behind the pilot seat, if the worst case happens you’ll be able to bail out with your sister while I’ll try to crash land.” Kit looked at Shade cleaning several parts and loosening the ammo belts feeding the guns inside the plane’s right wing.

“That’s not what I meant, we need to talk about…” Before Kit could finish what he was saying Shade slammed a panel on the plane shut and glared at him.

“If this is about, what I think it’s about, I’m going to knock you out. Get some sleep, I don’t have time to listen to this, nor should you keep wasting your time thinking of it, I’ve already told you before I don’t want to be a part of your family.”

“And that’s the part that I don’t believe.” Kit insisted, as he looked at Shade who started to drum his fingers on the plane. “I’ve seen the look in your eyes, I know that look very well, because I used to have it, it’s almost like your being torn up inside, you want to be a part of a family, you want to be loved but you’re scared of being betrayed, or being abandoned again. I’ve seen how you act around Baloo and Rebecca, when they act nice to you, you turn cold to them to try and keep them at a distance.” Shade looked at Kit for a minute, and then headed for the other wing to work on the guns. “Shade talk to me, I’ve been in your shoes before, I know these feelings your, I guess I’ve been so blinded by my own fears I’ve never thought about it before, but I can tell you that Baloo and Rebecca are the nicest people I know, and they would never abandon you if you let them get close.” Kit started to follow Shade, once he got next to Shade he smiled at the young wolf.

“That’s not the reason I don’t let them close Kit.” Shade didn’t look at Kit as he kept working on the guns in the left wing.

“Alright then why do you keep them at a distance, why are you so scared of them getting so close to you.” Shade paused for a minute on the weapons, then started once more, ignoring Kit, and hopping the questions would stop. “Are you scared of something else?” no response. “Did someone in your past hurt you?” still no response but Kit noticed Shade’s fur was starting to stand up, meaning that he was getting a rise out of him. “Shade… did your parents abuse you?” it happened so fast Kit didn’t even see it coming. The only thing he did know was his left eye was hurting, and he was now on the ground looking up at Shade.

“You now have a matching pair of black eyes.” Shade said, as he looked down at Kit, who got to his feet with clenched fist. Kit was ready to return the blow but stopped as he looked at Shade, what stopped him wasn’t fear, but as he looked through Shade’s tented goggles he could see tears in the small wolfs eyes. Kit looked away he thought about what he had said, and knew that he would have reacted the same way if someone said that about his biological parents. “Talk about my parents like that again Kit and I swear I’ll rip out your heart and make you eat it.” with that Shade turned back to his work.

“Alright… I’ll admit I crossed a line… I’m sorry… But you still haven’t answered my question.” Kit wanted answers, and he didn’t care what it took to get them.

“I can’t let your family get to close to me Kit, I have my reasons, so drop it.”

“Just because you say you have your reasons, doesn’t give me an answer, just tell me why you can’t let anyone get close to you, what are you so scared of?” with those words Shade slammed another panel and kept his back towards Kit.

“Don’t you think I want to let them get close? Don’t you think I would love to be able to sit down to a family meal nightly, or be tucked in at night? Have a younger sister or brother that looks up to me? I’ll admit it Kit, I want all of those things. You have a life I would love to have, but I can’t have it.”

“Why not?” Shade turned, looked at Kit, and then started to walk away. “Shade what’s the matter? Why can’t you have such a life? Are you scared the city would fall apart if the Ghost wasn’t around?” Kit asked, as he grabbed Shade’s arm. In response Shade pulled his arm out of Kit’s grasp and looked at the opening of the cave keeping his back turned to Kit.

“I’m scared that they’ll get hurt Kit, everyone I’ve ever loved or cared about has died, and right now I’m worried that my curse has taken the lives of two more innocent people, I’m scared alright Kit, but not of what your parents would do to me, but of what might happen to them, or anyone like them, that get’s to close to me. Most of all I’m scared to loose anymore friends to this curse of mine.” As Shade walked towards the opening of the cave with Kit close behind. “Tomorrow when we reached the Thembrian capital we’ll find out if your parents are alright. I’ll fly you anywhere you want to go, if something has happened to them, and you’ll never see me again. If nothing has happened to them, and their alright, I’ll keep my distance from now on. You‘ll never have to worry about me again Kit.” As Kit stood beside Shade he looked at the younger boy, and then out at the night sky. He didn’t know what to say to Shade, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave Shade alone.

“You really think we might run into the Hausers?” Kit finally asked, wanting to break the silence

“I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a bad day.” Shade turned to Kit and forced a smile. “You should get some sleep, don’t want your parents seeing you look like a ran over raccoon now do we?” Humor, it was a good sign to Kit that Shade wasn’t a danger to himself, taking Shade’s advice Kit looked over at Molly and could tell that she was starting to get chilled since she had kicked off the blanket and trench coat in her sleep

“Right.” As Kit walked away from Shade, he looking back every so often, seeing Shade in a new light thinking about his words. It was early morning in the Thembrian capital when Baloo and Rebecca was woken up in the guest room of the high Marshals home by the sound of air raid sirens.

“What’s going on?” Rebecca asked, as she ran into Brittany in the hall.

“The capital it is being attacked.” Brittany responded as she looked at Rebecca, and Baloo then turned to several guards that where taking her and her husband to the bomb shelter.

“Attacked?… hey your highness my plane working yet?” Baloo asked, as he looked at the high marshal.

“I am sorry to say, but it is not, we could have used another plane in the air right now.” with that the four started to head for the shelter with the guards. As they ran out into the court yard heading for the bomb shelter opening, Baloo looked up and knocked everyone down as an enemy fighter strafed the ground in front of them, a few moments later they would have all been filled with lead. “Thank you my friend, I will not forget this when this is all over.” the high Marshall said, as he started to help his wife up and the group ran for shelter once more.

“How many are out there?” Baloo asked, as he looked at the high marshal.

“There is only 15 here, or at least there was when this all started, I don’t know how many have been shot down, but to the east there is another attack going on, and from the reports there is 30 fighters there, right now the people’s air force is dealing with them and we had only 5 here.”

“Had?”

“Before are planes could get off the ground the enemy flew in and strafed the air field destroying them, we have to wait until the enemy further east have been dealt with before the people’s air force can come and help us.” with that Baloo nodded as the sound of another plane flying over head zoomed past and the sounds of bullets hit the top of the shelter.

“Hope your pilots are better than the pirates, otherwise we might have are selves a bit of a problem here.” Elsewhere about 29,000 feet in the air Shade sat in the pilot seat of the P-51 flying just below its service ceiling.

“Shade why are you flying so high?” Molly asked, as she looked at the back of Shade’s head.

“Battle strategy always says it‘s better to have the high ground, in this case to be the highest, at are current altitude no one should be able to sneak up on us, and if it comes down to it I should be able to make a good strategic stance should we see trouble down below.”

“Oh… Kit why is Shade flying so high?” Molly asked, as she turned to Kit.

“He wants to make sure we don’t run into the bad guys.” Kit explained, as he held Molly close as they both sat behind the pilot seat strapped into the only parachute. “Alright at are current heading we should be coming up on the capital soon.”

“Great let’s hear what’s going on down there.” with that Shade turned on the radio and could hear the chaos below.

“Shade we can’t get into that, there is no way I’m going to put Molly in that kind of danger.” Kit said, as he reached over and grabbed Shade’s shoulder. Shade reached over and took the mike from the radio.

“This is Black Magic calling to ground troops at the Thembrian capital, I have to drop of hatchlings and will