The Mighty Ducks- Strike of the Valkyrie
Chapter 1- A Chance Encounter
It was a cloudy day and a bit cold for the time of year. At a local gym in Venice Beach, California, a young tomboy was going about her everyday business lifting weights and jogging on the treadmill. But this was no ordinary tomboy, her name was Mika Runas, but those who have faced her on the ice in the past just call her 'Valkyrie' for her audacity and power. She was a tough-as-nails forward who didn't know the meaning of the word 'quit'. At 5'10 and 170lbs, Mika was special in many ways which made her suited for her favorite sport, ice hockey.
"You know, Mika, you've been a regular at my gym for some time now," said the gym owner, a former US Olympic weightlifter named Wesley, "you should really think about joining 'The Ducks', I mean I'm not just saying that because you're a duck well...that's partly it, but they can probably use a girl like you with your kind of skills, you're fast, you're strong and I don't think anyone wants to be on the receiving end of a wall check from you," Mika chuckled at the owners last remark, "just think about it, a'ight?" A loud clank rattled the gym as Mika put down the dumb-bells.
"I'll be sure to Wes, thanks," Mika replied and headed out the door after a few hours of exercising. The cool breeze of the afternoon felt like heaven on Mika's feathers. She strapped on her roller-blades and skated through town and showing her fancier moves like grinding on the rails in the park and skating through the local mall or at the local skate park. She was a young girl, wild and free, doing what she loves and sometimes getting in trouble in the process, "maybe Wes is right, this could be a good opportunity, but trying to find 'The Ducks' is like trying to find a needle in a haystack,"
When 'The Pond' was empty and no one was around, she'd get out her hockey gear and skate on the ice, doing sprints from one end of the ice to the other and skating around the goals and avoiding imaginary defenders, "Father? I know you're watching me, its spring, Hockey's back in season," She thought looking up at the arena lights and slowly skating about on the ice. Her stick was pushing around a puck, "it's tough to find a team around here to play on, there hasn't been much activity in the leagues, it seems like all the teams I play for just come one year and dissolve the next,"
Everyday before she went to practice, she would go work out in the gym. She has a crazy work ethic, moves as gracefully as a swan with the puck, and she loves contact. She earned her nickname years ago after she was hit by a car. The accident left both her wings and hands so badly broken that her bones had to be surgically removed. Her hockey career was nearly over until she made the choice to have her arms and the bones in her hands surgically replaced with titanium steel alloy replacements.
Not good since this girl already rewrote the book on checking opponents, but come Saturday evenings she writes another chapter. But this young lady wasn't all toughness and brutality, she had fuel for her competitive fire. A fierce Blue Swedish by breed and born in the United States to Scandinavian parents, she takes her native roots seriously. She treats every period like a battle, every game like a war. So there was no doubt, Mika was a warrior.
Off the ice, she was an avid roller blader, surfer and practitioner of medieval European swordsmanship. On this day, Mika had a run in with destiny. It seemed like just a normal day for the young duck skating around the boardwalk. It seemed her skill with something as simple as rollerblading was a clue to what kind of skills she had on the ice, "Excuse me! Pardon me! Comin' through!" She warned all the people in her way as she zipped through the crowds of tourists crowding up at the local chow shacks and beating the heat with a large Icee,
There are times when one is having too much fun that they don't pay attention to where they are going, case and point with Mika. Wildwing happened to be around town and the two ducks ran into each other, literally, "Oh shoot, heh, heh, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," She apologized to him with a little fake laughter in her voice. Suddenly her eyes widened with wonder, she looked up at the duck she ran into with a melting Cherry Coke Icee on her head. Wildwing lightly chuckled and offered her a hand up,
"Hey are you alright? Here, let me help you," He asked pulling the Blue Swedish back up on her feet. She wasn't as tall as Tanya but not as short as Mallory. She had beautiful sapphire blue eyes and short silver hair. She had a dark blue bill which matched her feathers and a white feathers near her neck which looked like a necklace, "hey she looks familiar, I saw her working out at the local gym a few days ago, man, she can really fly, I wonder if she has experience on the ice?" He thought remembering dark blue-black coloring of Mika's feathers, "Umm…I've seen you around these parts, but I never caught your name," Mika looked at the goalie with a small grin. Her bright blue eyes reflected her free and friendly personality,
"It's Runas," said the Blue Swedish, stopping her brakes and spinning around to face the leader, "Mika Runas," she winked at him and skated off into the crowds, leaving the leader of the Mighty Ducks with some questions, "ugh…this is going to hassle to get out of my feathers, oh well, it's still good though," Mika groaned to herself covered in sticky, melting Icee and sipping what was left from the cup. She skated back to her apartment on East Lincoln Ave and did her best to wash out the sticky mess in the shower.
"Wait a sec, that guy I met earlier today, I saw a bit of gold in his bag...nah, could it be? That was Wildwing, that or I'm going crazy," She said to herself, realizing that her dream might be in reach this time around, "now is my chance to prove myself and hopefully I can get some answers about my past," Mika was just a hatchling when she was found by the people whom would eventually become her parents. She had heard the story before from their point of view, but never had the chance to fill in the empty spaces.
She always went to 'The Pond' to practice, but always felt there was something strange about the arena. After the Aerowing landed, Mika made her move. She slipped through the opening and got into the HQ below the ice, "Hey we got a problem," Mallory said, noticing that the secret opening in the ice wasn't closing, she repeatedly pressed the 'close' button but it would budge. But up near the opening, the answer to the problem was plain and simple.
"Argh...you stupid bag...work with me here!" Mika cringed trying to keep her voice down and pull the bag out with all her might. After a few tugs and pulls, she pried the bag free; but the sounds of of her gear crashing down on top of her gave her position away. The Mighty Ducks went over to scene of all the commotion, "finally I'm in and now I'm...I'm...," All the Mighty Ducks gathered around her and didn't look to pleased to have a stranger in the HQ, "busted,"