Before I start with the chapter two, I want to say something:

In all my stories, I like to thank to each reviewer personally (I mean sending a Pm each time he or she review). It's my way to tell them that I appreciate that they took their time to read and also to leave me their opinion. I also do this because when I leave a review, I like to receive a Pm from the author in respond, telling me if he agrees or not with my review.

I don't like anonymous reviews because I cannot thank to the reviewer properly and that make me feel really bad :(

But I think that at least I can thank you here, so if you read this: Thank you Anonymous Supporter! ^^

I'm glad you liked the story. I hope to have you and everyone who review my story here till the end of it ;)

Well, now that I said that, let's begin!

( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -)

Chapter 2: Comeback and discoveries.

All the males, with their chicks in their legs, were gathered at the edge of the territory. It was the limit day. The winter was ending and with the spring approaching, the need for the females to arrive on that day was extreme. Otherwise they simply didn't know what to do. If they stay there, they die. If they go to the ocean and leave their chicks alone, it's very likely that they were going to die. The chicks only can survive two days without the first meal that the females were supposed to give them, and that two days had already past.

Mumble, in his papa's feet, was there too. Actually, they were in the front of the crowd, along with Maurice and Gloria.

"Pa?" He asked.

"Yes Mumble?"

"When they arrive, how will I know which one is my mama?"

"Oh, you'll know. She's got a wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, and when she sings… it darn near breaks your heart" He said dreamily.

"Ja! You say that because you haven't heard Michelle singing" Maurice joked.

Memphis however, didn't get the joke and took it as an offence.

"Norma Jean It's way much better than Michelle!" He said, narrowing his eyes. Maurice didn't like the reply at all.

"Wrong! Michelle is better" He answered.

"Norma Jean!" Memphis shouted.

"Michelle!" Maurice shouted in respond.

"NORMA JEAN!"

"MICHELLE!"

The shameful spectacle attracted the attention of several nearby penguins and their chick. While this was happening, Gloria and Mumble jumped off the feet of their fathers and walked away, but not very far, only a few steps.

"Adult can be so immature sometimes" Gloria said, sighting.

"Yes, I know" Mumble said.

They hadn't noticed it before, because they were on their fathers' feet, but the weather was quite cold that day. Now that they had left their feathered shelter, they were unprotected against the cold wind.

Even as a chick, Mumble (because he was a male) had a thicker skin and a slightly higher resistance to the elements. These were special adaptations that males' penguins have to survive the Antarctic winter alone.

Gloria, however, was a female, so she didn't have those adaptations, making that the cold had a greater effect on her.

She began to shiver and wrapped herself with her flippers, trying to get warm.

"Gloria, are you ok?" Mumble asked, concerned about her.

"Yes… I'm a bit cold, that's all"

"Well, you can… come close to me… if you want" Mumble said, shyly.

Gloria turned her head and stared Mumble's blue eyes in shock. He remained in silent, totally embarrassed and thinking that maybe he shouldn't had said that.

After a few uncomfortable seconds, Gloria began to approach to Mumble slowly. She squeezed her chest against his and rested her head under Mumble's neck.

Mumble hesitated a moment, but he embrace her with one of his flipper and rested his head over hers.

"Better?" He asked, a bit nervous but happy anyways.

"A lot more" Answered Gloria, giggling and just as nervous as Mumble.

While all this was happening, Memphis and Maurice were still in their immature discussion about which mate was better. This was until another male told them to stop and to take a look at their chicks.

Now they were looking at them with huge smiles in their faces

"Look at them, Maurice" Memphis told to his friend "They look so cute together"

"Yes…" He whispered "Hey Memphis, don't you think that maybe… they… you know…"

"I don't know my friend, only time will tell"

Meanwhile, in the other border of the crowd, in the top of a big ice mountain. Noah and his elder's council were reunited, watching the horizon.

"Watcher! Do you see something?" Noah shouted to another penguin that was in a pillar of ice, slightly bigger than the mountain.

"Nothing! And this fog doesn't help!" The penguin responded.

"Ok…" Noah sighted

"So late. What's keeping them?" One of the oldest elder asked to Noah.

"Be patient, my brother… and pray that the Great Guin doesn't test us with a lean season"

"Why, Noah?" Another Elder asked "Have we not all been dutiful?"

After that, a big silence fall upon the council. Noah didn't know what to say. Suddenly, a voice broke that silence

"Wait" The watcher shouted, attracting everyone's attention "I think… I think I see them! I SEE THEM!"

Although that the penguin on the ground couldn't see them; Noah and the Elders, from the top of their altar of ice (and forcing their eyes a bit) were able to see on the horizon several black spots approaching to the territory.

"Thanks to Guin" Noah whispered to himself. He took a very deep breath in order to give the long waited signal "WIVES HO!" He shouted, with all the strength that his old lungs allowed to him.

The echo of Noah's scream spread all over the valley. Some penguins in the crown repeated it until it reached to the penguin in the front.

