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Bear Bunnies

By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl.



Those characters that are original and the story "Bear Bunnies" are

copyrighted (c) 2000 by Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl.



This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at

http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/



Send comments to: Douglas Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca) or

"Tuxedo" Will (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)





Chapter 2  "Down by the Docks"



Note: TaleSpin character descriptions follow this chapter.



       A bear?

       What was a bear doing at Usagi's house? Why was it sitting

beside HER?! Rei felt the numbness leave her slowly. As it left, it was

replaced by panic. A bear was a wild animal. She was sitting beside a

wild animal! She tried to move but a seatbelt restrained her.

       "Li'l Britches?"

       Rei frowned slightly. <Kami-sama, who said that? Why isn't Usagi

screaming... or trying to cuddle it?> Maybe Minako brought it over. Or

could it be a new enemy? <I need to transform but not in front of it.>

       "Kit?" The voice was a little stronger than last time.

       Her panic had lessened and her mind raced to formulate a plan of

action. Rei still felt a little confused. The Tsukino living room didn't

look like it normally did. Moreover, a low droning sound seemed to

emanate all around her.

       "Kit?!" the voice said again. She felt someone shake her

shoulder. Turning to her left, she sat a large paw that was attached to

a large arm. Her wide eyes followed its length. The arm was attached to

the bear. For the first time, Rei saw that it was wearing a tacky yellow

shirt and a cap. "Are you okay, kid?"

       Snapping her eyes forward, the priestess saw for the first time

in total clarity that she was in a plane. What was worse, it was in

flight. Her well thought out plan shattered as she realized that the

bear was piloting it. All around her was blue -- blue sky and blue sea.

<The bear!> The thought struck her like a lightning bolt. She was

trapped in a plane with a wild animal. A rather huge one at that.

Jerking away from the massive paw, Rei wildly looked around for any

avenue of escape and saw a door. Unfastening the seatbelt and surging to

her feet, the priestess bolted through the door and slammed it behind

her. <Bears can't open doors, ne?>

       Apparently, they could because the handle started to turn.

       <What am I gonna do now?!?> Rei certainly didn't want to

transform in front of a new enemy unless she absolutely had to. It could

be the only one to tell her where Usagi was. She started reaching for

the handle, hoping to forestall the door's opening, and froze. Her hands

were different. In fact, they weren't even hands at all but paws. A

trickle of fear crawled down her spine. The paws were covered with brown

fur. <Where have I seen this before?>

       Forcing herself, she looked down to find that her feet weren't

her own. Nor was she wearing the blouse and skirt she had donned that

morning. Instead, she was wearing an old green sweater with a patch on

the elbow. Reaching up, she felt a cap of some sort on her head

apparently on backwards.

       The click of the door opening reminded Rei of what she had been

trying to do. Unfortunately, it was too late. There was no chance to

transform. Backing slowly away from the door, she considered her

options. Should she risk transforming anyway? That's when she caught her

reflection in a small mirror.

       She recognized it. She was a character on that silly show Usagi

was watching.

       "STUPID USAGI!!!!" Rei howled.





       Chibi-Usa's first feelings were of lying on something that was

soft and warm. This puzzled her since she had been sitting still on her

cousin's lap watching TV only moments ago. From somewhere off in the

distance, a seagull cried shrilly. Something had certainly changed. It

didn't sound like her home. It was too quiet. Then she heard the soft

sound of breathing and the steady beat of a heart.

       Without opening her eyes, Chibi-Usa called out softly, "Usagi?"

She felt a little worried when she didn't here any response. "Usagi?"

she called a little louder. Where was her cousin? <I'm a Sailor Senshi,>

the little girl thought sternly. <I can handle anything.> Though, she

would have been comforted to hear one of her parent's voices. Rarely had

she faced any danger without them nearby.

