Chapter 1
Our story starts in Antarctica many years ago. The white snow which had accumulated quite a bit over the harsh winter was now sparkling in the sunlight. For the regular climate of the tundra, it was a relatively warm day. It was the kind of day that three little penguins were eager to go out and enjoy.
A very young Skipper jumps into snow with an even younger Rico right on his tail. They rush out of their home, which was nothing more than a snow mound with a carved-out doorway.
Skipper scurries back into the doorway and hops impatiently. "C'mon, c'mon!" He whines. "Kowalski, you're going to make us miss it!"
Meanwhile, a full-grown penguin, Gwen, sits on a sofa molded from snow. She smiles and releases a slight laugh at the eagerness of her son. At the moment, she is preoccupied with stroking down the feathers on Kowalski's head.
"Hold on, Skipper," she chuckles lovingly. "I'm sure they'll still be there by the time I finish helping your brother get ready."
Skipper pleads, "Aw, Ma!"
Rico, following his older brother's lead, chimes in. "Aw!"
Upon putting the finishing touches on Kowalski's feathers, she gently runs her flipper over the top of his head. He looks up at her and smiles momentarily. Noticing that Skipper is growing even more hasty, Kowalski waddles hurriedly. He almost runs into his mom, who steps back and lets him scamper out first.
Gwen stands in the doorway with her flippers crossed. She watches her boys eagerly scurry down towards the point. Before allowing them to get too far, she calls out. "Now, Skipper. Aren't you boys forgetting something?"
Skipper sighs and mopes back with his little brothers in in tow. Gwen awaits them at the door and outstretches her flippers. She goes down the line, giving each of her boys a kiss on the forehead.
"Can we go now?" Skipper groans.
Rico bats his eyes. "Pweeassee?"
Gwen resigns back with her flippers crossed once more. She nods, as she leans back into the icy doorframe. "Go ahead."
"Be careful!" She calls out, watching them as they disappear out of sight. The extent of her concern is merely hinted in her face as she furrows her brow. Once her boys have dashed out of sight, she glances around before heading back to their hut.
The three penguins go waddling on forward, pushing through the crowd of much taller penguins. As the boys slide, they weave in and out around penguins going about their normal day. They slip and slid clumsily until they reach the point, the highest view on the coast.
"There it is!" Skipper stands at the helm with his flippers on his hips.
Having done this before, rather habitually, the Penguins know the drill. They stare over the ice's edge, overlooking a cargo ship of sailors and their captain. While this is nothing new, they still stare on as if it is their first time seeing the colossal vessel and its tidy, organized crew. Each of the Penguins take a moment to appreciate what they are watching.
In a snap, Skipper straightens up and folds his flippers behind his back. He struts in front of his brothers, who follow suit and line up in precise formation. As he paces, he frequently glances down at the captain of the ship to ensure he is emulating him correctly.
"Now boys!" He poses with his flippers on his hips. "It's time to find out today's mission." He looks from side to side and pauses to rub his flippers together as he thinks.
Kowalski salutes and puffs out his chest. "Aye, aye, Skipper! What's our mission today?"
Rico breaks his composure and bursts forward, hunching over in his excitement. "Mission!"
Skipper taps his chin. His eyes scan their surroundings. "The mission is uh… the mission is …" He pauses. "Oh yeah! Stopping a band of radioactive seagulls from stealing all of the fish from the rookery!" He leaps up and lands in a gauche fighting position.
Kowalski perks up. "Ooh radioactive! I better use my radioactive seagull laser!" He leans down and picks up an icicle. The icicle is larger than he is.
The brothers break out into a battle with their imaginary foes. Kowalski shoots away with his icicle laser, while Skipper prefers to fight with his fists. Rico spews out pebbles at his imaginary foes, tumbling and barreling around them.
Skipper regains his poise and dusts off his flippers. "Nice work, boys!"
The ship's blaring horn catches his attention. Above them, the black smoke funnels into the clear sky. He scurries to get another look before the crew disappears into the horizon. He sighs longingly and leans back with his flippers crossed. "I want to be just like them someday."
Kowalski tilts his head – puzzled by Skipper's words. "Humans on a boat?"
"No! Travelling the world, helping anyone who needs our help!" Skipper exclaims. "Secret agent stuff." Behind him, Rico does a maneuver with his flippers, circulating them slowly.
Kowalski ponders for a second, and begins to respond. "Well, I'm not entirely sure that's what they –"
"Yah! Yah!" Rico hops.
"I want to be a secret agent!" He jumps into a battle pose. "You know, just like dad." And shrugs.
Just then, Rico is met abruptly with a snowball to the beak. This is the first of many snowballs lobed their way, as they are each hit with many before ducking or identifying the source.
Not far from where they stand, two larger penguins stand with more snowballs bunched up in their arsenal. While they begin closing the distance between themselves and the trio, they become all the more daunting. Both have a beefy build, causing the ice to crunch under their feet.
One of them sneers. "Aw why if it ain't the little nerds playing their silly games."
