"And then the mighty king raised his shining sword to slay the great beast.", Nosedive read in anticipation, "Man I can't wait to see what happens next."
It was an ordinary morning and the ducks were getting ready for practice and Nosedive was deep in reading. At that moment, Wildwing and Canard came by.
"Dive, what are you reading?", Wildwing asked.
Nosedive quickly hid the book behind him.
"Nothing.", he said fast.
"Dive, what are you reading?", Wildwing asked.
Canard put his hand on Wildwing's shoulder.
"Hey, take it easy buddy. The kid's in a vulnerable place right now and I say back off and let him have his personal time."
Nosedive felt better.
"Thanks Canard. I'm grateful for that."
"Don't mention it.", Canard said smiling as he walked past.
As soon as Nosedive eased, Canard swiped the book off his fingers fast and looked at the cover.
"War of the Dragon Warlords?", he asked handing the book back to Nosedive with a raised eyebrow, "Don't you read comics in your spare time?"
Nosedive quickly took the book back.
"Thrash and Mookie suggested it and it's really interesting."
"Well, don't let it affect your skills on the ice okay?", Wildwing asked.
Nosedive sighed.
"Okay big bro, I'll try and keep it in."
Canard put his hand on Noedive's shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay to imagine now and then, but just keep in mind that something like that should be done when you're not around people or playing hockey."
By that time, the buzzer in the stadium went off signaling that practice had started and the ducks were soon on the ice. A little into it, Nosedive was clearly imagining things cause he almost failed a couple plays, but still managed to get back in place. Afterward, Wildwing was a little concerned, but Canard stopped him.
"Please Wing, can I handle this?"
Wildwing sighed.
"Okay."
Canard took Nosedive aside and started to talk to the young drake.
"Dive, what happened out there?", he asked calmly, "You almost didn't make the last two plays."
Dive hung his head.
"Sorry. I was still caught up with the book I was reading and I imagined that I was there."
Canard sighed.
"You have to understand something okay? Like I said, it's okay to imagine now and then, but try not to do it so much on the ice otherwise we won't make the play-offs. I'm not trying to beat you down or anything. I'm just trying to help you understand."
Nosedive looked up into Canard's caring eyes and nodded.
"Okay Canard. I'll do it for you."
"Thanks Dive.", Canard said calmly, "Hey, since nothing seems to be going on lately, how bout you get Grin and we head over to that new library?"
Nosedive didn't look thrilled.
"Why go to some lame place full of books?"
Canard gave a sneaky smile.
"Not even if the place has the whole series of the book you were reading just lately as well as a comics section?", he asked.
That got Nosedive to change his tone and after hitting the showers, they got Grin and were off.
A while later, the three came into the library and Nosedive was unimpressed.
"This is so lame.", he said as if he was bored.
The librarian at the desk looked his way harshly.
"Shh!", she said before going back to the computer on her desk.
"Just look around.", Canard said rather quietly to Nosedive, "Who knows? You might find that 'War of the Dragon Warlords' series."
Nosedive then changed moods and was soon going through the shelves searching. Canard and Grin went off to search on their own leaving the young drake to look around. So far he didn't find anything and then as he neared the back, something caught his eye on one of the high shelves.
"Hello, what's this?", he wondered.
Luckily the shelf was in reach and he got it down without much effort. It was a book with flowing metal designs along it's spine and cover with a beautiful aquamarine gem in the center of the cover. He opened the book to see what it was, only to see the page was blank.
"That's odd.", he said as he flipped page after page only to see each one was blank, "What's a blank book doing here?"
He looked up to see the series he was looking for and brightened. As he collected a few of them, he looked at the book he found and thought for a second.
"I'll ask the librarian if she knows what it is."
He made it to the desk and the librarian pulled out a library card from a drawer in a file cabinet behind her and handed it to Nosedive.
"Sign your name on the line sir.", she said plainly.
Nosedive did and after she checked out his books he put the one he found on the desk.
"Books are due in three week, and each one can be renewed twice.", she said.
"Um, is this anybody's?", Nosedive asked her pointing to the book he placed on her desk, "I found it near the back."
The librarian flipped through the book suspiciously and then laid it back down.
"It doesn't have our stamp on it and there doesn't seem to be a name so if you want it, I guess it's yours."
