68"What have you got there, Wraith?" Lord Dragaunus asked as he came into the wizard's workshop and saw the three glowing orbs floating above the table.
"Duck feathers," Wraith answered as he carefully picked an orb and held it out for his lord to examine.
"Planning on stuffing a pillow?" Lord Dragaunus questioned while he carefully looked at the feather. "This isn't even a whole feather."
"Oh how I would love to fill my pillow with the feathers from this duck," Wraith replied. "This feather comes from a very special duck."
"What's so special about it?" Lord Dragaunus demanded as he handed the orb back. "None of those miserable mallards are that color."
"This isn't from Wildwing's team," Wraith explained to his master. "This feather came from a Puckworld mage. That strange energy reading we got was from the portal that brought him here."
"What!?" Lord Dragaunus shouted as his eyes took on a menacing glow and smoke came out of his nostrils. "You told me they were all dead!"
"I had assumed that the curse my dark ancestors had put on them would have done the job," Wraith responded, only slightly cowed by his lord's outburst. "It appears at least one has survived. But with these feathers, he will soon be taken off of the endangered species list and put on the extinct one. And if everything goes according to plan, the rest of the ducks will be joining him."
Wraith explained his plans for the ducks using the pieces of feather he found. As the plans unfolded, Lord Dragaunus's ire cooled and his evil laugh echoed down the corridors of The Raptor.
He stepped outside into the cool morning air after being shooed out by the nurses. When they said outside, they meant OUTSIDE!
"Wildwing here," he finally said into his communicator.
"There you are!" Tanya exclaimed. "I've been calling you for, like, the past five minutes."
"Sorry about that," he replied. "I couldn't respond where I was and had to leave before I could answer."
"Well, anyway, we're ready to go," she informed him. "Where the heck are you?"
"Ok," he responded. "Take the team and head for the site. Make sure you check along the river at the bottom of the hill too. I'm working on a lead here in town, so I won't be coming with you."
"Ok, will do," she replied before disconnecting.
Now that the blue beak was awake, there was no point in bringing in the team. In fact, it would probably be a hindrance since she might see it as an attack. Right now he needed to convince the nurses and doctors that he had her best interests at heart. Convincing them wouldn't be a problem, her on the other hand...
He was still trying to figure out what had been up with that spark. It hadn't killed him like all of those stories said would happen, which he was quite happy about. Still, she gave him the creeps with her blue beak and glowing eyes and the way she dried herself off. He shuddered at the memory of her entire body starting to glow a dull red, like a burning ember.
Creepy glowing eyes and body aside, she still was the only one who knew where the mask was. He was just going to have to make her believe that she needed his help to adjust to living on this world. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that since he doubted his team would be too thrilled about having her live with them. Putting her on the team just wasn't going to work.
His stomach suddenly rumbled and he realized he had skipped dinner. He saw a coffee shop across the street and headed for it to find something to eat. While waiting in line, he figured that maybe he should bring her something too. If he missed dinner because he was too busy, then she most certainly had since she had been unconscious all that time.
He slowly made his way to the front trying to think what she might like. He didn't want to disappoint her by getting something she wouldn't like. He gave himself a quick mental shake.
"What is wrong with me?" he quietly grumbled to himself.
Why should he care if she liked what he brought? Ok, if she hated it, she might not cooperate. But it was the thought that counted, right?
He stared at the food display and tried to think of what to bring her. Should he get her something sweet or something hearty? What about something to drink? Hot? Cold? Straight coffee or a blended drink?
In the end, he just doubled his own order and hoped for the best. He worried about being gone too long, in case she decided to tell people that he was the reason she was in the hospital in the first place. As soon as he had the food and drinks, he turned to leave and came face to face with his adoring fans.
He sighed with resignation and put down the food and drinks. As soon as they were safely out of the way, he started to sign autographs and had his picture taken with more people than he thought actually live in Anaheim.
By the time he made it back to her room, his hand was only just starting to uncramp and the spots in front of his eyes were beginning to fade. At least the owner of the shop had been nice enough to get him fresh drinks as the first ones had cooled to lukewarm temperatures. With what he hoped was a pleasant look on his face, he entered her room.
