Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fethry stood before the looming mansion, hesitant. He didn’t want to bother Uncle Scrooge, but he had nowhere to go after the McDuck Sublab was destroyed. Of course, he couldn’t blame poor Mitzi for causing its collapse, the poor girl had been so scared! 

He tried his hardest to get himself back on his feet since then, but with every possession he owned waterlogged at the bottom of the ocean---including his resumé, he really didn’t have any options between this and becoming homeless. Fethry had stayed with Gladstone after the moonlanders invaded, which was okay, for about a month or so. It wasn’t that he disliked his cousin, quite the opposite actually. It was just that seeing him go through life so… easily really brought him down. Especially when he himself couldn’t find a job.

It had been pretty disappointing, if he was being completely honest with himself, but then again, being honest with himself wasn’t his strong suit. Gladstone must have noticed though, despite his usual denseness. He was the one that suggested he should move back to Duckberg and ask Scrooge for help. It kinda came off as him just expecting the world to hand him a solution like a random twenty dollar bill at just the right moment, but he did have a point.

If he just stays here, he’s never going to be self-sufficient again. Coasting by on his cousin’s luck just isn’t a way to live. At least, it’s not how Fethry wants to live.

 It had been a difficult decision--and a risky one, but he desperately needed a way to get back on his feet again. Surviving off Gladstone’s luck just wasn’t the way he wanted to live. Clutching his team’s jar to his chest with one arm, he plastered a smile on his face, and pressed the buzzer on the intercom.

Inside, Scrooge was getting some paperwork done. He didn’t particularly like this part of the job, but it was necessary and he wasn’t the kind of duck to put things off until the last minute. 

Work is something you have to put effort into, and he wasn’t about to pawn something as simple as this onto a secretary or something. Not when he isn’t too busy to do it himself.

Ducksworth phased through the floor, and quietly cleared his throat. “Sir, your nephew-in-law, Fethry is here.”

Scrooge groaned, “What does he want? This better not be another one of those pointless adventures he insists on dragging me into.”

“He wouldn’t say; he insisted on speaking to you in person.”

Ugh, just his luck. The lad was getting smarter. “Fine, let him in.” Knowing him, he’d probably camp out there until the next time someone tries to go through the gate. 

“Very well, sir.”

And with that, Ducksworth left in his usual ghostly fashion. At least it would take some time for Fethry to actually make his way to Scrooge’s study. That would leave him a little more peace until then.

Fethry offered Ducksworth a friendly smile as he led him to wherever Scrooge was. The fact that he didn’t outright turn him away was a huge relief. Though he wasn’t out of the woods yet, he at least had a small sliver hope to cling onto.

They made it to his study uninterrupted, thankfully. Fethry wasn’t sure how he’d explain why he was there to any of the others living in the mansion. He didn’t want Scrooge to get the impression that he was using the rest of his family to force his hand.

Ducksworth opened the door, and gestured for him to enter. Not much had changed in the study since he had last been there, aside from the odd artifact, treasure, or framed photograph.

Scrooge wore a somewhat neutral expression, though the way the corners of his mouth turned downward told him all he needed to know about what kind of mood he was in.

Pushing any feelings about that aside, Fethry widened his fake grin and said, “Uncle Scrooge!! It’s so good to see you! Gosh, it’s been well, years since I’ve gotten the chance to actually talk to you.” He glanced behind him for a second, hearing Ducksworth close the door. “How have you been?”

“Erm, alright I suppose,” Scrooge fiddled with some coins on his desk. “So, what brings you here laddie?”

“Oh well uh--” Wow, this was harder than he expected. “I guess there’s no dancing around it huh? Just… right to the point.”

Scrooge was unamused, “It's just not like people in this day and age drop in like they used to. Besides, I doubt you would’ve asked to speak to me like this if you just wanted to catch up.”

“You caught me,” he laughed anxiously. Better just come out and say it, then. They don’t call him ‘sharper than the sharpies’ for nothing. He let out a sigh. “I need your help. Ever since the sublab collapsed, I’ve just been living on Gladstone’s couch. I keep trying to find a job, but you see, most jobs want to see a resumé, and well… mine is at the bottom of the ocean. I need a job, and somewhere to stay until I can get my own place. I know you don’t like to give handouts, I really do, it’s just that I’m really out of options here and I don’t know where else to turn.”

Fethry had rehearsed that on the walk there, and in the week he spent trying to work up the nerve to ask. He wrote it and re-wrote it over and over again, and even had Gladstone look over it a few times--though he wasn’t as diligent of a proof reader as he would have liked. Eventually, he realized the writing was just pushing the date off further, so that left him with this semi-presentable mess of a plea.   

Gladstone said it would be fine. Fethry wasn’t so sure he believed that, but well... here he is, doing it anyway.

Scrooge blinked, taken aback. “Lad, why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I thought I’d at least try getting myself out before asking for favors. It turns out that becoming a scientist is a lot more complicated than I thought,” he laughed awkwardly. College sure is expensive these days.

Letting out a sigh, Scrooge got up from his desk. “Alright, you can stay here for as long as you need. It wouldn’t be right for me to turn you away, now would it?”

Fethry beamed, and threw his free arm around Scrooge in an embrace, “Thank you so much, Uncle Scrooge!! I promise I’ll work hard from now on to earn my keep.”

“Erm..” Scrooge said, standing there, arms at his sides. He took a step back, and dusted himself off. “As for a job, I’ll see what kinds of openings I’ve got laying around. You probably already know I’m not gonna start you off on anything big, but if you keep your beak to the grindstone, I’m sure you’ll get to where you need to be in no time.”

He nodded, heart racing with relief and gratitude, “Of course. I really can’t thank you enough for this. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you said no.”

“It’s not like you can rely on your four-leaved-clover of a cousin. Knowing him, he probably won some sort of free vacation to the Bahamas and is on the plane as we speak.”

“Oh he’s not that bad,” Fethry insisted. “I mean, he was nice enough to let me stay with him all these months. I probably would have had to sleep on the docks without him . It gets cold out there, you know; like the souls of those the ocean claimed are calling out to you…”

“What.”

“Anyway! I mostly moved out of his place because well, you’d think by hanging around him so much, some of his luck would rub off on me, but I guess not. It must’ve been more lucky to have me at home cleaning than getting me a job so I can help pay rent.”

Scrooge motioned for Fethry to follow him out of the room, saying. “The lad can pluck a twenty out of the air whenever he feels like. Money is something he’s never had to worry about in his entire bloody life.”

Fethry let out a halfhearted laugh, “Yeah, I guess not. Still, it would have been nice to get a job at, oh I don’t know, his favorite restaurant. I’m sure having someone to give him an employee’s discount would be plenty lucky.”

“Well, that just goes to show you luck can’t be relied on. Not his luck, anyway.”

They arrived at the living room, where the three little donalds were either reading, watching tv, or playing on their phones. The green one was doing a bit of the latter two.

“Oi kids, your Cousin Fethry’s gonna be staying with us for a while. Can you help us bring in his stuff?”

“Oh that won’t be necessary,” Fethry said, holding up a hand. He turned around and gestured to his backpack.

“I’ve got everything I own on me right here.”

The red one, Huey, looked up from his book, “Really? That’s all you have?”

“Pretty much,” he smiled. “Unless you count whatever I had in the sub-lab. But those things are long gone .”

“Oh…” he looked away, “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t worry about it, little donald. It’s not your fault, and I’ve already replaced half of what I lost. Besides, I got the most important things out anyway; my team!”

The little shrimps swam around their jar. He would have to get them a bigger tank later, now that they don’t have the whole ocean to swim in anymore. Poor things didn’t deserve to live in such a cramped space.

“Huh, well alright then,” Scrooge said. “Well. I’ve got paperwork to do, so feel free to set up in any of the open bedrooms. Everyone else is out for the day, but Ducksworth and the kids are here if you need anything.”

With that, he turned around and went back the direction they had come from, leaving Fethry and the kids alone together.

“So....” Louie began, “Uh, how are things?”

“Pretty good!” he chirped. “I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m your cousin Fethry! It’s so nice to finally meet you, and so nice to see the other little donalds again.”

“Right, you were there when we were fighting the moonlanders, riding a giant… thing , right?” The memory of them all posing together popped back into his mind.

“Not just any giant thing, I was riding Mitzy!! She’s a shrimp like my team here, only the toxic undersea vents mutated her to her big size!!! Ahhh, they grow up so fast.” He wiped a nostalgic tear from his eye. “She’s staying in the harbor for now, but I promised to visit her every day.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of her,” Huey said. “What does she eat now that she’s so big?”

“Ah!! An inquisitive mind!!!” Fethry said, excited. It’s been so long since someone asked him about sea life! “She is an opportunistic omnivore, which means she’ll eat basically anything she can get; dead, alive, or decaying. I’ve been buying her whatever fish is the cheapest, so she doesn’t decimate the local fish population. I also make sure to get her plenty of vegetables too, for a balanced diet. I have to say though, caring for her is a real drain on my wallet. I just know my debt to Gladstone has to be massive by now.”

Huey grimaced sympathetically, “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have, like, a deadline you have to pay him back by?”

“Oh heavens , no! He doesn’t expect me to repay him at all . He told me that even if he spent every penny he owned, there’d be some contest, or raffle, or any number of lucky things that’ll give him more than enough money to cover whatever he wants. Though, I would still like to make it up to him some way. It just wouldn’t feel right to not return the favor, you know?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t bother,” Louie said, cracking open a soda. “I don’t think he’d care if you did anyway. Besides, you definitely need the money more than he does.”

Fethry forced out a chuckle, and suppressed the urge to run his hands through his feathers anxiously. “Well, a favor is a favor.”

Louie regarded him with a look of disinterest, then shrugged. “Whatever. It’s your money. I’m just saying, don’t be surprised when he treats it like literally any other lucky thing that happens to him.”

Fethry frowned. Do they really think that little of Gladstone? Sure, his personality can be off-putting at times, but really, he has a generous heart. If he didn’t care about Fethry, he wouldn’t have offered to let him stay at his place for so long.

