I don't own the Mighty Ducks.

It was getting dark out and there had been no sign of intelligent life in the vicinity. She sighed to herself. "Why me? Why him?" She fumed, stomping her feet as she marched on towards the east. The king said go east so that is what she would do. Dragaunus could figure his own way out. As if she was going to work with her greatest enemy, she'd rather shoot him in the face than talk to him and without a doubt the same could be said for him. "Disgusting lizard." She sneered, practically shaking with rage.

For hours on end she walked as the forest around her started to grow dense. With how dark it was starting to get she wasn't going to be able to see soon. Searching her surrounds for a good place to sleep in relative safety, she found a spot in one of the large tree branches above. Climbing up the tree to the large branch she settled in for a restless night.

The next morning, Mallory woke up stiff. Slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings she sat up and inspected the ground below her. There were tracks in the ground, circling around her tree several times. Seeing nothing was around she jumped down to get a better look. Upon closer inspection, she saw that they looked like paw prints, those belonging to a wolf. "Good thing I slept up high." She muttered, standing straight. Checking her compass on her com, she continued her journey east. The forest became less dense after walking for two hours and she could hear a river ahead. Relieved the redhead picked up her pace, wanting a drink of some fresh water.

Pushing her way through the trees she finally came to a clearing, the river she had been hearing was twenty feet in front of her. "Finally!" Not wasting any time, she got on her knees and cupped water in her hands, bringing it to her mouth to sip on. It felt good going down her dry throat.

A giggle made her look up. Across from her stood a little puckworldian girl. Her eyes widened at the sight of another duck. "Why are you drinking water from there?"

"Is something wrong with it?"

"No but you could just get some from the village." She pointed back behind her. "The village is behind that tree line."

Mallory look toward where the girl was pointing and nodded. "I see. What are you doing out here by yourself? Isn't it dangerous out here?"

A guilty expression crossed her face as she looked down and pushed dirt with her shoe. "Yes. Mother gets angry when I wonder off." Her head snapped up as if she had thought of an idea. "But if you go back with me, then I won't get into any trouble cause an adult is with me."

Mallory sighed at the kid's logic. "Look, I'll go back with you but you shouldn't trust every adult just because they're an adult. Some adults are dangerous."

The girl nodded, shaking her head up and down and making her brown hair bounce. "Okay. Follow me!" She started running ahead excitedly.

"Hey! Wait!" Mallory gave chase seeing the kid was getting too far ahead.

"Hurry, hurry! Mommy is waiting." She giggled, disappearing into the woods.

Mallory ran in after her. Seeing the girl just head she followed. "Wait up!" But the girl didn't slow in her childish enthusiasm. Mallory pushed her legs to catch up with her, but she slowed her progress realizing that this kid was unnaturally fast. Skidding to a stop, she took in her surroundings seeing that the forest was getting denser. "If this village was just past those trees we would have reached it by now." The feathers on the back of her neck stood up as she pulled out her gun. Carefully with her gun in front of her, she went down the path the girl took. Following for another ten minutes, it finally came to a village deep in the forests. It was pristine, almost untouched looking as she walked deeper in. Approaching a house, she glanced inside the dark window and gasped at the sight. Giant spiderwebs were everywhere. Two shriveled corpses wrapped in webs with horror stricken faces laying on the ground, looking up at whatever killed them, Mallory could take a guess what it was. She took a step back from the window. "This is a trap!"

"Took you long enough." The girls sweet voice came out of the darkness. Mallory turned to face the dark silhouette and two glowing yellow eyes. The disgusting sounds of flesh ripping and bone cranking could be heard as long legs came out of the girl's back, settling sharp spider feet on the ground. Raising the kid high in the air as they straightened. She hung limply from them like a ragdoll, her bangs covering her eyes until she looked up. Four more eyes had come out along the side of her head. She opened her mouth in a twisted smile, showing rows of sharp teeth with two large fangs. "It's been so long since someone was foolish enough to enter my forest and I'm so hungry." The rest of her body change, the shell of the little girl transformed into a giant hairy spider. "Time to eat." She lunged at Mallory who dodged while firing her gun at its side causing the spider to scream in pain but the bullets did little to slow it down as it turned again to attack. Mallory continued to avoid its attack and shot at it when it left itself open but still the bullets didn't slow it down.

