The Wilder Side of the Ice

Written by Zelda

 

                "Yeah, it was cold." smiled Nosedive. "But nothin' we couldn't handle." Zelda grinned. She enjoyed being told about Puckworld, and she, along with Dive and Tanya, were discussing Puckworld's climate.

                "Ya know, I miss those snowstorms sometimes." sighed Tanya, leaning back against a Ready Room couch.  

                "Well hey, who says climates like that don't exist here?" smiled Zelda.

                "You know, we have a whole week off from games, maybe you and I could pay a little visit to the old mountain ranges..." began Nosedive, glancing at Zelda.          

                "Well, I'd be glad to accompany you, if the others give their consent." Wildwing, overhearing the conversation, glanced over from the game of checkers he was playing with Grin...and losing.

                "Aww, come on Bro." pleaded Nosedive. "It would only be a day thing...we could take one of the Duckcycles."

                "Well, okay." said Wildwing. "But be sure to keep in touch, just in case anything happens."

                "All right!" Dive yelled, jumping up and heading for the door. "I smell a road trip!"

 

                The icy winds ripped through Zelda's scales, as she flew alongside Nosedive, who was enjoying the snow and scenery.

                "This is great!" he yelled, as they raced up the mountainside. Zelda darted up, away from the ground, and flew high up into the reddening sunset. She floated away from the blinding white snow, and up, until she could see the mountain range stretching, jagged and inviting, from where she was to the far horizon, and far behind her as well. But on the horizon, coming closer, she saw thickening clouds. She knew what it meant. Most likely a snowstorm. She flew back down, to race up alongside Nosedive's Duckcycle.

                "There's snow coming!" she yelled.

                "Okay, okay, let's just go a little bit further!" said Nosedive, brushing the subject aside. He gunned the Cycle's motor, and it leapt ahead, rounding a turn. Zelda yelped playfully, and sped after it.

 

                Blinking the icy winds out of his eyes, Siege huddled behind a snow bank.

                "We're in place, Lord Dragaunus." he reported, looking up over the bank and onto the black road beyond.     "Excellent." Dragaunus replied. "Ready your weapons. Those two should be along any minute now." Back in the Raptor's command chamber, Dragaunus watched the whole thing on the huge screen. "This is what I've been waiting for. Every time those Ducks split up, their forces thin out as well. All the easier to take them out." he grinned, watching the transmission intently.

 

                The snow had already started to whip past the two, swirling and spitting in their faces.

                "We should head back! The snow's starting!" said Zelda, as the clouds blocked the brilliant sunset out overhead.

                "I just wanna get to the top of this mountain!" yelled Nosedive, edging ahead. They rounded a curve, the Duckcycle skidding only slightly on the pavement, when Zelda suddenly heard a huge explosion.

 

                Nosedive was thrown off of his Duckcycle, as it ripped apart. He flew through the air, and landed hard in the snow on the side of the road. A split-second later, Zelda landed on top of him with a heavy thud, followed by a shower of debris and gears from the Cycle. Zelda rolled up quickly, and roared in alarm. Nosedive jerked his head up, to see Siege coming over a snow bank on the other side of the road.

                "Nice to see ya!" he grinned, pointing his laser out in front of him.

                "Run!" yelped Zelda. Nosedive tramped forwards, trying to keep up with Zelda as she shoved through the deep snow. He shot at Siege with his puck launcher, but kept missing. "Hurry!" Zelda yelped. "He can't follow us in snow this deep!" And she was right. In a few minutes, they had lost sight of Siege altogether. Nosedive collapsed, panting, in the snow, with Zelda flopping down beside him. After a few seconds, he sat up, shaking the freshly fallen snowflakes off of his bill. As he sat up, he realized how hard it was snowing, and how cold it really was. Zelda stood up, alert. "I think we lost him." she panted, still out of breath. "Better try and contact the others." Nosedive tried to open his com, but found it jammed.

                "Aww man, it's frozen shut!" he snarled, banging on it. The wind suddenly whipped the snow at the two, and Zelda ducked her head, the icy blast stinging her eyes.

                "Looks like were staying here for the night." she said.