Skipper fails to be intimidated, rushing up himself. He stands on the very tip top of his toes and puffs his chest to appear intimidating. While Rico imitates Skipper's expression, Kowalski slides behind his fearless leader. Skipper proceeds to bark at the bullies, like a chihuahua to a Doberman. "Hey! Take that back!"
The other penguin steps in, inching closer. "Well, look who it is: dweeb, flathead, and psycho. You better back off our turf, runts!" This causes Skipper to lose his balance and stumble back.
This sends Rico into a surprisingly restrained rage. He growls lowly and hunches over.
Skipper is quick to recover with a quip. "You don't own Antarctica!"
Thinking facts will diffuse the situation and support his brothers' point, Kowalski asserts himself back into the conversation. "Yes, in fact Antarctica is a free continent, meaning it does not entirely belong to one country."
This isn't taken well by the bullies. "Wha?" The second penguin is dumbfounded. Was this pipsqueak talking back?
His buddy takes over. "Anyway, it doesn't matter." Just as it looks like they are about to turn away, he places a firm flipper on Kowalski's head and lifts him off the ground. Skipper and Rico exchange glances, while Kowalski tries to break himself free. This is embarrassing for Kowalski.
With Kowalski still in his grip, the bully turns to his friend. "I don't know about you, but I think the skuas could go for a nice snack right about now." This of course was an empty threat but still invoked great anger within the other two brothers.
His friend joins in the spiteful venture, grabbing onto Rico. "I think so, too." They snort and cackle.
Skipper's round cheeks puff out. "You wouldn't dare!"
The one with Kowalski remarks, "Oh really? Why not?" He leans down over Skipper, who is seething with anger.
Skipper shouts and stomps his foot. "Our dad's a secret agent!" He points a tiny flipper at their adversaries. "And he'll come back and show you!"
The bullies pause and the world goes silent for a second. Just as Skipper concludes that he had sufficiently told them off, they look at each other and burst out laughing. It is enough for them to drop Rico and Kowalski, rather carelessly. They had their share of fun. Skipper's confident and indignant smile dissolves into teary eyed confusion.
The second bully spouts. "Your dad? Secret agent?"
Still laughing the first bully wraps his flipper around his friend for support. "Oh, is that what your mommy told you?" He mocks Skipper.
Kowalski seems to miss the humor. "That is what our maternal unit said, but I don't see how that falsifies it."
The first bully bends down to get even closer to the trio. He takes delight in breaking the news to the naïve chicks. "Oh well, I hate to break it to you, losers, but your dad went on a fishing trip and never came back, not because he was a secret agent but because he was probably eaten."
This statement flusters Skipper even more than before. "Take that back!" It couldn't be true.
The second bully begins to turn his back on the little penguins. He mutters. "Yeah, your father was a loser – just like the three of you."
"Nah-uh!" Rico's rage is beginning to level with Skipper's.
Still not feeling as though they have asserted their status amongst the youngsters, the first one goes to follow his friend with one last remark and wry chuckle. "You know, your father probably didn't get eaten. He probably just left you and your mother, because of what big freaks you all are."
These words launch Skipper deeper into his rage. Without a further thought, he lunges at the larger penguin's gut. The force of Skipper's angry, little body is enough to topple the brute into the snow. Soon enough Skipper is on top of the older penguin and actually using his fists, as opposed to the imaginary play from earlier.
All of the excitement causes Rico to join in the fray. As the older penguin's friend tries to pull Skipper off, Rico bites onto his flipper. Kowalski stands there at first, unsure of what to do. His indecision causes him more embarrassment. Soon enough he joins Rico in protecting Skipper from the other bully.
A familiar voice breaks in, shattering the commotion with a frantic, disheartened exclamation. It is enough to stop the action completely. "Boys! Boys!" Gwen rushes in to retrieve her sons one way or another.
In that moment, the Penguins knew they were in trouble. Skipper looks up at her, with a bright purple shiner adorning his left eye. Kowalski chuckles nervously. He scratches the back of his head, unintentionally revealing even more bruises. Rico lets go of the bully's flipper and smiles nonchalantly. He even begins to pat the bully's flipper to ensure his look of innocence. The scratch on his beak and feathers sticking up from the top of his head say otherwise.
Gwen swallows hard and her eyes are filled with pain. "Come on, boys. Let's go." She takes a stern tone. "Now!"
This is enough to send the Penguins into motion. They begin to trudge off defeated, under her watchful eye.
The first bully lifts his head. He has a matching set of bruises, perhaps even worse than those that he had inflicted. Determined to get the last word, he jeers at them as they walk away. "Better go, boys! Mommy's calling."
With that, Gwen stops in her tracks and turns her head. Skipper, interested in her response, stops to observe. She quickly nudges him to keep walking in front of her. With her sons' backs turned, she gives a look that sends a chill down the bullies' spines.
"Sorry." They squeak out in near unison.
