The White Fox Chronicles

by Gary Paulsen

  “You don’t have to explain. I’ve been there, remember?” He stepped out into the canyon, stabbed several juicy pieces of fruit from a prickly pear and brought them to her. “Here. Better eat these. We need to get going.”

  “Right. Lead the way, I can eat as we go.”

  Cody found a place where ancient waters had carved a crevice in the wall of the canyon. He started climbing out and Toni scrambled up behind him.

  They were in the open now with only greasewood and cactus for cover. In the distance Cody could see a piece of an old dirt trail. If they followed it, they might find the transportation they so badly needed. On the other hand, it would be easier for the enemy to spot them.

  He decided to compromise. They would make for the trail but not get close enough to it that anyone checking it could see them.

  As usual Toni followed without complaint. He picked up two small pebbles and handed her one. “Put this in your mouth and you won’t get so thirsty.” He broke into a trot. “Let me know when you get tired.”

  They moved across the gray dirt, putting the camp far behind them. Since Toni never said anything, Cody tried to keep an eye on her. When he thought she needed to rest, he stopped and crawled next to one of the bushes for what little shade it offered.

  By the middle of the afternoon, the sun had become almost unbearable. Cody could feel his face and arms blistering. He slowed down and looked back. Toni didn’t look too good. She was staggering as if she were drunk and her lips were a strange bluish color.

  He ran back barely in time to catch her as she fell. Her skin felt dry, without a hint of perspiration. He put her down near a greasewood bush, pulled off his shirt and began fanning her with it.

  Cody had seen cases of heatstroke at the prison camp. He knew she would die if he couldn’t cool her down.

  He laid her head on the sand, took the pebble out of her mouth and looked around. A barrel cactus was growing a few feet away. Using the piece of wire, he sawed at the top until it came off, scooped out some of the cool, slimy green insides and washed her face. Then he went back for more. This time he forced some of the bitter-tasting liquid into her mouth.

  She swallowed but stared at him unblinking. Cody continued to smear the cold slime on her arms and neck. Her breathing seemed to return to normal but her skin still felt dry.

  “Toni?” Cody fanned her while he talked. “I’m going up the trail now to look for water.” He draped his shirt over the bush to produce a little more shade for her. “Don’t die on me, okay?”

  There was no response. Cody stood up, spotted the trail and started for it. He found it a well-beaten path used by animals. Fresh tracks headed in both directions.

  The tracks gave Cody hope. If there were animals out here, they had to have water too. All he had to do was find it.

  He topped over a low rise and stopped. Using his hand to shield his eyes, he scanned the sloping ground in front of him.

  Something shiny caught his attention. The sun transformed whatever was out there into waves of hot rolling silver. As he moved closer, he could also make out the shape of a building.

  He squinted to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks. The silver thing was a water tank and standing beside it was a windmill, its blades lazily turning in the slight breeze.

  “Yes!” Cody jumped into the air and raced back down the trail.

  He found Toni lying where he’d left her, only now her eyes were closed. He dropped to his knees and listened for a pulse. She was still alive.

  Even though she was slight, Cody knew he’d never be able to carry her all the way to the tank. So he stood at her head, reached under her arms and walked backward, dragging her toward the animal trail.

  The sweltering sun was merciless and his progress seemed incredibly slow. Twice he tripped and once he fell, dropping Toni in the dirt. When he finally reached the rise, he sank to the ground for a short rest. His arms ached and his body yearned to stop. Willing himself to stand, he slowly reached down and took hold of her once more. One backward excruciating step at a time, he pulled her down the sandy incline.

  He slogged along—it felt as if she gained a hundred pounds with each step—and just as he thought he could do no more he heard the sound of running water. He looked over his shoulder and saw it—crystal-clear water coming out of a small round pipe into a metal storage tank.

  “We’re almost there, Toni. Hang on.” Cody pulled her to the edge of the tank, put his hand in the water and splashed it on her face. Then he picked her up, dropped her over the edge and jumped in after her.

  It felt like heaven. He pushed her under and went down with her. Coming up from the second plunge, she coughed and her eyes fluttered open.

  Her cast started to disintegrate and the bandage slipped off her head. Cody held on to her so that she wouldn’t drown. “I told you we’d make it, Toni.”

  Something cracked behind him. Cody whirled around. A large blond woman in a faded housedress was standing a few feet away, pointing a shotgun at them.

  In the Republic language she ordered, “You two stay right where you are. Move one inch and you’re dead.”

  CHAPTER 14

  “Where am I?” Toni lifted her head. She was wearing a large nightgown and resting on a stack of pillows in a feather bed with real sheets. The room was small and furnished with antiques from the seventies and eighties.

  Something at the foot of the bed stirred. She rose up on her good arm to get a better look. It was Cody. He was stretched out, snoring softly on a colorful homemade rag rug.

  Toni reached behind her for one of the pillows and tossed it at him. Cody woke with a start. “What the …” He sat up. “Oh, it’s you,” he said crossly. “It’s about time you woke up. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

  “What happened? The last thing I remember was walking in the desert. How did we get here?”

