More Than A Friend

Chapter 3

A Surprise For Private

Private woke up feeling rather disappointed. He felt alone without Hunter, but on the other hand he was also relieved that his nightmares had gone. He jumped out of his bunk and slowly waddled outside, he didn't feel like hurrying, nor eating.

As he got outside something leaped on him, nearly crushing him in an embrace of sorts. "Hunter?!" Private cried in disbelief.

Hunter smiled. "Sorry, I kinda' got over excited," the female seal apologised, giggling sheepishly.

"Um... that's okay. Actually it's great that you came!" Private said cheerfully. Three penguins popped up.

"What's going on Private, some animals are still sleeping, can't you..." Skipper was about to chide his soldier. He turned around to see Hunter, as did Rico and Kowalski. Rico managed to utter a single 'oh', before, becoming silent again.

"Guess we've got a hydrurga leptonyx, with us," Kowalski commented. Hunter gave him a quizzical look. "A leopard seal," Kowalski tried to make it simpler to understand.

"Oh," Hunter said.

Kowalski wanted to explain the name, but realised that no one would understand anyway.

"Skippah, suppose I could go and have some fun with Hunter? Please!" Private pleaded. Skipper found it very hard to deny something to Private, but this time he didn't even want to do anything like that.

"Fine, I was going to watch the 'Shirtless Ninja Marathon' anyway," Skipper replied after a while.

Rico looked at Skipper with an maliciously promising look, that said 'I'm taking the space closest to the TV'!

"Fine!" Skipper huffed, " but only if you can beat me in taekwondo!" And the two began to kick each other, a battle ensuing.

Meanwhile, Private and Hunter had already disappeared into Central Park, telling each other some jokes and what had happened to them, whilst the other one had been gone. "I met a friendly shark, on my way here," Hunter explained her journey to Private. Private shuddered with fear.

"A friendly shark?!" he asked in disbelief. He had never thought of sharks as being 'friendly'.

"Well this one was friendly, alright, he showed me the rest of the way, I would have been lost, if it weren't for him," Hunter answered. She smiled.

"Okay," Private accepted her opinion. He knew that a lot of the time, the dangerous things could actually be friendly and Hunter was an example of this.

"I learned Judo and a couple of card games, but I still don't get 'stomp the wombat'," said Private. "Skippah seemed to always change the rules of that game."

Hunter giggled. "I'm sure you'll know how to play that game, someday," she reassured Private.

The two decided to go to the pond, so that they could play games. Hunter, being a seal, wasn't very agile on land and water seemed to be more ideal for both of the animals. They dived in the pond and then jumped up, chased each other and then chased the fishes that were in the pond. "Once there was a Snake headed trout here, but Skipper shooed it away," Private exclaimed as he swam on the surface of the water. That fish must have been scary! Hunter thought with a light shiver.

It was getting dark, when the two thought it would be best to get back. As the two were slowly getting to the zoo, Officer X stopped them. "I see you law breaker got another one with you, " he said. Hunter growled at him, but that only made him laugh. "Act, you're the top dog will you, well I am the top officer and you are just a baby seal!"

Private wanted to calm her, but there was nothing he could do. Officer X got a net and caught Private with it, make Hunter go so angry, you could almost say she was feral! Her eyes turned read and she bared her teeth. She jumped up and bit X on his arm. He yelled in pain and dropped the net. "You look tough, but your as weak as a new born seal!" Hunter mocked him. Then, the two animal went away.

Private stepped into the HQ first, followed by Hunter, who curiously examined the HQ, from the TV to fridge and lastly the bunks.

"Looks a bit military-styled," Hunter commented. Private nodded.

"Skippah says that it's how a true soldier lives."

The 'Shirtless Ninja Marathon' had probably ended because the TV screen was off. Private went to look for Skipper, whilst Hunter looked at a DVD, with a picture of a leopard seal. The picture looked scary even for Hunter, what she didn't know though, was that it was what made three out of four penguins sick, Rico being the only one, who's stomach was normal after that horror.

She shuddered and turned her head around. This HQ was rather cool. Suddenly Kowalski walked by and asked," what are you looking at?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"You better not be looking at the files, Skipper doesn't allow that, it would cost you a friendship."

Hunter tipped her head to the side, hoping to get a proper answer, but none came.

Skipper and Private came an hour later, since Skipper was trying to rescue sad eyes and Private had been searching for him everywhere. It ended well, but ring tail had kicked sad eyes away, as the tiny lemur tried to hug Julian's feet. The tiny lemur fell in a dustbin, but the penguins ignored that since they had other things to do.

"I hope she didn't look in any files!" Skipper muttered, distrusting. "If she did or will do, it'll cost both of you a friend ship."

Private couldn't understand what Skipper meant by that and so he just continued walking. They stepped inside the HQ. The light was on which meant Hunter was still here.

"Hi!" the leopard seal greeted them. Skipper didn't respond and instead averted his gaze to television.

Private however greeted her back. "Sorry, but it took me ages to find Skippah."

"I don't mind, but it's good that you're back, and what does 'it would cost you a friendship' actually mean? I hope that it doesn't mean what I think it means," Hunter questioned, feeling a little nervous.

Skipper nodded. "It means exactly that," he added. "Why?"

"Not any particular reason, except that means that you're no fun, " Hunter retorted, with a pout. Of course, this had been a lie. She was truly afraid of this ever happening. Private was far too precious for her to bear having to separate from him. He was the one who understood, out of all the penguins in the world.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do you think that Hunter may have lied a bit? Hunter: "I most certainly did not!"
Skipper: "Did too!"
Hunter: "Did not!"
Skipper: "Did too!"
Kowalski: "You mind arguing a little quieter, I am working on my atomic-refresherizer!"
Skipper: "Whatever that is, you could have picked a better time."
Hunter and Private: "Agreed"
Anyway please review, I really do appreciate your reviews.