Back in the hut, a single candle fills the room with a warm, orange hue. Gwen is standing with Rico in front of a mirror of ice that has been carved out and placed onto the wall. She slightly licks her flipper and runs it over the feathers on Rico's head. Just as her flipper runs up off the edge of Rico's head, the feathers stick back up. She tries again. This time she holds her flipper down for longer. She cautiously removes her flipper and the feathers stay down. She smiles triumphantly.
"Ha!" She raises her flippers, only for them to stick straight back up.
She slouches back down "ugh," but notices that Rico is already admiring his new hairdo in the mirror. His guffaws warm her heart and she gives him a kiss on the cheek before moving to Kowalski.
Kowalski is laying down on the sofa, which is a molded lump of snow. He begins to sit up, as she approaches. There is a deep need for approval in his remorseful eyes.
"No, sweetie. You lay down for a little bit. Get some rest." She puts her flipper gently to his cheek and Kowalski smiles up at her.
She sighs, and looks over at Skipper who is sitting on the other end of the couch. He is hiding his face with the chunk of ice for his black eye. It nearly obscures his little face, but his bright orange beak peaks out.
She begins, careful not to mince words. "Skipper, I need to speak to you in the other room." Not sure where to draw the line of sternness, she gently takes his flipper in hers and walks with him into the other room.
Skipper immediately begins to defend himself and his brothers, once they have stopped moving in the other room. "But, ma! They started it!" He points outwards.
"I don't care who started it. I don't want you boys watching the ships any longer." She puts her flippers on her hips.
Skipper's eyes get larger at the notion. It just wasn't fair. He begins to whimper. "B-but –"
She crosses her flippers again. This was difficult for her, but she had to stand firm. "No, it's not safe for you to keep getting into fights like this, Skipper. You and your brothers could have gotten seriously hurt! I mean what could possibly be a good enough reason for you to fight those older boys?"
Skipper looks away. He murmurs, nearly under his breath. "They said dad was a loser – that he wasn't a secret agent, that he got eaten."
This takes Gwen by surprise. In fact, she hadn't been prepared for that response at all. She doesn't know what to say. As an ache arises in her stomach, the words won't come to her. She hadn't wanted them to, honestly. "Oh," that's all she could say.
She takes a second to formulate her thoughts, a game plan. She wraps her flipper around Skipper and looks him in the eye. "Do you remember what I told you after your father went away?"
Skipper nods. How could he ever forget? "That I have to look after my little brothers. I have to help keep them safe."
"Yes." She smiles and tries to fight back the tears. He was such a good kid. "And sometimes you have to … well, sometimes you have to do what's best for them, even if that upsets you."
Skipper doesn't notice the tears his mother is trying to fight back. "But they were making fun of dad! They said you lied to us!" This is all very confusing for him.
"Skipper," She sighs. "I think it's time you knew the truth."
Skipper stammers, "knew what?" He retreats a step, unsure that he wants to hear what she will tell him.
She dreaded this day. How would the words even come out? She takes a photograph that she had on the wall and hands it to Skipper.
Skipper looks at the photo of him and his brothers when they were younger. Standing behind them in the photo are his parents, smiling and posing happily together. As he looks at the photograph which he has seen many times before, she continues talking to him. "Skipper, your father loved you boys with all of his heart… but he was never a secret agent."
Skipper's world seems to shatter in this instant. Everything he knew seemed to be a lie. It couldn't be true. There are few things that he fully understood about the world around him, and this contradicted almost all of them. That's the way Kowalski would state it at least. "But all those stories you told us… about him fighting off bad guys, protecting others, and going out on missions …"
"I… - I made them up." The words were difficult to come out, and she was unsure of them at first. Once they were out, there was no going back.
"No!" Skipper's eyes reflected betrayal in the tears that were starting to build up. Emotions flood Skipper, overwhelming him like a tidal wave. Anger, betrayal, grief – they were all too much. They were much too big for such a small penguin. In his distress, he throws the photograph she had given him.
Gwen is quick to recover and place kind flippers onto his shoulders. "But it was only to protect you."
Skipper's voice breaks in his distress. "Then, why did he leave us?"
"He never wanted to leave, but sometimes… accidents happen." Her flipper attempts to brush his head.
"So… they were right… he was just like everybody else…" He murmurs.
"I never wanted you to find out this way, Skipper. I - …. I'm so sorry." She knew that nothing she said could fix this.
Skipper suddenly perks up. "Well, what if – what if he's not really gone!"
This is even harder for her to watch. "Skipper –"
His eyes widen as he lets his imagination and desperate idealism take over. "What if he – what if he didn't get eaten and he's just stranded, marooned on an iceberg and ended up somewhere far away. Yeah! I bet – I bet he's on his way back right now. And that'll show those punks, and he'll be so proud of –"
She wraps him up in a tight hug before he can finish his thought aloud. All she wanted to do was hold on to him tightly and never let go – never let anything happen to him. The hug also does good job at hiding her tears. She doesn't want him to see her cry; she has to be his rock. It is in that moment, in his mother's hug, that Skipper realizes his father isn't coming home.
