ALRIGHT BABY! Three chappies posted in How It All Began and a brand new story that I got from laying on the shore on the beach one day… (literally)
Operation: Baby Poof
Chapter 1: The Castaway on the Shore
"Here we are, boys." A flat-headed penguin said. "The beach... Kowalski, analysis!"
The tallest penguin felt the ground with one flipper, licked his other flipper and held it up, feeling the wind.
"Sand, salty sea, and fresh salty sea air, Skipper." He said. "This is definitely the beach. It's precisely 0400 hours so the heat of the sun isn't as harmful as before."
"Okay men, Operation Vacation, Is a go! Rico!" 'Skipper' said.
A penguin with a Mohawk and a scar on the side of his beak puked up a beach ball and handed it to a younger looking penguin.
"Beach ball, Skippah?" The young penguin asked in his British accent.
"Well sure, Private. You serve." Skipper smirked, ready to hit the ball.
Rico and Kowalski watched the two hit the ball toward each other.
"Heads up, Private!" Skipper said, hitting the ball harder.
"OOF!" Private shrieked when he was hit in the face. The ball bounced away from them.
"Private…" Skipper began.
"I'm on it, Skippah." Private said, waddling away to find the ball.
Then he spotted something in the distance.
"Skippah? Do you see that?" Private asked.
The whole team slid toward him.
"It appears to be an crate. Probably just washed up on the shore." Kowalski said. "We should probably investigate before somebody else does."
Together, the four penguins slid toward the crate.
Rico puked up a crowbar and Skipper picked it up. He placed it on the edge of the crate and pulled, sending the crate's cover flying out, leaving the crate wide open.
Slowly, they peered in the crate and gasped.
"It's… It's… a penguin!" Private said.
"It's a baby penguin…" Skipper narrowed his eyes.
The little chick was lying down in the crate unconscious.
"Should we take him to the HQ and examine him?" Kowalski asked.
"Negatory. We're on Operation Vacation, remember? Let a vet take care of this." Skipper said, waddling away.
"But Skippah! It's just a chick! Who knows what would happen to it if we just leave it here." Private batted his eyelashes adorably. "Please, Skippah?"
Skipper groaned. "Fine. Kowalski, take the chick out and we'll bring him to the HQ." he ordered.
Kowalski reached inside the crate, scooping the little chick up gently and carrying him in his flippers.
"Move out." Skipper said, motioning to his men to follow.
At the HQ a few hours later…
Kowalski put the chick on the table.
"Do you have any idea on how to make him conscious?" Skipper asked Kowalski.
"I have an idea. But I'm not sure if it'll work…"
"Just do it, man!" Skipper complained.
Kowalski rubbed the chick's head gently. The chick started to fidget, moving toward the pleasant gesture.
Kowalski pulled his flipper away, looking at the chick on the table.
Its eyes shot open and it sat up, looking around.
"Look how cute it is! I could just - no… no… I'm fine.." Private said, resisting the urge to faint.
The chick blinked its amber eyes and started to whimper.
"It's okay little guy… We're here to help." Kowalski said.
"UHHUH!" Rico grunted his agreement.
Then the chick let out a wail, crying its eyes out.
"Kowalski, explain this!" Skipper said, covering his earholes.
"It would appear that this chick does not recognize us and is now crying for it's mother." Kowalski guessed.
"You sure that's the problem, K'walski?" Private asked.
"Possibly…" Kowalski smiled.
Private neared the penguin chick and scooped it up.
"Ssh… ssh… It's alright now…" Private whispered, stroking its feathers affectionately.
The chick stopped crying and scooted closer to Private's chest, burying his face in Private's feathers.
"Daaaw…" Private said, resting his head on the little one.
"Clearly you are the best at taking care of the little ones, Private." Skipper complimented.
"It's just instinct, Skippah." Private replied.
Then Private heard faint growling coming from the chick's stomach.
"Um… Rico, I think he's hungry." Private said, glancing at the psychopath.
Rico nodded and puked out a fish. He handed it to Private who put it in his mouth and chewed it.
Both Skipper and Rico cocked their brows.
Private then spewed it into the chick's beak.
"What the…" Skipper started.
"That is how daddy penguins feed their young ones, Skipper." Kowalski explained.
"Then we'll just have to get used to it then…" Skipper neared Private, looking at the little bundle in his flippers.
The chick giggled and reached out his flippers. Then Skipper noticed something…
"He's is truly adorable… But… What's its name?" Kowalski asked.
"Something tells me its name is Rafael." Skipper said.
"What tells you that?"
