Title: The Mallard and the Wereduck
Rating: General Audiences/K+ (For some thematic elements and intense fighting scenes)
Parings/Ship(s): Drake x Jim
Canon(s): Darkwing Duck, Ducktales (2017)
Genre: Supernatural/Romance
AU?: Yes, werewolf, standard fairy tale setting, borrowing elements from Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood.

Chapter One

Boots heavy with every step Gosalyn took, the barren dirt and twigs cracked under her feet. A crossbow tied to her back, a bundle of arrows in her quiver and a lantern in hand; green hues peered through the dark thicket of the woods. A shiver ran through her spine as the evening fall breeze blew through. The crescent moon rose high, its gentle light illuminated Gosalyn's youthful, feathered features and made her red head feathers shine.

Despite her father, Drake Mallard’s warnings about straying too far from their village, she wanted to support and provide for their small family. Even if it meant hunting for prey before the winter season took its icy hold. This would not be Gosalyn’s first time hunting by herself. As her father taught her to use a bow and arrow to aid him during their trips outside of Canardia Village. Even so, it would be the first time to do so in the dead of night and without dad’s knowledge.

The redhead had to find a sign. Something to aid her in search for the creature that took her grandfather’s life over a year ago. A creature with many names, but was commonly known as a werewolf. With the monster’s face imprinted and her grandfather crying out her name before being devoured: then nine-year-old Gosalyn was left alone, helpless to save him.

Gosalyn was not the helpless little girl anymore. With her newfound hunting skills and her father’s support in finding the beast that killed her grandpa, she would enact her revenge. Even if she had to brave the dark woods in order to do so...

She wasn’t alone.

Whipping her head around, she set down her lantern, took out an arrow and positioned it in her bow. Aiming back of her and then around. She waited for a sound, only to be answered by a hoot of an overhead owl, which she pointed the arrow toward. Her expression twisted to a frown. Scoffed, she lowered her weapon and kept it to her side. Gosalyn decided to retreat to the village with a few steps and went back in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, a haunting, familiar sound rose, making Gosalyn speed up her pace from a careful walk to a speedy jog. A howl- a long, deep howl whose vibre sent chills down her spine. Despite her initial bravery, the red-headed girl did not have it in her to see it through. Something she internally berated herself for.

“AH!”

With a shout, she tripped over a tree root and tumbled into a clearing. Her lantern fell and crashed, and flames blazed. She curled around her crossbow in effort to keep it from falling from her grasp. Lifting her head, she turned to see the flames of the lantern quickly spreading. Before making another move, a low growl was heard not too far away. Stock-still, Gosalyn beheld a beast: the biggest she had ever seen.

Emerald hues traveled to large, gray paws with unsheathed claws and then up to the massive silver head with shining teeth like knives. Then golden-yellow eyes in front, staring, leering at her. This werewolf was not the one that murdered her grandfather, but it was deadly and ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Readying her weapon, the girl’s beak gritted into a snarl, arrow pointed directly to the eye of the monster. If she was going to die; either by being eaten by the very beings that took her grandfather away or burned alive by the flame she set accidentally, she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

The lunge never came so she did not shoot. The werewolf yelped in surprise and pain from a burning sensation against its side by a whirling ball of white and purple. The creature’s lip curled into a snarl, turning inward to sink its teeth into the assailant's throat, who jumped off, waving his torch in the wolf’s face.

“Run Gosalyn!” It was her dad! “Go get help, this fire will spread to the village, go now!”

Gosalyn responded with stunned silence. Then, with her crossbow stored upon her back, ran away in the direction of the village with the light of the moon and stars to guide her.

Meanwhile, the blue-eyed drake used the fire to his advantage, waved his torch and jumped forward to burn the creature alive. While the monster rolled to rid of the fire on its person.

“Not so tough when you aren't hunting down an innocent child huh?!" Drake spat venomously.

The werewolf, having enough of this mere mortal male duck, spun around, knocked the torch out with the wave of its paw and roared at the white duck as though saying:

‘Get that thing out of my face NOW!’

Surprised by the quick recovery, the white male duck ran to find his torch to keep the creature at bay, but he was pounced upon by the werewolf against the tree. Grunted from the impact, Drake’s beak twisted into a snarl as he kicked the wolf’s face, which made the werewolf reel back. Using that opportunity, the headstrong male sped off to find his torch, with the werewolf hot on his tail.

Between the roaring of the fire, which was spreading quickly in every direction illuminating the night sky, and the hot breath of the beast on his back, Drake knew there was a slim chance he could make out of this alive. Whether eaten by this wolf or burned alive by the flames, he was at least going to give a fighting chance if not for himself, but for his daughter. She had lost and been through so much, the last thing she needs is to worry about her father’s hero complex.

Quickly Drake was finding out his torch had been long gone, so he resorted to a branch, hot to the touch but lit with fire at the end, with a shout he ran back to the werewolf, who seemed prepared for an attack, swiped not the branch with fire, but Drake himself!

With a yelp, the foolhardy male stumbled upon some rocks that while made him seethe in pain, nevertheless broke his fall. Slowly, the werewolf circled its prey, its mouth drooling, fire lightened its gaze- or it would have, if it weren’t for a sudden splash of water upon it.

“DAD!” A familiar voice screamed as she witnessed the werewolf’s pursuit of a weakened Drake.

Shouts and hollers from who the white male guessed were the villagers Gosalyn lead to help gathered around with their gear, dousing the fire with buckets of water and firing their muskets to frighten away the creature that attacked Drake. And yet, the creature was unfazed, having narrowed its focus on the male.

Despite his state, sky blue hues steeled at the pair of golden yellows, waiting at any moment for either the beast to strike or Gosalyn or the villagers to shoot at the creature. The creature’s jaws now open and close to his neck suddenly...stopped. Wide black nose wiggled and breathed in the scent of its prey. Its massive head reared back, lip curled, and made a grunting noise as though in disgust. A quiet whoosh like that of a bird’s wings was heard by both the arrow pierced the shoulder of the beast. It backed up with a roar, more and more realizing it most likely would not win this battle, retreated and ran into the thicket, leaving a trail of blood from its arrow wound.

Stunned on the spot, Drake jumps from a barreling Gosalyn at his side, embracing him as though he would easily slip from her grasp.

“Dad! Let’s go, c’mon, did that thing hurt you?! I’ll help you, this is all my fault! If I wasn’t out here-oh dad!”

Helping a sore Drake up, she took note of the wounds on his back and side, scratch marks from the beast and scorching bruises from landing on the hot rocks. Yet, even with Gosalyn’s worried chattering, the villagers clearing the fire and leading them back with lanterns and torches of her own, the adult male had only one thing on his mind.

Why did that beast not kill me?

Outside of Gosalyn, the rest of the villagers and fire surrounding them, it was determined to see to Drake’s end. If not for food, out of revenge for hurting it and spoiling his own dinner. But once it actually smelled him, it wanted nothing to do with him. Why?

Alas, none of these questions could be answered for the time being. All Drake had to do now is get back home, dress his wounds and check in on Gosalyn.