He waddles back out into the room where Kowalski and Rico had already fallen asleep. He slumps onto the other side of the snow mound, hoping to avoid waking his brothers. He wants to hide the fact that he had been crying. This secret is now his to keep as well.
"Skipper?" Kowalski groggily lifts his head. "Is everything ok with our maternal unit?"
His brother doesn't answer, but instead curls up into an even tighter ball. He proceeds to wipe a couple tears away.
"Skipper?" Kowalski repeats and scoots closer. He looks back at Rico who has a similar concerned expression.
When their brother doesn't answer a third time, they scoot all the way over to him. Rico rests his head on Skipper's shoulder.
Turning his head slightly, Skipper pretends that he didn't hear them at first. "Oh, uh – hi, boys…" He desperately tries to wipe the tear away to not let them see.
However, the glimpse is enough. Rico wraps his flippers around Skipper. Kowalski, not sure what to do, pats Skipper on the back.
"Don't you worry about those scoundrels, Skipper. Someday... they'll only wish they could be like us." Kowalski declares.
Skipper finally looks up at his brothers fully. "You think so?"
"Yeah!" Rico nods.
Skipper thanks them and brings Kowalski in for a hug. All three of them fall asleep curled up together. The world is an uncertain and scary place. Skipper is especially aware of this now. But they have each other, and that is a certain. This is something that Gwen reflects on as well, as she finds them asleep and covers them with a blanket.
The next morning, sunlight streams down into the humble, little hut. Gwen is quick to wake them in the morning, seeming in more of a rush than normal.
"Good morning, boys!" Gwen cheerfully calls out.
Skipper and Kowalski wake up a bit disoriented. They had been fast asleep seconds ago, and their mother's upbeat greeting is an abrupt awakening. However, it isn't enough for Rico. He is still loudly snoring. Kowalski elbows him, jolting him awake.
"Huh?" Rico snorts.
Gwen tells her boys, "I'll be going fishing but wanted to say goodbye before I left." She is headed towards the door preoccupied when she looks back at them. "I shouldn't be long, but I want you boys to stay in the house until I get back."
The brothers are not pleased with her new rules. "Not allowed outside of the house?" Kowalski questions.
"C'mon!" Rico whines.
"But ma!" Skipper pleads.
Gwen stands firm, despite her mind wandering. "No buts. You're still grounded, you know. I'll be back in no-time, but for now it's safest for you three to stay in here."
Kowalski deflates and gives a half-hearted salute. "Aye, aye, mom."
Just as Gwen turns her back to leave, there is a slight tug on her flipper. She stops in her hurried rush to find Kowalski looking up at her.
"Um, mom. I believe there is something I wanted to ask you."
"Oh, um, Kowalski, dear I don't really have time right now. Can it wait?" Her attention is divided between Kowalski and the ocean ahead.
"You know with everything that happened yesterday…"
"Uh, huh." She is half-listening, but doing her best.
He shrinks down slightly. "As you may have noticed, I'm not as tenacious or strong-willed as Rico or Skipper but… I was wondering –"
She is forced to interrupt him. "Kowalski, sweetie." She takes a hold of his cheeks in her flippers. "I promise, we'll continue this conversation when I get home later, okay? I really need to be going." She gives him a kiss on the forehead, before dashing off. As she is leaving, she calls back from a distance. "Be careful today! No getting into trouble."
Kowalski is still standing there watching when she reaches the ocean. He sheepishly mutters the last part of his sentence. "… if you think dad would be proud of me."
As the minutes pass, staying in the hut has become boring rather quickly. The Penguins are sitting in the doorway, expecting this to be a very lackluster day.
"Ehh! Boring!" Rico exclaims with his chin resting in his flippers.
"You're right!" Skipper stands up defiantly. "Sitting here just ain't going to cut it."
Kowalski has been quiet, as he pensively stares out into the busy summer day. He was less focused on the boredom but fixated on a conundrum of his own. He finally speaks up. "Does anyone find it the slightest bit odd how mom was in such a hurry to leave?"
Skipper, still reeling from last night's discovery, has his own troubles. "Meh." On the outside, he simply shrugs.
Kowalski utters. "Do you think it might have been because she was… disappointed in us?"
Without processing the question that had been asked, Skipper responds. "Probably." It seemed like a safe answer for when he wasn't listening. Probably is non-comital, indecisive.
"Oh…" Kowalski shrinks back.
A sudden scream from the village grabs ahold of their attention. All three turn their heads almost simultaneously. As more screaming and ruckus emerges through the village, they peak their heads out to watch penguins run and scatter. It is utter chaos. Each one is left wondering what could cause such clamor in their normally tranquil village.
This question is answered swiftly, when a warning rings out from one of the village's denizens. "Leopard seals! They're here in the village!"
Skipper springs up in response. "Leopard seals?"
Kowalski is in disbelief. Sure, he can see the chaos ensuing but the idea of leopard seals pillaging the village was highly unlikely. The thought itself is preposterous. "But they've never infiltrated the village."