“Louie, you realize that not everything has to be paid back with money, right?” Huey pointed out, hands on his hips.

“That’s true!” Fethry said, putting the smile back on his face. “What better way to repay someone than with some quality time?”

Louie glanced at him, “Yeah, but literally everything costs money. Even if you’re not giving him money, you’re still spending money.”

“Ugh,” Huey rolled his eyes. “Will you give it a rest? I don’t know if you know this, but offering someone a place to stay when they’re literally homeless is a pretty big deal. Maybe it’s not *required* for him to pay him back, but it’s still a nice thing to do, you know, to show your appreciation a little?”

“Yeah, I get that, but since you bring up how he was, in your words ‘literally homeless’ don’t you think it would be a little unfair to give what little he has to a guy who clearly doesn’t need it? I’m not saying no to generosity, that’s fine; but in situations like these, can’t Gladstone wait until he’s finally on his feet again?”

“Um, like I said, he doesn’t expect me to pay him back,” Fethry added. “This is something I want to do. Really, it’s okay. I’m not going to give away all I own to him. I promise.”

Dear god, he didn’t mean to turn this into a whole debate . If he had known Gladstone was such a sore subject, he wouldn’t have brought up repaying him in the first place.

Louie sighed, “Okay, fine. Just don’t go overboard with it, you know? You gotta look out for yourself sometimes.”

“Don’t worry,” Fethry said, giving his cousin a reassuring smile, “I will.”

“Wow guys, great job,” Dewey said, not even looking up from his DS. “I think that was your most pointless argument yet.”

Huey threw a blanket over his head, “Nope, not allowed. Shut up.”

Dewey was unphased, and didn’t even bother removing it.

Fethry couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. He couldn’t help but think of him and his cousins when they were that age. Casually messing with each other, more out of boredom and impulse than anything else. He sat down on the couch with them. Might as well stay here until the others get back. 

Chapter Text

Normally, reality tv wasn’t really Fethry’s thing, but he had to admit that whoever produces Ottoman Empire knows what they’re doing. It certainly made three or so hours seem like minutes. 

“Hey guys we’re home!!” Della called out.

“And we brought bagels!!!” Webby said, holding a white box above her head.

Dewey vaulted over the couch, “I call first dibs!”

Louie rolled his eyes, and got up, “Watch all the bagels be exactly the same.”

They all filed out of the room, and into the kitchen, where Webby placed down the box on the island and opened it up, sending the smell of fresh baked bagels into the air.

Della was the first to notice the extra guest. “Oh my God!!! Fethry!!!” she beamed as she rushed over to hug him. “I didn’t see you there! How have you been?”

Fethry smiled and embraced her back. “I’m good! I’m so glad to see you!! We didn’t really get a chance to talk when we were fighting the moonlanders.”

“I know right? The first time we see each other in person since I got back, and we barely get a chance to catch up.”

Donald grabbed a bagel out of the box, “So why are you here? Got another crazy dangerous adventure to look at some fish you want us to see?”

They both let go, and Fethry turned to him, “Actually, I came here to ask Scrooge if I could stay here for a little while, and he said yes! Isn’t that great Donald? We can finally spend some quality time together, just like when we were kids!”

“Oh boy,” he said, voice completely flat. 

Fethry tried not to let the smile slip off his face. Donald’s probably just tired, that’s all. There’s no need to read into what he said any more than that. He has been known to get grouchy when he’s had a long day.

So, with that settled, he said, “Anyway, enough about me. How was your day?”

“Surprisingly normal, for once,” Donald said, sitting down. “Webby wanted to go to the library with her friends, and Della had a date with Penumbra, so I drove them both.”

“Wh-whu, it was not a date ,” Della stuttered. “We were just- just a couple gals being pals nothing... *romantic* about that. ” Her bright red face, however, said otherwise.

“Sure.”

“Ughhh I hate you.”

“Ooh, I haven’t heard of Penumbra before, what’s she like?” Fethry interjected, trying to help her out a little.

Della seemed to perk up a little at that. “Oh, she’s actually one of the moonlanders. Back when I was stranded, she and I were roomies, and we just kind of became besties from there. She’s so passionate about the things she does, and she’s super strong and brave too.”

“So basically, your type,” Donald teased.

“Shut up before I shove the rest of that bagel down your throat.”

Donald laughed, ironically nearly choking on the piece of bagel he was chewing on before she could manage. He coughed and spluttered, before he managed to dislodge the offending baked good from his throat.

“Ha! Karma.”

He cleared his throat, glaring at her. “Oh come on, you tease me about Daisy all the time.”

“Yeah, but it’s funny when I do it,” she giggled.

The kids rolled their eyes, and all collectively left the room to enjoy their bagels, somewhere away from all this silly bickering. Fethry wasn’t sure whether to follow them or not, but by the time he decides he wants to follow them, they’re long gone, and it would probably be weird to go now.

“I don’t think you mentioned Daisy to me either,” Fethry said, trying not to just be a spectator to this conversation.

“Oh yeah,” Donald said. “She’s my girlfriend. We’ve been dating for about a month now.”

A month? And he didn’t say anything?

“Ooh that’s so amazing. What’s she like?”

“Well, she’s really level-headed, which is a good thing to have when you live with a bunch of crazy people like I do.”

Della nudged him, “Aww c’mon, you love us.”

“I do, but I can only handle so much bullcrap before my brain goes kablooie from all the stress.”

She laughed. “Fair enough. So what about you Feth? Got your eye on anyone in particular?”

Uh oh. “Oh um…” he looked away, sheepishly. “Not really, no. Sorry I uh…”

“What are you sorry for?” Della asked, giving him a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t know, I just don’t really have much to say about that kind of stuff.” Fethry shrugged, returning the smile, albeit awkwardly.

“Ohhh gotcha. Don’t worry, we’re not the pushy ‘So-when-are-you-gonna-settle-down-and-have-kids’ type. God knows I’ve met plenty of those types before I had the boys.”

Quietly, he let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, I really appreciate it. You have no idea how many people love to bring that up all the time . Then they try to set me up with someone and wellll….. I’d rather not.”

Della put an arm around his shoulder, “Ah, well you’re not missing out on much. Honestly the whole song and dance you go through with these things is such a hassle sometimes.”

Fethry chuckled, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

As nice as romance seems to be, he just never could imagine himself with another person like that. Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy when people he loves get into relationships, it’s just very hard to relate to. Plenty of people have tried to explain the exact feelings behind it, and though he has a rudimentary idea of what it might feel like, you can only know so much about something without feeling it yourself.

Still, that never particularly bothered him anyway. Fethry had his fantasies of what it would be like every now and again, but that’s really all they were; fantasies. If you asked him out in real life, well…. Things would get awkward real fast, is what he’s trying to say here. He’ll stick to daydreaming about nobody in particular. 

“So, how long do you think you’re gonna stay here?” Donald asked, raising a brow.

“Oh gosh, I don’t know.” Fethry itched his face thoughtfully. “I mean, however long it takes for me to afford my own place, probably. Is it just me, or are apartments and homes in Duckburg really expensive these days?”

“Oh tell me about it,” Donald agreed. “That’s why I have the boat.”

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's the weirdest thing. Dock rental is just so much cheaper than renting an actual house now. The city wants to get as much money out of rich tourists as they can that they forget about the people who actually live here."

"Damn," Della remarked. "Gentrification really is a bitch. You know, if the moonlanders didn't have all that gold, I doubt they'd be able to afford to live here too.”

Fethry gave them a halfhearted smile, “I guess you’re gonna be stuck with me for a while, then.”

She laughed, “And you’re stuck with us!”

A more genuine grin spread across his face. This is going so much better than he hoped for!!! Gosh, he’s missed Della so much. He just feels like he could talk to her for hours. It’s so good to have her back.

Fethry laid his head down on the guest room pillow. Or well, he supposed it was his pillow, at least for the time being. His team swam around, eating up the fish flakes he crumpled in there about a minute ago. He put their jar on the nightstand, where he could just lay there and watch their soft glow in the darkness. 

He wondered if Mitzy was lonely out there in the harbor. She no longer had the rest of the team to keep her company while he was gone anymore. If he didn’t think the native fish would gobble the smaller shrimp up, he would have left them out there with her.

Maybe she’ll be okay. She is still a wild animal, after all. Plus, he’s not so sure she can even see the rest of the team now that she’s so big. To Fethry, they’re already kind of hard to see as they are. To her, they must be microscopic.

That’s kind of sad, once you really think about it. 

God, he hopes she doesn't miss them too much. He's not sure what he'd do if she did. Other than, of course, spending more time with her himself. 

Loneliness, and being away from the ones you love is a pain like no other.

It's like being frozen to death, in that it's most painful at the beginning. Ice clinging tightly to skin, stinging and making you shudder. The fear of never finding warmth again sending a jolt of frost through your veins.

Slowly, you lose feeling. Numbness spreads throughout your extremities, increasing the urge to curl yourself up into a ball so tight, trying to keep any heat that's left in, even if it's just a memory of warmer times.

He hopes she's warm. Often the memories of warmer times do nothing but make you wish you were back then, instead of the bitter cold of today.

Sometimes, he wishes he learned to accept the numbness sooner. Eventually the lack of feeling becomes background noise, and though warmth would be nice, it’s just so far out of reach, and he’s forgotten how to make a fire. Though, the fires he made before never lasted long. Maybe he was just never good at them in the first place.

Maybe she’ll be better at it than him. Maybe his company will be enough, even if he can only give it sparingly once he has his new job. He can only hope it’ll be enough. He can only hope he will be enough.

Chapter Text

“No, but that’s what I’m saying,” Dewey argued, taking a bite of his toast. “The next game might not even be canon to the last one.”

“That makes no sense,” Huey said, crossing his arms. “Why would they just create a whole new alternate universe, when the ending from the first one fits just fine with the next one’s story?”

“I mean, the developers haven’t confirmed it yet.”

“Are you sure?” Louie asked. “I thought they said it was a canon sequel around the time they announced it.”

