow, and I'll have to wrap my ankle or I won't even be able to limp on it tomorrow."

"Very well." Sasha said, helping the wincing cub to his feet.  He leaned on her shoulder and they hobbled on through the trees.

Rebecca had gone through the motions of work, but it was a game she knew she couldn't win.  Between her worry over Kit's safety and Baloo's sullen wrath, she was unable to concentrate for more than a moment or two.  Every attempt she made to draw the pilot into any sort of conversation was rebuffed, and so she spent the bulk of the day waiting for the buzz of the radio and jumping every time the phone (nimbly repaired by Wildcat) rang.

It was about five in the evening when she began to get really worried.  If the airdrop had gone smoothly, they would have heard by now - wouldn't they?  Baloo was concerned too - he was still sulking, but now he was doing it in the office, well in range of the phone and radio.  He still refused to engage in conversation, however.

The phone rang at a few minutes after five, and Rebecca picked the receiver up, hoping against hope that it wasn't just a normal business call.  "Hello?" she said in what she hoped was a clear, calm voice.

"Miss Cunningham?" Isaac's voice croaked from the other end of the line.  It was a bad connection, but the bear still sounded terrible.  "This is Isaac Walschinsky-"

Rebecca didn't like the tone of his voice.  "Yes Mr. Walschinsky.  Are you all right?  How's Kit?"

"I - I wish I could answer you, Miss Cunningham - but I honestly do not know.  There was an... accident-"

"Dear God!" Rebecca gasped.

Baloo roughly grabbed the phone out of her hand.  "Ike?  What's goin' on?  Where's Kit?" he shouted.

"Baloo, he and Sasha are... they are in Bohemia.  There was an accident, while he was taking photographs.  We were forced to leave them-"

"_Leave_ them?  What photographs, Man?" Baloo snarled.

Isaac sighed.  "The boy was on his... air board, taking photographs of an Alemanian construction site in western Bohemia.  We were attacked, and the tow rope was severed.  He appeared to be...  He appeared all right, Baloo, but we lost him somewhere over the forests.  Sasha is with him.  Our plane was crippled - we barely escaped to Alsatia ourselves.  We are trying - "

Baloo turned deathly pale.  "What?  What's happened?" Rebecca asked urgently.

"You - you left my boy in Bohemia?" Baloo gasped.  "What the Hell  - how are ya gettin' him back?  What're you doin' there?"

"I wanted to land, Baloo! I can promise you that...  Our plane was badly damaged-"

"Never mind." Baloo hissed, eyes closed.  "What now?  What're you doin' to get the kids back?"

"Unfortunately, we were in Bohemia without the sanction of any government, Baloo.  They will not assist us and risk provoking the Alemanians.  We are trying to get our plane repaired, locate other members of the airdrop-"

"I'm comin' over there." Baloo barked.  "I'll find those kids, you kin bank on that.  Where'd ya lose 'em exactly?"

"About forty miles west-northwest of Brague.  But Baloo, there are - they will be pursued, Baloo - there are Alemanian soldiers camped nearby.  I - I don't know how they..." the polar bear sounded as if he were crying.

"Kit'll find a way to keep 'em alive, don't you worry!" Baloo hissed.  "He's been in tougher spots before.  He'll keep 'em free...  I'm comin' over there right now, Ikey!  I dunno how I'll find 'em but I will!"

"Very well Baloo." Isaac said quietly, barely audible.  "Contact me by radio when you get here.  I'm in Humbrecht, it's just over the Alsatian border.  We'll try to find some way to search from here in the meantime."

"Roger." the pilot whispered, hanging up the phone.  "L'il Britches'll keep 'em alive..."

"All right, out with it." Rebecca sighed.  "I can take it."

"It's bad, Becky." Baloo replied, grabbing his cap.  "Wildcat!  Gas up the Duck!" he shouted out the front door.

"How bad?"

"Very bad, Becky.  The kids are trapped in Bohemia, somewheres.  Place is crawling with Alemanians too."

"Oh God." she gasped.  "Are they hurt?"

"Dunno.  But they don't have much time, those Alemanian dogs'll be sniffin' 'em out.  If they catch 'em..."

"But Baloo, how - how in the world will you ever find them?" she sobbed, unable to control the emotions any longer.  "They're all alone out there-"

"I know, Becky." the pilot said softly, embracing her.  "But Kit's tough - if any kid can survive out there, keep hidden, he can do it.  I'll find 'em and bring that boy home, I promise.  The sooner I'm outta here the sooner I'm there.  I'm gone."

The had been walking for what seemed like days, but as Kit glanced at his watch he saw that it had only been a few hours.  His ankle had loosened up a little, and he was able to put some weight on it, but without a wrap of some sort he knew it would be far worse tomorrow.  As much as his foot hurt, he was more bothered by the cold - Sasha was used to it, maybe, but he'd been in Cape Suzette for too long.  With only Rebecca's sweater for protection he felt as though his very bones were freezing up.  Not to mention his ever deepening hunger.

He paused, hands on knees.  "Gettin' dark, now.  We better start thinking about finding a place to hole up for the night." he squeaked.

She smiled tiredly down at him.  "Your voice - I notice it before, in Cape Suzette!  You are sick?"

"Naw." he shook his head.  "Just my voice changin', I guess.  Couple weeks ago it was all I was worried about!  Funny huh?"

"Keet, you are so young!" she frowned.  "I think you would have been better off if I had never met you-"

"Don't say that!  I - you're the best, Sasha.  I couldn't imagine not knowing you." he said sheepishly.  "Besides, I didn't do anything except what I wanted to do.  We're in this together and we'll get out of it together."

"I suppose." she sighed.  "What now?  Where do we go?  We should not spend the night in these woods."

"No argument there." he nodded, checking his compass.  He closed his eyes, trying to remember details of the maps he'd studied on the flight over.  "This is a guess - I don't even know where we are exactly.  But I think there'll be breaks in these woods, to the north.  Let's head in that direction and see what happens."

"All right Keet.  Perhaps there is a village or town there."

"Maybe." he replied shivering, and set off in a brisk limp to the north.  "But I'm not so sure that's a good idea.  Where there's a town there's more likely to be soldiers."

"And food." she said longingly.

"Yeah." he echoed.  What he wouldn't give for a Louie's pepperoni pizza right now!  And a hot cup of coffee... They walked in silence for a time, both cubs too tired to say much.  A plane droned overhead, far in the distance, but did not come close to their position.  And everywhere, there were trees.  Trees and more trees.

After perhaps an hour of tired walking they found themselves, suddenly and without warning, at the edge of the forest.  A small ridge of wooded hills was visible in the near distance, and in the narrow strip between the trees and the hills a few scattered lights were visible in the dusk, along with a smell of wood smoke in the air.  "Civilization." Kit whispered.

"Such as it is." Sasha hissed.  "Keet, I know it is a risk, but I think we must approach one of these cottages.  In Thembria the local people will always help a traveler in need."

"If there's no price on our head." Kit sighed.  "You're right.  We'll freeze out here, and I'm starved.  Not to mention my ankle's gonna get worse and worse.  I don't think we have a choice."

A light snow began to fall, and the two cubs looked at each other for a moment.  Kit winked at Sasha and smiled.  "Now or never." he chuckled, and hobbled off for the nearest house, a hundred yards of so across a field.  "Hope it doesn't snow enough to leave footprints!" Kit whispered, as they approached the structure warily.

Up close, it was revealed to be a small A-frame cottage, the telltale flickering in the window indicating it was lit by oil lamps.  No electricity.  A thin trail of smoke snaked it's way into the night sky from the small chimney on the roof.  The two cubs crept up to the kitchen window and peered inside - no one was visible.  They stared at each other for a moment, unsure what to do.

In a flash, the door of the smallholding creaked open, and a craggly-faced moose poked his head out.  "Ha!  Jungen!" he barked at them.

The cubs cowered against the wooden house, unsure what to do. Kit couldn't run, and Sasha wouldn't run without him. They were at the mercy of the strange apparition before them.  The old moose walked closer, puzzled by their lack of response.  "Jungen!" he said again.  He looked them over.  "Alemanian?"

Kit shook his head. "Uh-n-no Sir." he stammered.  "You speak English?  English?"

He looked them over.  "Ya, English.  You not from here, no.  Strange.  What you do?"

"Sir, we're very sorry." Sasha said calmly.  "We are very tired, and cold-"

"Strange." the moose sniffed.  He stared at Sasha, a strange look in his eyes.  "You hide from Alemanian, ya?"

"Yes sir." Kit whispered, seeing no hope of fooling this wizened fellow.

