Set early on within the series.

A buzz sounded from the door. Opening his eyes from his nightly meditation on the bedroom floor, Grin frowned. It was awfully late.

He pulled himself to a standing position, glancing at his COM to ensure he had not missed an alarm. With no notifications noted, he approached the door and pressed the command to open it.

Mallory stood outside, still in her hockey gear from the team's game earlier that night. Grin's frown deepened and he tilted his head questioningly at her.

Her left arm was pressed against her side with her right arm supporting it at the elbow. She had removed her helmet and neck guard, but was still attired in shoulder pads and the team's jersey.

She checked the empty hall before glancing up at him. "Can I come in?" she asked.

Grin studied her. Unable to decipher more from the question or her neutral demeanor, he silently nodded to her request and stepped to the side to allow the redhead entry.

She carefully stepped through, walking forward a few steps before turning to face the larger duck. Grin pressed a button on his console, allowing the doors to slide shut, and waited patiently.

"I have a favor to ask," she said.

His expression silently told her to continue.

"I hurt my shoulder tonight." She motioned her head towards the afflicted limb she was cradling, before looking up at him. "Are you able to help set it?"

Grin did not answer right away. Without her helmet or neck guard, Mallory appeared dwarfed in her hockey uniform. Her hair and face feathers were matted down from dried sweat, indicating she had not been able to do more than remove her head protection and ice skates since the game.

Their game ended four hours ago.

Grin let out a long, steady breath, but did agree to her request. He walked past her and gestured to the end of his bed.

Mallory carefully followed, her steps slow and steady to prevent unnecessary jostling of her arm. She stopped next to the larger duck, awaiting his instructions.

"Why did you hide your injury?" he asked.

She did not make eye contact. "It's … I didn't realize the extent."

"You do not trust us."

That brought her eyes to him sharply. "I do trust you," she retorted heatedly. In the next breath, however, she shakily sighed and added, "Sorry."

Grin watched her momentarily before closing the distance between them. "May I see?"

She nodded to him.

"Are you able to remove the jersey and shoulder pads?"

She shook her head. "No, I've already tried. I can't … I can't move this shoulder, at all."

A grimace washed over Mallory's face then, as she apparently tried to do just that when speaking.

Grin reached for her arm. "May I, then?"

"Yes."

The large duck carefully helped Mallory pull the jersey over her head. Her underlying shoulder pads had to be unclipped from her upper arms before pulling them over her head, as well.

With a basic purple tank top underneath, Grin was able to see the full extent of her injury. Her left arm was motionless and sitting low, with the typical jutting of the top of the humerus to the collar bone unnaturally angled towards her back.

Mallory was breathing unevenly, fresh sweat glistening through her feathers. Her gaze was obviously pained and remained fixated on the floor.

"How did you know?" Grin asked.

"What?" she replied, barely glancing at him.

"How did you know your shoulder was dislocated?"

"Oh," she breathed out. She smirked a little, then, trying her best to shrug with her intact arm. "It's not the first time."

Grin frowned. When he did not respond to her comment, she braved another glimpse his way and sighed. "Par for the course in the military, Grin." She hummed to herself. "I've been able to set it myself before, though. Not sure why I can't this time."

"It is a posterior dislocation. It must be set with assistance."

Mallory blinked at his observation, glancing down at her shoulder. She raised a brow at him when they returned eye contact. "Sounds like I'm not the only one who's experienced with this."

"It was not I who had the dislocated shoulder," Grin simply stated.

There was a moment of shock on Mallory's face before it settled to neutral. She did not respond to his comment.

Grin let out a small hum as he studied the injury. "I will need to position my hand against your back and arm."

Mallory nodded.

"It will hurt."

She did not flinch. "I know."

Taking that as his cue, Grin placed one large hand against the back of Mallory's left shoulder, with the other gripping her bicep. He paused, readjusting his hold, and then in one swift motion pulled the upper arm up while pushing the shoulder forward and into its joint.

There was a sickening pop as the bone realigned into its socket. Mallory let out a gasp and her legs buckled beneath her. Grin easily caught her small form before she hit the ground and slowly helped lower her to sit on the edge of the bed.

She remained silent but took in large gulps of air. After several steadying breaths she whispered, "Thank you."