Dewey swallowed his toast. “Wait, did they? I thought that was just speculation.”

“Mmm… I’ll have to look it up to be sure, but even if they didn’t; I’m with Huey. It makes more sense for this to happen after the end of the last game. Just because they said this new game’s gonna have a plot separate from the first one, that doesn’t mean that the first one never happened within the universe.”

Fethry’s eyes darted from one child to the other. He hadn’t been there for the start of their conversation, and they hadn’t brought up the name of the game they were talking about in front of him yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not interested. 

He took a bite of the scrambled eggs Mrs. Beakley made this morning. It was a nice change from the usual canned foods they had stored down in the sublab. Perishables were a rarity there, and were usually eaten up in about a week. Then he’d be stuck with all the canned and other non-perishable goods until the next shipment of supplies. 

Gladstone never really cooked anything. He just brought home leftovers from whatever restaurant he happened to win some kind of prize at. Those were several steps up from canned food; but still, it’s nice to have a freshly cooked, homemade meal for once. 

“Ugh, c’mon that would be way too easy,” Dewey said, through another mouthful of food.

“Dewey, swallow your food before you speak,” Donald said, tiredly. The caffeine from his coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.

“What do you mean ‘Too easy’?” Huey demanded. “That’s…. What would even be the point of that?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged.

“You don’t know?!”

“Yeah,” Dewey laughed, “I give up.”

Fethry suppressed a giggle. Partially out of politeness and partially because he didn’t want to choke on his food.

“Oh my God ,” Huey rolled his eyes. “So did you actually even believe any of that?”

“I don’t know, I guess I just never connected the pieces like that.”

A small hand tapped Fethry’s shoulder, and he turned to see the purple kid looking at him with starry eyes. “Hi, I’m Webby. I would’ve talked to you yesterday but you seemed so busy with the other adults that I never got the chance to introduce myself.”

“Oh, that’s right,” he said, mentally kicking himself for not saying at least ‘hi’ to the girl. “You’re Mrs. B’s grandkid, right?”

She grinned, “I am!! And you’re Fethry Duck, nephew-in-law to Scrooge McDuck!!! It’s so nice to finally meet you!!!”

He was taken aback for a moment. Nobody’s ever really been excited to meet him before. It’s not like he’s famous or talented like his other family members. Still, his face warmed up a touch, flattery growing in his chest.

Running his fingers through his feathers, he said, “You are? Gosh, what have they said about me so far?”

“Nothing! Before Huey and Dewey visited you in the sublab, all I knew about you was your name!!”

Oh. 

Something within him deflated. 

Well…. That makes more sense, actually. Why would Scrooge, or anyone else here talk about him of all people? Compared to all the thrilling adventures they go on, he’s just not that notable or interesting. Besides, there’s really no reason why his name would come up that often.

….Right?

No. Stop overthinking things. You’ll just make yourself upset over nothing.

Pushing those unwarranted feelings down, he managed to catch his smile just before it slipped off his face. “Well, little Webby, I’ll be happy to tell you all about myself.”

That just made her face light up even more. “Really?! I have so many questions, like your likes and dislikes, your favorite food, your favorite pasta shape-”

Webby babbled on, listing every question she could think of. It was endearing, at the very least. Her genuine enthusiasm helped lift his mood a bit. Not all the way, but it helped.

“Sorry lass, but you’re gonna have to save your interrogation for later,” Scrooge said, standing in the doorway, “Me and him are heading over to the money bin so I can show him his new job.”

Fethry perked up. “Already?”

Scrooge shrugged, “As it turns out, there was already an opening I’ve been meaning to fill. I just had to get the paperwork all in order.”

“Oh, well that’s great!! So what’s the job?”

“It’s basically a paid internship at Gyro’s underwater laboratory. Normally it would be unpaid , but you’re in a bit of a pickle right now, so I made an exception just this once. It’s pretty similar to your last job, only you’ll be a lab assistant as well as a janitor this time. I’ll tell you more about it on the way there.”

He nodded eagerly, “Thank you so much Uncle Scrooge!! I won’t let you down!”

After scarfing down the rest of his breakfast, he joined Scrooge in the limo. Another underwater lab, and this time he has coworkers!! Maybe they can even become friends, and bond over their shared love of sealife. 

“Oh hi there!” the driver said to him. “You seem kind of familiar; have we met before?”

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, “Umm….. were you there when the moonlanders invaded? There were a lot of people then.”

“I was!!! I’m Launchpad, by the way.”

“Fethry Duck, at your service!”

Scrooge rolled his eyes. “Lad, the job.”

“Oh, right!” Fethry said. “So tell me, what kinds of things are they working on in the lab?” 

“Most of it has to do with Gyro’s Bulb Tech; some Lightbulb-headed robots he came up with that are somehow sentient. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but he could probably explain it to you.”

So…. no fish science? He tried not to let that disappoint him too much. Though, it did raise one question, “Then why is it underwater?”

“Erm,” Scrooge bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “Oh, that’s right! That’s where the scientists for the sublab worked before it was built.”

“Ooooh that’s so cool!! Gosh, I would’ve loved to meet a few of them when the lab was fully operational. They must’ve been studying so many fascinating things.”

“Aye, that they were, lad. They discovered so many new species down there. It’s a shame they finished up their work before your time. I would have liked to keep it operational, maybe even make it into some kind of resort, but things just never worked out that way. Such a shame.”

There was a sort of wistful look on his face when he said this. If Fethry had to wager a guess, after Della disappeared, he probably abandoned the project altogether in favor of funding his search for her. 

“It really is,” Fethry agreed. “I’m sure people would’ve loved it. There’s really nothing else in the world like watching such majestic creatures in their natural habitat."

"Though, with all the mutated creatures down there, I'm not sure how many people would be willing to take the risk," Scrooge said.

Fethry laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, that's true. Oh well, onto greener pastures, I guess."

“Speaking of-- we’re here,” Launchpad said, smiling at them through the rearview mirror. 

The elevator ride down filled Fethry’s stomach with butterfly fish, churning the anxious sediment he hadn’t realized was there around and clouding the waters. How long has it been since he’s had coworkers?

He had started working at the sublab about a year before Della laid the triplets’ eggs. That meant…. Oh wow…. 

Hmm, let’s not think about that right now. 

The doors slid open. Immediately, Fethry’s eyes were drawn to the windows into the ocean surrounding the place. Dappled light flowed in and danced on the floor under the window. He felt his anxiety loosen its hold, until Scrooge gently nudged him to step out and meet his new boss. 

“Gyro, I have some good news,” Scrooge said. “I hired another intern to help you out with your day-to-day work.”

“You what?!” Gyro balked, “Mr. Scrooge, I already have Dr. Intern over here!!”

A brown-feathered duck peeked his head out of the bathroom, “Were you calling me, Dr. Gearloose?”

“Oi Fenton, lad,” Scrooged called. “Come and meet your new coworker.”

“New coworker?”

“That’s right. Since you’re now on my payroll doing your own things, I figured you could use an extra set of hands around here.”

Manny clopped indignantly. 

“ Hands not hooves,” Scrooge said.

“Oh I um,” Fenton wrung his hands out, walking over. “So does this mean I’m..?”

“Lad, you’ve been promoted ages ago. You’re not losing your job, he’ll just be taking over your old duties as an intern. Speaking of which, I’d like your new nuisance--er, assistant ; Donald’s cousin Fethry.”

Did Fethry hear that right?

No of course not. It’s probably nothing.

Pushing that aside, Fethry stepped forward and shook both of their hands, giving them the most eager smile he could muster. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!! I have to say, all this Bulb Tech is so illuminating . Oh gosh, and the underwater observatory! I already feel at home here!!!”

“Why don’t you go take a look around?” Scrooge suggested. “Get yourself familiar with the place.”

Eager to get a look at all the cool gizmos he saw when he walked in, Fethry nodded, and trotted off to the nearest gadget. Pretty much everything in the lab had at least one lightbulb screwed into it. 

He wandered just behind the platform in the center of the room, and he heard Gyro’s voice echo from the other side. 

“Mr. McDuck, is this some kind of punishment? I already told you I was sorry that the self-driving car trapped people inside, taking them on an endless road trip. We got everyone out in only a couple hours!”

“It’s not about that, lad,” Scrooge said. “Like I said, I’ve been meaning to fill this position ever since I promoted Fenton here. Besides, with the Secret Underwater Laboratory out of commission, I need to put Fethry somewhere . Preferably as far away from me as possible.” 

Something in Fethry’s chest twisted. As much as he hated snooping, he crept closer. Not enough to see them, or to be spotted, but close enough to hear.

Gyro scoffed indignantly, “So you’re just gonna dump him here with us?!”

“I’m kind of with Dr. Gearloose here,” Fenton said, pensively. “This is all a bit sudden, don’t you think? I mean… is he even qualified to work here?”

Of course he is! Maybe mechanics isn’t his specialty, but he knew enough about repairing things to keep the sublab as operational as he could on his own.

“It’s a bloody internship. It’s not exactly rocket science.”

“And what if we do decide to do some rocket science?” Gyro said. “What then, Scrooge?!”

You could practically feel Scrooge’s eyes roll, even from where Fethry was standing. “Then he can fetch the screws for you. Look, he’s working here whether you like it or not. Stop making mountains out of molehills before you even get the chance to familiarize yourself with the lad.”

Fethry sighed. Maybe he got his hopes up too high. Not even a few minutes through the door, and they already hate him. 

Not that Scrooge is helping his case that much…

No, stop that. Come on, the man provides him with a home and a job for a second time, and this is how Fethry is thinking about him? Talk about an ungrateful brat. So many people would kill to be in his position right now. 

Besides, Fethry is probably overreacting. It’s not like that’s anything new. Some light teasing just comes with the territory of having a family. 

Maybe if he wasn’t so sensitive , stupid things like this wouldn’t get so under his skin.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll give him a chance,” Gyro said. “But he better actually do his job. I’m not gonna babysit this fully grown man for you.”