                "Terrific." snorted Nosedive, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.

                "We'd better find some shelter." she said, and started walking off into the snow. The two trooped away, Nosedive breathing heavily on his com, hoping to defrost it. Finally, the two came upon a huge spruce tree which looked like it had just fallen over. The branches, as well as the wide trunk, created a refuge from the blowing snow. "In here!" Zelda called, crawling into the lowest branches. As Nosedive entered the green, swaying cavern, Zelda tore off a thick, gnarled branch, and drew a deep breath. A blast of fire burst out from her jaws, lighting the branch's twisted and splintered end like a torch. Zelda stabbed the torch into the snow, and sat back. "Any luck?" she asked towards Nosedive, who was still trying to open the com.

                "Nope, this is great." Zelda folded her wings and shivered, huddling on the floor.

                "Well, were stuck here all right, better get some sleep." She said, laying down.

                "Sleep?" asked Nosedive, amazed.

                "Well, what do you want to do?" Nosedive gathered a snowball in his hands, and then decided against it. Zelda smiled. Nosedive lay against the rough bark of the tree trunk, watching the torch flame flutter in the breeze. At some hour or another, he finally fell asleep.

 

                Zelda was awakened abruptly by a pine branch smacking her in the face. She sat up violently, and cringed as the icy winds ripped against her. The torch had been blown out, and the whole tree shook with the winds. She went over, and shook Nosedive up.

                "We gotta get outta here!" she yelled. She shoved Nosedive out of the tree and away into the snow, as the trunk creaked under the push of the wind. Finally, she stopped and turned around, as the incredibly high winds actually pushed the tree into rolling down the hillside, and away into the swirling ice.

                "Boy, now there's a wakeup call." said Nosedive, rubbing his eyes. He stood up, only to have the wind nearly blow him over. Zelda herself had to fight to keep her wings folded. "So now what do we do?" he yelled, over the wind.

                "Try and find another place to hide!" Zelda yelped back. She started shoving off through the deep snow, back towards what she thought was the road. But after walking through nearly zero visibility and freezing winds for what must have been hours, the two were exhausted, frozen, and hopelessly lost. Nosedive had just trudged rhythmically after Zelda the whole time, the cold numbing both his flesh and his senses. Finally, the cold enveloped him, until he almost couldn't open his eyes anymore. The long locks of hair on the sides of his head had become icicles, frosted from the frozen mists of his breath. He was exhausted, out of breath, and felt like a walking ice cube. Suddenly, Zelda saw Nosedive collapse on his side in the snow behind her, landing with a heavy thud. "Nosedive!" she yelled. She twirled around, and shook him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly. "Come on, we have to keep moving." Zelda whined, worried. He closed his eyes, still gasping for breath. Zelda leaned back. He had to rest. But not here. They were in the middle of a huge, sloped field, without a tree or rock in sight. They were open and exposed to the icy winds that ripped up the snow around them. Standing still, Zelda realized how tired she was herself. The higher metabolism rates of dragons enable them to withstand extremes longer than humans of ducks, and help them heal faster. But Zelda was tired, and cold to boot. As she stood there, her back to the wind, a great gust suddenly whipped up from the hill, sending a blast of windblown snow showering over the two. Zelda yelped as the snow blinded her, and she collapsed under the wind on top of Nosedive, her wings spreading over him.

 

                "No signal?" asked Wildwing, alarmed and confused. "Tanya, are you sure?"

                "Yeah...there's no signal from Nosedive's com anywhere." Tanya confirmed, tapping away at Drake One's keyboard.

                "They must be in trouble." said Mallory.

                "Yeah, they've been gone too long." agreed Duke.      

                "We'll try to search for them in the Aerowing." decided Wildwing. "Let's go."

 

                Zelda's wings were frozen solid. She felt her scales cracking as she shifted her weight. The wind had not let up, and was coating her and Nosedive in a thick blanket of ice crystals. Her breath was choked with the cold, and her nose and throat were numb and frozen. Finally, she too collapsed in the snow, most likely too numb and exhausted to even realize it. But her snout fell beside Nosedive's extended hand, and her breath fogged up his still frozen com. Over an untold amount of time, the ice that coated it beaded into water, and the lid on the com sprung violently open.

