A Duck's Luck

A Long Awaited Destination

Delilah wiped the tears off her face and regained her posture , fixing her messy hair and adjusting her outfit . " I guess we'd better start to try and figure things out from here , " Webby said , dusting off her skirt . " All we have to do is keep going north , right ? " Dewey asked . Webby nodded and looked at the canyon beside them . " If I remember correctly , the canyon was going north - which was why we had to cross to the side of it . " The kids all looked down in front of them along the canyon , watching as the sides stretched out forwards . " That doesn't sound too bad ! " Dewey pulled out his sword and began to walk ahead , following the edges of the canyon as a guide .
" Does that book show any pictures of what Eris's place might look like ? " Webby asked Delilah as they began to walk . " How'd you know I had a book about stuff like that ? " Delilah asked , surprised . Webby giggled a little . " I saw you putting it away back in the castle ,, and I heard you and the princess talking about it . " Delilah blushed a little out of embarrassment . " Hey , It's not a bad thing ! I just don't know why you kept hiding it from us . " Webby gave Delilah a sort of pouty expression and Delilah replied , " Honestly , I don't know why I hid it either , " She pulled the book out of her bag and held it out in front of her , just like with the compass . " Well , just make sure you don't keep secrets from your family . Me and Dewey know how that feels all too well . " Webby gave Delilah a playful pat on the back and Delilah smiled at her . She was right , of all the people in the family Dewey and Webby did know what it felt like . With Dewey , keeping the stuff about his mom from his brothers and for Webby , being lied to most of her life . Delilah was glad both her parents were honest with her .
Delilah flipped through the book's old pages , scanning across them until she caught sight of a particular picture she saw before . It wasn't really a picture , it was more like an artist's rendition of what Eris's domain looked like from their adventure . As far as Delilah could tell , there were no actual photos of it . " This is all that's in here , " She said , showing the picture to Webby beside her . " Hmm ,, " Webby put one hand up to her chin and held the edge of the book with her other , closely examining the picture . At this point , Dewey had slowed down so he could see what the others were looking at . " Do you guys see those large cracks protruding from the exterior ? " Webby pointed at the base of the strange cave and Delilah could see large cracks in the Earth all around the outside . Then , Webby looked at the giant canyon beside them . As she did , both Dewey and Delilah realized what Webby was trying to hint at . " Wait , so the canyon is probably one of those large cracks ? " Dewey asked .
" Most likely . I did think the formation of the canyon was kinda weird , definitely not made by erosion like most canyons , " Webby replied .
Delilah's eyes lit up with a small spark . If what Webby guessed was right , then that would mean they did find Eris after all , without the compass . Before she knew it she would be with her dad again , and all of them could go back home - she was feeling especially homesick now . It had been a whole week since they left and Delilah knew for a fact that everyone back at home MUST be looking for them . She just wanted to find her dad and get home , but of course , it wasn't that easy .
" Does that mean we found her !? " Delilah asked excitedly , grabbing Webby's shoulders .
" There's only one way to find out ! " Webby replied .
Delilah began to run up ahead , wanting to get there as soon as possible . Dewey and Webby followed quickly behind . " Y'know , what a coincidence that we found a canyon that just so happens to lead us to Eris's lair as soon as we lost the compass ! " Dewey commented jokingly .
Delilah was running faster than she ever had before in hopes of finally being able to find her dad . Millions of thoughts were running through her head all at once - so fast she could barely even think comprehensively . The only thing that mattered to her was finding Eris's lair and reuniting with her dad , more than anything in the world . You're almost there Delilah, she thought to herself , he's close ,, I can feel it . Her mind was on autopilot as she followed the curves of the canyon , making sure to stay as close as she could to it without tripping so she didn't lose her place . Every now and then she and the others would stop to catch their breath , but Delilah would get back up and run again as soon as she could .
They continued on a little further until the air suddenly became heavy and a thick blanket of green fog had surrounded them . Delilah read about this in her book , when she remembered the green fog from Duckburg she discovered that the fog was from Eris ( obviously ) . Whoever smells the fog becomes the complete opposite of who they were . Luckily , Delilah thought this might happen , so she handed Webby and Dewey masks . They all had to stop running as the fog was so thick that they could barely see in front of them , and their eyes stung with the bitter air around them . Looking around Delilah noticed that all the trees and bushes were dead , and the once lively forest became dead silent . The green grass faded into a dirty , rocky path . " This place got really creepy really fast ,, " Dewey muttered from under his mask .
" I know , I guess this means we're getting closer , " Webby replied .
" I really hope we get there soon though , I feel like coughing ,,, " Delilah added . The kids kept forward , walking slowly to avoid tripping on things they couldn't see . The sound of their heavy breathing below the masks was the only thing that could be heard .
Finally , after 30 minutes of nothing but non-stop walking through the thick mist , the kids stumbled upon a large , dark hole . A ginormous cave stood in front of them , the inside stretching deep under the Earth , so deep that there was nothing but black abyss below . At this point , Delilah had been thinking . If the stories of this cave bringing all your deepest darkest fears to life was true , she really didn't want Dewey or Webby to have to go through that . They'd already been through so much , all of them had , and she felt seeing as though she had just recently joined them she may as well make her sacrifice .
" Hey , you guys ,, " Delilah turned to look at Webby and Dewey , their masks covering their slight concern . " You know , I've had a lot of fun going on this adventure with you , both of you , but ,,, y'know ,, I'm not so sure you guys should come with me for this next part . " She silently waited for her family members to respond , not sure if they were trying to ignore her or take in her request .
" But ,, we came so far - why do you want us to leave you for the final part ? " Dewey asked .
" Did we do something wrong ? " Webby added .
Delilah shook her head . " No , that's exactly why you guys should stay . I know what lies within this cave , I don't want you guys to suffer more than you already have ,,, "
" Oh Delilah , don't worry about us ! " Webby laughed . " We've been through a lot , sure , but look at us ! " She wrapped her arm around Dewey's shoulder .
" Yeah ! We're probably the bravest kids in the family , " Dewey added , wrapping his arm around Webby's shoulder .
" I know but ,,, I guess ,,, I just ,,, " Delilah stammered , trying to think of a nicer way to say what she wanted . Even though it was just Dewey and Webby , it felt like she was standing in front of a crowd . " I guess what I mean is ,,, maybe I want to do this adventure ,,, by myself ,,, "
Dewey and Webby's arms fell off from around each other , and their eyes filled with a little bit of sadness . " Well , I guess that makes sense ,, you did want to do this by yourself in the first place , " Dewey said finally .
Webby placed her hand on Delilah's shoulder . " Just be careful , okay ? "
Delilah nodded in response, and the three ducks shared another group hug together .
" Don't worry , I'll be safe . " Delilah assured her cousins . Dewey sniffled a little . " I really hope so ,, you're my baby cousin , Delilah , I don't want anything bad to happen to you , " He whispered softly .
Delilah's eyes started to tear up . " Nothing bad will happen to me , " she replied shakily . " I promise . "
The group shared one last final hug and , after pulling away , Delilah started her journey into the long , tunneling cave . She turned back one final time , only to see the vague silhouettes of Dewey and Webby from behind the thick green blanket of fog .