Author's note: I have returned! Have a new chapter! ;-)

Thanks a lot to nonsolumsedetiam, Maknatuna, Tendencia and Mello18 for last chapter's review!

Edit: Now beta-read by the wonderful Ghastly Eternity.

21

Sam and Jesse were sitting at the edge of the lake looking into the water quietly. The tall duck had decided to get the kitten used to fishing slowly and steadily and that was something Gabriel just wasn't fit to do.

"You see them?" the brown duck whispered to his little son.

There were a couple of fish swimming around. Getting Jesse to know what he would be trying to catch was the first step to success, after all.

The kitten nodded silently and went on watching the small swimming things as his mommy had told him to do. They looked fascinating and he was itching to get his paws on one.

Sam of course noticed that his son was getting impatient and just nodded his consent. If Jesse wanted to try, he should just go for it. The chances that he would catch one weren't that big, but failing at the first try was no shame, it only meant they'd have to try more often afterward.

Jesse waggled his tail and his entire backside along with it before he jumped into the shallow water and tried to get his paws on one of the fish.

"I touched one, mommy, mommy, I touched one!" the kitten yelled joyfully and climbed back to dry land and to Sam's side completely proud with himself.

"That's my big boy!" the brown duck praised the kitten dutifully and cuddled him a few moments. A lot more practice would be needed before Jesse could catch his own food, but he was slowly getting there. Okay, they would have to get him to actually eat fish, too.

Just then Gabriel came back from collecting some more things for their nest. Humans really left interesting things lying around. They were interesting to the honey-colored duck, anyway. The best thing he had found this time was a map of their surrounding area.

He was waddling toward his family to show them when a big red cat walked up to him and made Gabriel stop in his tracks.

"Are you the duck that threw one of my sons into the pond?" the cat asked menacingly.

"Are you the father of the brat that wouldn't leave my son alone?" Gabriel countered before he added, "Besides, I only dipped him in once, there was no throwing whatsoever!"

Like he would have seriously hurt a little kid on purpose!

"Gabriel," Sam called, walking over to the other duck with their son in tow. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the red tom-cat was and what he wanted. Great, just great!

"No worries, Sammy, Mr. Duckface just wanted to talk a little," the honey-colored duck told his partner.

"That's rich coming from an actual duckface," the red cat snorted.

"Good sir, I am a duck, therefore, unlike you, the duckface suits me," Gabriel shot back very satisfied with the comeback he had thought of.

"Can we just talk like civilized people?" Sam suggested keeping the kitten halfway behind him just in case. The red cat didn't look too friendly and the other duck was clearly annoying him. "My name is Sam, this is Gabriel and our son, Jesse."

"I am Zachariah and you are going to be sorry for ever messing with me," the cat replied acidly and stood in front of the honey-colored duck threateningly.

"Violence is never a solution," the taller duck insisted but went to stand between his partner and Zachariah, anyway.

"You talk like the coward you are," the cat stated with a snort and advanced further on the brown duck and his partner. "Somebody should take that kitten away from-"

The tom-cat never got to finish his sentence, because Sam very precisely and very forcefully pecked Zachariah's nose and puffed himself up to his full height.

"You better get lost before he gets really angry!" Gabriel stated seriously and together they watched how the cat ran away with his tail between his legs.

"That's my Sammy!" the honey-colored duck cheered and threw himself at his partner. Besides, the display of dominance and strength had been seriously hot. Somebody was in for a treat later that night!

The brown duck deflated nearly immediately and looked at Jesse meekly.

"Violence really is no solution," he spoke seriously. Apparently, Gabriel was not the only bad influence the kitten would have in his life. The cat really had asked for it, though!

"It only sometimes is," the honey-colored duck added to what his partner had just said with the best smirk a duck could handle.

Sam could barely disagree with that after what he had just done. He wasn't sorry for it, either. He was only a little sorry that Jesse had watched the entire thing.

"We ask mommy when it's a solution," the kitten concluded, obviously pleased with himself for coming up with that wisdom.

Gabriel looked at his son for a short moment and then swept him into his wings, "You're so smart!"