Rico utters. "Uh oh."
Skipper maintains his composure. "Well, I guess that is not until today." He gives an order. "Rico, binoculars!"
Rico coughs and hacks like they had been practicing. All the trash that was washing up on the shore was good for something. Kowalski would practice crafting inventions with them and Rico, well, he would practice storing them in his stomach. He spews up two glass bottles that they had been strung together with fishing line. Skipper catches them in his flippers.
"What do we do, Skipper? Mom's out fishing, and we have nowhere to go." Kowalski begins to panic.
Skipper lifts his flipper. "Now, hold on, and let me get a good look at what's going on." He raises the binoculars and looks through them. It appears to be just what they suspected. Penguins are running everywhere. Leopard seals are destroying huts much like their own and capturing penguins in nets.
The jarring sight left Skipper speechless. "Um, uh…"
"Look out!" Rico exclaims and drags Skipper down behind the doorframe.
Suddenly two seals come bounding past their hut. Snow flies behind them, as they slide towards the point. It is evident that they are in some sort of hurry. It isn't a worried rush, but something else entirely. The Penguins do their best to stay hidden behind the doorframe, but the seals clearly have their eyes on something else.
Once the seals stop short of the point, the larger seal lifts her flipper up to her face. Her lips curl up in a devious smile, revealing her yellow, jagged teeth. Entrapped in her speckled flipper is the foot of a penguin chick. The chick dangles upside down, staring curiously at the gigantic seal.
"Well, would you look what we've got here? A little snack for the road – a delicious, plump penguin chick." Aspen, the seal, laughs.
The smaller of the two is Leo. He slumps. "Aw, how come you get a hatchling?"
Aspen explains condescendingly. "Like I told you, Leo, we'll get you yours after this."
The Penguins are stilling watching on anxiously. "Yikes," Rico remarks.
"Hmm," Skipper vocalizes, as he squirms. He can't stand to see a hatchling get injured.
Almost as if reading each other's thoughts, the Penguins duck down into a huddle. Skipper immediately takes charge, making up his mind. They can't just watch the seals attack this poor hatchling.
"We need a plan." Skipper declares in a whisper.
"All right," Kowalski thinks for a second. "I suggest we stay in here and keep quiet. We're far enough out from the village that the seals shouldn't come searching in here if we stay quiet." Clearly, he is not on the same page.
Rico nods and begins to walk back into the hut. "Sounds good."
Skipper grabs his flipper, stopping him. "Woah, woah, woah, we need a plan to save that chick." With his open flipper, he points to the seals.
Kowalski shakes his head, exasperated at his brother's request. "Skipper, we can't do that. We're just kids ourselves." He pauses and lowers his voice. "Plus, … we're –"
"Losers." Rico repeats the words of the bullies.
Skipper is disappointed in his brothers. "What do you mean we can't do it?" He pauses and takes in a deep breath. It is a last-ditch effort and the morality is ambiguous, but it would be worse in his mind to let the hatchling get hurt. "Boys, our dad is the best secret agent the world has ever seen! Greatness is in our blood. If we can't stand up to a couple of no-good seals, no one can!"
This instantly inspires Rico to change his tune. "Yeah!" Of course, he is usually persuaded by Skipper rather easily.
Now, it is Skipper's turn to motivate the boys. If it means fabricating more stories or at least repeating them, then that is what he will have to do. "Remember that time dad fought off a team of twenty seals to save a rookery in New Zealand?"
Kowalski puts a flipper to his chin. "Yeah…" He straightens up, rejuvenated with confidence. "You're right! We can do this! Now, all we need is some sort of strategy. Some sort of plan…" He trails off in thought.
As Kowalski is deep in thought, he completely misses the fact that Skipper is waddling on out of the doorway. He casually steps on outside the bungalow, as Rico watches intently with a smile.
Kowalski's eyes light up, as a plan sparks in his mind. "Skipper, do you think you can –" He looks around to find that Skipper is no longer in the doorway. In his befuddlement, he calls out again. "Skipper?"
Rico points to Skipper, who is completely out in the open. He bends down and reaches into the snow. His tiny flippers bunch up a snowball. Kowalski watches on in shock, as Skipper lobs a snow ball at the beasts like it's nothing. As if pitching a baseball, Skipper sends the ball flying. It spins in the air, picking up speed as it approaches it's intended target.
The snow slams into the back of Aspen's head. It comes with enough force to make her jut forward. In her sudden surprise, her flipper loosens its grip on the hatchling. The hatchling even gives a puzzled look, as he begins to slowly plummet to the snow below. The seal pauses for a moment, standing as if she were frozen. There is barely any movement to even indicate breathing. When all of a sudden, a low snarl escapes her lips. She slowly begins to turn in a smooth, sliding motion. Her teeth are completely barred as her face crinkles in wrath.
Although in plain view of the seals now, Skipper whistles to stretch out time for stalling. "Over here!"