"Thanks.", Nosedive said as he added the book to his stack and headed out.
Canard and Grin were already outside when Nosedive showed up.
"You okay Canard?", Nosedive asked.
"Wildwing called us.", Canard answered, "Says an enchantium acted up. Grin, can you go help out while I get Dive back?"
"The paths are many, but the journey remains the same.", Grin answered.
Canard nodded clearly showing he understood. Grin ran off while Nosedive and Canard headed in the direction of the Pond.
"Found what you were looking for?", Canard asked.
Nosedive nodded.
/
Charyus placed the shiny black colored gem with blueish tinge beside the two on his pendent while the other three saurians watched closely.
"So what's this one do?", Chameleon asked.
Charyus turned to the sound of the Migrator approaching.
"Well well, target practice."
He aimed his staff in the direction of the Migrator and instantly, a fire erupted below it causing the Migrator to flip over. Wildwing, Mallory, Tanya, and Duke filed out and were at the ready. Siege and Chameleon opened fire while Charyus and Wraith hurled magic blasts and fireballs. The ducks retaliated with pucks and soon, Charyus waved his staff and the new crystal in his pendent glowed fiercely.
"Rise my servants!", he called out, "Rise and destroy-"
By then, Klegghorn had pulled up in his police car and was clearly armed with the saurian blaster rifle he just so happened to have as he got beside the ducks and his sirens cut Charyus off.
"Who the heck is that guy?", he asked Wildwing as he mentioned towards Charyus.
"I am Charyus.", Charyus said firmly as he had overheard, "Master of the mystic arts and oracle of the saurian race."
"Listen you galactic dirt bag, I'm your worst nightmare!", Klegghorn yelled as he opened fire.
"You still kept that rifle?", Mallory asked Klegghorn.
Klegghorn shrugged.
"Hey, couldn't let this go to waste just sitting around."
"Enough!", Charyus screamed.
He jabbed his staff into the ground and the ground glowed with dark light. At that moment, skeletons wearing armor and carrying rusty weapons formed out of the ground and attacked.
"So this gem makes undead?", Wraith guessed.
Charyus nodded.
"Quite effective for our cause."
At that moment, a wall of fire came down burning the skeletons away. Both sides were stunned.
"Charyus?", Siege asked as if accusing.
"It wasn't me.", Charyus answered.
Then a large black dragon with a rider came down and the dragon breathed another blaze at the saurians.
"Time to beat a retreat.", Chameleon said.
In a flash of green light, the saurians teleported away and the dragon landed gracefully before the ducks and Klegghorn.
/
Nosedive was having such fun. He had gotten out his new book to write something in it only to have an eagle feather quill slide out from inside the spine. When he wrote something, it did as if it already had ink.
"The ducks tensed as the king dismounted his valiant dragon.", Nosedive narrated as he wrote, "The king removed his helmet to reveal his beautiful face and flowing hair. 'I am Darius', the king said with a smile, 'Do not fear my friend. We are sworn to vanquish only evil.' The leader stepped forward and then realized he saw this king before."
Outside his room, Canard felt the sides of his head.
"Enchantium here?", he wondered.
He then overheard Nosedive talking.
"That kid's got a lot of imagination.", he said to himself, "Maybe I should get a closer look."
His pendent came out and his aura gem lit up as well as his eyes. Looking through the door, he saw the book Nosedive was writing in and when he saw the gem on the book's cover, he knew.
"Looks like Nosedive found his first spell.", he smiled, "But what is it?"
He continued to observe and fortunately he could read lips so he knew what Nosedive was saying.
"The king remounted his beast and with a grand wave, his dragon lifted him into the heavens and he was soon out of sight.", Nosedive continued, "The brave band of heroes left the field of battle in the ride they came in though a little worn, but were uninjured after their ally went back to his own line of duty. Little did they know, that the king had vanished as if he was a ghost and nobody in the sleeping city ever found out about what had occurred there that afternoon."
Canard watched Nosedive place the book near his bed after replacing the quill into the inside of the spine.
"I love when good prevails.", Nosedive said to himself, "Well, better get some shut eye."
Canard's eyes went back to normal and his pendent disappeared. He then walked away still putting together what he had just seen. By then Nosedive came out of his room looking a little worried.
"Hey Canard, did you see it?"
Canard paused.
"Your book?", he asked.
