#fethry (cacklingfools)

[biquinhoduck]

@cacklingfools​ continued from (x)!

“Aunt Daphne...?” 

Heh, that was a new name! Dugan tilted his head as he was placed onto the couch, and he started to relax. It was hard not to feel tense at the topic of family  – well, except for his prickle. He couldn’t recall the last time Stick and him had got in a tiff. And of course, Fethry was part of his prickle now. 

Yes, there was a difference between Family and Prickle. No one could convince Dugan otherwise.

“Who’s Daffy–uh, Daphne?” He began to peer at the album in Unca’s hand. At the very least, the boy felt relieved that he could prod a bit more on the subject.

[biquinhoduck]

"Pack your stuff, Dugan. We're going a trip with Mitzy."

Dugan peeked up from his fort of pillows, wanting nothing more than to block the world out. A trip with Mitzi? That... that would’ve been nice, but he wanted to nap. A first given the late afternoon, he was usually so high energy.

But today, and everything that came with it, was different. The boy clung onto the sheets of his makeshift den, reluctant to budge. Not that he’d be opposed to another piggyback ride to the docks, however.

[biquinhoduck]

@cacklingfools continued from (x)!

His uncle’s arms felt warm and safe. The safest person he could be around right now. The boy just wanted the world to stop spinning, for the engines to cease the ring in his ears. Was that too much to ask for?

“M-Me too.”

A shaken sigh, but Dugan’s breaths grew steady at the sound of Fethry’s heartbeat. He couldn’t ask for a better uncle. A better dad than Eider ever was. “I... I ’unno. I thoughts he’d wanna better papai.” 

[biquinhoduck]

"...Dugan. We need to talk."

Well, given the chaos within the last three days, that was a cautious yet welcoming first.

He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t even want to talk to Fethry for all that time. But living with him made the house feel tense, and he didn’t have the heart to stay with others overnight if he knew that his uncle would still miss him. Still, it just–he just… what could Dugan even say to make things better again?

Now, Unca phrased that pretty vaguely. Was Feth mad at him still? Was that how Grampy talked to him as a duckling? Again, Dugan didn’t want to think about it. None of it. Not about the fights, not about all the horrible things that Unca Abby said about his friends. And poor Unca Kildare…

Apprehension in his eyes, he looked up at his uncle and expected the worst. “A–Am I grounded again…?”

[biquinhoduck]

@cacklingfools continued from (x)!

“Ohhh, I see.”

So they were Fethry’s mom and dad. The thought of grown-ups with parents always seemed a little weird, but it made sense in a roundabout way. Then again, it was easier to imagine them springing up from thin air, waiting for the stork to drop by with an egg in tow. The boy had almost dropped the subject, but as he sat next to his uncle, Dugan eyed the photo closer.

“So if being my unca means you're Mama’s brother, and that Unca Abby is too, does that mean...?”

Lightbulb!

“You never said I had a Grammy and a Grampy!” he beamed. Turning to his uncle, he bounced in his seat with curiosity. “‘Cause I think ya said stuff about Gramma Duck, and that makes her my Gram-Gram, but she’s your grammy too! And–uhh–I–!” From there, Dugan was so excited he could barely even speak! He stole another glance at the picture, these conclusions giving him more questions than answers.

“Whataretheylike? Did Grammy paint the picture behind ya? What about Grampy?” One more look as he kicked up his feet. The family patriarch held a powerful stance, but Dugan found it odd how he scowled in front of the camera. “He looks super strong, kinda like Unca Abby – don’tcha think?”

[biquinhoduck]

@cacklingfools [as Fethry] said:  “Those squirrels look like they’re doing something shifty.”

"Yeah, I don’t like the looks of ‘em...” A suspicious glance toward the trees. “Kinda wanna climb up there, see if they’re land-based spies for the Dolphin Armada.”

[biquinhoduck]

(Fethry) “Plastic isn’t food.”

"But they’re apples! See? All red and shiny and everything!”

He wasn’t convinced by his uncle one bit, but as he took his first bite–

“...”

Well, let’s just say he learned a very important lesson when it came to the definition of wax fruit.

[biquinhoduck]

"DUGAN, IT'S TIME TO RESCUE SOME ANIMALS."

“YEAH!! LET’S SAVE THE AMINALS!!!”

“WE’RE GOING ON A RESCUE MISSION WE’RE GOING ON A RESCUE MISSON WE’RE GOING ON A RESCUE MISSION—”