Hey, everyone! I'm back (confetti flies everywhere)! :D I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and new year! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited me and/or my stories during the course of my break! I really appreciate it! ^v^ Anyways, to ease me back into Fanfiction, here's a three-part story for your reading pleasure. Enjoy the first chapter!
It was late at night. Skipper, Rico, and Kowalski were peacefully sleeping in their bunks, and everything was quiet. Just then, the sound of the fish bowl sliding across the concrete ice floe broke the silence. However, it was pushed slowly to the side, as to not disturb the others. Private climbed down the ladder, holding a pair of binoculars; he was returning from night recon duty. The penguin looked at his slumbering teammates, then tiptoed as quietly as possible to the table, shooting quick glances toward the bunks with every step he took. Normally, he wouldn't be so overly cautious but, on this particular night, he didn't want to wake any of them, especially Skipper. He knew the leader would be upset if-
Just as Private approached the table, he lost his grip on the binoculars, and they landed on the floor with a clatter. He flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for someone to awaken; all he heard was Rico's snoring and Kowalski turn over in his bunk. Private opened his eyes and sighed with relief. That was close. He bent down to pick up the binoculars.
"Private?" The young penguin stiffened. Shoot. Skipper was a light sleeper, and the small noise Private made had apparently woken him up. The young penguin grabbed the binoculars and placed them on the table, looking at Skipper through the corner of his eye.
"Oh. Hi, Skippah. I didn't mean to wake you up." He whispered, not turning to face him. Private hoped that Skipper would go back to sleep. He received no such luck. The leader propped himself up on one flipper and stared at his youngest cadet with an arched eyebrow. Why was he turned away from him? Private wasn't very shy; in fact, he was quite the opposite. Skipper got up and approached the younger penguin.
"Private? Are you okay?" He asked, placing his flipper on the boy's shoulder. Private nodded, still not looking at him directly.
"I'm fine, Skippah." He mumbled. Skipper was only able to see the left side of his face. The leader's brow furrowed: Private was hiding something. He gently grabbed Private by his shoulders and started to turn him so that he could see him face-to-face.
"Private, let me see your face." The young penguin tried to resist.
"Please, Skippah, don't-" A silent gasp escaped from the leader's beak as he saw Private's face entirely. In the dim, bluish-green light, Skipper noticed what the young penguin had been trying to hide:
A black eye.
Oh, no! D: How did Private get injured? What will happen next?