       Slowly she opened her eyes, blinked in surprise, and immediately

clamped them shut again. <Nani? That can't be true! It's just an anime

show.> She knew the difference. She wasn't a little kid! She was NOT

lying atop a fictional character in a hammock holding a doll. She was

sitting on her cousin's lap having a very interesting dream; that was

all. She had had her share while her friend Helios was around. Opening

one eye slightly, she peeked at the soft-featured face of a

reddish-brown bear before her. "Usagi?" Chibi-Usa called even louder.

Usagi would want to see this up close and personal.

       "Hmmm... what is it, spore? I was havin' a nice dream."

       "No way!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed. <That's not Usagi's voice.> That

answer had come from the bear. A bear who she knew should have answered

to Rebecca Cunningham. She didn't want to think about her own voice

sounding wrong. <I gotta know.> Grinning evilly, she declared, "Mamoru

is kissing Rei."

       "Who? WHAT?!?!" The bear beside her jerked upwards. Chibi-Usa

yelped in surprise as the hammock swung wildly for a moment before

dumping both its occupants unceremoniously onto the wooden floor.

       "Chibi-Usa?" The voice was concerned.

       "That really is you!" Chibi-Usa squeaked in surprise and pushed

herself up. Noticing that she was considerably smaller than normal

compared to her cousin, she looked down at herself and was very

disappointed. "Molly?!"

       "You mean..." Usagi began then stopped, "Where's Mamoru?"

       "I don't know but why'd you stick me into a body of a six year

old?!?" <I'm littler than I was before.> To Usagi, who was still having

trouble believing she was now Ms. Rebecca Cunningham, the owner of

Higher for Hire, the question sounded like it was coming from Molly. Her

daughter's puffy strawberry-blonde pigtails and rabbit-ear odangos were

gone replaced with short golden fur and ribbons tied around little

fur-covered ears.

       "Why do you think I did this?" Usagi demanded.

       "Dumpling..." Chibi-Usa's began but she stopped short. It was

hard to retort as she normally would have. Usagi no longer had her long

golden pigtails at all much less "dumplings". Reaching out, she gave the

adult bear a pinch.

       "Hey Chibi-Usa! What'd you do that for?"

       "I wanted to see if it was real."

       "I'll show you `real�," Usagi hissed menacingly. Chibi-Usa

squawked in protest as her mother started to tickle her. After only a

few moments, she surrendered, quite glad that Usagi relented. "This time

it isn't my fault. I would have liked to be a bunny but..." The bearess

shrugged. "I'd switch with you if I could." <Becky works way too hard.>

       "Really?" the golden cub asked. When Usagi nodded, she smiled.

"Sorry about pinching you." Getting up, she gave her mother a hug. "I

don't think we're in the apartment."

       "Higher for Hire," Rebecca's voice answered.

       "Looks like it, Big Sister. We... I mean, they must have been

taking a nap or something." The little girl looked up at the adult and

smiled. "This is soooo cool."

       "Sure is." Usagi reached down and scooped a doll that was lying

on the floor. "I think this is yours, honey."

       "Gee, thanks," Chibi-Usa grumbled. She looked around the office,

marveling at the situation. She was getting a fresh view of what the

office really looked like. Not only could she see it now but also she

could feel and smell it.

       "Wanna check out the rest?" Rebecca's voice interrupted her

train of thought.

       "Sure, but..."

       "What?"

       Chibi-Usa sighed a little bit, "What if we're the only ones

here?"

       "The Dead Moon Circus is gone, sweetheart," Usagi answered, "And

we'll find a way back. I bet Mamoru's sitting at home right now worried

about us and wondering where we went." Chibi-Usa groaned in disgust then

headed for the kitchen. Usagi followed. "Might as well make the best of

it. Just remember to act normal, MOLLY."

       "That's going to be hard for you, MOMMY. Becky doesn't snarf

down all the food like Baloo does. Or is as lazy as you. Or is as dumb

as you." She sighed. "I was right I would've made a lot better Rebecca

than you."

