Ginger dragged Coco to the Duckburg pier. Holding onto her hand Coco had a hard time keeping up and almost fell twice as Ginger dragged her along.
"Whoa slow down, what's the emergency?"
"There is something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now Coco."
"And you couldn't have told me back at my house where you dragged me from?"
"I kinda wanted to set a scenery," Ginger pointed to the water as the sun started to set, lighting up the pier as the sunlight bounced off the water.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Ginger asked
"It is pretty," Coco admitted "Watching the sunset off of the pier is one of my favorite things to do on this island. But what does that have to do with what you want to tell me?"
Ginger let out a sigh, still a little nervous of how Coco might react, but there was no turning back now. "Coco, ever since I have known you, I have felt a little different."
"How different?" Coco asked curious.
"Like I didn't want to spend a second away from you. You brighten up my day more than this sunset ever could. At first I just thought it was do to the fact that you was my best friend but after a while I realized it was for something different altogether."
Coco's eyes widened when she said that, and Ginger didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Letting out a sigh, Ginger continued. "I have never really been into boys, sure I am friends with the triplets and I have other guy friends at school, but if you asked me if I was willing to go to the school dance with any of them I would deny. The only person I want to go to the dance with Coco, is you."
Ginger took Coco by both hands and stared her straight in the eyes. "My feelings for you goes far beyond friendship, I want something more. Coco, would you do the honor of being my date to not just the dance but to many other dances in the future? You complete me in ways no other duck has ever completed me before and I can't imagine being without you."
Coco was silent for a few seconds taking in everything Ginger just told her. Finally after Ginger thought she was going to be crushed by the weight of the tension Coco gave a small smile.
"I was wondering what was taking you so long to finally come clean?"
Ginger's eyes lit up, she was not expecting that response. "You mean you knew?"
"I knew before I believe even you did. Remember when we was about nine and I asked you around Valentines day if there was any boys in class you wanted to get a Valentines from? You said you would rather jump in a stream than get cheesy card from any dumb boy."
"True but many girls don't like boys at that age."
"But you remember last year when Max and some of his crazy friends high jacked his assembly to put on that crazy musical performance?"
"Oh yeah, he got in so much trouble for that." Ginger laughed
"You was the only girl that wasn't going crazy over it. In fact I think I saw you gag at how the girls was going all gaga over him. And it wasn't just that incident either. Never once in the many years I have known you have I ever heard you talking about any cute boys. You never had to tell me Ginger, I have known for a while now that you are a lesbian. I have just been waiting for you to finally come out and admit it to me."
"So what about you then? Are you...?" Coco put her index finger over Ginger's mouth, cutting her off as she gave Ginger a seductive smile.
"I would be honored to go to the dance with you."
"Really?" Ginger's eyes lit up with joy. Coco nodded as she leaned her head forward and placed her lips on Ginger's. Both girls closed their eyes as they embraced the kiss. As their lips locked Ginger could see the fireworks going off in her head.
"This must be what love feels like." She thought to herself. She knew this moment couldn't last forever and that their lips would have to part, but damn if she wish there was a way to make this one moment last forever.
Back in the human world Jeff studied the five ducks and one hummingbird over. The six birds didn't make a move or sound out of fear.
"What were they going to do to us?" Huey thought to himself "I'm to young to die a horrible painful death!"
Suddenly to the surprise of the birds Jeff then let out a scream in joy as he looked up at the sky and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes thank you Jesus my prayers have been answered!"
"Um what?" Dewey replied in confusion, tilting his head sideways. Jeff then grabbed Dewey and lifted him in the air, much to Dewey's surprise and annoyance.
"Hey put my down you weirdo!"
"This has been what I've been waiting for." Jeff squealed "Finally, the last piece to the puzzle. I can get blood samples from all of these humanoid birds, and finally find a way to cure them."
"Wait? Hold on!" Dewey snapped jumping out of Jeff's hands. "I'm not sick! Nobody's taking any blood samples. What are you talking about?"
"Oh man I wish I knew what you was saying right now," Jeff replied "But whatever it is I bet it is gratitude for me trying to cure you."
"What do you mean you can't understand me?" Dewey snapped "I am literally six inches from your face yelling at you!" Dewey then pointed at Jeff's direction while looking back at his siblings and friends. "Can you believe this guy?"
