"Chrystal, why are we going over here?" asked my impatient friend, Becky. I sighed and looked back at her while still climbing.

"I want to know why this place is forbidden," I reminded her. "If the idea of getting caught spooks you that much, feel free to turn back now. I have no intention of leaving until I have my answers."

"But what about being back in time for your show?" she pressed. "The Mighty Ducks series?"

"They're just re-runs, Becky," I told her. "Why waste the time?"

"How can they be re-runs when they haven't even finished the storyline?" she asked, confused. I shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied. Then, a howl came from the forest around us, as well as the sounds of something running through the brush. Becky jumped and latched onto my arm. I looked calmly at her and watched my surroundings. Sounds like this were not unusual in this part of the forest. There was a reason this place was forbidden... and I was bound and determined to learn just what it was.

"C-chris, we really should go back," Becky whimpered. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Then go back, Rebekah," I snapped, turning on her. "Nothing's keeping you here. Go! Run away like the scared child that you are!"

Hurt flashed in her eyes, but she did as I told her. She ran back in the direction of our town. I turned and continued walking up the almost hidden pathway. Unlike what I'd told Rebekah, I knew well why this mountain was forbidden. It was said that at the top of the mountain was a powerful sorceress. The ancient writings told of her power to grant one's heart's desire. It was also written that it came with a price, a heavy, almost unbearable price. The last documented granted desire was that a man could be free from all that chained him. The price was that he lost everyone he knew as family.

I shook my head and kept climbing. All I intended by this trip was to prove that this woman didn't exist or find out exactly what my deepest desire was, not have it granted, just learn what it was. I figured that this being would know and would give you the option of having it granted or not. After all, it was female. Finally, I reached the last few stairs. I heard the sounds of a flute playing softly, not too far away, the tune familiar and eerily compelling to my ears. Just as I reached the top, it stopped playing.

"Who has come at last to visit me?" came a female voice. It sounded like a pack of wolves in full cry. I looked around, but saw nothing.

"I did," I answered strongly.

"Why have you come?"

"To seek out the sorceress of history, to learn my true desire for I know it not."

"Only to learn what it is, not have it granted?"

"One can never know whether having that particular wish granted is worth it until they know what it is. One can never predict the consequences of one's actions until they know what path they must take. Some wishes were never meant to be granted. They do more harm than good."

Then, a woman stepped from the shadows, walking down the path towards me. She had raven-black hair that fell down her curvacious frame in waves. Emerald green eyes looked back into mine from their setting in pale, unblemished skin. My own green eyes seemed so plain in comparison to hers.

"You are very wise," she said, coming to a stop in front of me. Her mothering gaze was kind and welcoming. "So, my daughter, you have come for knowlege, not power. And so, I shall give it to you."

I looked at her. That was too easy.

"What's the catch?" I asked. "No one gets something for nothing."

She smiled and her eyes lit up.

"But the price is the granting of that desire, of course!" she said. "The price of your desire is your removal from this world, though I know this will not disturb you in the slightest."

I frowned in confusion.

"I know all about you, Chrystal Sarie," she continued. "I know well that you have no family and the only friend you have can't truly be trusted to be a friend. Rebekah is not as faithful as you would have hoped, no?"

I shook my head.

"She's a disappointment," I answered. "Time and time again."

The woman smiled softly.

"But that will end now," she said. "Your desire, my child, is freedom from this world, a release to a world you know, but to which you have never been."

I looked at her, confused.

"Then how does that work?" I asked. Her smile widened.

"Why, you think of a world you know a great deal about, I give you the form best suited for that plane of existance, and then I send you there, right into the main pieces of that world that so drew you in."

I looked at her, then went and sat down on the edge of a nearby fountain. I gazed into the water and thought, long and hard. What was a world I knew a great deal about but had never been to?

"I believe you enjoy a certain cartoon, the... Mighty Ducks?" she ventured. I looked at her. Was that possible?

"Yes," I answered.

"I can, by all means, send you there," she told me, taking a seat next to me. She sat down far too gracefully for a human being. "I can send you there just after Lucretia DeCoy departed from them."

I looked at her, then down at the water again. Just how was I supposed to get in where I could be trusted when I was a complete foreigner that knew too much, just like DeCoy? Add in the fact that I wouldn't have a pity vote on my side... I was plain screwed.

I heard a chuckle and turned back to her, only to feel a jolt go through my entire body when her hand touched mine. I shook my head to clear it and blinked a few times. Her knowing smile caught my attention and she gestured back to the water. After glancing at her uncertainly, I turned my gaze to the water.

"What the hell!" I gasped, jerking to my feet. Staring back at me was a female duck. I looked like Lucretia DeCoy in body-shape, except for a few extra muscles. I had my fire-red hair, but my eyes had changed color to a very bright cerulean blue. I looked at her and then back at my reflection. Even my clothes had been changed to match DeCoy's style of dress. I looked back at the sorceress.