"This." Skipper told them, showing them the necklace that was wrapped around the chick's neck. The necklace was made of durable brown string and on the end was a roundish piece of driftwood with the name "Rafael" carved on it. The driftwood was decorated with tiny paintings of shells and pearls.
"Ooh! I never noticed that before." Private said.
"Rava-el?" Rico said.
"Do you think someone's looking for him?" Private asked.
"If someone is looking for him, then they'd probably come here and find him. So, in the mean time, we'll take care of little Raffy." Skipper smiled.
"Skipper, it's already 0800 hours… Rafael should feel drowsy now." Kowalski reported.
The chick let out a yawn.
"That can't be right… He just woke up." Skipper said.
Kowalski shrugged. "Kids… We just can't understand 'em."
"Right…" Skipper agreed. "How about an early nap time, boys? We've had a long day…"
"Aye, Skippah… But who's gonna sleep with Raffy?" Private glanced at the penguin sleeping in his flippers.
"Maybe you should, Private." Skipper said.
"Really?" Private smiled.
"Yes. You're the one who found him… You're the one who fed him… You should sleep with him." Kowalski said on his bunk, straightening his nightcap.
"Maybe you're right… Well, little one! Looks like I'm sleeping with you tonight." Private giggled.
Rafael closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Private laid him down beside him in his bunk and settled down to catch some shut-eye.
…
"Private?" Private woke to someone calling out his name.
"Skippah?" He replied, still lying down half-awake.
"Where's Rafael?"
Private shot up in alarm, only to hit his head on the ceiling of his bunk.
"AAUURRGGHH…" Private moaned, rubbing his head.
"Private, where's Rafael?" Skipper said, a little more concerned.
"Raffy!?" Private called, looking under his pillow before jumping out of his bunk.
"He's missing! … Oh dear! What if something happened to him?" Private worried.
Kowalski cleared his throat, scribbling in his notepad. "You needn't worry, Private. With his size and chick speed, he couldn't have gone far. I say we search now before – "
"Hello, silly penguins!" Julien greeted when he barged in their HQ.
"I'm starting to regret sharing our secret HQ with the other zoo animals." Skipper mumbled.
"Waddr ya doin here?!" Rico said.
"Don't worry. I am just here to greet you… no… wait… I'm here because I have a question that only you penguins can be answering!" Julien said, nearing Skipper.
"And what question is that?" Skipper cocked his brow.
"Can you be telling me why a teeny-tiny penguin interrupted my playtime with my baby foosah (supposed to be spelled and pronounced like fossa… but most of them pronounce it like foosah so… I'm gonna use foosah for a while…), who is mine?" Julien growled.
Both Kowalski and Skipper exchanged a glance but before any of them could react, Private shouted, "Raffy!" before zipping up the ladder and out the hatch.
The rest of the team (and Julien) went after him.
When they got to the Fossa habitat, little Raffy was giggling and playing with the baby Fossa. Almost all the animals in the zoo were there, watching and adoring them.
"Daaw! Look at the cute little penguin! Hey guys! When did he move to the zoo? Where did he come from? How – " Marlene asked before Skipper shushed her.
"Sorry Marlene. Those are all classified." Skipper said, motioning his men to fetch the chick.
As soon as Rafael was taken away from the fossa, he started wailing. Soon enough, the fossa started wailing too and the animals watching were complaining.
"Hey, what's the meaning of you penguins taking away little Rafael?" Pinky scowled.
"How did you know his name was Rafael?" Private tilted his head.
"Well duh! His necklace?" Pinky replied, pointing at the little accessory the penguin chick was wearing.
"Hey yo! Put 'em back with the fossa. They look so adorable, man." Badda said.
"No can do, giant primates. Rico! Take care of the whiney Fossa." Skipper ordered.
Rico upchucked a pacifier and sticked it into the baby fossa's mouth, which made it stop crying. Then he hurled up a smoke bomb, which exploded, creating a thick blanket of smoke in the air. And when the smoke cleared, the penguins were gone.
"How can we keep up with this!?" Skipper complained, pointing at the chick sitting on the table. "What if we go on a mission and this chick slips away again!?"
"tn'aaa'nf fydi!b'sLa" Rico said in his own little language.
Skipper narrowed his eyes. "That could be a good idea. Finding him a babysitter could work, but who?"
"I think we should cross Julien out of the list." Kowalski said.
"Why?" Private asked.
"Remember the last time we trusted Julien with a chick?" Kowalski pointed at Skipper.
"Oh yeah…" Private said, remembering that little episode of their life.
