Hello Happy Feet's readers!
I have been receiving several PMs asking me to write another story, and now I can tell all of them that I finally decided to make a sequel to my story XD… mmmm, maybe this going to become a series?...
It's not going to be a long one, and it will tell the story after the final of "¿No song, no love?" and before the begging of "Happy Feet Two" (The real one)
(Remember: the epilogue of that story is not actually part of it, so this story will start after Chapter 10 but before the epilogue)
I thought that the gap that I had left between the last scenes and the epilogue was too long. So many things could happen there. But I'll not make nothing extraordinary, just a kind of filling story to tie lose ends… and maybe create the possibly of a third one?
If you want to fully understand this story, you should read "¿No song, no love?"
As you know, the characters are the same of the film, but I changed their characteristics and personalities.
The most important changes were made to Mumble and Gloria. Here are their descriptions:
Mumble "Happy Feet": The best singer that Emperor-Land had ever seen. He was destined to become the new Patriarch of his nation, but he abandoned it for Gloria. He had blue eyes and permanent fluffy infant's feather, probably because he was accidently dropped when he was an egg.
Gloria: Despite being dropped when she was an egg, like Mumble, she has her natural and beautiful white and black feathers with a necklace of golden feathers. Her only difference is that… she can't sing! Recently, she has improved a little her singing, but not much. Shy and a bit ashamed, it was hard for her to adapt to life in a society that considered her a freak. Gloria always loved Mumble, but because her differences, she never even try to tell him.
Well, like I just refresh your mind, let's start! ^^
Happy Feet: Choice of life
Chapter 1: Explanations and surprises
The sun rose once again in the clear sky of Emperor-Land. This day was not a common one; it was the day after the mating ritual. The new couples that had formed the night before started to wake up in each other's flippers. A new life was growing up in the body of the females; this was the first day of the rest of their life… and now they had their mates to share it.
Gloria wasn't the exception. She had suffered a lot of bullying from her schools mates during her childhood and adolescence because her lack of Heartsong… but anything of that mattered now.
She opened her brown amber eyes and what she found made that her heart was filled with happiness. A fluffy feathered penguin was lying next to her (Note: they were lying on the floor)… Mumble was sleeping next to her, resting his head in her chest.
A huge smile appeared in her face. All her life, all that she ever wanted was exactly that... have Mumble at her side. She caressed his head gently with her flipper, accidentally waking him. He yawned and opened lazily his eyes, moving them until they met with Gloria's ones. The remembering of the last night came back to their mind. He drew a huge smile in his face
"Good morning, sleepyhead" Gloria teased, giggling.
"Good morning…" Mumble said, moving his beak to Gloria's ear "…Mrs. Happy Feet" he whispered. Gloria blushed a little, still smiling; as she rubbed her belly with her other flipper.
"It fell… weird" She said.
"Don't fear. It's natural"
"How do you know? Have you had an egg before?" She joked. Mumble giggled, stood up and stretched his flippers and feet.
"We should return now, honey. Our parents should be worried"
"Well… Mumble I was thinking ..." she said as she stood up "That… maybe ... it would be better… if we stayed here"
"Why do you say that?" Mumble asked, puzzled.
"Well, here we are safe, protected of the wind and you can look after the baby here until I return…"
"But I can that in the colony too"
"That's the problem" Mumble got confused "The colony will receive us again? And, if our chick turns out to be like me?"
Mumble realized that she had a valid point. What would happen if their son or daughter couldn't sing like Gloria? He would obviously going to love him or her as well as he loved Gloria, but… he knew how much Gloria suffered during her adolescence, and he really didn't want that for his chick. He remained in silence, thinking, without making eyes contact with Gloria.
At the same time, seeing that he didn't answered, Gloria started to worry. Maybe he… it couldn't be... but… what if he wasn't sure anymore that he had made the right decision ... perhaps he was regretting. Gloria couldn't bear to see Mumble so worried. She loved him and now they were married, she wanted to know the truth!
"Do you… regret?" She asked, with clears traces of sadness "Do you regret doing the ritual… with me?" She dropped his head and started to drop some tears "Of choosing me… mate and… become your wife?" Gloria concluded, sobbing.
Mumble was surprised, not by the question itself, he knew that it would come sooner or later; he was surprised by the fact that he didn't know how to answer. Since graduation, he had been doing what his mother told him to do: following his heart; and now, his heart wasn't speaking to him anymore, it was suddenly silenced. But he remembered that, because of having doubts in the past, he almost lost her. He knew that he loved her; and if she didn't love him, she wouldn't have accepted him as mate. He didn't need more information than that.
"No, Gloria…" Mumble finally answered, approaching and hugging her "I don't regret anything…" He rested his forehead against hers "And I never will" He leaned a little and rubbed his head against her; gesture that she corresponded, smiling "But we have to come back" Gloria's smile faded.
"Ok…" She responded, releasing a long sigh and nodding "…but only for you… move!" She broke their embrace with Mumble, a bit angry, and started walking toward the exit of the cave.
Mumble on the other hand, observed her walking away, smiling. Even angry, she was cute. He shook his head slowly and rolled his eyes, before following her.
It was still very early in the morning, so it was a quiet walk, perfect to think… and that's what the fluffy penguin did. He and Gloria would have to give a lot of explanation to the colony about why they had run away and… thinking better, it wasn't a very difficult explanation. He would only said that they did what is supposed to be done. Also, he thought about his future chick and the very large range of possibilities with him: he or she could be a talented singing, with a bright future; or a song-less fre…
"NO! That's never going to happen!" He told to himself "If my child is like her mother, I'll love it anyways! Neither of them is a freak!"