"I'm just wasting bullets on this thing." She growled, reaching for a grenade. Just as her hand grabbed one the spider swung its front leg, hitting Mallory in the stomach and tossing her back ten feet. The grenades fell out of her hand and rolled away. Seeing the spider jump up and coming down at her, the redhead rolled to the side, barely missing the sharp legs that stabbed into the ground where she had been seconds ago. Getting to her feet, she stepped back away from the creature that was yanking one leg out of the ground at a time. Her foot hit something metal, it made a clanging sound. She turned to see an engraved sword at her feet that had been in the metal gloved hand of another victim. She reached down and quickly grabbed at as the spider charged forward again.

"If you keep moving around like that I'm going to drag out your death so it'll be nice and slow." It snapped its large jaws at Mallory who swung at its face with her new sword. The sword cut into one of its many eyes, causing it to scream an ear-piercing wail as its front leg went to cover the damaged eye. Seeing her chance Mallory ran at it jumping up over it, she flipped through the air intending to land on its back and stab it but the eyes surrounding the head made it so the creature didn't have a blind spot. One of its right legs shot up and smacked Mallory away in the air.

She crashed through the front door of a house and rolled to a stop at one of the dead villager's side. "Ah!" She cried out scooting back, startled at looking into the empty eye sockets of a dead man.

"You think hiding in that house will save you? It didn't save them." The spider hissed, as its feet stabbed into the house as the creature lifted its large body off the ground and crawled onto the roof. Mallory kept her sword close waiting for the spider to make a move, the roof groaning at the weight being put on it. Then sudden everything became quiet. She tensed, ready to dodge in a moments notice. Nothing happened and Mallory contemplated making a run for it back the way she came but suddenly a leg pierced through the roof, stabbing into the floor not too far from Mallory. Another leg stabbed in, this one way off target. The militaristic duck refused to make a noise and give away where she was. "I'll hit you eventually. At some point you'll need to come out and when you do I'll cut your head clean off your shoulders." Mallory had no doubt it could. Thinking fast she grabbed a cup on the floor and tossed it at the dead body, making a clanging sound. A leg stabbed down fast as lighting, going right through the dead man. "Got ya!" It lifted the body out bringing it up through the roof.

This was her chance she knew where it was thanks to its legs cutting holes in the roof. "What?" She heard it yell in confusion, realizing it didn't get Mallory but a dead body. Moving fast she jumped up and with all her might stabbed the sword up through the wood roof, Spearing right into the spider's chest. It screamed again, this time falling off the roof, its legs curling around itself as it laid on its back.

Walking out to the spider Mallory was careful not to get too close. Instead she walked over to her discarded grenades and pressed the button to activate one. Tossing the grenade at the dying spider she took cover behind a house as it went off. Green blood flew everywhere, covering the area around it and some of the houses. Peeking around the corner she confirmed her kill, not much was left of the monster. Sighing to herself she looked sadly at the houses probably filled with many dead people. Part of her thought she should check but another wanted to just leave. She pulled out her gun, while keeping the sword out. "Hello? Is anyone left alive?" There was no answer, only the unnerving silence of a dead village. A shivered again went up her spine. Not wanting to stay a moment longer, the redhead turned going back the way she came, not once letting her guard down as she exited the forest.

Up in the trees a figure shrouded in shadow, watched her leave.

…..

