The Prince of Darkness
A Continuation of The Slash Saga: My Funny Friend and Me and Birds of A Feather
By Roaming Tigress and Tammy Wraight who gave permission to use the character of Faith Mallard

Chapter Eleven:
A Wise Choice

Steelbeak tossed and turned in his sleep, awakening with a grunt when he hit his head on a tree stump. "Dis gives me another excuse to 'ate nature . . . " He growled, rubbing the sore spot and brushing off a few sticks and leaves that got stuck in his feathery mane.

With his lack of a sense of smell, Steelbeak couldn't tell that he smelled of forest, old cologne and body odor, but he sure felt filthy. There was a film of sweat and grime stuck covering most of his body, and he made a face when he saw how dirty his usually meticulously clean hands were. Ugh . . . Now I'll 'ave Ample Grime goin' after me! If I t'ought 'er sistah was bad 'nuff . . . She's gotta be ten times woise!

Desperate to get himself rinsed off, Steelbeak walked a little ways to the lagoon he passed by on his wanderings last night. He stripped his pants off and cautiously tested the water with a toe, in good ol' cartoon fashion. It was as frigid as it looked, but he went in anyway. After a little while the lagoon didn't seem quite so cold and he felt good to get that stuff washed off of him. Steelbeak even relaxed, being a natural swimmer he felt like he was one with the water.

Negaduck and Faith had resumed their search for Steelbeak. They had looked for him for a very long three hours last night and gave up to commit their own crimes -- and other nightly activities. Faith's thick blonde hair and Negaduck's cape were covered in burrs, and they plucked them off as they trudged through the thick vegetation.

"Bloody hell, I wouldn't be surprised if I have a bird's nest in here!" Faith remarked, pulling out a fair size chunk of thistle-encrusted hair.

"It looks fine, Faith!" Negaduck replied, picking up the speed. For someone with such short legs, Negaduck was good at being a speed walker.

"I really like that windblown look. It suits you!"

"Really?" She asked quizzically, quickening her pace to catch up with her mate. "Thanks!" She smiled, putting her arm around his shoulder. Looking around, she recognized the scenery and raised a recently plucked eyebrow.

"Total change of subject, but haven't we walked past here already?"

"We'll find him faster if we split up," Negaduck suggested, growling as he found a large rip in his cape. "You search in the southern part of the forest. I'll search the north section. If you find him before I do, just give a whistle. I should hear it." Getting an odd gut feeling, he turned around before searching solo.

"If he does anything to you, shoot him. His attitude can change at the turn of a dime." Negaduck said this out of love, hating to see what the rooster would do to her should he get the notion to inflict harm to her.

Faith admired her husband's protectiveness, but didn't want him to worry about her. "I shall, but I'm certain he's more afraid of me than the other way around. Did you see the way he ran from me last night?"

"You're probably right," Negaduck nodded. "Just take care of yourself, all right? There's more than just Steelbeak to worry about in these woods . . . "

"Got it!" Faith said, giving him a quick kiss and heading off into her direction. She instinctively looked around when she heard the rustling of something in the bushes, but smiled as she saw it was only a small grey squirrel.

"It's a good thing you didn't pass by my Drakeykins! One would need a microscope to find whatever would remain of you!" Faith laughed with a slight cruel edge, watching the little grey animal scamper up a tree before moving on with the search. She heard a gun go off not too far away, and recognized the weapon's sound as one that belonged to Negaduck. There goes my Fluffybuns, hunting wabbits!

Growling loudly, Negaduck was having a lot of fun tracking down his feathered quarry. He violently pushed aside tree branches that got in his way, snarling even louder when they came back and hit him in the face.

"Ooooooh . . . The joys of being short!"

When I find that rooster, I'm going to strangle him! I could be robbing a bank or spending quality time with my wife with the time I'm spending looking for this knob! Rgghh . . .

Down by the lagoon, the rooster heard someone whistling the theme of The Bantom of The Opera, a large musical production playing at the St. Canard Operahouse. He swam close to the shore to see who the whistler was, and sure enough, it was Faith. Fear struck his heart, for the memory of her hitting him was refreshed in his mind. He quickly grabbed his pants, put them on, and without going back to fetch his expensive shoes, he took off -- running smack dab into Negaduck.

While the smaller avian somehow managed to keep his footing, Steelbeak lost his and tumbled back into a tree. He clenched his teeth in pain on the impact of his vertebrae hitting against the trunk hard. He had more to worry about than a sore back.

"N-Negaduck, I - " He stammered, becoming apprehensive by the way the mallard was approaching him. "I just was going to -- " Now wasn't the time to break the news. He had to wait when Negaduck was sane, and it wasn't too often that he was sane. It was time to flee.