Kowalski then continued. "Yes… So… That's Julien out… We can also cross out the other lemurs, Roy, Bert, Polar Bear…"
"Kowalski, stop it with the yiggedy-yag and tell me who can! Not who can't!" Skipper crossed his flippers.
Then suddenly, Marlene jumped in.
"Hey guys, I've managed to calm down the crowd. They're still a bit angry that you made the two young ones cry, but…"
"Marlene! Marlene can do it!" Private suggested.
"Me? Do what?" Marlene said, confused.
"Marlene. We need you to watch over baby Raffy whenever we go on missions." Skipper said.
Marlene stepped back. "D… does that include now? I'm not sure if I can…"
"Well sure ya can." Skipper smiled.
"OOookay…"
Then shouting from the outside interrupted them.
"Men! Topside!" Skipper ordered, leading them out.
Private quickly scooped Rafael up, and went up the ladder.
When they were up, Kowalski looked through his telescope. "It's the chameleons! They're trapped in the pretzel cart!" he reported.
"Give me that!" Skipper said, grabbing the telescope out of Kowalski's flippers.
Skipper spotted the pretzel cart. Then he moved to the far left.
"Alice incoming! We've got to get those chameleons out of there before Alice sees them.
"Well… you know… We could wait until Alice passed by because chameleons can blend with their surroundings – "
"No time!" Skipper shouted.
Private handed Rafael to Marlene.
Rafael looked at the otter, confused.
Marlene sighed. As she walked toward her own habitat, she spotted the penguins sliding toward the pretzel cart.
When Marlene and the chick arrived in her habitat, she set the chick down.
"Hey there little guy! I'm Marlene." Marlene said slowly.
Rafael looked at the otter and said, "Maweem!"
"Oh my gosh, you are sooo cute!" Marlene melted, stroking his feathers.
Rafael leaned toward the pleasant gesture.
When Marlene pulled her paw away, Rafael blinked his cute little amber eyes and muttered something.
"Wh… what's that?" Marlene asked.
"Hurgy!" Rafael shouted.
"Huh?" Marlene said.
"HURGY!" the chick shouted.
Then Marlene heard the rumble of his tummy.
"Oh! Oh! You're hungry! Hang on. Stay here. I'll go ask the penguins how I'm gonna feed you. Stay here, okay?" Marlene looked at Raffy's eyes, expecting an answer.
"Ogey Maweem." Raffy replied, nodding his head.
"I'll be back!" Marlene said, rushing out the door on all fours.
…
"Kowalski, options!" Skipper ordered.
"Hmm… There's a simple lock on the pretzel box. How did the chameleons get in there?" He asked.
"No time to ask. Let's get them out." Skipper said, motioning toward the others.
Private stood beside the pretzel cart. Rico jumped on his shoulders and Kowalski on his. Then Skipper climbed on top.
He flipped the lock open and opened the box, letting the chameleons out.
Then they heard footsteps.
"It's Alice!" Private panicked.
"Blend and confuse, boys!" Skipper said, sliding into hiding, carrying the three chameleons.
The chameleons blended their color.
"Not you…" Skipper face-flippered.
Then Alice just went past them without noticing anything.
Skipper set the chameleons on the floor.
"How on Earth did you get in there?" Skipper asked.
"GWAAAHH!" one of the chameleons said.
"Right. Never mind." Skipper said, putting them on the floor.
"Skipper!" Marlene came running toward them.
"Marlene?" Kowalski said. "Aren't you supposed to be watching over the baby?"
"Yeah, but you see, Rafael is hungry and I don't know how to feed him." Marlene explained.
"Rico!" Skipper said and Rico puked up a bowl and a fish.
Private chewed the fish the spewed it into the bowl.
"Here you go, Marlene. Just feed this to him." Private said, handing her the bowl.
"Okaay…" Marlene said, trying not to hurl at the sight of the half-digested fish.
She walked slowly toward her habitat, clutching the bowl of food in her paws.
"Raffy? I got the food!" the otter said when she went in her cave.
Marlene gasped. A brown platypus stood there with the baby penguin in his arms.
When the platypus looked at her, his eyes narrowed.
"Wh… who are you?!" Marlene asked.
The platypus didn't reply.
"And why are you carrying the baby!?" Marlene pressed.
Suddenly, the platypus kicked her.
Marlene felt something sharp in his foot stab her and she couldn't move. Then when the platypus pulled his foot away and the sharp thing was removed. She fell on the floor, weak. Her sight was blurry but she caught sight of the platypus fleeing with Raffy. "Raffy…" She mumbled before all she could see was black.
TO BE CONTINUED…
REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
Should I continue or not?
REVIEW MAH PEEPS!
