Unchosen Champion

Coop, Camila, and Charlie left the country club behind and headed back toward the coast. Coop used his hand to shade his eyes as he glanced up at the shining sun while they strolled along the state road. It was still high in the sky, relentlessly beating down on them, and warming the pavement so that Coop felt the heat coming from above and below. He missed the steady ocean breeze of Ghost Reef.

They still had most of the evening to make it to Crane Point. Hopefully, the Eye of the Storm had already returned from its scouting mission up the coast. They wanted to get their infiltration plan started and they needed to coordinate with the pirates ahead of time to arrange their escape. Charlie was doing a good job keeping it together, but she was clearly worried about her parents.

When they passed Peacock Park they noted that there was someone lingering at the main entrance, where Coop had waited for the girls. Since Coop had inadvertently turned the park into a rallying point, they paused their trip to see who it was.

They found a man carrying an infant while holding the hand of a toddler, packed like he was going camping with a huge pack on his back. When he noticed the trio approaching, his relief was palpable.

"Oh thank god. I was worried I was too late. Are you heading to Crane Point?" He asked while gently goading the toddler forward as she tried to hide behind his legs.

"We sure are." Coop confirmed with a friendly smile to the toddler. He wasn't sure if she was scared or shy.

"What a relief, I thought I'd have to go alone." The man looked at the two kids, "It's not easy wrangling them."

"I bet!" Camila agreed before asking the man some questions about why he was there. Coop was distracted by the toddler beckoning him with a waving hand.

He kneeled down to her level. "Hi there," He greeted her.