"Do you have any idea how much of our time you wasted, looking for you?!" Negaduck fumed, grabbing the rooster's comb and slamming his head back into the tree before he got the chance to reply. At this point, he couldn't contain his anger and he gave him a vicious kick to the ribs. When he wasn't satisfied giving him the abuse that he just delivered, he threw a punch to his victim's iron jaw.

Defensively, Steelbeak took a snap at his hand -- only to be given a hard smack upside the head. He fought back to Negaduck's surprise, violently grabbing him by the neck and pinning him up against the tree.

"Will youse just listen to what I've got ta say fer once?!"

Negaduck tried to webkick Steelbeak off him, but alas, the rooster's grip remained tight. Rolling his eyes, he caved into his demand and made it a mental note not to let the slutty suave rooster get what he wants all the time.

"Fine."

Steelbeak apprehensively released Negaduck, seeing an armed and very angry Faith in the corner of his right eye. The gun was pointed right at him, and before he knew it he heard it go off, followed by a felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. With a pained grimace, he stepped back, wondering what move to make next.

Faith didn't know Steelbeak was only try to reason with Negaduck; she understandably thought he was harming him. Drake was right. His attitude CAN change. Now I think it's not such a good idea with him on our side, he might try to take over!

"Next time I see you act that way with my husband, I won't just give you a grazing wound!" Faith snarled, keeping the gun trained at him while she became concerned for Negaduck's well-being. Her aim wasn't bad; she could've hit him square in the back of head if she wasn't so worked up.

"You all right?" She asked, checking her husband over for any sort of wound or bruise. "I told you he was more afraid of me . . . " Faith added quietly under her breath, can't resist saying it.

"Hehehe . . . I'm fine, Faithy, no worries!" Negaduck answered, giving the rooster a scolding glare while he casually ran a finger down her feminely narrow back, giving her a little chill.

"Good to hear it! I think a certain someone won't be doing fine if they don't get back into their place . . . " Faith added, directing this comment at a certain ex-F.O.W.L employee. Just her glare alone was enough to send Steelbeak sneaking behind Negaduck, somehow believing that he would protect him from her. Wow. Now that is intimidation!

"What the - - ?!" The shocked duck exclaimed, turning around to face the terrified rooster.

"Save me from 'er!" Steelbeak begged, tugging at his cape and pointing at Faith who was watching him with an amused smirk. He wished he could face his fears like a real villain, instead of running from them. A chicken is a chicken is a chicken, apparently.

"Tell me why I should . . . " Negaduck demanded, grabbing hold of him by his wattles with a loud, annoyed growl. He roughly released him, using enough strength to effectively shove him back a few feet. "You nearly killed me and now you're begging for me to save your hide?"

"I - I only wanted ta tell youse guys dat I've made my decision . . . " Steelbeak said quietly, cautiously giving Negaduck a hug. His behavior was like that of a scared child trying to butter up an angered parent. All he wanted as acceptance from Negaduck and to remain on his good side, and to not have Faith use him as target practice.

"Decision for what? Whatever it is, don't give me those eyes . . . " Negaduck pleaded, looking away from him to give his wife an equally pathetic look.

"You don't happen to have a spatula on hand, do you, Faith?"

Faith laughed, jokingly checking the pockets of her jeans for the said kitchen implement. "Nope, sorry! Must've left it in the dishwasher."

"I expected such . . . " Heaving an exaggerated sigh and making sure nobody else but the other two were around to watch, Negaduck gave in and unexpectedly hugged Steelbeak. It wasn't a halfhearted hug meant only to cheer him up and send him along on his way; it was a real embrace. Negaduck couldn't remain too angry at Steelbeak for long -- he loved him, even if he would not admit to it.

"Now, what was it that you were going to tell us?" He asked, soothingly running his fingers through Steelbeak's chest feathers. Negaduck's touch gradually moved down to his belly and then to his back that ached. Even in Faith's close proximity, he felt the rooster's fear ease off. All it took was a little pampering to get him back to his usual relaxed self, even if that pampering was from The Prince of Darkness himself.

"I want to join yer gang." Steelbeak confidently replied, getting to his feet once Negaduck's hands grew cramped from giving him a good "scritch." He stood tall and proud, without a trace of cowering as he looked from duck to duck.

Now that his decision was made, a huge weight lifted from Steelbeak massive shoulders. He made this decision for Bushroot, something that he would forever keep a secret. Be proud now, Bushroot.

"Wise choice," Faith smirked, placing her gun back in its holster. "Consider yourself hired."

The End?

Most characters mentioned in this chapter are © Disney. However, Faith Mallard belongs to Tammy Wraight. If you steal or copy her, expect to die a horrid death.