Return of Canard
***
Heya's everyone. I'm glad that those three or four or five of you that review my stories are liking it. Here's the next one, and I hope you like it as well. If you don't, that's cool because everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. Enjoy. J
***
And, of course, Mighty Duck's belong to Disney. The guardians, however, belong to me. You may now continue…
***
Falling, tumbling, he was careening in nothingness. He was alone, the voices had stopped ages ago and still he was there, lost in Dimensional Limbo. Canard felt sick. It had been a stupid idea to leap out of the Aerowing, but at least the team had been spared. At least they were still alive. He grunted in pain, the burns and slap marks from the worm sparking to life as if to remind him of how the creature had disliked the taste of him and left him at the mercy of his surroundings. A whole bunch of swirling nothing.
"Look! I see something!" came a voice. Canard managed to open his eyes in time to see two human/dragon like creatures make their way to him. They looked like humans, only covered with scales, one blue, one green. Their ears were pointed, the blue ones eyes glowing gold, the green ones eyes purple. They were both male apparently, they had short scale covered hair, both wearing black scale tight clothing and boots. The green one reached him first.
"Orian, he's got dimensional sickness." He exclaimed.
"Great, just what we need. What's he doing here?" The blue one, Orian, asked.
"I don't know. Look, his eyes are open. Hey buddy, you okay? What's your name? How'd you get here?"
"Calivan calm down. He looks too weak to be answering so many questions. Let's get him somewhere safe." Orian said calmly. Calivan nodded and took Canard in his arms. Canard struggled as much as he could, but he was tired, too tired.
"Be calm friend. We won't hurt you." Calivan said soothingly. Canard stopped and closed his eyes again. He had no choice but to trust these two strange creatures. Whatever they were.
*-*
Nosedive sat up and nearly leapt out of his bed as he came out of a very vivid nightmare. He sat there, breathing heavily, rubbing his face as he tried to calm himself. Finally he just couldn't take it, so he brought his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, then rocked back and forth, sobbing with his head buried in his knees. Why was he having these dreams now? What had brought them back? He thought he was over the mines, but apparently he wasn't. Maybe it was the visit to the mines four months ago when the others had been thrown into that time portal. Fortunately they'd come back, but Nosedive didn't remember much of that except that suddenly he was in Wing's arms, his older brother holding him close. Nosedive sniffled. The mines on Puckworld. They'd been awful, and worse, half the time he was alone. Wing had been sent to a different camp and Nosedive had been placed with a bunch of once criminals. One had been from the Brotherhood of the Blade, the mob Duke had been in charge of. He'd been the one to stick up for Nosedive, saved the teens hide several times from the temperamental thieves and murderers, rapists and druggies. But there were plenty of times the older duck had not been enough and Nosedive had been at the mercy of the criminals. He wasn't the only innocent one he knew, but he was the only one Donovan had taken a liking to. It just made things worse for him sadly. Even worse, it made him look forward to his time in the mines, which smelled of decaying flesh each time they stepped in. But it was then he was allowed to just work and no one could touch him but those stupid drones, who found him easier to beat than the others. Then one of the criminals had planned an escape, one which would cost lives. Like he'd cared. He'd tried his plan and ended up bringing the entire cavern down on himself and his buddies. Donovan had shoved Nosedive out of the way, only to take his place. He was crushed under the debris. Nosedive had tried so hard to free him, to save his new friend, but it was no use. Nosedive hadn't the strength and Donovan was already dead. That evening he and the five others that had survived were shipped to the next closest camp. Wildwing had been there and had immediately taken him in his arms and refused to let go. It was a happy yet bitter reunion in the bunk that night, but no one had dared separate them, none had tried to quiet them, for the others had hopes of one day being reunited with some one they loved as these two had. Nosedive had told Wildwing everything that night, The criminals, Donovan, the cave-in… Wildwing had listened to it all and cried with him. Wildwing had never let him suffer alone, Wildwing had always been there, and he was here now.
Nosedive sniffled and looked up. Maybe he should go find Wing. Yeah, that was a good idea. No, wait. What about the others? Pounding on his door made him look towards it.
"Hey kid? You up? Breakfast!" came Duke's voice. Nosedive took a breath and rubbed his face.
