Several months later, Darkwing and Adeline were coming into all sorts of things: Teething, talking, and walking. Drake-El didn't want Darkwing playing with Adeline, and so did Donald. They kept them apart. Darkwing had learned how to please a lady by secretly watching his parents, so every morning, Darkwing would wake up at 5:30. He would get a piece of paper, write something on it, fold it into an airplane, and fly it into Adeline's window. The Duck residence and McQuack residence were at least less than a half a mile apart. Adeline would wake up, and return Darkwing the favor. They had a little chat, even though they hadn't reached the stage where they could pronounce their R's, and it usually went something like this:
"Hi Adeline!"
"Good mowning, Dawkwing."
"How awe you doin' today?"
"Gweat, and you?"
"Same."
"When awe my pawents gonna let me go to youw house?"
"I don't know. I weally weally weally want to come ovew to youw house, sweetie."
"Oh, you think I'm sweet, Dawkie?"
"Always, toots."
The date was January 10, 1973. Later that day, Darkwing and Adeline got to see each other in the park while both the parents weren't watching, and they stole a kiss. But something else was happening that day they didn't know about.
Underground.
Below the park in St. Canard, there was a little track of caverns that filled the ground. There were war-like creatures living there, who called themselves Fraggles. They called their home Fraggle Cave, and they loved to make attacks on other Fraggle groups just for the fun of it.
But today, the spunky wife of one of the best soldiers in the Cave, Ruby Fraggle, had to give birth to her litter of four Fraglets at the moment. They were already born, and were feeding themselves on Ruby's milk. Ruby winced as she felt another Fraglet came out. Her husband, Blue Fraggle, cut the umbilical cord and held the Fraglet.
The Fraglet was smaller than she was supposed to be. She was a skinny little thing, her rib-cage visible, and was in desperate need of milk. They knew there were only supposed to be four Fraglets, so had this little runt been the reason Ruby's pregnancy lasted longer than it was supposed to? Probably, Blue thought. The doctor came to inspect her. After inspection, the doctor gave Ruby the runt Fraglet back.
"Poor thing," he muttered as he left the room so the family could be alone with the Fraglets.
"Blue, you see the bluish one?"
"Yeah. What about it, honey?"
"That's Cornflower."
"And the purplish one?"
"That's Violet."
"And the bright orange one?"
"That's Sunny."
"And the dark black-and-white one?"
"That's Luna."
"What about the runt?"
Ruby inspected the runt. Her skin color was yellow and her fur color was light brownish. She had eyes, which were closed, and they were probably was the size of a small rock. What stood out about her was her hair. Her hair was a radiant red with yellow and orange streaks. It reached to her tail, and was slimy, but that's how birth worked for Fraglets.
"Scarlet."
When Scarlet got a few weeks older, she was an easy target for her four sisters.
"Is youw haiw on fiwe?" Cornflower would tease.
"Someone should lock you in a towew, Wapunzel," Violet would wisecrack.
"You don't need any mowe attention, Wunt," Sunny would screech.
"Scawlet's not a Cave Fwaggle! She acts likes she's fwom Fwaggle Wo-ock!" Luna would chant.
"I'm not a wunt! I'm just a nowmal Fwaglet fwom Fwaggle Cave!" Scarlet whined, right before bawling until Ruby came to get her.
Nobody in the Cave, not even her parents, would allow her to swim. But little Scarlet was so fascinated with the water, and every chance she got, she would smack the water with her chubby little hand and giggle happily.
Her only escape from the bullies of Fraggle Cave was her little tunnel she found. Every morning and evening, without anyone knowing, she would crawl into the cave, go down whichever tunnel from the fork in the road she wanted to, and watched in satisfaction as she watched the daily life of these young creatures, at least a year older than her, who had strange beak-things on their faces.
Scarlet would listen and learn their names, and coo them out when she was alone.
"Dawkwing! Adeline!"