"It appears that since we are of another species they cannot understand the way we speak," Violet pointed out.
"But we can understand him just fine! Right?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
Jeff and Jo watched as the six birds circled each other and was discussing this confusing situation to themselves.
"What do you think they are discussing?" Jo asked
"Probably that blue one is persuading all of his little friends to donate blood to help find themselves a cure."
"I don't know?" Jo tilted her head in confusion. "I don't think they are completely are on board with you. In fact, from their facial expressions and the tone of the blue one's quaking I think he is both frustrated and confused.
"I wish there was a way to understand them." Jeff sighed.
Jo suddenly lit up with an idea. "Be right back!" Jo then ran back to the house.
"Why do you think it is that we can understand them but they can't understand us?" Lena asked Violet and Huey.
"Well according to the many classes on Duckburg history, we were made this way by humans so we must have picked up the ability to understand man since they made us the way we are." Huey responded
"But that doesn't explain why they can't understand us?" Webby replied
"My guess is even though are intelligence grew, our natural way of communicating didn't."
"Yeah? Okay elaborate." Louie demanded.
Huey let out a annoyed sigh "According to class, humans hear different sounds from animals compared to us, for ducks it's a quack, for dogs it's a bark, and for bears it's more of a growling sound. Our way of speaking isn't going to change due to a simple ray gun, humans are going to hear us the same way they hear all our kind despite if we're super intelligent or not."
"I got something!" The teenage birds turned around to see Jo running up with note pads in pens.
"Write what you want to tell us on these." Jo handed each one of them a note pad and a pen. Louie looked at his and then turned his head in confusion.
"Um, why does my pad have a picture of a blue Pegasus flying through what looks like a obstacle course? And why is it's mane and tail rainbow? and what is that silly looking design on it's hindquarters? Is this some sort of joke?"
"Awe, I think it's cute," Webby laughed
"Shut up Webby."
"Okay," Jo spoke in a calm voice. "If you can here me, right down your names on that pad."
"There is no way I'm writing in this." Louie griped
"Just do it and shut up, it's a notepad" Huey demanded. Growling Louie gave in and wrote his name.
"Okay, let's see what we got," Jo replied as the birds turned and showed the two humans what they wrote down. "Okay it looks like the hummingbird is Violet, the tall girl with the pink highlights in her hair is Lena, the short girl duck is Webby, the red male duck is Huey, the one in blue is Dewey, and the one in the green hoodie is Louie." Jo then stopped and read what else Louie wrote down.
"What's with the stupid Pegasus? Hey nobody calls Rainbow Dash Stupid!"
"Rainbow Dash? I got a Pegasus names Rainbow Dash as a notepad?" Louie screamed as all the other birds laughed.
Jeff then asked the next question. "Would you mind if I got some blood samples to help cure you of your condition."
Dewey wrote down his response and turned it so Jeff could see.
What condition?
"Your kidding right? The condition that made you human like."
"What is wrong with my condition?"
"Because your not supposed to be like this. Your supposed to be like normal ducks and hummingbirds."
"And what is a normal duck supposed to act like?" Webby wrote.
"Why do we need a cure? We're not sick?" Lena wrote.
"Are you saying we are wrong to be like this?" Violet wrote.
Jeff sighed as he tried to find a way to explain his views. "Follow me everyone." Jeff led the birds to his and Jo's house and had the six of them sit down on his living room couch. He then reached for a book on the top row of his bookshelf. Pulling it down he showed it to the birds.
"This is what you five are," He pointed to the ducks. "You are water fowls, you live in ponds and streams, sometimes in city parks and farms. You wade around in the water. Wild ducks eat a variety of food depending on the type of duck, earthworms, snails, slugs, mollusks, small fish, fish eggs, small crustacean grass,herbaceous plants, leaves, aquatic plants,algae, amphibians, insects, seeds, grains, berries, ans nuts."
The ducks looked grossed out as Jeff continued. "Farm ducks will often get special feed from the farmers and while ducks in parks, also eat wet plantations they might also be fed by the local kids. Even though kids approaching and feeding the ducks technically bad for ducks because bread is unhealthy for them and the ducks don't learn to fear humans by bonding with them."
"Hey we eat bread all the time!" Dewey wrote "Especially with sandwiches. And it sure as hell beats earthworms, and snails."
"Why do you want ducks to fear humans?" Huey wrote down.
