Disclaimer: Still don't own the Mighty Ducks Animated Series, and I don't think I ever will.
Anyways, as for the single review I got so far from TheMightyDuck: Thanks for the encouragement, it's really reassuring and much appreciated. For a while after reading that review I was tempted to take out "duckling" and replace it with "kid", mainly because, you're right. We conjure up thoughts of harmless, fluffy, yellow, down-feathered birds with the term "duckling". After much rewriting and second guessing, I decided to stick with "duckling" simply because I imagine that to the Ducks "duckling" could be the equivalent of "kid". I guess I just felt like it adds more flavor and colloquialism to the story. For now, just think of this "duckling" as hovering around the age of 13-15.
Again, thanks for the review (it made my day ^_^).
NOW, on with the story!:
Chapter 2
Duke made his way towards his fellow teammates, riding up to the large battle van on an extra cycle. The avian group was assembled in a semi-circle next to the Migrator. All attention focused on Wildwing as he interrogated someone who stood between Nosedive and Mallory, blocked from the grey bird's line of sight.
"Wha'd I'd miss?" Duke asked as he killed the engine.
Grin was the only one to turn and acknowledge his approach. "Dragaunus' Dimensional Gateway is functional once more. He has sent another duck to try and take us out."
"Or at least distract us," Tanya laughed sarcastically. "I'm not sure how efficient ducklings are at, you know, trying to take anyone out."
"Duckling?" Duke's curiosity piqued.
Tanya pointed out the small figure standing between Nosedive and Mallory as Duke came to stand next to her. The duckling in question barely stood chest high to Nosedive and was tightly wrapped with the thick cords of a bola-puck, scrunching up the fabric of a raggedy dark green sweater. A pouch peeked out from below the sweater, resting snuggly on small hips. Messy chocolate brown hair fell down to mid back and brown matted feathers spoke of little maintenance. The kid looked like a complete mess. Even her boots looked like she'd been wearing them for ages.
"What a waste of time," Mallory crossed her arms exasperated. "Common kid! Tell us something!"
"I don't know anything," the girl's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Let's start with a name!"
The girl fell silent.
"You have to tell us something," Wildwing cut in, his voice softer than usual.
"Common, ducky," Nosedive tired his hand when the girl refused to speak. "We just want to know anything you might know. World domination plans, any mention of belerium crystals, what's next on Dragaunus' shopping list? You know, basics."
Silence.
"Hi, my name's Babes. My family was captured by Dragaunus and unless I do his bidding he'll terminate them!" Mallory began once again in a mocking manner. "See, easy!"
The girl winched, her features twisting as honey brown eyes narrowed dangerously on the redhead. "My family has been dead for years. I'm an orphan from Lyn Province," she responded with a heavy sigh.
"Way to go, Mallory," Nosedive slapped the side of his teammate's arm.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Mallory quieted down, her voice strained with guilt. She had never meant to upset anyone.
Wildwing knelt down beside the girl, removing the Mask in an attempt to be more approachable and less intimidating, his eyes meeting hers. "Whatever's happened, you're safe with us. You don't have to worry about Dragaunus." He placed a massive hand on her tiny shoulder, trying to reassure her. "Can you tell us your name?"
She fidgeted, her features clouding over with anxiety and fear. "Audrey," she barely whispered finally meeting his eyes. "Can you really keep me safe from Dragaunus? He's so terrifying and wicked!" her voice rose a few trembling octaves as tears welled in her frightened eyes.
Wildwing nodded. He understood where she was coming from. Dragaunus was a massive and very intimidating creature to behold. Nothing in all of Puckworld could have prepared you for such a monster, not even the Old Tales. Truth be told, he still occasionally had nightmares about his first encounter with the Saurian Overlord. "You're safe with us," he reassured sympathetically.
A quick glance around the group was received by a sea of agreeing nods.
"Layin' it kinnda heavy there, ain't ya, love?" Duke's amused voice cut through the tender moment.