"Alemanian!" the old man scowled.  He spit onto the ground.  "Come, jungen.  Inside, ya, come."

"I repeat, this is the Sea Duck, over.  Calling for Isaac Walschinsky, in Humbrecht!" Baloo shouted into the mike for the thirtieth time.  No answer except the crackle of static.  Where was the polar bear?  If he couldn't even find Walschinsky, his chances of finding the cubs were pretty slim...

He sighed and set the mike down.  He'd be in Humbrecht soon, he'd just have to try him there.  It was very cold and very dark outside the Sea Duck.  Bohemia was a big country - big and hostile.  There were Wuftlaffe planes cruising it's skies.  "Talk about yer needle in the haystack." he muttered, fighting off the despair that threatened to engulf him.  He would just have to try, that's all.  Do the best he could.  Kit was tough, he'd find a way to elude the Alemanians.  But how would Baloo find him, even if he did?

"Good?" the old woman asked with a gap-toothed smile, as Kit and Sasha wolfed down the steaming bowls of stew she'd set before them on the old wooden table.  Her husband stood back, arms crossed, watching the cubs eating with curiosity.

"Yes, good!" Kit grinned, nodding and taking a huge bite of crusty bread.  "Thank you!"  These people were strange, certainly, but they seemed kind and genuinely concerned.  He watched them out of the corner of his eye as he ate.  He was ravenous like he hadn't been since his Port Wallaby days, and the food tasted better than he'd remembered food could.

"Poor jungen!" the woman said with a sad shake of her head.  "Eat, be warm.  Is good."  She turned and spoke gruffly to her husband in a language Kit didn't understand.  It sounded vaguely like the Alemanian he'd heard but was quite different as well.  The husband answered in a short bark, and nodded his head.

Kit looked over at Sasha and grinned, happy for now to be warm and well-fed, no matter what would happen next.  She smiled and patted his paw as they finished the last of the stew.  The boy mopped up the final drops with a slab of bread, and took a gargantuan swallow of water, causing him to cough slightly.  He laughed and smiled at the old couple.  "I was thirsty!  Thank you."

"Is good." the woman said, patting his head softly.  "You are hurt, yes?"

"Uh, yeah." he nodded.  "My ankle, the left one-"

The old woman barked a command to her husband, who nodded.  He took two huge strides over to the table and lifted the astonished boy in his arms like a toy.  Kit started to say something, but just looked at Sasha helplessly as she followed behind.  This old fellow was a lot stronger than he looked!  The man carried him into the bedroom, and set him down on the straw mattress with surprising gentleness.  "Wait!" he ordered, and left the room.

"What do you suppose..." Kit asked her quizzically.

"I don't know!" she grinned. "I don't think they're going to hurt you, though."

Kit sat on the bed for a moment and then the old woman walked in, carrying a tray containing two bowls and a long roll of cloth.  There was a pungent, herbal smell emanating from the bowls, and steam rose from one of them.  She set the tray down and sat next to Kit on the bed.  She reached and touched the surprised cub gently on the cheek.  "Poor jungen.  I not hurt you, understand?  I look at foot, may hurt a little, but is good.  Yes?"

"Yes." Kit smiled in wonder.

The old woman reached down and tenderly grasped his ankle in her hands.  "Is swell, yes.  Is hurt." she mumbled, softly shifting the leg in her hands, causing a yelp of pain from Kit.  "Is hurt too much?" she asked in concern.

"No, is - it's OK." Kit said through gritted teeth.  "It's OK."

"Poor jungen!" she muttered again, shaking her head.  She continued to softly play her hands over the boy's ankle, until she was apparently satisfied.  "Is hurt, is not break." she said with a craggy smile.  She held up the tray.  "Is help, yes?  Three day, four day, you leave.  Is better.  Understand?"

"Understand." Kit answered, nodding his head.

Singing softly to herself, the old woman dipped a coil of cloth in the steaming bowl, and proceeded to patiently wrap it tightly around the cub's ankle.  She took another length of cloth and ripped it off the coil in her teeth, dipping it in the other bowl, and wrapped it around the outside of the first one.  She pinned it in place and stood, smiling.  "Is finish!" she said happily.  "Is hurt some, but is get better.  OK?"

"OK." Kit grinned, holding out his hands to her.  She grasped them in her own and smiled.  She scratched Sasha on the head and patted her cheek.  "You very pretty, sweet girl, yes?  Jungen happy now!"  Singing softly, she walked out, stopping in the doorway.  "Come, come! she said impatiently.

They followed her out into the main room of the house, and towards the rear, where her husband was busily tossing pillows and blankets onto a small loft.  He smiled as they approached.  "Your foot is better?" he asked, his English slightly more polished than his wife's.

"Yes, thank you Sir." Kit nodded, feeling more and more as though he were dreaming this whole evening.  These people were so different from anyone he'd ever met!

"You sleep now?" he asked.

Kit looked over at Sasha, who nodded.  "Yes Sir, we sleep now." she smiled at him.

"OK pretty girl, you sleep." he replied, hoisting first Sasha and then Kit up into the small loft.  There appeared to be no ladder or steps of any kind.  It was surprisingly cozy - there was a V-shaped ceiling perhaps four feet above their heads, and they would have plenty of room to stretch out.  The fire still crackled, and the little house was toasty warm.

The craggy-faced moose leaned over and looked Kit in the eye, a serious scowl on his face.  "You hide from Alemanians, is true?"

"It's true, Sir." Kit said quietly.

The old man shook his head.  "My Grandfather, Grandmother Alemanian, yes?  Is good people, kind people.  But Alemanian soldiers terrible - cowards, bullies!" he hissed.  "You listen, boy - you stay away from them, or they kill you - they don't care is little boy and girl, don't even care is mother and baby.  You stay away, understand?"

"We understand." Kit said solemnly.  "Thank you, Sir.  For-"

"Ack!" the man spat dismissively.  "We do nothing special for you.  Is human, that all.  You sleep now, yes?  Rest and feel strong tomorrow."  The old man clapped Kit on the shoulder, grinned at Sasha and was gone, pausing to turn down the lights, leaving the two cubs in darkness.

"Mr. Baloo?  Is you?" the voice called out over the static on the radio.

"Yeah, it's me Ikey." the pilot shouted into the mike.  "I kin barely hear ya!"

"This is Joshua, Mr. Baloo.  My Uncle is try to arrange something with local authorities, some sort of rescue - but it is unlikely.  Where are you?"

"I'm over the outskirts of Humbrecht right now.  I'm gonna stop and refuel, then head out over Bohemia and start searchin'.  I dunno what I'm gonna see in the dark, but I ain't waitin' around here.  What's yer status?"

"The plane is still grounded." the boy replied through the crackling line.  "May be repaired by morning.  We will try to locate another of the planes from the airdrop, Mr. Baloo, but for now you are on your own, I am fear."

"Roger that." Baloo sighed.  "How'd the airdrop go, Son?"

"It went well, Mr. Baloo.  We have not made contact with the other pilots, but we met little resistance in Brague.  I suspect that all of the payloads were dropped safely."

"Well, that's somethin' Josh."  Baloo said.  "Least the trip wasn't a total loss.  I'm gonna touch down in about five minutes an' then hit the sky."

"Mr. Baloo..." the young man said hesitatingly, "Your son, he is very very brave.  I know you are angry-"

"Ain't angry right now." Baloo grumbled.  "Just want the kids back, that's all."

"Yes.  My cousin, she is strong, Mr. Baloo.  She will not give up easily.  They will try and contact us, somehow.  Do not give up hope."

"Can't afford to, Son.  They ain't got nobody else.  Baloo out."

Kit leaned back on his pillow, feeling safe and warm.  He knew it was an illusion - they were still in terrible danger.  But his hunger was sated, he was comfortable under the blankets, and his ankle had calmed down to a manageable dull throb.

The absence of his discomforts had allowed other, subtler feelings to creep into his mind.  For reasons which he had to admit he didn't fully understand he found Sasha's presence next to him in the loft totally overpowering.  It was a physical feeling, no doubt - he was sweaty, uncomfortable.  Yet it was something more as well.  He had never experienced anything like it in his life - but he couldn't explain it.  "You awake, Sasha?" he whispered.

"I am, Keet." she said softly.  "Is your ankle hurting you very much?"

"Naw, it' OK." he replied.  "Whatever that ol' lady put on there really seemed to help."

"That is good." she answered, with what he could sense was a smile. Even her voice caused his guts to turn summersaults.  "What shall we do tomorrow?"