       "Like Mother, like Daughter," Usagi offered with a grin before

heading for the stairs. Chibi-Usa stuck her tongue out.

       <Baka Usagi,> she thought, <But this will be fun.>





       Mizuno Ami scribbled some notes on the piece of paper before

turning her attention back to the reflection in the mirror. What looked

back at her was a scruffy lion, fairly thin but most surprisingly

wearing a set of mechanic's overalls and cap. This particular fact was

closely followed by the fact that the lion was bipedal. Its proportions

were much more human than lion-like. Opening her mouth, Ami tried to

examine her long canine teeth in the mirror.

       <Fascinating... I wonder how these animals evolved?> The

question of why she was even in the body of this particular lion never

even occurred to her. <Are they are carnivorous?> Turning, Ami looked

over the room in which she had woke up and grinned. <This place looks

worse than Usagi's room.> She didn't see a bed though so surmised that

her host body slept somewhere else. <I do wish that I had gotten into a

female body.> Well, she could handle being a guy, albeit a fur-covered

one, as long as she wasn't expected to hunt and kill anything. She was

fairly sure she wouldn't have to given its scrawny appearance.

       After another few minutes of rooting through the odds and ends

within the room, Ami left through the only door. She found herself

standing outside a small shed on a small extension that was attached to

a wooden dock. Slowly she turned her eyes to look out over the beautiful

water. <We're near the sea,> Ami deduced as she smelled salt on the

breeze. <It's a large bay of some kind.> Out in the bay a signal buoy

clanged.

       <The time period appears to be different. Certainly prior to

World War II.> She'd made a mental note to determine an exact date

later. Turning, she carefully made her way up onto the dock.

       "Higher for Hire" a large sign above her head read. Now why did

that name sound familiar? Turning, she observed a large building sitting

on the shore. Its crows nest rising up into the air. Walking slowly

along the dock, Ami tried to decide what she was going to do. <I wonder

if any of the others came here?> It was a distinct possibility but she

wasn't sure how to find them without raising suspicions. <I think I

should call the others.> She attempted to access her subspace pocket.

<Nani? My communicator is gone! I can't access my pocket!> Which meant

that she couldn't transform. <I'll have to make the best of it.> A smile

tugged at her lips as she thought of what her current body would have

looked like in her blue Sailor fuku.

       The first set of doors she came to led into a small warehouse.

Not liking the look of the interior, she closed the door and went around

to the side where there was a smaller door. <Should I knock?> She

decided it would be better to look a tad silly rather than be impolite.

       When her knock was answered, it was by a small golden bear cub

with pink ribbons on her ears. The child was wearing a pink T-shirt and

blue overalls.

       "WILDCAT!" the cub declared happily. It... She clamped on Ami's

leg in a tight hug.

       <So, there are at least two sentient species on this world,> Ami

concluded. <Wildcat. Well, I know my name in this world now.>

       "Wildcat?" The question came from a female bear with shoulder

length brown hair on its head wearing a sweater and a pair of pants.

Before Ami could answer, the bear added sternly, "I told you not to open

the door, Molly!"

       "But I could see it was Wildcat, MOMMY!" The last word was

pulled out as if it hurt to say it.

       "I'm delighted to see you as well, little one," Ami carefully

addressed the cub in the lion's strange voice. <Certainly a friendly

pair.> The little cub backed away and gave her a strange look. "What? Is

something the matter?"

       "That isn't Wildcat!"

       "No," the child agreed, "It's... Ami!"

       "Pardon?"

       "It's us!" the older one stated, "Usagi and Chibi-Usa."

       Ami sighed a little bit. "That is certainly a relief." She gave

Usagi a bear hug.

       "Come inside, Ami-honey," Usagi commanded and almost dragged her

in, "I think we have a lot of work to do, Chibi-Usa."

       "Yeah," the little cub said, "Maybe Ami can make me an adult."

Usagi glared at her daughter.

       "Work? What work?" Ami didn't like the sound of that. Usagi

saying she had work to do was an occasion for worry.





