A Duck's Luck

An Unexpected Detour

Leading them forward , Delilah examined her surroundings further . From behind the tall , shiny treetops she could see what appeared to be a large , steep mountain and , obviously , she became a little unsettled . Nevertheless , she continued her journey . As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest they could hear the many sounds of jungle wildlife and sounds of distant waterfalls , the nice smell of fresh air surrounding them after spending all that time in the mansion and at sea . " Is it just me , or is it unusually warm today ? " Dewey asked suddenly , and the two girls also began to realize . It was near the end of August and yet it felt like the beginning of July . " Yeah , you're right - " Webby said , stopping in her tracks to take everything in . " But I guess , this is a tropical rainforest ( at least it looks like one ) , and they're usually a lot warmer because of high temperatures and how much water there is . " As she explained this , there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere . All the sounds they had been hearing up until this point had stopped suddenly , and there was not a sound to be heard . To Delilah , it almost felt like even the waterfalls and rivers had stopped flowing . Then out of nowhere , there was a loud rumbling , and trees in the distance started to shift . The kids froze in their tracks , Webby and Dewey getting into fighting positions , while Delilah stayed behind in fear . She had never been good with fighting , and she would always rely on the others to help her ; but she also knew it would seem unfair to them , and so she tried her best to mimic their stances .
At last , the kids could finally see what appeared to be causing all the commotion . A giant velvet worm ! " What is that thing ? " Dewey called out over the loud sounds of ground being pushed up and paradise falling apart . " I don't know , but it's kinda cute ! " Webby exclaimed back . Delilah was too terrified to say anything . Sure , she has had her fair share of deadly encounters , but she usually had a lot more people on her side . Now , there were no adults , and she knew Dewey and Webby would not be able to defeat this giant worm by themselves , even if she DID help . The worm approached closer at rapid speeds , and the three kids had to jump out of the way so they didn't cross it's path . Large rocks and debris flew from the sides of the worm , messing up the terrain detrimentally . However , to the kids' surprise , the worm didn't appear to have noticed them . " That's weird , usually any deadly creature would have no problem trying to attack us . " Dewey said , recalling past adventures . " There's probably something else going on , maybe we should - " Before Webby could continue , the kids saw knights in shining armor ,,, literally . " Knights ? In the 21st century ? " Dewey said , unsure of whether or not what he was seeing was real . " C'mon , let's follow them ! Maybe they can lead us to a princess ! " Delilah said , now a little relieved that the worm had not tried to attack them ( and also a little excited about a potential princess ) . And so , Delilah ran as fast her legs could carry her alongside Webby and Dewey to see what was going on .
When they started to catch up , they saw the knights on horseback throwing spears across the length of the worm . When the other person would catch it , they'd throw it on the ground to keep the ropes held tight around the worm . Eventually , the worm came to a halt after being tied down with many ropes . All the knights stopped and started to talk about something , and that was when Webby chimed in . " Wow !! Catching that huge worm looked so cool ! " She said . The other kids were about to add their own comments , but before they could the knights took notice and surrounded them with spears . " I've never seen you three before , where are you from ? " One of the knights asked , his spear steadily pointing at them . " Uh ,, Duckburg ? " Delilah responded in a shaky voice , trying to hide her fear . The knight paused for a second , then spoke once more . " Duckburg ,, in that case you'll have to follow me , " he turned on his horse , and before he moved anywhere else he added " And make sure to keep your hands up . We wouldn't want to have any problems , would we ? " The three kids put their hands up and at last they were escorted away from the worm with the knights and their horses surrounding them , preventing their escape . " You do know we're like , kids right ? " Dewey asked , his back being poked with a spear from behind . The knights said nothing , and eventually Dewey gave up trying to escape . I wonder what they're gonna do with that worm , Delilah thought to herself . She couldn't admire the rainforest any longer as the horses and knights were too tall for her to look past . The shadows from the horses covered her and the others in darkness , and it almost reminded her of that dream from before . After a while of walking , they finally came to a large , crystal gate with tall walls spanning both sides . The knight ahead gave a signal to someone up in a tall watchtower , and after a few seconds the large gate opened inward .
The kids looked around ( at least as best as they could with the horses blocking their view ) and admired the small town that looked straight out of a fairytale . " Wow , " Delilah gasped as the knights led them through the main road of the kingdom . " It's like they're all stuck back in time ! " Webby whisper-yelled . There were cottages and small houses everywhere , the roads paved in a beautiful mix of pastel purple and blue flagstone . Every street lamp was adorned with peacock feathers , and in the middle of the kingdom ; a large and extravagant fountain . The atmosphere had changed from tropical paradise to misty , yet fantasy-like . As the kids all looked around , they started to notice something . All of the people they saw appeared to be peacocks . At that point in time , Delilah thought they must be in some kind of peacock kingdom . Even though they were in the town now , the knights kept walking . They herded the kids straight ahead , some villagers watching the kids in awe , almost as if they had never seen anything like them before . From behind the knight in front , Delilah could see an extraordinary castle in the distance , colored in white and cool pastel colors . She thought of all the fairytale books she read , and instantly became more and more excited every minute . Was she going to meet a real princess ? Would she be able to become one herself ?! These are the thoughts that ran through her mind as the knights finally brought the kids in through the castle gate and into the castle itself .