"I guess we head back into the woods and keep moving west, towards Alsatia." he mused.  Forty miles, in this cold...  "The border'll be guarded, I bet - but I just don't see what else we can do.  I dunno if anyone's even looking for us."

"My Father will search, I am sure of this.  And Baloo-"

"I'm not sure.  Baloo's pretty mad at me.  I really hurt him, Sasha.  He may not-"

"Do not be ridiculous, silly Keet!" she scolded.  "He will search the ends of the earth, no matter what you do.  He is not turned away so easily.  He search."

"Maybe." the boy whispered.  What was this?  Why couldn't he relax - he was exhausted!  He couldn't stop thinking, about her there, her eyes, her nose... everything.  "Sasha, what's gonna happen when - when we're rescued?" he asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed in frustration.  Why couldn't he find words?  "It's - I mean...  You and yer dad'll go away, somewhere...  Do whatever you have to do.  But I won't be with you!  And I'm not sure I - I dunno if I can...  Damn!"

"What?" she whispered, reaching out for his hand, sending bolts of electricity through him. 

"I just - I want to be with you!  I can't say it any better, I'm sorry.  I just know, we're meant to be together Sasha!  And we won't be..."

"I know, Keet.  I feel this way also." she sighed, sending a wave of exuberance through him.  "I must to be with Father, Dear Keet.  He needs me.  It will be difficult, for a time...  But I will come and see you, whenever it is possible.  Whenever I can.  My Father likes you Keet, very much.  He will understand.  And one day, it will be possible, and we will be together.  We will just have to be patient."

"I don't wanna be patient!" the boy sighed, a little petulantly.

"Nor I, Sweet boy.  But we must, and if we are meant to be together, it will be worth it, yes?"  Kit heard her move, in the dark, and she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.  "I am willing to wait."  she whispered.

He raised his head and kissed her cheek once, twice.  "I am too." he said softly, more determined than ever that he deliver her to safety.

"Now, we must sleep, yes?" she sighed, laying back down.  "Tomorrow will be a long and difficult day, and today was as well.  I am tired.  Good night, Dear Keet."

"Good night Sasha." he whispered, overcome by emotion.  He said no more, and soon his exhaustion overcame his exuberance, and he fell into a fitful slumber.

Kit's eyes snapped open, and he wasn't sure if it was the old man's voice or the pounding that had woken him first.  "Wake!  You must go!" the old moose was saying.

There it was - a pounding on the door of the cottage.  "What - what is it?" Sasha whispered.

The old man effortlessly lifted the two cubs off the loft and to the floor.  "Is soldiers - only two.  You go out back door, hide in trees.  I keep them for a minute, two.  Is enough.  Hurry!"

Kit threw his sweater on and grabbed Sasha's hand.  "Thank you for everything, Mr.... Mr.-"

"Go!" he hissed, shoving them towards the rear door of the house.

The old woman appeared in her nightshirt, holding two small, grey woolen cloaks.  "_My_ Jungen!" she smiled.  She tossed them at the cubs.  "Go, hurry.  Good fortune, ya?"

Kit grinned at her and pulled Sasha out the back door and towards the cover of trees at the base of the hill, a few dozen yards away, cloak in hand and wincing from the pain in his ankle.  They slipped in amongst the cover of trees and watched the cottage below them in the dim light.  The snow had stopped, leaving only a light dusting, and a crescent moon illuminated the night a little - too much for Kit's liking.

He checked his watch - four A.M., local time.  He looked up and saw a few clouds, but no hope of the overcast returning in force.  He grasped Sasha's paw tightly and looked down at the cabin below them.  There was no sound, no movement for a minute, two.  Were the soldiers searching?

Then two forms appeared around the corner of the house and peered around them.  There was no sign of any horses or vehicles - certainly there were no roads in this isolated little slice of meadow.  The dogs resumed walking towards the next house, dimly visible a half-mile or so up the little valley.  As soon as they were out of sight, Kit and Sasha limped across the clearing and back into the blessed cover of the dense forest.

Baloo circled in darkness, barely able to make out the landscape below him in the dim moonlight..  It was mostly forested, with very little sign of any habitation anywhere.  He knew he was accomplishing very little except wasting fuel, but at least he was doing _something_... It would be daylight soon, which would improve his chances of miraculously finding the cubs, assuming they hadn't been captured already.  But it would also make him a sitting Sea Duck -his unarmed plane an easy target for any patrolling Wuftlaffe fighters.

He sighed and banked the plane to the north.  Another loop, maybe he'd spot something, a town.  But would Kit head to a town, even if he found it?  Baloo didn't think he would, not the kid's style - he'd rather take his chances trying to stay hidden.  Hidden from evil eyes - but from his Papa Bear's too.  The faintest hint of light began to appear at the tip of the eastern horizon, towards Brague.

Kit and Sasha had been walking for the better part of an hour, neither saying much of anything.  Where there were two soldiers, there were likely to be more, and voices travelled far in the calm night air.  With the woolen cloaks they were much warmer than they'd been the day before, but the night was still bitter, and both cubs' fingers and toes were stiff and chilled.

Dawn was beginning to lighten the sky when they heard a roaring noise ahead of them in the dim.  They paused for a moment, staring at each other silently.  "It's a river, I think!" Sasha whispered in his ear.

They started to walk towards the sound when it was joined by another, a familiar drone.  "Hang on!" Kit hissed intently.  "That's - could it be?"  He scanned the slowly lightening sky above him desperately.  "There!" he pointed at a dim shape approaching above the treetops.  "The Sea Duck!" he said."

"Shhh!  You must be quiet!" Sasha whispered, grabbing his arm.

He caught himself - she was right.  "He'll never spot us!" the boy whispered desperately, looking for a clearing in the trees, an opening.  He ran in a circle frantically, his pain forgotten, as the yellow seaplane flew almost directly overhead, then receded into the distance.  "Damn!" he sighed, falling to the ground and burying his face in his hands.

"It is all right." Sasha said, kneeling next to him.  "He is searching, he is here.  We must only contact him."

"How?" Kit said, filled with despair.  "He'll never find us..."

"Stop!" she said fiercely.  "He is here and he will find us - he must.  Now, we have to keep moving, it is our only chance.  Get up!"

"You're right." he sighed, as she helped him to his feet.  "Gotta keep moving."  They trudged ahead, the pain in the boy's ankle returning with a vengeance now that his rush of adrenaline had passed.  The roaring grew louder, and soon they stood a few yards away from the banks of a wide, fast moving river.

"Wow." Kit whispered.  The river cut a swath through the trees, which continued unbroken on the far side, running northeast to southwest.  "There's no way we can cross that, Sasha - it's too deep and too wide, and that current looks pretty rough.  Bet it's cold too..."

"You are right." she agreed.  "We cannot ford this river.  So the question then is - which way do we go?"

Kit closed his eyes, picturing the maps in his mind's eye.  "I think this is the same river that flows through Brague, or at least it flows into the one that does.  That'll be to the east - our right.  One way or the other, that's no good.  We'll have to go left, follow the river and try to find a spot where we can cross."

"Where there are rivers, there are people - and towns." the white cub said grimly.

Kit considered.  Despite their experience of the night before, he didn't want to get involved with any of the locals now, especially in an actual town.  "You're right Sasha.  Maybe we can - I dunno, stay back in the trees, keep the river in earshot but out of sight?"

"True - but then how will we know if there is a place where it is fordable?"

Kit sighed.  Resourceful girl...  Either choice was no good.  "I guess we have to stay close, and hope we find a place where we can cross, and get away at the first sign of any habitation.  OK?" 

"OK, Keet!" she answered, grabbing his paw.  The started walking southwest, a few yards from the banks of the rushing water.

Baloo frowned - it was getting light now. He checked his gas gauge - half a tank.  Keep going for a while, he supposed.  He noticed a river, cutting through the trees beneath him.  It looked pretty formidable.  If the kids had headed this way, it would've stopped them, certainly.  They might still be around here, somewhere, hiding...

The two cubs had walked for only a half-mile or so when they came to the first clearing.  It held a farmhouse, much larger than the one they'd stayed in the night before, and a small barn.  The clearing was U-shaped, covered lightly in snow, and not large.  The river meandered along it's edge.  "What do you make of this?" Kit whispered.

"It is a large house.  Perhaps there is a town nearby.  I think we should avoid it, for now." the white cub replied.

"Agreed." the boy hissed.  They stayed in the trees, and skirted the house.  After only a few more minutes they came to another house, then another.  Clearly, it was a settlement.  There was even a small road that ran along the edge of the houses, and cut a path through the trees.  "Looks like we've hit a town." Kit whispered.