Audrey's head suddenly whipped around to find the source of the voice, all traces of frail fear disappeared from her features. "It can't be…" her calculating eyes landed on the grey duck. "Duke..?"
"You know her?" Wildwing was surprised for a moment before registering the girl's sudden change in attitude. Her eyes were void of the tears that had welled up only moments ago and her stance was guarded. She was highly alert, her imbuing sense of innocence and fragility gone. "Wait. Where- where you playing us for saps?" his voice was a mixture of surprised hurt and disbelief.
Duke laughed at the team leader's question as he advanced towards the pair. "You've no idea, Wildwing," he mused. He gestured for the girl to turn and she did so without question. Retrieving his saber, he effortlessly cut the cords that bound her.
Audrey muttered a quiet 'thanks' before bashfully turning her gaze up to white drake, smiling uneasily.
"Little punk lied to us!" Mallory spat, disgusted by the thought. "An 'orphan from Lyn' my tail feathers!"
"Actually, that part is true," Duke clarified.
"Two-for-O, Mal! You're on a role tonight!" Nosedive bumped her shoulder as a hiss escaped her.
"Hold on," Wildwing was standing at full height with the DuCaine Mask in place again. "You two know each other?" his finger danced from one duck to the next.
Duke and Audrey exchanged a knowing look and nodded.
"You," the leader's attention was squarely on the girl. "You were going to sucker us into a false sense of security. Why?"
Audrey dug her hand into the pouch at her side, fishing out a small round chip and tossed it at him. "Dragaunus wanted me to plant this on one of you."
Wildwing scanned the chip over with the Mask. It was emitting a low signal, probably a tracking beacon of some sorts. Frowning, he crushed it in gloved hand. Why would Dragaunus want to track any of them? It wasn't like the Saurian didn't know where to find them. After all, he'd already attached their home and base of operations once before. Not to mention that it wasn't too hard to find their schedules for games, appearances, and such for at least the next month in advanced. They weren't exactly hiding themselves. "And then?"
"Head back using this," she pulled out another device from the pocket at her side.
Tanya took the device from the girl and studied it. "It looks like one of their teleporters," she muttered more to herself as she turned it over a few times, trying to make sense of the alien technology in her hands. They had one back at the Pond, unfortunately, it had been fried when the little energy monster used it to travel back to the Raptor. Its short circuited shell useless to her.
"Bro! We can totally get the drop on those sleaze-asaurs with this thing!" Nosedive piped up as he came to stand at his brother's side. "They wouldn't even see it coming!"
"Wait a minute, time out!" Mallory brought her hands up to form a 'T'. "We just met this pint-sized feather who half lied to us and you think it's a good idea to use stuff she's just handing over willy-nilly to barge into the Raptor, guns-a-blazing, like they're not expecting us?"
"Dude," Nosedive laughed nervously, "aren't you normally the one willing and ready to do just that?"
"Not when the enemy is expecting me so blatantly! Besides, we don't ever know her! She could be setting us up!" Mallory retorted.
"I can vouch for 'er," Duke interrupted.
"Your last friend locked Nosedive and Tanya in a room to die," Mallory pointed accusingly. "And then he tried to kill you before double-crossing Dragaunus."
"I never vouched for 'im."
Mallory fell silent, unable to counter that statement.
"It's not like we haven't randomly walked into danger before," Nosedive continued. "Besides, the author's been stuck on this part for, like a month. Might as well transition into the next scene and get this story moving again."
Wildwing eyed the group cautiously before landing on the duckling. She turned to look up at Duke, who in turn nodded, assuring his leader. "Well, this is the first solid lead we've had in a few months. Who knows when we'll find those lizards again."
"Let's do this!" Nosedive pumped his arms above his head.
"I don't like this," Mallory stepped forward regardless of the feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Don't worry," Tanya held the transporter in her hands as the group closed in around her. "We always find a way out. We're the good guys, after all."
