Duke layed in bed, staring at the ceiling. He let a sigh go, after another day of battling Wraith and Chameleon and coming home empyt handed, he was tired. Home...did he really think of this place as home. It wasn't Puckworld, it wasn't the Brotherhood of the Blade Headquarters. It was a ceiling over his head, with a bunch of other ducks. Another sighed escaped.
He was an ex-thief gone straight. Mallory McMallard wanted to kill him, Wildwing doesn't know what to think, Nosedive thinks he is the greatest thing on earth, Grin is...Grin, and Tanya...well, he never could figure out Tanya. She would never really hung out with him, much less talked with him. He had joined the Brotherhood of the Blade, after his parents died. His young brother was placed in a foster home and he turned into a thief. He didn't get accepted into the Brotherhood of the Blade until he was 15 years old. It was a year later after he turned into a thief did he get accepted. He had fun and was the greatest known thief on Puckworld, until Lord Dragonause invaded Puckworld and he joined the Resistance. Once and a while would wonder if he did the right thing. He wondered if he should of just stayed on Puckworld and do what he could.
He sighed and pulled himself up, he had to go for a walk. So he grabbed his jacket and headed outside. He could see the moon and stars in the sky. A light breeze was coming from the ocean as he walked along. If he took a deep breath he could smell the rain coming. It looked clear outside, but in a matter of minutes that could change. He sighed and thought about his life when he was younger, the way his younger brother looked at him. The way he would smile and ask Duke for help. Demitrie L'Orange looked like him, he would be 19 this year, if he was still alive. Demitrie or Dee as Duke referred to him as, had grey feathers and black hair, and had dark blue eyes, the last time Duke saw him. Duke watched him from a distance as he grew up, Demitrie never knew he had a guardian angel watching over him. Duke smiled to himself, he wished he could see him, see how he turned out.
Duke had reached the Ocean and was walking along the beach. Duke regretted some of his choices in life, becoming a thief. Demitrie most likely hated him for it. Duke always tried to set a good example for Dee, but failed miserably in the end. He should of tried harder and do more, he shouldn't of become a thief he should of just toughed it out. His life was built on regrets to him. Theives...The brotherhood had rules and they had codes of honor, or at least some did, but not all. Some thieves were marked as murders and killed anyone that got in the way. The brotherhood was different, they had a codes of honor. Thieve clans would attack each other sometimes, but the brotherhood stayed out of it.
Returning to the Brotherhood when he got back onto Puckworld crossed his mind a couple of times. And then he would look at Nosedive and scratch the idea. He had been tempted to steal a couple of times too, but he would look at the team and go against it. The team had become a family to him, and he didn't want to disappoint him. Of course Mallory got on his nerves a couple of times of Nosedive would bug him enough he wanted to snap his neck, but he wouldn't show it, he would just get up and walk away. Or as everyone else put it, turn the other cheek.
The waves from the ocean rolled in and the smell of rain intinsified. He sighed and thought, The Team...His family, friends, and co-workers, did he mean the same to them. Or was he just really good with a sword and Canard thought he would work perfect for the Resistance. What passed through there brains when they looked at him? Theif? Friend? Team member? What? Did Mallory really think he was that bad or did she put on a front. She carried walls and it was hard to get her trust you, but did she trust him.
A wet rain dropped and his his beak. He looked up towards the sky as the rain came down faster. Man it felt good to feel something, besides confusion, hurt, saddeness, and pain. Pain? Hurt-did they like him or was he just a value to the team, Saddeness-he missed Puckworld, Confusion-what was going on, why did he do what he did? What really layed behind the mask put on infront of them? Why did Canard pick him? The rain was now a downpour. Bouncing off of him as he started back to the Pond.
His mind went around and around, thinking about everythng. When he walked in, he was soaked and he headed for his room. He had to pass Nosedive's room when he heard a whimper. He decided to check it out, when he peaked in he saw Dive shuddering, walking towards him and lightly shaking him, Dive opened his eyes. They were mixed with fear and confusion,
"Hey kid, you alright" Duke asked
Dive grabbed him and held on tight, "Duke" he muttered into him, Duke looked up at the ceiling and knew all of the answers to his questions earlier. He belonged here and he was accepted, Dive needed him and nothing was going to change that.