Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. Enjoy and please leave a review.
Ruby woke up a few days after the dragon's departure feeling the magical pull. Drowsily, she sat up and tried to figure out what was going on. It took her a good minute to realize that the Forest Lord was 'requesting' her presence.
Great. Lovely. Just what she really freaking wanted.
She didn't know what that overgrown mammal wanted, but, with a sigh of disgust, she dragged herself out of bed. She did her morning bathroom duties and then went to get dressed. There was no point in showering first. She figured the earth Elemental wanted her to finish cleaning up the meadow so she would probably be working in the dirt again.
She was opening the drawer that her pants were kept in when she got the insane urge to put on the spider silk dress. Why in the world would she want to wear that miserable thing? It wasn't bad enough that she was an alien duck with a blue beak walking around drawing stares and more often than not, having her picture taken so it could end up on the evening news and/or the Internet. She really wasn't in the mood to walk around looking like a Disney princess reject.
She reached for her jeans again only to have her wing nearly cramp up. The Forest Lord wanted her to wear that blasted dress, though, for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. She tried for a t-shirt and her wing cramped up again.
With a growl of frustration, Ruby stomped over to the closet and ripped the dress from its hanger. She threw the dress onto the bed as she headed back to the dresser to get her underthings. She didn't even question it when she was drawn to the spider silk undergarments.
She pulled the dress over her head and stopped with her arms up in the air and the dress only half way on. She wiggled and squirmed for a couple minutes, but the dress would neither finish the journey onto her body nor could she get it off. She was stuck well and good.
With a snarl of frustration, she spent close to half an hour using her magic to loosen the threads on the dress until she could pull it the rest of the way down. As soon as she got the dress in place, she had to spend more time and magic to get the garment to fit properly as it was tight in some areas and loose in others. She was not looking forward to trying to get the blasted thing off later. She was just glad that she had replaced the section that she had taken off when the dragon was still a tiny salamander.
Once she was finally dressed, she left the room in a right snit. She started to head toward the park, not even bothering to find a taxi that could drive her half way across town. It wasn't like she could have hired a cab anyway. She had left her purse back in her room.
She didn't care. She hoped that the long walk would calm her down enough so she wouldn't be tempted to turn the earth Elemental into a giant hunk of roast venison. Phoenix or no, she doubted she would win that argument.
Wildwing woke up with the craziest need to find Ruby. He could barely think straight as he stumbled out of bed. He hastily visited the bathroom, got dressed and nearly ran to the garage.
He headed for one of the Duckcycles only to be brought up short. He scowled at the machine for a good minute before stomping off to the Migrator. He had no idea where to look for Ruby, but he was going to find her in the noisiest vehicle the team had.
He roared out of the garage, not the least bit happy. He just knew the Forest Lord was behind this somehow and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He wished he could, but the compulsion was too strong. He was NOT a happy duck.
The battle van rumbled down the street in the pre-dawn light and it was all he could do to keep the machine somewhat close to speed limit. He had no idea where he was going, but he was making great time getting there since there wasn't a lot of traffic at that hour of the morning. It also helped that it was a Saturday.
Wildwing spotted Ruby walking along the sidewalk and if her body language was anything to go by, she was even less pleased than he was. She was wearing the spider silk dress again and he vaguely remembered that the Forest Lord had told him to make sure she wore something a bit more fire proof than the jeans and t-shirt he had last seen her in. At least he wouldn't have to try and get her out of regular clothing to put the dress on. Why did that disappoint him?
After giving himself a mental kick in the tail feathers, he figured he should have been glad that the whole clothing thing was already taken care of. Then he realized he was going to have to convince her to get into the Migrator and go with him: the duck that had locked her in his room. Oh yeah, that was sure to go over like a lead balloon.
Wildwing followed along behind her for a couple blocks, the engine rumbling as quietly as a rock concert, before Ruby suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She swung around to face him so hard that the loose braid she had her hair in nearly smacked her in the beak. Not that she noticed as she was glaring at him the instant she recognized the vehicle.
He rolled up beside her just as her eyes started to glow, and then he felt like he had been hit by a brick wall. He barely managed to stop the battle van, only putting one of its many wheels up on the curb, while it felt like he was being pulled in two directions. After turning the machine off, he nearly fell out of his seat and then stumbled over to the door.
By the time he got out of the Migrator, she was already a block away. He stumbled after her and she got another block before he was able to catch up with her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned and took a swing at him.
Only a year of self defense training with Mallory and nearly a life time of playing goalie kept him from getting a knuckle sandwich. There was a brief scuffle as he subdued the ticked off mage. In the end, he had her wrapped up in his wings and was really regretting not wearing his armor.
She was warm and her feathers were soft. She also smelled really good. If he had been wearing his armor, not as much of her would be pressed up against his body. It felt really nice to have her in his wings, even though her back was pressed to his chest and he knew any second she was going to zap him with magic.
"The Forest Lord sent me," Wildwing quickly explained before she could blast every feather off of his body.
"What does he want?" Ruby growled and he really wished she would stop wiggling.