"It should be braced," Grin responded.

"I know. I will," she agreed.

Grin watched as Mallory carefully tested her mobility with the set shoulder. She grimaced with each minor movement, but it was clear she was in control of the limb again.

His gaze shifted toward his meditation circle on the floor. It was a nightly ritual he practiced and consisted of a simple pacifist's rug and a Winter Heliotrope-scented candle.

He had brought the rug with him on this journey to Earth. The candle, however, was the closest thing he could find that mimicked the scent of Puckworld's El'aes, a flavorful nut revered in the pacifist's culture for its many uses.

The nut's oil had an aroma that was rich and heavy and reminded Grin of the iced meadowlands of his sensei's teaching grounds.

Taking the time to sit cross-legged in his meditation circle, Grin stated, "Pain is certain, but suffering is optional."

Mallory had since closed her eyes as she continued to test her arm, but opened them at that quote. "What?"

"Vulnerability does not equate to weakness," he vaguely offered.

Mallory let out an exasperated breath. "It does when they use it against you."

"Who is 'they'?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped, though there was no venom in her voice. She grimaced and shifted her hold so her left elbow could be supported with her right hand. "When you grow up in a world that's against you, it turns trust into a crapshoot."

Grin contemplated her answer. "Yet you state you trust us?"

Mallory did not respond. After a moment of awkward silence, Grin subtly nodded his head towards the floor.

She hesitated, but eventually agreed to the request by silently lowering herself to the ground next to Grin. She carefully crossed her legs, taking longer in the action as she continued to favor her left arm.

"Let us meditate," Grin announced, shutting his eyes and relaxing his hands over crossed knees.

With only a sliver of a peek, he watched as Mallory reluctantly placed herself in a similar position.

"State what occurred," he said.

"Why?"

"Why did you hide it?"

Mallory opened her eyes, but Grin continued to feign that his were fully closed. She frowned. "I didn't … I –" she let out a small growl before sighing out, "I don't know."

"Then state what occurred," Grin repeated.

"How will this help?" Mallory argued.

"Listen to understand."

The redhead rolled her eyes, enough that Grin had to hide a small smirk. He watched as she returned to her meditative position before fully closing his own eyes. "Okay, whatever. It was at the end of the game when I got checked." She paused. "I feel like this is obvious."

"Perhaps," Grin agreed, "yet you hid your pain."

Everything occurred in seconds.

Grin had been protecting their goal and pushed away the other team's left winger before he could line up a shot against Wildwing. Grin easily gained possession of the puck and passed it to Mallory as she rounded the net.

The Ducks already had a one-point lead. With only seconds left in the game, it was simply reassurance to get the puck away from their net.

Grin did not check humans very often, and when he did it was akin to a tap against the boards. The ducks did not allow such brutal shoving of players in their version of hockey back home.

They had only set foot on Earth a couple months ago. It was serendipitous that they had found the right ally in Phil and were able to quickly participate in a sport that was an integral part of their culture.

But adjusting to Earth's violent nature of hockey had been a difficult learning curve.

Grin's own childhood history of aggression and bullying made him even more cautious of the act. It was a slippery slope to allow such a rough maneuver like checking in hockey, as the heated exchanges led to an increased number of penalties and brawls throughout the season.

As Mallory skated to center line, the left winger recovered swiftly and slipped behind Grin to give chase.

The redhead heard the winger coming and deftly lowered into a defensive position, never taking her focus off the puck in her possession. The timer ticked down to one second and she was already nearing the halfway mark.

It would be impossible for the winger to steal the puck and make a shot from there.

But he did not attempt to intercept the puck. The winger simply sped up and slammed into Mallory's side, shoving her four feet across the ice before they both collided with the boards.

"OH! MAL IS CHECKED HAAARD!"

The buzzer sounded immediately afterwards, signaling the end of the third period.

Boos erupted at the winger's illegal checking. Mallory had slid into a seated position after the collision, while her opponent managed to stay upright and push away from the wall. He blew a kiss to the crowd—making them boo louder—before bending over Mallory to say something.

The referee blew his whistle and signaled with both hands. The winger rolled his eyes at the minor penalty he received and skated to his team.

Grin never understood the purpose of a penalty at zero seconds. It was a useless tactic, since the game was finished and the damage already done.

