It was an early morning, around 05:00 AM, the sun didn't rise yet, and everyone was still asleep... except for Donald Duck, who was awakened by an odd sensation he didn't recognise yet. He had awakened in his houseboat for who knows what. He knew that there were no strangers in the manor and everyone was at peace, since he had checked the moment he woke up. Just when he was about to head back to his boat from the front yard, when he saw two cloaked figures approaching the gates at the corner of his eyes.

Before they could ring the doorbell, Donald hurried over and quickly addressed with his garbling voice that visitors are not available at the time.

"Hey, excuse me, sir, but visitors are not available at the moment, and this is private property!"

"What's wrong with him?" asked the smaller figure.

"Oh, it's nothing, he's just a bit raspy." The voice of the second one sounded a lot more familiar to Donald. The figure than removed the hood from his cloak, revealing two, big, black, circular ears. "Hey, pal."

"Mickey? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you see, this kid next to me is in a bit of pickle. I found this here hatchling in a crate which was addressed to the McDuck Manor... to be burned. But seemed to have been discarded along the way. I figured I would make the delivery, but without the flames. And, besides the circumstances I saw him in were very concerning, and I don't have the security to protect him." Donald looked down at the second figure, who had also removed his hood. It was a young duckling, just like his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, pal. Oh, and be careful about what you ask him, he doesn't seem talk about his past at all." Donald opened the gates and the little duckling entered, while Mickey went back to his car, which was parked somewhere in the distance. Donald only led him through the manor briefly, before taking him to his houseboat to get the remaining time they had for rest.

When the sun rose, Donald hid the duckling and went to join the family. Scrooge noticed Donald's slightly serious expression and brought it to question.

"Hey, Donald. What's got ye looking like ye seen a ghost?"

"Yeah, you look almost as if you were awakened." Della asked as well.

"I was..."

"Was there a break in?" Webby asked intrigued.

"No... Come down to the boat, I need to show you something. Someone, actually." The family followed Donald onto the boat. The duckling was closed inside of Donald's closet, without his cloak on, wearing nothing but an undershirt.

"Okay, you can come out now." When the duckling came out, Webby immediately began to bombard him with questions, just like Donald feared.

"Hey, what's your name? Have you escaped from a lab? Are you evil?"

"I should be concerned about those last two questions. And my name is also out of question, because I don't have one."

"What do you mean? Everyone has one."

"Well, I won't lie, I do have a name, but it's not exactly a real one. And even if I tell you, I won't be safe anymore because I'll be out on the streets again by then." Beakley's suspicions began to grow as the duckling said this.

"Please, what could possibly be so bad about telling us about a certain peculiar name?" she asked.

"Because then, even more questions would rise to the surface that I don't want to answer, and the result would be just like I told you, I'll be back on the outside of the gates with no security whatsoever. I mean it, my origins are that serious." Webby, of course, wasn't the type to just let the topic go.

"Come on, you can tell us."

"Nope. Can't be done, and there's no changing my mind. I am completely over my real name. It was anyways just a series of numbers... Based on my birthday, that is."

"Ooh. Let's go with that, let's explore your background. When is your birthday?"

"It was about seven days ago."

"Congratulations! What do you like to do?"

"Webby, take it easy on him." Donald told Webby, scooting her a bit further from the duckling. "Now, this kid was found by Mickey in a crate which was to be burned at our manor. He only gave him to us because he doesn't have the security to protect him from whatever he escaped from. And as far as I know, he doesn't have any family or parents. What do you think we should do, Scrooge?" The trillionaire duck looked down at the duckling and turned to the triplets.

"What do ye think, lads? Should we take him?"

"Absolutely. I'm all eyes and ears about this guy now, and I wanna party with him." Dewey responded quickly.

"As long as he doesn't cost me any trouble, I guess I'll be alright." Louie shrugged. Huey approached the duckling and took a good look at him. He had some odd sensation that the mysterious bird had some hidden potential within him. "What are you thinking, Huey?" the green triplet asked.

"Well, he nearly kissed the grill, and who knows who was planning to do such a thing. And, personally, I think it might be worth a shot to train this new guy into the family trope."

"What exactly do you do around here?" the duckling asked, suddenly concerned.

"We go on adventures." Webby said happily.

"I beg your pardon...?" Della quickly began to clarify.

"We travel across the globe, we visit many different places and we search for many different treasures." If the duckling wasn't white already, he would have gone as pale as a ghost.

"Is there anything I can do to get out of some?"

"Not while I'm around. I'll commence your training to become a proper adventurer the first chance we get." Huey said with determination.

"We? Now, I'm sorry, buddy, but I don't want to do anything with adventurous craziness. I don't handle trips and traps or ancient temples that well, especially not the ones that have curses upon them."

"If you're going to be staying with us, you'll have to be fit for this kind of stuff, whatever your name is."

"Not to mention the crash landings." Launchpad chuckled.

"Aw heck... just give me a new one for Pete's sake." Webby, ever the nicest extrovert of the bunch quickly got started.