  The door opened and the stout blond woman from the water tank came in carrying a tray with glasses and sandwiches. “Good. You’re awake.” She set the tray down on the nightstand. “You must hurry now. Orlo will be back soon.”

  Toni looked confused. “Who’s Orlo?”

  Cody stood up and took one of the sandwiches. “Thank you, Anna. As soon as my sister is ready, we’ll be on our way.”

  “That’s good. I’ll just go downstairs and make you something to take with you. Do try and hurry now,” she repeated as she closed the door.

  “That was Anna,” Cody said between bites. “Here, have a sandwich.” He held out the tray for her. Toni took one of the larger ones and Cody continued, “You tried to cut out on me back there in the desert. I barely got you here alive. Anna found us in her water tank. After I explained how we broke down out in the desert and had gotten ourselves lost looking for shelter, she was kind enough to help take care of you.”

  “How long have we been here?”

  “All last night and most of today. Anna put that splint on your arm and doctored your head. But if you feel up to it she wants us to leave as soon as possible. She’s American but her husband, Orlo, runs this satellite outpost for the CCR. She’s expecting him back today.”

  Toni pulled back the sheet and tried to stand up. “Ohhh.” She held her forehead.

  Cody reached out to steady her. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Help me find my clothes.”

  “Your flight suit got kinda shredded on the way here. I had to drag you a pretty long way.” He picked up a large plaid shirt and an equally large pair of red shorts. “Anna says you can have these.”

  Toni smiled. “I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Wait for me downstairs. I’ll just be a minute.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Toni helped herself to a couple of the sandwiches and then cautiously made her way down the stairs. She had found a safety pin on the dresser and adjusted the shorts so that they wouldn’t fall off. The shirt hung down to her knees but she rolled up the sleeves and made it work.

  Cody was waiting for
her at the kitchen table, eating cookies. When he saw Toni, he gulped his milk and put the glass in the sink. “Looks like we’re ready now, Anna. Thanks for everything. You’ve been a real lifesaver.”

  “I’d like to add my thanks too,” Toni said. “Maybe someday we can return the favor.”

  “Just please don’t tell anyone you were here. It is against the new law to help Americans.” Anna handed Cody a paper sack. “There’s food in here. Maybe it’ll keep you for a while.” She followed them to the screen door. “Stay on the road. It’ll take you to Marsden. But be careful. There are plenty of soldiers there who would rather shoot than arrest you.”

  “We’ll be careful. Thanks again.”

  They passed two buildings about a half mile down the road. The closest one looked like a barn but had a tower antenna on the top and a satellite dish near the front.

  The second building was the one that interested Toni. It was taller and wider than the barn. A smooth dirt road led up to its large double doors.

  She glanced back over her shoulder. The house was too far away for Anna to see them. Toni pulled Cody to the side of the strange building.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered. “Anna said there was no danger until Orlo gets back.”

  Toni faced him. “I want to get a look inside this building. It could be important.”

  “Why? I already checked about a truck. Orlo has the only one they own. We’re just going to have to walk into that town she told us about and see what we can come up with.”

  “Maybe not.” Toni moved around to the door, pulled it open a few inches and peeked in. “Take a look at this.”

  Cody was already looking over her shoulder. Parked inside was a small two-seater airplane in camouflage green. He folded his arms. “Well, what do you know? My dad would have loved this. I think they quit making those back in the early eighties. Think you can fly it?”

  “Normally I’d brag and say I could fly anything. But because of this arm, you may have to help me a little. Are you willing?”

  Cody chewed his lip. “It’s not a very nice thing to do to Anna after the way she helped us.”

  “Anna is an American. I don’t want to make trouble for her any more than you do, but our primary mission here is to help our country.”

  “I guess you’re right. Tell me what to do.”

  “Open those doors and let’s get her outside.”

  CHAPTER 16

  In the bright sunlight Toni was able to quickly examine the light airplane. It appeared to be flight-ready. She climbed up into the copilot’s seat. Cody shut the door for her and ran around to the pilot’s side.

  She checked the instrument panel. The plane was old but all the basic navigational aids were there. The stick was new to her but with Cody’s help they could probably manage. It had been her idea to sit on this side of the plane so that she could use her good arm for the center controls.

  Cody shut his door and waited for instructions. Toni turned a knob and inspected the fuel gauge. The needle pointed to Full.

  “Cross your fingers, Cody. If she starts, our takeoff may be a little rough. When I get going, I’m going to need you to help me with this stick, okay? Just pull back on it slowly. When we’re up, I should be able to handle it. Ready?”

  Cody gave her the thumbs-up sign. She started the engine. It coughed and sputtered, then settled into a smooth purr. Slowly the plane began moving down the dirt runway, the speed increasing as they neared the end.

  “Okay, flaps are down. Let’s get this baby up.”

  Together they pulled back on the control stick. The plane jumped, touched down and then jerked into the air.

  They were flying.

  Toni checked the instrument panel and leveled the plane out just a few hundred feet in the air. She glanced over at Cody. “I’m trying to keep it low so that radar won’t pick us up. It’s chancy, though, because we could be spotted from the ground.”