As the opposing team gathered around the other side of the ice, Grin skated to Mallory and arrived at the same time as Duke.

The redhead was sitting with her back against the boards and was struggling to stand up.

"Are you injured?" Grin asked, extending his hand to her. She did not take it.

Duke kneeled and instead chose a blunt approach. "Where ya hurtin', Sweetheart?"

"I'm fine," she answered brusquely. "Give me a second." She waved them both away and tried to stand again. She grimaced but succeeded, albeit wobbly.

Grin noticed that her left arm stayed pressed to her side.

As Mallory stood the crowd cheered. The rest of the team reached her just as she offered a friendly wave with her right hand to them.

"Are you alright?" Wildwing asked.

Mallory did not reply and ignored her other teammates' concerned stares. She gave one last wave to the stands and slowly made her way off the ice rink. Duke shrugged helplessly when Wildwing looked to him for answers.

Their leader sighed but motioned to Nosedive. "Take your victory lap little bro, that extra point was all you."

"Woot!" Nosedive hollered out, easily gathering loud cheers from the fans as he skated the perimeter.

Grin let out a deep exhale and opened his eyes. Mallory had an unfocused glare on the candle centered between them.

She had not commented on his earlier statement, so he tried again. "What you hide controls you."

Mallory glowered at him. "I didn't hide anything, it … my…." she stumbled on her words. "I … yes, it hurt. Getting checked hurts." She let out a curt breath. "I wasn't trying to hide anything from you guys."

"From the opponent, then."

"I … yes." There was uncertainty in her response.

"What did he say to you?" Grin asked.

Mallory did not answer right away. Her scowl persisted, however, and her focus wandered over Grin's room.

A muffled motor kicked in from the ceiling. The candle's flame nearly blew out, but ultimately held steady as the central air system blew cooler air into the room.

It was winter in Southern California, but the temperature outside was a balmy 24 degrees Celsius, and stuffier in the Pond since it was underground and heavily insulated.

Mallory cleared her throat, catching Grin's attention. Her voice was rough when she muttered, "He said … that it was like snapping a toothpick."

Grin considered her admission. "Do you agree?"

She looked at him crossly. "Of course I don't agree, Grin. Why would you even ask that?"

The pacifist was not surprised at all by her reaction. He ignored the accusatory question and instead shut his eyes to return to meditating. "The mind is everything. What you think, you become."

"Yeah?" she sarcastically replied. "Well, I don't think it." He could hear her shifting and wondered if she had decided to leave.

Silence lingered after that, before a long sigh finally escaped. "I just … I'm so tired of it."

The vulnerability in her tone did not go unnoticed. Grin kept his eyes closed as he stated, "Long is the mile to whom is tired."

She scoffed. "That must be an Earth quote."

Grin smiled. "Yes, it is Buddha."

"He a pacifist too?"

"Was, yes." The gray duck took in a deep, calming breath, absorbing the smells and sounds in his voluntary darkness. "What do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Of yourself."

"About myself?" Mallory asked, sounding perplexed at the question. She was quiet as she thought, before tsking out loud. "Does it matter?"

"It does."

Silence followed and Grin only briefly peeked open an eye to see that Mallory appeared lost at the question. She searched the ground for answers before slowly replying, "I … I think I've spent most of my life trying to impress my father and brothers, failing at the former and overcorrecting with the other."

Grin did open both eyes at that before tilting his head at her. She noticed and simply shrugged.

"I've worked hard to be where I am now, but no one believes it, not as a McMallard." She let out a snort. "I was so desperate to prove myself that I misspelled my last name when I applied to the military. They figured it out quick, but for the first set of trials I was only a nobody McAllard trying to get into the elite Forces."

"Did you succeed?"

"After they found out they didn't really test me." She breathily laughed, but it was coated in bitterness. "They were afraid of my father, which was ironic since he wanted me in slippers at home waiting on a mate." Mallory looked up at Grin, then, an unusual essence of mirth in her expression. "But no one fails a McMallard, so in the end I got accepted. My father was so pissed."

"And you have proven yourself," Grin easily agreed.

"Ha, don't know about that."

"You are here, are you not?" he countered. "You were chosen."