She was back in the bed and the head of the bed had been raised so she could lean back and watch the TV. She was still wearing the dress, but the belt was now laying on the nightstand. A quick glance at the TV showed it was on the local news channel.
"Oh, you're back," she said with all of the enthusiasm of someone who had been told she had to go through an unpleasant medical procedure.
"I got you some coffee and breakfast," he said trying to sound cheerful.
"The Mask isn't for sale," she stated as she turned her attention back to the TV.
"Even if I was trying to buy the mask back, I wouldn't be trying to buy it with a cup of coffee and a pastry," he retorted before pulling his ire in. "Listen, I'm just trying to make peace. You're new to this planet. I just want to help out."
She chuckled low in her throat and he frowned at her.
"What's so funny?" he asked, a bit peeved.
"You," she replied with a smirk. "I can detect a lie a mile away, so you might as well save it for someone who will actually believe you. You aren't bringing me peace offerings because you want to help or you feel sorry for me or you want to be my friend. I don't need my powers to tell that the only thing you want is The Mask."
"Listen, the Saurians are on this planet," he heatedly told her. "Without the mask, we won't be able to defeat them."
"The truth," she conceded with a nod. "Or at least the truth that you believe. However, you've been here for over a year and you still haven't caught them, even though you had The Mask. Maybe doing without it will help you with your fighting skills."
"We've at least kept them from taking over this planet," he shot back. "But we won't even be able to do that if we don't have the mask."
"Even if I wanted to, I can't just give you The Mask," she sighed as she shifted around in the bed, pulling her long hair over her shoulder so she was no longer sitting on it.
"Why not?" he demanded.
"Because you haven't earned it," she answered.
"I've been leading my team for over a year," he snapped, his patience thinning. "We have kept Lord Dragaunus and his goons from taking over this planet. We've even helped the humans with their own villains."
"While that's all very admirable, it doesn't change the fact that you didn't earn the right to wear it," she calmly replied.
"So, how do I earn the right?" he demanded.
"You must accept and complete The Challenge," she answered.
"Ok, how do I take this challenge?" he asked.
"Well, first, we get back to Puckworld," she told him.
"Sorry, I don't have a dimensional gateway generator handy," he growled.
"Well, there was that handy portal that brought me here," she sweetly replied. "Too bad you blew it up."
"I couldn't let you get away with the mask," he shot back.
"Instead, you've stranded me here and you still don't have The Mask," she pointed out. "If you had followed me through the portal, you could have had a chance to go through The Challenge."
"Did Canard take this challenge to get the mask?" he questioned.
"Yes," she answered simply.
"What is this challenge?" he asked. "Can't you set up something here and let me take it?"
She let out a less than ladylike snort.
"The Challenge was designed and created by dozens of mages over the past several centuries," she informed him. "It tests a duck's heart, compassion, courage and wisdom. It's not something to be taken lightly."
"What's a mage?" he questioned a bit perplexed by the term.
"I'm a mage," she nearly growled in response.
"But you're a blue beak," he stated without thinking and then saw her eyes start to glow as her face became a mask of anger.
"Go away," she snarled.
Belatedly, he realized that blue beak was probably more of a derogatory term than a complementary one for her. Luckily for him, before she could blast him into a pile of smoldering feathers, a nurse came in.
"Oh good, you're back," the nurse happily said upon seeing him. "The doctor didn't want to release her until he was sure she had a place to go. He's making the rounds right now, but he should be in soon. As soon as he signs her off, you'll be free to go."
The nurse left as quickly as she had come and the room was silent except for the TV. She was pointedly not looking at him and instead was glaring at the TV. He hung his head and it took him several seconds to remember what he was holding. He moved to the far side of the bed, gently putting the bag and coffees down on the nightstand.
"Here's your food," he softly said.
He took his cup and sat down in the chair that he had tried to sleep in all night. She didn't say anything and made no move to touch the food or drink. He let out a quiet sigh and watched the news with her.
She hadn't thrown him out the window, so that was a good sign, he hoped. At least she hadn't objected to the nurse suggesting she leave with him. Of course, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with her once he had her out of there. Would one of his holding cells even be able to hold her?
He sat there, drinking his coffee, wondering if he should apologize. On the one wing, he had obviously insulted her. On the other, she had taken the mask.
