Slimantha walked along the red brick road, her steps casual. Her black shoes lightly tapped against the red bricks of the road. She smiled in the pleasant warmth of the sun. The long brown locks of her hair gently rustled in the pleasant breeze. Her footfalls continued, lightly sounding out.

At Slimantha’s right, Duckton the Mighty Duck waddled along, a pair of black pin-hole glasses concealing the fowl’s eyes. Behind Slimantha and Duckton, the other three members of the group—Samuel, Mimi, and Black—walked, Mimi at the center of the trio.

Black, who walked at Mimi’s right, swished her black feline tail. She stretched her cream-skinned arms, and her tail swished again. Then she lowered her arms and smiled. She glanced across Mimi—glanced at Samuel.

Samuel, for his part, walked at Mimi’s left. He glanced to his left as his footfalls continued taking him forward. His blue eyes fell upon a crow sitting upon an unlit red brick lamppost. The crow glared at the white ducks surrounding said lamppost and then cawed. Its caw abruptly cut off as one of the surrounding white ducks knocked the crow from the lamppost with a well-aimed tackle. Samuel sweatdropped at the somewhat one-sided fight between crow and ducks. He then glanced away as more crows came to their comrade’s aid. He glanced over various other bands of brawling fowl before finally glancing up. Even overhead, crows and ducks duked it out. Another drop of sweat rolled down his right cheek.

Slimantha’s footfalls came to a stop. Her black shoes came to a rest upon the red of road’s bricks. She blinked. Her beautiful brown eyes were on a pair of fowl that had stumbled into her path—one fowl a crow and the other a duck. She blinked again. Her eyes went to the two objects the two fowl held in their wings—a pair of gray knifes. The knife-fighting fowl stumbled along to Slimantha’s right, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Duckton quacked.

“Are those birds knife-fighting?” Samuel said, his blue eyes on the pair of knife-fighting fowl. He watched as knife met knife and sparks flew.

“Looks like it?” Slimantha said. Her beautiful brown eyes went to Samuel, and she smiled. “Want to take part?” She smiled again. “Wait. Do you have a knife? How can you knife fight without a knife?” She brought her right to her chin, and then her eyes lit up. “I have an emergency cheese sandwich on me. It’s not a knife, but maybe it would work.”

“I”—Samuel blinked—“don’t think that is how it works. I don’t really want to knife fight a bird anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Slimantha said, leaning closer to Samuel. Then she pulled away and picked up Duckton. She held the white duck in the hero’s face. “You can spar with Duckton. I don’t think he has a knife either though.” Duckton quacked.

Mimi facepalmed. “Put the duck down, and stop trying to get Samuel to knife fight a bird,” she said. She glanced up, and her beautiful golden eyes met Slimantha’s beautiful brown eyes. Duckton quacked. “Seriously, put the duck down. We have better things to do like getting to my office.” Duckton quacked again.

Slimantha pouted. “Fine. Fine,” she said, putting Duckton back down. Duckton quacked yet again. “I kind of wanted to see Samuel knife fight a bird though. It would have been totes cool.”

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A mighty caw suddenly rang out. A gust of wind bellowed. A particularly large crow—the swird—landed up ahead upon the red brick road. Its beady black sword eyes—eyes that each contained the likeness of an upward-turned sword—were on Slimantha. It cawed again.

“See,” Mimi said, gesturing at the swird. “This is what we get for trying to get Samuel to knife fight a bird. Now we have this thing to deal with.” She gave the swird a thousand-yard stare and then puffed her cheeks out. “I’m so not in the mood for delays.” She glanced at Slimantha. “Deal with this thing.”

“Actually, shouldn’t I deal with this thing?” Samuel said. His blue eyes went to Mimi and met her beautiful golden eyes. “I am the hero, aren’t I?”

“Let’s”—Mimi blinked—“just let Slimantha handle it this time.” She smiled at Samuel, but a drop of sweat rolled down her right cheek.

“I agree,” Black said, stepping up to Samuel. Her lovely brown eyes met his blue eyes. “Besides”—she stroked his sword sheath with the fingers of her right hand—“your sword is a little lacking currently.” She pulled back and smiled, her black cat tail swishing behind her. “And by a little lacking, I mean you have no sword.” Her tail gave another swish.

“I see your point,” Samuel said, hanging his head.

Slimantha brought her right hand to her lips and giggled, her beautiful brown eyes on Samuel. Then she lowered her right hand and looked at the sword. She stepped forward, and the swird cawed at her. She smiled. Viscous blue began to materialize around her.

The swird glared at her and spread its wings. Silvery sword blades extended out from between its black feathers. It cawed and then went airborne. With another caw, it swung its wings down. A flurry of silvery swords rained down from its form.

Slimantha blinked. The incoming mass of silvery swords reflected in her beautiful brown eyes. “Well that’s new,” she said. She swung her arms. Viscous blue tentacles batted the silvery swords away. Her eyes then lit up. “That was kind of cool actually. Three out of three. Cool ability.” She gave the swird a thumbs up. It swooped down and landed in front of her.

“Can you not compliment that thing and just defeat it already?” Mimi deadpanned.

“Oh, right,” Slimantha said. “Sorry about that.” She turned her attention back to the swird and smiled. “You heard the woman. Let’s finish this.” She took a step forward.

“I’ll help,” Samuel said, grabbing one of the silvery swords from the swird’s attack. He took position at Slimantha’s left. He held his new sword at the ready. The swird cawed, and its sword eyes went to him. He braced himself, but then a quack from Duckton suddenly sounded out.

Duckton rushed forward—rushed past Samuel and Slimantha. His webbed feet pattered against the red of the road’s bricks. He spread his wings as he neared the sword and quacked again. The swird’s black eyes turned to the white duck in the black pin-hole glasses. The swird blinked, and Duckton leapt up. Duckton’s right webbed foot slammed into the swirds chest, sending the swird stumbling back. Duckton glanced back—glanced back at Slimantha—and gave another quack.

“Thanks, Duckton,” Slimantha said. She then gave the duck a smile and a thumbs up. “You got this.”

“Did I just get shown up by a duck,” Samuel murmured, hanging his head. Sighing, he sheathed his sword. Well, at least his new sword fit his sword sheath.

Mimi crossed her arms. “Less worrying about being shown up by a duck and more moving,” she said. “We still have to get to my office.” She lowered her arms and glanced down the red brick road. “Let’s go. Duckton will stay behind to deal with that thing.”