  Cody looked down at the desert floor. “All I know is, it sure beats the heck out of walking. How long will it take us to get there in this?”

  “It’s not the fastest thing I’ve ever flown, but if we’re lucky, we should be there in a few hours.”

  For the first hour they hardly talked. Cody fell asleep with his head against the door. When he woke up, Toni began asking him questions about his life before prison and his family. “Did you ever fly with your dad?”

  “Naw. He was supposed to teach me but he never got the chance.”

  “How about a quick lesson?”

  “Now?”

  “Why not? You might need to get out of a tough spot sometime. Besides, the army can always use more good pilots.”

  “In that case, start teaching.”

  “First let’s take a look at some of the instruments.” Toni went over the functions of the altimeter, speed indicator, horizon indicator and compasses. Then she quizzed him. He repeated almost word for word everything she’d told him.

  “I’m impressed, Cody. You’re a quick learner.”

  “I picked it up in prison. The faster I could learn stuff the better job they thought they were doing. They even gave me a nickname—White Fox.”

  “You’re the White Fox? Now I’m really impressed. I heard some of the guards talk about you. You were supposed to be one of their finest success stories. Colonel Wyman is definitely going to want to meet you.”

  “I didn’t do anything special. All I did was survive the best way I knew how.”

  “You saved my skin. I think that’s kind of special.”

  Cody felt uncomfortable. “Can we get back to the lesson? We’ll be at the base before you get around to letting me have the controls.”

  “The controls are the easy part. Here.” Toni put her good hand behind her head and leaned back. “Take them.”

  Cody grabbed at the control stick and the plane pitched upward.

  “Don’t be so rough,” Toni scolded. “Hold it gently and keep your eyes on the instruments. Push it forward and the nose drops, back and we go up.”

  Cody watched the panel carefully, almost afraid to breathe. After a few minutes he relaxed. “Hey, this isn’t so hard. It’s almost like—”

  The plane lunged, making a choking sound, and then the engine stopped. Toni sat up. She tapped one of the gauges and it swung violently to the left.

  “What’s wrong?” Cody demanded. “Did I break something?”

  “No. It’s not your fault. Looks like we might have a leak in the fuel line. We’re going down. Get ready.”

  Cody looked at the ground below. The desert had changed to green landscape with fields and a few trees. They had passed a small town an hour or so earlier. He wondered if anyone would come out to help them—or, more likely, arrest them.

  It all seemed like a dream. The plane was fighting them, trying to head straight down while he and Toni fought to keep its nose up.

  Then abruptly the ground that had looked so far away rushed up to meet them. Trees sped by, snatching at the plane with their branches. With one bone-jarring crunch both wings were sheared off and the windshield blew out in pieces.

  At high speed, the small aircraft skidded across a field and came to a grinding stop on the edge of an arroyo, its nose buried in a large bank of dirt.

  CHAPTER 17

  Out of the corner of his eye Cody could see his arms and hands. He raised his head. Nothing seemed to be broken. His forehead ached and he had several new cuts from the broken glass but he was still alive.

  He turned to look at Toni. She was hunched over, holding her fractured arm. “This thing is never going to heal if I don’t quit cracking up airplanes.”

  Cody smiled with relief. “You probably hold the record for the most crash landings in the shortest period of time.” He unsnapped his seat belt. “Flying was sure nice while it lasted but I guess it’s back to walking.”

  He was just about to try his door when it was yanked open. A burly farmer stabbed at him with a pitchfork. In the Republic lang
uage he ordered Cody to get out of the aircraft.

  Another, younger man dressed in worn overalls, with arms as big around as tree trunks, held a small pistol. He waved it in the air victoriously. “We’ve captured some Americans, Papa. The CCR will reward us.”

  Cody put his hands up and slipped down out of the plane. He spoke to them in their language. “Don’t shoot. My partner is hurt. Help us. We are on a secret mission for the CCR.”

  The two men put their heads together and whispered. The young one turned to Cody. “Where are your papers?”

  “I told you, we’re on a special mission. We don’t carry papers.”

  The farmer pointed the pitchfork at the plane. “You are only a boy, too young to be flying planes. Get your partner out. We will talk to him.”

  They followed Cody around to Toni’s door. He tried to open it but it was stuck. The young man with the muscular arms gave the pistol to his father and reached up to help. With one tug he wrenched it off its hinges.

  Toni had heard them talking. She didn’t understand the language but she figured Cody was doing his best to make up a cover for them. When they opened the door she was lying motionless on the controls with her eyes closed.

  “See,” Cody said. “I told you my partner was hurt.”

  The young man shrugged and picked her up as if she were a child and set her on the ground.

  Again the two men conferred. Cody could hear snatches about how big the reward would be if he and Toni turned out to be spies.

  Finally they made a decision. They would take the two fliers back to the farm and lock them in the root cellar until they notified the nearest CCR garrison.

  The young man picked up Toni and started across the field. Cody had to trot to keep up with him. The older man stayed behind them, holding the gun.

  As they approached the house, Cody scanned the area for signs of transportation. A rusty truck sat in front of the farmhouse with its hood up and two flat tires. The only other vehicle on the place was an old green tractor parked in the field.