"Huey?!", shouted Donald and Fethry in unison.
"Yeah..", whimpered the charred rooster. "That little hellion wants to send me to see Black Heron! A fate worse than death! That's why I'm here! So, please…"
Steelbeak picks up both Donald and Fethry before shaking them.
"…SAVE ME!"
The rooster drops them on the ground after that before walking in circles, nervously mumbling to himself.
The cousins knew very well how Huey inherited the infamous McDuck temper and how the journey to help him process it was a difficult path. Although not as deadly as Donald's, Huey's anger could send even the most secure adult into a state of terror. Case in point…
"Steelbeak?", Donald asked as he lifted him and Fethry off the floor. "What did you do?"
The frightened rooster stopped walking midway. "WHAT!?", exclaimed Steelbeak. "I told ya, you're boy's the one comin' after me!"
"I know", said Donald before he walked up to the rooster and pulled him by the charred collar to look him straight in the eyes. "And again..", the duck spoke in a calm, yet threatening manner. "What..did…you…do?"
Steelbeak stood up to him in defiance. "Oh, that's right. Blame the former former F.O.W.L. agent! Gotta be my fault, huh?", bellowed the rooster.
Donald only responded by raising his eyebrow.
"Bubbles, you're on my side, right?", asked Steelbeak.
Fethry responds, "I'm not calling you a liar, Shiny..."
The rooster grinned with praise for his boyfriend's loyalty.
"..but I want to hear the Lil' Donald's side of…whatever this was too", continued Fethry.
Steelbeak quickly frowned at hearing this. "Ok, what happened was.. well ya see it started when I.."
SLAM!
The front door opens wide, revealing a furious, disheveled Huey, in burnt and tattered clothes, standing on the other side. He was breathing heavily, had red eyes, and a set of shark-like teeth replaced his normal set. Anyone who knows him knew that whenever he looked like that, it was time to settle your affairs.
"Steelbeak…", the red triplet called in a deep, demonic voice. "Where would you like me to bury your wattle in?".
"Mother…", whimpered the rooster, slowly stepping back.
Then, Huey lets out an animalistic roar before attempting to pounce on Steelbeak but was stopped when a pair of familiar arms caught him in mid-air.
"Huey, control yourself", demanded Donald as he held his enraged nephew in a gentle grasp.
The boy in red, trying to wrangle out of Donald's arms, shouted, "NOT UNTIL I RIP OFF HIS CROWN AND SHOVE IT IN…!"
"Language, Huey!", interrupted Donald.
While this was going on, Fethry was caressing Steelbeak on the head to ease his fears while they were witnessing this tantrum from the sidelines.
Huey continued spouting unintelligible shouts and shaking erratically in his uncle's arms before Donald had enough. He carried his nephew to the couch and placed Huey chest down. Then, Donald used his finger to rub circles in Huey's back. "Shhh…Shhh…I'm here…I'm here…", said the sailor calmly.
The volatile woodchuck scout started hyperventilating. Soon, after several minutes of his uncle soothing him, Huey's breathing gradually got slower until he finally got control of The Duke of Making a Mess.
"Better, my doineann beag?", asked Donald.
Huey calmly answers, "The Duke has been tamed. Thank you, Uncle Donald."
Once Huey's temper subsided, the cousins finally took notice that he looked like he walked through a burning building. Panicking, Donald checked every inch of Huey's body for burns or other injuries. Fethry left his boyfriend's side to also examine the red-clad nephew for any bruises.
"Huey, what happened to you? Are you hurt?", asked Donald.
"Were you and Shiny attacked, Lil' Donald?", questioned Fethry.
"What…happened?..", Huey asked, sarcastically, yet frighteningly calm..
Then, Huey slowly pointed in anger at the cowering Steelbeak before slowly shouting, "HE…HAPPENED!..".
All three pairs of eyes turned to the roasted rooster.
GULP!
…was Steelbeak's first response before letting out a nervous chuckle.
"N-n-now Red…", he pleaded while scratching the back of his neck. "Y'know it was an accident. I told ya a dozen times on the chase over here. I mean I admit I'm the last bird in this room to be to be teachin' values and morals and that other Sunday school stuff but…"
"YOU RUINED EVERYTHING, YOU DIMWITTED GALLUS DOMESTICUS!", interrupted Huey, with the Duke slowly taking hold of him again.
"Huey, please control yourself!", demanded Donald.
"But Uncle Donald, he…"
"Calm down first", Donald asked in a soft, yet stern tone.
This was enough to silence Huey and give him time to destress.
Now, his uncle can get to the bottom of this bizarre scenario.
Donald looked up at the Steelbeak and firmly asked, "Alright, Steel, what did you do this time?"
"Hey! Wait a…"
Fethry walked up to the roasted rooster and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Then, he tried to persuade his cousin. "Now, Donald we need to be fair about this. Let us not pre-judge here."
Incensed by what he just heard, Huey shouted "So, you're taking his side already!?"