       Baloo heaved a sigh before glancing back at the closed door that

led into the Seaduck's cargo bay. <What on earth's gotten into that

boy's head?> He'd have look into what type of comics Kit was reading.

<Lucky we're close to Cape Suzette.> At least he wasn't late this time

so Rebecca, his boss, wouldn't yell at him.

       A short time later, the cliffs of Cape Suzette came into sight.

"Almost home, baby," he said affectionately to the plane. "Kit!" he

called, "We're almost there!" The gray bear heard the door open and then

the soft sounds of movement. After a moment or so, his young navigator

cautiously shifted between the chairs and then buckled himself into the

empty seat next to him. "You okay, kid?"

       "Yeah," the cub answered uncertainly. <I'll get you for this,

Usagi.> Rei just closed her eyes and continued, praying that it would

all be over very soon.

       Sighing a little, Baloo called Air Traffic Control and requested

landing clearance. Soon the yellow seaplane passed through the cliffs

and the big bear prepared to land. "You're looking a bit green, Li'l

Britches."

       "Um... Where are you going to land?"

       "Higher for Hire, of course. Beckers is waiting for us."

       "You mean on the water, don't you?"

       "Well a'course, Kit. This is a seaplane after all." Yes, he

would get to the bottom of this as soon as they landed.





       "Is that what I think it is?"

       "Yep!" Chibi-Usa squealed with delight, "The Seaduck's landing."

       "The airplane?" Ami questioned. She felt as if she had been put

through the wringer. Usagi and her daughter had crammed as much history

about this strange place into Ami's head as they could remember in a

short time.

       "I wonder if he's as cuddly as he looks?" Usagi said dreamily.

       "You have Mamoru!" Chibi-Usa protested.

       "Maybe he's Baloo."

       "I hope not."

       Usagi frowned. "And why not?" The bear cub didn't answer her.

Instead, she opened the door and darted outside. "Come back here!" Usagi

yelled and ran outside after the child. Ami sat where she was and mulled

over what had happened over the past little while.

       Usagi held her cousin's hand, much to Chibi-Usa's annoyance.

"Well, you're supposed to be six, not nine. Just let's play along until

we find out."

       "Okay, Mommy."

       "Thanks Molly," Usagi replied and giggled, "Well, here they

come."





       It was only Rei's pride that stopped her from acting petrified

as the plane made its landing. As the propellers feathered to silence,

she sat still, just enjoying that she was no longer airborne.

       "Come on, L'il Britches," the pilot announced, "We're home."

       "Um... I'll be there in a second." The big bear shrugged and

walked back into the cargo hold. <You're being silly!> Hino Rei told

herself. Unfastening the seatbelt, she entered the cargo hold and found

the side door was open.

       Carefully she peeked out and saw a yellow bear cub and another

bear greeting the larger one. <Just great! Not only am I trapped in this

silly anime but I get to play Goldie Locks too...> Once the group had

turned and walked into a nearby building, Rei stepped out of the plane.

<Solid ground! Thank Kami-sama.>

       She paused to survey her surroundings. Despite her annoyance,

she felt a little awed by the beauty of the place. Turning, she walked

up the dock to the building that sat before her. Briefly, she wished she

had paid more attention to Usagi's ramblings but firmly squashed that

idea. She decided the first thing to do was to take stock of her

situation.





       "I tell ya, Beckers, there's somethin' wrong with that kid. I

can't figure it out though. He were fine 'fore." He noticed little

Molly, who was perched on his stomach, giving her mother a strange look.

"Don't worry, Pigtails, probably just got stuff on his mind."

       "He didn't want to come in, Baloo?" Rebecca asked.

       "Nope."

       "I'll go get him!" Molly volunteered.

       "No, you won't, young lady."

       "Aw Mommy..."

       "Molly..." The golden cub crossed her arms and flopped back

against Baloo. "Maybe he's worried about something."