Leo turns at sound of Skipper's whistle, turning just in time to catch a snowball to the muzzle. It is the first of many thrown by Skipper, as the two seals are pelted with as many snowballs that Skipper can throw. While distracting, the snowballs are not much of a deterrent. Aspen seethes as she continually moves towards Skipper. Skipper, getting too much enjoyment out of pelting the predators with snow, doesn't seem to notice her approach. That is, not until she is standing right over him.
"Heh." He laughs nervously, standing completely engulfed in the shadow of his much larger foe. The remaining snowball rolls straight out of his flipper.
"Ahh!" With that, he takes off running. He moves his tiny legs, as the seal is not too far behind. "Plan! Kowalski! I need a plan!"
Kowalski mutters to himself, frustrated that he is yet again freezing. "Oh, but what can I do? Um… uh…" His eyes scan the house for any source of inspiration. The only things to stick out are the blanket, still on the couch, and the binoculars that Skipper had left in the doorway.
"That's it! Rico, I need you to grab the chick and run for the glacier." He orders.
"Uh huh." Rico slides off.
Meanwhile, Skipper is still being very much pursued by Aspen. Now they have made it into the main center of the village. As Skipper runs, he has to dodge the few other penguins who are left running around. To his terror, he sees fishing nets filled with penguins being loaded by other seals into what looks like some sort of submarine. He doesn't know what to make of the sight, but knows if seals have anything to do with it, it can't be good. The sight is so startling to Skipper that he completely loses sight of where he is going.
Completely overlooking an icy patch in the snow, he steps right onto it haphazardly. His little, webbed feet slip out from under him, as he begins to skid out of control. He lets out a slight yelp, as he goes spinning uncontrollably into a snowbank. A penguin-shaped imprint is left in the snowbank.
Aspen is certain she has the penguin cornered. She inspects the snowbank and sniffs for a scent of the bird. The thought of a penguin – let alone a young penguin – disrespecting her was humiliating. It went against the natural order of things, and she was determined to make this the last lesson the young penguin would ever learn.
Back by the bungalow, Leo now has the penguin chick. He smiles greedily and lunges forward to snatch it. However, Rico rushes in seconds earlier. In a split second, he manages to grab the chick in his flippers. When Leo tries to process what has happened, Rico looks up at him and waves.
"Hello." Rico grunts, with the little penguin looking up at him, just as confused as the seal.
All Leo can utter is, "what?" before Rico takes off running with the hatchling, like a football.
Kowalski takes this opportunity to spring onto the seal's back. The young penguin seems to come out of nowhere, catching Leo off guard. Very carefully Kowalski climbs up until he reaches the seal's head and uses his flippers to cover the aggressive animal's eyes. Leo doesn't take kindly to the surprise. Instead, he begins thrashing side to side, trying to shake Kowalski off. As Kowalski is holding on for dear life, Rico makes a break for it towards the point.
Outside of the snowbank, Aspen waits eagerly for Skipper to emerge. She begins to move closer. While he will inevitably have to leave the snowbank, she is on somewhat of a deadline.
Toying with him, she lets out a low growl. "Come on out, little penguin. I promise it won't hurt… too much. I'll make it relatively quick. How about that?"
While her back is turned, a much larger seal – larger than both her and Leo – approaches. As he barks out an order, she startles.
"Come on, Aspen. Stop playing around. We're leaving soon!" He lets out a nasty snarl.
Aspen is quick to lift herself up in respect for, or fear of, her superior. Her mannerism seems to turn around completely, from a menacing monster to a simpering puppy. "I've got one last chick, Shawl, sir. Then, I'll be ready."
"You're chasing a chick? C'mon, now Aspen. How difficult can it be to catch one, little hatchling?" Shawl is not too pleased with her answer.
Skipper is in the snowbank still. With his back to the outward facing wall of snow, his chest is heaving. Desperately he racks his brain for a plan. In order to do so accurately, he figures that he will need a headcount of his foes. The newest arrival sounds much more threatening than the former. To get a better idea of what he is up against, he cautiously peaks his head out of the snowbank. He recoils nearly as he emerged. It wasn't a moment too soon either, as he is met by Aspen's snapping snout.
Shawl huffs in disdain. "Pathetic. And I'm sure you weren't just saving this one as a snack for yourself."
"No, no, sir." Aspen stammers with snow still on her snout.
Shawl rolls his eyes. "Let me see." He shoves Aspen out of his way and inspects the mound.
Without warning, Shawl swipes his clawed flipper into the snow mound. Upon impact with his massive flipper, the structure completely crumbles. Snow is sent flying in large quantities. However, in the debris, there is no sign of Skipper.
"Hmm…" Shawl leans back and glares suspiciously at Aspen.
Aspen lifts her flippers in her defense. "He's got to be in there somewhere, I swear!"
Shawl is angered even more. Nothing short of retrieving the chick would appease Shawl at this point. "Are you telling me you lost one?"