Mallory shook her head. "Canard picked me because I was the least likely to butt heads with him." She let out a sarcastic laugh. "We see where that's led us."

Grin was persistent. "You walk the path."

"Of subordination?"

"Of righteousness."

He was serious (if not indignant) with his gaze, and Mallory's own softened from its intensity. She smirked, brows lifting briefly as she smiled to herself. "… I hope so."

Content with her response, Grin nodded and closed his eyes. They remained like that for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.

"This is from Puckworld, isn't it?"

Grin blinked and followed Mallory's observation to his pacifist's rug. It was circular and about a meter in diameter, so the two ducks only partially sat on the fringed edging. Mallory's right hand brushed the worn material, tracing a deep purple pattern hidden in the rich brown background. Thin gold thread was laced throughout, briefly reflecting in the candle's warm glow.

"I recognize this pattern," she added when Grin hummed a yes to her previous question. "It's the armor of the First Fallen."

The First Fallen was in reference to the Great War, for the brave souls that stood in defense against the onslaught of Saurians attacking the capitol city. The pattern was something between a tear drop and a snowflake, each border intricately decorated with beautiful geometric stars. The pattern became a coat of arms to their culture, representing solidarity and bravery.

It honored those that gave their lives to help civilians evacuate when the Great War first began.

"It's beautiful," Mallory said.

"My sensei's grandmother wove it. He gifted it to me before I began my travels."

"Where did you go?"

Grin smiled. "I sought to help others find the path of righteousness, as my sensei did for me."

Mallory provided her own warm smile in return. "He sounds noble and true."

"He was," Grin quietly corrected.

Empathy washed over his teammate's expression. "I'm sorry," she genuinely offered.

He bowed to her condolences. Grin had planned to return the pacifist's rug to his sensei's family upon hearing of his passing, but the Invasion occurred soon after.

He was thankful his mentor never had to bear witness to the atrocities of the Next Great War.

"Can …" the redhead paused, considering her next words, "can I ask how he helped you change your ways?"

Memories flooded Grin's thoughts as he considered his response. He had spent so much of his life weaponizing his size to protect himself from vulnerability. Most of the world perceived him as a threat, anyways, and never took the time to discover his true inner self.

He was only judged as an orphan, born from hardship and destined to follow its path.

Eventually, Grin realized it was easier to play the part others had concocted for him, instead of trying to convince them otherwise. It was a defensive tactic that perpetuated a life of solitude.

"Without a guiding light, I protected myself from others by playing into my appearance." Grin let out a long, steady breath and focused on releasing the tension in his muscles. "They were afraid of me, so I let them be. In the end, I was alone."

"Never judge a book by its cover," Mallory quietly said. Grin looked down at her. "We can all learn from that."

He nodded. "My sensei showed me how to follow my own path. To be true to myself, and to respect all, regardless of their actions. It took time, but others stopped being afraid of me.

"I … stopped being afraid, as well."

Mallory frowned. "You were afraid?"

Grin hummed. "It is hard to be truly seen."

"But you're such a formidable opponent."

He shook his head. "Yes, but it is not how I wish to be seen."

It was not meant to be sad, only a fact. Mallory's frown only deepened, however. "I understand."

The pacifist nodded at her. "You are a formidable opponent, as well."

She rolled her eyes briefly, offering a small smile. "It's not exactly their first impression of me, though."

"Perhaps," he replied. "We are two ends of a spectrum, walking the same line."

Mallory adjusted her injured arm but smirked at his analogy. "I guess. Still tired of being looked at like a toothpick someone can snap."

Grin shrugged nonchalantly. "And I do not wish to be feared for simply existing."

"You're not, Grin."

"And you are not a toothpick that can be snapped."

They maintained eye contact then, and Grin felt a deeper connection to the resident "hothead" of the team. First impressions are hard to overcome, but both he and Mallory had fought an army to prove themselves.

It was humbling to see that inner strength in another.

Mallory's smile held genuine gratitude when she said, "Thank you."

Grin bowed to her. "You are welcome." He motioned to the center candle, adjusting his crossed legs. "Now, let us resume before we head to the infirmary."

He closed his eyes just as Mallory preemptively nodded. It took an additional few seconds before he heard the exasperated groan.

"Grin."

He chuckled.

fin