"We have nowhere else to go.  Ahead of us is a village, no doubt.  Beside us is the river, which we cannot cross.  We cannot go back.  At least in a village there may be a bridge, yes?" Sasha said thoughtfully.

"I guess." Kit said reluctantly  It was time to take a risk.  "Let's follow the road, but from a few yards back in the trees, OK?  See where it goes."

"You're the navigator." she smiled, squeezing his paw.  He found himself loving her spirit more and more... but now was not the time for those thoughts.  They followed the road for a few minutes, passing a few houses but seeing no one.  They intersected a small dirt road, perhaps a driveway, which led to a house, set well back from the main road, along the river.  A shack sat a few yards away, with a rusted out jalopy parked in front of it, the first car they'd seen.  "Let's investigate this." Sasha said suddenly.

"Why?" Kit hissed, following her.

"I have an idea." she whispered, investigating the old car, clearly long past it's running days.  She walked over and gently tried the door of the shed - it was unlocked.  She pulled it open and stepped inside, Kit on her heels.

The small building was packed with junk of all types - an old mattress, boxes of clothes, books.  The girl rooted around, searching the piles of detritus.  "What're you looking for?" Kit whispered, puzzled.

The white cub rooted around for a few moments.  "This!" she grinned, turning.  She held a radio, battery powered, that had clearly seen better days.  "If it has any power..."

"But - why?  How does that help us?" the boy asked.

She pried the cover off the device.  "It's a receiver.  If it has any power, I can rewire it to be a transmitter."

Kit's jaw dropped.  "You can do that?"

She grinned.  "Do not forget, my father is mechanical engineer.  I have been playing with machines since I was a little girl."  She delicately turned the knobs, then turned them back quickly.  "There is some power, but very little.  Maybe enough to send a message, maybe not."

"I guess we should try." he sighed, squeezing her paw.  "How long will it take you to rewire it?"

"A few minutes only, no more." she said confidently, already tinkering with the innards of the radio.

Kit sat on a box, feeling useless but not wanting to disturb her concentration.  Then a thought struck him.  "Y'know, if we send a message, to Baloo - won't the Alemanians hear it too?" he squeaked.  Amazing - even here, in this terrible bind, that squeak _still_ ticked him off!

"They will, Dear one." she said grimly, without looking up.  "But I think we have little choice, do we not?"

The boy considered.  "I guess we just have to hope Papa Bear's closer than... _they_ are ... 'Cause we're broadcasting our location to every Alemanian in radio range, an' if he's not..."

"This will not be a strong signal.  Maybe not strong even to be heard by anyone.  If he is not close, it will not matter - he will never hear the message."

"We better think real careful about what we're gonna say, cause we aren't gonna get a second chance!" he hissed.  "He won't be able to contact us, I assume?"

"No, Kit - I would have to rewire the machine again, and I doubt there is enough power in any case." she replied.  She stood.  "It is ready."

"Ready..." the cub echoed.  "What should we say?  We can't exactly tell him to pick us up at the bus station!  Heck, we don't even know for sure where we are!"

"I do not know, Keet." she sighed.  "As soon as I switch the radio on, talk and talk quickly.  It will not last for more than a half-minute, I am thinking.

Kit closed his eyes, imagining himself in Baloo's position.  What should he say?

Baloo continued to circle, his anxiety increasing as the day grew brighter.  He'd have company soon, he was sure of it.  Someone on the ground would spot him, and that would be that.  He'd have to beat a hasty retreat back to Alsatia - and what then?  He pounded the dash in anger.  "Where are ya, L'il Britches?" he shouted angrily.

A few seconds later, there was a crackle of static on the radio, and a voice followed it, barely audible, so weak that Baloo had to ease the throttle back just to hear it discernibly.  "Repeat, Papa Bear, this is Little Britches..."

"This is Little Britches." Kit said urgently.  "I don't know our exact position.  We're just south of the large river you flew over maybe thirty minutes ago.  We've gone slightly west of that point.  There's a U-shaped clearing with a house and a barn, that's where we'll be.  There are a few houses and maybe a town a mile or so farther west from that clearing along the river.  Find the clearing, we'll be there.  I repeat, Papa Bear, if you can hear me-"

Sasha placed a paw over his gently.  "It is dead, Keet.  There is no power left." she said gently.

Kit set the radio down with a sigh.  "I hope it got through." he whispered.

"Who knows?" she sighed.  "Maybe it was so weak no one heard it - or perhaps it was strong enough for Baloo to hear it, and perhaps others, too..."

Kit looked around the empty old barn and lay back in the straw.  "I guess we'll know soon enough."

The slate grey M-22 fighter sped through the brightening sky, scanning the ground below for any sign of their prey - the needle in the haystack, as the crew had come to call it.  What chance did they have to find a couple of civilians, on foot, in this vast Bohemian wasteland?  Leave it to the grunts on the ground to track them down.

The radio officer frowned, and held his earphones tightly to his head, adjusting the controls quickly. "Vot is this?" he called.  "English, English!  Captain!"  He threw the headphones aside and dashed up to the cockpit.

Kit and Sasha sat quietly, knees drawn up, as the rising sun slowly brightened the interior of the old barn.  Neither cub had much to say, but both were deep in thought.  Kit looked over at Sasha out of the corner of his eye, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

She noticed immediately.  "Keet!  What is the matter?" she exclaimed.

The boy shook his head, embarrassed.  "I was just thinkin', if we don't - if...  Well, y'know.  What a mess I've made of it.  All of it..."

"Keet, please." she frowned, squeezing his paw gently.

"Baloo will blame himself, that's the worst part." he sighed.  "He'll hate himself for it, and it'll be my fault.  And there's so much... I was so lucky!  There's so much I wanna do, y'know?  All the possibilities were finally there-"

"Sweet boy, it is not your fault." she smiled, stroking his cheek gently.  "It is the terrible men who have started this invasion, this sacrilege.  They force good people to make hard decisions, and there are always prices to be paid, no matter what they decide.  That is what happens, my Sweet One.  The good people are always the ones who must sacrifice.  And you are good, Keet.  You are brave, kind, compassionate.  I love you."

Kit stared at the white cub, overcome by emotions far too powerful for him to comprehend.  His world seemed very small at this moment.  Alemanians could come charging through the doors any second, and that would be their doom - and he didn't care.  Her eyes were his world.

He felt as if he were out of his body, floating above it.  He didn't understand what was happening to him - he had no context.  He knew, viscerally, on some level, that males and females yearned to be together, but he'd never really understood it.  There were no couples at the orphanage, no women on the Iron Vulture.  And as for Baloo and Becky, well - he often felt that there was something in the air that he wasn't a part of, something unspoken in their banter.  But he didn't understand that either.

All of these thoughts raced through his mind, in milliseconds.  But they didn't matter.  He looked into Sasha's eyes and it all made sense, in some way.  "I love you." he whispered, and kissed her lightly, tentatively.  He pulled away and stared into her eyes, smiling.  She grinned back at him, and laughed softly, musically.  He closed his eyes and met her lips with his own, and it may have lasted a second or an hour, he wasn't sure - he only knew that his entire body was shot through with fire.  He held her to him tightly, gently caressing her back, and buried his face in her neck, crying softly.

"Dear Keet." she whispered.  "What is the matter, Sweet one?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." he chuckled, gazing once more into her eyes.  She was so beautiful, more so than anything could ever be, in any place or time.  "I'm just happy, that's all!"  She smiled, and he kissed her again, for a long time.

A noise filtered through the wooden frame of the old building, and he looked up, head cocked.  "That's..." he whispered, jogging over to the door.  "The Sea Duck!  It's Baloo!" he laughed as she ran to join him.  He grabbed her hands.  "Papa Bear's here!"

The three grey dogs sat in the cockpit of the grey plane, poring over a topographical map spread out before them.  "Zis is all zey said?  South of a large river, U-shaped clearing?" one said.

"Yes Major." said another, a pair of earphones hanging around his neck.  "Ze signal was wery veak, almost inaudible.  I could undershtand no more."

"A river!  Indeed.  Vell, it must be ze Strauss, ya?  Zere are no other large rivers zey could have reached on foot.  But a U-shaped clearing?  Zat could be anyvere!"

The third uniformed dog spoke up.  "Sir, if zis signal is as veak as Heintzer says, it could not have carried far.  Ve should fly along ze course of ze Strauss, vithin a few miles of our location ven ve intercepted ze transmission."

The major shook his head.  "Papa Bear, Little Britches.  Vat is zis, some strange new code?"

"Major!" the pilot shouted.  "Unidentified aircraft, ten o'clock!"