"Yeah. Comin'." He called back.
"Alright." He heard Duke walk away, then changed into his civilian clothes and looked in the mirror. He still looked like he hadn't slept, but he knew he had. It was just those stupid nightmares. He sighed. Two weeks ago he'd stayed up and got barely enough sleep to function off of, all because he was worried of what Canard would think of him when he came back. Now he didn't care. He and Canard would have a rivalry going when Wildwing's back was turned, but they wouldn't do any harm to each other… he hoped. He shook his head. No, it didn't matter if Canard disliked him. They were teammates now and they'd have to deal with it… when the time came. Right now, he just wanted to know that Wildwing still existed. He rubbed his face again and made himself presentable. Wildwing would notice something was up, he always did, but the others might not. That was what the teen was counting on. He walked out into the hallway to see Duke standing there, leaning against the far wall.
"Mind if I walk with ya' kid?" he asked.
"No." Nosedive said softly, surprised to see the older duck there. "I thought…"
"That I'd left? Nah. I was worried that you were going to suffocate in there. I heard you scream last night. Woke me up." He admitted as the two walked to the kitchen. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Hey, uh, thanks for leaving me alone last night." Nosedive said.
"Are you kidding? We had a power outage last night! By the time I'd sliced my door open the power came back on, and you'd already fallen asleep again when me and Wildwing managed to make it to your room. He would've come for you but he's trying to help Mallory cook breakfast and not burn everything in the process." Duke exclaimed. "You had us worried kid. We thought something bad had happened to you!" he said. Nosedive blushed.
"No. Just bad dreams." He admitted. "They happen every so often." He said softly. Duke gave him a sideways glance.
"What about? The camps?" he asked. Nosedive shook his head.
"The mines." He said softly. Duke shuddered involuntarily and Nosedive looked at him. "Hey Duke?" the elder duck looked at him. "Do you remember a guy named Donovan from the Brotherhood?" he asked.
"Yeah sure! Donny was one of the best. Had a heart of gold. Why? Did you see him?" Duke asked. Nosedive nodded.
"In the camp I was in before I was placed back with Wildwing, Donovan was there. He took care of me, tried to get all the big guys off me." he shuddered, a tear slipping down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly and looked at the floor, realizing that he'd stopped walking. Duke was in front of him.
"He died, didn't he?" Duke asked, putting a hand on the teen's shoulder. Nosedive nodded.
"Yeah. Because of me." he said brokenly. Duke squeezed his shoulder. "The cave collapsed 'cus one of the big guys tried to escape. Donovan pushed me out of the way. I tried to help him, but I…"
"It's okay kid. Knowing you, you did what you could." Duke said. He smiled. "Sounds like Donny." He said softly with a whisper of a smile. "He was a nice guy, and good thief. Like I said, heart of gold. One of the most loyal guys I had." He said. Nosedive looked at him and Duke smiled. "If he saved you kid, then you had to do something good. He's not one to easily give his loyalty out. I had to prove myself. I don't know how or when I did, but I found myself at the wrong end of another mob leaders gun one day and Donovan came up behind the guy and took care of him." He slapped Nosedive's back, starting them back to the kitchen. "He saw something in you kid. And over this past year, so have I." He said with a smile. "Canard was wrong about you Dive. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you." He admitted. He put a finger to his lips as they neared the kitchen. "Just don't let the others know I said that. I'm not supposed to be soft ya' know." Nosedive grinned at him and looked away laughing.
"Soft? Dude you're a total Marsh mellow now!" he exclaimed.
"Why you!" Duke grabbed him in a head lock and nuggied him."
"AAAAAAGHHH! NO FAIR! INJUSTICE!!" Nosedive yelled.
"Injustice? You've been watching too many animes kid." Duke laughed, holding him in a headlock now. "Watcha' gonna do now huh? You're stuck!" They were in the doorway of the kitchen, the others watching, all grinning as Wildwing snickered.
"WILDWING HELP!!" Nosedive exclaimed. Duke released him and he stood, grinning. "See?" he laughed. "I'll sic Wing on you." He grinned as Wildwing walked over to the two. Wildwing was grinning.
