Captain Kittyhawk & The Cloud Wars

Chapter 7/Fox Oswald

Mountsorrel was a large port city which filled up most of the island. It nestled in the warm southerly winds. The buildings here were three stories tall and squeezed closely together. Trixie was buried under the sites and smells around her. She had never been some were so bustling. It was like walking into a human sized hive of bees. Everyone was busy doing something and going some were. The streets were full of tiny shops and if there was no shop there was a stall with some proud trader next to it. Trixie's eyes were so full of new things, new people they felt like a bath which had been left running for a few hours.

Kitty certainly knew her way around, but she was being cautious too.

'Why did you do that?' asked Trixie.

'Do what?' said Kitty stopping to look at something then glancing behind them.

'Punch that man. He was sleeping'

'Oh I've seen Tomas in a temper. If that solider had been caught sleeping on guard he might have gone sky diving from thirty thousand feet with no parachute. I punched him so it would look like I got the drop on him.'

'Is that why you waved at him as well'

'Well I just wanted to see his face when he saw me on the dock. Priceless, almost worth the cost of loosing the Fireheart'.

'The Fireheart? '

'the name of my old plane before it got turned into splinters by the storm. Look here we are. Now I do all the talking OK? then we can get you on the first ship back to your parents.'

Kitty straightened her self up slightly. She stroked her own face.

'Is my fur tidy?' Kitty asked Trixie.

Trixie nodded and they walked in. It was now the middle of the morning and they walked into a large bar called 'Fox Oswalds Cafe'. It already had a lot of people in it but you got the feeling that in the evening it had a lot more. A man sat at the piano playing gently. Trixie could feel a number of eye balls following them through the room. Kitty stopped a waitress and asked for Fox Oswald.

'through that door, last time I saw him doll' she answered.

'Why did she call you doll?' asked Trixie.

'Later' said Kitty with out moving her mouth.

They went into another door and into a large room with a dance floor. They approached a table were two men sat. The man facing them was old and bald he nodded at Kitty as they came close, causing the man facing away to turn round. At first Trixie thought the man had ginger red hair but when he turned around she saw he was another changeling. It was clear the Fox in Fox Oswald referred to his Fox head.

'You !' said Fox Oswald. 'Give me one good reason not to have you skewered on the spot'!

'I can think of ten thousands reasons sweetie and is this the best you can greet and old dear friend'

'Greet !!!' said Fox Oswald 'Oliver get me an, oh, size 14 skewer from the kitchen. I think we are going to have a cat special tonight.' turning back to Kitty he added 'and is she yours' with his angry voice dropped.

'Her? what ? No, no no no ! she just helped me escape. Trixie may I introduce Mr Fox Oswald, and remember that list I told you about he's slightly higher above that list than the city of Mountsorrel so be careful. Fox Oswald may I introduce Miss Trixie Brook lately of Hompton'

'Charmed' began Fox Oswald 'I'm sorry about the confusion. It's the you know, the ears, a simple mistake any one could make. I thought we agreed you were never going to darken Mountsorrel again'

'No I don't remember that at all. You must of been drunk and imagined it all' said Kitty,

'I don't think I imagined getting my tail shot!'

'Oh that, that was a professional curtsy. We both know that if I wanted you dead I could have shot your short bottom out of the sky'

'no' said Fox Oswald 'I meant my tail.' He reached behind him self and pulled up a bushy red tail. It looked like someone had clipped a bit off with a carving knife.

'Oh poor you, any way no hard feelings. I have a business proposition for you' said Kitty.

'I hope your being careful around her young lady, she told you who is at the top of that list she told you about' said Fox Oswald.

Trixie was slightly confused and realised that Kitty would have talked about her list of dangerous places with Fox as well.

'Well I'll tell you who's at the top of that list. She is Captain Kitty death hawk queen of the pirates, is sitting at the top of that list looking down at everything else.'

While Fox Oswald spoke to Trixie, Kitty carried on to Fox Oswald.

'I'm in need of a few things and I'm will to over a pretty penny to get them'

'How pretty Kitty? Are we talking straight out of charm school pretty or full on gorgeous like your young friend her penny?' said Fox.

'Fox and will you stop weaselling my friend here, I'm standing right in front of you'

'Why, your not related, you just said so' said Fox Oswald innocently.

'I don't care, she saved my life, twice in fact. I owe her'

'You owe this girl your life twice over and you bring her into a place like this, what kind of friend are you Kitty? This place is number three on your list of most dangerous places'

'five' said Trixie correcting Fox.

Fox looked deeply offended at this.

'Fox Oswald's cafe is number FIVE ! on your list of most dangerous places? We used to be number three! I don't believe this ! How dare you demote this establishment on your list. This is outrageous. Be gone and never darken this establishment again...'

'Ten thousand' said Kitty.

This large number caught Fox Oswald's attention.

'Ten thousand? Are we talking Ten thousand pieces of eight or gallons of sea water, and want do you want for that, normally you do your own killing'

'Don't listen to him dear, the nice fox man is just joking' said Kitty to Trixie.

'I need a lift out of here and quickly' she continued with Fox Oswald.

'Well for Ten thousand you could normally expect to depart about an hour before you arrive. Why the rush, why waving the large numbers around. Why don't you get in the Independence it's the fastest ship in the Island sea'

'It sank' said Kitty.

'It sank? You let the most beautiful craft in the Island sea sink. I practically owned that sea plane.'

'No you didn't'

'I won it from you at cards, fair and square'

'and I won it back'

'Yes, well I owned it for a bit and you sank it. You know you should do something about this carelessness-ness-ness, what ever of yours. Hang on this is a pilot's bar'

'And your point being?' said Kitty.

'Well this is a pilots bar and you no longer are a pilot'

Just then Oliver the man who had been at the table when they had arrived walked up clearly with out a skewer and whispered in Fox Oswald's large pointed ear.

'Oh and at what point were you going to tell me about the Kingdom hunting that pretty tail of yours?' said Fox.

'I was coming to it. You do think I would pay you, Fox Oswald ten thousand for a trip I could get any one else do for five?'