He scowled at nothing, trying to figure out what to do. Why did he care what she felt? She was a thief, he was pretty sure. It wasn't like she could back up her claim that she was...What did she call herself?...a Keeper of The Mask of Drake DuCaine. Yeah, right.
The volume was suddenly turned up on the TV. He looked up at the screen and immediately cringed. They were doing a piece on the exhibition game they were doing in a couple of nights, making sure to mention that they had won the Stanley Cup last season.
"I can see you've been working really hard to catch the Saurians," she stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"The Saurians have been hiding since we got here," he explained "Trying to convince the humans they're here without proof would only make them think we're crazy. Playing hockey is our front. When we're not playing, we're looking for them."
"Like you were yesterday?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" he shot back angrily. "We're not allowed to take a break every once and a while?"
"I'm sure Lord Dragaunus doesn't mind at all putting his plans on hold while you and your team go on a picnic," she retorted.
He scowled at her. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"You getting anything with that thing?" Mallory asked while she searched under some bushes.
"I'm, you know, getting plenty of readings, but they're confusing," Tanya admitted as she carefully scanned the meadow with the hand held device. "The energy readings are all over the place."
"You mean that there's so much energy from the explosion that it's overloading your gizmo?" Duke tried to clarify.
"I mean that there's more than one type of energy signature and it's confusing my energy reader," Tanya replied grumpily.
"Well, here might be part of your problem," Mallory stated, pointing to the ground.
The other two came over to see what she had found.
"Looks like Siege came and paid a visit last night after we left," Mallory said with disgust while glaring at the foot and tail prints in the mud.
"That's actually good," Tanya declared as she started fiddling with her device. "I can set the reader to discount the energy readings from the Saurian's teleporter."
Mallory and Duke went back to looking for the mask while Tanya kept making adjustments.
"There!" Tanya happily exclaimed a short time later. "That should do it."
Tanya then proceeded to go over to the blast site and take readings from the blackened spot on the ground. She was kneeling next to the small crater before a random thought came to her.
"You know, guys, I've been thinking," Tanya said as she refined the readings she was getting.
"About what?" Mallory asked before Duke could make any jokes.
"About the blue beak," Tanya replied. "Doesn't she remind you of anyone?"
"You mean other than something out of a nightmare?" Mallory questioned.
"I mean like someone we know from Puckworld," Tanya responded a bit impatiently.
"Like who?" Mallory inquired.
"Amber Rotente," Tanya answered.
"What!?" Duke sputtered a bit forcefully. "Are you nuts? There's no way that thing is related to Amber."
"I didn't say they were related," Tanya replied indignantly. "I just said that they looked a bit alike. Besides, we all know that Amber's family is dead. You especially, Duke."
"Now that you mention it, yeah, they do look a bit alike," Mallory agreed. "If Amber suddenly had a fixed leg and had gone completely evil, then she'd be a dead ringer."
"That gizmo of yours picking up anything else?" Duke asked a bit testily.
"It looks like Wraith was here too," Tanya answered. "I've managed to isolate the energy readings of the portal. That should allow me to find the readings for the blue beak if she's somewhere around here."
She stood back up and started to scan the area. After a few passes around the meadow, she narrowed her search down.
"Looks like the blast knocked her into these trees," Tanya told them while she walked towards the trees in question. "You can see the broken branches where she went through."
She slowly moved through the small stand of trees, scanning each tree as she went along. She stopped at a tree right next to the cliff and looked down. The river was just below them.
"That's quite the drop," Mallory observed as she came up beside Tanya. "Do you think she went over the edge?"
"Judging from the height of the broken branches and, you know, the angle, I'd say it's more than likely," Tanya responded.
"Do you think she survived?" Mallory asked.
"Oh, she survived," Duke replied with a near growl. "If she could survive having six of us empty our clips at her without even blinking, she could survive being dropped into a river."
Before anyone can say any more about the durability of blue beaks, they heard the sound of someone climbing up the side of the cliff.
"A little help here!?" Nosedive called.
"What are you doing down there?" Mallory demanded as she and Duke grabbed him by the wings.
"Getting dirt up my beak," Nosedive replied while they dragged him up.
"There are easier ways to get up here, ya know," Tanya pointed out.