"You sure about that baby bro? I might just help him." He grinned. Nosedive backed away, hands in front of his chest as if they could offer protection.
"Hey, no fair!" he exclaimed. They grabbed him.
"HEY, DOG PILE ON THE KID!!" Duke shouted. Nosedive found himself at the mercy of the team as they all grabbed him and tickled him into submission. During the playful banter he forgot all about his nightmare, which unknown to him was their objective in the first place.
*-*
Canard groaned as he came too, seeing the two creatures that had rescued him standing over him, a third creature like themselves standing over near a cell where a female duck sat in a huff.
"I didn't mean it. Besides, Dragaunus gave better pay." The duck said.
"Oh stuff it Lucretia." The one called Orian spat. "You were stupid enough to help those blasted Saurians, don't go whining about it. You're stuck here till the end of your time. Deal with it."
"I won't be silent." Lucretia spat back, not noticing Canard. He was laying on a bed, a cool compress on his forehead. "Let me out of here you freaks."
"Freak?" asked the new creature. A female with red scales, same outfit as the males, and gold eyes. "Give me a break. We're not the ones with a tacky hairdo." She said. "We're also not ducks." She stated.
"Evil ducks. At least we're still loyal to Drake DuCaine." Calivan said coolly. He shook his head. "Guys, just cover her cell. She won't mind eating in the dark." He said with a wave of his scaled right hand.
"How would you know?" Lucretia spat angrily.
"I just do." He said calmly. The female pressed something on a desk near Lucretia's cell and the cell disappeared as Lucretia spat a curse. "Thank you Jasmine." Calivan said as he turned to look at Canard.
"Sure." She answered. Calivan smiled at Canard.
"Good morning!" he said cheerfully.
"Who, what are you?" Canard asked softly.
"Names Calivan. That's Orian and that's Jasmine, we're the guardians of this place. This place is what you planet dwellers call Dimensional Limbo." Calivan said cheerfully. "How do you feel?" he asked.
"Like I was wrung out like laundry." Canard said, sitting up. "How long have I been here?" he asked.
"You've been right here for two days." Jasmine said, handing a cup with a warm liquid. "But from the extent of your Dimensional sickness, you've been in Dimensional Limbo for a year. You are a strong one to survive this long alone and with injuries as well." She told him. He took a sip of the drink and made a face.
"It's medicine." Said Orian. "Go ahead and finish it. It'll help." He told him. Canard looked at him and took a long swallow, then looked at them.
"How long have all of you been here?" he asked, motioning with the cup.
"Since the beginning of time." Calivan said. "The Great King ordered us to watch over this realm. It's been fun actually. Drake DuCaine was the first to name us though. Nice guy." He said with a smile. "He worked with us on trapping the Saurians here."
"Yes, if it wasn't for him we'd be slaves to those nasty creatures instead of trying to keep them here." Jasmine said. She cocked her head to one side. "If I'm not mistaken, you were with that ship chasing the Saurian leader." She said.
"Yeah." Said Orian. He looked at Canard. "The one carrying the sons of DuCaine." He said softly.
"What?" Canard asked. They ignored his question.
"How did you get here?" Orian asked. "The only one that fell from the ship was taken by an energy worm. We managed to tame it a few weeks back." He stated.
"It didn't like my taste." Canard told him.
"Ahh. That would explain the marks you have." Calivan said. He looked at Jasmine. "Hey, did you remember to feed the worm?" he asked. She nodded.
"What do you feed it?" Canard asked.
"Energy, what else?" asked Orian. "It especially likes metal, so we take what we can from the old ships laying around and give that to it." He stated coolly. He suddenly slapped his hands together. "Well buddy. We'd better get you back to Puckworld."
"Is my team there?" Canard asked.
"Your team?" Calivan asked.
"Yes, the ones on the ship. Did they make it back?"
"No. They are still on Earth, fighting the leader of the Saurians, Dragaunus." Jasmine said.
"Then send me to Earth." Canard said, hopping out of the bed and setting aside the now empty cup. "I want to be with my team. I can't leave them there. If I have a way to get there, I 'm going to do it." He said with determination. Orian nodded.