"Happy?" she asked. I just looked at her in wonder. She smiled. "Now, I think I'll send you to that world. What would be wiser, being sent to them directly or running into them at a later time?"

"Running into them at a later time," I replied. "It'd be too suspicious if I just showed up right after DeCoy with similar suspicious circumstances."

She nodded, then tapped my skull. Dizziness set in and I was forced to shake my head to clear it. When I looked around, I was no longer on the mountain. I... was in Anaheim.

Slowly, I walked forward, then noticed that she'd given me a cloak of sorts. It covered my entire body! Sending her a silent thank-you, I continued on my way, journeying through the night. I walked all the way to the pond, following my ears. Again, I thanked the sorceress silently for sending me here, not far from the pond. A game was in progress. Perfect. Now to find the perfect way to be found.

"And the Mighty Ducks win again!" the announcer roared with the fans. I grinned at the others, then we left for the locker room. After we changed back into our normal clothes, I walked up to the open doors. The people were still piling out, stopping for autographs and such. This was something we all found both enjoyable and annoying. That's when we heard it. A very unfamiliar sound at the post-game time.

"No," came a female voice, a desperate tone to it. "Please don't. Just let go."

Across the way, three men were circled around what you assumed to be a female, though she was covered from head to toe in a cloak, which they were obviously trying to remove.

"Come on, honey," one of them said with a very suggestive tone. "We just wanna see-"

"I believe she told you to let go," said Duke, going to her defense. Bright blue eyes shown through the darkness provided by the hood, looking right at him with uncertainty, even worry. I walked over and slipped into the ring of men next to her. She jumped when I placed my hand on her shoulder, then stilled when one of the guys made a grab for her cloak. With a cry of triumph, he whipped it off of her, making everyone in the room gasp, myself included.

Her eyes jumped shakily from one person to the next, trying desperately to find a way to escape the attention she was receiving. Standing in front of me was a female duck, one with similar looks to Lucretia DeCoy, though definately not her. She had hair far redder than mine and curves with well defined muscles adorning her frame. She was tense and extremely uncomfortable with everyone's gazes, so I took the initiative. I pulled her away from the crowds, into a separate room.

"Wait here," I told her, then walked back out to Wildwing and the others.

"Mallory..." Dive said, struggling to accept what he'd just seen. "She's... she's..."

"A duck," I stated coldly. "Probably another Lucretia DeCoy."

I watched both Nosedive and Duke wince.

"She had no inner peace," Grin stated. "It cannot be DeCoy."

"And if she was another like her, why was she trying to hide, not be seen?" agreed Tanya.

"We can assume nothing until we've spoken with her, though I would suggest refraining from any sort of trust until later," Wildwing ruled.

I looked at the walls around me, standing very tensely. This was it. Please don't let me blow it.

*Chrystal, listen to me.*

I jumped.

"Sorceress?" I asked quietly.

*Yes. Listen carefully. When they ask, your name is Chrystal Razorwing. You've never been to Puckworld, thinking it only a legend. Your family line left Puckworld several centuries ago. You've been raised in a dimention much like this one. You left, tiring of the old ways and hoping for a new life somewhere else. You hadn't counted on finding other ducks anywhere else and had been praying like hell that you wouldn't end up on Puckworld.*

I rolled that over in my mind.

"Will that work as a cover story?"

*It's a fact of Puckworld that a large group of them left, tiring of Puckworld's laws, seeking lives of thier own. It will suffice. I'm here if they ask any questions that you can't answer.*

I let loose a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you," I said then heard the door open. I looked up to see all of them enter the room. True to the facts I knew, Canard was not among them.

"What is your name?" asked Wildwing. I looked at him.

"Chrystal Razorwing," I answered. "You?"

"Wildwing," he said, refusing to give me his last name. I frowned, then let it slide. "Why are you here?"

"To see if the rumors were true," I replied. "I'd hoped they weren't, but..."

I shrugged.

"Tough luck on that one," I finished.

"What rumors?" demanded Mallory, hostile as always. I looked at her, annoyed.

"The ones that said this particular team was made of humanoid ducks," I snapped. "Forgive me for hoping to never have to see another duck since I left home!"

Her hostility disappeared as confusion set in.

"Puckworld?" asked Tanya. I shook my head.

"Puckworld's just a legend," I said off-handedly, then glanced at them again. My off-handedness vanished, being replaced by uncertainty. "At least, I'd grown up thinking it was..."

I nervously nibbled on my thumbnail. Looking at the floor.

"What do you mean, legend?" asked Grin, being the first able to speak.

"My family's origions were supposedly from a place called Puckworld," I explained. "But we came to our home so many centuries ago that the truth of our history was lost into legend and fairytales. No one even believes that Puckworld still exists... Apparently you can say otherwise."

For the first time I'd ever seen, Mallory looked unsure of herself.

"History does mention a large group of ducks leaving Puckworld for another dimention, finding our government far too..."