With a final nod from their captain, Tanya activated the teleporter. All seven ducks disappeared in the eerie jade glow of the Saurian device, whisked away to face their mortal enemies on Saurian home turf.
0-0-0
The group rematerialized within the gloomy confines of the Raptor, deep in the belly of the grounded ship. A quick scan of the room suggested that they were in some sort of storage area. The walls were lined with all kinds of working materials and crates.
"This way," Audrey waved at them to follow as she turned to head out the darkened room.
Duke followed without question, gesturing silently for his teammates to do the same. With some unease in their minds, they reluctantly trailed their young hostess.
Twists and turns became familiar to Wildwing and he quietly activated the DuCaine Mask, pulling up an archived map of the Raptor's known passages. True to her word, Audrey was leading them in the direction of the throne room. Satisfied with her actions, his posture relaxed.
A second before they materialized, the Mask of Drake DuCaine alerted the young leader to the teleporting energy of the enemy. The group was surrounded on all sides by Hunter Drones, weapons up and ready for combat. Their sudden appearance had not surprised any of them, what did come as a shock was the sudden attack from the young girl. With incredible speed and agility, she had turned, weaving through the group and singling out Wildwing.
Wildwing lifted his left gauntlet out of reflex and hesitated. There was no way he could shoot a duckling. It was then that his arm was jerked upward. Looking to his side he saw Duke, the tip of his saber piercing his armor. "What are you doing?" he practically yelled.
The grey drake withdrew the blade, forcefully shoving the younger one back. "I got 'er," he didn't bother to look at his captain, eyes trained on the advancing girl.
Audrey did not slow in her pace. She pulled two of her daggers out of seemingly nowhere and flung them with deadly precision. Duke dodged the first blade while diverting the second with a sweeping swing of his sword as he moved forward. Wildwing half watched the fight unfold while trying to keep the Hunter Drones at bay. The girl somehow managed to stay out of Duke's reach, constantly retreating. Even so, the two seemed to move harmoniously, practically synchronized in a strange dance with one another. For some reason Duke faltered in his step. The girl made quick work of the misstep, sending a dagger attached to a chain flying at him, aimed squarely for his chest. The grey drake mentally braced himself for the sharp pain that was to come.
Wildwing stepped in, his shield active, and blocked the incoming projectile. Duke released the breathe he had held in while the white drake took hold of the chain, yanking it with all his strength. The girl lurked forward a few steps, closing the gap between them. Duke took the opening to dash forward, he had to stop her before-
"Ahhh!" Duke crumpled to the ground, a sharp pain coursing through his body as he curled into a small ball on the floor. He looked up to see a pair of Hunter Drones aiming their weapons at him. He wasn't sure where they had come from. His body twitched, the electric shock that had coursed through him continued to make his muscles tight.
"Duke!" Wildwing tried to make his way to his fallen comrade, but was stopped as Audrey rushed him. She swiped at him with the daggers, pushing him back a few fumbling steps as he blocked and dodged each swing. He heard the sharp blows glide off his armor. Finally regained his footing, he lunged forward, body checking the young girl with his massive shoulder armor. He heard the wind being knocked out of her and felt the small body being lifted off the ground. For a split second he felt sorry, even guilty for what he had just done. But he wasn't about to just let himself be beat by some kid.
Wildwing felt a cool breeze wash across his face. Time slowed as he watched the girl tumble backwards, hands outstretched, gripping something. It took a few seconds for his mind to register the object as the Mask of Drake DuCaine. Shocked, he brought his hands up to his face to confirm that he no longer had said Mask. Indeed, it no longer sat on his face and he watched the girl hit the ground a few feet from him with a backwards roll. Momentum pushing her legs over her head before she firmly planted her feet on the ground, stopping in a low crouch. Taking in a deep breath, she smirked up at him, mockingly holding up the prized object.
"No!" He moved forward to retrieve the priceless artifact.