"Yes. That sounds good." He said. His eyes flashed as Calivan opened a portal to Anaheim. "Canard, protect the sons of DuCaine, the youngest especially. It is only a short amount of time before Dragaunus learns who they really are." He said softly. Calivan tapped Canard's communicator.
"We are here to help you my friend. Contact us when the battle is won. We shall take the Saurians back to their prison and send you back to your home, if that is what you all wish." He said.
"If?" Canard asked. He didn't get an answer for they sent him through the portal and he landed in an alley way with a flash. He looked around disoriented. "What? Where?" he asked. The city was huge. "Puckworld? No, it's too warm." He muttered. He looked around and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "I am completely lost." He muttered.
*-*
Nosedive looked up from his game of chess with Wildwing as Drake One went off.
"It's just not a good day unless that stupid thing goes off is it?" Duke muttered from his place on the couch where he was reading a book about the history of weapons on Earth.
"Course not." Nosedive replied cheerfully as the group of three ran to the Ready room where Tanya was already typing away at the Control board.
"We've got portal energy." She told them.
"Portal energy? Could it be Canard?" whispered Mallory. Nosedive opened his communicator as Tanya searched where the energy signature was coming from. He faltered and looked at his brother who nodded and opened a communication channel. A familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Wildwing?" Canard asked. The team burst into smiles. All but Nosedive. He looked at Canard then his brother.
"Chameleon?" he asked softly. Wildwing checked with the mask, causing Canard to smile. Yes, he was right to pick Wildwing for the team. He made a great team captain. Wildwing voice was soft when he spoke.
"It is you Canard." He whispered. He stood straight. "We're coming for you buddy. You can tell us how you got here when we get where you are. Tanya…" he started.
"Found him. In the alley between the bakery and the flower shop." She said.
"Oh they put me in a nice place." Canard grinned, looking away from the screen for a moment. Nosedive looked at his brother confused, who merely smiled. Of course Nosedive wouldn't understand. He hadn't been to the future with them.
"We're on our way Canard buddy."
*-*
Nosedive was quiet as he sat in the co-pilot seat of the Migrator, Mallory driving as Wildwing and Canard caught each other up on what had been going on the past year. He was ignoring everyone as they joked and looked straight ahead, an odd feeling in his stomach. He was glad Canard was back, but what was going to happen now? The future seemed bleak to him. Would he be benched, or would they still let him play hockey and fight Dragaunus? He turned when Wildwing called his name.
"You okay Dive?" his brother asked. "You've been really quiet." He said worriedly. Nosedive smirked.
"I'm too busy thinking." He muttered.
"About what?"
"How I'm going to kick your butt at that chess game once we get back."
"Yeah right."
"When'd you learn to play chess?" Canard asked, surprise on his face. Nosedive turned away, suddenly shy. Wildwing noticed and looked at his friend.
"Nosedive learned when we were younger. It's not a favorite, but he likes it every now and then. Especially when he can beat me. I don't hear the end of it for a week when he does that." He grinned.
"Did you teach him?"
"No. Somebody did. I don't know. He catches on quick with anything really." Wildwing said softly. Canard raised an eyebrow.
"So." He said, changing the subject. "How's the battle with Dragaunus?" he asked. Duke snorted.
"Getting old." He muttered. "He's like a roach. You kill him and he comes back." He stated.
"We've really needed you Canard." Wildwing said softly. He began to take off the mask but Canard stopped him.
"What are you doing? For what I see before me, this team has a great leader." Nosedive turned to look at Canard curiously. "To hold up your own against Dragaunus for what, a year? That in itself is a feat Wing. No one, probably not even Drake DuCaine himself, would have lasted this long on an alien planet and still be intact. And this place looks pretty clean for being infested by Saurians." He stated. In her seat Mallory smiled and gave a quick look at Nosedive who gave a small smile back.
"Gotta agree with him bro." Nosedive said with a grin.
"That's a first." Canard stated. Nosedive merely gave him a cheeky grin and turned back around. Canard thumbed at him, looking at Wildwing. "How's he been holding up?" he asked so softly that Duke nearly missed it. The others except Wing had.