       "Oh leave 'im alone, Boss Lady. The kid'll get over what's wrong

and'll be all right. Just kinda strange is all. Maybe that last

Barnstorm Burger at Louie's did it to 'im."

       Rebecca gave a large sigh. "Baloo, you were the one that said

something was bothering him. Now you want me to just sit here and

pretend he's fine?"

       The big bear shifted uncomfortably for a moment before grumbling

out, "Knew I shouldn'ta said nothin'."

       "Well?" Baloo crossed his arms and scowled, looking much like

Molly did. Making her way towards the door, she instructed,

"Molly-honey, you stay here." The little cub pouted slightly but her

mother ignored it.





       <Kit has to be Mamoru,> Usagi decided as she stepped outside

Higher for Hire. <Better be careful though...> She found the brown cub

gazing at something. "See anything special?" she asked. Kit jerked

around and stared at her. "You all right, Kit?"

       "Yeah," he mumbled out.

       "So how was the trip?"

       "Hmmm, okay I guess."

       <Something's definitely wrong! He should be calling me Ms.

Cunningham.> Usagi walked over to where the boy was standing and bent

down to look at him closely. "Mamoru?" Kit blinked. <Maybe it wasn't

him.>

       "Usagi?" the cub squeaked out. Usagi smiled and nodded. "My God,

what dumb thing did you do THIS time?!?"

       "Gosh, you don't sound like Mamoru."

       "BECAUSE I'M NOT, DUMPLING HEAD!"

       "Rei?" Usagi offered, sounding rather disappointed.

       "Yes, now tell me what you've gotten me into." Usagi blinked.

"For a start, who am I?"

       "Uh... Well..." Usagi had a feeling her friend wasn't going to

like this.





       Somewhere over the South Pacific flew a great airship known as

the Iron Vulture. Its front was shaped like a giant beak. Its sinister

looking body held aloft by many propellers while two giant propellers

pushed it through the warm salty air.

       This was a pirate ship, captained by Don Karnage. His band of

Air Pirates was a motley crew, only interested in plunder and chaos.

       Two of the crew were standing on the bridge of the massive

airship discussing the aardvark races of the night before. One was a

scrawny dog, who had a whine to his voice, he went by the name of

Maddog. The other was a heavy set dog with a thick accent and went by

the name of Dumptruck.

       The current pilot of the ship, a terrier by the name of Jacque

(though everybody called him Scotty), stood at the helm and cast a weary

eye towards the two pirates before turning his attention back out the

window.

       Maddog and Dumptruck turned to look at the doorway once again.

"Da Cap'n said he'd tell us his plan," Dumptruck remarked.

       "Yeah, but he's late."

       "My magnificent self is here, you impatient pipitty-squeaks!"

raged the voice of their captain. With his typical grand flourish, Don

Karnage entered the bridge and surveyed his domain with confidence.





       Mamoru smiled internally as he strode towards his underlings. <I

could get into this role.> Though he doubted Usagi would approve. <I

wonder where they are?> He could sense that his girlfriend was "here"

but far away. At least, she was in no immediate danger.

       Having woken up in the body of Don Karnage had been jolting.

However, once he realized who and where he was, he had set about playing

the part for the moment. He was certainly glad he paid attention to one

of his girlfriend and daughter's favorite shows.

       "Do you have a plan, Cap'n?"

       "Of course, I, Don Karnage, have a plan... One that even you

dimwits could follow." Dumptruck looked interested, a feral gleam coming

into the large pirate's eyes. "That bothersome Baloo is flying a

treasure worth taking, yes/no?"

       "But Cap'n, it's just lightbulbs," Maddog pointed out. That was

what their spies had reported.

       "Replace your lightbulb," Mamoru retorted, "He just says that to

try to pull the wool over our eyes. But I will sheer his sheep for

sure!" <Kami-sama, I wish this guy would talk more normally.> Sauntering

over to a map, the wolf pointed to a spot on it with his sword and

commanded, "Scotty, set a course! We will wait for the `bulb bus� bear

and his pint-sized pest."



