"The Sky's the Limit" (Preview)
by Aviatrix (aviatrix8@yahoo.com)
12 years ago... Pigmalia, Afrika
Don Karnage stood in the middle of the torch-lit cave, panting. At
his feet lay the chieftain of the village, whom he had just defeated;
at the far end of the cave, a spear was buried in the wall, the shaft
still twanging from being knocked out of its owner's hands. Checking
the blade of his sword for sharpness, the young captain of the still
newly-formed Air Pirates then wiped the sweat from his brow... It was
only after all this, that he turned his eyes to his prize.
A crude altar stood at the very back of the cave; upon it, mounted
on a slab of carved obsidian, lay a stone tablet shaped like a slice
of pie. It really did look very insignificant... Only the village
chieftain had realized the value of it; he ran immediately to this
place while the rest of the Air Pirates raided the village, only to
be confronted by their captain in this cave.
Karnage clutched his side, where the spear had caught him a glancing
blow, and winced. The crocadile chieftain had been short, but swift,
and had the most annoying habit of bouncing all over the place.
Fortunately, he dodged most of the blow, but the young wolf was still
rather put out... The pigmie chief had ruined his favourite jacket.
Karnage scowled.
Suddenly, he noticed the sound of soft footsteps behind him.
Immediately, the air pirate captain whirled around, his sword pointed
towards the source of the sound.
A dark silhouette stood in the shadows, outlined by the light of the
torches. Seeing Karnage's movement, the slim figure crouched, ready
to attack; a long, cord-like weapon held out in its hands...
The captain's body untensed, as he recognized who it was. He lowered
his sword.
"Oh, it is only you, Belmont."
The figure paused, and then stepped into the torchlight. A teenaged
vixen came into view, dressed in a dusty bomber jacket, t-shirt and
jeans. The firelight gleamed off her unruly red hair, upon which was
perched a blue flight cap. As she walked into the light, Karnage
could make out the bullwhip still gripped in her hand, and even the
freckles across her nose. He then cocked his head, as if trying to
see around the young woman.
"Where are Maddog and Dumptruck?" he enquired. "I thought those two
knuckleballs were with you." The girl coiled up her whip, and tucked
it into her belt.
"They're out distracting the natives," she replied, matter of factly.
"Ah." The captain nodded. They both knew what that meant.
'Distracting the natives' usually meant 'running for their lives',
when referring to Maddog and Dumptruck. Karnage waved his hand
dimissively.
"They will be all right. They have a strong sense of... How you
say... Strawberry preserves, yes-no?"
"I believe you mean self-preservation, sir," corrected the vixen,
respectfully. "But yes, I know what you mean."
Karnage's accent had always fascinated her; listening to it was like
taking a tour through Southern Europa, then flying down to Central
Amerika, and back to Europa again.
"Anyways..." she continued, stepping towards Karnage, "I hope you
don't mind, Captain, but I thought I should check on you, just in
case..." As she walked forward, she nearly tripped; checking
herself, she looked down to find herself staring at the limp form
of the chieftain. Karnage smirked.
"As you can see, I am quite handicapable of taking care of
mineself, yes-no?" he said airily, fingering his blade. Meanwhile,
the girl was still staring at the prone body.
"Um..." she began tentatively. "He's not... Dead, is he?" The captain
snorted in response.
"Do not be silly! He is merely knock-ed out. What is the point of
being defeated by the dread pirate Don Karnage, if you cannot tell
anyone about it?" A slow smile of understanding spread across the
young woman's face. She bowed her head.
"Of course, sir. Forgive me for questioning you."
"No offensive taken." Sheathing his sword, he finally made his way
to the altar, Belmont tagging behind him. She craned her neck to
look around him.
"Is that what we came here for, Captain?" she enquired eagerly.
Karnage smiled at the enthusiasm in her voice.
"Yes, my dear, it is. I had forgotten... This is your first treasure
hunt, yes-no?" He lifted the tablet carefully from the obsidian slab.
When Belmont saw it, her face fell.
"Is that all?" Karnage raised an eyebrow.
"I am seeing that you still have a lot to learn about being a
pirate, girl," said the captain, rebukingly. He looked down at the
stone tablet.
"I am descended from a long line of pirates..." murmured Karnage,
almost to himself. He absentmindedly brushed some of the dust off the
stone, and his eyes glittered. "And this insignificant-looking thing
shall prove that I am the greatest pirate in the world!"
Belmont stared at the tablet again. The removal of the dust had
revealed markings reminiscent of a map... She could also now see that
a couple of edges of the stone were rough and uneven, as if it had
once been part of a larger piece.
"Hey... That thing is broken!" she exclaimed.
"I know," replied Karnage quietly. He appeared to be trying to
decipher the carvings on the stone. The girl looked at him in
surprise.
"Do you have any idea where the rest of it is?"
"Not at the momento... However, I am knowing that there are three
other pieces, yes-no?" Belmont's jaw dropped.
"But... They could be anywhere! It could take years to find them..."
Karnage arched an eyebrow dangerously.
"Are you questioning mineself?" Recognizing his tone of voice, the
vixen swallowed nervously.
"No, of course not..." Karnage turned around to look her straight
in the eyes.
"Do not be forgetting, senorita, that I am your Capitan."
"Yes, sir... Captain," she responded, meeting his gaze fearlessly.
Karnage saw the unquestioning loyalty in her eyes, and checked his
temper; perhaps he was being too hard on her. He gave the young fox
a measuring look.
"How long are you being a pirate, Belmont?"
"Um..." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "About three months."
"Three months..." he mused. "Well... Your flying skills are decent,
your sword-type skills are muy bueno, and you are managing to
memorize every regular plane route from here to Thembria... But..."
He shook an admonishing finger at her. "You still have a lot to be
learning about piracy, yes-no?"
"Yes, sir," she sighed, relieved. Still, she preened inside...
That was high praise coming from the captain; even though it was
double-edged.
"Good. Now, be carrying this." He tossed the stone tablet at her,
which she caught with little difficulty. "I do not wish to ruin my
topcoat any further." Belmont glanced over at him, and noticed the
slash in his side for the first time.
"Doesn't that hurt, Captain?" she asked, concerned. He shook his
head.
"It is only a scratch."
"But your favourite coat is ruined," said the vixen, raising her
eyebrows. Karnage made a show of shrugging it off.
"A minor inconvenience store. I will merely have a new one made...
Perhaps something more fitting for a pirate of my 16 calibres,
yes-no?" he said, as he walked towards the entrance of the cave.
Belmont hid a grin.
"Of course, sir." Stone tablet in hand, she then followed the air
pirate captain out of the cave.
TO BE CONTINUED...
*****
Copyright Cherryne Edejer, 2003. TaleSpin and all related characters
are property of the Disney Co., and are used without permission.
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