Drake Mallard sprinted the last few feet up to his home on Avian Way. The sweat that had accumulated during his ten mile run shimmered against his sleek six pack abdominals and toned arms in the morning sunlight. He glanced at his wristwatch as he walked up the front lawn. The jog took exactly an hour, equalling six-minute miles.
"Not bad!" he thought to himself gleefully. He was going to kill at that 10K run next month. He had no shirt on, and in the running shorts he wore, you could tell his implicit athleticism was outmatched only by his lean, mean body.
He flexed his arms against the evaporating moisture on his feathered skin, admiring the creases of muscle strengthening. He still looked as scrawny as ever, and once realizing he would never obtain a bulky stature, decided to count his blessings.

Drake sprang into his home, greeting the half-asleep Gosalyn with congeniality that seemed of a slightly weaker entity than Gosalyn's grumpiness.
"Good morning, kiddo." he practically sang as he followed the indolent Gosalyn into the kitchen.
"Good...whatever." she said as she obtained the proper utensils for what cereal Launchpad had yet to inhale. Drake said good morning to Launchpad, who returned a more benevolent response.
"Hey Dw! Hey hey, lookin' good! Those daily trips to the gym really paid off."
"Definately, Lp. I haven't felt this good since I was seventeen." He grabbed a white tee-shirt from the hamper and a bottle of water and took a seat beside Gosalyn at the breakfast table.
"You look like a martial artist." Gosalyn managed to express her opinion through a mouthful of Frosty O's.
"I am a martial artist. I've got at least a first dan in all major martial arts..Quack Fu, Tae Kwack Do..."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I mean you're really skinny like those karate guys. No kind of figure..just, skinny muscle."
"There's nothing wrong with keeping yourself looking good. Especially when you're in the kind of work I'm in." he commented as he switched on the television placed on the kitchen counter.
"....and tommorrow on the Breakfast Show we'll have Darkwing Duck on to discuss his latest adventures and his overwhelming rise to stardom..."
"Keen Gear! You didn't tell me you were going on the Breakfast Show! Like..every huge star appears on there at least once!" Gosalyn's eyes widened to the size of her cereal bowl.
Drake shrugged as he got up to leave. "Yeah, this is the third time this year. The producer told me ratings tripled when I came on. Yeah yeah ahhh-everyone just wants a piece of Darkwing Duck." Drake smiled admirably as he trudged out the kitchen door. Gosalyn exchanged glances with Launchpad, muttering, "Can someone honestly love themselves as much as he does?"
Launchpad smiled at her as he stood from the table, already rendering the now empty cereal box useless and vestigal.
"You konw your dad, Gos," he said with a smile. "He always seems to achieve the impossible."

*********************

"Gosalyn, are you just trying to look unattractive, or did you happen to kick out that family that used to live in those jeans?" Drake asked as they pulled into the Muddlefoot's driveway. Gosalyn looked down at her attire that consisted of baggy pants, flat DC skateboard shoes, and a red tee shirt that read 'It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.'
"I'll have you know, Mark Twain originally said this, thank you very little. At least I don't dress like a prep." Gosalyn's ridiculing stare at her father's polo collared tee-shirt and loose khakis made him instantly realize whom she was referring to.
"Hey, beats the green vest." He smiled at her.
She relaxed and grinned back. "Beats the crap out of that geeky vest."
The father and daughter who resembled one another so much that sharing DNA would be useless, watched as Honker ran outside and jumped into the backseat of the Mallard's new black Tahoe.
"M..Mr. Mallard?" Honker's pubescent voice was high and squeaky.
"Yes, Honker?"
"M..my mom would like to talk with you." Honker pointed up to the front door where Binkie Muddlefoot stood. Drake nodded and hopped out of the vehicle.
Once he was out, Honker asked, "Wow, Gos. When did your dad get this?" The pimple-faced duckling ran his fingers delicately over the leather interior of the Chevy Tahoe.
"Too hip by far, huh? I talked him into it yesturday after he received that big check for appearing in that Jay-Z video."
"He appeared in a Jay-Z video?" Honker marveled, his thick glasses unable to mask his amazement as he shifted his bony frame around. "How much did he get?"
Gosalyn shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that Jay-Z's new song's expected to last in the top five on MTV for weeks because of dad." She said, her chest swelling in pride.
"Your dad probably made tons off of it." Honker speculated. "He's really gotten famous."
"Yeah, and he deserves it. Darkwing Duck has risked life and limb for everyone. It's time he got some recognition." Gosalyn leaned back, sighing. "All I know is, I'll be sixteen next month and I'd best be getting something like this right here."