Baloo flew directly over the river, retracing his path of what felt like half an hour before, as best he could remember.  He found a town, finally - really a small cluster of structures on a bend in the river, no more.  It _could_ have been what Kit was talking about.

The he spotted a vaguely U-shaped break in the trees, alongside the river, and his heart jumped. "There she is - maybe!" he muttered aloud, banking the Sea Duck and coming in low.  Two buildings - just as the boy had said!  But where were the kids?  Had someone else gotten there first? Fighting down panic he scanned the ground beneath him desperately, then prepared to loop around and fly another pass.

Then he saw them - two shapes, spilling out of the doorway of the barn near the river.  It _had_ to be the cubs!  He looked the clearing over, making mental calculations.  There was no way he'd be able to land, it was too small.  Only one thing left..."Here goes nuthin'!" he sighed, opening the cargo hatch.

"C'mon!" Kit panted, pulling Sasha out into the clearing and waving frantically.  "He'll never be able to land - the clearing's too small.  We'll have to surf on-"

"He'll be going too fast!" Sasha gasped.  "That rope will tear your hands off!"

Kit looked around helplessly.  "He _can't land!  What else can we do?"

Baloo looped around wide and came in, low as he could.  He'd never be able to land and stop, but he could tap his wheels down and slow himself down enough to let the boy grab the rope - maybe.  Then gather enough speed to lift off and clear the trees.  It would be a little dicey...

"What's he doing?" Sasha hissed, as Baloo looped far to the west and flew in low, skimming the treetops.

"He's gonna try a touch and go!" Kit panted, pulling the girl towards the center of the clearing, away from the buildings. "Try to grind the wheels and slow down enough that we can grab on, then lift off before we hit the trees."

"Is he crazy?" she gasped.

"Yep." Kit huffed.  "Hang on to me tight, you understand?  Don't let go!  I can barely run anyway, with this ankle, so you won't have any trouble keeping up."  A woman appeared outside the house, looking up at the sky in astonishment.

The yellow seaplane cleared the trees and Baloo dipped the nose down and impacted the ground with a crash, the wheels leaping and sliding on the uneven ground.  The towrope clattered along behind the aircraft as Kit took out his airfoil and began running as best he could, parallel to the Sea Duck's course, the girl's arms wrapped around his waist.  "Hang on!" he bellowed, and reached out for the handle of the rope.  He screamed in pain, but managed to hold on, and flipped the airfoil under his feet, skimming along the thin layer of snow that covered the field.

Baloo could see the cubs scudding along behind him on the rough ground, and knew that for their sake and his own he'd need to get airborne as quickly as possible.  "C'mon baby!" he growled, goosing the throttles, desperately trying to gain enough speed to take to the air.  He could see the river now, practically on top of him, and knew he could wait no longer.  He yanked back on the stick and the yellow seaplane lurched into the air a few seconds before the front wheels would have hit the river.  He banked the plane sharply to port as he gained altitude, and cleared the first of the trees by a yard.  Panting, he activated the winch, and the tow rope slowly was pulled into the cabin.  Below him, the woman stared, mouth agape, at the bizarre scene unfolding above her.  Shaking her head and muttering, she walked back into the house and slammed the door behind her.

Kit felt as though his hand was on fire, but he retained his grip on the rope handle, Sasha grasping him firmly around the waist.  He saw the Sea Duck narrowly clear the first layer of trees and climb, and closed his eyes as the branches flew towards him, bracing for impact.  It never came - he opened his eyes and the trees were below his feet, and the cargo hold of the old seaplane was growing closer by the second.

As soon as the solid ground of the plane was below his feet Kit released the rope and fell to the floor, eyes clenched tightly shut.  His ankle throbbed, his hand burned, and his lungs ached.  But he was safe.  "You kids all right?" Baloo called from the cockpit as the hatch slammed shut.

"Keet's hurt!" Sasha screamed, bending by his side.  "Keet, are you all right?  Keet?"

The boy opened his eyes.  "I'm OK, Sasha." he panted, struggling to his feet.  She helped him up to the cockpit, dripping blood, where he threw his arms around Baloo's neck and collapsed onto his shoulder.  "Baloo!" he gasped.

"The one and only, Kid!" the pilot whispered, wrapping his arms around the boy.  "You OK?"

"Baloo!" Kit squeaked, opening his eyes.  "Look!"

"Oh great!" the big bear grumbled, following the cub's glance.  A slate grey plane was winging across the horizon towards them.  "They couldn't've gotten here five minutes later?  What's the fastest way outta this country, L'il Britches?"

Kit collapsed painfully into his chair, too tired and in too much pain to pick up a map.  "F-fly due west, Papa Bear." Kit panted.  "That'll get you to Alsatia."

"Better hope we can outrun these guys Kiddos, 'cause that ain't no P-37 out there.  Those babies are armed to the hilt."  He noticed Kit's ankle for the first time.  "Kid!  What happened to yer foot?  Y'okay?"

Kit had tucked his painful left hand under his right armpit.  "It's nuthin', Papa Bear, just a sprain. I'll be OK..."

Sasha bent over his chair.  "Poor Keet!  How is your hand?  Let me see!"

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't've slowed down more for ya, Kid." Baloo said, looking over his shoulder at the pursuing fighter.  "You all right?"

"That's OK." the boy grinned through clenched teeth as he held out his hand for the white cub to investigate.  The rope had ripped the skin from his palm, which was bleeding profusely.

She gently examined the boy for a moment.  "There is no break, I think.  It is bruised badly, and cut, but that is all.  I will get the first aid kit, Sweet boy.  I remember where it is!"  She tenderly kissed him on the cheek, and he casually, confidently kissed her lightly on the lips, a fact which did not escape Baloo's attention.

He looked sidelong at the boy, frowning.  Time to ask about that later... "How'd ya get yer ankle taped, L'il Britches?  Looks like a professional job!"

Kit looked over at him and smiled wearily.  "Last night we slept at a farmhouse, somewhere... just on old couple, but they were incredible to us.  They saved our lives..."  Kit sat up, looking at the pursuing aircraft.  "Baloo, thanks fer savin' us...  I know I let you down-"

"Later, Kiddo." Baloo said grimly.  "Yer safe an' that's all that matters.  Right now we gotta worry about gettin' outta here alive, and that fighter's gainin' on us.  Man, what I wouldn't give for my overdrive motors about now!  Throttles are maxed an' we ain't losin' 'em!"

Sasha returned to the cockpit and began ministering to Kit's injured paw.  "Hold still, Keet." she said gently.

"Yow!" the cub winced, as Sasha poured iodine on the wound.  "Papa Bear, we just gotta make it to Alsatian airspace, they'll never follow us.  They can't - it'd start a war!"

"That may be, Kid, but we ain't there yet!" Baloo hissed.  A spray of bullets whizzed by on the starboard side.  "They're firing!  They're in range!"  He banked the plane sharply to port and began flying a serpentine path.  "You'll have to catch me first!" he shouted.

"It can't be that much farther, Baloo!" Kit said urgently.  Just a few more minutes..."  Another hail of bullets rang against the fuselage.

"We can't take too many hits like that!" Baloo hissed.  "Those guns are too powerful - they're gonna hit an engine for sure, and then we're toast!" He banked the plane straight down and the fighter swooped to follow.  He flew low along the ground for a few seconds, then straight up into the air again, buying precious seconds as the Alsatian border drew ever closer.

"There it is!  There's Alsatia!" Kit shouted, pointing with his good hand to a cluster of buildings far on the horizon.

"Yep, that's Humbrecht.  But we ain't there yet!" Baloo hissed.  Another round of bullets just missed the port engine.  They were sitting ducks, and he knew it - outgunned and overpowered.

Suddenly, the sky ahead of them was filled with dark shapes - several planes were approaching from the west.  "Attention cargo plane!" A voice shouted over the radio.  "State your business in Alsatia."

Baloo grinned and picked up the mike.  "Uh, that'd be humanitarian.  I have, uh, two refugees, who are leaving Bohemia."

There was a moment of static.  "Land at Humbrecht Central and you will be met by customs officials.  Is that understood?"

"Understood." Baloo grinned.  Three of the Alsatian planes had taken up positions flanking the Alemanian fighter, and no doubt were engaged in conversation with it's crew.  "Looks like the Alsatians are feelin' a little sensitive about their airspace!"

"I'll take my chances with a bunch o' beaurocrats over an Alemanian fighter any day." Kit sighed.

Sasha had finished bandaging his hand, and now she turned and hugged the pilot.  "Baloo, I am so grateful, you are a wonderful man..."