Aspen looks around as if she has misplaced a TV remote. "Now, hold on. I'm sure it's in here somewhere." She looks all around her, distracting herself so much as not to notice the apparent line forming from underneath the snow.
Skipper continues to burrow under the snow and out from the snowbank, until he gets past the seals. This attracts Shawl's attention. He begins to follow the path Skipper is creating. The penguin seems to misjudge how far he's travelled, as he bursts through the snow for air.
"Phew!" Skipper wipes his brow in relief. A second more and he would have suffocated. The shadow is the first thing he notices, before the smile vanishes from his beak. He spins around to find Shawl staring down at him. He can almost feel the hot air radiating past the seal's whiskers. Shawl is by far the largest seal he had ever seen. He seems to have a perpetual snarl and is missing his right eye, covered by an eyepatch. The sight of him alone is enough to make Skipper shudder in fear.
"Nice try, penguin, but I'm not having a hatchling outsmart me today." Shawl grimly greets Skipper.
"Yeah!" Aspen chimes in, warranting a disapproving look from Shawl and an eye roll from Skipper even.
That's when the sight of Leo running up the point haphazardly after Kowalski, Rico, and the chick catches Shawl's eye. "What now? I swear, you want a village pillaged correctly, you've got to do it yourself."
Aspen shrugs, "heh."
"Grab this one and take him to the ship. I'll get the other three." Shawl commands Aspen.
She straightens up and salutes. "Yes, captain!"
When Shawl's back is turned, Aspen regains her confident and sly nature. She turns back to Skipper, "Now, you little –" to find a trail of footprints.
She calls hopelessly to Skipper, as he is racing towards the water. "Hey! Come back!"
At this point, Leo stops in his tracks. In a fit of rage, he proceeds to pursue the penguins even faster than before. This is more than enough motivation for Rico, Kowalski, and the hatchling to scurry up the point. They keep running, until the reach the very edge.
"Leo!" Shawl growls from the base of the point.
He responds, looking down towards Shawl, mustering up a chipper tone. "Oh, hey! Captain… Just gathering up all the chicks like you asked."
Shawl begins barreling up the slope. "Step aside!"
Leo tries to warn him, a little horrified himself. "These aren't just regular penguins, Shawl."
Shawl takes a sarcastic tone. "Oh, I'm sure they're not. Trust me, they all end up the same in the end."
The hatchling is now pressing against Rico for protection. Rico, with his flippers around the chick, turns to Kowalski, looking tense. "What now?"
Kowalski begins to search his environment again. The thought of jumping into the water below would be desperate but it might be their only option. Just as he considers it, a sheet of ice catches his eye. Skipper is standing below them, trying to stealthily get their attention.
"We jump." He says determined.
"What?"
"Now, Rico!" Kowalski orders.
Rico, still holding onto the hatchling, spits up a makeshift parachute made from the blanket and string from the binoculars. Kowalski grabs a hold of him, as they both dive over the side of the point.
They land roughly but surely onto the ice floe where Skipper is expecting them.
"Way to go, boys!" Skipper congratulates them by offering a high one.
The two are so relieved to be reunited with their brother that they go in for a group hug instead. "Skipper!" They nearly say his name in unison. The little hatchling stands behind them, observing his new family.
"Skippah!" The chick giggles and awkwardly waddles over to join in the hug. He wobbles over on his stubby legs.
"D'aww," Rico coos.
Skipper lowers himself and stretches out his flippers to the little penguin. "Well, hi there, little soldier!"
Cheerfully, the chick repeats Skipper's name "Skippah," as he waddles into his embrace. Skipper holds him on his hip, and receives a hug in return. Caught up in this moment, Skipper snaps out of it when he hears the seals shouting from the point above.
Leo threatens. "We'll get you!"
Shawl sighs, utterly done with this snafu. "No, we won't."
Leo calls back. "Ok. Just kidding!"
Shawl turns away, and his eyes widen with a simultaneous mix of amazement and terror. "These aren't just normal penguins…"
Aspen elbows him out of his trance. She tries to put a positive spin on it. "But, hey look on the bright side! We got the whole rest of the village!"
Leo nods along. "That's pretty good!"
"At least, we won't get them yet." Shawl growls in a low voice, finishing his thought from before.
He turns back to look over the point, staring at the Penguins as they float away. His eye makes contact with Skipper's gaze. Skipper makes sure not to break eye contact. He doesn't trust the seals – that they would give up. He keeps staring up at Shawl, until the hatchling snuggles in closer and Shawl and his team disappear over on the opposite side of the point.
Once they are no longer in sight, he focuses on the little hatchling who is now fast asleep. Just like it had always been, it was his mission to protect his brothers. Now, another addition had just made his way into the family. He is small in Skipper's flippers, so fragile. Skipper tightens his grip and holds him closer. The sun begins to set, coloring the water a nice orange hue.
Once the sun goes down completely, the Penguins decide that is safe to go back on land. They devise a plan to go back to the bungalow. It is their best option. They would go to their mom, as she would have a plan. She always knew what to do – how to get out of a difficult situation. If anyone could help them, it was her.
