The light rain had manifested into a heavy downpour by the time Private had gotten the energy to lift himself from the spot he'd been sobbing at for nearly three and a half hours. Upon realizing this, and now just feeling the intense chill he had running through his veins, he decided it was best to go home. He took one final sullen look at the grave before quickly walking out of the trail and back to the zoo.
For a stormy Sunday at 8:30 in the night, the city was surprisingly dead silent, except for the continuous intoxicating rhythm of the rain on the cement. Private waddled faster as he stared at the ground, now shivering from the deep cold he felt inside. It was as if his entire bones were covered in ice. He was just wondering how much more he would be able to walk when he felt his body slam into something hard. He fell back with a wet thud, letting out a small gasp as his body hit the ground. It would've hurt a lot more if he hadn't been numbed by the cold already, he thought to himself as he rubbed his backside. The young penguin looked up to see the object he hit; the rain blurred his vision and the darkness shadowed everything around him, but he could still see a figure in the blackness, standing nearly right over him. It raised an arm to help the small soldier, and he took it carelessly.
In hindsight, Private thought he should've been more suspicious of the figure. How could he trust a stranger lurking in the night? But there was something about whoever it was that didn't quite scare him, but made him feel more at home.
"Sorry," He muttered innocently. "Didn't see you there." The shadow that had now lifted him up off the ground let out a small chuckle, followed by a violent cough that made Private cringe on the inside.
"Don't worry about it," He replied in a raspy, quiet voice. The sound of him speaking made Private shiver inside, but it felt so familiar, like an old buddy he was speaking with. But that couldn't be possible, he protested in his mind, his old friends back at England sounded nothing like the shadow in front of him now. He still couldn't shake the feeling in his mind. The young penguin had now noticed the awkward silence coming over the two, and was relieved when the figure cleared his throat and began speaking.
"So what's a little guy like you doin' out here tonight?" He asked. Private scoffed.
"I'm not little.." He shot back, looking away from the figure and out into the city lights. His body, still trembling from the freezing temperature, felt a soft arm wrap around him. His gaze shot back to the stranger, who had chuckled again and moved closer. For some reason, Private didn't feel the need to be alarmed.
"You're freezing. Where do you live?" The small penguin couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the stranger asking all of these questions, but he decided to tell the truth and be as friendly as possible.
"Not far from here," He replied, pointing to the area where he lived. "I'll be able to get back on my own." He began to walk, letting the figure's hold on his shoulders slowly drop. Private could still feel his eyes on him as he walked through the zoo. He felt bad for some reason, just leaving that person, but he needed to get home. There was no way he could stay out here any longer. He was just about to turn the corner when he heard the stranger call out to him.
"Are you sure? You don't look so well." Private took the time to inspect himself, and what he saw shocked him. His entire body was shaking violently, the feathers on him nearly standing up on end. He glanced back at the stranger, but his vision suddenly became blurry and unfocused. He stumbled backwards, feeling for anything he could balance himself on, when he heard the stranger run over. Just before he fell, the little penguin felt himself get caught by two strong arms. He tried to open his eyes, but the hard rain slamming down on him prevented it.
"Hey, It's alright." Private could hear the stranger, who had now lifted him up and began walking. "I'm gonna take you home."
The stranger cradled Private back to his habitat, and the young penguin finally got a good look at him.
The stranger was no taller than himself, with almost the same stature. A large black hoodie covered his body and face, which disappointed Private. He wished he could've at lease seen this friendly stranger's face.
The two made it back to the penguin habitat, and the stranger let Private down to the ground. Private glanced up at the figure, who was now watching him contently, and picked himself up off the ground. They sat in silence for a while before the stranger got up and spoke.
"Well?" He asked. "Aren't you going inside?" Private looked down. For some odd reason, he just couldn't bring himself to leave the stranger out here alone.
"What about you?" Private asked in return. The stranger let out another chuckle and stared far off into the night.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine.." He said lowly. The young penguin could sense a hint of doubt in that statement. He shook his head and moved closer.
"No, You.. You saved my life. Surely there's something I can do to repay you." He said, letting out a grateful smile. Just then, the rain began to let up, and shortly after it had come to a complete stop. The stranger noticed this and stared off into the sky.
"Well, the rain stopped," He started, bringing himself to a sitting position on the still wet cement. "How about I get to know you more?"
"That's what you want?" Private asked, a bit shocked that the only thing the stranger wanted was to 'get to know him'. But the stranger still nodded his head, patting the ground next to him so Private could sit beside him.
"I'd.. really like to get to know you more." He replied, staring down at the penguin who was now sitting next to him.
The young soldier felt his face heat up in a blush, and he quickly turned his gaze away. Something about this man made Private feel...different. Much like he had felt before everything had happened. He turned back with a smile and scooted closer.