"That's OK, Snowflake!" Baloo chuckled.  "Just doin' what's right, that's all."  He picked up the radio.  "Come in, Isaac Walschinsky.  This is the Sea Duck, calling for Isaac Walschinsky..."

Baloo, Kit and Sasha sat in the lobby of the main Customs building at the Humbrecht airport.  The meeting with the local officials had been brief and uneventful - surprisingly so.  They had been asked a few innocuous questions and escorted out, not even asked for papers.  Baloo, sleepless for the last day, had drifted off and was snoring gently.  Kit and Sasha sat, holding hands.

Kit rolled his head over to look at the white cub.   Tired as he was, her face still gave him a thrilling sensation.  "Quite an adventure, huh?" he grinned wearily.

"Keet, our meetings are never boring!" she chuckled.  "I confess, there were times that I did not think we would survive."

"Me too." he whispered.  "You were great!  If you hadn't rigged that radio-"

"I knew you would protect me." she smiled.  "Your bravery made me strong."

"What do you think will happen now?" the boy asked, a little sadly.

Sasha closed her eyes.  "I imagine Father and I will stay in Eporue, Dear One.  I may - I may not see you for a while."

"I know." Kit said with a sad smile.  "But I can wait.  You do what you have to do - you and your father."  He looked over at Baloo's sleeping figure.  "I have responsibilities too.  I have a lot to make up for."  He squeezed her paw.  "I'll be waiting for you - I promise."

"I will wait for you, Keet, I promise.  And we will see each other soon, I am sure of it."

"Sasha!" a voice called.  The cub looked up and saw her father and Joshua walking towards them.  "Oh, Sasha..."  The girl ran to her father and embraced him, tears flowing down both their cheeks.  Kit smiled, and Baloo stirred awake.

The two polar bears embraced for a long time, and finally Isaac released the girl and kissed her on the cheek.  She kissed Joshua and they embraced silently.  "Mr. Baloo, and Kit - it does my heart good to see you safe, and well-"

"Not by much, Ikey." Baloo chuckled tiredly.  "I had an M-22 on my tail that was tougher ta shake than a bad cold.  If those Alsatian fighters hadn't showed up-"

The white bear laughed, a gesture that surprised Baloo.  "That, I fear, was not a coincidence Baloo.  I called in a favor with an old - friend - at the Foreign Ministry.  I was able to persuade him to order the Bohemian frontier patrolled a little bit more aggressively today."

"Yer somethin' else, Ike!  You saved our bacon..."

"There are limits." the bear frowned.  "They were not willing to risk a provocation, to search for the children.  Even to acknowledge their presence in Bohemia.  But the Alsatians do not recognize the so-called "treaty" between Bohemia and Alemania.  And the Alemanians do not wish to provoke a confrontation either - yet."

"Well, I take my help where I can get it, Isaac." Baloo said wearily.  "Thanks a million fer what ya did."

Isaac walked over in front of Kit and stared down at the boy, his expression unreadable.  "My Child... My remarkable Child - you continue to amaze me!"

Kit stood, taking off his cap sheepishly.  "I have something for you." he said quietly, pulling out the roll of film.

Isaac took it and held it in his outstretched palm.  "Were you able to-"

"Yeah - the main buildings, the fences, maybe the railroad tracks too.  I hope - I hope it helps."

"What's that, Kiddo?" Baloo said, puzzled.

Isaac laughed quietly.  "Maybe the key to it all Baloo, who knows?"

"What will you do with it?" Kit asked.

"It will be our proof, hopefully, that the Alemanians are a greater threat than the governments are wiling to admit.  We will study it, attempt to determine exactly what they are doing.  We will take it to the great powers, show them.  And show the people directly, if we must.  The truth must be discovered - and exposed."

"Well, I'm glad I could help." Kit said glumly.  "Mr. Walschinsky, I'm sorry - I'm sorry I got your daughter into this, almost got her killed.  I wouldn't blame you if-"

"Keet, no!" Sasha protested.

The polar bear knelt and put his paws on Kit's shoulders.  "You are a remarkable boy, Kit Cloudkicker.  I can not blame you for your courage, and your passion.  Nor can I blame you for your rashness - it is a badge of youth, and you wear it with honor."

"But Sir-" Kit frowned.

"Kit, you brought my daughter back safely to me.  You acted bravely, and you risked yourself for what you believed in.  I do not blame you, any more than I blame the moon or the trees.  In these times all good people are forced to make difficult choices.  You chose with your heart, and corageously."  He kissed the cub on the forehead.  "Be at peace, my boy."

Kit looked up at Isaac's face, and now, for the first time, he saw Sasha's face there too.  "Sir, I - I would die for your daughter.  I... I love her, Sir."  Baloo jaw dropped in surprise.

Isaac arched an eyebrow for a moment and then smiled slightly.  "You are so young, Child.  Both of you, so young.  It all makes so much sense to you...  Maybe it is enough, in the end."  He stood and clapped the boy's shoulder gently, then extended a hand.  Kit shook it.  "Goodbye, Kit.  I feel I shall see you again, yes?  And now I think you would like a moment alone with Sasha."  He smiled at Baloo, wrapped an arm around Joshua's shoulder and walked down to the other end of the lobby.

Baloo was feeling a little overwhelmed by all this.  Clearly, it had been an... _eventful_ few days for all of them...  Still, he didn't want to be a third wheel.  "I'll just - uh, that is..." he mumbled.  He smiled awkwardly and gave Sasha a small hug, then walked over to where Joshua and his uncle stood.

Kit grabbed Sasha's paws in his own, feeling very self-conscious.  "I think you surprised our fathers quite a bit, silly Keet." the white cub smiled mischievously.

He looked down.  "Yeah, I'm sorry...  I just wanted to be honest with your dad, y'know?  And I meant it, every word."

"I know." she grinned.

"Your dad is an amazing man." Kit said admiringly.

"So is yours." Sasha echoed.

"Yeah!" the boy laughed.  "He is, I guess... we're both lucky."  He looked into her eyes for a moment.  "I'm almost sorry it's over!  I mean, as terrible as it was, at least we were together.  Now..."

"I know." she smiled, hugging him.  "But we will be together soon, I promise it.  There is no hurry, and we both have responsibilities, yes?  It is not sad, Keet.  We have done what we started out to do, and maybe we have even done more.  We have helped people who desperately needed it.  And there are fathers who need us, and we are going to be with them.  That is a reason to be happy, is it not?"

"Sure." he whispered.  "I dunno what's gonna happen, with this war, or whatever it is... but it'll be over, someday.  Alemany will lose, I know it."

"You're right.  They will, I know it too."

"I love you." he smiled and kissed her gently.

"I love you too." she echoed, and they kissed again for a brief eternity.

"Sorry - I guess I'm sad!" he laughed ruefully, breathing heavily.  "I can't really help it-"

"I forgive you." she whispered, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

He kissed her on the forehead, then on her cheek and finally her nose.  "C'mon, our families are waiting." he sighed, eyes closed, holding her cheek to his own.  He smiled and grabbed her hand with his bandaged one, and they limped down the hall to where Baloo, Isaac and Joshua stood patiently.

The mood on the Sea Duck was somber and a little strained as the yellow seaplane left Alsatia and headed south.  Kit looked sidelong at Baloo, who, catching his gaze, looked over and smiled wearily.  The boy knew that there was a lot that was unsaid between the two of them, and now that they were alone, the distractions gone, those unspoken feelings were bubbling just below the surface.

He tried to think of something to say that would ease the tension, soothe the pain.  But there was nothing, no easy answers or shortcuts.  And he was tired - very tired.  Almost without realizing it, he closed his eyes, his thoughts becoming more and more cloudy and dreamlike.

Baloo glanced over at the cub, and wondered if he was asleep.  ~Wouldn't blame him.~ the pilot thought, ~after what he's been through.  What about what he's put me through?  Does he even realize?~

The big bear sighed and leaned back in his seat, steering the plane with his feet.  It was going to be a long flight home.  The boy had hunched over, head lolling on his shoulders.  At least one of them could sleep.  He walked back into the hold and grabbed a blanket, gently arranging it over Kit's sleeping form.  He stood and watched the cub for a moment, then sat and picked up the mike, ready to call Rebecca at Higher for Hire.

"Is she asleep?" Joshua asked, as his uncle wearily walked up from the hold and sat in his chair with a sigh.

"Yes." the bear answered.  "She is a remarkable young woman, your cousin.  Willful, strong - much as I might say about her young friend.  They are much alike."

"She is a Walschinsky." the boy said proudly.

"Indeed she is!" Isaac laughed ruefully.

"The boy - he is brave, but a strange one, yes?  Sasha is serious with him, you think?"