"Because if those ducks ever decided to leave the parks and become fully wild, they would be easy targets for hunters."
"Hunters!?" Lena wrote down.
"Wild ducks are known as game birds and are often hunted for food, as well to hang up on the wall as a trophy."
"JEFF WHY ARE YOU TELLING THEM THIS!" Jo scolded as he saw the looks of terror on the teenagers faces.
"Well they got to know the basics if they are going to become normal ducks!"
"Yeah screw being normal I'm good!" Louie wrote before tossing his notepad on the table and walking away.
"Me too." Lena also wrote before joining Louie. One by one the ducks got up and walked to another room leaving only Violet present in the living room.
"Wait come back!" Jeff called out.
"Nice going dummy, you scared them off."
"I'm only trying to let them know how they are supposed to be acting like."
"Have you ever considered the fact that there is nothing wrong with them being this way?"
"Jo, they are not Normal. Animals should not be living like humans.
"Why not?"
"Because humanity is corrupt and I don't want animals becoming the same way."
Jeff felt a tug on his shirt. Turning around Violet held up her notepad with a question written down.
"How is humanity evil?"
Sighing Jeff walked to his bookshelf and grabbed another book before handing it to Violet. "Look through this."
Violet sat down and glimpsed through several pages before writing down on her notepad. "What is this?"
"It's a book on endangered animals. You know what almost all of these animals have in common Violet, they are endangered because of mans actions. Man think because they are the dominant species that they can do whatever they want to this Earth without consequences. They pollute the waters, causing many sea life to get sick. They over fish until many species of fish is either extinct or close to it. Then other sea life like dolphins, and sea turtles get caught in them and die. They hunt for sport just to hang a stupid head or stuffed trophy on their walls. They tear down the forests in order to build more houses and businesses, driving off and killing the creatures that lived their first. Then there are the worst ones, the poachers. They will intentionally go after rare and endangered wildlife, kill them and then sell their body parts for top dollar. Mankind has destroyed our Earths wildlife Violet. Then there are those like Dr. Nimnus who experiment on them, like he did to creatures like you."
Violet didn't write down any questions as she looked through the book, reading about each creature as well as what was driving them to extinction.
"A lot of humans don't care about you creatures the same way I do Violet. They are corrupt, greedy, they only care about themselves. It's not just wildlife they destroy though but also their on kind. Humans will kill other humans over the pettiest of things, money, jealousy, you name it. I know you may think that I am wanting to change you back to normal out of cruelty, but I'm not. I'm trying to save you and your kind from becoming like Man."
"You really think we can become this evil?"
Jeff sighed "As long as you have the free will of humans, it's sadly possible."
Violet didn't say another word as she closed the book and walked off. Thinking long and hard over the horror she just learned.
"Why must you drop that kind of depressing info on them?" Jo scolded.
"I'm trying to save them Jo, I will not let them be corrupted like man is?"
"There must be a better way then completely taking away the way they have lived their whole life?"
"As long as they are like humans they can be corrupted like humans!"
"When did you become so depressing Jeff?"
Jeff didn't answer that last part, instead he went back to his workshop and studied over everything he had learned about the humanoid creatures so far. Which sadly wasn't much. As he studied over his facts he experienced a flashback to his very first job with animals, at a wildlife rehab facility back in Oklahoma.
He remembered crying over a skunk that he was having to put down. A man had caught the skunk in a trap and instead of calling animal control he pored lighter fluid on the skunk and lit in on fire. A neighbor intervened and put out the fire and rushed the skunk to their facility, but sadly the skunks burns were to bad and the only humane thing to do now was to put the skunk out of it's misery.
"I'm sorry," Jeff cried as he euthanized the skunk. Jeff leaned over the table and sobbed as the skunk took his last breath, unable to save it.
As the flashback ended Jeff looked out the window and muttered to himself.
"I'm sorry Jo, but your wrong, I will not let these animals become corrupted as man has. Even if it means losing you, I will cure them."
True fact, the skunk story really happened. My first job with animals was at a Wildlife rehab center and we really did have a skunk come in that had been burned with lighter fluid and set on fire. And sadly we had to euthanize it because there was no hope of saving it. It was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty I had experienced at that center and one that will probably haunt me to the grave. I never knew how inhumane people could be until I worked at that place.
Until next time. Peace.