"Domineering?" I supplied. She nodded, then looked at me. I shrugged. "Perhaps that was us. I don't know. I didn't exactly pay attention in history class."

Then I let my eyes harden.

"But now I have to leave," I said, catching them all off guard.

"What? Why?" they chorused.

"You weren't supposed to be here!" I snapped. "So much for finding a dimention without ducks! Now I have to attempt to get that blasted gate to work again and go to another world! Dammit!"

I tangled my hands in my hair in frustration.

"All that work for nothing!" I fumed.

"You have a dimentional gateway?" asked Wildwing. I looked at him, my eyes cold.

"Not one that functions very well and it's extremely unstable and you can't control where you end up," I replied. "It's not one you can dial home from. That particular gate doesn't typically take you where you want to go. It sends you where you need to be."

"So if you're still needed where you are..." Tanya prompted.

"You'd walk through only to come out the other side exactly where you tried to leave," I replied.

"And you were sent here?" clarified Wildwing. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Unfortunately," I replied ruefully.

"How do we know what you say is true?" demanded Mallory, getting her usual edge back. I whipped back around to face her with a snarl.

"Believe it or not, that's up to you, now isn't it?" I snapped. "I know it's the truth and that's good enough for me."

With that I went to the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Dive, trying to distract me so that Grin could grab me from behind. I saw it all too clearly.

"Out," I replied, then slammed the door behind me and left the pond.

*You're a very convincing liar.*

~Thanks. Now let us hope that the Saurians will play their part in convincing them of my innocence.~

"Good riddance," Mallory snapped. She was positively fuming that someone had gotten the best of her. Chrystal obviously knew a great deal about verbal fighting.

"Um, guys..." Tanya began hesitantly. "What about the Saurians?"

Everyone but Mallory looked at her.

"What about them?" snapped Mallory.

"Just a thought," she continued hesitantly. "If she isn't with them, wouldn't that put her in danger from them? For all we know, she could have been telling the truth and that would mean-"

"-that she'd be mistaken for one of us!" I said, catching on, my eyes widening.

"Bro, we gotta make sure she stays safe!" Dive pleaded. I shook my head, stepping back. Innocent or not innocent? Help or don't help?

"Let's go," I ruled. "The longer we wait for answers, the more likely that it becomes for her life to be in jepardy."

I stalked down the street towards the mall. I was catching looks from every direction. Number one, I was a duck. Number two, I was a very attractive female. I managed to avoid most of the people by keeping up my royally pissed look.

"Chrystal!" came Duke's voice behind me. "Chrystal wait!"

I stopped in step, but didn't turn around. He caught up to me and the others came out of the woodwork. They'd obviously split up to look for me. That thought cooled my temper a little.

"We didn't mean to give off a bad impression," Wildwing said. I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"It's not all you," I admitted. "Sorry I snapped. I just..."

"Really didn't want to see us, well, ducks," Duke said understandingly. I nodded and winced as another one of the guys nearby whistled at me.

"Dude!" Dive said loudly. "Get one of your own species!"

That got a small smile out of me.

"Look, have you ever heard of Saurians?" Dive asked me. I nodded.

"Of course we have," I answered. "We live with a few."

That, again, threw them off guard.

"The reason we left our homeworld was because it was always at war with them," I explained. "We weren't the only ones that were sick of the fighting. Our ship broke down in space and the Saurians found us there. Learning that we had the same purpose in mind, we joined them on their ship and used the dimentional gateway they had to go to our new home. I grew up around Saurians. You really can learn a lot from them."

"Well, the ones we have around here aren't friendly," Tanya stated.

"They attacked Puckworld with the soul purpose of enslaving us and taking over the universe," Wildwing explained. "We followed Draganus, the one behind it all, here. He's now hell bent on taking over this world and the rest of this universe."

I nodded, understanding.

"And since you're a duck-" Tanya began.

"He'll assume I'm one of you," I replied, then sighed again. "So now what?"

"If the gate sent you here, unless your purpose has been met, it'll just bring you back here," Tanya continued. I nodded, agreeing.

"It would be best if you stayed with us," Wildwing said. "For your own safety."

I looked him in the eye.

"No."

All eyes flew to me in disbelief.

"I appreciate your concern, but I won't go with you," I stated, then began to walk away. That plan didn't last long as Grin picked me up and put me over his shoulder. I screeched and began struggling.

"Put me down!" I demanded, knowing well that I was making a scene. "For the love of Drake DuCaine, put me down!"

"You're staying with us whether you like it or not," Wildwing. "My number one priority is the safety of my own and, like it or not, you are one of our kind, therefore you are one of our own."

I glared at him and took a swing at him, connecting with his beak, causing him to hit the ground and Grin to loosen his grip enough for me to break loose and bolt. I didn't get far as Duke tackled me to the ground and Tanya shot something from a needle into my arm. My vision began to get fuzzy, my hearing, distant. The world swam, and I blacked out.