"Sasha is serious with everything, Joshua." Isaac said softly.  "And he is a good boy."

They flew in silence for a few moments.  "This is good, Uncle." the young man said quietly.  "We have accomplished much.  We will keep fighting, yes?  Sooner or later, they will see that we were right."

Isaac stared silently at the tall, reedy young man next to him.  It was painfully clear what they were trying to accomplish - to convince the great powers to fight, to go to war.  A war that would be fought by young men like Joshua.  Perhaps even by young boys like Kit.  It was always the young who suffered, died.  And he had set himself the task of mobilizing the nations, to gather their young men together, to fight.

He sighed and closed his eyes.  What was the alternative?  He knew, in his heart, that the Alemanians would never be satisfied, never sated.  Their leaders hungered for power, and were driven by hatred.  They would have to be fought, sooner or later.  And in the meantime innocents were dying, every day.  There was no alternative.  But that didn't make the choice any easier.  It was always the good who had to make hard choices, and the innocent who had to sacrifice.  That was the way of the world.

He smiled wearily and clapped his nephew on the shoulder.  "Home, Joshua.  Back to Seines.  Home for now."  He stood and walked back into the hold, to watch his daughter sleep.

"C'mon Kid."  Baloo nudged the boy on the shoulder.  "We're back."

Kit stirred, blinked.  "We're home?" he mumbled sleepily.  "What time is it?"

"About eight." Baloo smiled.  "We missed dinner.  Ya hungry?"

The cub stood and Baloo helped him down out of the cockpit and onto the dock gingerly on his injured ankle.  "Naw, just tired.  And a little thirsty."  A rush of warm tropical air hit him in the face, stunning after his prolonged exposure to the bitter northern Eporuean cold.  The boy hobbled behind Baloo up to the door, where Rebecca had nailed a large wreath.  A string of lights ran along the front of the structure.

"Looks like Becky an' Wildcat are gettin' ready for Christmas." Baloo grinned as they stepped inside.  Kit squeezed his arm and limped over to the table, where he sat wearily.  The pilot walked into the kitchen and grabbed two sodas, handing one to the boy and taking the other to the easy chair.

"Thanks." Kit said, taking a swig of pop.  He wanted to go sit with Baloo in the chair, but it didn't feel right.

Baloo wearily took a draw from the bottle and sighed.  "You sure you're OK, L'il Britches?" he asked.  "Ya wanna go see a doctor tomorrow?"

"Naw, I'm fine." the cub replied.  "My ankle's feelin' better, and my hand's just cut a little."

"How's yer gut - the scar and all?  Not botherin' ya?"

"Naw, it's fine, thanks." Kit smiled wearily.  He took a long drink, and closed his eyes.  They sat, neither bear speaking, for several moments.  Finally the boy looked up and spoke.  "So where are we, Papa Bear?" he asked, his voice breaking a little.

Baloo looked over at Kit.  "I dunno, Kiddo."

"I'm sorry, Baloo, I really am, more-"

"I know ya are, Britches." the pilot said quietly.

Kit stared, struggling for the words he wanted to say.  "I - I didn't do it to hurt you, Baloo..."

Baloo shook his head.  "But ya did though, Kit.  I know ya wanted ta help, an' all, but ya knew what this would do ta me, and ya did it anyways.  An' ya almost got killed.  I just dunno, Kid."

"I'm sorry." Kit whispered.

Neither bear spoke or looked at each other, another long silence weighing heavily in the room.  "Ya know Kid, the way I figger it, I'm either yer father or I'm not." the big grey bear finally said.

"What?" Kit whispered hoarsely.

"I dunno, Kid.  You got yer ideas, an' you pretty much just go ahead and do what ya want to anyways, no matter what I say.  Maybe we're just pilot an' navigator, when it's all-"

"No!" Kit shouted.  "No!  You're my father - don't say that!  You'll always be my father..."

Baloo laughed ruefully.  "Am I, Kid?  You just do what ya wanna do anyways.  I thought you'd changed, you were a different kid now than you was, when we first met.  But yer just the same, aintcha?  Ya haven't really changed."

"Do - do you really believe that?" Kit whispered, eyes glistening.  Baloo said nothing, just stared straight ahead and took another sip of soda.  "I didn't mean to hurt you, Baloo.  But you're hurting me on purpose."

Baloo frowned, looked over briefly at the boy, then down at his feet, a little ashamed, but still sure he was onto something.  "So - should I go, then?" Kit asked quietly.

"What?"

"Should I leave, Baloo?  Is that what you're saying?" Kit asked again, insistently.

Baloo scowled.  "Kid, yer just bein' stupid now!"

"Well, I don't know!" he yelled, angrily banging his good hand on the table.  "So - so you don't... love me anymore?" he whispered.

His words stabbed sharply at Baloo.  "Kit, there's nuthin' you could do, ever, that would make me stop lovin' ya.  Never.  I went after ya, didn't I, the second I heard?  That ain't what this is about."

"Well, what _is_ it about?" the cub sobbed.  "What can I do, Baloo?  I did what I did, and I'm sorry!  I thought I was doin' the right thing-"

Baloo stood and walked over to Kit, bending over to stare directly into his eyes.  "That's it Kid, dontcha see?  Ya still _do_ think ya did the right thing, dontcha?"

"I don't know what I think..." Kit whispered, staring down at the table.

"I love ya, Kid.  I just don't see hows I can ever trust ya, now." Baloo said softly.

"Baloo..."

Baloo sighed, and pulled the boy's head to his chest for a moment.  "I dunno, Kid.  I just dunno. I'm either yer father or I ain't."  He squeezed the cub's shoulder softly and headed for the stairs.  "I dunno what I'm thinkin', Kid.  I slept an hour in two days.  I'm gonna hit the straw, tomorrow's another day."  He trudged up the stairs and disappeared into the bedroom.  Kit watched him for a moment, and laid his head down on the table wearily.

Baloo sighed and looked down at the small figure sleeping before him silently.  No matter how much he thought, considered - it was all still a mystery to him.  He was such a different man now - so changed from the bear he'd been before Kit, before Higher for Hire, before all of it.  He'd never remembered feeling confused, before - and now he felt that way all the time.  He used to sleep like a baby, and now even as tired as he was, he'd slept fitfully.  He sat and stared at the boy for a long time, as the sun slowly climbed above the horizon and the world outside their window grew brighter.

Kit stirred sleepily, rolled onto his back and stretched, eyes closed.  He felt groggy, as he always did when he'd slept for a long time, but he knew it would pass in a moment.  He opened his eyes and was momentarily startled to see Baloo, sitting on a chair next to his bed, staring down at him.  He flashed back briefly to waking up at the hospital, after the surgery, the big bear gazing at him.  He met the pilot's eyes for a moment.  "What?" he whispered.

Baloo looked down at him.  "It's worth it." he said simply, with a small smile.

Kit stared back at him for a moment, unsure what to think exactly, but sensing that a door had been opened.  He sat up and reached out his arms, and the big bear hugged him silently.  "I need you." the cub whispered in Baloo's ear.

"I know." the pilot chuckled, squeezing Kit so hard the cub's ribs hurt.  "I need you too."

"I can't get through it without you." Kit sighed, admitting aloud what he'd known for a long time. 

"It's all too much, I can't go back-"

"I know, I know." Baloo said softly.  "I understand."

Kit sat up in bed and wiped his eyes.  "I know what I did was wrong, Baloo, I'm sorry-"

"Naw." Baloo interrupted, silencing the boy.  "I thought about it a lot, Kit.  I can't ask ya to change who ya are.  That ain't fair.  You did what ya did 'cause ya believed it.  Yer always gonna wanna do everythin' ya can, 'cause that's who ya are, L'il Britches."

"But Baloo-"

"Hush!  Just listen, Kiddo.  Kit, the world's - I just know a lotta bad things are gonna happen.  It's a mess.  An' we ain't gonna be able to ignore it, ta hide from it.  Kid, when yer eighteen, if ya wanna leave, go off an' fight, do whatever, I - I won't try an' stop ya.  It'll kill me, but I won't.  You are who ya are, an' I can't change that." the pilot sighed.  "But till then, I gotta be yer father, L'il Britches.  I won't ignore what's goin' on, but my first job's gotta be you an' me, this family.  I gotta know yer on board fer that, or else there's no point in me even tryin'.  You understand me?"

Kit stared down at his feet.  "I'm sorry, Papa Bear.  I'm sorry I hurt you... I don't really understand... but I promise, I won't ever leave again, make a decision like that, unless we agree.  I promise."