Nosedive nodded.
"It vanished. I turned away from it for a minute to look at the books I checked out and when I looked back, it was gone."
Canard noticed Nosedive had a pendent around his neck and the aquamarine from the book's cover was at the center.
"I think I know where it is.", he said smiling.
/
"You're saying that a dragon came out of the sky, burned your skeletons to cinders and made you retreat?!", Dragaunus sneered with his nostrils smoking.
Charyus sighed heavily.
"An unexpected attack I admit, but we did get the enchantium none the less."
Dragaunus fired at one of his drones and the thing blew apart.
"You've been so calm lately and while you were going off on your little retrieval, I detected another spike."
"And I felt it.", Charyus countered, "And I'm guessing it's what caused that dragon to assault us."
Dragaunus slammed his fist against a wall.
"Why is it even you can't beat those miserable mallards?", he asked harshly, "Every time you fight them, you retreat. I'm beginning to think you don't have proper skill."
Charyus' expression darkened as well as the room.
"Do not underestimate my power Lord Dragaunus.", he warned, "Everything will go our way, but it won't if you don't be patient with me."
"I'll be patient when I pick my teeth with those duck's bones.", Dragaunus growled, "Still, you were successful and I do admit that this undead raising spell you collected is beneficial, but I still expect you to bring those ducks down."
"And I will.", Charyus answered, "In time."
Siege, Wrath and Chameleon were listening to this conversation and they were all pretty concerned.
"We nearly burn our scales and he's acting like it's expected.", Siege grumbled, "I'm beginning to think he's just using us."
"Like he wasn't already?", Chameleon asked, "He sends others to do his bidding, he lets others take the fall and he's sitting there acting like he's all that? That doesn't feel right."
Wraith sighed.
"I had hoped that Charyus would benefit us, but I fear he's not what I believed him to be."
The three slipped further away from Dragaunus and Charyus, but unfortunately for them, Charyus came walking by.
"Excellent work today gentlemen. I was moved greatly.", Charyus said calmly as ever.
Siege, Chameleon and Wraith plastered on fake smiles.
"Just doing our job sir.", Chameleon said impersonating a marine.
Charyus eyes Chameleon with narrowed eyes.
"Your attempt at impersonations still amuses me."
/
The Pond was roaring as the fans watched the ducks play.
"And Wildwing deflects another incredible goal! Ducks have the puck and with only thirty seconds to spare, can the ducks break this tie?"
Duke slid past defense and passed the puck to Nosedive. Canard could see that the young drake was in control of his imagination now cause he was playing much better than he was that morning. Grin clobbered the two going for Nosedive and Nosedive passed to Canard.
"Ten seconds on the clock!"
The fans started counting down.
"Ten...nine...eight..."
Canard almost got in range.
"Six...five...four..."
Canard shot and his puck barely made it past the goalie and into the net just as the buzzer hit zero.
"And it's goal! An amazing shot by the ducks new player, Canard Thunderbeak!"
Canard's image came on the jumbo tron and background lightning flashed to make it look epic as the ducks huddled and raised their hockey sticks.
"Ducks Rock!"
Later, they came into the base from the showers and Canard placed a hand on Nosedive's shoulder.
"Hey, good work keeping yourself contained."
Nosedive blushed.
"Thanks. Now that I got a journal, I guess I'm more focused now."
The other ducks came over.
"You got a journal?", Wildwing asked.
Nosedive explained about his new book and when he did, the other ducks were a little surprised.
"We experienced that earlier this afternoon.", Duke said.
"And you wrote it?", Mallory asked.
Canard smiled.
"Looks like Nosedive got his first spell."
Nosedive's pendent appeared and the ducks were put at ease. Then Canard pulled out a flat package in brown paper.
"Hey, while you were in the library, Grin and I pitched in and got you a little something."
Nosedive opened it to reveal a large journal with flowing drawn on designs that were on brown leather.
"So what's my spell?", Nosedive asked excitedly.
"It's Create.", Canard answered, "Anything you write in it's pages becomes real, but I think you should hold off on it for a bit til you're a little more focused. In the meantime, how bout writing your first tale?"
Nosedive was already heading to his room with his new journal under his arm clearly having ideas in his head.
"I'd say my baby bro has already answered.", Wildwing said proudly.
And the ducks laughed out loud.
