Private woke up the next morning, still in his father's embrace from the night before.
Thump…thump…thump…thump…thump…
Skipper's heart beat was slower. This sent Private into a slight panic as he attempted to awaken the soundly sleeping leader by shaking him slightly by the shoulder.
"…w-what happened?..." responded the leader weakly as he rubbed his eyes. His voice was muffled and dry as he coughed and turned his head away.
"Skippah, are you alright?" asked Private with concern as he glared at him with a worried expression.
"Yeah, just a little cough, that's all. It's nothing big, so don't worry, Private." Skipper put on a slight smile before a massive cough attack shook his body, forcing him to gasp and wheeze as he desperately attempted to regain his breath.
"Skippah!" Private yelped as he tried to help his leader up.
"Y-Your heart beat! I-It's slower…" Private looked sadly to the older penguin, knowing he was dying…
"Private, I'm not dying now…you can count on that soldier." Skipper said after recovering from his earlier cough.
Private smiled, but his frown quickly reappeared. Much to his dislike, the vet had invited himself in while carrying two large and different needles in his hands.
"Hello there again penguins." the doctor spoke, sounding a bit serious this time as he opened the cage.
"Like I said yesterday, only the IV's will be inserted into your flipper." the vet carefully jabbed the needle into Skippers wing.
The pain wasn't as bad as he just flinched and sighed, still eyeing the other needle in his hand.
It wasn't an IV.
The doctor noticed Skippers death glare and explained the needle.
"This is just a small vaccine for the little one, so he won't get rabies as well." the vet reassured as his glare switched to Private, who was one again forced behind Skippers back as he got into attack position.
"You, are not getting ANYWHERE near him with that needle." Skipper threatened in a low squawk that was akin to a growl.
"Easy now, I'm not going to hurt you." reasoned the doctor as he tried to grab onto Private and pull him out of the cage.
And that very moment, all hell broke loose as Skipper's paternal extinct caused him to freak out as multiple death calls and squawks echoed through the walls of the room, awaking both Rico and Kowalski as they jumped in fright.
As did Private. He had never seen Skipper in such rage and anger before…it quite frankly scared him.
He backed away to the farthest part of their cage with tears streaming down his face.
Blood splattered on his cheeks as Skipper tried to lunge at the vet, breaking the IV cord and drawing red liquid, making it drip rapidly from his gauze covered flipper.
The doctor could only watch on in terror as the vicious penguin retracted the claws of his talons and went sharply for his face.
All that was seen by the vet was flashes of maroon and deep puncture wounds as his face enveloped by agonizing pain. Feathers flew, and tempers flared as Skipper continued to tear, rip, cut, and scratch at his helpless victim. He considered him a threat, a predator, for trying to hurt Private.
"SKIPPAH! PLEASE, JUST STOP! HE'S NOT GOING TO HURT US! IN FACT, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S HURTING HIM! PLEASE…STOP." Private cried between sobs as more tears flooded his blood stained face.
Skipper just stood there, on top of the bawling and blood covered vet, who was staring the leader with a now terrified and frightened expression on his face.
Skipper than gazed upon his teammates, who no longer saw a faithful and well known leader, but a terrifying and vicious bird who now had both his, and the vets blood, sprayed across both flippers.
Skipper shook as he saw what he had done to the innocent doctor.
'What have I done?…' Skipper asked himself as Alice barged in…