Captain Kittyhawk & The Cloud Wars

Chapter 4 Gulls, Dogs and Bulls

At the sound of the formation, Mother had rushed out from home to gather all he children like washing before the rain. Trixie looked out from her bedroom window and noticed that the sheep-man had also gone. Five dots fell from the planes. Within seven minutes, five dog-headed men in black uniforms had landed in the square by parachute. They stood with guns in hand and stopped anyone from leaving the town. Three of the large seaplanes broke away from the others and swept over the town landing in the bay beyond. Trixie hid out of site looking down the street. Soon more soldiers marched down the street. They seemed to be led by a captain with a huge bull head in a dark blue uniform. More troops, mostly human, followed him. It was about an hour later that he left from the Doctor Meadows house and marched purposefully up the street to Trixie's. Trixie rushed into her room. Looking around, she saw that Cathrine had gone taking nothing but her clothes.

There was a knock at the door that was so loud that Trixie nearly jumped out her skin.

"Open Up in the name of Emperor Harold Mateus the fourth, King of the hundred isles of the sky Kingdom," a voice shouted.

Before Trixie's dad could open anything, another more nervous voice shouted, "It's OK Mortimer."

Even through the door Trixie recognized the doctor. Mother stood at the top of the stairs, but Trixie knew that there was a gap between the floor boards of her bedroom. Quickly she lifted the carpet up and put her face to the floor. Trixie had used the gap so she could listen to the radio downstairs in the evening after her bedtime.

Dad had opened the door and the large bull-headed captain entered.

"I'm searching for a pirate cat-headed woman, have you seen her?" the bull-headed captain demanded. Up close, Trixie realised how massive he was. He was so tall his large horns nearly scratched the black beams of the ceiling.

"Let me through, let me through," shouted the Mayor as his wide body squeezed past the soldiers filling the entrance hall.

"Who are you what are you doing here?" he said to the captain.

"I am Tomas el Torroro, Captain in his majesty's fleet. I'm looking for a cat-headed woman, my sources say she was washed up on these shores."

"I tell you the Kingdom has no business here. This is Anendale territory if I am not very much mistaken by jove! Be gone the lot of you, you have no right to be here," Mayor Jackson said. Trixie was suddenly very proud; he had once given her an award for best speller in school. She had always thought of him as a large fat friendly man but now his face was red with rage. He must be terribly brave to stand up to the soldiers, she thought.

Mayor Jackson and the captain argued. The captain claimed that Anendale and the Kingdom had an agreement to let them follow sky pirates; he had lost two pilots.

"So you're saying this girl is a sky pirate?"

"I do, I'm hunting Captain Kartherin Firehawk, leader of the Odessa clan. Thirty-five confirmed downs. She's wanted on a thousand islands. Her ship, the Fireheart, was one of the most feared birds in the sky."

"Well, that's what you say. We sent the telegram an hour ago. Our warships will be here soon," said the Mayor Jackson. Trixie wanted to clap every time he spoke.

"This man," said the Captain pointing at Trixie's dad, "his whole family, have you been hiding a pirate from the Kingdom now you have a choice. You can carry on threatening me like a little man, or you can hand over the pirate now. If I don't get who I want, I will take them with me as accomplices. The Kingdom's law like Anendale law doesn't like pirate helpers."

"That won't be necessary," came of voice from the backdoor. It was Cathrine standing with her hands behind your back. Behind her were two pleased but careful dog-headed soldiers.

She was still wearing the nightdress that Trixie's mother had loaned her. Trixie watched as Cathrine walked towards Thomas. From her spy hole above them, she could see that Cathrine's hands were tied behind her back.

"We found this one running down the backstreet," said one of the soldiers to the captain. Cathrine's bare feet were black with dirt from the back lane.

"Well done Sgt," so the Captain.

Mother walked downstairs to get a better look for herself.

Catharine spoke quietly. "Thank you Mrs. Brook. I hope I have not caused you any inconvenience." said Catharine.

"That's quite alright," said mother, not quite knowing how to respond to Catharine's politeness. She almost added "feel free to come again" but thought better of it. With mother gone, the way was unblocked so Trixie ran downstairs shouting "you can't go you can't go, mummy daddy stop them, they can't take he away I won't let them".

Mother grabbed her, and Catharine bent down to speak to her.

"Don't worry, little one, I've been out of worse situations than this," Catharine reassured Trixie. "This isn't goodbye, it's see you later. Thanks so much for rescuing me, it made for an interesting adventure. You be good."

Catharine stood up and walked out the door with the dog-headed soldiers following her. The mayor carried on blustering, "This is an outrageous intrusion on our territory. Your general will be hearing about this by jove."

Daddy had to hold Trixie by the arms to keep her from running after them. Trixie was now crying in frustration.

"What'll happen to her?" she asks her mother.

"I reckon they hang pirates by the neck in the Kingdom like they do here," said Mayor Jackson. This was not the answer dad had wanted to Trixie hear. His eyes heaped scorn onto the mayor as he dragged the now distraught Trixie inside.