Ninety Degrees Out

Edward Narson zipped the screen closed on the big tent door. Mosquitos buzzed in the steamy evening air. Thunderstorms dissipated over the hills and he watched several lightening bolts strike the forest. Thank God for all the rain.

The biggest surprise before they left, was Harry running across the runway as they loaded into Kanti’s distinctive narrow winged twin engine plane. The neon orange striping glowed in the sun.

“I’m coming with you.” Harry slung a pack into the baggage compartment and scrambled up the steps into the Otter.

Edward followed him, watching him slip into the right pilot’s seat. He put on his headset, and Kanti nodded.

He made sure all the other children had seatbelts on. His bunch were clumsy about figuring it out, but the Alaskan crew were already secured. Flying must be a normal part of life up here.

He tapped Kanti on the shoulder, and pulled the stairs up, closing the door into the cabin of the airplane. Listening to Harry respond to Kanti’s questions, he realized there was more to the boy than he thought.

“I know this isn’t a flight sim game. But you can be a big help to me, Harry. Remember what we talked about? Are you familiar with the layout of the gauges and screens?” Her voice was crisp.

He listened to Harry as he pointed to various instruments and listed their functions. The boy know more about procedure than he expected. It wasn’t that different from the litany the rescue pilots used in the Black Hawks the PJ’s used in Afghanistan.

“Ready back there?” Kanti’s question was his cue.

“Ready. Everyone is belted in.” He sat down and put his own seatbelt on.

Two minutes later they were air borne.

The flight was barely twenty minutes, before they began the glide over treetops and dropped onto the runway at the homestead. As kids scrambled out, Killika and Oisin supervised.

He waited for Harry at the back, slipping the kids pack over one shoulder and his own over the other. Becky waved at him, and shouted, “See you back at the tents!” She pointed to the two white canvas structures at the other end of the grass landing strip.

Edward studied the lanky teen as he walked back. The kid wasn’t finished growing yet, and sometimes clumsy with his new height. His hair was closed cropped in a crew cut. Akira and her husband supervised haircuts for all the boys. The short stubble was russet brown, and without the long fringe of bangs obscuring his eyes, the mottled brown hazel with a strange patch of blue of his pupils were startling.

If he didn’t quit growing soon, Harry would rival Erik for height. He was already eye level with him. And it seemed he shot up another inch while he wasn’t looking.

“What made you change your mind and come?” He asked.

“Anya. She told me you would need someone to help you. And she gave me that pack.” He pointed to the one over his right shoulder. “I’ll take it.” Harry held out his hand.

Edward let it slide off and handed it over.

“What’s in it?”

“First aid stuff for animals and people. There’s two different kits inside. Dr. Anya says there’s instructions printed in there so you can take care of horses that might get hurt too.”

“Someone was thinking. Killika told me Ariel Hiller, her mother in law, has a nice horde of medical supplies as well. We should be fine.”

Harry nodded. “I’ve got local anesthetics in here with syringes. Some of this stuff needs to get into cold storage.”

Edward started toward the log cabin ranch house. “We’ll deal with that right away. There should be some supplies for Alicia and the lynx kittens too.”

Harry nodded. “That’s what made this so heavy.”

They plodded across in silence for a few minutes.

“Where did you learn about flying?” Edward asked.

“My dad was a bush pilot. I think he’s dead. He was out on a pickup from the ice when the flip happened.” The kid’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “He never came back.”

“We’ll ask Captain Whipper to look for him,” Edward said. “Even if we only find a crash site, you’ll know what went down.”

“You’d do that?”

Harry narrowed his eyes. He looked so skeptical.

“Of course. You really didn’t want to come with us. But keeping things safe up here is important. We’ve been trusted with the children. Even I gave in. I didn’t want to be here when the action is going to be back at the ranch. Becky convinced me.”

“Greater good. Something I’m figuring out. Kel talked to me about that last night when I couldn’t sleep. Sometimes you can’t do what feels good,” Harry shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

“Welcome to being a man,” Edward said. “That’s the thing, about being responsible. Sometimes we can’t give in to what would make us satisfied. We have to find a purpose in other things.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I like it.”

Edward grinned. “It brings its own rewards. I wouldn’t change a thing about the way my life went. I’m glad you’re here with us, and we will figure out what went on with your Dad’s flight. I promise.”

“You know what? I want to be a pilot like Dad, but this medic stuff? It’s pretty cool too. Maybe I can do both.” Harry’s eyes met his with newfound determination.

“Stick with me. I’ll start teaching you.” Edward went down the path through a kitchen garden and knocked on the door at the end of it. “Let’s see if anyone’s home.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>

“I guess I didn’t need to send this up to the homestead.” Anya was putting cans of condensed milk into the pantry behind the kitchen in at Stargazer lodge.

“Last second change of plans,” Alicia said, “Ari is far more worried about things than we ever guessed. It’s been coming out in little things here and there. I couldn’t leave her and the kittens up at homestead.”

“What going on with her?” Akira asked as she stirred the soup pot.

“Uki told me about how worried she was about me, and then when I asked Chay to marry me, more came out.”

Alicia opened the oven and took five bread pans out. The golden loaves of sourdough bread smelled amazing. She tipped the pans and the contents slid out onto a cooling rack before she opened the second oven for the next five. She told them about Ari and Chay’s conversation, and the other women smiled through watering eyes as they listened.

“My dear, you have a keeper there.”

Her mother came over to hug Alicia.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Anya asked. “And what are we going to do about Ari’s feelings?”

“I think we’ve already done as much as we can,” Alicia said. “We’ve got her here with us. We’ve got her working on a project that keeps her busy. I can’t believe how she’s taken to those lynx kittens. She’s even named them. Missy and Lexie.”

“I’ll get get her working with them. Teaching them how to hunt. We’ll live trap a few mice for them later. It’s how their mother would begin to let them hunt.” Anya finished restocking the pantry shelves. “You have enough bear fat and milk up at your place.” It was more a statement than a question.

“For the next week or two, yes. When do we start weaning them? I’m not up on cat development.” Alicia stepped out of her mother’s hug. Walking over to the counter beside the ovens, she checked the covered bowl of sourdough starter and added a little whole wheat flour and water.

“I’ll do a little research, but I think those kittens are just over two weeks old now. You’ll be feeding them this mixture of fat and condensed milk for at least another month. You can probably start them on ground up liver or kidneys along with their milk diet in about four weeks,” Anya told her.

“Okay. Bread’s done. It’s your turn tomorrow, Mom,” Alicia said. “I’m head back up to our place. I don’t like to leave Ari for too long right now. She’ll be watching for me.”

“Keep an ear on the radios,” Akira patted the handheld in her apron pocket.

“Always. We have a second one. I couldn’t believe how fast Janice delivered. Aaron and Randy have their sniper next ready on their roof already. They found a couple of places along Twig canyon where the cliff overlooks the valley too.”

“I’ll let Erik know.” Anya said. “Are you under control for lunch?” She tipped her head toward Akira as she asked.

“The soup needs to simmer, and I have to slice bread for sandwiches. Everyone will come in to help themselves. I’m good.” Akira rapped the spoon against the huge soup cauldron on the six burner stove. Setting it on small plate on the counter she wiped her hands on the towel laying beside it. “I’ll walk you out.”