Kowalski whispers, as they trudge home, exhausted from their adventure. "I'm sure mom is worried sick about us."
"Yeah." Rico agrees.
Kowalski furthers his statement. "She's been home for hours at this point."
Skipper already begins to devise a plan of his own. However, his tone is softer as he can't help but smile when he looks down at the little hatchling. "First, we'll go let mom know we're ok. Then, we'll go find who you belong to, little guy."
Now, fully awake, the hatchling giggles in response. He kicks his feet and claps his flippers together, causing Skipper to laugh.
This laughter is cut short when they reach what is left of their bungalow. It has been completely toppled over. Where their doorway stood is now flat snow surrounded by piles of snow scattered from where it had been thrown.
"Mom?" Kowalski is the first to go looking, his voice breaks. This couldn't be happening. Their home is gone and their mom is nowhere in sight.
"Ma?" Skipper takes a few more steps into the mess that was once their home. She couldn't be gone – she was always there for them, she always knew what to do, what to say. Who was going to take care of them? Sure, he could protect his brothers, but who was going to look out for him? All of her smiles, her warm hugs, her jokes – all gone. It couldn't be. This had to be a mistake.
"Hello?" Rico calls barely loud enough.
Kowalski stammers, tears coming to his eyes. "She's – she's gone."
Skipper takes a level tone to reassure his brothers. Despite his own worries, he couldn't let them lose hope. He had to keep them going. "Now, we don't know that. Maybe, she… she's still out fishing or looking for us."
As Skipper takes a step closer to his brothers, he feels something under his foot. He bends down to find the photograph his mother held onto – the one of all of them together. As he looks at the happy image of what used to be, he couldn't feel sadder. A familiar sickening feeling arises in his stomach, and the tears return to his eyes. When she had handed him this photograph last night, he had thrown it on the ground. Now he would do anything to talk to her again.
As soon as Skipper starts crying, he can hear the hatchling start to get riled up. He must have sensed Skipper's grief. This causes Skipper to quickly wipe his own eyes. Kowalski and Rico are also crying at this point. Skipper thinks what their mother would do in this situation. He opens his flippers for a hug, which is gladly taken.
"We're going to be okay, boys." Skipper sniffles. "I promise. It's going to be okay."
By midmorning, the Penguins have nearly concluded their scan of the village. Originally hoping to find the parents of the hatchling, they had modified their objective to finding anyone who had an idea of what had happened. Unfortunately, it seems as though they are struggling to find any penguins who had evaded capture the day prior.
Kowalski pokes his head out from a hut in the village. "None of the inhabitants in here, Skipper."
"Rico?" Skipper calls for a report.
Rico peaks out from another one. "Nope."
As Kowalski and Rico start making their way back to Skipper, he takes in a deep breath and sighs. "Well, I guess we are all alone." Just as he is starting to feel overwhelmed, he looks down at the hatchling in his flippers. "What do you think, kid?"
"Skippah!" The hatchling giggles and reaches up at Skipper. He's only repeated that word since they met him.
Skipper chuckles. "No, you're right. We've got each other." He looks up, as Kowalski and Rico approach.
The moment is interrupted by the sound of a ship roar. It is enough to make the boys jump. Normally, it would be an exciting sound for them to hear. After all of the adrenaline from yesterday, it came more as an unexpected nuisance.
"And… apparently a boat of humans." Kowalski states, looking towards the ship.
A smile comes to Skipper's face. "Boys, this is our chance! We can make a new start and follow in our dad's footsteps! We can – we can fight radioactive gulls and save another rookery."
"Actually…" Kowalski laughs. "I don't think there are such things as radioactive gulls, Skipper." The idea of exploring did sound appealing though. They had nowhere else to go.
"Oh, okay," Skipper takes the note. He comes back with more passion. "Then, we'll fight regular gulls! And any other evildoers! We'll sail the world and become the best team of penguin secret agents there ever was! Us against the world." He places a flipper around Kowalski's shoulder.
"Yeah!" Rico concurs.
Kowalski doesn't let himself get too far into the fantasy. "You really think we can do it?"
"Of course, we can!" Skipper reassures.
Rico gestures to his chest. "In our blood, remember?"
Kowalski sighs and gives in. "Well, okay!" His attention turns to the hatchling in Skipper's other flipper. "And… if we're deciding to stick with our current motif. I think Private would be an appropriate name for our newest member of the team."
Rico leans in closer to the hatchling, who backs up in response. "Ooh!"
"Private! I like it!" Skipper announces. Then, looking down at the chick, he asks, "what do you think?"
Private's eyes widen and he nods. He tries to formulate the word with a face that looks like he is about to sneeze. "Pri – Pri … -"
He is interrupted by the ship's horn.
Skipper shrugs. "We'll work on it."
From afar, they can hear the boat's captain calling to his men. "Ship's leaving for New York City!"
Skipper looks to his own team with a smile. "Let's roll out, boys!"
[To Be Continued]