He first noticed the abhorrent feeling in the pit of his stomach as he walked the perptual front driveway of the Muddlefoot's home, and by the time he reached Binkie, the feeling exploded throughout his body, shooting sensations about him. Binkie stood in a pair of shorts and a modest tank top, attire completely out-of-character for the demure lifestyle of Binkie's. Yet what caught Drake's attention was her broken expression.
"Binkie-" Drake began as Binkie broke into quiet sobs and ushered him into the house. Once the door was closed and their conversation was out of eyeshot, Binkie fell haphazardly into his arms.
"H-h-he did it again!" she wailed, while Drake held her limp body awkwardly in his arms. Once her head slid and she seemed to press herself against the zipper of his khakis and remain in that position long enough for Drake's mind to wander...in which he snapped quickly from it and pulled her to her feet.
"Binkie, you must recite what we've talked about. Whenever you feel Herb is ignoring you, you must remember 'No beer, pizza, Koo Koo Cola or Pelican's Island marathon can-"
"-ever be more important than me. Oh I know Drake but he didn't so much as acknowledge my presence at all!" she finally managed to stand to her feet, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
"Well, what else is new?"
"Last night was our anniversary!" she moaned like a dying cat as she collapsed hard onto the floor oncemore. Drake knelt to a knee as she continued.
"I thought whenever he got home he'd bring candy, or flowers, or jewelry...nothing! He just gives me this peck on the cheek and asks when dinner'll be done and when I ask him 'Herbert Muddlefoot. Do you not remember what day this is?' he just looked at me a moment before exclaiming 'The Bachelor premier!' and runs into the living room."
Drake put a comforting hand on her shoulder before rolling his eyes at Herb's stupidity. He and Morgana weren't even married, yet the thought of missing an anniversary....well, it seemed too horrible to fathom. Especially with the affection he'd been getting since he slimmed down and toned up-she couldn't keep her hands off of him.
"What if he's cheating on me?" Her words threw Drake forcefully against the brick wall of reality as he looked down at her, dumbfounded.
"Herb? No, not-"
"Oh, yeah." she said, sniffling uncontrollably. "All of his late nights, always on Quackerware jobs. He's got someone else. He has to. Why else would he act this way?"
Drake shook his head at the thought of something of such dimension disturbing the banality of their existance.
"Binkie, listen to yourself. You know Herb would never cheat on you. He doesn't have the heart, nor the crainial capacity." The last was said a little more to himself than out loud.
"Well, either way," she said, her voice and countenance shriveling into such sheer infuriation and brutality that it sent chills up Drake's spine.
"I don't think I love him anymore, anyway."

Darkwing Duck, Morgana McCawber, Gosalyn Mallard, Honker Muddlefoot, Herb Muddlefoot, Launchpad McQuack and all other character are copyright by Disney and used without permission for entertainment and NOT for profit. CCR's "Bad moon rising" is also used w/out permission but not for profit. I know I embellished a little on Darkwing's fame, but I like to think that Dw's getting some recognition for what he's done. Also, I know this chap is kind of put-puttin' along, but it's all preliminary stuff and the next chap's are going to be better. Copywright Lesley Hall.