"Well," He started. "There's not much to know. My name's Private and I live here with my 2 best friends K'walski and Rico. That's pretty much it."
He could feel the disappointment coming from the stranger. "Thar's it?" He asked. "There's nothing more?" The question made Private look down. He had never thought of it before, but ever since the incident, Private had done nothing with his life. He basically stayed indoors all the time, laying in bed or trying to watch T.V. He just couldn't bring himself to train or any of that anymore, it just brought back more memories he didn't want to think of. This was probably the reason why he couldn't make it back home himself tonight.
"I don't like to talk about the past..." He said lowly. The stranger nodded his head slowly, silently understanding his words. He placed his hand on Private's shoulder.
"If you'd like to talk about anything, I'm here.." Those words sent a warming touch through his blood, making him feel more content in the cold night. He looked up to see the stranger lift himself off the ground, walking to the edge of the habitat.
"Well, I'll see you around-" His voice was cut off by Private's. "Wait! Please...stay here tonight?"
Private couldn't believe his words. Had he just asked this stranger he knew nothing about to stay with him the night? The stranger seemed taken aback from the question, but he returned to his spot and sat next to the young penguin. Private decided to just forget about any of worries and try to make the most of this night.
For the next three hours, Private and the stranger talked about everything that had happened to the young penguin. Private had still felt safe to speak about anything to the stranger; he hadn't known why, but he still told him everything, as shocking as it was to him.
"..I didn't even get to say goodbye..." Private stared sullenly at the ground, feeling his eyes swell up with tears, when the stranger wrapped himself around him. Private let himself be taken in and continued to cry on his shoulder.
"You know what I think?" He asked after a while. Private looked up and wiped his eyes dry. "I think he's up there somewhere, watching down on you. Making sure you're safe each and every second of each and every day."
Those words seemed truer than anything else in the world to Private, and coming from this man he knew nothing about, it gave him an feeling that everything would be okay. He hugged the man tightly, feeling more tears escape his eyes. But they were tears of joy. Ever since everything happened, the young soldier hadn't felt any sliver of happiness for the longest time. But this stranger, he had managed to actually give Private hope for the future, and that was more than anything he could've asked for that very night.
"Thank you.." He whispered to the stranger, who had now put his arms around the boy. The two had stayed like that for the longest time before they had both realized how tired they were.
"Why don't you go inside, get some rest?" The stranger asked. "I'm sure your friends are worried sick about you." Private smiled and got up, as did the man beside him. He was just about to leave when Private's flipper stopped him.
"When..When will I see you again?" He asked hopefully. He still couldn't make out a face in the total darkness, even when his eyes had adjusted, but he could sense his eyes staring into his. The stranger turned around, making his way to the edge.
"Don't worry." He said. "I'll be around."
"I..I didn't even get your name.." The stranger stared up into the starry night, as if he were watching something up there, and before leaving the habitat, glanced at the young soldier and spoke.
"Let's just say..Tonight, I'm your guardian angel.."
Private stood there, watching the stranger wave goodbye and leave, trying to cease the sudden redness in face. He had no idea who this man was, but there was just something about him, Private couldn't put his flipper on it. Maybe it was fate that had brought the two together tonight? He couldn't be sure, but he knew one thing. He didn't know if he would have actually been back home tonight if it weren't for him.
Private had just opened the fishbowl entrance to the HQ when Rico and Kowalski had been leaving. Kowalski climbed up and hugged Private.
"Private!" He exclaimed. "You're alright!" The young penguin felt confused; had he really been gone that long? The taller penguin continued to hold him as he spoke.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, K'walski."
"I'm so sorry for leaving you out here! I'll never do that again!" Private didn't know why, but Kowalski seemed to be over-exaggerating for some reason. Was he really that worried?
The three had returned to the coziness of the HQ and going about their business as usual. Rico had fallen asleep on his bunk, snoring loudly as usual, Kowalski had gone back into his lab to work on whatever science experiment he had conjured up for the night, and Private sat lowly on the couch, staring into the T.V. Screen, but he hadn't been able to watch anything. He had been re-living the night over and over in his mind. It confused him to no end.
There were so many questions running through his mind: Who exactly was this man? Why had he been so kind and generous for him? Why did the stranger return the favor? And why did he feel more comfortable with him than anyone else in the zoo? He shook his head; he knew he couldn't answer any of these questions right now. Instead, he switched off the television and climbed lazily into his bunk, covering himself with the sheets and closing his eyes.
He hadn't been able to answer any of the questions now, but he planned to meet the stranger tomorrow and find everything out. He just hoped he could find him...
Hope you like it! Sorry if it's written a bit lazily, this was mostly done at 3:00 in the morning. It was meant to be published at Halloween, but I didn't have enough time or energy. But I will hopefully update this and my other story soon!