A new cluster of Hunter Drones stopped him in his tracks, causing him to flinch back. He turned to finally notice that the rest of his team had been captured by the overwhelming number of machines and cursed under his breath. It seemed like Dragaunus hadn't been as ideal as he'd previously thought this past year.
"Sorry," Audrey stood breathlessly, clutching her side. "It's useless to Lord Dragaunus, but it's also a pain in his tail to let you keep it." She studied the DuCaine Mask, clearly in awe of the legendary object.
"How is it that a mere duckling could do what three Saurian warlords cannot?" Dragaunus' cackling voice startled everyone. The reptilian Overlord made himself present, pleased with the scene that lay before him. The other three Saurians close at hand.
"It's not for lack of trying, boss!" Chameleon waddled forward. "These birds just tend to be crafty at times," he glanced over at Wildwing who growled at him. Strolling up to the drake, the Saurian chuckled. Morphing into a human that none of his peers would recognize he began quoting an Earthling movie. "Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"
"It's 'do I feel lucky'," Nosedive's voice cut through the thickness of the situation.
Wildwing let his shoulders fall, closing his eyes and shaking his head embarrassed of the blood ties he shared with that particular duck. Of course his little brother would know that and not waste such an opportune moment to show off his useless knowledge. It was at times like these he wished he had those telekinetic powers that the characters who inhabited his brother's comics did just so he could smack him upside the head from afar.
All eyes turned to the young blond as he shrugged. "What?" was his only defense.
"Lord Dragaunus," Wraith's slender form folded upon itself as he approached his master. "We should dispose of these pillow stuffings while we have the chance."
"I thought the plan was to make them watch in despair as Lord Dragaunus took over this world," Audrey addressed the old creature.
"This discussion does not concern you, duck," the dark sorcerer sneered, making the duckling retreat a few steps.
"I'm sorry," she cowered, her voice small. "I was just under the impression that Lord Dragaunus wanted them to be humiliated by their failure."
Wraith growled menacingly, furthering the girl's retreat until she came to stand alongside Chameleon. Pleased with himself, he returned his attention to his Lord. "It would be unwise to let them live."
"Someone thinks highly of himself," Audrey muttered under her breath. Chameleon caught her little tirade and chuckled. She fidgeted as another growl from the horned Saurian reached her, his hearing was clearly still sharp for his ancient age.
"I like her," Chameleon chuckled patting the girl on the head. "Can I keep her, Boss? I'll make sure to feed and walk her every day!"
The girl brushed the scaly green hand away, clearly not as amused as the Saurian.
A deep rumbling emitted from the Saurian Overlord. His yellowed eyes dancing from one captive to the next as he smirked wickedly. "Disarm them and toss them in the holding cells. They will watch as they fail to protect this world the way they did their own."
The massive Saurian stalked up to the duckling, stretching out a hand to her. It took her a moment to register that he wanted the Mask of Drake DuCaine. Begrudgingly, she handed it over. "And after I'm done draining this measly planet of every last drop of energy it possesses, I will send you all into limbo," he held the fabled Accursed Mask in taloned hands, glaring at it. This tiny thing had secured his ancestor's downfall many generations ago. He sneered at it with great disdain and a foul taste in his mouth, but decided to keep the useless object as a small trophy. It would forever be a reminder of his victory over this small group.
"Dammit all!" Mallory cursed, angrily kicking dead air as she was held down by a number of Hunter Drones.
"Take them away!" Dragaunus bellowed.
The Hunter Drones did their master's bidding, supervised by Seige as the other three Saurians left, the duckling trailing not too far behind them. She gave the group one last look before disappearing behind a corner.
Wildwing swore under his breath as they were gathered up and forced to march deeper into the enemy ship, his team grumbling as they were collected and lead away. He happened to catch Duke's eye, silently questioning him about the situation. The grey duck slowly shrugged, leaving an uneasy feeling in the younger drake's stomach.
A/N: Fun times to be had by all!