 

                Suddenly, a light on the Drake One link screen blazed on.

                "Hey! I'm getting a signal!" exclaimed Tanya, monitoring the link from the Aerowing.

                "What? from where?" asked Wildwing, leaning over.

                "From the other side of that mountain over there!" Duke swiveled the controls, and the Aerowing blasted off towards the mountain, as the snow swirled and flowed across the windshield.

 

                The Aerowing landed abruptly in the blazing white drifts, and the team stumbled out, as the snow blew across the ramp. The force of the winds was so surprisingly powerful, that it almost blew Wildwing over.  

                "Start looking Ducks!" he called. The Ducks trooped off in various directions, leaving the Aerowing behind.

                "Over here!" yelled Mallory. Wildwing spun around, and realized he'd wandered so far, he couldn't see the rest of the team. But he found his way back by sound, to were Mallory stood, over a mass of snow. Coming closer, Wildwing could see flecks of purple in the ice, and Nosedive's armor beneath it. Tanya slowly pulled the two apart, rolling Zelda over in the snow.                                

                "Zelda? Nosedive? Come on, wake up you guys." snorted Duke, shaking the two.

                "Wildwing, we'd better get them back to the Pond right away." said Grin, examining the two as they lay. Grin picked up Zelda, while Wildwing hoisted up his brother, and carried them both onto the Aerowing. As it blasted away, Siege, tired, cold, and hungry, peered from behind a snowbank.

                "They've left Dragaunus! I couldn't get to them in time." he reported into this com. Dragaunus snarled.           "Get back here Siege. I hadn't counted on that blasted snowstorm, but it may have wreaked its own havoc on our fowl friends."

 

                Zelda and Nosedive lay on their stomachs, slowly "defrosting" on the Medicom tables.

                "Any serious damage?" asked Wildwing.

                "Well, both have had prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures." started Tanya. "They both have bad frostbite in some places, not to mention hypothermia. But what I'm worried about is Zelda's wings." she said, pointing to the cracked, misshapen flaps of skin. "They're extra sensitive to heat and cold, and there's no permanent damage, but I'm not to sure what her flying capabilities are going to be after this..." As Tanya finished, Zelda started to move, snorting softly. Slowly she opened her eyes, and tried to raise her head.

                "Whoa, easy, easy Zelda." said Mallory, rubbing her on the snout. "You and Nosedive are safe now." Zelda sighed raggedly.

                "How did you find us?" she finally asked.

                "Your com signal, of course." answered Duke.

                "It was frozen earlier.." pondered Zelda.

                "How do you feel?" asked Grin.

                "My claws are still numb...and my scales are so cracked and dry...and my wings.." she raised her head, and tried to unfold her wings, but curled her head under, snarling in pain. She clenched her teeth until the pain ebbed away. "Oh great, I'm busted." she snorted, flopping her head back against the bed. She picked her head up again to look over at Nosedive. "Will he be okay?" she asked, worried.

                "Don't worry, you'll both be fine." assured Wildwing gently. Zelda sighed, and laid her head down to rest.

 

                The door creaked open, and Grin's head popped slowly out. Zelda glanced behind her.

                "So, you've found my favorite little spot." she smiled, turning back to face the blazing orange sunset. Grin walked out onto the roof of the Pond, and sat down beside her.

                "How ya doing?" he asked. Zelda stretched her wings further, letting them soak up the sun's rays. Finally, she drew them in, reared up, and beat them like a young bird would test its wings.

                "Much better." she smiled.

                "Come on." beckoned Grin, heading back for the door. "Practice starts in five minutes." Zelda smiled, and stood up, stretching.

                "I wouldn't miss it." she smiled, heading in as he held the door open. Before Grin left, he took a long look out a the sunset, and then turned away, closing the door behind him.

 

The End

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series, including all logos and characters (except mine) are copyright and property of Disney. You may copy, print, or whatever with this document, so long as it is not altered and I (Zelda) am credited. Thanks!