“Of course. That’s all I ask,” Scrooge said, satisfied.

He’s not a child. He doesn’t need to be babysitted.

“Oi lad!!” Scrooge called out.

Fethry stepped out from behind the platform, plastering on a smile, “Yeah?”

“I’m gonna head up to the money bin. Launchpad will be here to pick us up at about 5:00. You think you can handle things here?”

“I think so!”

“Good, I’ll see you then. If you have any questions, just ask one of the lads here.”

“You've got it, Uncle Scrooge!” he said, saluting.

With that, Scrooge walked back over to the elevator, and with the press of a button, the doors closed and he was gone.

Just pretend it doesn’t sting. Just pretend until you believe it. Just pretend until it becomes true. 

Everything will be okay if he can just fake it until he makes it. 

Liar.

Chapter Text

As predicted, the first thing Gyro had him do was clean the place up. Not that Fethry was complaining, of course. The repetitive motion of sweeping is comforting in a way, and though it may seem childish, sometimes he’d imagine himself swabbing the deck of a grand pirate ship, just to pass the time. 

One of his favorite things to do was pop a CD into the radio and sing along to sea shanties like he was part of a crew. The Team and the other sea creatures down there seemed to enjoy his singing well enough too.

In fact, one of those songs managed to work its way into the front of his mind, and soon enough he was softly humming to himself, satisfied with the rhythm and cadence of the sound of his own voice.

“Red intern, can you get us some coffee?” Gyro said, tightening a bolt on the thing he and Fenton were working on.

“Sure thing Dr. Gearloose!” He trotted over to the coffee pot, and measured a few spoonfuls of grounds into a filter.

Fenton put down his screwdriver and walked over, “Actually, I’ll come show you how he likes it made.” He pulled out a jar of ground cinnamon from the cabinet above, and grabbed a carton of heavy whipping cream from the fridge. 

Fethry watched him as he basically took over the whole task, pouring the water in the coffee pot and setting it to brew. “Um, okay.”

“I’ve done this so many times,” Fenton explained. “Like Mr. Scrooge said; I was the intern before you, so it’s pretty much muscle memory for me by now.”

Does this guy not even trust him to make a cup of coffee?

“Is he very particular with how he likes it?”

“Absolutely . Not as picky as some other bosses I’ve had, but I think you get the gist. On my first day here, he asked me the same thing, without giving me any specifics for how to make it. So, I just gave it to him black, and he pretty much spit it out on the spot.”

Oh, that makes more sense. 

Idiot, of course he didn’t mean it that way. The guy is just trying to help and the first thing you do is take it personally? Jesus Christ, way to have a thicker skin.

Fethry cringed sympathetically, “Gosh; well thanks for saving me the trouble of figuring that out the hard way.”

“No problem,” Fenton smiled. “I know interning is hard, and Dr. Gearloose is pretty tough on everyone. I know I would’ve done much better in the beginning if I had someone to help me with all the ins and outs.”

He nodded, "Of course. So, what are you two working on right now? It looks really interesting."

Right now, it vaguely resembled an ATM machine or an arcade cabinet that had been taken apart, motherboards and wires exposed to the naked eye. Gyro screwed the green boards into place, making sure to be gentle with the more delicate parts. It looked very complex, at least to Fethry.

"Oh, it's actually something for the library upstairs," he said, grinning. "We're just working on the console right now, but when it's finished, you'll be able to just search up any book and have it brought right to you, without having to skim through shelves and shelves of books, or asking a librarian to help you!"

“That’s so cool!!! When I’m done cleaning, do you think I could help? Marine biology is more my specialty, but I’d say that about ten years of maintenance work makes me pretty qualified for this job too.”

Fenton’s face fell, “Oh God, you heard that part?”

Immediately, Fethry’s heart started racing. He hadn’t meant for that last part to come out so pointed. “I mean uh, I was in the same room-- but it’s okay! I know how it is with people in high places putting their friends and family in places they really aren’t cut out to be. I understand why you’d be suspicious.”

“Yeah, that was my main concern.” He sighed, “Still, it wasn’t fair of me to make assumptions like that. It sort of came off like I was insulting your intelligence, right?”

Please don’t feel bad. “It’s okay. Really. ” Fethry gave him the most convincing smile he could manage.

“Well… okay. Just let me know if I do something like that again. You’re a part of the team now, and I don’t want you to feel unwelcome here.”

Something warmed up in his chest, and his smile turned more genuine. “I will, and thank you. You seem like a really nice guy.”

Fenton returned the smile, albeit a bit bashfully, “Aw, thanks. It’s really nothing.”

“If you two are done chatting like middle schoolers, I’d like my coffee please, ” Gyro said, giving the two of them an unamused look.  

“Right! Of course!” Fenton said, pulling the now full pot out.

As it turns out, the instructions weren’t too hard to follow. Just pour in a fourth of a cup of heavy whipping cream, and add a dash of cinnamon, and that’s really all there is to it.

Though Fethry spent the most of his work day cleaning, he did get to cut out the pieces that would cover the console, and drill holes where the screws would go in. They wouldn’t need the shell until the end, but it was the only thing he’d feasibly be able to get done by the end of the shift.

Putting the final sheet of metal on the stack, he let out a sigh of relief. Though the metal they chose wasn’t the thickest thing in the world, the pieces were big enough that it took a bit of effort to drag off to the side.

“Hey,” Fethry said panting, “Do you guys wanna go meet Mitzy before Launchpad comes to pick me and Uncle Scrooge up?”

Gyro looked up from his work, raising a brow, “Who?”

“She’s a bioluminescent shrimp who mutated to giant size from the hydrothermal vents around the sublab I used to work at!”

For a good thirty seconds, Gyro could only stare at him in confused silence. “What?”

“You know, she was there when we fought the Moonlanders?”

“Oh yeah, that thing,” he said, recognition dawning on his face. “Hm, I’ll pass. I have better things to do today.”

“I’ll go!” Fenton offered.

Fethry grinned, and grabbed his hand, “Great! C’mon, she’s just outside!!”

“Oh okAY-” he yelped, as Fethry darted to the elevator, dragging him along for the ride.

The sun was warm outside, and without a single cloud in the sky, the almost waveless sea reflected the atmosphere like a mirror. There were plenty of boats dotting the horizon as well, presumably taking advantage of such a lovely day. 

Guiding Fenton to the center of the bridge, Fethry finally let go of his hand, and instead cupped his own hands around his beak and called “Mitzy!!!!!!”

It was as if someone blew a note through a conch shell, and summoned Cthuluhu himself. Some big shadow shifted under the surface, the creature becoming more visible as it rose from the depths.

Something purple breached the surface, followed by two impossibly huge, beady eyes that seemed to stare into one’s soul.

" BL- " Fenton clamped a hand over his bill, just barely preventing the Gizmoduck suit from busting out of his bag. "Oh my God. "

"Isn't she beautiful?" Fethry said, smitten. By now her face was level with the bridge where they were standing.

“I-I, um,” it took him a moment to get a hold on his train of thought. “She is.” And that isn’t a lie. She is beautiful, if a little more than a bit terrifying for her size. “She’s so colorful.”

“You should see her at night. She glows so pretty,” Fethry leaned his whole body against her face, and Mitzy made a sound that vaguely resembles purring. “How’s my Mitzy bitzy baby doing? Are you hungry, girl?”

She made a pleading noise, and Fethry pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper from under his hat. He undid the string that was holding it together, and Mizty sat up, almost seeming to drool at the sight of it.

As it turns out, it was a decently sized chunk of salmon, with the skin still on. Fethry tossed it in the air and she caught it in her gaping maw with the same ease as a dog catching a piece of thrown kibble.

“Did you have that under your hat the whole time?” Fenton asked.

“I didn’t have time to grab her anything more substantial than that this morning,” Fethry said, as if that explained anything at all. He then pet Mitzy’s snout sympathetically and cooed, “I know, it really isn’t a lot. Once I get my first paycheck, I’m gonna treat you to a whole feast of things, I promise.”

A limo pulled up to where they were, and sure enough it was Launchpad, staring at the ginormous creature with awe. He rolled down the window. “Whoaaaaaaa, cool sea monster!!!”

“Thank you, but she’s not a monster, she’s a shrimp.”

“Huh, neat! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that big before, at least…. Not since that other big shrimp I saw when the moonlanders invaded…”

“That was her too!! I was riding on her head!!!”

“Oh yeah! That makes way more sense. So how’d she get that big? Did the moonlanders have some sort of Biggening Ray or something?” He asked, staring up at her.

“Nope!” Fetry said, proud, “Just good old-fashioned mutation from the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean, near the top secret laboratory I used to work at!!!”

“Neat!!! I wish underwater vents would make me gigantic! Think about it, I wouldn’t have to drive anywhere; I’d just pick people up and let them ride on my shoulders.”

“Wait,” Fenton said, stepping in, “I thought that top secret laboratory was supposed to stay…. you know ….. top secret?”

Fethry batted the notion away with his hand, “Oh, that thing? It collapsed months ago. What’s the point of keeping a bunch of scrap metal at the bottom of the ocean a secret? Besides, how many people out there know how to drive a submarine to even get down to it in the first place?”

“Ooh ooh!! I do!!!” Launchpad said.

“ Aside from Launchpad, I mean.” 

“Hm, I suppose that’s true,” he conceded. “Besides, ‘the ocean’ is a pretty vague location anyway.”

“There you are!” Scrooge said, walking from the side of the bridge they came from. “I went down to the lab to get you, and Manny said you’d run off.”

“Oh sorry,” Fethry said, “I thought we were just supposed to meet out front.”

Scrooge sighed, “It’s alright lad. In hindsight, I probably should’ve made that more clear. Anyway, it’s time to go home now. All those mind-numbing board meetings have got me beat.”

With that, they both got into the limo, and as Launchpad drove away, Fethry waved at Mitzy and his new friend Fenton until they were but specks in the distance. The day may have started out rough, but nothing can make the smile drop off his face now.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long to settle into a routine; they woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and hopped in the limo to drive to the money bin for their respective jobs. It was comforting, having some sort of stability. He actually has some control over his life now, or at least, some greater freedom.