"Good. He's saved us plenty of times." Wing whispered back. "I'm glad you didn't fight me to make him stay back home. He's a great addition to the team. Pranks and all." He said. Then he frowned. "But lately I've been worried about him." With that he quietly told Canard about their travel to the future. Canard gave him a surprised, then hurt look when Wing told him what his 'future self' had done. He was quiet while Wing spoke, the sound of the Migrator almost drowning Wing out, causing Duke to strain to hear the two who sat close together in order to hear each other. Nosedive was oblivious to the two, carrying on another conversation with Grin about 'Bernie the Bear'. Those two never gave up. "He's been having nightmares recently about he mines again thanks to Dragaunus." Wildwing said, barely containing his anger. "I hate seeing him upset about that." He muttered. He sighed. "Nosedive's awesome, he's so stubborn it's not even funny. And if he wasn't stubborn, we'd be sunk." He admitted. The Migrator pulled up to the Pond and Wildwing looked at Canard. "Oh one more thing. I have to warn you about Phil." He said. Duke started snickering and Tanya looked at him.
"What?" she asked. He shook his head.
"Phil's gonna' flip when he meets Canard." He said softly. Tanya shook her head with a groan.
"Publicity stunts. Here they come." She moaned. She and Duke slapped their foreheads with the back of their hands in mock terror, leaning back in their chairs and giving mock gasps. Wildwing laughed at them.
"What's the problem guys?" he asked.
"We will not survive." Duke sarcastically.
"Who's been watching too many animes?" asked Nosedive. Duke pointed at him.
"Don't forget kid. You're brother's on my side now."
"Says who?" asked Wildwing.
"Oh, never mind, he switched again. I'll have to find some way to pay him off again." Duke said casually as Mallory parked the Migrator, and Grin opened the door.
"It can not be done." Nosedive said with flourish.
"Oh really?" Duke asked as he and Nosedive exited together. Wildwing shook his head as he and Canard exited was well. "Hey Wing, you mind looking the other way a minute while I pretend to harm your brother?" he asked.
"I suppose." Wing grinned.
"Oh no. You gotta' catch me first." Nosedive called. He took off like a shot, Duke not far behind.
"They always like this?" Canard asked. Beside him, Mallory nodded.
"This is a good day. Expect this stuff." She warned. Wildwing smiled.
"Welcome back Canard." He said softly. Canard smiled at him and the two shook hands.
"Thanks buddy."
*-*
Nosedive grunted as he fell to the ice painfully. The Wombats of Massachusetts were rough. He could hear the people in the stands yelling at the unfair action, but the refs did nothing. On the bench, Canard and Phil both yelled at the unfairness of the move.
"Are all refs like this on earth?" Canard asked Phil. The large man shook his head angrily as Grin checked a player and then helped Nosedive up.
"No. Just a few. JERK!!" he yelled at the ref. Canard frowned, then nodded at Wing. His friend nodded back and said something to Nosedive who looked furious. He skated around his brother saying something. Wildwing said something back and Nosedive gave a snicker, a nod, and then he skated away, favoring his side and going after the one with the puck, shooting across the ice like lightning.
"Whoa!" Canard said, surprised. "When'd he get so fast?" he asked softly. Phil shrugged, having heard him.
"Who knows, but he's one of the best boobie!" he grinned proudly. Canard looked at the human, shook his head, then looked back at the game. Duke and Mallory checked two guys together, grinned cheekily at each other, and skated on as Nosedive stole the puck and sent it into the goal. The puck shot through the net, catching it on fire. Canard's jaw dropped as the crowd roared happily. Phil sighed.
"I really wish he wouldn't burn those nets." He said. He shrugged. "Ah well, we can afford it." He said. He then cheered the team as they skated to the center of the ice and put their sticks together.
"DUCKS ROCK!!" was heard above the cheers, which made the fans cheer even louder. The team headed to the locker room as halftime was called and Canard smiled at them proudly. Back in the locker room though, Nosedive fell to his knees, holding his midsection in pain.
"Little friend!" Grin said worriedly, kneeling beside him.
"Dive! What's wrong?" Wildwing asked. The group crowded him.
"Back away, give him some air!" Canard ordered, walking over to the youngest member of the team. "What happened?" he asked. Phil looked at them worriedly.