But there was something that concerned him more than that's things. All the way back to Emperor-Land, Gloria remained in silence, always walking a few meters ahead. At first, Mumble took it as something funny; but when they were about t reach their home and she hadn't spoke to him a single word, he began to worry. Maybe he had said something that offended her… but, he hadn't said a word in all day! So what it was?
"Erhm… Gloria?" She stopped abruptly and turned around. She looked straight to his eyes with a cold face. Mumble, a little afraid of the appearance of Gloria, continue walking until he was close to her "Are you mad with me?" Mumble asked. Her cold gaze faded away, as she dropped her flippers.
"No, Mumble… I'm sorry, it just that… I'm just a bit nervous, that's all"
"Why?"
"Because, I was banished from the territory. Return now… is not right… is against the law"
"Don't worry; everything is going to be ok" Mumble tried to calm her.
"I hope you're right" She said, turning around again and walking away. Mumble sighed… he didn't like to see Gloria in that condition at all; but for now, it was better that he remained in silence and follow her… from a safe distance.
When they reached Emperor-Land, there was none of the penguins of their generation... obvious… they had left the frozen plains and had gone to the mountains in search of a cave or another place with privacy… for the same reason that Mumble and Gloria.
However, all the other penguins that had already a mate (and weren't planning to enlarge the family that season) were there, as if they were waiting for something. As soon as they saw the young couple approaching, they grouped in a way that they formed a kind of corridor with their bodies which went from the entry area of the territory to the main square.
Very nervous, and without pronouncing a sound, they began to walk through this corridor; trying not to make contact with anyone, but it was impossible. Gloria and Mumble secretly began to study the faces of their fellow penguins. The males looked at Mumble with a kind of congratulation face; and some females' eyes seemed to be full of jealousy when they stared at Gloria.
They soon reached the main square, where four big elderly penguins were waiting for them.
"Noah is waiting for you" One of them told to the young couple. Mumble and Gloria gulped and looked to each other "Follow me" The elder turned around and started walking toward… someplace…
Mumble and Gloria had no option, so they followed him… with the other three Elders walking behind them. They followed their guide inside a cave; there they could felt like if the floor was inclined and that they were actually going up. It wasn't a straight way, but full of curves and close corners. At the end of a dark corridor, finally came back out to the white shiny surface. There, just in front of them, the Patriarch of the nation was waiting.
"Here they are, sir"
"Very well…" The Noah's raspy voice answered "Leave us alone, please" The three escorts nodded and re-entered the tunnel "So…" Noah sighed "Here we are again" He said, turning around.
"Sir, I… I can explain… ehm… we…" Mumble spoke, but was cut.
"He has nothing to do with this, it's my fault. I'm the one who's driving the fish away" Gloria accused to herself "I shouldn't had return"
"Gloria, you are not…"
"Quit it, Mumble. I'm…"
"Not, you are not…" Noah interceded "I know you are innocent, young lady"
"What do…"
"While you were gone, we received the visit of some… peculiar beings"
"The aliens?" Mumble quickly asked; Noah nodded "But how? They said that they were coming in three days!"
"Apparently, they lie to you… they were quite strange creatures… and they talked in a strange language too, but your short friend told us that they wanted to help"
"Ramon? He was here?" Noah nodded again.
"In my eighteen years being the patriarch of this nation, I've never witnessed so important event: two nations, of different species… discovering each other" He said in a dreamy voice.
"So… I can… stay?" Gloria asked.
"Of course you can" Gloria's smile almost didn't fit in her face "After all, it wouldn't be courteous to abandon your mate the day after the ritual… or at least, it wasn't in my time" He added, giggling.
Gloria turned to Mumble and threw herself to his fins, rubbing his head against him, not caring that Noah was watching.
"But, seriously" Noah spoke again, gaining the attention of the couple "Taking a bath it's too much to ask?" He said narrowing his eyes.
Mumble and Gloria's smiled faded, as they quickly sniffed themselves a little; realizing that, indeed, they didn't smell very well. They had a reason for that, but it wasn't excuse. They smiled nervously, while they blushed.
"We didn't have time, sorry" Both of them apologized at the same time. Noah smiled and turned around again.
"No worries… but now go back to the colony. Your parents have to be worried about you"
The couple nodded and walked away. They made their way back to the main square through the dark corridors, and once there, they began to search their families. They found them in their entire life's home: in the caves on the border of the territory. They received them with hugs and parents' kisses. Everyone, even Memphis, was happy about the news.
What Noah didn't told them in their short reunion was that him had reserved a cave near there, and that he had given it to Mumble's family… and of course, Memphis gave this cave to the just formed couple.
Mumble and Gloria stared amazed at this impressing ice formation, before looking at each other's eyes and smile. They hugged each other and Gloria rested her head on his shoulder, as they slowly walked inside their new home… they own home.
The Great Guin had blessed them with a second chance to make their lives, and they weren't going to waste it.
After all, this was not only for them anymore. Soon, a third life will be walking in the world and, even with fish on their bellies, the Antarctic winter is merciless… the tasks had just began.
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Well, that's all. I hope you liked it. I'll see you next month and… naaaah! I'm just kidding XD
I said it was going to be short, but it won't so short.
Read you soon ;)