When he was living in the sublab, the line between work and free time was practically non-existent. Nobody was there to really monitor him, so maintenance felt more like household chores than something he was actually hired to do. 

That, and there’s not much he could have done with the money he had, other than order essentials and the occasional treat from the ships that delivered him supplies. There’s only so much joy a newly purchased thing can bring you, though.

Gladstone’s place had been significantly better. They went out often, cruising by on Gladdy’s luck to get free stuff like food, tickets to the aquarium, and of course the stray twenty dollar bill. Though Fethry felt pretty weird taking advantage of all that, even if the stuff was free. 

Still, he tried to keep his debt to Gladstone down to a minimum by paying with his own money where he could, much to his cousin’s insistence that there was no need to do so. 

He even gave him a phone he won in some contest at the mall, one with a prepaid plan, no less! Fethry bought the case himself, of course. Nothing fancy, but it did have a nice red scale pattern to it that he appreciates.

Speaking of his phone, it let out a quiet “Ding!” alerting him to a text from the very cousin he was thinking about.

Gladstone: Hey Feathers, how’s the new digs treating you?

Fethry: Pretty good! The kids are great, and it’s so nice to hang out with the rest of the family again!

Gladstone: Nice! See, I told you Uncle Moneybags would help you out ;)

Fethry: I know haha

Fethry: I don’t know where I got the idea he’d say ‘no’ anyway

Gladstone: So, let me guess, he’s having you work your way up from the bottom, right?

Fethry: Yeah, but he did say that the internship was usually unpaid, so that’s nice

Gladstone: How good is the pay?

Fethry: Well, it’s like you said

Fethry: He’s having me work my way up from the bottom, so it’s minimum wage

Gladstone: Yikes

Gladstone: Let me know if you need me to hook you up with some $$$

Fethry: I appreciate the offer, but really it’s okay 

Gladstone: Okaaaaaaay but If you change your mind, you know who to call ;P

He chuckled softly to himself. Seriously, Fethry couldn’t see why the others think Gladstone doesn’t care about the things they do. Maybe he’s used to his luck, but underneath it he’s still a sweet guy.

Fethry: Thanks Gladdy :)

He tucked his phone under his hat for safekeeping and headed down stairs. Today’s his day off and that means he can do whatever he wants. At about 5:00 he needs to bring that big chunk of tuna he had in the fridge to Mitzy, but there’s still plenty of time until that.

Once he got closer to the entry room, he couldn’t help but hear the shuffling of feet and objects intermingling with the sound of excited murmurs. Sure enough, when he turned the corner and made it to the landing, the whole room was bustling with movement.

Huey paced around the room, a clipboard in hand, checking off various supplies as he paced around the room.

“Okay, Webby have you made sure to check your grappling hook for any weaknesses in the rope?”

“Yep!” she replied, brandishing it proudly. 

“Ooh what are you guys doing?” Fethry asked, making his way to the bottom of the steps.

Scrooge’s head whipped around to look at him, his expression akin to someone being caught climbing over a fence by disgruntled police. “Uhhh…” 

“We’re preparing to go on an adventure to find the Lost Staff of Frostbite,” Huey explained. “Legend has it, the wizard who forged it, Dulenor the Great, stashed it in a cave deep underground, along with his hoard of gold and jewels.”

“That sounds so exciting!!” Feathry said, enthralled. “Can I come too?”

“Oh uh, actually, lad,” Scrooge cut in. “I’m not so sure we have enough supplies for another person to tag along.”

Fethry felt his heart sink, “Oh….”

Louie frowned, “Uhh, what about all the extras Huey keeps telling us to pack?”

“I keep telling you, we need to be prepared for the worst,” Huey insisted.

“Psh, yeah . Like most of that stuff won’t just weigh us down. I’m not carrying all that extra weight, and Fethry could actually use those supplies. C’mon, just think about it for a second .”

Huey placed a hand on his chin muttering to himself "Well, more weight means more calories needed. Though, most people can take at least a few weeks without food… hmmm…. Alright," He looked up, having made up his mind. "We're still going to bring extra water-purification tablets, though."

"But um…" Scrooge's eyes darted around for a moment, before finally settling on Webby's grappling hook. "Aha! Climbing , lad. This adventure is going to involve rappelling down into the cave. I wouldn't want you falling down and hurting yourself."

"Oh! I'm great at climbing!” 

Before anyone could say another word, he scrambled up the nearest wall like a lizard, using the moulding as leverage to pull himself higher and higher. He was extra careful not to bump into any of the paintings hanging close to him. Finally, Fethry made it to the top, and he grinned at Scrooge from the top. “See?”

“Huh…. well bless me bagpipes,” Scrooge said, mouth slightly agape. “Alright Fethry, you’ve convinced me. You can come.”

Heart soaring, Fethry made to jump down like he would usually in the sublab, before realizing how high he is, and thinking better of it. He cringed back from the mental image of himself crashing to the ground.

Instead of jumping to his potential death or injury, he opted to climb down the path he came from. When he made it to the ground, he made a theatrical bow to the group for effect.

Webby humored him with an enthusiastic round of applause, much to his delight.

The clouds in the sky soared outside Fethry’s window, like cotton candy caught in the breeze. Though the sea may be his specialty, the sky certainly has its own appeals as well. 

Like spending time with his family!

“Ooh, do any of you think we’ll find some interesting cave creatures?” He asked, kicking his feet. 

“Eh,” Louie shrugged, “I’m more here for the treasure than anything; maybe some cool crystals I can sell to some gullible hippies or something.”

“Louie, you’ll interrupt the natural crystal formation that way,” Huey scolded. 

“So?”

“So you’ll be undoing thousands of years of growth.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Dewey cut in, “So, what if we find a new species of bat down there? I think Dewbat has a pretty nice ring to it.”

“Ugh, this again?” Huey rolled his eyes, “Wasn’t naming Mitzy’s species enough for you?”

“Well technically her species didn’t change,” Fethry said. “She may have grown to the size of a skyscraper, but she’s still the same sweet girl I know and love.”

“What? Oh come on!” Dewey complained. “The Dewnificent Krilldebeest is such an awesome name though!!”

Fethry smiled apologetically and shrugged, “Maybe that can be her middle name?”

“I guess. ” Dewey huffed. “Well, now I’m gonna have to find a new bat or something. I will have an awesome animal named after me, you mark my words.”

Scrooge cleared his throat, “I’m sure you will lad. Now come on, we have to go over the map with our new ‘guest’.” He spread it out on the box they used as a makeshift table.

It looked hand-drawn, and impossibly old. Maybe some cartographer has sold it to him a long time ago, and he just hadn’t gotten around to visiting the cave until now. Though, that was just Fethry’s personal theory.

Regardless of where it came from, the cross section of the cave shown was impressive. The entrance seemed to be carved out by a river that ran through it and pooled in the center. 

“We’re going to have to put on scuba gear and dive through there and emerge on the other side, right there,” Scrooge explained. 

The underground lake connected to another cave system, this one resembling an ant's nest, with bigger pockets and tunnels connecting them together like a labyrinth. Some of these rooms were marked with triangles with exclamation points in them drawn in red pen ink. These additions looked newer.

“Uncle Scrooge, what’s in those rooms?” Fethry asked.

“Ach, nothing good, lad. Believe me; I checked.” He pointed to a section of the map without any red ink on it, “We managed to narrow down where the treasure is to these three rooms here. Once we get there, we’ll need to split up and search each room carefully.”

“Uh, Dewey doesn’t dew careful,” Dewey said, hands on his hips.

“I know, that’s why I’m having you come with me, so I can make sure you don’t, oh I don’t know, trigger a cave-in like last time.”

“Aw come on , that was an accident!”

“An accident that nearly got us buried alive ,” Scrooge scolded.

The other kids giggled, probably remembering the incident in question. Something about that made his gut twitch with anxiety, though he quickly stamped that down.

It’s irrational, and he knows it. 

So what if they have fond memories together without him? It’s not like they really got a chance to get to know each other after…..

Okay, yeah that’s worse.

Just don’t think about it. Fethry’s not gonna get back those years by wallowing in bad feelings like this, so just shut up and move on.

“Anyway,” Scrooge said, “Once we’re all finished narrowing it down, we meet back here to report our findings, and go into the room with the treasure together.” He pointed to the hall connecting the three rooms. “Everyone understand?”

They all gave their variations of “Yes” at once, and with that, they were ready.

Chapter Text

Fethry peered at the three metal ufo-shaped objects sitting towards the back of the plane. They were all about two feet in diameter, with four holes on each side, and two larger holes towards the front of them. They also each had a pair of lights where he assumed the machine's ‘faces’ would be, though they weren’t illuminated at the moment.

“Hey Uncle Scrooge, what are these things for?” he asked, poking one curiously.

“Ah, those are some of Dr. Gearloose’s latest inventions,” Scrooge explained, walking over. “Getting all that treasure through that underwater section of the cave just isn’t feasible without weighing ourselves down at the bottom, so I had him make these to carry it all back to the plane.”

He pulled out something that looked like a key fob and pressed a button on it. 

One of the robots sprung to life, sharp needle-like legs shooting out of the holes in the side, and big grasping claws towards the front. The two bright bulbs flickered on, and gave him a curious look.

Immediately, Fethry let out a shriek of joy and hugged the thing. "They're crabs!!!!!"

Scrooge chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd like that part."

"Of course I do!!! Ooh, did you know that there's a phenomenon where multiple crustaceans evolve into a crab-like form from a non crab-like form? It's really fascinating, especially from an evolutionary standpoint!!!"

Huey dug out his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook from under his hat, "Oh yeah, you're talking about Carcinisation, right?”

He beamed, “That’s right!!! Gosh, it’s so amazing that even mechanically Gyro chose to design this lovely robot based on a crab! It makes perfect sense too, since they’re both built to walk around underwater and crawl up rocks! I just love it when science takes inspiration from nature like that. These creatures evolved over several millennia to get the body structures ideal to suit their environments, so evolutionarily they know exactly what they’re doing!” 

