Chapter 38: Seeing It

A splendid breeze wafted over the six as they sauntered about the zoowalk. The lampposts began to flicker on as the sun dipped below the skyline of the city. Isobel missed how in Talamaru, one could watch the sunset until the very end, when it would seem to melt into the horizon.

They were all quite full, so they walked slowly and without much purpose. Skipper had said they were going on patrol, but Isobel knew that he had just wanted to be with them for a spell.

"By tomorrow, everything will be back to the way it should be." Skipper spoke up. "They're all due for pick up at 0600."

Private sighed. "I'm sad that they have to go."

"Me too, Private." Skipper said truthfully. "But then we can resume our usual routine. Missions and all."

Rico nodded excitedly. He was tired of being cramped up in the HQ all day.

"Do we have a mission lined up, Skipper?" Kowalski asked.

Skipper shook his head. "Not exactly. But if something comes up, we'll be ready. Which means double time for training tomorrow."

The other penguins groaned. They were too full to think about any sort of exercise.

Isobel walked closely to Julien, who seemed somber. She knew what he was thinking.

"You will see them again soon." She reassured him. "You've made Jazlene so happy with the time you've spent with her. And Rafa."

Julien nodded. "I just hate to see them go with that wickedy witch! But I supposed Rafa could take our sister away to someplace better whenever he feels like it. We have friends all over."

Isobel understood this. Rafa had been royal once, and those connections had never faded.

The cool breeze turned into something gusty, and clouds began to roll in. Isobel crossed her arms, shivering a bit.

Skipper looked to her. "Should we go back?"

"No." Isobel shook her head. "It is not so cold yet. I have missed my time with you."

Skipper's eyes widened for a moment, but then he realized that she had meant her time with all of them. "Oh, right."

Julien looked to Isobel and remembered his first winter in New York. He had grown a little more accustomed to it, but the first cold front had been brutal. He didn't have anything to give her that would warm her up. He reached up to readjust his crown, but then took it off all together and set it on Isobel's head. "Maybe this will make your head a little less chilly."

Isobel peered up to see the dangling ends of the crown, and then laughed as it slid down to her nose. She pushed it back up and smiled at him.

Kowalski stopped. "Skipper, it appears we have a follower."

Everyone stopped as well and turned around. And sure enough, there was Mikhailov, looking down at his feet as he shuffled towards them.

He looked up and saw they were looking at him. "This ees no vay for bird to be gettink around!"

He finally reached the group. "That ees, unless you are pengvin." He chuckled at his own joke.

"How's the wing treating you, Mik?" Skipper asked him.

"Oh, you know, eet hurts like devil." Mikhailov stretched his injured wing a bit. "But I decided to go vor walk, and I stumble across you." He looked around to all of them and saw Isobel was wearing Julien's crown. He laughed. "A strange sight, devochka."

Isobel smiled as she shivered slightly. "It's getting cold to me."

Mikhailov ruffled his feathers, looking up at the clouds. "Eet feels perfect to me. But I am gettink hungry." He looked down at Private. "Perhaps I settle vor pengvin."

Private hid behind Kowalski.

"I keed!" Mikhailov laughed.

"Hey, no terrorizing my team!" Skipper warned him.

Mikhailov turned to him, a smile on his face. "You tink you can take me on, now that I have only one ving?"

Isobel handed Julien's crown back to him, smiling at Skipper. "You know he's joking, Skipper."

Skipper 'harrumph'ed. "I'd never take him on…Alone."

Mikhailov smiled. "Smart vor a pengvin. I am in my small state, anyvay."

Skipper shrugged and then quickly looked back at Mikhailov. "Say what?"

Mikhailov shook his head, delighted with his secret. "You vind out vhen new moon comes."

All of the penguins look in interest at Mikhailov.

"Are you a shape shifter like Isobel?" Private asked him.

Kowalski took out his notebook and pencil, ready to jot down notes.

"Shape shifter? No." Mikhailov smiled mysteriously. "Anyvays, I vas just here vor walk. I go back now."

"Wait!" Kowalski called to him. "So you're already a disproportionally large falcon, and it gets even worse on the night of a new moon?"

"You mean, even better!" Mikhailov called back as he chuckled and made his way back to the lemur habitat.

Skipper spun around to Julien, looking distraught. "Oh sure, Isobel, let's bring him home!" He began mockingly, "Maybe he'll sing like a canary, then shape shift into some kind of were-falcon and eat Mort, and disembowel the penguins!"

"Whoa, hey! Do you think I wanted that monstrosity to come back here?" Julien shot back, defending himself. "It was two against the one! The threats were very promising, and I had little time to act – "

"Mikhailov was basically passed out, I gave Julien an angry look, and he caved in." Isobel finished for him, smiling.

"Only after I decided this was the best decision." Julien crossed his arms. But they both knew that wasn't true and shared a secret smile.

Skipper noticed this and gave Kowalski a sideways look. Kowalski shrugged back. "Dunno."

Private sighed, half-dreamily, and half at his ignorant friends. "They like each other…A lot." He explained quietly to them as Isobel and Julien continued talking about what went down when they found Mikhailov.

"Blech." Rico squirmed.

At first Skipper and Kowalski were giving each other 'of course' looks and going 'duh', but then Skipper came back to Earth.

"Wait, what? What?" He blinked at Private.

Private looked to him and nodded. "Don't you see it now, Skippa?"

Skipper looked to the pair. He certainly knew that Julien liked Isobel; he listened to her and she had helped him begin to change for the better. But he didn't know the feeling was mutual until now. "I guess so."

Private smiled. "I think it's lovely."

Skipper sighed. "Good for them."