Howard The Duck Without Clothes stumbles into the clearing, feathers ruffled and a bit muddy, clutching a crumpled soda can labeled “Code Red Mountain Dew.”
"Of all the places for a soda shipment to crash, why did it have to be the jungle?" he grumbles, peering around for any sign of civilization or, better yet, a dry place to rest.
Suddenly, a lithe, wild-eyed boy swings down from a vine and lands nimbly in front of Howard The Duck Without Clothes. It’s Mowgli, barefoot and confident, his skin streaked with mud and his eyes brimming with mischief.
"Uh, hello there, kid. You know where a duck can find an exit?"
"No exits here, feathered one. Only the jungle. But you’re not safe out in the open—come on, follow me!" Mowgli beckons, motioning for Howard to keep up.
Howard The Duck Without Clothes gasps as he spots the cans. He rushes forward, but stops when he sees strange glyphs painted on the trees nearby—an ominous warning.
"Okay, that’s definitely not a delivery label. What’s with the spooky symbols?"
"The mountain spirits don’t like outsiders messing with their treasures. And you brought the red cans—they say it’s forbidden," Mowgli warns, glancing nervously at the shadows.
From the cockpit stumbles Launchpad McQuack, goggles askew and feathers singed. He waves cheerfully, utterly unfazed by the mayhem.
"Hey there, Howard! Need a lift? I brought extra snacks… and, uh, I think I hit something important back there,"
"Just once, I’d like to take a trip that doesn’t end in a rescue mission," mutters Howard, rolling his eyes.
"Run!" shouts Mowgli, swinging onto a low branch. Howard scrambles after him, soda cans rattling in his arms, while Launchpad McQuack blunders through the underbrush.
Vines snap, birds scatter, and the trio barely stays ahead of the stampede, ducking under branches and leaping over tangled roots.
Howard The Duck Without Clothes tosses the last can of Code Red Mountain Dew into the water, watching it float away.
"Next time, I’m ordering root beer," he sighs, as Mowgli laughs and Launchpad starts the plane’s battered engine, ready for another wild takeoff into the unknown.