"Hm, maybe you could use some of that knowledge over at the lab," Scrooge mused. "Though I'm not sure how much help your underwater specialty will be, considering a better chunk of what we do is on land."

“That’s okay!” he said, perhaps a little too quickly. “I’ve been meaning to brush up on more terrestrial creatures anyway!” That wasn’t completely true, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to branch out a little. He’d help in any way that he could.

That seemed to please Scrooge, “Good to hear, laddie. Maybe your research will have some use after all.” 

“Ooh you should try birds first!” Della called out from the cockpit. “Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for some cool new plane upgrades. Plus, they’re much cooler than those nasty fish.” She realized what she said, and glanced at him sheepishly, “Uh sorry, no offence.”

Ouch. “It’s okay,” he smiled, although his heart stung. “I know you never were a fan of them.”

"Still, I shouldn't shi-- er , I shouldn't bash your interests like that." She grimaced at the near slip up. "Even if they are slimy and smell like rotting flesh..." That last part was mostly muttered to herself.

It’s not like Fethry doesn’t understand where she was coming from. Maybe if he wasn't so numb to things like salty spray sticking to his feathers, or the bone chilling winds that would cut right through you out in the ocean, he wouldn't like working with fish much either.

Actually, come to think of it, he's always been pretty under-reactive to things like touch, smell, and taste. There were plenty of times in his childhood where his parents would have to call him inside to warm up after his beak turned blue from playing out in the snow or other cold weather for too long. Not necessarily because he was like any other child who wanted to stay out and play; he legitimately didn’t notice he was in the early stages of hypothermia.

“Well, thanks,” He said, with a genuine smile this time. “I really appreciate it.”

A few hours later, the plane touched down in a clearing within hiking distance of the cave. They would have gotten closer, but landing a plane on top of a bunch of trees is generally not a good idea, and Della isn’t really the crashing type. It took a good hour of hacking at the brush with a machete Scrooge brought, but they finally made it to the mouth of the cave.

Water flowed in from a sluggishly moving stream. Based on how wide the river bed was, it appears that now is the dry season for this area. In spring, when the snow from the mountains melt after a long winter, the river likely flows powerful enough to carry anyone into the cave’s depths.

For now though, the river was a mere trickle, more comparable to water washing down the side of a road after a heavy rain than anything else.

“Everybody got their head lamps?” Huey asked, securing his own to his hat.

The answer was a resounding “Yes” and with that, they ventured in. 

Stalactites glimmered overhead, dripping tiny deposits of minerals onto shining stalagmites below. The cave was bathed in the color of golden amber as the sun filtered through the entrance, and Fethry couldn’t help but become mesmerized with the sight of it.

“Oi, be careful where you’re stepping, Fethry,” Scrooge said, narrowly preventing him from walking into a row of stalagmites while he was preoccupied with staring up at the ceiling.

He flushed slightly, “Oops, sorry. I just couldn’t help but notice all the striking natural beauty all around us. Gosh, it’s just so easy to get lost in it all.”

“Yes, well try and keep your head screwed on. I don’t need you falling down a chasm because you saw something shiny. Dewey has that department covered enough already.”

“Hey!” Dewey objected.

Scrooge shrugged, “What? I’m just being realistic here. We’re not exactly in an ideal place to drag you or whatever’s left of you out of here if something happens.”

“That sounds um….” Fethry trailed off.

“Oh, come on now, don’t tell me you’re scared , laddie. When has a little danger stopped any of us before?” Scrooged teased. “Just keep your eyes open and you’ll be fine.”

Naturally, the rest of the family agreed, and that did help assuage some of his anxieties. Not all of them, but he was under no illusion that those would go away any time soon. Those more stubborn anxieties burrowed themselves into his skin like splinters, and he hardly has the time to try and pluck them out now.

They were small enough to push aside for the moment, anyway. Fethry has pushed down far worse than nervous butterflies before, and so far he’s doing fine.

Della nudged him, with a grin, “C’mon, I know me and Donald were always the more adventurous types, but you’ve been on a few in your younger days like us.”

“I know, it’s just been awhile since I’ve been on a proper adventure like this. Not counting the sublab, of course.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll re-learn the ropes pretty quick. I know I did.”

Abruptly, the cave dropped off into a giant pit. One that he was thankful to have noticed before he wandered aimlessly off the edge and falling to his doom. If he was really unlucky, there’d be some stalagmites down there to break his fall and also impale him.

Jesus Christ, don’t think about that.

It seems that today is the day that his brain has decided to bombard him with intrusive thoughts about falling from great heights and breaking every bone in his body.

Fantastic.

Shaking off that nonsense, he instead focused on securing the more literal ropes he would be using to rappel down with the others to somewhere strong enough to support his weight.

He had to admit that being tied to something that would catch him if he slipped did help with the butterflies ramming themselves against the walls of his stomach. It’s not like he has a phobia of heights or anything. Standing on top of Mitzy’s head is perfectly fine, and he loves how much he can see from up there.

It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly this extra anxiety is coming from. Though, Fethry is certainly no stranger to anxiety seemingly without any cause. Maybe it’s just one of those days.

He glanced at his junior woodchuck guidebook for reference on how to tie the best knot for the situation, which was the bowline hitch. Though, his time as a dock worker before the sublab made checking the book redundant. All it took was one too many carelessly tied crates crashing down into the ocean, and getting someone fired to convince him to memorize the knot-tying portion of the guidebook.

Still, with those butterflies still flapping about in his stomach, he wasn’t about to risk it.

Not too far from the bottom of the chasm, the underground lake stood before them, still as could be. Their headlamps reflected off of the surface like small moons in the night sky.

The glare made it hard to peer into the depths, but Fethry hoped that once they’re below the surface, he’ll get to spot some interesting aquatic cave creatures. He had been reading up on them in his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook on the flight over, of course. Every good biologist should be sure to brush up on knowledge of native species when they can.

As they pulled on their wetsuits and lowered themselves into the water, he couldn’t help but wish his team was here to help guide his way. Too bad they’re salt water creatures, or else he would have brought them along.

The robot crabs crawled along the bottom of the underwater cave, headlight eyes creating beams of light that cut through the water, illuminating the cave.

At last, they finally surfaced. With the sun long gone by now, the cave was pitch black, aside from their headlamps. If they all turned theirs off, he could probably trick himself into thinking he was still in the deep abyss.

The thought was as chilling as it was comforting. Nothing like the dark nothingness to remind you of how insignificant you are, especially on a grander scale.

He climbed out of the water and they traveled further into the cave. Being alone probably made those thoughts all the more prominent, what with how the mind wanders when one has nobody to talk to.

Enough about that, though. He couldn't afford to lose his head and go tumbling off the edge of something steep again. Scrooge would berate him for his carelessness.

Speaking of the old duck, he abruptly cut into his musings by saying, “Alright, everyone knows the drill by now. We meet back here after we’re done investigating, and then we pile the treasure into these mechanical mollusks and get home.”

“Um, crabs aren’t mollusks. They’re actually crustaceans, part of the arthropod phylum which-”

“I know , lad. I just couldn’t come up with a good alliteration for these buckets of bolts. I'm not an idiot, for crying out loud.”

Fethry blushed, “Oh uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to imply…”

“Ach, don’t worry about it. If you get hung up on that the whole time, we’re not going to get anywhere,” Scrooge waved him off. “Now, back to what I was saying; If everyone isn’t back in an hour, then the rest of us will come looking for you, got it?”

Everyone agreed, and separated off into their respective groups. As Scrooge said in the plane, Dewey was stuck with him, though Webby also tagged along to keep him company. Huey and Della took the center most room, leaving Fethry with the green kid, Louie to take the room towards the left

A smile formed on Fethry’s face. Although they have been living with each other for a couple weeks now, he really hadn’t gotten that much chance to properly talk with the youngest triplet. The kid kept to himself most of the time, preferring to spend his time lounging on the couch watching tv, or scrolling through social media on his phone.

Hanging out with him without the obligation to start up a conversation was pretty nice, Fethry had to admit, but he still wanted to get to know Louie better. 

And what better way to do that than on an adventure? 

“Isn’t this exciting?” Fethry asked, enthusiastic.

“Hm?” Louie said, “Oh yeah. I mean, I’ve seen the other parts of this cave before, and they were pretty exciting, I guess. Still, I swear if there’s another stone statue coming alive to fight us that isn’t guarding some kind of treasure, then what’s the point?”

“The experience?”

“Eh,” he shrugged, “I’d rather have treasure, If I’m being completely honest here.”

Their headlamps shone over the stalactites and stalagmites littering the tops and bottoms of the cave, creating shadows that resembled the needle-like teeth of an eel.

Fethry nodded, “Of course. What's a risk without its rewards? Sure, the adrenaline rush might be what some adventurers seek, but there’s certainly something to be said about discovering something great.”

“Exactly! Especially if that thing gives you lots of money.”

A wry grin tugged the corners of Fethry’s mouth upwards, “They say money doesn't buy happiness, but I’m not sure that’s 100% true. These days, everything seems to be behind a paywall.”

Louie agreed fervently, “I know . It’s not my fault that a lot of the cool things that’ll make me happy are things you can buy. Sure, the adventures can be fun, but for me, the risk is a drawback; not a reward.”

That made sense. More than half of the things they all do can be pretty anxiety-inducing, especially to the average person. They may be a family of thrill-seekers, but the kinds of thrills they seek vary from person to person.

Some people want to discover something great, others want an adrenaline rush, some want wealth, and some want the recognition of being a great adventurer. 

“Not everything is worth risking your life for,” Fethry agreed. 

“Yeah, and maybe that makes me materialistic or something, but I’m just trying to be practical here."

"There's nothing wrong with going after what makes you happy. That's why I want to become a real scientist! Watching deep sea animals do their thing makes me happy. If I become a scientist, then I’d get to do that all the time, and work with people who love those magnificent creatures as much as I do!!”