After walking all day, she found a walled in village, one with people who were alive… much to her relief. Upon first approaching she was met with hostility, two guards with their faces covered pointed swords at her, demanding her name and reason for coming. After explaining her encounter with the spider, they put their swords down. Their demeanor changing. "That thing has been a plague on that forest for years now. Every time we send soldiers in to kill it, they never come back." He removed his helmet and Mallory's eyes widened. He was a saurian. His light green scale had a blue tint to them and his face more closely resublimed a human. "You have our gratitude." He smiled. She could only nod in return, wondering if she should maybe keep moving. The instinct to flee at the thought of a village of saurians was temping but if she ran now they may chase her down, thinking she had been up to no good.

He turned pounding his fist on the door. "Open up! We have a guest." Large wooden doors opened inwards, allowing passage. "Stay here and stand guard, Cass." He looked at the other guard who only nodded. "Please follow me." He started walking ahead but her feet didn't get the signal to her brain to move. The other guard turned and looked at her funny. Seeing Cass tilt his head at her kicked Mallory into gear as she started walking behind the lead guard.

Many saurians went about their business, acting as if she wasn't a usual sight. To be surrounded by some many people who you thought of as your enemy was disturbing, she couldn't stop her eyes from searching them for weapons. She did her best to appear unaffected and followed the guard towards a large building.

The deeper she went the more variety in species she saw, making her a little more confrontable. Some were cat people, hawks, and ducks. It was as if the war between ducks and saurian had never happened here. "We have arrived." The guard gestured to the large inn in front of them. "Your stay will be on us. The town leader will wish to speak with you. His name is Hew Longfeather." She raised her eyebrow. That sounded like a duck's name. Led into the entrance, the lizard waved his hand towards the back. "Just in here." Coming to a closed door, the nameless guard knocked.

"Come in." Could be heard through the door. Entering the office, Mallory was surprised again at the sight of an eagle sitting at a large wooden desk, writing on a piece of paper.

"What can I do for you lieutenant Barris." He didn't look up as he spoke.

"Sir. A guest has arrived."

"And?"

"She killed Magora the spider queen." The eagles head popped up in surprise. His eyes focused on the redhead, tracing her features and quoting to memory.

"truly? Is there evidence?"

"It's the smell sir. I can smell Magora's blood on her sword." Mallory snapped her head at him in surprise. She didn't realize some saurians had such an attuned sense of smell.

"This is good news. Finally, we can give our small colony a proper burial." He walked around the desk though his face was still grave, his hands behind his back as he approached. "You have our thanks. I imagine you are going to want a warm bed to sleep in tonight. Please be our guest." Mallory nodded, though his words said one thing his expression spoke of something else. Something was bothering him. "Excellent. Lieutenant Barris. Please show her to Clara." Hew turned to Mallory. "Clara will get you settled for the night." Again, she only nodded. "Very good. If you'll excuse me, I must prepare an expedition to recover our missing people." He went to sit back down as Barris led Mallory out to the front desk.

"Something about that felt wrong." She looked over her shoulder at the now closed door, not paying attention to what was happening in front of her. A body ran into hers almost knocking her over, the sound of crashing and breaking dishes could be heard. She looked down to see a young humanoid looking saurian gazing up at Mallory, his eyes wide. "Oh!..uh… Sorry I didn't see you." She held out her hand but he only stared with big brown eyes. "Are you okay?" Still he didn't answer. "Did I knock something loose in there?"

"Ethan! Watch where you're going!" Barris scolded, seeing his brother run into the redhead. He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the kid. The boy's face turned blue. "Sorry big brother."

Mallory stepped in. "It was my fault. I bumped into him." When she spoke, Ethan only turned a darker shade of blue, his green scales changing color. Mallory realized now that he was blushing. Ethan quickly picked up the broken glass and disappeared down the hall, stumbling a he ran. She hadn't meant to embarrass him.

"I'm sorry about that. Ethan is a little clumsy." Barris explained, shaking his head. "He's a good kid, just has a hard time getting it right."

Mallory shook her head, still not comfortable with so many saurian around. "Its fine." She just wanted to get to her room, bathe, lock her door, and pretend she wasn't in a village surround by saurians.

…..