"Is he hurt?" he asked. Nosedive was able to nod and then Phil was gone.
"Where are you hurt baby bro?" Wing asked.
"My… chest." Nosedive breathed. Tanya walked over.
"Get his uniform off, I want to take a look." She ordered. Canard and Wildwing helped the teen get the top of his uniform off and they frowned as they saw the forming bruise. Tanya pulled out her Omnitool and frowned at the readings it gave her. "Two cracked, one broken." She said. "If we get him to the infirmary I can set it and he'll be fine."
"I'll help you get him down there." Phil said. He'd reappeared so suddenly Canard almost jumped out of his skin. The others were unfazed. "You guys have got a game to play." He said with a grim face. Wildwing nodded and looked at Canard.
"You'll have to take his place." He said, still holding his brother. He looked at Tanya as she and Phil took his brother. "Get back up here as soon as you can. We're going to need you." he said.
"Nah." Said Duke, slapping his gloved fists together. "I doubt it." He said.
"They have disturbed my inner peace and harmed my friend. They will regret this." Grin said, anger in his voice. Canards eyes widened. Oh boy. Those guys were in for it now.
"We do it by the book." Said Wildwing. "Remember that. But for the record… Give them permanent marks on the ice." He growled. Canard and the others nodded.
"It's gonna' be okay Nosedive." Mallory told the teen softly. He nodded at her. As they left the locker room Canard looked at Wildwing.
"He held up real good for someone with busted ribs." He said. Wildwing nodded.
"You should have seen him the time he broke his wrist." He said shortly. Canard nodded. He looked back to see Tanya and Phil carrying Nosedive away. The teen looked at him quietly, then gave him the thumbs up. He smiled and nodded.
"Got it kid." He said softly. Nosedive smirked, then closed his eyes. Canard walked out. On the ice, the ducks no longer showed mercy. They won the game 12 to 4.
*-*
It was later that night when Canard finally made his way to the infirmary. Wildwing had left to get something to eat so Nosedive was alone.
"You did good tonight kid." Canard called, catching Nosedive by surprise. The teen looked at him.
"Canard." He said softly in surprise. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came to apologize." Canard said softly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. In the doorway, Wildwing stopped, then backed out, hiding beside it so as not to be seen in Duke fashion.
"For what?" Nosedive asked.
"For trying to leave you behind." Canard said honestly. "From what I've heard, you've saved this team so many times it makes me ashamed to think I was dumb enough to try and leave you behind. Oh, and I thank you."
"For what?"
"For learning to pilot the Aerowing and getting our fats out of the fire. If you hadn't, we would all be dead." Canard sat down in the bed beside Nosedives quietly, the teen looking at him uncomfortably. Then he looked away.
"Did Duke or Wildwing put you up to this?" he asked. Canard shook his head.
"They don't know about it, and they won't unless you tell them." Then he cocked his head to one side. "Or unless Duke happens to eavesdrop." He added.
"Or Wildwing. He's been known to do that recently." Nosedive said. From his hiding place, Wildwing smirked. So Nosedive knew. Ah well…
"So everybody's personalities have been mingling." Said Canard. Nosedive shrugged.
"I guess." He said softly. "Don't tell Mallory that though. She'll flip her lid." He stated. Then he yawned. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Canard stood.
"I'll let you sleep kid." He said. Nosedive watched him go, then sighed.
"Canard." He called. The older duck turned. "Welcome back. When I get healed, maybe we can go one on one?" he asked. Canard smirked.
"Sure. Just no more stories about DuCaine okay?" He asked. Nosedive grinned.
"Naw. I can tell you about King Arthur this time." He said. Canard groaned.
"If he's got something mystical don't tell me. I might just go searching for it." He joked. Nosedive laughed and lay his head back.
"Nah. 'Sides, you might just like the tales. They're pretty cool." He stated. Canard nodded.
"When you're better. I want to hear all about it." He said. With that he walked out of the room, not even seeing Wildwing. The team leader smirked and walked into the infirmary to grin at his brother as he held up a chessboard, causing Nosedive to cheer. Something to do! At least now Nosedive and Canard would get along. Hopefully.
END