He could just talk for hours and hours about all the cool creatures he’s seen, and the interesting behaviors they’ve performed in front of him. They’d probably get a kick out of all the interesting things Gladstone’s luck has gotten various fish to do while they were at the aquarium.

“I bet you’ll be great at it,” Louie said, stepping through a more narrow section of the cave. “I mean, you’re practically a walking encyclopedia about fish facts already .”

Fethry chuckled, and squeezed after him. “I may or may not have the Junior WoodChuck Guidebook’s section on sea life memorized.”

That got the kid to laugh. “Man, you really are like an older version of Huey. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him go a day without pulling that book out and quoting something from it.”

“It’s good to have a guide on what to do sometimes.”

The world can be an intimidating place to navigate alone. The guidebook at least gives him a better idea of what to expect, which is especially helpful now that he’s on land again. God knows that he learned the hard way to tone down the weirdness in public. The fish don’t judge, but people were another story.

“That’s what he says too, but he treats it more like a rule book than anything.” 

Fethry shrugged, “So did I, when I was his age. I wouldn’t say I’ve completely grown out of it, but I don’t rely on it as much as I used to.”

“Eh, well that’s something, I guess.” Louie returned the shrug. Then, a half mischievous and half amused grin twisted his features, “Hey, maybe he’ll get really into fish when he’s older too!”

He let out a laugh. “That would be great! I’d love to have someone to ramble about all my useless marine biology facts with.”  

“And I’m sure he’d love to ramble back at you,” Louie said, stepping over a divot in the floor. “Speaking of Huey, can you reach in my backpack and pull out one of the granola bars he packed? I’m starving.”

“Sure thing,” Fethry said, unzipping his bag. “Do you wanna sit down and take a break for a moment? This room is a lot larger than I thought it would be.”

“It’s like you read my mind,” Louie said, looking back at him with a pleased grin on his face.

As they dined on their rations of trail mix and granola, Fethry couldn’t help but be reminded of a younger Gladstone when he looked at Louie. He didn’t bring it up, of course. Something told him that being compared to Gladstone of all people wouldn’t go over so well. Even if Fethry could vouch for all the times Gladstone footed the bill when he really didn’t have to. Sure, it may seem like a shallow gesture to some; just another way the goose flaunted his luck, but when you can’t find a job and live in someone’s guest room rent free, it means a lot. Gifts and monetary favors are just how he shows his love.

No, stop it. Don’t dwell on the sad things. 

He’s supposed to be spending time with his cousin! Not overthinking whatever negative opinion Louie may hold towards Gladstone. It’s probably not even that bad. It’s hard to tell where friendly teasing and actual criticism starts a lot of the time.

“Speaking of which, I’d like your new nuisance--er, assistant; Donald’s cousin Fethry.”

Those words still brought a pang of hurt to his chest. Fethry knows he’s probably overreacting. The pain twisted into shame, putting a bitter taste in his mouth.

Just get over it already. He needs to stop being so sensitive and, most importantly, stop dwelling on things that will only sour his mood.

“You know,” Louie began, nonchalantly, “Huey usually packs these things in case we get trapped down here or something.”

Fethry shrugged, and offered him a grin, “Well, if that does happen; I call dibs on being eaten first.”

That earned him a genuinely surprised laugh from the boy and a playful nudge on the arm. “Hey, no fair! I wanted to be first!”

“That’s too ba-” Fethry cut himself off. It was faint, but he could swear he could hear something echoing off the cave walls far away. “Hold on, let’s be quiet for a moment.”

As they sat there in silence, it became more and more apparent that it wasn’t just the chittering of bats, or the reverberations from their own amused conversation filling the cave with noise.

It sounded like…. A voice? Though the words resembled a series of strung together syllables more than anything coherent. Like listening to an impassioned speech from the end of a tunnel. Which, to be fair, is probably exactly what they’re doing.

“Oh crap,” Louie hissed, “It’s Glomgold.”

Chapter Text

“Ugh, great ,” Louie groaned. “We’ll never get back to Scrooge without him noticing us.”

Fethry chewed the inside of his cheek. “Maybe not both of us…”

The kid looked at him, eyebrows raised curiously, “What are you thinking?”

“What if I distract him, while you turn off your light and slip away when you get the chance? Then I’ll lead him deeper into the cave and buy you and the others some time to find the treasure and come up with a way to get rid of him.” 

“....‘Get rid of him’?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.” It certainly wouldn’t be ideal for Glomgold to chase them all the way back to the Sunchaser, would it? 

“Uh.” Louie shook his head, “Nevermind. That’s a pretty solid plan, I think. I just have one note.”

“What’s that?”

“This kind of lying and manipulation is kind of my specialty here. Why don’t I be the one to distract him, while you go get Scrooge?”

“But he knows you,” Fethry said. “Think about it, you deal with this guy all the time. He’s bound to recognize you and see through all your treacherous ways.”

“Hm, you’ve got a point,” Louie conceded, scratching his chin. “Are you sure you’re up for this though? I’ve seen plenty of people crack under the pressure before, and you don’t seem like the lying type.”

“Just trust me,” Fethry says, with a wink. 

“--And the world will never forget the name Flintheart Glomgold ever again!!!” The man yelled, his vehement words hitting their eardrums like hammers.

“I’ll make an opening for you, just keep your light off until you’re sure you’re a good enough distance away.”

Glomgold squeezed his way through the narrow gap, stumbling on his way out, and letting out a string of curses that Fethry cringed at. Hopefully Louie already knew all of those already.

After him came two muscular body guards, clearly decked out in gear that meant they were ready for a fight if need be. Not that starting a fight was part of his plan, thankfully. It just made things a little more difficult, that’s all.

Fethry gasped, hands going to both sides of his face in fake awe, “Oh my gosh!!!!!! Are you world famous billionaire; Flintheart Glomgold?!”

All heads swiveled towards him, the brightness of their headlamps like a spotlight in his eyes. “Erm…” Glomgold blinked at him a moment, before his chest puffed out with pride, and he said, “Why yes laddie, it is I-- the best , most handsome , and soon to be richest duck in the world, Flintheart Glomgold!!!!!!!!!”

He raced over and grabbed his hand with both of his, shaking it eagerly. “I’m such a huge fan!!!” Fethry gushed. “Oh my goodness, it’s such an honor to actually meet you!!!”

Crouching behind a shadowy cluster of stalagmites, Louie raised his brows, mildly impressed, but still watching tentatively. Glomgold isn’t the hardest person to trick by any means, but with Huey’s complete inability to keep a straight face when lying, he had assumed his older counterpart was the same.

It’s nice to be proven wrong sometimes.

Glomgold preened, “That’s right, take it all in. It’s not every day you get to meet someone as magnificent and accomplished as me.”

“I--I don’t know what to say!! Gosh! And to think, we would meet all the way down here in this marvel of natural beauty. Why, I was just looking at these rock thingies on the ceiling, don’t they look just like icicles? I think I saw a few crystals up there too!”

“What, where?! I want them!!!” Glomgold ordered his guards to lift him closer to the ceiling, clamoring over them like a child climbing pantry cabinets to reach the cookie jar stashed up top.

Fethry made a motion with his hand, and with every headlamp glued to the ceiling, that was Louie’s chance to go. 

He kept close to the walls of the cave, not taking his eyes off the group until he was right at the gap. 

“C’mon.. Almost… there…” Glomgold tried to stand on their shoulders, but as soon as he raised a hand to reach towards the stalactites, he lost his balance and tumbled down, right on top of his goons. Somehow, he managed to get himself tangled up in a mass of flailing limbs.

“Oh uh… you need some help?” Fethry asked, mildly concerned.

“I’m fine!” Glomgold barked, wrestling his way out of the pile. “Now, someone help me up again; I’m not leaving without those crystals.” 

“Uh, boss,” one of the goons said, rubbing his bruised head. “I don’t think there’s anything valuable up there.”

“What?!” He squinted up at the ceiling, as if it owed him money. “You’re right!! It’s just a bunch of bloody stalagmites!!”

“Stalactites,” Fethry corrected.

“Do I look like I give a bloody damn about what they’re called, laddie?” Glomgold snapped. “Pah! You’re useless! Come on, goons; we don’t need this bampot. I’ll find the staff myself!!”

His heart rate spiked as Glomgold shoved past him and ventured deep into the cave. Against his better judgment, he ran after them, “Wait, do you mean the Lost Staff of Frostbite?”

Glomgold stopped in his tracks. “Yes. What do you know about it?” he asked, suspicious.

“Oh, well it’s kind of a local legend isn’t it? They say that the great wizard Dulenor stashed it down here hundreds of years ago. I thought it was just a tourist thing, but since you’re here, maybe that big display I saw really was real!!!”

He blinked, then exclaimed, “Are you telling me you actually found the damn thing?!”

Fethry shrugged, “I can show you where it is, if you’d like.”

The villain’s face stretched into a wicked grin, then he turned towards nobody in particular and stage-whispered, “This is perfect!! I’ve recruited another unwitting lakkey, and I dinnae even have to bribe or threaten him to get him to tell me where the treasure is!”

“Uhhhh…. Yeah!” Fethry agreed, confused. 

Glomgold glared at him suspiciously, making his smile falter ever so slightly.

One of the henchmen shook his head and leaned in close to Fethry’s ear, and unlike his boss, actually kept his voice low enough for others not to hear. “He does that a lot. Just ignore him.”

Silently, Fethry nodded his head. He wasn’t about to get himself outed by asking too many questions. God knows people hate it when he does that.

Louie took his cue to leave as soon as Fethry directed the villains’ gazes up to the ceiling. As much as he would have loved to film Glomgold making a fool of himself and posting it to the internet, all the noise he made in the process was perfect cover, and he wasn’t about to mess up his part of the plan like an idiot.

Even if it would have been really funny.

Getting past the crevice unnoticed was the hard part, making getting through the rest of the rest of their assigned section of the cave a cakewalk. 

