Jungle Japes (ATTN Scrooge, Open)

[Donald Duck]

Donald Duck had second thoughts about joining Scrooge in the jungle. Not because of the potential beasts, natives, traps, or other theoretical hazards, but because the nephew got stuck hauling the heavy backpack full of items useful to the uncle's expedition.

"Uncle Scrooge," groaned Donald as he made the last step up a steep hill. His triangular tongue was exposed as his bill was wide open so he could pant heavily. Perspiration blanketed his feathered head and dripped down onto his bill, and in turn trailed to the tip of said bill and off. "Can we rest before my back telescopes?"

His eyes were heavy as he carried the backpack and walked uphill. His tone of voice was only a step more dignified than that of a whiny child's.

[Scrooge McDuck]

Wielding a machete in one hand, Scrooge hacked a path for himself and his nephews through the thick green undergrowth, unaware of Donald’s discomfort. The way he saw it, he was an old man and the boys were just that – boys -- so the duty of carrying the gear fell to Donald.

Instead of his usual business attire, Scrooge wore a more practical tan safari shirt and a pith helmet. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were sandwiched in between Donald and Scrooge. They too were similarly dressed to Scrooge for the journey. If there was one thing that the Scotsman loved, it was adventure (well, money first, adventure second). Especially when that adventure involved a priceless blue diamond, the Peacock Diamond, rumored to be even larger than the present world record holder, the Cullinan Diamond. He could barely contain his glee at the idea of making such an important find!

"I suppose we could use a wee break,” He neutrally replied in his heavy Glaswegian accent as he turned to look back at Donald. “I would have thought that the navy toughed ye up a bit, laddie."

“So how much farther to this temple, Unca Scrooge?” Huey, the duckling who usually wore red asked, curiously looking around at their rugged surroundings.

Scrooge smiled before replying, “It should nae be much farther.” Firmly planting the business end of his machete into the earth, he then removed a map from his shirt pocket and unfolded the yellowed article of paper to examine it once more. The object of Scrooge’s quest was the Temple of Mbari.

"Unca Donald, are you okay?” Louie asked, coming over to where his uncle was standing. He was joined by his brothers.


“Yeah, you don’t look so hot.” Dewey chimed in.

[Donald Duck]

When Scrooge neutrally agreed to take a break, Donald stopped, allowed the backpack to slide off and land on the ground, and slumped on a rock to catch his breath. He took the safari hat off from his head and fanned his panting face. He was too fatigued and exhausted to snap at his uncle's comment, but he still replied nonetheless.

"The navy doesn't count on treasure-huntin' uncles!"

He exhaled and stretched his legs. When he regained his breath, he eyed the backpack and quietly unzipped the top just to take a look inside. What the heck was he lugging around, anyway?!

But Uncle Donald's stealth came to an end when Dewey and Louie approached him. He sealed the backpack and hid it more behind his back as quickly as he could, and as casually as he could pretend. He smiled and shook his head to two of his nephews.

"Nah, I'm just bushed! It was so long since I went on an expedition with Uncle Scrooge, so I'm outta practice."

Or maybe he wasn't fully hydrated? He retrieved the water canister attached to his safari get-up, unscrewed the cap, and was about to take a drink from it...

[Scrooge McDuck]

Hearing the heavy 'thunk' produced when the backpack hit the ground, Scrooge glanced over at Donald, raising an eyebrow ridge in disapproval as he did. "Mind the gear, laddie. There's some valuable equipment in there that we'll be needin' once we get to the temple." He was eager to get a move on, but Donald did look like he had one foot in the grave. "If yer needin' water, we have plenty of it."

"I'm sure you'll start rememberin' everything," Huey tried to reassure Donald. "Once you learn something like this, you never forgot it!"

"I think that's riding a bike, Huey." Louie corrected his brother.

Feeling a bit bored, Dewey had taken a magnifying glass from out one of the backpack compartments and was presently studying a trail of ants marching across a large log with it. "D'yathink we'll run into some natives here? Or wild animals?" He asked without looking up.

"You mean like lions and tigers and bears?" Huey asked with a chuckle.

Hearing the boys' chatter, Scrooge looked up at them from his map. "Don't worry. The animals are more scared of you then you are of them."

[Kaa]

Unbeknown to any of the five ducks trekking through the forest, Scrooge would be quite wrong about that last statement. Any of the small, plump fowl would make an excellent meal for a variety of jungle creatures... a large python, for instance.