"Kid, I just dunno if-"

"Baloo, listen!" the boy said intently.  "I've never broken a promise to you, never!  And I never will.  I won't ever do anything like that again, I swear.  Please believe me!"

Baloo stared at the boy, eye-to-eye, for a long moment.  "Yer somethin' else, ya know that?" he smiled.  "OK.  I trust ya, L'il Britches."

"Thanks." Kit whispered.  "I meant it, ya know."

"Meant what, Kiddo?"

"You're the bravest man I know." he smiled.  "Anybody that would put up with me has to be!"

Baloo tousled the boy's hair fondly.  "Yer the best, L'il Britches.  C'mon, get dressed and let's go have some breakfast."

Kit grabbed his arm intently.  "Don't ever leave, OK?  Please!"

Baloo smiled, remembering.  He wondered if the boy did, too.  He hugged the cub's face to his own.  "Don't you worry, L'il Britches.  Papa Bear's here fer the duration."

Kit was ravenous, his exhaustion gone, leaving the hunger unabated.  He scarfed down two bowls of cereal as they sat, and then started in on the bag of donuts. "Easy, Kid!"  Baloo chuckled.  "Yer gonna wind up lookin' like me if yer not careful."

"Sorry Baloo." Kit mumbled around a crueller.  "Just hungry, didn't get much to eat in Bohemia."

Baloo chuckled and poured them each a cup of coffee.  "Yeah, yer gonna have to tell me all about that today, L'il Britches."  He took a sip of his drink and grinned at the boy.  "Kit - ya wanna tell me about you and Sasha?"

Kit looked up, surprised.  "Tell you - what?"

"Kit, it's pretty obvious you and that girl got, y'know... _feelings_ fer each other.  Am I right?" Baloo asked gently, finding it easier to talk about this than he had before.

Kit pondered just how much he wanted to say.  "Baloo... I love her.  She's incredible!  I can't really explain it, but... I just... know - y'know?"

"She's pretty special." the big grey bear grinned, blushing only a little.  "L'il Britches, are there some, y'know - questions - that you'd like to ask me?  Stuff ya wanna talk about?"

Kit smiled bashfully and sipped his coffee.  "Um... actually, yeah, sorta." he mumbled.  He looked over at the big bear and was filled with gratitude.  "I really do.  Um... thanks."

The door opened, and Rebecca walked in, carrying a box of Christmas ornaments.  She grinned when she saw Kit, setting down the box.  "There's our little spy!" she laughed, but her eyes glistened as she did.  He rose from the table and they hugged for a long time.  "You're all right?" she whispered in his ear.

"I'm terrific." he smiled.

She released him and looked him over.  "Goodness!  You look like a hospital ad!  What's all this?" she gasped.

He grinned sheepishly.  "Just a sprained ankle, and a cut hand.  Nothin' too serious."

She shook her head, a trifle angrily.  "And me always the one who has to stay here and worry!  To think, I could've had a nice quiet job with my father..."  She grabbed the cub by the shoulders rather firmly.  "Kit, listen to me - don't think that we don't suffer when you run off like that, because we do!"

"Becky-" Baloo interrupted.

"Hush, Baloo!  Young man, I don't want you to think you can do things like this and it's OK - it's not!  I know you want to help people, and do the right thing.  But you have to think about the people close to you once in a while.  What you did is just not acceptable!  Do you understand me?"

"I know, Miz Cunningham." he said, looking down at his feet.  "Baloo already told me all this."

"He did?" she said, surprised.

"Becky, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.  I didn't mean to hurt Baloo.  It just, I dunno, happened.  But I already promised Baloo I'd never do anything like that on my own again, and I always keep my promises.  Forgive me?  Please?" he begged.

Rebecca was rather taken aback for a moment, but the cub's earnest vulnerability was far too much for her resolve.  "Of course I forgive you..." she sighed.  "You're sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, just a little sore." he smiled.

"Poor kid." she sighed.  "Been through a lot, haven't you?  Well, how about we forget about all that and decorate the place today?  How's that sound?" she smiled, picking up the box of ornaments.

"Great!" Kit grinned.

"Sounds terrific, Beckers." Baloo said, rising from the table.  "But put a hold on that decoratin' fer a little bit, OK?"

"Why, Baloo?" she asked the pilot, puzzled.

He winked at her and walked over to Kit, draping an arm over his shoulder.  "L'il Britches an' I gotta talk about a few things, way overdue.  Somethin' I shoulda done a long time ago, Becky.  Thanks."

"For what?" she grinned, getting the picture immediately.

"Fer kickin' me in the butt when I needed it." he chuckled.  "Howzabout we take a ride in the Blue Eagle, Kid, and we can talk about what's on yer mind, OK?"

"Thanks Papa Bear." the cub smiled sheepishly, as they hobbled to the door.  "See ya in a while, Miz Cunningham.  Thanks!"

"See you in a little while." she laughed, watching them go, arm in arm.  She marveled at how fast people changed, kids grew up.  But not just kids.

She thought for just a moment about what Kit had gone through in Bohemia, why he'd been there.  What sort of world forced a thirteen year-old to have to face moral decisions like that, decisions that he couldn't possibly understand?  And to face the consequences.  It hardly seemed fair, but then life rarely was.  They were lucky, all of them, with each other to look after, and food on their tables and warm beds.  Not everyone was, and that wasn't fair either, especially this time of year.  You just had to be grateful for what you had.

Outside, engines sputtered and rose in pitch, and the blue and gold seaplane backed away from the dock, taxied into open water and soared into the morning sky as she watched from the window.  The world could be a dark, cold place, but their little corner of it seemed bright and warm that morning.  Whistling, Rebecca poured herself a cup of coffee and prepared to face the day.

EPILOGUE

Jacob Malek sighed as he stared out into the street in the advancing dusk.  There seemed to be fewer and fewer people out there every day.  Fewer soldiers, too.  There were rumors, soldiers gathering ghetto residents together and herding them off, onto railroad cars, for some unknown destination.  He'd even heard that some ghetto residents had weapons hidden, planning an uprising.  Who knew what was true?

He walked over to the kitchen, where Anna was finishing her dinner, accompanied by a glass of powdered milk.  Thank God for small blessings - at least there had been some food on the table, and enough in the larder for a while.  He still had no idea who had dropped the precious supplies, but it didn't really matter.  The ghetto residents had managed to secure most of it in their homes, and a network had already been secretly set up to make sure those who remained got their share.  It would not last forever, but any night with food in his daughter's belly was a good night.  "It's good?" he asked with a smile.

"It's good." she answered.  The girl finished her milk and stared at him for a moment, silently.

"What is it, Anna?" he asked her.  "What is wrong?"

She looked down at the table.  "Mama - Mama isn't going to come home, is she?"

Jacob sighed, and hugged his daughter close.  He'd known that question was going to come, sooner or later.  "I don't think so, Dumpling.  I don't think so.  But I will never give up hope.  It is always possible."

Anna looked as though she would cry, but held the tears back.  Jacob suspected that she'd already cried, expecting his answer.  "What do you think will happen, Papa?  Will the Alemanians leave?"

Jacob forced a smile and stood.  "Come, come." he motioned to her, walking into the small alcove in the back of the little house.  "Do you remember what today is?"

"The first night of Hanukkah!  Today we light the Menorah, Papa, right?"

"That's right Anna." he smiled, opening a cabinet and grabbing two candles.  He placed one in the Menorah.

"Papa, aren't we supposed to put it in the window?" she asked, puzzled, as he set the symbol on top of a box in the small room.

"Very good, you are right." he nodded.  "But we... we cannot, this year Dumpling.  We are not allowed -we cannot display he Menorah where it can be seen, do you understand?"

"I understand." she nodded solemnly.

"Do you remember what I told you?  About the oil, and the lamp, and what the Menorah means?"

"Tell me again." she smiled.

"All right." he answered, wrapping an arm around her.  "Remember, there was only enough oil to light the lamp for one day, Anna.  But the lamp kept going, and it stayed burning for eight days.  And no one could explain it."  He lit a candle and handed it to her.  "Light the first candle, Dumpling."

She somberly lit the first candle and smiled.  "A candle for each day, right Papa?"

"That's right, Anna." he smiled, embracing her and placing the lighting candle atop the Menorah.  "The world must have looked very dark, and terrible, with only enough oil for one day, yes?  No one could know that the lamp would stay lit for eight days, but it did.  That's why, no matter how dark and terrible things look, we must never give up hope.  As long as we are alive, and we have each other, we have hope, my Darling.  Do you understand?"

"I understand, Papa." she smiled.  They sat and stared at the candle flickering before them in silence, the streets of Brague quiet and cold outside their window.