"Okay. How about 'Phantom'?"

"'Phantom'? Who names a duckling 'Phantom'?"

"That's okay, we can always go with 'Nightflap'." The duckling's face only dropped at that suggestion.

"Is anyone else going to join on this, because I'm not expecting good results from her."

"I've got some." Della smiled. "How do you feel about the name 'Moonbeam'?"

"It doesn't have much of a ring to it, and it gives me the gut feeling that you're going to launch me into the moon someday."

"I promise you, if you're going to the moon, then nothing bad will come of it, and I will be there with you."

"No thanks."

"Alright, does 'Skip' or 'Braveheart' make you feel any better." The duckling thought for a moment and said.

"'Skip' is a good suggestion. 'Braveheart' doesn't apply to me at all. Does anyone else have a few?" Dewey cracked up a smile.

"Ooh, I love this game. Okay. 'Wingfoot'! 'Slipstream'!"

"A bit too literal." Launchpad also joined in.

"'Dusty'! 'Flappy'! 'Crashy'!"

"Oh, no, they would be just tempting of fate."

"You like 'Lucky' or 'Dimey'?" asked Louie.

"I think I preferred the latter."

"Well, if ye liked 'Dimey', then what do ye say about listening to my suggestions?"

"Bring it on, Mr. Scrooge."

"Right. I now say the following: 'Balthazar'."

"Okay."

"'Goldwing'."

"Oh, no, I can't take credit."

"'Boldwing'."

"No, it's just like 'Braveheart'."

"'Thistle'."

"Alright, that's another one on the list."

"The only suggestions I've got are 'Anatinus' and 'Valor'." Huey told the duckling.

"I'll add the latter." The duckling then turned to Donald Duck. "...Have you got anything, perchance?" Donald thought for a few seconds and then finally answered.

"What do you think about 'Rook'?" Della's expression sparked at the name.

"'Rook'... I think that actually fits."

"Yeah... like the chess piece, that starts on the back row, but then becomes the most powerful piece when it steps out."

"Uhh... Red, I wouldn't exactly say the word 'powerful' is what defines me."

"Your constant worrying is unnecessary." Beakley reassured the duckling. "You won't exactly be powerful, but you will start out small before starting your development." Launchpad, who was thinking about the name through all this time, also spoke up.

"You know, I'd also say that the name 'Rook' fits you. Because rookies eventually become professionals sooner or later." The duckling paused and made his decision.

"Okay, 'Rook' it is then."

"Welcome to the McDuck family, Rook" Della smiled, and the new duckling - No... Rook... has now found his new home.

"Family meeting!" Scrooge called. This was usually when the adventures started in the family, but this was all new to Rook, and he didn't consider the family going off on an adventure so soon, especially since it was his second day at the manor, now wearing a yellow shirt over his undergarment. "Alright, now today might not be the day Rook has asked for, but I've just found our new dose of adventure. Today, we're going to look for the Whispering Crown."

"They say it's an artefact that reveals one's true self." Huey told Rook

"You mean something that speaks back to you? No thanks."

"Come on, it'll be worth a shot for becoming an adventurer."

"Why are you so determined about this? Being an adventurer is not for me. This pointless expedition for a ridiculous whispering treasure is only going to be the end of me."

"Because it will help you step out of your comfort zone and face the world."

Travelling to the location on the Sunchaser, or the Cloud Slayer, was easy, the only challenge from there would be the trips and traps in the temple. As the group, which consisted of Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Della, arrived at the Amazon, they had quite a bit of a struggle of making Rook come along with them, who wasn't too keen, despite the accident-proof landing they had. Their journey to the temple was quick and simple, thanks to the jeep they had packed in the plane, and the map that Scrooge received in the mail.

"Why did I have to be given to a family of swashbucklers?"

"How else do ye think we are so rich to afford such securities necessary for ye?" Scrooge chuckled.

"That's fair, but do you ever about the consequences about these escapades?"

"It's only a beloved artefact waiting to be discovered in the heart of the unknown, and the unknown has many surprises, even delightful ones."

"Right..."

Eventually, the group arrived at the temple entrance and quickly walked in. Though the traps at the beginning were standard to the McDuck family, it became even more blatantly apparent that Rook was not the kind of material for these sort of things. Rook was constantly tripping over all the triggers and each and every time he was caught in all those traps, he stumbled, flailed, and screamed while dodging the projectiles, which included darts and swinging axes, and nearly falling down into a spiked pit. And what's more, when he narrowly escaped from the trap, he jumped into Della's arms. Huey, of course, expected this, and wasn't bothered at all, and just kept Rook pushing forward, much to his dismay.

After making it down a hallway and down a hole of some sort, the group was greeted with a cove filled with crystals. Eventually, as they kept going on, they noticed something quite odd; some of their reflections had some very peculiar differences in them. On one crystal, Louie's reflection was shown to be a dirty, homeless, and dishonest looking version of Louie on it.