It's impossible to describe with words the feelings inside penguin's heart when they heard that 2 words. Happiness and fear maybe could describe them.

They were happy, because they finally were going to see their mates again. But also they had fear, because there were possibilities that their mate didn't come back from that trip. During the winter, the death is always a possibility.

But they couldn't just stay there and think about that! They had to, at least, try to find their mates and keep their hopes until the end.

A few seconds after the signal was given, black and white spots began to appear in the horizon. First they were only a few. Later they were like fifty. That fifty soon became hundreds, and those hundreds became thousands!

The males were very excited, they couldn't wait any longer. They began to run, with their chicks on their feet, on the direction of their mates.

Gloria and Mumble also run in the direction of the incomings spots, but without waiting their fathers, who lost them into the crowd. Their father began to shout their names and searched them.

When the crowd of males and the crowd of females met, the confusion got worse. Memphis and Maurice began to get desperate. Maurice was so busy looking the ground, seeking for his daughter, that he accidently hit another penguin.

"Why don't you watch where you…?" Maurice tried to complain, but he was cut by the voice of the other penguin.

"Hi Maurice" Said a female voice. He raised his head and saw his mate, Michelle, with her flippers crossed and a you-are-in-so-much-trouble's face.

"Michelle!" He said, a bit scared of Michelle's face.

"Did you miss something?"

"I… emm… I…" In that moment, he wanted to be swallowed by the earth. But then, a little penguin jumped of Michelle's feet.

"Hi pa!" Gloria said "I found mama!" Michelle began to giggle. Maurice stared at his mate with a puzzled face.

"Oh darling! You have a beautiful worried face. I just love it!" Maurice smiled and embraced his mate and daughter.

Meanwhile, Memphis was still looking for Mumble.

"Mumble! Mumble!" He shouted in every direction, but with no respond "Mumble, where are you?"

"Memphis?" Suddenly a female voice called him from behind. He turned around, forgetting Mumble; to see that that's voice belonged to his beloved mate, Norma Jean.

"Oh mama! Oh mama!"

Both rushed to each other and rubbed their necks (penguin's kiss)

"So…" Norma Jean cut the romantic moment "Where's the baby?"

Memphis immediately remembered that particular details.

"Well, honey, I… I'll find him"

"YOU LOST THE BABY!" Norma Jean said, very angry.

"It's okay! I'll…"

"Memphis!" She cut, still angry.

"Mama?" A little chick called, coming out of the crowd a few meters from them… Mumble

"There you are" Memphis sighted in relief "Norma Jean, this is our son: Mumble"

"Come to mommy!" Norma Jean said, with a big smile in her face.

Mumble obeyed, but instead of just walking toward her, with each step, he clapped his feet against the ice, making a curious tip-tap sound.

"Hey, what's wrong with his feet?" Norma Jean whispered to Memphis, who was as surprised as her.

"I don't know. He didn't do that before" He simply responded.

Mumble finally reached his mother and he hugged her leg.

"Mama!"

"Oh look at you!" She said to Mumble "You are gorgeous!"

"Isn't he, though?" Memphis added "And he is already making females friends" He whispered to his mate

Norma Jean giggled and remained staring to her chick, but soon she remembered something important: the reason why she had been in the ocean the last two months.

"Oh! I almost forget. I've got something for you. Open up!"

Mumble obeyed. He raised his head and opened his beak. Norma Jean ducked a bit, opened her beak and "returned" all that she had caught in the last months inside Mumble's beak, who swallowed it happily.

"I love the way she does that" Memphis said, smiling.

( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -)

That night:

Mumble and his parent were about to sleep, but Memphis asked Mumble to talk in private. They walked away from their resting place, until they reach a small cave, not very far actually.

"Well Mumble, I want you to promise something"

"Sure, pa"

"Promise me that you won't do that again"

"Do what?" He asked, naively.

"That thing with your feet. The thing you did when you met your mother"

"This?" Mumble them did some tap's steps and giggled "But it make me feel happy!"

"I know, I know. But it's just ain't penguin, ok?"

"Ok" Mumble answered, a little depressed because he wouldn't be able to practice his recently discovered dancing talent. Memphis noticed his sadness.

"Hey, but… you can always do it when nobody see you, ok?" Mumble smiled.

"Ok!"

"You promise?"

"I do!"

"That's my boy. Now let get back home, I'm really tired"

They started the way back to their home. The Great Guin was in a very good mood that night. There wasn't wind or snow, the sky was clear and full of stars and the moonlight illuminated the white meadows.

Memphis and Mumble arrived home. Memphis embraced Norma Jean and Mumble got on her feet. That was the first night they spent together, as a family.

( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -)

Well, that was chapter two.

I hope you like it ^^

Review and tell me if you like it or you hate it… or a mix of both or… whatever you want to say me XD

I can't believe that tell this single scene took me over 2000 words! :/

Well, I guess that it's an important scene in the movie and it's important and worthy tell it good.

I haven't anymore to say, so we'll meet again in the next cap ;)

Read you soon