Who I Truly Am

Me: Folks, have you ever wondered about where Kowalski got his smarts? Well, fret no more for I have found a secret file that answers this very question. And believe me, it really is shocking. So now, I shall spill the beans and let the whole world know about this.

Shadow: Oh no, you don't!

Flyff: We won't let you have that file! That contains Lars' – I mean – Kowalski's secrets!

Ripclaw: Yeah! Our leader's, er, friend's life is all based on that!

Me: Well, that makes it all the more interesting, doesn't it?

Viper: Get him!

Me: Oh boy, gotta run! I don't own anything except the ferret, the swallow, the wolf and the cobra chasing me!

Meeting With Old Friends

Another fine day at the Central Park Zoo. Everyone was busy trying to impress the people watching them in order to get sweet treats. The day ended with smiles on the visitors' faces, full bellies in every animal and a scowl on Alice the zookeeper's face.

"Great, the women's room needs some cleaning!" she complained, mop and bucket in hand.

As the zookeeper cleaned the comfort room, the penguins did a little recon in the park, stealing cotton candy and snowcones from vendors in process. Seeing that nothing was unusual, they headed back to their habitat in time for Alice to give them their supper. As they played Go Fish in their secret HQ, they heard a high-pitched shriek.

"Great mother McArthur! What was that?" Skipper exclaimed, standing up and putting his cards on the table.

"Judging by the distance and the pitch of the shriek, I could conclude that that was Mort in the Lemur Habitat," Kowalski answered.

"What should we do, Skippah?" Private asked as Rico threw up a dynamite stick.

"No, Rico, not kaboom," Skipper scolded, "we're gonna check it out. Perhaps Sad Eyes overdid his thing with Ringtail's feet. Move out, men!"

When the four got there, they were surprised to see a black panther cornering the lemurs to a, well, corner of their habitat.

"WHERE IS HE?" the panther furiously inquired, flashing her fangs that made the lemurs shudder. "WHERE IS LARS SORENSEN?"

"Step away from the lemurs, cat," Skipper ordered.

"Penguins! Am I glad to see you!" Julien cried out happily.

Penguins? The panther turned around. She growled then leapt at Kowalski as the others moved out of the way.

"Nice to see you again, Lars," she said, licking her lips. "It's been a long time."

"And so it has, Nightbane," Kowalski returned, "you haven't changed one bit. Where are the others? I'm surprised Blackfeather let you go alone. You were still a teensy cub when I left."

Nightbane snarled at the comment and raised her right paw to swipe him. With his free flipper, the penguin jabbed the underside of her jaw full-forcedly several times then pushed her off with his feet. The panther was sent flying a few feet away as he got up.

"Kowalski, what's the meaning of this?" Skipper questioned, coming to his side. "Who was that cat and why did she call you 'Lars'?"

"No time to explain, Skipper," Kowalski replied, noticing Nightbane running towards them, "Get out of here! I'll fill in the blanks later."

The sudden urge and sternness in his voice made Skipper do what he was told. As the panther was almost on top of him, Kowalski jumped and landed on her back facing backwards. He lassoed her tail onto a nearby bamboo and hopped off. The plant flexed backward, then shot forward, lifting Nightbane off the ground and throwing her a good distance away.

"We need to get to a safe place," Kowalski said, his voice in an oddly serious tone, "reinforcements will be coming in any minute now."

No sooner had he said that when a huge Komodo dragon barged in. The penguins slid away on their bellies while the lemurs sought the safety of some nearby trees. The lizard chased the flightless birds to a wall.

"Trapped!" Skipper cursed as they turned to face the humungous reptile.

"You're mine now, Lars," he stated, flicking his tongue, "you and your little friends."

"We don't think so, Haze" a voice above yelled, making everyone look up.

A chocolate brown wolf landed in between Haze, the Komodo, and the penguins. He snarled as the lizard hissed then smacked him with his paw. A navy blue swallow swooped in and pecked his scaly face as an ash gray ferret with a black tail tip leapt onto his back and began scratching it. An olive green cobra slithered in and bit his tail. Thinking that he had enough, Haze retreated through a hole in the ground behind the Lemur Habitat. Kowalski approached the animals and gave them each a hug.

"Viper! Shadow! Ripclaw! Flyff! Long time no see!" he chimed cheerfully.

"Glad to see you're still safe, Lars," the cobra, Viper, hailed.

"Commander Lars, how are you?" Ripclaw, the brown wolf, asked, nuzzling his snout on Kowalski's back.

"You sure look like you never aged, Sir," Shadow the ferret chuckled, patting the tall penguin's left shoulder.

"And you're taller than what I remembered," the swallow known as Flyff added, perching on his head.

"Excuse me! Would anyone tell me what's going on?" Skipper interrupted, flippers folded across his chest and tapping his right foot.

Immediately, Ripclaw pounced on him while Shadow pinned Rico to the ground and Flyff grabbed Private's flippers and hoisted him up.

"Whoa! Guys, stop! They're not with Blackfeather!" Kowalski shouted, making them let the penguins go. "Don't worry, Skipper. I'll explain everything to you."

"Can they be trusted?" Viper questioned, looking warily at Skipper, Rico and Private.

""Of course, they can. They're my friends and I trust them with my life.