"Sheesh, I'd hate to be that guy." Louie said as he went on. Huey and Dewey's reflections on the other hand, showed their ambitions.

"Wow, look at my guns." Dewey smiled.

"What a pity that I'm not this accomplished yet." Huey sighed. Finally, at another reflection in a crystal, Rook caught a look of himself in his undershirt again, and this time, he had a distorted, metal tag of some sort attached to his chest. Not only that, but he also had black and blue bruises on his right cheek, his left eye, his right knee, and his right elbow. His left arm had a bandage of some sort wrapped around it. After examining his reflection, Rook exhaled and moved along with the others.

"You alright?" Huey asked Rook.

"Yeah... Well, sort of, since I didn't want to be part of any of this. But if that's a way of asking whether I am taken aback by that reflection, it was very unsettling."

As the group kept moving forward, they came across a chasm with only a rickety old bridge leading over it. Rook now looked like he was about to bolt any minute, and drops from his forehead dropped down into the abyss below.

"Okay.. I take it this is the part where I turn back."

"Well, it looks like you'll be stepping out of your comfort zone, because we're all going across." Della told him. "But don't worry, we'll be with you all the way, and if you feel like you need me, I'll help you across."

"Come on, Rook, the crown awaits us." Huey ushered the yellow duckling forward. The bridge creaked as the group went across it. Rook's knees have never been seen so wobbly, as he slowly made his way across the bridge, gripping onto the edge with white-knuckle intensity, and he was profusely sweating from his forehead into the chasm.

"People, I just know that we're probably going to die from this." Louie only sighed at Rook's cowardice.

"It'll only happen faster because you're panicking."

"At least, someone who has a heart, take me back to the plane. I'm really not keen about this crown ordeal."

"Lad, rest assured, it will all be done with soon." Scrooge tried to comfort him. But then, there was a big bellow from the chasm, and the bridge began to shake. Rook sprung into the air with a loud scream, and bolted into Della's arms.

"IT'S HAPPENING! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!"

"Again, it'll only happen faster because you're panicking!" The bridge began to crumble and the ducks ran to the other side before it was too late. The bridge was gone, but the hopes of the McDuck family was not.

"Don't worry, Rook, there's always another way out." Rook was still shaking in Della's arms, not letting go or getting down to the ground at all.

"I swear, I'm not moving another muscle if the alternative exit is just as horrible as that bridge."

"Relax, the crown is just behind the passage. We'll grab it, and you'll be home safe and sound faster than Webby can win in a dart gun duel." Dewey said, patting him on the back. The group entered the passage and found themselves in the hall of the Whispering Crown. The crown wasn't the only treasure found in the room, there were also plenty of other artefacts, such as weapons, pottery, and even a little chariot of some sort. The crown glimmered on a pillar under a ray of light of some sort.

"Alright, lad, you do it."

"NO! Not a chance, Scrooge, I am not getting near that thing!"

"It's a crown, for Pete's sake, it's not going to bite you." Louie moaned.

"That's true, but it speaks back, and I'm not in the mood to speak to a supernatural force." Dewey's heart had gone even more out to the new duckling, so he tried to comfort him again.

"It's not that scary, it's like speaking to the ghost of a harmless and very wise old man. Just a harmless chat, nothing more."

"Well, someone else will have to get that thing, because I am NOT touching it." Suddenly, a bright light enveloped the hall, everything was white now, except for the crown. Then, a whisper left the artefact.

"You don't belong... Come back to us... You were meant to serve..." Rook began to shake with rage.

""Meant to serve", my tail feathers!" He then grabbed a rock and launched it at the crown. The moment the rock hit the crown, the room returned to normal, and the temple began to crumble. The crown fell to the ground and into a crevasse, where it would be sealed for all eternity.

As the temple started to rumble and fall apart, Rook's expression immediately shifted back to fear. With pure instinct, he pushed the group into the chariot and began to pull it out of the hall. When they exited, the temple has crumbled just about enough to cover the chasm. Rook pulled the chariot over the newly formed bumpy terrain and kept running with the group in tow, not wasting a single second. However, when the chariot was over the chasm it fell apart, but it didn't matter, because the McDuck family was back on their feet, ready to make a run for the temple doors.

The group had successfully made it out of the temple and made it back to the Sunchaser, or the Cloud Slayer safe and sound. Everyone was relieved and upbeat from the excitement of the expedition, but Rook was shaken up from the words of the crown. Huey approached him and spoke with a big, cheery smile.

"Nice job, Rook, you've just made your first step of becoming a proper adventurer."

"How? I tripped and fell over every single trap and lost your crown."

"That's true, but you've also followed the philosophy that some treasures were never meant to be found." As if Huey's words had struck him somewhere deep, Rook loosened up and lightly smiled.

"Well... I guess that's something to be proud of."

"See? Living with a family of swashbucklers isn't that bad. The first ride may be a bit bumpy, but you'll warm up to it eventually." Della smiled, as the Cloud Slayer flew back towards Duckburg.