"Yeah, but none of those ways had these!" Nosedive happily told her as he reached behind himself and pulled out a pair of dress shoes with a low heel. "Ta da!"
"So?" Mallory asked, unimpressed.
"A little dressy to be out here, don't ya think?" Nosedive countered.
"You think that these are the blue beak's?" Mallory questioned while Tanya turned her device on the footwear.
"Stands to reason, doesn't it?" Nosedive responded.
"These have the same energy readings as the blast mark," Tanya confirmed.
"If it wouldn't be too much bother," a deep voice said from the side of the cliff.
"Oops!" Nosedive yelped as he dropped the shoes and dashed over to the edge. "Sorry about that, Grinster."
It took all four of them to pull the final member of the team up. Once he was on solid footing again, he pulled a large piece of cloth off of his belt and dropped it to the ground with a wet SPLAT!
"Oh, we found the blue beak's cloak at the edge of the river, too," Nosedive happily explained.
"Ok, that explains where she went after the blast, but that doesn't tell us where she or the mask are now," Mallory pointed out.
"Actually, I might have a clue," Tanya stated as she turned to one of the trees on the edge of the cliff. "There are some strong readings coming from this tree."
"I don't see anything different about it," Duke stated.
"That's because whatever is giving off the reading is somewhere up this tree," Tanya explained. "Who wants to climb up there and check it out?"
The ducks looked at each other for a minute.
"I'll do it," Duke offered with a sigh. "Give me that gizmo and tell me how it works."
Tanya spent the next couple minutes telling him how to use the reader. Once he was sure he understood how it worked, he tucked it into the back of his belt and raised his wing toward the tree. He released the grappling hook into the upper branches of the pine tree and allowed it to pull him up.
The others watched from the ground as Duke climbed from branch to branch. He carefully scanned the branches and trunk, ever mindful that one misstep would get him a one way ticket to the ground. Finally, he found the strongest readings coming from the trunk a good fifteen feet from the ground.
"Ok, I've got something right here," Duke announced. "But I'm not seeing anything."
"Is there a hole or a crack or anything?" Tanya asked. "Someplace that you could hide the mask?"
"You think she had time to hide the mask while flying through the air?" Mallory asked with disbelief.
"Well, you know, it's a thought," Tanya replied with a shrug.
"There's nothing up here," Duke interrupted while he examined the tree. "It's just solid trunk."
"Oh my goodness, it's the Mighty Ducks!" a new voice exclaimed from behind them.
The ducks turned and saw a man wearing a park ranger uniform coming towards them and a look of awe on his face.
"This is so cool!" the man said. "What are you guys doing out here?"
"Communing with Nature." "Getting fresh air." "Training exercises." "Looking for new species."
The ducks on the ground all answered at once and Duke rolled his good eye.
"So, what's he doing up in the tree?" the ranger asked, pointing up at Duke.
"What a better way to get some exercise and fresh air than by climbing a tree," Duke hastily suggested. "Gets you closer to nature and possible new critters too."
"Yeah...Right," the man replied and it was obvious he was having a hard time believing their excuses. "Listen, that's all...Um...very cool and everything, but you're not supposed to be off the trails. You're really not allowed to climb the trees."
"Oh, right, sorry about that," Duke hurriedly responded. "Be right down."
Duke quickly started to climb down on the far side of the tree. He carefully kept Tanya's device out of the human's sight. After making sure it was securely tucked into the back of his belt, Duke stepped out from behind the tree.
"I hate to do this to you guys, but you really can't stay here," the ranger stated when it appeared that the ducks weren't moving.
Various forms of "Oh right" and "Sorry" were uttered as they quickly gathered up the blue beak's belongings. They headed back to The Migrator, cutting across the meadow to get there. The sound of the ranger sighing cause them to stop and turn.
"Just look at what a bunch of kids did to this beautiful meadow," he stated with a shake of his head. "They smashed all of the beautiful flowers and had a bonfire. It's a good thing that nothing caught fire or things could have gotten out of hand pretty quickly."
The team realized that the man thought the blast and trampled plants were caused by a bunch of partying kids. Trying not to look guilty, they quickly headed back to the battle van. With a wave to the ranger, they closed the hatch and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Busted," Nosedive muttered under his breath as they drove away.