Did Scrooge choose such an easy section for them on purpose, or was it just the luck of the draw? He shook the idea out of his head. Now’s not the time to get sidetracked. Who knows how long Fethry can keep Glomgold distracted for?

"UGH, how much further is it?!" Glomgold demanded, for what felt like the billionth time.

"We're getting there," Fethry assured him, with a smile that anyone who has worked in customer service would be all too familiar with making.

It couldn't have been that long since Glomgold agreed to let him lead them to the treasure…. Right?

Sure, his math may have been oh-- about six years off of the estimate he gave the boys back at the sublab, but that had just been a momentary lapse in judgement.

A pretty severe lapse, but everyone makes mistakes! Especially scatterbrains like Fethry, who couldn't keep track of the years even physical proof of the passage of time was standing right there--

Oh. 

He felt the urge to slap himself.

Don't get off track. The others are depending on Fethry to keep this bozo distracted. He can't just mess that up by thinking about things that'll send him spiraling. 

Uhh… quick! Distractions, he needs distractions!

"So!" He began, "How did you folks end up working together?" 

One of the henchmen shrugged, "Saw an ad in the paper, said this guy was hiring so I--"

"Quiet you sack of wet salami! I'm the boss here, so I'll do the talking!" Glomgold cleared his throat, then continued, "I put out an ad in the paper, and these two meatheads were the most muscle-y out of the lot. So, I hired them."

The henchman rolled his eyes, then gave Fethry a look of exasperation.

He hoped the pay was at least decent.

Fethry nodded. "I see, so--"

"Wait a minute," Glomgold said, cutting him off. "Is it just me, or has this cave gotten…. Colder…." Then, his expression suddenly twisted into a wicked grin, "The Staff of Frostbite!! It must be close!"

He charged ahead with reckless abandon, his maniacal laughter echoing off the walls of the cave.

Fethry's heart leaped in his chest. How could he not consider this possibility?!

With no other choice, he sprinted after the henchmen, who hesitated far less to follow their boss into the depths. 

Or well, that was the plan, until he slammed face first into the backs of the guards, and fell backwards on his behind only a few minutes later. 

"What the bloody hell is this?!" Glomgold yelled, staring out into a massive pit of icy stalagmites.

Ice-lagmites? Stalag-cicles??

It doesn't matter. The point is that there are a bunch of pointy things that look like they're made of ice down there, and based on the skeletons at the bottom, they don't want to fall down and see how sharp they really are.

"Oh! Uhhhh… We must be close!" Fethry said, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

This wasn't part of the plan! If Glomgold gets his hands on the staff first, he'll just freeze the others when they get here! And who knows how long they'd all take to thaw out if that happens!

Okay, okay! Think , Fethry! 

Over the pit of spikes are several floating platforms, with various moving obstacles designed to send those trying to get across falling to their doom down below. All of these, naturally, are also made of ice. 

Without much other option, Fethry leaps onto the first platform, shouting "Don't worry! I'll lead the way!!"

Glomgold seemed to take offense to this, yelling, "Oi! Who's the world-renowned adventurer here?!" And jumping after him. 

The first obstacle was a balance beam, and--as if the height wasn't threatening enough on its own– there are massive ice weapons swinging back and forth above it, ready to slice or knock off anyone foolish enough to cross. 

Unfortunately, Fethry had to be that fool. He doesn’t have much time to figure out the timing, as Glomgold is right on his tail feathers and gaining fast. Darting forward, he yelps as he nearly got said tail feathers chopped off by a giant swinging axe. 

“Come back here!!!!”

“I’ve got it!!!” Fethry shouted.

A giant mace swung between them. Its spikes looked just as sharp as the ones in the pit down below, though Fethry knew better than to look down and check for himself.

“I don’t care if you’ve ‘got it’,” He growled, “ I’m the leader, so I get the glory of finding it first!!!

“Whaaaat? I can’t hear you over the sound of all these ice weapons!!” He had half a mind to tell Glomgold that they had already established Fethry found it first, and that he was just showing Glomgold the way, but playing dumb seemed like the better option here.

“I’m right here, you dimwit!!!” Glomgold lunged forward, as a giant sword nearly sliced him in half. 

“Mmmm nope! Can’t hear you!!!”

The balance beam ended, revealing that the next set of obstacles were a bunch of tilting platforms, with a very narrow window of time where the tiles would align so you could cross without falling to your death.

There wasn’t much time to think and watch the pattern cycle a few times to get a handle on it, with Glomgold charging forward, looking ready and willing to push Fethry off the edge if it meant getting to the treasure first.

Landing on the first platform made it apparent that staying standing up is going to be a problem. At least the beam before here had some kind of texture his feet could grab onto. 

He held out his arms to each side like a tightrope walker, trying to keep his balance, but the platform started to tip to the left, giving him no choice but to jump to the next, with a yelp.

Glomgold didn't even hesitate as he jumped after Fethry. Not that he had time to look over his shoulder at the older man. He was a bit preoccupied with not falling. The only reason he even knew that was the sound of webbed feet landing behind him. 

"Out of my way!!"

Suddenly, he felt hands on his shoulder and he was tossed aside.

How Fethry managed to grab a hold of the edge in his panic was something he would have time to ponder later. For now, his hands strained against the force of gravity trying with all its might to pull him down to his icy doom. 

The platform tilted downwards like a trapdoor, with him on the edge where the hinges would have been. Feet scrambling for purchase on the rougher bottom, he managed to pull one foot onto the thin edge just long enough to launch himself onto the next platform. 

He heard a gasp from behind him, presumably from the goons that were just catching up behind them.

There was no time to think about them though, because Glomgold's two platforms ahead of him, and what's worse; Fethry is just behind the right timing for this puzzle. 

Though the ice is cold, Fethry can't help but feel like he leapt out of the frying pan, only to end up in the fire. He hardly had time to stand before this one tried to drop him too. 

This time, he ran towards the rapidly rising side and grabbed the edge, and held on for dear life until the next platform was flat enough for him to jump onto semi-safely.

Ahead, he hears Glomgold cackle in triumph, filling his heart with rage. 

Screaming, Fethry charges forwards. The rest of the platforms fly by in a blur of adrenaline, until he arrives at the final obstacle. 

It’s a massive rock-climbing wall towering about a hundred feet above him. It nearly reaches the ceiling with how tall it is.

There’s no time to examine it further though, with Glomgold screaming profanities at him and his are goons not too far behind. 

If there was any time to be thankful that he chose climbing as a hobby during his underwater isolation, it would be now. Fethry scrambled upwards as fast as he could manage. His heart beat in his chest like a drum, driving him forwards with every beat. 

"Get back here you traitorous tramp!!!" Glomgold yelled, though the words barely registered in Fethry's mind.

Just then, one of the handholds above him juts forward like a fencer making a jab at their opponent. 

It might not be sharp, but the force alone would be enough to bruise at best, or make him fall at worst.

Fethry feels Glomgold's flailing hand brush against his flipper, and that's threat enough to keep him moving.

He manages to time it out right, but there's far more waiting for him above. Much faster ones, too.

Maybe if it wasn't so deadly, he'd be tempted to compare it to that one game show with the inflatable obstacles. He can't be thinking about that now, though. The staff is up there, he's certain of it. 

Maybe he can finally prove himself useful!!

Maybe he–

"Ha HA!!! Got you!!!"

A hand closes around his ankle and yanks downward. It's not enough to make him lose his grip, but it delays him just long enough to mess up the timing. 

One of the handholds slams into his torso like a jackhammer, and Fethry cries out in pain as Glomgold's maniacal laughter fills the cave.

He hardly gets a moment to react before Glomgold takes advantage of his weakened state and pulls again.

Fethry falls.

The only thing he hears beside the blood pulsing through his veins is that duck's mocking words. 

He can't even process what he's saying.

As if on instinct, Fethry reaches upwards and grabs Glomgold's flipper like a lifeline. 

"Hey!!" Glomgold yelps, trying to shake him off. "Let go of me you-"

He doesn't bother listening to whatever else that man has to say. With his free hand, Fethry reaches for the rock wall again, scrambling for purchase. 

Gripping the handhold he finally manages to grab for life, he scrambles upwards, despite Glomgold's protests and blows. 

It takes him a moment to realize that he had climbed to the top, his feet firmly planted on the ice. 

"I… I made it?" Fethry whispers to himself.

Surrounding him is gold and treasures beyond so many people's wildest dreams. And in the center of it all, stood The Staff of Frostbite, its milky blue gem glowing with otherworldly energy.

Behind him, Glomgold's enraged cries get louder, and he finally snaps out of his reverie and makes a mad dash towards the staff.

It's just as his hands close around the icicle-like shaft of the staff that he looks over his shoulder, and sees Glomgold's hand reach over the edge.

They lock eyes as Fethry yanks it from its stand and turns around, looking for an exit.

The only problem is that Glomgold is blocking the way back, and now his two goons have caught up too, hauling themselves up onto the ledge alongside their boss.

"Get him!!!" Glomgold cries, pointing at Fethry.

Fethry yelps as the two goons charge forth. One of them tries to grab him in a bear hug, but Fethry barely ducks in time to slip past him. The other henchman's fist flies past his head.

There’s no way he can keep this up forever. Climbing back down doesn’t seem like much of an option either. 

Dodging another punch sent his way, an idea strikes him. 

The staff!!

He’s never used magic before, but there’s always a first time for everything. Might as well be now!

Pointing it in the direction of the incoming henchmen, he does his best to conjure a spell to stop them.

The staff responds in kind, its gem glowing with ancient energy. It summons a row of ice spikes in a line starting on the ground right near its tip.

The henchmen just barely dodge out of the way, narrowly avoiding being skewered by the sharp points.

Oh God! He didn't mean to make something to hurt them!

Undeterred, the goons charge again.

No no no! What should he do?! He doesn't want to kill them, he just-

The world turns to black as one of them takes advantage of his hesitation to land a freight train of a blow to his temple.

"What….do with him?"

"...Scrooge choose….. him or the staff."

The last thing he recalls before he passes out for good is him being carried across an ice bridge miles above the obstacle course.