"I don't know," he replied, not sure if it was safe to let her go yet, so he held on. "I only know that he wanted you to return to the meadow and for you to wear something fire proof."
"He wants me to dig up the rest of the metal in this stupid dress?" she demanded and while she was no longer squirming, he could feel her vibrating with anger.
"No, the meadow is already cleaned up," he quickly assured her. "I took most of the team up there and finished what you started."
"Then why does he need me to go up there, especially wearing this thrice blasted dress?" she wanted to know. "And why would you and your team bother cleaning up the rest of that mess?"
He knew she was still upset, but she was calm enough that he loosened his hold on her. A part of him was reluctant to let go and it wasn't the part that was afraid she would try and make a break for it. What was wrong with him?
"I don't know," he quietly repeated. "I just know he wanted you up there and I woke up a little while ago with the need to find you. I'm not sure how I did it. Anaheim isn't the biggest city in California, but it sure as heck isn't the smallest either. I think it was shear dumb luck."
He avoided answering the second question as he couldn't explain why he had felt the need to drag most of his team up to the meadow and finish what she started.
"When magic is involved, nothing is 'shear dumb luck'," she told him tiredly.
"I can believe that," he responded as he finally stepped away from her. "So, why don't we see what Bambi on steroids wants and then get on with our lives?"
She didn't say anything, just stared at him over her shoulder. He tried not to squirm under her less than pleased gaze. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.
"If I promise to take you to the meadow unharmed in any shape way or form, would you get into the Migrator?" Wildwing finally asked.
"You'd make a promise to me?" Ruby countered suspiciously, finally turning to face him.
"If it meant getting this up and over with, I would," he huffed. "Listen, I didn't tell anyone where I was going. When they get up, they're going to find me and the Migrator gone and no note. If I'm gone too long without any word, they'll probably come looking for me."
"What if you left them a message now?" she questioned.
"If I tell them where I'm going and who I'm with, they'll be on our tails in less than a minute," he pointed out, getting a bit impatient with her stubbornness. "Mallory isn't happy that you keep getting away and Tanya's pretty miffed about all of the damage your pet dragon did."
"He's not my pet," she reminded him.
"Where is he, anyways?" Wildwing asked nervously as he looked around, finally remembering what happened the last time he had called the fire Elemental her pet.
"He's around," Ruby evasively replied. "You know, you don't have to tell them exactly what you're doing."
"I won't lie to my team," he shot back.
"I wasn't asking you to," she responded as she flipped her braid back over her shoulder. "But you don't have to give them every little detail."
"Lying by omission isn't much better than out right lying," he retorted. "I'm their captain and they trust me. If I start lying to them, it makes me no better than the enemies we fight."
"Have it your way," she said with a shrug as she turned on her heel and started to walk away.
"Wait!" he called as he quickly went around her and blocked her path. "It'll be quicker if we drove up there."
Again, he was given the flat stare. He sighed and dropped his beak to his chest. It was going to be a really long morning if he didn't get her into the Migrator and get the whole mess over with.
"I prom..." he started.
"STOP!" she yelled and his head snapped up in surprise. "Do you really want to do that?"
"No, but I do want to get this over with as soon as possible," he grumbled. "I got up, got dressed and came looking for you. I haven't had breakfast, I haven't had my morning coffee and I'm getting cranky."
"You're not the only one who hasn't had breakfast," she snapped back. "And at least you don't have to wear this blasted dress! If anyone has a right to be cranky, it's me!"
They glared at each other for a good minute.
"Ok, if you get in the Migrator with me, I will get us both breakfast and I will drive you up to the meadow," Wildwing offered.
"Why?" she asked suspiciously.
"Why what?" he countered.
"Why are you helping me?" she demanded. "Last I checked, I was still the bad guy in this little story."
"I told you, the Forest Lord sent me," he reminded her.
"Did he just show up in your room and tell you to come and find me?" she questioned in disbelief.
"No, I just felt this pull to come and find you," he grumbled. "Can we please have this discussion after breakfast?"
Ruby just glared at him as she crossed her wings across her chest.
"What do I have to promise to get you in the van?" Wildwing asked in near desperation after a minute of silence.
"You'll just take me up to the meadow? No funny business?" she counter questioned.
"Yes, and I'll take you back to wherever you're staying, too, if you want," he confirmed, hope in sight.
"That is not going to happen," she growled and he got the feeling trying to push things would not end well for him.
"Ok, I won't drive you back to whatever rock you're hiding under, but can we please at least get breakfast and then get up to the meadow to see what that overgrown side of venison wants?" he returned.
"You try anything funny and you'll be walking home," she warned as she headed towards the Migrator.
Wildwing sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens and followed her to the battle van. He tried not to notice how well she filled out the form fitting dress. He didn't remember her hips being that nicely shaped when he followed her all over the mall. Before his mind could further detail her body shape, she lifted the front edge of the dress so she could place her foot on the first step into the Migrator.
"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Wildwing asked, surprised by the lack of footwear.