"No, no, no, Lil' Donald! I just want to be impartial. We need to have clear heads about this…"
"Having a clear head is the reason why you chose Major Metalmouth over there!"
If you listen close enough, you might be able to hear the sound of a crack forming on Fethry's poor, pure heart.
As Donald was about to scold his nephew for his flippant remark, someone else unwisely decided to beat him to the punch.
"Hey, don't talk to your uncle like that!"
Everyone in the room was in shock at where this argument led to, including Steelbeak, who quickly covered his own mouth once he realized his brain and his beak had a slight disconnect. Both cousins angrily approached Steelbeak, ready to lay down the law with him. The first to speak was Fethry.
"Shiny! That is not .."
"Who are you to talk to my boy like that? You have no authority to discipline him", loudly interrupted by Donald.
"Exactly! You crossed the line. Now Shiny, I know.."
"Cause if you think for a second that being Fethry's guard dog gives you special privileges", Donald, once again, cut in. "You are sorely mistaken!".
The temperamental duck advanced menacingly toward Steelbeak as if he just committed the greatest offense to his family. The large rooster slowly backed away, nervously sweating, and regretting ever getting out of bed this morning. "N..Now Sailor Boy, I didn't mean..", stammered Steelbeak.
Before Steelbeak could even finish a sentence, Donald clamped his beak shut with one hand. "See here, you James Pond villain knock-off..."
"Donald, please. H..", Fethry interjected while pointing something in his favorite cousin's direction.
"Not now, Fethry!", Donald snapped at his cousin before turning his attention back to the crispy chicken in his grasp. "As I was saying, we are a LOOONG way from being friends, let alone family.."
While Donald was in the middle of his tirade, something caught Steelbeak's eye that distracted him from fear but still caused concern. Either brave or stupid, he decided it was wise to interrupt the enraged sailor to bring it to his attention. In a muffled voice, he managed to utter "Uh…Donnie, perhaps now's not the best time…"
"QUIET!"
As his face began to glow like a red police light, Donald managed to squeeze the rooster's beak even tighter. "Whether it be in my uncle's mansion, my houseboat, in the plane, on a mission, wherever!...YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THE AUTHORITY FIGURES!"
It was at that moment that Fethry had enough.
"DONALD!"
"WHAT?!"
In response, a visibly displeased Fethry gestured over to Donald's left, leading Donald to look in that same direction before looking down. Then, what Donald saw stopped his tantrum, yet filled him with a large amount of guilt: his young boy growing scared at the sight of one of his uncle's iconic outbursts.
Growing up, it was a common occurrence for Huey, Dewey, and Louie to witness Donald losing control of his temper. It has caused moments of public shame, annoyance and worst of all, fear, especially among the triplets. Unknown to the boys at the time, Donald has been trying to take responsibility for his anger issues ever since he became their guardian. In an act of maturity, he decided to enlist professional help to assist him. He wanted to be able to protect his kids. He wanted to make sure nothing would harm them.
…that HE would not harm them.
Twelve years later, a new challenge to Donald's parenting came to his attention.
He discovered that his logical, responsible eldest boy had inherited the same affliction he carries. This revelation led Donald to realize there were still major changes to be made to help his children.
He could not behave this way in front of Huey or any of his kids. Not again.
This needed to be fixed.
So, Donald closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
Inhale…Exhale…Inhale…Exhale…Inhale…Exhale..
Done.
With a proud grin on his face, Donald thought, "Thank you, Neighbor Jones". Now, time to get back to business.
"Come on, Huey. Let's clean you up", Donald tenderly said to his pacified nephew before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "While we're patching you up, you can tell me your side of the story, ok?"
"Ok, Uncle Donald", answered Huey, meekly. "Thank you."
While he escorts his nephew to the door, Donald looks back at Fethry with a serious look. He motioned his eyes in Steelbeak's direction. Fethry showed he understood Donald's silent message by nodding.
With evidence of his cousin's understanding, Donald smiled before continuing to accompany Huey to retrieve the first aid kit.
Once Donald and Huey were out of the room, Fethry turned back to Steelback with a blank, yet stern stare aimed at him.
"OK, Shiny, what did you do?"
"WHAT?!", exclaimed Steelbeak, offended by the accusations from his naturally empathetic boyfriend. "You said you there'd be no prejudging!"
"I know I said that", stated Fethry, matter-of-factly. "Now, tell me what you did."
Despite his reputation of being gullible and scatterbrained, Fethry can have moments of perception, especially when it comes to his family and those closest to him. This is one of the traits that Steelbeak admired most about him when they first became friends .
With a heavy sigh, the rooster decided to let his boyfriend's slick remark go and just come clean.
"Alright, Bubbles, I'll start from the beginning", declared Steelbeak. "But before I do.."
In an instant, the larger rooster wrapped the shorter bird in a warm embrace before placing a tender kiss on the forehead. Then, as the two lovers slowly faced each other, Fethry looked up at his boyfriend with a bewildered look on his face.
"What was that for?", asked Fethry.
"Cause when I tell you the story, you'd might kill me before Huey and Donald do."