End of Part 2



Coming next in Chapter 3  "Facts of Life"





TaleSpin Setting:



TaleSpin is a world run by "furries" set circa 1930. The home base for

the series is the city of Cape Suzette, a bayside city protected by high

cliffs.





TaleSpin Character Descriptions:



Baloo, or Baloo the Bear depending on whom you ask, is a rather large

gray bear. He's the best pilot around with over twenty years in the

cockpit, just ask him. Most other pilots will acknowledge his piloting

prowess. He never graduated high school and gained his experience

through the School of Hard Knocks. Baloo used to run an air cargo

service called "Baloo's Air Service". Unfortunately, his desire to be

laid back and not worry about anything caused him to lose it to the

bank. What devastated Baloo more though was the loss of ownership of his

beloved twin engine seaplane known as the Seaduck. Baloo now works for

Rebecca Cunningham and tries to do as little as possible. Always out for

a get-rich-quick-scheme, the big pilot dreams of one day buying the

Seaduck back, if only he could raise the fifty thousand dollars he

needs.



Kit Cloudkicker is Baloo's constant companion and friend. A brown bear

cub of twelve years old, the youth isn't very tall, only around four

feet. Kit has had a rough life. While hitching a ride on a cargo plane,

he met up with a pirate captain, Don Karnage. The orphaned youth joined

up with the pirates, likely seeking adventure. Karnage was grooming Kit

to follow in his footsteps. Soon Kit grew tired of the pirates and

decided to "steal" away. While making his escape, Kit literally slid

into Baloo and things progressed from there. Now he navigates for Baloo

and typically gets coaxed into Baloo's crazy ideas. Kit is an average

student but fairly athletic. He's an expert cloudsurfer and navigator

with aspirations to be a pilot himself one day.



Ms. Rebecca Cunningham is a headstrong and stubborn bearess. She's

fairly petite with reddish brown fur. Despite her size, Rebecca can

usually push Baloo around. She took over the debt that Baloo's Air

Service was carrying from the bank and renamed the business "Higher for

Hire". She is quite liberal for her day where few women run businesses.

She rarely wears dresses or skirts, preferring a pantsuit. She is always

looking to expand her business and is sometimes too quick to jump into a

new business opportunity. She has a great head for figures and

organization. This thirtyish widow has a young daughter named Molly.

Despite her attitudes, Rebecca does care for Baloo.



Molly Cunningham is a cute six year old bear cub with golden fur and

blue eyes. She likes to play "Danger Woman" (a star of a popular radio

program) and like most children, has trouble getting grownups to take

her seriously. She sometimes even has trouble in getting Kit, whom she

thinks of as her big brother, to take her seriously. She can be

mischievous but never malicious. Her constant companion is a rag doll by

the name of Lucy.



Wildcat is an easy-going scruffy looking lion. The thirty-something lion

is the mechanic at Higher for Hire. While not overly book smart, Wildcat

is fairly perceptive and is nearly a mechanical genius. He can fix

anything if it's a machine. He thinks that Rebecca is the nicest

smelling boss he's ever had. Wildcat is one of the very few who can

understand Molly on her own level. In some ways, he's just as big a kid

as Molly is.



Don Karnage is the captain of a group known as Air Pirates. He's a brown

wolf who has flamboyant dress and speech. His ego is nearly the size of

his immense airship the Iron Vulture. The Air Pirates mostly prey upon

aircraft making cargo runs. They force these planes down and steal their

cargo. However, Karnage's motley crew of thieves is always on the

lookout for treasure to plunder wherever they can find it. They must

remain out of cities like Cape Suzette where Don Karnage and his pirates

are wanted by the authorities.



Louie is an orangutan who owns a popular nightclub/refueling stop

situated on a small tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. He's also one

of Baloo's longest friends, though he's more solidly grounded in the

real world than Baloo typically is.