"Because I wasn't thinking about shoes when I got dressed," she grumbled as she made her way into the large vehicle. "I just wanted to get this thing over with and left as soon as I could. As it is, I barely managed to brush my teeth before I started this little adventure."
As she finished her mini rant, she stepped into the van and stopped dead in her tracks. Wildwing barely stopped in time so as not to trample her. He couldn't help but smirk as she looked around the Migrator in awe.
"Wow," she whispered before quickly clearing her throat and talking at a normal volume. "Where should I sit?"
She turned to look at him and found him nearly standing on top of her. She stepped backwards and ended up catching the hem of her dress. He swiftly grabbed her and kept her from falling.
She stared up at him in surprise. He let go as soon as he was sure she had her footing and stepped around her. He headed for his seat, never seeing the disconcerted look on her face.
"You can sit there," he told her, pointing at the seat next to him as he got behind the wheel.
She quietly took her seat a few moments later. He started up the Migrator again and carefully maneuvered it off of the curb without knocking or running anything over. He was doing his level best to pay attention to the road and not the duck sitting beside him. At least he tried not to keep looking at her.
"What's wrong with your hand?" Wildwing asked out of the blue several minutes later.
"What? What makes you think there's something wrong with my hand?" Ruby countered a bit defensively.
"You keep rubbing the palm of your right hand on your dress or you rub your thumb over the palm," he pointed out.
"It just itches," she grumbled as she balled her hands into fists on her lap. "I guess I didn't wash it well enough and something got under the feathers."
He let it go. There was no point in upsetting her. He had already had a few too many examples of her power and he wasn't really interested in getting another taste of it in the confined space of the Migrator. Tanya would have his tail feathers if he let her damage the battle van so soon after getting everything fixed back at The Pond. Provided he survived the experience.
They drove on in silence until they pulled into the parking lot of a diner. Wildwing parked in the back, taking over several spots in the process. He hated doing that, but there was no way the battle van was going to fit into a single spot.
"Do they do take out?" Ruby asked.
"What?" Wildwing questioned in confusion.
"Does the restaurant do take out?" she clarified.
"Why?" Wildwing inquired, so perplexed.
"Because every restaurant that I've gone too has insisted that people wear shoes," she replied as she pulled up the edge of her dress to reveal her bare feet.
He closed his eyes with a sigh. He had forgotten that she wasn't wearing shoes.
"I'm sure I can get the food to go," he grumbled. "What do you want?"
"Oatmeal will be fine," she answered after thinking for a couple seconds.
"Just oatmeal?" he asked. "They have great pancakes here."
"Oatmeal will be fine, thank you," she replied tersely as she stared out the window and refused to look at him.
"Ok, oatmeal it is," he hastily agreed.
He didn't think he was the smartest duck in the universe, but he liked to think he was smart enough not to upset someone who could turn him into crispy duck. He beat a quick retreat out of the Migrator and into the restaurant. It wasn't until he was putting in his order that he realized that she could just walk away or worse yet, she could just drive away with the battle van.
Ruby watched Wildwing trot across the parking lot and sighed. He was such a fine looking drake and she wished things were different. His wings had felt really nice when he held her and he smelled so good. She knew that he would never be interested in her and it made her feel even lonelier than before.
It would at least be nice to have a friend who actually had some common background with her. Her friends at the music shop were nice, but it just wasn't the same. She didn't know human history or politics and her grasp of human social problems was iffy at best.
However, companionship was going to be the least of her problems if she didn't find a source of income. While she liked being able to do what she liked, when she liked, she knew she was on borrowed time. Sooner or later, she would run out of money. Some inquiries about getting a job hadn't given her a lot of hope.
Then there was the matter of her wanting to move out of the area, if for no other reason than to put some more distance between herself and the Mighty Ducks. While Anaheim tolerated Wildwing and his team, and by extension, her, living there because they brought money into the city, the other cities weren't so welcoming to an alien duck moving within their boarders. She was, again, living someplace not really of her choosing, though she at least had a bit more freedom than before.
With another sigh, she got up and explored the inside of the Migrator. Her father had been a pilot and had taken her and her sister to a control center a few times. All of the different stations reminded her of those visits. She tried not to think about the loss of her family and how much she missed them.
With a disheartened sigh, she sat down in one of the chairs and tried her hardest not to think about the past or her current situation. She wondered what the Forest Lord could possibly want. Why would he need her to return to the meadow wearing that stupid dress?
She knew the air spirits wouldn't be able to answer her questions and she doubted the earth spirits would cooperate. They were under the Forest Lord's control and had to do his bidding. Asking other Elementals was completely out of the question. Elementals didn't tend to be very forthcoming with their plans with other Elementals, even if they were the same element.
She began to fret about what the Forest Lord could want. To make her wear this dress meant he intended for her to do something with the Phoenix. The very thought of the fire Elemental made her stomach tie itself in knots.
She got up and started to pace back and forth, the worry making it impossible to sit still. Back and forth she went, unable to get her mind off the Phoenix. She was in a near panic when Wildwing came bursting into the Migrator.