Kaa, the Indian python, silently observed the gang of anthropomorphic ducks from the treetops above, his wide yellow eyes tracking their every move and his flickering tongue picking up their scent. The strangeness of the fact that they wore human clothes didn't even bother the serpent - he was merely happy to find such a hearty meal as a duck in the middle of the jungle, and he even had five of the birds to pick and choose from. Grinning with pleasure, Kaa smacked his lips at the thought of how they'd taste...

[Donald Duck]

Donald was drinking water when Huey comforted him, but he acknowledged the boy by waving a hand as he drank. He tilted his head down after he drank to satisfaction, and exhaled. He sealed the canister and idly watched Dewey, until he heard Scrooge's comment. The rich duck's nephew gave him a flat look.

"Just a pea-pickin' minute, Uncle Scrooge!" His tone was sardonic. "If I saw a tiger I'd be more scared than him, you bet. Of course, we've seen worse." He added the last part with his eyes rolling.

He looked back to what Dewey examined: ants. Donald's eyes followed the trail of ants until he noticed that a large pebble was obstructing the trail at some point. Donald picked up the pebble and tossed it once in the air. "This will cut their march time some!" Donald idly tossed the pebble behind him. Unfortunately for the lurking python, the pebble was heading dangerously close for the python's nose.

[Shere Khan]

Unfortunately, Donald had jinxed the party of ducks. A beautifully intimidating Bengal tiger was on the prowl not more than a mile and a half away from Scrooge McDuck and his relatives, as well as Kaa. Shere Khan, who had not spoken for hours, was very bored on this day. Everything was the same in this part of the jungle; nothing had changed during his absence. Even swimming, a favorite activity of the tiger and a good way to keep him from overheating, wasn't enough to lift his spirits on this day. Everything was just dull and unworthy for a tiger of such magnificent prowess as himself.

Thankfully, Shere Khan would only have to keep moving to find something--specifically some things--different. He wouldn't pose as a threat for Scrooge and his family for a while, but Shere Khan was in the forest.

[Kaa]

It didn't take long for Kaa to pick out the most scrumptious-looking of the flock - it was one of the two larger ones, and seemed to be the plumpest and meatiest of them all. Whenever he had the chance, the python couldn't resist spoiling himself with the best possible choices; he was a snake of good taste. His prey determined - whether or not it would be his only meal today was unsure - the serpent silently but swiftly closed in on the duck, his scaly head hovering right behind Donald with his lengthy body moving along behind it. Kaa was just in the middle of sizing up his meal when...

Donk! A large pebble came flying out and hit the python square in the nose. Just barely holding in a yelp of pain, Kaa stopped where he was and took a moment to recuperate, wriggling around his snout to try and ease the pain (rather futile when one has no hands). After hissing curses under his breath, the snake quickly realized he was out in the open and clearly visible to the party of ducks. Panicked, he darted back into the treetops, so he would not be noticed before he could try making another ambush.

[Scrooge McDuck]

"Well Donald, ye can look at the situation like this: if a tiger were to eat ye, then he'd end up with a terrible case of indigestion and spit ye right back out again." Scrooge chuckled at his own joke. He and his nephews were completely oblivious to the large python that had been about to turn Donald into a meal. By the time he had turned around after neatly refolding the map and replacing it, everything looked perfectly fine to him.

"They look pretty happy now that they don't have to make a long trip." Dewey said to Donald.

"D-did anyone hear that?" Louie asked, clearly spooked as he looked over at the bushes behind Donald.

"Hear what?" Dewey looked over at his brother.

Huey decided to come over, wondering what could've gotten his brother nervous. Not seeing anything, he turned to Louie. "Whatever it was, I think it's gone now."

Louie gestured to the foliage behind Donald. "I thought I heard somethin' movin' around over there. Did you hear it, unca Donald?"

[Donald Duck]

Donald rolled his eyes, scrunched his rubbery bill, and 'mock-laughed' in silence at his uncle's joke, bobbing his head left and right as he did. He paid his uncle's teasing no mind; he looked down to the trail of ants and smiled as Dewey commented.

"Yeah! I did them a favor." He sympathized with the ants, maybe because of his position as Uncle Scrooge's errand boy.

Donald blinked at Louie, and looked back at the bushes behind him. "No, and I don't see anything." He looked at the general area, but couldn't find anything of interest. The reticulated python was fortunate!

The adult duck shrugged and stood up. He picked up the backpack and slipped his arms through the straps, and as he did he addressed his uncle. "Okay, I'm ready."